The Hockey Star's Secret Obsession

Chapter 1

Adele Wilson

The blaring sound of my alarm interrupted my sleep, yanking me out of sleep and back into the cruel world after hours of being asleep.

Each morning, the sound of my alarm felt like a call to death and nightmare. Something I couldn't avoid. I needed to face it.

"Are you awake, darling? You are going to be late for school." My beloved father spoke from outside, a small knock sounding on the door.

I rolled off the bed with the little strength in me, slipping my big feet into my flip flops. "I'll be there in a minute, dad."

As I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my plump face, I could only wish for one thing. To wake up one morning and see that I had lost all the fat and be a slim and beautiful girl like every other person. That is not too much to ask, right?

After a quick shower, I got ready for the academy, leaving my room to go join my father in the dining room.

"Good morning, dad." I sat across from the forty-eight-year-old man, his brown eyes brightened with a smile as they gazed at me with love and compassion. The only man who ever looked at me like I matter to him.

"I hope you like the food." He smiled as he helped me dish out my food.

"Yes, dad. I love it. You cook better than me." I chuckled.

"Let me help you with that." He reached for the jar of water and poured me some, inviting a warm smile to my face.

This was the only time I ever got to be genuinely happy. Around my father.

Silence thickened around us. I could feel my dad's gaze on me as I ate, but I held my gaze low, resisting the urge to tell him that I wasn't interested in going to the academy. If he didn't go through a hard time before enrolling me in the school, I would've opted out before now.

"Are you having a nice time at the academy? Are you making friends?"

His question stirred something inside me, and my eyes stung with tears, but I held them back.

I looked at him and smiled. "Yes. I made a lot of friends, dad." I just hope he didn't notice the pain in my eyes. The lies behind the fake smiles.

He reached for my head and ruffled my hair. "I'm glad you are fine, child."

I nodded, forcing a smile. How was I supposed to tell him that I was being bullied at the academy? That the sight of me irritates every single person there?

"Adele..."

I raised my gaze to see him smiling at me, but what he failed to do, was hiding the pain behind the smile. Does he by chance know what I'm going through?

"If it ever gets hard, you can always come home to me, alright?"

"Hmm. I'll be fine." I assured him, even though I was barely hanging on.

I left for the academy after breakfast.

My heart stalled, and heat caught in my throat as I stood in front of the tall building, tightening my grip around my backpack.

Just like every other day, I thought of going back from here, but I knew that as always, I had to endure and push through this until the end.

I took a deep breath. "You got this, Adele." I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my chest.

My legs trembled beneath me as I stepped inside the building, and silence welcomed me the moment I stepped inside the hallway.

All eyes were on me. Their loud murmurs piercing through my ears. The air itself felt like it was gossiping about me. I was used to getting attention each day that I came to the academy, but this was different. The atmosphere felt eerily quiet. Did something happen?

"Look who is here?"

I halted abruptly on my track, my heart skipped a beat as Henry, the alpha prince, stood in front of me, blocking me from entering the locker room.

"You're late to school today, fatty." Henry teased me, his blue eyes piercing at me.

I wanted to snap "Don't call me that.", but getting on the prince's nerve would be the worst mistake I would be making today, so I held back.

"Come with me." he turned his back on me and started to walk away.

"The drama coordinator wants to see the casts for the upcoming school drama." he added, not turning to look at me.

My eyes shot open. "Casts?"

My phone beeped at that moment, and I froze on the spot when I saw the announcement in the school forum. The academy was hosting its thirty years anniversary in a few weeks from now, and I, Adele Wilson, was chosen as the leading actress.

My body went numb, cold seeping through my body as my grip around my phone tightened. Why me of all of the students in the academy? Of course, it was to set me up for another bullying.

"Don't keep me waiting." Henry's voice cut through my thoughts before he left my sight.

