Krey's internal organs were screaming.
His hands were on his mate's shoulders. His fingers touched Pip's neck. They stood close. Pip's eyes were trusting and beautiful in the silvery moonlight, pale and large.
Krey's lips tingled at the thought of a kiss. They were in the perfect setting: alone, calm, focused on one another.
Krey didn't know how Pip felt about him. Krey wasn't obvious enough that he wanted to be more than friends. A kiss would let Pip know.
Pip's lips were already parted and soft. He's human, Krey reminded himself. He doesn't feel what you feel yet. Don't scare him off just because you want him so badly.
Krey wondered whether Pip was gay or bisexual or didn't yet know he liked men. The thought of Pip having a crush on someone else made Krey insanely jealous, though the bond wouldn't let Pippor crush on anyone else for long.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Krey's mouth blurted the words before he could stop himself.
FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. FUUUUUCK.
Krey took his hands from his mate's shoulders. Pip's throat tightened; his breath caught in his lungs. Krey thought about quickly explaining himself, but he had fallen in a hole too deep.
"Uh..." Pip breathed, clearly nobody had asked him that before. "H-How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I'm gay."
Krey looked relaxed on the surface, and the woods around them was quiet and calm. On the inside, his brain activated an entire firework display. "I didn't."
"Oh... Well, good guess," Pip said with a nervous chuckle. "A-And no, I don't have a boyfriend."
Krey was good at staring until people looked away. Now, he found it hard not to break their gaze. Krey looked around Pip's cute face in the darkness. "Good," he said lowly, fighting hard to keep the muscles in his face still.
Pip pursed his lips and dropped his gaze to the woodland floor. He rolled back and forth on his feet, smiling.
Krey's brain burst. He was given Pip because of the way he made Krey feel. Pip was sweet and gentle and had a good heart. Krey would learn a lot from Pip; most importantly, he would learn how to be kind.
"D-Do you... Have a- boyfriend?" Pip asked so quietly, Krey was thankful for his abnormal hearing.
"No."
Pip, still smiling, whispered, "Good."
Kiss him. Kiss him. Kiss him. Krey bit his bottom lip. Don't scare him off, not now. They were making steady progress. Werewolves usually moved fast. If Pip were a werewolf, they would have done much more than kissing by now.
Instead of rushing into a relationship, Krey wanted to gain his trust.
He eyed Pip's hand poking from the ends of his too-long sleeve. "What time do you need to be home?"
"Ten is the latest."
Krey stared at the moon; his Pupils dilated. The placement of the waning gibbous moon told Krey the time. Pip still had hours before he needed to be home.
He looked back down to Pip's hand and his nerves left with a long exhale. Krey stepped closer and reached for him.
Pip's hand was much smaller than Krey's. He felt his little fingers wrapping around his hand as soon as their skin touched, as though Pip's natural reaction was to hold Krey. The flutter in Krey's stomach was new. He never got nervous, only angry. The human part of Krey now felt emotion he thought his wolf devoured years ago.
"Where are we going?" Pip asked as they walked hand in hand through the woods. The moon followed, offering light between the thickening trees.
Krey phone vibrated in his back pocket, again and again, and again. He ignored it, wanting his time with Pip to be uninterrupted. "Just for a walk."
The silence between them wasn't so awkward anymore. While Krey's mind was focused heavily on Pip's touch and warmth, Pip's mind was all over the place, as usual.
They both enjoyed the woods and the peace oozing from every tree. Some would say the woods all looked the same. Krey knew each tree was different and told a unique story.
He was about to point out the abnormal branches of an old tree until he heard something that made the hairs on his neck stand on end.
Krey stopped dead in his tracks. His wolf stirred and whined within.
In the distance, he heard the long eerie howl of a wolf. The way it howled churned Krey's stomach. That was no wolf from his pack.
He stared hard into the darkness with a face so serious; Pip asked, "Are you okay?"
Pip was only human; he didn't hear the howl. Krey let go of his hand and checked his phone. His heart pounded. His mother wasn't harassing him, his Beta and Delta were.
Krey was going to phone Sid, but another scent drifted through the wind. "Francis," Krey said out loud. His voice echoed all around them.
Footsteps crunched in the distance, then he saw the silhouette of someone running. The moon shone down right in front of Krey. Francis stepped into the silver light. Her expression told Krey about the severity of the situation because her eyes were wide like a spooked horse.
"Alpha, Southern enemies are breaching our territory. We need to go to the institute right now," she breathed.
Krey's mind melted. He couldn't panic. Pip looked back and forth, seeing their worried faces and started worrying himself.
"Is there anyone else coming?" Krey asked. He couldn't be seen with Pip. As much as he wanted to flaunt him to other wolves, he wasn't quite ready for his mother's opinion.
"I don't know. I tried to tell your Beta, Jordan, that you were in the woods. Nobody believed me." Francis wasn't happy. But once again, she had come to her Alpha's aid when nobody else cared enough to go searching in the dangerous woods. "We need to go now."
Krey had to make a decision: take Pip to the institute or let Francis escort him home. Wolves might try to get into the institute. They might run into their enemies on the way. Pip's house was in the opposite direction.
"Francis, take Pip home. I'll go-"
"Alpha, I can't leave you to go back unguarded." Francis looked down to Pip. "Do you know the way home from here?"
