Elijah's POV
It's another blindingly bright day in this winter wonderland, and today's plans call for going to the mountains and shredding some snow. Both Gray and I's groups are merged once again for the activity, excluding Conner, since he wanted to get some more shots of the town. We arrive at the ski lodge around ten in the morning, still rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, but ready for some mountain thrills. Although Gray and Vic would argue it's "not that early". We meet up with Malachite and Beryl, who offered to teach my group, while Gray's crew gets our gear.
"Okay! First things first. Who's doing what?" Beryl asks, clapping their hands together.
"Eli and I are snowboarding, Milo wanted to try skiing and Beth, didn't you say that you wanted to go on the snowmobiles?" Atlantis says.
"Yep, I saw Jaden on one and thought it looked fun!" Beth says, tying her hair into a ponytail.
"Okay, I'll get you two started on how to balance and move your board," Malachite says pointing to me and Atlantis, then turns to Beth, "Beryl will teach Milo the same with skis, and Jaden will teach you how to drive safely until I catch up later," he finishes, giving Beth a wink that turns her red as a tomato. She buries her face in a new scarf that I'm guessing is Malachite's, considering the strong claiming scent on it. These two are so sweet I think I'm going to get diabetes, lol.
"Alright!" Malachite claps his hands, beaming with excitement as Gray's group returns with the gear, "Let's get started!"
After riding the ski lift, we split into our respective groups: Jaden and Beth run off towards the snowmobiles, Gray and Vic go to warm up on the expert section of the mountain, and the rest of us follow Malachite to a secret beginner friendly section of the mountain.
"This section is more so for the Head Alpha's family, but since Beth sees you all as family, so do I," Malachite says, giving us a warm smile.
True to his word, no one else is going down the section, leaving the trail covered in a clean sheet of snow with very few obstacles on the way down. Which gives us enough space and privacy to learn (fall). Malachite does one last check over our gear, before running us through the basics.
We learn the proper stance (which involves a lot of squatting that will burn my legs later), how to mini glide with one foot strapped in, how to balance with both feet strapped in, how to toe-side and heel-side traverse (kind of like horizontally sliding down the mountain), and finally j-sliding in and out of regular gliding.
Of course, with Atlantis being a quick learner, she's gliding just fine after an hour while I continue to still struggle with not falling forward (or backwards, or in general). Thankfully, Malachite also taught us how to fall properly so we don't fuck up our legs. After a full two hours of struggling, I finally managed to glide down the short slope without falling!
Let's gooooo! See I told you 50th times' a charm! 😊
Why does this complement feel backhanded somehow...
"Good job Eli! Not many beginners are able to learn the movements this quickly, so you must be a natural!" Malachite says, gliding up next to me.
"Thanks, even though I still feel like I took a while compared to Atlantis," I say, adjusting my hat.
"That's because I used to skateboard back in middle school," Atlantis says, trudging towards us. "So, I have the muscle memory for balancing on a board. You're completely new to this, so don't go beating yourself up over it. Let's celebrate the fact that you know how to snowboard now dude!" She gives me a playful punch on the arm and lets out a cheerful howl that's joined by me and Malachite soon after.
As the sound echos out into the dense woods around us, Beryl glides over to us on their skis. "Well now, what's all the celebrations about?"
"It's for Eli learning a new skill. Speaking of new skills, how's Milo doing?" Atlantis asks.
"Really good, besides the few moments he nearly stabbed his own foot," they say, chuckling. "But now he's distracted by our guests up there." Beryl points further up the mountain to where Milo is talking to Vic and Gray. Beryl waves at the group to which Milo and Vic wave back, while Gray hops on his board and glides down to us.
"How's it going Team Snowboarding?" he asks, turning towards me.
"Great! We're both already pros at this," I say, puffing up my chest a bit. Sure, I've only had one solid run down the mountain, but he doesn't need to know that. Malachite and Beryl share an amused look while Atlantis rolls her eyes.
