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Maddox smashed Chicago’s center against the boards, and I darted past, stealing the spinning puck. Another of the Flurry’s players yelled at the ref and demanded that Maddox be given a penalty. Two less players on me as I neared the center line and passed to Ewan.

The seconds ticked away. Ten left until the end of the game. We were tied zero to zero.

Fans in the arena screamed as Ewan dodged a check from one of the defense men. The other to that pair was on Kane who circled Chicago’s net.

Sweat trickled down my temples. My hair clung to my forehead, and I pushed away the urge to swipe it back.

We needed a goal.

Flurry’s right winger matched my pace. Both our gazes locked on the puck. My heart thundered.

Five seconds.

All sound became deafening static.

Ewan was checked and made a sloppy pass in my direction. I reached out my stick and the other player smacked his stick against mine. Casimir suddenly plowed into the guy and knocked him to his knees.

Three seconds.

I looked for Kane. He was fighting with one of the Flurry near the left corner of their net. His gaze briefly met mine. This was our chance.

Two seconds.

Kane had the highest points per game in the league this season. He wasn’t only the captain of our team, he was the star. The Flurry’s goalie, anticipating who I was going to pass the puck to, moved to that corner of the net.

One second.

I took my shot. The puck flew off the ice and slammed into the net just as the buzzer went off.

The crowd went insane. We’d won our first game against Chicago.

I was engulfed in a bear hug from Maddox, and Ewan hooted as he jumped on us.

Holy fuck. I scored the winning goal. The frantic adrenaline which drove me through the game turned into serotonin victory high. I cheered and kissed the top of Maddox’s helmet before I hugged my cousin and then Kane.

“Great job!” Kane grabbed either side of my helmet and bumped ours together. “That was fucking perfect.”

The whole team and coaching staff were on the ice. Everyone was hugging everyone. Tiergan had thrown off his mask and gloves and picked me up with his hug and swung me around. “You’re the man!”

Even Casimir bumped his helmet to mine. “Excellent play, Fournier.”

I couldn’t hear my own thoughts in the thunderous applause, and I couldn’t stop grinning. We eventually paused our celebration to shake hands—or rather, bump fists—with the Flurry before they retreated to their locker room. A few players on their team congratulated me on the goal.

We eventually went back to our locker room where the team sang ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ in French for me. I’d had good games this season, but this one topped them all.

The energy among the team was electric, but within our pack, it was like the blazing sun above the crackling storm below. There was only one person missing. Every time I was on the bench, I looked for Kienna. Even though we knew she was planning on leaving Winnipeg, part of me didn’t believe she would. She was meant to be with our pack. Perhaps I put too much stock in fate, but she couldn’t just disappear from our lives forever. Something gnawed at my insides taking me down from my victory high.

Mr. Birk was in the VIP lounge for the entire game. Not once today did he mention his daughter. He didn’t seem concerned. His attention was completely focused on the team.

Kane had told us what went on outside of the restaurant last night. That had been over twenty-four hours ago. I’d found Kienna’s SnapGram account online, but there’d been no recent pictures. There were tons of images of her and her friends which she frequently posted, but nothing since the day she arrived in Winnipeg. It seemed like if she had made it to her friend’s place, she would have celebrated it by posting a photo.

Just to be certain, I stopped dressing with just my jeans on and checked her social media from my phone. Nothing.

“Hey Kane,” I nodded to him at the opposite end of the bench where he was putting on his boots. “Did Kienna say what time she was catching a flight out of here?”

“No, just that she was leaving today. Why?” Kane tied his boots and furrowed his brows as he regarded me.

“I was just hoping she’d be here tonight,” I sighed. Everyone was in such a good mood. I didn’t want to kill it by expressing my worry over a gut feeling. She’d seemed so unhappy at the restaurant, and all I wanted to do was make sure she was okay. Kane stated she didn’t want to see us again, but I didn’t believe it. Or maybe I didn’t want to believe it.

“Who needs that chick, cuz, when there are tons of girls waiting for you at the bar tonight! Smile!” Ewan was fully dressed and slapped his arm around my shoulders, taking a picture of us. I blinked at the flash, barely smiling in time. “Sweet. A shirtless Alderic Fournier is going to get me thousands of likes!”

I opened his mouth to tell him not to post it, but he already had.

“I’m going out to the hall and make nice with the press. See you all there!” Ewan loved the attention and was always first out of the locker room to get the most media coverage possible.

