He never liked crying in front of anyone. He never liked feeling this weak, even if it was in the heavenly arms of his mate. But as soon as he was given control again, all of the emotions that had been held back came to the surface. All of the pain, physical and verbal. All the memories, good and bad. All of them came through his mind and he let all of it out. His mind was too weak to hold them all back anymore.

It felt so strange being away from his pack. He could no longer feel the connection that he had shared with anyone. It was a rope that had been cut in half. It felt like he was falling down an endless hole of nothingness. He hated it. He had never felt lonelier in his life. His friends and family, the ones he had loved and protected for all his life, none of them were there. He couldn't even connect to Geo or his sister.

"Shiro," Jett's soft voice filled the room again. "Please say something."

He had been holding him the whole time, trying to ask him questions. He hadn't been able to answer any of them, too consumed by his own turmoil to even hear what they were. All he could do was try his best to hold onto the warmth that had wrapped around him.

"I feel empty," the words finally came out of his mouth. "I no longer have a purpose. I don't have a pack to lead anymore."

"You do, though," Jett said. "They are your pack; your family. You'll lead them again, Shiro."

"Where's Geo?" he thought he remembered seeing a glimpse of him right when he woke up. He couldn't remember too much from then, though. But he could swear that he could smell his scent. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," Jett said. "He's waiting outside. Along with Miki and Jin."

"Miki and Jin?" he asked. "What are they doing here?" What had happened while he was escaping? It seemed like he had missed out on so much. He didn't even know how many days had passed since he had escaped from his father's torture.

"I'll let them explain," Jett kissed his head. Every touch gave him comfort in a way that was unknown to him. It was all alien, but good nonetheless. "Do you want to see them?"

He couldn't have them see him like this. If they were all here that meant that they had left their pack as well. They all were probably lost, and in need of some kind of direction. But he was weak. He wanted to see the ones he grew up with. They were the ones who he went through everything with. They were his family.

He nodded his answer, letting Jett carefully move him on the bed so that he was on his back again. The pain had lessened quite a lot from when he had first gotten wounded. But he still felt like he couldn't move around that much. He was stiff with wrappings and casts all over him. But being in Jett's arms was still the most comfortable thing in the world to him.

"Here," Jett got up and went towards one of the counters. It hurt the more he walked away. He didn't want him to even be on the other side of the room at the moment. He'd rather be in his arms again.

He heard the sound of a faucet turning on, then Jett turned back to him. He held a rag as he came up to him, wiping his face off and cleaning it as soon as he got close enough.

"There," he smiled, his hands cupping his face. "Now you look better."

"Thanks," Shiro said. He never had someone do something like that. He was sure that if it were any other situation, he'd be blushing.

"You'll still always be my Prince," Jett said. "No matter what."

He wished he could laugh at that moment. His ribs were in too much pain for him to be able to do anything other than breath. They had burned all while he was crying, he merely didn't care. But that was also why he didn't talk too loudly.

"What do you mean I can't go and see him?!" A dramatic voice came from the other side of the door.

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows. He recognized that voice.

"Do you realize how long I've known him? Please, he's not going to hurt me!"

"It's hard not to be jealous of her when she makes you smile like that," Jett raised an eyebrow at him. "You know that?"

"What is she doing here?" Shiro asked him.

"I'll leave her to answer that question," Jett said. He walked over and opened the door. As soon as he did, Shiro's childhood friends came racing up to him.

"Shiro!" Tammy was the first to get to him. She hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting him.

"Tammy," he smiled at her, slowly moving his arms to be around her. "What are you doing here?"

"Like we would ever let you do anything alone," Tammy stood back up, looking as bossy as ever. Shiro missed her. "My parents were being assholes anyway."

"Wait," he held onto her hand with the little strength that he had. When she came a little closer to him, he smelt it. There was something different about her scent. "You're marked."

"Oh, yeah," she moved her free hand to cover a spot on her neck. "That happened."

