Chapter 64: If you go, I’ll tell Stein your secret

"I’ve heard... plenty about you."

​The emphasis on the word was dripping with venom, a dark, mocking undertone meant strictly for my ears. He was marking his territory, using that insufferable presence of his to make this a challenge. Seriously, what was wrong with him?

​"All good things, I hope," Edward replied smoothly, his smile never wavering, though I could see his arm muscles tense as he matched Reid’s aggressive grip.

​"Depends on who you ask," Reid smirked, a snobbish, victorious glint returning to his eyes as he slowly pulled his hand back and shoved it right back into his pocket.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze dropping to the high collar of my sweater before rising to lock onto mine.

"The Captain here has a habit of keeping secrets. I’m just the one who has to handle his... paperwork."

​My breath hitched, a cold sweat breaking out across my neck. The implied threat was clear as day.

​"Well, that’s what a good rookie is for, right?" Edward joked lightly, completely missing the dangerous subtext as he let his hand drop. He turned his attention back to me, his expression softening back into that genuine warmth. "Anyway, Kain, I know you guys just finished up a grueling shoot, but I was wondering if you’re free later tonight? There’s a quiet little place a few blocks from here. I’d love to grab a drink, catch up properly, and just... get along outside the rink before the chaos of two Fridays from now."

​"Oh, I—"

​Before I could even finish my sentence, the heavy pressure of Reid’s arm pressed firmly against my side, his presence turning suffocatingly possessive in an instant.

I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to remain as flat and level as possible. "Excuse us for a second, Edward."

​Without waiting for a response, I firmly grabbed Reid by the forearm, digging my fingers into the fabric of his dark crewneck, and pulled him away from the center of the stage.

He didn’t resist, but he didn’t lighten his heavy, unyielding posture either, allowing himself to be dragged toward the quiet, shadowed corridor near the equipment storage racks.

​I was completely confused and rattled. Reid usually did act all snobbish and arrogant—it was practically his default setting—but his behavior right now felt way too excessive, even for him.

He was acting like a rabid guard dog over a territory he didn’t even own, and I couldn’t understand what had suddenly flipped the switch in his head.

​The moment the heavy studio doors swung shut behind us, cutting off the crew’s chatter and Edward’s polite gaze, I spun around to face him.

​"What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed under my breath, my jaw clenching so hard it ached. I kept my voice low, but the fury behind it was sharp. "You better not try anything funny, you—"

​"Evans," he cut me short, his smooth, arrogant drawl completely vanishing.

He took a heavy step into my space, his towering frame casting a long shadow over me against the white corridor wall. His smoky grey eyes were dark, devoid of their usual mocking amusement.

"You’re not going to that dinner. You’re not grabbing a drink with him."

​I blinked, momentarily baffled by the sheer audacity of his demand. "Excuse me? Since when do you dictate who I have drinks with, McCoy? Edward is a colleague, and unlike you, he actually knows the meaning of professional courtesy."

​"If you decide to go," Reid whispered, his voice dropping into a low, terrifyingly quiet register that made the hairs on my arms stand up, "I’ll tell Stein your secret."

​My heart did a violent, sickening drop against my ribs. The breath caught in my throat, my eyes widening as I stared at his unyielding, icy face. My mind scrambled, completely turned upside down by the sudden, brutal threat.

​"Where is this coming from?" I demanded, my hands clenching into tight fists at my sides to stop the slight tremor in my fingers. "You know that aside from you, no one else in the league knows my secret. And no one should know. So tell me, why the hell are you bringing this up now?"

​Reid shifted his weight, his jaw tight as he looked away for a split second before locking his intense, smoky gaze back onto mine. He looked irritated, a faint, dark frustration marring his polished features as he scrambled for an excuse.

​"I just don’t have a good feeling about that guy," he muttered coldly, crossing his broad arms over his chest. "He’s too clean. Too perfect. It’s annoying."

​I let out a sharp, cynical breath, a harsh laugh escaping my lips. "You don’t have a good feeling about him because he’s a genuinely nice guy, and you’re just an insufferable prick. He’s the only Alpha captain in the league who actually treats me like an equal, and you can’t stand that someone else isn’t throwing your petty little tantrums."

​Seeing me immediately jump to defend Stein, something shifted in Reid’s eyes. The icy calmness cracked, a sudden, dark spike of raw fury flashing through his gaze as his frozen pine pheromones flared against my senses.

​"Oh yeah?" Reid stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing against mine as he leaned down, his voice dripping with venom. "What if he’s just playing the nice guy to get our gameplay out of you? The match is in two Fridays, Evans. He’s an Alpha captain leading a rival team, and you’re the first-line center who coordinates our entire offensive grid. He’s using his charm to pull your guard down."

​"Edward is not that kind of guy," I fired back, my voice steady despite the suffocating weight of his presence. "We’ve known each other for three seasons. He has never once used dirty tactics on or off the ice."

​"Then can you trust him to keep your secret?" Reid challenged sharply, the words cutting through my defense like a blade.

He tilted his head, his eyes tracing the line of my high collar where the synthetic patch was hidden. "If he’s really that close to you, if he’s really that trustworthy... Can you look him in the eye right now and tell him you’re an Omega? Can you trust a rival Alpha not to drop that bomb the second the scoreboard goes down?"

​The words hit me like a physical blow, and I went silent.