I didn’t want other women. Kienna’s beauty was burned into my mind. I’d never been affected by a girl this way, and it didn’t matter that I wasn’t an Alpha or biologically compatible with her. There was a connection I couldn’t ignore.

Casimir stepped up next to me and spoke in a quiet tone. “I will be returning to the hotel, and I will check to see if Kienna is in her room.”

“I’m going with you.” I didn’t stop to think about it and pulled on my shirt. Even if Kienna was gone, I had to know.

“I’m going too.” Tiergan whipped on his shirt and stuffed his feet into his boots.

“And me.” Maddox folded his arms and glared at Casimir as if daring him to tell him no.

Kane slid on his coat and shook his head. “We’re not going anywhere at the moment. We need to do some mandatory press time. They’re especially going to want to talk to you, Alderic, and you for your shut-out, Tiergan.”

I didn’t have the patience for the press at the moment. The feeling something was wrong sat heavier in my gut. It was good for the team to get as much press as possible, but Kienna could still be in her room.

“I’ll take the service hall out and check on Kienna myself.” Casimir grabbed his coat and headed toward the door tucked away in the rear of the locker room. The corridor was used by the arena staff and emergency workers. The team always exited to the main hallway and through the jungle of reporters.

“We’ll go after we did some press time,” Kane stated again. Casimir ignored him, and Kane growled with frustration. “Get back here, Velky.”

Casimir shot him a look and bared his teeth. “They’ll want you, Fournier, and Hall. No one will want to talk to me, and if they did, fuck them. Kienna’s more important. If Fournier is worried about her, I trust his instincts. I’m going back to the hotel.”

My eyes widened. Casimir trusted me? I never had a problem with him on the team, but often, he and Kane had a power struggle. Maddox was strong-headed, but he willingly stepped back to let Kane lead as he didn’t want that role. Tiergan would be a good leader too, but his strength was in support. Casimir, on the other hand, didn’t always agree when Kane said something had to be a certain way, and that’s why the pack never formed a tight friendship with him. He had his own ideas and fought for them.

As much as I respected Kane, I was with Casimir on this. “I need to go.”

“We’re dealing with the press first.” Kane raised his chin. His Alpha command reverberated through me. For him, it was always about the team first. He kept us together as a fierce unit and helped make us a force to contend with on the rink. But this wasn’t about hockey.

Casimir didn’t say a word. He opened the service door, stepped through it, and held it agape. He was clearly waiting for me.

Merde . I’d always been the peacemaker, the easy-going one. Never had there been any negative tension between the pack and I. Even now, I wanted to please everyone, but there was one person in the world that needed me the most and she was not here at the arena.

“I’m going to check on Kienna. You know it’s the right thing to do.” I picked up my coat and followed Casimir.

I turned my back to my pack.

My heart hammered and my throat tightened, but I didn’t turn to look over my shoulder. Casimir and I hurried down the narrow corridor which turned and exited by the garage. Neither of us said a word.

Casimir led me to his Porsche and clicked his key fob to unlock the doors. I opened the door and climbed in, running a slightly shaky hand through my still damp hair. Casimir pushed a button to start the engine and tore out of the lot through the service road.

“When last did you see Kienna?” Casimir asked, speeding onto the highway.

“Uh, yesterday at the restaurant. The same as the rest of us.” I had tried so hard to put everyone at ease last night. Kienna had been upset and the Alphas were ready for battle. When she got up to leave, I’d wanted to follow her, but Kane went instead.

“She was upset with her father. Do you know why?” Casimir continued his interrogation with the same intensity he played hockey, and as he whipped around a bend, the same as his driving.

I bit the side of my tongue. The pack had talked about Kienna last night, and Kane had shared his insight. What the pack did together stayed between the pack, but no matter how much we wanted it, Kienna wasn’t ours. She was also compatible with Casimir, and he clearly cared about her enough to risk getting in trouble for leaving without press time too.

“She feels ignored by her father. She doesn’t want to be here in Winnipeg.” It all tumbled out of my mouth. Casimir deserved to know what was going on. “Her heat isn’t making anything easier. She doesn’t want to be with any of us because we’re on her father’s team. She doesn’t want to risk our careers or her father’s wrath. Which is sweet of her, but if she isolates herself from the compatible Alphas during her heat, it’s going to make things ten times worse for her. I can’t stand the thought of her suffering for any reason.”

“I agree.” He grunted. “Has anyone in the pack claimed her?”

“What?” The question took me off-guard. Was he that serious about Kienna?

“Shaw?” Casimir glanced at me. “Or Moreau?”

