"Your room is nice," said Leo. He said so without lying which was a rarity for him. Callum's room was simplistic in its light grey and forest green colour scheme. The walls had pictures of family and friends, cut outs of newspapers that referenced McCameron family. One article referencing his dad winning a crab fishing competition, another of his Grandmother helping the local school with baking and one of Callum himself participating in an annual swim in the sea on the first of January.
"That must have been freezing."
Said Leo.
Callum looked over his shoulder and laughed. His hands naturally went to Leo's waist and he pressed his body to Leo's back. Perhaps it was the dog in him, but Leo had noticed how frequently Callum did that as well as press his nose into Leo's hair. "It was. Did it with my mates and we all couldn't feel our fingers when we came out."
"Are those mates different from whatever mate your mum kept calling me?"
Callum recoiled, slipping away from Leo. He took a few steps back into the room and turned around. "It's complicated."
"Why?"
"Because... it's complicated. Listen , I know how it all sounds, but this 'mate' thing is this super old tradition in our community. It would be a lot easier to explain if you were from here, but you're not so I want to take it slow. The 'mate' thing is really intense and I-" he took a deep breath, "I don't want you to be forced into liking me."
"Why would it force me to like you?"
"It's complicated."
"But, I already like you so why don't you just tell me?"
Callum sat down on his bed, the perfectly straight covers crumpling around him. He kept his eyes on the floor as his brown curls fell into his eyes. "Do you like me?" He asked.
"What?"
Callum looked at him with an such sincerity that it terrified Leo in a way he'd never felt before. Puppy dog eyes, that's probably what they'd be called, but they were so much more than that. There was something so pure about those bright green eyes, something so hurt and Leo knew he was responsible. They weren't frightening or scary like the average werewolf, they were pleading with Leo. And yet, despite all the emotions Callum held in those puppy dog eyes, he didn't seem angry with Leo. He didn't yell at him or scowl, he didn't cry despite how watery those eyes became. Instead he smiled ever so slightly.
"It's fine," said Callum, "this is all really fast for you and I completely understand. But sometimes it's like you don't like me at all."
Leo didn't know what to say to that. He thought he'd played the part of lover boy quite well, but what the fuck did he know, he'd never been in love. He was only doing what he overheard all his siblings doing when they were on their missions. They always talked of seduction tactics, manipulation of the heart. They always made it sound so easy and they always laughed as they talked about it.
How did his siblings find all of this so easy? Why didn't they struggle like he did?
He wasn't the weakest one amongst them! It wasn't true!
But, did his siblings feel sympathy for the enemy like he did?
"Callum, I-" He what? What could he say that could possibly remedy the situation? Every clever remark or cunning deception slipped from his mind and he was left without words to protect himself.
"It's fine." Callum said again. He reached forward and took Leo's hand in his. "You're really amazing, Leo. I want to know more about you at whatever pace you want to. Forget about the stupid 'mate' stuff and just let me like you, because I really do like you." He kissed Leo's palm and smiled up at him.
"I... I've never been with anyone." It slipped out as an uncharacteristic moment of honesty.
"I've never seriously dated anyone before, so we're kind of in the same boat." He paused for a moment. "Was i your first time?"
Fucking hell, there was no need to rub salt in the wound. Was it really that obvious?
Callum got this stupid grin on his face. "Is it weird to say I'm glad?"
"Yes."
Callum laughed. "Fair enough. So, do you think that maybe we could do things for real this time, I guess. I don't know, I sound stupid. Wanna go steady with me, Leo?"
"Go steady?" Leo smiled at him. "You know I'm only here for three months, almost only two now."
"Yeah, I know." He used those stupid puppy dog eyes again. "But, you never know what could happen."
Leo would've made fun of him for his optimism, because Leo knew exactly what he was doing after this mission was down. Back to the church with Sebastian to serve under Father and prove to his siblings that he can complete a mission. None of this was real, none of it was going to last.
His heart twisted for a moment as Callum stood up to kiss him. Callum was a monster, he had to keep reminding himself of that fact. No matter how human Callum acted, he wasn't really human and Leo needed to remember that. Then why? Why did he feel guilt from selling the illusion of love to Callum?
It was stupid to apply the human feeling of sympathy to a monster. No matter how genuinely kind that monster was.
"I know you probably don't feel the same right now." Callum said softly. "But, I really like you and I'm going to work hard to earn someone like you."
Leo wrapped his arms around Callum's neck and wrested his head against his chest. He'd never liked before how much taller Callum was than him, but in that moment he appreciated that he could hide his tormented face from the love sick puppy.
"Are you okay?" Callum asked.
"Yeah." Leo felt Callum hold him back. "Just tired, I guess."
