Game on, Alpha

Chapter 1: The Basketball King

The crowd was loud, too loud. Every bounce of the ball echoed through the packed arena of Lunaris Athletic Academy, mixing with cheers, whistles, and the pounding of my heart.

This was it, the championship game, the game every player in the academy dreamed of playing. The game that could change everything. I wiped sweat from my forehead and tightened my grip on the ball.

Three points down, forty-seven seconds left. The opposing team was guarding me like I was carrying the answers to the universe, which considering our coach's expectations, wasn't far from the truth.

"Blackwood!" my teammate, Jenna, cut toward the basket. I faked left, my defender followed, wrong move. I spun right, slipped past her, and sprinted toward the paint. The crowd exploded. Another defender rushed me, then another. Perfect, I passed, Jenna caught the ball and scored.

Two-point game, the arena erupted.

I grinned despite the exhaustion burning through my legs. This was where I belonged, not pack meetings, not Alpha gatherings, not awkward conversations with wolves who looked at me like I was some tragic story. Here, on the court, where nobody cared whether I had a wolf. At least, that's what I liked to tell myself.

The final seconds ticked away, the ball found its way back into my hands. Five seconds, four, three, I drove forward, a defender blocked my path, another closed in.

I jumped, the world slowed, the crowd disappeared, the pressure vanished, only the basket remained.

I released the shot, the buzzer sounded.

Silence.

Then, swish. The arena exploded, my teammates tackled me before my feet even touched the ground.

We won, again. I laughed as everyone shouted and celebrated around me. For one perfect moment, everything felt right then reality returned.

"She's incredible."

"Of course she is. She's Nathan Blackwood's daughter."

A pause, then came the part I hated.

"Still a shame she never bloomed." The smile on my face faded, I wasn't supposed to hear them. Unfortunately, I always did.

"Twenty-two years old, not even the slightest sign of a wolf. What a waste of Alpha blood."

I walked past them before I could hear more. My victory suddenly felt smaller, I should've been used to it by now but I wasn't.

No matter how many games I won, no matter how many trophies I earned, no matter how hard I worked, people always remembered one thing. Audrey Blackwood, the Alpha's daughter without a wolf.

I pushed through the crowd toward the locker rooms. "Audrey!" coach Reed was marching toward me. His gray eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"You were outstanding."

"Tell that to the scouts."

"I already did." He responded.

I blinked. "What?"

"They loved your performance."

A tiny spark of hope ignited inside me. Professional scouts rarely attended academy games. Their approval mattered a lot.

Before I could ask more, a sudden wave of noise swept through the arena. The volume doubled, maybe tripled. The crowd surged toward the entrance, girls shrieked, players abandoned conversations, even some of the academy staff straightened their posture.

I frowned. "What now?"

Coach Reed sighed. "He's here."

That explained absolutely nothing. Then I noticed the way everyone was staring. The excitement, the anticipation, the respect. Not normal respect, the kind people reserved for royalty.

A figure stepped through the arena entrance, tall, broad shoulders, dark hair, expensive suit. The crowd practically parted for him. My stomach immediately sank because I knew exactly who he was.

Chase King.

The Chase King, professional basketball superstar, billionaire, youngest captain in league history. The most famous athlete in the werewolf world and judging by the women hanging on his arm, still a professional heartbreaker.

The girls around me looked seconds away from fainting. I rolled my eyes. "Ridiculous." Coach Reed shot me a warning look.

"What?"

"Try not to start anything."

I laughed. "As if I'd ever willingly talk to him." Famous last words.

I turned the corner toward the hallway leading to the locker rooms. A group of girls rushed past me. One slammed into my shoulder, hard. My gym bag slipped from my grip, books and gear spilled across the floor.

Great.

The girls barely slowed. Their attention was fixed entirely on Chase. I crouched down to gather my things, a shadow fell across me. I assumed it was another distracted fan until a deep voice spoke.

"You dropped something."

I froze. Slowly, I looked up, way up. Blue eyes, an annoyingly perfect face, arrogant expression, Chase King.

Of course. He held out my academy ID card. For a second, neither of us spoke. His gaze flickered over my face, then my uniform, then back to me. Something strange crossed his expression. Gone almost instantly.

I snatched the card from his hand. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The girls surrounding him stared at me like I'd just committed a crime.

Apparently, not swooning was illegal. I started walking away.

"Nice game."

I stopped, not because of the compliment. Because he sounded sincere. I turned back. "Did you actually watch it?"

One corner of his mouth lifted. "I watched enough."

"Then you saw the missed free throw in the second quarter."

His eyebrow rose, interesting. "Most people focus on the game-winning shot."

"Most people aren't trying to improve." For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised. Good.

Then a blonde woman looped her arm around his. "Chase, come on."

My irritation returned instantly. There they were, the girls. Always the girls. I shook my head. "Never mind."

His eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing."

I shrugged. "If the shoe fits."

For a second, confusion flashed across his face, then understanding, then annoyance. Good, at least the feeling was mutual.

I walked away before he could respond. My heart was beating faster than it should have been. Not because of him, definitely not because of him. The man was everything I disliked. Arrogant, cocky, too handsome for his own good and apparently aware of it.

By the time I reached Coach Reed's office twenty minutes later, I'd almost forgotten about the encounter, almost. Coach Reed closed the office door behind me. His expression was unusually serious which immediately made me nervous.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." He said. That was never a reassuring answer. He sat behind his desk, folded his hands and smiled. A dangerous smile, the kind coaches wore before changing your life.

"I finally got an answer."

I frowned. "An answer to what?"

"The request I've been working on for months." I had no idea what he was talking about.

Coach Reed leaned forward. "You're talented, Audrey."

"I know." I said very confidently.

"Your confidence under pressure still needs work."

I opened my mouth to argue, he raised a hand, I closed it. Annoyingly, he was right.

"The scouts see it."

My chest tightened. "So what?"

"So, I've spent six months convincing someone to help fix it."

A bad feeling settled in my stomach. "A professional trainer?"

Coach Reed smiled wider, much wider. And suddenly I knew.

"No."

"Oh yes."

"No."

"He agreed."

"Absolutely not."

Coach Reed looked entirely too pleased with himself.

"Starting next week, Audrey Blackwood..." He paused dramatically.

"...your personal trainer will be Chase King." My jaw dropped. The universe officially hated me.