Gray chuckles, raising an eyebrow in doubt. "Oh, really now? Then you can easily join us on the regular course of the mountain."
"Um, well... why go somewhere crowded when this area exists? Not really a fan of someone less experienced crashing into me," I say crossing my arms and shrugging.
"Hmm, good point. In that case, do you mind following me somewhere cool for a sec. I promise it won't be crowded or too challenging to get to," Gray says picking up his board.
"Um, sure," I say then turn to Malachite, "We'll catch up with you guys later at the lodge?"
"Definitely! I should be finding Beth anyways, see you two later!" he says, already grabbing his board and sprinting towards the snowmobile area. We all laugh a little at how he nearly trips from moving too fast in the thick snow, but it's understandable. Newly mated couples don't like to be separated for long.
Gray and I say our goodbyes to the rest of the group and begin our trek through the forest surrounding the mountain. Gray leading the way down a memorized path that I wouldn't even know was there in the first place. I didn't know that he's visited here that often to have explored this place so much. Either that or Malachite showed him around, which makes sense.
After passing by countless bare trees and shrubs dusted with snow, we walk upon a clearing with a giant lake in the center. Glittering from the sunlight that bounces off it, as it acts like a solid crystal mirror to the world around it, with only a few cracks etched into it. It's honestly beautiful.
Gray walks over to a fallen log nearby, brushing it off before sitting down. He looks back at me with a smile and pats the spot next to him. Despite there probably being other logs to sit at, my legs seem to move on their own towards Gray. We sit in comfortable silence, just enjoying the scenery, but my stupid brain decides to disturb my relaxation by reminding me of how similar this is to the bonfire party a few nights ago.
I was skeptical about Milo's plan at first, but it was worth it to see Grayson speechless without me saying anything. Leave it to Milo to put together a designer level look. But of course, Gray had to have his own twist with the rabbit plush! When did he even have time to get it? The jerk shouldn't have even known that I was bringing him a gift. Then we ended up sitting so close that I started getting a weird warm, dizzy feeling. I honestly thought he was going to kiss me... But I wasn't hoping for that! Nope. Not all. Maybe the thought ran through my head, but NOPE, not hoping for it.
Anyways after that night we've just been... weirdly close. We've spent the days after that hanging out with friends, or sometimes even by ourselves. Exploring the town, trying out restaurants, and talking with locals until Malachite was finally free enough to take us all to the ski lodge.
It's been nice, but... weird at the same time. I mean, I guess it's good that we're getting along, but now this warm feeling keeps spreading throughout me when we're together. And even though we still take jabs at each other, there are times when we'll actually seek each other out! I just don't know what's going on with me.
I feel a nudge against my shoulder and look over to Gray who's giving me a concerned look.
"What's on your mind?" he asks.
"Nothing. Just... stupid thoughts."
"Can't be too stupid if you're thinking so hard about it."
"It's- I-" I let out a sigh, fiddling with my gloves. The same gloves Gray gave me. Why do I keep wearing the things he gives me? "I don't know. Things are just so fucking confusing right now. I used to have a clear idea of what I wanted in life, but now..." I pause, not really knowing where I was going with the sentence.
"... but now?" Gray asks.
"Now... I don't know. Like I said, it's just confusing, and I feel like I'm at war with myself."
"Surprisingly enough I can relate."
I scoff. "Yeah, sure."
Gray furrows his brows. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're Grayson Farrell. Future Head Alpha, star athlete, and golden child. Your life was already laid out perfectly for you as soon as the test results said you were alpha. Everyone loves you and you never make mistakes because anything you do is accepted," I say.
He lets out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "That couldn't be further from the truth..." he grumbles.
"How so?"
Gray sighs, rolling his shoulders. "Well first off, just because everyone at school supposedly loves me, doesn't mean that the adults and Elders of the pack do. If anything, their gazes are always full of judgement. Just waiting for me to mess up, so they can claim to have always been right about me being an unfit ruler."
