Chapter Three (Kylan)

"How dare you." Thalia managed.

My stomach dropped into an abyss, my eyes trained on Thalia, who stood across the room at the door, having dropped Alek's change of clothes to the floor. She wasn't crying or hysterical like she was when we showed her Alek's wound or when she had been trying to get to the operating room. She looked murderous now.

Alek looked as white as a sheet, his body absolutely still. It was like he was afraid the slightest movement would bring on more abuse from his wife, my sister. That sparked the rage inside me.

This was how it was meant to be. Alek was meant to be mine, and everyone knew it. They had to. I wasn't shy about how much I loved Alek and surely Scythe noticed the way I was fretting big time over Alek when he was hurt.

I was tired of trying to pretend that Alek wasn't my mate. I'd become weaker since the day Alek and Thalia married. My strength wasn't up to par with anyone else's, when it had once been as strong as Lars'. I also felt miserable constantly, especially when Alek wasn't around or when I saw him with Thalia.

And Thalia didn't love him! She didn't care about him at all! So what if she made a big scene about Alek being hurt? That hardly meant she loved him as much as I did.

"H-How dare you," I returned, making Thalia reel back in surprise, "You knew! You knew Alek was my mate and you went and married him anyway!" Thalia's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open in an attempt to comprehend before the fire flared up in her eyes as she glared at me hatefully.

"No offense, but your individual happiness is nothing compared to the pack! We were small! We needed more members and the only way to do that was to provide with pups! And again, no offense, but last I checked, neither of you have the ability to get pregnant like Zaid or Aidan, so your relationship would be useless!" She barked, making me twitch angrily. I clenched my fists on the rail of Alek's bed, making him look up at me in confusion before looking back at Thalia.

"T-Thalia, I'm sorry! I didn't--"

"I don't even want to hear it from you," Thalia snapped at him now, making my blood boil as Alek flinched, "How could you do this to me? Our pups? What will they think when I tell them their daddy prefers their uncle over their mother?" Alek looked even more ill at the thought as he shifted in bed, pausing to hiss in pain past clenched teeth. I winced and touched his arm, only to hear Thalia growl low in her throat. I glared at her as she glared back.

"I don't care if you're mates," Thalia seethed, "He's still my husband and the father to my children. And when Storm finds out that you both broke his law, he'll be furious."

"You wouldn't!" I snarled. Thalia barked a laugh as she clenched her fists.

"I would. Alek is mine."

"That's not what you said when father told you you two were getting married! You bitched and complained about it constantly, even during your wedding for crying out loud!" I blurted angrily, watching Thalia's cheeks redden in rage.

"S-Stop! Both of you, stop!" Alek protested. I fell silent instantly, looking at Alek, who seemed pretty shaken and still as white as his hospital gown. He was shifting, wincing and it took me a moment to realize he was trying to get up. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to protest, but Alek spoke first, and quickly.

"Stop fighting... Kylan, Thalia's right. This was wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen," He explained, his voice shaking from the pain, "And, Thalia, I'm sorry. Please, forget this happened. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Pain lacerated my heart, making my chest tight as Alek tried to get off the bed so he could stand. Thalia frowned now, folding her arms over her chest.

"I just caught you kissing my brother, Alek. If you think a bunch of chores is going to make up for it, you're wrong." She warned, then dropped her arms, her eyes going wide in alarm as Alek swung his legs over the side of the bed. Panic flared inside me as I ran around to the other side of the bed and Thalia moved at the same time, both of us reaching for Alek as his legs wobbled. He grabbed onto the railing of the bed, gasping out in pain

From this angle, I could see and smell the blood that stained his bandages and seeped through his gown. I went to steady him, but Thalia got in front of me, grabbing onto Alek and holding him close against her, more like a younger brother than a husband, in a fashion that was almost possessive as she growled low in her throat, baring her teeth at me. I went still, glaring at her as I watched Alek breath heavily in pain, sweat making his hair stick to his face as Thalia cradled his head close to her chest.

