Chapter 40 CHAPTER 40

Chapter 40 CHAPTER 40
Rafael’s POV
2 days later
Two days later, and coach was running the team into the ground.

"Again!" he shouted from the sidelines. "Faster! You think the other teams are going to go easy on you?"

I executed the drill for what felt like the hundredth time—sharp turn, quick pass, shot on goal. Clean. Precise. Easy.

Beside me, Mathias moved with the same effortless energy, barely breaking a sweat despite the brutal pace coach had set.

For us, this was light work. Werewolf stamina made even the hardest practices feel like a warm-up. But we had to be careful not to make it too obvious. Had to pretend to be tired, had to slow down just enough to seem human.

The whistle blew sharp and final.

"Alright, bring it in!" Coach gathered us at center ice. His face was red from yelling, but he looked satisfied. "Good work today. You're looking sharp. Next week's tournament is going to be tough, but if you keep this up, we're bringing home that trophy."

He turned to me specifically. "Steele, flawless as always. I don't know what you and Matthews eat for breakfast, but the rest of the team needs to get on your level. You two never get tired."

A few guys groaned.

"Seriously, coach," one of them complained. "Those two are freaks of nature. How are we supposed to compete with that?"

Coach chuckled. "By working harder. Now hit the showers. Practice tomorrow at the same time."

The team dispersed, everyone dragging themselves toward the locker room. I grabbed my water bottle, taking a long drink even though I didn't really need it.

"Think coach suspects anything?" Mathias asked quietly as we skated off the ice.

"Nah. He just thinks we're dedicated."

"Or on steroids."

I snorted. "Pretty sure he'd have tested us by now if he thought that."

We headed into the locker room, which was already filling up with the usual post-practice chaos. Guys peeling off gear, complaining about sore muscles, towels snapping.

I went to my locker, ready to change and get out of here.

"Well, well, well." A voice I immediately recognized cut through the noise. "If it isn't our fearless captain."

I didn't turn around. Didn't need to.

Tyler Brennan. Right wing. Decent player, massive ego. He'd been jealous of me since day one—always competing, always trying to prove he was better. Never worked out for him.

"Brennan," I said flatly, pulling my jersey over my head.

"Heard some interesting rumors about you, Steele." He leaned against the lockers, arms crossed, that cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Apparently you're dating a fucking nerd now."

A few guys paused what they were doing, clearly sensing drama.

I kept my expression neutral, folding my jersey. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Tyler's smirk widened. "Because the whole school's talking about it. You dumped Jessica—an actual top model, by the way—for some scrawny nobody. Vivienne Chen, right?"

My hands stilled.

"I've seen her around," Tyler continued, clearly enjoying himself. "Mousy little thing. Always hiding behind her books. Honestly, man, I don't get it. Jessica's got everything—looks, body, popularity. And you traded her for a nerd with an underdeveloped body and zero personality? That's beyond me."

"Drop it, Brennan," Mathias said from beside me, his voice low.

"What? I'm just curious." Tyler pushed off the locker. "I mean, Jessica's a ten. This Vivienne girl is what, a four on a good day? What happened, Steele? You lose your standards?"

I turned to face him slowly.

The locker room got quieter.

"Stop talking," I said, my voice cold and flat. "About her. Now."

Tyler blinked, then recovered with a laugh. "Whoa, sensitive subject? Did I hit a nerve?"

"Last warning."

"Or what?" He stepped closer, puffing his chest out like that would intimidate me. "You gonna fight me over some nobody?"

I didn't answer. Just stared at him.

"You know what?" Tyler's smirk returned. "I'm actually dating Jessica now. She came to me after you dumped her. And let me tell you, Steele—she's incredible. So if you're having regrets, if you're thinking about crawling back to her, don't even try. Because I'll break you."

The room went completely silent.

I stared at him for a long moment. Then I smiled.

It wasn't a friendly smile.

"You're dating Jessica," I said slowly. "The same Jessica I fucked, used, and dumped like yesterday's garbage."

Tyler's face went red. "What did you just—"

"So congratulations, Brennan." My smile widened. "You're going after my sloppy seconds. Hope you enjoy knowing that every time you touch her, she's thinking about me."

His fist came flying at my face.

I saw it coming a mile away. Too slow. Too obvious.

I sidestepped easily, and in the same motion, drove my knee straight into his ribs.

The impact was brutal. I felt something crack.

Tyler went down hard, gasping for air, clutching his side.

"Holy shit!" someone yelled.

Immediately, guys rushed forward—some pulling me back, some checking on Tyler who was curled up on the floor, wheezing.

"Dude, what the hell!" one of them shouted at me.

I shook off the hands grabbing my arms, my eyes fixed on Tyler. "That was the preamble."

Tyler looked up at me, his face pale with pain and shock.

"If you ever," I said, my voice deadly calm, "and I mean ever, insult Vivienne again, I won't just break your ribs. I'll end you. Understand?"

He didn't answer. Just kept gasping.

"I said, do you understand?"

"Yes," he choked out.

"Good." I grabbed my bag from my locker, slinging it over my shoulder. "Mathias, let's go."

Mathias was already packed, watching the scene with barely concealed amusement.

We walked out of the locker room, leaving Tyler on the floor surrounded by concerned teammates.

The moment we were outside, Mathias let out a low whistle. "That was brutal, man. You definitely broke something."

