Alpha to Omega-mxm

Chapter 17

That... is a lot of people. 

He had expected a good crowd, but not something this crazy! There were people as far as the eye could see, lining the streets, hanging out of windows, and some, likely vampires, were even sitting on top of houses to get a glimpse of him. 

It was a bit overwhelming, but he managed to tamp down his nerves well enough. His inner wolf, on the other hand, was howling at the top of its lungs as it paced frantically inside his mind. 

It will be okay, little one. I'll protect you. 

His pup slowed to a stop in his mind but continued to whine with worry. 

You're a good boy.

Garlic calmed a little further, but then began to pace again, making Marquise give a silent sigh. He couldn't blame the little guy from being stressed out with so many eyes on them. 

I'll handle this situation.

He wanted to tell it that there was nothing to worry about, but that would be a lie. So, he decided to just let him pace, if that was what helped him in their current situation, then it was fine. 

It made him a little more nervous, but he was a master at hiding his emotions... especially since he was feeling a lot better than he had been when he'd first been brought to the town. 

Licking his lips, Marquise began descending the steps with a vampire on either side. It was a little easier going down, but he had to be very careful that his left leg didn't give out on him with each step. 

Once he was sure that he wasn't likely to fall, Marquise focused his attention on the massive crowd before him. Now that he was actually paying attention, he noticed that while most of the people were just staring curiously, quite a few others were sneering or baring their fangs. 

Taru and Vrasje aren't responding negatively, so I'm just going to roll with it. 

And so he did. It was probably because he had two well-respected vampires with him, but as he finally got to the bottom of the stairs, the sea of people parted to either side, opening up a pathway all the way down the street. 

Holding his head high, but not disrespectfully-so, Marquise began leading the way back to their home. He tried to greet the few people who actually risked stepping out of the raucous crowd, but each time he went to shake hands or try to speak over the noise it felt like his wolf was literally stomping on his brain!

It's okay, little guy. We're heading home right now. 

Marquise quickened his pace and only greeted a few more people before finally stepping out of the massive throng and taking a deep breath. 

Taru was immediately at his side, hugging him and giving him, what he thought, was a well deserved head pat. 

Figuring that Vrasje wanted to say or do something, too, since he'd stopped on his other side, Marquise looked over his shoulder at him with a boyish grin on his slightly flushed face. 

When Vrasje did actually do something, it wasn't what Marquise had expected. Instead of a pat to his head or even a partial hug, the man simply reached over and adjusted his eye patch the slightest amount, then leaned away with a satisfied nod. 

It was a bit... underwhelming. 

Blinking as his face heated, Marquise quickly turned away and began to walk again. 

Why the hell did I think that? 

Garlic perked up at that moment, giving an excited huff as he padded closer to the forefront of Marquise's mind.