The Hockey Alpha's Rejection

CHAPTER ONE

Raina's POV

I kept my head down as I walked through the main doors of Frostvale Academy, but my mind was completely focused on the secret I had been keeping for months, because Damon and I had been seeing each other behind everyone's backs for a long time. Nobody in the pack knew about us because his father would lose his mind if he found out his son was messing around with a girl who couldn't even shift into a wolf, but whenever we were alone, Damon was totally different from the cold guy everyone saw at school. I really believed he cared about me, so I kept telling myself that tonight at the ceremony would finally be the moment we didn't have to hide anymore.

"Look at what you're wearing, Raina," Mira said as she stepped right in front of me in the hallway, and before I could even move away, she deliberately spilled her drink all over the front of my dress.

"Why did you just do that?" I asked, and I stepped back while trying to wipe the liquid off my clothes.

"Because you look ridiculous trying to dress up for a ceremony that doesn't even concern you," Mira laughed, and she pointed at the wet spot while her friends laughed right along with her. "You don't even have a wolf, so you shouldn't even be allowed in the building tonight."

"I have every right to be here just like you," I said, but before I could say anything else, my brother Ethan walked over from the hockey lockers and shoved his way between us.

"Stop making a scene and embarrassing me in front of my team," Ethan said, and he glared at me like I was taking something away from him just by standing there.

"Mira just ruined my dress on purpose, Ethan," I said, looking at my brother while I tried to keep my voice steady.

"I don't care about your dress, Raina, because tonight is about the hockey team and the pack's future," Ethan said, turning his back on me to fix his jacket. "You always try to steal the attention from me, but nobody cares about a girl who can't shift and can't even play the game."

"If you cared so much about the game, you'd fix your defensive line for the championship match," I said, stepping closer so only he could hear me. "Your team is leaving the left side completely open during power plays, and any smart captain is going to exploit that within the first five minutes."

Ethan's face went red, and he shoved me back by my shoulder before I could say another word.

"Keep your mouth shut about hockey, because you don't know anything about this team," Ethan snapped, and he walked off toward his friends without checking to see if I was okay.

I cleaned myself up as best as I could in the restroom and then walked down the quiet side hallway toward the equipment room, because Damon had sent me a text to meet him there before the main event started. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, and Damon immediately grabbed my waist and pulled me into the corner where nobody could see us from the glass window.

"Are you crazy coming down here where someone could see us?" Damon whispered, but he didn't let go of my waist, and he leaned down to kiss my neck.

"I came because you texted me, Damon," I said, placing my hands against his chest while I looked up at his face. "Mira ruined my dress, and Ethan was being terrible to me out there, so I just needed to know if things are going to change tonight."

"Nothing can change tonight, Raina, and you need to listen to me carefully," Damon said, and his hands tightened on my waist while his jaw set firm. "We cannot let anyone discover our relationship, especially not my father, because if he finds out about us right now, it will mess up everything he has planned for the pack."

"We've been hiding for six months, Damon," I said, looking right into his eyes while my voice shook a little. "If the Moon Goddess picks us as mates tonight, we won't have to hide anymore, because not even your father can argue with a fated bond."

"Just don't do anything stupid out there," Damon said, and he kissed me quickly on the lips before he pulled away and walked out the door first so we wouldn't be seen together.

An hour later, the entire academy was gathered in the main hall for the Moon Bond Ceremony, and I stood near the back wall while everyone talked loudly about who was going to get paired up. The heavy doors opened, and Damon walked in with his father, Alpha Marcus, right behind him. Damon looked straight ahead as he walked to the center of the floor, but as soon as he took another step, his entire body went completely stiff, and his eyes snapped directly to mine across the crowded room.

A sharp pull hit my chest, and the scent of pine filled my head as Damon's wolf pushed right to the surface, making his eyes turn a glowing gold. The whole room went totally silent because everyone could feel the mate bond snapping into place between us, and my heart started beating fast because I thought my dream was actually coming true right in front of everyone.

Damon took a step toward me, but then he suddenly stopped, and his golden eyes went completely cold as he stared at me like he hated my guts.

"Damon, what is going on?" Alpha Marcus asked, stepping up beside his son with a frown on his face.

Damon kept his eyes locked on mine, and he didn't even hesitate as he raised his voice so every single person in the hall could hear him clearly.

"I reject you, Raina," Damon said, and his voice was completely flat without any emotion at all.

I felt like all the air had been kicked out of my lungs, and I took a step forward while everyone around us started gasping and whispering.

"Damon, what are you doing?" I asked, and my voice cracked because I couldn't believe the boy who had been kissing me in secret an hour ago was standing there acting like I was a stranger. "You know this isn't right."

"Look at yourself, Raina," Damon said, glaring at me like I was something disgusting. "You are a powerless girl from a broken family who can't even shift into a wolf, so there is no way I am ever going to take you as my Luna."

