Chapter Two (Alek)

I love you.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

"Damn it, Alek." Thalia cursed, making me look up to see her looking at a broken nail. She shook her hand for a moment, breathing on it as if that would make it feel better before she glared at me.

"Don't just stand there. Get me a Band-Aid so I can rip it off." She ordered. I nodded and obeyed, heading to the cabinet in the kitchen, taking out a box of Band-Aids before I handed her one. She took it with her mouth, then ripped the nail off, making blood gush free. I grimaced as she taped the Band-Aid on, then glared at me, pointing at the dishes.

"Do those. They're nothing, but trouble. And we have a sick pup downstairs. Ty's fever spiked so I need to focus on him. Finish up my chores." She commanded. I just nodded glumly, watching her burst out of the kitchen, the door banging open, then shut again. I looked away as I stepped up to the sink, picking up where Thalia left off.

My head ached and my back felt like it was turning into a breeding ground for knots. I could feel them twisting my muscles, making them ache. I took a few deep breathes and closed my eyes, scrubbing the dishes carefully and slowly.

Take your time. Rushing will only stress you out even more.

As if I wasn't stressed enough having to take on all of Thalia's chores and dealing with the fact that I hardly had time for my sick son. Ty had the flu, or something, and his siblings and mother were rushing around to tend to him. We even called Kyler, but he was caught up on some court deal for offending one of his patients-- which hardly shocked me at all.

I had my eyes closed and I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed the person coming up behind me until I felt his hands on my shoulders, making me gasp and almost drop a piece of China, until one of the hands reached out and caught it. I snapped my head up to see Kylan carefully placing the plate inside the sink again, looking at me with an apologetic smile.

I growled low in my throat and he held his hands up in surrender as he took a couple steps back. I didn't stop cleaning the dishes, though. The faster the better.

"I just came to tell you that you're going hunting with us today." He said after a moment. I frowned, backing away from the sink as I grabbed a towel to dry off my hands.

"Me?"

"Yeah," Kylan explained calmly, leaning back on the table to hook his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans, "It's gonna be Scythe, Zaid, Lars, Rylan, Raven, and both of us." Usually the pack took Aidan and Cal with them. The fact that they chose me instead meant they weren't planning for big game. I sighed, because I really had no other choice. Whatever Zaid and Scythe said was the law in the house.

I pushed off the sink and followed Kylan out of the kitchen into the main lobby where the others were already waiting. Lars was teasing Holly, who was giving him kisses as if he were the greatest man in the world. One would be intimidated upon first meeting him, but he was actually a big softy. Don't let the bulging muscles confuse you.

Then there was Rylan. He was the biggest jerk I'd ever had the displeasure of knowing. He was even worse than the previous alpha of Blood Rain before Storm, Scythe's father. He was nasty and cruel to everyone, except Cal.

Raven, on the other hand, was much calmer. He only blew up when someone from the pack was in danger, in which case, back away because he was tough, and extremely tall. He practically dwarfed Aidan, who was the smallest of our pack.

Scythe and Zaid, our alphas, were perfect alphas. I envied what they had between them. Scythe had always been a sweet guy on the inside. He was strong and courageous, just like Zaid, who may look thin, but he could take down anyone if he wanted to.

"All right," Scythe said when he saw Kylan and I enter, "We've got the whole group. We're going to head near the east border and do some scouting around. We'll need something for the meal tonight. I want you to stay close, though. According to Sandy, there's been a couple bear attacks."

"Fantastic," Rylan spat in disgust, folding his arms over his chest, "Just what we need. Fucking little fur balls running around and trepassing on our territory. Do I have to fucking piss on them to tell them to fuck off?"

"Rylan." Zaid warned, frowning at him. Rylan scrunched up his nose, but said nothing more as he dropped his arms to his sides. Scythe passed Rylan a sour stare before looking at the rest of us.

"And I'm talking bears. Not weres. There's a strong difference. If you hear or see anything, tell the rest of us. The last thing we need is to have someone injured. And as much as I hate to say it, the bears are much bigger than us. Fighting them off is a death sentence, even as a pack. They'll do anything to protect their young. So if we're clear on that, let's get moving. I want to be back before nightfall."

