Chapter fifty-nine: Josh

At Kassandra's request, here is a 101 dive into the astrology of the boys, with bonus Dora as the Voice of the Stars.

CUT SCENE from chapter 57

He actually laughed as Josh finally pressed close from chest to toes—his whole body shivering with the rightness of it. It felt like he was on a wave of joy, body and soul, with Josh as close as he could get, so Ray could simply let go and be taken to shore, safe, contained... loved.

Chapter fifty-seven: Josh

Cut from chapter 55

52.

Chapter fifty-six: Ray

Chapter fifty-five: Josh

Ray jerked in place like he’d been slapped. Josh was holding his hand, and for a moment Ray thought about burrowing into his arms again.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn’t.

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.