Stellan wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he came back to speak to Blue and Eivind. The alpha was tetchy, something Stellan wasn't all that surprised about, but the human didn't say much after his initial outburst. He couldn't stop himself from allowing his eyes to exam Blue's scars again and again, silently lamenting what his brothers had done.<i>Garlan did </i>that<i> to you?</i>he thought, gaze glued to the ragged teeth marks etched into Blue's ribs. Stellan would never have guessed the unimpressive wolf had it in him to shred up anyone like that. Garlan had always had a temper, but those wounds were evidence that Garlan had meant to kill. What could have infuriated the wolf so to make him snap like that? Despite getting information from Lofgren, Colten, and Jamsen, that was a little detail Stellan had somehow missed. Colten did mention something about Alden never allowing Garlan to have sex with Blue...<br/><br/>His wandering eyes made their way up Blue's body to his shoulder. Without having to hesitate, Stellan knew that scar was from Lofgren. It was a holding scar, and a violent one at that. Stellan never roughed up his partners like that, but Blue most certainly would have been struggling and Lofgren would have done whatever was necessary to keep him still. He could feel Eivind's glare on his face, hot and irate.<i>Stop staring at his boy, idiot. </i>The large wolf lowered his head, a weak grin on his face. "I understand your concern for Sig. But I think whether I stay away from him should be up to him, not you or me. What if someone told you to stay away from your boy? Would you do it?"<br/><br/>"My name is Blue," the human snapped, thick eyebrows narrowed. He didn't understand why wolves refused to say his name, or why they insisted on relegating him to diminutive titles such as "human" or "boy."<br/><br/>"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." Things weren't going as well as Stellan had hoped. He growled, mostly to himself out of mild frustration. He didn't expect Blue or Eivind to instantly welcome him back into their home like they were old friends, but he hadn't intended on pissing either of them off more with silly mistakes.<br/><br/>"To be honest, I thought he'd be here with you since I left the pack later than intended. I told him I'd come back for him," Stellan grunted, frowning. Perhaps Sig hadn't been as forgiving with Eivind's outburst as Stellan had been, still wandering through the forest on his own.<br/><br/>"If you're concerned about him, I'll go find him. I said I would. Besides, that leg is still in no shape for running," he added, pointing to Eivind's healing limb. "I'll bring him back here. If he wants to come back, that is. If not, I'll wait with him until he does. I don't have anywhere better to be." Stellan smiled, stripping himself of his jeans, shirt, jacket, and boots right there at the bottom of Eivind's porch.<br/><br/>Blue stared, eyebrows raised, as Stellan disrobed, leaning lightly against his boyfriend.<i>Damn</i>,<i>I can see why Sig likes you</i>, he thought, despite the irritation that still prickled at the back of his mind. He twisted his head toward Eivind's ear, pressing himself close so he could whisper.<br/><br/>"I think he was telling the truth. About not telling them about me," he said beneath his breath, lips tickling at Eivind's ear lobe. "It'd be too easy to take me again with you injured, if someone wanted to." It didn't make any sense for Stellan to come back on his own and invent some apology and story, and he doubted anyone in Lofgren's pack was clever enough to come up with such a rouse to gain his trust. Except maybe Alden, but his cleverness hadn't saved him from Eivind.<br/><br/>"I'll find him. You guys can keep my bike as collateral," Stellan called out, slapping the leather seat before shifting and bounding off, his dark coat shining in the sun with cool silvery undertones. Blue watched the monstrous beast scamper off, almost playfully. When the wolf had disappeared around the side of the cabin, Blue eased his lover back into his chair, encouraging him to stretch out his leg.<br/><br/>"I still need to wrap this," Blue said softly, gathering up the gauze once more. He hadn't truly expected Stellan to come back, not after the way Eivind had treated him. Unsure of what to think, Blue vacillated between acceptance and unease, fearing that if Stellan hadn't been careful someone might come looking for him.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">x - x - x - x - x<br/>​</div>Stellan returned to the edge of the river, his nose low to the ground. He could still smell hints of his and Sig's lovemaking in the grass, the little wolf's sweet scent seemed to cling to everything.<i>He marked this on purpose</i>, Stellan realized, following the path Sig had left for him. The small wolf's pheromones were easy to track; Stellan found the scent powerful and arousing, engaging his instincts and beckoning him to discover where Sig had hidden himself. Sig had left a trail not unlike a female wolf might during estrus, signaling that she was ready to mate. Perhaps Sig's message wasn't all that different.<br/><br/>Being gone for days had allowed Sig to wander out much farther than Stellan could have anticipated, but the large wolf refused to stop his search. He followed his new lover's trail at a sprint, running through the rest of the day and long into the night. Hunger and thirst were mild nuisances as he traveled; by the time he discovered the cave entrance, hidden by a collection of thick vines and foliage, the wolf's stomach was grumbling with vigor.<br/><br/><i>He's here. Or was very recently. I smell him all over</i>. Stellan slipped his muscled lupine form past the vines, eyes darting around to examine the cave. Ignorant to what he would find inside, he refrained from shifting, though he could not smell any other living creatures inside save for Sig. The big wolf whined, pawing at the ground. If Sig were in here, he should have been able to smell Stellan coming. The wolf's dark amber eyes glanced up at the walls of the cave. His giant head tilted in curiosity at a series of wolf paintings, looking like something a caveman might do. A parcel lay in the middle of the cave, unobtrusive and unassuming. Stellan stepped forward, burying his muzzle into the package and sniffing eagerly.