“No.” I paused and swallowed. “Have you?”

“No. I want her father’s permission to court her first. I must respect not only her but him as well.” His knuckles were white with his grip on the wheel. “Hockey is not my entire life. I would not be risking my career to be with her, but even if it was at risk, I wouldn’t care. She is more important. You understand this. This is why you’re here.”

Light from other cars flickered over his intense face. I knew very little about Casimir even though we’d played on the same team all year. His concern for Kienna was fiercely clear, and I respected him all the more that he was willing to risk everything for her.

“To fear wolves is not to go into the forest.”

I blinked and stared at him. “What does that mean?”

Casimir gave me a tight smile. “It’s a Russian saying. Fear impedes your ability to do things. The fear might be real, but it should not keep you from stepping into the forest.”

A strange thing to say, but it was encouraging. “Or, don’t fear the wolves, be a wolf.”

His grin grew and he let out a small low laugh. “I like that much better.”

It was a short drive to the Fort Garry Hotel, and Casimir sped around to the front, not turning off the car as he hopped out. He handed the keys and some money to a valet who jogged over to him. The guy thanked Casimir as he handed him a valet ticket and looked more than eager to drive the Porsche into the lot.

We all but ran inside, and I followed him up the stairs to the second floor. “She’s in the grand suite.”

Casimir took me right to the door and knocked. When there was no answer, he rapped harder. “Kienna.”

Another minute went by with no answer. It seemed hard to catch my breath and perspiration dotted my forehead. Panic was beginning to grip me. Something wasn’t right. I felt it. My instincts were never wrong. And if Kienna wasn’t here at the hotel, that meant she was in trouble elsewhere. If she was flying, the plane could be having problems, or she could be lost at an airport or being harassed by some other Alpha. It didn’t help my spiraling imagination that there was a serial killer in Winnipeg at the moment. The fact she could need help and not be where we could get to her filled me with dread.

I had to know. Casimir banged on the door again.

Looking back and forth down the hall, I waved to a passing hotel employee. “Excuse me, miss. Hi.” I hoped I didn’t look as frazzled as I felt. “We went out for a bit and forgot the keycard. His girlfriend is in there, but we think she’s in the shower and can’t hear us. You wouldn’t happen to be able to let us in, would you?”

The woman who was maybe twenty years older than me studied me and frowned. “I think perhaps you should wait until the young lady answers…” Her eyes then widened as she suddenly smiled. “You’re Alderic Fournier, aren’t you? That goal tonight was spectacular!”

I smiled and dipped my head. “Thank you…” I peeked at her name tag. “Belinda. Are you a fan?”

“Isn’t everyone in Winnipeg? My brother drives the zamboni at the arena, and he keeps me updated on everything as it’s happening since I can’t watch as I work.” She laughed and peered at Casimir. “Oh, and you’re the defenseman. You have an excellent team this year. You’ll win the Calder Cup, I know it!”

“Always a pleasure to meet a fan.” Casimir smiled and motioned to the door. “My girlfriend, Miss Kienna Birk, this is her room. She has pink hair…”

“Yes, I know who you mean. She didn’t come to watch you play?” Belinda inquired.

Casimir glanced at me and I heaved a sigh, continuing on with our little act. “Kienna hasn’t been feeling very well recently. We slipped out after the game to come check on her and see if she needed anything.”

“Ah, poor girl. I haven’t seen her today, but she looked unwell the other day, and she’s been ordering a lot of room service.”

She was still there! We had to get in.

“So, do you think you could open the door for us? We would greatly appreciate it.” I kept my voice neutral. I couldn’t let her know how desperate I was to get into the suite.

“Of course. You’re respectable young men, and so sweet for taking care of Miss Birk. Her father is a gentleman, but he’s been so busy—as you know with him being the new owner—and I know he’d worry if no one was looking in on her.” Belinda took out a key card from her pocket and swiped it through the reader. It beeped and turned green. It took all my willpower not to push past her and run inside right then. “There you go. Good luck with the rest of the finals. The Flurry has no chance against the Rampage this year!”

“Thank you very much.” Casimir bowed his head. He held the door open, gesturing for me to go inside first.

“Yes, thank you, Belinda. Your support for the team means the world to us.”

I might have offered her an autograph or to take a picture with us, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Entering the dark suite, the lamp near the entry turned on automatically and illuminated Kienna’s coat on the nearest chair.

My stomach tightened and urgency drove me farther in. Kienna was here and she needed help. Time to show her that a Beta was as worthy to be with as an Alpha.