The Lone Wolf

26, Hints

Fox wasn’t entirely certain if revealing his secret to Evander had been a good idea. Ahren had been a little more inconspicuous in his revelation, keeping his stares and gentleness mostly discreet. But Evander seemed to be struggling with coming to terms with it. His staring was far more open and obvious, like he was trying to wrap his mind around how Fox had managed to be so docile after a life without a pack’s sense of community. Fox wondered when Evander would figure out that he’d grown up living with his mother’s love, and that had been enough to give him his sense of humanity.

Fox simply did his best to pretend not to notice Evander’s staring, whenever he was working with him or whenever Evander had been invited over to Ahren’s house. Even with that, though, Fox often found himself glancing at reflections in windows and mirrors to catch Evander studying him with furrowed brows. His expressions often lacked their usual scrutiny, however, and instead now held a glimmer of astonishment.

Fox had forgotten to tell Evander not to tell anyone else, but he noticed that no one else seemed to be privy to his origins. Maybe Evander was merely struggling to believe the truth behind Fox's words.

Or maybe, something else was going on in Evander's crowded mind.

On one particular evening, Ahren suggested that the three of them take some time to go hunting together. Ahren had noticed Evander struggling with too many thoughts, and it had been a while since either Ahren or Fox had indulged their wild side.

The three of them traipsed through the thick snow in the woods to the pack’s hunting grounds. Fox vaguely recognized the area they stopped to shed their clothes at. They gave each other space as they stripped, partially obscured from one another by sleeping trees with frost clinging to their bark. But Fox could still catch glimpses of skin and toned muscle.

He pretended to not be bothered by the lingering looks coming from both Alphas. He expected Ahren’s, knowing his gaze came from a place of attraction. He was more aware of Evander’s. Fox discreetly glanced out of his peripheral to catch the Alpha studying his scars. Evander had seen them once when he had to patch him up after Seb’s attack, but that had been at a time when Evander hadn’t known what kind of person Fox was, and hadn’t cared for the hardships of lone wolves. Fox wondered what Evander might see now, what scenarios he speculated over that may have caused Fox to end up in such violent situations.

Fox hoped he wouldn’t pry into the origins of his surgical scars. He stepped out of his pants and underwear and bent down to pick them up from his feet. When he straightened, he stole another discreet peek at Evander. He thought the Alpha would be staring at the scar along his spine, but Evander’s gaze laid steady on a spot much more south.

Heat crawled up Fox’s face as he realized what Evander was caught on now. He continued to act oblivious, but he didn’t miss the way Evander’s cheeks also pinkened before the Alpha tore his eyes away. Fox’s eyes moved before he could stop them, gaining a quick assessment of Evander’s well-endowed set between his legs, and he turned away before his thoughts could become inappropriate.

Ahren strode up to him as Fox folded his clothes. He held out a plastic bag for them to store their clothes in. Once they were all tucked away, Ahren placed the bag in a hollow divot between two tree branches, and the three of them transformed into their full wolf bodies.

They set off at an easy trot towards the edge of the territory. The cold barely touched Fox, his gray fur thickened with a winter coat. He trailed a little behind the Alphas, mainly to allow them to take the lead.

Their noses hovered over the snow, huffing as they searched for solid scent trails, puffs of frosted air escaping their nostrils. They separated slightly, hoping to have better luck in finding something by spreading out. Fox relaxed a little more with the more space he gained between both werewolves. He remembered the thrill of hunting with a group, but he was still so accustomed to hunting alone.