On Thin Ice

On Thin Ice The Seattle Omegas - Book 1 Calliope Stewart Copyright © 2023 Calliope Stewart All rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Cover design by: Calliope Stewart Proofreading by: Bookends Editing The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Contents Dedication 1. Chapter 1 1. CHAPTER ONE 2. CHAPTER TWO 3. CHAPTER THREE 4. CHAPTER FOUR 5. CHAPTER FIVE 6. CHAPTER SIX 7. CHAPTER SEVEN 8. CHAPTER EIGHT 9. CHAPTER NINE 10. CHAPTER TEN 11. CHAPTER ELEVEN 12. CHAPTER TWELVE 13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN 14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN 15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN 16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN 17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 19. CHAPTER NINETEEN 20. CHAPTER TWENTY 21. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 22. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 23. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE 24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR 25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE 26. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN 28. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT 29. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE 30. CHAPTER THIRTY 31. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE 32. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO 33. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE 34. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR 35. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE 36. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX 37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN 38. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT 39. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE 40. CHAPTER FORTY 41. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE 42. EPILOGUE Other Works By Calliope Stewart About Author Thank you to my delightful alpha readers: Sara B & Sarah W. You two have been so encouraging throughout this writing process and the way that you loved the characters gave me some serious motivation. As always, a massive thank you to Sierra Cassidy for letting me fling my ideas across time and space to you! You rock my socks off. A NOTE ON TRIGGERS The Seattle Omegas books, like many other books, do contain some potential triggers. Please read them carefully in order to protect yourself. Some potential triggers [organized alphabetically]: Attempted Murder Childbirth Cancer (breast) Domestic Violence (mentioned by side character) Dominant/Submissive elements Memory Loss Negative Self Image Parent Loss Pregnancy Stalking not from romantic party Vehicular Hit & Run To all of the girls who dreamily watched Figure Skating as a child and wished that they could fly the same way that the skaters did. This is for you. Chapter one Winter Olympics — Oslo, Norway ANNOUNCER 1: Good evening everyone, and welcome back to the Winter Olympics and may I just say that it’s a beautiful day here in Oslo, Norway. On today’s docket is the Free Skate portion of our Men & Women’s singles. This event is the last chance for our skaters to gain as many points as possible to clinch that gold medal, and with the way that the points look from the women’s shorts it looks like it could be anyone’s game. China’s Fen Wú had a strong showing in her short program that put her ahead of the rest, but she’s still being followed closely by Ireland’s Ciara Callaghan and the United States’ Brynn Peterson. All three of these women are highly decorated skaters, but I have to say Peterson has been taking the skating world by storm over the last five years. After winning the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic last year, she is the one to watch in my opinion. ANNOUNCER 2: Well, it makes sense that she would be. Seeing as she’s the granddaughter of Alexandrov Peterson, the famed Figure Skating coach who fled Soviet Russia before the Iron Curtain fell. But I don’t think that you should count Ciara Callaghan out. She’s been coached under all of the same figures as Brynn Peterson has, and she’s got a determination that would freeze most skaters in their tracks. ANNOUNCER 1: Very true, very true. I wonder which of these three women will take home the gold today, I guess only time will tell. We look forward to continuing to bring you coverage of the Winter Olympics in Oslo! Stay tuned everybody! I was nervous, so damned nervous that I could feel it bunched in my shoulders and sitting heavy in my chest. I watched with dismay as Fen Wú spun on the ice in front of me; her costume was a black and red blur as she transitioned smoothly from a tight standing spin into a crouched position, her left leg out straight in front of her as she whipped around. Her set was clean. That was the only thought on my mind as I watched her move like she had been born on the ice. To my eyes, it looked absolutely perfect, which only made my nerves worse. When we had drawn our lots for performances, I had been excited to draw the last slot so I could watch all of the other performances. I definitely wasn’t excited anymore. “She’s perfect,” I muttered under my breath as dread steadily filled my body as I watched Fen Wú make the ice her bitch. “She is not,” Ciara said from behind me, her exasperation with me clear in her voice. Her set had been earlier in the lineup, so she had already taken her skates off and had pulled a pair of green and orange sweatpants over her costume. “You’re letting your nerves get in the way.” I ignored her, continuing to stare at the skater on the ice until Ciara grabbed my arm and physically turned me so that I was looking at her. She