My Hockey Alpha Neighbor

Carol’s POV 

I’m pulled out of my thoughts when I notice the man sitting next to me has been eyeing me for some time. He’s above average height with slicked–back dark hair and a smug looking face. I can’t tell if he’s a werewolf or a human. Either way, he’s making me uncomfortable. 

“Hey. It’s your first time at a game, isn’t it?” He says. His voice is just as snide as I imagined it would be. I offer him a tight smile and nod. He grins even wider. 

“Thought so. Don’t even worry your pretty little head. I’ll be sure to explain everything so you can keep up.” 

The man starts chattering away, explaining in painstaking detail even the most basic information. I feel a rush of irritation. My annoyance is dashed when the music begins. Judging by the way everyone stands, the teams are about to enter the court. 

“That means the teams are entering,” the man tells me confidently. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. The crowd erupts into applause as the teams make a lap around the ring. 

My eyes scan the team and immediately focus in on Aiden. Aiden looks up at me, too. For a moment, I can the happiness on his face. Then, he catches side of the man next to me. Ever so slightly, his expression darkens, 

“Wow, would you look at that! The man says, crossing his arms in satisfaction. “Aiden Cruz is looking at me. I guess it’s not that surprising – I travel around a lot. I’ve been to tons of his games by now, so he must recognize me.” 

The game starts with a sudden burst of energy. I watch the teams shoot across the rink so quickly I feel like I can barely see them. I find myself easily becoming carried away by the amazing feats of athleticism. I find myself especially captivated by Aiden as he flies across the rink. The confidence on his face is absolutely magnetic. 

The man next to me was continuously chatting the entire time. I’m pretty sure he told me his name some time during his rambling. What was it! – Jack? Jake? Whatever it was, he isn’t even giving me a moment to speak, so it’s not like it matters. His voice turns into an obnoxious drone in the background as I watch the game with rapt attention. 

It’s only when the men’s commentary takes a turn that I start tuning in to what he says. The man clicks his tongue. “Would you look at that… Normally, Cruz is a total team player. His team work with this new club is trash in comparison. Nothing like this would have happened back with the Capital team.” He turns to me with a smirk. “I would never make a mistake like that. 

I frown, but I don’t respond. Aiden is obviously an incredible athlete — even without experience, I can tell that. I watch a little closer. It is true that when he has the puck, it seems like he doesn’t sync up with his team. In fact, it almost looks like his team is avoiding him, leaving him to be a force of nature all by himself. I continue to try and nod politely as the man speaks, but I don’t respond. The man doen’t seem to particularly mind. 

I reason that it makes sense if Aidens teamwork isn’t as good as normal. He’s just transferred to a new team, and this is their first game together. I can tell that they’re a little rough around the edges. A few times, the teammates bump into each other while chasing a puck or miss a pass they probably should have gotten. Still, they’re all clearly talented. 

I find myself becoming enraptured by the game much more than I expected to be. Watching Aiden’s prowess on the rink is electrifying. It makes it very easy to ignore the annoying man next to me. 

The clock is ticking down to the last few seconds when Aiden shoots across the rink, scoring the goal that breaks their tie and secures their team’s victory. The audience roars with excitement, jumping to their feet and applauding. I find myself doing the same, a wide smile on my face. I feel like my chest is bursting with pride. 

The man next to me stands up to, but much more reluctantly. Even as he claps, he leans toward me and speaks under his 

breath. 

“Honestly, I’m disappointed. This is just a training match. Going up against the Cougars like this is just supposed to be practice, but they had so much trouble defeating them. At this rate, there’s no way that they’re going to make it through the first round of the season.” 

I have become an expert at ignoring him back by now, so I do. I watch the Jumbotron with interest as it shows clips of the applauding fans. Suddenly, to my surprise, I see the display read “kiss cam“. I hadn’t ever seen one of these at a smaller 

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sporting event before. 

“Because so many of our wonderful fans decided to come to the Statford Freeze’s practice game, we’ve decided to hold a special reward. All couples featured on the kiss cam will win free tickets to the next match!” 

A loud cheer breaks out in the audience. I clapped politely. I look down at the rink below us. The Statford Freeze members are skating around and clapping each other on the shoulders. With Aiden still celebrating on the rink with his team, this won’t 

affect me. 

The camera turns to the first couple. They begin cheering and kiss excitedly. The crowd applauds loudly for them and their display of affection. I can’t help but smile at the touching sight. 

I notice out of the corner of my eye that the doors to the rink have opened. A few hockey players begin to make their way out, jostling with one another and greeting their friends and family. I find myself searching the crowd again, looking to see if Aiden is nearby as well. 

My focus is broken when the man next to me elbows me in the side. “Well, well, well,” he says smugly. I look to see what he’s reacting to. That’s when I see the Jumbotron out of the corner of my eye. 

It seems that the camera crew has mistaken the man beside me and myself as a couple. Our faces are projected on the Jumbotron up 

above us. I immediately begin waving my hands with an uncomfortable expression on my face. I try to mouth “no” so that the camera operators can see. My checks burn how awkward the situation is. 

To ΠΥ dismay. the man beside me plants a hand on my shoulder. “Come on,” he says, “don’t be a spoilsport. It’s for free tickets!” 

I can hear the crowd begin to rumble with confusion. I shake my head quickly. My discomfort is rising more and more. “No, thank you,” I say as firmly as I can. He starts to lean in, and I put a hand on his chest to stop 

him. 

My hand is quickly replaced by a much larger hand pushing the man backward. He tumbles over into the seat behind him. My view of him is eclipsed as Aiden leans in, kissing me instead.