Kyle was staring at the door, his fresh meal had rejuvenated him and he was ready to leave the room to go looking for the book, but he needed a distraction.
He was rolling over plans in his head, he wasn't willing to destroy anything seeing as he loved the house and the family, after he had thought about it, he gets to work, starting to pile up the books he had packed and seeing a discarded yogurt cup in the trashcan, he rips a few slices of spare paper from his drawing notebook.
Placing the yogurt cup on top of the pile of brick-like books, opening a bedside draw, spotting a roll of tape. Kyle grabs it and tapes the yogurt cup to the top of the book.
"Step 1, check"
He then takes some spare bed sheets from Zaynes cupboard and begins making a makeshift rope out of it, opening the window and checking the grass below for any of them standing guard outside.
"Clear for now, need to do this now maybe? I'm only gonna have about 5 minutes to find tracks and follow them away before they realize whats going on" he whispers to himself, trying to be quiet.
"And what is going on?" Another whisper cuts out from below, it was Zayne, who was hiding in the shadows expertly. A small smirk on his lips as he stares up at him.
Kyle seemed to slump, like his plan had already fallen through before it began.
"You know, if you want to track that book, with my help it'll take much less time to track whoever took it" Zayne whispers lightly.
"You'd help me escape?" Kyle asked as Zayne lifts his hand, an oblivious look on his face.
"You mean you haven't gathered I would die for you yet?"
"That's extreme, nobody is dying~" Kyle smiles, the words Zayne was saying may have been serious but there was a tinge of hilarity to it. Of course Kyle would also die for Zayne, but felt saying it back would've excused his grim reasoning.
"That would certainly be the better option huh babe?"
"Oh...you're calling me babe?"
Kyle had never had a pet name, he may have dropped the B-word a tad bit early at Magse's hut, but he was under the impression they hadn't talked about being in a relationship yet with everything going on.
"Y-yeah...is that...wrong?" Zayne asked with a blush on his face, scared he had said the wrong thing.
"No, its fine, I like it actually~"
"Really?~" He perks up, leaning against the wall with a smug smirk.
"Then what you still doing up there, we got a book to track baby!" He said, his voice fluid and free.
Kyle laughs lightly as the blush in his cheeks only grows wider, the love for this boy was deep, and Kyle didn't mind being so infatuated that he would do anything he said, having that affection for someone feels rare to him, precious even.
"Ok, I've got a plan, go get a scent and I'll meet you at the brush in 3 minutes"
"Got it, what should I do if you dont meet me?"
"Then come back, you're not risking your life in there alone...you go with me or not at all" Kyle said, sternly and confident in his feelings. Zayne was entranced by this dominant yet caring tone in Kyle's voice, rushing off to do as he says at once.
And with That Kyle carries on with his plan, slowly draping the rope he made from the window, he then pushed his and Zayne's bed to the door so it was blocked, it didn't take much effort as his bed was rather light. The yogurt cup, book tower thing was still standing proudly, but Kyle was worried when his plan started that something could go up in flames.
Literally.
Just so the yogurt cup doesn't melt all over his precious books, he rips off the tape and places the plate from his food under it, practicing caution as he tapes it back together again.
Deciding against his hesitation, he clicks his fingers and uses the candlelight spell, the flame on his thumb feeling much more fluent and mastered, like he had ingrained the feeling on his brain forever, lighting the paper inside as he goes to climb out the window. The flame in the cup wasn't huge but it was enough to make enough smoke to billow through the crack in the door alerting Alyssa to it.
"Smoke?! FIRE!"
She tries to unlock the door but the bed was blocking her entrance, making the other family members rush upstairs to help while Kyle slides down from the window, his shoes touching the grass as he bolts to where he see's Zayne hiding in the tree line, frantically waving him over as Kyle sprints towards him.
"Come on, they'll break through that door pretty quickly!"
