She feels the bond too

Reese~

I’m back there again.

The room is dark and the smell of metal fills the air.

My hands are slick with blood—my blood—and Jade is standing in front of me. His eyes are wild. He’s holding a dagger, his jaw tight, breathing uneven. I can hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

“No,” I whisper, stepping back. “No, please, Jade. Don’t do this.”

He doesn’t speak.

“Please, I love you,” I say, my voice cracking. “You can’t—please—you can’t kill me. I’m carrying your baby.”

The dagger trembles in his hand. For a second, I think he’ll drop it. Then his expression hardens, cold and familiar.

“Jade,” I cry again, reaching for him. “Please, don’t—”

The sound of his footsteps echoes closer. The air turns heavy.

I try to move, but my legs won’t work. My chest tightens as he lifts the dagger higher.

“Don’t—”

The blade flashes down— I scream as my eyes snap open and I scramble up.

The room is dark, my body soaked in sweat. My breathing is ragged and my throat dry. For a few seconds, I can’t tell if I’m still dreaming until I hear a quiet cough.

Someone’s here.

I jerk upright and turn toward the corner. Finn is standing there, one hand in his pocket, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

“Didn’t know grown-ups still had nightmares,” he says, his tone light but mocking. “Really interesting.”

I stare at him, my heart still racing. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know how to knock?”

He tilts his head slightly. “Why would I knock in my own house?”

My pulse spikes. “It’s eight-thirty,” he continues, glancing lazily toward the window. “Is that how you plan to keep to time, dear coach?”

I blink. “What?”

He picks up my phone from the bedside table and turns the screen toward me. 8:30 a.m. sharp.

Shit. Rosabelle told me to be ready by eight.

“Can you leave now?” I snap. “I’d like to have my bath.”

He lingers for a second, eyes trailing over me like he’s measuring something invisible then turns and walks out without another word.

I throw the covers aside and rush into the bathroom. The cold water shocks me awake as I scrub at my skin like I can wash away the nightmare. When I step out, steam curls around the mirror. I wipe it with my palm, staring at my reflection. My eyes look tired, older than they should.

Get it together, Reese.

I towel off and return to the bedroom. A folded sports outfit lies neatly on the bed, a jersey and light trousers. Someone must’ve dropped it off while I was in the shower. I pull them on quickly, tying my hair into a tight ponytail.

Before heading out, I open the drawer beside the bed and pull out a small black bottle. My scent suppressant. I’ve been using it ever since I came to this world. I spray it lightly across my neck and wrists, trying not to think about why it’s necessary.

If they find out what I really am… No. I can’t let that happen.

Lana’s voice comes from outside. “Miss Reese? Are you ready?”

“Yes,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Coming.”

When I step into the hallway, Lana smiles kindly and gestures for me to follow. We walk through a narrow passage that leads to an elevator. The walls are sleek steel, polished to a mirror shine. She presses a button and the elevator hums to life, rising higher and higher.

“Are they all waiting already?” I ask quietly.

“Yes,” she says. “Mrs. Rosabelle and the boys are at the rink.”

Rink. I swallow. Somehow, that word feels scarier than it should.

When the elevator doors open, I blink against the sudden brightness.

The place is breathtaking.

A massive indoor ice rink stretches before me—white, smooth, gleaming under lights that hang like frozen stars. The temperature drops instantly, cold air brushing my face. There’s a faint echo of blades slicing through ice rhythmically. The entire space feels unreal, like stepping into a dream built out of heaven, maybe a paradise.

At the far end, the four brothers stand in full gear. Cole, Knox, Finn, and Nolan. Each one a presence that fills the whole space without speaking. Rosabelle stands near the benches, clipboard in hand looking perfectly at ease.

“Come on,” she calls, smiling. “You’re right on time, Coach, don’t worry.”

I walk toward her, forcing my nerves down.

She hands me a sheet of paper. “Here,” she says. “These are the things you’ll need to learn before you can lead their training.”

I glance down at the list:

Team strategy planning

Advanced play analysis

Skating coordination drills

Puck control and shooting mechanics

Defensive formations and transitions

Communication and synchronization on the ice

—and then my eyes catch on the last line, the seventh one

“You must never get romantically involved with them. No matter what. Failure has unspoken consequences.”

I look up sharply. Rosabelle’s expression doesn’t change but her eyes hold mine with quiet warning.

“Four days,” she adds. “That’s all the time you have to learn. After that, you’ll be joining them at the national competition.”

