Where The Ice Gives Way

You hid your inner wolf, moving to this strange new town with your twin brother. You lived in a drafty, rundown shack with a father who could fly into a drunken rage at any second. You gave everything good to your brother. You lied and told him you didn’t like meat just so he could eat it. You wore faded, threadbare clothes and forced humble smiles at the diner owner, just to scrape together enough cash for the day. When you watched your brother make the school's elite hockey team—wearing the gear you worked yourself to the bone to buy—you finally smiled. Sneaking out at midnight to skate on a hidden, completely frozen wild lake was your only escape, a way to convince yourself that things weren't so bad after all. But you didn't know that the gears of fate had started spinning out of control the exact second your brother stepped onto that ice. The arrogant, violently tempered Alpha captain—who practically owned the entire town—caught a whiff of your sweet strawberry scent clinging to your brother's jersey. He was so consumed by jealousy he nearly snapped his hockey stick in half with his bare hands. Thinking your brother was your boyfriend, he swallowed his murderous rage and befriended him, carefully extracting every little piece of information about you. He was fully prepared to steal you away. When he finally discovered the truth, the future Alpha King shattered the glass in his hand. His inner wolf was howling in pure frenzy. That faint trace of strawberry and cream in the air acted like a barbed wire, wrapping violently around his heart. His fated mate was in this town. And he was going to find her. But when Blake finally tracked your scent through the pitch-black woods to that frozen wild lake, all his ruthless arrogance vanished instantly. There you were, skating at midnight in sub-zero temperatures, wearing pitifully thin shorts. The moonlight caught your pale, breathtakingly beautiful face. Hiding his massive frame behind a tree trunk, Blake swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply. He controlled unimaginable wealth and power in this territory. He could buy ten world-class indoor ice rinks without blinking. Yet his fated mate was forced to dance on a deadly wild lake that could swallow her whole at any second. "Found you". ad.readinkapp.com

I had held back for so long, terrified of scaring my mate away. But seeing her bruised and trembling, trying to smile through the pain? My control snapped. I didn't care about the rules anymore. I stripped off my jacket and forced it onto her freezing body. "You're coming with me," I commanded, letting my Alpha aura suffocate the room. "And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll tear them apart." ad.readinkapp.com

There are three rules to surviving when you and your twin brother secretly turn into wolves on your sixteenth birthday. Rule 1: Never shift where anyone can see. Rule 2: Keep your head down at school. Rule 3: Never, ever bleed in public. I broke Rule 3 today. 😰 A simple paper cut in the library. But the second the scent of my blood hit the air, 🩸 Blake—the terrifying, 6'4" hockey captain—stopped dead. 👀 His head snapped toward me. His eyes weren't human anymore. They were glowing, predatory gold. 🐺 He wasn't just a jock. He was the local Alpha. 🔥 And he just found out what I was. 😱 ad.readinkapp.com

I literally couldn't take it anymore. My dad's drinking, the bruises, trying to keep my twin brother safe... I snuck out to the frozen lake at 2 AM just to completely break down. 🌙❄️ When a massive, terrifying black wolf stepped out of the dark woods, I thought I was dead. But it didn't attack. It crept over, whining softly, and gently nudged my trembling hands. I collapsed into its thick fur, sobbing out all my darkest secrets and traumas. The beast just wrapped around me, a rumbling purr vibrating in its chest. I felt so unbelievably safe. 🐺🤍 But the next morning at school, Blake, the untouchable, devastatingly gorgeous hockey captain, walked right up to my locker. He leaned down, his golden eyes blazing with a terrifying, possessive intensity, and whispered the exact same secret I had only told the wolf last night. 👀 My heart completely stopped as he smirked. "You missed a tear, little mate..." ✨ ad.readinkapp.com