He sighs heavily as he pauses for a drink. “I locked the door behind me not even thinking about alpha having a master key to every room in the pack house and outlying buildings. It was a gruesome sight to see. As I forced myself to walk through the small training room all I could see was my friend’s lifeless body lying in the middle of the floor. He was nude and bleeding badly from all the cuts left by the belt buckle. His body was facing away from me but I could still make out the growing puddle that surrounded his head. It looked like a scene from a horror movie, only it’s his reality. I circled his body so I could see his face and as I expected he was unconscious, bleeding bad from his nose and mouth. I reached out to him, touched his hair as I called his name. It took several minutes but I did get him to yelp himself awake. It made me nervous that the noise would cause alpha to come back but it wasn’t the same as the fear I have now in helping him.” “What changed to make you af
He nods his head as he open mouth breathes. “I’m sorry alpha. I didn’t expect this to be so hard.” There’s a whine behind his shaking voice as he continues to pace. “It’s the difficulties you have telling your story that shows the true terror you’ve suffered at his hands.” I stand and make my way over to the mini fridge again, removing a bottle of water from inside. I wait patiently for his pacing to calm, holding the bottle out towards him when he stops.“Would you be interested in the same comfort that I offered Cole? While it doesn’t seem that your ptsd is as severe it would still be helpful for you if I provide a grounding point.” “A ground, sir?” He states confused. “Cole hadn’t heard of it either but it’s a way of staying connected to the present instead of getting lost in the past. I would like to hold you.” I chuckle slightly when I see his bemused expression. “It’s not as babyfied as you think. Even adults need to be held when things get tough.” “No, I think I’ll man
(Content Warning)(Jamison’s POV)“They just left you hanging there?” I nod my head as I stand and start pacing again. I know that I appear calm on the outside but I’m really starting to struggle on the inside. “The one warrior that chained me actually apologized quietly to me. Said he hoped alpha showed me mercy compared to what he gave his own son. The one that had punched me so he could get his hands on me held me so the other could chain me. He made a comment about Cole being a ped and deserving of what he’s getting. I held my tongue even though I wanted to say something. I don’t know how long it took but alpha made his presence known when he got there. He started into a calm rant about how I keep helping his son. I made the mistake of trying to argue with him the way I just argued with you. He made the remark that if I felt that strongly that I was right and he was wrong then that changes what he was planning to do. The change in his voice was evil. It sent shivers down my spin
He lifts his head from my hand as I maneuver myself from on top to beside him. He opens his eyes, slowly looking around. While he may be lucid after several minutes of being psychotic the effects of it are still there. While I’m hoping I can avoid sedating the young man so far his body language is screaming how much he still needs it. He pushes himself up off the floor but being in the middle of my office spooks him again. “No! Get out of my head!” He screams as he tries to duck into a ball.“No, Jamie. Don’t curl up son, don’t fight me.” My tone is firm but neutral as I attempt to pull him into me. He fights me briefly before giving into what I know he needs. Suddenly he is completely wrapped around me as if he forgot that he is a twenty-one year old man. We are now sitting chest to chest, his legs wrapped around my waist and his arms around my chest clinging to the fabric of my shirt. I recover quickly from his unexpected response wrapping my own arms around him as he silently sob
(Content Warning)(Jamison’s POV)“Cole. Cole.” I tap my friend’s cheeks trying to get him to wake up. Alpha Redmen has started getting very creative with the locations he takes Cole and there’s no way to get him back to his room without him being awake. “Cole!” I try again and finally get a groan in response. “You’re going to be the life of me.” I speak with a nervous chuckle in my voice. “I told you to leave me.” He speaks with a heavy wheeze. I lay down facing his battered body as I run my fingers through his hair. “You know I won’t leave until you do.” He sighs hard in response.“Where am I supposed to go?” He whispers after a long pause.“Anywhere would be better than here. I know my parents would follow. We could make our own pack. You’d be a lot better than Alpha Redmen.” “I may be his son but I have no money, no land, and going rogue would put everyone that comes with me in danger.” I wake suddenly from the dream. I’m groggy and can tell that I’m not going to be able
“Are you going to take alpha’s offer?” I rub her back lightly, allowing her to sit up and look at me when I feel her push against my shoulder. “I don’t expect you to understand” I speak softly as I look away from her eyes, ashamed of my own sacrifice for Cole. “I can’t accept sanctuary until he does.” “Alpha said something along those lines when I first came to his office.” She confesses as she plays with my hair. “I’m sorry.” I lay my head on her shoulder as I think about what going home is going to mean for me now that I’ve found her. “Did alpha call you down?” I ask after several minutes of silence. “No. I felt your pain and wanted to know if you were right. That he was punishing you for breaking command.” “No, he just tricked me into thinking he was going to. He regrets what he did. Said he would have done things differently if he knew I was being tortured.” “Tortured?” Micayla pushes me up to look into my eyes, I confirm with a light nod. “I don’t see it that way but he do
