Chapter 108: Whatever It Takes

Aveline’s pov

The freezing night air bit into my face. I stormed down the driveway, my boots crunching violently against the gravel. My chest heaved. Tears of pure, hot rage blurred my vision.

Katty!!. Her high-pitched giggle echoed in my mind. The way she tried to touch his neck. The way she called him her baby.

Even though Kieran and I had been officially together for months, seeing his toxic ex-girlfriend breeze back into his life triggered a sickening twist of jealousy in me. I hated how much his past could still make my blood boil.

A heavy hand clamped onto my wrist.

"Aveline, stop."

I yanked my arm back, spinning around to face him. Kieran stood there panting, his jaw tight, his dark eyes flashing with warning.

"Don't touch me, Kieran! Go back to your katty!"

"Don't do that," he growled. Acting like there was something really going on between her and me.

He didn't give me a choice. Before I could sprint away, Kieran lunged. He swept me off my feet, his powerful arms locking around my waist. I thrashed against his chest, pounding my fists into his broad shoulders, but he was a brick wall.

He marched straight to his sleek black car. He threw the passenger door open, shoved me into the leather seat, and leaned over me to click the seatbelt into place. His face was inches from mine, his breath hot, his scent enveloping me.

"Sit. Still," he commanded, his voice vibrating with authority.

He slammed the door, ran to the driver's side, and slid in. The engine roared to life. He threw the car into drive and tore away from the chaotic house party.

The silence inside the car was suffocating. I stared out the window, my arms crossed tightly over my chest binding.

"Where are you taking me?" I snapped. "I need to go home."

"We aren't going to your house. And we sure as hell aren't going to my estate," Kieran said, his fingers gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "We're going to my private outlet. Away from the vultures."

He tossed my phone onto my lap.

"Text your mother. Tell her you’re staying at a friend's house tonight. Now."

My fingers shook as I picked up the device. I typed a quick, cold text to Evelyn. Staying at a friend's tonight. I hit send. I didn't wait for a reply. I knew she wouldn't care anyway.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to a modern loft tucked away near the edge of the city.

The moment the front door clicked shut behind us, the defensive walls I built at the party finally crumbled. I turned around to apologise for snapping, but Kieran was already there. He backed me gently against the wall, his big body shielding mine, wrapping me in that safe, familiar shadow I knew so well.

“You were jealous,” he whispered, his voice low and warm, threaded with quiet understanding.

“I wasn’t....”

“Ave,” he interrupted softly, his lips brushing my ear. A shiver slipped down my spine. “I know you. She means nothing to me. You’re my girl. Only you.”

The last of my frustration melted away, replaced by the deep, steady pull I always felt toward him.

Kieran leaned in and kissed me, slow and sure, like he had all the time in the world to remind me I was his. I sighed into it, my hands sliding up into his hair, holding him close.

He made a low sound of contentment, his palms settling at my waist before he lifted me effortlessly against the wall.

Our jerseys dropped to the floor. The tight binding around my chest came away next, until there was nothing between us.

In the quiet of the loft, the masks fell away. Just us. He touched me like I was something precious. His hands were gentle as they moved over my skin, grounding me, worshipping every inch while the rest of the world disappeared.

We lost ourselves in each other, slow and close, finding comfort in the warmth of our bodies and the safety of what we shared. It was exactly what I needed to push the chaos outside these walls far away.

Hours later, the room was quiet.

The moonlight cast long shadows across the bed. Kieran lay beside me, his large, muscular arm wrapped tightly around my bare waist, pulling my back flush against his chest. He thought I was asleep.

But I was trembling.

The reality of what Theo told me rushed back into my mind. Theo's threats, the video. The custom silver chain. The trap was snapping shut, and I was about to ruin the boy who had just given me his entire world.

A soft sob escaped my throat. I couldn't hold it in anymore.

Kieran shifted instantly. He flipped me around, his brow furrowing in deep concern as he wiped a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. "Ave? Hey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Theo knows," I choked out, the raw panic ripping from my chest.

Kieran froze. "What?"

"He was in the tunnel after the championship game," I cried, burying my face in my hands. "He has a video of us kissing. He thinks you're preying on a guy from the team. And... and he found your custom silver chain on the floor. He is going to leak it, Kieran. He won't stop until he destroys your NHL prospects. "Imagine playing with one's sexuality."

I expected him to panic. I expected him to push me away, to regret being with me.

Instead, Kieran’s jaw went dead stiff. A cold, absolute calm washed over his face. He reached down, grabbed both of my wrists, and firmly pulled my hands away from my face, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Let him," Kieran said, his voice deep, steady, and terrifyingly fierce.

"Are you insane?" I gasped. "Your career..."

"I don't give a damn if the whole school thinks I'm gay, Aveline," he interrupted, his grip tightening just enough to ground me. "Let them talk. Let them whisper. My skills on the ice speak for themselves. Being gay won't stop me from playing hockey, and my scouts won't let a garbage rumour blindside them. I can handle a PR firestorm."

He leaned in closer, his gaze burning into my soul with an intensity that made my heart stop.

"But your identity? Your safety? That is the only thing I will protect with my life. If they find out Asher is actually a girl without you finding out what really happened, the fraud charges will destroy you.

Your mother will lose everything. That is what I won't allow."

He pulled me hard against his bare chest, wrapping his strong arms around me like a shield, burying his face in my hair.

"I love you so much, Ave," he whispered fiercely, his voice shaking with raw devotion. "I can do anything for you. So please, stop panicking. Let me protect you."