"Oh..."
"Also, yes, I do make mistakes. I've made a shit ton of mistakes, I'll admit it! But from those screw ups I always try to learn something. Something that will hopefully prevent them from happening again. While that doesn't completely excuse some of the things I've done, I'd still like to learn how to be a better person and leader."
I look him in the eyes and sure enough there's a burning passion behind them, that assures me that everything he says is what he truly believes. I guess I only do see a narrow piece of what he does, so maybe he is becoming a better leader.
"I guess you have grown to be... a little more tolerable," I say, nodding slightly.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he chuckles.
"If that's how you see it, then sure."
That gets an actual laugh out of him that I can't help but join in on. The sounds fill the silence of the frozen world around us. Coming back down from the fit, he turns to me again.
"You still haven't said what's been troubling you," he says
I let out a sigh. I was hoping that he would forget. "Don't really feel like sharing my feelings, unless I'm angry."
"Usually, my presence makes you naturally upset," he chuckles.
"Yeah, but not anymore, which is the confusing part!"
"So, you're confused that I don't make you angry?" Gray asks, raising a brow.
"Exactly!"
I glance over at him and pause at the shocked and intense look he gives me. As if he's searching for the answer to an unspoken question. Then he does ask one.
"Then how do I make you feel?"
The question seems so simple but finding an answer to it feels impossible. Like looking at a pile of random puzzle pieces and trying to guess what picture they'll make.
"I don't know... confused," I say, giving him an unsure shrug.
He studies me for a moment more, then nods, relaxing back to a loose smile. "That sounds confusing."
"Ugh, I've said the word 'confusing' so much is starting to hurt my head now," I groan leaning back.
"You could say that you're continuously confused over confusion's confusions," he says, giving me his usual stupid smirk.
"Shut up! Now you're giving me a headache," I say, shoving him.
Gray barks out a laugh and I just roll my eyes at him, while fighting down a smile. I swear, it was easier to hate him when I didn't like hanging out with him.
Gray calms down, wiping away an imaginary tear, before turning back to me with a smile as bright as the sun. "Seriously though, if you ever need a quiet place to think things over, this is a good spot."
"Yeah, if I don't get completely lost trying to find it."
"I'll show you how. There are markings in certain places if you know where to look," he says, pointing back to the way we came from.
I shrug. "Nah, I'd rather just come here with you instead."
Gray's eyes widen slightly in shock, though I don't know why since getting lost in the woods is not on my to-do list. But the surprise is quickly replaced with a warm smile as he nods in agreement. With that, we settle back into a peaceful silence.
Dude why are you so dense.
What are you talking about?
Are you serious? You guys are obviously feeling the love tonight!
It's noon
MY point still stands
You're delusional
And you're in-denial! Take charge bitch! Because, clearly, he won't
Nobody is doing anything! We are... friends. Just friends
Right, and I'm a magical narwhale that sings opera
Spark we've had this argument a thousand times, nothing is going to happen between me and Gray
Only because you're both stubborn as mules! But it's okay, I'm a patient wolf, I'll just let nature take its course... even if it's taking forever
You do that
I guess the fact that Gray and I are leaning against each other doesn't help my argument, so it's best to leave now while I'm still right. "Let's head back. It's freezing, and I think it's about time we warmed up with some nice local cider," I say, standing up and brushing off snow from my pants.
"Okay. Shall we?" Gray stands and holds out his arm for me to hold on to, as if he's my escort, and I just smack his arm away.
"Just lead us back, dumbass."
Gray laughs but leads us back to the lodge. Stopping every now and then to show me the subtle markings on trees and rocks that help lead to and from the lake spot. Now that there pointed out, it does seem obvious how he knew where he was going. Eventually, we arrive at the café by the lodge that Malachite was telling us about. It's made of wood and stone like every other building here but has a ton of Winter Solstice decorations on its windows and doors. As well as a huge, covered front patio with a couple of metal tables and chairs. I guess it's really popular, because the place is packed inside.