I followed him hesitantly to the school ballroom where almost every students in my class were already waiting. Their noise which I could hear from outside earlier, all faded into silence the moment I stepped inside. Their eyes all piercing holes in my body as they gazed at me.

The drama coordinator was one of the professors in the academy. He paused and turned to me, his eyes scanned my body briefly, then to my face.

"I wonder why Henry chose her." Those words were supposed to be in whispers, but I heard them clearly.

Henry's smirk welcomed as I turned to look at him. He picked me out of all the students just so he could torment me. Why does he hate me this much? Why the hell does it bother him that I'm plump and ugly? Or was there another reason for this? Something I didn't know about?

"Here is the script. You should rehearse it." The drama coordinator thrusted the script in my palm, then looked at me with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and said, "Good luck, Adele. You got this." And with that, he headed out of the ballroom.

I lifted my gaze to Henry, a tear dropped from my eyes as I asked, "Why are you doing this, Henry?"

He shrugged, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as those words carelessly rolled out of his tongue. "Because messing with you is the only fun I get around here, Adele."

As his eyes bored into mine, a smile on his face, I noticed something behind them. Was it bitterness? Boredom? I couldn't pinpoint it.

It hit me hard at that moment why he was bullying me. It wasn't because I was ugly or plump. He had nothing against me. He just found this fun to do.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close without warning. "Everyone, let me introduce to you, the leading actress of the academy's upcoming drama. Adele Wilson."

As if this was funny, the ballroom echoed with the students' laughter, piercing a hole in my heart.

My eyes wandered around the ballroom for no reason, and I spotted Jason Wolff, standing with his hands in his pockets. Calm and collected. As always. His eyes were on me. Blank and unreadable as always. It felt like he was always watching me.

Jason Wolff was the son of the late Nightshade Pack's beta. Rumour had it that after the death of his father fifteen years ago when he was just eight, he was sent out of the country to another Pack, and only moved back into Nightshade Pack two years ago.

My face burned with embarrassment. Heat caught in my throat at the shame of my crush being here while I was getting bullied.

I had liked and admired Jason from afar for two years, but he never noticed me. How the fuck was he supposed to, when we are from different worlds?

While I was just an ordinary daughter of a packhouse guard, an ugly plump werewolf with big dreams of becoming a figure skater, a dream that may never come true in my lifetime, Jason was the opposite. He was the epitome of perfection. A top student, leader of the ice hockey team, and a cute young man who has every lady's panties dripping just at the sight of him.

I'm not making things up, I've heard a few girls say that a lot.

Even in the face of embarrassment, I still didn't fail to notice how hot he looked today. How he stood out in the crowd with the most perfect height, sexy physique, and fuck! Those honey-brown doe eyes. Those eyes that would have me undressing with just a glance. Jason looked like he'd been carved from sin itself. Perfect, hot, dangerous, and utterly unreachable.

"Hey, Jason."

My grip tightened around the script as I watched Chloe, Henry's sister walked over to him, clinging to his arm possessively as though she owned him.

Chloe wasn't just the alpha's daughter, but the leader of the figure skating team, and Jason's wannabe girlfriend. She parades herself in the academy as Jason's girlfriend, but not many people know that they are not in a relationship.

"How about we practice one of the scenes here, hmm? It's a kiss scene. I bet you have never kissed a man before, right?" Henry chuckled, grabbing my hand and forcing me to face him.

"Is she seriously going to kiss her? Ew!"

"Henry must be messing with her. I know he won't try to kiss that ugly thing."

Those demeaning words made my heart wrench tightly in my chest.

"We still have to practice, Henry. Let's go to the locker room." I noticed the shift in Jason's mood before he stepped forward, getting Henry's attention.

Henry's eyes flashed with disappointment as he looked at me. "Let's say you are lucky today... See you around."

Henry winked at me, then ruffled my hair before walking out of the ballroom, not before throwing Jason a glare. I had no idea what happened, but that was definitely not a friendly glare.

"Let's go to the cafeteria before you go to the ice rink, Jason. Bills on me."

