Seeing the guys fall over was painful, the girls were kicking their asses and the boys were more than willing to be tackled. Jaxon just stared, wondering how this year is going to shape up to be while glancing at his brother, Kai who looked like he wanted to drink himself into a stupor.

“Ladies!” Kai shouted and every girl turned toward Kai who groaned. “The other ladies.”

Now the eyes turned toward the guys who were scratching their heads with silly grins on their faces.

“How about you don’t act like asses and actually try to play rugby, or go fetch some water for those who do?”

Before coach Kai finished, all the guys rush off the field to get water for the girls, and Kai’s veins were pulsing on his forehead as he grabbed onto the horny teenage guys and threw them back at the field.

Watching the guys flying, Jaxon tensed when he sensed three unknown people walking over. Two were wolves, one was a human. One of the wolves had the scent of an Alpha. Nightmane growled, not liking a rival alpha among his pack. Turning around to glare, he soon met two yellow glowing eyes, light that soon faded into two chestnut-colored ones. The old man stood there, unshaved and with a cigar in his mouth, like an old sailor, and grinned at Jaxon.

“Isn’t that Lil’Jax? You have grown tall since the last time I saw you,” the old man said with a husky voice and Jaxon rushed over, lifting the old man into the air. “Easy on my creaky bones, lad.”

“You have always been old, uncle Harrison,” Jaxon chuckled, but carefully put the man down before turning towards the other familiar face. Wallace Gladstone, Harrison Gladstone’s son, smiled back at him. Being a copy of his father in his younger days, though Wallace didn’t garner as many muscles as Harrison had done. Now, the difference was more noticeable by Wallace having his raven hair neatly stylized and fashionable clothes compared to his father who looked like he did all of that on his own.

“Wallace,” Jaxon said hitting his old friend over the back only to almost knock his grinning friend over.

“Jax, you turned out to be a dumb jock. I always knew you would get stuck chasing a ball,” Wallace said, brushing off his clothes.

Smelling the air, Jaxon cocked an eyebrow. “And you became a druid.”

Wallace shrugged,” I wasn’t lucky enough to be chosen by an animal spirit so I started studying natural magic instead.”

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I don’t think I would make a good grunt anyway.”

Turning around, looking at the last figure, Jaxon frowned when Nightmane started to growl. The enormous man was built like a brick house, his dark eyes piercing on a square face. He was dressed as a biker, with a shaved head, and had the aura of a dangerous man. Jaxon did not know him but scented an Alpha. Harrison was one as well, and Nightmane did not like having him here but he accepted Harrison because he knew him. This Alpha was unknown and not welcomed by his wolf.

“And this is?”

“Lachlan Raine,” Harrison introduced the man. “He is a friend of a relative from across the ocean, coming to aid us.”

“Across the ocean?”

“From the States,” Wallace clarified, looking stiffly at the man who hardly blinked at Jaxon. Instead, his hard gaze watched the other students. His cold eyes, stopping by the witches, seemingly to inspect them.

Jaxon was just about to ask what the hell he was doing when he scented a familiar smell, one that made Nightmane growl in excitement. Raine seems to scent it as well, but his reaction was very different as his eyes darted to the incoming person behind Jackson, his brown eyes glowing red, and rare color for shifters, coming from special red-brown colored eyes.

“Jaxon?”

Blake’s voice came in from behind, the voice uncertain, and a slight tremor came when a dark growl came from Raine. Jaxon put himself in between Blake and Raine, answering the man with a growl of his own. Nightmane was ready to defend Blake, begging to be let out to rip the intruder to pieces.

“Raine, back off,” Harrison ordered, but Raine didn’t seem to listen. His eyes were fixed on Blake who peeked out from Jaxon’s back, only to be pushed back by Jaxon.

“Get your fucking eyes off him,” Jaxon’s voice was inhuman, somewhere between a growl and human speech. That seemed to catch Raine’s attention, as his glowing red eyes turned to him, tilting his head.

“I smell dark magic from him,” Raine’s voice was husky, but certain in its conviction.

“A dark witch,” Harrison muttered, looking like he wanted to spit.

“Who fucking cares?”

Jaxon had no reason to deny it, he was ready to pounce on the intruder to defend Blake if necessary and he knew he could win. They knew they could win. Jaxon felt the change coming on, his nails turning into claws, teeth turning into fangs.

Raine seemed to be ready as well, but then a firm hand grabbed onto Raine’s throat. Jaxon’s father, Owen Price, stood there. His blue eyes glowing as he with one hand forced Raine’s eyes to turn back to normal with a growl.

