After a few days of rest and well made food and pastries made by Cara, Kyle was able to get the bandages off his head finally able to look at his ear in a mirror. As he stood in the bathroom, the cuts on his cheeks have half healed and he looked well rested, His skin practically glowing at the new life he was living with Zaynes family.
He met Zaynes Dad the other night, he was introduced when the man ducked into his bedroom. He was really tall and he barely fit through the door, His eyes were a stark white and one of his eyes were missing. His face was covered in a long thick beard that was braided at the ends.
He remembers how he entered the room with a large sniff.
"So, it was your scent I caught when I returned home a few days ago...very easy to track if Zayne was able to find you so quickly" he says with a rumbling voice, the very same feeling rushes through Kyle the second he recalls him or his grandfather, even though the man was practically dead to him now.
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to cause you're family so much hassle I-"
The bulking man was a blur when he crossed the room and wraps his large arms around him, careful not to crush him. The action was unexpected and when he separated from him he kneels down at the bed and looked him in the eye.
"You have gone through a lot...I would expect nothing less from a fellow survivor"
Kyle smiled and realized where Zayne had gotten his irresistible charm from, Accepting one last warm hug before stating he was going to cook him some of the best venison he'd ever had.
"I've never had venison"
"Even better~"
He left him him that night before Zayne had come back to check on him.
Back to present day, he still stood in front of the mirror with a scared expression, not one of true fear, but dread he'd never get to live a life without a constant reminder of who raised him...who hurt him. Taking a gentle finger to the wrappings and slowly removing it. And after it spiraled down his face he moved his hair to show his now jagged ear, the edge of it was gone, it looked like someone had took a large vicious bite out of it. It was a sight that brought small, silent tears to his eyes, choking up as he purses his lips trying to remain calm.
"Kyle? you ok? you've been in there awhile..." Shaun calls from the outside of the door, Kyle takes a deep breath in preparation. Tracing the stitches along what remained of his ear.
With a quick wipe under his eyes he turns around and opens the door to reveal Shaun standing there with a towel in hand, and two toothbrushes in his hand.
"What are they for?"
"Adrian ( Zaynes Dad) nipped into town and picked us up some toothbrushes...said he'd get us anything we need" Shaun said, looking a little happier than usual.
Then his eyes peer over to Kyle's ear, he tried to hide it, but his eyes widened sightly and his lips separated with a silent gasp, he wasn't expecting so much of his brothers ear would be gone.
"Its ok to look...I've gotten it out of my system already" he lied, lightly moving past his brother and walking downstairs, leaving the bathroom to his now concerned brother. As he reached the bottom floor he see's Cara washing up the dishes from last nights venison they all ate together, the family was so welcoming to them, they settle almost immediately.
They knew where everything was, the plates and dishes, the cutlery, the meats and the veg strategically placed by Cara seeing as she owned the kitchen.
"Can I help you Cara..."
"Sure thing darling, just let me finish washing this plate and you can start drying them if you'd like" she said looking over her shoulder, Adrian was sat peacefully at the table slowly trying to sneak his feet up on the opposing chair, before Cara looks behind and he immediately shoved them back to the ground, his face hidden by the giant newspaper in his hands.
"Keep those big feet of yours on the floor Adrian Pollins" she says, looking sternfully playful.
"Yes ma'am~" he says with a loving gaze towards her over his newspaper. Kyle was soon shocked by two burly arms reaching under his arms and puling him into a warm familiar hug from behind, feeling Zaynes smile press into his neck with a long sigh of relief.
"Good morning~"
"Hi~"
They separate as Kyle walks over to the sinks drainer, grabbing a plate and begins drying it with a cloth laying on the side. But they were still too wet as he drops the plate and it smashes to a million pieces at his feet. He was expecting to get hit without a question, but Cara just sighed and began cleaning it up, Kyle was overwhelmed with guilt and quickly runs from the room back upstairs, where he felt safest.
The family look after him with worry, especially Zayne who immediately followed after him. Kyle pushed past Shaun who was just leaving the bathroom and rushes his way into Zaynes room.
Quickly getting into bed and covering himself with the duvet.
