My Atypical Wolf

Ashton ran back to their temporary old apartment which was just a few blocks away from the pack house. Leaving like this was abrupt, but the fact that he didn't get to pack came as a bit of a shock to him. The main door was locked as expected so he climbed in through the, thankfully open, window.

He was surprised to see most of the things in its place, which made him wonder… exactly what did they take?. Opening the closet he realised it was simply clothes and hardly anything else. His books were too in fact placed here. But that was not why he was here. Pulling his mattress above the bed he saw the locket tied to a broken chain lying there.

When his adopted father gave it to him for the very first time he woke up all sweaty, screaming in the middle of the night. He used to keep it with him all the time. He was told by his Dad that it would help him keep his nightmares away. He never believed in all such crap, but he kept it nevertheless. Over time his nightmares ceased, recurring sometimes but infrequently, as he got accustomed to his new life gradually. Despite never believing it had any special qualities it was quite special to him, and now that his father was gone he kept it as a memento, the first gift he ever received in this family.

Then why did he keep it under his bed? Because he was worried carrying it around would mean losing it, and thus he kept it under the mattress which, under common circumstances, wouldn't be disturbed much. There was no way he would leave this place and not take it with him. While he was at it he also packed some of his books, which would be beneficial in both the cases, for studying and as a cover for his real reason for being here. 

In the middle of his backpacking when he received a link from Caleb. He was trying to turn it away, but he failed miserably, still trying to figure out how this linking thing works and its every other aspect. [Where are you? I was looking for you but your mom said you ran away? Are you finally freaked out enough to run away?] Caleb asked him, half joking and half concerned.

[Of course not! I needed something… I mean my books so I came back] Ashton informed him.

[Okay, just so you know I can tell what you were looking for when you imagine it while you are in the link.] Caleb snorted. Ashton remained quiet so Caleb continued, [You don't have to explain anything to me, I was just letting you know]

Ashton cleared his throat (for no apparent reason), before replying [I am on my way? What do you need?]

[Just come] Caleb chuckled and let go of the link. He found Caleb waiting at the entrance for him, who was quite pleased to see Ashton there. "Let me show you your room" Caleb smirked before leading the way.

Ashton followed him, and looked around the corridor which was definitely away from Caleb's room. "Our guest quarters are on the upper floors, so you will be staying on the second floor". 

"Got it" Ashton mumbled. Both of them got on the elevator and ended up on the 2nd floor. After walking down the hallway, Carb turned right, which led to a huge room, almost twice as big, or maybe more than that compared to his last room. The ceilings were so high that even if Ashton shifted to his wolf form he would fit perfectly without making a mess.

Taking in the vast surroundings he sat down on the bed. The comfort of that soft mattress was indeed something else and thus it helped him relax a bit. Caleb showed him the walk in closet, which was situated at the back, near the headrest and the bathroom. It was so fancy that Ashton was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You okay"? Caleb asked, "You seem a little… down"?

"You seem extremely happy" Ashton retorted. He couldn't exactly describe the feeling, but he wasn't thrilled about moving in here. It's like being here bothered him. 

"Why shouldn't I be? I am basically in the same house as my mate. We're basically living together" Caleb smirked, before he ended up snorting.

"You live on the ground floor, I am on the 2nd floor. Not to mention my room is complete south from yours. We are literally the farthest". Ashton pointed out.

"Well, this house has two more floors above this, so… you know it's still not the worst" Caleb winked. "But still, it's the closest we have ever lived". 

"Which is why you gotta be careful, so that I don't get sick of you" Ashton teased.

"Yeah, you should have thought of that when you agreed to date me" Caleb snorted.

"Good Luck". Ashton simply shook his head at Caleb's confidence. "Well get settled, I want to give you a tour before I leave". He suggested. 

"You are... going somewhere"? Ashton asked reluctantly, wondering if that was okay. He was sure with the way Caleb was acting that he would stick around for a long time. Ashton was quite frustrated by the fact that he found Caleb's impending absence more upsetting.

"Yeah, I need to go to the office once. Then I have to restock some stuff I keep at my Cabin" Caleb mumbled. "You know, in case of my heat"

"You… still want to spend it in that Cabin"? Ashton popped the question without giving it much thought. What he was trying to imply was that was it really that necessary given that now he didn't spread any pheromones. People won't figure out his secret now if he happened to be near people during his heat. He knew how lonely Caleb could get in there and he felt bad for Caleb. 

Caleb, however, took on a whole other meaning to it and brought his face closer to Ashton's, "Why? Should I spend my heat with you"? He smirked. 

Ashton's eyes widened for a moment before he sighed, "Are you sure that's a good idea"? 

"Why not"? Caleb shrugged nonchalantly.

"We are in a building where both of our parents, no wait, all of our families are present, " Ashton raised his eyebrows.

"These walls are soundproof" He shrugged, pointing at the walls and the ceiling with his right index finger. "So, what do you say?" Caleb teased once more. He wasn't going to force Ashton to do something he wasn't ready for, but man it was so fun to tease him.

After being around him so long Ashton was quite used to his harmless teasing. But with the recent change in their relationship he wasn't sure how much of it was a joke, and how much of it was real. Going along with it, he pulled Caleb and flipped their position so that Caleb lied on the bed while Ashton hovered over him. Surprised by his action Caleb stared at Ashton wide-eyed before asking, "What are you doing"? A subtle smirk from Ashton made him gulp.

"Nothing a boyfriend shouldn't do" Ashton's smirk deepened. Caleb's heartbeat took a sudden spike when he heard the word 'boyfriend', not having called each other boyfriends yet. The sound of his heartbeat kept getting louder which deafened almost both of them. Ashton wondered whether Caleb was scared, or excited. He took a shot and decided that it was the latter, given the confession the earlier day, and putting hand below Caleb's chin, he kissed him. Closing his eyes, Caleb enjoyed the kiss while bringing him closer by pulling him by his waist.

They kissed for a really long time, getting more comfortable in the bed while changing many angles. Caleb forgot all the important stuff he had planned for the day and engrossed himself in the passionate kiss. What broke them apart was the lack of breath, but that wasn't effective for long because soon those lips met once more. 

This time however it was a knock at the door which broke them apart, "Caleb you in there"? Never had he ever hated his brother so much. Pulling himself away he headed towards the door while gritting his teeth in frustration. He wasn't even there yet when his brother walked in, and that's when the kissing duo realised that they never bothered to actually lock the door.

"Good, both of you are here" his brother declared as we welcomed himself in Ashton's new room. "I wanted to talk to both of you, what are your plans"? Christian asked.

"What do you mean"? Caleb scrunched his eyebrows not sure what his brother was trying to ask.

"Thanks to your earlier 'declaration of the mate' stunt, Dad thinks you're together. How are you planning on selling that"? Christian raised an eyebrows.

Both Ashton and Caleb looked at each other and pursed their lips as they tried to suppress a chuckle. Caleb hesitated for a moment, and wondered how to explain to his brother about their recent development. On the other hand Ashton was trying to come up with a way he could declare his feelings without enraging Christian. After all he did promise to 'keep his hands off', a promise he broke a lot of times, and twice on purpose in just one day.

Sensing something was going on, and suspecting them both for the very thing they were trying to tell him, he raised his eyebrows. "What did I miss"? He asked sternly.