Page 70 of Chaos At Second Sight

Every lycan was an Alpha. No Betas. No Gammas.

Alphas.

There couldn’t be many of them, or who would they rule? I’d heard stories about certain lycans, hermits who lived in the mountains beyond Yukon because they weren’t satisfied living among inferior species—aka, humans and werewolves.

I refused to be like them, instead growing up surrounded by other species. I didn’t mind humans; they were basically giant ants who had invented TV, barbecue grills, and junk food. Before meeting Yvaine, I even dated a human girl that had my same kink—primal play—and who knew about werewolves. Let’s just say she was accidentally hospitalized, with me paying for her hip replacement. Oops.

I was the only lycan I knew. Did it feel isolating? Not really, because I had gotten used to it. I managed myself the best way I could: by suppressing.

Every night, I used to sit on my windowsill and pray to the Moon Goddess to make me normal, a werewolf, to be like everyone else, able to shift into a normal-looking wolf and run with the pack. At least I had Killian and Callum—they always remained in human form so I wouldn’t be the only one when everyone else shifted.

The Moon Goddess had never listened to me, so I cursed her instead…until she gave me my bunny doc. Then I shut up and worshiped her.

“Terminator! Oi! You, boy!”

Boy?

My fingers curled. I shut my eyes, flexing my fists to release the tension.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

I’d spent half my life doing exactly that.

Suppressing. Holding in my true nature. Building tall dams around my tsunami of a personality, letting just enough out through wereball, sex, hunting, and the occasional idiot who deserved it.

Calling an Alpha—a lycan Alpha—boy… That was like calling a king a court jester.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

When I reopened my eyes, everything had a red tint to it. I shook my head and blinked until the world settled.

“Yeah?” I ground out.

I heard a gulp, then this fruit fly of a referee cleared his throat. “You can’t cause permanent damage in a friendly match. Rules or no rules. The nurse says you damaged the other captain’s pharynx and larynx.” He hesitated. “You’ll be benched for the first twenty minutes of the next game. Now…pass me the ball, boy. Please?”

I sneered, exposing my elongated fang.

Think about Bunny Doc.

Her face filled my head and, damn, the itch on my skin came roaring back. What the hell?

Without bothering to turn around, I lobbed the ball behind me, smacking the referee square in the chest.

I should’ve aimed higher. Maybe snapped the weak werewolf’s neck, showed him what happens when you disrespect an Alpha.

But my teammates were here; half the pack had come to watch. And Dad had spent a full year drilling one thing into my skull: Killing is forbidden.

Forbidden, forbidden, forbidden.

Breathe in.

“Hey, T!” Greg slapped my shoulder. “Forget the bench. Next game’s against the Petariak pack.”

Breathe out.