Chapter 30 ~Call of duty~
(Xander's POV)
Today was an important game. The Northvale Titans had a playoff with one of our biggest rivals, Hill Falcons.
Was I nervous? No, of course I wasn't shaking in my boots…
I peeked again through the locker room windows as I zipped my jersey. Number 2 written boldly on my jersey, the captain and golden boy of Northvale Titans.
The smell of cheap beer and sweat wafted through my nostrils from the locker room.
The coach called on to me.
“Yes, coach?”
He looked pretty alarmed. “Grayson, I just got intel. Remember the scouts from the NHL we spoke about the other time?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. Of course, I remember.
“Well, they're on their way here. They're coming to watch your game today.”
“Seriously?” I tried to keep my outside demeanor cool, but inside, I was shaken.
“Yeah, today is the day.” He tapped my shoulders, as if noticing I was tense. “Don't worry, just relax. You've worked hard for this. You've got this!”
“Sure,” Yup! Scared shitless.
“Just remember what I told you, Grayson, head in the game, alright?” He was already moving towards the exit. “Gotta go prep some stuff. See you in the game.”
I sat down, bending my head to stop myself from spinning. Matt walked up to me.
“What's up, Grayson?” He scrunched his face. “Yoh, you look like you're going through a whole lotta shit.”
Am I not? “Man, coach just told me them scouts from the NHL are coming for me today.”
“Oh. Yeah, I'll be scared too. But come on now, you're Xander Theon Grayson. You got this.”
My point exactly. Everyone had gotten so confident in me and I just winged it, but what if it was just luck, you know?
“I guess.” I shrugged, adjusting my gear.
I took another look through the windows and there they were in suits, holding clipboards. The scouts.
A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I shrugged it off.
What did it matter, anyway? I would as well just be an alpha all my life.
But I also wanted that human life, being a hockey star.
We all went for warmups. The cold wind from the ice rink made me chilly.
I saw the coach talking to the scouts.
Matt walked up to me. “Yoh, Xander, the scouts… couch is talking to them.”
I sighed. “I can see that.”
“Fingers crossed, huh?” He bumped my shoulders with his. “Wish you the best of luck in the game. Xander you gotta get this, so when you become some big shot hockey star, I can say that dude used to be my fucking gee.”
We shook hands…well, as best as we could wearing thick hockey gloves.
The scouts wore a stoic expression when I looked at them for the thousandth time. This was what made me even more nervous, the fact that they were unreadable.
‘Xander!’ I heard some students by the bleachers calling out.
They were cheering for their hockey forward.
The cheerleaders all came in their little skirts and pompoms.
I spotted Fiona during their cheerleading routine; I don't know what the fuck she was doing. Heck, I don't even know when she joined the cheerleading squad. But I do love the number two written on her little top.
Okay, it's time to get my game on.
The referee blew the whistle, and the game began.
There was screeching of blades on ice, followed by the thumping of bodies. The coach was yelling.
It felt like I was drifting above ice, but I tried to focus on the game.
Let's just say I don't work well under pressure. A lot of thoughts were running through my head.
I guess the coach was right; but for some reason I felt a disconnect in the game.
It was when I heard cheers coming from the rival bleachers that I realised that Hill Falcons’ forward had scored a goal.
The lights above the net turned red and bleeped.
1-0
The scouts were not looking impressed. Coach was yelling. “Grayson, focus.”
I shook my head and focused. “Come on, Xander.” I told myself.
This time I dribbled the players from Hill Falcons, nearing crashing into one, but my target was the net. I kept going.
“Grayson, pass the puck! Pass the puck!”
But I kept going. I wouldn't pass this puck to a teammate. I needed to score this goal myself so that the scout would see how good I was.
“Xander, pass me the puck,” I heard Damon yell.
But I kept going and then boom… a defenseman from Hill Falcons’ snatched the puck expertly, his stick swiped it from the middle of my legs.
“What the fuck, Xander!” One of my teammates cursed.
I looked at the board. Northvale 0, Hill Falcons 2.
The whistle blew, ending the first period.
The fifteen minute break was basically the coach reprimanding me and my teammates calling me out.
“Grayson what kind of amateur-playing was that?” Coach didn't look happy. “Just see the scouts. They were about to leave, I had to convince them to stay a bit,”
I didn't know what to say. “I just don't feel so good.”
“Well, fix it!"
The second period came and within five minutes, Northvale Titans had scored a goal, but not from me, although I assisted.
The scouts looked far from impressed.
The next time, I ignored the voices in my head. “Focus, Xander.”
I moved like a flash, hit harder, wove past the opponent player and took a shot at the goal.
Red light flashed above the net. I had finally scored. Our bleacher erupted in screams.
The cheerleaders did their cheer routine. I caught Fiona grinning.
Northvale had equalized 2-2.
The noise of the crowd was still ongoing when a sharp pain sliced through my skull.
A jolt that felt like an electric shock ran through my body.
I reeled back, falling on the ice. Gasps and urgent yells ran through the rink.
But I couldn't hear them, rather I had a natural, raw, urgent feeling of panic and fear, but from where?
My questions were answered when I got brief flashes of Silvereign pack in ruins. “Attack… packhouse… Alpha… Blood!”
Calvin's mindlink didn't come as words, but as a strong feeling.
I had to leave here ASAP.
I stumbled on the ice as I rushed past the rink to the hallway. The noise from the crowd was irrelevant compared to the screams from my pack.
Coach was chasing after me. “Grayson! Are you insane?” “There are actually scouts from the NHL out there, you know!”
“Family emergency.” It was the only thing I was able to blurt out as I ran. The primal call of duty was taking over me.