Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
BLAKE
We won our first away soccer game three to two, thanks to two goals from Monroe and one from Ben.
The two goals that slipped past my defensive line pissed me off, but the opposing team was a highly ranked Catholic school in Tyler, Texas, so they had some pretty talented strikers that kept Tyson and me both working hard all game.
We'd all showered and started loading back onto the fancy charter bus that Blackstone Academy used to cart its athletes around.
I was sprawled in a seat in the back, AirPods in, with the newest Hollywood Undead album thrumming in my ears.
I'd texted Wolf Girl an update on our game and that we'd be back in town after the ninety-minute drive.
She'd responded with just a picture of herself from the neck down, and she was wearing a very see-through silky tank top with no bra and tiny sleep shorts.
She was trying to kill me, undoubtedly. I didn't know when I'd see her again, and we were going on a week since I'd been inside her, which was slow, excruciating torture.
"Whatcha looking at?" Ben chirped, plopping into the seat next to me. He glanced at my phone, which I didn't bother trying to hide from him. "Oh, is Magic sexting you? That's not very nice of her to do while you're on a bus full of dudes."
"That's why she did it, no doubt," I replied, clicking out of the photo. I'd get her back later.
I decided to change the subject since Ben was her brother, and even though he didn't seem to give two shits about what I got up to with Mave, it was still a little awkward for me to just wax poetic to him about how much I wanted to fuck his sister.
So instead I went with, "Good game tonight, man. I'm really hoping you'll be able to pull the spotlight away from that fuckhead Monroe by the end of the season."
Speaking of the devil, he and Hayes were just boarding the bus, Monroe giving me a death stare before sliding into a seat in the middle of the bus.
Hayes tossed me a look, too, then grabbed the seat across from him.
They were usually pretty good at ignoring me and keeping things civil for the sake of the team, but I was used to the dirty looks by now. They only amused me.
"I wonder what they are expecting to accomplish with that shit," I mused aloud to Ben. "Like, if I were just a clueless human like they think I am, wouldn't all the angry looks and weird possessive shit with Mave seem pretty insane?"
"They're just so used to everyone falling in line without question, human or not," Ben responded, eyeing the side of Monroe's head visible from the aisle of the bus.
"Monroe's an imposing presence, so most humans are intimidated by him even without knowing he's a wolf. I’m excited for him to find out you’re not going to take his shit. "
"I'm ready when he is," I responded, shrugging my shoulder.
He grinned. "Honestly, I can't wait. I wanna see some fireballs!"
The bus started rolling, and soon we were cruising down I-20 toward home.
Home. Weird that Shreveport was starting to feel like home, but I'd recently accepted the fact that it would be as long as Wolf Girl was there.
We'd only been a real couple for about a week, but I knew I was falling for her hard.
I'd never felt this way, not even for my ex-girlfriend who I had been with for two years. Mave was this sexy, confident, quick-witted force of nature who kept me on my toes, and I felt like she could truly be my other half. I was already a goner and I wasn’t afraid to admit it to myself.
Ben and I bullshitted about nothing most of the drive.
I knew he was now aware of who and what I was, and I was glad it hadn't changed his opinions of me or my relationship with Mave.
Like it had for her, the fact that I was a powerful mage only made him more confident in our partnership.
In a minute of rare extreme seriousness, he even profusely thanked me for trying to find a way to break Mave of the fated mate bond that still tenuously linked her to Monroe.
It was a lot of pressure now that her family knew what we were up to, but it didn't change my determination to help.
It was approaching midnight when we finally pulled into the parking lot next to the gym at Blackstone. The team slowly disembarked, Ben and I bringing up the rear and filing off the bus last.
"Hey, Agnon," a gruff voice called as we rounded the side of the bus into the wide gap between it and the wall of the gym.
Standing in the empty space was Monroe, arms crossed and looking angry.
Hayes stood to his side and behind him a few steps with an indecipherable look on his face.
All of us were dressed in our matching Blackstone Academy travel sweats consisting of maroon jogger pants and a matching zip-up jacket.
The soft light of the parking lot streetlamps illuminated the space around us, but we were cloaked in shadows back here behind the bus.
