twenty two
Callum sits on the edge of the loungeroom armchair, picking at his fingers as he continues to stare at the front door. Aldric is pacing the path in front of it, muscles flexing as he crosses and uncrosses his arms, a low and constant grumble buzzing through the apartment.
They can't hold the council off any longer. Alpha Henry's bringing them up to the apartment right now – the man having called them early this morning to warn them.
Milton, on the other hand, is waiting in his bed, tucked under a mountain of blankets and playing with a squeezy penguin toy Cal had given him at breakfast.
It's supposed to help him with his grip as the penguin's belly is filled with little colourful plastic fish that can only be seen when he squeezes the toy as hard as he can. Callum had challenged him to count all the fish.
So far Milton's only managed to see three. His hands tiring already, but he's not going to give up just yet. Not until he gets to ten, at least. He knows how to count to ten.
A quiet knock at the door has both wolves freezing before Callum stands from his spot on the armchair and makes his way to his husband's side, who takes a breath and tries to let his muscles relax.
"We'll be fine." Cal whispers, planting a kiss to his husband's shoulder as they open the door together.
Henry stands at the front, the two outsiders behind him with polite smiles on their faces.
"Aldric, Callum, this is Councillor Georgia and Councillor Paul."
Aldric steps aside, allowing the three to enter.
Henry is looking particularly ruffled, his hair tied back in a messy bun, green button down wrinkled and rolled up to his elbows.
Cal swallows back the nerves at seeing his own Alpha in disarray, his attention quick to focus on the two tall wolves now stepping into his personal territory.
Georgia's height almost rivals Aldric's with her black hair tied in a short ponytail, hair framing sharp features and a strong jawline.
She's dressed in a wine-coloured satin button-down blouse tucked into black high waisted trousers, the first few buttons of her shirt left undone to reveal pale skin and a deep-set scar running down her chest and sternum.
Cal's muscles tighten at the sight, the woman clearly showing off her battle wounds as she stands in an almost army-like stance; straight backed with hands clasped behind her. Her smile is predatory at best, eyes taking in every detail before her.
Paul appears more genuine at first glance, his blue shirt folded neatly at his elbows, hands in the pockets of his slacks and an easy-going smile on his face. His hair is tied back away from his face, the ponytail resting against a shoulder.
"Pleased to meet you." Paul speaks first, smile widening to show teeth as he nods politely at the couple.
The hair at the back of Cal's neck rises at the greeting, eyes flicking briefly to their Alpha whose brows seem to be stuck in a permanent frown.
"So, where's the human?" Georgia speaks up as she moves towards the kitchen, finger lightly grazing the countertop as she goes.
Callum wants to growl at the show of disrespect, the she-wolf knowingly leaving a soft scent trail on the countertop where her skin touches, but he swallows it back with a frown.
Aldric is the one to speak up, hand resting on the small of Cal's back. "His name is Milton. He's resting in his room."
Georgia turns to the couple, lifting a brow. "So? Are you not going to take us to him?"
"No." Callum all but bursts with the response, hand fisted at his sides. "I'm s-sorry, but you won't be able to see him, Georgia."
The she-wolf tilts her head, eyes squinting threateningly, but Al is quick to defend his mate.
"Milton is afraid of women. It's part of the reason why he was placed with us."
She hums in her throat, turning to her partner who maintains his smile.
"That's fine." He says, "Georgia can discuss more about his situation with you while I talk to the boy."
Again, Callum frowns. "Y-you're both aware that Milton s-still can't speak? He's terrified of s-strangers too. You won't be going in there alone – "
"That's not for you to decide." Georgia cuts him off, her tone sharp and abrupt.
Callum's fingers dig deeper into the palms of his hands.
Aldric growls loudly at the woman at her disrespect. "Yes, it is."
Alpha Henry steps in. "Know your place, Georgia. You may be from the council, but this is my pack. Don't push your luck."
"We're Milton's guardians. N-no one will be seeing him without one of us present." Callum speaks up again, trying hard not to let the tremor show in his voice.
He's not the best at confrontation. Sure, he stood up to Henry in the past, but he's known Henry for years and Milton triggered his wolf into 'protect' mode. He knew Henry would never hurt him or Milton, but these two... he didn't know them and that scar on Georgia's chest spoke volumes.
Paul clears his throat. "I understand. Who will accompany me then?"
Callum immediately steps forward, quietly leading the way to Milton's room where he stops just outside the door.
"I'll need to l-let him know you're here first. Then I'll come and get you."
Paul nods with a smile, dark eyes roaming across the shorter man before gesturing for him to enter the room first.
Callum quickly enters, leaving the door partially open as he comes and sits on the edge of Milton's bed.
"Hey, sweetie. How many fish did you find?"
Milton pouts, shakily holding up three crooked fingers.
Cal smiles, brushing a hand over his hair. "That's okay, you've only had it for a little while."