"Get away from him, Kylan," Thalia seethed hatefully, "He's mine. He may not be my mate, but he's my husband and he's the father of my children."

"And I'm your brother," I snapped angrily, making her wince, "And you're stealing my mate. Alek is mine. He belongs to me. The Goddess wills it and we know plenty of what the Goddess will gladly do should someone disobey Her law."

"And what will Scythe do to him if he finds out about you two, huh?" Thalia sneered. I withdrew, clenching my fists so tightly that my nails bit into the palms of my hands. Thalia glared.

"And Storm especially. Just because he is no longer alpha doesn't mean his words are nothing. Same as our father's. Alek is not part of our pack. He was brought to us by his mother and we took him in out of pity. Alek would not only be removed from our pack should you break our marriage, but he will be hunted down and killed. If you love Alek so much, do you really think that's a wise choice? At least I let you see him and talk to him. I used to anyway, because from now on, I want you to stay the hell away from him."

Her words cut through me like ice. My blood turned to ice in my veins and I was blinded for a moment by absolute white before I blinked repeatedly to focus. Her words kept echoing in my skull, giving me a headache.

I could only stand back and watch as Thalia helped Alek into bed again. His breathing was labored and he looked even paler than before with sweat trickling down the back of his neck to his pillow. Thalia hit the nurse call button, then turned to face me with a look so hateful that it stunned me.

"Get. Out." She ordered, her voice tight.

My legs took on a mind of their own as I turned and left the room. I headed down the stairs to the waiting room where Scythe was already waiting. He leapt to his feet as soon as he saw me, frowning.

"Kylan. How's Alek?" He asked. His words sounded muffled at first. I think I was still in shock.

Over what? Knowing that Alek wasn't mine? Reminding myself only made me sick to my stomach.

Thalia was claiming him. She was cruel to him. She was neglectful. She hardly gave Alek a chance to even see his own kids. She knew Alek was my mate, and yet, she cared more about her marriage with him.

Thinking about that only pained me further when I realized how selfish it was and the fact that I didn't even feel bad about it. I just wanted Alek. I wanted to feel him in my arms. I wanted to hold him and cradle him. I didn't want to see him in pain anymore. The more I thought about it, the weaker I felt.

Knowing that as long as Thalia was by Alek's side, I couldn't go anywhere near him.

"Kylan, what the hell? What's wrong?" Scythe asked, concern written all over his face as I looked up to see a blurry version of his face. I blinked repeatedly, staring at him before I coughed, reaching up to wipe at my eyes quickly when I realized I had been crying.

"God, sorry," I managed, "Just. Really happy he's all right. Uhm, you can go ahead and see him. I'll just... I'm gonna meet you back at the house, okay?" I didn't even wait for his response as I brushed past him for the exit. Scythe swiveled around and caught my elbow, jerking me to stop and making me turn to face him as he frowned.

"Kylan, we're going to talk about this when I get back. Don't... Don't do anything stupid." He added, making me laugh bitterly as I jerked my elbow away from him.

"Of course not." I promised, making Scythe narrow his eyes in suspicion before I whirled away and headed outside. I was relieved at the cool spring night air that blasted me as soon as I stepped past the glass doors.

The stars overhead twinkled between stacks of fluffy silver clouds, the moonlight practically making everything glow. The air wasn't too cold or too hot, so I took a sharp turn and walked down the sidewalk to the small garden on the side of the hospital. I glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to me as I approached the small wooden bridge that went over the Black Water river and onto an isolated island in the small pond.

I closed my eyes, letting myself change form until I had dropped down onto all fours, my bones cracking and muscles tearing into place. I lifted my head to glance back at the hospital before I whipped around and leapt off the little island onto the land on the other side of the creak.

I bolted through the woods, breathing hard as I tried to vent all my frustration out into my legs. My paws beat the ground as I leapt over fallen trees and ducked low hanging branches, leaves crunching behind me.

I wasn't sure if Scythe knew. Maybe we had given it away, I realized. He wanted to talk about something once he got back. Could it be he was going to tell me to stay away from Alek too?

Goddess, why? Everyone else in the world would find their mate and stay with them.

