Maya's POV 

“Father, I do not want to marry him!” I yelled one more time, maybe he would finally understand that I had goals and none of them involved marrying some dumb alpha.

“We don't care, honey.” Mother replied and I pulled my hair in frustration. “We've already arranged your wedding with him and it's settled.” She added and I wanted to throw something at the wall right now.

“For the goddess's sake, I'm just nineteen! I'm a child, mother. You're okay with selling your child off to some stranger? And for what? Money? Is that all I'm worth to you?” I questioned in sheer frustration, and my father slammed his hand on his desk.

“Do not speak to us in that manner!” He bellowed but I was done playing by his stupid rules.

“What do you want from me? All I've ever done is show you how gifted I was. Playing hockey is my only dream. I've told you what I truly wanted. But you never listen to me—”

“Gifted? You can't even shift. You're the only nineteen-year-old wolf that can't seem to shift. A wolfless girl. And that's talent? You think I brought you to this world to play around like a boy? What stupid gift are you talking about?” Father snapped in anger, his eyes glowing red as he glared at me and I heaved, fighting the urge to cry.

“Take it easy on her, she doesn't know what's good for her. Which is why we're her parents.” Mother said to him and I scoffed in amusement. “Maya, get ready. Your husband-to-be will be here soon. You'll go with him and get married to him in a few days. We know what's best for you, darling.” She said to me calmly and I wiped the tear that rolled down my left cheek.

“Why must I marry him, Mom? To save your heads from the debt you owe his father? I'm the collateral for your mistakes. Is that it?” I spat in anger, and Father looked like his veins were about to pop out of his head.

“You—” He yelled but mother stopped him.

“It was a difficult decision to make. Trust me, we only want what's best for you.” She said softly and my eyes watered in defeat.

“If I marry him, will I ever get the chance to play on ice?” I asked softly and she looked at me with a sympathetic expression.

“Get ready honey. We'll be waiting for you.” She muttered instead, and I nodded gently, then walked away. 

I would rather die than get married to an asshole that I didn't know. I bolted to my room and shut the door, making sure it was locked tight. I rummaged through my closet, picking out my favorite type of clothes: baggy.

I stuffed everything into a bag, making sure it wasn't too heavy so I would be able to run with it. Perks of being a good hockey player? I could run faster than any normal wolf. 

I had begged my father. Even the coach knew my potential and begged him to put me in the women's division. I was the best player in the hockey club. But father bluntly disagreed. So there was only one option left for me.

I hurried into the bathroom and grabbed the pair of scissors that sat there. He wanted a good daughter. But I would rather be a boy than be his filial daughter. With one sharp cut, I cut my long curly hair in half. I kept cutting and shaping it in the way I wanted until I got what I wanted.

A mullet. I smiled to myself as I ran my hand through my new hairstyle. If one didn't look too closely, I could be mistaken for a boy. I had a lean figure after all and my feminine parts weren't so evident.

To cover up my tracks well, I grabbed a tight scarf from my closet and tied it around my chest, flattening out my little boobs. I draped an oversized hoodie and joggers on, cleaned off any trace of makeup on my face, and I was good to go.

Putting on a cap, I carried my bag, draped it over my shoulder, and pushed the window open. Just then, someone knocked on the door and I yelped in fear.

“The alpha will be here soon, honey. Hurry up alright?” She said from outside and I sucked in a sharp breath to avoid sounding suspicious.

“I'll be out soon, I just gotta freshen up.” I lied.

“Good girl.” Mother said and finally left. 

Time to finally choose myself.

I jumped out of the window, landed in the bushes, and sprinted as fast as I could. I took the back gate since it was less guarded, and when I saw it was locked, I threw my bag over the window, then jumped.

I was so close to spraining my ankle but I had landed just right on the ground. I made it, I was out.

There was only one place I could go, the only place my parents would never find me or figure out that I went there. The academy. I would join the men's division and live my dream, away from them and their dumb alpha.

I ran as fast as I could, hiding my face so no one would recognize me. Luckily for me, the men's academy was different and far away from the women's academy so no one would recognize me there. It felt like a dream come true.

By the time I made it there, I was breathing heavily. I should have taken a cab or something. Regardless, I walked into the academy with my head low and took the application form for the men's hockey team.

The coach looked at me with a skeptical expression when he saw me with my application form.

“Are you sure you're in the right place? You wanna play hockey?” He asked with a raised brow and I nodded in affirmation.

“I'm skilled, sir. And it's been my dream to play hockey for the country.” I replied with my most manly voice and someone snorted from behind the coach.

