Betrays Love 212

Kieran rushes anxiously to the ice rink after receiving a mysterious SOS text from Seraphina, fearing something is wrong. Upon arrival, he sees Seraphina and Daniel together and feels a surge of jealousy and panic. However, he quickly realizes the situation is not as dire as he thought when Daniel explains he needed backup for a hockey match. Seraphina introduces Kieran to Maxwell, Maya’s brother, and his twin sons, who have come to help Daniel. The tension eases as Kieran agrees to join the game, despite his initial worries.

On the ice, Kieran displays his skill and grace, reminding Seraphina of the talented hockey player he once was in his youth. Watching Kieran and Daniel play together, moving seamlessly as father and son, stirs a mixture of nostalgia, admiration, and longing in Seraphina. Their effortless teamwork leads to a triumphant winning goal, and the rink erupts in cheers. The joy shared between Kieran and Daniel is palpable, warming Seraphina’s heart despite her complicated feelings.

After the game, Kieran approaches Seraphina with Daniel on his shoulders, evoking memories of a tradition where the winning player kisses his loved one through the glass. Daniel kisses the glass for Seraphina, declaring her his significant other, which brings a bittersweet smile to her face. Though Kieran does not participate in the tradition himself, the moment holds a quiet tenderness that momentarily bridges the emotional distance between them. The playful chaos on the rink soon resumes, but the lingering warmth of that brief connection stays with Seraphina.

212 Chapter 212 CHARM ON THE ICE

KIERAN’S POV

By the time I arrived at the ice rink, my mind was already halfway lost in chaos.

My phone sat abandoned on the passenger seat of my car, its screen glowing with Sera’s message like a desperate beacon in the night: SOS.

No explanation. No details. Just that single, alarming plea.

I barely paused to grab my jacket before throwing myself into the driver’s seat. Every red light on the way felt like a cruel joke, each second dragging on endlessly. When I finally skidded into the parking lot, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like a drumbeat in my throat.

Stepping inside, the cold air hit me immediately—the sharp, biting chill of ice and metal filling the lobby. Then, through the glass doors, I saw them.

Seraphina and Daniel.

Every nerve in my body tensed, bracing for impact. A surge of panic and jealousy flooded me.

For a moment, my eyes searched frantically for any sign of injury—anything to justify the urgent SOS.

But then I noticed the relaxed way she stood, the gentle smile playing on her lips as she spoke softly to him.

Still, it wasn’t enough to soothe the storm inside me.

Before reason could catch up, I was already crossing the lobby. I pushed the doors open harder than intended, drawing nearly every gaze in the rink toward me.

But only two faces mattered.

Daniel’s bright, cheerful wave from the ice caught me off guard.

I froze, scrutinizing him from head to toe as he skated toward me, completely unharmed, carefree, and radiating excitement.

“Dad! You made it!” he called out.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice sharp with urgency as I shifted my gaze between them while Sera rose to her feet.

And then I noticed the man standing beside her for the first time.

He was nearly as tall as me, with a muscular build like a wolf who’d spent hours lifting weights. His skin was a rich chocolate tone, and his tightly curled hair was cropped close. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn’t quite place it.

The ugly green monster of jealousy I’d come to know whenever I thought about Sera and Lucian stirred in my chest, but even I wasn’t sure what to make of this new situation.

Sera looked just as confused as I felt, but her expression quickly shifted into one of understanding. “Baby, this is your backup?” she asked Daniel.

He nodded eagerly. “Yup!”

I frowned, holding up my phone. “What? I got an SOS text. I thought something was wrong.”

Daniel grinned like he’d just won a prize and slid closer to me. “Something is wrong. I don’t have a partner for hockey.”

“For hockey?” I echoed, incredulous.

He nodded again, full of excitement. “They challenged me to a match,” he said, pointing to two identical boys standing next to the man. “Two against one wasn’t fair, so I called backup.”

The tension that had gripped my chest released with a loud sigh. The tight knot holding me upright dissolved, replaced by a staggering relief that made me want to laugh, curse, or maybe both.

Sera raised a hand in apology. “I’m so sorry, Kieran. I didn’t realize he’d texted you.”

She shot Daniel a mildly reproachful glance. “I’m never letting you use my phone again.”

Now that the panic haze had lifted, I took her in. Gods, she looked incredible.

Her cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, and her hair shone so brilliantly white under the harsh fluorescent lights that she looked like a queen of snow.

“Um.” I swallowed hard and took a deep, steadying breath. “It’s okay?”

My eyes flicked pointedly to the man beside her.

She flushed slightly. “Oh, where are my manners? Kieran, this is Maxwell Cartridge—Maya’s brother,” —ah, that’s why he seemed familiar— “and his twins, Noah and Zach.”

She nodded toward the identical boys who were watching me with cautious eyes.

“Maxwell, this is Kieran, my—” Her voice caught, and my heart skipped a beat. Then she cleared her throat and corrected herself. “Daniel’s father.”

Maxwell extended a hand, which I took reluctantly, fighting the urge to glare or crush his fingers.

Daniel beamed up at me. “So, Dad. You’ll play, right?”

I glanced between him, the ice, and Sera. Her expression hovered somewhere between amusement and apology.

It was so unlike her usual guarded indifference that there was no way I could say no.

