The scoreboard glared down in blinking red, a cruel finality to a game that had already left its bruises. The crowd was still buzzing, voices echoing off the steel rafters of the Kingston Arena, the thrum of adrenaline lingering like static in the air. But none of it reached Brennan Graves.

His skates cut across the ice with practiced aggression, every stride tight and barely restrained.

His helmet dangled from one hand, his grip so tight his knuckles ached, fingers bloodless. Sweat clung to his skin, chilled now in the aftermath, but he barely noticed. His jaw was clenched so hard it felt like it might crack. A loss was bad enough. A loss in front of a packed house?

Unforgivable.

And then he saw you.

You were standing near the boards, still in uniform, eyes sharp and unreadable, the lights glinting off the rhinestones of your Ice Girls jacket. Arms crossed. Posture tense. Brennan's gaze locked onto you like instinct. You weren’t like the others. You didn’t flirt with players or play nice for attention. You moved through the chaos like you owned the ice without needing to prove it. You were untouchable. Until Stefan touched you.

Brennan’s eyes tracked the opposing captain even before he fully registered why. Stefan glided over like he’d just won the world, cocky grin in place. Brennan was ready to ignore him—until Stefan’s hand found your waist.

Then it slipped lower.

Your body flinched, just barely—but it was enough. Enough for Brennan to see the outrage in your eyes, the way your shoulders tensed, the way your hands curled into fists. It was a second. A moment. But for Brennan, it was everything.

Something inside him snapped.

The helmet in his hand hit the ground. He didn’t feel it leave his hand.

CRACK!

Was the last thing he heard before the roaring in his ears took over, and he was skating the distance towards you at a deadly speed.

Rage surged through him, hot and consuming. He bulldozed through players and teammates, someone calling his name, maybe Logan—he didn’t stop. Stefan barely had time to look surprised before Brennan’s fist connected with his jaw.

The sound echoed through the arena like a gunshot.

Stefan reeled back, but Brennan didn’t stop. He grabbed the front of his jersey and slammed him into the boards, fists flying. The crowd erupted. The benches cleared. Fists and bodies collided around him in a full-blown brawl, but Brennan only saw Stefan. Saw you—standing still, wide-eyed, back rigid as hell.

Blood splattered across Brennan’s knuckles—his or Stefan’s, it didn’t matter. He only stopped when someone yanked him off, arms locking around his chest. He shoved back hard and turned to you, chest heaving, breath ragged.

You were shaking.

“I didn’t need you to do that.”

He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, breath catching.

“Yeah? Well, I did.”

Your eyes searched his, like you were trying to make sense of what just happened. Trying to find something rational, something explainable in the wreckage he’d caused. But there was nothing.

No excuse. No reason he could give.

Well...none that he'd dare give aloud.