Page 101 of The Price of Ice

And Kallen laughed, rough and tired, but there. It was technically true, except it was one Levy had bought for his little cousin and then kept.

“Besides, it was obviously destined to be yours, so...”

“You don’t think I’m making a mistake?” he asked, knowing he was ruining the light mood but unable to hold it back.

No one else in his life would say it. But no one else understood what he was giving up. Except maybe Taylor, but Taylor had made his peace with his own choice, hadn’t he? So of course he’d want Kallen to make the same one. He probably wouldn’t judge him too harshly for doubting, but he wouldn’tgetit.

“No,” Levy said, firm. “I think you are the bravest person I know, and I... I’m pissed you are getting screwed— Fuck, I mean—”

But somehow Kallen was laughing, a little hysterically because to think that they needed to talk around something like this after everything was just too much.

“At least you are laughing,” Levy said when he was no longer at risk of it devolving back into tears, or worse, hyperventilation.

“It’s laugh or cry,” Kallen admitted. “And I’m fucking done crying.”

And he was, he would much rather be angry than sad, because anger would push him forth until he crushed his enemies.

There was no skating, but deep down, it wasn’t so different, this steel solidifying in his core, thisknowingthat he was headed the right way. And just like in the ice, he had people on his team to help get to the goal. All he had to do was remain open.

Chapter 35

He felt a bit ridiculous taking his mother to a meeting with his lawyer. But Mr Evans smiled at her and got them both coffee, for all the world like he found it perfectly normal.

Kallen was suddenly intensely aware that he’d freaked out on the phone to the guy a couple days earlier. Mr Evans had been a champ about it all, but still.

“I haven’t watched the tape,” he told Kallen, and it took serious effort to disguise his relief. “Because I don’t need to right now, and that is one of the things we have to look at today.”

He nodded, eyes fixed on the middle distance and well away from the alpha’s face.

“We have evidence of sexual assault, legally obtained,” he continued. “This means there is a very high chance of putting McKinley in prison for a good long while. It won’t touch the White Cats except by association, though.”

Kallen didn’t speak. He couldn’t. So this was the other shoe dropping.

“Aren’t they responsible for putting a vulnerable young person in harm’s way? And not listening when he reported it?” His mum was shaking a little next to him, stiff on her seat, all five feet four of her small self inflamed.

Mr Evans’ eyes flickered to Kallen, then landed on her. “They are, of course. But they can argue McKinley is a rogue agent and... Guin, am I mistaken in thinking we don’t have anyevidence of the other cases of mistreatments at the hands of your teammates?”

Yrovsky. Vandy. Had there been more before? He couldn’t quite remember. McKinley had always been a little rough with him even before his jealousy had made him lose it, but... None of it counted if he couldn’t prove it, did it?

“It was in the heat room.”

The lawyer nodded. “Where there are no cameras, for obvious reasons.”

“Is that the only kind of proof?” Kallen’s mother demanded. “What about people testifying to it? You weren’t alone with them in the heat room, were you?” She looked at Kallen, who found he couldn’t meet her eyes.

He shook his head. “The others... The other alphas won’t talk about it. I mean, it’s their team, I get it. I wouldn’t—” He cut himself off because that was crazy, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t evenaskhis teammates to speak up when he’d been abused in front of them? The twins had intervened to stop Vandy, at least. But what would happen to an alpha who testified against a teammate? His lawyer had explained the non-disclosure agreements that were standard part of the team’s contracts didn’t cover criminal activity, but getting a little rough during heat sex wasn’t a crime, and talking to the team omega like he was a piece of meat even less.

And even if it didn’t violate the NDA, other teams might not want to take a player on if he’d ratted out a teammate.

The team hadn’t committed any crimes, they’d just created the perfect environment for them and then refused to believe Kallen when he’d reported what had happened. He was about to ask, but his lawyer interrupted his spiralling thoughts.

“If I may,” Mr Evans said gently. “At this stage, it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to approach anyone about testifying. It might be helpful to write down any instances of abusive behaviour yourecall and the names of those involved. But for now...Well, Guin, the question today is if you are ready to take McKinley to court for what he did to you. The report makes the evidence sound pretty solid, but of course there is no sound so you will need to tell everyone that he gave you an order using will.”

Kallen flinched a little. He wanted to ask so many questions. How many people would there be? Would there be reporters or could they be kept out? Surely if he asked... But that was fear speaking, the same fear that had kept him right under the White Cats thumb, under McKinley’s body and Vandy’s and all the rest, submissive and suffering because that is what he’d been told an omega was for.

That’s what every omega was being told they were for. And the lie was almost worse than the acts, the fact that they had convinced him he didn’t deserve respect even more terrible than their cruelty. Anyone could be cruel, but only you could allow it, again and again. A betrayal that knew no end and left you nowhere to hide because it was self-imposed.

There was only one question that mattered now; could he show up for himself once and for all? Whatever the cost?

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