Wolf & Witch II: Witch Mountain

Chapter 3

It was deceptively sunny. You'd only know how icy the autumn mountain air truly was if you stepped foot outside. Trevor wasn't that dumb. He stayed right in the living room's big bay window — a perfect vantage point from which he could observe the family's comings and goings and still be cozy.

From where he was, he could see the entire living room, the stairs at the far end, and just past them, half of the kitchen table.

Sean was there, though Trevor could tell he was more focused on his phone than the piece of toast that had been half raised between his plate and mouth for a full minute. Trevor had half a mind to run over and start licking the butter off his toast, but a figure coming up the sidewalk caught the tabby's attention.

The knock that echoed through the front half of the house was enough to make Sean's hand twitch. There went his toast, butter-side down onto the floor.

Trevor felt his heart sink as he turned back towards the figure still waiting patiently on the veranda.

"Who is it?" Sean mouthed at Trev as he strode towards the door.

"Mailman," Trevor replied in a bored tone.

After signing for the package addressed to him, Sean brought the box to the dining room and finished his text to Anna.

"You're gonna come with me to talk with Tobias, right?" Sean asked while picking at the tape on the package.

"Hah! Of course. I'll go get my vest!" Despite the enthusiasm in Trevor's voice, he was worried, but not about Tobias.

Sean was getting older, and the package on the table was likely an early birthday gift — just another reminder of that fact. When they were little, they'd always just assumed that they'd graduate together, and then they'd be roommates through college. The day that Trevor had died, so did all of their plans.

As Trevor got to Sean's room, he hopped up onto Sean's bed and strode over the comforter to the nightstand where his vest was neatly folded. The Tabby stared at it for a moment. Even that stupid vest wouldn't be enough for him to follow Sean to college.

He knew that the day would come eventually when he and Sean would have to go their own ways... He just didn't think it would be so soon. It'd been hard, watching his friend's life go on — watching Sean do all the things he would never get to do. He would never want to take that away from Sean, he just ... envied him.

After Sean had helped Trevor into his vest, he pulled on a heavier hoodie. The walk to his cousin's house would have been nicer without the wind, but at least Anna was cool with giving him a ride before heading to the salon.

"You nervous?" She asked as she turned down the radio.

Sean stopped bouncing his leg and looked at her from the passenger seat. "Sorta."

"Hey, I'll trade you. You can fill in for me at work, and I'll go get paid to sit in a fancy living room and talk."

Snickering, Sean shook his head. "Nah, I'm not that nervous."

Anna shrugged. "Is your alpha okay with you talking to Tobias about the pack?"

"I'm not gonna—" Sean paused, spotting the cheeky smirk on his cousin's lipstick-tinted lips. "Why you always gotta say it like that?" He laughed. "You know his name."

"It's kinda sexy," Anna teased.

"No. No. Nope."

"Sean. Sean. You cannot tell me that man isn't attractive. I don't even dig redheads and I know he cute."

"He's thirty-three... I think. Thirty-two...?"

Anna just nodded with a knowing grin, tapping her glossy nails on the steering wheel. "He cute."