I'd found my mate, but no one would let me near him. This wasn't fair, I thought in agony. I know it was childish to keep complaining and whining about it, but I couldn't stand it. It was physically painful to not be near Alek.

I was only allowed to dream about how perfect it would be if I could ever get him to become mine. I'd do anything for him. I wouldn't let him do the degrading house work that Thalia made him do. I'd please him all day. I'd go to sleep with him in my arms and wake up to his sleeping face. I'd treat him like a man and a wolf, not a servant.

Just thinking about it made me angrier.

I pounded through the forest, stepping into our territory and nearing the plantation house. I could see the lights on in the windows, like glowing eyes staring deep into the darkness of the forest. It made my fur bristle. I loved my pack, don't get me wrong. They were my family. I even loved my father, who had been a terrible person. Even I had to admit he was awful. He was strict, cruel, and merciless, but that's why we were so powerful.

And yet... They were keeping me from my mate. We had a relatively large population for a pack, especially for an area as small as Moonstone. We didn't need anymore pups. Our population was doing just fine and that meant that Alek didn't need to be with Thalia anymore.

She was just doing it because she wanted to make me angry. I know her. She didn't care about the fact that Alek and I were mates, chosen by Fate to be together. She didn't want to lose her servant and her only way of tying me down. Thalia hadn't even found her mate and part of me wondered if that was why she was so bitter all the time, but if I were to find Thalia's mate, it could take centuries and I didn't have that much time.

I needed my mate.

And he needed me.

I came to the house and went in through the kitchen to avoid getting caught in the nude. The house was rather silent and I easily made my way up to my room to change into a pair of black jeans and a matching v-neck before I came back downstairs. I went to the dining room where I could hear people speaking and found the rest of the pack.

"Is Alek okay?" Lars asked, shooting to his feet.

"Please tell us he's all right." Holly added nervously. Everyone else chimed in with their own worries as I swallowed the hard lump in my throat and nodded. Everyone sighed in relief, slumping back down into their seats as I told them he'd probably come home later tonight. I volunteered to grab some tea for everyone, ducking into the kitchen as I heated up the water, watching the steam billow out.

I noticed that Lars, Zaid, Rylan, and Raven all looked a big banged up from the fight with the bear. In fact, I was a bit sore too, but there had been so much excitement over Alek that I had completely ignored the throbbing in my arms and legs.

I gritted my teeth, hearing Thalia's voice in my head.

Stay the hell away from him, Kylan.

Without even thinking, I slammed my fists down on the counter, hard enough to make the tiles crack under my fists. I ignored the blood that oozed from the cuts the tiles created before I stepped back, taking deep breathes. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm down, but it was so hard.

Why was this happening to me?

Why was this happening to Alek?

Why us?

The rest of our pack happily got together with their mates. They all had their happy ending, so where the hell was ours? And we were right next to each other! We lived in the same house! Damn it, Alek's room wasn't more than a couple doors down from mine and across the hall, so I could easily hear him getting ready for bed.

My heart ached and I wanted so badly to just go back to the hospital and take Alek away from here; even if it meant abandoning my pack, I didn't care. I just wanted Alek to be where he belonged...

With me.

I slumped into a chair and buried my face in my hands, ignoring the blood that smeared itself onto my cheeks. I didn't care about the stinging pain of my cut hands or the aches throbbing in my body. I felt crippled by the agony of not being near my mate.

"Kylan?" I jerked my head up, shooting to my feet at the sight of Zaid, who had walked into the kitchen without me even realizing it. I grimaced, wiping my hands on my jeans and using a towel to wipe at my face.

"Sorry it's taking so long." I muttered under my breath.

"What's wrong?" Zaid asked instead. Man, he was nosy, but then... He was the alpha. If something was wrong in the pack, it was his job to fix it, but how could he do that if Thalia was insistent on keeping Alek all to herself?

"Nothing." I forced myself to say as I watched the kettle tremble, the steam spouting out as it screeched. I took it off the stove and got the cups out, pouring them in and dropping bags of tea into them. I kept my back to Zaid, but even that didn't stop his advances as he crossed to stand beside me, watching me steep the tea.

