Brothers - 36. Chapter 36

DEVYN

“Shit…”

Devyn flinched at the curse, his nose quivering as he paused in his tracking. They had picked up Jason’s trail fifteen minutes ago, and he had no idea why Erith was upset, but the elf’s scent had just soured in a matter of seconds.

“Devyn, we need to hurry up. The king just called for an eight o’clock curfew,” Erith scowled, staring at his phone.

The wolf frowned slightly, and Erith sighed.

“We need to be at your home in the next hour or we’ll be in trouble,” he explained. “The elves are at it again; they’re protesting Miranda at the palace… gods bless it, first the werewolves, and then the mages, and now the nekos… they’re never fucking happy…”

Devyn whimpered quietly, head tilted as he stared at the elf.

“Yeah yeah, don’t give me that look, I know I’m one of them,” Erith grumbled. “Let’s find Jason and get you two home…”

Huffing quietly, the wolf set himself back to the trail, picking up Jason’s scent through the dozens of other smells. The sound of sirens split the evening air, cars rushing back and forth as the two walked along busy roads. More than once, Erith had to stop Devyn from crossing against a light, the wolf lost in following his brother’s scent.

“CeCe’s? What the fuck happened here?” the elf asked suddenly, as Jason’s smell grew sharper.

Devyn sneezed as his nose burned, the wolf whimpering at the smell his mother always seemed to use at home. He looked around anxiously, wondering if they had been found.

A joyous bark escaped him at the sight of Jason standing to the side of the building. He darted forward, a sudden grip on his fur making the wolf yelp as a car rushed in front of him again.

“You have no sense of self preservation,” Erith scowled at Devyn. “No wonder Dylan’s always walking you to school…”

No, it was his mate. He needed to get to his mate, make sure Jason was okay. That smell in the air, it was bad, and he needed to get the neko away from there. Devyn pulled out of Erith’s grip, darting across the road.

The wolf bowled into the neko. Jason let out his own silent yelp as he landed against the brick building. Behind him, Devyn heard a sudden gasp, a human with a microphone staring at the wolf in shock.

“Devyn! Fuck, couldn’t you see he was in the middle of something?” Erith demanded as he helped Jason to his feet. “I’m sorry, he thinks he’s Jason’s personal guard wolf.”

“Are you friends with this neko?” the woman asked.

“Yeah… er yes, we’re friends,” Erith said quickly.

Jason rubbed his tail with a grimace as Devyn tried to lick his hand. The wolf nuzzled against him, sniffling nose telling him that Jason was uninjured at the very least.

“Are you aware that Jason stopped a terrorist from burning this restaurant down?”

“No, I wasn’t aware of that,” Erith frowned.

The neko’s ears dipped in embarrassment, Jason staring back at where a ginger neko was being treated by a medic. He cleared his throat almost painfully.

“He says he stopped the cashier from throwing water on the fire?” Erith said as the neko signed. “Why would you stop-”

He paused as Jason continued to sign.

“Oh! Apparently it was a bottle of… bleach and accelerant? And water would have made the fire spread instead of putting it out…”

“Not just a brave neko, but clever too,” the reporter beamed at Jason.

Devyn rubbed against his brother proudly as the neko was heaped with praise. Jason was a good boy. Even if his scent was filled with bleach and anxiety.

A screeching car brought a halt to the good feelings. Devyn bit back a growl at the sight of his mother getting out of the car. He couldn’t do anything that would hurt Jason, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy Margaret was here.

“Oh my gods! What happened to you? What are you doing here?” Margaret demanded as she grabbed Jason by the shoulders.

“You must be this brave neko’s mother,” the reporter smiled.

Devyn frowned at the scent of frustration pouring off the reporter, trying to figure out why she was upset. It made no sense; she looked happy in that weird two legged way. She was even baring her teeth in that way that made him want to fight, to meet the challenge head on, though none was being issued.

“Yes, these are my sons,” Margaret said.

Her hand fell on Devyn’s back, the wolf’s fur rippling as he shook off the urge to back away. He could feel the pride pouring off his mother, and it only added to his confusion. The wolf would have thought she’d be furious when they got home. Maybe she still would be.

“We do need to be wrapping things up. The king called for a mandatory curfew that goes into effect in… forty five minutes,” the reporter frowned.

“Yes, we should get you two home,” Margaret agreed, her hands pulling Devyn and Jason toward the car.

Jason broke away from her suddenly. Margaret frowned as the neko signed, Jason motioning toward Erith.

“Oh, I can get home on the bus,” Erith said quickly.

“Nonsense, we’ll take you home. It will be a lot faster. I’m assuming you live near the school?” Margaret questioned.

“Yeah… thanks,” Erith frowned as they approached the car.

