Michael P.O.V

I ring the doorbell to Charlie's home and wait. It takes a few moments, but he opens the door. Just seeing him now makes me anxious.

"Hey," he says softly as a small smile creeps onto his face.

"Hi," I respond quickly.

Charlie glances behind him for a moment. "Do you wanna come in for some coffee?"

I clear my throat softly. "Sure."

Charlie invites me in before going off to make the coffee. I've been in his home countless times, but now I feel unwelcome. Things would be much easier if I could tell Charlie the truth.

A few minutes later, Charlie returns with two cups of coffee. Both cups are a soft caramel color, the way we both happen to like it. He hands me one of the cups.

"Do you want to drink out on the porch?" he asks softly, nodding toward the door.

"Alright."

We walk outside and sit on opposite sides of the fire pit. I take a long swallow of my coffee. It warms my throat from the unforgiving cold.

"So," Charlie says softly while holding his mug on his lap, "what happened between us?"

I set my mug down on one of the stones surrounding the fire pit. "I  panicked when you were sent to the hospital. I know that's a shitty reason for the way I acted,-"

"Yeah, it is," Charlie interrupts.

"I just didn't want to make the situation worse. I didn't want to risk hurting you again," I accidentally blurt out.

"You didn't cause my injuries. The only thing you did to hurt me was leave me when I needed you the most." Charlie's tone is even harsher than the cold.

"I know that and I'm sorry. I wish I hadn't done that," I pause. "I want to be with you as much as possible and I wish I could tell you why I can't do that," my voice slowly trails off.

"You can tell me. If you're dumping me I think I at least deserve an actual reason," Charlie's voice is soft but has pain buried deep within.

"I'm not dumping you. I just can't tell you why I can't always be around. It's a," I pause for a moment, "family thing."

Charlie raises an eyebrow at me. "A family thing? Like, 'you're not out to your family' thing or a 'your family is homophobic' thing?"

"It's sort of both. It's very complicated." The conversation doesn't go any further than that.

Silence hangs in the air for a long time. We both fill the void with drinking our coffee. Things aren't quite where they should be, but it's a start.

"I'm sorry," I finally break the silence.

Charlie takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. I don't expect him to forgive me right away if he forgives me at all. It will take time.

"I just want to know the truth, Michael. I want to know the stuff you can't tell me."

"I wish I could tell you those things, believe me, I do, but I can't. It would put you in danger."

I've already told Charlie more than I should. In the eyes of the pack, he's a liability. If he learns of our true nature it would put everyone at risk.

Charlie rolls his eyes and looks off into the distance. "Nothing ever happens in this town," he mutters under his breath.

His expression suddenly softens and a small smile crawls onto his face. I look in the direction of his gaze and suddenly realize why he's smiling. He sees a wolf in the distance, thinking it's me, the one he's grown familiar with.

"We should go inside," I suggest quickly.

"Wolves wander the surrounding woods all the time. It's not a big deal," Charlie replies nonchalantly.

The wolf remains at the edge of the property, stalking us. I can smell James from here. I should have known he would be watching my activities as well as Charlie's. 

"Charlie, I know you think you know what you're talking about right now, but I'm telling you to get inside, now," I warn him sternly.

His agitated expression clearly shows his annoyance with me during this situation. James suddenly takes several strides forward. Charlie has a sudden moment of panic as I shove him inside and slam the door.

"Lock the door!" I snap while turning back just in time to avoid getting bitten by my brother.

I glance back at the door for a second while James and I circle each other. Charlie is watching from the door, the color drained from his cheeks.

"Michael, what the hell are you doing?" he yells through the glass door.

"Don't worry about me!"

James follows me off the back porch and into the yard. He snarls and licks his dagger-like teeth. He means business.

"You want him? You'll have to go through me."

Giving James a challenge is the best way to protect Charlie. I'm distracting him in order to keep Charlie safe. I have to keep him occupied with me long enough to draw him off the property. He'll tell our father that I've been talking with Charlie again, but then I'll inform him of the risk James took that could expose the entire pack.

James takes a few cheap shots; trying to bite my ankles or shins. I kick him in the nose when he tries. The most that happens is his tooth catches my boot.

My anger levels are rising and I'm having to remind myself to calm down while trying to focus on the task at hand. I don't want to shift and show Charlie what I truly am. However, with the sudden challenge from James, succeeding that task is nearly impossible.

One bite from James is all it takes to trigger my shift; his teeth digging into my flesh through the sleeve of my jacket. We are now on an equal playing field.

James came here looking for a fight. He claims to want what's best for the pack, but that's just his way of politicking his way up. His petty jealousy has caused more damage to the safety of our pack than he could ever imagine. The battle is on.