(Demetri’s POV)I nod thoughtfully at his statement.“That does seem to explain some of the things I’ve seen.”“What is it that it explains?” Jamie is starting to relax enough to start talking a bit more freely.“How you showed fear but you didn’t fight back. You accepted it without question when I requested that you stay back after the first meeting and despite your confusion and fear, which kept you from being able to console your mate, you helped gather her belongings. You didn’t stop packing her room until she had a complete meltdown which forced me to stop both of you long enough to comfort her before explaining what was happening. While you may have argued against being punished and even ran from me when I had you convinced that I was implementing physical punishment, you still showed up to my requested meeting and you did it on time. You have been taught not to run from your punishment which makes me wonder if Cole has been taught the same.” He nods as he begins to speak agai
“Have you ever figured out a pattern?” He looks up from his mate’s shoulder.“A pattern?” He sounds shocked that one might exist. “Most humans and wolves alike tend to operate in a predictable manner. Have you ever figured out when he’s going to let you slide versus when he’s going to give you something worse?”“The weeks that I’ve gone without punishment, no. I’ve never figured out the difference between those and the weeks that I get the standard thirty but it has only been when Cole has needed help every day during a week that delta is given specific instructions on his role in punishment.” He manages to explain calmly. “How many times has that happened?” “For the most part I’m punished twice a month. The most I’ve gone without getting punished is three months and the most I’ve been punished is ten weeks in a row. The delta deviation has only happened twice.”“Thank you.” I nod, genuinely appreciate his disclosure of how often these beatings are happening.“I understand that y
The very breath I breathe is knocked right out of me as he has never commanded me to do anything. Even his father has made a strangled growl in response to his statement. “Even though you are an alpha, I am commanding you to come back.” His tone has softened but the seriousness in his voice has not. “I will return or I will die trying.” I somehow manage to whisper. Luna steps up next as Alpha Damian steps back wrapping her arm around me as Madilyn grabs my neck. I can feel Madilyn trying to wrap herself around me. Luna loosens her hold as I timidly take the young pup into my arms. “No! Don’t leave!” She starts off yelling. “You don’t deserve your daddy. He hurts you when you’re a good wolf. Please stay. My daddy can be your daddy. I promise I’ll share him.” She barely makes it through the last two sentences before breaking down crying. I hold her tightly as I look at luna’s face, her cheeks wet with tears. “I’m sorry.” Is all I can manage to whisper as she takes the little one
(Cole’s POV)It’s a shock to say the least to see Lucas come out to the porch let alone to see what appears to be a forced apology from him. I have a hard time believing what he has to say. I have never heard of Wolfington Academy and the only hint he gave was that he would go away. Not something I would ever want to happen to a newly shifted teen but I certainly wouldn’t want him to continue being a danger to the preshifts either. It’s been easy enough the last few months for me to avoid interacting with him even though I have sincerely missed the twins. These last two months, while they have been terribly hard and mentally painful for me, have also been the best for showing me the support I will have when I’m not myself. Alpha and luna both have gone out of their way to help me through my own decision to return. Every night luna and the twins would come to my room after dinner with a plate of food wrapped in cling wrap and several drinks. They would put the food and drinks in the
He finally lifts his head and stands from the stairs, walking slowly towards me. Suddenly his pace picks up and has taken on a more aggressive look. I start moving to intercept him as he’s headed straight towards Cole. ‘Stop me. Please dad, I don’t want to hurt him.’ His call for help is real, he genuinely fears hurting Cole. I step quickly into his path, silently wrapping my arms around him. One around his waist, the other under his arm allowing me to curl around and place my hand on the back of his neck. He freezes in place and stifles a yelp as I hold him close. I’m struggling to put together what these new symptoms mean. “Lay your head. I need you to relax so I can submit your wolf without causing you pain.” I whisper in his ear as I guide his head down. He whimpers quietly as I massage his neck looking for the best pressure point. “I need you to talk, Luke. To anyone. I don’t care if you confide in your brother, your mother, any of the doctors or nurses in the wing, tell
I wrap my hands around his, sliding my fingers gently between his hands and hair. He surprises me with how easily he gives up his stimming. “Stand up son.” I keep my voice gentle and reassuring, waiting for him to respond. He fights me briefly as he stands, trying hard to get out of my hold. “No, Cole. Accept the contact.” I persist as I refuse to let him run from me. Surprisingly, it seems he wants to run towards the van picking him up, not back into the house. “Stay with me a moment son. Allow me to calm you.” He relents to my desire, slowly giving me the calm I know he needs to make a rational decision. “I know you heard the conversation. I need to know your thoughts.” “Dad sent him.” He whispers, his voice fearful. “I know. Your dad requested the change but the council honored it so the plan remains the same. You have pack members at White Ridge which gives your father no excuses for picking you up.” He nods against my shoulder before slowly pushing himself away.