“He looks like he could get shoved anytime and collapse. We don't accept weaklings here, little one. Run along now.” He said with his arms crossed and I raised a brow at him, hating how sarcastic he sounded.

He stepped out from behind the coach and I shuddered at the aura that exuded from him. He was an alpha. A very powerful one at that. Crossing paths with him couldn't be a good omen.

“You shouldn't judge a book by its cover—”

“If you're the book,” he interrupted me with a snort, “I would judge you so fucking bad.” He replied as he laughed and others laughed with him.

He was a real jerk considering how handsome he was. His facial features were striking, his blue eyes seductive, and his jawline sharp as hell. His hand looked like he had messed with it a few times and when he looked at me, I cowered and looked away. His eyes, however, didn't leave me, and I wondered if he noticed that I was an intruder.

“Ignore them.” The coach said, turning to me again. 

“Who is that?” I asked and he pointed at the very attractive alpha who had just spoken.

“That's Kieran. The best hockey player in our division. As I said, ignore them. If you're really as good as you say, show me what you got on the field. If I'm impressed, you'll be taken, if not, I'm sorry.” He explained and I smiled, knowing how good I was.

Kieran. A lovely name for a jerk. I glanced at him only to see that he was still staring at me. This time, with a confused expression. What was his deal?

“I won't disappoint you, coach,” I responded as I rolled my sleeves up and grabbed a hockey stick when one of the guys stood up and grabbed a stick as well.

“How about you go against me? If you can get the puck into that post, you're in and we'll all admit that you're good. Deal?” He asked with a grin, and for a moment, I regretted my decision to come here.

He was also an alpha, he could easily knock me out. But his aura wasn't as heavy as the other one. And I couldn't leave. Not this way. So I nodded in agreement 

“Deal.”

“Carlos, go easy on him!” One of the guys yelled mockingly and I sucked in a sharp breath. Kieran, however, didn't say a word. He simply stared at me like he couldn't fathom what I was, and I tried to ignore his looks, but it was nearly impossible.

After putting on my hockey shoes, I placed the puck on the field, holding my stick as Carlos stood in front of me with a grin on his face.

“You don't belong here,” Carlos whispered, and at that moment, the coach blew the whistle.

I moved immediately like a pro, dodging his attacks and even messing with him a little. He seemed angry to know that I got past him and moved to shove me hard but I used the opportunity to shoot the puck forward before he slammed into me hard.

I couldn't see if the puck got into the goal post before I fell but as soon as I crashed, I let out a loud groan of pain. I could have sworn I heard a bone crack inside me.

Loud cheers echoed from the boys and my heart sank. Their cheers could only mean one thing.

I didn't win. 

Shit.

Maya's POV 

“He got the puck in! Carlos has been defeated!” One of them yelled and I pushed myself up to see that Carlos was fuming as he glared at me.

What? I did it! I got in! Fuck yeah!

I got up to see that Kieran had a peculiar look of curiosity on his face as he stared at me. Something like concern flashed in his expression but it was gone immediately. I immediately turned away, hating how I noticed everything about him.

The coach shot me a satisfied smile as I ignored my aching body and walked up to him.

“Good job boy, that was very impressive. You managed to defeat one of the best hockey players in the whole academy.” He praised me and I felt my chest swell with pride.”What's your name, son? I'll include your name in our register.”

“Ma—” I froze for a second. I couldn't tell them I was Maya, that was a feminine name.

“I didn't get that?” The coach looked at me in confusion and I racked my brain for a male's name before it finally hit me.

“Max, coach. Max Carter.” I replied and he hummed in satisfaction before snapping the register shut. 

“Welcome to the men's division, Max. Follow me, I'll show you to your dorm.” He muttered and I glanced behind me one more time to see that Kieran was still staring at me.

I wished he would look away. He was beginning to feel creepy.

I walked with the coach for a while before I began to register that I would be living in a dorm from now on. Which meant—

“Coach, how many players per room?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest as I awaited his answer.

“Two.” He replied and my heart literally sank into my stomach. How would I hide my identity from my roommate? What if he ratted me out? That would be the end of me.

“Here.” I heard the coach say and I snapped back to reality as we stopped in front of a room.

Dorm 37.

“Make sure to get along with your partner. This is the last available room which means you can't switch partners. Be up early tomorrow morning for practice.” He advised, handing me the key to the dorm and I bowed slightly in appreciation.

“Thank you, coach,” I replied, and he walked away, waving his hand. With a deep breath, I unlocked the door and walked in, scrunching my nose at the sight in front of me.

