Can you heal old scars?

Chapter 8

Quin chuckled and looked away, before examining the cuff on his wrist. At least it wasn't super tight and he could still move it around, not the most comfortable thing to have on your wrist but it could be worse.

A yawn escaped from Quin as Ryan sat next to him, the warmth from Ryan's leg against his own was actually quite nice, and he kept the urge to move at bay.

"We can figure it out tomorrow if you want? You look like you could do with something to eat and then get some sleep." Ryan said, cautiously running his knuckle over Quin's knee, waiting to see what reaction he would give.

He was kind of surprised when Quin simply yawned and nodded, rubbing his eyes sleepily as his stomach growled at the mention of food.

"Well come on then, let's get some food in you. Is stew and rice ok, you don't have any allergies do you?" Ryan asked standing up and offering Quin his hand, Quin shook his head and got up without Ryan's assistance, that felt a bit too personal right now.

Ryan sighed but said nothing, steering Quin through the hall and into the kitchen.

It was a very large room, a huge wooden table took up the entire length, mismatched chairs lining one side, and a large bench lined the other. The large wood burning stove sat in a sort of alcove, various cooking pots and pans, dried plants and utensils hung from several pot racks around the room, and a small bookcase sat in a far corner filled with cooking books.

It was large but inviting, very friendly and homey like the rest of the house. It was different from Quin's childhood home, and yet had the exact same kind of vibe, one of family, of community and love.

Ryan headed over to the stove, turning on the burners and heating up the stew. It had only been made that evening so it would do fine, he just needed to boil up some rice.

Quin watched Ryan as he worked on the meal, he didn't seem to be super familiar with the kitchen however, and Quin thought it quite sweet that Ryan was making the food for him. But as soon as the thought entered his mind, it was like his thoughts wrinkled in annoyance.

Quin's neck throbbed again and he gently rubbed at the skin where his neck met his shoulder, an uncomfortable sensation tickling at him as he watched Ryan. It was almost like he shouldn't be looking, shouldn't be interacting with him... But wasn't he his mate? They should want to get to know each other right? However the feeling had left Quin sensing that it wasn't a good idea, like he would be in trouble if he did.

He must have been zoning out again because he was snapped back to reality by a bowl of hot stew and rice, a small roll of homemade bread next to the bowl. Ryan sat next to him, and looked expectantly, Quin nodding a thankyou before tucking into the food.

It was good, the sauce was rich and thick, the meat though he didn't know what it was, melted in his mouth. The rice was a little chewy but that was ok, it worked well with the sauce, and the homemade bread roll was wonderful.

He ate in relative silence and calm, unaware of how much Ryan was studying him.

Ryan's gaze wandered over Quin's features, his lean build, dark hair and pale skin, the angles of his face. He was beautiful to look at, even given his disheveled state, and Ryan couldn't understand this strange feeling in his gut telling him something wasn't right.

Attraction wasn't an issue, Quin was just his type, with the perfect amount of effeminacy to balance his appearance, and a really nice body too. But that was kind of it, and he couldn't help feel like something was missing.

Where was this pull everyone kept talking about, the need to be close, the instant deep connection? He felt none of it, in fact his wolf felt an indifference around Quin, almost bordering cautious.