The Chosen [Wolf + MxM]

The Chosen- Chapter 28

Things had been so much different then. So much easier. In retrospect, it seemed obvious that we’d be mated. Our friendship had never been like the others I’d seen. Even while platonic, there always felt like there was more to it. Something that shouldn’t be broken or toyed with.

“Yeah, we do,” I agreed, “You’re squishing me.” I poked him in the ribs and I was beyond pleased to find that he was still as ticklish as ever. I filed away that for later. He unzipped the sleeping bag and let in the early morning breeze slip in.

It felt cool against my skin after a warm night in the bag with someone who didn’t have any concept of ‘my side and your side’ of beds. I wasn’t complaining of course. I’d have every night be like last night if I had my way. Richie had always been bigger and heavier. I wasn’t any stranger in being smothered in limbs and affection. Richie was like an animal scent-marking someone he’d accepted as his. It was hard not to feel a little buoyant at the thought.

“Hey,” he rolled onto his back and checked the time, “We’d better get our swimming done quick so we can get you to school, huh?”

“Noooo,” I ducked further into the sleeping bag.

“You dragged me all the way to your deserted island and you won’t even go swimming with me?” Richie sat on top my back, “Who does that?”

“Oh, I’ll go swimming,” I assured him, “But I’m not going to school today when I can hang out on my own private island.”

“But we’re almost out of food. Do you plan to starve?”

“It’s okay,” I said I said with a wistful sigh, “We lived good lives. Maybe it’s our time.”

“I am not starving on this island because you don’t want to go do Math,” he lied down on my back.

“We can die together. It’ll be majestic. The Tragic End of Richard and Danyel. They’ll make a movie about us.”

“Yeah. The guy who hated school so much that he preferred to starve but then his wolf got hungry and decided to tear their friend to shreds.”

“I smell a box office hit.”

“But what about the anniversary party?” he swapped tactics, “You promised to come with me.”

“You could just–.”

“–And you wouldn’t stand me up,” he rest his chin on my shoulder, “would you?”

I shimmied until he slid off my back and onto the ground with a thud! I made sure he knew that I wasn’t happy that he’d won this one. I wasn’t happy about it at all.

He was positively beaming at my scowl and pat my cheek, “I knew you were a gentleman all along. Come on, grouchy.” He hoisted me up by the hand and we brushed our teeth outside in the early morning breeze.

Now that we were up and moving, it was hard not to be fully awake and anxious to go out and do something. Richie ran down to the beach pulling off his shirt as he went. At the animal’s insistence, I stripped out of my clothes and shifted into second form.

Richie was already swimming outward by the time I caught up to him. He didn’t seem at all shocked to see the wolf bounding into the waves and doing his best to swim to him. Doggy paddling over, the wolf stuck his nose in the air and swished his tail. “Oh God,” Richie’s face crumpled into a grin, “I wish I had a camera. This is the cutest thing.” The wolf yapped at him and continued on his merry way sloshing water around in his wake.

Richie bundled the furry animal in his arms and accepted the lick to the face. Neither of them paid me any attention, preferring to dodge waves and splash at each other. It was an odd feeling to be nearly submerged in imaginary water or to feel the sting of salt water in my eyes even when it hadn’t really touched them. I complained only a little but the wolf took extra care in the water after that.