“What in the world…?” I muttered in disbelief as I took in the scattered room. Clothes were everywhere, dirty underwear lined the floor, and takeout boxes decorated the room.

“Whoever lives in here is an actual pig.” I spat in disgust, shivering at how disgusting the place looked. I placed my bag on the empty bed by the side and began picking up the dirty plastics and cans on the floor.

I didn't realize how much time had passed when I finally cleaned up the messy room. Just as I started to pick up the dirty underwear that almost made me gag in disgust, the door opened, and I froze.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

That was Kieran's voice. Don't tell me he's my roommate.

I turned slowly and truly, Kieran was standing in front of me with a scowl on his face as he stared at my hand that was obviously holding his underwear.

“I- uhm-”

My words got stuck in my throat when he stormed up to me and snatched his clothing from me, a look of embarrassment and anger on his face. His aura almost knocked the wind out of me and I shuddered in fear.

“Stay the fuck away from my things.” He growled, grabbing my hand tightly and I winced in pain.

“Well, you shouldn't have left them all over the floor like a child!” I retorted in defense and his expression changed from anger to something else. Confusion.

He immediately pulled away from me and it was my turn to be confused.

“How is that possible? What are you?” He asked slowly in disbelief and I raised a brow at him.

“What?” I asked but he didn't respond to my question as he brushed past me immediately and went to his bed.

That was weird.

I slowly moved over to my bed, glancing at him now and then to see that he was now lying on his bed with his eyes closed. Like he was thinking really hard.

Shouldn't he be grateful to me for helping him clean up his mess? How arrogant.

I lay on my bed, my eyes fixed on the ceiling as I wondered if my parents would have found out I was missing. My phone was still switched off and I turned to the side so Kieran wouldn't see me as I took out the sim card and snapped it in half. It would be impossible for anyone to ever reach out to me again and that was exactly what I wanted.

Kieran's phone suddenly rang, jolting me in shock and he shot me a weird look before picking up his call.

“Yeah dad?”

I didn't want to eavesdrop but I couldn't help it.

“Oh. My bride ran? That's great…” 

Wait what? I blinked in confusion as I focused on him.

“I told you, I don't care, father. You were trying to force me to marry a wolfless girl and I wasn't interested. Turns out she wasn't interested either. It's good she ran. Very good for both of us.” He replied in annoyance and I couldn't believe how similar his situation was to mine.

Except… I was the runaway bride.

Could it be—

“Oh my goodness!” I blurted out as realization dawned on me and Kieran turned to me with an annoyed expression that had me placing my hand over my mouth in fear.

“Don't search for her, Dad. I got to go.” Kieran muttered as he hung up before glaring at me in annoyance. “Are you always this annoying or is it a me thing? I was on a fucking call. The least you could do was be respectful.” He spat in annoyance but I backed away from him in fear.

He was the alpha I was supposed to marry. I ran away from him only to end up living with him here. What sort of insane fate was this?

“Why do you look so scared like you've seen a ghost? Such a scaredy cat. It's not like I'm gonna bite you or something.” He muttered with a shake of his head, and I tried to calm my racing heart down, but it was almost impossible.

What if he found out that I was the one who was supposed to marry him? Why did I become roommates with him of all people? 

He glanced at me again and I looked away immediately. Then I got up and rushed to the bathroom before he noticed anything suspicious.

“I have to stay calm,” I muttered to myself. “He doesn't know who I am. I'm sure he hasn't even seen me before.” I added, taking in deep breaths before I finally opened the door.

I let out a yelp of shock when I came face-to-face with Kieran, who was standing right outside the door as soon as I opened it. I stumbled backward in shock but he was quick to grab me by my waist and pull me forward.

He looked at me in confusion, then at his hand on my waist and I squirmed uncomfortably.

Shit, this was bad.

“You've got a pretty soft body for a boy.” He muttered, not letting go and I froze in shock.

Did he just find out about my secret?

Kieran's POV 

I couldn't believe it. It just made no sense.

How could I be mates with a guy?

There was something about Max that had me on edge but I couldn't place my finger on it. He looked a little too feminine to me, and I understand that there were feminine boys, which wasn't a huge problem. 

What made no sense was the fact that my wolf wouldn't stop purring in my head. He was excited to finally meet his mate. But how could the moon goddess give me a male as my mate?

I had thought it was a mistake when I felt it on the hockey field. The pull was stronger than anything I've ever felt, but he looked like he didn't feel anything, so I concluded it was in my head.

