Chapter 2 The Alpha's Enforcer

Sixty seconds.

My pulse thundered in my ears, a frantic drumbeat counting down the time I had left before my entire life shattered.

I stared into Kael's ice-blue eyes, looking for any sign of a bluff. There was none. He was dead serious.

"I'm not going back," I gritted out, my voice shaking with a mixture of rage and fear. "I left that pack for a reason. I left him for a reason."

Kael didn't even blink. "Your reasons don't matter to your father, Tala. He wants his heir back. He wants the Silver Moon Pack to have its future Alpha. And he's paying me a fortune to ensure that happens."

"So you're just a mercenary," I spat, trying to yank my arm out of his grip. "A hired dog."

"Watch your mouth, Little Wolf," Kael warned, his voice dropping an octave, vibrating with a dangerous timbre. "You have forty-five seconds."

"Or what?" I challenged, letting my eyes flash gold. My wolf was clawing at my chest, demanding to be let out. "You're going to drag me out of here in front of the human press? You're going to expose us both? I don't think my father would like that very much."

Kael leaned in closer, completely unfazed by my glowing eyes. "You think I care about exposure? I own the press, Tala. I own the police. I own the very ice you just skated on. If I want you out of this building, you're out."

Panic, cold and suffocating, wrapped around my throat. He was too calm. Too in control.

"Thirty seconds," he murmured, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second. The air between us crackled with a strange, undeniable tension.

I was out of options. If I fought him, I would shift, and my career would be over. If I let him drag me out, I looked like I was in trouble, and the team would bench me. I needed to buy time.

"Fine," I breathed out, the word tasting like poison. "You win. I'll go."

Kael's eyes narrowed, searching my face for the lie. He knew I was bluffing.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sharp rap on the medical room door made us both freeze.

"Tala? You in there?" Coach's gruff voice echoed through the metal door. "You better not be hiding. The press wants a statement about that dirty hit. Open up!"

Kael didn't move. His hand remained planted beside my head, caging me in. He was waiting for my next move.

"Let me handle this," I whispered, my eyes pleading for just a second of cooperation. "If you want me to go with you quietly, give me ten minutes to talk to my coach. Otherwise, I scream."

Kael stared at me for a long, agonizing second. Then, a slow, terrifying smirk spread across his face.

"Ten minutes," he agreed, finally pushing himself off the table. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black business card. He slid it into the front pocket of my compression shirt, his fingers brushing deliberately against my collarbone. A jolt of electricity shot through me again, making my breath hitch.

"Don't keep me waiting, Little Wolf," he murmured. He walked over to the door, unlocked the deadbolt, and pulled it open with the smooth grace of a predator.

Coach Jensen stood on the other side, his face red from the heat of the arena. He blinked in surprise at Kael.

"Oh, Dr. Thorne," Coach said, his tone suddenly respectful. "I didn't realize you were still in here. How's her shoulder?"

"Just a mild strain," Kael said smoothly, his voice shifting back to the charming, professional tone I'd heard when I first walked in. He flashed Coach a disarming smile. "She'll need some rest, but she's cleared for the next game."

Coach nodded, looking relieved. "Great, great. Tala, get your gear. Press conference in five."

Kael stepped out into the hallway, pausing just outside the door. He looked back at me over his shoulder. His eyes were cold again, devoid of warmth.

"I'll be seeing you very soon, Tala," he said softly.

And then he was gone, swallowed by the shadows of the corridor.

I collapsed back against the treatment table, my heart hammering against my ribs. What the hell just happened?

I pulled the business card from my pocket. It was matte black, with no name, no title. Just a single silver phone number embossed in the center.

"Tala!" Coach snapped, pulling my attention back to the present. "Move it! You're stalling."

I shoved the card into my bag, my mind racing. I had ten minutes. If I was fast enough, I could sneak out the back door, get in my car, and disappear before Kael even knew I was gone.

I grabbed my gear and headed toward the press conference room, my shoulder aching, my wolf still pacing anxiously.

But as I rounded the corner and stepped onto the media stage, the blood drained from my face.

Sitting in the front row, dressed in a flawlessly tailored suit, was Kael. He wasn't looking at the cameras. He was looking right at me.

And he was smiling.

Next to him sat an older man with silver hair and the unmistakable golden eyes of my father. The Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. He stood up, adjusting his cufflinks, and addressed the press. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to make an announcement. I have just purchased the majority stake in this hockey franchise. And my first order of business is to reinstate Tala as the captain of the team. Provided, of course, she accepts my terms."