"Do you want to lie down?"
"You want me in your bed that badly, huh?"
"No! I mean, yes! But, I genuinely just meant it as a if you're tired or dizzy or something you can use my bed, I don't even have to get on it too if you don't want me to. I'll sit on the floor!" With his head pressed against Callum's chest, Leo could hear his heart rate pick up as he became flustered. He smiled despite himself. It was too easy to mess with Callum.
Leo was going to accept the offer when his phone began to buzz.
"Someone's calling you." Callum pointed out when Leo made no move to answer it.
He sighed and let go off Callum which made the poor puppy pout. Leo suspected it might be one of his siblings trying to call him after he reached out to one for advice about hunting dog obedience. He hadn't wanted to do it, but Sebastian was out of line.
He'd never been particularly tough on Sebastian. His siblings put their hunting dogs in collars with spiked on the inside that dug into the skin, put them in electrified cages, starved them, beat them, took whatever human form they had away from them. Leo could easily be like that, instead he was ridiculed by his siblings for giving Sebastian clothes and a name like Sebastian.
Okay, maybe Sebastian wasn't a great name, but Leo was only a kid when the pair first met and his favourite cartoon character at the time was called Sebastian, so it was a stupid kid being stupid basically. He was arguably kind to Sebastian, so why was Sebastian acting out against him? Not listening to orders, being more distant than usual, and —no doubt the worst of the offences— so desperate to fuck the nerd they were supposed to protect.
The number was not that of his sibling.
"What do you want, Seb?" He spoke into the phone quite bluntly.
"There's been..." the phone was silent for a moment, "... an accident."
"What are you talking about?"
"Are you with anyone?"
"I'm with Callum."
"I think you should come home." The line went dead. Damn dog hanging up. Still, whatever it was it must be important enough for Sebastian to not mention it over the phone and to get specifically wary when he mentioned Callum.
No doubt Callum had eavesdropped on the conversation. Nothing could get past keen ears like his and clearly it hadn't. Callum already had a dejected look on his face. "Guess you better get going. Can I see you some other time? On like a proper date I mean."
"I'd like that."
"Great!" He grinned. "I'll think of something then. It'll be great, I promise!" Leo had no idea how Callum managed to be smiley all the time or why he smiled so much when Leo was around.
He kissed Callum goodbye and left the McCameron manor. His feet sunk slightly in the soft earth as he padded his way back the way he came. Then something caught his eye: paw prints in the mood. As large as dinner plates. He traced them back to the manor to a window in the side of the stone walls that had been torn clean off. Broken glass was wedged in the mud and the wooden frame that had once been a window was splintered and broken, strewn across the ground following the creature's footsteps.
Jesus Christ. What the hell happened?
Mixed amongst the paw prints, broken glass and splintered wood, were human shoe prints.
He followed the trail away from the manor, across the fields and into the dense forest. There were claw marks striking the trees, bushes pulled up from the root as if the creature had stumbled over them. There was also pieces of cloth, small scraps of blue fabric caught on thorny plants. He followed until the prints stopped. The human ones ended abruptly but there was a large disturbance of mud just ahead, they must've tripped, he figured. The paw prints stopped as well.
He would've assumed that meant the unlucky bastard that tripped got eaten, if it wasn't for the second pair of paw prints that raced towards the first pair. The earth around them was highly disturbed. An entire tree had snapped in half, crushing the smaller plants around it. The second pair of paw prints were larger and sunk deeper suggesting a higher level of strength. There was blood splattered on the leaves of a nearby holly bush. The paw prints all disappeared entirely as a new set of foot prints emerged, walked towards the place where the person had fell and off into the forest.
Leo knew those footprints. He took out his phone and dialled Sebastian back. As soon as he picked up, Leo simply said: "What the fuck have you done?"
"Have you seen it?"
"There's blood everywhere."
"I'll be there in a minute."
Leo continued to investigate the scene. He followed the blood trail to a sinkhole in the dirt.
"God damn it." He said to himself.
He waited for two minutes. Leaves crunched behind him, but Leo didn't turn around.
"What am I looking at?" Asked Leo.
"It's the grandmother of the McCameron family. That's what Phineas told me. He said she kept complaining about hunger."
She had. Damn it, Leo was sure the family would keep her suppressed so he hadn't considered her an active threat. This was proof. Proof that Callum really was just a monster. His grandmother was and so was he. He don't actually like Leo and eventually Leo would need to put him down.
Damn it.
"Is Phineas okay?"
"Yes, he's back at the cottage."
"Did you kill her?"
"Yes."
"Where's her head?"
Sebastian said nothing. Somebody had dinner early tonight.