Me and Bear

Chapter six

Bruin

It's early Wednesday morning. I haven't seen Austin for what feels like years when in reality it's only been a day since he left my house in the middle of the night. Letting him make that trek, letting him go at all had been difficult but I understood he needed his time alone to think. I had, after all, dumped a massive surprise on him.

I really hope he chooses to give me this one more chance to make things right and to make him realise how much I already adore him. It shouldn't be possible for me to already feel this connected to him, nobody told me it was going to be quite this difficult. Of course, like the child I was, I always dreamed of meeting my mate and immediately being with them. It never occured to me that my mate could be completely oblivious to my existence and what comes with it.

I was astounded by how much it hurt what he said Sunday when he denied knowing me. I'm not quite sure what the deal was with the owl that stood in our path confidently but I most definitely understood that the relationship between Austin and that guy is anything but peachy. I was seriously concerned with the change I saw in Austin when the owl started talking. And yes, owl, I could sense the bird within him and knew he was a shapeshifter as soon as I smelt him. Despite him being so much smaller than me, either form considered, he made me uneasy because of his influence over my mate. Austin was laughing at the tale of me getting lost in the woods for the umpteenth time but when that man spoke I nearly got whiplash, watching Austin turn into a shell of the man I knew him to be.

I wanted so badly to just take that bird and pummel him when he called Austin a freak but I didn't want to distress my mate any more so I followed him only to be kicked out onto the curb. That hurt as well, it really did. The beast inside was clawing to go back to him but I understood he didn't want me there so I left. Austin looked so small and defeated when I left him standing at his door. I wanted to just grab him and never let go, keep him in my embrace where he wouldn't be touched by the cruelty of the world around us.

Waking up on Monday morning was horrible, knowing my own mate had thrown me out. I kept pacing back and forth, debating whether or not I should go to him and ask what that was all about. I decided to give him his space and roamed around the forest instead. The sun didn't feel as warm on my pelt as it usually did, nor did the leaves smell as crisp and exciting as they usually do. Everything was just... dull, boring, lifeless. Imagine my surprise then when I'm on my way home and suddenly hear a thump in the bushes and discover it's Austin. He had fainted and I figured he had seen me shift, change from beast to man.

Obviously I didn't just leave him to lay in the bushes, I took him home with me and well, things escalated. Not in the direction I was hoping they would, though. At least he now knows about me which is sort of a relief, I don't have to keep hiding it. At the same time, I wish he didn't discover me so soon so that we could've developed our relationship a little further before I dropped that bombshell on him. That was more or less the original plan but, well, it blew up in my face.

I'm on my way to Austin's place to see if he has already reached a decision. The trip doesn't take long and soon I'm standing behind his house. The curtains are drawn which most likely means he's awake. Remembering the way he greeted me on Sunday, dressed in only his hoodie with either very short shorts or boxers underneath. The endearing way he blushed as he realised it. Sitting next to him as he ate his breakfast felt so domestic and I loved it, dreaming of all the mornings to come where we would be sitting next to each other in much the same way, dressed only in our sleepwear.

I cross his backyard but something in front of his house bothers me. For a few moments I try to figure out what it is that's bothering me when suddenly I realise. It's the scent floating around here. Very faint but I still feel it, Austin's blood. I doubt he managed to stab himself with his keys so I'm instantly on high alert. There's another scent, even fainter than Austin's like someone has tried to mask it. It's the irritating scent of that owl we met. It would be funny how his scent alone makes my best restless if not for the fact that it's here when I can also smell my mate's blood.