Chapter Five #3
When they reached the back room where the rabbit was being kept, Thomas saw that it was ready for transport in one of the cardboard boxes they used for that.
They had to sign a few papers, but it didn’t take long, and soon, they were in the parking lot.
Rowan followed Thomas without hesitation, as if he trusted him.
It gave Thomas a thrill to realize that was the case.
Between the two of them, he was the one with the most experience when it came to this.
He was the one who knew what he was doing.
After spending the evenings with Rowan to study, it made Thomas feel good to be able to show that he wasn’t an idiot like the way he felt during their study sessions.
Not that Rowan had ever said anything about Thomas being an idiot. Thomas didn’t think that Rowan believed he was. Rowan was sweet, and he never would. It was hard to ignore the small voice in Thomas’s mind sometimes, though.
They climbed into Thomas’s car, the rabbit in the backseat in its box.
Luckily, the drive wouldn’t be long. Thomas was excited to see the rabbit be free again.
They’d been taking care of it, and the rabbit had relaxed, but it didn’t belong in the sanctuary.
As he drove out of the parking lot, he explained, “This is where we take most of the prey animals we release. It’s actually pack territory, which means there are fewer predators.
It gives these animals a chance to get back to a normal life. ”
Rowan nodded, serious. “I imagine it would be quite stressful for the rabbit to be freed only to be eaten by something.”
“Well, the rabbit would be dead, so it wouldn’t be stressed, but it did happen a few times in front of volunteers. They don’t usually take that well.”
“I can’t imagine that they do.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about that today, though. You’re with us, so predators will stay away. They won’t want to deal with the big bad wolf.”
“I might be big, but I promise I’m not bad.”
Was Rowan flirting? Thomas wasn’t sure, and he didn’t know how to make sure. Maybe he could ask Rowan, but he felt like that would defeat the purpose. If Rowan was flirting, he probably assumed that Thomas would know and would do something about it.
Shit. Was Thomas supposed to do something about it? What?
He couldn’t come up with anything, and after five minutes, he gave up. He was pretty sure the moment had passed, anyway. It was fine. They were working, even though they’d left the sanctuary. They didn’t need to be flirting, no matter how much Thomas wanted to.
The spot where they were going wasn’t far, so five minutes later, he parked his car on the side of the road. Rowan was out before Thomas could say anything, opening the back door to grab the box. Thomas was amused, but he let Rowan do it. There was no reason not to.
He took the lead, walking to the edge of the forest. There was a small path there, which they took, and it led them deeper into the woods. Thomas couldn’t tell when they stepped into pack territory, but the spot wasn’t far from the road.
“You can put the box down,” he said once they reached it.
Rowan quickly obeyed, then stepped back. Thomas bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. He’d never seen Rowan so eager. It was sweet.
“You take the lead. I’ve never done this,” Rowan said.
Thomas was happy to do it. He leaned down and opened the side of the box, then took a big step back, dragging Rowan with him. Together, they waited for the rabbit to hop out of the box.
It didn’t.
“It happens sometimes,” Thomas said softly. “It’s probably confused.”
“What can we do to help?”
Thomas hesitated. Normally, he wouldn’t do this, but he knew Rowan. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt him or the rabbit, even though he was a wolf.
“I’m going to shift,” Thomas declared. “Hopefully, seeing me will help the rabbit.”
Rowan’s eyes were wide as he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Thomas had no idea what Rowan was thinking, but he’d made his decision. There was no going back. There was no reason to go back.
The rabbit needed Thomas, and Thomas was going to help.
* * * *
ROWAN TRIED NOT TO show how excited he was about seeing Thomas in his rabbit form.
He didn’t want to come off as creepy. He wasn’t excited in a creepy way.
He was getting to know Thomas, and his rabbit was part of him, just like Rowan’s wolf was part of him.
If Rowan wanted to know all of Thomas, he’d have to meet his rabbit eventually.
It looked like that was about to happen.
Rowan took a big step back, wanting to give Thomas a little privacy.
They both knew what shifting entailed, so Rowan took out his phone and started scrolling.
He kept his gaze focused on the screen even as he felt Thomas move.
It might be natural for them, but they were coworkers, and even more than that, they were friends, and Rowan didn’t want to make Thomas uncomfortable.
No matter how badly he wanted to see, he didn’t look once.
Well, he did when he felt something tug on his shoelace. He glanced down, frowning, only to see a gray rabbit with an adorable pink nose looking up at him.
“No one should be that cute,” he mumbled.
Thomas’s eyes widened, and he cocked his head. Great. Rowan was already making a fool of himself.
He shook his head. “You’re just very cute.”
Rowan was sure that if Thomas had been in his human form, he’d be smiling. As it was, he showed Rowan his front teeth, pulled on his shoelace once more, then turned toward the box.
Rowan sucked in a breath. Right. As cute as Thomas was, they weren’t here to admire him. They were here to help this poor rabbit go back to its normal life.
Thomas disappeared inside the box. Rowan held his breath, wondering if Thomas was going to be able to coax the rabbit out.
Just in case, he took a few more steps back, giving them even more space.
He’d interacted with the rabbit while it had been healing, but not as much as Thomas.
He was a wolf shifter, and he hadn’t wanted to spook the poor animal.
It was also clear that Thomas had gotten particularly attached to it, and Rowan hadn’t wanted to take that away from him.
Thomas finally reappeared, hopping out of the box. Rowan was desperate to coo at him, so he pressed his lips together and waited. He smiled when two white ears appeared at the edge of the box.
Thomas was doing it. He was convincing the rabbit to leave the box.
