Page 118 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

I snorted at the same time as Caden. “Or else?” I had the satisfaction of asking that question before Caden could. There was no way in hell I would work with him. The fucker was in the wrong and he owed me an apology for his behavior. Even then, he would stick to his moral high ground and send me those snide looks of superiority, so I doubted I would ever be more than this to him.

Jordan sighed and shook his head. “You’re missing the point, buddy,” he said resignedly. “Nobody wants the alternative. Guys? Raise your hand if you like Plan A.”

All hands went up except Caden’s and my own. Neither of us looked at the other, although I watched him from the corner of my eyes. His pursed lips, the messy lock of dark hair falling over his eye, the Cupid’s Bow above his upper lip. He was probably thinking about sucking some guy’s dick instead of hockey, anyway.

What the fuck? I shouted mentally at myself. Not only did I have no reason to care about that, but I shocked even myself with the amount of hate the thought filled me with. I glanced over at Sebastian. His hand was resting on the back of Tyler’s head. He was lazily moving his fingers through Tyler’s curls, probably unaware. I felt nothing.

Not that they dated. I didn’t know what the hell was up with them. Last I knew, Tyler was talking to some chick from out of town and Sebastian had hooked up with a girl just last week. Still, they were all over one another half the time I saw them. They might call it platonic, but the ideas they gave me were clear. And more importantly, it never bothered me.

“And what is the alternative?” Caden asked defiantly.

For once, I verbally took his side. “I’d like to know that, too.”

Jordan slouched and looked down, then up at us both in turn. “I think I speak for everyone when I say this, but correct me if I’m wrong. If neither of you can get over this feud, then you should both do this team a favor and go.” He averted his gaze from mine when he said those words. “Beckett, I’m sorry. You’ll always be like a brother to me, but this can’t impact our team.” I noticed Asher roll his eyes. It was funny how Jordan called me his brother when he had spent half his life denying it to Asher, except that it was so messed up. “Your beef split us in half.” Jordan’s voice hardened. “If one leaves and the other stays, it’ll solve nothing. So, you can either pack your shit and go or do what you were supposed to be doing from the start. Sit down and talk. And be the people this team needs you to be.”

I looked at Caden. His color was leaving him at the same rate as I was heating up. But I knew when I was cornered. I nodded. “Is this how everyone feels?”

Reluctant nods rolled through the room. Guys suddenly became interested in the invisible threads in their clothes or specs of dust on the surfaces. Some eyes searched for spiderwebs in the corners of the basement, while a few were closed altogether. Not one person disagreed.

I looked at Jordan, who met my gaze. He seemed to expect me to blow up. Or he thought I would be heartbroken. The truth was, I was surprised. This took balls and my buddy rose to the occasion. “You’ll have my answer in the morning.”

Caden sniffed. “Ah, I’ll need to think this over, too.”

Jordan frowned a little. “Th-that’s it?”

I shrugged. “You might think I’m an asshole, but I’m not delusional. I won’t fight what the entire team wants.”

“That’s…very mature, Beckett,” Jordan said.

I snorted at the slightly patronizing subtext and shared a grin with my friend. “Thanks, Papa.”

The meeting was over and the guys went their way. As for myself, I chose silence in my room. I didn’t expect Jordan to come after me as soon as he did. But when the door opened, he was not awkward at all.

In the dim light of a single lamp on my desk and the blue light of my phone’s screen, I watched my friend move through the room and sit on the edge of his desk. They were one next to the other, but mine was an organized mess while his was neat and with enough room for his ass. “I’m sorry, Beckett.”

“It’s cool,” I said shortly. I wasn’t going to console his guilt more than that. I had my own troubles to think through.

We were silent for a few heartbeats and then Jordan shook his head in disappointment. “Are you seriously thinking about this?”

“Were you serious about kicking me out?” I asked. It was a low blow, but he took it like a big boy.

“I was,” he said flatly. “But I didn’t think either of you would be this stubborn.”

“So, you weren’t serious. You were bluffing.” I dropped my phone on my nightstand and sat up in my bed.

“Nah, man. I wasn’t bluffing. I only misjudged you both.” He sighed. “Yeah, he’s talking shit about you. And yes, he’s angry that you’ve been named captain. But should you hate him so much that you’re willing to lose everything you worked for?”

“Jordan, I’m not gonna hold this against you. My beef is with Caden, not you. But please, for the love of fuck, don’t act like you’re my big brother. You’ve got Asher if you want to lecture someone.” I knew I was poking a sore spot.

Jordan balled his fists. His chest rose so high I thought it would rip his T-shirt. “I’m not gonna lecture Asher because, for once, you’re the bigger brat. You need to stop this farce. You need to go there and make peace with Caden.”

“Why don’t you let me decide what my future is gonna be?” I asked. “Maybe this whole mess made me question whether hockey’s even the right fit for me.” It hadn’t. I wanted this so badly I could taste it. I wanted it with every fiber of my being. But the obstacle was so big that I wasn’t sure I could get over it.

I needed to weigh all the pros and cons. I needed to consider what this ultimatum entailed. And most of all, I needed to figure out if I could ever be in the same room as Caden without us strangling each other.

Chapter Seven

CADEN