Nico & Nox

In Arms of Home

Nico

Nico shifted into his wolf to run with the Ming pack wolves. They caught prey together and dragged it back to the camp before feasting on raw meat. The Alpha took first bite, then his guests, followed by pack hunters and finally the whole pack. Mothers buried leftovers so their pups could eat later.

Once the moonlight dimmed in the presence of father sun, pack members  came up to Nico and his wolf-friends, to rub their own fur along theirs as a gesture of friendship. They took in each others scent and memorized it for eternity. 

The Alpha gifted Nico bright red globes of light and equally red silken robes. Red gifts were considered to be the highest honor the Ming pack bestowed upon their friends. It sealed their trust in each other and acted as a good luck charm.

Nico's new friend, a stocky woman called Shaona gifted him a necklace she had made herself by carving a wolf head into aspen. The wolf looked remarkably like her own, and Nico thanked her for such a thoughtful souvenir. He had met Shaona at the Xii Clinic where he had worked alongside her for three weeks and had given several lectures on voice rehabilitation after partial and total laryngectomy.

Shaona was four and twenty years old and had been working at Xii for over two years. She loved treating children with speech and language disorders and was very passionate about her work. Nico had been amazed by the work Shaona had done with children and he had observed and learnt very different techniques of therapy from her. It was safe to say that Nico considered her as not only a friend, but a role model. He promised her that he would remain in touch and tell her all the latest gossip that happened back home. He also invited her to his pack and offered her his own home.

Although the trip had been educational and had helped Nico develop as a professional, it had been extremely hard on his relationship wih his mate. Even when Nico and Nox talked to each other every moment they could manage, it had been strenuous for Nico to be so far away from his claimed mate and for that very reason, Nico was thrilled that his trip had finally come to an end. He was flying back with his rehab team to the Diamond pack in exactly three hours and forty two minutes. Nico had the world's biggest smile on his face.

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The time was ten minutes past eight in the morning when his flight landed. Nico has slept for only three hours during the fourteen hour long flight. There was no denying how excited he was to get home. He suspected Nox would be there, although he had repeatedly told his mate to not drive up so early in the morning. Twenty minutes before landing, he had changed out of his pyjamas and now wore a formal black suit (which had a knee length coat) with a bottle green bowtie. He had brushed out his silver hair, worn black studs in his ears and had applied a thin line of black eyeliner to his lids. He wore dress shoes and sprayed on some cologne— almost first impressions mattered too!

It took fifteen minutes for them to get off the plane and another thirty five to get past security. Once Nico's luggage had been cleared at customs he dragged his trolley out through the electric doors and was immediately hit by the scent of his mate. Nico couldn't resist grinning. He kept his eyes low and crossed the throng of waiting family members. His heart was beating a mile a minute when he finally lifted his eyes to see his smiling mate. Nox opened his arms, waiting for a hug and Nico ran to close the remaining distance. He was immediately engulfed in his mates warmth and the strong scent he had fallen in love with: Nico was home.

Nox threw one of Nico's bags over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing and dragged the other behind them as they headed for his car. Alpha and Luna had decided to give the two mates some alone time and would be waiting at Nico's house with Sarah and Emma. Once the luggage was safely in the trunk of Nox's monster truck, he opened the passenger door for Nico and waited for him to climb in. "You don't have to do that!" Nico said, embarrassed. Nox held his chin and lifted his flushed face to meet his mate's eyes. "If not for you, then who?" Nico nodded shyly, he understood that this had to be a give and take relationship- he would open the door for Nox next time.