Page 43 of His Hungry Wolf

As much as my father wanted Claude back, Claude hadn’t been wrong about things. As sharp as Claude had been yesterday, he wasn’t at an NFL level. That didn’t mean he couldn’t get there. But despite what he said about being a wolf shifter, he looked a step slow.

Papa wanted to see him as quickly as I could get him there. Papa said that he would know if he was still the same man if he could see him on the field. What neither of us had expected was that he wouldn’t pick up a football in two years. That’s a long time to be away from a sport that rewards daily improvements.

Putting this out of my mind, I got up and headed to the kitchen. Along with Cali, I found a selection of cereals, fruits, and pastries.

“We have pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausages. Any interest?” Cali asked.

“It all sounds good,” I admitted.

“Then give me a few minutes.”

“Got it.” I was about to head back up to my room to get ready when I paused. “Did you know Claude in high school?”

“He was a few years ahead of me, but yea, I knew him by sight. He was the only black kid in our school.”

“Do you know if he had a hard time growing up?”

Cali shook his head unsure. “As far as I know, everyone liked him. Why?”

“I guess I’m still trying to piece together why no one knew he played football at university.”

“I’m trying to figure that out, too.”

“Has he ever given you any advice about football?”

“He’s never brought it up.”

“Has he ever gone to one of your games?”

“Not that I know of.”

I thought about that.

“I couldn’t imagine doing the things he did and not mentioning it to anyone?”

“I thought I was getting to know him,” Cali admitted, looking saddened.

Staring at him, I could tell that he was genuinely hurt that Claude hadn’t told him.

“But I’m sure you know other things, right? You guys must talk pretty often.”

“We talk,” he said, not looking at me.

“Then maybe it’s just that topic that he doesn’t like to discuss.”

“Something tells me that it’s not just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you pull on a thread, right?” He asked, looking for confirmation.

“How lonely must he be?” I asked, wondering if what I had done had caused this.

Cali mixed ingredients instead of responding.

“Anyway, I’ll be back down in a few. I can’t be late.”

“You’re late!” Claude pointed out as I jogged onto the field.

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