He chuckles, cocking a brow. “That’s what happens when you get me so worked up.” I laugh with him for a second until his expression turns more serious. “But maybe I want the world to see. Maybe I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

I swallow, my fingers tracing the small mark as I feel my pulse fluttering in my throat.

Because I’m starting to think that maybe that’s what I want too.

36. Declan

Chapter 36

Declan

I dig into the ice, my muscles burning as I race to cut off the opposing center before he can make a clean play. Noah is right on him, shadowing his every move, pressing him hard against the boards, and I can tell from the way the rest of our team shifts into position that we’re locked in, closing down his options before he even realizes he’s in trouble.

Theo strikes first, his stick slicing in with a sharp, calculated poke check, sending the puck skidding loose. But before I can react, their left wing swoops in, snatching it up and pivoting toward the slot, already winding up for a shot.

I recognize the play before it even happens and push forward, dropping low just as he lets the puck fly. It rockets toward me, the force behind it enough to send it screaming into the net—if I weren’t in the way. The impact slams into my shin guard, rattling through my bones, but I don’t flinch.

Instead, I absorb the hit, angling my leg just right to deflect the puck away from danger.

Theo is on it in an instant, sweeping it up and bolting down the ice, turning the game on its head in a matter of seconds.

Now that the heat is off me for a second, my eyes drift up toward the stands, and almost immediately, my gaze locks with Hannah’s. For half a breath, the rest of the world disappears. She’s beaming, and just knowing that she’s here, seeing me do this, sends a rush of something fierce through my chest.

But then the crowd gasps, and my focus snaps back to the ice just in time to see Noah and Theo tearing down the rink in perfect unison, a flawless two-on-one breakaway unfolding in front of me. The lone defenseman for the Glaciers hesitates, seeming unsure whether to challenge Theo or protect against a pass, and that split second of indecision is all it takes.

Theo fakes a shot, then threads a lightning-fast pass across the ice, straight to Noah’s tape. Noah doesn’t even hesitate. He rips a wicked wrist shot, high and fast, sending the puck clanging off the crossbar before it sinks into the back of the net.

The red light blazes, the horn blasts, and the arena erupts.

The Glaciers try to get it back together, fighting hard for the last few seconds of the game, but it’s too late.