19 Rugby Team
worse.
“Rain, I got this injury back in high school remember?”
Matt wasn’t the only one of us who had gotten injured during rugby but he was the only one whose injury was outlasting. It sucked that he had to go through it. The guy was stronger than me, never letting it bother him and if it did bother him, he tried to show that it wasn’t a big deal.
“Well, yeah… but still!”
“I appreciate you worrying about me but I can handle a son shoulder. Some ice and over–the–counter pain medicine will have to be back to normal in no time.”
Η
I sighed. “If you say so.”
It was hard for me to remember how Matt even got that injury because of how long ago it was. I think it was during our junior year. Someone from the other team had come out of nowhere and rushed at him in a move that was legal but not fair.
The result was Matt had to get some physical therapy. It wasn’t going to derail his career but he had to take care of it. When there was pain he had to take a minute and nurse it otherwise it could cause permanent damage.
Waiting outside with us was Lia. I grinned and waved at her She paused and smiled. What struck me as amazing was that this time the smile even reached her eyes. There were times she was around us when the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
I hated to see that but it was understandable given everything she had been through with us over the past few years. Matt was right about that guilt. It was hard to move past and push to the back of your mind but I wasn’t going to let it bother me when we were working hard on making this mating group work!
Guess I got excited because when I got out of the car and Lia approached, this sudden urge approached me. I leaned down and kissed her fully on the lips. She froze, but for a moment started to respond, her lips parting ever so slightly in response to my kiss.
But then I heard growls from everyone around me. I jerked away, a growl escaping my own throat.
Shit. I didn’t mean to do this. Everyone was angry, but any rationality I had in my mind was gone. All I could think about was fighting those four guys who were supposed to be my best friends:
my pack!
“Guys, why are you acting so strange?” Lia asked, sounding scared and desperate, but again my mind was so far gone that I didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying.
20 коя
#25 BONUS
- Kiss
Lia
Simone had warned me and she was right. I wished that I had heeded her warnings that day because now I was finding myself between a rock and a hard place. What was going to do now that these guys, who were best friends all their lives, were fighting with one another?
This was so stressful. The first person I reached out to was Simone. A part of me was tempted to reach out to my brother Michael. I knew he would set those guys straight but I also didn’t want to intrude on his happiness right now. He and his mate were trying to adjust to living together as well as being mates for good now.
I couldn’t imagine when the four became my official mates Flushing, it was going to be quite the experience but I had to put that out of my mind because it wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon.
With a tired sigh, I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Simone. She didn’t take very long to respond much to my relief. Leave it to Simone to respond to me within seconds. never had to wait long to hear from her!
You were right about the guys being jealous and possessive – L
Of course, I was. What happened? – S
Simone, I need your advice. Things are getting… complicated.–L.
Uh–oh. What’s going on? Spill. – S
Do you know how Colby, Matt, Rain, and Jesse are all best friends? L
Yes, your future mates. What about them?–$
They’ve finally started acting territorial. Like, full–on wolves. L
Yikes. What are they doing? S
It’s the unimportant thing, but they’re constantly trying to one–up each other now. It’s like a competition for my
attention. L
Oof. That sounds exhausting–S
It is. I feel like I’m stuck in the middle, and I don’t want to ruin their friendship. – L
Have you tried talking to them about it? – S
I don’t even know how to start that conversation without making it worse. Any ideas? – L
You need to remind them you’re not a prize to fight over, and they’re on the same team here. Maybe get them all together and lay it out. – S
I just hope they listen… Wolves can be stubborn. – L
True, but if anyone can handle it, it’s you. And if you need backup, just say the word. I’ve got you, and I won’t let anyone hurt my best friend. – S
Thanks, Simone. That means a lot. – L
She was right. I had to remind them that I was not a prize to be fought over! What I was their future mate. Yes, this was a situation that none of us thought we would end up in but it didn’t mean that we couldn’t make the best of it.
I did attempt to talk to them that morning. The first person t spotted was Jesse but then Matt caught wind of it and started growling. Colby took the chance to say something to me, leaning closely and whispering.
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+25 BONUS
“Hey!” Rain snarled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Trying to make a move when we’re distracted?”
“I’ll do as I want,” Colby hissed back. “She’s my future male too.”
This time Rain snarled even louder than before, causing my eyes to widen almost as large as saucers.
