Life is quiet and comfortable for Gael. Abel has moved in to his house, school is going great and he has his little solid friend group.
But as the population of wolves grows from one to four, Gael has to figure out how to navigate them looking to hi...
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"It doesn't mean a whole lot, you know," River said as we walked back towards mine.
"I don't know that yet." I didn't really wanna have much of a conversation. I was trying to think. Something felt unsettling about River and I sharing a maker. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew I didn't want everyone to know about it. So far, Abel and Creek knew. Eventually I'd tell Fred and Cal about it too. But I didn't know why I didn't want everyone to know yet, just that I didn't want them to. Something in my gut was telling me not to tell everyone.
"Gut feeling," I finally said and stopped in front of my house.
"It's telling you not to tell?" River stepped into the front garden and dumped down on the top step to the porch.
"Yeah, kind of. I don't know. I just feel really uneasy. Anxious."
"Aren't you always anxious?" He smirked at me and dug out his fags.
"Not always. Just... Often. I guess. I don't know how to explain it." I sat down next to him on the steps.
"It's not like you're alone with that feeling. There is something unsettling being around you for me too. But for me it's more like... A sort of protectiveness. I think you're weird as fuck, and a bit of a dork. But like, if someone said that to you, I'd probably break their face."
I glanced up at him as he exhaled smoke through his nose. He seemed sincere. Maybe it was some kind of primal feeling. I had it too towards all the wolves, not only River.
Abel opened the door and came out onto the porch. River held out his fags to Abel and my boyfriend actually took one. He caught my gaze and shrugged.
"Not like I can get cancer." He got it going and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out, a big cloud coming out of his mouth, like a dragon. "What're you doing out here?"
"Just chatting. I picked up River from work and we went to the bakery and met Creek."
"Busy, busy, busy," he murmured and squatted down behind me, giving me a kiss on my head. I leaned back against him, and he got settled a little better, him on the top step and me on the bottom one. He encased me in his arms and the anxiety I had been feeling slowly faded, as I sunk into him.
"Well, now I know why you're not anxious all the time," River muttered without looking at us.
"What do you mean?" Abel asked.
"He gets ridiculously relaxed around you." River pulled his gaze from the house opposite ours and looked at Abel. "I can hear his heartbeat. Surprised you can't."
Abel's face hardened and he swallowed. "If I went around listening to everyone's pulse all the time, I'd go mad." He rose to his feet, and I noticed his hands shaking. "Gonna go feed now." He threw the fag on the ground and walked inside.
It wasn't his regular feeding time, and his hands only shook when he was hungry.
"You're an ass, you know that?" I growled and rose to my feet.
