Out of Bounds

17

"Are you really not in a relationship with that omega?" Slade asked the moment he saw his brother walking toward the mansion. He had been waiting outside for about half an hour, leaning against one of the pillars near the entrance.

"Yes," Shiloh replied simply. "I'm not," he added. He walked past his brother and headed inside the house.

"I just helped him stay in the school because I pitied him," he added casually.

"But why did Klare post your photo with him?" Slade asked as he followed behind him.

Shiloh stopped in the living room and exhaled lightly.

"I had Klare delete it," he said.

Their aunt, Maria, appeared from the kitchen and handed Shiloh a glass of water. He thanked her quietly before sitting down on the couch and taking a sip.

"It was taken without my consent," Shiloh continued. "Our attorney was with us at that time, but she left early. I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you," he added with a slight frown.

Slade leaned against the arm of the couch, watching his brother carefully.

"Cyan… he's a good guy," Slade said after a moment.

"I know that," Shiloh answered calmly. "That's why I helped him," he added.

For a few seconds, silence settled between them.

"Alright, I heard you," Slade finally said.

Without saying anything more, he turned around and left the room, leaving Shiloh sitting there, slightly confused by his brother’s sudden behavior.

Shiloh’s phone vibrated in his hand. When he looked at the screen, he saw Archer’s name flashing on the notification. Archer was asking to meet him.

Shiloh stared at the message for a few seconds before typing a reply.

"I have a practice match tomorrow."

After sending it, he tossed the phone lightly onto the couch beside him. He could have met Archer if he wanted to, but he didn’t. Ever since what happened the last time they were together, Shiloh had been avoiding him. He didn’t want to deal with the confusion or the tension that came with it.

With a quiet sigh, Shiloh stood up and went to his room. After washing up and changing into something more comfortable, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, letting the quiet of the room settle around him.

For a moment, everything was peaceful.

Then his phone suddenly beeped again.

And again.

And again.

Too many notifications started coming in all at once.

Shiloh frowned and reached for his phone. One message was from Kayden asking if he was alright. The rest were from their basketball team group chat.

More pictures were being sent. Curious, Shiloh opened one of them.The photo showed Archer and the rest of Brighton's basketball team. They looked like they were hanging out somewhere—probably after practice. But what caught Shiloh’s attention wasn’t the team. It was the woman sitting next to Archer.

From the way she looked and the way she leaned close to him, Shiloh could immediately tell she was an omega.

Shiloh pursed his lips.

Without saying anything, he locked his phone and placed it face down on the bedside table.

"He can do whatever the f**k he likes," Shiloh whispered to himself. "I don't f*****g care," he added.

With that, he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the strange feeling lingering in his chest.

Shiloh woke up in a sour mood that morning. His expression was grim, and there was a faint heaviness in his eyes as if sleep hadn’t done much to refresh him. He arrived at the gym earlier than anyone else.

The court was still quiet, the echo of the bouncing ball the only sound filling the space as he began clearing his mind the only way he knew how—running drills and shooting. He jogged around the court several times before grabbing a ball and practicing his shots from different spots on the floor.

Swish.

The ball went cleanly through the hoop.

But even that didn’t completely settle his mind. After a while, his teammates began arriving one by one.

"Morning, Capt," Connor greeted as he entered.

Kayden soon walked onto the court and grabbed a ball before passing it toward Shiloh.

"Are you alright? Your complexion's bad," Kayden said as Shiloh caught the ball. "Did you sleep or not?" he added.

"I did," Shiloh replied, dribbling the ball once before shooting. The ball hit the rim and bounced out. He clicked his tongue slightly. "But for some reason, I couldn't sleep well," he added. They continued warming up while the rest of the team arrived.

Not long after, the Newton Jaguars entered the gym as well.

The atmosphere immediately became livelier as both teams greeted each other. Shiloh noticed a familiar figure among them and walked toward him.

"Vincent," Shiloh called with a small smile.

"Yo, bro! Nice seeing you again, Shiloh," Vincent replied with a grin before pulling him into a quick man-hug.

The two had been friends for years, but their paths split when they entered different universities—Vincent choosing Newton while Shiloh went to Stathmore.

"Go easy on us, okay?" Vincent teased.

Shiloh let out a short laugh.

"Oh, shut up," he replied.

Soon, the coaches called both teams to the court. Five players from each team were selected for the practice game.

For Stathmore Spartans, the starting five included Shiloh, Kayden, Connor, Theo, and Marcus. The Newton Jaguars also sent their strongest lineup onto the court.

The whistle blew. The practice game began. But from the start, something was off.

Shiloh struggled during the first half. His usual sharp focus wasn’t there. His passes were slightly late, his shots missed more than usual, and his movements felt slower. Newton quickly took advantage of it, scoring several points in quick succession.

At one point, Vincent managed to intercept a pass meant for Shiloh and scored easily. As they ran back across the court, Vincent glanced at him.

"Hey," Vincent muttered under his breath while they lined up for the next play. "We didn't travel all the way here to watch your lousy play," he added.

The words stung more than Shiloh expected. Moments later, Coach Torres blew his whistle loudly.

"Shiloh! Out!"

Shiloh stepped off the court, breathing heavily as he walked toward the bench. Coach Torres immediately faced him.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" the coach scolded. "Where's the captain I know? You're playing like you left your brain somewhere else!" he added. Shiloh lowered his gaze slightly, listening.

"Sit down and clear your head," Torres continued. "You're dragging the whole team down," he added.

Meanwhile, the game continued. Without Shiloh, the Spartans slowly began to recover. Kayden stepped up with strong drives to the basket while Theo landed a few crucial mid-range shots. Connor tightened the defense, making it harder for Newton to score.

Little by little, the gap began to close. The scoreboard slowly shifted.

Newton Jaguars: 42

Stathmore Spartans: 42

The score was finally tied. Coach Torres looked toward Shiloh.

"You ready to play basketball again?" he asked. Shiloh nodded firmly.

"Yes, Coach," he said.

"Then get back out there," Coach Torres said. Shiloh stood and walked back onto the court. His teammates gathered around him briefly before the game resumed. He looked at each of them.

"Sorry," Shiloh said sincerely. "That first half was on me," he added. No one spoke, but they listened.

"We're winning this," he added firmly.Kayden smirked slightly.

"Then start shooting, Captain."

The whistle blew again. And this time, Shiloh played like himself. His movements were sharper. His focus returned. The moment he got the ball beyond the arc, he took the shot.

Swish.

Three points.

The next possession, he did it again.

And again.

Shot after shot, Shiloh became the Spartans' most consistent scorer. His rhythm returned, and the team fed off his momentum. Even Vincent shook his head with a laugh at one point.

"There you are," he muttered.

By the final minutes, the Spartans had taken the lead. When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read:

Stathmore Spartans: 71

Newton Jaguars: 63

The Spartans had won. Shiloh exhaled deeply as his teammates surrounded him, patting his shoulders and laughing in relief.

For the first time that day, the grim look on his face finally disappeared.