Brothers - 30. Chapter 30

DEVYN

“Devyn Farin?”

The elf frowned at the werewolf slightly through the open bus doors.

“You’re Devyn? I thought you’d be furrier…”

“They don’t let me shift except for gym,” Devyn grunted, hobbling awkwardly up the stairs of the short bus.

He sat heavily in the first seat behind the girl, wrinkling his nose at the near overwhelming scent of spiced oranges wafting off the girl. Across from him was an empty wolf harness, and he let out the slightest whimper at the realization that he probably could have gotten on the bus in wolf form with no problem.

“We’re just waiting on a couple more people and then we’re off,” the elf said with a smile that did nothing to staunch the scent of nerves under the perfume.

Devyn huffed quietly, leaning against the window. Yet another person who seemed to expect him to fuck first and ask questions later. When would they realize he never wanted to ask questions? Or fuck for that matter? He could smell the fear on Jason too, that feeling that the wolf would just take what he wanted. Not that the neko’s fear wasn’t usually mixed with lust, as though that was exactly what Jason wanted, but Devyn was trying so hard to be a good boy. He wasn’t going to fuck anyone.

At least until Jason said yes.

And for Devyn to get that to happen, he needed to act like a human. Which meant he was going to force himself to stay human all evening, when he got home. He was going to keep his clothes on, and he was going to take a shower and brush his teeth.

The very thought made the wolf shudder. But if it was what it took for Jason to accept him as a mate, he would be human.

There was still the issue of Erith, and his apparent interest in Devyn. That had been surprising, and Devyn wasn’t sure how to handle that. He had never been pursued before… unless he counted that time he tried to hide that dead squirrel from his mother. And failed. It had been a valuable lesson though; he’d had no idea that under the desk was not a good place to hide his food, and he had learned to be sneakier with his hiding spots. Under the blankets from then on. Though things still vanished occasionally.

That or he just forgot where he put them. Or if he had them in the first place. The wolf really wasn’t sure which it was.

But he had to get back to learning how to be human. Jason seemed to like when Devyn touched his cheek. And he definitely seemed to like Brienne kissing him. Maybe if Devyn tried both of those?

He was distracted by a sudden squeak, the doors closing as the bus lurched into motion. Devyn had been assured it was only a twenty minute ride to the therapist's office, and he would get there ten minutes early every Urdya. But glancing around the bus at an assortment of various elves and humans in different uniforms, the wolf wondered if that included time to let them off first.

Shrugging at the thought, Devyn twisted at his cane, fighting the urge to gnaw at the tip. That tended to leave splinters, and he didn’t want to try pulling those out of his hands. Or his mouth.

To his surprise, the bus pulled to a stop, the elf in front of him tapping her seat to get his attention.

“Your stop.”

The wolf frowned at the building outside the bus dubiously, but stood up anyway.

“We’ll be back at five to take you home,” the elf added, as Devyn slowly made his way down the stairs.

He nodded slightly, just barely remembering to add a thanks as he got off the last step. With another squeal and a hiss, the bus pulled away, leaving the wolf gagging in the fumes that followed. When he had recovered, Devyn limped toward the door of the building, a sign declaring it the North Astaran Center for Mental Health.

Stepping into the chilly office, the wolf found himself in a waiting room, a large desk set in front of the far wall with a human sitting behind it. His fingers tapped almost furiously at a keyboard, glancing up a brief moment after he noticed the figure on the other side of the desk.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?”

Devyn frowned slightly; he was pretty sure he was supposed to be helping here.

“Dr. Marin said you needed wolves,” he said simply.

The human’s face scrunched up, a finger tapping the desk quietly.

“Wolves… oh wait, you mean the therapy dog program?”

The wolf shrugged, not sure himself. He watched the human pick up a phone, pressing a button before talking quietly into it.

“Dr. Aster, I have a wolf waiting at the front desk… Er, what was your name?” he added, glancing up at Devyn.

“Devyn Farin,” the wolf replied, nose lifting slightly as he heard the door open behind him.

An elf… young, probably around Blake’s age… and scared. Not that there was much Devyn could do about that in this form. His face fell as he realized he’d be smelling a lot of emotions here. And it would be a pain trying to sort them all out. He just hoped whatever he was supposed to do wouldn’t be done around groups.

“...right in.”

He blinked as the phone was replaced, trying to remember what the man had just said.

“Dr. Aster will be right through that door, and she’ll let you know what you’ll be doing here,” the man said, pointing toward a wooden door in the corner of the room.

Another door opened and a scent hit the wolf, Devyn’s hackles raising instantly. He hunched his shoulders and limped quickly toward the door he had been directed to, doing his best to avoid a confrontation. The last thing he wanted to do was to rip out his mother’s throat in a therapist’s office.

JASON

Hurdles. He was supposed to train for hurdles. Jason was starting to wonder if Alistair just hated him. The hundred metre dash had always been his best race in a subpar sport. He wasn’t the best, and he wasn’t looking to be the best. Jason just wanted to keep himself in shape and enjoy himself. Maybe competing was the wrong way to go about that.

