Chapter 27

When Pip's shift was done, and he walked side by side with Krey, questions circled Pip's head over and over.

"Why do you use wolf terminology?" he asked.

Krey glanced down with a cocked brow. "Wolf terminology?"

"Yeah, l-like how Francis calls you Alpha."

"Why do you think we use it?"

Pip chuckled and shook his head. They stopped walking through the woods. The path descending into darkness, surrounded by distorted trees, didn't seem so creepy in the snow. "You always do that."

"Do what?"

"Answer a question with a question." Pip fidgeted with the ends of his coat sleeves. "I-I know you have secrets that you're, um, scared I won't like. But- Krey, I'm so curious."

"You know what curiosity did to the cat?" Krey asked and thought, the wolves ate it.

Pip smiled. "I'm not a cat."

"Oh, really?"

"See," Pip laughed. "Y-You're too good at changing the subject."

Krey tried to think tactfully. If he told Pip about him being a werewolf, but not about them being mates, Pip might not be so freaked out. Though Francis was right, Pip had to get used to seeing his wolf.

He decided to walk with Pip for an hour more before making up an excuse about having to go back to the institute. Krey walked Pip to his garden, a little reluctant to leave him.

"I might sit out here," Pip said, looking to a tree stump a few metres away.

"Not ready to face your aunt?" Krey asked. His tone laced with a hardness.

"Or my uncle," Pip mumbled. Krey frowned, and Pip felt like he had overshared. "Um, w-when will I next see you?"

"Soon." Krey looked over the garden fence at the family sitting around the kitchen table. "I'll text you when I'm next free."

"Okay."

They stood awkwardly, not knowing whether they should hug or kiss goodbye or just walk their separate ways.

Pip really wanted to kiss Krey again, but he was nervous, and he certainly wouldn't be the one to make the first move. "S-So, uh, I hope the emergency at the institute i-isn't too bad," Pip said as Krey stepped closer.

"Nothing I can't handle." Krey's intense eyes glued to Pip's lips. When he stepped closer again, Pip didn't move back, and the gap between them eventually closed.

Krey towered over him. Pip had to look up to meet his eyes. Krey, softly with his finger, brushed Pip's dark hair from his brow.

Pip felt Krey's large hands heavy on his shoulders. He knew he must have looked like a startled boy, but Krey still crouched to connect their lips.

Once again, they were kissing in the snow. Pip pressed to Krey's warm body, their hands rested on each other, and their lips moved in sync.

The world could have crumbled away, and the boys wouldn't have noticed. A kiss was like plummeting to a different world, a different time, a different life.

Pip melted into Krey, moulding against his jacket.

Their lips moved slowly.

Pip felt as though each gentle kiss sucked a little piece of his soul into Krey. What an odd thing to think. Pip pulled away and stopped standing on his tiptoes. His lips tingled, his heart smashed against his ribs, his insides screamed with delight.

When Pip opened his eyes, the world around them was as calm and as quiet as ever.

Krey's face, free from any scowling or glaring, had tinted cheeks and a serene glow. Pip saw another side to Krey, a side that never surfaced.

"Um," Pip whispered, "Y-You s-should get back."

Krey hummed a low response. Their faces were still only millimetres apart. Krey didn't want to go, but Pip had to get to know his wolf. "Will you sit out in the snow?"

Pip nodded. "It's peaceful tonight."

"Be careful."

Pip's eye's fluttered to Krey's mouth. "I will," he whispered.

Krey had the pleasure of watching Pip's pupils grow. Should I kiss him again?

Pip stepped back, pursing his lips and rolling back and forth on his feet. Saying goodbye wasn't easy. Even stepping away from Krey was hard. Pip didn't think he would get attached so quickly and hoped Krey wouldn't think of him as too needy.

Pip's greatest fear was being annoying, which was the main reason for his quiet nature. However, he had spoken more with Krey over the past week than with his aunt and uncle over the past year, and he lived with them.

Krey didn't move, and he was the one who needed to go home. Pip awkwardly stepped backwards, pointing to the tree stump. "I'll j-just uh, sit by- um, go over to this... thing." Pip clasped his hands and turned his back to Krey.

Pip took a step, but a step was as far as Krey would let him go.

