Niel couldn't breathe. His head was spinning. The things he was hearing felt ridiculous, absurd, and untrue. Questions swarmed his mind. What Niel questioned the most was if reality was real. He started to question life itself. Niel's mind wandered through life's most difficult questions, questions he rather avoided. He never wanted to think of these questions. Niel liked to see things in black and white. Everything was easier that way.
But now. Now he couldn't see things as clearly as before. Everything went blurry and Niel entered a grey area which was a place he didn't want to be at.
"I-I don't understand... What does it mean to be one's mate?" Niel asked just above a whisper.
Atlas readjusted himself on the chair as he mirrored Niel's hushed voice. "Humans use the term soulmate as well, right?"
Niel nodded his head.
"Well, the way you use its term comes close to our definition as well."
"S-so you mean that we a-are... l-lovers?" Niel asked hesitantly.
Atlas couldn't help but let a grin settle on his lips and chuckled at the youngster's innocence. "Yes, you could say we are mostly lovers, but friends as well and companions. But as I said earlier, we form a unity, two halves to form one. We complete each other."
Niel didn't hear Atlas' last words. He stopped listening after 'lovers'.
Niel wasn't gay. He wasn't sinful. He went to Sunday school, to church every Sunday, prayed for every meal he ate, for every game he played. His mother taught him well. Niel couldn't disappoint his mother as well.
Camilla was the kindest person Niel knew. It was because of her Niel had a serious attitude towards Christianity. His classmates, teammates, and peers weren't as interested as their parents were. It was understandable as they were still young and some concepts religion talks about are too big, too complicated to grasp at such a young age.
Niel couldn't understand everything either, but he tried. He never fully knew why he thought he believed in God. Niel didn't even understand why he said he was a Christian. He felt such a disconnect with the religion when he was younger. He never wanted to go to church. But one big fight with his mother changed everything.
Camilla had sat her boy down and tried to explain to the then fourteen-year-old why Christianity was so important to her. How Christianity helped her. Niel saw how sincere his mother was and how broken she looked when Niel once confessed how he couldn't believe in God.
That heartbroken look from Camilla was a pivotal moment in Niel's life. The teenage boy tried from that time on to try harder. Maybe he did it out of guilt, but mostly to make his mother proud.
Niel never forgot the warming smile Camilla gave her son every time when he asked questions about the Bible after Sunday school. It was hard for Niel to follow her interpretations, however, he always kept on listening as a child did to a fairy tale.
But now, after so many years of trying to believe in God, it was overthrown in minutes by a dude claiming to be a dog.
"I think I am going to be sick," Niel announced before running to the joined bathroom, throwing the insides of his stomach into the toilet. His injury forgotten.
Atlas came to his rescue, crouching down, holding a wet towel in his hands for Niel to use. But the teenage boy didn't accept the help. "Don't touch me." He managed to say between his hurls.
Three words. Three words pained the werewolf more than any silver bullet would ever do.
Both men needed space. Atlas remained seated away from Niel who was trying to gain control back over his stomach. Once he was done, he sat next to the porcelain bowl. Again Atlas tried to offer the towel and to his surprise Niel took it from him, wiping his mouth.
A small sparkle of hope settled into the big guy, hoping Niel would accept him and his lifestyle. But it was quickly trembled on by the next words leaving the teenage boy's mouth. "We can't be lovers. I am not gay."
Atlas sighed. "Soulmates, mates, mating has nothing to do with sexuality Niel. Our Goddess pairs us with great precision, with great consideration. It doesn't matter what your gender is, our souls are meant to be together and souls don't have genders."
Niel didn't understand a word Atlas just had said. All he knew it was complete utter bullshit. They were both males and Atlas had just said they were lovers, which meant they, himself and Atlas, were gay.
Anxiety grew inside of him. What were people going to think of him? He would be shunned.
Shunned just like his big brother...
"No! I won't accept this." The teenage boy grabbed his hair, his breath quickened, hands started to tremble.
The big alpha werewolf wanted to hold his mate so badly. He could see the youngster had a troubled mind, a mind poisoned by his own kind. The unaccepting nature of the humankind was something the werewolves couldn't understand. Their selfish nature was looked down upon by his pack. Not only that, Atlas' pack had a deep hatred towards humans overall. But for different reasons than their selfishness.
Carefully Atlas stood up from his position and walked over to his mate. Niel was too preoccupied by his own anxiety and troubled mind to notice the big arms encircling his body. He was carried back to the bedroom where Atlas settled Niel next to him in his arms. Without the teenage boy knowing his mate's scent calmed him down back to sleep. Slowly he entered the realm of dreams where Niel wasn't taunted by his worries anymore.
The next morning Niel woke up alone, disorientated. It took him a second to figure out where he was and why he was there. The events of the night before came ever so slowly to him. Horror struck him again.
