Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 19

**Blake**

Coach’s whistle ends practice, and the rink settles into that heavy quiet that comes after hard work. The boys coast to the boards, sticks tapping, shoulders bumping, breath fogging in the cold air. I skate one last circle and try to shake off the buzz in my chest. It doesn’t move. Lex is still wound tight under my skin, fixed on the stands even as most people file out. I felt her up there watching me. I felt the bond tighten like a fist at one point, and it hasn’t let go. We file off the ice, blades scraping rubber. The change rooms hit me with sweat, wet gear, deodorant, and cold air clinging to our pads. The boys are loud, chirping each other, replaying the best moments, pretending they didn’t eat it on half the drills. Theo clips my shoulder as we pass the stalls. “You were distracted,” he mutters. “Nearly fumbled a clean pass.” I jab him in the ribs with my elbow. “Shut up.” His grin turns sharp. “She was watching you.” I shove my gloves into my bag and pretend I didn’t hear him. Theo leans in anyway, voice low. “Mate finally turns up, and you start playing like a rookie.”

“Drop it.” He lifts both hands like he’s innocent, but his eyes are bright. “Fine. Just saying, you need a plan.” Charlie comes in then, cheeks flushed, hair damp and curling under his helmet. Looks like practice lit something up in him. He’s still quieter than the rest of the room, but he’s smiling, and that’s enough. “Good work, new kid,” Joey calls. “Got hands.” Charlie ducks his head. “Cheers.”

He strips off his gear fast, like he’s used to moving quickly, and leaving places before they can turn on him. Wolf, Lex says again, certain as he scents him. Theo leans close to me again, voice barely a whisper. “We should do a get-together after school,” he whispers. “Make it normal. Might make it easier to figure him out.” My first instinct is to say no. My second instinct is to picture Charlotte in my house, warm, safe, not alone on a rink bench. My parents are pack and my house is controlled territory. If Charlie comes, I can ask questions without it feeling like a trap. “Yeah,” I say. “Let’s do it.” Theo’s grin flashes. “Knew you’d bite.” I step up onto the bench in the middle of the room. “Oi. Listen up.” The chatter drops, and heads turn. “We’re going back to my place,” I say. “Food, games, whatever. Don’t wreck anything. My mum will end you.” A chorus of whoops answers me as they all celebrate the idea of a little party. I hop down and turn to Charlie. He’s paused mid-unstrapping a pad, looking at me like he’s waiting to be told it was a joke. “You in?” I ask. He hesitates, then nods. “Yeah. I can come for a couple of hours.” The answer sounds… measured, like he’s calculating what he can get away with. “You can bring your sister if you want,” I add, forcing it to sound casual. Charlie’s face brightens. “Yeah? I’ll ask her.”

“Sweet,” I say, and immediately look away before Lex makes a sound.

We change and spill out into the car park. Winter light is already fading, the snow drifting down in thin sheets. The cold bites my damp hair. I stand near my car with Theo and Joey, hands in my pockets, waiting for Charlie. He comes out alone… No Charlotte. I keep my face neutral. “She doesn’t want to come?” Charlie shakes his head. “She’s got work.” Work? Why would she work? Does their Dad not earn enough? “She got a job?”

“Yeah,” he says, like he’s proud and defensive at the same time. “She always does.”

“Where?” I clip out, needing to know. “Nanna’s Diner.” My stomach twists. Nanna’s is warm and busy, but it’s also late nights and strange cars and the edge of town. I can still taste rogue scent in the back of my throat from earlier, and I don’t like the idea of her being anywhere I can’t get to her fast enough. “She doing the late shifts?” I ask, keeping my tone light even as Lex bristles. Charlie frowns. “Nah. I don’t think so, at least. She worked a shift this morning.”

“Mornings are dark,” I say. I can’t help it. He shrugs, but his shoulders lift as his brows furrow protectively. “I walk her when I can. She’s fine.”

“She doesn’t have to be,” I say before I can stop myself. “We can give her a lift. Anytime.” Charlie’s eyes narrow just a fraction, like he’s deciding what kind of person I am. “She wouldn’t take one. She’d already be halfway there before you even offered.” Theo shifts beside me and clears his throat. I shoot him a look, and he stays quiet. “Alright,” I say, forcing my voice back to normal. “If she ever needs one, tell her I’ll do it.” Charlie nods once. “Yeah. I will.”

The boys start piling into cars, yelling about snacks and controllers and who’s bringing what. Joey peels off with a grin. Theo lingers, watching me. When Charlie jumps in the back of my car, Theo leans in. “You’re going to end up at that diner.”

“I’m not,” I lie. Theo snorts like that’s funny. I climb into my ute and grip the steering wheel as he gets in the passenger seat. At least if Charlie’s in my house, I can keep him close and ask the right questions without pushing too hard. I can figure out what he knows. Maybe I can push him in the right direction to come clean. I’m really not sure how long I can hold myself and my wolf back from what destiny has claimed is our fated mate.

The convoy rolls out of the school car park, tyres crunching over snow. I keep my eyes on the road, but my mind keeps sliding back to the stands, back to the way Charlotte held my gaze for a heartbeat. I wonder if she will go back to the lake tonight… I can’t let her go alone, not after the rogues today. It’s too dangerous. She really shouldn’t be going anywhere alone right now, and it’s taking everything I have not to turn the car around with her brother in the back seat and go and pick her up. Lex presses on my control as I drive. *Go to her. Find her.* I tighten my grip on the wheel and breathe through my nose. Not yet. If she doesn’t know what she is, pushing the bond is the fastest way to send her sprinting completely.

My house comes into view, warm lights behind frosted windows, the smell of Mum’s cooking drifting out. I pull into the driveway and sit with the engine ticking, staring at the front door. “You good man?” Charlie asks, and I look up to see both him and Theo watching me. I just have to survive the next few hours without Lex tearing the truth out of my mouth. “Yeah, I’m good.”