"I'll go get us some ciders. You mind watching our stuff?" Gray asks, as he places our snowboards next to a vacant table.
"Can do. Hurry back though, my mouths watering from the amazing smells in that place," I say, breathing in the sweet smells coming from the building.
"You can just say that you'll miss me~,"
I roll my eyes and shove him towards the café. "Just go get my cider."
Gray heads inside and I settle down at one of the chairs at our table. Here's to hoping that it doesn't take too long, I'd rather sit inside in the main lodge building where it's warmer. Taking off my gloves and snow goggles, I go to pull out my phone when something familiar catches the corner of my eye. Looking over I spot none other than Eris Price, chatting with some of our classmates. Immediately Spark starts growling.
Will you cut it out
Fuck that bitch, I hope she breaks her neck on the mountain
Can you not
No. I refuse in fact. I have no chill for her. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero. I hope her next hair dye session gets botched!
Unfortunately for my internal dilemma, Eris notices me and waves. I wave back while forcing up a smile.
Ew, don't wave to her
It would be rude not too
Good. Matter fact, flip her off while you're at it
Why do you hate her so much?
I sorry, WHAT?! Did your brain have a hiccup, and erase your memories of her DITCHING YOU?
No... but she already explained what happened
A dead cat is not worth turning your phone off! I don't care how sad she was that day; she should have texted you if she couldn't make it. That bitch was LYING!
Spark-
Oh fuck, she's walking towards us
What!
I look up and sure enough Eris is walking over. She stops in front of my table, and points to the chair across from me. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asks.
Yes, fuck off
"No, I don't mind," I say, gesturing to the chair.
"Thanks!" Eris sits, adjusting her snow goggles to sit on top of her head before turning towards me. "So, how have you been? It feels like it's been forever since we've talked."
"Yeah, uh, things just got busy. Between wrapping things up with volleyball, taking on assistant teaching at the pack dojo, and finales, life got a bit... busy."
Eris nods. "I can relate to that. With the amount of writing and editing I did before the break; I think I'm a few papers away from developing carpal tunnel," she says, giggling. Huh odd, her laugh doesn't give my stomach butterflies anymore. I guess I've gotten used to it.
"Oh!" she gasps, clapping her hands together. "Speaking of papers, the last article for your team is done and ready for publication during the next semester!"
"That's great! Thanks again for choosing our team to cover. Most people at school don't understand how hard we work, so it's nice to have something that brings our story to the public."
Eris sighs. "I wouldn't get too excited. Not many students even know we have a school paper. Let alone read it."
"Yeah, but at least if the principal reads it then maybe the team will receive more funding."
Eris tilts her head, brows furrowed. "Was the budget not enough?"
"It's better than previous years. Mostly because we keep bringing back championship trophies. If we didn't... I probably wouldn't be able to play this year."
We all know that the sports department has plenty of funding, but most of the cut is given to basketball or football since it's a "popular alpha sport". If it's not spent on new gear each year for them then it goes straight into the coaches' greedy pockets. It's frustrating that our school would have gotten rid of a sport option over stupid biases and greed if we weren't great. Especially when volleyball feels like the only option for omegas.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she says with a small frown.
"It's fine. The younger players staying for next year are in good shape, and like I said, your paper could spread the word about us and make some freshman interested."
"Well then, I'm glad to help out the under dogs!" she says pumping a fist in the air. I chuckle at how passionate she looks over this, even if it's something as small as a school paper. I guess that's the journalist spirit, or something.
