Boundaries

Chapter 2

Dylan makes it to the car before bursting into tears. He's proud of himself, he hadn't thought he'd make it past the edge of the clearing.

He feels the ghostly touch of his best friend's fingertips on his shoulders, but shakes his head, recoiling away from the sensation.

Samuel's touch is not what his body wants, what his body craves.

Sobs rake through his chest as the all consuming ache of being torn apart penetrates every inch of his body, settling into his bones. His lungs feel tight, seized up, like they've all but disappeared from his chest. It's the bond, the reaction to the separation of two people who were never meant to be parted.

He's never felt anything quite like it.

He thinks back to when he had first entered the clearing, how that scent, that all consuming, familiar, comforting smell, had hit him like a ton of bricks.

His boyhood friend, his best friend and for a long time his only friend, who had one day just disappeared from his life. His mind revolts, fighting against the memories.

Time had changed the both of them. Orion had always been tall and stocky when they were young, but his frame has seemed to triple in size. His cheeks are adorned with stubble now, instead of the soft, supple skin of a child and his eyes are darker.

The shape of his face has changed, his hair worn longer on top now, a new scar running through his eyebrow, but he hadn't changed. Every part of him is kept neat, fastidiously regimented even though his militant dad has been dead nearly ten years now.

The familiarity of this makes Dylan's heart ache all the more.

He takes a deep breath, his fists clenching in his hair as Sam starts the engine. Dylan watches the scenery flash by him, knowing that he's just a few minutes from the spot that was once 'theirs'.

Just a few feet away there would be a gap in the shrubbery, and through that gap would be a slope leading down to the river that separates their land. Here, two boys, isolated by the fortune of their birth, would find solace in each other.

They would talk, shy at first. But the shyness wouldn't last long. They would share secrets, play in the shallow water on hot summers' days, play fight in their alternate forms and eventually, share a first kiss.

Dylan turns his head away from the window, biting his lip so that he may experience a different sort of pain. He wonders if Orion remembers their spot, if that was why he had chosen that clearing to meet. Their territories share a boundary for miles, there were plenty of other places to choose.

When they reach the pack house, Sam turns off the engine but makes no move to exit the car.

He glances at Dylan, pursing his lips.

"Are you okay?" He signs.

Dylan bites the inside of his cheek to prevent his lip from trembling.

He doesn't know how to respond.

"I don't know." He whispers eventually, signing to his friend.

Sam can read lips, but Dylan likes to sign. It keeps his mind active, and it's good practice. When he had chosen Sam as his Beta, he had gotten a lot of backlash from the pack.

How were they to communicate with him effectively? How were they expected to cope?

Easy, Dylan had thought.

Learn sign language.

Sam had been teaching him signs for years, mostly so they could talk in meetings without Dylan having to open his mouth. It was easy, as long as you practiced.