The forest echoed the pounding of Sam's feet as he skirted around trees, ferns brushing against his legs, and insects humming in the undergrowth. His foot tangled in a root and threw him to the ground, knocking the air out of him.
He had to get away. Away from Mik. Away from rejection. Away from the heartache and pain—if only for a few hours.
The earth clung to his wet face, showered by the tears falling down his cheeks. Huffing and puffing, he pushed himself up and pulled his legs up to his chest. His ankle hurt, having twisted it in the roots of the tree, but it was a dull ache against the searing pain in his chest. He raked his fingers through his hair as a sob burst forth.
He would never be enough for Mik. Even if he stopped the testosterone treatments that helped him with energy, mental clarity, and hormonal balance, it wouldn't be enough. Even if the small glands in his breasts started to swell without the injections, they wouldn't swell enough to satisfy Mik. Even though he had the double X-chromosomes of a female, he still had the Y-chromosome of a male as well.
XXY. Not quite male. Not quite female. Intersex.
He always hated the extra female chromosome. It made him feel sluggish and moody, prone to emotional outbursts, and raised his anxiety. Testosterone injections helped immensely and also stopped the little bit of swelling that was developing in his breasts.
His Klinefelter diagnosis was a huge relief and explained so much when he and Dr. Waaban discovered it. His low testosterone levels. The lack of facial and body hair. Why his penis and testes were smaller than normal. Why his breasts were starting to swell like a juvenile female's. Why the shape of his waist and hips were more proportionate to a female's than a male's.
Because of his XXY chromosome set, he was also infertile. He lacked the female organs to bear pups and his male organs were too small to produce sperm. Supposedly with testosterone and fertility treatments, he could impregnate a female but it would be expensive with no guaranteed results.
He always feared telling his mate about this—believing she was female—but now that he knew Mik was his mate, his fear of not being male enough vanished.
But he'd never be the female Mik desired.
"Sam?"
He heard Cameron calling out to him but he couldn't lift his head. Couldn't move. His body was locked up on itself. He'd cried himself out, having sat there near Cameron's house for an hour or two.
"Sam?" Cameron reached his side and crouched down next to him. "Hey, what's going on?"
He stank of sweat, having finished his training and patrol duties. Sam didn't even care about his odor. The mere fact that Cameron noticed him was enough to crack open the floodgates again.
Sam couldn't even spit out words coherently as he wiped the mud and snot from his nose and cheeks.
Cameron helped him up and guided him to his house at the edge of the valley some fifty yards ahead. Once inside, Cameron urged him to take a hot shower and wash the muck from his face and body. When he emerged, he sat down on the couch in the living room and Cameron gave him a mug of peppermint tea. After telling him everything, Cameron was furious—sympathetic, but furious.
"He needs an ass-whooping. I don't care if he's your mate, he needs to be taught a lesson."
"Please, don't," Sam mumbled. "What good would it do? I don't even know at this point."
"He can't keep treating you like this!"
Sam hung his head, the smell and steam wafting up from the mug in his hands warmed his face. "I know. But I don't blame him. It's not his fault I'm male and he's attracted to females."
YOU ARE READING
The Defiant Claim (The Claim: Book 2) LGBT
Werewolf[COMPLETE] Revenge drove him. Bloodlust raged in his veins. All 22-year-old Mik (Mikwam) wanted was to reclaim his birthright and destroy the alpha that took it from him. He never expected to find his mate within the pack of his enemy -- nor was he...