“Wait,” one of the twins piped up. “If Daniel’s dad is playing, then Dad,” he looked up at Maxwell, “you have to play too.”

Maxwell’s brows furrowed. “But that tips the scales again.”

I smirked, squeezing Daniel’s shoulders. “Trust me, that won’t be a problem.”

***

SERAPHINA’S POV

I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Kieran moved across the ice with a magnetic power and grace that made the rest of the rink seem blurred and distant.

I’d forgotten just how good he was—how alive and electric he looked in motion. The last time I’d seen him like this, we were still teenagers.

Back then, he’d been the star of the university hockey team—skilled, fluid, and so captivating that half the campus packed the bleachers just to watch him play.

Everyone said he could have gone pro. But as the Nightfang heir, his future had been decided long before he could chase dreams on the ice.

Still, watching him now, commanding the rink as if no time had passed, a flicker stirred in my chest—a pulse of nostalgia, admiration, and something dangerously close to longing.

I’d never been part of the lessons when he taught Daniel hockey, but gods, those must have been incredible moments.

Father and son moved together like they shared a single heartbeat—seamless, precise, confident—cutting through the chaos of their opponents’ scrappy defense.

Maxwell and the twins fought hard, fast and spirited, but it was clear who ruled the ice.

“Now, Danny!” Kieran called out. The sharp scrape of blades against frost filled the air as the puck slid smoothly across the ice. Then—the satisfying clack of the winning goal.

The rink exploded with cheers. My heart thundered in time, and I cheered so loudly my voice went hoarse.

Daniel whooped, and Kieran laughed with him, lifting him high onto his shoulders. Their joy was raw and contagious, a warmth that tugged at something deep inside me.

Kieran’s grin—unrestrained, boyish, utterly unlike the Alpha I knew—shone brightly under the rink’s harsh lights as he raised Daniel high into the air.

That sight stirred a pleasant warmth in my chest.

Even the quiet voice of Alina, lurking in the back of my mind, stirred. “Damn, he does have a certain charm on the ice,” she murmured.

I bit back a smile. “You’re not wrong.”

Then Kieran turned and skated toward me.

For one heart-stopping second, the crowd blurred. The lights softened. My breath caught, because I knew this scene—I’d imagined it a million times before, back when we were young and I was foolishly in love.

There was a tradition back then: after a big win, the captain or MVP would skate to the rink’s edge, to the one waiting for him—girlfriend, fiancée, mate—and kiss her through the glass.

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My fingers trembled slightly against the glass as Kieran approached, Daniel still perched on his shoulders.

But then—he stopped abruptly.

A grin curved his lips as he lowered Daniel, nudging him gently toward me. “Go on, champ.”

Daniel pressed his small palms to the glass, leaned forward, and kissed it—right over my reflection.

“For my significant other,” he said brightly.

The crowd chuckled, and I laughed too, though my voice was thin and airy. Relief and disappointment tangled inside me, emotions I didn’t want to analyze too closely.

What had I been expecting?

Kieran had never been one for showy traditions.

He hadn’t done it with Celeste either, not once in all those years of public appearances and pack celebrations.

Still, a naive part of me—the girl who once believed in fairytales—had resurfaced, bringing with it that familiar, foolish hope.

I pressed my hand to the glass, returning Daniel’s kiss with a smile. “Good job, baby.”

Kieran met my eyes over Daniel’s head, his expression unreadable. For a fleeting moment, the cold ice between us didn’t feel quite so frozen.

Then the spell broke. Noah tripped over Zach, Maxwell groaned, and the rink burst into laughter once again.

The moment was gone.

But the echo—his smile, the warmth, the whisper of something unspoken—lingered with me long after.

The chapter closes on a tender and complex note, weaving together the threads of past affection, present tension, and the fragile hope that lingers beneath it all. Kieran’s arrival at the rink, initially charged with anxiety and jealousy, transforms into a moment of shared joy and connection through the simple, unspoken language of family and sport. Seraphina’s reflections reveal the bittersweet nature of their relationship—a blend of nostalgia and restrained longing, tempered by the realities they face. The warmth between them, though subtle and cautious, hints at the enduring bond that neither time nor circumstance has fully extinguished.

Despite the playful interruptions and the lighthearted chaos surrounding them, the emotional undercurrent remains palpable. Daniel’s innocent gesture, the laughter echoing around the rink, and the quiet exchange of smiles all underscore the delicate balance of hope and restraint that defines this chapter. It is a poignant reminder that love, even when complicated by past wounds and unspoken truths, still holds the power to thaw frozen spaces and kindle moments of genuine connection.

The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the fragile dynamics between Kieran, Seraphina, and the new players in their lives. As the ice rink’s warmth fades, the chilly undercurrents of jealousy, old feelings, and unspoken tensions are sure to resurface, challenging the fragile peace they’ve momentarily found. Kieran’s unexpected return to the ice has stirred more than just memories—it’s reignited emotions that none of them are quite ready to face.

Meanwhile, Seraphina’s conflicted heart and the subtle glances shared across the rink hint at a growing emotional complexity. The introduction of Maxwell and his twins adds another layer to the story, promising new alliances and perhaps unexpected friction. As past hopes and present realities collide, the characters will have to navigate their tangled relationships with care, all while the stakes quietly rise beneath the surface. Prepare for moments that will test loyalties, reveal hidden desires, and push each of them toward decisions that could change everything.