A/N: I'm looking forward to writing the next part. ☺️ Isn't Simon's wolf the cutest?
Vince's POV
It felt like forever ago that Simon's wolf had been in front of me, and although the thought of letting both of our wolves out was frightening, hiding them away was a disservice to them and the number of years of waiting.
Simon was eager to get into his wolf form, practically dragging me by the arm to the rogue center after leaving Xavier's place. Flecks of his wolf's amber eyes flashed briefly in his when he turned to look at me, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't encourage my wolf to the surface. As our feet carried us closer and closer to the forest edge, my wolf was pawing at the surface, begging to be released.
But upon reaching the edge of the pack line, Simon turned to me with the same warm brown eyes. He smiled, his hand not leaving my arm as his other hand pointed to the rogue center. "Ready to shift?"
I nodded and followed him inside, greeting the new guards Xavier had instated. Simon was better at remembering their names than I was, even making small talk about the guard's families. A couple of the younger ones bowed to us as we neared one of the vacant shifting rooms.
"It's alright," I said, raising my hand to stop them, but they insisted.
"You're the alpha's brother. The previous alpha."
Simon held back a chuckle as I glanced at him for help. He shrugged, walking away from the guards and me to open the door to the room. With a sigh, I turned to the two guards. "Really, it's okay. Not even Xavier expects this. Please, don't bow."
They didn't budge, still hunched over, replying, "if you insist."
Slowly, they adjusted their postures, their heads still downcast as I sent them a parting and followed Simon inside. "That was beyond awkward."
He laughed as soon as we walked into the room. "It was hilarious. It seems you still have some power around here."
"Technically, I've been demoted to a beta, if you could even call me that. I don't do half of what our betas do."
He hummed, peering up at me. "Still a pretty hefty title if you ask me."
My face scrunched. "If you ask me, I think you hold more power over me than I do over anyone in this pack."
He tilted his head, eyes widening. "Oh, is that so?"
"I think you've proven that more than once." I gulped. "Definitely stronger, and faster, and of course, smarter."
The corner of his lips lifted, his eyes twinkling even in the afternoon glow. "I love this new giving-compliments-Vince. Don't stop now with the flattery."
I blinked, feeling the blush work its way back to my face. If Simon kept saying things like this, the blush was about to be permanent. "Weren't we going for a run? Shifting—yeah, we were shifting."
"Totally," he mused. "You want to shift first?"
I nodded, even though it felt like his eyes were stripping me bare before I could even remove my jacket. It was almost childish how I turned around to avoid seeing his face as I stripped the shirt and pants. He didn't say anything as I placed the clothes atop a cabinet, lowering myself to the ground to shift.
Shifting was something anyone should have been comfortable with doing around others; it was normal for werewolves. Yet, shifting in front of my mate was a different experience than in front of a practical stranger, but we weren't exactly the average pair of mates. We hadn't been in our wolf forms together since the attack Michael had led, and before then, I think I could count on one hand the number of times we've been near each other in our wolf forms.
As I let the past thoughts fade out of my mind, I honed in on my wolf, who seemed content in a room with our mate. Shifting into our wolf form was a lot about focusing on our wolves themselves, something I had nearly forgotten when I took those supplements. Now that it wasn't a muddy picture of him, shifting was much easier, still awkward and uncomfortable, of course, but worlds better than before.
Simon was already in his wolf form when I turned around. "You make it seem so easy," I mused.
He shrugged before walking toward me. "That wasn't so bad yourself. Shall we?"
I followed him out of the room, walking down the hall just as the guards opened the door for us. They bowed just as the other guard had from the other entrance.
Simon slowed his pace as we neared the tree line, brushing up against my side. He pulled ahead to look at me with a curious glint in his eyes, his tail swaying back and forth playfully. "Race to the lake?"
I didn't even have time to respond when he turned and took off, disappearing into the low shrubs. Not nearly as fast as Simon, I followed after him, my wolf urging me to chase. Without the suppressants, his scent trail was as clear as could be; if I had known the woods as extensive as he did, I probably could've followed after him blind.
But quickly, I realized, this wasn't a race after all. Simon would slow his pace, brushing up against me before splitting off and increasing his speed again, rousing my wolf to chase after him. This was completely different from when we had been chased down by Michael's wolves, sprinting for our lives in the dense parts of the forest. Here, Simon would take the sparser areas, occasionally loop back towards us to get beside us again, something my wolf was howling for joy over.
It didn't take long for us to get tired from running around; after all, we weren't young pups anymore. The strain in my legs wasn't something I was used to, and I was sure the same was to be said about Simon. He slowed his pace to a trot before walking in line with me, his shoulders not leaving my side.
Once we reached a clearing to take a break, he scoped out the area, checking our surroundings before turning to me. "There are fewer rogues around. Hardly got a whiff of any on the way here."
"Xavier's new programs."
He tilted his head. "I'm impressed. It hasn't been that long. A lot more members then?"
I nodded. "Some chose to live amongst the humans after getting enough resources. Others have gone to different packs."
"The forest must be enjoying it too." He looked around. "More time to grow with less foot traffic and more animals. Even the air seems different."
"It does." I hadn't noticed it when I visited the forest the last time, but it did seem different. "Refreshing."