We all nodded in agreement before heading out into the yard. One by one, everyone changed into their forms. Zaid changed first, becoming a sleek gray and brown wolf, followed by Scythe, who was larger and mostly gray along his back. Lars changed next, bigger than Scythe, with fur that was a mingle of grays and browns. Raven changed next into a sleek black wolf with his eerie mismatched eyes. Rylan also changed, becoming almost as big as Lars with white far and patches of russet brown here and there.

Kylan changed in front of me, going from the painful attractive human to a painfully attractive silver wolf that dropped to all fours, his fluffy tail having a slight curl to it. I changed next, holding my breath as my bones cracked and muscles stretched. It was a little more painful than usual due to the fact that my muscles were knotted and stressed.

I hissed past clenched teeth until it became a growl and I was a wolf too, my thick fur becoming deep brown with mingles of black near my spine. The pack moved as one into the woods, keeping close together as Zaid had ordered.

That looked painful. Kylan commented, glancing at me out the corner of his eye. I snapped my eyes to glare at him and he laid his ears back in apology. Guilt threatened to bubble up inside of me as I looked away, stepping over some fallen trees.

I'm just stressed right now.

Do you want to talk about it?

This is a hunting party, not a pity party.

I don't pity you. Kylan told me sincerely. It made my heart clench and I gritted my teeth, refusing to say anything more as we moved silently. Our paws barely snapped the twigs and branches as we slunk between the trees and stepped over streams that the melted snow had created. The air was warm with spring, though. Birds chattered noisily until they spotted us, making them flutter away. Squirrels and smaller game fled at the scent of our pack moving togther in formation.

A scent passed up my nostrils, making me snap my head to the side, frowning as I laid my ears back and lifted my tail. I cocked my head, scanning the trees. I didn't recognize the scent, but something told me it wasn't safe.

I felt someone nudge my shoulder, making me turn to see Kylan gesturing his head to the side, indicating that the pack had found their prey. Maybe that's what I had smelled.

I hurried and caught up with the others as we moved carefully, spreading out like a bird's wing until we had our prey cornered. Peering past the trees and brush to see a large buck positioned in the clearing nearest the stream. He was alone, which would be more than easily to pin it down with all of us gathered around it.

I held my position at the furthest right, ducked low with my ears laid back and tail straight out. My eyes kept flickering back and forth between Scythe and the buck. Scythe was the closest and he planned to jump him first, giving the rest of us the chance to attack as well.

Everything was eerily silent. Actually, so silent that it made me uneasy. I slowly lifted my head, perking my ears up in confusion. I glanced over at the others, who also seemed a little restless. The buck remained where it was for a moment longer before jerking its head up.

Now! Scythe ordered a second later, then shot out of the trees. The buck flung itself to the left, only to run into Lars, who snarled and snapped his jaws. The buck threw itself in the other direction, then pulled up short before I could even dart out. I only took a step forward when I heard the sickest snarl of my life.

I snapped my head around, looking up to see a bear swiping its paw at me. My eyes widened and only managed a sharp yelp as its claws tore through my flesh. The force of it sent me flying back and slamming into a tree. Agony tore through me so powerfully that I lost hold of my true form and changed back into a human.

I curled at the bottom of the tree, gasping for breath as I dug my nails into the leafy forest floor. Pain tore through me as I dug my feet into the ground, trying to lift myself, but blood gushed past my fingers as I placed my hands on the wound in my side. I looked down, trembling as I lifted my hand to see three jagged gashes in my skin. They were deep, and severe judging from the amount of blood that poured out.

I whimpered again and sank to the forest floor, looking up as the bear lunged at me again, but something silver shot out and caught the bear by its throat. My eyes widened when I recognized Kylan latching onto the bear's back. He snarled and sank his teeth into the bear's throat, giving it a violent shake.