“This is my territory and all within it is under my protection. If you attack anyone, you will answer to me,” Owen’s voice was cold and firm like a mountain. Raine lifted his hands in surrender, still not letting Blake go with his eyes, but his threatening aura faded.

“You have a dark witch among you,” Harrison said, blowing out some smoke from his cigar.

“We have several among the hedgewitches. They are under my protection,” Owen repeated, turning his eyes, now taking on a gentler tone, toward Blake. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Blake said, obviously still confused. “Did I cause trouble again?”

“No, it’s my son who caused trouble. You were just walking,” Owen chuckled, ruffling Blake’s hair.

Jaxon couldn’t help but to smile at Blake’s embarrassed joy at being petted. He obviously hadn’t experienced many displays of affection growing up and basked in the attention he received.

“This is Blake Oakley, a hedgewitch who defeated a dark druid, grew a new world tree, and fought by our side when the witches decided to cause trouble,” Owen affirmed, Jaxon noticed that he didn’t mention that Blake had also destroyed the old World Tree, but that was a detail not worth mentioning.

“And my boyfriend,” Jaxon huffed proudly, enjoying Blake’s blush even more as he started to fidget with Coney in his arms. Open declaration of affection between them still made Blake a bit nervous, but Jaxon could see the happiness in his eyes so he still did it.

The latter comment made Wallace's eyes go wide, “Are you gay? What about Jessie?”

“I dumped her,” Jaxon grimaced at remembering the sinkhole she conjured when he did. “And bisexual might be more correct.”

“Two gay sons,” Harrison muttered, clearly not listening. His eyes suspiciously turned to Kai across the field.

“I’m not gay!” Kai shouted almost like he could hear them.

“He is not gay,” Jaxon said, pointing at coach Freya who was barking instruction to the boys. “He just prefers cats.”

“Oh,” both Harrison and Wallace said in unison, pity plastered onto their faces, getting another shout from Kai across the field.

“Fuck you!”

“Still, you shouldn’t allow dark witches in your territory,” Harrison said, glancing at Blake who had grabbed onto Jaxon’s hand. It was warm, but Jaxon could sense Blake’s anxiety. Raine had still not removed his eyes from him.

“As the Patriarch of the Price Pack, that is my decision. Not yours,” Owen chuckled, but there was no humor in his eyes. He did not appreciate being ordered around in his own territory. Not even from his old friend. “Or Elliott’s. It will be his decision in the future.”

“Yeah… Him. It’s for Elliott’s sake we have come,” Harrison admitted, his face turning grim. “The other packs are worried about this whole mess he has created.”

“Again? What was it last time? The other patriarchs have tried to remove him from being my heir for the last decade, coming up with excuses after excuses,” Owen said, fierceness growing in his voice. “Again, the heir is chosen by me. You, Patriarchs, are overreaching your influence by intervening in other packs' affairs.”

“We cannot grow weak.”

“We already have by continuing holding on to dying traditions. We have to evolve or we will perish,” Owen huffed.

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed, turning toward Wallace with an accusing gaze.

Wallace raised his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m here to advise the druids on the situation. We are normally neutral, but the situation is too dangerous to not go in with an open mind. I was sent here to watch and give my suggestion to the druids. I have no idea what my dad wanted to do here.”

He glanced at Raine. “Or why some people are here.”

“You are welcomed to stay here, as always, but do not think that allows you to come here to take over, Harrison. Friends can become enemies, and I am not sentiment enough to sacrifice everything for you,” Owen warned before his eyes turned to Raine.

“If any of you even so much as shows any hostility to those under my protection, I will not hesitate to hunt you all the way back to where ever you came from.”

Raine didn’t answer, his expression was still neutral and relaxed. It bothered Jaxon to no end, despite his father’s display of power. This guy seemed unaffected like he knew he could take him in a fight and that made Jaxon nervous. The only thing holding him back was that his father displayed a similar calm certainty.

“Jaxon, you can take Blake away. Mya wanted to speak to him,” Owen said.

“Why?” asked Blake, daring to look up at Owen.

“I’m not sure, she said something about your education.”

“You didn’t listen to her,” Jaxon grinned, finally feeling the tension leave his body as Blake prepared himself to leave.

“I love your mother, but there are two conversations that I tune out to. The first is the talk about magic, I just can’t get my head around that. The other is when she tries to talk trees and flowers with me, I just don’t want to know that.”

Jaxon chuckled, allowing himself to be dragged by Blake who still didn’t release his hand.

“See you, later,” Jaxon hollered to Wallace, who waved at them as they ran off towards the newly built mansion.