Brooklyn knew they were up to something. Too many of her ladies had been acting strange, having hushed conversations that seemed to abruptly end when she walked in the room. They were hooking up with the players. They had to be. It was the only thing that made sense.

When she reminded them at the end of each day that they needed to stay focused on their workouts and routines, and that dating anyone—especially football players—was too great of a distraction, she was often given strange looks. Some looked away, maybe embarrassed or hiding things. There was always an eye roll or two, and on occasion, two of them would share a giggle or a look or nudge each other with their elbows.

She hadn’t seen anything specific, though she was always on the lookout for evidence. She’d caught many of them looking across the field at the players on several occasions. They were right there, so it was hard not to at least glance and see what they were up to, if nothing else, but sometimes those glances became stares and smiles.

She had talked to the players’ coach about it. He promised to set his guys straight, but who knew if anything would come of that. The coach probably encouraged playboy action for them to blow off steam or something. She wondered if she could find a way to make her ladies fess up to any relationship. Maybe threaten to kick them off the squad if they were caught talking to or hooking up with one of the guys?

That would likely backfire, though, and she’d end up with one or two ladies on her squad and that was all—not enough to pull off any moves or compete. She had to just hope she was wrong or that she would get through to them and convince them to stay away.

Today, though, her focus was on something a little different. Brooklyn stood in front of her squad at the usual end-of-day huddle.

“You know how I feel about the importance of self-defense. Facing a human man is one thing and can be challenging enough, but facing a man in bear form can be nearly impossible. The important thing to know is that the techniques you’d use against a man won’t be very effective against a shifter, and the techniques you’d use if you encountered a wild bear won’t do much either. We’re dealing with a creature that has the mind of a man but the power and strength of a bear.”

“Can’t we just outrun them?” Annabelle asked.

“Have you ever seen a shifter run?” Brooklyn asked. “Bears are one of the fastest animals around. No, you can’t outrun them. What we have on them is agility. They’re fast and strong, but we can duck and dodge better. So, evasion is your best tactic if you’re too close. If you’re far enough away, you can try running, but you’d need a good head start. The other thing I’ve discovered in my research is that pepper spray will work against them to slow them down. Make sure you have a can on your keychain, in your purse, in your car, and several in your home in various locations—”

“Why are we assuming they’re going to attack us?” Claire asked. “Some of them are nice.”

“Of course,” Brooklyn said. “Just like some men are. But we have to be prepared for the ones who aren’t. Pepper spray is good, and also more deadly weapons like knives and guns will help. They won’t be as effective as against a human, but they will give you advantage. If any of you don’t know how to shoot a gun, I’d recommend getting some training. Martial arts training is good too, but against a bear, it may only be useful for blocking. Even then, it won’t be as effective as blocking against a human.”

She went on to demonstrate a few moves and techniques they could use should they find themselves being attacked. She almost wished that she could call Dustin up and practice against him, but she wouldn’t dare be vulnerable that like in front of him or take the chance that he’d learn her techniques. She needed to be able to defend herself against him as much as any other shifter. Maybe she could find someone to practice with though.

At the end of her demonstration, she asked, “Anyone have any questions?”

“Can we go now?” Maddie asked in an irritated tone.

She hadn’t been pleasant since her thing with Jeremy had ended. Brooklyn hated seeing her friend like that and wished she’d never gotten involved with him in the first place. It made working together more difficult with her being grumpy all the time.

“We’re done. I just want to make sure all my ladies are safe. I know this might not seem important, but if something happens and you need to defend yourselves, I promise, you’ll be thankful for this. Tomorrow, be ready to hit the field hard. We’re going to practice tosses. Remember to get a good night’s sleep and stay focused. This isn’t the time to let personal lives or love lives get in the way of what we’ve worked so hard to achieve. The time for hooking up and finding love is in the off season.”

“Maybe she needs to get laid,” Annabelle whispered to Melissa, who giggled.

“What was that?” Brooklyn asked.

“I said, man, I need to get laid,” Annabelle said loudly. “It really relieves the tension you know? If we can’t hook up with men, maybe we can just hook up with each other.” She made a kissy face at Brooklyn.

Brooklyn rolled her eyes and continued. “This is serious, ladies. Men will break your hearts and distract you. You don’t want to mess up your careers and futures for the sake of dating some guy a few times or even getting laid a few times. I’m sure you can masturbate and achieve the same end, Annabelle.”

Brooklyn gave her a narrowed-eyed smirk. What was she going to do about Annabelle? Every practice, every meeting, it seemed Annabelle wanted to do nothing but rebel. She was probably hooking up with a bunch of football players just to piss her off. That’s definitely something Annabelle would do. Well, fine. She’d only end up hurting herself if she did. Brooklyn would just have to make sure it didn’t affect the rest of the squad.

The next day when Brooklyn walked through the locker room, she caught a few of the ladies giggling in hushed tones.

“’Morning ladies,” she said loudly.

