DYLAN ||

"Dylan."

"Dylan."

I groaned before slowly opening my eyes at the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder and calling the name I've never hated more than at this moment, knowing my man wouldn't call me that after all of this time.

I craved to hear his voice right now, I needed to hear him call me pups again. It's been way too fucking long.

Lifting my head off my mate's hospital bed and looking over my shoulder, I turn my lip up and growled when I seen my family behind me.

"Who the fuck let you all in here?" I snap, before focusing in on my mate's face in front of me.

I let out a defeated sigh when I noticed he was still unconscious.

"Sweetheart, watch your language." Mom tells me, causing me to roll my eyes.

I still didn't appreciate what happened that fucking night. Why were dad and uncle Jake even there? Not to mention the fact that they gave me such a bullshit ass excuse of scouting the area when my mate was minutes away from leaving me alone in this dumbass world.

Did they even try to save him?

"Fuck that, no offense mom, but I won't watch shit else until I get some answers that make sense." I tell her as I looked between my dad and uncle Jake.

"What we're you two doing in the forest that night?"

"Son, we told you that we were scouting the area."

"Bullshit." I called it how I saw it.

"Hey, watch your mouth Dylan. We're still your elders." Dad says, I scoff.

"And that means what to me? You may be my elders, but I'm your Alpha, so answer my questions truthfully or you'll be the next ones in the cells." I tell him, my tone laced with disgust for the men in front of me.

Dad narrows his eyes at me, then huffs in frustration before he turns away from me. Uncle Jake shoots him a look that I didn't recognize before looking back at me..

"We're telling you the truth nephew, we felt someone enter the territory and we went to go investigate the issue. We seen the hole in the gate and we seen your mate on the ground-"

"And?! Did you try to help my mate before you decided to leave pack territory and scout an area I never gave you permission to?" I completely interrupted uncle Jake, but I was far past the point of being respectful.

I almost lost my fucking mate and they were there! They seen something that they're not telling me, they know something that they're not telling me!

"Nephew, we tried to help Raiden. We felt for a pulse, his skin was cold to the touch. We thought he was gone, so we went to search for who did this."

"And neither of you thought to link me?!"

"Honestly, no. We thought your mate was gone and we wanted to solve the issue before anyone else got hurt."

"I'm the Alpha, it's not your job to solve issues. How did you even know where the supposed issue was uncle? It's not like someone in the pack would have alerted you to it." I tell him as he looks back at dad and I raise an eyebrow. "Or did they?" I ask standing up from my chair and gently placing Raiden's hand back on the bed.

"You two were there that night, coming back through the gate that just so happened to have a huge hole in it and a rogue wolf laid across from my mate. You never thought to link me to tell me what was going on, but yet you took it upon yourselves to investigate?"

"Nobody in the pack told us where the issue was Dylan, we just figured it out. Any good Alpha can locate a threat within their territory." Dad tells me, still unable to look at me.

"Oh you're using my name now? What happened to son? Did I say something to piss you off dad?" I ask, walking towards him.

His eyes finally meet mine as he watches me close the gap between us.

"And what the hell does that mean dad? A good Alpha can locate a threat within their territory... are you trying to say that I'm not a good Alpha?"

"Well you definitely haven't made good choices, nor have you made any choices without assistance since I've passed my pack down to you." Dad says.

"What?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. "I haven't shown how good I can be? I haven't made good choices? What about all these years that I've put in the work I'm supposed to? What about when you convinced me that my mate was the Leopard causing issues with the rogues?"

I clench my jaw as I continue to stare into my fathers eyes.

"What about when I locked him away because you told me too? What about when I accepted the title of Alpha because you told me to, even though I didn't want it? All the things I've done, battles I've fought alongside of you? Pack members I've protected with you?"

"All things any Alpha would do for their pack Dylan, you don't exactly get a cookie for doing what you're supposed to do and like you said, those are all things you've done with me by your side... It seems like you can't make a rational decision on your own and that problem has only grown since you've found your mate." Dad snaps at me.

