Written In Silver

Rain.

Soren Halloran dreaded the rainy days in Pinegrove. Ever since his mother’s death, the scent of rain had carried the grief and memories of that day. His mother, Jane, had died in a car crash on a rainy night. Soren remembered the alpha leader knocking at their door to deliver the news of his mother’s passing. His father had fallen to his knees in agony at the loss of his mate while Soren tried to keep himself together as everything around him fell apart.

It was on rainy days like these that Soren stayed curled up in bed, reliving the worst day of his life, but today was different. He had promised his father, Logan, that he would deliver an important document to Arthur, their pack leader.

Soren had fallen asleep on his sofa that afternoon with a history book in his hands. The sound of thunder in the distance stirred him awake. He looked at the time on his phone and realized he was running late.

Arthur’s house was only a five-minute walk away from his, but the first droplets of rain started pouring halfway there and Soren had no choice but to run.

“Maybe I should’ve just taken the car.”

Soren panted as he ran. By the time he reached the front door, his clothes were drenched.

He rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened a few moments later. Soren looked up to see Gabriel, Arthur’s son.

Gabriel stepped aside and let him into the house. Arthur called Soren to come in from his office around the corner of the living room. Soren avoided looking at Gabriel as he stepped through the door, but he could feel Gabriel’s eyes on the back of his head.

“I’ll call Logan, thanks for bringing these,” Arthur said as he took the folder from Soren’s hands.

“No problem, sir.”

“You should stay and dry off for a bit. You might get sick.”

“That’s alright. I appreciate it though.” Soren shrugged and stepped out of the office.

“You be safe going back. Take an umbrella with you!” Arthur shouted from his office.

“Damn him,” Soren murmured.

He had delivered the document to Arthur and now Gabriel stood as tall as the doorframe, blocking his only way out.

“You should stay,” Gabriel said, his low voice making Soren shiver.

“Move,” Soren said firmly, tilting his head back to look him in the eye.

Gabriel smirked, satisfaction clear in his eyes now that Soren had finally spoken to him.

“It’s pouring. You can’t leave yet.”

“That doesn’t concern you.”

Gabriel leaned down until they were eye to eye, seemingly amused by Soren’s death glare. Soren stood firm and clenched his fists at his sides.

“You’ll get sick if you go out in this rain.” Gabriel’s voice softened. “I’m not letting you take that risk, my little omega.”

Soren bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

“Don’t call me that.” Soren’s lip curled. “I belong to no one.”

Gabriel rubbed his chin, a teasing look in his eyes.

Soren had always thought of Gabriel as a creep who stared at him from a distance but never said a word. They had a bad history, and Soren had hoped Gabriel would have changed as they got older, but now Gabriel stood before him once again, proving him wrong.

“You still haven’t changed.”

An emotion flashed through Gabriel’s eyes for a fraction of a second.

“We both haven’t,” he said in a neutral tone. Gabriel stepped aside. “Take an umbrella with you.”

Soren huffed as he pushed past Gabriel and grabbed an umbrella on his way out.

Gabriel watched him disappear into the rain.

Soren held the umbrella tightly as he walked in the rain. Water splashed against his shoes, soaking the bottoms of his pants. He kicked a rock in front of him out of frustration. He hated that Gabriel still knew how to get under his skin and made him feel like he was back in middle school all over again.

By the time Soren made it back to his house, his father’s truck was already in the driveway. He stopped for a moment and forced the emotion from his face so his father wouldn’t see it.

“Dad?” Soren called out from the front door.

“In the kitchen!” Logan replied. “I’m making dinner.”

“Okay, Dad. Arthur said he’ll call you. I’m gonna head upstairs to take a shower.”

“Thanks, kiddo. I’ll call you down when dinner’s ready.”

Soren walked up the stairs and into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror after undressing and swallowed the bitterness of grief lodged in his throat.

He stood under the hot running water for longer than he meant to, and his fingers had wrinkled by the time he reached for the handle to turn it off. He got dressed quickly, then looked at himself in the mirror one last time before heading to his room.

Soren climbed into bed and let the sound of rain against the glass drown out his thoughts.

The ache in his heart reminded him that he was still here.

And that this was real.

There was a soft knock at his door.

Once.

Twice.

