Why did things have to be so complicated?
Voices burst from the far end of the court. A door swung open, and a handful of alphas from the basketball team spilled into the half-lit space. They spotted Kai and waved; Kai waved back.
“Practicing alone?” Alana asked, catching the basketball Kai had lost, and passing it back to him.
“Let’s do a quick game,” Clemens said, snapping his fingers. “We’re all warmed up. Are you ready, Kai?”
“Yeah, I am.” He’d been working on his daily routine, and he wasn’t even halfway done.
Except he didn’t want to practice alone, and let those voices take over his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about Spike, or Micah Davis.
Especially when Micah Davis had raked his gaze down Kai’s body, and Kai had grown hard for him.
He’d done no homework last night. He’d just sat and listened to Spike and Davis fucking, and his cock had almost speared through his pants. Then Davis had moaned, almost animal, and Kai had been on the verge of leaving the room. He’d needed to bury himself inside that omega.
He’s Spike’s. Not mine. I don’t need him, anyway.
“Yeah,” Kai found himself saying. “Let’s do a game.”
They started out hard and fast. Shoes squealing, quarterbacks darting, the basketball flying from one player to the next.
Kai loved his team. He respected Alana and Clemens and the rest. Even if they weren’t always the ones chosen to play in the important games, their camaraderie buoyed him. Made him wonder if it was like that in the big leagues, too.
Kai looked forward to being scouted out by the Highton basketball team, or maybe some other team across the country. Darting between players, making perfect shots during a game? Twisting himself out of a defender’s way, reading player moves before they happened?
Basketball was something he excelled at.
Kai leaped into the air to make a shot. Clemens crashed into his side, blocking him. It was a foul—they both knew it. But sometimes, they brought these into their games, to learn how to cope with them.
Clemens’ momentum threw Kai off balance; Kai twisted in mid-air, glimpsing Alana right next to him.
Two seconds before his elbow slammed into her face.
Kai twisted, throwing his leg out to catch himself. His foot landed wrong on the floor, a split second before pain exploded through his right leg. Something inside his ankle tore apart. His ears rang.
Kai swore, his leg buckling beneath him. Pain coursed through his nerves like a blaze. He wheezed, trying to breathe the agony out.
The game stopped. Clemens and Alana crowded close. “Sorry, man,” Clemens said with a grimace, offering a hand to pull Kai up. “You okay?”
Kai made to stand, but pain lanced through his entire calf. He couldn’t chance any pressure on his leg.
“Think I twisted something,” Kai muttered, clenching his jaw.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Alana asked, worry in her eyes.
Kai shook his head, getting to his feet. But he couldn’t take another step without pain sluicing through his body. He glowered at his leg. You aren’t supposed to fail me like that.
Alana caught him so he didn’t face-plant on the ground. Clemens grabbed his other arm.
“We’ll call an ambulance,” Clemens said, frowning deeply. “Anyone has a cell phone?”
Kai reached down, trying to seek out the spot that hurt most. But everywhere he touched burned.
This injury... it had happened outside a game, and outside the regular team training. There was a clause that said his scholarship would be revoked if he missed half the season’s matches because of an injury like this. And those matches were coming up next week.
Kai’s stomach twisted. Spike was depending on him for the scholarship. Room and board, and money. Fuck. How are we going to pay for all this?
“We’ll get you to the hospital in no time,” Alana said. “Hang in there, Kai.”
Yeah, Kai could hang in there. But if he lost the scholarship... he’d become a liability, too. Kai dreaded seeing Spike’s reaction to the news.
Worse, they had a baby to account for.
12
Spike
Spike pulled the car into the hospital’s pickup area, his heart thudding. He’d been working at the bakery downtown, and he hadn’t seen Kai’s message until after his shift ended.
Kai had been waiting for him for three whole hours.
Fuck, I’m sorry.
Spike winced when Kai stood from his seat, hobbling over in crutches. His ankle was all bandaged up, and he was scowling. Spike barreled out of the car, loping toward Kai.
“C’mon, lemme help,” he said, pulling the passenger door open for his brother. “Sorry I got here so late.”
“It’s fine.” Kai winced, climbing slowly into the car. His skin was cold—he had a thin jacket on, but the weather had gotten chilly now that it was evening.
“Does it hurt?”
“Like sunshine and rainbows.” Kai rolled his eyes. “You think?”
Spike grimaced. “Sorry.”
He made sure Kai was all tucked into the seat, then shut the door, storing Kai’s crutches in the backseat. Spike returned to the driver’s side, turning up the heat.
It was only when he’d shut the door and pulled the car out of the hospital parking lot, that Kai breathed out, leaning back. “You want the good news or bad news first?”
Spike hesitated. This wasn’t enough bad news?
In his rush to get to the hospital, he’d forgotten to think about everything else. Only now did he consider Kai’s ankle sprain—Kai needed his mobility. He needed it to play in the matches next week. And the weeks after that.
The moment Spike remembered that, his stomach clenched.
“The scholarship?” he asked in a small voice.
Kai sighed, glancing sidelong at him. He’d clenched his fists—he was worried. “The funding’s gonna be reduced, yeah. I talked with Coach. He can’t do anything about it. It’s all Hastings’ rules.”
Meadowfall College funded its own basketball scholarships—students who received the scholarship had to abide by whatever the president decided. And Bernard Hastings wasn’t known for charity.
Spike’s senses jangled with alarm. “What’s the worst part?”
“I’m losing half the scholarship
