Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!-Chapter 28: Wood

Chapter 28: Wood
Riven hummed thoughtfully.
Would they smell like him?
His tail flicked again.
Oh, he was
so
stealing at least one.
Riven strutted into the mansion like he owned the place, his bag slung over his shoulder and his head held high. He had survived the
incredibly
entertaining carriage ride with Troy, and now it was time for the next stage of his journey—whatever that was.
But the moment he stepped inside, he stopped.
Standing in the grand entrance were three men, and
oh
—oh, they were
hot
.
Not just
good-looking
. No, these men had the kind of physiques that belonged in the pages of questionable romance novels—tall, broad-shouldered, built like warriors who had probably never known what it was like to struggle with opening a jar. Their uniforms clung to their muscular forms like second skin, emphasising every hard-earned muscle.
Riven immediately approved.
The one standing in the center, clearly the leader of the trio, had an effortless air of authority. His name had to be something regal, something
annoyingly noble
—like Raphael. Yeah, he
looked
like a Raphael. The way he carried himself screamed confidence, his powerful stance showing that he was used to being in charge.
To his right was another hunk—sharper, with a dangerous edge. His name was definitely something snappy, maybe Victor. He looked like the kind of guy who trained at sunrise just for fun and probably had an intense brooding routine before bed.
And finally, the third guy, slightly more arrogant, with an almost smirking expression—Ambrose. A man with a name like that was bound to be trouble. He had the posture of someone who believed he was the best in the room. Riven’s memories do come in handy sometimes.
Riven didn’t mind trouble. In fact, he welcomed it.
But the moment he stopped, so did they.
Ambrose’s smirk widened as he looked Riven up and down, not even trying to hide his amusement. "So,
this
is the half-breed."
Victor crossed his arms. "The one the Alpha chose."
Raphael said nothing, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in his expression.
Riven tilted his head, his tail flicking lazily behind him. "Oh wow. I don’t think I’ve ever been sized up so aggressively before. Do you want to fight or flirt? Because I’m open to both."
Ambrose’s smirk faltered for half a second before he scoffed. "Don’t get ahead of yourself."
Victor chuckled under his breath. "Careful, Ambrose. You might encourage him."
"Encourage him?" Riven placed a hand on his chest, feigning innocence. "Please, I don’t need
encouragement
to be a menace."
Ambrose rolled his eyes. "I can
see
that."
Raphael finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "Enough." His sharp gaze flickered between his companions. "If the Alpha chose him, that means he belongs here. Don’t question the Alpha’s decisions."
Ambrose clicked his tongue but said nothing else, though he didn’t look particularly happy about it.
Riven, on the other hand, was entirely unbothered. If anything, he was
thriving
.
"So," he said, resting his chin on his hand, "are we all going to be living in this mansion?"
Raphael nodded. "Yes. It’s part of our foster brotherhood. We train together, we live together, and we strengthen our bonds."
Riven, with every fiber of his being, tried to keep a straight face. He really did.
But the moment the words
foster brotherhood
left Raphael’s mouth, his brain short-circuited.
I only care about wood,
he thought to himself, barely managing to hold back a snort. He really did manage to rhyme brotherhood with wood... Wait... Brotherwood, Riven blinked. That would be more suitable for Julius.
I will not think about that dog
now.
He pressed his lips together. This was dangerous territory. If he laughed, they’d think he was insane.
Oh, but it was
so hard
not to. Get it? Hard... Because when... Forget it.
The universe was testing him. He had too many BL and gay jokes yet he was forced to contain himself! It was too much!
Surrounded by ten hot men? Forced to
live
with them? He wasn’t being punished—he was being
rewarded
.
Was this... Was this heaven?
His tail swished behind him at the thought, betraying his excitement.
Ambrose scowled. "At least try to act like a proper wolf."
Riven’s tail stopped mid-swish. Slowly, he turned his head, arching a brow. "Oh?"
Ambrose met his gaze, unwavering.
A slow, mischievous smile spread across Riven’s lips as he took a single step forward—closing the space between them until they were nearly chest to chest.
Ambrose did not move at first, but there was a slight shift in his posture, a flicker of hesitation.
Riven leaned in just slightly, lowering his voice to a near whisper. "Why don’t you teach me?"
Ambrose’s breath hitched.
For a second, just a second, his composure wavered.
Then, with an annoyed grunt, he took a step back. "Not interested."
Riven grinned, stepping back as well. "That’s a shame. I
love
a good teacher."
Ambrose snorted. "You’re insufferable."
"I prefer the term
delightfully unpredictable
," Riven corrected with a wink.
Raphael sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is going to be a long training period." Yes, he was not too thrilled when their Alpha told them who was going to be joining them from the tenth family.
They had all expected Julius to come, yes, he was not the nobleman’s real heir but he was still a wolf! While this Riven...
Riven smiled brightly. "Oh, don’t worry. It will be
fun
."
Raphael did not look convinced.
Victor remained silent for the whole conversation. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Ambrose looked like he was trying to figure out if he wanted to be amused or irritated.
Riven?
He was
having the time of his life
.
Maybe not being marked by Ronan wasn’t such a bad thing after all. He could happily fuck other men and he could not do a single thing about it.
After all, this mansion was
crawling
with eye candy.
And he
did
love a good challenge.