See, she wants to help
Yeah, yeah whatever. I still don't like her
I'm about to ask her how her vacation is, when I hear someone call my name. "Elijah Matthews. If it isn't the breeder-bitch that stole my traitorous best friends. I gotta hand it to you, you certainly know how to find new ways to ruin people's lives with your influence," Luke says as he approaches my table with two alphas that I think are on the basketball team with him. To make matters even worse, Kristy and her yes-girls are also with them, practically draping themselves onto the alphas.
I knew this day was going too well for me; the universe just has to make my life more of a pain. "Fuck off Luke. I haven't done anything to you," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. The last thing I need is to start something with Luke while Gray is in the area.
"How'd you convince them to turn on us?" Luke unfortunately continues, crossing his arms. "It couldn't be with money, because you're poor as fuck."
"Did you fuck them?" Kristy chimes in, scrunching up her nose. "Oh goddess, you did! At least Gray had the common sense not to mark you while you both were going at it. He deserves a real Luna."
"And you think you're a better option?" Eris asks, surprising everyone.
Kristy growls. "Back off blonde! Basic betas like you should know your place."
"You're also a beta!" Eris says, tilting her head.
"I have class and status, which places me at a higher level than you," Kristy scoffs, flipping her hair back. I swear, this bitch watched Mean Girls as a child, and decided to make that her whole personality.
"Nobody gives a shit!" I groan, throwing my hands up in frustration. "And for the record, I didn't fuck anyone. Unlike your skank-ass sleeping with your ex's best friend."
Kristy gasps, pressing herself closer to Luke's side. "How dare you?! I am comforting Luke in his time of need, because someone seduced Gray away from his true friends!"
"I didn't 'steal' anyone. Gray's a fucking person, not a doll. If he wants to hang out with you guys, then he will. If not, then whatever! Just don't drag me into your bullshit," I say, waving them off.
Luke slams his hand on our table, growling as he tries to stare me down. "Clearly you don't understand the gravity of Gray hanging out with a glorified cock warmer and his freaky friends. But that's okay..." He moves past Kristy to lean over Eris, snaking a hand onto her shoulder. "I might as well take something of yours to make things even."
Eris tries to lean away but Luke's grip only tightens on her. That tears it. Knocking my chair back, I twist Luke's hand off of Eris and shove him away as I move in front of the table. He recovers quickly, getting all up in my face as he snarls but I stand my ground, glaring at him.
"Don't. Touch her. If you have a problem, then you take it up with me," I growl.
As Luke's alpha friends crowd around us, Eris, Kristy's crew, and everyone one else on the patio move to a safe distance. Clearly seeing that a fight is about to break out. Well great, now I have to fight them. Might as well put on a good show.
I size up the two guys on either side of me before looking back at Luke with a smirk. "Come on Luke. We both know that taking you on isn't even a challenge for me. Why don't we part ways now and save you the embarrassment."
I guess Luke didn't like my offer, since his face scrunches up into an even angrier expression. He moves to shove me back and I guess the fight is on. As his hands make contact with my chest, I grab the sleeves of his coat while raising a foot to plant on his pelvis. Taking him down with me, as I fall backwards. Unfortunately for him, I roll onto my back and with the momentum use my planted foot to kick him over me. Sending him straight into the chairs behind us.
I quickly roll back onto my feet, narrowly avoiding a kick to my face from one of the alphas as I spring back up. Dodging a few sloppy punches, I wait for the right moment, then throw in a precise one of my own right into his jaw.
Not wasting the advantage of stunning him, I crouch down and shoulder-tackle into their gut while hooking an arm under leg. Swiftly yanking it out from under him and sending him to the ground.
My victory is short lived as my third opponent socks me across my right cheek. Kristy and her crew squeal and cheer them on, and if I wasn't trying to focus, I'd roll my eyes. I recover fast enough to dodge another punch, and by the third I'm able to properly block the attack and grab his wrist.
With the opening, I deal a quick punch to this jerk's nose before rotating shoulders and lifting the dude by his belt over my back and onto the floor. Oof, I hope that hurt as bad as it looked.
