Chapter 24

The trail to the top of Crescent hill was occasionally very steep. In the ice and snow, Pip's yellow converse slipped on everything. Krey's black boots helped to stay grounded, though even he occasionally felt unsteady.

Pip was clumsy, and all it took was a breathy wind to make him fall. Once Pip was unstable, he couldn't regain his balance.

They neared the top, and the snow was falling harder.

"Have you been to Crescent hill before?" Pip asked, a little out of breath.

"A few times. You?"

"I used to go a lot. It's quiet."

"It is," Krey agreed.

They had seen nobody on the trail so far, until suddenly an older man and his sheepdog strolled into view, walking down the hill and covered in snow.

"Oh, Pippor, hello lad," the man said, tipping the front of his cap. He looked to Krey and said nothing.

"Hi, Daniel." Pip smiled at the sheepdog, who stared at Krey, motionless. Her tail pointed out as though something troubled the dog.

"Come," Daniel said with a strange frown. "Ester, Come." He moved down the hill and expected the dog to follow. She didn't.

Pip had known Daniel for years; everyone knew him. He was the local farmer and had Ester, the dog, for as long as Pip could remember. Ester was a well-trained pet and was exceptionally loyal to Daniel. She never disobeyed his commands.

"Ester," Daniel said again. Her blue eyes looked up at Krey and nowhere else. Krey stared back, not breaking the gaze.

"Krey, l-let's go," Pip said. Dogs made him anxious. He reached out to tug lightly on Krey's sleeve. As soon as his fingers grazed the material, Ester bared her teeth and barked at Pip.

Pip gasped and jumped back. He slipped on the frozen ground while Ester growled.

"No!" Krey demanded, and Ester stopped immediately. She laid on the ground, whimpering. Krey leaned over her, and she rested her jaw to the floor. "Go," he growled.

Ester shot away from him and back down the hill.

Daniel's suspicious eyes didn't follow his dog; he watched Krey. "Pippor," he said in a hard tone. "Be safe up there."

Pip, still on the floor, looked down the hill as Daniel hesitantly left them alone to follow his dog. Before he could get up himself, hands were under his arms, pulling him to his feet.

"That was- strange," Pip observed.

"Why?" Krey asked. Keep dropping the clues.

"W-Well, Ester usually only responds to Daniel. It was suddenly like y-you were in charge," Pip said with a chuckle.

Krey's face didn't move an inch. "We're almost at the top," he said and turned to continue walking. He felt Pip staring, which was a good sign. Pip suspected something.

"D-Do you like dogs?" Pip asked, trying to catch up with Krey's long strides.

"No."

"Oh." Pip followed him the best he could. Krey had started marching with a frown.

"Do you?" Krey asked, watching him from the corner of his eye.

"I used to," Pip said. Now I'm just scared.

Krey seemed to notice Pip struggling to keep up and stopped storming ahead. Dogs were territorial. Krey was an Alpha, the top of the pack, while dogs were even below omegas. They obeyed humans until a werewolf was around.

They heard the distant barking of a dog and Krey assumed that Ester had sniffed out Francis.

They both breathed hard by the time the hill levelled out and the trees dispersed. They kept walking until they were at the very top, next to the highest bench.

The boys stood side by side, looked down to crescent town below. In the snow, the town was a magical sight, white with yellow lights from every building and streetlamp. The trees were like a blanket of lumped snow, as far as the eye could see.

"Wow," Pip breathed. The sky was a pale yellow, and the world didn't feel so dark despite the moon hiding somewhere behind the storm.

Snow fell all around them, fluttering from the sky, twirling and swirling against the gentle wind. Pip held out a hand, letting the snowflakes land on his skin and melt almost immediately, despite his hands feeling so cold.

Beautiful, Krey thought. He couldn't have asked for a better spot for a date.

He turned to the bench and used his jacket sleeve to wipe the snow off the wooden planks.

Pip sat down first, and Krey swallowed his nerves and sat right next to him, leaving no air between them. Pip was bundled up, so sitting close wasn't quite as exciting. Still, Krey was glad to be sharing a bench.

They watched the town and the woods for a while, both in awe of how something as simple as snow could transform gloomy places into a captivating beauty.

Krey loved the woods with all his heart, but he had never seen it so bewitching.

Pip was entranced. The snow was always breath-taking, and not because it felt so cold. Anything the snow touched transformed into a prettier version.

"What's your favourite season?" Pip asked, subtly swinging his legs.

