Brothers - 16. Chapter 16

DEVYN

He hated being trapped inside. All the wolf doors were blocked, and Devyn was pacing restlessly in his room. Jason had found something to occupy his time, writing notes in a book, but without a bone, or a way to run outside, Devyn had nothing to do but pace or sleep… or chew on the dresser.

And yet the entire house seemed peaceful for once. There was no one screaming at him for leaving dead squirrels on the doorstep or complaining about him walking around in wolf form. It was almost worth being stuck in his room.

He could hear footsteps approaching the door, and Devyn hurried toward his escape, whining loudly. A paw scratched at the wooden barrier, Richard sighing on the other side as he opened the door.

“You could have just shifted. It isn’t the full moon,” the man said, Devyn squeezing past him eagerly. “Or used the switch we installed specifically for your wolf. You’re acting like I locked you in here.”

The wolf ignored his father, racing down the stairs toward one of his water bowls. Dipping his tongue into the bone dry bowl, Devyn whimpered, seeking out another bowl.

“Devyn, I’m going to an interview,” Richard called, coming down the stairs.

Devyn grumbled, his paw flipping another empty bowl, and the wolf let out a huff. His body grew into human form, a hand pulling him up the kitchen counter with the bowl in his other hand. He hated having to refill the bowls himself; it was almost painful having to bend up and down to move the bowls around.

“For the love of the gods…”

Richard grunted, shoving a bowl under the kitchen tap before setting it back in its place.

“Wolf or human. Pick one. And if it’s human, get your clothes on.”

“I needed water,” Devyn muttered, holding his bowl under the faucet.

He knelt slowly, sliding the bowl carefully back where it went before letting his body grow back into its natural form. Lapping at the fresh liquid eagerly, Devyn made a grunt of happiness, the cool water running down his parched throat.

“You and Jason are still grounded for the week. No calling friends over and no leaving the house except to go to school,” Richard said sternly.

Devyn huffed as he drank, the wolf emptying a bowl quickly. His father sighed quietly before refilling it.

“I’m not sure when your mother will be back, but this shouldn’t take me more than two hours. You be good and watch your brother.”

The wolf let out a woof, nosing around the floor after an old piece of sausage. He grabbed it greedily, before snuffling around for more. He heard his father leave, the door closing behind him, and Devyn relaxed again. He raised his nose, sniffing out that scent that he knew so well. Tracking it toward a cabinet, Devyn nosed the door open and pulled out a deer antler he’d tucked away in the back for a rainy day.

Trotting to his room victoriously, the wolf pushed through the door and circled his bedding a few times, flattening various lumps while kicking up others. Finally satisfied, Devyn dropped with a thump, his teeth gnawing on the bumpy surface of the antler happily. This was more like it, time to chew on a nice bone, with no one around to complain.

Until someone knocked on a door downstairs.

Devyn growled in alarm, his body tensing as he sniffed the air. He couldn’t smell anything from up here, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

A door opened nearby, Jason’s smell growing in his nose as the neko passed, and Devyn let out a quiet huff. He couldn’t let Jason handle an intruder on his own.

He followed the neko down the hall, offering his back in support as Jason stepped down the stairs. They crossed to the front door, Jason peering through a peephole as Devyn snuffled around the base of the door. His nose came away with Dr. Marin’s scent, and the wolf’s hackles raised. But before he could stop his brother, Jason opened the door.

“Oh, morning you two,” the faelaera smiled, looking between them. “I was expecting your mother, but this works perfectly. Devyn, one of my former students works in a therapist office, and she mentioned an interest in working with therapy dogs. She heard about you, and thought you might be perfect for the position.”

Devyn’s head tilted, the wolf trying to figure out why people were talking about him and therapy.

“The position would be a paid internship to start with, but if it works, you would be paid as a full time therapist. The office is still trying to figure out how to balance a wolf with patients,” Marin continued. “There will likely be days when you work in human form, and other days when you work in this form.”

Jason’s hands moved, Marin frowning slightly at the neko.

“Oh no, everyone knows Devyn can understand. He won’t be treated like a dog, and if he is, the AWW will set them straight,” the man replied. “That’s a group of werewolves who work on legal issues concerning other werewolves.”

Jason nodded slowly, looking at Devyn. His hands moved again, Marin shaking his head quickly.

“No no, no work on weekends. His races would be unaffected by this. ANd he’d be earning four gold a month to start.”

A sudden breeze blew past them, Devyn growling quietly at a scent and Marin frowned at him.

“There are better ways to show your emotion,” the man said quietly, Devyn’s ears flattening as he saw Margaret stepping onto the driveway. “I’ll let you think about it. Let me know as soon as possible though; if you wait too long, the chance will be gone.”