He looked at Miki who was seeming rather shy in the background. All he could do was smile at those green eyes. She had finally gotten the one thing she had wanted all her life. Then he looked at Geo, who was on the other side of his bed. They both made eye contact before he smiled a little and nodded.

"Are you guys doing that telepathic wolf thing?" Tammy asked.

"It's called a mind link, Tammy," Geo rolled his eyes. "And that can only work when you're in the same pack or you're an Alpha."

"Or your mated," Shiro told her, before turning back to Geo. "I'm glad it worked out for you."

"I still can't believe who it wound up being with," Miki laughed a bit. "You should have been there the night I was going to meet him at the community center."

"Shut up, Diaper Head," Geo teased.

"You want me to tell Alex about that crush when you were a freshman?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

He enjoyed listening to his friend's banter on once more. With how serious things had gotten, it had been a while since they were able to simply talk. He was so happy that Geo no longer had to worry about the curse. And now Miki wouldn't have to go through her cycles anymore. It all seemed like a dream come true, to see his best friends so happy and in love.

And then he looked at Jin, and his smile faded once more. He could see the pain of it all in his eyes. Jin was older than them, and he had dealt with a lot. Shiro was hoping that he would have been freed first in the pack. That was what he had planned on. But it looked like that wouldn't be the case.

Jin gave him a smile and walked up to his bed. He was so tall compared to the rest of them, but his face always looked gentle. He reminded him of a knight. He took his hand and leaned in to his ear.

"I'll be okay, Shiro," he told him. "Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about my people," he said. He had worried about Jin quite a lot, even though he hadn't shown it. Jin was another that he had been quite close to.

He couldn't believe that it had come to this. This game that he had been playing was like a chess game: one wrong move and he was done. Unfortunately, this was his checkmate. All because he had been too quick to plan the week off in which he would undergo the curse.

"No," Tammy interrupted everyone. She crossed her arms and gave Shiro a stern look. "You aren't making that look."

"What look?" he couldn't help but smile again. She had done this ever since they were children. It was her way of trying to care for him.

"The look that you think this is all your fault," Tammy said. Shiro was shocked to hear her say that. He wasn't expecting her to be able to read him that easily. "This isn't your fault Shiro. I mean, look at you! What on earth did you think you could have done to prevent this?"

"Plan better," he told her honestly.

"Sakdah was going to do that to you no matter what," Jett said. He completely forgot that he was still in the room. The rest of the group seemed to have forgotten as well, because they all looked shocked when he spoke up again.

Shiro looked into those orange eyes again. They held an anger in them, but not for him. He hadn't seen that kind of anger in anyone but himself, other than Hiroko that was.

"I agree," Jin said. "I think he was planning this from the start."

He didn't want to think about this right then. He really wanted to just go back to the pointless conversation that Geo and Miki were having. Thinking about his father was only bringing back horrible memories that he was no longer in control of.

"What now then?" Miki asked. "What are we going to do now?"

"You all aren't doing anything," Jett said. "I'll take care of Sakdah."

"No," Shiro told him. He made his voice be as loud and demanding as could be. It shocked Jett. He looked at him with questions in his eyes. Questions that he was too tired to answer.

There was some silence in the room as they stared at each other. Neither of them were willing to give into the other. Those orange eyes looked insulted to hear him tell him no. It hurt him to see that, but it was necessary. He had his own plan for his father's demise.

His group of friends slowly exited the room, as Jett had told them to do. And soon he closed the door behind him, he sighed as he prepared himself for the debate of a lifetime.

"Shiro," his eyes got hard. "He's hurting your people. Don't you think he should get justice?"

"He will," he told him. "But it won't be by your hands. You don't even know what he's capable of."

"Shiro," Jett shook his head. "I'm not going to just wait around while those innocents of yours could be getting hurt or even killed."