"Our countertop is ruined and you're bleeding and you look like you want to kill someone. I'm pretty sure that's not nothing." Zaid drawled, frowning at me. I clenched my fists, reining in my temper as I cleared my throat, looking away.

"Sorry, I'll get in fixed tomorrow morning."

"I don't care about the countertop, Kylan."

"Then why--"

"I want to know what's wrong. Does this have to do with you and Alek?" Zaid asked. I flinched and withdrew from him, wiping my hands on my jeans, ignoring the sting of the cuts against the rough material.

"We're not doing anything together anymore, so you can just forget about it. He's married to Thalia. I know that. She's my sister. I should respect their marriage and just..." And just what? Sit there and watch my mate be miserable with my sister?

And what would happen to us? Would we simply wither away?

Our powers were drained the longer we were together. Soon or later, I might just become a wolf and not even be able to turn into a human. I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling that I would find out eventually.

"Kylan," Zaid started, looking a bit upset, "I'm sorry about your situation, I am. I don't know what I'd do if I ever saw Scythe with someone else. And trust me, it was really hard trying to convince our dads not to kill each other. You were there. You saw how much they hated each other. But, I'm sure Thalia is taking care of Alek in her own way--"

"Taking care of him? She's making him do all her chores, making him fetch all her shit. She sits there and degrades him non-stop. She doesn't love him, the only reason she's fighting so hard to keep Alek is because she'll be devastated to lose her slave." I snapped. Zaid frowned at that, but I suddenly felt like going on, so I stupidly kept talking.

"And she knows Alek and I are mates! Everyone should know by now! I made it pretty fucking obvious! And yet, they still insist that Thalia and Alek should stay together, that they make a good couple, they have children to take care of...! But... But Alek isn't happy! That's also obvious! Alek is miserable with Thalia, I know he is! The only reason he won't leave her is because he's scared of her, and the fact that he doesn't want his kids to hate him! And everyone's pressuring him to stay with Thalia for the pack! For once, I really wish I wasn't in a pack!"

I fell silent as soon as I said those, feeling regret pool inside me. I expected Zaid to get back, because Goddess knows Scythe would pitch a fit. However, Zaid was quiet, watching me intently as if he were waiting for me to continue, but I pursed my lips. Zaid frowned a little.

"Does Scythe know you and Alek are mates?"

"He has to."

"That doesn't mean he does."

"Zaid, you guys have caught us what? Four, six times together? Alek is my mate and I wanted to prove it to him."

"By jumping him whenever he was doing chores away from everyone else."

"I couldn't very well do something like that in front of Thalia or his kids."

"Obviously, but... This doesn't make sense. Why are Thalia and Alek together if you and Alek are mates?" Zaid asked with a frown. I grimaced, shifting uncomfortably now as I ran my hands through my hair before sighing heavily.

"My father. Our pack was so small back then and Thalia was the only avaliable female and Alek's mother just happened to stumble in with him. He was sick and she was dying. When she did die, my father took Alek in and instantly told him that he could stay if he married Thalia. That's how things worked out, but the more I watched Alek as he settled into our life style, the more I realized what my feelings for him were. I could feel it. Alek was my mate."

"But he was supposed to marry my sister," I went on, feeling my heart sink as Zaid grimaced, "I couldn't talk my dad out of it no matter how hard I tried. He insisted that it be done and it was. Alek and Thalia got married and once my brother, Storm, came into power, he made sure to carry out our father's wishes to keep them married. They had pups by then and I had no choice, but to watch my mate marry and have children with someone else... You have no idea how it feels to watch the person you love carry on a life with someone else, giving someone else children."

Zaid looked uncomfortable now as I fell silent, feeling the full pain of it hit me so hard. I just wanted to be alone now.

"Your tea's done. I'm going to bed." I grunted under my breath and brushed past Zaid, heading back upstairs to my room.

