The closer the boys got to the institute, the larger the path formed between the trees. Krey had walked in and out of the institute a million times. He was sure the track was made from all the times he stomped back and forth from Crescent Town.
Pip's grip on Krey's hand was a little sweaty when the large building loomed in the distance, lighting up some areas of the woods, and making the shadows even darker. Krey was relieved to see his home, but Pip was nervous, he could tell by how tightly Pip gripped his hand.
When the gate and the guards were only ten metres away, Krey stopped. "They will stare at you, and some might not be nice stares," Krey said. "My mum might be angry, and she might yell in front of you. If you're worried, just stay close to me, look at the ground, and we'll go straight to my bedroom. Okay?"
Pip nodded. His blue eyes were large and anxiously darting around. He had never felt more nervous. Pip would rather present in front of his entire college than walk into the institute. The last time he was there, he was thrown in the cellar and broke his fingers.
You're not trespassing this time, Pip reminded himself. Krey won't let them hurt you.
Krey turned to face the path. He intertwined his fingers with Pip and stood straighter. He was proud of Pip and holding hands with him was a symbol of their bond and attachment. "Alright," Krey mumbled with his head held high. "Let's go."
Krey could smell Pip's fear when the gate came into view. He wished that he had told his pack and that they expected him to arrive with his human mate. Krey was just thankful that they made it to the institute in one piece. Judging by the lack of messages on his phone, and the quiet woods, Jordan had kept his mouth shut.
The boys stepped from the path out into the open. Krey kept a stern frown. "Open the gate," he demanded. The guards hesitated, and when he looked, all eyes were on Pip. "I said, open the gate," Krey growled, pulling Pip closer. He felt very protective of him. Everyone diverted their eyes for Krey; it should be the same for his mate.
Krey couldn't yell at them for staring. Seeing Krey with an Omega was suspicious enough. Now he was with a human and holding hands with him.
The gate buzzed open, slowly sliding to their right, revealing a neat stone path and trimly cut grass. Pip's eyes followed the path until he saw the building. Old, yet wonderfully large with three stories, and many windows staring back.
The building was made from washed out yellow brick and stood out against the dark woods.
When the gate had opened enough for Krey to slip through, he pulled Pip through too. The gate immediately started closing behind them. Krey relaxed a little. They were safe.
"You okay?" he asked as they walked to the institute. Pip gripped his hand so hard, Krey could no longer feel his fingers.
"They looked at me weirdly," Pip whispered.
"It'll be strange for them to see me with a human. You'll get a lot of weird looks for a while, but so will I." He hoped Pip took comfort in the fact that they were in this together.
A few werewolves sat on the steps by the front door. Krey didn't recognise them because he barely knew anyone from the pack. The first time he had spoken to Francis was the night Pip broke in, and she had been in his father's pack for years.
When they saw Krey, they scrambled to their feet and lowered their heads out of respect, though some double glanced at Pip.
Krey didn't stop and marched with his mate up the steps. Their eyes followed him. Krey had to get to his bedroom as fast as possible. He heard their intense whispering. By morning, everyone would know about Pip and be able to smell his human scent all over the building.
Krey hoped he didn't bump into his mother on the way to his room, but at the same time, he had to tell her and wished he had told her earlier that day before Jordan interrupted them.
"Look at the floor," Krey murmured as they left the entryway and walked down the large corridor to get to the stairs.
Pip wanted to look around, but couldn't cope with the staring, so he did as Krey told him. The carpeted floor was a little muddy and worn down from years of being trampled on.
The further they walked the more werewolves came out of rooms to see why they could smell a human. Krey kept his glare aiming straight ahead. He didn't speak, and he didn't slow down his march, aware that Pippor had to jog sometimes to keep up. They were still holding hands, so Krey could always feel him there.
As they reached the wooden stairwell, they were finally alone. "I'll have to arrange a meeting soon to tell the wolves why there's a human here," Krey said, wanting to take two steps at a time, but Pip already struggled to keep up with him. "Are you still doing okay?"
