Ryan had been hesitant when Madeleine had insisted they leave the coven, but he was glad he’d listened to her.He’d been afraid, and he still was, but even if the pack eventually kicked them out, they’d have had a taste of safety.He hoped they could stay, but in the meantime, it gave them enough space to breathe and come up with the next part of their plan.
He was pretty sure his mother was desperate to stay.He didn’t blame her, but he wasn’t sure she understood how easy it would be for Chance to kick them out.If the protests became too loud, he wouldn’t have a choice.Even if he wanted them to stay, he may not be able to allow that to happen.He had to think of his pack, and while he’d told the mages that they were pack members now, there was obviously a difference between them and the people who’d been born there, or even new shifter pack members.
But Ryan didn’t want to talk about that right now.He ate his snack and stayed silent, nodding at whatever his sister and his mother said.He could hear his father somewhere in the house, doing something.He thought about joining him once he was done eating, but instead, he left the house.
He needed a little time.He didn’t want to worry his family with his thoughts, so he’d taken to exploring the area around the house where they lived on his own every opportunity he had.He liked the trees and nature and the fact that usually, he was alone there.
But not today.
* * * *
“DON’T THINK I DIDN’Tnotice what you did,” Theo said as he leaned closer to Seth.
Seth sighed.“We had a nice time.Why would you want to ruin it?”
“How would talking ruin anything?”
“Talking about feelings always ruins things.”
Theo rolled his eyes.“You’re going to have to, eventually.”
“Me, talk about feelings?I don’t think so.”
Theo hesitated.It was enough to tell Seth that he wouldn’t like what was about to come out of his brother’s mouth.He wished he could stop it, but Theo didn’t give him enough time.
“You’re going to have to talk about feelings if you want to have a relationship.”
Seth groaned.“Right now, the only thing I want is to be allowed to go home without talking about this.”
“You’re only twenty-one, Seth.”
“Twenty.My birthday isn’t for another month.”
Theo shrugged.“Fine.You’re only twenty.You have at least another fifty or sixty years to live.I don’t want you to be on your own all that time just because you’re scared.”He leaned closer and glanced at the others, who were tumbling out the door.He probably didn’t care if they heard what he was saying, but this was a moment between Theo and Seth.“Don’t letthemruin even more of your life.They already took enough away from both of us.”
Seth didn’t want to talk about his feelings or finding a partner, but he wanted to talk about their parents even less.“I’ll think about it, all right?”
“Something tells me that you won’t, but that’s okay.Like you said, you’re only twenty.That gives me enough time to wear you down.”
He’d do it, too.Theo was stubborn.It was why he’d been their alpha.He’d decided he would keep them safe, and through sheer stubbornness, he had.
Thankfully, Theo was distracted when Thomas bumped against him.He turned, and Seth took advantage of that and snuck out the door.He’d told Thomas they would walk home together, but Thomas wouldn’t mind going on his own.He wasn’t afraid of walking around pack territory alone, and Seth was sure that Thomas would understand if he explained why he’d wanted some time on his own.
He strode toward the forest, breathing easier once he was between the trees.He could still hear voices, but he didn’t think anyone would come after him.
Since it had been a while since he’d last shifted, he decided to take advantage of the situation and do just that.It would give him some time alone to think, and Theo wouldn’t follow him to continue talking about him finding a boyfriend.
It wasn’t that Seth didn’t want a boyfriend.He just didn’t know how he could trust anyone enough to let them that close.Maybe he would one day, or maybe he wouldn’t.Only time would tell, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready.He certainly didn’t feel ready right now.
What he did feel ready for was shifting, so he quickly took off his clothes and hung them on a branch.The air was cold, so he shifted quickly, eager to be in his fur.
He stretched, going as high as he could, arching his back as he scratched the bark of the closest tree with his claws.Yes, it had been too long.
He turned around and rubbed his back against the bark, enjoying the feeling.He wasn’t sure how long he wasted there, but after a while, his body felt loose, and he was ready to run.
It wasn’t always easy to do so in a forest, but it had been even more complicated when Seth had lived on the streets and had needed to be careful not to scare people or attract the wrong kind of attention.There were always people willing to hurt others, especially when they were different—when they were shifters.
But Seth didn’t have to worry about that here.This might be a pack, but most of the members were bears—not polar bears like Theo and Seth, but bears nonetheless.It meant that the pack had accepted Seth and Theo more easily than they had the others, and it made Seth feel a little less out of place, even though his white fur set him apart.