"Better leave now, they'll also be on our tails even quicker than that if we dont move"
After they both nod to each other they start sprinting into the forest, with Zayne leading the hunt.
But just as Cara kicks the door down seeing the distraction, blowing it out with her eyebrows furrowed angrily, staring back to the open door with Adrian and Alyssa watching her with a nervous glance.
"Oh, those boys...are in very big trouble"
*
After a few minutes of running, Zayne and Kyle take a breath as Kyle bends over near a tree and takes in deep breaths, tired while Zayne was still locked on too the scent of the book, luckily he had caught it when Kyle had passed out of the porch.
"So, can you explain something for me?" Zayne asked him, looking off through the trees into the distance, on high alert for any enemies or creatures nearby. Now that Mags had disappeared, there was nobody protecting the forest anymore, and without walls they were defenseless to anything.
"Yeah...just give me another second..." he splutters between ragged breaths, he's done a lot of running in the past few weeks, his lungs burning slightly.
"Is it true what Shaun said...that you...stole that book from Mags?"
"Yes...I did steal it" Kyle admits, catching himself and watching as Zaynes attention turns from the forest back to him.
"Why?"
"It wasn't what the book said, its who the author was..."
"And who was it exactly?" Zaynes tone seemed slightly edged, but Kyle ignores it and looks at him with a vulnerable gaze.
"Someone called M. B. Wellington"
"Wellington? like Kyle Wellington?"
"Exactly, someone related to me wrote it, and I have no idea who they are"
Zayne thinks it over a moment, then asks a very harsh question.
"Your mother was a witch, wasn't she?"
Kyle felt the question had punched him in the face, just a few minutes ago he was ready to break Kyle out and lead him to said book, but now he knows more, he seemed to question it in his head a bit more.
Then Kyle, proudly, says.
"Lucerna"
And his thumb lit up, shocking Zayne slightly, then he stares at the fire, then down to Kyle's hand. Finally resting his eyes back on Kyle who was smiling with his eyes.
"So am I, apparently."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Zayne asked, his face slightly hurt, his expression drooping slowly.
Kyle chuckles, feeling like he wanted to cry, but held it in expertly.
"Because I was scared you'd stop caring about me...if you saw me in a different light" His lips quiver as he said this, showing just how scared he really was. Zayne then grabs his other hand, the light from his spell illuminated both their faces in the grim forest.
"I know it may seem pretty early to tell you this but...you and me will love each other for the rest of eternity, there is physically,mentally or emotionally nothing that could drive me away from you...I love you Kyle Wellington, and you worry way too much."
Kyle lets a single tear drip down his cheek, staring into the calming Amber ones before him, pulling him in tightly, kissing him with every ounce of love he could give him in that moment. Kyle often thought every-time they kissed was like the first time, Electrifying, dangerous and so passionate he could stay there all day, wasting away in his arms.
Zayne however, was so addicted to everything about him, from the red hair that shone so nicely in the sun, to his cute feet he hated showing anyone, the nose and the light freckles speckling his cheeks. He even loved the way his voice sounded in his ear, like a symphony of hand written love letters all in one. He was weird, which made sense, because so was Zayne.
As they separate, Kyle leans his forehead on Zayne's, smiling happily as the two hold each other sweetly in the light breeze of the woods.
"I love you too...And you dont worry enough actually~"
"Ohhhh so its like that is it?~" Zayne smiles, happy they could put everything behind them with such a simple, yet effective kiss and chat.
"It always will be~" Kyle whispers in his ears, sending chills down his spine, making his instinctively bring his lips downwards to his neck, taking a large breath of him with small pecks to the skin in-between in a small moment of distraction.
"This wont mess with you tracking will it?" Kyle asked him, enjoying the peppered kissing from him.
Zayne thinks a moment, trying to pick the scent of the book back, but all he could smell was Kyle's addicting scent.
