Chapter 2

Xavier POV

Hazel lay unconscious on the floor of my room. That drink had knocked him out cold.

I chuckled as I gazed at his form, “I guess he really did have much to drink.”

I picked him up and carried him over to his bed which was no sweat for me at all, I'm always that strong. I placed him gently on the right side of the bed and tucked him in under the covers.

My wolf, Clara, spoke suddenly in my head.

"Isn’t he just a really good guy, I bet he was here to check up on you."

“Yes, he is. He’s so much like my little brother, Ryan. It’s eerie,” I replied, my gaze still on his delicate form.

All my life, I had always been teased and ridiculed because I had a female wolf. I never paid them no mind though as I knew I liked Clara and she liked me too. And besides, none of them were Alphas of a pack, but I was.

"He’s really pretty, isn’t he?" My wolf said in my head.

Clara was baiting me, unbeknownst to me.

I laughed huskily and took a glance at Hazel, “Yeah, I guess,” I said, smiling.

I had always thought Hazel unconventionally attractive for a man. I thought he was ferocious and vicious on the field but his dainty features still shone through no matter how hard he tried to be tough.

"And I think his scent is a driving force pulling us to him, what if he's our mate…"

Then I caught on that Clara was teasing me.

“Clara, you little shit. You’re teasing me, aren’t you? What do you mean?”

"Well, there’s no way in hell you’ll look at someone you consider your brother this way. There’s almost a hint of lust in your gaze. You have never looked at Ryan this way."

“You’re wrong. I don’t… I don’t like him that way. I’m in fact straight, he’s just my best friend and that’s it.”

I reflected on what I just said, and then my tone switched from defensive to gentle.

“Remember the night we found him? A lone and frail wolf beaten up by rogues. It was cold out in the winter and he was weak but yet he refused to beg for mercy. He’s so stubborn,” I laughed, “I guess that’s one thing we have in common. We aren’t pushovers.”

"And then, you saved him and now he has a pack."

“In a way, he saved me too. We’ve been through so much together in just the short time we’ve known each other against all odds and objections. It feels like we’ve been friends for decades.”

I gazed at his unconscious form on the bed again and sigh.

"I think the word you’re looking for here is family," Clara told me.

“Yes. Family,” I smiled.

"But you never looked at Ryan your brother that way could it be that you have…"

"Don't you say that word, Clara." I shun her off and then take my eyes off Hazel because the more I stare at him the more I have different mixed feelings about him.

I started to undress myself. I first took off my shirt and then my sweatpants too came off. And then finally, my briefs came off too. I was completely naked, I preferred sleeping that way and I decided in my head that Hazel wouldn’t mind.

I got on the bed beside Hazel. I took a look at him before I sank myself into the comfort of the soft and warm king-sized bed to sleep. Only one thing, I couldn’t. My wolf was hyperactive.

Aroused maybe, by Hazel? Couldn’t be.

"It’s his scent. It’s so good and pleasing, it’s like he’s pulling me in. It feels like he could be our-"

“Don’t you dare say it,” I cut Clara off.

I had definitely thought about it, and many times too. But I figured the more I do, the more it drives me crazy. Because then, I would have to come to terms with the fact that I hadn’t completely figured out his sexual orientation. I had always considered myself straight but now I might have to live with the fact that I might actually be queer.

"Our mate, Xavier. You feel it too, don’t you?"

“No. I’m into women. Hot women like Zoe, who make almost everyone in the pack go crazy. She’s my type. She has a sultry face that is to die for, perky boobs, and a well-rounded and plump ass. That’s my type and not dainty boys like Hazel. I wouldn’t be caught dead with him even in a million years,” I said, almost like I was trying to convince myself.

"You know nothing about love, Xavier. And I tell you this with all sincerity."

“And you know nothing about men,” I retorted. Sometimes Clara really pissed me off, and this was one of those times.

Finally, I started to fall asleep slowly. While drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard my name from an all too familiar voice.

“Xavier,” Hazel called out my name anxiously. He seemed to be really fidgety.

I looked over at him and he looked to be having a nightmare. I reached my large hands over to his and started patting the small of his back and reassuring him.

“What do you want from me, Hazel?” My voice was extra husky as I was very sleepy.

"Xavier, don’t leave,” he moaned. I focused my gaze on his lips as he said those words, and I had never been more eager to reassure a person.

My jaw almost drops to the floor and I look like someone who was poured cold water as I remain transfixed for a while. His words creating another thought in my mind with thousands of meanings as if we actually have something going on between us aside from being just friends.

Hazel had an unusual effect on me and I still can't find a better way to explain what this feeling is. These feelings are supposed to be between a girl and a boy yet I keep asking myself each day if I'm beginning to have interest in guys instead of sexy girls like Zoe but Hazel is the only person that has this unusual effect on me.

“I would always be here for you,” I said in an almost whisper.

He slowly calmed down and then a smile played on my lips, while still sleeping. I almost thought he wasn’t having the nightmare anymore before he muttered something I couldn’t quite catch. I asked him what he said and Hazel muttered the same words again. This time, I was sure I had heard Hazel.

I was confident and sure I heard Hazel say, "I have a crush on you, Xavier.”

If my wolf wasn’t aroused before, it was now. My hormones were at an all-time high and my wolf senses were overworking.

I was sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. All through the night, I just kept rolling over on the bed, unable to find sleep. I tried to avoid making contact with Hazel though as it would only make me long for him more.

 My heart skipped a bit and I felt some sort of excitement mixed with anxiety in my belly when I thought of what my wolf said earlier.

What if Hazel turns out to be my mate, will I accept or reject him? That was the question I couldn't find an answer to until I fell asleep.