Chapter 47

I know times are weird, but imagine meeting an angel and suddenly being on the run from demons, or living in a world run by vampires, or being an angels only weapon for a huge war, or being painfully shy and becoming a werewolf God when you only wanted a few friends, or being an angel and having the impossible task of taming a demon, or ending a war that you were born to end, fearing that the angel's prodigies might fail and heaven might fall, all because of one little tear in the fabric of the universe.

Drink tea. Dunk lots of biscuits in your tea, and read a book to take you away from the real world for a little while :)

- Sian

The corridors were empty. All the wolves were in the field, working hard to keep fit. Pip could see his breath as he hurried down the corridor to keep up with Krey, but at least he was warm before they reached the back door.

"Everyone should be out here," Krey said, pausing with his hand on the handle. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Pip nodded, despite his nerves. He had to be brave if he wanted to get used to the institute and those who lived there. He wanted to panic and freak out about his situation, but that would get him no closer to accepting the institute.

Pip had nowhere else to live, so he either accepted the institute, and Krey and the many werewolves living around him, or he made life harder for himself by retreating back to Crescent Town.

The institute was much better than his aunt and uncles house, especially now that Jordan was out of the picture.

Krey opened the back door. Sunlight flooded in, but so did the bright white snow that had been shovelled around the sides of the field and covered the trees beyond.

Pip pulled his coat zip higher and followed Krey along the stone yard. Almost everyone wore t-shirts and shorts, while Pip was bundled in many layers, and wore his yellow puffer Jacket and burgundy hat, scarf, and gloves.

He saw Krey's mum standing by a bench. Her long grey hair fluttered softly in the wind, occasionally touching her lower back.

Pip looked up to Krey's black hair and the grey strip of hair at the front. He wondered who had shared that little hint of uniqueness with him.

Makena stood with Sid whose red hair stood out for miles. They turned when Krey approached with his hand intertwined with his mate.

"Morning, Alpha," Sid said with a firm head nod. His eyes, blue like Pip's but lighter, flashed to the human and he lowered his head even more. "Morning, Pippor."

"Morning," Pip squeaked, pleased that someone other than Krey acknowledged him.

"Sit," Krey said, motioning to the bench, accidentally using his Alpha voice.

Pip sat.

"If you get bored, mum will take you to the canteen for breakfast." Krey's blank eyes traced his mother who sat with Pip on the bench.

Pip dared to look at those training on the field. More than he expected had stopped to stare, or continued to run and stare, or lifted weights and stared, or sneaked a glance after every sit-up.

He shuffled awkwardly on the bench as Sid and Krey walked to Francis who stretched on a mat.

Pip felt very exposed in his bright colours, and wished to blend in. He had a feeling that even if he wore all black like most of the people on the field, they would still stare.

"Sleep well?" Makena asked, there was a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"Yes, thank you." Pip even spoke in a polite quiet voice. "D-Did you?" He glued his eyes to Krey to avoid making uncomfortable eye-contact with anyone else.

"I did," Makena said, crossing her arms and sitting back against the wood.

They sat together in silence for a while. The longer Pip sat in the open, the less people stared. Pip linked his gloved fingers and relaxed. He followed Krey up and down the field. Krey was fast, and out sprinted everyone.

Pip was itching for a run. Maybe he would ask Krey if they could run together tomorrow morning. Bonding time, Pip thought. He couldn't spend the rest of his life hiding in Krey's bedroom, no matter how much he wanted to lie in bed all day.

Pip had to prove himself to the werewolves that he wasn't a scared little human, even if it was true.

It's okay to take this slow. This is a big change. Pip looked around again. Through the stares, he noticed the smiles, and the occasional wave in his direction. Pip was starting to believe Krey's mother. Nobody else in the institute was as horrible as Jordan. Nobody else was as passionate to hurt him.

Pip zoned in on Krey and Francis and Sid when they moved to the weights. Sid was a great motivator, and often complimented Francis and pushed her to work harder. Sid was a little wary of Krey, Pip could tell by his polite suggestions about what weight to use and what exercise to do.

Krey was the tallest and most muscular person on the field. A wolf only had to look at him to know he was Alpha. Authority oozed from him.

Pip's eyes looked Krey up and down. He wanted to see the way his body moved. Krey was very attractive, from his black hair with the unique strip of grey at the front, his intense brown eyes that often tried to look beyond Pip's clothes, his broad round shoulders, strong large hands, muscular legs and arms, and the way Krey moved, always calm and calculated, like everyone around him was his prey, and one wrong move could change it all.