I raised my gaze as Chloe's voice brushed through my ears, and I saw her leaving with Jason.

Just as he reached the door, he paused and looked back at me. Eye cold, calculating... And full of mysteries...

Chapter 2

Adele Wilson

Lunchtime; Academy canteen

'Did you see what happened earlier? I feel like Jason did that to save her'.

'Why would Jason save her? I don't feel that way'.

'Jason doesn't easily get involved with other students. He rarely speaks to Henry too'

'Could it be that Jason has a crush on her? That's not even possible'

'Chloe is so going to kill her'

Slowly, my fingers curled around the fork I was using to eat as I listened to those disgusting whispers from the students.

They couldn't even keep their voices down.

'If you are going to gossip about someone, why not fucking keep your voice down?'

I wanted to yell, but composed myself.

Chloe's familiar and unique perfume thickened the air, accompanied by the noise around me fading into silence.

"Hey!"

Chloe pulled a chair and sat beside me, her eyes on me.

Her blue eyes were blazing with anger that sent horrifying chills down my spine.

She stared at me, face wrinkled in disgust.

"Is something going on between you and Jason?"

My eyes widened. "Huh?"

Jason has never spoken a word to me, what made her think that?

"Answer my question." she sneered.

"No."

"Then why did he butt in earlier in the ballroom?"

She wasn't going to give up, determined to get the answer that wasn't even there.

"I... don't understand what you are talking about."

She scoffed, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "You are really going to act clueless with me, huh? Why he help you earlier?"

Help me? Could this be true? Did he really butt in earlier to help me? But why?

"I don't know what you are talking about." And without another word, I stood up hurriedly in a bid to leave.

"Sit your ass back down, Adele. I'm not done talking."

I found myself obeying her.

"Adele..." she paused, then leaned close. "I don't care whatever game you are trying to play, but trust me, I am the last person you want to mess with. Stay away from my man," she threatened.

"Try anything stupid, Adele, and you are out of the academy. Of the pack... And oh... With just a snap of fingers, your father will lose his job." A smug smirk tugged at her small lips.

"You don't want to mess with what is mine."

She stood up, patted my hair, and smiled before leaving.

I couldn't finish my lunch after what happened, and going back to the class was the last thing on my mind, so I went to the only safe place where I could clear my head. The figure skating arena. It's always empty by this time of the day.

The door to the arena creaked loudly as I pushed it open, the soothing scent of the ice rink and its beautiful sight welcomed.

I dragged myself to sit on on of the chairs, the only questions on my mind as I stared at the ice rink; 'Will I ever get to skate there like other people?'

"Life is unfair, right?"

I looked beside me, and my chest heat up at the sight of Jason, in his team's jersey. A green jersey with white stripes on the arm, with 'Predator' inscribed in front of it. His helmet was in his arm, so I presumed he was either heading to the ice hockey rink, or leaving.

Wait... Did Jason Wolff... the unreachable Jason just talked to me?

My chest pumped up and down with my heart beating loudly against it as he closed the distance between, sitting right next to me, and gazing into space.

"Life can really be unfair..." he paused and looked at me. "If you give it a chance to be." He smiled. One that didn't reach his eyes.

"Huh?"

I pinched the skin under my skirt. To be sure I wasn't dreaming, and the sting confirmed that I wasn't.

Silence thickened around us, dragging on intensely. My brain suddenly stopped functioning, not knowing how to act around him, or even form a single sentence.

Don't blame me. I had never sat this close to him.

Then he spoke out of the blue. "Do you want to trample upon them? Henry, Chloe, and all your bullies. Do you want to make them pay?"

I froze, blinking my eyes as confusion shot through me.

"What if I told you I could reshape your life? Make your dream real?" He offered, his eyes blank.

"I'll make everyone who's ever laughed at you, beg to be in your presence."

My lips parted as waves of shock sparked through me. Why was he doing this?