JASON

The neko leaned into his brother as the car sped through the streets. His breath was sharp, rapid, his hands clenched in Devyn’s fur as the wolf licked him reassuringly.

“Are you okay back there?” Erith asked from the front seat.

His head peered around the seat as Jason signed a quick yes.

“Okay. I can’t really smell much over that bleach, but I know that must have been hard on you,” the elf frowned.

Jason shrugged silently.

‘I only did what anyone else would have done. If the fire caught, we might not have gotten out. I’m not a hero,’ he signed.

Erith snorted in disbelief.

“Whatever you say. I wouldn’t have known about the water,” he said.

“What were you even doing there? When did the guards let you go, and why didn’t you message me?” Margaret demanded.

‘My phone was dead,’ Jason replied, Erith repeating his words so Margaret could keep driving. ‘I’m not sure when they let me go. Maybe an hour ago? I couldn’t figure out how to get home.’

“You walked pretty far in an hour. The palace is nearly ten miles away,” Margaret pointed out.

‘Yeah… I… had a panic attack. The guards dropped me off at the hospital,’ Jason signed nervously.

“I hope you’re doing okay,” Erith said quietly. “What did they even want with you? The way they took you, I thought I’d never see you again.”

Beside Jason, Devyn let out a grunt. Jason stroked him gently, soothing him silently as he contemplated the question. He couldn’t exactly tell them the king wanted him to research a forbidden topic… but he needed to come up with a reason that would allow him to visit the palace.

‘I wrote a story for school, and Mx. Jet sent it to the palace. Apparently it got the king’s attention, and he wants me to write more of them,’ he signed evasively. ‘He even gave me access to the royal library.’

“Damn Jason, that’s awesome!” Erith beamed back at the neko. “Oh, I want you to wear this. I’ll be coming by Lenya morning to take you to school.”

He pulled off his shirt, handing the fabric back to the neko, and Jason smiled as he accepted it.

‘Are you sure about this?’

“Did you just…?” Margaret broke off, gritting her teeth as the car pulled to a stop suddenly. “You’re the wolf I’ve been smelling around the house?”

“Yeah,” Erith frowned, glancing at a yellow house. “I’m sure, Jason.”

“I thought you wanted Devyn for some reason,” Margaret scowled. “Not that it would make sense. Why would the lycanthropy pull you toward another wolf? Fuck, it was Jason this whole time?”

The elf shrugged, watching Jason pull his own shirt off. The neko replaced the shirt with Erith’s, sniffling slightly. He could smell a musky scent pouring off the fabric, likely the result of Erith wandering the city looking for him, and Jason prayed Devyn wouldn’t be too offended. This was all for show after all; Erith already suggested he wear a jacket around Margaret to reinforce the claim. Outside the house, he would be unmarked.

“It’s… not exactly one of them,” Erith said quietly. “But I don’t think Devyn would wear my scent.”

He opened the car door, stepping out with a smile at Jason.

“I’ll see you two on Lenya… unless you want to come over tomorrow?” he suggested. “Devyn said something about an elven project you two are working on-”

“They’re probably going to be busy tomorrow,” Margaret interrupted.

‘Thanks for the offer,’ Jason signed, ears flicking as he contemplated exactly what Margaret would be making them busy with the next day.

The door closed, and Margaret drove away quickly.

“Of all the moments to fucking claim someone… and it has to be an elf? What’s he playing at? Who’s he trying to impress?” she growled quietly as the car sped down the street.

Jason remained silent, fingers digging into Devyn’s fur as he tried to take comfort in his brother.

“When we get home… I want you to wash that shirt,” Margaret said, glancing back at the neko. “That elf is up to something. And there’s no way a neko and an elf would ever be accepted in today’s society. Pulling Devyn into his little game too… that’s just unbelievable…”

So she was just going to completely ignore Damian and Lysander? Those two were deeply in love. Jason wasn’t sure why she was so against Devyn and him being with Erith, but it threw nearly all his plans into disarray. One thing was for sure, he was not about to wash anything of Erith’s. Jason didn’t care if he got knocked down the stairs again; he was not about to let Margaret tell him who he could or couldn’t like.

Besides, it wasn’t like the werewolf could fight the law. Jason had done reading on the Mate Laws. Erith couldn’t make a full claim until he was eighteen, nearly three years from now, but even a minor claim was still respected by the law, with the understanding that nothing could happen until both parties were of age.

And both Jason and Devyn were only months away from being adults. Devyn’s claim would stand, Erith’s would end as soon as they were away from Margaret, and in the meantime, the brothers would be able to enjoy each other.

Jason felt a little bad about using Erith like this, but the elf had assured him that morning that he was okay with it. His wolf had led him to Devyn for a reason, and though Erith wasn’t sure he actually was mated to the red wolf, he was not about to let Devyn’s mate be unhappy.

