The Lone Wolf

5, The Good and the Bad of Mealtimes

Leyra arrived at the house about an hour later. She found the two of them still in the backyard. Fox tensed as the back door opened. He could feel the Alpha's skeptical eyes watching him. Sunshine stood and smiled at her mate, walking up the steps past Fox and placing a resounding kiss on Leyra's cheek.

"Hello my starling. How did your day go?" Sunshine greeted, her tone pleasant. Her demeanor had a quick impact on Leyra, because Fox could feel her heavy dominance ease off his back.

"Had to deal with some complaints, but other than that it wasn't too bad. How was yours?" Leyra replied. Fox was a little surprised at the lack of harshness in her tone. It was strange hearing Leyra speak more gently.

"It went quite well. I made progress in two of my sessions, and then I took care of some weeds and got rid of some pests out here. Fox kept me company for a little while, too, which was nice," Sunshine said. Fox's heart jumped at the mention of his name, but it calmed when Sunshine said his company had been nice.

"Really?" Leyra queried.

"Yes. He doesn't fill silence with idle chatter. It's nice to spend time with others without having to talk with them all the time," Sunshine told her.

"Well..." Leyra mused, sliding her arms around Sunshine's waist. "I'm glad you felt safe around him."

Fox could feel her gaze again. He chanced glancing up at her face, and was met with furrowed brows and pressed lips, but it wasn't an expression of judgment or dislike. More so, it seemed like she was trying to figure him out. The Alpha looked him over, taking in his bruises and bandages and ruined shirt.

"Is there anything you need me for, Alpha?" Fox asked politely. Leyra shrugged a shoulder, her expression changing into indifference.

"No, not for today. Dinner will be ready for the lone wolves in a couple hours, so you can rest here for a bit before heading to the bunkers," she told him. Fox nodded with a whispered thanks. He rose and followed the two werewolves inside.

The two headed into the kitchen to begin prepping their own dinner, and Fox headed over to the stairs. "Fox," Leyra called after him just before he left the kitchen.

He turned and met her gaze. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You'll probably be with Alpha Rishima or Alpha Ahren tomorrow, so if you need a new shirt, they can help you get one," she told him. Fox's eyebrows rose just a little, surprise catching him off guard. Maybe this was his reward for doing a good job cleaning up the concessions building?

The beginnings of a smile pulled at his mouth. "Thank you, Alpha," he replied, and she nodded at him before turning away.

Fox went upstairs. The more he thought about getting a brand new shirt, the wider his smile grew. By the time he reached his bedroom, he felt strangely giddy, like he'd just been given an unexpected gift. He almost couldn't believe it.

Fox whittled away his two hours of free time by checking on his belongings, and washing his bloodstained shirt in his bathroom sink. It took a while, but Fox was patient with the process, familiar with cleaning blood out of his clothes.

When that was done, he hung it up to dry over the shower railing and changed into a different shirt. The process had taken so long that by the time he finished pulling his shirt on, Leyra was at his door. "They're getting dinner ready for all of you, so start heading to the bunkers," she said.

Fox's stomach filled with dread as he imagined what it might be like having to eat around the other lone wolves, but he stood and went downstairs, with Leyra trailing behind him to make sure he went. He left out the back door and trudged across the field.