"Shit"
"Its ok, I'm sure if we backtrack, we can pick it back up again~"
"You always know the right things to say, how'd I get so luckily to be bonded with you~" The two continue back to try and re-pick the scent back up, hoping that it wasn't gone for good.
*
Back at the house, Cara was settled in the kitchen, taking a few sips of the moonshine as she stares out the window. Alyssa walks in and appeared to be wiping her eyes secretively.
"Shaun said he doesn't want to come out of his room, said if Kyle wants to go looking for dead-ends he's free to do as he wants" she said, facing her mother as she sits down at the table.
"I'm not surprised...Kyle has been...difficult"
"You're not going to banish him are you?"
"No no...I love that boy like he was my own pup but...I would never kick him from the pack, he's been through far too much to lose two families in a row" Cara says, looking rather sad, Adrian had gone out to look for them, the burnt paper had thrown them off their scent, and she was beginning to lose hope of finding them.
"But what if they dont come back"
"Then I wont rest until my family is back home...where they belong, but for now, I trust they could handle themselves should trouble arise" she guzzles the moonshine this time, to Alyssa's shock she didn't seem remotely fazed by it.
"You're a good alpha mum...They didn't break the rules to disrespect you, that's what I think anyways"
"I believe that too"
Cara swirls the moonshine in its jug before placing it down.
"Right, enough of the wallowing Cara, time to track those boys down." She says to herself, rising from her seat and billowing out into the slowly darkening sky, with Alyssa hanging by in the doorway.
"What about dad?"
"He'll be on his scent by now, I've just got to follow your father...stay here, if anyone comes back then keep them here until we return"
"Be safe!" Alyssa shouts out to her now transformed mother.
"That's my line~" She telepathically said in reply rushing on Adrian's scent, who was also in pursuit of Kyle and Zayne.
Who after walking a large distance from the house, finally discovered footprints, but they weren't natural, they were stubby, and the toes (which there were 3 of) were sharp and pointed outwards like a star. Zayne scratches his chin, looking down into the mud tracks.
"Huh...I dont know what this thing is"
"You've never seen them before?"
"No, My father and I usually hunt around here too, whenever he returns from work"
"I didn't know Adrian worked, what does he do?"
"Oh he's a...a massage therapist...at the spa..." his voice was getting ever so quieter as he reached the word spa, it was barely a whisper as Kyle snorts.
"Say that again? I didn't get that?" teasing him as Zayne goes red in the red.
"Hes a massage therapist ok!" he laughs through the embarrassment as Kyle laughs loudly, his nose crinkling as Zayne looks to his right, the red on his cheeks baring bravely to him in astonishment.
"Figure's your dad is the guy who got the good hands~"
"Hey! I got good features too!"
"I'd love to know allll about them, but we should really be focusing on the-"
GRAAAAAGGGGHHHH
A loud scream from a gnarly voice rushes from the skies, a grey blur flying from the sky straight at Kyle's head, luckily Zayne had saw this coming and punched the smaller thing to the ground, missing Kyle completely, as he jumps back from the now grounded creature.
It stands up on its two legs and turns around to show us his wicked face, it looked like a small grey skinned rat, though it didn't have a snout, but instead a small pointed nose with a wide mouth full to the brim with small teeth, like a piranha.
It starts babbling angrily around as it attempts to attack with the spear it had in its tiny hands, Zayne had gotten angry and booted the calf-high creature like a football, sending it flying through the air with the thing screaming the entire way.
"What the hell was that thing?!"
"Goblin Swamp, we thought it was weird when they started moving from the last one we found...they must've been relocating" Zayne says, shaking his head in disgust.
"Why did it try to attack me?"
"Not very smart, always hunting prey larger than it, the wolves usually scare them off but they know humans dont usually fight back"
"Your world is weird"
"It got a whole lot weirder when you arrived" Zayne admits with a cheeky smile.
"That we can agree on" Kyle nods as they continue on, eyes up to the trees for anymore goblins planning to ambush them.