They all turned and Claire’s cheeks went pink. “Morning,” she mumbled.

“’Morning,” Annabelle, Holly, and Lucy said.

“Having a fun early morning chat?” She smiled, but wanted to scream. They had to be talking about the players.

“You know it,” Annabelle said with a grin.

Brooklyn gave them another smile and walked away. She circled back around and stood in the locker aisle one over from them so she could hear what they were saying.

“She would be so pissed if she knew!” Annabelle said in a hushed whisper.

“I know.” Holly giggled.

Claire asked, “Did you both actually sleep with one?”

“I did,” Annabelle said proudly.

Brooklyn gritted her teeth. She knew it!

“So did I,” Claire said with a sheepish laugh.

Brooklyn’s mouth dropped open. She wouldn’t have expected that sort of thing from Claire.

“What! Who?” Holly asked. She sounded just as shocked.

“Dustin,” Claire giggled. “The one she warned us about.”

What! Not that class A loser. Why, of all men, did she pick him? He was the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low lives. Claire thought she was being sneaky and cute sleeping with him, but she was the one who was going to get hurt.

“Whoa,” Annabelle said.

“You rebel,” Holly said.

Annabelle wasn’t done, though. “Wait a minute. You slept with him when?”

“About a week ago,” Claire said.

“That low life scum,” Annabelle said, and she sounded angry.

What in the world was going on? Why would Annabelle be angry over that? Wasn’t she the one always saying they should be out dating the players and sleeping with them? Brooklyn would have thought Annabelle would be proud of little Claire getting out there and getting some.

“What?” Claire asked.

“Guess who I slept with just the other day,” Annabelle said.

“No,” Holly said.

“Dustin?” Claire asked in a horrified whisper.

“Yup,” Annabelle said sharply. “That son of a bitch.”

“Is that why he hasn’t been calling or texting me back?” Claire asked, her voice starting to waiver. “He’s been talking to you?”

“I guess so,” Annabelle said. “Though he hasn’t been returning my texts in a speedy fashion either. What a jerk!”

“But…” Claire sounded like she was starting to cry. “But if he slept with you, then…”

“Aw, honey,” Holly said. “Men do this sometimes. They can be such jerks.”

“You didn’t sleep with him, too, did you?” Claire asked shakily.

“No, no. I just know how men can be,” Holly said.

“I can’t believe this,” Annabelle said. “After all the lines he gave me. God, I’m so stupid! I fell for it!”

“What lines?” Claire asked. She sniffled. She had to be crying then.

“Oh, you know, the typical bull crap,” Annabelle said. “I’m the hottest one on the squad, he wants a real commitment and love and not just a hook up, he could really fall for me, blah, blah, blah.”

“He said stuff like that to me, too,” Claire said.

“Aww, I’m sure he did,” Holly said.

“But he seemed like he really meant it,” Claire said.

“They always do,” Annabelle said.

“No, he really, really meant it,” Claire said. “Until he started talking to you. Why did you go and flirt with him?”

“I didn’t,” Annabelle said sharply. “He hit on me.”

“Yeah, right. I see how you are,” Claire said.

“Oh, and how’s that?” Annabelle asked. Her tone kept rising like she was getting angrier.

“You’re always flirting with guys, leading them on, playing with them,” Claire said.

“What the hell, so now I’m a slut?” Annabelle asked.

“Okay, ladies, come on,” Holly said. “Let’s not do this to each other. This is what Brooklyn was warning us about.”

“Well screw her,” Annabelle said. “Maybe if we didn’t all have to be so secretive of who we’re with, this wouldn’t have happened. I would have known you slept with that jerk and let you have him.”

“I’m so sure,” Claire said. “That wouldn’t have stopped you.”

“Why are you being such a bitch?” Annabelle said. “What did I ever do to you?”

“Oh, nothing. You only went after the one man who’s shown any interest in me in years.” Claire sounded like she was crying again. “I can’t believe I slept with him.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so shut off and uptight that you don’t get laid more often,” Annabelle said.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t sleep with every man who looks my way,” Claire said.

If things continued like this, Brooklyn would have to step in and break things up.

“Oh, right, because I’m such a huge slut, right?” Annabelle said.

“You’re the one who said it,” Claire said.

“Ladies, don’t do this,” Holly said.

“You’re right,” Annabelle said. “We should be putting the blame where it belongs.”

“On Dustin,” Holly said.

“No,” Annabelle said. “On Brooklyn.”

That was it. She couldn’t let this go any longer. She stepped around the side of the lockers to face them. Claire’s eyes were red and puffy. Annabelle stood and Holly sat beside Claire on the bench.

“You called?” Brooklyn said.

“Yeah.” Annabelle crossed her arms, but she seemed to lose some of her determination.

“Is there a problem?” Brooklyn asked.

Claire sniffed and nodded.

“I think we all just need to calm down a bit,” Holly said. “They’re both a little upset right now.”

