Finding Fate

Chapter 5 The Subtle Return

"Nathan, can we turn around," I asked him, hopeful for a yes. He glanced over at me for a second before replying. "Why? Did you leave something?" Sinking in my seat, I knew what his answer would be. "No, I just don't want to go," I groaned, hoping that I would somehow melt into the seat and stay there until we got back home.

"No, Dylan, you have to go. You're 3rd in command, and that means you train them. You know this. Cole will be helping you train them since he's Beta and Kyle will come up with strategies since he's Alpha," Nathan told me softly. "Therefore, we need you, sorry," he added a minute later.

Reaching into the backseat, I grabbed my Lion King pillow pet and plumped my head down on it. "At least I have you, Simba," I told him. I saw Nathan roll his eyes at me while I rambled on about how great and helpful Simba is. "Dylan, that is an inanimate object you're talking to, it's not alive," Nathan said 30 minutes later while I was still rambling. I gasped and covered Simba's ears, "How could you say such a thing, it's like saying Santa isn't real!"

Nathan's eyes widened, "You think Santa is real? No one told you!" I smiled, "Of course, I know Santa isn't real, baboon! But Simba is real and he is also my pillow right now. I don't see you offering to be my pillow." Nathan turned his head toward me pouting, "You're so mean! And I was you're pillow yesterday!"

My face was emotionless as I shrugged, "Hakuna Matata." Nathan stared at me like I was crazy. "It means don't live in the past," I defined it for him. Nathan looked at the steering wheel and then back at the road groaning, "I know what it means, Dylan. I watched the movie yesterday with you."

"You looked confused, not my fault," I replied. What are y'all talking about now, Kyle asked us in our head. I replied first, How Simba is real and the definition of Hakuna Matata. And how Nathan isn't offering to be my pillow. Nathan eyed me from his seat with a glare before adding his side of the story, I was her pillow yesterday! And she made me think that she thought that Santa was real. Kyle please save me from Dylan. She's officially gone crazy. "Oh, you didn't know? That bus already took off a long time ago," I told him staring out the window as some familiar landmarks appeared.

Okay, you two have fun with that, Kyle said in a hurry to get away from our heads and then blocked the link so we couldn't contact him. "Where are we," I asked Nathan, already having a good idea where though. Nathan glanced at me worriedly while replying, "We're only 5 miles from the Pack. Are you okay?" Not even throwing in a pause I replied instantly, "Not really, but I'll be good once we leave."

He nodded his head in understanding and placed his hand on my knee. I stared at the hand, wondering what he was doing. Was he making a move on me? Is he comforting me? What is he doing? His thumb started drawing soothing circles and I hugged the arm deciding that it didn't matter. Either way it was comforting to know that he was here for me.

The car's tires hit a dirt road and I bounced in my seat from the bumps. Nathan kept his hand there on my leg and followed Kyle to the house. Once we parked in front of the pack house, Nathan climbed out and walked over to Kyle. I sat there remembering all the horrible memories at this place. Most of them dealing with Ryan. Sighing I slowly climbed out of the car with Simba and stood next to Nathan. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed my closer, giving me a weird side hug.

"You're weird," I told him as if it was nothing. The squeezing stopped and so did my leaning with it, "What do you mean I'm weird? I'm not weird, honey, you're weird." I nodded my head with my lips curled in, "Uh huh. You just keep telling yourself that, doll." He frowned and ran his arm up my hair, messing it up. "Hey! Now I have to put it up," I told him whining like the child I was inside. He rolled his eyes, which made me come up with an idea and that he rolled his eyes a lot. Maybe he has a problem. Yeah that's- No Dylan, plan, focus on the plan.