Straightening up, I turn to look over my handy work, when fucking Luke comes out of nowhere and decks me in the same cheek at the last guy! Fuck, this bruise is going to look ugly.
I step back to right myself, but I guess fighting on a patio exposed to the snowy elements is a bad idea, because my foot lands on a slick area and rockets out from under me. Sending me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me, and creating a sharp pain in my left ankle. Hope it's just a sprain.
Who knew gravity could make the ground hit you with the force of a semi-truck? Through my hopefully-not-concussed daze I see Eris run into the café looking worried. Which means this fight is really coming to an end soon.
A pair of hands roughly pull me up until I'm face-to-face with Luke ugly and bleeding mug, looking worse for wear from making out with those metal chairs.
"You piece of omega shit! You really are a pain in my ass," he growls.
"Huh, didn't take you as someone who does anal," I say with what little air I was able to regain.
Worth it?
Worth it.
I guess he didn't appreciate my joke, because the douchebag stomps on my bad ankle! I, justifiably, scream in agony and pray that the sprain didn't get upgraded to a break. A loud bang quickly follows, as the café door slams open to reveal a worried looking Eris behind a furious looking Gray. Like, angrier than I have ever seen him before, and that's saying something. His now golden eyes are practically glowing with rage, as they stare directly at Luke.
"LUKE! BACK. AWAY. NOW," he commands. His alpha voice echoing throughout the small area and sending chills down everyone's back.
Luke instantly drops me, which hurts as I hit the floor again, and quickly backs up.
"Gray, buddy, chill~. This omega scum started it-" Luke starts but gets cut off by a look from Gray.
Ignoring Luke, Gray kneels down next to me and offers me his hand. My voice seems to fail me, so I just take it. Hopping up on my good foot as Gray brings me over to a nearby chair, and once situated, turns to address Luke.
Fear plainly shown on Luke's face as Gray approaches him. "Gray-"
BAM!!!
Gray throws a nasty looking punch into Luke's chest, sending him flying off the patio and into the snow. Knocking him out cold when he hits the ground. While the other two alphas check on Luke, Gray turns to Kristy.
"Get this piece of shit out of my sight. And when he wakes up, tell him that our friendship is terminated and that he will be treated like any other person in our pack. The same goes for everyone else involved in this incident. If I don't decide to banish you all. Do I make myself clear?" he says.
"Gray-bear I-"
"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
Kristy flinches, dropping her head down to display her neck and appear more submissive. "Yes, Head Alpha." Kristy leads the dumbass parade away from the café, with Luke being dragged by them. Gray takes a deep breath then turns back to me.
"I have a med-kit back at the cabin. We can treat your injuries there," he says.
"Oh. Let me just-" I start saying, while trying to stand up, but just Gray scoops me up bridal style instead. Huh, why does this feel vaguely familiar? The "walk" back is completely silent to say the least, with Gray still being upset, and me still trying to wrap my head around what the fuck just happened.
Did he really just cut ties with Luke? Over a regular fight? Nobody got severely injured, so why did he do that? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything. Luke's a piece of shit, but I've been in fights with him before. So, it's not like this is anything new. Gray knows this, hell, he even broke up potential fights before. So why get mad now?
Maybe he's mad that we're causing trouble in another pack's territory? Just thinking that that might be the case forms a brick of dread in my stomach. I'd rather not get a punch in the stomach like Luke, thank you very much.
But even with that being a possibility... I somehow feel like Gray wouldn't hurt me. Maybe scold me for being stupid, but he wouldn't hurt me.
We get back to the cabin pretty quickly, and Gray sets me down on the couch in the den. Sliding the footrest under my legs and placing pillow under the bad ankle. He nods to himself after checking that I'm good, walks off to probably get supplies. It's honestly sweet and unnerving how gentle he is with me, like I'm made of glass or something. Even though twenty minutes ago I was taking down three alphas by myself.
