Rhys

"He can’t play in the finals?" I repeated, the words tasting wrong in my mouth. I needed to hear it again, just to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood. "So he won’t be able to..."

Leo cut me off with a sharp nod before I could finish. "I already told you what would happen to him. We need to do everything possible to avoid that situation. If he plays, he could go into a full heat — a really bad one. The kind that hits like a truck. So I’m advising, strongly, that he sits this one out."

Kayden whimpered softly beside me. His eyes flew open wide, and he shifted uncomfortably on the bus seat, grabbing Leo’s hand like it was a lifeline. "One last time, Leo. Please. I have to do whatever it takes to compete in this game. I’m ready to do anything as long as I can play."

Leo rolled his eyes, the frustration clear on his face. "I know you’ve always ignored my warnings, but this time you need to listen. You’re being stubborn, thinking you can just push through it like you have before. But playing today is walking straight into a death trap. Not even Rhys’s soothing pheromones would be enough to numb the pain that’s coming. It will hit you in waves — intense visceral cramping from prostaglandin surges and uterine contractions that have been suppressed for five years. Your body will go into a hyperthermic crisis with spiking fever, and the rebound inflammation will feel like your muscles and organs are being torn apart from the inside out. It’s not something you can skate through."

"But I want to play," Kayden said shakily, his grip on Leo’s hand tightening until his knuckles turned white. "I’ve been playing for months. Now that I’m so close to everything I’ve worked for, so close to what I want, is it all just going to be destroyed like this?"

Leo sighed heavily and placed both hands on Kayden’s shoulders, holding him steady. "Kayden, this isn’t just about the game. Your body has been fighting those suppressants for too long. If you force it today, the crash could be severe enough to put you in the hospital. The pain won’t be something you can ignore. It will come in waves that get stronger every minute you stay on the ice."

Kayden’s face twisted with a mix of pain and frustration. His breathing was still heavy, and the heat rolling off him made the air inside the bus feel thick and stuffy. He glanced at me for a second with desperation, then back at Leo.

"I don’t care how bad it gets," Kayden said, his voice cracking. "I need this one game. If we win the Cup, I was planning to come out anyway. This is my dream. I’ve worked for it for years. I can’t let it end like this on the sidelines."

Leo kept his hands on Kayden’s shoulders and groaned in frustration. "You’re asking me to help you risk a medical emergency in front of thousands of people. I can give you a strong emergency suppressant shot to buy you some time, but I can’t promise it will last the whole game. And if the heat breaks through anyway, there will be nothing I can do once you’re out there. That’s why it’s better if you just stay out of the game and avoid breaking down on the ice."

He turned toward me, eyes sharp. "Rhys, please say something. You can’t possibly think of letting him play when he’s in this condition?"

I ran a hand through my hair, completely lost for words. This was Kayden’s choice. I could still remember how hard he had trained for this moment, how much the Cup meant to him. That was why the words wouldn’t come.

"I..."

Kayden shifted on the seat again and shook his head at Leo. "I have to play no matter what," he muttered. "Please. Besides, I’m coming out today anyway, so even if I get exposed on the ice, it wouldn’t matter. I was planning to do it after the game."

Leo palmed his face, clearly exhausted. "I know you would never listen to me no matter what I say, but maybe Rhys... maybe you’ll listen to him." He nudged my shoulder.

I scratched the back of my head, still unsure what to say. "You... I..." I let out a deep sigh. "I don’t know what to say to this, Kayden." I reached over and took his hand, caressing it gently with my thumb. "If Leo says it’s dangerous, then the best we can do is avoid it. We shouldn’t let you put yourself in that kind of danger and..."

"No!" Kayden yelled, his voice echoing through the bus. "I am not stopping now and I don’t care about the consequences later!"

Leo threw his hands up in defeat. "I knew you would never listen. You’re risking your life if you don’t do what’s right, which is not playing."

"I said no!" Kayden shouted again, louder this time. "This is what I’m going to do no matter what anyone says. I will play tonight even if I have to use another suppressant!" He turned to me, eyes pleading. "The Stanley Cup means something to me. I know the team might still win even if I don’t play, but it wouldn’t feel right. I need to at least be out there. I need to score tonight. I..." He squeezed my hand tighter. "It would mean something to all the omegas who have been looked down on. It will give them hope. That’s why I have to play. I don’t care what suppressants I have to use — I’ll deal with the consequences later. Please..." A lone tear slipped down his face. "I have to play."

I gently wiped the tear away with my thumb. It hurt to see him like this, desperate and determined at the same time. The Stanley Cup meant everything to Kayden and I was also desperate for him to win it.

"What do we do?" I asked Leo quietly.

Leo rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "Are you seriously considering this, Rhys? You know the dangers and..."

"He wants to be part of it, Leo. I’m sure Kayden knows the risks. Stopping him now wouldn’t matter anyway — he’d find a way to get on the ice even if we didn’t help him."

"Both of you..." Leo pointed at us, shaking his head. "Are annoying. Absolute pests. That’s what you are to me." He sighed and adjusted his glasses. "If anything happens to Kayden, I don’t have any black clothes to wear to his funeral."

I almost chuckled at the way he said it with a completely straight face, but I knew it came from real worry. Still, there was nothing we could do to stop Kayden. He was determined. He had been since the day he joined the Northern Avalanche.

"Please," Kayden begged again, his voice softer now but no less serious.

Leo rolled his eyes one last time and looked at me, his dark eyes glaring. "We won’t be using a suppressant. Instead, we’ll use your soothing pheromones. That should push the heat back for a few hours — maybe even most of the game if you really lay it on thick. The more you release, the longer it buys him before his system decides to throw a full rebellion. But know that you will be affected too."

"Affected how?"

"Weak," Leo said bluntly. "Your own alpha reserves will take a hit. Think of it like donating blood, except instead of red cells you’re giving away stability. You’ll feel drained, slower on the ice, like your legs are carrying extra weight. Not ideal for Game 7, but it’s the least bad option here."

I let out a deep sigh. I knew how that weakness might slow me down tonight, but I was doing this for Kayden. As long as he got to chase his dream, it didn’t matter what happened to me.

"I’ll do it."

Leo clapped his hands together once. "I applaud your love. Very foolish, and something I would never do!" He started giving instructions on how the process would work, his tone shifting back to practical and no-nonsense.

A few minutes later, I was standing beside Kayden, holding both of his hands. On the outside it just looked like two guys holding hands, but I was releasing as much of my soothing pheromones as I could. It felt like a slow transfusion. Even though we had done something similar before, this time was different. I was actively trying to push back his heat, and I could feel my own energy draining into him, like my strength was leaking out little by little.

Leo monitored us closely, checking on Kayden every few seconds. "His color is returning. He’s no longer pale. He would survive on ice as an omega at least until the end.’’

The second he finished speaking, the bus doors opened with a hiss.

My heart jumped, thinking it might be someone from staff or security, but it was just Miller stepping inside.

"An omega?" Miller asked, eyebrows raised. "Kayden is an omega?"

My eyes widened. I exchanged a quick, panicked look with Leo, who looked just as shocked as I was. We had been so focused on Kayden that we hadn’t heard any footsteps approaching and also, we still had not told Miller about it.

"Can someone explain what I just heard?" Miller demanded, his voice low but filled with curiosity. "How the hell is Kayden an omega?"