I closed my door and flopped on my bed, burying my face against my pillow. I yelled for a couple minutes before rolling onto my back, breathing hard into my pillow, peering past it up at the ceiling, eyes narrowed.

I hate this.

I hate watching Thalia take Alek from me.

I hate everyone being oblivious to what's happening.

I hate Alek for not doing anything about it, for sitting back and just letting things play out... But damn it all, I loved him all the same. I loved him so much that it hurt. I felt like someone was kicking me in the chest every time I saw Thalia give Alek this quick kiss on the cheek, like she felt she had to do it, not because she wanted to and Alek seemed so relieved by it until she turned around and dumped her chores on him.

He still managed to smile and do everything she asked of him. He tried to hurry things to get it done so he could have at least a short amount of time to see his children. How pathetic was it that you couldn't even see your own children and yet, you both lived in the same house?

Alek shouldn't be doing this. While I understood a pack split up responsibilities, nobody seemed to notice that the only reason dinner was set was because Alek did it. Nobody noticed that Alek was the one who cleaned all their bikes or cleaned the kitchen or made the beds. They didn't notice Thalia spending all her time with her children and happily ignoring her husband.

I heard some footsteps outside my door, making me frown and sit up slowly as I listened carefully, heading for the door.

"Sweetheart, be careful... Here, let me get the door for you." It was Thalia's voice that sounded so fake that it made me sick. She was my sister and I knew her too well to know that she wasn't being nice just to be nice. I opened my door as silently as possible, peering out to see Thalia opening the door for Alek, who looked about ready to fall over from the pain.

He was still pale and he looked sick to his stomach. His bandages were thick over his torso as he leaned on the wall, struggling to breath. Behind him, Scythe was holding him up as best he could without hurting him.

I wanted to rush over there and scoop Alek up into my arms, bringing him into the safety and comfort of my bed, but I resisted as I stood there, watching Thalia wave Alek and Scythe in. Scythe merely handed Alek over to Thalia, making her eyes flash in irritation before she hid it quickly. Scythe turned and looked down the hallway to see me.

Normally it'd be wise to jump back into my room, but I wasn't known for my wisdom, so I stepped out of the room to face Scythe as Thalia slammed her door shut to keep me out.

"We need to talk about your relationship with Alek. Now." He added sternly. I stared at him, trying not to belay any of the emotions twirling inside of me like an out of control tornado. Hate, because I wasn't allowed to be with Alek. Sorrow, again, because I wasn't allowed to be with Alek. Pain. Anger. All of it boiled into something awful, but I managed to keep my expression as placid as possible.

"There is nothing to talk about." I told him calmly. Scythe snorted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Careful, Kylan, you're starting to leak bullshit out your ears."

"I forgot to bring my ear plugs."

"Listen," Scythe started, unamused with my mocking tone, "I really don't like doing this, you have to know that. I know there's more between you and Alek than the occasional barn sex, but they're married with pups of their own. You need to find something else to occupy your time."

Occupy my time, he says. Like what? Ask the nearest wolf pack if they had a free give away on mateless wolves?

"Right." I answered stiffly. Scythe narrowed his eyes at me, then averted them as he sighed in frustration. He rubbed his temple, like a parent fed up with their child before he looked at me.

"Tomorrow. You and I are going out."

"What're we gonna do? Get drunk and blow off grocery money on a strip join?"

"If it'll get rid of your raging hormones, fine."

"I rather just get drunk. Alone."

"I don't trust you on your own."

"I'm more homicidal than suicidal, Scythe."

"That's what scares me." Scythe muttered, turning away and heading down the hallway to the stairs. I frowned, watching him leave before I looked away, heading into my room. I flopped back on my bed, glaring up at the ceiling and trying to stay angry, but all I felt now was pain and sadness.

I wanted to be with Alek, so badly.

Yet, even my own alpha wouldn't have it. He wouldn't even abide by the laws of Fate. It was the world against me. Even Alek was against me, and I knew it was only because he was scared of what his children would think of him should they discover that daddy loves uncle more than mommy.

What was I to do now?

Find a wolf and pretend he was my mate?