Milton carefully hands the toy to Callum, who reaches over to place it on his little bedside table. The penguin staring absently.
"You know how I said the council people will be coming here to talk to you?"
Milton nods.
"One of them is here today. Do you think it would be okay for them to come in?"
Dread fills the pit of Milton's stomach, hands immediately beginning to seat as he grabs at the blankets lain across his lap.
Callum smiles, gently placing his hand on top of the boy's. "I'll be here with you the whole time, and if you want him to leave, you just let me know, okay?"
Milton blinks. How's he going to tell Cal if he wants the man gone? He can't speak, he can't—
"You can tap my arm, make a noise, or you can even use some of the sign language we've been going through. Remember the sign for stop?"
Milton nods, repeating the action to show he remembers with semi shaky hands.
Callum leans over and places a kiss to his head. "Good job! See? You'll be fine."
Again, the boy nods.
Callum pats the human's leg as he rises from his seated position and moves back to the door, opening it wider and allowing Paul to step in.
"Please be patient with him and t-try to ask questions with a yes or no answer." Callum whispers.
Paul nods, stepping into the bedroom, eyes wandering across the wardrobe and dresser, taking in the piles of blankets across the child-sized bed and the bottle of children's pain killer sitting on the side table beside the penguin toy.
He takes in a deep breath, scenting the sweet scents of strawberry, lavender and that slightly sickly smell that clings to the pale-skinned boy.
He bends a knew beside Milton, taking in the human's thin face and sunken eyes.
Milton flinches back into his pillows at the close proximity, but he doesn't make a sound.
They stare at each other for a moment, Paul's smile still stuck to his face, making Milton shift uneasily in his bed.
"Hi, Milton. I'm Paul. I'm here to talk about what happened to you." The man coos, taking on that tone only adults use when speaking to children, his smile turning into a toothy grin full of particularly sharp looking teeth.
Milton immediately frowns, pushing himself further into his pillows at the sight.
He doesn't like teeth.
He blinks as soon as the thought passes through his mind, the fleeting touch of panic disappearing as quickly as it comes, leaving the boy confused and a little miffed at the tone of Paul's voice.
When Paul doesn't get a positive response, he clears his throat, clasping his hands on his bent knee as his eyes shift to Callum who takes a seat on the edge of the bed, close enough for Milton to move his foot and touch him.
"Do you remember how you came to be here with the Wrights?"
Milton blinks, taking a moment to digest the question before he slowly shakes his head. He doesn't remember much. Bits and pieces of being in the hospital and meeting the two men in a room that stunk of antiseptics.
Paul hums. "Do you remember being in hospital?"
Milton looks to Cal, nodding his head only once while digging his hands into the blankets.
"What about before the hospital?"
How's he supposed to answer that?
Cal sighs quietly through his nose. "He's had a f-few nightmares, but once he wakes, he can't remember what they're about."
"Nothing?" Paul asks, turning to face Callum with a small frown of his own, smile slipping.
The man shakes his head.
Paul, seemingly annoyed, turns back to Milton again. "Do you remember any faces? People who may have hurt you?"
Milton shakes his head yet again, a spike of fear racing up his spine at the question. He knows people hurt him, but he doesn't really think about it. He doesn't think about why or how or who they might be. He simply knows he was hurt, and someone had hurt him.
"What about any landmarks? Do you remember where you might have been taken?"
Milton's not even sure if he was taken from anywhere. He just thought he... existed. He'd never really thought about where he came from.
Bowing his head, Milton shakes his head, wishing for this man to leave.
Callum stands from the bed at the sight of Milton curling in on himself, leaning to place a hand on Paul's shoulder.
"I think it would be best t-to leave now."
Paul huffs, rising from his spot on the ground. "I haven't finished question—"
"Questioning him?" Callum lets a miniscule growl escape his throat. "Milton is a victim, not s-some criminal you need to i-interrogate."
Paul purses his lips, hands folding behind his back as he walks to the door, Callum following behind as he throws a soft smile in the human's direction before ushering the councilman out.
They walk back to the three still in the loungeroom. Georgia is standing near the door, a scowl on her face while Henry and Aldric both wait with their arms crossed, looking ever so intimidating in the small apartment.
Paul sighs loudly, gaining everyone's attention as he moves to stand beside his colleague. "I believe it may be in our best interest to stay longer. See if the boy remembers anything important."
Callum frowns, opening his mouth to rebut the man, but Aldric beats him to it.
"In your best interest, or in Milton's? Have either of you considered how your interrogation will affect his healing process?"
Georgia has the audacity to roll her eyes, turning to Paul with a bored expression. "Did you gain any information into the situation?"
Paul shakes his head.
Callum steps forward this time, glaring heavily at the disrespectful woman. "Milton can't s-speak, what did you think he would be able to tell you?"
