The Male Luna (MxM) (Complete)

Chapter 31

Brayden

While Travis continues to converse with his mate, I lower myself to the ground and grab my discarded t-shirt.

With the thin fabric in hand, I give a harsh pull at the collar and tear it right down the center until I'm left with two halves. I then repeat this process several times. The task is slow going and tedious, but I soon hear approaching footsteps, and without looking up I already know who it is.

"So, is she just as excited about your evening after The Run as you are?" I ask Travis, with a smirk.

There's a pause, and the silence to my question has me looking up in concern. Travis stands next to me with a thoughtful look, as he stares at me in contemplation. The intensity of his stare is a little off-putting, not because there seems to be aggression in his gaze, but more of a solemnness as he looks down at me.

"Did she not understand?" I ask, a little confused.

I knew that Ellen was going to be mad, but the signs were there that she was going to be more than happy to take her anger out tonight.

I stop what I'm doing as his lack of response starts to become unnerving.

"No, she understood," he mumbles, "I mean she's pissed as hell, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

His response only leaves me more perplexed as I thought that this was what he wanted to happen. Although his words are supposed to be reassuring, there's an edge to his tone that I can't quite place.

"So was Damien a dick?" I ask, still trying to understand his sudden change in behavior.

Travis silently shakes his head.

"No, he apparently just told Ellen that as soon as our run is over that he wants us off his land," he says with a shoulder shrug, "Ellen and I then talked some more about this pack..." he responds, before silently trailing off.

I scrunch my forehead in confusion still not understanding his attitude. Damien's response isn't necessarily one that is surprising and from what I know Travis was having to leave right away anyway, so whatever is causing his mood must be due to the later part of his conversation with his mate.

Not wanting to push him any farther I don't ask any more questions and silently continue my task. He gives me one last thoughtful look, before focussing on what's in my hands.

"What are you doing now?" he asks, quickly changing the subject, adverting his eyes from me and looking at my lap.

By now I had successfully ripped my shirt into several long strips of fabric and for the last few minutes, I had begun filling the center of each strip with dirt before trying the corners around the dirt to create makeshift weighted sacks.

"I'm winning," I answer him with a bright smile. Travis merely shakes his head at my answer, and for a brief moment, I think I see something akin to regret flash across his face. However, he doesn't make another comment about my actions as I gather up my items and walk over to where Damien is.

As I approach the brooding man, I try and reign in all of my negative emotions.

I keep my face neutral as I pause a step from the dividing line.

With a tired look, the Alpha lifts his eyes to me and I can see that my previous show with Travis has exhausted him. The man looks like he was just in a long fight, and came out on the losing end. There's a hopelessness to his features and the determination that I had seen just a while ago has dimmed slightly.

The wolf was breaking.

I let out a sigh and let my own exhaustion at the situation seep through my expression.