Chapter 21

"Francis," Krey hissed. "Get over here." Most of the wolves were in the dining hall, having dinner. Francis was about to go in until Krey called her from down the corridor.

Francis hurried to him without arguing that she was hungry. "Yes, Alpha?"

Krey took her arm and dragged her down the rest of the corridor. Other wolves saw them, and their suspicions grew about the rumour. Nobody would dare question their Alpha about whether the tale was accurate about Francis being his mate.

Krey stopped when they were alone. He looked up and down the long corridor. "I need to see Pip tonight. The bond is getting stronger, and I think it's making Pip sick."

"I was going to mention that to you yesterday when you got back, but there were too many wolves around for us to talk." Francis lent against the wall, feeling a little more comfortable in her Alpha's presence, which in her opinion, should be like that all the time. Krey didn't need to be feared by everyone to be powerful. "I've been researching soulmate bonds, just in case you have questions and can't go to your mum about it. They say, if your mate is human, the longer the bond is unconnected, the sicker the human will get."

"How do you connect the bond?" Krey felt a sense of sudden urgency. Pip couldn't get ill because of him, Krey wouldn't allow it.

"It's quite simple, actually. You have to be in your wolf form, and Pip has to be comfortable enough to hug your wolf for at least a minute."

Krey sighed. "Pip is terrified of my wolf form."

"You've shown it to him?"

"Yesterday. Pip was getting chased." Krey scowled and picked at the skin of his thumb. He had a splinter from running in the woods. "His fear was deep. He didn't warm to me even when I was calm."

"I gather whoever was chasing Pip saw you too? I haven't heard more rumours, but if I do, I'll dismiss them and say a large fox has been spotted around the area."

Krey stared at Francis. She looked down with a polite smile. "You act more like a Beta wolf than my Beta. Why are you only an Omega?" Krey continued to pick at his thumb.

Francis watched him, and to avoid answering his question, took his hand and started squeezing the skin.

Krey growled and tried to yank his thumb away.

"Stay still, Alpha, or you'll never get it out." Francis concentrated until a door opposite them opened and Makena stepped into the corridor.

Makena saw them standing close with Francis holding her son's hand. Krey never willingly stood close to anyone. He even hated when people sat next to him at tables.

Francis leapt back, abandoning the splinter. She smiled at Makena and bowed her head. "I'm going to get some dinner." She hurried down the corridor, leaving Krey alone with his mother, the one person he had tried hard to avoid.

"Krey," Makena said, slowly approaching him. The corridor was still empty. "I noticed you've been in and out of meetings today with some of your pack members. I'm proud of-"

Krey walked away. Every time he saw his mother, he wanted to yell but yelling never solved anything and Krey was tired of always feeling angry. He longed for the tranquillity that Pip radiated.

Also, he kept expecting an apology from his mother for embarrassing him the way she did, but Makena avoided the subject as much as Krey avoided her.

He marched down the corridor, texting Francis to meet him by the gate in twenty minutes. Krey planned to go to Pip's house and watch from the darkness for a while. He needed Francis because back-up was always a good idea, and Krey couldn't trust anyone else to go with him.

They ran together through the woods, enjoying the taste of fresh air and the cold mud between their claws.

Pip's house was on the edge of the woods. Every light in the house was on, so Krey knew people were home. He could also smell Pip's sweet scent. Krey was wild for the smell of his mate; he was addicted.

They shifted to their human forms and crouched by a tree, shaded in darkness.

Krey's heart bounced around his chest when Pip walked into view on one of the top floor windows. His mate wore an oversized grey knitted jumper and rubbed his wet hair with a towel.

Krey was glad they were crouching because the thought of Pip in the shower weakened his knees and excited Krey all over. He fought against growling at the pleasured thought.

"Francis, text him something about me," Krey said with a thumping heart and sweaty palms.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, anything."

* * * * *

Pip had worked all of Sunday and spent the rest of the evening studying. After dinner, he had a long shower because his room was so cold, he didn't want to leave the warmth of the steamy bathroom.