The bear shrieked and threw itself around in a circle. I looked up as the other pack members forgot about the buck that had fled the scene. Lars ran at the bear next, snapping at its leg. The bear swung its paws around uselessly, unable to figure out which wolf to smack first while at the same time trying to fling Kylan off.

Pain pulsed through me as I tried to get up, but every time I moved, blood and pain tore me back to the ground. I breathed hard, blowing leafs and bits of grass out of my face as I clasped my hand over my side. I was in too much pain to care that I was stark naked in front of my pack.

Kylan finally ripped a chunk of flesh from the bear's throat, causing more blood to spurt free and rain to the leaves below. The other pack members took their chance and leapt on the bear that swayed and clawed at us.

Kylan fell to the ground, but didn't run back to it. Instead, he raced over to me, his ears laid back against his head and his tail tucked down. He whimpered, the concern in his eyes almost as painful as the wound in my side. He nudged my cheek as I panted heavily, trying to find my voice.

He licked at my face and nuzzled my hair, trying to keep me conscious. I was getting dizzier and dizzier by the second. My whole world teetered back and forth, Kylan's wolfish face looking down at me becoming blurry one second, then clear the next.

The bear gave a final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground. A couple of the pack members sported cuts and they limped toward me, but quickly. Scythe flashed back first, unabashed by his nudity. He rushed to me instantly, wincing.

"Shit. How did it even sneak up on us like that? Fuck! Lars, Rylan, go ahead! Get us some clothes and the truck ready; he needs to go to the hospital as soon as possible." He ordered to the others, who nodded and took off running. I could hear their paws beat the ground as they ran before Kylan took his chance and flashed back.

"What'd we do? He's going to bleed out." Kylan managed shakily, sliding his arms under my body. His body felt extremely warm compared to the cold that began to brew inside me. My whole body felt like it was going numb with pain. The fact that I was conscious surprised even me. Kylan cradled me close to his body as I panted for breath, tilting my head back. Scythe grimaced, placing his hand on my forehead as he quickly helped Kylan take me back to the house.

I was zoning in and out of consciousness, awed each time by how close Kylan was. I was allowed to be this close to him and not have to worry. I could savor this moment, and how I hated myself for it. I hated myself for feeling obsessed with him.

I had a wife.

I had children.

And yet, the only one I could think about right now was Kylan. How attractive he looked, how worried he looked. The way his warm body seemed to heat me as I struggled for breath. We burst out of the woods where the others were waiting with clothes. Thalia was gaping, her face ashen.

"Wh-What happened?! Alek?! Alek! Why is he bleeding?! What did you bastards do?!" She shouted, whipping angrily to glare at Kylan, who flinched.

"W-We didn't see it--"

"See what?!"

"Now isn't the time for the blame game," Scythe snarled, silencing them both as he looked at me, grimacing with worry, "We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. Everyone else back off! Kylan and I will go!" He was tugging his shirt on quickly as Zaid gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I was laid down in the back seat of Scythe's car, breathing hard as Kylan tugged his clothes on vigorously before jumping into the car. Scythe slid in behind the wheel and revved the engine as he shot backwards out of the driveway.

In the mean time, Kylan was tugging the pants onto my legs, making me wince at any movement. He apologized quickly, his eyes rimmed with red. Was he about to cry?

"Kyl...an..." I choked on a strange metallic taste in my mouth, then felt warm blood dribbling past my lips. Kylan panicked as he quickly zipped up my jeans, then scooted so my head was resting in his lap. He gripped my hand tightly, lacing our fingers together.

"You're all right, Alek. Don't talk. Just. Just keep breathing, okay?" He asked nervously, looking up every so often to look down at me with a pale, stricken expression. I just gave a slight nod and moaned in pain, turning my head against Kylan's stomach. He put his arms around me, holding me close to him as Scythe shot down the road to the hospital.

I wanted to speak, despite the pain, but my mouth didn't want to work anymore. It felt as numb as the rest of me. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep, but Kylan would smack my cheek every so often and start talking to me in a hushed tone. I know what he wanted to say.

