Chris’ P.O.V.
Walking back into the lounge, I can see that Alx is looking at Shayla slightly confused. They must have had a chat while I was gone. But that’s a bit odd. Not Alx having a confused face; even I end up confused after talking to Shayla at times. What’s odd is the fact that she willingly talked to some she doesn’t really know. And that she talked to them long enough and freely enough to make them confused. Normally she would ever do that. Very odd.
“Ready?” Alx, standing from his chair seeming to have returned to himself.
“Yep, let’s go.” Walking to the door. Trying not to dwell on the oddness too much.
Before leaving Alx nods Shayla a goodbye. Odd thing for an alpha to do? Very odd? I hold the door open waiting for him. Once we’re both outside, I close the door and I’m about to lock it. Should I? maybe I should. I smile briefly before wiping it off my face. Opening the door again, I pop my head in.
“Shayla?” I said with my voice raised a little so she could hear me. Wither or not she decides to listen to me is another story. The sound of her body collapsing on the couch cushions tells me that she is indeed listening.
“Behave.” I said as someone would to their dog. Trying with all my might not to fall into a fit of laughter.
“Treat me like a dog and I’ll treat you like a dog!” She shouts. Ooo she angry. No, not really. She’s making it seem like she’s angrier than she really is. When she’s angry you won’t know until it’s too late.
Laugh as I lock the door and jog to Alx side.
“Why do you purposely anger her?” Alx, giving me a questioned/ angered look. Angered? How can that anger him? Why would it anger him?
“Because it’s fun.”
“How on earth could that be fun?”
“You have siblings, Alx?”
“No.”
“Did you have siblings?”
“No!”
“Chill, chill. Got to ask.”
“What is your point?”
“It’s what siblings do. At each other’s throats one minute. Beating the crap out of some stranger for merely referring to them in a foul way the next.” I state laughing to myself. Remembering all the good times we have had. And all the trouble that we got into. And that brings a smile to my face. I miss those times with the fam.
“You see, you don’t understand because you don’t have siblings. Just like mom never understood. Gosh did she get upset when we fought." I explain cringing at the thought. Now those times I didn't like.
“She would go on and on about how we were meant to love each other. Whereas dad would be like ‘me and my brothers would hit each other with shovels. Ha, ha, those where the days’.” Making my voice deeper when impersonating my father. Dam, would he kick my as if he saw me now.
Alx just shakes his head, taking a right turn instead of a left turn. Why’d he do that?
“Um… Alx?” catching up to him.
“Yes?”
“Aren’t we supposed to be going that way?” pointing in the other direction.
“No, I already did your duties for today.”
“Then where are we going?”
"My house."
“Why?” raising my eyebrows at him.
“I want to talk about your sister.”
I stop dead in my tracks.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Shayla getting coffee by herself by herself this morning?” scratching the back of my head.
He stops, turning to face me. I can only assume that that’s anger on his face. Still don’t know why he would be mad. “She did what?!”
Shit, he’s mad. Shit!
“Nothing!” jumping back like a scared child.
He growls at me. Shit. But why is he mad. I don’t understand.
“I’m sorry. Ok. I’m sorry. Do you really think that I like the fact that she did that either? If I was awake, I would have stopped her. But I wasn’t. I was out like a light last night. I didn’t even hear her leave. I didn’t notice that she had left at all. The only thing that woke me up was Shayla flicking my dam forehead.” Rubbing the spot she flicked. It still stung a little.
He just stands there looking at me. He seems to be thinking about something.
“She really doesn’t care that we are werewolves, does she?” I thought that I saw him smile for a sec. I must be going nuts. Oh, right, he’s walking again.
“No, she doesn’t. Never did. She doesn’t care who you are, where you come from, what you are or how you look. As long as you act decently, she’ll treat you as such.” Feeling a bit relieved.
“Did anything happen?” he asks concerned.
Why is he concerned? Why does he even care? Don’t get me wrong its grate and all that he cares. I just don’t understand why. He doesn’t even know her.
‘Stop asking why and just be grateful that he does.’
‘??? Ok.’
“She says nothing happened, other then them giving her dirty looks.” I reluctantly answer him.
He grits his teeth at that.
“Don’t worry, we’ve already hade our own argument about it this morning.”
Opening the door to his house he walks in. Following him, I close the door behind me. Alx is placing his key, wallet and phone down on a nearby countertop. Phone? Strange?
“Do you carry your phone with you all the time?”
“Yes. Just in case someone outside the pack needs to contact me.” Making his way to the kitchen.
“Didn’t know that.” Following him.
He just raises his eyebrows at me as if to say ‘really’, before putting the kettle on.
“Coffee?” he asks taking out a cup and about to take out another depending on my answer.
“Hell, why not.”
“You missed your sister, didn’t you?”
“Well, yea. Of course, I did. I miss my mom and dad too.”
“I’m sorry Chris.” The slightest look of regret placed on his face.