"They won't," Shiro told him. "I'm not the only one who protects them." He was already slowly coming up with a plan. His brain worked quickly as he tried to figure out what he needed to do.

"What if they die, Shiro?"

"Starting a war will only make more innocents die," he told him. "Sakdah will get justice the same way in which I had planned it several years ago."

"And what's that going to be?" Jett asked.

"I'm going to challenge him," he said.

"Shiro, you're in no shape to challenge an Alpha."

"Then I will heal quickly," Shiro told him. It might have seemed stubborn of him to say this, but he couldn't have Jett talk about seeking his own revenge. Jett didn't know all the things that they had gone through. He didn't know the pain and suffering that they did.

He didn't know the rage that came from being subject to all of it.

"Why don't you want my help?" Jett's face softened again. "You can't do this alone, Shiro."

"I won't be alone," he shook his head. He was getting too tired for this conversation. His mind had already worn itself out. "I do want your help, Jett. I need you to help me become strong again," he felt exposed as he said this. He never told anyone this. He never asked for help when he felt weak. He always looked at it within himself. But there was no center to keep him strong anymore. He lost it when he was forced to call upon the one thing that he wished to only use for a specific task.

"Shiro," a hand cupped his face again, whiping some tears that had already started to fall. Those orange eyes had already started to turn soft as he went to hold him again.

"I can't be strong without you, Jett," he admitted. "But I want to be the one to challenge him. I have to be. It's the only way for no one to be hurt, and no bloodshed other than for the guilty."

"Alright, Prince," he kissed the side of his head. It felt too good to be in his arms again. "I'll go with your plan."

"Thank you," he hugged him.

The rest of the time went by smoothly. He had plenty of visitors it seemed. He didn't realize how many people from this pack knew him, let alone cared about him. Even Wiatt came to talk to him a little. It made him not want to go to sleep. He missed talking to so many people. In his pack, he knew everyone. He knew all of the ones in the city as well. Along with all the new babies that were birthed. The look of joy on the mother's faces was always warming to his heart.

"You remind me of my brother," Sophia said. Her dark hair was tied up in a bun at the moment. She truly looked worried for him.

"You have a brother?"

"About four," she laughed. "But my youngest has got to be the toughest out of all of them."

"Really?" he was really starting to like her. She had some great stories that seemed to just relax him.

"I don't think you told me the full story, Sophie," Jett said. He hadn't left his side most of the day. Geo hadn't really left the room either.

"Oh, it's a crazy one," Sophie said. "It all started with my mother, actually." She quickly sent them on a story about her family and all of the things that they had done. He wished he had a big family like hers. It seemed like they were all still close, even though they were far away from each other. It reminded him of Hiroko. She had always made sure to call him on her trips. And when she came back, she would tell him about all of the things that she had learned and seen. A part of him wished that he could travel with her to all of the other packs. It sounded ten times more interesting than staying home and doing paperwork.

That reminded him. Shiro looked at Jin, his eyes showing him a message that he hoped he would understand. They didn't have the mind link, and Shiro was too weak to try and force one, like all alphas can. But they all had fought together so many times that it was easy to relay a message by a simple look. Geo was the first person he could do that with.

With a small nod, Jin got up and excused himself from the room. Thankfully, he seemed to get his message. He was going to have to wait and see what would become of that.

"There's no way," Geo shook his head. "There's no way that actually happened."

"He's got the scars to prove it," Sophie shook her head. "I hate that it happened, but it did."

"Omegas are stronger than anyone thinks," Shiro said. "They have their own resilience."

Nikita and his family were a great proof of that. They were the sole survivors of their last pack, traveling across the globe to find the right place to settle. All while Nikita's wife, Tasha, was pregnant with Ava. His grandfather had been impressed with their resilience from the second he met them.

He missed them all.

