Troy slammed the car door shut and trotted up the steps to his front porch two at a time. His spine was loose and he felt the warmth he was beginning to associate with having sex with Blake. All his dreams were coming true. He would be able to leave with the man of his dreams, his first love, and not have to marry Kylie.
His heart sank. Kylie. Shit. Troy bit his lip as he pushed the door open. He would leave her a note. Yeah, that’s what people did when they left someone, right? She was his friend, she would understand. Maybe, someday, they could even be friends again. He didn’t want to tie her to a gay man, anyway.
The kitchen was still, yellow morning light pouring over the empty breakfast table. The floral wallpaper looked yellowed with age. Troy wondered what else would yellow and decay when he left. Would he ever see this house again?
“Is it true?”
Troy whirled around. His father sat in the corner. He was perfectly still, face blank, feet planted evenly on the ground. His hands sat on his thighs, fingers loose. Troy’s hair stood on edge, his wolf growled in his subconscious. This was going to be bad.
“Is what true?”
In one motion, his father stood and moved close to Troy. Troy yelped as his thighs pushed into the hard edge of the kitchen table. His father towered over him, chest pushing against his, teeth inches away from his face. Troy could see his father start to shift but years of control kept him in his human form. Still, his teeth were sharp and canine. Dangerous.
“John told me what you did,” his father replied. His words dropped with icy precision and Troy felt all of his body heat leave him. He was eighteen again, that scared teen bullied on a plane to Seattle and away from the only love he had ever known.
“You betrayed the pack.”
Brandon stood at the bottom of the stairs. Troy could see him over their father’s shoulder. He wore only sweatpants that hung low on his hips. Each muscle was held tight like Brandon was ready to spring to attack.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Troy said. His voice was firm. He hoped it would be as commanding as the deep, alpha howls that always alluded him. The kind he hoped to sound like but knew he never would.
“That mountain lion,” his father said, “that man, he mated you. You’re disgusting.”
Troy thought his head would explode with anger and embarrassment.
“I didn’t mate him, I...”
“We know,” Brandon said. “We can smell him on you.”
Troy’s father growled. He turned and stepped toward the door.
“I told him to stay away from you, that he would ruin your future. There will be consequences.”
“Dad,” Troy said, stepping toward him, “wait. Don’t you dare hurt him.”
“You’re not my son,” he said.
Troy felt like someone slapped him across the face. The color left the room as he watched his father walk out the door and down the steps. Soon, there was a long, low howl and his father ran in his wolf form off the property.
“You should have never been born,” said Brandon.
In Troy’s confusion, Brandon had moved close to him. Troy could see that he was in striking distance now. He could bite him at any minute.
“You can shut the fuck up, asshole,” Troy said. “Blake told me what you did to him. You fucking ruined my life.”
Brandon pushed Troy into the table. Troy tried to hide his grimace as he felt bruises form on the back of his legs.
“You ruined my life, you little shit. Do you know how much crap I’ve had to take while you were gone? Everyone said you spoiled the line, everyone thought that I wanted to fuck dudes too. Everyone thought we were weak. That the family was ruined.”
He slammed Troy into the table, again. This time, Troy pushed back.
Brandon was built like a tank. He was like one solid muscle, strong and bulging. Always ready for a fight.
“Back the fuck off,” Troy said. “I am an adult. You can’t just boss me around anymore. I am not your kid brother you get to beat up after school.”
“I’m supposed to be the alpha,” Brandon continued like he didn’t hear a thing that Troy said. “How can I be when I can’t even control my own family?”
Troy had enough. He reared back and punched Brandon hard in the face, stating his wolf’s need to attack. Brandon backed up, growling and clutching his nose.
Troy ran for the door, eyes set on his car in the driveway. He bolted down the stairs and fumbled in his pocket for his keys.
A growl behind him almost sent Troy tumbling to the ground. Brandon had shifted.
He was the largest wolf Troy had ever seen. His coat was a shiny light brown tinged with gold and gray. He stood almost five feet tall, snout graceful and long. His legs rippled as he ran, legs long and powerful. He was a fierce creature.
Troy didn’t think about it. He shifted. His bones snapped and reformed. His face grew longer and teeth sharper.
Troy dodged. His claws scraped against the ground, kicking up dirt as he scampered away from the clasping jaws of his brother. Brandon leaped toward his neck, teeth searching for his warm flesh.
Troy turned, leaning low and snapping toward Brandon’s paws. Brandon’s teeth scraped the edge of Troy’s shoulder, grazing his flesh so points of blood gathered in his fur. Troy yelped in rage and snapped at Brandon again, going for the expanse of his brother’s chest.
Brandon lifted a paw, swiping his claws across Troy’s snout. Troy reared back, avoiding claws. In a flash, Troy’s own claws collided with Brandon’s snout, leaving thin, red marks across his nose.
Brandon growled, enraged. He barked and lunged at Troy with speed Troy had never seen. Unable to dodge, Troy found himself pinned to the ground. His brother towered over him, teeth bared, a crazed look in his eyes. Troy steeled himself for what would happen next and snarled.
There was a howl and then the soft thump of body hitting body. Brandon was knocked to the ground and Troy leaped up, suddenly free. Bekah, muscles bulging beneath her fur, pinned their older brother to the ground.
Troy needed to run but he looked on in shock for a minute. His baby sister had pinned the wolf he was sure would become the current alpha of the pack. Brandon struggled beneath her, snapping and growling. Bekah growled down at him, then growled at Troy.
The message was clear. Go.
Troy turned on his heel and ran back to the car. He grabbed his jeans, swung the door open, and got inside. He needed to find Blake, now.