Is Empire Of Ice By Anya Sugar Based On A True Story?

“You belong to me, Aria,” he growls, his nose brushing against mine. “The harder you push me away, the deeper I fall into this madness of wanting you.” “You don’t even want a mate!” I remind him, hating how small my voice sounds, and how my body sings whenever he’s this close. His breath brushes against my lips. “You’re right. I don’t. But I burn for you, Aria, and I don’t think I’ll make it through the season without tasting what’s mine.” ***** They call Ryder Drexel the Ice King of Ironclaw University, captain of the undefeated Iron Wolves, cold-blooded on the rink and untouchable off it. He doesn’t do distractions. He doesn’t do relationships. Until her. Aria Murdock is the opposite. She’s an invisible scholarship student hiding secrets that she’s spent her entire life hiding—she’s a wolf who can’t shift in a world where wolves like her are called runts and are mercilessly killed to be rid of their weak bloodline. But when an accident reveals her true scent, Ryder’s world fractures. She’s a walking death sentence. Someone undesirable to most. Off-limits because of her low rank and bloodline. And she’s his mate. Now, the Alpha heir has a choice. He can either reject the bond, or risk everything to claim her. The problem? Claiming her means breaking every rule and starting a war within his own pack. It also means revealing who Aria truly is, and she’s so much more than a runt. They’re enemies by nature, but bound by instinct and fate. In a world where packs, rules, and reputations reign, claiming her might just cost him everything, especially his heart.

“You kissed me like it meant something,” Samantha whispered. “Then disappeared like I never existed.” Anthony stared at her, jaw tight. “You heard half a sentence and ran. I spent years thinking you regretted me.” ----------- Samantha Meadows just got the chance of a lifetime, skating at Nationals with Anthony Vale, the golden boy of the rink in figure skating… and the most insufferable man she’s ever met. He’s arrogant, untouchable, and still technically partnered with his injured and possibly returning teammate, while She’s picking the broken pieces of her career after her ex dumped her for a flashier and better partner. Now forced into a temporary pairing, they have days to master trust, chemistry, and choreography, or crash hard under the spotlight. But the ice isn’t the only thing cracked. Anthony’s hiding a secret that could end his career… and hers. And when Samantha discovers the truth, she realizes she’s not just fighting for a medal… she’s fighting for her heart. In a world where one mistake can cost everything, how do you trust the person who never lets you in… and still holds the pieces of your past?

Silver Preston was supposed to be America’s next figure skating champion. Until one devastating injury shattered her Olympic dreams and left her struggling to figure out who she is without the ice. Starting over at Yale should have been her chance to disappear. Instead, she finds herself constantly crossing paths with Eli Hayes, the university’s hockey captain. Confident, talented, and impossible to ignore, Eli seems determined to break through every wall Silver has built around herself. As old wounds, campus gossip, and the pressure of their futures threaten to pull them apart, Silver and Eli discover that healing is never as simple as walking away from the past. The closer they grow, the harder it becomes to ignore the connection neither of them expected. Set against the backdrop of elite sports, Ivy League life, and second chances, Ice is an emotional college romance about ambition, resilience, and finding the courage to choose your own future—even when your heart is on the line.

One punch turned the campus “Ice King” into a national pariah, and now the only person who can save his career is the girl who wants to see him fail. Leo Thorne had it all: captaincy, NHL scouts, and a reputation as untouchable. But when a rival player targets the one wound that never healed, Leo snaps. The viral footage labels him violent, unstable, and dangerous, and suddenly the future he built on the ice begins to collapse. Maya Ellison, a sharp-tongued film student, wants nothing to do with athletes, especially Leo. To her, he’s arrogant, spoiled, and worshipped for all the wrong reasons. But when her scholarship and senior project funding are threatened, she’s forced into an impossible deal: direct a reality-style redemption series designed to fix Leo’s image. The catch? The university announces that Maya is Leo Thorne’s secret girlfriend. Now they’re trapped in a fake relationship built for cameras, clicks, and damage control. Between staged dates, scripted interviews, jealous rivals, and producers hungry for drama, Maya and Leo spend more time fighting than flirting. “I can’t stand you,” Maya snaps after another disastrous shoot. Leo smirks, stepping closer. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.” But somewhere between the lies and the spotlight, the act starts feeling dangerously real. Maya begins to see the grief Leo hides behind the Ice King mask, while Leo realizes the only person who refuses to worship him might be the only one who truly sees him. In a world where every touch is staged and every kiss is content, falling in love could ruin them both. Or it could be the one thing that finally saves them.

At Moonfang College, the ice rink hides more than just bruises and blades—it conceals betrayal, forbidden love, and the fury of fated mates. Lira Hale never expected her 20th birthday to end in heartbreak. Caught between shattered trust and a twisted pack hierarchy, she finds solace not in her destined mate, but in his exiled older brother—Rylan Grayson, the masked bad boy with a legacy of scars and secrets. He’s cold, brutal, and a former hockey prodigy returning for revenge. She's broken but burning to reclaim her strength. When Rylan forces her into a fake relationship to protect her brother—Moonfang’s Ice Hockey Captain—it starts a chain reaction that threatens to unravel the pack from the inside. On the rink, tensions flare. Off the rink, passions ignite. As old enemies resurface and a deadly tournament approaches, Lira must master not just her emotions—but her wolf. Because in this brutal game of love, legacy, and ice, only the strongest hearts survive. From locker room heat to life-or-death arena battles, Icebound Fates is a shifter romance that slices deep—where the ice is cold, but the love burns hotter.

The Ice Between Us After a devastating fall shattered her career and confidence, figure skater Lena Hart returns to her hometown of Silver Ridge to heal. But the ice that once felt like freedom now feels like fear every attempt to skate ends in panic, every memory drags her back to the moment she fell. Her coach believes she can find her way again, starting small, a frozen pond, quiet mornings, baby steps. But Silver Ridge holds more than memories. It holds Evan, the hockey star she once loved and lost, the boy who watched her fall long before the world did. Now, as winter closes in, Lena must face the ice, her past, and the man who never stopped believing in her. Can she learn to trust herself, and him, before the ice between them melts for good? A story of healing, second chances, and love that refuses to stay frozen, *The Ice Between Us* will break your heart and warm it all at once.