"My son speaks the truth," Alpha Marcus added, stepping forward with a cold look on his face. "A future Alpha cannot be tied to someone so weak, so this bond is officially broken."

Ethan walked out from the crowd, and instead of standing by me, he laughed along with the other hockey players while people started pointing at my wet dress and making fun of me. My chest hurt so badly I couldn't even breathe, so I turned around, shoved my way past the doors, and ran out into the night as fast as my legs could take me.

Damon stood in the center of the hall and watched the doors swing shut behind me, and he quietly tightened his hands into hard fists at his sides, knowing that his father's scheme was finally moving forward and giving them the exact chance they needed to get rid of the girl who threatened their entire dynasty.

CHAPTER TWO

Raina's POV

I pushed the front door open and walked into the house with my hands shaking from the cold, and I was desperately hoping my parents would offer me some kind of comfort after what happened at the ceremony. My father was sitting near the middle of the room with a sour look on his face, and my brother Ethan was already standing by the counter with a drink in his hand while my sister Mira smiled at me from the hallway.

"Don't start crying in here, Raina, because you got exactly what you deserved tonight," my father said, and he didn't even bother to stand up or look me in the eye as he spoke.

"Father, Damon publicly humiliated me in front of the whole academy," I said, stepping closer to the center of the room while my voice trembled. "He rejected me right on the floor, and Ethan stood right beside his teammates and laughed at me instead of saying anything to defend his own sister."

"Why would I defend someone who makes our whole family look like a complete joke?" Ethan asked, dropping his glass onto the counter with a loud clatter before stepping toward me. "You can't shift into a wolf, you have no power in this pack, and yet you always try to act like you're smarter than everyone else."

"I don't act like anything, Ethan," I said, holding my ground even though my whole body was exhausted, "I just pointed out a simple mistake in your hockey strategy today, and you got mad because you know I understand the game better than you do."

"Shut your mouth about my hockey career!" Ethan shouted, stepping right into my face while his face turned completely red with anger. "You don't play on the team, you don't wear the jersey, and you're just jealous because Father actually cares about my future while you are nothing to this family."

"Ethan is right, so you need to accept Damon's rejection quietly and stop causing trouble for us," my father interrupted, waving his hand toward the stairs to dismiss me completely. "Alpha Marcus already called me about the situation, and I told him our family would not make a mess over a wolfless girl who was never going to bring us any value anyway."

"He never truly wanted you in the first place, Raina," Mira said, stepping out from the hallway with her arms crossed over her chest while a cruel grin spread across her face. "Damon only talked to you because he felt sorry for you, but now that the whole academy knows he rejected you, you can finally stop pretending you ever had a chance with a future Alpha."

I didn't answer any of them because my chest hurt too much, so I turned around and walked up the stairs to my room without saying another word. I sat on the edge of my bed for hours while the house went completely quiet, but I couldn't sleep at all because I kept thinking about the way Damon had held me in the equipment room right before the ceremony started. I knew deep down that his public rejection didn't make any sense, so around midnight, I snuck out of my bedroom window and walked through the dark trees to the small storage shed behind the main hockey arena where we always used to meet in secret.

I pushed the heavy door open, and I found Damon standing near the back wall with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking like he had been pacing around the room for a long time.

"Why did you come out here, Raina?" Damon asked as soon as he saw me, and he tried to make his voice sound cold, but he immediately stepped forward and pulled me into his arms the moment I closed the door behind me.

"I came because I need to know the truth, Damon," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist while I pressed my face against his chest, feeling his heart beating fast beneath his jacket. "You told me an hour before the ceremony that we just had to be careful, but then you stood in front of everyone and said those terrible things to my face."

"We have to stop seeing each other for real this time, Raina," Damon whispered, but even as he said those words, his hands tightened around my waist, and he leaned down to press his lips against my neck while his body trembled against mine. "My father is watching every single move I make right now, and if he finds out we are still meeting like this, he will make sure you are forced out of the territory completely."

"You don't sound like you mean any of this," I said, pulling back just enough to look straight into his gold eyes, "You rejected me in front of the whole pack, but right now you are holding me like you can't let me go, so please stop lying to me and tell me what is actually going on."

"It's complicated, Raina, and I'm trying to keep you safe from things you don't understand yet," Damon said, resting his forehead against mine while his fingers ran through my hair in a way that felt completely gentle and protective.

I looked up at his face while my heart hammered against my ribs, and I knew I couldn't keep my biggest secret from him any longer, especially after everything that had happened between us over the past few months.

"Damon, there is something else you need to know," I whispered, taking his large hand and slowly placing it directly against my lower stomach. "I was going to tell you before the ceremony started, but everything went wrong."

Damon froze completely, and his eyes widened as he stared down at his hand resting against my body while his posture went totally rigid.

"What are you saying right now, Raina?" Damon asked, and his voice was barely audible as he looked back up into my eyes with total shock written across his face.

"I am pregnant, Damon," I said, and a single tear slipped down my cheek as I held his hand against my stomach. "It's your baby."

