[Max's POV]
It wasn't that I didn't trust Lowell, it more that I didn't trust myself.
Lowell clearly didn't mind me being unsubmissive, but I could tell he had been taught to behave and expect a certain level of submissiveness from not only mates but in general his pack, which, I was slowly realising, he considered me a part of.
I wasn't fully certain if it was instinct or parental tutelage but did feel like something that would not be entirely sensible to sit and reason with, and would be something, instead, to work around.
The only weakness I felt I truly had was the astoundingly intense need I had to be touched by him, a sex drive I'd never had for anyone else apparently appearing out of the blue just to be tortured with it, pleasure that made me feel half displaced.
Lowell had keyed in on this weakness particularly quickly, and a long sleepless night left me with dark rings around my eyes as I slowly limped from bed, trying to be as quiet as possible while cursing the ache and pinch in my lower back, the marks littered over my chest, neck, thighs and even arms, bite mark near my neck had nearly blinded me with pleasure, and apparently healed into a little pink mark astonishingly quickly.
Unfortunately I was half hard when I got up, and although it went down as I dressed as quickly as I was able, it felt rather like a betrayal, my own body egging Lowell on.
This was important, however, not just to show support for my friend, but to create a clear boundary.
I was not in his pack, and I could not be considered a subordinate.
I was older than him and knew what I was doing in life. He might naturally feel like he needs to offer me some sort of protection, but I wasn't a werewolf and whatever strange world they lived in was not mine, not yet. And while I did not want to upset him, it would be easier for him to accept me doing my own thing if he knew he could not change it, rather than getting frustrated that he felt like he should be able to tell me what to do.
That said I thought he might be a little upset by me leaving and so I did leave a note on his bedside table.
Good morning,
I'll be back late midday.
I'll bring pastries from Patrie, a wonderful bakery next door.
I love you,
Max
I took great care to be quiet as I left his room and only took my wallet and phone with me. I wasn't sneaking, just being careful not to alert him.
Yes, I could just tell him I was going, adult to adult, but a scowl, a guiding hand, rough push and a dark look followed by a kiss that felt dangerously addictive, so easy to fall for, so easy to forget what I was doing, it was all it really took. And I was fairly embarrassed by that.
I had a few odd looks from pack members as I got out of the house.
I can't have smelled wonderful and I knew there was a fair few marks on display that I couldn't hide until I changed my wardrobe back at home, where I would soon shower as well.
I waved at the familiar face waiting outside the gate and he seemed startled when he saw me, attempting first to jog over but that jog quickly turning into a limp, and then a slow shuffle. He waved back.
"Jeff!" I hugged him lightly before typing in the code.
He seemed to examine me with somewhat panicked eyes. "You're late, and you're... not at home?"
I felt a little flushed as I quickly opened the gate and ushered him inside, now fully aware of exactly how dishevelled I looked, certainly not fit to be seen in public. "I'm currently, um, staying at his house."
"His house? Your partners?"
"Lowell, yes. Well, I mean his father's house."
Jeffrey blinked at me as we walked up to my house together.
"You met his father?" I raised an eyebrow.
Good lord did I meet him. "I did indeed." I said with a particular tone that might be recognised as exasperation.
He frowned, still examining me as I unlocked the door. "He can't be more of a problem than your father..." He mumbled as he followed me inside.
I laughed as I stepped inside, took of my shoes and hung my blazer on the closest hook.
"Is he?" Jeffrey asked.
"My father his difficult..." I frowned. "But he's not a bad person."
Jeff raised a brow. "He's more than difficult. What's Lowell's father like then?"
I hummed to myself while I headed toward the stairs. "Rather domineering..." I realised I didn't quite know how to describe him. "A character..."
"Domineering..." He repeated, an odd look on his face.
I almost replied in full, to talk about everything that had happened, but I stopped myself a moment before the first word came out, stopped and looked at him from the second step.
It really was strange, when asked, to not say anything or possibly even lie. We'd never had a relationship like that before. I mean, we didn't tend to discuss every overly personal detail about each others lives but we spoke freely about everything, opinions were not withheld, nor facts. It was an easy friendship like that, very little secrecy.
I sighed and began walking up again.
"I'll just shower quickly, and dress."
He nodded, curious, slightly concerned eyes on me from the landing.
I looked down at the top of the stairs, then down the hall, then back at him.
"I'll be done soon."
He nodded again. "We'll be fashionably late."
I nodded, but still stood and did not move, watching him.
He too stayed on the landing by the base of the stairs.
Awkwardness, it wasn't a familiar feeling with Jeffrey. He was kind and helpful and easy to talk to, I didn't like not being able to discuss things with him.
After a moment of quiet distance between us I looked down at him.
"What if I told you Lowell was something like a werewolf?" I smiled, so that he might think I was joking.
Jeffrey just stared at me.
There was an odd quiet between us, the usual birds in the tree just beside my bedroom window were curiously missing.
Suddenly too uncomfortable to listen to his reply I turned and hurried back to my room.
~⌣︵⌣︵⌣︵⌣︵⌣︵⌣~
Surprisingly, though, there was no awkwardness, Jeff seemed to have taken the question as a joke, I assumed, and we took the bus to the party, to get there on time.
In fact, we were not the latest to the party, just as we arrived and were greeting James and wishing him a happy birthday Mathew showed up with a bright grin and a rather large bottle of wine.
"I bought you a present, and I dropped it." He was telling James as he handed him the bottle. "I thought it survived but I went crunch when I was handing it to your friend."