I smiled, knowing what was probably coming, and stepped into the empty space. Ben, a reliable second if there ever was one, took up the place behind me like Hayes had for Monroe. I clocked his maniacal grin out of the corner of my eye.
Good. He was confident and ready for this. I had no doubts about my ability to hold my own, but having another Alpha wolf in my corner did not hurt in this particular situation.
We were separated by about ten feet. Monroe cracked his knuckles.
"Monroe, fancy meeting you here," I drawled. "What can I do for you, Ice Man?"
"Do not fucking call me that, asshole," he snapped at me, taking a step forward. Then a slow grin spread across his face. "That's my girl's pet name for me."
"Damn, Ben," I said over my shoulder in mock surprise. "You and Mave were right. I think he has had a head injury. He does seem pretty confused."
"It is weird, isn't it?" Ben said with faux concern. "I mean, it's not very normal to go around claiming a girl who wants nothing to do with you like some kind of... animal. Mason, you really should try to convince him to get his head checked. Be a good friend."
"ENOUGH!" Monroe barked at us. "You both think you're so fucking cute. I suggest you shut the fuck up now before I beat your face in, Agnon."
"So what's this, then, Monroe?" I goaded him. "Wanna fight me for my girlfriend? Think you can just beat me up then claim her like some fucking... beast?"
Ben snickered behind me. Hayes narrowed his eyes at both of us. He was the brains of this duo, so he was probably putting it together—that maybe I wasn't so clueless after all.
"You are interfering in things you have no fucking idea about," Monroe said. "Mave belongs to me, and if you don't want me to break every bone in your body, you will never touch her again."
I felt sparks start to dance between my fingertips, which I hid behind my back. Monroe talking this way about Mave wasn't new to me, but it still pissed me the fuck off.
"Mave belongs to nobody but herself," I said evenly. "She makes her own choices, and since apparently I'm the luckiest fuck in the world, she chose me. I suggest you get over it, Monroe."
He stepped closer to me, looking menacing. "I don't think you understand who I am, new guy. Who exactly it is you’re messing with. I will destroy you."
I smirked at him. "Try me, mutt."
His eyes widened a fraction, then he stepped right into my personal space and grabbed me by the throat with one huge hand. He lifted me six inches off the ground in a feat of strength that would be impossible for a human, and he squeezed enough to restrict my air supply.
I let him do it. Ben stepped forward half a step, but I put a hand up to indicate he should leave us be.
"You think you know something about me?" Monroe rumbled, looking me straight in the eye. "If that's the case, then, are you feeling suicidal?" He squeezed my throat a bit more.
I held his icy gaze, then I gripped his wrist with both hands like I was going to try to pull him off of me, but instead I sent a shock of fire through my palms, burning his flesh where I touched him.
He released me instantly. "What the FUCK?" he roared. He looked down at his reddening wrist in shock. His fighting instincts kicked in, and he lunged for me with a powerful punch aimed at my face, which probably would have knocked me out cold if it had connected.
There was not a chance I would’ve been able to block him or move fast enough to evade him coming at me with his true full strength, so I quickly threw up a shield of air that slowed his punch down significantly as it approached my face.
I stepped backwards so that his punch landed in mid-air, missing its mark.
Confused but not deterred, he advanced toward me to attempt another punch, this time at my stomach.
I called my water element and encased my fists and forearms in solid ice, then I jammed them down across my stomach in an "X" to block him, and his fist bounced off of the hard surface of the ice.
It cracked a little, but it did the trick.
Yeah, take that, Ian. Water is my weakest element, my ass.
"Motherfucker!" Monroe roared, staring down at his now bleeding knuckles. He looked up at me, his face radiating violence and confusion.
Ben had lost his shit behind me. "Oh my Moons," he guffawed. "That was fucking priceless, man. Do some more!"
I rolled my eyes and then focused on Monroe.
He was seething, and I doubted he was giving up yet.
It was a fine line I was walking here, but my family had always stressed that I should defend myself to the best of my ability if I ever needed to.
It wasn’t unheard of for mages to be attacked, and in some situations, a mage specifically trained in memory modification could be deployed to bat cleanup.
At any rate, I figured that since I was dealing with another powerful supernatural intent on attacking me, it was time for no holds barred.