The neko pushed into the empty house, staring suspiciously at the stairs before slowly trudging up them. He tossed his bag into his room and headed into the bathroom. Devyn was gone; he had the next hour to himself, and Jason was determined to make the best of his time alone.

Starting with a nice hot shower.

Jason pulled off his shirt carefully, trying to keep his back from sending a phantom pain up his spine. His body remembered the accident all too well, and it felt like his back would never stop twitching at times. Even now, the neko had to run a finger up his back to make sure there were no bruises or breaks.

He didn’t know what happened to Margaret, but Jason prayed that he would never have to deal with her again. So much for a happy, well adjusted home.

Part of him felt shitty; he had come into the home and kicked Margaret out. Jason tried to fight the feeling that Devyn and Richard must hate him. It wasn’t his fault Margaret pushed him down the stairs.

The hot water did much to ease those thoughts, and he luxuriated in the shower, his ears folded to keep them dry. Instead, the neko thought of the evening ahead. He wasn’t sure if this counted as a date with Brienne. Dylan was going to be there too, and Jason really didn’t know the protocol for poly dating. If he tried to cuddle Brienne, would Dylan be left out? What if Dylan wanted to hold Brienne? What if he ended up holding the calico by accident.

Suddenly the shower wasn’t working. Jason was fully aware that he was overthinking things, but he still hurried out of the water, wrapping the towel around his waist as he rushed into his bedroom. He needed answers. What if Brienne wanted to take them off somewhere alone? What if he got into a threeway with Dylan? And why the fuck was there an elf standing in his room?!

The two stared at each other in shock. He knew this elf… Erith?

‘What the fuck are you doing in my room?’ Jason’s hands signed.

“Your… this isn’t Devyn’s room?”

Erith swallowed drily, nose twitching slightly as though he was trying to catch a scent.

‘Devyn’s not here. Why are you going through our house?’

“I… I don’t know,” the elf admitted slowly. “I swear I’m not… it’s not what you think-”

‘I think it’s the wolf, isn’t it? You and Devyn can’t take a hint. Don’t fucking stalk people, let them deal with their own shit.’

Erith flinched, his eyes tracking the neko’s hands.

‘So who is it? Me or him?’ Jason demanded. ‘Never mind, I don’t want to know. Get the fuck out of here.’

He was so sick of werewolves running around like they owned the world and everything in it. Just for a bit, the neko would like to live a relatively normal life, free from all the wolves claiming each other and fighting each other.

Erith hurried out of the room, Jason following him to make sure the werewolf actually left. Something seemed off about the elf. Granted, Jason had only ever interacted with him that one time in the WolfRoom, and it was entirely possible Erith had been posturing then, but here the wolf seemed almost skittish, almost like he didn’t know what he was doing breaking into someone’s house. Jason didn’t have much experience with robberies, but he had the feeling they usually took more guts than what Erith was displaying.

The front door closed, and Jason let out a sigh, turning back toward his room. He needed to get ready; he was supposed to meet Dylan and Brienne in an hour and a half at the football pitch. Nerves rolled through him, the neko taking a deep breath. It was just hanging out with friends. He shouldn’t be so worried, Dylan was there to take off some of the pressure. That’s what the other partner was supposed to help with, right? Brienne probably had it two times worse. No wonder she kept trying to get him and Dylan together.

Tossing the towel into his hamper, Jason frowned slightly at the filled basket. He would have to figure out where all the laundry supplies were kept tomorrow, after the race. It would be a pain trying to get the basket down the stairs, and then he’d have to do it for Devyn…

A door slammed shut, Jason letting out a silent yelp as he jumped. Feet thundered up the stairs, and a moment later, hands were on his body, Devyn sniffling at him furiously.

“Did he touch you? Are you okay?” the wolf demanded.

Jason shook his head rapidly, his heart pounding in his ears. Devyn was pressing him into the bed, holding him down with his body as he sniffed out any hint that Jason had been harmed, and the neko’s body was reacting hungrily to the contact.

“You’re mine,” Devyn growled, his face inches from the neko. “I’ll be human if that’s what it takes, but you are my mate, and I will not let anyone else have you.”

Jason’s breath hitched, his eyes staring briefly at Devyn’s in fear before instantly dropping to the wolf’s lips. He didn’t want to challenge an angry wolf, not when his throat was bared to the world.

And his body… fuck, he could feel Devyn’s skin on him, a thick kilt and a shirt the only things separating them, and this close, there was no mistaking either of their arousals.

DEVYN

The neko wanted him. He had known it since the first day, and Devyn was done playing, done waiting. Erith had been outside, and he was covered in Jason’s scent. It had been all Devyn could do not to rip into the wolf as soon as he saw him staring at the house. An afternoon spent trying to balance emotions, trying to be a good boy and do his job, and he had come home to an elf leering after his mate. Erith was lucky; a single growl was all it took to make the elf nearly shit himself in fear, and that had been just enough to satisfy Devyn. For now.

But it still left Jason, alone in the house, and when Devyn limped up the stairs as fast as he could, only to find the neko sitting naked on his bed with a strange expression, the wolf lost it. He would never let anyone touch his mate again.

