6. Supporting her Mate

Ryder

I step up to the plate, the cool metal of the bat resting on my shoulder. I take a deep breath, trying to focus on the pitcher as he winds up, and I prepare to swing.

The ball comes hurtling towards me, so I bring the bat around in a swift arc. The satisfying crack of wood meeting the ball fills my ears as I watch the ball sail through the air.

I never miss it.

Well, I guess being a werewolf has its perks. Of course, my teammates have the same powers as I do, but I am still the Alpha wolf. No one could match my speed or strength.

I hit the ball perfectly and watch it fly through the air. I feel alive, powerful, and free.

As the ball lands in the outfield, I take off toward first base, my heart racing with excitement. I can hear my teammates cheering me on, and I know that I've made them proud.

"Woohoo! GO, RYDER, GO!"

I hear a girl cheering loudly, so I smile and look up at the bleachers. She must be one of my fans. If she is hot, I might take her back to my house and...

All my desires vanish as soon as I see who it is that's cheering for me.

"Hi, Ryder!" the girl smiles at me brightly and waves her arms frantically. She kind of looks like one of those inflatable balloon guys at car dealers.

Fucking Ivy Brookstone.

After the unfortunate encounter with her at the party, I decided to find more information about her.

It turns out she was telling the truth about everything.

  I reach first base and grunt at her.

"You look amazing!" she gushes.

"Thanks," I reply, glancing over at my teammates, who are now looking at us, probably wondering why I'm talking to some loser girl.

"What are you doing here?" I bark.

"I came to watch you play, obviously," Ivy shrugs.

"Why?"

"It's part of my homework. I need to know what kind of things my mate is in interested in," Ivy says.

"I'm not your fucking mate," I hiss under my breath so other people can't hear me.

"Oh-kay, my fake mate then. We are supposed to make it look real, remember?" Ivy pouts.

"There is no 'we.' You are forcing me to play this game," I say grumpily.

"Heck, yes. And you need to be better at your acting job and pretend to be happy to see me," Ivy says, swinging her braid.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, whatever. I'm about to leave the field anyway, so you can go away now," I say, forcing a smile.

Ivy grins back at me. "Great!" she exclaims. "So, do you want to grab some food after the game? My treat."

I hesitate for a moment. On one hand, I am starving and could go for some food. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I can handle spending more time with Ivy.

"Um, sure, that sounds good," I finally say, hoping I won't regret my decision.

"Awesome! I know this great burger place down the street. Let's go there," she says.

"I'll go change in the boy's locker room. Just wait out here. If any of my friends or teammate tries to talk to you, do not engage," I warn her.

"Got it," Ivy nods, and I head off to the locker room to change out of my uniform.

I think about the girl outside and how annoying she is. I should've never drunk too much at the party and let her catch me in a vulnerable situation. My reputation as a college baseball player is too important. Fuck, I can't believe I'm letting some girl blackmail me!

I finish changing and head back outside, where Ivy is waiting for me.

"Ready to go?" she asks eagerly.

"Yeah," I say, trying to sound as unenthusiastic as possible.

We walk in silence for a few minutes until we reach the burger place that Ivy mentioned. The smell of frying meat and grease hits me as soon as we walk through the door.

Ivy leads us to a table and we sit down. A waitress comes over to take our order, and I can tell that she's eyeing me up and down.

Ivy orders a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and I order a plain cheeseburger with no toppings.

"So, Ryder, what do you like to do in your free time?" Ivy asks once the waitress has left.

"I don't really have a lot of free time," I reply, taking a sip of water.

"Come on, there has to be something you enjoy doing," Ivy presses.

"I love to play baseball," I say, mid-chewing.

"I mean, that's kind of obvious," Ivy says with a chuckle. "What about when you're not playing baseball? Do you have any hobbies or interests?"

I shrug. "Not really. I just focus on baseball and occasionally hunting."

"That's it?" Ivy asks incredulously. "All werewolves hunt, and you don't have any passions or dreams outside of baseball?"

I pause for a moment, considering her question. "I guess I've never really thought about it," I say honestly.

"Well, maybe you should," Ivy suggests.

"Yeah, whatever." I shrug. I look around to make sure no one I know is around. How embarrassing would it be if they caught me hanging out with a wolfless Beta girl?

"Hey," she whispers.

"What?" I narrow my eyes.

"I did some research and figured out how mates are supposed to act around each other," she says secretively.

"Really? I'm happy for you. What does that have to do with me?" I yawn.

"Ryder! Be serious. You made a deal with me," Ivy grumbles. "Let's go outside and practice."

I look at her with confusion. "Practice what?"

"Practice being mates, of course," Ivy says, grabbing my arm and dragging me out of the booth.

"Ivy, I don't have time for this," I protest, trying to break free from her grip.

"You made time for me when you agreed to this deal," she retorts, pulling me outside.

"Fine, fine," I grumble, finally giving up and following her outside. She turns to face me and takes a deep breath. "Okay, so when mates see each other, they're supposed to have an instant connection. Like, they're supposed to know without a doubt that they're meant to be together," she explains.

I raise an eyebrow. "Yes, I already told you that."

"I know. Now why don't you touch my hand, and I'll act as if it happened? Then we do the same thing in front of Alpha Maurice," she says.

"Why don't you just tell him that we are mates to him?" I ask irritably.

"Alpha Maurice isn't dumb. If I just tell him verbally, he'll figure it out. It's better to act in front of him," Ivy explains.

I let out a sigh. "Okay, what am I supposed to do?"

"We are supposed to yell out, 'Mate!' as soon as our eyes meet and then touch my hand. Or is it the other way around?" Ivy looks like she is deep in thought.

"That sounds ridiculous," I growl.

"I know it sounds silly, but we have to do it if we want to convince Alpha Maurice," Ivy insists. "Come on, just give it a try. Touch my hand."

I roll my eyes but reluctantly agree. Ivy takes a step closer to me and looks into my eyes. I take her hand in mine, and as soon as our eyes meet, Ivy's eyes light up, and she gasps. "MATE!" she yells from the top of her lungs.

I groan. This is going to be a long week.