A hand clamped Pip's shoulder and spun him around. Krey marched forwards and pushed Pip's back hard against the wooden fence.

He cupped Pip's chin and smashed their lips together.

Krey couldn't hold back. Pip was so cute and attractive, and Krey wanted to engulf him in kisses. He would have stopped if Pip didn't kiss back, but he did.

Pip, startled at first, fell quickly into the groove, following Krey's lead and kissing like the world would end any second.

Then, something sparked within him.

His first rough kiss wasn't what ignited the burst of energy within. Pip suddenly felt connected to Krey as though they had always been together, and Pip was now seeing him for the first time.

Pip slipped his arms inside Krey's jacket, coiling them around Krey's back. His warmth was welcoming in the cold outdoors.

One moment, Krey's arms were around Pip's neck and his hands were in his hair. His lips were hungrily moving against Pip's and their noses squished and rubbed, occasionally touching foreheads.

The next moment, Krey was pushing his nose into the crook of Pip's neck, needing his scent like a painkiller for his aching heart.

Krey realised that what he was doing was odd and slowly lifted his head. Pip's eyes were still closed, and Krey wondered if Pip expected him to kiss his neck. Next time.

Krey stepped away, and pip was left with his back against the wood and a dazed expression of a loved-up pup, slightly out of breath.

Krey wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and tilted his head. "I'll see you soon," he said in a smooth deep voice, looking Pip up and down before he left.

He felt Pip's eyes on him as he walked away. Krey trembled with the desire for his mate. His wolf clawed to get out and whined as Krey resisted the animal inside.

Krey breathed deeply, letting the bitter winter air cool him down. He couldn't wait for the day where he didn't have to sneak around. Every touch and kiss and glance were dangerous. Krey had smothered his scent all over Pip, and Pip's smell was all over him.

He walked and walked, passing many trees and making tracks in the snow. Francis soon broke through the darkness, smiling.

Krey frowned. "I told you not to follow me tonight."

"Because you're worried that your mother won't drop the rumour, and you're right to be worried. She cornered me in the cafeteria this lunchtime, in front of everyone."

Krey curled his fists with anger.

"Alpha, your mother was always strong-headed, and privacy was a big thing for her and her family. I think she's struggling. Grief can change us, and I think your mother is scared that she's losing you too. She's trying desperately to know what you're up to, so she can still feel involved." Francis nervously tapped the ends of her fingers together. "Forgive me if I'm speaking out of term. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors."

Krey stared at her green eyes turning grey in the moonlight. Her dreadlocks hung around her face.

"You are speaking out of term," Krey grumbled, and Francis lowered her head as a sign of respect. "But you're right. My mother is different since..." Krey didn't want to say it out loud. "We clash too much now. She's stressing me out."

"I'm sure you're stressing her out too," Francis said, not daring to meet Krey's eyes, feeling his burning glare. "Anyway, I'm here because you're my Alpha, and both you and Pip need extra protection when you're together, and I know you can't trust Jordan or Sid."

Krey clenched his jaw. Not being able to trust his most important pack members was a depressing thought. "I'm changing to my wolf and going back to Pip. I don't need to be on guard so much now that you're here, I suppose." Krey narrowed his eyes. "Don't disobey my orders again."

"Sorry, Alpha."

Krey crouched and dug hands into the snow until he felt the solid ground underneath. He closed his eyes. His wolf was close to the surface after wanting Pip's scent so bad.

He listened to his surroundings, thinking he heard quiet steps. After a minute of silence, and feeling a silent approval from Francis, Krey's mind focused back on his wolf.

Krey kept his eyes closed and thought about shifting, drawing his animal beyond the surface. His spine cracked, and his claws shot through his fingernails. Krey grimaced from the pain.

Shifting didn't take long, though Krey wished the change was instant, like a blink, or a snap of the fingers.

He was halfway through transforming when he heard footsteps again, crunching the snow. They were much closer this time, and fast. Krey tried to freeze, but the transformation wouldn't reverse now.

"Krey!" a familiar voice shouted through the woods.

Oh shit.

"Krey," the voice said again and Krey felt the close presence of his mate.

"Krey, your phone fell out of... your..." Pip's voice trailed off.

Silence flared.

The woods stilled.

The only noise for miles was the sound of Krey's cracking bones.