"Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter, because nobody listens". (Nick Diamos)

RENAN'S POV

I swear, supermarkets are the most depressing places in the world. Ok, maybe I shouldn't go this far, obviously there are far worst places. However, I still find everything about supermarkets so gloomy. 

First, the lights. Too bright, too artificial, I feel like I'm in a hospital. 

Then, these horrible musics that captivate the clients and make it almost impossible for them not to buy a lot of unecessary stuff. 

Finally, the people themselves. Their empty gazes, their hands which keep grabbing imported and full of pesticids food. Fuck capitalism.

But I guess my physical appearance now perfectly reflects the atmosphere of the supermarket. I look like someone who only ever leave their bedroom to buy junk food at the local store. My hair are greasy, there are suspect stains on my pants and I carefully avoid looking at people in the eyes. I am not even sure when was the last time I showered. 

Gross, I know. I just don't feel like bothering with basic hygienic norms, call me a disgusting weirdo if you like. I'm beyond the point of caring.

Anyway, it's not like I'm going on a date. My mission for today is quite simple: buy a few stuff, smile to the cashier, go back home as quickly as possible. Avoid human interactions for another week, while trying to come up with a plan to get myself out of this awful mess. 

"Watcha doin here, chick?"

I almost jump in fright when a deep voice resonates just behind me. As I quickly turn around, I am met with a familiar pair of eyes. It's Will, Oliver's scary housemate, who I had the displeasure to meet the night everything went downhill between Rémy and I. 

"Playing with my niece in the swimming pool, obviously, you genius" I snap back, not caring about the fact that the red-haired guy could break my neck in the blink of an eye. 

However, said red-haired guy doesn't look offended at all. In fact, he has an amused expression on his face, which further annoys me. 

"Ooh, sounds like someone got some balls since the last time we met. " he whistles. 

"Associating courage with male genitals is so 20th century. Aren't you tired of being a stereotypical bully?" I ask sweetly and his smirk vanishes.

Okay, maybe I went a bit too far, but I have to admit: I would prefer dying in Will's hands rather than being tortured endlessly by my mysterious blackmailer. At least, Will will make it quick. I think. 

Am I being dramatic? Absolutely not. 

"Careful, chick. I don't like you, remember? Don't think I will go easy on you just because Oliver is a big softie" is Will's curt reply, as he suddenly grabs my forearm and pulls me toward him. 

However, he quickly releases me, his nose slightly wrinckled and I know my expression must reflect my confusion, because he adds: 

"You stink, chick. Did you forget how to shower?"

" Excuse me? You're exaggerating! I don't smell that bad, you asshole" I exclaim rather feebly, feeling my cheeks burn in shame. 

He must have sense my hurt, because he doesn't comment on my rude behaviour this time -well, he was rude, too - and his expression actually softens a bit. 

"You probably don't smell that bad for most people, don't worry. I just have a better sense of smell than most humans" he replies, making me laugh bitterly. 

"Oh? Why is that so? What are you, a doggo?" I mock him. 

I can't believe that my weak attempt at being sarcastic actually offended him. However, he quickly composes himself a calm expression and takes a couple of steps back. I can tell he's wondering about my dishevelled appearance. 

That thought is enough to make me want to crawl under a shelf and stay hidden there. He keeps looking at me in silence with a very unimpressed expression and I am feeling more and more agitated. 

Am I the only one to feel like that? When I first came to the shop, I was praying not to meet anyone I knew there, as I was  too ashamed of my physical appearance. In general, I don't like randomly meeting people I know on the streets, because I only manage to look barely cute after putting lots of efforts into it. I am not the kind of persons who looks perfectly handsome even when they just woke up, like Rémy or Nour. 

I thought I would be done with my groceries in five minutes and that I would be able to go home and be ugly in peace but no, I had to meet the very attractive and very annoying Will, someone who already hates me. 

Please, say something. Preferably something completely unrelated with how I look. Maybe a harmless comment about the weather?

I look up and as if on cue, his bright blue eyes meet mine. I swear, this is pure torture. 

I can tell what he is seeing: a scrawny-looking guy, with ordinary features, an unappealing body, and a terrible sense of fashion. 

I can tell what he is thinking: is he really the guy Amine was worrying about? How can this plain-looking guy be someone Oliver keeps complaining about? This is too much ado about nothing. 

When he finally opens his mouth, though, his first words are not what I expected. 

"Renan, are you - are you alright?"

His voice is soft, almost hesitant, as if he is still reluctant to be gentle with me. I get it: he wants to be harsh, but you can't ask that kind of question in an agressive tone. 

I don't want to fool myself by believing, even for a second, that he actually cares, though. That's why I reply in a much harsher tone than intended:

"I am perfectly fine. Why? Don't I look fucking fine to you?"

Asking a question. Bad idea Renan, especially when you don't even want to know the answer. Just run. Get the fuck out of here. 

"Of course no. You look sick and underfed. What's wrong?"

He takes a step closer and, being the courageous warrior that I am, I take a couple of steps back. 

"Have you met someone new, recently?" he suddenly asks, taking me by surprise. 

He looks suspicious. Of course, he does. I don't deserve more than a few minutes of compassion. Hello again, suspicion, my old friend! I missed not seeing you in other people's eyes!

"I don't think it's your business, but I stayed on my own since last time we met" I lie, and I can tell he knows I'm lying, and he knows that I know that he knows that I'm lying, because he narrows his eyes at me, looking very unsatisfied by my answer. 

"You're lying through your teeth, chick" he hisses. 

 How could he know? 

"How could you know? You know nothing about me, nothing! Now, if you can le-"

"Your smell!" he interrupts me. "There's something familiar about it. You smell like an animal, although I can't tell which one"

"Thank you, you already said I stink, no need for you to further elaborate on that" I explode, and I quickly turn on my heels, before he has time to see the tears of frustration threatening to flow down my cheeks. 

