Chapter 14 Silver
Silver
The crowd roared as I led the football team out onto the field.
The energy from the packed stands washed over me like a physical wave, and despite everything going on in my life, I felt my spirits lift.
This was what I lived for. The roar of the crowd, the anticipation before kickoff, and the weight of the team’s expectations on my shoulders made me feel more alive than ever.
I turned back toward the stands, my eyes scanning the sea of faces.
It took less than a second to find him. Ash sat in the front row of the student section, wearing my spare jersey—lucky number seven—looking adorably out of place among the screaming fans around him.
When our eyes met, he gave me a small, nervous wave, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
“Yo, Captain!” Karrick’s massive paw landed on my shoulder pad. “You gonna stare at your boyfriend all night or are we playing football?”
“Fuck off,” I laughed, shoving him playfully. “I can do both.”
“Just don’t let Moonhaven catch you distracted,” he warned, though his brown eyes were amused. “Their quarterback is a cocky bastard who’ll exploit any weakness.”
I glanced across the field at the opposing team. Moonhaven College’s players were warming up, and even from here I could see their quarterback. He was a tall werewolf with silver fur, and he was eyeing our team with obvious disdain.
“Let him try,” I said, rolling my shoulders and feeling the satisfying pop of my joints. “We’ve got this.”
Coach Flannery called us into a huddle, his gruff voice cutting through the ambient noise. “Alright boys, you know the drill. Moonhaven thinks they’re hot shit because they won their last three games. Let’s show them what happens when they underestimate Widdershins.”
A chorus of agreement rose from the team. I caught Daisuke’s eye across the huddle, and for once, the kirin gave me an approving nod. We’d been running the plays I’d designed all week, and even he had to admit they were solid.
“Silver,” Coach barked. “You’re calling the plays tonight. Show me why I made you captain.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline that came with game time.
We broke from the huddle and took our positions on the field.
I glanced back at Ash one more time, and even from this distance, I could see the obsidian bracers glinting on his wrists as he clapped along with the crowd.
The reminder of what we were dealing with tried to creep into my thoughts, but I pushed it aside. Right now, I needed to focus.
The referee blew the whistle, and the game began.
Moonhaven won the coin toss and elected to receive.
Their werewolf quarterback caught the kickoff and immediately started running, his supernatural speed making him a blur across the field.
But I’d studied their plays, knew their patterns.
I signaled to our defensive line, and they shifted formation.
Jackson, our fastest cornerback, anticipated the move perfectly.
He intercepted the werewolf mid-stride, tackling him hard enough that I heard the impact from where I stood.
The crowd went wild. I looked back at Ash and saw him on his feet, cheering along with everyone else, though his clapping was slightly awkward with the bracers. Something warm bloomed in my chest at the sight.
“Nice call, Captain!” one of the linebackers shouted as we took offensive positions.
I lined up behind center, scanning Moonhaven’s defensive formation. They were playing aggressive, clearly trying to intimidate us with their size. The werewolf quarterback was prowling the sidelines, arms crossed, watching me with those predatory eyes.
“Blue forty-two! Blue forty-two!” I called out, my voice carrying across the field. “Hut!”
The ball snapped into my hands, and I dropped back, scanning for my receivers. Karrick had broken free on the right, his massive form surprisingly agile as he charged down the field. I launched the ball in a perfect spiral, watching as it sailed through the air.
Karrick caught it with ease, tucking it against his chest as he barreled toward the end zone. Two Moonhaven defenders tried to take him down, but he shrugged them off like they were made of paper. Touchdown.
The crowd exploded. I pumped my fist in the air, then immediately looked for Ash. He was jumping up and down, his face lit up with genuine excitement. Gods, he was beautiful when he smiled like that.
“Earth to Silver!” Daisuke’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Stop making googly eyes at your boyfriend and focus.”
“I am focused,” I protested, but I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.
The game continued, intense and brutal. Moonhaven wasn’t going down without a fight.
Their werewolf quarterback was as good as advertised, making plays that should have been impossible.
But we matched them point for point, and I found myself falling into that perfect rhythm where everything just clicked.