He did his best to stay awake most of the day. Everyone talked about little things and stories to try and make him feel comfortable. It was nice, even though he still felt strange being there. He didn't belong with them, even though they all tried so hard to make him feel welcome. Sophia was the best at it. It was easy to tell that she was a mother. She had that calm, caring voice that could soothe even the angriest of people. That was another reason she reminded him of Hiroko.

"You should really get some sleep, Jett," Bree whispered into the man's ear. They probably thought that he was asleep or something. His eyelids had grown too heavy to stay open, which caused most of his guests to leave so he could sleep.

"I can't leave him, Bree," Jett sounded so worried for him. Shiro wished that he didn't have to worry for him. He wished that this was all over and they could both be happy again.

"Jett, you've been up for three days straight," Bree sounded worried for her brother. She reminded him of how much Hiroko would worry about him. She used to always nag at him to go to sleep at certain times. And when he was being overdramatic, she would always be there for him, even if she would be giggling a little as she was doing it.

He hoped that she was doing okay.

"I'll be fine," Jett said. "I'll just sleep in here."

"Don't push yourself too far, Jett," Bree told him. "You don't need to get sick with him right now. That'll only make matters worse."

"I know, Bree," Jett sighed. "I know."

There was some silence. He almost drifted off to sleep if it weren't for the small movements that were being made. He was sure that they were talking through their mind link or something. Thinking about that made him wish that he knew what they were talking about. But he heard the faintest sound of someone standing up and the door opening again. It was nighttime now and there wasn't much light. When he opened his eyes, though, he could sigh in relief that it wasn't Jett who had left. He wanted him as close as possible.

But was that being too selfish? Maybe he should let Jett sleep. He couldn't lean on him when he wasn't strong enough for him to.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Shiro said. It seemed to surprise Jett when he talked. Those orange eyes quickly turned to happy ones as soon as he looked at him. "I don't think those hospital chairs are really comfortable."

"Were you pretending to be asleep this whole time?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't pretending," he told him. "I just wasn't able to fall asleep."

"Was it because of the talking?"

"No," he shook his head a little. "I don't know what it was. I just couldn't."

Jett sighed, rubbing his face. He did look tired in the glimmer of the lights that were there. Shiro could see the bags under his eyes. He didn't want to be the reason for them.

"Honestly," Jett smiled a little. "I don't think I'd be able to sleep, even if I tried."

"Why not?" he asked. "Everyone's safe now, at least."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep without you," Jett came closer to him. His hug felt calming, relaxing him to his very core. It was its own sleeping pill.

"You aren't going to be able to sleep on this bed with me," Shiro told him. His arms went around his neck. It was easier for him to move them now that the IV was taken out.

"No," Jett sighed again, relaxing on top of him. He wasn't putting any weight on him. It was just the closeness of it that he loved. "But there might be something else we could do. If Bailey doesn't kill me for doing it."

"What?" He was already so close to falling asleep. With Jett's scent around him, it felt like he was on a cloud. The only thing keeping him awake was his lover's hands gently moving from his sides to underneath him. He gently lifted him off the bed, keeping him as close as possible to him. He had never been held like this before, but he wasn't complaining at the moment.

"This," Jett kissed his cheek. "And since everyone else is asleep right now, I won't get yelled at until the morning at least."

"Why?" he was curious as to where he was being taken to. Jett moved quickly through the halls of his house, holding onto him tightly so that he wouldn't move around at all while he walked.

"Because I don't think the doctor's going to like me bringing you to my room," Jett answered.

His room? Shiro didn't know what to think about that. It made him uneasy. They had shared the same bed before, and had even taken it as far as what happened when he was under the curse, but he never even thought about seeing Jett's room.

Jett opened up the wooden door silently to show a giant room that looked like one big loft. When they first walked in, he could see a lower area that had a couch and a TV, all of it was made of dark colors with leather themes. Then there was a step up where a giant bed sat with a wooden frame and a fur rug underneath it. Everything was dark brown and black. It made the room cooler than the rest of the house.