Tawdry Little Affair {boyxboy}

Chapter Thirty

"Car," Arlo repeated for the umpteenth time as Fionn removed him from the car seat.

"Yes, buddy, you were just in a car," Fionn sat Arlo on his hip and pecked Dante's lips, "don't be too long."

"I shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes, don't make any rash decisions without me, puppy," Fionn chuckled, "bye-bye, Arlo," Dante waved at the child, who slowly attempted a copy at his action. Suddenly Arlo leant forward, reaching through the open window to hug Dante tight, his bottom lip quivering when he moved back to clutch onto Fionn's shirt.

"I'll be back soon, little guy," Dante kissed his hands gently before driving off, leaving the two alone in the darkness of the unfamiliar forest.

"Bye-bye?" Arlo whimpered, tears in his golden eyes.

"Oh, not forever, buddy, he's coming back, don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere," Fionn rubbed Arlo's back, striding through the forest toward the collection of houses nearby the dirt road he had been dropped off at.

"You must be Fionn," a tawny-haired woman emerged from one of the closest houses, beaming, "and this is little Arlo?" the woman waved at Arlo, who was immediately drawn into her eyes.

"Yellow," he pronounced proudly.

"He loves people's eyes," Fionn explained as Arlo ran his fingers just below the woman's eyes.

"He's adorable," the woman's smile somehow grew brighter, "you have beautiful eyes yourself, wow, they're different colours... are you a hybrid?" the woman frowned slightly, studying Fionn's eyes.

"No, I just have a very strong and complex bond with my fiance. It's a long story."

"I'm Pria," the woman changed the subject quickly, which Fionn was rather grateful for, shaking hands with him, "I contacted the alphas of the packs I speak to regularly and there had been no cubs going missing recently. The last one was about four years ago, it was a little girl, and they found the body last year. Hunters," Fionn noted the sorrow in Pria's eyes, felt it in his own soul too. Parents shouldn't outlive their children, "I was speaking with Hanson earlier this morning and we believe Arlo was probably left by a group of lone wolves that passed through his land no longer than four months ago. It's likely they probably didn't have the capability to take care of a toddler or simply thought he would have a better life without them. I mean, if Hanson had found him I would have had to take him in and at least then he would have grown up with a pack."

"Tree," Arlo chimed in, his gaze flickering around their wooded surroundings.

"That's right, lot's of trees, buddy," Fionn smiled down at the child, who was beginning to look rather tired.

"How about we go inside? I can find something to keep Arlo busy whilst we talk," Pria led Fionn into the house she had exited earlier, stepping over a variety of children's toys, "I have two boys myself, and a little girl, they're all in bed."

"How old are they?" Fionn saw Arlo rub his eyes, yawning, and wondered if maybe he should have left him back at the hotel with Dante to sleep.

"Kailen is nine, Hendrix is five and Ivy is nearly one. Speaking of which, if you would excuse me," Pria turned down the volume of the baby monitor as it began to relay Ivy's crying and walked up the stairs. Fionn sat on the couch, holding up a toy for Arlo that the child completely ignored.

"I think you're tired, buddy, aren't you?" Fionn rubbed Arlo's back as the child sank into him, closing his eyes.

"Would you like something to drink?" Pria asked, returning to the room with a small baby in her arms, placing her in Moses basket by the window.