He stepped away, nodding to Margaret as the wolves passed each other. Devyn retreated quickly, bounding up the stairs. He didn’t want to deal with his mother, not now. The wolf had a lot to think about, and he needed space for that.

JASON

“What did Devyn do this time?” Margaret frowned, closing the front door.

Jason echoed her frown, shaking his head.

‘He didn’t do anything. Dr. Marin just wanted to congratulate Devyn on winning yesterday. He was answering some questions I had about the history of werewolves.’

“He lives at the pack house. That’s a long walk just to congratulate someone,” Margaret said, heading into the kitchen.

Jason followed uncertainly, a question on his mind.

‘Are there any places to work out around here? I’ve missed an entire week of exercise.’

“Absolutely not. You are still grounded,” Margaret scowled.

There was a loud thump and she winced, looking down at a spilled bowl.

“Gods have mercy… Devyn!”

Jason flinched at the yell, his ears folding protectively as he backed up quickly. He heard the tap of a cane on the stairs, the neko frowning at the sight of his brother in human form, nothing but a skirt covering his body. It seemed like a bad move to Jason. At least in his natural form the wolf wouldn’t have to talk.

“I tripped over your bowl again. What have I told you about leaving bowls of water laying around where people can trip over them?” Margaret said sharply.

Devyn shrugged silently, leaning on his cane as he stared past his mother.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” Margaret snapped. “Look me in the eye and tell me what I told you about leaving bowls around.”

Jason cleared his throat uncomfortably. It was insane to ask a wolf to meet someone’s eyes; even he knew that. The neko had issues with eye contact himself. For someone who used their eyes to exert dominance… there was no way Devyn could do that. Jason was starting to wonder if Margaret was just blind to her own culture.

That or she was actively trying to make Devyn submit and the neko was a foot away from two fighting werewolves. Jason did not like his chances if that was the case.

Again Devyn shrugged, his gaze levelled at Margaret’s mouth.

“I don’t know,” he muttered.

“Oh, you don’t remember what I’ve told you a hundred times before, but you obviously remember how to bake a pie, don’t you?”

But wolves didn’t have good memories… or was it that they didn’t have good short term memories? Jason was confused.

The neko kneeled carefully, picking up the spilled bowl. He set it on the counter, looking around for a mop or a towel as Margaret continued to berate Devyn. He didn’t like feeling helpless, and being unable to help his brother, Jason tried to at least clean up a bit, finding a way to be somewhat useful. He wasn’t sure if him being in the room was actually helping Devyn, but the neko hoped so.

“If you want bowls laying around, you will keep them empty until you need them. I don’t want to be walking through spilled water all the time. And you need to keep them out of the way so people don’t break their legs stepping in them.”

Jason let out an exasperated sigh, thankfully silent. The whole point of leaving bowls around would be to drink from them. If Devyn had to fill them every time he needed a drink…

Margaret was just being flat out unfair at this point. And Jason couldn’t let this go on any longer.

The neko stepped around his mother, pulling Devyn into a careful hug. Jason’s arm wrapped around the human wolf’s shoulder, the neko casting a nervous glance at Margaret.

“Go to your rooms,” the werewolf grunted, before storming out of the room.

Devyn let out a grateful sigh, nuzzling against Jason with his cheek.

“Thanks. Not even five minutes and she’s pissed again…”

Jason shrugged helplessly, pulling back from his brother. He felt Devyn’s hand slowly fall from his side, the wolf looking like he needed another hug. The neko didn’t blame him; who knew the last time he’d actually had a proper hug around here?

Nudging the wolf up the stairs, Jason pushed Devyn toward the neko’s room, kicking the door closed behind them. His arms wrapped more securely around his brother, holding him tightly with as much contact as the neko could manage.

“Jason… are you okay?” Devyn frowned, returning the hug.

Jason nodded silently, not letting up, and finally Devyn relaxed into his arms. The neko held onto Devyn for nearly a minute, waiting for the wolf to pull away first. When he did, the two let out a grateful sigh together, Jason sitting back onto his bed. Devyn followed behind uncertainly, his legs stretching out off the bed as he tried to find a comfortable position.

“I want to do this,” the wolf said quietly. “I want to help. But Mom won’t let me. She’s too angry.”

Jason sighed quietly, nodding his understanding. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Devyn, a way for the wolf to live in a two legged society.

Grabbing his phone, the neko typed quickly, the phone’s monotone voice quietly speaking for him.

“What if you told her it was just a job as a therapist? You don’t have to say it’s for a wolf.”

“The last time I tried to trick her, it made things worse,” Devyn frowned.

“Then ask your dad? He’d probably agree to it. Besides, if they’ve been trying to get you to survive in a world of people, why wouldn’t they be ecstatic about you getting this opportunity?”

The wolf shrugged, slowly standing up. Kicking off his skirt, Devyn shifted in a mess of crunching bones before jumping back on the bed. Jason sighed quietly. It looked like the conversation was over.