Georgia looks down at the shorter wolf, lip curling in a tell-tale sign of her annoyance. "The human's case involves the supernatural which makes it extremely sensitive. We need as much information as possible to ensure something like this doesn't happen again."
Alpha Henry clears his throat. "We are doing everything we can to support Milton's recovery. Dr Perin believes he won't be speaking for several months at least."
"Matthew Perin?" Georgia interrupts, something flashing in her eyes at the mention of the man's name. "He's still here?"
Cal shuffles closer to his mate, squeezing his elbow until the man uncrosses his arms and offers a hand for him to hold.
Aldric's jaw clenches. "He works nearby. Thankfully he's still open to working with wolves despite past events."
Georgia scoffs, mouth open with a harsh retort, but Paul clears his throat, stopping her in her tracks.
"Yes," Paul smiles. "Its very... fortunate, Dr Perin agreed to treat Milton."
Alpha Henry steps forward, lifting a hand to gesture towards the door. "While we appreciate your dedication, Milton's health comes first. Being questioned day after day by strangers will only make him feel unsafe. The agreement was for you to check in on his progress – now you have."
Georgia's lips twist in displeasure, both council wolves turning to share a silent message between each other.
"We'll be in town for a few more days. The council has other business nearby that we need to look into."
Paul nods. "If you'll permit us, we'd like to meet with Milton again in two days, before we leave."
Henry glances at the couple beside him before nodding in agreeance. If he refused, the council may take it as a slight against them and Milton may be taken away... there's no way he could do that to the two wolves.
Paul smiles brightly. "We'll head back to our rooms then. See you in two days."
They leave quietly, Alpha Henry closing the door behind them to have a word with the couple. His shoulders deflate as he turns to them, the air slightly tinged with the outsider wolves' scents.
"How do they know Matthew?" Aldric immediately asks, concern lacing his tone.
Henry shakes his head. "It's not my place to say."
"D-do they really have to come back?"
Henry offers the shorter man half a smile. "I'm sorry, Callum, but it's better we try to accommodate them as much as we can. I know this is... a difficult situation to put you all in, but I'm doing the best I can for both Milton and the future of the pack."
All three wolves sigh, Callum shewing on his lip before he pulls away from his mate, scent turning sour as he heads back towards to the hallway.
"I'm going t-to check on Milly." He all but whispers as he leaves, mind whirring.
Aldric leads Henry towards the door as well, not interested in entertaining guests any longer.
"I'm sorry." Henry says sadly, shoulder sinking.
Aldric pauses, sighing again. "It's your duty as Alpha to care for the wellbeing of the pack. If we make the council angry, there could be consequences, so I understand your decision to let them stay."
Henry nods, clapping a hand to Aldric's shoulder in silent thanks before letting himself out of the apartment.
Knowing his mate needs a moment with their boy to himself, Al turns to the kitchen and digs out the cleaner from beneath the sink.
Immediately he sprays the bench, wiping away the she-wolf's touch.
He doesn't stop there. He takes the cleaner to the bookshelf where she touched the edge and even sprays the window that she stood too close to.
He goes on to wipe the door handle as well, an ever-present scowl on his features as he fills the air with the clean scent of orange blossoms.
"What are you doing?" Callum asks, leaving Milton's room with the teddy-bear water bottle in his arms.
Aldric lifts a shoulder, muscles still tight with frustration and annoyance. "Cleaning."
Cal smiles, placing the bear on the kitchen counter and walking into Aldric's arms, snaking his arms around the man's waist and releasing a rumbly purr.
"Did you get the bookshelf?"
Aldric huffs a laugh, slowly relaxing as he breaths in his mate's soft scent and returns the embrace.
"Yeah, I did." He presses a kiss to Callum's head, squeezing him tighter to his chest. "You were so brave, my love."
Callum squishes his face to his husband's chest. "Didn't feel very brave."
Aldric kisses his hair again. "You were."
The smaller man blushes, tilting his head up to look at his big burly mate with his thick eyebrows and crooked nose. This man could stand up to a grizzly bear without so much as blinking. Yet he thought his little mate was brave? For speaking up?
"Want me to help clean?" He changes the topic, pressing a kiss to his love's lips.
Al tilts his head. "No, you should spend some time with Milton. Maybe bring him into out nest for a cuddle."
Callum smiles, releasing his love and taking a step back towards the hallway – teddy bear long forgotten in the kitchen.
"You're right. I think we deserve some snuggling in the big bed. We could even watch some tv." He spins on his heel, stepping towards Milton's room to collect him before pausing and looking back to his love.
"Join us when you're done?"
Aldric nods, shooing his mate away.
As soon as his mane of blonde hair disappears behind the door, his frown his back on his face as he places the cleaner down on the kitchen counter.
He can still feel those wolves.
Perhaps he should give the floor a quick clean too. Maybe then, his wolf will be able to relax once their very footprints have been removed.