The Alpha and the Fox

Chapter Thirteen

     Ryan was slowly getting used to his little space. Playing with the new toys he had gotten the other day and cuddling with Maria and Henry, mostly Henry. It was a strange feeling to get a hold of but after a bit they all were handling it well. That was until he started slipping in and out of it at random.

Ryan's P.O.V

The fuzzy feeling in my head backed off for a bit, but instead of feeling relieved I felt more confused. I had just gotten used to feeling small, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now.

Henry walked into the living room and up to me. Without a word he picked me up, set me on his hip, and began to rub my head as he carried me into the kitchen.

"Are you hungry yet, Hun?" He asked. Unsure of how to answer I looked at the ground. "Hey, it's okay. If you're hungry we can get you some lunch."

I tried signing but I know it was just a bunch of nonsense because I didn't know what to say. He sat at the table and set me in his lap.

"How are you feeling? Do you feel small? Big? Somewhere in the middle?" He coached.

I couldn't stop the small whine that came out before I signed that I felt the third one. He nodded for a minute.

"Do you want to feel small or big? I can help either way, but it's up to you." He said while rubbing my back.

After a few minutes of debating, I decided I wanted to be big. He nodded. "That's okay. And if you change your mind just let me know. What would you like for lunch?"

'Mac N Cheese' I signed. He began making it. "Would you like to help?" He asked. I nodded and got up to help. We were almost done with the food when I accidently touched the hot pan. A startled cry left me as I gripped my hand to my chest.

"Oh, Hun. Come here. Let me see." He murmured, scooping me up and setting me on the counter by the sink. "It's okay, Hun. It's okay." He continued to murmur as he ran my hand under cold water before he wrapped an ice pack in a towel and pressed it to the burn. "It's not too bad, it'll feel better in a bit." He said as he brushed away the few tears that had escaped.

He sat me at the table and fed me the Mac N Cheese, eating between my bites. He cleaned up the dishes then carried me to the living room and laid on the couch with me on his chest. The fuzzy feeling was coming back, and it made me whine.

"It's alright, Hun. You can be small. Let's take a nap." He chuckled while rubbing the back of my neck. The tension left me after a minute, and I fell asleep snuggled into his neck.

Henry's P.O.V

Poor baby. I'm sure his feelings are confusing him. I think I'll give Alex a call and see if he has any suggestions.

After Ryan fell asleep, I called Alex.

He reminded me that I would have to be patient with him and suggested we bring him down to his store. Also, picking some things out to help him express his feelings or maybe just talking to him in person may help. I told him Maria and I would talk about it and thanked him for the advice.

After a few hours Ryan woke from his nap back in between feelings. Maria and I agreed a trip down to Alex's shop couldn't hurt so we packed a diaper bag for him with little stuff, in case he fully slipped, and were on our way.

"Hey buddy. Long time no see." Alex greeted us as we came through the door. Ryan was on my hip with his head on my shoulder. He gave a small wave and a soft smile.

Alex came up to us and gently rubbed Ryan's cheek. "How've ya been? Feeling okay?" He asked.

Ryan made a soft noise but didn't answer. Alex took that as a full answer though because he nodded in response. After humming softly to himself he smiled.

"Want to look around? Maybe get some new toys, or maybe some clothes?" He asked, all his attention focused on Ryan. To my surprise Ryan nodded so I set him down. Ryan went with Alex down an aisle of the store leaving Maria and I alone for a minute.

Not even a minute later a man came through the door and stopped short. Taking a deep breath in his eyes flashed around the room. He seemed confused when he didn't find what he was looking for, but he called out for Alex.

"Just a minute Damion, I'm helping someone." Alex called back. Damion took that as an answer and came in. He smiled at us and introduced himself asking if there was anything he could help with while we waited for Alex. Just then Alex came around the corner with Ryan on his hip.

Ryan was clutching a fennec fox stuffed animal and had his head resting on Alex's shoulder. I was surprised Ryan had allowed Alex to pick him up but went to retrieve him. He reached for me without any hesitation, so I brought him against my front. He hid his face in my neck with the stuffed animal trapped between our chests. Damion's eyes were locked on Ryan the minute he entered the room, and I was a bit uncomfortable with it. What did he want?

Before I could tell him off for staring at my little one Ryan sat back in my arms and stared right back at Damion. He seemed to be interested in Damion for some reason, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Hi, Sweetheart." Damion murmured softly moving closer. I couldn't help but clutch Ryan protectively. A sound almost like a growl rumbled in Damion's chest and it made me clutch Ryan tighter. He continued to move closer to us until Ryan whimpered.

Then he froze. Looking at the little one in my arms with a soft, seemingly tender expression. "Shh, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." He cooed.

"Damion!" Alex called out causing all attention to snap to him. "Don't you think you're going about this wrong."

That seemed to make him come to his senses, and he apologized immediately.

"I'm very sorry. I'm sure that was a bit weird. Alex, can we borrow your back room to chat for a minute?" He asked. Alex agreed and led us all to a back room before returning to the front.

"This is going to sound strange, and I swear I'll explain, but I'm a werewolf and he is my mate."