It was the strangest day of Joshua’s young life. Just this morning, he’d been little more than a broke college kid with a dream. He was a good athlete, but never so good he could clinch an athletic scholarship going into university. That didn’t mean he was any less determined to be part of the team, though.

Tryouts went well. He might have been a bit more hesitant to think that in the past but now, he was confident. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his head that he had played out of his mind that morning.

His best friend Mike had come along to support him. They’d grown up together. While he was always interested in the sporty track in school, Mike was more of a geek. It used to be a problem until people realized they were inseparable and it would be less drama just leaving them alone to do their thing.

Joshua remembered the conversation with Coach vividly.

“Have a seat.” Coach sat down behind his desk and motioned to one of the seats opposite. He was a big man, head and shoulders taller than Joshua, and probably half again as wide.

The polo shirt Coach wore strained to contain his massive pecs, the fabric all but suctioned to his skin. It really left very little to the imagination, from the cording of the muscle, down to the hard nubs of stiff nipples pressing up against the shirt.

Josh gulped as he took a seat. It could have been steroids, for all he knew, but he didn’t think that musculature like Coach had could be accomplished with drugs like that. Somehow he felt that all that beef was 100% natural, which got him wondering what they were feeding those beasts because Coach was only slightly bigger than all the guys on the main team.

“Josh, right?” said Coach. “Joshua okay?”

Josh nodded. He wasn’t too fussed about names. And he’d take pretty much anything just to be part of the team. Their record spoke for itself. They went from literally zero to the hottest team in collegiate football and it was all thanks to the man in front of him right now.

“That your friend outside?” said the Coach, jerking his chin briefly toward the window out of the office. Mike was just about visible through the blinds. He had one of his videogame hoodies on but his headphones were around his neck instead of over his ears which meant he was really anxious about this.

“Yeah,” Josh said with a nod as he turned his attention back to Coach. “That’s Mike. My best bud.”

Coach clicked his pen and wrote on his clipboard. “Good,” he said after a moment. “I believe in team effort on and off the field. You did great during try outs. Smoked the hottest local prospects. That’s good. Everyone likes a dark horse. And those guys that you beat, they’re already pretty good, but they’re gonna get even better with motivation.”

“Thanks.” Josh felt almost bad about that but he had no regrets. He knew what this sport was like, how deep the rivalries could go. He could use friendly competition anyhow. No better fuel to get better than another guy doing his best to one-up you.

“There’s just one wrinkle,” said Coach, clicking his tongue as he flipped through the papers on his clipboard. “I only accept mated Alphas on this team,” he said.

“Um…” The comment came out of left-field. Josh wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it a metaphor of some sort? It had to be. Coach didn’t actually believe in that bullshit with Alpha males, did he? Josh hoped not, but he was happy to put up with it if it meant being on the team.

“Yeah. Only way I’ll know all my players needs are being met at home. That way, I’m sure they can properly focus in training and on the field,” said Coach.

So it was a metaphor. Unfortunately, that was one area of life that Josh never really had any luck with. It wasn’t that he’d never had girlfriends before. They just turned out to not be the type of girl he wanted to date for very long.

It was a status thing, he was pretty sure. He’d had his fill of cheerleaders just wanting to hang off his arm to show him off. They never seemed comfortable with his close friendship with Mike either. They all made their excuses but he wasn’t stupid; they just didn’t want to have their reputation tarnished by being associated with the geeky kid.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t really have a girl—”

Coach waved Josh off. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll figure something out,” he said. He pushed back against his desk, wheeling his chair to one of the filing cabinets in the back of the room. He retrieved a folder, opened it to check the contents, and returned to his desk to write something that Josh couldn’t quite make out.

“Here,” said Coach as he held the folder out to Josh. “Take this to a Hierarch Industries clinic for your insurance physical—there’s one on campus—and make sure to take Mikey with you.”

Josh was tempted to correct Coach. Mike hated that nickname with a passion. Something about his dad using it to condescend to him. The only person he ever allowed to use it was Josh, and even then, only sparingly.

He chose to hold his tongue, though he was a bit confused why Coach wanted him to bring Mike along. He was sure there was a good reason, though, so he tried not to think too deeply about it. “Yes, Coach,” he said.

Coach just gave him a wry little smile and sent him on his way.

Joshua understood what Coach meant about being a mated Alpha now. What he used to be was so much less than what he’d become. He felt a confidence that he didn’t use to. He felt stronger. Surer. He knew what he deserved with more certainty than ever before and he felt as if he could conquer the world if only he put his mind to it.

He looked over at Mike—Mikey now, he’d decided—his heart swelling with adoration as his gaze hungrily drank in the sight of his best friend. This was his partner. His mate. And what a sight it was to see him sprawled on the sheets, his eyes closed, his face flushed, his lips parted just enough that he could hear the faint panting as his chest heaved with every shallow breath.

Joshua always thought he’d eventually meet a nice girl, settle down, and have a family. The idea of falling in love with a man never occurred to him. But now, it felt about as natural as breathing. He didn’t know how he’d never seen it until now but he was pretty damned sure he was never going to love anyone as strongly or as deeply as he loved his best friend—though he supposed they were more than that, now.

He was the Alpha. Mikey was his omega. Their dynamic was changed forever and yet, in so many ways, it was just the same as it had ever been. He was sure there were ramifications they couldn’t quite grasp right now but there would be time to explore those later. Together.