It didn’t take long at all after that. As soon as the wild rabbit was out of the box, it took off, bouncing away.
Rowan sucked in a breath as he watched. It felt incredibly good.
He wasn’t a vet, so maybe he couldn’t be credited with having helped the rabbit heal, but he’d fed it and had kept an eye on it, making sure it was okay.
In a way, he’d helped, too, and now, the rabbit was free.
There was another tug on Rowan’s shoelace. He looked down to see Thomas there, watching him. He’d expected Thomas to shift back, but instead, Thomas pulled at Rowan’s lace again.
Rowan had no idea what Thomas was trying to say with that, but he crouched, bringing them closer. He reached out but stopped before touching Thomas. He couldn’t be sure what Thomas wanted.
He offered Thomas his hand. If Thomas wanted something, he’d need to show it to Rowan.
Thomas hesitated, but only for a few seconds. When he bumped his nose into Rowan’s fingers, Rowan was pretty sure he knew what Thomas was asking for. He reached out slowly, gently scratching the top of Thomas’s head.
Thomas’s eyes slid halfway closed, and he pressed closer. Rowan moved slowly as he sat down on the ground, not wanting to spook Thomas. He might not be a wild animal, but he was skittish sometimes.
Not today, though. Thomas didn’t hesitate to press closer, allowing Rowan to pet him. He was incredibly soft, and from up close, he was even cuter. Rowan hadn’t seen it earlier, but there was a patch of white fur on Thomas’s chest.
He liked that Thomas was comfortable enough with him to allow this to happen.
He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, but he enjoyed every moment of it.
They had to get back to work eventually, though.
That meant that after a moment, Thomas stepped away, and Rowan had to let him go.
He took out his phone again, unlocking it to give Thomas privacy.
“That was nice,” he said, not looking up.
“It was,” Thomas confirmed. “It’s always lovely to set them free, but I think that this time, it mattered even more to me because it was a rabbit.”
“It reminded you of yourself.”
Thomas sat down next to Rowan. He was fully dressed, so Rowan put away his phone and turned to look at him. Thomas’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes were bright, and he’d never looked so beautiful.
“It did,” Thomas confirmed, pulling his knees up to hug them.
“For a long time, I felt trapped, which is weird because I lived on the street. I didn’t have a choice, though.
And after I moved to Mayport, everything was weird.
I finally had a home, but I had some healing to do.
The rabbit reminded me of myself because of that.
” He was looking in the distance where the rabbit had disappeared.
“The rabbit healed, and I think I am, too. I’m trying to move forward. ”
Rowan didn’t think it was his place to tell Thomas that he was proud of him, but he was. He was also touched that Thomas was sharing that with him. It was a massive step forward in their friendship.
He bumped their shoulders together. “You are moving forward. You can build yourself a life. You already are.”
Thomas was silent for a second. Rowan got startled when he suddenly moved, getting to his feet. The moment seemed to be over, which was just as well. Rowan didn’t want to get emotional.
“We should go,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, we have more work to do.”
He offered Rowan his hand, which Rowan took easily. He squeezed and allowed Thomas to pull him to his feet, and for a second, they stared at each other.
There were two different things that Rowan could do here. He could let go of Thomas’s hand, turn, and start walking toward the car.
That wasn’t what he wanted to do.
So instead, he used his hold on Thomas’s hand to gently pull him closer.
Thomas didn’t hesitate to come. He moved slowly but carefully, and he never stopped looking at Rowan, not even when Rowan wrapped his free arm around his waist. Rowan heard Thomas’s breath hitch when he leaned closer, but once again, Thomas didn’t hesitate.
He pressed close, leaving the last few inches for Rowan to cross.
That was fine with Rowan.
They were still at work, but they weren’t at work, so Rowan didn’t have a problem kissing Thomas.
He brushed their lips together, smiling when he felt Thomas’s entire body relax against him.
Thomas sighed deeply, tilting his head just so and giving Rowan easier access.
Rowan pressed their lips together harder.
He’d been pretty sure that Thomas wanted this, too, but he’d still been hesitant because there was a chance that Thomas would reject him. He hadn’t. Instead, he was kissing him back.
“At work, Rowan?” Thomas murmured.
Rowan laughed and put a little more distance between them, but he didn’t let go of Thomas. “I know. I just couldn’t resist. You were too cute.”
Thomas’s cheeks flushed. “The only people who call me cute are my family.”
“Well, from now on, I will, too.”
Thomas’s smile softened. “From now on?” he asked.
Rowan nodded. “This is serious for me. I want to take you out on a date, Thomas. I’m not just planning on kissing you at work.
I want to kiss you at the restaurant and at the movie theater.
I want to kiss you in your car and in mine.
I want to kiss you in front of your family and in front of your alpha. ”
Thomas’s eyes had gone a little wide, and Rowan was aware that he was rushing forward, but he wanted Thomas to know that he was in this seriously.
He knew that Thomas craved stability, and telling him what he wanted was the best way to give him that.
Maybe they wouldn’t get to do all that Rowan had just said, but hopefully, they would, and he wanted Thomas to be prepared.
“I’d like that,” Thomas said softly.
“Good.” Rowan pulled Thomas close again, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. “Because I’d really like that, too.”
They stood there for another moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, before finally turning back toward the car.
Rowan kept Thomas’s hand in his, and Thomas didn’t pull away.
As they walked, Rowan couldn’t help but think about the rabbit they’d just released.
It was healed and free, ready for a new beginning.
Maybe that’s what this was for both him and Thomas, too.
A new beginning.