It was beyond time the wolf made his claim known to the world. Jason had almost a week to get used to it, they couldn’t wait any longer when there was another wolf trying to encroach on his territory.

“You are mine,” he asserted again, his hand cupping the neko’s face, trying to replicate that touch from before, trying to soothe him as he had seen Brienne do.

His mouth lowered slightly, his tongue running over Jason’s lips in a series of small licks, and the neko gasped, all the opening Devyn needed. The wolf kissed his brother, their lips melding together as he tried to lick the neko’s mouth desperately. Jason fought briefly, half heartedly trying to push Devyn off, but the wolf knew the neko was stronger; he knew if Jason wanted, Devyn would have no hope of holding him down.

Jason wanted this, and it emboldened him.

His legs spread slightly, groin humping against the neko’s crotch as his mouth pulled back slightly. The wolf stared down at his brother intently.

“Do you accept my claim?” he growled.

Jason nodded quickly, his eyes looking a little dazed, but that mattered little to the wolf.

“I’ll shower for you, I’ll walk on two legs for you. I’ll even brush my teeth, as long as you stay by my side,” Devyn promised, his hand petting his mate’s cheek gently.

Through it all, his hips kept up a gentle humping, just enough to satisfy him, enough to give Jason a taste of what he could have. Devyn was starting to wonder if that’s what held the neko back.

“I’ll even breed you whenever you want, I’ll change you or we can protect you from the moon. Your happiness is the most important thing to me,” he said, his tongue washing over Jason’s face again as the wolf continued to kiss his brother.

Suddenly, the neko moved.

His hands grabbed Devyn’s head, his mouth crashing into the wolf’s. A tongue shoved Devyn’s aside, invading his mouth, plundering the warm cave, and the wolf inhaled sharply, wondering what Jason was doing. Was this what he had been doing with Brienne? How could Devyn have gotten it that wrong?

On the other hand… Jason was kissing him. And it sent a surge of elation through him. The neko wasn’t just accepting his claim; he was claiming Devyn back. He had broken through whatever obstacle he had, and Devyn’s heart ran wild. He was Jason’s mate as much as Jason was his, and he would do whatever it took to keep the neko happy.

He was pushed aside suddenly, Devyn falling to the side as he panted quietly. Jason looked down at him, the neko’s face a mixture of fear and hunger. Devyn reached up, running a finger over his mate’s cheek soothingly.

“I don’t want fear…” he said, the acrid scent of adrenaline making him wrinkle his nose. “I want you to be happy.”

Jason nodded, the neko rising to grab his phone.

“Dylan and Brienne. What do I tell them? I’m supposed to go to the dance with them. And to the game tonight.”

Devyn frowned, sitting up slowly. His eyes swept Jason’s body hungrily, taking in his mate in all his nude glory, but the wolf tried to rein in his rampant thoughts.

“They are friends. Can’t you go as friends?”

Jason chewed on his lip, Devyn standing up on wobbly legs as he reached for his cane. He stepped toward the neko, craving closeness, craving Jason’s touch.

“Give me some time. We can go together,” he said, almost pleaded.

“No kissing,” Jason typed a moment later, and Devyn let out a low growl. “No kissing. I’ll tell them you wanted to come, but I can’t tell them yet.”

“Why? Why are you so afraid? Erith knows, or he’s supposed to know. Marin knows, half the school probably expects it. Why hide behind Brienne? It’s not fair to her. Or to me.”

“Please Devyn. I’ll wear your kilts, I’ll let you mark me for the other wolves, I’ll even take your wolf, but I need to do this slowly. I’m scared of their judgement,” the phone admitted for the neko, and Jason’s shoulders slumped as the words were spoken.

“I’m not afraid. I’ll challenge anyone that gives you a single wrong look,” Devyn growled. “You’re mine. You deserve the world, and I’m going to give everything to you. If that means fighting people who try to make you upset, I’ll do it gladly.”

His free arm wrapped around the neko, Devyn leaning into him experimentally. Jason supported his weight, and the wolf let his cane fall again, putting his full weight into his brother as his lips sought the neko out. They kissed, Devyn’s lips fumbling with the unfamiliar sensations, trying to make sense of what he was supposed to do. His tongue kept trying to kiss Jason’s lips properly, but the neko seemed to be guiding him more into a lip lock that made licking nigh impossible, and Devyn was growing frustrated with it, even as he celebrated the fact that Jason wasn’t pulling away any more.

His hands wrapped around the neko, brushing over Jason’s tail on a slow walk to his butt, and Jason took a sharp breath, mouth pulling away. Pressure built between them, their arousals fighting for space to grow, and Devyn set a hand on the waist of his kilt, trying to pull it off, to free himself of the clothing prison.

A hand caught his wrist, Jason shaking his head slowly. The neko pulled away, reaching for his own clothes, and Devyn grimaced. Oh well, there was always later. He hoped. For now, it seemed the neko was insistent on getting ready for the evening. Devyn could wait. He’d been waiting this long already, what was a couple more hours?