The snarl from Rain caught me off guard. He never sounded that angry, almost always having a positive attitude and a smile on his facé. I had to take a step back. While I wasn’t scared of him, the tension in the air did make me uncomfortable.
“What?” Colby snapped. “You have a problem with me all of a sudden Rain?”
“Yeah, I do! You’re trying to weasel your way into Lia’s good graces.”
He huffed. “I don’t need to weasel my way into her graces. She loves having me near her.”
I started to say but then Matt and Jesse jumped into the fray
I sighed, trying to get their attention but no matter what I said they wouldn’t listen. It was beyond frustration.
So, I did what anyone would do in my situation. I turned around and went back upstairs, slamming the door behind me. They didn’t even realize I was gone until about an hour later when they started texting as well as knocking at the door, to see if I was all right.
How I wished my brother were here! Maybe he could talk some sense into them but I had to handle this on my own. As a fully–fledged adult and their future mate, I had to deal with it.
That evening I decided that if they weren’t going to be mature enough and sit with me to talk this out then I was going to have to take desperate measures.
Lia: Okay, you four. Welcome to the group chat A Bonding Experiment. The mission: Bond without tearing each other apart. You’re all amazing in your way, so get to know each other. Play nice.
Colby: This feels unnecessary. I’m perfectly capable of getting along… if certain people cough Matt cough stop being, so smug.
Matt: Smug? Just because I win when we spar. Sure, Colby
Rain: This is already going well. Lia, are we allowed to vote for someone off the island?
Rain: Guys let’s chill. If we’re all supposed to be her future mates, doesn’t it make sense to, like, work together instead of tearing each other down? Does teamwork make the dream work?
Colby: Of course, you’d say that Rain. You’re a golden retriever.
Rain: And proud of it, thanks.
Colby: Golden retriever energy is better than insecure alpha wannabe vibes, though. Just saying.
Matt: Shots fired.
Lia: This is exactly why I made this chat. Try harder, please
Rain: Fine. Here’s an icebreaker: What’s everyone’s favorite way to de–stress?
Jesse: Rugby and walking on the beach.
Matt: Rugby too but I’m not cheating,
+25 BONUS
Colby: Reading. Helps me time out unnecessary noise, like Matt’s constant boasting
Rain: Music. Preferably loud enough to drown all of you ou
Lia: See? Progress. Keep going. I’m muting the chat for my sanity. Play nice, boys. And I do mean play nice. If I hear that the four of you are fighting I will reach out to Michael and kick y
your asses.
I sighed and made sure to turn off notifications to the chalet them sit on that, trying to figure out what they must do. I’ve done enough in this situation.
The guys ended up talking for a while that night when I checked back in the morning. I came downstairs to see that breakfast was almost done and everyone was sitting around the table. There were forced, awkward smiles on their faces but their eyes lit up when they saw me.
“Hey Lia!” Rain greeted.
Jesse nodded towards me. “Lla.”
Colby and Matt just waved at me. I smiled at all of them, trying not to show attention to one over the other. What if they started arguing or fighting again?
“So have you guys made peace?”
This made Colby sigh.
“I mean, we’re not killing each other so I suppose yes.”
“Then if you haven’t realized your friendship is important we’ll have to start spending time as a group–no we’re a pack,” I told them firmly. “And this is something I want as your future mate so if you care about me you’ll agree to it.”
The looks on their faces were priceless. I once sported that deer in a headlight look but now it wasn’t me. It was their turn to deal with this.
“Yes, that is fair,” Jesse said after a while.
Leave it to Jesse to turn around and be the voice of reason. almost wished that Rain would say something to lessen the tension but he hadn’t been in a good mood as of late. It was one of the things I liked about him
Rain hung his head. “Yeah, we should do something like that today after practice.”
“Why don’t I go with you guys to watch you practice?” I suggested unexpectedly.
Sports still weren’t something I was interested in, but these guys were very interested in it. As their future mate, the least I could do was try to go to some of their practice. Sure I went to their games, but going to practice was difference.
“Really?” Colby asked hopefully. “You don’t mind coming? It’s not exactly exciting.”
I smiled faintly. “It’s all right. I’ll take Simone with me if she has time and if not then I’ll find a way to occupy myself.”
Let’s just hope the guys would be able to resist fighting on the field. This wouldn’t be good since they were on the same tearn!