“Come.” I state as I gently pull him up and into me. He whimpers and fights briefly before taking hold of me tightly. We simply stand in silence, waiting for the trauma of leaving to subside. I wait for him to push away first, following his lead for when he’s ready to start out towards the front door. “Would you like some Ativan? It won’t take effect until you're well on your way north so it won’t alter your ability to decide to stay or go but it will make the trip easier to handle.” “Please.” Is all he manages to whisper against my neck before he pushes himself up to stand on his own. “Stay.” I whisper just as quietly as I step away from him into the attached bathroom, opening the cabinet and pulling out the low dose Ativan that I keep there. I return in front of him cupping his chin in my hands, lifting his head so he’s looking straight instead of the floor. He whimpers subtly as he pulls away but I don’t allow him to leave me. “Easy there, son.” I whisper as I use my thumbs
His eyes are wide with my explanation but he slowly removes his shirt as I’ve requested. “Put it on my desk.” I keep my calm helping him along when he appears lost. “Please.” He pleads helplessly. “It’s okay.” I try to comfort him. “No sir. It’s not okay. I’m not okay.” “I know. That’s why I’m doing this. Don’t step away.”I instruct as I close the distance between us. He accepts my embrace as I pull him into me again. There’s one test that I’ve never done with him as I’ve respected his sensitivity towards his back being touched but today I’m using that sensitivity to break him down in the hopes that he’ll be better able to handle leaving. It could also lead him into a complete breakdown requiring me to place him on a mental health hold but I’m taking my chances. “What are you going to do to me?” He asks as he struggles to lay his head on my shoulder.“I’m going to touch your back.” I explain as I guide his head down and pet the back of his head. “Please, sir. You don’t know h
It’s as we sit in silence that his frantic sobs finally quiet and are slowly replaced by the steady rhythm of his slightly wheezed snore. He hasn’t slept or ate right in the last two months and his condition shows it easily as he’s nearly back to the same weight he was when he got here despite our efforts to counteract his depression by upping his medication. I close my eyes and lay my cheek against his head as I listen to everything around me. I reassigned everyone that normally helps in the pack house to other tasks, closed the med wing with the exception of emergencies and canceled all the meetings that were scheduled today. I knew today would be tough but nothing could have prepared me for the brutal reality of this young man choosing to leave. The pack house is eerily quiet as if the house has been swallowed whole in preparation for the sadness, the sheer trauma of his departure. I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting with him when the shuffle of my mate’s feet starts down t
Friday July 20th; 8am(Cole’s POV) It’s been a month since my meeting with alpha discussing my options for getting out of the hell I call home. I was allowed to take the hard splint off for good two weeks ago but that hasn’t kept me out of the med wing. I’ve been in a steady slide into severe depression and I’ve had to seek the comfort of both alpha and Dr. Pierce when my feelings have become too extreme for me to handle alone. My mood swings have been so wild that I’ve gotten extremely nasty with Jessa. I so much as begged alpha to send her on a trip with Alpha Damian until today because I knew how badly I was hurting her. I didn’t mean to hurt her and I know I’m going to pay dearly for my lack of control when I return. Sleep is scarce at best and eating is nearly impossible. I can’t begin to describe how many times I have screamed myself awake, fighting alpha’s hold around me just to break down and cry in his arms. The anticipation of returning after six months of relative peace
“This is also the reason why we don’t want you to wait for the committee to remove you. The information that your father has access to without much digging on the process says if you make it to the final step in the investigation ten members of the council will move into your pack and you will be simultaneously moved out. The move is permanent no matter if you go to trial or not as the council members that move in are not simply investigating you.” I stop my gentle rub just under the hem of Jessa’s shirt and cock my head slightly as this was where Dr. Pierce had essentially stopped when breaking down the process.“So what are they doing when the committee starts their nine month investigation?” “What they’ve done for ten years now is remove the wolf being investigated to a temporary sanctuary pack within an hour’s drive of the regional committee’s headquarters. The pack has constant contact with the committee and as soon as any feral behaviors are seen the wolf is placed in the pack