Alpha's Blue (BXB)

Chapter Twenty One

Nicolas - in his Wolf form - and I stayed quiet for another half an hour or so. My hand had gotten tired of caressing his fur and it was just resting on top of his head for the last few minutes. Nicolas had let out another complaining growl until I told him my hand no longer wanted to move and he became quiet once again.

I had also become tired of sitting with my back straight and decided to slouch forward until my head rested on Nicolas' soft fur. The softness made me want to rub my forehead against it and that's what I was doing when my phone started ringing in the distance.

I lifted my head to reach for it when Nicolas growled again. This time his growl was definitely louder than before.

"What is it?" I asked him with a smile.

In reply he just let out another growl which was obviously louder than my phone's ringtone and almost drowned its sound.

"You don't want me to answer it?"

Another growl.

"Okay. This is confusing. How about a short growl for yes, go answer your phone. And a long growl for no, you can't answer it."

He started growling continuously - significantly longer than his previous ones - until I let out a laugh.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I won't answer it." I rested my head back on his fur and he stopped growling right away.

"You were sounding like a car's engine." I teased him and he just moved his tail back and forth in reply.

"This can be our way to communicate when you're in this form. Short growls for yes, long ones for no." He let out a short growl, agreeing immediately.

I couldn't help but laugh and bury my face in his fur. "Your fur is softer than my pillow and blanket combined."

Another short growl.

I grinned and moved my hands to hug him closer to me. "Thank you. I know we haven't been together for long enough but it doesn't feel like it."

Another short growl.

"You seem to be enjoying this."

Another yes.

"Okay, you can stop now."

A long growl followed.

Ignoring him, I sighed and rubbed my nose against his fur instead.

~~~

"I should get going now. I need to be on my way before the sun sets." I said, feeling dejected as I straightened my back.

"Nicolas?" I called his name when he didn't move.

Another minute passed before Nicolas finally lifted his head off my lap and stood on his all four. His hazel eyes met mine.

I gave him a smile before feeling the pricking sensation in both of my legs.

"I can't feel my legs anymore." I complained and stretched my legs to start the blood flow again.

"Aren't you going to shift back? To see me off?" I looked over to him and saw him staring at me instead of shifting back.

He turned his head toward their living area and let out a bark like sound.

"Is there someone?" I questioned, trying to look through the trees on the side.

Nicolas just continued to stare there before walking in that direction.

"Do I have to follow you? My legs are still kinda numb." I asked, looking at him from a distance.

He let out a long growl in reply, which I interpreted as no.

"You'll be coming back, right?" I questioned again, just as he was about to disappear in between the trees.

He growled yes and I let out a sigh of relief.

I waited for him to come back while I massaged my legs to get rid of the numbness. Another few minutes passed before I decided to get up and go find Nicolas as I watched the sun nearing the horizon. I needed to be on the road right away if I wanted to avoid staying up and driving all night.

Just as I was about to start walking to get Nicolas, I saw him coming over with Tobias walking right beside him. He held Tobias' hand in his own and Tobias beamed at me as soon as our eyes met.

Behind both of them, a few more pack members were making their way over to me with smiles on their faces. A few of them waved over to me and I waved and smiled at them in reply.

Tobias clung to my legs when he reached me and hugged tightly.

"Ow. Calm down." I chuckled at his enthusiasm and bent down to look him in the eyes.

"Marco says you're leaving." He said, pouting.

"I'll be back before you know it." I ruffled his hair, trying to cheer him up.

He continued pouting despite being assured, so I pulled him into a hug. "I'll be back soon, honestly."

He hugged me back a moment later and didn't let go until Nicolas walked closer to him and pulled him back.

"We'll miss you." One of the girls spoke from the group of teenagers standing beside Nicolas.

I smiled wide and tried to blink back tears at the same time. Never in my life before I had felt close enough to so many people - at once - and thought of them as more than just acquaintances. Even during school I only had a single person I considered as my friend and even then I had lost contact with her over the years. In university Tay was the only one I talked to. But having so many people's care and affection warmed my heart and made me want to cry for some reason.

I stood up and looked at the sky to make sure no tears escaped in front of them. "I'll miss you all too."

From my right I heard someone clearing their throat before speaking up. "Why does everyone look like they are about to cry? And why wasn't I invited to this, uh - whatever it is?"

Marco's words made me chuckle and everyone else let out a laugh too.

He rested his hand over my shoulder and squeezed gently. "He'll be back as soon as he gets that degree. There's nothing to cry about." He said to the pack members.

I looked over to them and nodded. "He's right."

"Marco, go back with everyone else. I'll walk Blue back." Nicolas walked over to us and removed Marco's hand from my shoulder.

"Okay, Alpha." Marco said in an amusing tone before stepping away. "Come on. Alpha needs to say 'see you later' to his mate."

Everyone smirked looking at Nicolas and I before following Marco and Tobias back in the woods.

Nicolas walked to the side before picking up my phone from the ground. "Here." He said, handing over the phone to me.

"It was Tay by the way. My university friend. He thinks he'll fail unless I help him study. Some people still think Asians are smarter and all, you know." I explained to him before putting my phone back in my pocket.

"And he's completely straight. I've never thought of him as more than a friend." I said, explaining further before meeting his eyes. "You still didn't ask but I thought I should let you know."

His hazel eyes shone and he gave me a smile. My lips mimicked his when he extended his hand toward me - his palm facing the sky. Without another thought I entwined my fingers with his as we started walking back toward my house.

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