Chapter 32

The situations he often found himself in were unbelievable and it made him want to scream as he stared at his phone in bafflement.

It was getting late, very late, and after many calls that went unanswered, his mother finally sent him a text confirming what he has been dreading this whole time.

She wasn't coming to get him.

This is how Ari found himself all alone in the city way past midnight, and he didn't know what exactly to do as he felt like crying.

Everything was starting to close, and the bars were getting filled with drunk people that were too loud and too unreliable to offer any real help. Besides, any form of public transport was either unavailable or didn't go near a secluded town filled with werewolves.

So now Ari found himself stranded in the city with no money or a way back.

If his mother had told him earlier that she wasn't coming he might have been able to figure something out, maybe even beg Rowan for a ride if things were dire, but she didn't care enough to do that. That made him suspect that she figured out the whole ruse about him wanting to find a place to move into. She was all too happy to drive him to the city, but maybe she found out that Eli was out of town and put the two together.

That was entirely possible, but something told him she simply didn't feel like driving back to get him.

Dread filled him as he sat down on one of the city's benches wondering how he would get thought this chilly night. Frankly he was terrified, and even though he was a werewolf, he wasn't much of a fighter. It was obvious that he was lost and scared, and it only made it all that more dangerous for him to be all alone in the city at this late hour.

There was a moment where he considered walking back until he reached the wilderness since there weren't any territories nearby and rogues aren't likely to be near cities, but it would be a very long walk and it was very cold. He doubted he'd be much better in the forest, so he stuck to his bench and tried to think of something else.

He couldn't help but feel his eyes become heavier as he tried to keep them open.

Ari had been waiting for hours already, and he was just so cold and tired. All he wanted was to go back home as he felt his body slowly sink into his seat wishing he was in his warm comfy bed as his eyes became droopy.

But then he sat up in his place when he felt a presence behind him and froze in his place mostly out of fear than anything else.

This cannot be happening.

"Looks like I found myself a lost puppy." The easygoing playful tone should put anyone at ease, but Ari felt nothing but anxiety as he slowly turned around to confirm his worst fears.

And there he was leaning on the bench with a grin on his face as he gave Ari's head a pat.

"What brings you here at this time?" He asked casually moving his hand away looking entertained at his find. All the scents around the city were disorienting, but if Ari had caught a whiff of Constantine earlier, he would have fled to the other side without a second thought.

It was too late for that now.

"I'm waiting for my ride." He told Constantine hoping that his answer would be enough for him to leave, but Constantine remained standing behind him giving him a raised eyebrow.

"And when is that ride coming?"

"…Soon."

Maybe it was the hesitation in Ari's voice that made him press, or maybe Constantine was just presistent, but Ari knew he couldn't evade answering honestly anymore.

"And how soon is that?"

Ari looked down at his hands in defeat cursing his mother for leaving him there. "Probably tomorrow."

The laugh that escaped Constantine made him sink further into his seat. He probably sounded so unsure and pathetic, but he really had no idea when his mother will be there.

This wasn't a situation he ever found himself in, and his mother might even leave him in the city for another day if he didn't find himself another way back home. He was so afraid to be still out at this hour, but the most dangerous thing to happen already happened, and he didn't even consider it as a possibility.

Seriously, what were the odds?

However, when a hand, a very warm hand, pulled him closer toward where Constantine was, Ari knew he was already doomed.

The heat that he got from that little touch was enough to make him more pliable to where it wanted him to go. He couldn't help but notice that Constantine's voice was closer behind him than before as he spoke.

"You know, I wouldn't mind if you crash at my place."

The immediate response that came into his mind was to reject it.

There was no way that Ari was going anywhere with Constantine. Especially not back to his place where they'd be all alone and he'd be at his mercy.

No matter what, it seemed like a very bad idea.

Incredibly so.

But Ari was cold, and he was out all alone not knowing if he'd able to secure a ride tomorrow or not. The thing he wanted to do the most was to stop shivering and escape the cold, and it didn't help that there was a small part of him that urged him to take Constantine up on the offer. The larger part kept telling him to stay put and not go anywhere, but that part quickly dwindled at the discomfort he was feeling. He wasn't just cold, but tired as well.

Before he resolved his internal conflict and came to a conscious decision, he found himself following the warmth the way a moth follows a light source. He was too distracted by his thoughts to realize he even did it.

At this point he knew what was likely to happen and thought that it'd be easier to just go along with it instead of spending the night outside.

He was already about to doze off when he found himself in front of an apartment door, and when it opened he walked inside in an exhausted daze grateful to be inside away from the cold. It was all his mind was thinking about that he didn't register the hand that caught him by the chin and pulled him in for a kiss.

Everything was too fast, or maybe he was just too sleepy, but Ari found himself to be taking a few steps back before his leg hit something and he fell on top of a soft surface. The broken kiss was replaced by another, more forceful, and he let out a whimper when he felt teeth biting the bottom of his lip.

"I have places to be," Constantine told him not very eager to break away just yet as he trailed warm hands under Ari's shirt exploring his torso. Ari felt overwhelmed as he also felt him on his neck making him drown in all kinds of warmth. "Make yourself at home."

It was quick, it was hungry, and just as fast as it happened, it was gone as Constantine pulled away and left Ari panting on his bed staring at the ceiling trying to gather himself.

Any feelings of disappointment were pushed down. There was no way he was going to accept that he felt this way, and instead he should be feeling relief that he's now alone.

When Ari finally sat up, Constantine was already long gone, but his scent filled the place gradually engulfing his senses. He didn't know if it thrilled him or scared him to be there, and he was almost sure he wasn't going to get much sleep as he looked around. That's when he realized a few things.

The whole place was bare with only a few necessities, and it screamed temporary.

This wasn't really a place anyone would call home. It didn't look very lived-in which made Ari feel conflicted if he should feel worried or grateful for that. The place honestly looked too good to be just temporary it was such a waste, and it didn't surprise him that someone like Constantine changed places frequently.

This apartment was probably used for less than two weeks.

Ari decided not to think too much about it as he shrugged off his jacket to make himself more comfortable, but then he paused for a moment and felt that he really was getting too exhausted to care about anything as he got rid of his pants as well.

It wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing, he just didn't think there was a point in caring anymore. Not after this.

He was already in a bed that was not his own having gotten a clear message that he was supposed to sleep in it, and he planned to do just that, and it wasn't like they haven't already slept together once. Why would it matter if it happened again?

No, he didn't see anything stopping him from getting comfortable as he got under the covers. He could regret his choices tomorrow when he has the energy to do so. For now he was done caring about anything.

And if he smelled a hint of blood somewhere, well, that's a problem for tomorrow, too.