I could see it glowing in his eyes as unshed tears and it made my heart clench. I tried to tighten my grip around his hand, but I suddenly felt so weak. I didn't want to move anymore. I just laid against Kylan, listening to him babble about stupid, senseless things. I felt so... relaxed in a way. I loved hearing him talk to me.

Talk more, Kylan...

I didn't get a chance to hear much else because a dark curtain fell over my consciousness and I was left in a dark room. I had no idea what happened after that. I remembered people yelling and something beep. I heard hisses and whimpers, someone wailing somewhere in the distance.

My eyes felt heavy by the time I decided to open them. My vision blurred, then slowly returned to normal as I focused on a white, spotted ceiling above me. I blinked a couple times, then tilted my head side to side. I found myself lying in a hospital bed, wearing a white hospital gown and connected to a bunch of machines. My eyes shifted around until they fell on the person sitting by my bedside.

My heart ached when I realized it was Kylan sitting there, his head resting on the bed, his arms sprawled out and touching my leg over the sheets. I tilted my head against the pillow a little bit, confused that it was Kylan lying there and not Thalia.

No, why am I surprised?

Thalia would be busy.

Ty was still sick. She'd be with him.

My mouth felt so dry that I felt like I was breathing in sand, my throat aching. Actually, now that I shifted a little, my whole body screamed in protest, so I went still again. I just carefully pulled up the blankets, then hissed in pain past clenched teeth when I lifted my arm. I forced myself to keep going as I lifted to peer under.

Thick white bandages went around my torso, probably holding the stitches in place. I had a strong feeling that the doctors would be amazed at how I survived, or healed so fast. I lowered the sheet to see Kylan mumbling as he slowly lifted his head. He blinked his eyes open, then stared at me.

I stared back at him until he sighed in relief and stood up, reaching out to pull my head against his chest, his lips coming down on my head repeatedly. I flinched, glancing around, but no one was in the room. I held my head, peering up at Kylan with a grimace.

"What's... going on? What're you doing here?" I asked. Kylan was still stroking my hair, resting his head on mine before he kissed me again.

"Damn it, Alek, you scared the hell out of us... Do you remember what happened?" He asked, pulling back to study my face as he rested his finger under my chin to tilt my head from side to side. I stared at him, letting his words sink in when the memory hit me of how I even got here.

The bear. Scythe had told us there were bears and we still went out. We needed food, just like everyone else, but bears didn't normally attack out of the blue like that. Not unless we were near her cubs, I reminded myself with a groan.

That was must have been why she attacked. We were too close to the den, to her cubs. The scent I had picked up on before we found the buck must have belonged to the cubs, and I hardly recognized it as bears weren't too common around these parts.

I could still remember the way my heart leapt into my throat when the bear had slashed at my side. Just thinking about it made my body throb in remembrance.

"And the bear?" I asked. Kylan frowned.

"She was pretty much rampaging. We had to put her down."

"Her cubs?"

"No idea." Kylan admitted. A little bit of guilt swirled in the pit of my stomach. I understood why she had attacked me. She didn't deserve to die for protecting her children. I would've done the same thing if someone came near my pups. At the same time, I rather not have died.

Right?

The thought scared me. I didn't want to die. I had a family to take care of. What would they do without me?

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Kylan breathed, making me snap my head up to stare at him in surprise. Did he read my mind or something? He reached out, stroking the hair back from my face, giving me goose bumps. The look on his face made me feel even worse. His fingers, on the other hand, felt like bliss as they threaded through my hair. He carefully leaned down, his lips nearing mine until I felt their warmth.

He pushed gently, but firmly to remind me exactly what went on between us. A demented mixture of pain and pleasure flared up inside me as his tongue dipped between my lips, sliding against mine. His hot breath was almost suffocating and the way his tongue tortured every corner of my mouth. I almost relaxed when I saw movement out the corner of my eye.

Paranoia made me push Kylan back just in time to see Thalia drop the change of clothes she'd brought for me. I went still, feeling the blood drain from my face at the horrified expression on her face.

Oh Goddess.

No...

No!