Out Of The Woods

Ten

Ambrose wakes to the feel of a tongue lapping along his fur. He whimpers, nuzzling into the mass of fur to the right of his small body.

The tongue glides across his head and over his eye, making him paw at the wolf. His eyes flutter open, meeting the soft golden eyes of Soren's wolf.

Soren whines, bopping Ambrose's little nose with his own. Ambrose huffs, his nose becoming itchy. He sneezes, the squeaking noises echoing throughout the room.

Ambrose stands, shaking out his fur before hopping to the ground. He grabs onto his robes, scampering into the washroom before Soren could beat him to it.

Ambrose is quick to shift into his human form after nudging the door shut. He sighs, leaning up against the door.

It takes him a minute to pull on his robes. He didn't want to move at all. In shock of all that happened the night before.

He completely freaked out in front of Soren last night. Thank Goddess, he didn't go straight to their father about it.

Ambrose tugs on his clothing, tying the string that held the robes together with his shaking hands. He couldn't help but replay the events of the previous night.

When you first catch scent of your mate, you begin to form a connection. Even if you don't meet right away. Which meant your mate would be able to feel when you bed another.

Which meant not only would Ambrose feel intense pain if he slept with Johnathan, his mate would also feel it. He or she would know if Ambrose slept with Johnathan. His mate would be in agony along with Ambrose.

The last thing Ambrose wanted to do was cause his mate any pain. But he also didn't want to jeopardize the lives of his family.

Johnathan was proving to have a great influence over Ambrose.

He had come so close to losing his innocence. If his siblings had shown up any later...

He didn't want to linger on what could have happened. It was almost too much for him. The amount of stress he felt couldn't have been good for his health.

Ambrose exits the washroom after relieving himself. Soren was in his human form now, already dressed in his everyday attire.

"Ambrose," he starts, looking guilty. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I didn't know that my wolf-,"

"It's alright," Ambrose interrupts, taking a seat next to his younger brother. "I'm okay. I overreacted. My reaction had nothing to do with you. So please, do not feel badly about it."

Soren sighs shakily, tugging Ambrose into his arms. Ambrose happily returns the embrace, snuggling close to him.

"Johnathan and I are going through a rough patch," Ambrose says, inhaling his brother's comforting scent. "But what relationship doesn't fluctuate? Every mated pair has their ups and downs. There is nothing to worry about, truly. I am only on edge and the smallest things seem to set me off lately."

"Is there anything I can do to help you and Johnathan?"

"No. It is something that I must deal with alone. You will understand once you find your mate," Ambrose smiles brightly, reaching up to ruffle Soren's hair.

"Well, I should head back to my bedchamber now. I will try to spend more time with you and the others. No promises though."

Ambrose stands, smoothing the front of his robes. Soren reaches out, embracing Ambrose from behind.

"Please do not hesitate to come to me if you're experiencing troubles. Even if I cannot fix things, I can always try to make you feel better. Stay safe, big brother."