Luke blew his whistle. "Let's go, let's go, people. We don't have all day!" A stream of hyperactive teens flowed past him, jumping on each other, running, and in high spirits. There was nothing like the first day of practice.

Out of long habit, Luke kept an eye on the wolves. He'd known most of them, especially the White Falls kids, for a few years. But for the first time, he had a Cherry Creek kid, Sean Carpenter. Everyone, well, all the wolves working at the school, had heard about the kid. Luke wondered how he'd escaped the pack's strict expectations to homeschool. The kid fell somewhere in the middle of the pack of boys, a little too serious, but a giant grin splitting his face as they left the locker room. Luke finished making a few notes on his clipboard and followed them out. Football always drew the alpha kids, and occasionally, they thought they could push Luke around simply because he was an omega. But he'd had plenty of practice putting alphas back in their place. No young punk was going to intimidate him, no matter what his designation.

The new kid, though, he was an omega as well. It had been a few years since an omega had tried out for the team. Luke hadn't given him any special preference because of it, but he had paid closer attention. An omega might have a physical disadvantage to an alpha, but most wolves had an advantage over humans. Of course, at this age, none of the boys knew quite what to do with their suddenly growing bodies—arms and legs no longer reaching quite where they expected, flailing out a little too far or not far enough. Like giant puppies, figuring out how this new form worked.

They spent a good half hour warming up, running laps and suicides, before Luke split them up into different exercises. The new kid had an okay arm, but his main skill was his speed and agility. Even with the occasional overstretch of his legs or arms, he still could outmaneuver the majority of the other kids. 

Sean didn't talk much. School was two weeks in, and Luke had yet to notice if he'd made any particular friends. No one seemed to ignore him, but neither did they go out of their way to engage him. Luke had him in his 9th grade Biology class, and he came in alone, and left alone. But there was something about him, a quiet confidence perhaps, that made Luke more curious than worried.

"Carpenter," he yelled, before he realized he intended to do so. Sean looked up, tossed one of the other guys the ball in his hands and trotted over.

"Coach?"

"How are you feeling about the team?"

Sean's grin threatened to take over his face. "Fine, sir. Thanks for letting me on the team."

"No thanks needed, you deserve it. So how are you fitting in here? This is your first time in school, right?"

Sean ducked his head. "Yeah, pretty much. Does it show?"

That was the first normal teenage self-consciousness Luke had seen in the boy. He didn't like that he'd caused it. He appreciated the kid's quiet sense of comfort. "Not at all. I was just curious what made you decide to change."

The boy's face clouded. "My parents died last year, and it's just me and my brother Gage. My sister was teaching me, but then she got mated and joined White Falls."

It took Luke a moment to figure out who he was referring to, but they didn't have many former Cherry Creek wolves in White Falls. "Your sister isn't Jess, is she?" Jess was a young beta who had mated the White Falls Alpha's youngest son. 

"That's her." The smile had returned to the boy's face. "Hey, I told my brother it was okay to come watch practice. It is, isn't it? That's okay?"

"Of course," Luke said. "I reserve the right to kick any parent or guardian off the field and out of the bleachers if they become a distraction, but other than that, practices are open."

The boy's smile took on a hint of quiet amusement, and Luke wondered at the source. "Gage isn't one of those pushy parents," he said.

"Then we shouldn't have a problem. Okay, back you go. Can't let you get too cooled down."

Luke turned to check in on the other players. The kid's parents had died just last year. That did a lot to explain why he was so quiet. He seemed like the type to bounce back pretty okay, though. And Luke had met Jess. She had that same quietness about her. If Sean's brother was anything like her, he was in good hands.

The moment Sean's brother walked in, Luke realized the source of Sean's amusement. When Luke had said he'd kick any parents out for being a distraction, this wasn't the kind of distraction he'd had in mind.

The man was gorgeous. Tall. And extremely alpha. Luke could immediately see the family resemblance. Sean and the alpha had the same nose, the same lankiness, the same honey gold hair. Sean would probably match his brother in height one day. The alpha's very presence made Luke's bones feel like he was buzzing. He mentally checked himself—he wasn't in heat; what was it about this man that set him off?

He forced his eyes away from him, trying to focus on guiding his team, observing them. But his attention kept dancing away. What had Sean said his brother's name was? Gerrit? Gardner? Gage, his traitorous mind whispered to him. Well Gage would have to take a backseat, he admonished himself. Little good that did him with his pine and honey scent on a seemingly direct course to Luke’s nose.

Luke had never had trouble out-alphaing the pups or humans on his team or their parents, and with fifteen years of teaching and coaching, he'd had plenty of practice. When he submitted to an alpha, it was out of personal respect. But this man's mere presence made him want to strip, kneel down, and present. Which really wasn't a good idea in a field full of kids. He hoped none of them would notice the arousal pouring off him. At least boys this age were just soaked in hormones. The wolves were more likely to blame each other, and the humans would never notice. 

He shook his head and glanced at the time. An hour left of practice. It was going to be a long hour.