DEVYN

The wolf sat with his brother on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. Chaos filled the screen from what he could see, monochrome bodies packing against the palace walls as elves tried to storm the palace. A line of human guards tried to stop the rush of bodies, holding them back as fires burned in the background. A reporter was yelling near constantly, the sound forcing Devyn’s ears to fold.

“This is fucking insane. What are they planning to do, murder the king for releasing a neko?” Margaret scoffed, watching from the kitchen. “What about the princess? She has neko sympathies, we all know it.”

Devyn whimpered quietly, laying his muzzle on Jason’s lap as the neko watched in horrified silence.

The ringing of a phone startled them. Margaret grabbed her phone, stepping back into the kitchen to answer it. She returned a few minutes later.

“Jason, set the table.”

The neko stood up slowly, scratching Devyn’s head gently before he stepped into the kitchen. The wolf followed close behind him.

A bowl went on the floor, Devyn poking at it hungrily. He hadn’t exactly been able to get his normal after race routine going today, and the wolf was definitely feeling it right now.

Margaret turned up the TV so they could hear it from the dining room.

“Richard wants both of you to stay inside tomorrow. Lenya, you will be going straight to school and coming straight home after,” she said firmly. “Jason, you will not go anywhere near the palace until things die down. I don’t care if you are working for the king; it is not safe for you out there.”

Devyn had to admit he was surprised his mother was taking this so seriously. The wolf was even more surprised to find himself agreeing with her. Jason needed to be protected, and Devyn couldn’t protect him if he was going to the palace. Everyone knew wolves weren’t allowed on the palace grounds any more.

He scarfed up the food that Margaret set in his bowl. A specific portion as usual, designed to help him recover after the race earlier that day. It always seemed to leave him hungry, but it wasn’t like the wolf could ask for more in this form. He would just chew on his antler later, and that would give him the sensation of eating a bigger meal. It was nothing the wolf hadn’t done hundreds of times before.

“Not until Ferya at the earliest,” Margaret said suddenly.

Devyn frowned at the sudden sentence, looking up at his mother curiously. It hit him a moment later; Jason must have asked her a question.

“He’s trucking long distance now, making a loop between all the cities. That takes nearly a week when you add in mandatory stops.”

The wolf pushed his bowl toward the sink with a loud scraping, stopping to stare at the empty water bowls on the floor. There was no way for him to fill them right now, but he had ways of getting the water his parched throat demanded.

Trotting out of the kitchen, Devyn bounded up the stairs. He pushed into the bathroom and took stock of his options. The sink was too tall; he wouldn’t be able to reach it. The bathtub was dripping slowly, and the wolf stepped into the tub, his tongue reaching eagerly for the liquid. It wasn’t nearly enough, and the wolf let out a heavy huff, before turning to his last option.

The toilet seat banged shut minutes later, Devyn sauntering out of the bathroom with his thirst slaked for now.

“Gods bless it Devyn, how many times have I told you not to drink out of the toilet?!” Margaret yelled from downstairs.

He heard the sound of the kitchen sink running as he wandered back down the staircase. The wolf paused in confusion at the sight of Jason bent over. Momentary shock gone, he hurried toward his brother, sniffing him anxiously as he tried to make sure the neko was okay.

The neko stood up with a small frown, motioning toward a fresh bowl of water tucked into a discrete corner of the kitchen. It seemed to be in a safe location.

Licking Jason’s hand gratefully, Devyn mouthed at the hand, trying to pull his brother back to the couch so they could cuddle again. Jason slipped out of his grip with a silent chuckle, motioning toward the sink full of dishes that needed to be washed, and the wolf let out a low growl at the kitchen. Stupid plates, trying to come between him and his brother. He’d show them.

A hand pressed against his side suddenly; a distraction from the plates. Jason mimed something to do with… water? Maybe? He pointed toward the stairs, and Devyn huffed quietly, licking his hand before heading upstairs.

Grabbing his antler from his room, the wolf pushed into Jason’s room, jumping onto the neko’s bed to curl up at the foot. All of his brother’s smells were here, sweaty feet, loose furs from his tail, enough to lull Devyn into an easy stupor as he gnawed on his antler. He was startled when the bedroom door opened to reveal the neko, Jason seeming just as surprised as him to find a large red wolf in his bed.

The neko pointed toward the bathroom. Ears flicking inquisitively, Devyn pulled himself off the bed, staring at his brother before slowly plodding into the bathroom. He heard the rustle of clothing falling to the ground.

Jason stepped into the bathroom with his body bared for his brother’s inspection. The neko gave him no time to get a proper look though, turning to get the shower started instead. Devyn snorted violently at the water, backing up quickly until his butt met the closed door. He whimpered as he spun around, but there was no way to escape.

The wolf was trapped in a room with a neko who wanted to steal all of his scents.