I pulled away and looked into his eyes, building up enough courage to say those special words. "I love you."

I ran as fast as I could and jumped onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, forgetting he was in pain. Tears of joy streamed down my face as my skin tingled from the contact. He squeezed me to his chest and buried his face in the crook of my neck.

"I've missed you so much." I said through my tears as I hugged him tighter.

"Noah, you're hurting me." Ryder whispered and I quickly let him go. He lyed his frail body back down on the bed and took in shuddering breaths and thats when I felt his pain.

"I'm sorry. I didnt mean-"

"It's fine, just go get Riley." he said as his eyes closed from the pain. I mumbled an 'okay' before getting up and getting Riley. My heart sank a little but I tried not to let it effect me. I found RIley just around the corner, talking to a ginger woman. When they saw me coming, they stopped their conversation and walked towards me.

"Hey Noah. This is Julia, Julia this is Noah." he announced. "She used to be apart of this pack but left us for another one." She surprised me by bowing before taking my hand in hers and giving it a firm shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha." Julia greeted as her dark red lips pulled into a smile. I nodded my head before looking over at Riley.

"Ryder- he's awake." I whispered. His eyes widened before he took off down the hall while yelling the names of people I didn't know. "He's awake." but this time I whispered it to myself.

_____________________________

"Noah, you should go to sleep." Riley suggested but I didn't respond. I only stared out the window at the beautiful night sky that was filled with bright stars. I heard him sigh before the sound of his feet retreating filled the silence.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" I heard a woman ask from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and only got a glimpse of the woman's long red locks. That's all I needed to see, to know it was Julia. I didn't answer and looked back out at the stars. "You remind me of Ryder." Her words came out slow and confident.

"How so?" I asked quietly as I turned my back completely to her.

"He was always so lost and weak," she said slowly ", like you." I got up quickly and looked her deep in the eyes.

"I am not weak or lost." I stated, harshly, as my fists were clenched by my side.

"And he always had a fiesty side," she said, slowly again. "like you, but you wanna know something?" She walked around me in circles, her nails trailing along my shirt as her lips breathed out words. "Not everyone likes a person with a temper." and with that, she was gone, practically vanished into thin air. Julia was a mystery I needed to solve.

Her last sentence kept playing through my head though. I remembered someone saying that but I couldn't remember who. All the thinking made my brain hurt and I decided to just stop. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep so I decided to visit Ryder instead.

I, slowly, opened the room door, poking my head out to make sure the hall was clear before slipping out into the light of the halls. My bare feet slapped against the tile floor as I walked down the hall towards Ryder's room. When I reached my destination, I opened the door slightly and peeked in. The lights were off and I couldn't see a thing.

I slipped in and closed the door softly. "Ryder?" I whispered but I got no response. I felt around until I found the bed but when I reached for Ryder, the bed was empty. I was taken back for a moment and didn't know what to think.

Strange voices were suddenly heard outside the hall and for some reason, I got scared. I panicked and hid in the cabinets under the sink. I opened the cabinet door slightly right when the room door opened and the lights turned on. The people entered and I could hear their voices more clearly - Ryder and Julia.

"I'm glad you visited but I think it's time you left," I heard Ryder say before his legs came into view and so did Julia's black boots.

"I just got here and I'm having an awesome time getting to know our new Alpha." Julia said and I could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"You stay away from my Noah." Ryder responded in a low, dangerous tone. "I promise if you hurt him, I'll I'll-"

"You'll what? You can barely even stand without my help." she whispered. "I'm not leaving and you better get used to seeing me around because you'll be seeing alot of me." I heard the sound of her boots click away before she said her last, final words. "It's not over, Ryder. Let the games begin."

Everything was beginning to sound distant and before I knew I was fast asleep but I still was able to hear the words, "Good night, Noah."

_______________________________

The next morning was hell. My body still ached and my legs felt like they hadn't been used in centuries. I stilled needed help and I hated it. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for all the help but I hated being in this condition. I am the Alpha. I'm not supposed to be the weak one that needed taking care of. I was supposed to be taking care of my pack.

The good news was that my body was healing fast and I should be recovered soon. The other good news was that I go to see Noah again. I didn't know how long I was out but I knew I had missed quite a bit, considering how bad my mate felt.

"Dude, I missed you so much! You've been gone for so long!" Riley exclaimed as he ran to my bed and pulled me into a tight hug. I pushed him off while we both laughed.

"I've missed you too. What did I miss?" I asked with a smile but it slowly faded when Riley's expression changed. "What is it?"

"It's your dad. He wasn't so nice to Noah." He said and I was instantly filled with anger. "Ryder, don't" Our conversation was interrupted when a knock was heard. Riley opened the door to reveal the one and only, Noah. He had a shy smile on and looked unsure of himself.

"Sorry if I was interrupting. I can leave-" he started but was cut off by Riley.

"No, it's fine. I have to go talk to the nurses anyway." he said before he glanced at me and left. I watched Noah's every nervous step as he walked towards the bed. He was shaking and I knew exactly what would fix that.

When he was close enough, I grabbed his hand. His eyes widened as if he was scared for a minute but he quickly relaxed and stared at our intertwined hands for what seemed like hours. I pulled his hand to get his attention and when I did, I patted the spot next to me on the bed.

He climbed in and we both lied down, facing each other. His breath fanned my face while mine did the same to him. His eyes sparkled like the ocean against his pale skin while his pink lips stood out, asking to be kissed.

I placed my hand on the back of his head and pulled him towards me, lightly placing my lips on his smooth ones. Ever so gently, I kissed him - over and over again. His fingers tangled with my hair as he allowed me access to his mouth, my tongue exploring every crevice.

I pulled away and looked into his eyes, building up enough courage to say those special words. "I love you."