Chapter 57: Kain’s just a stickler for the rules

​"Don’t be shy, McCoy," Kelvin yelled through a mouthful of pasta. "Take a big piece. You’re going to need the calories if you’re going to keep skating at the Captain’s pace tomorrow."

​"Don’t mind if I do," Reid chuckled. He leaned forward and scooped a generous portion onto his plate, taking a sizable bite.

​I watched him closely, waiting for the inevitable critique. I waited for him to be an asshole and compare it to the gourmet, retainer-kept chefs his multi-billion-dollar family employed. I waited for the arrogant rookie to drop some snobbish comment that would make me want to throw my fork at his face.

​Instead, Reid chewed slowly, his smoky grey eyes widening just a fraction. He swallowed, a lazy, thoroughly impressed grin breaking across his handsome features as he looked up at Marina. ℴ

​"Wow," Reid murmured, shaking his head. "Alright, I take it back. Kain wasn’t exaggerating. This is easily the best lasagna I’ve ever had in my life."

​"Told you!" Chloe cheered, pointing her fork at him. "Marina’s a tyrant in the kitchen, but the results don’t lie."

​Marina merely raised an eyebrow, her expression remaining cool and evaluating, though she gave him a brief, curt nod of acknowledgment.

"Glad you like it, McCoy."

​"I really do," Reid said, and for a split second, his voice carried that same rare, absolute sincerity from the kitchen yesterday. He took another bite, completely ignoring the front he usually hid behind.

​But the peace didn’t last long. As the initial rush of eating slowed down, the twins shifted their focus entirely onto Reid, eager to grill the high-profile rookie.

​"So, McCoy," Kalvin started, leaning his elbows on the table. "We heard the rumors. The media keeps saying you’re some kind of rogue prodigy who refused a massive corporate inheritance just to play in the league. Is that true? Are you really old money?"

​My hand froze on my fork. I shot a sharp, warning glare at Kalvin, but he was completely oblivious. My eyes immediately flicked to Reid, my chest tightening.

I knew how disgruntled he had been this morning after his mother’s call. I knew how deeply he hated the suffocating pressure of his family’s corporate front. If he snapped or got arrogant now, the warm atmosphere would shatter.

​But Reid didn’t get angry. He just casually rested his forearm on the edge of the table, his smoky eyes glinting with a sudden, playful amusement as he looked at my brother.

​"Yeah, it’s pretty true," Reid admitted smoothly, completely unbothered. "My folks think life is just a series of board meetings and tailored suits. They think sweating in public is a disease." He let out a short, amused chuckle, glancing across the table to lock his gaze directly onto mine. "But I preferred the noise. I wanted the ice. It’s a lot more real when people are cheering for your talent instead of your family’s bank account."

​"Hell yeah," Kelvin grinned, slamming a fist lightly on the table. "That’s what I’m talking about. You fit right in with the Serpents."

​"I’m trying to," Reid murmured, his voice dropping into that low, teasing register that was meant strictly for me. His eyes darkened with a private, heavy intensity as he stared right through my mask. "Though the Captain here makes it incredibly hard to earn his approval. He’s a tough critic."

I nearly gasped. Who was the tough one here?

​"Oh, Kain’s just a stickler for the rules," Chleo joked, waving a hand dismissively. "He’s always been the serious one."

​Under the table, out of sight of my five oblivious Beta siblings and my fiercely observant Alpha sister, I suddenly felt a firm, heavy pressure align against my leg.

​Reid’s broad knee casually brushed against mine, anchoring his leg right next to mine beneath the wood. The sudden, unexpected heat of his physical contact sent a violent, electric shiver straight up my spine.

My breath hitched, my face instantly flushing as the faint, suffocating shadow of his frozen pine pheromones seemed to spike right through the space between us.

​I glared at him, my jaw clenching so hard it ached.

​Reid didn’t move his leg. He just sat there, completely comfortable, taking another slow bite of his lasagna while his smoky grey eyes held mine in a suffocating, victorious grip.

He was thoroughly enjoying the danger. He loved the fact that I had to sit here, playing the role of the perfect, untouchable Beta captain in front of my entire family, while his body was casually reminding me of exactly what we had done under the sheets just twenty-four hours ago.

​He was a complete monster. A beautiful, arrogant, ruthless brat who knew exactly how to make me sweat.

After a long, chaotic meal time, dinner was finally over, though my nerves were entirely shot.

​The heavy, suffocating pressure of Reid’s knee against mine hadn’t shifted until the last of the lasagna was completely cleared from the plates. By some miracle, my face had remained an untouchable, blank mask, but internally, I was a frayed wire.

​The twins and Chleo immediately migrated back to the living room, arguing over who had to handle the first round of the dishes, while Cara and Chloe started clearing the remaining serving trays.

​"I’ll help with the kitchen," I announced, eager for any excuse to get up, break the physical proximity, and escape the heavy, calculating weight of Reid’s gaze.

​"No, you won’t," Marina’s voice cut through the room like an official directive. She stood at the head of the table, stacking a pair of salad bowls, her dark Alpha eyes fixing on me with a firm, unyielding severity. "Your ribs are a mess, Kain. Go sit down before you drop something."

​"Marina, I can carry a plate—"

​"I’ve got it, chef," Reid smoothly interrupted, standing up to his full, towering height.

He casually grabbed the large, empty lasagna tray and a stack of used forks, offering my sister a brilliant, polite smile. "I can handle the heavy lifting. The Captain needs to rest if he’s going to lead practice tomorrow."

​Marina stared at him, her expression an agonizingly sharp wall of skepticism. For a second, I thought she was going to throw the salad bowls at his head.

But she merely let out a low, evaluating hum, turning her back to head into the kitchen. "Fine. Don’t break anything, McCoy."

​"Wouldn’t dream of it," Reid chuckled, following her through the swinging door without a single care in the world.