Cara had finally caught up with Adrian, who was sniffing around the ground, his mane puffed up and there was a slight panic to his voice.
"What if they're in trouble right now?"
"They're strong together...I could feel it the moment I met Kyle"
Their mental conversation, interrupted by the breeze coming by them, and almost immediately, she catches her sons' scents along it her eyes dilating as she zips off, leaving Adrian in the dust as she sprints into the woods.
"Cara! wait for me you know I'm not as fast as you"
"Guess you better catch up, I've got a lock on them" She yells, the wind flurrying through her red fur, Adrian a grey blur trying to keep up with her.
"What do we do when we find them?"
"I haven't thought about it, it can wait till they're back home"
"I'm behind whatever you decide, my love~"
"Thank you darling, you always know just what to say~"
Kyle and Zayne ha past the moggy area and felt safe there was no more goblins around according to Zayne, Who had gotten bit by one just before, nursing his hand that had a tiny bite-mark on his skin.
"I hope for your sake those things aren't poisonous"
"Even if it was, it wouldn't affect me the same way it would you, I heal faster, and fend off poisons much easier too" Zayne says as Kyle takes his hand, rubbing in fingers over his knuckles.
"Wish I had skipped ahead and learnt a healing spell, that would've been much more helpful than a tiny flame"
"Are you kidding? you're one of the most interesting person I've ever met, who wouldn't want a tiny flame when one doesn't have a lighter" he teases Kyle, pulling out a cigarette from his chest pocket in his jacket.
"Want one?"
"Nah, It only smells good on you anyways" Kyle says.
He smirks, sticking it in his mouth and holding it pleadingly in-front of Kyle.
"Got a light beautiful?~" he asked, his eyes inviting him in and another mischievous smirk, he hadn't seen Zayne smoke because he always did it outside, but now they were looking for the book in the woods, it was odd that this small side to him made him swell up slightly.
"You're unbearable~"
"Hey, you're the one that digs it~"
Kyle shakes his head, lighting his thumb and holding it to the end of his cigarette, which Kyle liked watching, the light from his thumb was held in a way that the shadows mold over Zayne's features, he was so handsome thought Kyle.
"No kidding" he says, a small smile spreading over his lips.
Then Zayne's ears perk up, looking behind him as he sees a flash of red fur between the trees.
"Get down!" he whispered, pulling Kyle in-front of a tree out of sight.
"What is it?"
"My mum!"
"Oh god, we're so dead"
"Dont say that, she wouldn't hurt a hair on your head"
And a voice comes from the other side of the tree, not noticing the strong presence behind them.
"So...you boys having fun?" It was Cara, who has turned back to a human, standing behind a tree unseen.
Kyle and Zane stay exactly where they are, knowing she was probably hiding so she could speak to them both, her body leaned on the tree.
"I get you're probably afraid right now, and you should be, how could you leave when I gave Kyle strict orders to stay PUT!" Cara says, a loud tone in her voice like she was ready to blow, meanwhile, Adrian had walked through the brush, joining them in wolf form.
"I mean honestly, It's like you want to get hurt out here...Kyle I understand why, but I cant willingly let you parade around these woods with my son putting yourselves at risk over a book"
"It isn't just a book!" Kyle pipes up standing with his back to her voice hidden away.
"Kyle..." Zayne had said in a low tone, as if asking him to back down.
"No...no, it isn't just a book Cara-"
"Kyle I am warning you, refrain from that tone immediately"
"I'm sorry, but I cant just give it up, you've given me more than enough help, but I am asking you not as his bond" Kyle explains pointing to Zayne " but as a person...please, let me find it"
Cara remains silent, and after awhile, Kyle thought he should've kept his mouth shut...
To which he sorely found out, was right.
"I'm sorry Kyle...but we need to go home..."
Kyle closed his eyes in disbelief, not hearing a strain or a waver in her voice, standing her ground confidently. as she utters the final word.
"Now."