Pip wasn't sure. He turned to the trees behind him. "Um, I-I think so."
"He can't-"
"He can, right, Pip?" Francis' eyes leaked a silent apology. "This is important. Krey needs to-"
Krey and Francis stopped and stared in the same direction. The wind carried another howl. Pip didn't hear it. Krey's bones felt like they were ready to crumble when he looked back to his mate. Pip seemed terrified about having to walk home on his own.
"C-Can I come with you?" Pip asked. His voice was almost a whisper.
"You can't." Krey struggled to look him in the eye. His fear was too painful. I told him he was safe with me. I'll always let him down. Krey glared at Francis. "Walk Pip home, that's an order."
Francis opened her mouth to protest and Krey snapped.
"Don't argue with me, Omega!" he shouted and leapt forwards. Francis jumped back, so did Pip. "Take him home," he growled. Pip's expression was like a tree falling directly on Krey's head. He had scared the human, again. Pip would never learn to trust him if Krey didn't learn to control his anger.
Francis bowed her head, seeing she had enraged her Alpha. She motioned for Pip to follow her, and he did.
"B-Bye Krey, get home safe too," Pip said quickly after tripping on the uneven ground.
Krey watched in disbelief until the human and Omega were distant noises in the darkness. He had scared Pip again and again, yet Pip pushed through his fears to be kind.
He would have stared until Pip's scent was a memory in the cold, but another howl made him act. Krey crouched and changed into his wolf. He stalked through the woods with red eyes fixed on every shadow. The cold mud against his paws made no noise.
Krey was slow and careful. If the wolves did smell him, then at least Krey could outrun them. His strengths were speed and a bite that would never release.
His ears, one brown and one black pricked in the wind, listening for anything too close.
The walk back to the institute took longer than Krey wanted, but he was aware that Francis would have to come back on her own. He had made the right decision to send Pip back with someone. Pip smelt like Alpha Krey, the new and failing leader of the Crescent pack.
If the southern wolves got a hold of Pip, they would stop his heart in seconds. Krey had made them his biggest enemy by accident. He never meant for their Alpha's mate to die.
Krey shook his head. His fur shook with him. Stay vigilant, he thought.
On the west side of the institute, Krey had less than a mile to go until another wolf trotted up beside him. He knew Francis's scent. They looked at each other, and her gold eyes swirled in the dark. She nodded her wolf head, and Krey knew Pip had returned home safely.
Krey would thank her later. Now that they were together, they had to run back before trouble found them.
Wolves heavily guarded the gate to the institute. Makena was among those standing at the front. She relaxed her shoulders when Krey appeared from the trees with Francis by his side.
The wolves around her bowed their heads and stopped whimpering in distress that their Alpha could have been hurt.
Makena did not attempt to greet her son. She waited until he was inside the grounds then followed the rest of the wolves inside.
Krey shifted forms when the gate shut behind them. He was the first to be back on his human feet.
"Where the hell were you?" Makena yelled in front of the other werewolves.
Krey glanced to Francis, who stretched and stood up.
Makena followed his stare and pointed to the Omega. "You were with her again."
"Actually-"
Makena lifted a hand silencing Francis. "I want to hear this from Krey." Makena crossed her arms. "I'm sick of you running off and leaving your pack in the dark. You expect them to respect you without giving them anything to respect."
Krey's jaw sharpened. He felt all eyes on them. "I'm not arguing here," he muttered and turned to walk to the building, but his mother grabbed his wrist. Krey had really worried her, he knew that, but yelling at him in front of the pack was embarrassing. Krey could barely keep himself together, let alone the pack that was shoved into his care in a matter of hours after his father's death.
Krey didn't want them to know that his mother still treated him like a child too. He already looked like a joke after Jordan challenged him.
"Your pack should know what's been going on," Makena hissed. "Why are you spending so much time with Francis?"
"Mother," Krey growled, yanking his wrist away.
Francis remained quiet. Krey hoped she would come up with something to explain why they were always together.
"You're not going to tell me?" Makena asked, running around her son when he faced away. "Look at me, I'm angry, your pack is angry. No more secrecy Krey. Tell us what's going on."
Krey scowled; brown eyes clashed as Makena glared back. Krey didn't know what to say. As much as he liked Pip, having a human mate was another weakness.
Silence rang out for a long minute. Krey stared around at the faces who dropped their gaze. Jordan and Sid stood together at the entrance to the institute. Sid looked away immediately, but Jordan dared to stare for a few seconds.
Only Pippor can look at me, Krey thought. At least he doesn't look with judgement.
"If you're not going to tell everyone what's going on, then I will say what everyone's thinking." Makena stood tall and pointed to Francis.
Oh shit, Krey thought.
"My son, your Alpha, has found his mate. Isn't that right Krey?" Makena shook her head when Krey said nothing. "Francis Yorvik is your mate, isn't she? Think carefully about lying to me."
Krey and Francis looked at each other. Francis's green eyes were wide and frantic. She opened and closed her mouth, not able to explain.
Krey sighed. He wasn't ready to tell them about Pip. The human was in too much danger for them to know, especially when Pip was so oblivious to the hazards of Krey's lifestyle.
Krey could have laughed at the accusation if the institute and the pack wasn't under threat.
He turned back to his mother who believed she had figured out his secret. His mother had told him not to lie, but she fed the lie right into Krey's mouth.