"He'll heal." I kept walking toward the parking lot.

"You know coach is going to hear about this, right? Tyler's probably going to file a complaint or something."

"Let him. He threw the first punch. Everyone saw it."

"Fair point." Mathias fell into step beside me. "Still, you need to be more careful. You can't go around breaking people's ribs every time they piss you off."

"I can when they insult Vivienne."

Mathias glanced at me, something knowing in his expression. "Yeah, I noticed that. You got real protective real fast. It is to be expected though, she's your mate after all."

I didn't respond.

We reached my car, and I threw my bag in the back.

"Oh, by the way," Mathias said as he got in the passenger seat. "Don't forget we have that meeting with the second witch today. The one I set up last week."

Right. The witch.

I'd almost forgotten with everything going on—dealing with the Steeles, making sure Vivienne was settling in, handling Principal Morrison's follow-up questions.

But this was important. Critical, even.

The first witch—V—had been hostile and unhelpful, promising research but no real answers. This second witch was supposed to be different. More knowledgeable about cross-species bonds.

"Where are we meeting this one?" I asked, starting the car. "Please tell me it's not another abandoned classroom."

"Uh..." Mathias shifted in his seat. "About that."

I shot him a look. "What?"

"We're not meeting her at a coffee shop or anything neutral like that."

"Then where?"

"Her coven."

I nearly slammed on the brakes. "What?"

"Her coven," Mathias repeated, like it was no big deal. "She's a senior witch. Pretty high up in the hierarchy, actually. She doesn't leave coven territory for meetings. So we have to go to her."

I stared at him. "You're joking."

"Nope."

"Mathias." I gripped the steering wheel tighter. "You set up a meeting with a senior witch at her actual coven, and you're just telling me this now?"

"I mean, I mentioned it was the second witch—"

"You did not mention we'd be walking into witch territory." I pulled out of the parking lot, my mind racing. "How the hell did you even manage that?"

Mathias just smiled. That infuriating, mysterious smile that meant he'd done something I probably didn't want to know about.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Did you promise them something?"

"Maybe."

"Mathias."

"Relax. I handled it. That's all you need to know."

I shook my head, torn between frustration and grudging respect. "As long as you got the job done, I guess your methods aren't important."

"Exactly." Mathias pulled out his phone, checking the address. "Okay, so here's the thing. The coven is pretty far out. Like, way out of town. We're talking deep forest, middle of nowhere."

"Of course it is." Because why would anything about this be easy?

"It's about an hour and a half drive," Mathias continued, pulling up directions. "We take the highway out past Cedar Ridge, then there's this back road that goes into the woods. The coven is hidden, obviously, but she gave me coordinates."

"Coordinates," I repeated flatly.

"Yeah. Witches are big on secrecy. Can't just put 'Evil Witch Lair' into Google Maps."

Despite everything, I almost smiled at that.

"Turn left up here," Mathias instructed.

I followed his directions, heading toward the highway. The town fell away behind us as we drove, buildings giving way to trees and open road.

"So are we just going to ignore the fact that this is potentially a terrible idea?" I said after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Walking into witch territory. Voluntarily." I glanced at him. "You know how strained things are between wolves and witches, right? Has been for decades. Centuries, even."

"I'm aware."

"And you're cool with just... walking into their home base? Where they have all the power? Where we're completely outnumbered and surrounded by magic users who historically hate our kind?"

"When you put it like that, it sounds bad."

"Because it is bad, Mathias."

"Look." Mathias set his phone down, turning to face me. "I get it. Wolves and witches don't exactly have the best relationship. But this witch—her name is Elara, by the way—she's different. She's old. Like, really old. And she's seen some shit. She doesn't have the same prejudices the younger witches do."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she agreed to meet with us." Mathias's expression was serious now. "Do you think a witch who hated wolves would let two of them walk into her coven? She'd have told me to go to hell. But she didn't. She said she'd help."

"Why?"

"Because..." Mathias hesitated. "Because she lost someone once. To an impossible bond. She understands what you're going through."

That caught me off guard. "She told you that?"

"Not in so many words. But yeah. She's sympathetic to the situation."

I processed that as we merged onto the highway. "And you trust her?"

"I trust that she wants to help. Whether that's because she's genuinely good or because she has some other motive, I don't know yet. But right now, she's our best option."

He wasn't wrong. V had been hostile and noncommittal. This Elara witch might actually have real answers.

But walking into a coven...

"We'll be fine," Mathias added, like he could read my thoughts. "I made it clear that we're coming in peace. That we're asking for help, not looking for trouble. And she gave me a protection guarantee."

"A what?"

"A protection guarantee. It's a magical promise. She can't harm us while we're in her territory under the invitation. It's binding."

"And you believe that?"

"It's witch law. Breaking it would have serious consequences for her and her coven. So yeah, I believe it."

I wasn't entirely convinced, but I didn't have much choice.

"How much further?" I asked.

Mathias checked his phone. "About forty minutes until we hit the back road. Then another twenty through the forest."

An hour. An hour until I was standing in front of a senior witch, asking her to solve an impossible problem.

An hour until I potentially got answers about how to save Vivienne without killing myself in the process.

"You ready for this?" Mathias asked.

Was I? Ready to walk into enemy territory, to expose my weakness to someone who could use it against me, to potentially get answers I wasn't sure I wanted to hear?

"Yeah," I said. "I'm ready."