I'm on a run... I guess. ;-)

But I have to admit: I'm lacking creativity if it's coming to headlines...

___

While Nathan walked his mate home, he tried again to explain to Timmy why they had to stay under the surface. It turns out that his mate had quite a stubborn streak. “My mom told me there is nothing to feel ashamed being gay.” Timmy insisted. “And mom is right. I know it.” Nathan sighed. “Timmy, please. It’s not that I am ashamed anymore.” he answered and heard just a light snicker from his wolf. “Oh shut up, will you please?” he scolded. “But, Timmy, it’s dangerous. I can’t risk you. We have to solve the problems in the pack first.”

Timmy looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched. Nathan hissed: “Don’t you dare and gush again, Nate.” he felt his wolf pout, but thankfully he kept silent. Nathan tried it again. “Timmy, it’s just a matter of time. I need to learn how to stand them, to stay open now will alert Alpha and Luna, after I rejected you that much. And like I told you: I don’t want to put you in the line of fire when I’m not able to protect you.” Timmy stopped and looked at him sadly. “But I’m so proud to have a mate. I want to show that you belong to me. Aren’t you proud of me? I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I don’t want to hide.”

Nathan sighed again. He cradled the smaller man in his arms and pleaded: “Timmy, just a little bit? I promise I learn as fast as I could. Please?” He felt Nate stir up and then suddenly his wolf showed Buddy and Timmy the true feelings of both. The deep fear to lose something precious. The worry and the mixture of emotions Nathan didn’t had a chance to develop to their fullest. And then both their mates understood. Timmy’s eyes went big. “That’s how you feel?” Nathan just nodded.

His face buried in Nathans chest he took a deep breathe and said: “OK.” Nothing more. It wasn’t necessary.

After awhile he looked up to his mate and said mischievously: “But you have to deal with the pack.” Nathan groaned. He forgot that. Well, he would cross the line right in time, yes? They still were pissed at him for rejecting his mate.

When they reached Timmys house Nathan waited until his mate entered the front door, announcing excitedly: “Moooom, I’m home”. Nate chuckled. “Keeping it a secret? Good luck with that.” Nathan shook his head. “Well. Let’s hope the best. And at least, if those vermins think I’m still ashamed of Timmy there’s a chance that they are just amused with my “antics” and don’t think more of it.” Nate agreed. “This might work. It's not like Alpha and Luna are the brightest stars at the sky.”

When he was at home finally, he was beat. Deeply tired and happy to see his...bed? “Moom?” he yelled. “Yes, Darling?” the cheery voice of his mother came from down the stairs. He turned around. “Where are my comforters and my pillows?” His mother looked at him sternly. “They are in Timmys house. He needs your scent to stay calm.” Nathan looked at her disbelievingly. “They are what?” His mother nodded. “And just you know: No comforters as long as you still behave like an insensitive prick. Oh, and tomorrow you have an appointment with the pack counselor. It is not normal to reject a mate. Something is wrong with you and hopefully the shrink will fix it.” her voice let no space for discussion.

That being said she turned around and left him alone with his stripped bed and the appointment to a bloody shrink. He groaned. “Nate? Help?” Nate grinned. “And what do you think should I do?” he asked amused. “Well, it’s cold outside, it’s late fall and I have no comforters. How about changing into the wolf form?”

The door opened and his father peeked around the corner. “Oh, Nate? Order of your mother: No changing into wolf form. No comforters. I have the feeling she wants to accelerate your persuasion. And, no son. You are completely alone with that. I’m not going against my mate.” With that he left the room.

Nate chuckled. “It seems like it wasn’t such a good idea to keep your acceptance under covers you didn't even have anymore. How about coming out as gay?” he suggested. But Nathan just shrugged and said: “Don’t tempt me, Nate. Anyways. I’m going into the shower. And hopefully we get something to eat.”

Nathan went into his bathroom, stripped out of his clothes and entered the cabin. He opened the water tap and then he screamed bloody murder. He faintly heard the voice of his mother chirping: “Oh, and no hot water, too, honey. And I’m not sorry about it.”

That was it. He had enough. He stormed outside his room, completely enraged just to bump right into his sister. She smirked at him, gazing at him from his toes to his forehead. Nathan blushed fiercely and grabbed the picture of his parents hanging at the wall, trying to cover his privates. He misjudged his acceleration and stumbled over the carpet on the floor. The corner of the picture was poking in his belly painfully and he tried to adjust it while regaining his balance, but unfortunately the lamp he grabbed had other ideas and turns out even more unstable than him.