He couldn't even think his mind was racing so fast, all the times he'd mess up or say the wrong thing he'd be punished, a belt to the arms was a common one as he clutches at them, digging his face into the plush pillow beneath his head.
The door to the room slowly opened, and instinctively Kyle curls his legs in and makes himself appear as small as possible under the covers.
"Kyle?"
It wasn't Zaynes voice he heard like he was expecting.
It was Shaun, and Kyle slowly pulled the covers off himself with a shaky hand and gazing into his brothers eyes, there was an understanding in them, it helped Kyle calm down seeing him.
"I'm sorry for asking...but, have you been having dreams?" Shaun asked him honestly, making Kyle's ears perk up.
"Dreams?"
"More like nightmares..."
He then understood, watching as Shaun sits across the bed from him.
"I keep hearing you in them...you're in so much pain and, whenever things used to get worse I used to pull my hair out to distract myself..."
Kyle slowly noticed he was wearing a beanie hat today, Adrian had bought it him a day ago.
And then he slowly removed it and shows the sad patches of hair missing at the back of his head, Kyle was suddenly filled with less guilt and more remorse, taking his hand and gently feeling the stubbled bald patches with a teary eyed stare. Bringing it back down to his brothers cheek as he parts his mouth to speak.
"I was so worked up between me and him I never even bothered to see how you really were...was that why you always blamed me?" he asked, his voice breaking at the sudden realization that it could've been his fault.
But that wasn't Shaun's intention, shaking his head in response and tightly pulling his big brother into a hug.
"No...I always felt like if I looked away long enough it would disappear, but it just came back to haunt me and I'm sorry I-" he takes a quivering breath in between his tears and his hands dig into Kyle's top.
"I'm sorry I didn't do more." He cried into Kyle's shoulder in a well needed moment away from the drama.
"I'm sorry I didn't do more too...I'm supposed to be your big brother." Kyle says through a painful smile, a weight lifting from his chest.
"You always have been...we were just scared kids"
knock knock.
The brothers separate as the door opens with Zayne, popping his head in concerned with furrowed brows.
"Is everything ok? your brother asked me to wait outside." he asked, looking slightly agitated at waiting for a small while.
Shaun's chuckles and stands, walking past Zayne with a small whisper.
"I'll leave you and your boyfriend alone now~"
Kyle grimaces at this and speeds out of his bed and pushes Shaun out of his room who was cackling evilly at his words.
Then there was two.
"So...want to talk about what happened...you looked like you saw a ghost"
"Not really...Shaun talked me back, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about" Kyle says now they were in private.
"Anything" he said reassuringly.
"What is this?...between us?"
Zaynes brows furrowed and his eyes try reading Kyle's expression, trying to gauge his meaning of the question.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying..." he looks to the window at the gorgeous sun shining "that when I'm around you I feel nothing but warmth, and when you hug me the hairs on my body stand on edge...and I only met you a short while ago..."
Zayne calms down and sits down on the bed, holding onto his hands as more goosebumps spread from his fingers and up his arms. His amber eyes shone calmly to him like ray of sun.
"I feel the same way you know...apart from the smell, that's something that the wolf cherishes the most"
"Have you had the wolf your whole life?"
"Pretty much...he's like the other half of me"
Kyle thinks to himself before smiling, hopping off the bed and pulling out a tiny notebook, sitting back down on the bed and opening on the first page.
"When I was 10, the only kindness my grandmother did for me was buying this notebook for me...I cherish it..."
"Why?" he asked him, interested in everything he had to say.
"Because it was my own little world...something that was mine and mine only..."
Then he looks back up after gazing longingly at the notebook, that was full to the brim with drawings of farm animals, and they were so intricately drawn that Zayne was gobsmacked at the revelation.
"Oh my god...this is some of the best art I've ever seen, ever!" a massive smile was spreading over his face while a blush was rapidly growing in Kyle's cheeks.
"Thanks...but I've only ever been around farm animals and I was wondering if-"
"Absolutely...of course you can draw Layton~"
There was a pause before Kyle burst out into an erupting laugh, shocking Zayne who was being completely earnest.
"You call your wolf..." he breaks to laugh and giggle some more " Layton?!" Kyle said in a flabbergasted expression, Zayne was laughing too but was slightly embarrassed he admitted that to him.
