Everything from specialty heat supplies to comfort items to an entire section dedicated to nest-building materials. I spend longer than I should have browsing the weighted blankets, imagining how nice it would be to cocoon myself away from all of this chaos.
But it's the rink that steals my breath.
Miss Phillip saves it for last, leading me through a set of double doors into an arena that makes my heart ache with longing.
The ice is perfect. Smooth and pristine, gleaming under the arena lights like a frozen mirror. The stands are empty now, but I can imagine them full. Can hear the phantom echo of blades cutting through the silence, the roar of a crowd, and the pounding of my own pulse as I prepared to perform.
Home. This feels like coming home.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Miss Phillip's voice is soft, like she understands what this moment means.
"Yeah," I whisper. "It really is."
We stand there for a moment, neither of us speaking.
The cold air seeps through my sweater, raising goosebumps on my arms, but I don't want to leave.
This is why you're here.
Not for them.
For this.
The ice.
To chase and find the girl you used to be.
Finally, Miss Phillip checks her watch.
"We should head back. I'm sure your roommates are pacing holes in the hallway by now."
I snort.
"Good. Maybe they can let a bit of that aggravated steam off."
She laughs, the sound warm and genuine.
As we walk back toward the dorm, she turns to me with an expression that's surprisingly earnest.
"I hope the next six weeks are life-changing for you, Mabeline."
Life-changing.
Six weeks ago, I was drowning in spreadsheets and existential dread, watching the clock tick toward my twenty-fifth birthday like a condemned prisoner counting down to execution.
Now I'm standing in a prestigious academy, surrounded by ice and possibility and the scents of three Alphas who might just be my undoing.
Life-changing. Yeah. That's one way to put it.
I think about the rink. The figure skating club. The professional team in the works.
Then thoughts about Rafe's storm-gray eyes and the guilt I saw flash through them.
Cal's dimples and the way his scent makes me want to curl up and stay forever.
Étienne's quiet understanding and the jersey that smelled like safety.
I think about Vanessa ‘Viper’ Voss and her threats. About the chants that still echo in my nightmares. About the girl I was and the woman I'm trying to become.