The door to their room opened suddenly, taking them both by surprise. Mikey instinctively pulled the blankets up to cover himself. We’ll have to work on that, Joshua thought to himself. Mikey had nothing to be embarrassed about, and that tight, sexy body of his deserved to be shown off.

Joshua himself didn’t even feel the slightest twinge of self-consciousness as the blanket was pulled off his body, exposing him in all his naked glory. He’d always been on the bigger side of average but today’s awakening had changed that. His proud manhood stood ramrod straight from between his legs, pulsing and throbbing, longer, thicker, and altogether far more considerable than it used to be.

As he sat up, he saw his reflection out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look, impressed at what he saw. He was well-built as an athlete but he never used to have the bulk that his larger teammates did. Now, there was no question that he was suited for football.

Joshua tilted his head from one side to the other, admiring the handsome set of his jaw and just how much thicker his neck was with his traps bulging on either side. His shoulders had become broader, rounded by muscular deltoids that gave way to bulging biceps and shredded forearms. The vascularity of his arms was delicious, too, and he couldn’t help but strike a pose when he caught Mikey ogling him.

He flashed a grin at his mate, cock twitching at the pink that bloomed across Mikey’s cheeks. He’d have loved to have a round two with his mate, but he wasn’t quite done with admiring his new self in the mirror just yet.

Joshua palmed his pecs. They were firm to the touch, the mounds of muscle big enough that they filled his hands. The corded muscle felt incredible as he flexed his chest, and a faint tingle of pleasure shot straight down his spine as he brushed his thumb over one of his nipples.

He slid his hand further down, brushing his fingertips over his rippling obliques and then cupping his flared lats. It was a wonder he didn’t feel any restrictions on his range of motion considering how wide they’d grown.

Joshua put it out of his head. There was no need to look a gift horse in the mouth. He brushed his fingertips over his abs, dipping them in and out of the ridges and valleys of the sculpted washboard. He didn’t think that epithet was an exaggeration, this time. He was all but certain he could do laundry on his stomach as long as he tensed his abs.

He looked down and licked his lips, wrapping his hand around his cock. He could barely close his fingers around his girth, and it would take more than two of his hands to hold his entire length. His balls were proportionately hefty and swollen with more of his potent loads. He was hornier than ever, the desire to paint his omega’s insides white until Mikey was swollen and wobbling was ever-present in the back of his mind. And yet, he was fully in control.

Joshua had to laugh. His cock and balls would have looked obscene to him just a scant few hours ago. They were of a size that he’d only ever seen in porn and yet he felt as if they were just right between his legs.

Speaking of which, he had to make sure to take a good look at how those had grown, too. He clapped both hands on his thighs, groaning under his breath as he felt just how solid his quads were underneath. If he wanted to, he was sure he could crush a watermelon between his thighs—if not a pumpkin.

Joshua slipped out of bed and half-turned to get a better look at his posterior. His hamstrings were gorgeous, and his butt had never looked more plump. He palmed that ass with both hands, squeezing and kneading at the meaty cheeks as his cock twitched and leaked from the stimulation.

His calves bulged with muscle and yet they didn’t look bloated at all. They were so well-defined it looked like they’d been carved straight from a block of granite. His feet were bigger than he remembered, too, by at least two or three sizes—if not more.

“Enjoying your change?” said the man in the labcoat. He was even bigger than Joshua and yet his manner was surprisingly gentle. He’d chosen not to speak until Joshua had finished admiring himself, after all.

“More than you’d know,” said Joshua, glancing first at Mikey, then at his reflection, and only then at the man who’d just entered.

“You’d be surprised,” said the guy with a laugh. “I understand you identified as heterosexual before. How would you say that your preferences lean now? Men or women?”

Joshua felt like he should have taken more time to think about his answer to that question but he already knew what he was going to say. It wasn’t even a contest. “Men, definitely. This cute number right here, in particular,” he said as he walked over to the bed and scratched Mikey under the chin.

The man in the labcoat smiled at the little squeak that escaped Mikey. “Would you say that you find yourself more attracted to men in general or to your mate, specifically?”

Again, Joshua felt as if he should have had to consider his answer more thoroughly but the answer came as naturally as breathing. “Men, in general,” he said, almost proud of having shed his past heterosexual tendencies, “But none more so than Mikey.”

“Good. Good,” said the man in the labcoat with a grin. “Well, that’s all I needed. Looks like everything’s alright with you two. So, you should probably head back and let your coach know about your new status, Alpha.”

Joshua nodded and returned the grin. “I’ll do just that,” he said.

“Oh, and what we discussed earlier still stands. If sports doesn’t work out or you find yourself getting tired of football, you’re more than welcome to come back and work for us. We could always use more Alphas and their omegas working here.”

“Thanks,” said Joshua as he reached over to pull the blanket off of Mikey. “But hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a change of clothes for me, would you? Mikey here can probably just wear what he came in with—though it might be a bit tighter—but I definitely won’t be fitting in my old clothes.”

The man in the labcoat laughed and said, “I can definitely have that arranged. Just wait here for a moment.”

Joshua draped his arm over Mikey’s shoulder as he watched the man in the labcoat go. Coach was definitely right to only accept mated Alphas on the team. Not because it meant he’d have his sexual needs taken care of—even though that wasn’t even a question that needed considering—but because he had never felt more driven to win, all to show off for and impress Mikey.