Nathan, the lamp and the carpet crashed down not too gracefully on the floor and Nathan was howling because of the pain the broken glass caused at his most precious parts. He looked up and almost facepalmed. Germaine stood in front of him, mouth agape, not believing what he saw. Beside him stood Ginny, desperately trying to hold in her laughter, but failed miserably.

Germaine tried to say something, but no word came out of his mouth. Finally he found his voice back.

“Are you really a werewolf? Or an elephant, trying to walk in a porcelain shop?”

***

After a short and hellish night (his mother refused to even give him a blanket, claiming that Timmy would feel much worse seeing his “delinquent behaviour” and that his wounds were nothing against Timmy's bleeding heart) Nathan woke up, feeling like he slept in a deep freezer.

He got up, didn’t bother with a shower. One cold shower was enough. Today it was his first day as the lawyer of Alpha and Luna and he was expected in less than one hour.

Wearing his suit and his satchel, he entered the kitchen, sniffing some breakfast. When he saw his plate he didn’t believe his eyes. A piece of bread and a glass of water was waiting for him. His mother deliberately looking at her fingernails. “You’ve got to be kidding?” he asked complete aghast. “Don’t you think you over exaggerate a bit?”

His mother pursed her lips and asked him casually. “Did you accept your mate?” and Nathan lost it. He just flipped her off, turned around and walked out of the door when suddenly with an “oomph” he fell down, his mother sitting on his back in her wolf. Nate had enough also. He was beyond pissed that he had to freeze the whole night also - his mother seriously controlled every 30 minutes if he really didn’t change into his cozy wolf, a bucket with ice water in her hand.

He changed into his much bigger wolf, shredding his suit and snarled at her viciously. She didn’t back down, but Nate and he wasn’t having any of it. Threateningly he approached her, snarling louder and he started staring contest he intended to win.

Finally the smaller wolf of his mother backed up and broke the eye contact. She laid down, whining and ears downcast, her tail tucked in between her legs. His father stood in the doorframe of the living room, shaking his head sadly and turned around. With a last snarl Nathan turned around, went back in his room and changed into his second best suit.

Still furious beyond reasoning he strode to the front door where is mother was waiting for him, tears streaming over her face. She laid a hand on his arm, but he was still far too furious to accept this silent apology and snarled at her again. “Not now, mother.” he barked and Nate agreed fullheartedly. He left the house, slamming the door in the doorframe that the windows started to rattle.

The walk to Alphas house was pretty silent. When he entered it another pack member greeted him and showed him his desk and the huge pile of files he has to fix. Oh dear lord, this looks like a lot of work.

After long hours reading the files Nathan was deeply shocked. Not only he was devastated about the amount of criminal energy Alpha showed, seeing that he wasn’t only selling cutlery made in the industry, he was also involved in drug dealing and some other nasty stuff. He was also questioning why Alpha showed him his darkest secrets that willingly. To Alpha he was a stranger.

“Because you have no bonds to the pack. You even rejected your own mate. That’s why” the gruffly voice of Alpha came from the door of his small office. “You have no pack link and when you rejected your mate you lost the respect of the pack forever. You are mine, completely.” Nathans eyes widened. “That was the reason why you shipped me off to human schools?” he asked the older man.

Alpha grinned smugly. “Sure. And this little investment paid off. You are here, a fine lawyer with good degrees, a wolf without pack boundaries, almost a rogue. You, young Nathan, are the perfect piece of servant.”

“But…” Nathan tried to answer. But Alpha lifted his hand. “No, no need to thank me. I saved you from those moronic pack links, from those...intimacy. You have no clue how it is to have the thoughts of the pack members around you the whole day. To know that they not only hate you, that they detest even your shadow. One day you will understand everything. And then you will be grateful.”

Nathan slammed his hands on the desk. “I AM NOT GRATEFUL. You deprived my birthright as a pack member. You isolated me and you put me through hell and back.” Alphas grin became nasty. “Is this a challenge, young Nathan?” he asked him casually. “Because, you know, we can fight this right here and now.” he threatened. Nathan paled visibly. “N..no. That wasn’t a challenge.” Alpha nodded appreciatively. “That’s what I thought.”

The older man waved his hand: “You are dismissed for today. Good work.” Nathan nodded and scurried out of the office.

Nate groaned. “That was awful.” Nathan couldn’t help but agree. “Yes, but now he thinks I’m a coward. We’ll see tomorrow.”

And now it was time to stretch his limbs a bit. Germaine promised to show him how to fight.

He was longing to pay back every little “favor” Alpha did to him.

And so does Nate.