He agreed, looking around and soaking in the atmosphere. His nose held high, while his ears twitched when the trees swayed from the wind. His fur rustling in the wind, highlighting the shades of brown in his coat, something I hadn't gotten to admire the last time. It was stunning to look at, and if the sun had still been up, I was certain the colors of honey and amber would have been as illuminating as the way his eyes did.
Simon tilted his head, his lips upturned, when he caught me staring. "How are you feeling? Up for meeting him again?"
I blinked, tilting my head. There was always a chance that I'd lose control, that my wolf would slip out. But I trusted Simon, and I was sure his wolf was as patient and understanding as Simon's; after all, they both had gone through so much over the years. Trusting my wolf was my battle, something I had to conquer eventually.
I gave Simon a nod, to which he grinned.
"He's very excited, but I promise he'll behave." His ear twitched. "I'm still here, so there's no need to worry."
Simon's eyes softened, staring into mine as I felt his wolf's presence shift. Shifting into our wolf forms was different compared to our wolves taking over. And for Simon and his wolf, the transition was so smooth; I could've blinked and missed it. One moment they were brown, and then they were amber.
I sucked in a breath, his wolf's presence in its entirety now, and as promised, I still could feel Simon within those amber eyes. My wolf let out a content whine before saying, mate.
His wolf didn't move; his eyes fixated on mine. Through our mind link, his wolf mirrored the same word back to us, his voice as soft and gentle as Simon's embrace. Behind him, his tail lightly tapped the earth, but he hadn't made a move to approach me.
Mate, my wolf cooed again. Touch mate.
My feet were frozen in place, though. Taking a step closer meant the closer my wolf was to breach the surface. Could I reign him in enough? Would this work?
And yet, despite the yearning and pull of our bond, Simon's wolf remained seated, simply tilting his head with his kind eyes. Taking a deep breath in, I took a half-step forward. The only movement was from his wolf's tail. I could do this, I told myself. Nothing terrible had happened; my wolf was stable, not clawing at the surface to be freed.
Little by little, I took a few more steps, closing the gap between us. What felt like minutes had gone by as I slowly worked up to get near him until there was only a foot between us. His tail swayed from side to side; his eyes still fixed on mine as my wolf hummed contently in the back of my mind.
And as if struggling to contain his excitement, Simon's wolf stepped forward, his muzzle reaching mine and giving an affectionate lick. He whined, his ears drawn back as I returned the gesture.
"Mate," he cooed, licking back and nuzzling his head against my neck. For a second, my wolf had surged forward at the sound of his voice, only to retreat as quickly as Simon's wolf had taken a step back.
He reminded me of an excited puppy, the way his rump shook from the aggressive tail-wagging and playful yips he'd let out, circling me. Simon hadn't been kidding about his excitement, and yet, his wolf was still patient, never getting too close to rouse my wolf out, even though I knew he'd love to be out and running around.
The guilt of holding him back was distressing. A part of me wanted just to let my wolf free, let him enjoy this moment finally, but the fear was paralyzing. Losing that sense of control over him only brought terrible memories and a looming threat of what-ifs again. But seeing his wolf this excited to see us and not have a chance to run with his counterpart must've felt awful.
"Soon," his wolf cooed, approaching me slowly, dragging me away from my thoughts. "One day."
His amber eyes looked through me, reaching both my wolf, who hummed in agreement and me. Simon's wolf gave a chaste kiss against my cheek before walking toward the tree line. "Follow me. I want to show you something."
Despite his reassurance, the looming idea of just letting my wolf out seemed like the right thing to do, for my wolf's sake, at getting the chance to be around each other for a second. Simon and his wolf deserved that; my wolf deserved it after all these years.
Not now, my wolf urged to my surprise, his voice further in the recess of my mind.
His wolf's tail flicked, looking back at me with an expectant look. Follow him, my wolf said.
Like Simon, his wolf led the way, a few paces ahead of me, but close enough that he'd near my side in denser parts of the forest. The path was still easier to trek than the trek to Arthur's pack, but none of the clearings or trails we had passed seemed familiar. Of course, I wasn't familiar enough with the hunting party trails, but the air and foliage felt as different as the first clearing.
And yet, his wolf traversed the area like it was the back of his hand, taking a couple of unexpected turns till the trees became more sparse.
Before I knew it, Simon's wolf had brought us past a tree line to the lake's edge, further East than I had ever ventured, just below the mountains. The lake's shore was wider, with a patch of sand and lush grass nestles between two rock formations. I didn't know such a place existed along the lake, completely different and otherworldly to the rest of the lake's terrain closer to the pack.
"My favorite place," he said, just as the wind picked up, running through his coat. Behind him, the lake's surface rippled as the low-lying clouds appeared to graze its surface. To his right stood the mountains, where tiny waterfalls formed where the clouds hugged its peaks. It was something out of nature magazines, but a hundred times better and more stunning, especially with our mate before us, sitting there in content as the last rays of the sunrise caressed the mountainside.
When his eyes met mine, I was in a trance, a complete unescapable trance I didn't mind losing myself in.
"Our favorite place," he smiled as bright as the setting sun, and he couldn't have been any more right.