I honestly couldn't believe the way my father was talking to me right now. I don't think I've ever seen this side of him since Bennett died. That whole year he was the biggest asshole on the planet and now it looks like his asshole tendencies are coming back out to play.

I didn't realize he thought I wasn't capable of making rational decisions, I've done just fine these last 3 years, with no complaints within my pack of my leadership.

My mom and dad were the ones to point out Raiden causing issues with the rogues and I listened. My dad was the one to call the Council and get a minimum sentence for my mate and I listened. He was the one that forced me into the title of Alpha, even though I didn't want it. He told me that it would the greatest way to honor Bennett, so I did it even though I didn't want to

He's the one who taught me all about the rogues and how vicious they are, how much we shouldn't trust them and kill them on sight, even if they cause a problem. He said they were vermin that needed to be eradicated and I listened.

I fought so many battles alongside of him, I listened to his advice, took his suggestions, did everything he asked all for him now to tell me that I can't make rational decisions on my own?

It's like I've actually had a choice to grow into the Alpha that I wanted to be, to grow into the man that I wanted to be.

He was the one who told me how important it was to protect my title and find my Luna, whatever the cost. I have to find her and keep her, to do whatever needed to be done to satisfy her because an Alpha is nothing without his Luna.

He forced the issue of a female Luna so far down my throat, that I didn't even know I was attracted to men until I met Raiden and then everything about that scared the shit out of me. I didn't know how to accept him, let alone accept myself.

I was battling such deep rooted issues and on top of that, thinking my mate was behind the rogue attacks, the same rogues that took my big brother away from me, I was lost and confused and a little brainwashed.

What the fuck man...

I never stood a chance...

"You honestly are more trouble than you're worth Dylan and I never thought I would say that when it came down to you." Dad tells me.

I swallow before taking a step back from him, I no longer recognized the man in front of me. The man that raised me in his image, the man that defended my honor against Nicholas and Evan when they bullied me for my disability, the man that I once looked up to, the man I called my father.

No I don't recognize him at all.

"I wish Bennett had survived, I really do. Then I wouldn't have burdened you with the responsibility of being Alpha.... If you're so unhappy with what you've been taught, there's nothing stopping you from turning the title over to Garrett."

With that, I watched him walk out the hospital room, my mother following quietly behind. She never once defended my honor against my dad's sharp tongue. I didn't even know what to make of any of this.

What the fuck just happened?

"Nephew, I brought this for you... It was attached to the rogue wolf that night. Dean didn't want you to have this, but I figure it's best you know." Uncle Jake says handing me a piece of paper.

I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU

Lovely... now I have a secret admire who's also trying to kill me.

What's that noise?

"Nephew." I look at uncle Jake when he calls out to me, his eyes were locked onto something behind me.

So I turned around and gasped when I saw my mate's head slowly moving side to side as he groaned around the breathing tube still in his mouth.

Raiden tried to shift onto his back and I rushed over to stop him, holding his body on his side, knowing the drainage tube was still sticking out of his wound.

He started to cough or more like choke around the breathing tube before his hands reached up to pull at the one thing was causing him discomfort.

"Shhh, shh baby. Don't pull it, I'll get the doctor." I try to comfort him through his bursts of choking.

"Kyle get in here now! Raiden is awake!" I tell him through the pack link only minutes before he busts into the room with Ruby and the other nurse hot on his heels.

They move towards Raiden and make quick work of taking the tape off his face that held the breathing tube in place, before slowly pulling it from his throat. He tried to fight them the whole time, but eventually laid still while they worked, he was heaving and making gargled noises until the tube was completely out of his throat.

They replaced his breathing tube with this other smaller tube that had two little parts in it that went in each nostril and the rest looped around the back of his head.

That better not be hurting him.

"Another form of oxygen, Alpha." Kyle tells me, almost as if he could read what I was thinking. I was grateful for the information, so I nod and watch quietly while they finish fussing over my mate.

