I hear Jamie gasp as Andrew exits the room. I look towards the ground to see Damian holding Jamie over the mat, now drenched in blood and saline as Jessa attempts to clear blood from the young man’s nose and mouth, whimpering softly from fear and pain. A soft knock at the door alerts me to the presence of the warriors I requested, twin deltas, Darren and Derrick have arrived to watch over Andrew. I step outside the room as Jamie yelps and fights briefly when Damian lays him in his lap while Jessa puts pressure on his still bleeding nose. I speak to them briefly explaining the schedule, what his punishment is and what my expectations of them are before returning to Jamie. I freeze in Jamie’s doorway as I’m shocked by the young man’s appearance. Both eyes are nearly swollen shut with blood tinged tears slowly falling from his eyes. His nose and mouth are red and swollen, stained with the blood Jessa used silver nitrate to finally stop from flowing. Jessa is the first one to sense my
I ride in the back of the ambulance with Jamison strapped to the gurney. The young wolf is looking bad but seems, overall, to be handling it well. His eyes are swollen shut at this point so I’m making certain I talk to him and keep him calm. His lack of response ever since we got off the elevator is concerning me. To my relief Angela is waiting for us as Jessa pulls the ambulance up to the door. We get Jamie out and quickly into Cole’s room where Jessa immediately goes to the cabinet and starts getting an IV kit. By the time we get Jamie transferred to the other bed she’s come back over. I back off to give the ladies space to work as Angela cuts Jamie’s clothes off, leaving him clad only in his boxers as Jessa wraps a band around his arm. His continued lack of response to the uncomfortable band reinforces my concern for him. Jessa makes quick work of the IV, getting pain medication and saline started as Kathy enters the room. “The scanner is ready when you are.” “Excellent.” I h
I take a moment to stop and look at my sweet, sensitive Madilyn. I brush her hair out of her eyes as I smile gently at her. “I know. He’s very afraid, Lynnie. That’s actually why he ended up here. He got so afraid that he couldn’t breathe so we brought him here to help him. Like you, he’s afraid of shots. But that’s because he had a doctor who gave him too much medication. It made him very sick for quite a while. But that’s not going to happen here. He’s only getting what he needs. Do you want to help me make him less scared of the shots? Jamie told me that he really likes the little wolves. He cares for them when their parents can’t be there.” She looks fearfully at the tray of syringes before looking back at me and nodding. Angela has added to his list of medication and I’m torn about giving them all at once. It’s obvious by the number of supplements she’s added that he’s malnourished as the only time we give IV or IM injections of supplements is when they are dangerously low. I
“Cole, I’m not mad or upset with you. This wasn’t exactly planned. I tend to follow my instincts when it comes to situations like this. When Lynnie came looking for me after she’s been uneasy all day I felt that allowing the two of you to lay together would help both of you in different ways. Lynnie, do you want to lay with Alpha Cole and help him with these shots?” “Don’t force her alpha. I’ve already upset her enough.” “There’s no force here Cole.” “l’m sleepy.” Madilyn manages to talk through her yawn. “Can you do something for me Madilyn?” I’m shocked that he’s talking directly to her so soon. “Sure,” she says, yawning again. “Will you drink one of those protein drinks that’s in the fridge? You’re too young to not eat something.” “Okay. Can I sleep with you?” “It’s up to you and your dad.” “I want to help you. Don’t be afraid of me.” She climbs off my lap and finds the mini fridge in the room before coming back with a drink. “Can you help me?” She asks handing me the
I walk with Lilly back over to Cole’s bed. Both he and Madilyn appear to be sleeping. I guide Lilly to the stool I was sitting in before I started then stopped giving his medication to him. She sits down gently as I do the same on the bed. I run my hand through his hair a couple times before speaking to him. “Cole, I’m sorry for the delay. It looks like my helper has fallen asleep for the night. You met Luna Lilly this morning when we discovered the injuries to your chest and abdomen. She’s going to coach you through the slow count as I give you the steroid. Unfortunately, the feeder we have been using won’t do this smaller amount over an hour so I will give it by hand over about a minute.” I feel him nod his head in my hand as I place my hand in his. “Lilly, he can’t handle anything on his neck but gently rubbing the back of his head seems to be quite comforting. Put your hand where mine is.” I can feel that Lilly is a lot more timid in being hands on with Cole then I am. Unfortu
“Keep talking to me Cole. It will distract you from the shots. I’m going to take the first one slow but the rest will go fast, in a straight line down your arm. Just stay still for me.” I place his arm in a relaxed position so that I can easily access the muscle. “Tell me more about what's going on with this luna. You said you don’t like her. Why? Did she do something to you? Before she started accusing you of rape?” He sighs heavily but surprisingly decides to talk.“Alpha Andre is the next in line for the pack leader. Dad has spent a ton of money going to every pack in the lower forty-eight that has an unmated luna in an effort to find his fated mate. They succeeded in finding her but she was the only child of Alpha Oliver in California. Alpha Oliver was very selective about who would take over his pack and found out about my father’s reputation. As a result, he refused to simply accept Alpha Andre as his daughter’s mate. Instead he created a series of tasks to test his character
“No, Alpha. It didn’t go over well. Three days after I was taught a lesson by Andre, dad made a special point of publicly reinforcing that lesson in front of Luna Sasha and the higher ranks of the pack.”I can tell by his eyes, breathing and hands that he’s headed into a flashback. Since he’s skirting around the exact nature of what these lessons are I don’t want him to get too deep. I gently place my hands upon his fists as they curl around the blanket he’s sitting on. He startles me when he yelps, pulling his hands away and quickly assuming a defensive and protective position with them in front of his face. I gently place my hands on his again, calmly persuading him to lower his defenses. His eyes are filled with fear as I apologize for startling him before encouraging him to continue. “Per the contract with Alpha Robert the union ceremony happened three weeks later, exactly six months after she came into the pack. About a month later was the first time my dad grabbed a hold of me
“So what’s on your mind, boss? The only time we eat this late without your twins is if you have something big going on.” I nod my head as I jot down a few more things. My notes look more like lists right now but they’re enough to remember my train of thought when I go back to them later. “I’m getting involved with the prospects this time around.” I see Damian and Lucas slow down their eating as I come straight out with the main aspect of tonight’s meeting. “You’re always involved with the prospects, Demetri. You always have. More than any alpha that I know of that’s involved in this program.”“Yes, I do tend to be more involved than the average alpha as, considering the pure size of my pack, I’m extremely picky as to who I bring back let alone who I transfer in but that’s not what I’m talking about. This is beyond the meet and greet as they get off the bus. My insistence on being the main speaker for orientation and going through all the paperwork I have each of you do regarding t
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