Kayden

Oak City.

We were finally back to this hellhole. As soon as the plane touched down and the wheels screeched against the runway, I couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh. I knew exactly what would happen after being away for two weeks.

The perfect bubble we had created on the island already felt like it was cracking the moment we stepped off the aircraft. Two weeks of laughter, love, proposals, and stolen moments had come to an end, and reality was waiting for us with open arms and sharp teeth.

Just as I had expected, the media had gathered at the airport for us. No one had leaked our exact flight information, but it was as if they had anticipated our return.

The terminal was packed with reporters, camera crews, and flashing lights the moment we entered the arrivals area. Security tried to create a path for us, but the crowd pressed in from all sides. Their microphones thrust forward like weapons, as if they were about to attack us with them. Cameras clicked relentlessly.

The noise was deafening. There were shouts from the reporters and the low hum of angry murmurs from spectators who had gathered behind the barriers.

Rhys kept his arm firmly around my waist, his body positioned slightly in front of mine like a shield. Leo and Miller flanked us on either side, their expressions tense but determined. We moved as a unit, trying to push through the chaos without stopping, but the reporters were relentless.

"Rhys! Kayden! How does it feel to be back in Oak City after such a private getaway?" one reporter shouted, shoving her microphone forward.

"Kayden, are you planning to come out fully as an omega now? Will this affect your position with the team?"

"Rhys, do you regret proposing after the video leak? Are you worried about your image?"

"What’s the next step for your relationship? Will an omega really be allowed to join the league officially now that you two have made it public?"

The questions came like rapid fire, overlapping and growing louder.

I kept my head down, my jaw clenched, refusing to give them anything. Rhys’s grip on me tightened protectively, but he stayed silent too.

None of us answered.

We had agreed on the plane that we wouldn’t feed the frenzy. Not here and not like this.

But the crowd wasn’t satisfied with silence.

From the sides, angry voices rose above the reporters. "Omega slut!" someone yelled. "Pretending to be an alpha just to trap a real player!"

"Gold-digging whore!" another voice screamed. "Go back to hiding, you freak! How dare a lowlife like you become a hockey player! Go back to hiding, idiot!"

The insults hit like physical blows.

I felt my stomach twist, my scent spiking sharply with anxiety and hurt. Rhys pulled me even closer, his body a solid wall between me and the worst of the crowd.

Leo muttered curses under his breath while Miller scanned the area, ready to step in if things escalated.

Then someone threw something.

I didn’t see what it was—a plastic bottle, maybe, or a piece of trash—but it came flying straight toward my head.

Rhys reacted instantly. He turned his body fully, shielding me with his broad back and shoulders. The object bounced harmlessly off him with a dull thud. I felt him flinch slightly, but he didn’t make a sound.

His hand never left my waist.

"That’s enough!" Miller shouted, his voice booming with authority as he stepped forward. "I know you all are mad, but that doesn’t give you the right to judge anyone or throw things at them."

Just as he finished speaking, the security were able to create a narrow pathway for us that lead to another exit.

The crowd wouldn’t stop shouting.

"He is the son of a murderer! He doesn’t deserve to play hockey!"

"Kick him off the team!"

Their noise grew louder, and they wouldn’t stop following us.

My vision started to blur at the edges. The combination of the long flight, the emotional exhaustion from the proposal leak, the hateful words, and the sudden physical threat was too much for me.

My legs felt weak and my world tilted slightly.

"Kayden?" Rhys’s voice sounded near my ear, but it faded into whispers.

I tried to reach out to him, but my tiredness crashed over me and my knees buckled. The last thing I remembered was Rhys’s strong arms catching me before I hit the ground, his voice calling my name as everything went dark.

When I woke up, I was no longer in the chaotic airport. Soft lighting surrounded me, and the familiar scent of Rhys’s pine filled my senses.

I was lying on a couch in what looked like a private lounge area, probably arranged by airport security or the team.

Rhys sat beside me, his hand gently stroking my hair. Leo was pacing nearby, phone pressed to his ear, while Miller stood guard at the door like a sentinel.

"You fainted," Rhys said softly when he saw my eyes open. "The stress, the flight, everything... It was too much. You’ve been out for about twenty minutes."

I sat up slowly, rubbing my temple. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—"

"Don’t apologize," Rhys cut in gently, pulling me into his arms. "You’ve been carrying so much. It’s okay to let it out."

Leo ended his call and walked over. "Well, security just cleared a back exit. We can leave without facing the crowd again. The team sent cars, so we are heading to Avalanche Dome. I need to get back to my laboratory and run some tests, unless you want Kayden taken to a hospital that can easily sell out his information."

My eyes widened in shock when I realized he was talking about the tests he had promised to carry out back on the island.

Could I truly be pregnant? I wondered as my hand instinctively covered my stomach.

"So we go to your laboratory from here?" Rhys asked.

Leo nodded. "I have to make sure, because fainting like this a few days ago is not a sign we should ignore."

I nodded, still feeling shaky. The hateful words from the crowd echoed in my head, along with the warmth of Rhys around me.

Miller offered me a bottle of water. "Drink this. You scared us for a second there."

I took the bottle with a weak smile. "Thank you. All of you."

"It’s clear now, so we can leave," Leo announced.

As we prepared to leave through the private exit, I leaned heavily on Rhys, but then he scooped me into his arms.

I tried to say something, maybe complain, but when my eyes met his worried ones, I kept quiet and just buried my face in his chest.