Wolf mate

Chapter 2

Castle tried his best to avoid the werewolf subject every time it was brought up. Even the boys teased him about not thinking about it the first he did when they found out about the homeless guys's chant.

"You starting to lose your game, Castle," Esposito had mocked while Ryan had shivered at the thought of werewolves.

Castle had just laughed it off, saying he'd not found it relevant and had been surprised Beckett, of all people, had come up with the theory. She'd immediately bit back saying how it wasn't a theory, there was no way she believed it true for one second. Once again he'd felt that sting in his heart and he'd even excused himself, saying he needed to go to the bathroom. While in the stall he tried to control the sudden need of air, tried take long, deep breaths. If it hadn't been for the knowledge of how filthy the stall walls were he would've leant his forehead on it. He put his hands over his face and tried to wipe away the small pain in his chest. She wasn't rejecting him. She was simply not one of the people believing in supernatural beings, and he already knew that. So, why did it hurt?! A sudden knock had him jumping and he felt his body freeze.

"Castle? Are you alright?" her voice sounded through the room with the stalls.

She was standing outside the small room with stalls, knowing she couldn't go inside the men's bathroom in case there would be one standing with his pants down. Castle quickly flushed and walked out of the stall to wash his hands, taking a quick glance in the mirror before going to the door. Opening it he immediately met her, seeing her hazels filled with a worry, hearing her heart beat a bit faster the second her eyes met his.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in a try to look surprised.

"You-you know we were only messing with you... right?" her eyes were so filled with regret he almost looked away at the way his heart was slightly breaking at the thought of her thinking she caused him pain. Almost. But he held his gaze, knowing that if he broke it she would most definitely think he wasn't fine.

"I know, I just really needed to pee," he pointed his thumb towards the bathroom behind him and she bit her lower lip. Those pink lips he'd dreamt of kissing one time too many.

"You sure?"

How could one woman be so adorable and so maddening at the same time? "I'm sure."

He could sense she didn't believe him but to his relief she did let it go, for now. And they set their steps back to her desk where the boys were filling out the murder board with what they knew.

"Did you talk to Marco and Julie?" Castle asked the duo once he stood in front of the board, looking at all the things they'd scrabbled down.

"Yeah, hella weird ones," Esposito said with a wrinkled forehead.

"How do you know them again?" Ryan asked with the same wrinkle.

He couldn't exactly tell them the truth, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't really know them, I was at a party once and Marco was there, we came to talking and since we both had daughters that's one of the topics we shared. I remember them because of the way he talked, how mysterious he sounded." He tried to explain and thanks to his occupation the detectives simply nodded and took it as a reasonable explanation. After all, that's the kind of things he usually did anyway.

The hair in his nape suddenly raised and he immediately froze in his whole body. With the next breath he inhaled he knew exactly who it was and he hoped the fear in his eyes weren't visible to his partner as he looked back to see the two wolfs walk into the bullpen.

"Richard Castle, what a surprise," Marco said, his voice as dark as one could be, when he approached them.

Castle gulped and faked a smile. "Marco! I had no idea the guys invited you here."