Broken Ice

A Maple Falls Lumberjacks Hockey Prequel

Jax Malone would take a puck to the face any day. But his best friend's betrayal? That hurt.

As a defenseman for the Katahdin Wildcats, Jax lives by three rules: play hard, never get attached, and always have his best friend's back. But when team captain Vince Mayes, his brother in all but blood, orders him to throw a playoff game to cover gambling debts, Jax refuses... and pays the price.

Overnight, hockey's golden boy becomes its most hated villain. The media brands him a locker room cancer. His teammates turn their backs. And the only creature that still tolerates him? A battle-scarred feral tomcat who steals his steak, destroys his furniture, and against all odds becomes the one thing keeping him from total self-destruction.

But hitting rock bottom shows him who his real friends are. Like Ryan Hargrove, the team enforcer who risks his career to stand by him. And Molly Finch, the sunshine kindergarten teacher who sees the man behind the bad-boy reputation. Even the scrappy alley cat who becomes his unlikely anchor.

This isn't just a story about hockey. It's about brotherhood betrayed and redemption earned. About a playboy's secret heart and the stray who teaches him to trust again. About how sometimes you have to lose everything to find what really matters.

Tropes: Brothers-to-enemies, "Who hurt you?" hero, One emotionally adopted feral cat, Hockey romance that'll wreck you in the best way

Warning: Contains male tears, a feline dictator, and a friendship breakup so brutal you'll scream into your pillow (before the hope puts you back together).