Favourite chapter to date, might have lost a few nails <.<

50.

Full as they were, it wasn’t that odd that Ray fell asleep. If anything, what was odd was that Josh hadn’t. But Ray was in his bed, relaxed and trusting despite all of Josh’s mistakes. He knew it was a little sad, but he truly wanted to spend the time idling on his phone and letting the warmth of Ray’s arm against his hip soak into him, Ray’s scent soothing the wolf into perfect satisfaction within him.

Archery looked like an accident waiting to happen to Ray. And sure, there were a lot of adults milling about to make sure no one ran across the field, but he was still nervous. And that explained how Dora got to him from behind, covering his eyes and booing at the same time.

He woke to another world. He stayed on his back, staring at the dappled sunlight on his ceiling for a few moments before he understood what it was.

Josh wasn’t the same, but not in any way Ray could have predicted. If anything, he was less imposing now that he was alpha. The extra height and muscles couldn’t disguise how worried he was all the time. And it sucked. Maybe it was childish of Ray to expect his best friend to always be in good mood, but Josh had spoiled him with years of light-hearted banter and seemingly endless optimism.

It wasn’t a real question, of course Josh was an alpha. If his recent possessiveness hadn’t given away the game, pretty much everything about him would have. He was strong and steady, protective to a fault, the fortress inside which Ray always knew himself to be safe Capricorn vibes reemerging. Like Ray is Josh’s home, Josh is Ray’s fortress, that is to say; the protective outside of the house. Except he wasn’t meant to be in that fortress, it wasn’t meant for him. An alpha n

Josh might not have been that good at school, but he was smart enough to understand the things that actually mattered. And a drawing from Ray mattered a whole lot.

TJ and Marisa rarely talked of their twin bond, but Ray knew it was real. That was what a pack was—a perfectly balanced network of connections. Some more intense, like that shared by mates, and some so intrinsic to your sense of self that you were born into them. His mother could find Glen anywhere in the house instantly and when he’d asked, she’d assured him that she could find Ray too if need be.

All his life, it had been easier not to think about his own presentation. Becoming an alpha had always been a very real danger, but Josh just wasn’t the type to borrow trouble and, since there was nothing he could do about it, he’d put it out of his mind.

He’d done it again.

Rationally, he knew he was doing the right thing keeping his distance from Ray. But it felt like he was being shredded from the inside out, heart first.

Skipping school was more than tempting, it felt necessary. But that was precisely why Ray couldn’t let himself do it. He’d just lost his boyfriend and his best friend in one night, and he knew very well what he’d done the last time he’d lost someone he loved.

Ray wasn’t asleep, of course.

heart eyed emoji with a big shocked open mouth

This is going to hurt. Sorry.

Part 1

Staying in the house for so long was making him crazy. Or crazier—the thoughts he’d been having lately were very far from normal or healthy. That morning he’d woken up with blood in his mouth where he’d bitten his lip nearly through. He didn’t want to think of what he’d been biting in his dreams instead of himself.

He kind of wanted to ask Dora if this was Josh’s moon somehow, since his boyfriend was a Capricorn. Mostly, it would have been nice if there had been a reason other than the obvious.

He kind of wanted to ask Dora if this was Josh’s moon somehow. Mostly, it would have been nice if there had been a reason other than the obvious.