Stuck in the Middle (MxMxM)?

It was now the end of the semester, and Ryder had taken his last exam. He was sitting in the cafeteria, waiting for Adan and Kendric to finish their own tests when someone sat across from him.

The man smelled of faint cologne. Curious, Ryder looked up, and then almost shot to his feet.

Axel sat boldly with his eyes locked onto his. The man was not wearing his usual flashy attire and instead had on a basic shirt and jeans. His hair was slightly disheveled, helping him blend into the student populace.

The audacity of his showing up right on campus, surrounded by humans and werewolves alike, floored Ryder, who wondered how much trouble he'd get into if he pulled out his pepper spray.

"Don't speak," Axel warned, lowering his tone. "I just want to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." Ryder glared. "After what you did?"

"I'm sorry."

*ring*

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here for you!"

"I'm not leaving with you if that's what you're asking. And don't you dare think you can get away with threatening anyone else! Everyone knows about you."

"I just wanted to talk."

"You kidnapped my friend and shot me in the leg. I'm not interested in anything you say."

"Ryder, please! You're all I have left!"

He reached across and tried to grab Ryder's hand, but Ryder yanked his back. "And whose fault is that?"

"Yours! You're the reason our group got exposed. You're the reason I killed our leader. You're the reason the others were caught!"

"You're the one who bit me in the first place!" Ryder hissed. "You should have just left me alone after Henry was gone!"

"Don't forget, the only reason I killed him was to help you!"

"I already had protection!"

"Right. Your parents, and those Alphas. But they weren't around in the beginning. Had I not stepped up, you would be dead."

"Those Alphas are here now! So why are you still talking to me?" He folded his arms, while sneakily holding one hand close to the pocket that held the pepper spray. "You can't seriously expect me to believe you fell head over heels for me just because I sang to you? I thought you were a dog!"

"That's not it at all." The man bit out sourly. "I liked that you had cared enough to try to help me. I wanted to return the favor at first. But the more time we spent together, the more I wanted it to last. I just wanted to be with you, but if you joined another pack then it could never happen. I was desperate. I know it was wrong, but..."

"Then why not try to join one of the local packs? Why hurt and harass people? Your reasoning makes no sense!"

"The packs would never let me in!" His hands fisted on the table. "After the trouble that Henry caused, I knew there was no going back! I would be shunned for being part of the group that killed that hiker. And now I'll be shunned for killing that murderer. It was bad enough I didn't have any powers, but with my reputation as it is, I have no chance of being accepted anywhere. That's why I tried to start a new pack from scratch."

"What about your parents?"

"My parents..." His face twisted, showing a brief moment of anguish before recollecting himself. "They were rogues too. They tried to get rid of me when I failed to develop an ability. I was no use to them and keeping a useless kid in a rogue pack was too much work."