Pushing aside the thousands of questions buzzing through my head, I pull out my phone and text Eris to see if she's alright. After confirming that she's okay and kindly returned our gear, I text the friend squads that me and Gray will be skipping lunch and meet up with them later. I should probably tell them what happened, but I already have one worried wolf hovering around me, I don't need eight more. Besides, the gossip will eventually reach them so why bother.
Gray comes back with an ice pack and a suitcase sized medical kit. Goddess, it's a hurt ankle, I'm not dying. He kneels down next to my left ankle, looking a little nervous, then turns to me. "I need to remove your boots, so you might want to brace yourself for any pain," he says, looking like he's in pain just saying the sentence.
"I'll be fine. As long as you don't complain about my feet stinking. Going snowboarding and walking all day tends to be a sweaty ordeal," I say, casually leaning back like this isn't going to hurt like hell.
Gray rolls his eyes, but his shoulders at least relax a bit. He loosens laces as much as he can, then carefully removes the boot. It still hurts but I'm able to hold back any grunts of pain. Sheesh, that looks swollen.
"I'm going to apply slight pressure to a few places, to check how bad the damage is. Just tell me where it hurts," Gray says. He lightly touches a few places, until he eventually gets to a tender spot. I suck in a quick breath, and nod.
"There."
Gray nods and places the ice on my ankle. "Well, the good news is that it isn't broken. The bad news is that it's sprained. So that puts a pause on any more walking, let alone snowboarding."
"What! I'm on vacation! I can't stay cooped up in this cabin the whole time," I say quickly sitting up.
"Don't worry, it's only a mild sprain. If you can target your healing ability to that area it should be okay to walk around outside again after a week."
"Booooo!"
"Well, it's either that or I carry you around to wherever you need to go, princess~."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You wouldn't."
"Try me," he says with a fucking smirk.
A pause settles between us as we're locked into a starring contest. Eventually I relent, groaning as I look up at the way less annoying ceiling. "Ugh, fine. I'll rest... Wait a minute! Isn't Conner a healer?" I say, looking back at Gray who looks way too smug for someone who's still within kicking range.
"Yep."
"Can't you get him to heal this?"
"I could... If you ask nicely~."
I groan. "Could you get Conner to heal this... please?"
Gray places a hand on his chin, pretending to ponder the idea. "Hmm, I don't know... that didn't really sound sincere..."
I groan louder. Gray's actions might be gentle, but he's still the same asshole that I know. Alright fine, might as well go all out if he needs this so badly. "OoOoh, great and mighty Head Alpha. Could you please take pity on this poor soul, and request your brother to help aid in my healing process?"
Gray burst out laughing, nearly falling over which does make me smile a bit. Eventually he catches his breath and looks back at me. "A bit dramatic, but I'll accept it."
"Good. Asshole," I say crossing my arm.
Gray moves around to sit next to me on the couch, dragging the giant kit over with him.
"That thing is huge," I say, raising an eyebrow.
That's what she said!
Grow up
Gray shrugs. "It's better to over prepare than not be prepared at all. You never know what will happen. Do you mind taking off your winter coat, so I can check for any more injuries?"
"I'm not really hurt that bad anywhere else, and I'd rather get a shower in before getting fully patched up."
Gray nods. "Okay, you can use our bathroom, since it's on the ground floor."
I'm, again, carried by Gray even though the bathroom isn't that far away. He grabs my pjs for me (since I'll probably be stuck here for the rest of the day) and then I'm finally left alone. I won't lie, it's not exactly an easy and painless process to take off the many layers of clothing on my own. But I would rather jump into the frozen lake than ask Gray for help. Just thinking about what could happen turns my red and cranks the weird warm feeling up tenfold in some very interesting places.
You know what! Let's not dwell on that! It's shower time!
