Page 17 of Shattered Hate

I turn my head quickly, and instantly, Kal’s eyes lock onto mine. His jaw is clenched, and his eyes are squinted, like he’s planning every possible way he could kill me. I give him a wink and mime, “Loosen up,” before turning my attention back to Brayden.

“He needs to get his dick wet. Maybe it’ll stop him from being such a moody prick at practice.” I smirk.

Brayden looks behind me at Kal, frowns, and then shifts his gaze back to me. “He’s still not himself, is he?” he says, more to himself than to me.

“No, he’s not. And we need to get to the bottom of whatever the hell happened,” I reply, determination in my voice.

Brayden nods. “We’ll talk to him soon.”

I slap Brayden on the shoulder. “Now, let’s get some shots.” I grin, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the kitchen.

Three shots and two beers later, I’m feeling relaxed—not really buzzed, but definitely more at ease as I sit on the kitchen counter, laughing and joking with Bray and Kal, who now smiles, after he, in his ownkindway, told Katie to do one. Katie looked at me helplessly, like I had the answers on how she could get a hockey player’s dick inside her, but I shrugged and gave her my most innocent, tight-lipped smile.

“Where’s Cope?” Bray asks, scanning the crowd in front of us.

I shrug. “Beats me.” Kal pulls out his phone, frowning down at it, typing away. “Who you texting?” I ask, trying to lean over to see. Kal tilts his phone away and slowly lifts his head to look at me.

“Your fucking dad, now fuck off,” he snaps.

“Good luck getting an answer from him,” I retort, not playing into his sarcasm and clear annoyance.

“Kal, what is going on with you lately? We’re your brothers. You know you can talk to us,” Brayden says. I tip my bottle, gulping down a few mouthfuls while side-eyeing Kal to check his expression. We can read each other like a book, and the minute Bray asks that question, Kal’s shoulders go rigid, like it’s the one question he doesn’t want to answer.

“I’m good, boys. Just trying to keep my head in the game and stay out of any drama,” he says in a bored tone, trying to sound unbothered by anything or anyone, including Brayden’s question.

“Then why are you standing there all rigid, like someone just stuck a second stick up your ass?” I deadpan.

Kal takes a visibly deep breath, his jaw clenching as he tries to maintain his composure. His eyes flicker with a mix of frustration and something deeper, something he’s clearly not ready to share. He finally exhales, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction, but the tension is still plain to see.

Brayden and I exchange a look, silently agreeing that we need to get to the bottom of whatever is bothering Kal. But for now, we let it slide, knowing that pushing him too hard might only make things worse.

Kal’s phone pings, and he pulls it out, reading a message. “Cope will be ten minutes,” he says, placing his phone back in his pocket.

“So, you were texting Cope.”

“Yes, Dad. Is that okay?” Kal sighs, picking up his beer, which he’s only taken two sips of since we’ve been here, and gulps the rest of it. He slams the empty beer bottle on the table and sighs deeply. “Sorry,” he mumbles, putting out his hand for me tograb, “I’m just tired.” Brayden’s eyes bounce from Kal’s to mine, and he raises his eyebrows.

“It’s cool,” I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him in for a bro hug. Soon after, we hear a few cheers coming from the front of the house, and then we hear Cope’s voice.

We also see a swarm of girls gravitating out of the kitchen, which causes me, Kal, and Brayden to look at each other, momentarily pausing, and then we burst out laughing.

“Good luck to him.” Kal grins. Moments later, Cope struts through the kitchen door, a calm smile on his face. He loves the attention from girls, and he has one under each of his arms. Before I can even see who it is, Brayden erupts into laughter, his head flying back, and even Kal chuckles beside me. When I finally see what they do, I laugh so hard my eyes begin to water.

Katie stares at us, a smug grin on her face, not even caring that we’re laughing. She literally resembles the cat who got the cream right now. The pride radiates from her. These puck bunnies are wild as hell.

Just as the laughter dies down, the door swings open again, and in walks Daxton. My smile fades instantly, replaced by a scowl. What the hell is he doing here? My blood starts to boil as I watch him saunter in, acting like he owns the place.

“Trayton, calm down,” Brayden says, noticing my reaction. But I can’t. Daxton’s presence is like a red rag to a bull. And I’m the bull. He’s the last person I wanted to see tonight.

Daxton catches my eye and smirks, clearly enjoying the fact that he’s gotten under my skin. I clench my fists, trying to keep my anger in check. Kal notices and steps closer, his expression turning serious.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he warns, his voice low.

But it’s too late. I can feel the rage bubbling up inside me, ready to explode. Daxton’s smirk widens, and I know he’s doing this on purpose, just to get a rise out of me.

“Why the hell are you here, Daxton?” I growl, my voice barely controlled.

He shrugs nonchalantly. “Just here to have a good time, Trayton. No need to get all worked up.”

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