First, he was always watching me, and now this?

For a moment, I was tempted to take the offer right away. The pain was already too much and I needed an escape, but hell no! I couldn't allow myself make such mistake.

His phone rang, disrupting him. He glanced at the screen, then turned to me.

"If you want to survive in this academy, then you have a to make a choice, Adele..."

He even knew my name?

"To either be a predator... or a prey."

He stood up and turned his back on me.

"I'll be waiting here by this time tomorrow, expecting your reply. I will take your absence as turning down my offer." He turned to leave.

I rose to my feet. "Why do you want to help me?"

He paused, then looked at me over his shoulder, a soft smile playing around his lips. "Just because."

That was his only reply before he walked away. Just because? What does it mean?

I sighed, dragging my fingers through my hair. Many thoughts lingered in my mind, but not once did I let myself think of what he said.

My phone pinged, and I hesitantly reached for it.

Dad;

'I'll be sleeping over at the packhouse today, darling. The alpha need me here. I kept some leftover food at home. Make sure you eat. Daddy loves you'.

My lips curled in a smile as my eyes scanned through the text.

'Just because'

Jason's voice rang in my head again, and I left my gaze.

"Don't think about it, Adele." I whispered, tightening my fingers around my phone...

Chapter 3

Adele Wilson

I stood behind the partition wall, watching Jason. He was sitting in the same spot where he sat yesterday, calm and focused.

Ten minutes ago, I had sneaked inside the arena, and shortly after, he walked inside, and had since been waiting for me.

My heart reeled, my mind about to explode as many questions flooded it in a second.

Why was he this persistent? Was there more to this, or was I the one making things up in my head?

He checked his wristwatch, before taking his phone out of his pocket, fixing his gaze on it.

'What if I told you I could help reshape your life?'

My fingers clutched tightly around my phone. Yes, I knew Jason was powerful. He was capable of all he said, and I needed his help if I really wanted to survive in this school, but what if I was making a mistake?

'Just go to him, Adele'

A voice spoke in my head, and I stood up, adjusted my backpack, but I hadn't taken a step when I was slammed back into reality as Chloe's words rang in my head.

'Stay away from what is mine'

My fingers clenched around my backpack, heart twisting in my chest. Chloe was the last person I wanted to mess with. She could do anything. Just anything to make my life miserable if I dared get close to Jason. And the Alpha... He loves his daughter so much, and would become enemies with whoever hurt his daughter.

"It's better this way, Adele. Staying invisible is better than being a target... It's just for another few years, and you'll be out of it forever. You can do it." I whispered.

Jason looked back, almost catching a glimpse of me, but I was quick to hide.

After minutes of endless waiting, Jason stood up, then looked around one more time before leaving.

My heart stung... a part relief, mostly regret, but still, I convinced myself that it was better this way.

"Right, Adele... You made the right choice."

I forced a smile on my face, slowly stroking my hair.

"Why does he care so much? Why me?"

Another few more minutes in the arena to be sure he was really gone, before heading out. However, I was brought to an abrupt halt the moment I stepped out of the arena, and was welcomed by Chloe. She stood outside the arena, with Celine and Jasmine... Her watchdogs in the academy.

My heart galloped, cold seeped through my body, as I forced down the lump in my throat.

Her eyes blazed with fury. "It was you?"

"Huh?"

"You were the one keeping Jason in there for over thirty minutes?" She huffed, arms crossed on her chest.

"Uhm... I..." My voice faded into silence, the pounding in my chest became even louder.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Chlo..."

Her hand swung across my face, shutting me up with a banging slap that had me gasping out loud.

My face burned as pain exploded through it. A burning sensation burned in my throat and down to my stomach, boiling my blood as rage surged through me.

'Slap her back, Adele. You can't let her keep treating you like this!'

The voice in my head spoke, but I didn't do it. I knew that voice was setting me up for a calamity, and I wasn't in for that.

"I told you to steer clear off my man, Adele."