When Soren didn’t answer, the door opened slightly.

“Son?” Logan said quietly.

Soren looked up from where he had curled in on himself, but didn’t answer.

Logan peeked through the doorway, a crease between his brows, his shoulders slumped. When Soren still did not reply, he opened the door all the way and stepped inside. Logan sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Soren close to him.

Soren let himself melt into his dad’s arms and let out a quiet sob.

“I miss her so much, Dad.”

“I know,” Logan whispered. He gently kissed the top of Soren’s head.

Logan blinked away the tears in his eyes and cleared his throat.

He had to be strong for his son.

He could fall apart in silence later.

Soren sobbed quietly until sleep eventually took him, but the rain continued tapping against the glass.

The rain had cleared the next morning. Soren woke up with an uneasiness nagging at him. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and noticed a message from Ben, his best friend, asking him to meet up at Allen’s Diner for breakfast.

Soren dropped his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, then sent a quick reply to Ben.

Ben and Soren had known each other since pre-school, and they had been each other’s support through the worst times of their lives. He was the only Alpha Soren trusted who didn’t have ulterior motives towards him.

Soren found himself sitting in a diner booth across from Ben a little while later. He sipped on his hot cocoa while waiting for their food to arrive.

“Bro, I think James is giving you that look again,” Ben said, rolling his eyes.

“As per usual,” Soren replied. “These alphas are so insistent.”

James Allen was the twenty-one-year-old owner of the diner, with a reputation as a playboy in the pack.

“Did he ask you out again?” Ben’s brows drew together.

“No, thank the Moon Goddess for that. He still looks at me like he wants to, though.”

“Huh.”

“What is it?”

“Fuck, he’s coming this way. I think he heard us.”

Ben groaned, then took a long sip of his coffee as James made his way to their table.

“How? He’s all the way over there,” Soren snorted, pointing in James’ direction.

“Dude, he can.”

Ben’s expression changed to amusement, and discreetly pointed at James.

“Now we have two problems,” Ben chuckled.

“Bro, what—oh fuck.”

Soren turned his head and saw Gabriel standing between James and their table. The two of them exchanged a few heated words, neither looking particularly happy. Ben, however, looked delighted.

“Did you hear that?” Ben laughed.

“Hear what?”

“Bro, I knew it!”

“Knew what?”

Ben was staring at Soren wide-eyed; his grin grew even wider.

“Soren, he said it! Gabriel still—” Ben was interrupted by James’s sudden arrival at their booth.

“Mind if I sit?” James’s baritone voice grated on Soren’s nerves.

“I’d rather you didn’t, James.”

“Cute, still so feisty,” James said with an amused grin. “I’ll be quick. I just wanted to ask if you’re participating in the Hunt.”

“No offense, James,” Soren said through gritted teeth. “I really don’t want to talk about that right now.”

“Oh, come on.” James shrugged. “You never know… your mate could be someone in the pack, maybe even me.”

“I think I would know if someone from our pack was my mate, and it’s definitely not you.”

“Is that so?”

James grabbed Soren’s chin with his fingertips. Soren jerked himself back further into the booth.

“Don’t touch me!” Soren yelled, turning a few heads around them.

Soren bared his teeth at James and growled. Ben squared his shoulders in his seat, ready to stop James if he tried again.

“I’m only joking,” James teased. “I love watching you get flustered.”

“You’re not funny,” Ben said, glaring at him.

“Just wanted you to know I’m an option too.” James winked at Soren, then left the way he’d come from.

“We can leave if you want,” Ben said, studying Soren’s face.

“It’s fine,” Soren mumbled.

Soren wiped his chin with a napkin, then balled it up.

“Fucking gross,” he muttered.

Ben looked in Gabriel’s direction. Gabriel muttered something to him, Ben gave him a thumbs up.

“Next time you invite me here when I’m supposed to be studying for the entrance exams, I’m ignoring you,” Soren said, flipping Ben off.

“That’s fair.” Ben laughed.

“Here’s your order!” Their waitress arrived and set the plates of food in front of them. They thanked her and she left soon after.

Soren drowned his pancakes in syrup. Whatever had happened between James and Gabriel wasn’t his problem. Ben took a bite out of his burger with a smile on his face as he glanced back and forth between Gabriel and Soren.