Tempted by Gold

Sweating, dry heaves, and the overwhelming feeling of pressure in his chest; Fallon was sure he was having a heart attack. Yet, he knew full well it was just the effects of the hangover from the night before. Proof of a drunken stupor left behind with the remnants of the fifth of Jack Daniel’s by his bedside. The flashbacks from his years in the Lycan military didn’t help to aid in the much-needed sleep that night, either. The memories of the battle that had put his warrior wife in a wheelchair after they fought in Wolfbane Wars, still lingered in his mind as he reached to take another swig of his whiskey.

Memories of his parent's murders by the rival wolf pack weighed heavy on his heart as well. He hated werewolves and for d*mn good reason. They were murderous bastards who were only out for themselves, killing at a moment’s notice.

It seemed those young years fighting for his people only brought him heartache. Even at that moment, leaning over a trash can at his bedside, he’d do it all over again when remembering his father’s words to him; the most important honor in a shifter's life is to fight to protect the pack. And he agreed. His years in the military were rough, but the battle win allowed him and his daughters safe refuge from the horrors that faced his back in those days. His people were safe, and the pack had been at peace for years.

Yes, those years in the Lycan army were honorable in his eyes. Although, at times he blamed the PTSD he carried as the reason for lost years that he could have spent in the ring as a famous Lycan prize fighter. Deep down, he knew the drinking wasn’t going to help get him back in the fighting arena, but here he was, taking a swing of the leftover whiskey to dull the pain of losing his loved ones to the war all those years ago. It was just making things worse, and he knew it. For years, he seemed to be keeping it all together, but the dark truth was, he was just a Lycan man with the weight of the world on his shoulders; a father of two, and a life spiraling out of control.

Trying to keep a brave face for his brother and sister, and more importantly his adopted twin daughters, he knew something had to change. He was a retired prize battle fighter and felt he still had some fight left in him but struggled to find a way back to the career he loved. Being a warrior in a war was one thing, but the cheers of the battleground fans were his bread and butter. He let go of his dreams too soon and regretted the day he laid down his battle gear in the middle of the arena for the Lycan world to see.

It was just a few months after his retirement that Lycan’s came out to humans, and life was thriving as his kind became protectors of humankind. It was a perk that many of the shifters become celebrity icons, including himself as once a top fighter. Now, while Fallon was sitting there wallowing in his past, yearning for recognition for his talents, his friends and family flourished.

Since the wolf clans had gone mainstream to the human public, the pressure on him had become even more strenuous when clips of his time in the battlegrounds were highlighted daily on the All-Lycan television network. It just reminded him of a happier time as a prized fighter with his wife and children standing ringside, cheering him on. What should be a happy experience, only brought back painful memories of loss.

He was once the top guy at Ritual-X, the most prestigious Lucan fight club in the world. A mix of MMA, and pro wrestling, with a hint of old-world Lucan fighting. It quickly became a hit amongst Lycans and humans alike. Now, even though he was retired, he couldn’t shake the feeling he need to go back to prove to the world he was still the best of the best. After all, he was in the prime of his life.

He had made the decision to leave his dream job after his wife’s passing, but was having major regrets as of late, and was desperately wanting to return to the ring.

He thought retirement would be an easy transition, considering his brother was the Alpha of the tribe now. The bigger part of the Danes family had settled into a comfortable, normal life, but this wasn’t who Fallon was. He needed the thrill of the fight while his brother seemed to be happy with running their pack. Even as acting Beta, Fallon wasn’t finding many thrills in that.

Most days, he would sit in his Tennessee mansion cabin alone, drinking his sorrows away. After all, he was still the top wrestler in Ritual-X history, and there was no reason for the man to be sitting on the sidelines watching the action on TV. Sure, he was getting a little older, but he was in the best shape of his life. Fighters often retired early, but maybe he jumped the gun.

When he looked at the mirror across the room from his king-size bed, he didn’t even recognize the man looking back at him anymore. The room was in shambles, with dirty clothes thrown everywhere. It reeked from the stench of food takeout boxes, and a blanket hung over the window blocking out any light to brighten the place. Since he lost his wife, Celeste, six months ago, his life had been in a tailspin that seemed to get darker by the day. Jumping from one woman’s bed to another was not helping to fill the void, succumbing to the fact he was now alone.

When the phone rang, Fallon groaned to himself as he went to pick it up. “What?” he answered with a scowl, grabbing the whiskey bottle, and swirling the remaining contents around.

“Wow. Is that how you greet your brother-in-law?”

“Sorry. I had a rough night last night.”

Chase, now the owner of Ritual-X, let out a frustrated breath through the phone. “I heard. Your girls are with Elias. Your brother is ready to kick your *ss for getting drunk around them again, and so is your sister. You’re lucky my wife had me call because she’s furious with you. Elias wants me to talk to you because he said if he does it, he’ll beat the f*ck out of you. I’m in town to check out some new talent at the training center and am on my way to your place now. I’ll be there in half an hour, so get showered and grab a cup of coffee to sober your *ss up.”

“What is this, a f*ck*ng intervention? Why are my girls with Elias?”

“We’ll talk about that when I get there. Try to pull your sh*t together because we have a lot to talk about.”

“Fine. I’ll leave the front door open. Let yourself in,” he said as he tipped the rest of the liquor to his lips, downing it in one gulp. “Don’t get your hopes up trying to fix me.”

“Whatever, just get ready.”

Slapping down the phone on his bed after Chase’s call, Fallon went to pull himself into a shower. Turning on the faucet, he just let the steam and warm water flow over his head and down his face, wondering what was so important that Chase was coming to see him. He didn’t much feel like talking but knew his sister’s husband wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t important. He didn’t go anywhere without his wife.

Thirty minutes later, he leaned over his kitchen table, sipping on his third cup of coffee, black. The clicking of dress shoes on the tile floor told him his brother-in-law had just walked in.

“I let the fur ball of a dog out. He was about to piss on your floor. I still think it’s odd that a Lycan has such a fu-fu little ankle biter as a pet,” Chase said as he stepped into the kitchen. “Damn, man. You look like shit.”

Looking up over his coffee cup, he groaned. “What the fuck do you want? I have shit to do today. The grass hasn’t been mowed and my motorcycle needs