Sports

Derek had always been told that humans were dumb and too short-lived. Druids were too disorganized.  Witches were too untrustworthy. Muses: too flighty. Sirens: too self-absorbed. Vampyrs were tolerable, but only because lycans and vampyrs shared a common ancestor; they were still beneath lycans. Farosi were even more untrustworthy than witches because of how much power each individual faros was thought to have, and because they could blend so seamlessly with other species. During the wars, they’d been spies and were ultimately called the reason why the packs and covens had been brought to a heel so quickly. They were also credited with the tenuous peace supernaturals and humans had now. No one actually knew how many farosi there were in the world because they didn’t broadcast their numbers.

Derek had figured out quickly that lycan supremacy was just another phrase for lycan fear. All other supernaturals arguably had more power than lycans because they could use magic. Lycans were simply the largest known supernatural population. They were also the loudest.

They turned the corner, following the sign that directed them to the library, where books were ready to be picked up. They entered, and Dimitri led the way to a lycan teacher with a gruff expression and a generally disapproving scowl. He was broad-shouldered and heavily muscled, the way lycan men tended to be if they trained for combat. Derek guessed

“This is Derek, hm?” He eyed Derek with the same disapproval that had haunted Derek’s life for years. “Late bloomers always end up betas. Could be worse, Dimi’.”

No one called his father by a nickname. This man had to be a relative. A brother? A cousin? He hoped against hope that he had no classes taught by this man. He made a note to figure out what the man taught. Knowing his parents, they would do everything in their power to ensure that it was there. Moon forbid he had even a moment away from the pack’s oversight.

He kept his gaze away from the man once it was polite to fade into the background and looked over at the other teens with their parents, how happy they all looked to be here. How happy their parents seemed to be talking with them.

A few of them were lycan. He’d always wondered what it was like in other packs.

He caught sight of his brothers grabbing their books, chatting with their friends. Joking. Happy. Sure, those books would end up on Derek’s desk along with their assignment descriptions, but still.

If he had manifested when he was supposed to, or even if he manifested a little later, he’d have that.

And he was pretty sure he never would at the rate he was going.

Then, Marq’s eyes flashed red. His lips curving in a cocky, mocking smile. He leaned down to another boy who went still, dropped his gaze, and robotically grabbed a tall stack of books. Marq and his friends laughed, and the boy holding the books shook from their weight. He looked miserable, and Derek felt ill.

He’d wanted to manifest for years, but the thought of being a beta made him want to vomit. He already followed orders he didn’t want to, but at least he could choose not to. Sure, the other option was likely injury or death, but it was still a choice. He had no desire to be unable to at least choose that. Kore was an anomaly in her ability to even partially resist an alpha’s compulsion. Every other beta couldn’t resist, even to their own detriment.

Sorelia and Dimitri gathered his books and dumped the stack in his arms rather than letting the clerk give him a bag. A band and orchestra book was in the stack, and he didn’t see the Fundamentals of Magic textbook in the stack. The look on the clerk’s face told him that she hadn’t even had the chance to confirm his schedule. The clerk gave Sorelia a strained smile, but she rang up everything and sent them on their way. She slipped the receipt in one of the books that no doubt had the return and exchange policy printed on the back with an understanding half-smile in Derek’s direction.

He’d be back the first chance he got to exchange every book. Hopefully, he could manage that today. Sorelia and Dimitri led him out of the library and down the hall without a word or a glance back to make sure he was following.

Sorelia was too busy scheming about how quickly they could contract someone to do the expansion work so that there would be a spot for Derek in band.

“There are better donations to be made, Sorelia. It is not as if Derek has any talent. As you said, what difference will it make?”

“I suppose it doesn’t so long as he doesn’t fail it.” Her voice turned hard, but she didn’t look back at him. “I expect you to perform adequately, Derek.”

Derek kept his gaze low. “Yes, mother.”

Other teens looked at them, whispering with their parents as they passed. Derek wanted to hide under a rock. He hadn’t even started classes yet, and he was already building a reputation. He could only hope that by the time Kore and David graduated that things would be calm down. If he could have just one year of peace, he’d take it.

When they entered the gym, a wall of sound smacked into him and made his ears ring. Kore had warned him about the extra-curricular requirements at Frey Shores. Every student had to be enrolled in at least one program every year, so they did recruiting during orientation for all programs. Most of them were sports.

Derek was sure it would just be a repeat of recess. They walked straight to the lacrosse table to introduce him. The triplets, Noran, Marq, and Alex, were all there grinning, malicious glints in their eyes. He didn’t see the boy Marq had compelled to carry his books nearby and hoped he was far, far away.

Marq had a streak of cruelty in him that Derek was certain went deeper than anyone truly knew.

“We’ll be careful of our human baby brother if you join.”

Derek would rather die.

Weren’t there any non-sport extracurriculars they’d approve of him joining? If there were a Debate club, they probably wouldn’t bat an eye at it. They went to the tennis team’s table next, where the elder twins, Michael and Raphael, had the same thing to say. They were captain and co-captain. His skin crawled at the way they looked at him.

Prey.

Sorelia nearly walked past the soccer table, but Kore called out.

“So you’re just going to pretend like soccer isn’t a sport?”

Sorelia snarled. “Where is your coach?”

Kore nodded to the man who was turned and speaking to another parent. Sorelia stepped toward him and interrupted the conversation, clearly offending the woman he’d been speaking to.

The coach closed his eyes with a deep breath before addressing Sorelia. Kore kept her gaze on their parents. When they weren’t looking, she took his books, shoved them beneath the table, then shooed him away.

Go.

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