“Hey, I wouldn’t change any of the decisions that lead me here. I just wouldn’t. The bird has to leave the nest at some point. Sure, it was a little sooner than I had planned. But then again, I didn’t have much of a plan back then; still don’t. Yea, I should have visited them more. But you know things tend to get in the way. That. And I didn’t, and don’t, want to put them in danger.”
He just nods, stirring the coffee.
“What were you doing all those years ago? You never told me.” He asks handing me my coffee.
I’m frozen for a sec. Snapping out of it I take the coffee from his hands. I need it more now than I thought I would.
“A month prior, I had lost my best friend. Well, he was more of a brother than a friend. Let’s just say that I wasn’t taking it very well. And I wanted to do something stupid. So, I started walking. And I didn’t stop. I didn’t stop until Ray tackled me to the ground.” Nodding my head. Dam it, do I miss that guy.
“So, you came here because you lost a friend. Have you gained one?”
“Is that some sort of manly way of asking me if I consider you to be a friend?” raising an eyebrow at him. He just nods his head.
“Before I answer. Why do you care? It’s just. Alpha’s don’t normally give a shit.”
“To humans friendship seems to be very important. Werewolves don’t put that much importance in friends. And I’m quite well aware that if you didn’t think that I was a decent person you wouldn’t respect me at all.”
“That’s actually a good observation. But you’re not quite right. Yes, human do tend to put a lot into friendships. But not everyone needs them. Some people need lots of friends, others will survive without any. And sometimes it’s better not to have friends. Save yourself a lot of issues that way. You see, good friends are hard to come by; ask any human. There are more fake friends than anything else. People that will only befriend you to benefit themselves. It's hard to tell the difference at times. However, if you do find yourself lucky enough to come across a good friendship, they can last a lifetime.”
“You’re not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong. One of the many reasons I chose you to be my beta.” He states with a small smile on his face, moving the table.
“No. You chose me to be your beta because I kicked your warriors’ asses.” I state, huffing a laugh as I follow him. And he laughs a little at that too.
“Your answer?”
“Yes, I consider you a friend. Don’t make me regret that.”
“Threatening an Alpha?” He asks smiling. So, he can see the hummer in it. But the flash of colour crossing his eyes tells me that his wolf doesn’t.
“Hay, attack me and I’ll let my sister out on you.” I worn him taking a sip of my coffee.
He’s laughing again.
“You laugh now, but you won’t be laughing later.”
“You can’t be serious.” His face returning to normal.
Looking at him dead in the eyes I shack my head. Letting him know that this is by no means a joke.
“You have not seen the things that I’ve seen.” Finding myself remembering all the times I’ve seen Shayla in action. I cringe a little at the thought.
“OK. Enough with the side-tracking. It’s been fun and all. But you said that you wanted to talk about Shayla. So…” finishing my coffee.
“Yes, how does she know?” Alx, allowing himself to become more focused and serious.
“Oh, that. Um. Remember that time where I was gone for two weeks and you thought that I had gone awol?”
He nods his head.
“Well, I went to go see the fam. Tell them that I was ok. Tell them that I had been given a well-paying job. And that they wouldn’t see me for a while.”  
“You should have told me.”
“Yea, well… I wasn’t sure that you would say yes. And it wasn’t something that I would except a no for. Rather ask for forgives then purposely defy orders.”
He stops to think for a moment before nodding.
“Continue.”
“I couldn’t control shifting that well that back then. So, I went to a local park late at night, found a secluded spot and shifted. So, I wouldn’t shift during the day when I was with them. And I did this every night.”
“Smart I guess.”
“Shayla knew that something was up the moment I got there. One night she followed me. Grate at hiding that one. And well… she saw it all happen.” Taking a deep breath in nodding my head; remembering it all.
“Everything?” he asks shocked. But it doesn’t show on his face all that much.
“Everything.”
“How’d she react?”
“How’d she react? Oh, yea. She was yelling, screaming and shouting.”
His eyes widen. Oh, this is going to be good.
“Then she tackled me to the ground. And punched me a few times.”
“I’m sorry, what?” his face is priceless. It makes me laugh.
“Yea. She tackled me to the ground screaming and shouting ‘You lied. You asshole. You lied.’. Punched me a few times. Throwing me my change of clothes, muttering I don’t know what to herself, she left, allowing me to shift back. When I was done, I went looking for her; not that I had to go far. And she was back yelling some more. ‘How could you not tell me? What were you thinking? That I wouldn’t like you. Or that I would hate you. Or some crap. Hay?’ Then well… I told her the truth. I told her that I was told not to tell anyone. And I kind’ a told her that I thought that she would kill me. Well, because I did. Did that really piss her off. Shit, I thought she was shouting before; the two can not be compared. ‘Why the hell would I do that?!!’ Continuing to say every swear word she knew, repetitively. That was the first time I ever heard her swear. Then she slapped the back of my head. I could tell that she wanted to punch me, well, beat me to a pulp. But she was kind enough just to slap the back of my head.”
We just sit here in silence. He’s so confused; trying to make sense of everything that I just told him.
“She attacked you in your wolf form?”
“Yep. She had balls for a 12-year-old girl.”