Chapter 149

Carol’s POV

Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw that I was on the large screen and everybody in the crowd was staring at me, waiting for my response. All the hockey players were on the ice, knelt to the ground and when I looked back at Aiden, he too was knelt on the ground, holding the most gorgeous engagement ring I had ever seen.

I gasped at the sight of it; it was a purple diamond with smaller white diamonds around the golden band. My heart swelled immediately, and I let out a sob as I covered my mouth with my hands.

This was too much for me to handle right now; I couldn’t even come up with the words to say. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I would have been embarrassed if I wasn’t so awestruck about what was happening.

“How? When?” I gasped, finally getting a grasp on reality and seeing what was happening in front of me.

Aiden smiled, looking a bit sheepish and mildly uncomfortable because I still hadn’t answered him yet.

“When it was mentioned yesterday that I hadn’t proposed to you, I came up with this plan,” he said, shrugging. “I wanted to do something special for you; and if you look closer… you might recognize some faces.”

I blinked away some of the tears collecting in my eyes as I looked down at the rink and took a closer look at the players. Realization hit me suddenly; those were not the Capitol Hockey Players, they were the Statford Freeze.

I nearly screamed as I jumped to my feet. Coach was standing off in the distance with the coach for the Capitol and he was staring up at me with a wide grin on his face. I looked back at Aiden, completely speechless.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” I whispered hoarsely.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” he told me, earnestly.

“Now would be a good time to answer,” Fiona whispered from behind me. “I think they want to resume the game.”

I blinked, realizing that I was holding everyone up, and then let out a small chuckle as I held my hand out for him.

“Yes,” I nearly croaked. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

The crowd erupted in cheers as Aiden slipped the ring on my finger and then wrapped me in his arms. I pressed my lips against his, feeling the warmth of his embrace and letting it comfort me. I practically melted into him as he lifted me off the ground and twirled me around for all to see.

I held my ring high into the sky so everybody could see the diamonds sparkling. I couldn’t help the tears that fell down my cheeks and I had to bite my lower lip to keep myself from sobbing openly.

Aiden held me for the rest of the game, whispering against my hairline how much he loved me and how happy he was. I couldn’t have been happier.

…..

Aiden’s POV

There was a part of me that worried she wouldn’t say yes even though I knew that was ridiculous. I knew how much Carol loved me and wanted to be with me, and yet I still doubted for a split second that she would take this opportunity to run away. But as soon as the word “yes,” left her lips, I couldn’t help but scoop her into my arms and hold her tightly.

She looked so beautiful and radiant at that moment that I never wanted to let her go. I was so focused on the fact that I had my mate in my arms, and she agreed to marry me, that I hardly paid attention to the rest of the game.

King Bennet was really into it though, as were his bodyguards who accompanied us to the game. Kendra spent the entire time on her phone checking her emails and getting some work done. I didn’t expect much from her. Carol looked so in her element being back in the stadium that it brought physical pain to my chest. I hated that she had to resign from her job to come to the Capitol with me. I knew how much she loved working as the coach's assistant and the administrator. I wanted to give her that again, but it was nearly impossible when I was about to become the official Alpha and Carol was about to become the official Luna of the pack.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss it as well. I missed the feeling of putting on my gear and skating across the rink on the ice. I missed the lectures the coach would give us and the feeling of being a part of the team. I missed the game in general; it’s been such a big part of my life that it feels weird being retired from it.

I held onto Carol tightly, never wanting to let her go. Maybe it was selfish that I took her with me and prevented her from working for the Statford Freeze; I didn’t really care though. I was so in love with her that it hurt and the thought of her not being with me, by my side every step of the way, completely destroyed me.

I kissed the top of her head as she snuggled further into me and peeked up at me through her lashes with a content smile on her face. I brushed my lips across hers, wanting to deepen it but knowing if I did, it would arouse us both and I didn’t want that to happen in front of the King himself.

The Capitol won the game and the stadium erupted into cheers.

“I genuinely enjoyed this game,” The King said as we started to walk towards the exit.

“Aiden, wait up!” I froze when I saw my former coach running in my direction with the Capitol Coach, Sanchez.

“Coach Bower, Coach Sanchez,” I greeted, shaking each of their hands. “It’s been a while.”

“I was surprised when you called me honestly,” Coach Bower said. “This was a great idea. Congratulations to you both.”

Carol beamed.

“Thanks, Coach. How have things been?” Carol asked him.

“Not the same without you,” he admitted. “I was just telling Sanchez what an impact you have made on the team and that he would be lucky to request your help.”

She blinked, surprised.

“I’m sorry, what?” She asked, her brows raised. “You want my help?”

“I know we don’t really know each other, Miss Carol, but the Capitol doesn’t have a CEO other than the Alpha as you know the former Alpha wasn’t much of a hockey fan,” Coach Sanchez explained.

This was true; my father owned everything in the pack, including the hockey team. He wasn’t a hockey fan though, so he let the coach pretty much run the team. It was a lot of work, but I helped him out a lot when I played for the team. I ended up leaving due to some differences on the team and in my family, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my time on the Capitol Hockey Team.

They played so well that I forgot things were bad for them on the inside.

“You want me to be the CEO?” Carol asked, raising her brows to her hairline. “I don’t think I’m qualified for such a job.”

“Well, no, but I suggested that you could give them some extra help. You’ll be around here for a while. I figured if you had the extra time, you could provide some administrative work, and maybe even be the coach’s assistant. Much like you did for me.”

I looked down at Carol and I saw that she was blushing. She was happy about this opportunity, and I didn’t want to take it away from her. I gave her a gentle squeeze on her side, making her look up at me. I gave her a reassuring smile.

“If this is something you want to do, I will support you,” I told her honestly.

“Really?” She asked. “And what about you?”

“I’ll be busy doing Alpha work,” I said shrugging.

“Now that you’re Alpha, you technically own the team. So, you can stop by at any point. You could even play once in a while if you’d like,” Coach Sanchez told me.

I must have looked surprised by the offer because he grinned.

“You were the best player on the team after all,” he added, winking at my shocked face.

“I really appreciate that, Coach,” I said, shaking his hand and accepting his offer right away.

Carol still looked stunned.

“You really want me to work for you?” She asked, meeting Coach Sanchez’s gaze.

“I would be honored, Luna,” he said, bearing his neck to her as one would do to any Luna.

I could feel her excitement and it made me happy to see it on her face.

“I would be honored,” she finally answered, shaking Coach Sanchez’s hand. “Thank you.”

“No no… thank you,” he replied.

Carol stepped out of my arms and to my surprise she hugged Coach Bower.

“And thank you, Coach,” she whispered to him.

He looked surprised at first, but then he smiled and hugged her back.