Devin 

Just like the month after our time in Paris, Tess and I continue our daily trips to the track whenever possible. The only difference is now I’m the one giving the assisted stretches and massages after we walk. We’re taking more breaks these days too, all to accommodate Tess’s round belly that’s getting bigger by the day.  

It wasn’t until days after our wedding that we found out Tess was twelve weeks pregnant with our baby boy and, just like his daddy, he makes his presence known every chance he gets. The only time he doesn’t move around is during our walks. It’s like the motion lulls him to sleep.  

“I gotta get ready. You sure you don’t want to come?” I ask Tess as she sits in the grassy center of the track taking a drink from her water bottle. She’s looking up at me with her head tilted back, similar to the first time we met, bathing in the sunlight.  

“No, I have some sweatpants calling my name when I get home and Tamara should be here any minute. I’m going to see what she’s up to.”  

“Ok then.” I kiss her and our baby goodbye before leaving to go meet Quentin. We have a mandatory team event that will likely take up the rest of my day.  

*** 

We’re all gathered in the atrium for the grand opening of the Raleigh Red Wolves’ newly-built workout facility as the team owner Canis Lupin addresses everyone in the organization, congratulating us for a job well done. I try to listen to him, but Quentin continues to ramble nonstop about the running list of suspicions he has against the man, despite him being a nice guy. 

“Can we talk about the elephant in the room? Or the wolf rather.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about how everyone’s walking around here and not wondering why the owner has a name like Canis Lupin. It’s giving big werewolf energy, D.” 

“That’s just his name. If he’s a werewolf like you think, why would he purposely be walking around with a name like that?” 

“I’ll tell you why… because last I checked, big ass werewolves can do anything they motherfucking want. What are we gonna do about it? Fight him. Yeah, not me. I’m sitting this one out.” 

“I know. You ride that bench like it’s your second home,” I say, chuckling as he takes the insult about his dwindling playing time in stride.  

“Oh, you got jokes. Look, I ain’t mad. The man’s paper is long and if he wants to spend some of that money paying top dollar for my black ass to ride the bench, then so be it.”  

That’s the truest thing Q’s said about him all day. The man does seem to have an endless amount of funds and doesn’t mind spending it. When I made the move from Miami in a multiplayer trade, he spared no expense getting me on his fledgling expansion team, promising to build a championship squad by any means necessary. To me, that’s the only thing suspicious about him because how did someone of his age amass so much money seemingly out of nowhere?  

According to Q, money comes with the territory as he lists off all the top reasons for his theory. Then he looks over to Rain, Canis’ assistant, before building his case further.  

“And let’s not forget about his real squad. He got a line of women out the door. That one right there is a prime example. She’s the baddest thing in here and his right hand. She’s gotta be his beta for sure. Reminds me of the chick that went missing right before Reese got locked up for murder.”  

I remembered that happening a few years back. My teammate Reese was dating this woman named Azura, I think. She went missing then he ended up getting locked up for murdering another woman around the same time. It was all anyone talked about for months, so of course my dumb ass takes a second look, not believing the resemblance between Rain and the missing woman, who we all assume is dead. 

When I look her way, she’s looking right at us with a secret smile on her face and a spark in her eyes that makes everything Quentin is saying seem a bit more real, which is crazy, I know. But it makes me entertain his far-fetched ideas of our boss and his assistant as I continue to question him. 

“Where do you get this stuff from, anyway?” 

“Fool, if you bothered picking up a book sometimes, your ass wouldn’t be so in the dark. I read this one book… man, it was wild. Taught me a thing or two. I bet as soon as they get behind closed doors, he’s hitting that every chance he gets. I know if I ever had a chance to get at some pussy like hers I’d…” 

“Mr. Marshall, do you have something to share with the rest of us?” Rain asks, stepping in front of Canis, speaking into the mic. Her once mesmerizing smile turns manic and almost… knowing. It’s like she heard our entire conversation from clear across the atrium, which is impossible. 

I look over at Q and he must really believe the shit he’s saying because, for the first time ever, he’s speechless.  

“N-No ma’am,” he calls out, uncharacteristically stumbling over his words as he keeps his normally smart mouth to a minimum. It causes everyone around us to laugh at how shook Rain has him. When I look toward Canis to gauge his reaction to the entire exchange, he’s no longer standing where he once was. He’s gone, leaving his assistant to take over the event. As soon as the laughter dies down, she addresses the crowd once more before starting a short video. It’s a highlight reel of our last season that ends with issuing a threat to all of our opponents. THE WOLVES ARE COMING…