Then another realization hit him, school. He looked at the small clock hanging on the wall and saw he needed to get ready for school if he didn't want to be late or suspicious.
As Niel threw his legs over the bed he saw the crutches standing there, ready to be taken. He needed a minute to figure out how to use them but once he got the hang of it he got himself ready. Dressing himself with the clothes of the day before. Niel didn't like it, but there wasn't an alternative and he would refuse any sort of help from that guy Atlas.
Once he made it to the stairs Atlas was there. Again. "Let me help you with that."
"No, I am fine."
Atlas quirked up a brow. "You sure about that?"
"Yes I am," Niel stated confidently.
"Fine suit yourself."
Niel was just about two steps down when he was already swaying. Atlas could see how he had a hard time balancing on the stairs. He said to himself he would give Niel a minute before the big guy would interject.
And it was right about the minute was done, Niel almost fell down again. The teenage boy felt like that was the only thing he could do, fall down. Although, it wasn't his fault that he fell down constantly. There was a bigger force that made him vulnerable so he would lean more onto his mate and that force was the Moon Goddess herself.
Much to Niel's dismay Atlas helped him down to the kitchen where breakfast was served. He noticed there were two plates and was relieved to find out there weren't any other people he needed to entertain.
When Niel took a quick scan over the kitchen table he noticed one item in particular and was surprised to see it there standing between the milk, cereal, and bread. Hot sauce.
"Hot sauce?"
Atlas scratched his neck. "Yeah, I kinda like it."
"No, you love it." A young woman said while entering the kitchen. "Which is quite concerning."
Niel stood there perplexed by the sudden intrusion of this mystery girl.
Atlas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rain, I have told everybody to stay out of the kitchen. Why are you here?"
"Why are you acting so surprised? You keep this fresh meat to yourself, I wanted to see it for myself too you know. Even Levi got to see him. So why not me?" The black-haired girl, which Niel thought was around his age, leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, and let her eyes wonder over the human that was new to her, smirking while she did so.
"I told you why, now, please leave."
Rain snorted. "The alpha does know how to ask nicely."
"Rain," Atlas warned. Niel could see a faint change of eye color in the werewolf's eyes, which scared him. It reminded him of the night before.
"Yeah, yeah, leaving already. Just let me take an apple real quick." The young woman took an apple from the fridge and left the kitchen as quick as she had entered but not before she had winked at Niel and whispered, "See you around, hot stuff."
"I am sorry about that."
"Who is she?"
Atlas cleared his throat. "She is my cousin, but sometimes she is just a pain in my ass." The big guy tried to lighten the mood as he had noticed Niel didn't quite respond well by the sudden introduction of a new person from his pack. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Quietly the men ate their breakfast. Niel was kind of fascinated by the fact Atlas liked to put hot sauce on his toast but didn't speak of it any further.
When Niel took his last bite Atlas stood up. "All right, follow me."
Niel tilted his head in confusion.
"Why do you keep sitting there? Don't you need to go to school?"
"Yeah," The teenage boy hesitantly replied.
"Well then, let's go."
Niel's eyes widened. "No, you can't take me."
It was now Atlas who was confused. "Why?"
Niel sighed. He couldn't understand why this man wouldn't listen to him. It would raise questions for sure if Niel would be brought by this mysterious guy. The town wouldn't know about this community, or pack as Atlas liked to call it. Therefore it would be suspicious if Niel arrived at his school with Atlas.
Ten minutes later they were driving through the woods. Niel didn't have the energy to keep arguing and submitted to Atlas' words. The only thing he was relieved about was that Atlas kept his mouth shut and he didn't need to talk. He couldn't talk, even if he wanted to. His mind was going a hundred miles per hour. Events of last night kept on repeating in his head and Niel's worries grew with the minute. He had no idea how to fix it whatever you wanted to call his situation.
As they drove up the parking lot of the school Niel could already see the turning of heads. The jeep they were in wasn't the kind of vehicle you saw with teenagers. They were mostly driven by the hunters of this town and a couple of rich people, but that was it.
Just as Niel turned towards Atlas to ask, no beg, for him to stay in the car, he could already see he was too late. Atlas had exited the car and walked around the hood, to open his door. "Here you go," He said.
Niel wanted to disappear so badly right there in that moment. More and more people had turned their gazes towards them. Silently he exited the car to prevent making a scene and drawing even more attention to them.
"Shall I pick you up?"
Niel whipped his head around. "No, no. You can't come here anymore. Please leave."
Atlas didn't understand the teenager and his apprehension. "You don't have any means to go back. I will pick you up. See you then." Atlas put his hand on Niel's shoulder and gave him a small kiss on the crown of his head. The teenage boy was filled with terror the moment he felt Atlas' lips leave his head. He wanted to sink through the ground right there and then.
Atlas left shortly after, leaving Niel all alone in front of his school where all his peers were now looking at him with great curiosity.