Boundaries

Chapter 32

The Alpha's of Bluewood and Ironhill mysteriously disappear for one full week.

If you were to ask their packs when they last recalled seeing their leaders, no one would be able to give you a straight answer. Not even their Beta's, whose newly marked pairing was causing much nervous chatter and idle gossip amongst their people.

Would the Alpha's tolerate this?

Where would they live?

Was one pack expected to go without a Beta?

Kieran and Sam turned deaf ears to the busy hum of their gossip, instead finding comfort in each other. And they weren't the only ones.

Every night of that blissful week, Orion and Dylan meet in the place that is theirs. They kiss beneath the stars, drowning in the touch of the other that had been denied for so long. They exchange secrets and memories, reminiscing the good and the bad as they hold one another. And then, when the darkness fades, together they watch the sun crawl upwards in its lazy, golden sky.

Each meeting leaves them breathless, drunk on the teenage bliss of first love that never truly fades, and for one beautiful week, they make up for every second that they've lost.

But they both want more, never willing to be content with this double life, and this will be their last secret meeting.

They had vowed to tell their packs, together. It's time, and their people are owed the truth.

Dylan leans against Orion's chest, his breath heaving from his lungs in a heavy sigh as the first glimmer of sunshine emerges from the rocky terrain of Ironhill. Orion's arms encircle his waist, holding him close, and Dylan can feel his mate's breath kiss the side of his neck.

He's come to hate the sight of the sunrise, it's beautiful, unique paintings now symbolic of the moment where he must leave his heart's greatest love. When he was young, he never thought he'd know anything more beautiful.

But as he looks at his fingers brushing against the back of Orion's hand, which is entwined in one of his, he knows that not to be the case.

"I'm afraid." Dylan whispers, so quietly that he's not sure if the words even passed his lips.

But the breeze carries them to his mate, whose arms tighten around him systematically.

"Me too." Orion murmurs.

Neither man is ready or willing to give this up. These moments of pure joy feel owed to them, and there haven't been nearly enough of them. But with every moment that they neglect their duties, the more they're aware that this can't possibly last forever.

Something is about to change, something monumental and they can feel it in the sky. The wind is heavy with anticipation, the clouds lingering in their voluminous, daunting masses as they await the moment that has always been promised.

As Dylan watches that optimistic star rise in the sky, he feels overwhelmed with despair for something that he cannot control.

"Dylan."

He shakes his head, a small sob escaping his chest. His hand fumbles against his cheek, faintly surprised when he feels moisture laying there.

"Dylan."

His mate's voice is soft, but firm, demanding his attention and he is helpless to obey.

Orion observes his mate, reading the fear in beautiful baby blues that he'd do anything for.

His fingers brush against his mate's cheek, grazing the faint freckles that still linger on his cheeks. They elicit the fondest of memories, casting him back to hazy summer days where his world briefly existed in technicolour. Constellations, he had called them back then, and his lips quirk at how apt that description had been. Tiny stars in the sky, linked in the most intricate way to tell the stories of their history.

That moment, years ago, where he had vowed to protect them seems alive and vivid, replaying in his eyes like it was only yesterday.

That same fear shines in Dylan's eyes, just as it had done back then, and the overwhelming love for the man in his arms is the only thing pumping through Orion's veins. Dylan's fingers are wrapped around Orion's arms tightly, holding him close, just like then.

But Orion doesn't despair this time around, because he's not leaving. Not this time. He doesn't think he's capable of it ever again. Nothing can tear this man from him, not now. He bears his mark, they are bonded in the most intricate of ways and the love that binds them is beautiful, ancient and fated.

But he's still afraid.

"I love you." He says instead.

It never fails to make Dylan smile, and it doesn't this time either.

"You didn't say that back then." Dylan murmurs and Orion shakes his head.

His teenage self hadn't been capable of saying that, because if he had, he'd never have been able to leave.

"I felt it, though." He says instead.

"I waited for you." Dylan whispers, and the words pierce Orion's heart.

He doesn't want to hear them, but he forces himself to, because he deserves it. The hurt that he has inflicted on his mate is unforgivable. He doesn't get to be ignorant of it now.

"I came here every day, just in case." Dylan says, his eyes glassy as he stares at the river.

"I'm sorry." Orion whispers, knowing it'll never be enough.

But Dylan laughs.

"I loved you so much, and I had no idea. But I was willing to wait for you until the end of time." He says, his hand curling around Orion's.

"I still am." He adds, his voice nothing but a hushed promise.

Orion frowns at the dread that simmers there.

"Dyl..."

"If things don't work out, I will wait. I'll wait until you step down or until we're among the stars and finally able to live our promised life. Together." Dylan says, a desperate edge in his voice as his eyes shine maniacally.

"It feels like I've waited for you here, beside the river, for years. If you asked, I'd wait a hundred more." Dylan says, shaking his head.

Orion's eyes sting as he exhales, his forehead leaning down to press against his mates. He isn't sure what he did to earn the love of such a man, but he knows he'll never be deserving of it. Doesn't mean that he won't spend every second of his life trying though.

"I'm done waiting." Orion says, but it doesn't feel enough.

"We are done waiting." He promises, his fingers curling around those of his mates.

The sun continues it's destined route through the sky, travelling the same path that it has followed every day for a millennia and blissfully ignorant to the Alpha's below it, whose lives will never be the same again.

_

A/N 

One more chap, then the epilogue...will they ever get their happy ending?

-F