Rise of the Underdogs: (Book 1) COLTON

Chapter 9

She hadn’t called since the day I told her.

Too much of a coward to reach out first, I locked myself inside my room and refused to come out for anything. The air inside felt stale, thick with silence and regret that settled into the corners like dust. Everything about the space mirrored how I felt — jaded, depressed, barely holding together.

The walls loomed blank around me, stripped of posters, color, or any flicker of inspiration. They looked like they’d given up trying to encourage me. My clothes were scattered in messy piles across the floor — half-folded, half-forgotten — evidence that I hadn’t bothered to care for days. Dishes sat crusted on the desk, edges hardened with food I didn’t even remember eating. My jacket lay in a defeated heap on the bed, still smelling like her. Ice cream. Tears. That familiar vanilla shampoo I kept pretending not to notice whenever we were curled up together.

I didn’t want to hear rejection. I didn’t want to see it written in her eyes if she showed up to say goodbye. The mere thought of her silence burned through my throat like acid.

The phone pulsed on the nightstand next to me, blinking slow and steady, almost apologetic. Its soft light flickered like it was asking for permission to interrupt my spiral. I stared at it for what felt like hours, willing her name to appear on the screen. Wishing that maybe — just maybe — she’d forgive me.

I didn’t answer it.

It was probably one of the guys. Maybe Kaden checking in. Probably Dreson trying to sound casual. I wasn’t in the mood for either. Not today. Not when everything in me felt hollow. I was sixteen — almost seventeen — and somehow, I was too terrified of one girl’s reaction to come out of my own damn room. I probably stank to high heaven. Didn’t care.

Someone knocked on my door before it cracked open just enough to let my mother peek inside. Her face was soft, but her eyes were sharp — the kind of look that said I’m worried, but I’ll drag you out by your ears if I have to.

“Honey, there’s a girl here asking for you.”

“If her name isn’t Daisy, I don’t care,” I said, voice flat and raw.

“No, dear. Her name is Mira,” my mother explained gently.

“Then no, I don’t want to talk to anyone that’s not my Daisy.”

Her voice sharpened slightly, the edge creeping in. “Colton Brake, you come out this instant and meet this girl. She said you have a date this evening.”

“I’m not dating anyone, Mother. I don’t want to talk to anyone that isn’t my Mate. Daisy is the only one for me, so the other brats can flock off. Go tell her to make like the birds and flock off.”

My father stepped in before the temperature rose further. Rare that he got in between us, but when he did, it meant something. His presence was grounding — calm, firm, and impossible to ignore.

“Colt,” he said, voice low but steady, “if you can drag yourself out of bed long enough to shave and shower, there’s a girl on the house phone asking for you. She said to tell you she’s Neil’s cousin.”

I sat up slowly, heart thudding. “Prove it.”

Dad grinned, like he’d been waiting all day to drop this bomb. “Well, I now know what happened that day at the Dream Ice store in town. Why did you knock some human out?”

I froze. My breath caught.

“He was… Wait, what? Oh my Goddess.” The words tumbled out of me, half panic, half disbelief. My heart was racing now, pounding against my ribs like it wanted out.

I bolted for the kitchen, grabbed the house phone, nearly dropped it, then clutched it like it was a lifeline. My fingers were shaking, heart pounding like a drum in my throat.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Colton.”

That voice. Soft, hesitant, familiar. Yeah, it was her.

“Daisy, hi,” I said, breath catching. A sudden pressure rose in my chest, squeezing tight. “Uh… is everything okay?”

She sniffled — barely audible over the static — but it was enough to make my stomach twist.

“Well,” she said quietly, “you haven’t been in school for a while, and Mira Heard decided to tell everyone you guys were dating.”

“She said what?!” My voice cracked. “No! Gods, no. Daisy, do you remember what I told you? You are my Mate. My everything, Daisy. I swear on my life I would never do something like that.”

I swallowed hard, throat burning. “Mates aren’t supposed to hurt each other.”

Silence. Heavy. Unforgiving.

“Daisy, baby, listen,” I said, voice low and urgent. “I know it was a lot to take in, but you can call Neil right now and ask him where I’ve been. My parents had to call the school and say I was too sick to go. Hell, I’ll even put you on the line with my mother if you want.”

I motioned for my mom to come over, then stormed out onto the front porch. The screen door slammed behind me, the sound sharp and final. The air hit my face — cool, damp, smelling faintly of rain-soaked soil and wildflowers crushed under footsteps.

And there she was.

Mira.

Leaning against the porch post like she belonged there. Arms crossed, smirk plastered across her face like she hadn’t just detonated my life.

I snarled. “The whole lie you cooked up just got trashed. I found my Mate, Mira. Go chase down your own.”

She scoffed, leaning forward like she hadn’t heard a word. “I don’t think so, buddy. I’ve been after you since grade school. So let’s go out already.”

I punched the railing beside me. The wood split with a dry crack, the sound echoing through the porch like a warning shot. My voice dropped, darker, louder, edged with fury.

“I’m taken, you walking embarrassment. Daisy is my Mate. If you’ve got a problem with that, take it to our Alpha Prince and his father.”

She blinked. Her face fell. Tears welled up and spilled over as she turned and bolted from the porch, sobbing.

I barely had time to exhale before Neil’s fist cracked against my nose.

“Explain.”

I staggered back, wiped my face, tasted blood. My vision blurred for a second, but the rage was clear.

“Explain what?” I snapped. “Explain how I told Daisy everything and she didn’t talk to me for almost two weeks? Explain how Mira somehow decided she’s dating me when she’s not? I didn’t ask for any of this!”

My chest felt like it was packed with bricks. Pressure. Anger. Fear. Heartbreak. All of it blended and burning.

Frustrated beyond reasoning, I shifted right there.

Bones twisted. Muscles stretched. Fur rolled out like smoke. My body reshaped itself with a crack and a howl, and I bolted for the forest.

The woods swallowed me whole.

Branches whipped past my face as I tore between trees, claws digging into the earth. The air was sharp, thick with pine and damp moss. Twilight filtered through the canopy in streaks of orange and gray, and the ground gave way beneath my paws like it wanted me gone, too.

Yes, I was a joker. But I had my morals and all I wanted was my Mate.

But she felt farther away now than ever.

Faintly, through the roar in my head, I felt my father trying to link with me. His voice brushed against my mind like a whisper.

I blocked him out.

I needed the silence. I needed the distance. I needed time to breathe.