The Axelridge Series Book 1 Finn's Slapshot

FINN

I lift my jersey and wipe my visor of the condensation from my sweaty face.

The fans yell, curse us and stomp out frustrations. We're down two goals and already in the last fifty seconds of the second period. The fans aren’t happy and neither are we.

We skate around each other while we wait for the play to start, each of us trying to get our heads back in the game. I roll my eyes to the stands and squint in the lights. I hang my head and round the net.

With a deep, cleansing breath, I approach the face off.

I stop and lean over, my stick resting across my knees, my gloves wringing it as I pray for a turnaround.

I’m distracted by my pack problems and making things work with April and Ben, but I’m also seeing my team struggling with their own mind fucks. Losing games messes you up. It’s war out here and the last thing you want to do is lose it.

The Leaf center approaches the circle. He breathes out just as I do. White fog leaves both our lips as our blades get into position. It’s been such a heated battle that nobody’s chirping each other anymore. This is no longer a game.

We stare each other down as we wait for the puck drop.

The ref drops and my blade moves like lightning. I pass to Rich and he runs with it, he gets slammed into the boards and I throw my shoulder into the Leaf winger. The three of us huff and grunt for the puck until it pops out.

The other Leaf winger grabs it and starts for our end.

“FUCK! CASEY SMOKE HIM!” I yell across the ice.

Casey rushes in, raises his stick in hands in front of his chest and shoves the winger with a cross check across the shoulders right into the boards.

“Dammit!” I growl.

The ref blows his whistle, but Casey starts pushing on the guy . The Leaf pushes back and the posturing is clear. I rush Casey because we can’t afford any more time than what he just bought us.

“Fucking knock it off!” I push him back.

“Come on, asshole! Bring it!” Casey yells over my shoulder.

“What you got, dick! You got nothing!” The Leaf yells back over the shoulder of the ref and his team.

Another ref calls 5 minutes for cross checking and the crowd loses it.

“Get in the box!” I push Casey and he slides back.

“Fuck that! Take him out!” Casey growls loud, throwing his arm out over my shoulder.

“CASEY! MOVE!!” I get up in his face. “WHAT THE HELL'S YOUR PROBLEM?!”

He stares me down like it’s my blood he wants. “Fuck you!” He spits, turns around and skates to the box.

I stand just off center ice, completely confused. That’s not Casey at all.

With the Leafs now in a Power Play, we got to survive the next 5 minutes.

The 4 on 5 takes center rink. I slowly look around my team then find the eyes of my center.

The puck falls and he wins the face off. He passes and his winger passes again.

He rides the boards as we close the ice in front of the net. He passes to center who passes to the left. I’m watching the puck like a hawk as they keep it moving.

The Leafs right winger plays the puck back and forth and shoots it around the back of the net.

My defensemen dives for it, but it’s grabbed and Leaf spins around him, he takes a shot and it bounces off our goalies shin pad. The center pucks it up and shoots, our goalie knocks it out.

The stadium erupts in screams as they pummel us with shots on our goal.

The Leaf center takes another shot and the goalie blocks it. I rush it and smack that fucker out of our zone.

The puck skips down the ice as we all breakaway and chase it.

A defensemen picks it up and runs it around their net. He enters the zone and passes. The center grabs it and I plant him on his ass with a body check. I pick the puck up on our side of the neutral zone, turn and run it back. A winger tries to nail me, but I hop out the way and fight my ass down the ice.

“Rocket!” Rich yells as he powers up the side. I hit the puck just as my knees are taken out and I go down.

Rich crosses the blue line and faces the solid wall.

“BACK!” I yell.

He looks for me behind the line. I'm coming in smoking hot.

He whips it to me and I take the shot just as me and the puck meet a foot inside the attacking zone. My blade smacks the puck hard and it goes through a gap in the wall and the goalie tries to glove it, but it skims his arm as he goes to block.

I fall to my knees in shock that I made that shot. I’m leaned back on my skates as my team mates surround me, all celebrating the come back. We aren’t out of the woods yet, but after an hour of hell, that goal felt damn good.

The fans go insane and the buzzer calls for intermission. We now sit at 3-2 and can at least try to take this thing to overtime in the third.

In the locker room, we all sit, rest and catch our breath and rehydrate.

“OK. We need major offense now.” I say as I look around the locker-room benches.

“That should be easy. Look who we’re playing. They’ll bomb it in the third.” Ferguson laughs and claps Wilson’s chest beside him. The rest of the room chuckles.

I eye them all. “Don’t.” I say low. They all stop.