Pip nodded, now taking the time to look around because nobody was near to intimidate him.
The stairwell was all wooden and carved with patterns. Pip expected fancy pictures or art or something to cover the tall walls. They were as bare as the institute gardens.
Pip was out of breath by the time they were at the top. Krey stopped at the door that would lead into the hallway. "It's getting late, so my mum might be in her room. It's just down this corridor, but mine's at the end. We might make it without seeing her."
Krey was so desperate to reach his room before his mother smelt Pip, he dragged his mate down the corridor, flung his bedroom door open, and yanked Pip inside. "Sorry," he said as Pip caught his breath. "I think I'm nervous too."
"It's okay," Pip said, looking around the large room. He could barely believe the size. Three of his bedrooms could fit in Krey's room. "This is- um, very modern compared to the rest of the institute." Krey had a black theme going on, which was no surprise. His double bed had a black frame, and black bedding, his large desk next to his bed was black, his cupboards and drawers were black, including his curtains. Even his door was black, and the other door leading into a bathroom was black too. A black leather couch was on the right wall with a black knitted blanket over the side.
Krey had dark grey wooden floors and grey walls. A big poster of England was above his desk, covered in red pins.
Two skylights brought in the moon's glow. Despite the black interior, the room would look bright on a sunny day.
Krey put Pip's bag down and pulled off the bag Pip carried too. "Uh, so yeah, this is my room." He looked around, pleased that it was so clean and tidy.
"It's nice." Pip barely had time to process that he was in the institute, or that he had left his aunt and uncles place, or that he was a mate of a werewolf, or in a place they called the Packhouse.
"Well, it's our room now." Krey almost asked what side of the bed Pip wanted, though maybe Krey would have to sleep on his couch for a few nights, or until Pip was ready for them to share a bed.
"You're not a fan of colour," Pip said, looking down to his yellow puffer jacket, blue jeans and yellow converse. He was the brightest thing in the room.
"No. My room matches my dull personality."
Pip smiled. "W-Well, you're the most interesting person I've ever met." Pip fiddled with his coat zip, not knowing what to do. He always felt awkward in other people's houses, so uncomfortable that he barely wanted to breathe.
Krey's calm and collected stare settled on his mate. Pip's scent mingled with his. He wanted Pip to cover his room with his belongings, so every inch smelt of him. Pip looked overwhelmed, Krey didn't want to freak him out by rubbing his coat all over his couch.
Slowly, Pip moved to the window. Crescent Town was a blur of lights in the distance. Pip had looked at the institute from Crescent Hill so many times. He never thought he'd be looking at Crescent Hill from the institute. "Are you really sure it's okay that I'm here?" he asked. The way other people stared at Pip made him feel very unwelcome.
"You're more welcome here than the wolves. You're the mate of an Alpha, which makes you one of the most important people in here. It's an honour that some wolves even got to look at you tonight." Krey would have hugged him if he didn't hear his mother's door open. "Speaking of important people," he grumbled. "I should talk with my mum. Are you okay to wait in here for five minutes?"
Pip nodded.
Krey opened his door to see his mother looking left and right, sniffing the air.
"Krey," she hissed as he shut the door behind him. "I smell-"
"A human." Krey walked over and crossed his arms to stop himself from fidgeting.
"It smells strong up here. What's going on?" She folded her black floral dressing gown. Her grey hair was in a long plait, as it always was before she went to bed. Krey remembered when he was little. He used to watch his father plait his mother's hair at night. Now she had to do it herself.
Please don't cause a scene, he thought. Pippor wouldn't be able to handle it. "That's because the human is in my bedroom."
Makena had marble features like her son that only moved if someone cracked them. Krey had smashed them with a hammer. "I beg your pardon," Makena said as though she misheard him.
Krey felt like a child, admitting to something that would get him in trouble. He was proud of Pip and wanted his mother to know that he was pleased to have him. Krey cleared his throat and said as confidently as he could, "Mum, I found my mate."