The first thing Per noticed after waking up was the odd weight near his shoulder. The bed squeaked as it dipped and shifted. He thought, at first, it was either Lilly or Shin but when a soft whisper grazed his cheek he knew other wise. The voice was light and boyish with a slight squeak. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact, Per found himself turning his head toward the whisper. The second thing Per noticed was how dry his mouth was and the slight throb in his arm. His tongue was glued to the top of his palette, a taste of rotten onions prickled his taste buds. He scrunched up his face and opened his mouth as wide as he could. His tongue made a Velcro like feeling as he ripped it from the top of his mouth.
The pain pulsing through his arm had dulled a bit to where he barley felt it. His attention was fully turned to a soft touch tugging at the bandaged. A hiss escaped his dry lips as the fabric dug into his arm. The weight shifted and the touch disappeared. Per's eyes slid open. Leaning over him was a small face with dark hair. His eyebrows meshed together. He didn't remember seeing the boy last night. Granted, he hasn't seen many wolves in his brief rush from the cell to the healer's house.
The boy's soft brown eyes widened and he quickly pulled away. Per sat up quickly. The room swam and his right hand went to the side of his head. He groaned quietly. Once he was able to focus he saw the boy hiding behind the end of the bed. His dark hair poked out at the side. Per titled to the side trying to get a better look at the boy.
"Excuse me," Per softly called. The boy peeked one eye out, staring up at him. Slim, short fingers gripped the wooden frame, the nails bitten low. The mage smiled as a pale pink tainted the other's cheek. He held out his hand gently, wanting to help the boy up. But the boy didn't budge. He kept his eyes trained on the hand in front of him. The slightly long fingers flexed. The boy flinched and hid behind the bed once again. Per chuckled at the boy's odd antics. "I wont hurt you," he softly told the boy sliding off the bed to one knee. "I promise."
Once again the boy peeked one eye around the end of the bed. Per gave the boy a gentle smile, trying to ease his obvious nerves. That one soft brown eye studied Per, the pink darkening. When that eye trailed his face, lingering on his lips, Per felt something he hadn't really felt before, self-conscious. His smile slowly dropped, eyebrows squashing together. Lucky for him, the boy's eye moved away from his lips to slide down his arm. As soon the boy spotted the wound he squeaked, jumping up and rushing toward the table in the back.
Confused by the boy's odd, or more odd, behavior Per glanced down at his arm. Blood had soaked the bandaged and was running down his arm. "Ah," was all he could say.
The boy raced back to his side with a tray, holding all the stuff the healer had used the previous night, including that disgusting greenish-brown liquid, in his hands. Per winced at the liquid. He really didn't want to drink it again. The boy sat the tray down then turned to face Per.
This time he was able to get a full view of the boy's face. His dark hair was cut short and messy around his face. That one soft brown eye had a pair just as soft with a slant to them. Per wondered if the boy laughed would his eyes grow smaller? He made a mental note to get an answer to that later. But at that moment those eyes darted around the room. The boy's bottom lip was pulled between his teeth. Per watched the motion, slightly fascinated. When the lip popped out and the boy's eyes focused on Per, he forced his eyes up, meeting the boy's. The next minute the mage was pushed onto the bed and the unopened jar of disgusting medicine held under his nose.
The mage grimaced and shook his head. He knew he was being childish but that liquid was gross. The boy gave him a look before unscrewing the lid and forcing it into his hand. Per huffed. The other crossed his arms and tapped his foot. He never said anything but he didn't have to, Per knew he was waiting for him to drink. Rolling his eyes, he downed the jar in one swallow. Yep, it was just as disgusting as he remembered. The mage looked up at the boy, holding the jar out for him.
The boy lit up, a smile taking over his face. The answer to Per's question was, yea, his eyes got smaller. The mage felt something in his chest that he couldn't understand. He never felt it before, the soft flutter of his heart. He stared at the boy wondering how someone could be so cute. He shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him; he did not just think the boy was cute. His eyes closed as he tried to push the weird feeling away.
The bed dipped again and there was a soft touch to his arm. Per's eyes opened as he glanced at the boy focusing on undoing the bandaging. His attention was fully on cleaning the wound. Neither of them talked as the small hands worked quickly. Per couldn't pull his eyes away from the boy. He was just too cute, how his eyebrows pinched together and his lip was tucked between his teeth. When the boy finished, he glanced at Per, a small proud smile on his lips.
The mage smiled. "Thank you," he said just above a whisper. The boy's smile grew and he quickly looked away. "What's your name?"