Damon stood completely still for a long moment while he tried to process what I had just told him, and I could feel the sudden warmth radiating off his skin as his inner wolf reacted with intense pride and protectiveness toward the news, showing me that he genuinely wanted this child deep down despite all the chaos around us. But before he could even wrap his arms around me or say another word, his phone vibrated loudly in his pocket, making us both jump.

Damon pulled his phone out with a shaking hand, and when he tapped the screen, a text message from Alpha Marcus popped up right at the top: My guards saw her leave her house tonight. Stay in your room and stay away from that girl, or I will deal with her myself before the sun comes up.

Damon stared down at the screen while his face turned completely pale, and then he looked back at my stomach, knowing that if his father ever discovered the pregnancy, both Raina and the unborn child would become targets.

CHAPTER THREE

Raina's POV

I stood near the corner of my father's office while he paced back and forth behind his main desk, and my mind was completely spinning from the message I had received earlier and the news Raina had given me. My father picked up a stack of paper files and slammed them down on the desk, turning around to face me with a furious look in his eyes.

"You need to keep your focus on the hockey team and the upcoming championship match, Damon," my father said, and his voice was cold as he pointed his finger directly at my face. "That wolfless girl has become a total threat to our family's position in this pack, and we cannot afford another scandal after everything we built here."

"I rejected her in front of the whole academy just like you wanted, Father," I said, trying to keep my voice steady while my hands clenched into hard fists inside my pockets, "So why are your guards still following her around the territory late at night?"

"I don't need to explain my security decisions to you, my son," my father said, leaning over the table while his eyes narrowed at me. "Just make sure you stay away from her completely, because if she tries to get close to you again or interferes with our plans, I will make sure she is removed from this pack permanently."

I didn't argue with him because I knew how far his anger could go, but I thought he just meant he would banish her to another town, so I left the pack house as fast as I could and met Raina near the old training rink where nobody ever went after midnight. The moment I opened the door and stepped into the small room, Raina turned around from the wall and stared at me with tears in her eyes.

"Damon, we can't keep doing this," Raina said, stepping right up to me while her whole body trembled with stress. "We have been secretly together for months, and now I am carrying your baby, so why did you reject me in front of everyone if you knew how much we meant to each other?"

"I was terrified of what my father would do to you if he found out about us before I was strong enough to protect you, Raina," I said, reaching out to wrap my arms around her waist and pulling her small body close against my chest while my inner wolf fought to soothe her. "I know I hurt you terribly at the ceremony, but I swear to you right now that I am going to protect you and this baby no matter what happens."

"It's getting much harder to hide everything, Damon," Raina whispered, resting her forehead against my chest while I held her tight. "I felt like someone was watching me when I walked through the woods tonight, and if my family notices anything strange about my body, they are going to throw me out onto the street."

"Nobody is going to throw you out while I'm breathing," I said, raising my hand to touch her cheek gently, "We just need to be extremely careful for a few more days until I figure out a way to get us out of this territory safely."

Before Raina could answer me, the side door clicked open, and Ethan walked straight into the room with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw us standing so close together.

"I knew I wasn't crazy," Ethan said, dropping his bag onto the floor with a loud thud while he glared at the two of us with pure disgust. "You two have been disappearing at suspiciously similar times for weeks, and now here you are holding the girl you publicly rejected yesterday."

"Shut your mouth, Ethan, and walk out of here right now," I said, stepping right in front of Raina to shield her from his view while my jaw tightened.

"Why are you protecting her, Damon?" Ethan asked, stepping closer with a red face while he pointed at his sister. "My father and Alpha Marcus were just talking in the main hall about how Raina might know something about your family's true origins, and if she's using some secret to mess with our pack, I am going to tell the guards myself."

"If you say a single word to my father or anyone else, Ethan, I will make sure you never step foot on a hockey rink again," I growled, taking a massive step toward him until Ethan backed down and held his hands up in silence.

"Whatever, keep playing your dangerous games," Ethan muttered, turning around and slamming the door shut as he walked out into the dark night.

Raina stepped out from behind me, and she looked up into my face with a deeply serious expression that made my chest tighten instantly.

"Damon, look at me and tell me the truth right now," Raina said, taking my hands in hers while her voice shook, "If it comes down to a choice between me and your father's power in this pack, who are you actually going to choose?"

I stood there frozen because I couldn't answer her immediately, knowing that walking away from my father meant losing my team, my title, and everything I had trained for my entire life.

"Just go home, Raina," I whispered softly, pulling my hands out of hers because I couldn't face the disappointment in her eyes right now. "We will talk about this tomorrow night when things settle down."

Raina didn't say another word, turning around with her head down and walking back out toward her house through the side paths.

I watched her disappear into the dark, completely unaware of the nightmare waiting for her at home, where she would walk into her searched bedroom to find her drawers torn apart and her hidden pregnancy test completely gone.