As His World Changed (MxM)

Chapter 12

Trigger warning: mentions of self-harm and suicide are included in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

"Hey, you want to join us? We are going to the lake to take a walk." Atlas offered. Niel shook his head and turned around, trying to make his way to his room again. A hand was placed on Niel's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Atlas placed his hand on Niel's cheek. The teenage boy carefully wended his head away and said, "I just need a minute."

The werewolf grew confused. He turned Niel around again and placed both his hands on his mate's shoulder to keep him in place. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

"I... I thought this morning... Never mind." Atlas could see the sadness in Niel's eyes. He shifted his hands from Niel's shoulders to his hands and took them in his own. The alpha didn't leave any room for his mate to trust his hands back.

"Come, it will help... with whatever you are dealing." Atlas didn't want his mate to go. He had finally Niel by his side after hiding away. Atlas couldn't blame him as he had shown his rather nasty side of his. Nevertheless, he couldn't help it and Niel needed to find a way to deal with it.

Again Niel was being dragged to a place he didn't want to be. He knew rejecting, resisting wouldn't help. The only thing it would accomplish him was further embarrassment and problems.

So, there he was, walking beside Atlas behind them Levi and his parents, in front of them the former Alpha's. The six of them were conversing and sometimes the couples talked among themselves, leaving the new mated couple alone. Slowly, Atlas and Niel fell behind the group.

"They haven't seen each other in a while," Atlas commented, trying to make conversation, hoping to hear the calming voice of his mate.

Niel just nodded.

"It's quite rare that former Alpha's and Beta's are alive while the new generation leads. But with my father's injury... it left us weak so I had to step up."

Niel eyes wandered from the ground towards the large man in front of the group. Looking at the slight limp. In the teenage boy's eyes the small imperfection of these perfect beings didn't look too grave for the need of a new leader.

Atlas couldn't help but to chuckle. Niel could be an open book. It was entertaining to see the confusion grow in Niels' ash grey eyes. Eyes Atlas could look into for an eternity. "Maybe the limp doesn't look bad now, but it was way worse and most werewolves fully recover from their injuries, even severe ones. But my father didn't."

"Why?" Niel blurted out, before thinking.

Atlas sighed. "That's a story for another time... I hope my mother doesn't intimidate you too much. She does mean well, only she can't express it that way, yet."

The teenage boy shrugged his shoulders. "Well, she isn't much different from my father-" Niel stopped himself before he gave away too much. He never intended to talk about himself, he didn't find it necessary as he had still hopes he would return home one day. But something about Atlas aura, Niel thought, relaxed him in a way he couldn't explain. He still felt his worries and anxiety, only it was deluded in the near presence of the Alpha. It caught him off guard.

Atlas frowned. "What do you mean?"

"...nothing."

Those were the last words of their little talk. Days had past since they had a conversation like this and Atlas didn't want to ruin it by asking sensitive and personal questions, especially as their last interaction was laced with anger and frustration.

Both men enjoyed the weather as they walked along side the edges of the lake, they hadn't even passed a quarter of it and Niel was already exhausted, not being used yet to walking so much. It was a beautiful place, the teenager enjoyed the scenery and the quiet except for the low mumbling of the other werewolves. Being in school it was rare for it to be quiet, especially with the size of his school.