"So you think we are heading for war?

🌘

Mani doesn't know exactly what Mr Kelly is referring to, but knew that at that moment the man was not only aware of the wolfkind, but also may be against them, Mani himself could be in danger.

The silence is long enough for Mr Kelly to realise he may have said too much. "I just want peace. That's all I want." He concludes. He looks at his watch as if time was suddenly pressing. "Maybe I cannot help you after all. My expertise is…well… more selective. Sorry for wasting your time." He then leaves his own office.

Mani watches him go. He looks at his bag still sitting on the desk. He takes it, scooping it on one arm and leaves the office.

***

The abrupt sound of the tray hitting the cafeteria table was enough to get Mani's attention, though he already knew it was the alpha by the smell. "What do you want, Teddy?" Mani utters, refusing to look up at the male, who was standing opposite him.

"There's a full moon tomorrow." He says no more, just waiting for the omega to look up at him.

Mani cannot stand the gaze boring holes into his head and finally looks up. "I know…and…"

Teddy now hurriedly sits down, leaning in a little so only Mani can hear his words. "We will have to go into the woods. You will need protection."

"From you." Mani mumbles as he takes his fork to his mouth. He can hear the disgruntled huff leave Teddy's throat.

"I mean from all the vampires. No doubt they will be out there too, ready to attack us." Teddy looks at Mani once again.

"One vampire Teddy. You saw just one… and you can't even remember what he or she looks like." Mani points out.

"I can smell them." Teddy says, his nose scrunching up a little as he reminisces on the stench the bloodkind had about them.

"Well…thanks for your concern, but I think I'll manage one night in the woods."

Teddy slams the flat of his hand on the table, making Mani flinch. "Look, I'm trying to say sorry here." He says through gritted teeth.

"Sorry?" Mani says, raising an eyebrow. "Would that be for the bruises, or for the cruel words?"

Teddy takes a deep breath as he tries to calm himself. He looks down at his plate of food. "Look, you don't make this easy for me. You mess with my head."

"I didn't make you want me Teddy, just as I wanted to make my own choices…"

"Hey why do you assume I'm ok with this fate thing too huh?" Teddy interrupts. "I've never been attracted to another man before. I've always liked women. I wanted a beautiful omega wife, we could have beautiful cubs, but here I am craving a guy who doesn't want me. We will never have cubs because fate has a hand in the future."

"What do you mean?" Mani questions, he wasn't too sure if he wanted to hear the answer or not.

"If we are not to have cubs, it's probably because we will have a bigger war to fight. Children are a liability. They can be used as a weapon against us, weakening our defences."

"So you think we are heading for war?" Mani wonders. This got serious pretty quickly.

"Possibly, I don't know, but I need you by my side Mani. I can't do this alone." Teddy looks at Mani with hope. Maybe Teddy was right. Maybe this was bigger than the both of them.

He looks at Teddy in thought. Should he say? "Mr Kelly, the professor…" Mani begins.

"What about him?" Teddy asks.

"He knows about us, well you. He knows you are wolfkind. He saw you in the woods. I don't think he likes wolves."

"Did he say anything else?" Teddy speaks low, he could feel his instincts kicking in.

"He said they are a threat to us, but included me in the 'us' part. I don't think he knows I am a wolf."

"Do you think he is bloodkind?" Teddy asks warily.

"I don't know what vampires smell like, but he didn't smell of anything." Mani concludes.

"You'd know." Teddy saye, taking a drink before asking the next question. "Why were you talking about us wolves anyway?"

Mani looks up at Teddy a little guiltily. "I wanted to ask about the masking spray, y'know to mask my scent… from you. Don't worry, I don't think he can help me. We will just have to endure being attracted to each other." To Mani's surprise Teddy is not looking angry, but is instead grinning at him. "What are you smiling at?"

"Jojo was in my dorm earlier…"

"Don't tell me…" Mani begins.

Teddy raises his hands in defence. "Relax, he was just picking up his things. We had a civil conversation actually. He explained why he was moving to another room and I got it. I was acting like an idiot."

"Am I hearing this right? You're admitting that you're an idiot." Mani laughs.

"He admitted that you like me." Teddy smirks.

Mani sighs heavily. He knew Jojo was a total stirrer. "What exactly did he say?"

"He told me that he wasn't a threat. He's not going to stand in the way of what we could be." Teddy dares to place a hand over Mani's. It makes both their skins tingle at the touch. "I have a new deal for you."

Mani cannot take his eyes from their connected hands. Did Teddy do that on purpose, create the pulse in his neck to race? "What do you propose?" Mani asks.

"I won't touch you. I won't do anything physical until you want me to. I will get to know you like you want and you can get to know me."

"Is there a catch?" Mani wonders.

"Don't mask your scent because it hurts. Just be by my side so we can face our enemies together, if you still don't want me after that, we can walk away."

Mani thinks upon the words. Teddy was giving him what he wanted. A chance to have a normal relationship, even if it was born from fate. He looks at the alpha with hope in his eyes and smiles. "Ok. You got a deal."