Page 152 of Off-Ice Misconduct
“If I’m being honest, it’s hard to say you were human to begin with. More like, you try to be human, but you’re not really. You’re better. Plus, remember, it was the beast who gave that chick a library, because she was into books and shit. Notmy thing, but I’d take an indoor hockey rink in our house in Vancouver, Daddy.”
He’s such a fucking spoiled princess.
I push his sweaty hair off his forehead, so I can rest mine there.He’s here. He’s safe. He wants me—even the rawest part.
“You can have an indoor hockey rink, baby.”
“Sweet—ow! God that fucking stabs. I’m gonna end Ryan.” He wraps his arms around me, shoving his hands in my pockets. He looks up, and his eyes widen.
Shit.Forgot about that. I knew he’d win this game. Never a doubt in my mind. I’d planned to ask him at the hotel later, the way I’d originally planned. Have him turn around, and I’d be on one knee.
He pulls the velvet box from my pocket, and I take it from him. “Give me your hand, McKinnon.”
“Okay, Daddy,” he says, biting back a smile, holding out a hand that’s more caked in his blood than mine is. I got the ring from the estate. I was surprised Uncle Jasper had kept it for me. It belonged to my father. I had it cleaned up and resized for Ace.
I slide it onto his ring finger. “You’re branded on my soul, princess.”
“Not gonna ask me, huh?”
“Try to leave, and I’ll drag you back by your throat, McKinnon.”
He laughs, sinking against my chest. “Never change, Wolf Daddy.” His teeth chatter. Drenched in sweat and half covered in damp gear, the chill air’s catching up with him now that he’s stopped moving.
I strip off my jacket, a black, white-lined Scorpions jacket, the one Tate gave me with VanCourt on the back, and drape it over his shoulders.
“P.S. I’m stealing this,” he warns me, burying his face in the collar, taking a deep inhale. “It smells like you.”
“And it’s got your blood on it.” I pull it around him tighter, so it keeps the warmth I left him with.
“You didn’t have to give me a ring,” he murmurs. “This jacket would’ve been enough.”
“I can’t wait to add my name to yours.”
“Me too. I love you, Luke. Every fucking part of you. Forever.”
He says it so easily now. An “I love you” from him heals the places in me I thought were ruined without hope.
“I love you, Ace,” I murmur, kissing his cracked lips.
These are mine—and only mine—to kiss forever.
He’s mine.
Shadowridge U Captain Honors His Mother’s Legacy with Major Gift to Launch Woman’s Hockey Program
By Katrina Dumas| The Shadow Gazette Sports Correspondent
In a move that left both fans and faculty misty-eyed, Shadowridge University hockey captain Ace McKinnon announced a lead personal donation to establish the school’s first-ever women’s hockey program. The surprise gift was announced during Alpha Kappa Epsilon’s final chapter meeting, capping a whirlwind season of triumph, controversy, and redemption.
McKinnon stated that the donation was in memory of his late mother, Grace McKinnon, former captain of the now folded CWHL’s Calgary Fire.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” McKinnon said in a short statement. “Sorry boys, you gottashare the ice now, but I know you won’t mind too much—watching women’s hockey is kickass.”
While the university has not disclosed the amount, sources close to the athletic board confirmed it was “significant enough to fully fund the program’s startup needs”, including equipment, staffing, and recruiting. The gesture cements McKinnon’s legacy not only as a decorated athlete, but as a builder of the program’s future.
McKinnon’s leadership has made headlines throughout the season—from an early scandal that nearly cost him his captaincy, to a raucous paintball rivalry with Beta Sigma, once a hostile fraternity that, in a twist nobody saw coming, became unlikely allies in one of the most successful student-led fundraisers in school history.
When pressed for a glimpse of his future, McKinnon didn’t talk prospects or playoffs, leaving us with this cryptic little pearl instead.