Those soft brown eyes widen as he looked at Per. His lips quivered like he wanted to say it. But before he could he snapped his mouth shout and bolted out of the room. Per quickly stood ready to follow him. He made it out the door before he was stopped by a hand on his arm. He was forced around to meet the same annoying Beta from last night, Ohm. He had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he wretched his arm out of the Beta's grip. He scowled at the wolf before twisting around. His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of the boy. He huffed, shoulders sagging slightly. The boy was gone. He turned back to the Beta.
"Am I to guess you are my guard," Per spat crossing his arms.
Ohm smiled, his canines in full view. "Would you look at that, you're not as dumb as you look." Per snorted, eyes rolling. "You have your brother to thank," he snarled, eyes narrowing into a glare. "If he hadn't left you behind I wouldn't have to be here!"
"Ah." Per shrugged. "Had a date or something?"
"Or something."
The mage snickered before turning away and walking deeper into the town. He could hear the wolf hissing through clenched teeth.
"Yah! Where are you going?"
"Anywhere to ruin your day." Per laughed when Ohm's curse met his ears. His day was starting off on the right foot.
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Pang rummaged through her closet. She knew the box was somewhere inside, just didn't really know where. The girl huffed, hands going to her waist. Why did she beg her father to make her closet bigger closet? Her eyes darted around the closet. A squeal left her when she saw her mother's delicate handwriting sprawled across a box hidden behind her dresses. Grabbing the box, Pang rushed back into her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, peering into the box.
So far, the day had been going well. Lilly was incredible. The little girl was sweet and adorable. A little shy with the other town's people but with Pang the girl was a ball of energy. Constantly talking and dragging the older girl around. Not that she minded. In just a short few hours Pang had grown attached to Lilly and she adored the girl very much. Pang had a feeling that the more time she spent with Lilly the more she'd become wrapped around the girl's finger.
Shin on the other hand, had kept his distance. He chuckled softly whenever Lilly would do something silly. But when he caught Pang watching his smile would fall and a mask would take its place. He was animate with his daughter but when it came to Pang there was a distance of sort. A wall had been placed between them and while Pang couldn't blame him, they were, after all, a wolf and a mage and had just met, it still hurt. She wasn't giving up though. Shin was her mate and she wasn't going to let him go. Not even if he or her brother was against it!
After making sure the box was the one she needed the girl bounded out of the room and down the stairs. As she neared the bottom step her foot got caught on air and she started to tumble forward. A strong pair of arms darted out catching her in time. A warmth spread through her as the arms tightened. Pang looked up to find Shin staring down at her with an unreadable expression. A storm of emotions flickering through his clouded eyes. Shin blinked and the storm was gone, so was his arms. Pang released a shuddering breath, missing the warmth. She straightened and placed the box on the floor.
The older girl smiled at Lilly. "Take whatever you want," she told the girl, flipping the box edges over. Lilly wasted no time in digging through it with a large smile. She wooed and ahhed with every piece of clothing she pulled out. Pang sat back on her knees watching the girl. She picked up the clothes the girl had discarded to the side and folded them back up. In the middle of her folding a floral skirt Lilly ran up to her waving a bright pink dress with white poka-dots. She half mumbled half shouted at Pang.
"You want wear this," Pang questioned. Lilly fervently nodded her head, jumping up and down. Chuckling, the older girl sat the skirt aside and helped the younger to remove the overhauls.
Once the dress was on Lilly's small body, the girl raced to her father, who was standing to the side with a small smile. She twirled around in front of Shin, giggling. Once she came to a stop, the girl looked up at her father. He smiled down at her, kneeling down.
"You look beautiful, baby girl," Shin gushed patting Lilly on the head. She beamed up at her father.
Pang watched the two from a short distance, not wanting to intrude on the sweet moment. A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips, her heart heavy. Growing up, Pang always dreamt of having a small happy family, just like the one she grew up in. Now that the dream was a strong possibility Pang would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. Too many questions ran through her mind. Shin had or has someone he clearly loved enough to have Lilly.
Would he, could he fall in love with her? Pang's lips turned down, eyebrows knitting. What if he couldn't accept her? She's a wolf. He's a mage. Two races with a deep hate for each other. How would that even work?
Pang closed her eyes and turned away. She couldn't watch them anymore. She didn't care that Shin was a mage, didn't care what others might say about their mating. All she knew was she wanted him. Wanted to watch Lilly grow and be there for the child. Maybe even give her a sibling or two.
"Pang," Shin called her softly. She turned. He had a hand out stretched in her direction. "Are you alr-" He was cut off by a bang. Loud footsteps echoed down the hall, growing louder as the wolf neared.
