“Someone who might profit if the two best players in the NHL were at odds with each other. And if they happen to be shifters, then imagine the headlines and ticket sales.” He popped another peanut then lifted his beer glass for a toast.
“That’s what my coach suggested. The upcoming game. I guess people are hoping for a brawl.”
“Well, they fucking won’t get one.”
“What the hell do we do?”
“No matter what happens, we don’t shift. I haven’t located the person responsible as of yet, but after spending a little time with the host from the program, he finally admitted the program had promised what couldn’t be delivered. You.”
“Well, shit. Who would do that kind of crap?” I could not believe my thoughts drifted back to the possibility Christine was part of this ridiculous plan. I rubbed my jaw, furious with myself and the bullshit we continued to be forced to go through.
He took a swallow before answering. “I can think of a long list. So can you. What we can’t do is allow the bastards to ruin our relationship or our careers. Deal?”
I lifted my glass, touching the side to his. “Deal. Unless you piss me off.”
A look of relief crossed his face. “So how’s Tampa Bay treating you? A little rough?”
“Let me guess. Dear old Dad mentioned I’m having a tough time.”
After rubbing his jaw, I still noticed the sheepish look on his face. “He might have mentioned a couple things. You’re going through the same shit I did, only you have more to lose and hell of a lot more to prove.”
“How’s that?”
He swiveled on the stool. “Think about it. While I’ve proven I can win a damn championship without using my wolf attributes, the critics now have a bar set they can compare everyone else to. There’s nothing quite like being a pioneer. Trust me. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“And being in your shadow isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either.”
I had a feeling he hadn’t realized how uncomfortable my position might be. “They hate you because I succeeded.”
“Something like that.”
“I only wanted the best for you, Steve. You know that.”
“Yeah, I get it. I just need to learn to live with being your brother.”
“You need to live up to being the Beast, the brother I know on the ice.”
Snorting, I took a gulp of beer. “Maybe the name is perfect for me. I lumber around like a wolf in skates.”
“You are, stupid.” At least we were both able to laugh. As kids we’d played a what-if game. What if we weren’t wolves, what would we be? Finally, one day, our father had sat us down and provided some awesome stories about ancestors.
There were no history or coffee table books glorifying shifter accomplishments, even though in our human form, many had earned various accolades over the years, including purple hearts in the military. But we hadn’t been able to be accepted as who we were. Wolves. Lions. Tigers. Bears.
We’d been humans and nothing special.
But in the world of our species, they’d been considered true heroes and why? Because they’d managed to be true to themselves. While we stopped playing the game where others could hear, I knew we’d both thought about what our lives would be like if we were nothing but humans over the years.
He’d broken the mold within our family, able to be human and a wolf with pride.
“You’re without a doubt the best player I’ve ever seen,” he said quietly, as if not wanting anyone else to hear his admittance.
“What? What did you say?” I was three times as loud.
He poked me with his elbow. “Just bring your A-game with you in two weeks, buddy. And be careful, I might decide to wipe the floor with you.”
“In your dreams, Savage man.”
We were able to laugh easily as we’d done long before shifters were outed and made into bloodthirsty monsters. Long before we’d even made names for ourselves in hockey in college. And long before my brother had become a national hero, the guy some kids looked up to even when their parents told them to fear us.
