I hated this. Hated that even after the win, after all the blood and grit we’d put on the ice, I still felt hollow. I rubbed my face with both hands and tried not to think about her, tried not to think about the way she’d spun that mess to protect the team and the brand. Tried not to think about how alone I felt now.
“Figured you’d be here.”
I barely looked up. Grayson was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow arched like he’d just caught me doing something wrong.
“Go away,” I muttered, and kicked my helmet across the floor.
“I don’t thinkso,” he said, stepping into the room. “We need to talk.”
I shoved my gloves onto the bench, letting the irritation flare. “Talk about what, exactly? About how you set everything on fire at that bar and I got stuck holding the match?”
Grayson’s smirk didn’t waver. “You think that’s what this is about?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t pretend. You know I’m talking about the fight. About how your temper got us in the middle of a circus that—” I cut myself off, exhaling through my nose. “…that I’m still paying for.”
“You need to quit harping on about shit that’s already over, Hunter,” he said. “It wasn’t my choice to do what they did.”
I shook my head, jaw tight. “You’re the golden boy. You could’ve said something. I got made the scapegoat for your damn temper. For the one time you couldn’t walk away.”
Grayson’s gaze hardened. “I’m not here to talk about PR. It’s about the ice. Nothing else matters. Not the pictures, not the spin, not what the media or management or fans think. You can’t let that stuff creep into your game. You can’t let it steal your headspace while you’re out there.”
I sat back, trying to swallow the bitterness that threatened to boil over. “That’s rich, coming from the guy who started it in the first place.”
“Grow up,” he said, voice firm. “Tonight? Tonight you showed what happens when you can’t separate the two. You let all that stuff stick to your back and nearly ruined the game for all of us. You’ve got talent, Callahan, but you need to realize the rest of it is noise. What matters is what happens on the ice.”
I looked at him, chest heaving, trying to process the words. Part of me wanted to throw him against the wall. Part of me wanted to punch the locker next to him. Part of me… I didn’t know what I wanted anymore.
“So, what? I’m supposed to just forget that I got screwed over? ThatI got painted as the bad guy?” I asked, voice cracking slightly.
“You think I don’t get it?” Grayson stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Out of everyone here, I know what that feels like. You have to understand something, though. This isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about focus. About what you do when the pressure is on, when everything outside the rink is screaming at you.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my jaw from trembling. “Doesn’t feel like enough,” I muttered.
He studied me for a long beat. “It will. In time.” Then he paused, shifting his weight, hands on his hips. “But you need to stop letting the outside world get to you. Stop letting people pull you into drama that doesn’t belong to you.”
I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand. “I’m not done. There’s something else.”
I frowned, bracing myself.
“I’ve been thinking,” Grayson said, tone clipped now. “About leadership. About responsibility. About… what needs to happen next.” He sighed, one shoulder dipping. “Callahan, I’m stripping your co-captaincy.”
The words landed like a hammer. My stomach sank. My head went blank.
“What?” I croaked, voice barely audible.
He nodded, resolute. “I need someone who can keep their head through everything—on and off the ice. You’re too smart, too talented, too emotional. You let the noise from outside the rink follow you in, and I can’t risk that in the playoffs. Not with everything on the line.”
Pressure coiled in my gut, a mix of fury, disbelief, and helplessness. I wanted to yell, to argue, to throw something, but nothing would come out.
“You… you can’t just—” I swallowed, trying to force my voice steady. “You can’t just take it off me.”
“I can. And I am. You’ll still play. You’ll still lead in your own way.But the title? The responsibility? It needs someone who doesn’t let their head get hijacked by the outside world. You showed me tonight that you’re still learning that lesson.”
I exhaled slowly, raw and hollow. My hands shook as I grabbed my stick, trying to focus on anything else. The locker room suddenly felt smaller, the hum of the lights louder, each breath an unwelcome reminder of how alone I felt.
Grayson gave me a long look, then nodded and turned away. “Take it in your stride. You’ll be better for it. And when we’re through with this series, we’ll see where you stand.”
I sat there, silent, staring at the floor. The adrenaline from the game had faded, leaving only the ache of betrayal and the sting of what was lost.
