Love, After Dark

Chapter 36

BRICE

I was up early, like always. Saturday mornings were reserved for extra training. No distractions, no crowds. Just me, Luke, and Chris pushing ourselves harder than the rest of the team. If I was going to be Alpha one day, I couldn’t afford to slack. The gym smelled like metal, sweat, and rubber mats. Safe. Familiar. We were midway through our second rotation when it hit me. Her scent. It slammed into me like a freight train. Strawberries. Vanilla. Warmth. So strong it knocked the air from my lungs. My knees nearly buckled, and I had to grab the rack to steady myself. My wolf surged forward instantly, alert and restless. She’s here.

“Whoa,” Chris said from behind me. “You good?” I straightened too quickly. “Yeah,” I muttered. “Must’ve gotten distracted by something in the hall.” Luke raised a brow. “Distracted?” “There are more people here today?” I asked, trying to sound casual. Chris nodded. “Yeah. Coach Parks apparently offered half his gym class up to help his mom with some theater crap.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I’m surprised Wynter didn’t tell you. Whitney said they beat the other team in dodgeball. I’m just glad she’s not stuck here all day on a Saturday. I’d have to hear her complain about it every five minutes.” Luke snorted.

Chris paused. “Isn’t that new girl in that class?” My ears perked despite myself. “Yeah,” Luke said with a smirk. “I heard the girls gave it to her real good. Almost knocked her out cold.” They both laughed. “What?” The word tore out of me louder than I intended. Both of them blinked. I cleared my throat, lowering my tone. “What happened?” Luke shrugged. “Heard Wynter got sent to the office after class. Tried to throw a fastball at her face after the game was already over.” My stomach dropped. Wynter hadn’t said a word about that. I forced my expression neutral. “Let’s just get back to work.” They exchanged a look but didn’t push it.

For the next hour, we trained harder. At least, they did. My body went through the motions, but my head wasn’t in it. Her scent lingered in the air like a taunt. Stronger today. Sharper. Maybe because there were fewer people here- fewer competing smells. Nothing to mask her. I’d meant to reject her yesterday. I’d searched the halls after school, but she’d already left. And it wasn’t like I could ask around without raising suspicion. The last thing I needed was that getting back to Wynter.

I was benching when Chris, spotting me, suddenly stepped back. “Alright, what gives?!” he barked. I sat up slowly. “What are you talking about?” Luke crossed his arms on the other side of the bench. “Don’t play dumb.” “You’ve been off all morning,” Chris said. “All week, actually.” They started listing it off. Skipping lunch, disappearing in the halls, zoning out during drills, snapping at people for no reason. They were relentless. I tried brushing it off. Tried laughing and pretending they were imagining things. They didn’t buy it.

“Brice,” Luke said sharply. “What’s going on?” Something inside me cracked. “Alright!” I shouted, the word echoing off the gym walls. Silence fell instantly. I looked down at my hands. “She’s my mate,” I whispered. “What?” Chris leaned closer. I swallowed. “She’s my mate.” “Who? Wynter?” Luke asked. I shook my head slowly. “My true mate.” The word tasted dangerous. “The new girl,” I finished quietly. “Siri.” When I looked up, both of them stared at me like I’d just told them the moon had fallen from the sky. The air went thick. After a long moment, Chris finally spoke. “How do you know?” I told them. The spark. The pull. The scent. The way my wolf reacted. The certainty. They tried to rationalize it. “Maybe it was just static shock.” “Maybe it’s her perfume.” But when I told them my wolf had confirmed it, horror crossed both their faces.

The questions started immediately. “What are you gonna do?” Chris asked. “Choose Wynter,” Luke said with a trace of irritation in his voice, like it was obvious. “Obviously.” Chris whipped toward him. “Do you know how rare and sacred a fated mate is? It makes you stronger. Both of you.” “She’s human,” Luke snapped, disgust clear in his tone. “And Wynter is the daughter of one of the greatest Alphas in the region,” he continued, with almost too much pride. “And our biggest ally.” He turned to me pointedly. “In case you forgot what’s at stake.” Chris and Luke went back and forth, voices rising. Strength versus strategy. Fate versus politics. I felt like I was being torn in half.

“Enough!” I roared. They both fell silent. “My mind is already made up,” I said, my voice cold and final. “I’m going to reject Siri and make Wynter my Luna.” Chris looked stricken. “Brice—” “And that’s final.” There was no room for debate. Luke nodded once, satisfied. “Good.” Chris ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over him. “Well… if you’re going to do it, do it quickly.” “Now that I agree with,” Luke said, pointing at me. “No time like the present.” He grabbed his water bottle. “Let’s finish this. I’ve gotta pick Court up in a bit.” We resumed the workout. But everything felt heavier now. The weights. The air. My chest. Her scent still lingered. And all I could think about was what I was about to do.