Chapter 114: The Mountain Trap

Aveline’s pov

Winter was coming fast, and the air around Crestwood Academy smelled like ice. The upcoming Christmas holidays were the only thing anyone could talk about in the hallways, but inside the ice arena, nobody was feeling the holiday cheer.

"Get off my ice! Every single one of you!" Coach Hale’s voice echoed off the rafters like a gunshot the previous afternoon. He slammed his clipboard against the thick plexiglass, his face completely red.

"The team is tearing itself apart from the inside. I am throwing you all out. Mandatory holiday break starts right now. If you can't learn to breathe the same air without choking each other, don't bother coming back for the sports banquet."

Now, it was the very next day, and we were driving up the mountain. The drive was filled with silent, suffocating tension. The winding mountain roads were already turning white as the winter sky grew heavy with dark clouds.

Inside the vehicle, the seating arrangement was an absolute nightmare. I sat in the back row, staring out the window, trying to pretend my heart wasn't hammering against my ribs. Right next to me sat Theo. He was being incredibly nice, opening a fresh bottle of water and handing it to me with a warm, supportive smile.

"Here, Asher," Theo said softly, his voice full of gentle concern. "You look completely exhausted after yesterday's disaster. Take it easy, okay? This forced hangout isn't a nightmare after all as we still get to just hang out like old times."

I forced a tiny smile. "Thanks, Theo. I appreciate it. I'm just glad everything sorted out between us."

"Always," Theo replied, patting my shoulder gently. "I'm always in your corner, no matter what."

In the row ahead of us, Daphne was sitting next to Cassian Thorne. They were acting like total strangers. Cassian kept his face turned completely toward the window, while Daphne just stared blankly ahead. I didn't think twice about it; Cassian was always unsettling and distant, and Daphne was probably just as stressed about everything as I was.

Up front Landon drove, and Kieran sat next to him. Suddenly, Kieran's phone began to buzz violently.

Kieran didn't move a muscle. He stared straight ahead, completely ignoring the vibrating phone until the screen went dark. Two seconds later, it started buzzing again.

Landon glanced over at the device, shaking his head. "Are you seriously just going to let her call you twenty times a minute, man? The entire drive up here, your phone hasn't stopped ringing. She's going completely crazy since she landed back in the country."

I held my breath in the back seat. I knew Katty was the one calling, and a sudden wave of jealousy hit my chest as I listened intently.

Kieran reached out, grabbed the phone, and shoved it deep into his pocket without looking back. "I'll deal with it later, Landon. The reception is bad up here anyway."

Theo leaned a bit closer to me, his voice returning to that sweet, comforting tone. "Don't worry about his drama, Asher. Kieran’s attention-seeking girlfriend is his own problem. You just focus on relaxing this holiday."

I nodded slowly, but my eyes remained glued to the back of Kieran's head.

The moment we arrived at the Hampton mountain cabin later that afternoon, the wind howled fiercely through the trees. It wasn't just a regular winter flurry; a massive, unpredicted blizzard had officially struck the peak.

The cabin itself was beautiful, filled with heavy wooden beams and a massive stone hearth, but the cosy holiday vibe didn't last long. Within twenty minutes of carrying our bags down into the rooms, a violent crack of thunder echoed through the mountains.

BZZZT.

The overhead lights flickered twice and then died completely. The entire building went pitch black. The loud hum of the heating system shut off, leaving only the sound of the freezing wind rattling the glass windows.

"Are you kidding me?" Daphne shrieked in the dark. "The power is completely out!"

"Everyone stay calm," Landon’s voice called out from the kitchen area. "Kieran, where do you keep the flashlights?"

"In the hallway closet," Kieran’s deep voice echoed through the dark room. "But the blizzard is hitting the main grid. The power lines must be down. We need to light the fireplace before the indoor temperature drops to zero."

Cassian’s calm, chilling voice sounded from near the sofa. "I’ve got the matches. Milo, go fetch some of the smaller logs from the indoor bin."

Within minutes, a flame began to lick against the wood in the stone hearth. Because the rest of the cabin was rapidly turning into an icebox, the claustrophobic energy forced every single one of us into the living room, huddled close to the fireplace for survival.

Old resentments began to bleed out in the firelight. Theo sat on a wooden stool right next to my chair, letting a small edge slip through whenever he looked across the room.

"Well, Captain," Theo said, trying to keep his voice light. "Looks like we are completely trapped up here. Good thing we have enough logs, right Asher? We don't need the captain's luxury heating to survive the night."

Kieran slowly turned around from the window, his face completely masked in shadow, his posture rigid. He didn't answer Theo. Instead, his sharp eyes darted straight to me, watching how closely Theo was sitting next to my chair.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

The front door violently rattled, the handle shaking back and forth. The sudden noise made everyone freeze.

"Who the hell is out there in this storm?" Landon muttered, reaching for a poker as he walked toward the entryway.

The lock clicked open from the outside. Milo Hayes walked in first, covered from head to toe in frost, laughing loudly as he stamped his boots on the mat.

"You guys will not believe the drive up here!" Milo yelled, shaking out his wet hair. "The roads are completely blocked! I barely made it through the drifts!"

But Milo wasn't alone. Stepping straight through the open doorway right behind him was Katty. She might have tracked Milo down at the bottom of the mountain and forced him to bring her along.

The room fell utterly silent. The mood instantly dropped to absolute zero.

"Surprise!" Katty purred, her voice dripping with fake, exaggerated sweetness as she closed the door behind her. "I heard the team was coming up to the mountains for the holidays, and since you wouldn't pick up a single one of my calls, Kieran, I simply couldn't take no for an answer."

Kieran’s entire face changed. The corners of his mouth twitched violently. He looked at her, then his eyes flashed directly to me for a split second, filled with panic. He had to play along with the fake relationship.

"Milo," Kieran said, forcing his voice to stay level, though his jaw was tight. "You should have told me she was coming."

Milo raised his hands defensively, looking guilty as hell. "Look, Champ, she tracked me down at the gas station. She knew we were coming here. She wouldn't let me leave without her."

Katty didn't care about the hostility radiating off the guys. She shifted her weight, strutting confidently across the floor right toward the fireplace. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Kieran.

"Oh, come on, Kieran," Katty giggled, stepping straight into his personal space and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Don't look so grumpy. I missed you so much."

Kieran froze for a second, his body going completely stiff. He looked right at me over her shoulder, his eyes pleading with me to understand. Then, remembering the group was watching, he forced a fake smile and lightly wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey," Kieran said, his voice sounding forced and unnatural to my ears. "You should have stayed off the roads, Katty. It's dangerous out there."

Katty smiled, satisfied with his response. She let go of his neck and moved sideways, deliberately trying to sit on the empty hearth ledge right next to Kieran’s spot.

The exact second she shifted toward him, Kieran subtly reacted. He didn't want her getting too close to him in front of me. He stepped away from her, pretending to check the fire, and moved to the opposite side of the fireplace placing himself directly next to my chair.

Theo’s eyes narrowed as he saw Kieran move closer to me.