He stood by the window to his bedroom and dried his hair, looking out at the forest, covering the earth as far as his eyes could see. Pip looked left towards the institute. The building was a blob of lights in the distance. He wondered what Krey was up to because they hadn't yet texted each other.

Pip had been wanting to say something to him all day but didn't know what, and a simple hello felt weird. He wanted a motive for texting him, like to arrange plans.

Pip hung the towel over the radiator and returned to the window. He tried spotting stars through the broken clouds until his phone buzzed.

Francis had sent a text. They exchanged numbers the night Francis had to walk him home because there was an emergency at the institute. Pip had wanted to ask Krey what happened, but he didn't want to seem like he was prying.

"Hi Pip, it's Francis. How are you?"

Pip never got texts from anyone other than his aunt or uncle. "Hello Francis, I'm good. How are you?"

"Good. I'm texting because I just thought I should say how Krey hasn't stopped talking about you all day."

Pip stared at the words until they no longer looked real. He sat on his extended windowsill and crossed his legs. He bit his bottom lip, listening to the hammering of his heart.

"Really? Why?" Pip replied.

He waited almost a minute until Francis said, "He likes you."

* * * * *

"you can't just say 'he likes you," Krey whispered, "that's not obvious enough."

"I sent it," Francis said, and they looked up to Pip sitting on his windowsill.

Krey thought that Pip looked very cute against the size of his window. He had fought against those feelings in the past and wanted to be upset that he had a human mate. Now that Krey knew Pip better and had spent time with him, he didn't want any other mate.

"He's smiling," Francis said. "I think he likes you too."

Krey leaned his back against the trunk of a tree and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Has he replied?"

"He said that he thinks you're cool."

"Cool," Krey repeated, though he wanted to know more about how Pip felt, and not through a phone screen. "Tell him... Tell him I think he's cute."

Francis stared at her Alpha. Krey saw her grin from the corner of his eyes. "Stop looking," he growled.

Francis smiled at her phone instead and mumbled, "You're turning into quite the romantic."

"Shut up." Krey shoved her onto the frozen mud.

Francis smirked, sent the text, and watched the window, eagerly waiting for Pip's reaction.

Krey's lips curled when Pip grinned wide and covered his face with his hands. In Krey's eyes, Pip was adorable and at his best with a smile on his face and pink cheeks.

"Oh my gosh," Francis said, lying down with a hand on her chest. "He said that he thinks you're very handsome."

Krey had to look away, so Francis didn't see the joy spreading through his face. "Tell him I said thank you."

Francis grinned as wide as Pip and sent the text. They watched and waited for Pip to look at his phone again. When he did, Pip laughed. He covered his mouth and rolled backwards off the windowsill onto what Krey assumed was his bed.

"I think you just made his night," Francis whispered, chuckling.

Krey stared into Pip's bedroom from the cold woodland floor. He should be in the bedroom with him, holding him and telling him everything in person. "I don't know if I can wait much longer," Krey confessed, crossing his arms. "Pip will start getting ill, and I'll start hurting. I'm sure Pip's scent is on me, and my scent is on him. I just don't know how to tell him."

"Well, the good news is that Pip likes you before knowing about the bond. If he falls in love with you before you tell him, there's a big chance that he'll accept you for who you are."

"That feels cruel, somehow, but I don't see any other way."

"You should start seeing him more in your wolf form, but let me know when you do so that I can keep watch. The last thing we want is other wolves smelling you and the human together."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Krey said, looking back up to the room. Pippor was still lying on his bed and out of view.

Running into other wolves wasn't a matter of if, but a matter of when. Other wolves would try to find Krey's mate. He wanted Pip to know about werewolves before anything drastic happened. That way, Pip wouldn't find out about werewolves because of having to run from a pack of wolves.

"Let's go." Krey stood up, stretching his numb legs. "I'll come back tomorrow, and I think it's time I picked up the pace."

"Will you tell him in person that you like him?" Francis asked, following Krey down the dark path.

"Maybe," Krey mumbled, though, with the number of nerves spiking his chest, Krey should have said yes.