I stand. “Never underestimate the enemy. Just because they’ve tripped before, doesn’t mean they will again. You keep your mind sharp and your eyes open. We need these guys out. I want these fuckers golfing next week. You take this seriously because right now, anything can happen. Don’t let it.”

“We got this.” Duren says. “We’ll win.”

“I know we will.” I walk around. “We are Hammers and what do Hammers do?”

“Hit hard!”

“Louder.”

“HIT HARD!”

“To the nosebleeds!” I growl as I walk around the room.

“HAMMERS HIT HARD!!!”

Casey comes out of the bathroom staring at his hand.

I walk over. “Case. Feel better?”

He slowly sits down, flipping his hand back and forth, seemingly analyzing it.

I tilt my head and try to see his face. “Casey? You ok?”

“It’s weird.” He says quietly. “I see my blood, but it’s not mine.”

I step closer to him. “Case? What’s wrong?”

He rolls his head to me, his wet bangs hanging in his eyes. They’re bloodshot and rimmed in red. His lip pulls up in a slow smirk. “Nothing…” He sits up and gets lost in the distance. “I’ve never felt better…” He says in a dream like state.

I turn my head slightly and eye him. “No. There’s something wrong with you.” I get a really weird vibe from him. “You’re seeing the doc. Come on.”

“I’m fine, Finn.” He meets my eyes.

“No. You’re not going on the ice like this. Let’s go.” I grab his arm and pull him off the bench.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” He growls loud, rips his arm away and shoves me back.

His chest heaves and his eyes glow red.

My mouth falls open and my eyes fall to black marks on his arm. My eyes meet his glowing ones. “Casey…What did you do?” I say in a cautious whisper.

The team stands and slowly walks up behind me.

A dark growl fills his chest. “I found a better me, Finn.” He snarls. “You should try it.”

My breathing speeds up as I put two and two together. Croak.

“Casey…” I reach out for him just as he lurches back and stumbles.

“Case?”

His eyes widen and he starts to convulse. Red foam comes out of his mouth and he hits the floor.

“CASEY!”

I fall to his side as he starts to seize. I grab his head and open his eyes. They’re blood red.

“CASEY?! CASEY!!” I turn to the guys. “GET THE FUCKING MEDIC NOW!”

I turn back. “Casey…Come on, man. Don’t do this.”

His body violently shakes in my hands and I try to turn him on his side so he doesn’t choke, but it’s a fight.

“CASEY! NO, CASEY!!”

I try to help keep him safe while he goes through the seizure. Red foam pours from his lips and my heart pounds in my chest.

The medic drops himself down on Casey’s other side and checks him over. He sees the black marks I saw. “Fuck. Another one.”

I look between him and Casey.

“What did he take?” The medic asks.

I can only stare.

“Trezner!”

“Um…uh…Croak…I think…” I swallow.

“Croak? You serious?” He looks me over.

I nod.

He opens a link which he opens to me too.

‘This is Medic 1. We need priority blue transport. We have a possible overdose and need immediate intervention.’

‘On our way Medic 1.’

He goes through his kit and prepares an injection.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Adrenaline. Hopefully, it will slow the belladonna and allow him to get to the hospital in time.” He says as he injects Casey.

“Before what?” I stare at him.

He looks at me with deep concern. “Before his brain explodes inside his skull.”

I fall to my ass with disbelief plastered all over me.

I’m clumsily pushed aside as the transport comes in with a stretcher. They group around Casey and I can only hold myself as I stand back with the team and watch them try to save Casey’s life.

What the fuck is going on?

They wheel Casey out who’s now stopped seizing and unconscious. I’m flooded with anger and confusion. I feel like I’m losing a war I didn’t know I was fighting. The other side is taunting me as the invisible blows come.

As an Alpha, this is the sickest feeling we can have. To have an enemy we can't see makes us feel weak. To see your people hurt, and not being able to do anything about it, is the most goddamn frustrating thing on the planet.

I follow the medics out and the rest of the team help hold back the press as they snap pictures and shout questions.

The medics link the hospital with vitals and symptoms. Fans who happen to the be in the area, hold themselves with concern for Casey. I see the worry on their faces. Managers and Coaches ask questions and we try to fill them in as best we can, but I can’t even begin to explain this.

All I know is, some way or another, I’m getting to the fucking bottom of this and stepping on the cockroach who causing it.

The transport takes Casey away and I walk back into the locker room. The mood is dark and heavy.

I walk to my stall and grab my jersey. I pull it on and hang my head with my hands on my hips. “Let’s win this for Casey.”

I feel claps on my back as everyone gets dressed to get back to work.

I’ll win this game then I’ll get down to business win this fucking war.