Krey had to think. He would have said winter by how wonderful the woods looked, but the snow masked other smells and eventually got tiresome. "Spring," he said because flowers bloomed, plants grew, the woods started to thrive again. Krey had the pleasure of watching the woods transform. "Yours?"

"This," Pip said quietly, "there's nothing better."

Krey looked down to Pip, sitting silently next to him, inspired by something as simple as ice falling from the sky. Krey could make it even better for Pip.

All Krey needed was some courage.

He stared from Pip's big eyes to his rosy cheeks, slightly freckled. Pip smiled, and his dimples deepened. Krey's brown eyes moved down to Pip's lips, soft and relaxed.

There will be no better time, Krey thought.

Gently, he lifted his hands. His left one rested on the back of Pip's neck, and his right one touched Pip's left cheek. Krey softly turned Pip's head to face him.

Pip looked up, surprised by the warmth of Krey's hand.

Desire boiled the blood in Krey's veins. All he saw were Pip's lips. All he felt was his heart longing for passion.

Krey sat at the highest point of Crescent hill, amidst a blizzard, with his mate all cute and flustered.

There will be no better time.

Krey looked around Pip's face before leaning close. Pip's nose was as cold as an icicle, touching the end of Krey's.

Krey brushed his nose against Pip's nose with a pounding heart. He looked back to Pip's lips, now parted because he gasped.

The only warm part of Pip was his breath against Krey's lips. Krey couldn't stand his senses, going into overload. He generously lapped up everything he could: Pip's scent, his smooth cheek against his hand, his blue eyes, full and hopeful.

The time is now.

Krey closed the gap between them and kissed him.

At first, the kiss was a graze of the lips, a warm teasing as Krey tempted Pip to press harder against him.

Krey misplaced his thoughts from that first touch. The world around them melted away. Krey lost himself quickly; his affection took over. His mind had felt like it was spinning, now his thoughts came to a halt, floating out of reach.

Their faces pressed together. Krey's hot skin heated Pip's now blazing cheeks.

Krey grazed his lips again, and he couldn't stop himself from pushing into him. He kissed Pip properly, and Pip kissed back with the same desperation as though he would lose the chance.

Pip's hands found their way to Krey's jacket. He gripped the black denim as their lips pushed together again.

Krey was hungry for Pip. He was ravenous for Pip. Yet Krey did all he could to keep their kissing soft and slow and gentle.

A kiss on the cheek would have satisfied the werewolf for a little while, but the human kissed back with equal affection. Pip had wanted the kiss as much as Krey.

Krey's anxieties about taking such a leap had vanished along with their breaths in the air, crowded with snowflakes. Krey had never felt so content, at least, not for a long time.

He had feared that Pip would be too overwhelmed. A rejection would have sent Krey's mind spiralling down and down into a place he would never find.

Now, he no longer had to worry.

Krey's hand on Pip's neck tangled tenderly in his soft brown hair. The fingers on his cheek moved slowly to the rhythm of each kiss.

The placid hilltop was almost mute, apart from the tender breeze caressing what little leaves were left on the trees and creaking branches.

The snow was silent. The boys didn't hear it covering them, the ground or the trees. Snow buried the town below without a single notice.

Krey would have kissed and kissed until dawn, but Pip pulled away. He looked at Krey's face, relaxed and with his eyes still closed. Pip smiled, and when those deep brown eyes slowly opened, they softened, dropping to Pip's mouth.

Their foreheads rested together.

Kissing Pip had filled a void in Krey. He felt whole and entirely at ease for the first time, ever. The feeling was so overpowering, Krey smiled without realising.

His lips curled at the sides, and if Pip weren't so fixated on Krey's reaction, he would have missed it. At the same time, the moon shone through a small parting in the clouds.

Krey's tiny smile showed Pip how much Krey had enjoyed the kiss. Pip felt the same way, light and happy.

Pip didn't know where he found the courage, but he lifted his hands and rested them on Krey's cheeks. His skin was hot, unusually hot.

"T-This is a good date," Pip whispered with their foreheads still connected.

Krey hummed a low note, agreeing.

Pip then moved his hands from Krey's hot cheeks to the back of his neck. He wrapped arms around Krey's broad shoulders.

Krey closed his eyes as Pip rested the side of his face on his shoulder. He cherished the feeling of being embraced by his mate. Krey felt comforted, which was also new. His mother often tried the best she could, but Krey finally knew what his soul had been craving.

He wrapped arms around Pip too and hugged him as tightly as he could, finally able to bury his nose into Pip's hair.