Rhys

The meeting was already turning into something far worse than I had imagined.

I originally thought this was simply going to be a formal meeting with Leo’s uncle, Thomas Brown, and maybe a few members of the board.

I had not expected my grandfather to be there.

Or my father.

The moment I saw both of them earlier, everything immediately started making sense.

Ever since I landed in Oak City, my grandfather had been repeatedly calling me nonstop, as I owed him something, and now I finally understood why.

This meeting had been the reason all along.

Still, no matter what the outcome of today turned out to be, I genuinely don’t care anymore as long as Kayden was not affected by it.

At this point, he mattered more to me than anyone else in the world.

And the last thing I wanted was for him or our baby to be placed in harm’s way because of politics, public outrage, or the selfish decisions of people sitting around this table.

The moment we stepped into the meeting room, I realized just how serious this situation truly was.

The room was packed with men and women dressed in expensive suits, their voices low and professional as conversations quietly filled the air before our arrival, which interrupted everything.

I recognized Thomas Brown immediately because of his long dreadlocks that stood out almost instantly among everyone else in the room.

Beside him sat two men engaged in a quiet discussion. One of them was blonde while the other had short dark curls cut low against his head.

I did not need anyone to tell me they were Leo’s uncles.

The board members were all present.

The NHL representative was there too.

Even several former Northern Avalanche players had been invited, including my grandfather and father.

I slowly released a deep breath as Kayden and I walked farther into the room before taking the seats positioned directly at the center where everyone could see us clearly.

Every single eye inside the room followed us.

The pressure in the air felt suffocating.

I immediately reached for Kayden’s hand beneath the table and held it tightly before inhaling deeply, silently trying to reassure both him and myself.

"Let the meeting begin," Elton, our team manager, announced as he stood from his chair.

The room immediately fell silent.

"So due to the public revelation involving..." His eyes shifted directly toward Kayden before he continued. "...Vale, there have been several emergency meetings with the NHL regarding the future of this team."

He paused briefly before continuing again.

"From the multiple meetings attended by the CEO, Coach Reddick, and me, the NHL initially considered banning Northern Avalanche from participating in this season entirely because of the deception surrounding an omega participating in professional league hockey."

His eyes remained fixed on Kayden as he spoke.

I did not like the way he was looking at him.

It was not disgust nor was it hatred instead it was something worse. He was judging him.

I immediately felt Kayden’s emotional distress spike through the bond and gently rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand in reassurance.

He never looked up from the table, but his fingers tightened desperately around mine like I was the only thing grounding him in that moment.

"The professional league regulations have existed for decades," Elton continued. "And one of those rules clearly states that omegas are prohibited from participating in professional contact sports. That regulation was established by both the government and the ABO Council."

He clasped his hands together before continuing.

"Omegas have always been considered medically and biologically limited under league standards. However, a few weeks ago, after the Stanley Cup finals ended, Kayden Vale publicly revealed himself as an omega." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The room remained completely silent as he spoke.

"That revelation threw the entire sports industry into chaos. Multiple investigations immediately began across different professional sports organizations to determine whether there were other omegas secretly participating under false identities."

He paused briefly and cleared his throat.

"However, those investigations were eventually suspended after the Sports Commissioner came to a different conclusion regarding this matter."

Elton gestured toward the NHL representative seated inside the room, and the tall man immediately stood up before continuing from where Elton had stopped.

A document rested in his hand, and he slowly raised it as every eye inside the room shifted toward him.

"This statement will officially be released tonight after the conclusion of this meeting," he announced professionally. "This decision comes not only from the NHL but directly from the Sports Commissioner as well."

He adjusted the paper slightly before continuing.

"My name is Adrian Bolt, and I will now read the official memo released after a series of meetings regarding Kayden Vale, who participated in the NHL as an omega for the past five years."

The moment those words left his mouth, Kayden’s grip around my hand tightened noticeably.

I immediately squeezed his hand back and gave him a reassuring smile even though he still refused to look up at me.

"Due to the recent revelations," Adrian continued calmly, "the Sports Committee has officially reached a conclusion regarding omega participation in professional athletics."

The room became even quieter.

"The omega restriction policy is hereby abolished. Omegas are now legally permitted to participate in any professional sport as long as they meet the required qualifications and medical standards."

Kayden’s head snapped upward instantly.

His eyes widened so dramatically in shock that for a second I thought he might actually burst into tears right there in front of everyone.

A small gasp escaped him, and he nearly spoke, but he quickly stopped himself when Adrian continued reading.

"Kayden Vale demonstrated extraordinary courage by entering the league despite the restrictions placed against omegas," Adrian said firmly. "Although he falsified official reports and concealed his designation, he also became the first omega in history to win a professional championship title."

The atmosphere inside the room shifted immediately.

"His actions exposed the reality that many omegas have been forced to hide their identities in fear of discrimination. Following multiple investigations and internal discussions, the Sports Committee concluded that the omega restriction policy itself was fundamentally flawed. Therefore, effective immediately, omegas are now allowed to participate in professional sports."

Kayden squeezed my hand tightly again, and this time I could feel his emotions flooding through our bond so intensely that it almost overwhelmed me.

This was the kind of news I had desperately wanted for him all day long because for the first time since the press conference, it felt like the world was finally giving him something instead of constantly taking things away.

"That is not all," Adrian added suddenly before clearing his throat again.

The excitement inside the room immediately faded.

"Although the policy itself has now been changed, Kayden Vale still violated existing league regulations and falsified official records during his time in the NHL."

My stomach tightened instantly.

"Therefore, following a series of disciplinary meetings, Kayden Vale will officially be benched for this season as punishment for the violation."

The moment Adrian finished reading from the paper, he slowly lowered it and finally looked toward us directly.

I felt Kayden’s fingers slowly loosen around mine before his hand completely slipped away and fell lifelessly beside him.

He lowered his head again before releasing a quiet breath.

At that point, I genuinely could not tell what he was feeling anymore because his emotions through the bond were completely chaotic.

Unable to sit there any longer, I immediately stood up from my chair and faced Adrian directly.

"If the omega ban has been lifted, then why the hell is Kayden being benched?" I demanded angrily. "Why does he have to be the one who suffers for this? Why can he not play?"

Adrian looked like he wanted to answer, but before he could even speak, my grandfather interrupted first.

"He lied to the public," Rami Calder stated coldly. "He made a fool out of everyone, and even though he made history, he still violated league regulations. Benching him is the correct decision moving forward. It is not like they are banning him permanently."

I clenched my fists tightly beside me.

"Sir Rami Calder, I was not talking to—"

My words were suddenly interrupted when one of Leo’s uncles stood up from his seat.

The room immediately fell silent again.

"My name is Andrew Park," he introduced calmly. "And I am the new majority owner of this organization."

Andrew Park.

The surname instantly rang a bell inside my head.

Then suddenly, realization hit me so hard that my eyes widened immediately.

Nicholas Park. The Formula One driver.