Mate Mysteries

Chapter 42

Krey phoned Sea Claw Packhouse, and once he was done on the phone, he twisted the two keys around the chain on his neck. One key was for the lock on the door, and the other... Krey wished he knew.

He eyed his dad's Alpha Journal on the top of the bookshelf, wondering what the Key was for, and why it had been hidden so strategically. Then he thought of Pip, and what he had done earlier that day, and whether Bethan or Rocket were spreading it around the pack.

Krey looked around the office that felt more and more like his every day. After the big round of apologies, his time as an Alpha had reset. He hadn't been Alpha for the past two years. He had barely even been Krey Graymer.

The more vulnerable Krey felt, the more the external world helped him to feel emotions he had suppressed for so long. Pip was also a valuable match in his matchstick walls. Without him holding Krey up, his walls would fall, and so would everything Krey cared about. He saw that now, with eyes fully open and fully digesting the ripple effect his mistakes made on the people he loved.

Krey frowned as he thought more of Pip and what had happened in the woods. Pip had clearly been confused about his intuition. At the time, Pip thought it stemmed from Krey and that he sensed the wolves, but Krey hadn't sensed anything. He glanced at the books on the shelves and to one book in particular. It was about mates and bonds. Krey was sure Pip had read it and wondered if he should ask if the book covered much about human mates.

He soon joined his human mate at the table, and Francis very nearly hugged him until Krey backed away so violently, he almost tripped into the table behind him. "The fuck?" he growled.

Pip shook his head with a grin as Francis rolled her eyes. "You've been through a very tough night and you look like crap. My hug would have made you feel so much better, but never mind." Francis sat and crossed her arms. She thought Krey would mutter something under his breath and glare at her for the rest of the evening, but he hovered for a moment, then approached her awkwardly and weakly punched her arm.

"Thanks," he grumbled and sat next to Pip with an embarrassed frown.

Pip was surprised by him for the second time that day. Krey had not once tried this hard to please others, not in the year and nine months they had been together.

Francis, of course, was beaming, but chose not to make a fuss. Krey was clearly awkward about it and she didn't want to make him crawl back into his shell. "So, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"Alright," Krey mumbled. He picked up on the silence around him in an instant. The two chairs opposite used to seat his mother and Sid. The rest of the chairs could have been empty too, and Krey should be thankful he had company. "Um, actually, I don't know." He felt Pip's hand on him immediately, and he breathed easier.

"We can talk tomorrow, if you want?" Francis suggested.

"Maybe." Krey knew she would find him regardless of what he said. She was always there when he needed her, even though he didn't deserve her time or effort.

Krey soon moved his thoughts back to the woods, and back to Pip's intuitive feeling. He eyed Pip as he ate his late lunch, a cheese sandwich and a cup of tea. Pip was staring into the distance, and Krey somehow knew he thought of the same thing.

Nobody in the room seemed to be whispering and staring Pip's way, so Krey assumed Rocket and Bethan kept what happened to themselves. He hoped they did, so Pip wouldn't worry that what he did was weird, even if it was. They were going through a fuzzy phase in their relationship, where it was neither strong nor weak. They were simply untying all the knots, so they could soon move forwards.

One of the biggest knots was the Southern Alpha, and only their death could untie it, or cut the knot off entirely.

Krey didn't want to pick at other things, when he and Pip were still trying to mend their relationship. If Pip had weird intuition, then Krey was okay with that. Though he still wondered why he had it, and hoped it was because of something as simple as the bond.