Mate Mysteries

Chapter 80

Pip roamed the ground floor until evening. "I don't think it's coming tonight," Krey said without moving his eyes from the TV. They sat in the games room and Pip sat on the windowsill, watching the pebbled path that plunged into darkness.

"It said it was due to arrive."

"What did you order?" Pip didn't answer him, so Krey turned with a raised eyebrow. Pip pursed his lips and avoided his gaze. "Another book." Krey snorted and shook his head. "If you don't slow down, we'll have to build an extension just for your books."

"It's just one book this time." Pip eventually got tired of staring from the window and plopped himself down next to his boyfriend.

"What's the book about?" Krey asked after casually hooking an arm around his shoulders.

"You wouldn't like it."

"Romance then." Krey smirked and jabbed Pip's side. He tried to squirm away but Krey held him down and cupped his cheeks. "Maybe-"

"Pip!" a wolf shouted from the table, stalling her chess game.

A guard from the gate stood by the window, waving a brown parcel by the window. Pip bounced from the couch. His joy made everyone grin as he tore open the package and hurried from the room with the book pressed to his chest.

Pip passed his parents in the long corridor that had both the door to the canteen, and the heavy door to the stairwell. He zoomed past and his dad yelled, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"A book!" Pip yelled back, shoving his bodyweight against the stairwell door to push it open. He grinned to himself as he jumped up the stairs two at a time. He was getting used to seeing his parents every day, which was odd.

He had spent so long wishing he could do normal things with them again that doing normal things with them again was strange.

Pip bolted to the bedroom and buried himself under the duvet. He stayed in the same place until Krey came to bed.

The werewolf stood in the doorway, staring at Pip with a soft endearing look in his eyes, the kind of twinkle that appeared when other people had been talking about his mate.

"Night Pip!" Makena yelled from down the corridor.

"Night!" Pip replied, grinning at Krey who shut the door and stalked to the bathroom. He held their gaze until the bathroom door shut behind him. Pip heard him brushing his teeth and washing his face. Krey returned in his usual black shorts, though the nights were cold now that winter had arrived and he sometimes wore a t-shirt.

Though Pip got cold easily, and Krey liked to share his unnatural body heat with him through the bitter nights.

This evening was one of those harsh cold nights. Pip pushed himself to Krey's side as soon as he sat beside him. Krey kissed his temple and Pip turned his head to kiss his lips.

Pip then snuggled into him and read for a little while longer.

A little while longer turned into an hour, then two, then three, then Pip wanted tea. He tiptoed to his library, but returned to the bedroom so his absence wouldn't wake Krey. Pip sat on the windowsill and read his book in the moonlight, not able to put it down despite it being 2:30 in the morning.

Halfway through his cup of honey and tea, faint shadows kept moving across his pages. At first Pip thought the shadows were birds, but they were too small and too frequent. He looked up when he thought the room was a little brighter.

Pip almost dropped his book. The source of the shadows were thick snowflakes floating silently past the glass. During the time he had spent wondering what the shadows were, a thin blanket of snow covered the field and the trees beyond.