"Renan, wait! That's not what I mea-" 

" Honestly? I don't care! And stop calling me Renan! Just call me 'chick', since you like this stupid nickname so much! Or better yet, don't call me anything at all. Bye."

I quickly run out of the supermarket and to my relief, he doesn't try to follow me. 

Great. I haven't buy any food in the end, and I managed to look like a complete fool in front of Will. 

So much for the new, mature and detached Renan. 

REMY'S POV

Oli isn't focused. I can tell he has been talking mentally to someone for the last five minutes. I stop and he stops as well. I don't think he even noticed we were no longer running. 

"Oli?" I gently shake him by his shoulder. 

It's usually better to avoid disturbing shifter wolves when they are mentally communicating, but I want to find Nour now and I can't afford loosing anymore time. 

Oliver jumps and looks disoriented for a few seconds, before turning his eyes on me. 

"Oliver, what's wrong? Who have you been talking to?"

"I am sorry, Alpha" he quickly apologizes. "I shouldn't have been so distracted while we are on a mission"

"It's alright" I reassure him as we resume running. "Just tell me who you were talking to"

"Will" he simply reply and I can't help but smile. Of course, he was talking to Will. It's always been about Will. Even though they are not dating, I am pretty sure they will end up together eventually. Oli keeps telling me it's just about sex, but I am not blind. 

Had the circumstances been different, I probably would have teased Oliver about Will, but I can tell by his expression that their conversation has been pretty serious. 

"So, what's wrong?"

He hesitates, before replying: "He wants me to come back home now. He said he was in the shop and met someone who might need our help. He thinks there was something fishy in the guy's behaviour"

"And who is the guy? Do I know him?" I ask him curiously. 

"No, you don't" he replies, but the hesitation is still present in his eyes. 

Alright, he is lying to me but I will investigate this later on. Nour is my priority at the moment. 

"Just go, Oli" I tell him. 

"No, you need me. We need to find Nour" he immediately starts protesting, but I just shake my head. 

"I can tell you're worried, so you better go talk to Will now. It must be pretty serious if he has been contacting you while you're on a mission. Besides, I think I will find Nour shortly, thanks to those rabbits' indications."

"Are you sure?" He asks, still reluctant to leave. 

"Absolutely" I confirm. " Knowing Nour, I think there's less chance that he tries running away if there's only one of us. But thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."

"It was a natural thing to do, Alpha" Oliver bows his head respectfully and I smile at him, before nuddging him slightly. 

"Now go, Beta. And don't forget to shift back before exiting the forest". 

I only meant this as a joke, as I'm sure he won't forget to shift back, but Oli apparently took me seriously, because he nods, then start running toward the opposite direction. 

I look at his retreating figure until he disappears, then quickly head off again in the direction the rabbits indicated us. 

After fifteen minutes or so, I finally spot a patch of red fur at the bottom of a tree. My heart jumps in my chest and  the only reason I don't cry in relief is because I don't want Nour to think I'm weak. 

I try to approach him discreetly, as I don't want him to flee again, but he must be a light sleeper, because I barely have time to kneel at his sides before he opens his eyes. 

He tries to get up but I'm quicker, as I quickly jump on him, pinning him on the ground. He tries to bite me, and I am actually glad that I didn't shift back to human, or he could have seriously hurt me. 

That's when I realise he doesn't know who I am, as he never saw me in my wolf form. 

Rémy, you're such an idiot!

I can't release him to shift, though, or he will likely escape. 

So, after a while of mentally debating, I decide to do the only thing that comes through my mind, and it must be my animal that has been influencing me because....

 I lick him everywhere. 

... well, not everywhere. 

He starts growling, but to my greatest surprise, after a few minutes of me gently licking his face and abdomen, I feel his smaller body starting to relax and he just stays immobile under me, even baring his neck to me. 

Does it means that he trusts me? 

I can't hold him against his will much longer, though, so I start shifting back, hoping that I wasn't wrong and that he won't run again, now that he knows he can trust me. 

When I open my eyes again, I'm pleased to see that he hasn't moved. He has his back on me, though, and he won't look at me. 

"Come on, foxy. I know you wanted to be left alone but please, shift back" I cooe but he only growls in warning. He doesn't sound very threatening, though, and I have to hide my smile to avoid further annoying him. 

"Alright, alright. Not foxy, then. Fiery little fox?"

He huffs and starts getting up, so I quickly add:

"No, no, don't run away. Please, Nour. I'm so happy to see you again, you can't even imagine how worried I was. How worried we all were"

He looks at me for a moment, looking like he doesn't really believe me, but then again, that's Nour we're talking about. He needs more than words to really trust someone.

When he gives me no indication that he is going to flee again, I cautiously put my hand on his back and after a few seconds, start scratching him behind the ears. He closes his eyes, letting out a content sight. 

He is so cute! I really want to kiss him, if only he could change back to human! I guess I will have to wait until he is ready, though. 

I get up and pick up the fox in my arms, bridal style. He hides his head under my shirt and I tighten my hold on him in response. I quickly run down toward the waterfall, where Oliver and I have left our clothes. 

"You can stay in your animal form for now, Nour, but you will need to shift back at some point. Staying in your animal form won't make your problems magically disappear, you know. Plus, your brother is really impatient to see you and there are a few things I would like to discuss with you as well"

He lightly bites my nipple in response, making me yelp. 

Alright, foxy. I will drop the subject for now. 

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, I hope it was worth it! 

I have a bit more time now, so hopefully I'll be able to resume updating weekly. 

Stay strong xx

#hasnoshame