Escape is Only Temporary [boyxboy]

Chapter V

 ~Saturday 21st May 2016~

Reece allowed his eyes to droop closed, basking in the silver glow of the full moon. It pierced deep within him, sending energy running through his muscles, sparks following in their tracks. His wolf was growing restless, no longer comfortable being caged away. Soon, he soothed it, although it did little for the tempestuous beast. In any other month, Reece would have turned by this point. He didn't like to leave it so late, when the moon was already high in the sky, it only risked chaos.

In reality, his wolf could take control at any point. It had the strength to overthrow Reece's consciousness, reduce him to merely a voice within their shared form. Yet, it never did. Reece's wolf understood that conflict between the two wouldn't do any good. They had to be bound to one another, an ebb and flow of power, constantly at peace, or havoc would ensue. When he was younger, before he had learnt how to tame his wolf, Reece had been almost feral.

Black wolves had natural strength, meaning they were far more dangerous than the lower breeds within their pack. Reece had endured particular trouble when taming the beast within himself. He had presented early, beginning to shift regularly before he hit puberty, however, his wolf just wouldn't listen to him. He was known to shift during the slightest emotional change, and that meant that Reece was shrouded from his pack for most of his childhood. He was destined to lead, and his parents hadn't wanted the pack to know how little control their future alpha had. Just another cause of his fucked up personality.

"Reece?" At the sound of Aris' voice behind him, Reece opened his eyes. He hadn't realised just how tightly he was holding onto the railing around the balcony until he unfurled his fingers. A dull ache ran through them, merging in with the stinging prickles across his knuckles. If he didn't shift soon, he wasn't going to be able to stop himself. And, if he was feeling the effects of the moon so severely, he could only imagine what it was like for Aris, Tavien and Juda.

"Tav's with Shepherd now, so we can go if you're ready," despite being older than Reece, Aris held an insurmountable amount of respect for his alpha. He could have led himself too, if he hadn't run from his own pack when he was a child. Reece had known Aris since he was a pup, having looked up to the man as he had grown. Aris had been destined to lead a pack within Egypt, having lived in the Sahara for the majority of his life, however, he had never followed through with what fate had set out for him.

His father was known for his brutality, having beaten Aris severely for the first eight years of his life, deeming it 'character building'. The marriage to Aris' mother had been arranged and, despite her beauty, his father had never been pleased with his wife. On the eve of Aris' ninth birthday, he and his mother escaped the pack. They made it to the nearest dock, however, Aris was the only one to board the ship. His mother couldn't live with her torture and had taken her own life, leaving the child in the care of the nearest family she could find boarding the ship. Her final act of strength had been to give her pup freedom, no one could ever say why she had truly decided the sea was to be her end. The torment had been too much for her, death was the only peace in sight.

Despite all that he had endured, Aris was one of the most gentle men that Reece had ever met. And his soul had only flourished when he met his mate fifteen years ago. Tavien soothed Aris' scars, repairing any stitching that came loose and healing any new wounds that appeared. They were perfect for one another, and Reece could only wish them happiness throughout the remainder of their years. Even if family wasn't on the table for them, with Aris afraid of becoming a monster like his own father, Reece had a feeling that they would adopt young pups soon enough. If anyone was to get Aris to a point where that was possible, it was Tavien.

"Where's Juda?" Reece asked, following Aris back into the suite and locking the balcony door behind him. Although he wouldn't admit it, Reece once had pretty strong feelings for Aris. He had been young at the time, only in his late teens, not even finished aging, yet Aris had been the center of his fantasies. Fundamentally, he still thought Aris was attractive. Coffee-coloured skin, littered with the ghosts of his father's beatings, and ebony hair that fell in disheveled waves, just brushing atop his ears, Aris looked like an Arabian god. He had the typical muscle that most wolves had, from the constant running, yet it was his eyes that had always caught Reece's attention. Through his right, there was a slash of black parting the golden iris, another reminder of his past, another imperfection that only added to his beauty.