“Oh, yeah?” Brooklyn asked. “Why is that?”

“We slept with the same man,” Annabelle said, in a cocky tone. “And he’s a Polar.”

“Is that why Claire is so upset?” Brooklyn asked.

Claire nodded. “I just thought it was real, you know? I thought he really had feelings for me.”

“This is why I warned you to stay away from them,” Brooklyn said. “I knew something like this would happen.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have to keep everything such a secret,” Annabelle said. “If Claire could have just admitted that she slept with Dustin and was going out with him, I would have stayed away. But I had no way to know. And that’s all your fault.”

“Let’s not forget who’s really at fault here before we all start pointing fingers,” Brooklyn said. “Dustin—”

“Yeah, you’re the one,” Annabelle said. “It’s your fault. You and all your stupid rules for us. Can’t date the football players, can’t sleep with them. Or anyone. You want to have complete control over what we do and who with. You don’t have a right to do that. And look at the problems it’s caused now.”

A few other ladies started to peek around the row of lockers to see what was going on. They were getting pretty loud in their arguing.

“I asked you not to date them because of things like this. Because men like Dustin aren’t men at all, they’re little boys playing games. And now he’s gone and played with you both, and you’re paying for it. He’s sure not broken up over it.”

“Wait, what happened?” Lucy asked, now fully joining them, along with Maddie.

“They slept with the same man,” Holly said. “One of the Polars.”

Maddie whistled. “Nice move. Brooklyn is going to flip out.”

“Ladies,” Brooklyn said sternly. “The only reason I wanted you not to date, and especially not any of the players, was so that this very thing didn’t happen! Now of one them has slept with two of our ladies, and he’s also hit on several others. It’s like he’s just trying to sleep with the whole crew. You think I want my ladies to be hurt like that?”

“No, you want us to be lonely, prude bitches like you are,” Annabelle said.

Brooklyn ground her teeth and pointed a finger at Annabelle. “I am warning you, Annabelle. If your attitude doesn’t change, you’ll be off the squad.”

“Well, at least then I won’t have a second mother looking over my shoulder every second of the day.” She opened her locker, shoved her sweatshirt inside, and slammed it shut again.

“It’s not about that,” Brooklyn said. “I am not trying to mother anyone. I simply don’t want to see you be hurt. Go ahead. Date the football players. Sleep with them all. See what happens. But apparently, you better broadcast it if you do because some of the players will play you for all you’re worth.”

A hush fell over the space. The rest of the ladies showed up, one by one, either coming into full view or peeking from around lockers.

“Now,” Brooklyn said. “A horrible, hurtful thing has happened.”

She heard a few whispers, ladies asking each other what was going on. Better just clear things up now and be done with it before rumors started flying.

“Dustin, who I warned you about,” Brooklyn said, “has slept with two of our ladies and now won’t return their calls. This behavior is not acceptable, and I will have a talk with their coach. I’m not going to stand for my ladies being treated like that. I’m not telling you not to date them like it’s a command.” She narrowed her eyes at Annabelle. “But, what I’m saying is that for your own sakes, it’s better to stay away from them and to keep dating for the off season so that you can focus on cheering now and focus on your romantic interests later.”

She paused, expecting some sort of response or comment, but no one said a word. They stared back at her, wide eyed.

“For now, Annabelle and Claire, I think you should comfort each other. You’ve both been hurt by the same man doing a despicable thing. Neither intentionally hurt the other, and I’m sure if either of you had known, as Annabelle already said, it wouldn’t have happened. This can make you both stronger—and the whole squad if you side together.”

She looked to Claire and Annabelle, who were looking at each other.

“I’m sorry I implied that you were a slut,” Claire said. “You’re not, and Brooklyn’s right. If I had known, I would have told you.”

“And I already said I would have blown him off if I had known you’d gone out with him,” Annabelle said. “We should kick his ass together.” She held out her fist, and Claire tapped it with her own, laughing.

“I’ll let you handle that part,” Claire said. “But maybe we can both send him some mean texts.”

“Well, obviously,” Annabelle said. “We’ll really mess with his head. Get him back.”

“Just don’t get too carried away,” Brooklyn said. “I don’t want their coach coming back on us either.”

“He won’t,” Annabelle said. “But Dustin needs to know this isn’t okay.”

“I agree. I will talk to the coach, and I might even talk to Dustin personally,” Brooklyn said. “And now that we know what he’s capable of, I hope the rest of you take heed. If he hits on you, remember your squad mates and what he did to them. Turn him down and shut him off. He doesn’t need to add another Princess notch in his belt.”

All through practice that day, Brooklyn thought of what she’d say later. She was so pissed, so outraged on Annabelle and Claire’s behalf. She could tear that asshole to shreds. She hoped she got the chance. She would talk to the coach, but her real plan was to confront Dustin and let him know that she wasn’t going to let him go on like this and do this to her ladies. He’d gotten two, and there was nothing she could do about that now, but that’s all he would get.