"Oh god...you are too cute you know that?" he says, watching Kyle wiping tears from his eyes, the grin on his face told him that he was now cheered up and happy again. Which was enough for Zayne.
"Come on, we can go out back where the sun in right now, he loves basking in it"
"Hopefully he can stay still for long enough~"
"Good luck with that, I'm going to chill and enjoy the view through his eyes~" Zayne winked at Kyle as they both stand and brush to the outside of the house. Zayne setting up as he stretches out on the gorgeous long green grass surrounding them, doing a variety of yoga poses that Kyle though looked very funny, humming with laughter as he sits down on the porch on the back of the house.
"Dont laugh, its important to stretch before you turn~" he teases, turning around and taking off his shirt, bending over backwards and pulling himself into a handstand. It was a marvelous sight to Kyle, watching as his muscles stretch and flex in the sun light. Already breaking a sweat under the blazing heat.
"Or impress the guy you like...is it working?"
"Mildly, you missed a spot you didn't stretch~" Kyles
He scoffs cheekily as he sets himself up for a slowly descending splits, His legs and pants almost touching the ground as his face begins to go red. But just as he was about to touch the floor he groans in pain, falling backwards clutching his junk. Kyle answers his exaggerated sounds of pain with an unstoppable laughter.
"How...could you...do this....to me...uhhhggg" Moaning, he laughs through gritted teeth, slowly beginning to turn sharp.
"You're the one trying to impress, dont you think its my turn now?~" Kyle sassily holds his pencil at him, As Zayne centers himself again, taking a deep breath before removing his pants. Kyle did close his eyes as he shifted to wolf form, it didn't take long before the great black wolf was sitting right before him.
He was calmly sat but you could see his large black tail swishing happily behind him, the amber eyes boring into him with an intense concentration. And the minute the wolf winks Kyle begins to draw, he was so focused he barely even noticed Alyssa walking through the back door.
Kyle took note of his eyes and wanted to start with them, his most handsome feature. Then when that was done he was started on the shape of his mane, it was puffed out as if he was showing off, and the long sweeping back that leads all the way down to his bushy black tail. Once the shape was done he began shading in with the light of the sun.
His fur where the sun hit was a gorgeous brown hue that changed as it shone on him, he looked proud of himself, but after 25 minutes of shading and detailing, Layton begins to whine slightly, making Alyssa chuckle.
"You're sitting in one spot, its not that hard" she teased.
"Its ok, I'll be done in juuuuust aboooout..." he was dotting this one place and then " Done!"
As Kyle said that, Zayne was ready to come back, immediately shifting from wolf form and incredibly excited to see what Kyle had drawn, but Alyssa and him both cover their eyes, averting the attention to the now naked man standing before them.
"Pants, ZAYNE!" Alyssa screeched.
He remembered what he was doing, covering himself with his hands and quickly grabbing at the pants and putting them on with haste, once he was decent he approached them both and sat down next to them, gazing at the drawing of Layton, which was just as finely crafted as Kyle's other pieces of work.
"Wow...you totally captured both me and him in this drawing, want to draw just me?"
"I only draw animals" Kyle admits, hiding his notebook away so they could just talk.
Alyssa ruffles Zaynes black tufted up hair and leaves them be with a final word.
"This one is an animal 24/7, good luck with that by the way" she said with a slight edge to her voice, was she making fun or just being Alyssa.
"So, any plans today?" Zayne asked him as Kyle looked off to the rest of the trees surrounding their sanctuary, their reserve.
"Well I haven't been formally introduced to the forest yet if you'd be so kind?"
"It would be my pleasure" he happily chirps in reply, offering his hand as Kyle takes it lightly, both of them slowly chatting and walking on their way to tour the woods, surrounding the safety of their own home. But Zayne hadn't been completely truthful.
He never told Kyle why the woods was there in the first place, or why they wanted to live here in the complete isolation. And being so blindly in love, he forgot the number one rule of the house...
Always follow the Alpha's commands, and rule two, set by his mother was:
"Never go into the woods...or you'll bite off more than you can chew"
Ignoring the blatant signs of his mothers warning, the two enter through the brush, being lost to the vast sea of green on that very sunny morning. A mistake, they had no idea they were making...