Win burst in the room and rushed right up to Pang. Her eyes widened at her friend. He panted, face flush.
Win grabbed Pang's shoulder. "He... I," he stuttered shaking her slightly. "I.. he... PANG."
"Alright, calm down," Pang said pushing his hands off her. The girl kept her voice calm and even. She lightly placed her hands on Win's shaking arms. "Tell me what happen."
"He woke up," he sputtered in a rush. "He has amazing eyes. Like amazing. They're a swirl of grays. He looked right at me! I swear my brain stopped working." Pang had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying 'well, that's not hard for you'.
His hands instantly went to his burning cheeks. Eyes closing as he said, "he has an incredible voice too." Win's face flushed hotter remembering the gentle and friendly tone.
"Did you talk to him?" Win's eyes met Pang's. His lips turned down into a pout. The boy shook his head. "Why," she huffed. Sometimes Win was too meek for his own good.
"How could I," he squeaked. "Listen to me. My voice is awful. He'll hate it." His voiced died as his eyes fell to the floor.
"He wont," Pang reassured. "He's your mate, Win. He'll love everything about you. You just gotta be brave and talk to him."
The boy nibbled on his bottom lip before smiling up at his friend. "You're right," he agreed nodding his head. "I need to say something to him." He paused looking away from Pang. Win began to pace, mind racing. How was he going to start talking to him? How was he even going to ge the chance again? He got lucky before, the mage need his bandaged changed. It was a perfect opportunity, one he screwed up. Next time he was going to say something. Anything. But how to do it? His pacing slowed as an idea popped into his head. He twirled around to face the girl. "I've got an idea." His face lit up with a wide smile.
Before Pang could even ask what his idea was Win twirled around and sprinted away. She heard his footsteps race down the hall then crashed into the kitchen. Pang stared at the now empty spot where Win had been. Her eyebrows raised and a bemused smile on her lips. She giggled softly then instantly froze. Her spine straightened, lips parting. Slowly, she turned around to face the two that had been forgotten. Shin stood where she had left him. His hands folded across his chest, eyes boring into Pang. Lilly was dancing and humming to herself, uncaring about the ruckus around her. The older girl swallowed and tried to smile.
"Shall we go," Pang tried, voice cracking. Shin just stood there staring at her. "You know, take these to...uh...— " She quickly looked away. Pang couldn't take how he watched her. It was like he knew she was hiding something. He waited for an answer to an unasked question. She heaved a heavy sigh before facing Shin again. "Your brother is Win's mate." Her voice was quiet, barley reaching above a whisper.
Pang expected the older mage to freak out or become confused at her revelations. After all the bomb she dropped was unusual and could be hard to accept. What she didn't expect was a burst of laughter that rolled out of Shin. A deep chuckle that caused her heart to skip a beat. His right hand laid against his mouth, trying and failing, to quiet his mirth.
"I'm sorry," Shin began with a chuckle. "I don't mean to laugh." A few more chuckles shook his body. Lilly had stopped dancing to stare up at her father, eyes wide. "It's just funny. My brother, my womanizer of a brother is mated to a boy." He doubled over as laughter took hold of him again.
Pang glared at him, arms crossing. "Is that a problem," she asked, venom dripping with each word. Pang remembered the pain and headache her family had gone through when Phun and Noh mated. Most in Lunar Melody accepted their same sex mating but there were a few who vocalized their hatred. Some even went as far as physically hurting Noh. Her father was livid and declared those against his son's mating was not welcome in Lunar Melody and anyone physically hurting others over a dumb reason as sexual orientation would be punished and permanently exiled.
And the thought that her mate was against her best friend mating another boy churned her stomach. Pang wouldn't stand for it. If she had to go mate-less for the rest of her life, so be it. It would be better than being stuck to a hateful mage.
Sensing the girl's anger, Shin looked up, mirth completely gone. "I have nothing against it. It's funny because my brother used woman as playthings. Using them then moving on. But now he is finally going to fall at the hands of cute little boy. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother actually fall in love." Shin's lips curved into a bright smile.
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The timer on the oven dinged. Win quickly jumped off the stool he was resting on and rushed over to the oven. Grabbing his dark blue oven mitts the boy pulled out the loaf of bread he had so painstakingly made. A pleased smile danced on his lips as he sat it down. After grabbing a butter knife he quickly cut at the edges separating the bread from the tin. Flipping it upside down the bread easily slid out. A pleased grin spread his lips. Win knew he was skilled in the kitchen but this particular bread had alluded him several times. He had only been able to make a perfect loaf once. Now twice. He clapped his flour coated hands together before twisting around and heading into the small pantry in the corner. He spun around inside, eyes scanning for a small woven bag. Once he spotted it, neatly folded in a corner, he snatched it then turned around and grabbed some strawberry and mango jams. He didn't know what the mage would like and thought it was safer to take both.
