Connor's POV

"Shit" I mutter as I slide into my office chair, Flicker wasn't the fiery independent, strong willed she-wolf that she was when we first met her. She had actually become subservient, something that both Jake and I had wanted but now completely detested.

Our Mother was right we couldn't rule with a Luna, who bowed down to anyone, who didn't fight for what she believed in.

"We need to show Flicker, that we actually do love and adore her" I say to Jake who wears the same expression to me.

Flicker's scared and anxious attitude this morning will forever be branded into my memory,

I couldn't even give her an innocent kiss without frightening her. We had really messed everything up.

"I agree, but we need to try and keep our wolves under control" Jake says seriously. "Flicker probably saw your actions this morning as an assault rather than a romantic gesture"

"Romantic gesture" I scoff, trying to contain the smirk spreading across my face as I imagine what I wanted to do with her.

"I know what you're thinking about brother and yes that's what I wanted too" he laughs, before his face suddenly turns serious again, "But that's half the problem, we're taking things too quickly, we need to take things slowly so Flicker doesn't think of it as an assault."

He rubs his head, sighing, "Flicker was too scared this morning to do anything but sit their frozen with fear"

"I agree" I say whispering, "It will be difficult trying to keep our wolves under control, but for Flicker's sake, we need to show her that it's okay to speak up for herself"

"That she isn't inferior to us, but our equal" Jake whispers

We pause for a moment waiting for our wolves to react stating that they were superior, however Zach is eerily quiet.

Jake frowns in confusion, before an expression of understanding crosses his face.

"Our wolves have realised the consequences of treating our mate inferiorly"

"They can't hear Emma" I say

This was our second chance I realised, to win our mate back, make her fall in love with us all over again. Jake smiles at me, the first time in a long while since we saw our beautiful mate.

Slumping back into the chair, I gaze at all the paperwork but am unable to prevent the smile slipping from my face.

This is going to work I chant to myself over and over again. Jake takes a seat next to me, he immediately gets to work, reviewing a piece of paper outlining an agreement from one of the neighbouring packs Alpha.

Glancing at the large amounts of paperwork that we've left unattended for the past few months, I dutifully take the documents from the top of the pile and begin reviewing it, this one was addressed to Jake so I pass it off to him and go to grab another one when we receive an alarming message from our beta, Flicker was in hospital unconscious and in critical condition.

Jake's POV

We rush to the pack doctor, nearly shifting into our wolves but we didn't want to alarm the pack; everyone was already overly concerned with the state Flicker was in.

How could this have happened, she was perfectly fine when we left her this morning. She still looked sickly but it wasn't enough for her to be in critical condition at the pack hospital.

I begin to worry as my thoughts drift to possible scenarios, had someone attacked her, no they couldn't have their were pack members guarding the house, or had she attempted to run again.

My anger begins to rise at the last possibility but I knew deep down that she wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that, not after what happened last time.

We reach the room and I slam the door open but my anger dissipates completely when my gaze falls on Flicker.

Connor moves to stand next to me, shock and fear is written all over his face. What the hell happened I think as I slowly approach.

She was deathly pale, even more so than before. The dark rings under her eyes were more evident and her scars and wounds had somehow become worse contrasting sharply with her pale skin.

Standing beside her, I carefully slip my hand under her cold fingers, sparks immediately spread along my hand and up my arm, reassuring me that she was still alive. I breathe a sigh of relief, she was going to be okay.

I hear the door open and I glance up to see the pack doctor, I'm expecting his usual serene calm face but instead his face is twisted in an expression full of anger, hate and frustration, directed towards us.

I step out of his way as he walks briskly towards Flicker and begins checking on her. I glance at my brother and he wears the same confused and slightly angry expression. How dare he disrespect us, I didn't care if he was the pack doctor, we were the Alpha's of the pack.

He turns around facing us, my brother and I stand up fully just towering over him, threatening him to disrespect us again. I notice the fear in his eyes but his face still remain angry and hateful.

"How dare you leave our Luna alone, I told you that she needed to be close to you and what happens" He pauses in his yelling and I'm sure the whole pack had heard him, he drops his voice to a whisper,

"You leave her to go do pack business" I am too stunned to respond, I should be furious that he is blatantly disrespecting us but I realise he's right. Guilt rips through me, this was all my fault.

The doctor take a step forward,

"Flicker is hanging on by a thread. She is in critical position at the moment, for the next week you'll need to stay close to her or else she could"

He doesn't say the word, but he doesn't need to, the message was clear.

In that moment I realised that I had failed as a mate, for the rest of eternity I would try to make it up to her, for the next week and longer I would never leave her side.

I nod in understanding, and I hear the Doctor's breath of relief. This could've gone a lot differently if our wolves weren't silent.

"She was trying to tell us this morning" Connor muttered to me

"Tell us what"

"That we needed to stay with her, so she could get better"

It suddenly all made sense, this morning Flicker wasn't asking to go explore the pack, she had been asking for us to stay with her.

I suddenly felt even worse, I had complete dismissed her.

The pack Doctor leaves the room and I kneel next to Flicker, grabbing her hand,

"I promise Flicker, I promise that I'll try to be a better mate, please just give me chance" I whisper, but she doesn't wake up and I don't expect her too.

Releasing her hand, I take a seat next to Connor, knowing that'll will sit here for the rest of eternity, if it takes her that long to wake. I will never leave her again