Midfield Academy: Book 3

Chapter 98: Calm Until Provoked (17 years, 5 months)

~This chapter has an unedited version with a sexually explicit scene, which can be read for free on Radish Fiction, or on Wattpad in The Nitty Gritty which can be found on my profile~

River closed the door and turned to find his son looking so sad. It broke his heart. "It's okay." He hugged Cyrus. "It's okay, really."

They went and sat down on a giant beanbag. River cradled his son's head to his chest.

"It was so stupid." Cyrus ran his hands down his face. "I don't know why I got so mad so fast. Why can't I just be normal?"

River played with his son's head fur. "It's nothing you can change, Cyrus. It was how you were born. It runs in your father's blood."

"Brook doesn't have it," snapped Cyrus.

The brown werewolf was pouting. River found it adorable. It wasn't any different than the naughty pup he chased through the mansion for years.

"She took more after me."

"Why couldn't I take after you?" muttered Cyrus. "Instead I get stuck with aggressive tendencies," he mocked. "If people at school find out, I'll have to deal with the rabies comments again."

"What?" River lifted his son's chin. "Who says that about you?"

Cyrus sat up and frowned. "Don't tell father, okay? I told him some kids in elementary school were calling me a feral after one of my outbursts and he showed up at school. I don't need him fighting my battles for me. It just makes things worse. I went from being called feral to everyone completely ignored me and calling me it behind my back. When traditional started coming to the academy, it changed from feral to rabies." He let out a shaky breath. "It's stopped, but once they hear I attacked someone again, it's just going to start again." The young dominant fell into his dad's arms. "Why can't I be like Jesse and puke around werewolves who are stronger than me?"

River laughed. "I don't think it would help." He rubbed Cyrus's back. "Don't let them get to you. Once you're out of school, you'll start working with your father. People will come to respect your rank."

"It still sucks. I wish I knew what exactly sets me off."

"Well"—River hugged him—"the first time was to protect me when you were eight. You took on a full grown dominant. Scared me half to death, thankfully your father was there. You've done it because Jesse was threatened. A couple times it was because older kids were making fun of you and insulted your rank. But you were a little skinny back then. That's my fault but look at you now." He smiled. "Basketball has helped my little scarecrow."

Cyrus groaned. "Not funny, dad. I hated that nickname growing up."

"You just kept growing. We could never keep you fed."

"Well, aware. Everyone tells me that all the time."

River looked his son in the eyes. "You've always protected your family and never been afraid to defend yourself. Maybe it's because I'm a traditional, but I've never seen a problem with either of those. We're werewolves, not humans," the sub recited.

Cyrus grinned. "How many times had father told you that?"

River's shoulders dropped. "A lot. I'm a little different too. Everyone in this family has a few quirks."

There was a knock on the door. Troy entered. "Are you feeling better?"

Cyrus nodded and stood. "I'm sorry. I just snapped. Is Daven okay?"

"He's fine. Trevor already arranged a meeting for the four of you."

"Four?"

Troy nodded. "You, Trevor, Daven, and Jesse. Daven is family and we can't have this kind of tension between us. It's not healthy for the pack or the family."