I wanted them to hurry the fuck up so that I could fuss over him. That's my job anyways.

The last thing they did was check his drainage tube in his back. I couldn't see much from where I was standing, but nobody looked scared or upset, so I chalked it up to be good news.

"Ok, all done here... Make sure Raiden doesn't move too much Alpha and his throat will be pretty sore from the breathing tube, so if you can keep him from talking too much, that would be great. I'll be back in a few hours to make sure everything is still looking towards the positive." Kyle says offering me a reassuring smile. I return it with my own as I watch him, Ruby and the other nurse leave.

The moment the door is fully closed, I look back at my mate. I was so beyond happy that he was awake, it's been the longest 3 days without him.

I smiled softly as I made my way back to his side, leaving uncle Jake in the corner of the room.

Raiden's eyes flutter open, his eyelids still heavy with exhaustion, but when he saw me, he smiled the best he could.

"H-h.." Babe tried to speak but he quickly grabbed his throat and rubbed it soothingly, his voice coming out hoarse and strained.

He shook his head, his face twisting in pain as he swallowed and his shoulders slumped as he laid back further into the bed. He held out his hand, offering it to me and I grabbed it as fast as I could before feeling the tears I was trying so hard to hold back, start to flow peacefully down my face.

"B-breathe ba-baby, b-breath." He rasps out, I realize he must be talking to me, so I do what he said and let out the biggest breath of relief, my tears falling harder as a cracked sob leaves my lips.

I didn't even try to stop myself as I leaned down to wrap my arms around his neck the best I could and held my mate as close as possible. My face buried in his pillow as he settled in the crook of my neck, before wrapping his arm around my back and clutching my shirt.

I cried into his pillow, holding onto him as hard as I could without hurting him. I was just so fucking happy that he was awake, that he didn't leave me, that I had another day with him.

The man that I'm attracted to, the man that's never judged me or made fun of me, the man that accepted my flaws, no matter how bad, the man that's pushed me to be a better person and wasn't afraid to tell me the hard things. The man I've learned so much about, but most importantly...... he's the man that I love.

"Thank you Goddess, thank you, thank you." I whisper through my tears before I pull back to look into my mate's eyes.

I pull my arms from around his neck and cup his face, gently rubbing his cheeks with my thumbs.

"I'm so happy you're awake baby, you scared the shit out of me, this has been the longest 3 days of my life." I breathed out as Raiden reached up and wiped my tear stained cheeks.

"I-I've been... been h-here for 3 d-days?" He asks, his voice still hoarse. I nod.

"I-I'm sor-sorry f-for leaving t-that night."

I shake my head at his urge to apologize, at this moment, I didn't give a shit that he left. I was just so happy that he came back to me. That Goddess brought him back to me.

"Don't apologize baby, I'm not mad at you." I whisper leaning closer to him. "I'm just so happy that you're here and you're with me and I'm so sorry that I didn't recognize what I had before, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier."

"T-tell me w-what p-pups?"

I suck a deep, shaky breath before releasing it, never taking my eyes off this perfect man in my grasp.

"That... I love you Raiden," His eyes widen. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you that I loved you before this happened because if something happened to you and you left me without knowing how much I love you, that would just destroy me."

"Y-you love m-me?" He asks, his eyes showing just how shocked he was, but I don't let it phase me. I nod.

"Yes baby, I love you... I love you so much and I'm so glad that I can finally admit that to you and to myself. I'm so glad you know-"

I was cut off by Raiden pulling my shirt towards him, causing our lips to gently press into each other.

I wanted to deepen our kiss so bad, but I didn't push it, knowing my mate was still healing. So I savored all I could from our gentle embrace before being the first to break our kiss.

"S-say it a-again pups... t-tell me y-you love me."

"I love you Raiden." I nod frantically, he smiles again, leaning back into the bed, his contentment shining through as he started purring.

"I love you too pups."

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