Eleven Dustin

When I walked back into the locker room for the first time since the incident, I expected to get the cold shoulder from everyone. The reception wasn't warm by any stretch of the imagination, but I could see some relieved faces on the team. I was one of the best players on the team, and that wasn't my ego talking. Both the coach and my teammates knew that they needed me if they wanted to go to the state championships. And honestly, I was glad they felt that way. Otherwise, the entire thing might have been too awkward to bear.

I kept to myself, returning nods and words only when I was approached first. It was easy to tell that Travis and Leroy had been dragging my name through the mud for the past week. There was quite a bit of trust I'd have to earn back from the guys. They'd probably been told a version of the story that wasn't exactly true. But I wasn't going to argue or make the others look bad. No. I was just going to prove to them that I deserved to be there on the field the same as them.

"The traitor returns," I heard a voice behind me growl as I was lacing up my cleats. "Wasn't sure if I'd see your face back in here."

"I'm the captain of the team, Leroy," I replied, not turning around. I knew his voice and his scent. There was no mistaking him. "I need to be here to support everyone."

"You're just here for yourself," he spat back.

I sighed, turning around. "And who are you here for, Leroy? Is this some selfless act to you? Because you seem to flaunt your position all over campus to get whatever you want."

"I'm here for the team."

"Judging by the way you stormed into my room the other night and tore up my roommate's belongings, it seems like the team would be better off without you."

The entire locker room was silent now. Travis stepped up next to Leroy, his burly arms crossed over his chest.

"It was pretty fucking shitty of you to throw us under the bus like you did," he snarled. "I thought this team was family."

"It is," I replied, widening my stance a bit in case they rushed me. The tension in the air was palpable, and emotions were running high. "And family calls one another on their shit. What you two did was wrong and downright fucking mean."

"Well, maybe your roommate shouldn't have attacked us first," Leroy barked.

Travis' brows furrowed. "He didn't. He was asleep."

"Don't tell me what I know, Travis," Leroy snapped. It wasn't like him to do that. Usually, he was too busy cowering in Travis's shadow. Apparently, the pack structure had shifted. "I know what I seen."

"Oh. Uh. Right! He shouldn't have attacked us!"

I couldn't help but laugh as I shook my head. "Well, while you two are getting your stories straight, I'm gonna be warming up the team on the field."

Leroy took a step forward, poking one of his sharp fingers into the center of my chest. "I don't think you belong on this team anymore. We don't trust you."

"Well, I guess that's just too damn bad, isn't it?" I lowered myself to his level, growling deep in my chest. "Because I'm the captain. And if you don't want to warm the bench for the rest of the season, you'll get your grubby little paws off me." I got even closer, whispering so only he could hear me. "Your wolf healing won't regrow that finger if I rip it the fuck off."

"You can threaten me all you want," he growled in return. "But as soon as the team finds out you're a fag for that little witch, they won't want you around anymore."

The comment caught me off guard, and my face must have shown it because Leroy smiled.

"That's right," he chuckled. "You think I can't smell him on you?"

"We live in the same room."

"Then why do you stink like lust?"

I did not have a clever retort for his prodding. Or any retort, for that matter. The only thing that saved me was the sudden slamming of the locker room door as the coach let himself into the room. He lifted his clipboard, smacking it against the lockers like he always did to get our attention. Everyone looked up, immediately putting all their attention on him. That was the perk of being a werewolf and the coach. Everyone paid attention when you spoke.

"Alright! Listen up, everyone," he called.

Leroy just sneered at me, stepping away at last and turning his attention to the coach. I, on the other hand, shifted my gaze up, but my thoughts were a million miles away.

Was I really that obvious? Werewolf senses were strong, and I knew we could pick out pheromones pretty easily. But would the other guys believe him? Living with someone meant I would smell like them in some capacity, and the pheromones could have been because of someone else. However, the part that scared me most was that he'd hit the nail right on the head with the first attempt.

I'd been in the stadium locker rooms since my sudden weirdness with Mark earlier, doing everything I could to keep my mind off of what I'd done. Could Leroy know? Did that other guy in the room tell people? Did someone see us through the window? What if the entire school knew already? Could such a thing be possible?

My mind was reeling, and no matter what I did, I couldn't stop it. The coach's words died away as I got lost in a spiral of my own thoughts.

I liked Mark; that much was clear. And I felt attracted to him despite my insistence that I wasn't into men. But the part that worried me most was that one little word that had been echoing through my head all afternoon.

Mate.

My mother said it would feel like butterflies and electricity all at the same time. And she was right. That's exactly what it felt like. But I couldn't be mated to a male witch, right? I mean, that would just be cruel and unusual punishment. I already lived in rural Ohio, I spent every spare moment of my childhood training to be a pro footballer, and now I was mated to a man?

And not even a wolf, either. My parents might have been able to come to terms with a male wolf after a long time and a lot of convincing. But a male witch? Never. Our kinds were far too different. Not to mention, witches were notorious for burning through relationships at an astonishing rate. They weren't monogamous, they weren't faithful, and they didn't believe in being tied down. Blame it on the chaotic nature of magic or whatever, but that was the plain truth. We just weren't compatible.

And yet, no matter how much I told myself it wasn't possible, I couldn't stop liking him. I wished I could just turn it off and forget about him. There were so many other things to focus on, dreams to accomplish, and people to please. But all I could do was remember the feeling of his lips against mine, the heat of his body, and how much I wanted to explore it further. It was a good thing I was wearing a cup, or else the others might've noticed how I really felt about Mark.

Cheers rose up around me, pulling me from my self-induced thought spiral. Everyone was pulling on the last of their gear and heading out into the hall to go to the stadium. Leroy and Travis both gave me a dirty look and a scoff before they followed the rest of the team to the field. Meanwhile, I still had my shoulder pads and my jersey to get on, so I hung back to finish that up. Once the rest were gone, I let out a long sigh, trying to release some of the tension in my body. A voice behind me nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"Glad to see you back."

I turned around, realizing the coach was standing just behind me.

"Uh… yeah," I said, shaking myself back to reality. "Me too."

"When I heard you'd been booted from the team, I wasn't sure you'd be back."

"I didn't think I would be," I sighed.

"Is that story Leroy and Travis spreading around the truth?"

I shook my head again. "No."

He nodded. "Well, either way, I'm glad you're back. We're gonna need you if we want to make state championships." He patted me on the shoulder with a smile. "And I need you to forget about the rough time the guys are giving you. This game is too important for that. But if you need to talk afterward, I'm here."

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brows. "Why's this game important?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but there's a few scouts in the stands today. I've let them know what number to be keeping an eye on." He nodded toward my jersey lying across the bench. "Give it all you got, huh?"

My thoughts about Mark were pushed to the back of my mind momentarily. "Right. I'll make sure to pull out all the stops."

"I know you've been working toward this for a long time. Just do me a favor, huh?"

"Anything."

He smiled. "Don't get into any more trouble."

"I'll do my best."

"Alright. That's all I can ask for." He turned back toward the door and gestured for me to follow. "Now get your ass on the field and put some fucking hustle in!"

"Yes, coach!"

I threw my shoulder pads on as fast as I could, grabbed my jersey, and jogged out the door toward the field. Today was the day I made all my dreams come true. I wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this.

And, in the back of my mind, I realized that I would've missed this had it not been for Mark. He was the only reason the scouts would see me today.

While that kiss scared the shit out of me… maybe… just maybe it was warranted.