James laughed, startled, accepting the possibly two litre wine bottle. "And I suppose it wasn't meant to go crunch?" He weighed the bottle in his hands and glanced at us in equal incredulity.
"Not unless you like broken vases." He winked at James and James blinked at him, surprised.
"Do you have a toilet in there handsome?" Mathew asked. "I got lost on the way here and I got out of bed late." He laughed, rubbing his head sheepishly.
Jeffrey and I watched with some amusement as James flushed a little at the compliment and invited him inside, directing him toward the toilet.
"Good choice!" Jeffrey complimented me.
I chuckled, heading over to the couch with him, where our other friends were sitting and talking, a platter with little sandwiches, crackers, cheese, grapes and pastrami, spread out on the glass coffee table.
"He hasn't arrived yet." Norman helpfully supplied as we sat down.
"Who- Oh." Jeffrey nodded, gathering who he meant quickly.
Elias nodded from beside Norman, leaning forwards to talk to us. "It's really better that way. He shouldn't accept the invitation. As far as I know despite the length of their relationship they never really got to know their friends. Each others I mean."
I nodded. "Well that's good at least."
He nodded. "So unless he wants to meet James he should know better than to come."
And that was indeed the general consensus between the four of us, while the rest of James's friends, work colleagues and my own little addition to the group, seemed to be mostly unaware of James's recent breakup or the fact that his partner was invited to the party at all.
I definitely felt a sense of relief that he wasn't coming, but the occasional glance at the door I saw from James made me feel a sense of bitter regret, wondering if I could have kept quiet on the whole situation, if perhaps it would have died down.
A few days off had given me some perspective on the situation.
Weston wanted to know if I was still in love with him. That was all it was. He didn't want to be with me, he wanted to know if he still had that same hold on me, any lingering unasked for admiration for him that he had taken for granted back when we were younger.
"I am not watching Milk on my birthday." James laughed at Mathew suggestion as he leaned in from his seat.
"Gods Own Country?"
James laughed loudly. "We don't have to watch something gay you know."
Mathew looked offended, placing the tips of his fingers on James's knee. "But we should choose to."
"Where did you find him?" Norman asked me in a surprised whisper.
I laughed. "He's an intern at the office, he's learning from me."
"Does he flirt like that with everyone?"
Jeffrey nodded, wanting to know as well.
I hummed. "I'm not sure. He might do."
"He only seems to be interested in James so far..." Jeff hummed.
Elias nodded. "I think this is good for him. I'm certain James is in that stage, you know?"
Norman nodded like he did.
"He'll get past it," Jeff nodded. "It's a good thing you-know-who didn't come. He probably knew it was for the best."
All of us nodded lightly.
When my phone vibrated I thought it was for the first time, but I realised I just hadn't noticed it. On silent the phone's vibration was so light I barely could feel it through my pocket.
As I was picking up I saw the number of missed calls and frowned, glancing at my friends beside me, leaning away from them.
"You have some nerve." He greeted me.
I clicked my tongue, getting up to move away from the group to talk to him behind a hand, my voice low. "It's a party Lowell, not an orgy."
"Yeah you told me that already. It's still fucked up to meet your ex with me."
"For what? Muscle? You know I'm not about jump on him." I frowned.
"Yes! For muscle! I don't think you will, I think he will! That fucker kissed you. Can we remember that?! You're not as big and tough as you think you are! You should let me protect you sometimes! It's not like it would kill you to let me!"
"You've already punched him! That's enough. And besides he hasn't shown up!"
"Enough?" He sounded exasperated. "If that little shit was a wold he would have gotten his throat ripped out. I fucking slapped him. If he shows up you tell me."
"Tell you?"
"Yes, tell me. Immediately. I'm not going to sit around while some piece of shit tries to get with my mate. He so much as looks at you, he's dead."
"Lowell!" I snapped at him. "You don't mean that."
"Are we just getting to know each other?" He asked me, his voice sour.
But I knew he didn't mean that, he wasn't as bloodthirsty as his brother made him out to be, I was sure of that, Lowell had a muscular exterior but he was surprisingly soft underneath. Even after relentlessly dragging out the living night until the early morning he still carried me to the bath and took care of me, and I didn't remember walking back to bed or drying myself off. That man was not a killer.
Still the conversation was going nowhere. "Go to your meeting." I told him. "We can discuss this later." I ended the call.
Only half a minute after the call ended he texted me.
[ L o w e l l ] for someone who's so obsessed with the fact he's older and wiser than me you sure like causing trouble
[ L o w e l l ] tell me the address
[ L o w e l l ] im not kidding im coming over there
"You've never watched Pride?" Mathew looked at James like he was crazy, glancing back and forth between the other guests like he knew them well. "Or The Imitation Game?"
"I don't watch movies that often."
"It's a great movie, both of them, I mean, you shouldn't really look up what happened after."
"I'm well aware of Alan Turing's story."
"Well, it's kinda better not to think about it though. It ends on a good note."
There was a light murmur of agreement to watch said movie and just then there was a knock at the door.
James looked at the door in a flash and someone got up to open it.
All five of us watched the door quietly amongst the casual chatter, Mathew joining in seeing James looking away toward the door.
And Weston stepped in, looking healthy and happy and unperturbed, a light mark still colourful on the side of his face, a large present occupying both hands, wearing a long dark blue formal coat, an expensive baby blue sweater and dark blue trousers.
He examined the room as he stepped inside, found us, and smiled, a slight twinkle in his eyes.
[A/N] Thanks for your support patrons ( 〃．．) ♡
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