"You'll like it here," Makena said, breaking Pip's stare. He glanced up to her. She had the same brown eyes as Krey, hard when they needed to be. "I know it seems like a lot right now. You're handling this very well."

I'm no stranger to change. Pip smiled at her, and said, "I-It's definitely not how I planned the year."

Makena smiled too. "I bet this is the last place you thought you'd be."

"Yeah." Pip still had to remind himself that he was in the institute. The building he had spent most of his life trying to avoid because of the scary rumours. Even after spending a few nights in the institute, he could still barely believe it.

When Pip looked back to Krey, he was in the process of pulling his t-shirt off. Pip's entire world stopped as he watched the fabric rise up Krey's back, up and up, showing his smooth skin and muscles moving beneath the surface.

Krey turned his head, watching Pip from the corner of his eye.

Pip might as well have drooled all over the floor like a hungry dog. He closed his mouth when Krey watched him, but bit into his bottom lip, which didn't help, not when his eyes were glued to Krey's bare chest.

What is happening to me? Pip was losing himself in a trance. He had never been so captivated by a bare torso before. This must be the bond thing.

Krey threw his t-shirt and it landed in a heap by Pip's feet. Pip quickly picked it up. For a moment, he thought about pressing it to his face to smell Krey. Pull yourself together, he mumbled among his thoughts.

Pip folded Krey's t-shirt and held it neatly in his hands. The fabric was still warm from his hot skin.

Pip could feel Makena's eyes on him. When he looked, she was staring at the t-shirt in his hands with an endearing smile.

Pip started to feel a little hot under his many layers and peeled his eyes from Krey to count the pebbles by his feet. All the while, Pip knew Krey watched him every chance he got, wanting to see if Pip enjoyed the view.

Krey soon approached the bench to check on his mate, holding tightly onto his t-shirt. "If you're bored, mum can take you to the canteen for breakfast," Krey said, sitting next to him, a little out of breath and a little sweaty, despite being out in the bitter winter air.

Pip pursed his lips and tilted his head towards him. He didn't mean to trail his eyes up Krey's chest. Pip only meant to quickly glance to his face and failed. He had turned into a sloppy mess.

Krey linked his fingers and when Pip's eyes finally connected with his, there was an amusing twinkle among the brown.

Krey leaned down, pressing his lips to Pip's ear and whispered, "Something distracting you?"

Pip reddened in a single heartbeat. "No," he squeaked. "Um a-are you, um, how's y-your training going?" Pip dared to look at him again.

Krey stared fiercely at his mouth. "Good." He rested an arm on the back of the bench behind Pip. Their faces were only inches apart.

In public, Pip though that Krey might tone down with the intense staring, but he didn't. If anything, Krey paid him more attention, and Pip felt very special.

"H-How long do you train f-" Pip was interrupted by Krey's lips. They had shared a few kisses now, but the excitement hadn't died down. Pip still felt his face heat up, and his heart thump crazily, and his mind turn to dust.

Krey pushed into him, kissing him once, and kissing him deeply.

"Twenty minutes, then we can get breakfast." Their eyes locked as Krey stood from the bench. There was something in the way he stared, something that screamed desire. He left Pip to sit with his mother who pretended to be minding her own business.

Krey returned to Francis and Sid. The stares were back from the other people training on the field. Most of them were laughing with each other and sharing surprised chatter. Pip assumed that Krey showed only anger and scowls, never affection.

Affection was probably as new to them as it was to Pip. Being kissed and cared for was still a fresh routine in Pip's life. Waking up in Krey's arms was the nicest morning Pip had ever had, and he hoped for many more mornings like it.

Pip was used to waking up on a creaky single bed, alone, and cold. He used to wait for the worries and the stresses of life to fill his head, then Pip would get up with a frown.

So far, Pip had woken feeling warm and happy as though being in Krey's arms was the safest place in the world.

Krey and Francis started push ups while Sid counted. Pip watched Krey's muscular arms, up and down, up and down. Sweat dripped from him, veins raised in his forearms.

Even the way Krey worked out was graceful as though nothing was too hard for him.

When Krey and Sid moved on to sit ups, Pip couldn't look away. He no longer cared that he stared at Krey's abs harder than anyone else.

This is definitely the bond thing, Pip thought, feeling much hotter under his coat.