twenty seven
Milton's eyes flutter open and in a brief moment of confusion, he realises he's lying on top of Callum with a hand fisted in the man's sweater. His body gently rises up and down with every breath, and Milton can't help the little content sigh that escapes him.
He must have fallen asleep before they made it back to the apartment, but why he wasn't tucked away in his own bed, he didn't know.
He tries to wriggle a little, but Cal's gentle grip turns a little tighter. The man is still asleep, from what Milton can tell anyway.
He lifts his head, looking around the loungeroom to try and spot Al, but he doesn't see or hear the large man moving about. Instead, Milton rests his cheek back to its original spot on Cal's sweater, ignoring the slight dampness no doubt from his own drool.
Aldric watches the small movements from the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest as he stands stock still, eyes roaming the two in his care with furrowed brows.
Milton seemed to enjoy their little mealtime with the pack, but Cal...
If the boy wasn't laying on the wolf like a tiny, weighted blanket, he had a feeling his love may have spiralled into some kind of attack. Not unlike his little outburst from a week or so ago.
Being around their friends, their family, shouldn't throw his mate into a state of panicked frenzy, yet as they climbed the stairs back to their apartment, he could feel the tension oozing off his love in manic waves, his scent turning bitter as his shoulders hiked their way up to his ears.
Leaving the lunch should have eased his worries, but perhaps they left too late for his little mate.
Al sighs through his nose, footsteps silent as he moves down the hallway to their bedroom, phone in hand as he gives Henry a call.
It takes a couple of rings before the Alpha answers the sounds of children laughing in the background quickly hushed as the man no doubt leaves the room for some privacy.
"What's wrong?"
Al grins to himself at the man's words. Of course that would be the first thing he asks.
"I wanted your advice."
Henry hums, listening.
"Cal, Milly and I had lunch with the pack. I thought it would be good to surround ourselves with everyone. A chance to reconnect, especially with the council still poking around."
Henry makes a noise of light shock. "How did it go?"
Al sighs, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Milton seemed to enjoy it. I think he's even made a friend with the Cobbs girl."
"Well, that sounds good. What's the problem then?"
As much as he hated to ask for help, Aldric knew this was something he needed to do. He could just ask for Dr Perin to check on his husband, but the two are friends. Cal would be mortified if he did that.
"It's Cal."
The Alpha makes a noise of concern, waiting for Aldric to continue.
"He didn't want to go, he was worried. Nothing unusual with that, but I thought he'd relax once we sat down to eat. That he'd... feel comfort, from his kin being close."
"And he didn't?"
Al sighs yet again, shaking his head. "If we didn't have Milton with us, he would have had a full meltdown. I'm not sure what's going on, but he shouldn't react like that. His wolf shouldn't react like that."
There's a pause as both men mull over the words, Aldric rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he waits for his Alpha to say something. Anything.
"When's the last time he came down for a pack meal? Or interacted with pack?"
Al shrugs a shoulder. "We haven't left the apartment for a formal gathering in months, you know that. We see other packmates every now and then, but he's always seemed fine."
Henry hums across the line, the man no doubt scratching at his chin as his brain ticks over their conversation.
"When's the last time Callum shifted?"
Aldric swallows thickly. The question prompting memories to bubble up. His voice remains quiet as he focuses on a lone pulled- thread on their quilt.
"Not since..." Al swallows again. "Not since the Summer."
It's Henry's turn to let out a pained sigh. "Aldric, that's nearly two seasons ago. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't- I didn't realise it had been so long. He's never been one to regularly shift skins, I didn't think anything of it."
The Alpha grumbles low into the phone, not particularly angry at Al, but angry at the whole situation. Perhaps Aldric had been right all those weeks ago, and the couple were not ready to take on the additional burden of raising a human.
"You need to get him to shift."
Aldric frowns. "I don't know if I can."
Henry growls. "If you can't do it, I will. If Callum doesn't shift, he's only going to get worse. I will not have one of my pack go feral."
Aldric wants to fight, to argue with the man, but he doesn't. Instead, he lets his shoulders fall, head resting in a hand as he holds the phone to his ear, heart in his throat.
"Yes, sir."
Henry, expecting an argument, goes quiet for a moment, before taking a breath. "I'll give you to the end of the month to try, Aldric."
The words are spoken softly. Calmly. The Alpha knowing this would be no easy task.
"Thank you."
Aldric lets his head hang as the call ends, eyes stinging as his mind throws him back into the past, recounting the last two seasons of grief and pain. How did it come to this? It only felt like yesterday that his love was smiling again. How could two seasons have passed already?
Leaving the bedroom, Aldric moves back into the kitchen where he fills the kettle and flicks it on to boil. Milton, despite resting quite still, is still awake and Aldric smiles at the way the boy continues to pretend he's resting.
He steps into the lounge area, crouching beside the couch and gently tapping Milton on the shoulder. The little human opens his eyes with a startle, smiling at the large man.
"Would you like a warm drink, sweety?"
Milton nods, wriggling to try and sit up, but trapped in the arms of the other wolf.
Aldric chuckles softly, moving his love's arms until he can sneak Milton out from them, replacing the boy with a throw pillow that's quickly squeezed to Callum's chest.
He doesn't try to wake the man. He needed to sleep. Especially since they would be having a very serious conversation once Milton was tucked into bed tonight.
Placing the boy on his hip, Aldric takes him to the kitchen and skillfully makes up a bottle of Milton's supplement drink, flavoured with hot chocolate of course. Milton watches with big eyes, taking in every motion the man makes to expertly mix it all together and put the lid on.
"Want to watch a show with me in bed?" Aldric whispers, pressing a kiss to the human's hair.
Milton nods, 'helping' carry his bottle as Aldric guides them into the main bedroom, picking up his laptop on the way from where he'd left it on the kitchen counter.
Together they climb into bed, Milton once again finding himself sitting on someone's lap. Warm blankets are thrown over his legs and tucked around his middle as they lay against the headboard, tilted back to recline.
Al props the laptop up in front of them on a pillow, expertly navigating to a free animal channel. Milton's eyes are immediately glued to the screen as the narrator begins to talk about penguins, the boy not even noticing when the bottle is slipped between his lips.
Comfy and intrigued by the strange black and white creatures, Milton sucks in the sweet flavour of chocolate with a satisfied hum, hands scrunching in the plush blanket as Aldric gently rubs his belly with one hand, the other holding the bottle up.
The wolf can't help but purr softly. For a moment he can simply enjoy the fruity scent from Milton's shampoo and the gentle sound of the human's heartbeat. Even the narrator's voice soothes Aldric's thoughts as he watches along with the boy.