I shower as efficiently but quickly as possible while mostly being held up on one leg, then dry off and change into my pjs before exiting the bathroom. I make it about halfway across Gray's room to the door before it opens. Gray snickers, shakes his head at me, and once again carries me to the couch that has way more blankets and pillows on it than before. I guess I took longer than I thought because Gray's also freshly showered and warm.
After setting me down the same way as before, he pulls over the kit and gets to work. Turns out I only had a few light bruises, thanks to the padding from my coat. Though my face is a different story, with an ugly bruise on my right cheek and a split lip. I assure Gray that the other guys looked way worse as he patches me up and wraps my ankle. Though the reassurance doesn't seem to wipe away the frown on his face, if anything it makes him frown more. Once done, he wraps the biggest blanket on the couch around me and places the ice pack back on my ankle.
"That should do for now," Gray says, packing up his supplies.
"Uh, thanks. You know, for patching me up and stuff."
"Anytime," he says, looking at me with a level of seriousness that makes the one word seem more like a promise.
I tighten the blanket around me, watching as Gray puts up his stuff and lights the fireplace. He disappears into the kitchen for a few minutes, before coming back with two steaming mugs. He hands me one mug before settling down to my right on the couch, taking a sip of his own that smells strongly of coffee. The intense warmth and sweet smell of what I'm guessing is hot coco in my mug relaxes me further into the couch with a sigh.
We sit in relative silence, each sipping our own drink as we stare at the fire in front of us. While it would be easier to continue like this, there's still an obvious weight in this silence. Clearly Gray would rather avoid the elephant in the room, but I have too many questions and getting some answers is better than none.
"Sooo.... Are we going to talk about what happened or..." I say, glancing over at Gray.
Gray sighs, sinking further into the couch. "...Sure."
Another brief pause passes. "Are you really cutting off your friendship with Luke?" I ask.
Gray nods. "Yeah. It's about time I did it anyways."
"Wow..."
"Yeah."
"But what about giving him time to change or whatever you said at the beginning of the trip?"
"I-... I don't think he's going to change..." Gray sighs, looking away from me, "We've known each other since we were pups, but... I feel like time has only made him worse. He's just slowly evolved into a person that I don't even recognize sometimes. But I stupidly kept on hoping that once I was Head Alpha, he would take things seriously. Or at least treat pack members better." He looks over at my ankle, shoulders drooping at the sight of the injury. "Clearly that won't be the case."
Gray finally looks directly at me, his face a mixer of anger, regret, and exhaustion. "I know that these words won't make up for years of bullying, but I am truly sorry. I'm sorry that I allowed him to hurt you so much, for so long," he says, his voice breaking at the end.
My vision starts to blur, and it takes me a second to realize that I was crying. Odd, why am I crying? I mean, I guess I never thought that people like Luke would ever get fully punished for the shit they do. So, knowing that Gray is serious about this, and he apologized... it almost doesn't feel real. Almost.
"Thank you," I say. Wiping away the tears as best as I can and looking back at Gray. Who looks like he's torn between wanting to comfort me and giving me space. I let out a small laugh as I open my blanket cocoon to Gray, who's hesitantly accepts the invitation.
Considering the baffling number of times that we've ended up cuddling during this trip, it's easy for us to settle into a comfortable position. Gray wraps his arms around my stomach and buries his face into my hair, and I lean back against him while cradling my mug in my hands (even if I'm cuddling, I refuse to give up this delicious beverage). The fireplace crackles in the background as we're able to fully relax now. Warm and content in our own little world.
**Happy New Year! Sorry for the wait, writers block is a bitch and this chapter was loooong😅 But I found a new method for writing so let's hope it helps speed things up! Also, poor Eris, I swear she's just a bad luck magnet 😂 Something always goes wrong when she's involved. Anyways, thank you guys for nearly 58k reads and here's to the new year! Woooo, let's hope that 2023 isn't as bad as 2022 was! And as always, stay tuned 👀❄️☕️🎮