But now, I heard it loud and clear. Max was my mate.

I started pacing around in confusion until I found myself standing in front of the bathroom door. Suddenly, the door flung open and he jerked back as soon as he saw me.

I opened my mouth to speak when he suddenly stumbled backward, about to fall. Without thinking, I reached forward and grabbed him by his waist to stop him from plummeting to the ground.

My arm wrapped around his bare waist and I couldn't help but marvel at how soft his skin was. He was very close to me, so I had a chance to smell his wolf, but to my surprise, I couldn't smell anything.

Electricity charged through me like a weird sensation and my wolf was literally so giddy with joy. But he squirmed uncomfortably, like he wasn't feeling what I felt.

Didn't he have a wolf? It was extremely rare for us not to have a wolf. 

“You've got a pretty soft body for a boy,” I muttered and his breath hitched as he pulled away from me instantly.

“Don't touch me like that.” He spat nervously, pulling his hoodie down to cover his waist and I couldn't help but frown in confusion.

“You could at least say thank you,” I muttered in dissatisfaction. “I saved your ass from falling and hurting yourself.”

“If you didn't show up in front of the door like a creep, I wouldn't have stumbled. Besides, you never said thank you to me for cleaning up your mess. All you did was yell at me.” He responded, his expression stern but timid and I felt my wolf shift inside of me.

“What now?” I muttered under my breath because of how uncomfortable it made me. I was tired of his yearning.

“Our mate is a girl. I can smell her.” My wolf responded, and I raised a brow at Max, who stared at me like I was crazy before brushing past me to his bed.

“A girl? Impossible. He's flat and yes, he's a bit feminine, but he's definitely not a girl. No girl can play the way he played.” I responded to my wolf in my head and I could have sworn I heard it snort in amusement.

“Denial.” It replied and I scoffed in disbelief.

“Shut up,” I muttered out loud, and Max turned to me with a raised brow.

“Did you talk to me?” He asked and it was my turn to feel embarrassed as I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

After a while, I stepped out of the bathroom only to see him sprawled on his bed, fast asleep. I wondered if he wasn't hot under that hoodie. But I chose to look away instead and returned to my bed.

My eyes kept drifting to him, especially when he moved and mumbled in his sleep.

Why was he suddenly grabbing my attention without trying? Why was he my mate? Fuck, I needed a drink. 

I let out a sigh and grabbed my phone, wanting to head to the gym. I had just opened the door when I heard a loud thud and I turned in alarm to see that Max was now on the floor.

“How the hell—”

I rushed over to his side only to see that he was still fast asleep. So he was a deep sleeper. I shook my head in amusement and turned to leave but I couldn't just leave him down there. So I crouched, ready to carry him to his bed when his hoodie slid up a bit and I caught a glimpse of his bare waist again.

Soft. Smooth. No abs. Just like a lady’s. 

Shaking the awful thoughts in my head, I gently picked him up, noting how he felt so light in my arms. He probably didn't eat well which would explain why he was so frail and fragile.

As soon as I placed him on the bed, his hand touched mine and a surge of electricity flowed through me at that little contact. I have to stop touching him.

“Mate.” My wolf growled again, confirming my stupid doubts and I let out a sigh.

“I don't care how excited you are. There must be a mistake somewhere.” I argued immediately, shaking my head in disbelief but my wolf was adamantly growling for his mate.

“You have to claim her. I need my mate.” My wolf growled in my ears and I frowned in sheer confusion because it kept insisting that Max was a girl.

Maybe he was confused by his feminine looks. I was confused too.

“I'm not confused. Claim her.”

Unfortunately, I have no choice but to reject him. I wasn't gay, and I never will be. Not even for my mate.

I turned to leave when Max suddenly grabbed my hand and I stiffened. He was still fast asleep but he wouldn't let go.

“Hot…” He mumbled, and I glanced at him to see that he was sweating now. I sat on his bed, wanting to help him take off his hoodie but what if he accused me of taking advantage of him?

“We're boys. It's normal. Doesn't matter if he's my mate” I muttered to myself and turned my face to the side as I raised his hoodie to his chest.

Just then, I felt his hand on mine, stopping me and my eyes met his to see that he was wide awake and glaring at me.

“What do you think you're doing?” He asked in anger as he pushed me off him, and I was caught off guard, so I fell to the ground.

“You were trying to take advantage of me? Are you that shameless? Wait till I tell the coach about this.” He spat and headed for the door while I watched him in shock.

Would I seriously let him leave just like that?