“Four days?” My voice comes out higher than I intend. “That’s not possible. You can’t expect—”

“I can,” she says softly. “And I do.”

I swallow. My palms feel damp.

“Let’s begin,” Rosabelle says, stepping back.

The four brothers move forward in unison. Finn picks up the puck and twirls his stick effortlessly. “You should do a good job today, Coach,” he says with a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Then, without warning, they kick off.

The sound of skates slicing through ice fills the air. They move fast—too fast. Each motion is clean, fluid, powerful. It’s almost impossible to track them as they pass the puck between each other, each strike timed to perfection. Their teamwork is wordless, instinctive. Every muscle, every motion screams discipline and dominance.

I can only stand there, trying to take it in. No wonder they’re legends. They move like they were born for this.

Then, out of nowhere, the puck flies straight at me.

Pain shoots through my shoulder as it slams into me. I stumble backward, catching myself against the rail. My breath catches in my throat.

“Finn!” Rosabelle shouts. “What the hell was that?”

He grins. “Just testing her reflexes.”

Rosabelle’s tone sharpens. “That was reckless.”

“I didn’t hit her that hard,” he says with a shrug.

My shoulder throbs, but I push myself upright. “It’s fine,” I say quickly. “We can continue.”

Rosabelle looks at me for a moment, then nods once and turns away. “Very well. Proceed.”

I meet Finn’s eyes. He’s still smiling, but there’s something behind it—a challenge. I hold his gaze, refusing to look away.

“Let’s get back to work,” I say, keeping my voice steady.

The others glide past me, circling the rink like wolves actually. I can feel their energy, smart, territorial, testing me. Every move they make feels like it’s aimed at pushing me off balance.

They don’t speak much, but I can sense the questions in their silence.

Who are you, really? What are you hiding?

I focus on my clipboard, jotting down notes even though my hands are shaking slightly. I study each of them as they move—Cole’s strength, Knox’s focus, Nolan’s moves, Finn’s unpredictable speed. They’re perfect but their teamwork has cracks, tiny ones that only someone watching closely would see.

I take a step forward, calling out, “Knox, your timing’s off when you pivot left. Finn, stop rushing your passes—you're breaking rhythm.”

Finn turns, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I say. “You’re fast, but you’re not syncing with the rest.”

He laughs, low and sharp. “You’ve been watching for what—five minutes? And you think you can tell me how to play?”

“I don’t think,” I reply. “I see it”

Cole skates closer, his gaze blank. “She’s got an eye,” he murmurs, more to himself than anyone else.

Knox remains silent, but I catch the faintest flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Rosabelle claps her hands once. “Good,” she says. “That’s enough for today.”

The brothers slow to a stop, their breath visible in the cold air. I feel mine too that grows quite erratic with each second.

“Rest up,” Rosabelle continues. “Tomorrow, we start again. Harder.”

The boys begin to remove their gear, talking quietly among themselves. I stay where I am, rubbing at my sore shoulder. The ache pulses under my skin, but I don’t let it show.

Rosabelle walks over, placing a hand on my arm. “You handled that well,” she says softly. “They’re… difficult.”

“I noticed,” I mutter.

Her smile is brief. “You’ll learn. Just remember what I said. Keep boundaries.”

I nod, though part of me already knows how fragile those boundaries will be.

When she leaves, I turn back to the ice. The rink is empty now, the surface marked with thin lines where their blades cut through. I step onto it, my reflection faint beneath me. My hand drifts to the bruise forming on my shoulder.

Four days to earn their respect. Four days to keep my secret.

I exhale slowly. “You can do this,” I murmur to myself.

From behind me, a voice says, “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

I spin around. It’s Finn again, leaning against the barrier, helmet under one arm.

“You really don’t know what you’ve signed up for,” he says quietly. “Rosabelle thinks you can handle us. She’s wrong.”

I meet his gaze. “Then prove her right.”

He smirks again, steps onto the ice, and glides past me, close enough that the chill from his movement brushes against my skin. “If you prove too stubborn Reese, we have our seduction and I guess that was the last rule on the list you were given earlier… what do you think made twenty-nine male couches not to last for even a week with us.” He asks, standing behind me now, his breath hot on my neck making me fuzzy, my wolf stirs, the same thing it did yesterday..

Hell! There was no way Finn could be my mate right? No way! Else I'm doomed!

His breath was hot on my neck, his question set me off guard as his hands run down from my neck to my back, moving closer.

I battle with my wolf that wants to break out at his scent any moment now, trying to distract myself from the touch of his hands but damn, it is working.