DEVYN

The wolf curled up under his desk, the room around him filled with the gloom of night. Spending an entire day relaxing with his brother had left him happy, but he needed more. And there was only one way to get what he wanted without embarrassing Jason.

He dug through his blanket, teeth closing carefully over a pair of underwear. Pulling the neko’s clothes out of the blanket, the wolf let out a satisfied huff, burying his nose in the musky fabric. Devyn breathed in deeply, filling his nose with Jason’s smell, the stench enveloping his entire world as he rolled in it. He had already licked the sweetness from the underpants earlier, getting hit with another wave of euphoria he was starting to think was caused by his brother. Now he searched for more, trying to find that taste again.

The door to the bathroom opened suddenly, Devyn startling as he sat up with the underwear on his nose. He sneezed violently, the fabric flying off his face, and Jason stared in shock at his brother. Shivering in a fresh pair of underwear, the neko’s fur was puffed out, his ears twitching in alarm at the sight of the wolf drooling over his dirty clothes.

The neko knelt, picking his underwear off the floor. He held it up, frowning at the wolf with a question clear on his face.

Devyn whimpered quietly, retreating into his den with his tail tucked between his legs. Jason let out a sigh, turning back to his own room with the underwear in hand. He turned his head, motioning for the wolf to follow him, and a moment later, Devyn walked after the neko, his body slinking through the darkness in concern. He was in trouble, he knew it. But the smells had been so enticing, he couldn’t help rolling in them. He smelled like Jason now, and that was a good thing, at least to the wolf.

“Why?” Jason’s phone asked, the neko turning on a light. “Why would you steal my underwear? What is going on with you?”

Devyn’s tongue licked at his nose, chasing another scent, and Jason shook his head.

“Is this because of what happened the other day? That was a mistake. I didn’t mean to do it.”

Devyn leaned forward, licking his brother’s hand gently, trying to make amends for his own mistake.

“But why me Devyn? We’re brothers, we can’t do this,” the phone continued, Jason’s ears folding as shame poured from him.

The wolf grunted, his body shifting again as he crawled onto the bed. An arm wrapped around Jason, the neko sucking in a breath as Devyn’s body pressed against him.

Shaking his head, Jason pulled away from the wolf, his tail flicking rapidly.

“I like your smell,” Devyn said. “I like you. Why can’t I like you?”

Quiet tapping filled his ears, Jason’s body trembling as the neko tried to stay away from Devyn.

“Not in that way. Just let me be with Brienne. We can work through this, nothing has to come from it,” the phone said.

A quiet growl escaped Devyn, the wolf clearing his throat quickly.

“Work through what? I know I shouldn’t have taken your underwear, but I won’t do it again. And I’m not going to fuck you, no matter what Mom thinks. Why can’t we be with each other? You make me feel good.”

“No Devyn. It’s the disease making you feel good, not me. We need to stop this before it goes any further.”

“Then why did you come to my room?”

Jason held up the underwear still balled up in a hand, tossing it toward his hamper. Devyn watched his prize fly through the air, the wolf whimpering quietly as it landed in the hamper.

“Can I still sleep with you?” he asked.

Jason hesitated, but nodded a moment later, crawling under the bedsheets. Devyn slid his legs off the bed, preparing to shift again. Jason’s hand caught his wrist, and the neko shook his head slowly, holding open the sheets for him.

“You… you want me to sleep like this?” Devyn frowned, looking down at his furless, naked body.

Another nod, and Devyn sighed quietly, trying to figure out how this worked out. Jason wanted the wolf to leave him alone, but wanted to be held too?

“I’m not sure this is stopping anything,” he said. “And I never sleep well like this.”

Jason reached out suddenly, grabbing his phone from the dresser.

“If this gets you to leave my underwear alone, it works,” the phone said a moment later, and Devyn let out a short huff, before crawling in beside his brother.

The neko rolled over, wrapping his arms around Devyn. A leg draped over the wolf, Devyn wriggling slightly as he tried to find a more comfortable position. He hadn’t slept like this in years, but if his brother wanted it, he’d find a way to make it work.

Half an hour later, he was still awake, Jason’s steady breathing into the crook of his neck giving him little chills with every exhale. He could feel the neko’s rod growing, poking through Jason’s underwear, but the wolf wasn’t about to do anything that would make his brother more upset. No matter how much he wanted to lick the smell right off of the neko’s groin.

Jason murmured quietly behind him, the smell of lavender increasing as he rustled under the covers. Rolling over in his sleep, Jason’s tail fell over Devyn’s leg, toying with him, teasing his inner thigh with its fur. The wolf huffed silently, breathing in that intoxicating scent as his eyes closed. It was so relaxing, so soothing, and Devyn found himself slowly drifting away into sleep.