The evening continued in light, easy banter between old friends and new. Nathan and Griffin teased each other incessantly while Dray and Felix bantered playfully. As the evening wound down, face once again a bright red, Nathan handed over a book to Felix.
"This will help you understand bonds a little better, but… um… You might want to wait to read it until you're alone," Nathan said quietly.
Felix took the book with both hands, studying the blank cover, the only decoration the gold foil title. "Thank you. I'll study it well."
Without another word, Nathan spun on his heel and rushed up the stairs to his and Griffin's room.
Felix watched the fleeing wolf in blank disbelief before turning to the other two that were also watching him. "What just happened?" He asked.
Griffin snorted. "Nothing you need to worry about, Lex. Dray," he nodded at the vampire before following his mate up the stairs.
Dray looped his arm around Felix's shoulders, guiding him towards the door. "C'mon. You can stay at my place."
Walking across the street, Felix was finally able to look at all the houses around them. Some of them were in obvious states of disrepair while others looked almost brand new.
Felix didn't even notice that he'd stopped when Dray turned towards him. "Everything okay?" Dray asked.
"Yeah," Felix trailed uncertainly. "Just surprised at the state of the homes."
Dray nodded as he also examined the neighborhood. "Yeah, Nate's been doing a good job at fixing them up."
Felix whipped his head around to look at his friend, his eyes wide. "What?!"
Dray gave him an odd look. "Yeah. After training, Nate's been working on restoring the houses. Most of them just needed cleaning and repainting but some needed actual repair. Griffin and I help with that but otherwise Nate prefers to do everything himself."
Felix turned back towards the houses that were already done. "Why do it himself?" He muttered mostly to himself.
Dray patted his shoulder in understanding. "This is his home. His pack. Griffin refuses to overstep and so do I. If he wants or needs help, he knows that he just has to ask."
"What about the graveyard? Did Nathan do that by himself too?"
Dray shook his head. "No. The dragons that tried to help did it. But all the flowers were Nate. He walks through every morning, replacing dead flowers with fresh ones and offering prayers."
Felix's chest felt like it was swelling at the emotions that he couldn't put into words.