While he scanned the shelves for anything else he wanted give to the mage the kitchen door that lead outside crashed open. Win yelped and stuck his head out to see what the commotion was. Mick stood beside the door. His fist were balled, eyebrows pulled together. Face flush with anger. Win released a puff of air before turning back to grab some fresh fruit laying in a basket the hung from the roof.
"Whys your panties in bunch," he asked as he exited the pantry. "Ohm piss you off again?" He set his goodies on the counter, arranging them with a side smile. Mick turned his glare onto him, hand shooting up to point a shaking finger at him.
"You," he snapped. "This is your fault!" The boy stomped toward the slightly smaller boy. Mick slammed his hands on the counter. His face twisting in an attempt to look scary. He fails terribly when Win looked up at him and scoffs. The boy's shoulders slump. He slides onto a stool and places his head in his upturned palms. "You're a buzz kill you know that." Win rolled his eyes. "Could have acted a little afraid. I am mad at you." His lips twist into a pout.
"Right," the smaller boy snorted. "Anyways, how is this my fault?" He pulls the woven bag closer and started placing the goodies inside.
"Your mate! If you had just claimed him or took up more time, we wouldn't have been interrupted!" Mick's head slides from his palm to dangle against his chest.
The other boy eyed his friend. "And what," he started with a mocking tone and a smug grin, "exactly got interrupted?" Mick's head snaps up. He scowled at his friend, who wiggled his eyebrows at him. "Oh, Oh, our little Micky is an adult now." Win clapped bouncing on his feet.
"Yah!" The taller boy grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be a towel, and threw it. It landed perfectly on Win's head. The boy froze as the towel slid off his face to land on the floor revealing an unamused expression. "You have nothing to say!"
"Psh, I'm eighteen, remember?" He bent to pick the towel up.
"Ha! And just what, sir, have you done adult like?" He looked his friend up and down mockingly.
Win gaffed and fidgeted. "Plenty."
Mick swung his eyes upward. "You keep thinking that." He paused briefly. With a heavy sigh he said "we talked. That's it."
"Boring."
"We were finally coming to an understanding," he continued ignoring his friends statement. "Finally having a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes. But then your mate had to be separated from his brother which meant he needed his own guard. And Fi being the dick he is, told Ohm to do it."
I don't see how this is my fault but whatever." Win grabbed the bread and began slicing it. Mick's eyes dropped to the bread, his mouth watering.
"You don't understand." His eyes never left the bread. "Ohm was about to tell me something." Win glanced up at Mick. He shrugged before looking down again. The taller boy slammed his palms on the counter again and leaned in close to his friend. "Something important!" As Win paused in his cutting to glance at his friend again, Mick took the opportunity to swipe a slice of bread.
"Yah! That's not for you!" Win tried to grab the piece back but Mick danced out of his reach with a playful smile.
He popped the warm piece into his mouth and hummed. "Oh, this is banana nut bread," he shouted, surprised. Win crossed his arms and glared. "I thought you failed with this bread."
The smaller boy huffed, hands going to his hips. "Nothing is impossible for me," he replied with a smug grin.
"Remember that statement when you're standing in front of that mage." He wiggled his eyebrows at Win.
"Baking," he rushed, arms dropping to his side. "Nothing is impossible for me in baking." The smaller boy quickly twisted away to grab a container and to hid his burning cheeks. He turned back to the bread, keeping his head bent and refusing to look at Mick. He knew his friend was wearing a cocky grin. He always did whenever he had won an argument.
"What are you doing anyways," the taller boy asked as Win shoved the neatly packed bread into the bag.
"I thought to take this to..." he mumbled looking up at Mick through his bangs.
"To Per. Come on say his name." Win shook his head vehemently. "As cute as you are, you're going to have to say his name eventually."
Win kept shaking his head as he slung the bag around his shoulder. He paused at the door to look back at his friend. "You want to come with me. Ohm will be there, most likely. Maybe you could finish that conversation."
"Yea, maybe we could. If a certain shy wolf doesn't run away again."
"No promises."
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Not my best chapter... but hey and update...
I just want to say it is really hard to write when you're sitting in a puddle of your own sweat. I have no air conditioning and its been above 100 for the last several weeks. I'm slowly dying...
Thanks for reading <3