A smug smirk danced around her lips, before she turned to her girls and said, "Bring her, girls."

Her command, the only thing they needed to swing into action.

I cried out. "Let me go." But they didn't stop.

They dragged me through the empty hall, past unused classrooms, and shoved me into the old study room, silent cries tore through my throat as my knees cracked against the marble floor.

"Adele..."

Chloe sat on a chair in front of me. "Look at me..."

My body trembled, tears blurring my eyes as I lifted my gaze to her face. She had that annoying smirk on her face.

"Why don't you save the tears, sweetheart? You will need them later."

She pouted her lips, then burst into her laughter, along with her girls.

"I didn't do anything with Jason, I promise. I didn't even meet him... You can ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

As if she would listen to my explanation.

"Please let me go, Chloe." I begged, getting on my knees.

She huffed, dragging her fingers through her hair, then snapped. "You think I'm a fool? You didn't meet him?"

She squatted in front of me, pressed her phone a few seconds, then grabbed my chin before turning the screen to my face.

"Then fucking explain this, bitch!"

I froze, my eyes widening. It was a picture of Jason and I in the arena yesterday. Someone took it secretly.

The camera angle made Jason's face so close to me as if we were about to kiss. Fuck! I'm cooked!

"What were you two doing? About to kiss?"

"No... No... You are getting it all..."

My ear rang and my face burned as her hand swung across my face again, leaving a hot slap on my cheek.

"You still dare lie to my face?" She gritted out, then stood up. "Well, since you want to sneak around, let's play the game together."

"Strip her."

"Let's see if Jason will still want to be around you after seeing your fat bare flesh."

She laughed.

"Let me go! Don't touch me." I cried, resisting as Celine and Jasmine tried to strip me.

They succeeded. Celine ripped my shirt off, revealing my chest.

Chloe's eyes narrowed, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she gasped loudly. "Your chest is wrinkled. Eww!"

My hands trembled as they covered my chest, while Chloe's phone clicked on my face, taking pictures of me.

I sat on the cold floor, whimpering, with no hope of being saved. Just like always. I have to endure this?

"I'm sure Jason would want to see this." She chuckled.

"Please, Chloe..." I got on my knees, begging. But for what exactly?

And just when I had lost hope, the door burst open, and Jason walked inside.

"That's enough, Chloe."

My cheeks flushed hot, and my stomach sparked with excitement as he came to hold me, helping me up to my feet.

He removed his jersey and gave it to me. "Change into this."

He turned to Chloe whose face was pale and frozen with shock.

"Wh...what are you doing here?" She stuttered, blinking her eyes.

He ignored her. By the time he turned to me, I had already changed into his jersey, so he held my hand and muttered. "Let's go."

Chloe blocked our way, face burning with fury. "You can't take her away, Jason. I'm not done with her."

Just one strong and powerful look from Jason, and Chloe melted.

I saw it... the flicker of fear in Chloe's eyes, just before she stepped aside. She was afraid of him.

We were almost out of the room when Jason paused. "Delete the pictures and videos you took of her. I won't repeat it later, Chloe." And without doing so little as glancing back at her, he led me out of the room.

My heart raced, with every thump heavier than the last, my eyes glued to Jason as he led me to wherever.

I inhaled his scent. Clean. Crisp. Like winter and something darker."

His hand was warm against mine, stirring something inside me. I couldn't explain what this feeling was. Perhaps because I've had a crush on him, or maybe something deeper than that.

We got to the rooftop, and he let go of my hand.

"Are you okay?" His voice was firm, and eyes void of emotion.

"Yes, I'm. Thank you for saving me." I whispered.

Silence thickened around us, his eyes on me.

"You didn't show up... I guess it's a no then, yeah?"

I lowered my gaze, biting into my lip.

"Alright... You can return my jersey tomorrow."

Without another word, he turned his back on me and started walking away, when I blurted out.

"What do you want in exchange for helping me?"