Six

The star members of the hockey teams were invited to a charity event. This was the first time Tanner was going to be seeing Rovak since that night.

He wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers.

What would talking to him be like? Would he act like nothing had happened.

"So how have you been Tanner?" Frank asked.

"Everything has been chill"

"What about Rovak, how is he?" Frank asked.

Tanner choked on his drink. "hey are you okay?" Frank asked in concern.

"Yes yes." Tanner replied, hoping he sounded okay.

"By the way, why were you asking me about Rovak?" Tanner asked.

"Because you two are always whispering at games, your fathers are close. You two probably saw each other a lot growing up"

Tanner scoffed, "Our father being friends is so funny. I am pretty sure my father would beat up anyone who suggested that"

"Oh speak of the devil there he is" Frank spoke up.

Tanner looked up to see Rovak walk in. His mouth went dry.

"Rovak" Frank called him over.

Tanner watched as Rovak walked over. He cleared his throat. He wondered what he was going to say or do.

"Hey Frank" Rovak said as he walked over.

"Young man, you are creating quite a reputation for yourself" Frank told him.

Tanner glanced at him but Rovak wasn't even looking at him.

"A good reputation I hope" Rovak said with a smirk.

"goddess no! Everyone calls you an asshole. And do you have to keep using your full supernatural strength against the humans. Tone it down a little. The humans think we are just exceptionally good and that's okay. We don't want them digging deeper" Frank told him.

"got it Frank" Rovak replied.

Frank pointed at Tanner. "why not be like Tanner? Stay lowkey"

Tanner watched him roll his eyes. "Got it"

He walked off.

"please excuse me" Tanner told Rovak and stood up.

"Okay, see you later kiddo"

Tanner walked up to Rovak. "Hey"

"Hey" Rovak replied.

"Don't pay attention to what Frank said." he leaned in to say.

Rovak stepped back and shrugged. "I didn't care a bit. I was just humoring him. I mean he is pushing retirement age"

"that's a bit mean" Tanner told him.

Rovak smiled unkindly. "and that's why you are the preppy golden child and I am not"

"uh...Rovak, we uh haven't talked about..."

"about what?" Rovak turned his gaze on him. Tanner felt unsettled.

"About that night, we...uh...at the hotel" Tanner stuttered.

"Oh! That night. What about it? Haven't you ever done a casual hook up?" he asked.

"I...I... I"

Rovak smirked. "Damn! Preppy boy"

Tanner burned with humiliation, he looked at the smug bastard in front of him.

"You...you...you" he couldn't say anything and simply walked away.

...

That weekend, Tanner returned home.

"My boy, it's so good you are home, we missed you" Luna Eve said as she hugged him.

"Thanks mother"

"You don't look quite okay, is everything okay?" she asked.

"I am fine mom, I am just tired from practice"

"There is my pride and joy" Alpha Vergara boomed as he saw his son.

eee

"hello father," Tanner gave a bow but his father pulled him into a hug.

"Welcome back my boy" he told him.

"You said it was an important meeting" He told his father.

"So you were only going to come home when your father called you for a meeting" Luna Eve pouted.

"Of course not mother, that's not what I meant"

"We are having a meeting hosted by Alpha Perez, the old fool is insisting on hosting the hunt at his pack this year. We have always done it here and nobody has complained"

Tanner sighed. "Father, did you invite me home just for your stupid rivalry with Alpha Perez?" Tanner asked in an impatient tone.

"young man, mind your tone" Alpha Vergara snapped.

"I am sorry father." he replied coldly and left.

Alpha Vergara was puzzled by his behavior.

"What is up with him?" Alpha Vergara asked.

Luna Eve swatted at him. "The boy is tired, he just came back from grueling practices. Let him rest" she told him.

Tanner was in his room, he lay on his bed and looked at the ceiling.

Goddess, why couldn't he get Rovak off his mind, he wondered.

What was it about Rovak that lured him in.

He was a smug, entitled, rude, ass hole. And yet Tanner was curious about the boy behind those dark eyes.

Why was Tanner always so angry?

Why had he initiated their sexual encounter then acted like it had been nothing. Had it really been nothing?

Tanner groaned and rolled around on the bed.

He needed to stop thinking about that guy.

...

"Look who it is? Our star hockey player" River sneered as Rovak entered the house.

Rovak didn't even want to come home in the first place. But Alpha Perez had threatened to come to the dorm to make a scene.

He ignored River and tried to go past him when he was slammed into the wall.

'Great! The good old slamming by River Perez'

"Listen, you little freak, Dad might be all proud of you because you play hockey with those feeble humans. But I don't think you are much of anything"

"Let me go River" he muttered.

"Staying in that dorm with other boys. It must be your dream right. Staring at those naked boys"

Rovak felt a tinge of fear.

"River..."

"I wonder what they would think if they knew you were thinking of fucking them. Or what would father think if he knew you were a little gay freak"

Rovak's mouth was dry. "I...River, please don't do this"

River smiled cruelly. "Now listen, you are going to do what I want. First of all, I need money. 50,000 dollars"

"River, that's much" Rovak protested.

"Much? Do you want everyone to know what you really are?"

Rovak shook his head.

He took out his phone and quickly made a transfer.

River smiled, "see, that wasn't so hard. I look forward to doing business with you"

River released him and walked away.

Rovak slumped to the ground, he had never truly escaped.