Chapter 5

Declan

I stepped onto the sacred ice of the Moonfang Arena and closed my eyes, drawing in the crisp, familiar scent of frozen water, sharpened steel, and pack sweat. The rink was my sanctuary — the one place where the world narrowed to instinct, territory, and the thunder of blades. Overnight, everything had gone to hell.

Ronan had a pup. A surprise daughter dropped into his lap like a rival pack’s challenge. And now a human-adjacent woman — Lila — lived in our den.

I glided aimlessly along the blue line, warming my legs before Coach Thompson unleashed the next round of brutal drills. My wolf was restless, pacing beneath my skin.

I understood Ronan’s desperation. Our schedules were merciless: 82 games, territorial road trips, full-moon matches that turned the league into a blood feud. A single sire couldn’t raise a wolf pup alone. But inviting a female, this female into our tightly bonded three-wolf pack house was asking for chaos.

Especially one with pouty lips, indecent curves, and a scent that made my wolf sit up and snarl with unwanted interest.

The last few seasons we had finally synced as a line. Ronan’s rogue dominance on defense, my unbreakable goaltending, and Kai’s flashy forward play. We had a real shot at the Silver Cup this year if we stayed focused.

Most players in the Shifter Hockey League avoided serious mates for this reason. Hockey demands your soul first. Families came second, if at all.

Lila threatened that balance. Her large doe eyes could make an alpha forget territory lines. Those lips begged to be claimed under moonlight. Kai was already half-gone after one evening. Ronan would follow. The last thing our pack needed was our captain and right wing pining after the same woman while I tried to stonewall the net.

I dropped into my crease, scuffing the ice exactly how I liked it, and sank to my knees to stretch. Awareness prickled the back of my neck — the same instinct that let me read shots before they left the stick.

There she was.

Lila stood at the top of the stairs leading to the family viewing area, holding little Annie against her chest. The pup looked fussy, tiny face scrunched.

Lila wore a soft green sweater that hugged her figure in ways that should be illegal in pack territory. Ronan and Kai had already spotted her and were skating over like moths to moonlight.

“Who’s the new den mother?” Jonesy asked, clapping a gloved paw on my shoulder pads with a leer.

A low growl ripped from my chest before I could stop it. “That’s Ronan’s pup and her nanny. Watch your tongue.”

Jonesy just laughed. “Single?”

I shoved him hard enough to send him skidding backward. My wolf was not amused.

Curiosity and a traitorous pull dragged me over too. I stayed a few strides back, close enough to hear but far enough to maintain distance.

“There are my two favorite girls!” Kai called, voice bright as always. Annie clung tighter to Lila’s sweater, a little pout on her face.

“Someone’s not feeling great after her shots today,” Lila explained, gently stroking the pup’s back. Her voice carried that soothing quality that had already begun calming Ronan’s wolf. “We saw the pack pediatrician. She’s healthy, in the top percentiles, and we got the EpiPen script just in case. She handled the immunizations like a true Moonfang wolf — brave like her sire. But she’s cranky now. I wanted to update you before taking her home for cuddles and comfort food.”

Ronan’s green eyes softened with gratitude. “Everything else is okay?”

Lila nodded, then blushed faintly as Kai grinned at her like she’d hung the moon. “I’ll have dinner ready when you get home. What time?”

“Sixish?” Ronan glanced at me for confirmation.

I gave a curt nod, jaw tight. Domestic. Too domestic. The image of Lila in our kitchen, apron on, scent mixing with ours, made my wolf both hungry and wary.

Kai skated closer, voice dropping playfully. “Need anything else, little moon? We can raid the team kitchen for extra meat.”

Lila laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine. Annie quieted further at the sound. “Just keep winning. Annie needs strong pack role models.”

The words hit harder than I expected. My wolf preened despite my resistance. She saw us as a pack already.

As they skated back for drills, I caught Lila’s gaze for a brief moment. Those doe eyes held steady, curious but unafraid. A challenge. A promise.

Back in the crease, shots came fast and heavy. I stopped them all with mechanical precision, but my mind wandered to the pack house, to vanilla and pine weaving through our territory. To the way, Lila had already begun taming Ronan’s chaos and charming Kai’s golden energy.

I was the last wall, the stoic goalie who trusted no one easily not after the stalker incident in college that had forced us to move dens in the dead of night and change everything for safety. Females meant risk.

Distraction. Potential territory fractures.

Yet when practice ended and I showered, the thought of going home to find Lila there cooking, caring for Annie, existing in our space sent a different kind of heat through my veins. Possessive.