By halftime, we were up by a touchdown, but barely. My muscles were screaming, and I’d taken more hits than I cared to count. But I felt alive, energized in a way I hadn’t in days.
In the locker room, Coach Flannery went over adjustments while I grabbed some water. Karrick plopped down beside me, still in his beast form, panting heavily.
“Your boy’s really into the game,” he commented, gesturing toward the door with one clawed hand. “Saw him nearly fall out of the stands when that asshole blindsided you in the second quarter.”
I remembered that hit. It had knocked the wind out of me, and I’d looked up to see Ash half-standing, his face pale with concern.
Even his shadows had seemed agitated, writhing around his feet, making other students nearby pull away from him in fear.
But I couldn’t see why they’d be afraid of him.
He was the sweetest guy in the entire school by a long shot.
“I see you too my advice, by the way,” Karrick added quietly, giving me a nudge. “Feels good right? To lean into the mate bond?”
“We haven’t leaned into anything,” I replied quickly. “In fact, last time I touched him, we blew a goddamn hole in the school wards.”
Karrick just smiled. “Yeah. I heard about that.”
“It’s not funny! That’s a huge issue! Not to mention what’ll happen when my parents find out…”
“Think that’ll happen soon?”
I shook my head with a sigh. “I don’t know. I’ve got my butler trying to find a solution. But I’m not sure there is one.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because,” I said, leaning close to his ear. “There might be a true love spell involved.”
“Holy shit! Really?” Then he paused, his brows furrowed. “Wait… he didn’t—”
“Yes, he did,” I nodded. “But when he was twelve. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
I glanced toward the locker room door, wondering if Ash could somehow sense what we were talking about. The bracers should have been containing his magic, but after what happened in the locker room, I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Twelve years old,” Karrick repeated, his voice dropping even lower. “And the spell actually worked? That’s... fuck, Silver. That’s some serious power.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered, taking another swig of water. “The Dean nearly had a stroke when he found out. Apparently true love spells are not only illegal, but nearly impossible to pull off. And even then, they usually just create temporary infatuation.”
“But this one stuck,” Karrick said, his brown eyes studying me carefully. “For eight years, waiting for you two to meet.”
“Maybe,” I corrected. “We still don’t know if it’s the spell or a mate bond or some weird combination of both. That’s what Caldwell’s researching.”
“And in the meantime?”
I ran a hand through my sweat-dampened hair. “In the meantime, we’re trying to be careful. The bracers help, but...” I trailed off, remembering the feeling of Ash in my arms last night, the way his lips had felt against mine. “It’s hard.”
“I bet it is,” Karrick smirked, then yelped when I punched his shoulder. “Ow! I meant emotionally, you pervert!”
“Sure you did,” I laughed, grateful for the momentary levity.
Coach Flannery’s voice boomed across the locker room, calling us back for the second half strategy session. I pushed thoughts of Ash and spells and impossible situations to the back of my mind. Right now, I had a game to win.
When we jogged back onto the field, the crowd’s energy had somehow intensified.
I searched for Ash immediately and found him still in the same spot, though now he was talking to someone—a petite fae girl with iridescent wings who kept gesturing animatedly.
Even from here, I could see Ash’s uncomfortable body language, the way he kept his bracer-clad arms close to his sides.
“Focus, Captain,” Daisuke called out as we lined up.
He was right. I needed to get my head in the game.
Moonhaven had clearly spent halftime strategizing because they came out swinging.
Their werewolf quarterback was playing more aggressively, taking risks that paid off more often than not.
Within the first ten minutes of the third quarter, they’d tied the score.
I called a timeout, gathering the team around me. “They’re getting cocky,” I said, my eyes scanning each of my teammates. “They think they’ve figured us out. So, we’re switching to the Phoenix formation.”
Several players exchanged glances. The Phoenix formation was risky. It relied on perfect timing and coordination. One missed step and the whole thing fell apart.
“But we’ve practiced it,” I reminded them, channeling the confidence my father’s advisors had drilled into me. “And I trust every single one of you to execute it perfectly. We’re going to show Moonhaven what Widdershins is really made of.”
Karrick let out a howl of agreement, and the rest of the team joined in. We broke from the huddle with renewed energy, taking our positions on the field.