Out of place
1189 Words
(Christian)
True to his words, Jaxon showed up the following day with Greyson and Mason. It was what they showed up with that shocked me.
I wasn't even expecting him to keep his word about getting a bigger bed. But here he is, trying to haul the thing with him like his life depended on it.
Greyson gently moved me out of the way so that he could look around my room. It wasn't big, but it was a decent size.
My bed was made only for one person, so when they were all sleeping next to me on it, it had been uncomfortable.
"What the heck?" I asked. As I watched Mason walked over to my bed and threw the mattress off it like it contained some sort of a disease.
"Hate that thing. Let's haul this out of here first and set up the bigger one next." Greyson laughed at Mason being dramatic, shaking his head as he pulled a tool kit from his bag.
"Relax, Mason. It's just a mattress. No need to act like it insulted your ancestors." Greyson said.
"Maybe it did," Mason shot back, smirking as he leaned the mattress against the wall.
"This thing's been on my mind since we slept on it. I'm putting it out of its misery." Jaxon, who had been focused on maneuvering the new bed frame through the narrow doorway, finally decided to talk.
"Enough bickering. Christian, where do you want this thing? Against the same wall?" I blinked at him, still trying to process what was happening in my room.
"Uh... yeah, I guess. But seriously, a bigger bed? This wasn't necessary." I asked, still a bit confused.
"It was completely necessary, you can’t expect us to keep squishing together like sardines. We’re not exactly small guys." Greyson replied, starting to dismantle the old frame.
"Speak for yourself, I’m neat and efficient," Mason muttered, flexing his arms.
"Neat, my ass," Jaxon grumbled, setting the new frame pieces down with a thud.
"This upgrade is as much for us as it is for you, Christian." I crossed my arms, trying to look unimpressed even though a part of me was touched. They’d gone out of their way for this. For me.
"You don't know that I won't be here for long right? I have a couple of colleges that I'm already checking out. If I get accepted in one, I'm gone." That seems to snap them out of their high-energy vibe.
The room fell quiet for a moment, the sound of the tools and shifting furniture pausing as they exchanged glances.
Greyson was the first to recover, straightening up from where he was loosening a bolt.
"We know, Christian," He said softly, his usual playful tone replaced with something more serious.
"Yeah," Mason added, leaning against the discarded mattress.
"We just... we figured, while you're still here, we’d make things as comfortable as possible. For all of us when we sleep with you that is." Jaxon, standing near the doorway with the new bed frame in his hands, gave me a long look.
"We’re not doing this because we think you’re staying forever. We’re doing it because you’re here now, and that matters to us." I opened my mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come.
They were making it hard to keep up my usual defenses, the ones that told me not to get too attached.
Mason clapped his hands together, breaking the tension.
"Alright, enough with the mushy stuff. Christian, help us haul this thing in before Jaxon breaks something trying to prove he’s Hercules." Jaxon shot him a glare, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile.
"Hercules? More like Thor. Get it right." Greyson rolled his eyes and waved me over.
"C’mon, Christian. You’re part of this circus, whether you like it or not." I sighed, shaking my head but unable to fight the small smile creeping onto my face.
"Fine. But if this bed doesn’t fit in here, you’re all banned from my room forever." Mason grinned.
"Deal. But don’t get too excited—we’ll still find a way to annoy you, room or no room." And just like that, the moment passed, the air filling once again with laughter and the sound of tools clicking together.
I didn't tell anyone that leaving this pack was like an escape for me. I wasn't sure when I was coming back, because I couldn't be here with them knowing that I wouldn't be able to make them happy.
I know that what I was thinking was wrong, that I needed to just accept things as it is and move on.
But I couldn't, not when I haven't gotten my wolf as yet.
I felt incomplete like a part of me was missing, and being here with them only reminded me of that void. They had their wolves, their strength, their confidence—it was something I couldn’t relate to.
Every laugh we shared, every teasing remark, every gesture of care from them only highlighted the difference. They didn’t seem to mind, but I did.
I felt like a burden. Like I didn’t belong.
Jaxon’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Christian, hold this steady, will you?” He nodded toward one of the frame pieces he was assembling, his tone casual, but his eyes held that familiar concern.
I stepped forward, gripping the piece tighter than necessary, hoping the action would pull me back.
“I got it,” I muttered, trying to get rid of the heaviness in my chest.
Greyson glanced at me, his expression unreadable. He always seemed to notice when my thoughts wandered too far, but he never pried.
Mason, on the other hand, was oblivious, cracking a joke about how even with a new bed, I’d probably end up sleeping sideways and stealing all the covers.
I forced a chuckle, letting their banter fill the space, but deep down, I couldn’t stop the gnawing feeling.
I didn’t tell them that I envied how comfortable they were in their skins. How easy it seemed for them to be together, to belong.
And me? I was just the pack member without a wolf despite who my parents were.
Would they still want me around if I never got it? If I never became the person they deserved to have at their side?
I swallowed hard, pushing the thoughts away as Greyson patted my shoulder.
“You good?” He asked softly, his voice barely loud enough for the others to hear. I nodded quickly.
“Yeah, just tired. Let’s finish this thing before Mason tries to declare war on the mattress again.” Greyson gave me a small smile, but the concern didn’t leave his eyes.
“Alright. But you’d better test it out when we’re done. No excuses.” He replied.
“Deal,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.
Because the truth was, I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel comfortable enough to belong—not in this bed, not in this room, and not in this pack.
- Writer
