The Seasons

Chapter 51

Winter had opened the door, and when he saw Aether standing there, a bright smile on his face, dressed in loose white pants and a cropped pastel purple sweater, his black hair flowing loosely. He scowled at the mer-man as he readjusted his shirt to make himself look more put together.

“No,” he deadpanned.

He saw Aether’s smile falter briefly as his dark, almost black eyes looked him up and down. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I don’t want you to. Stay here,” he mumbled, hoping his words were pronounced enough for him to hear; he didn’t want to slur.

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk. I want to clear my head alone. You stay here.”

“But it is dark; something could happen.”

Winter felt his cheeks flush, and he wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol in his system or the anger that rose when he realised that Aether was saying he couldn’t look after himself. He could look after himself even without an alpha by his side.

Winter walked past Aether, and he turned to stare at the beautiful man once more before scowling and walking down the faded yellow hallway and to the elevator. He turned around one final time to see the door close. The elevator pinged open, and Winter left the building. Despite it still being summer, the night had begun to get colder, and he shivered as the cold air brushed his arms, and he regretted not wearing a jacket.

But he paid it no mind as he walked down the streets. The sky was a dark blue, but the streetlights were on, creating sharp illumination spots on the ground. He walked further and further away from the busier side of town as he tried to clear his mind while drunk, which he admitted was a mistake on his part.

He hated how his friends often thought he couldn’t help just because he was almost thirty and didn’t have a mate, making him a liability. They gave him meaningless tasks, such as research or helping Blue, while Micah ran the show, and he had just had a child. Or Maddox could go with Neo, Alexander, Wing and Cairo to the ditch where Slaine had found Wing. But when he was asked to come too, they sent him to Blue like he was too much to handle.

He snorted when he realised he liked being drunk so he didn’t feel alone. He was still just as alone, but he didn’t care. He was alone, too busy swimming in the fuzzy feeling the moonshine brought. The Moon Goddesses’ words often resounded in his mind, and he tried to push them down as he stared at the scene in front of him that had caused him to stop in his tracks.

One of the bright white lamps shone directly on a tree. The sharp contrast of highlights and shadows on the giant oak tree, the beams of light finding their way through the green leaves and branches. The dark sky, with some of the lighter blue tones in the distance, the faint stars twinkling in the background, and through the swaying branches, noticed an abandoned building. Something about the scenery seemed so unreal, so ethereal it reminded him of Aether.

No, it wasn’t the colour palette; while this image before him had more earthy tones of browns, greens and shades of blue in the background, Aether liked his colours brighter and sometimes washed out—the feeling, he realised. The feeling he got from the scene before him reminded him of Aether.

Something unreal and ethereal. Something to be looked at from a distance but to never touch or hold. Something fragile that could break within any second. Something like glass, or maybe even a marble.

Winter knew he looked odd; despite staring at the tree at a loss for words, he could hear some passersby talking about how strange he looked or that he probably was drunk. He was drunk and knew he looked odd, but he didn’t care. He wanted to watch the tree.

Yet, movement caught his eye in the distance near the abandoned building. He squinted his eyes, and he saw a few people looking around before they disappeared into the building. He tensed for a second when he thought he had locked eyes with a man with the most distinct green eyes he had ever seen.

He bit his lip and walked to the building on the grassy field. Something about seeing people look around and then disappear into an abandoned building didn’t sit right with him, and he would follow to see what was happening.

He could be just as valuable as everyone else. And he would prove it.

~*~