Escape is Only Temporary [boyxboy]

Chapter XXVII

~Tuesday 19th July 2016~

"Went a little hard last night, hm?" Kai teased as he entered the kitchen with Beau, leaning over the island that Shepherd was perched on to flick one of the scratches littering Reece's bare back. Despite the cooling gels and salves that Shepherd had been applying for the past ten minutes, Kai's sharp touch sent a flittering burn down Reece's spine, drawing a low growl from the man, a sound of playful warning. Of course, Beau retaliated, an equally deep sound rumbling from his chest as he draped an arm possessively around Kai, tugging the boy into his chest.

"Knock it off," Shepherd muttered, pressing a kiss to the top of Reece's hair and tilting the man slightly so that he could access the lower wounds on his back. They were all superficial, barely even bleeding, but that seemed to make them worse. Reece had promised Shepherd that he would be fine, that they would heal swiftly, especially when he shifted that night, however, the warlock rarely listened to his mate. He had insisted on treating the wounds that morning when he first noticed them and was reapplying the same salves that night to be on the safe side.

It had been Reece's rut the previous night, hence why Shepherd had left him looking as though he had been mauled by a wild animal. And why the warlock would be walking with a limp for the next few days. Thankfully, the pack were used to their alpha's ruts. They knew how bad his mood could be in the days prior, however, it was the happiness after that was foreign to them. This was the first time that Reece had been joined by his mate during his rut, the first of many to come. Instead of waking stiff and irritable that morning, he had been happy.

He shared breakfast in bed with Shepherd, who was awfully lethargic and did nothing more than nap that day, and reminisced of their night together. Thankfully, Reece kept up with his ruts so he knew to have the pups out of the house. They stayed at Beau's that night, which was situated at the far end of the courtyard. One day, Kai and Beau would live in that house exclusively. They would raise pups in that house, build a family of their own, and Reece couldn't be happier. For the time being, however, he was content with them still having a room to share in his own house. He wasn't ready for his pups to have too much independence just yet.

"At least nothing seems broken," Beau chimed in, a coy smile on his lips as he rounded the island to get a drink of water for Kai when the boy asked, "Reece used to trash the house every month. It'll be nice not to have to buy new furniture so often," Reece simply flipped off the other wolf, accepting the scolding from Shepherd as the man finally finished tending to his wounds. Before Shepherd could slip off the counter, Reece turned around, resting his hands either side of the man and sharing a long kiss with him. Sometimes, it felt a tad bizarre knowing that his pup was present, however, he had seen Kai in far more compromising positions. And he learnt to knock on the boy's bedroom door after that.

"Gross," Kai grimaced dramatically, only for his face to light up with a pleasant smile when Beau passed him the glass of water. He was easily satisfied, entirely natural for wolf mates. Reece found himself satiated by the little things too; when Shepherd would pick out their outfits so some component matched, or would change the nest around ever so slightly when he sensed that it wasn't quite right for the wolf. The small things, delicate little gestures, they were where the memories were made.

"OK, I've never cut hair before but I think it looks OK," Ariadna entered the kitchen, appearing from the hallway that led down to the bedroom she shared with Snowden. As always, she was practically floating, moving with such grace despite the oversized clothing that she had to wear. It was all Snowden's, or rather, passed down from Kai and Reece and Shepherd to supplement his wardrobe until the clothes they had ordered were delivered.

Ariadna was a part of the family now. Reece and Shepherd had welcomed her with open arms, no matter the trouble that she brought alongside her. She was a princess. Of course she was, there was no way that Reece's pups could go through their lives with any semblance of normality. Ariadna was the true heir to the throne in her clan, the only daughter of the queen. Her uncles were ruling in her place, and had been since she was born due to her mother falling into a coma after her birth. For now, it looked like she would never rule, not with her uncles still adamant that Snowden should pay for his 'curse' with his life.