Alistair

Ben carried me out of the Intensive Care Unit while doctors tried to resuscitate my father.

Because of wolf hearing, I could still listen to them shock his heart over and over again trying to get a response. But I was a complete wreck. I bawl my eyes out in never ending tears that I couldn't possibly contain.

He continued carrying me until we reached the hospital lounge, then he got me some water and paper tissues. He consoled me the best way he could, even if there isn't much to say in this situation. It is what it is. I've lost my father.

Again, I might add. Because losing him for the first time wasn't painful enough, I had to do it twice. Just my luck. I asked Ben to take me home as I was in no condition to face anyone.

We left the hospital quietly while his family was in shambles outside of the I.C.U.

But I'm already pretty wrecked. I just took the strength from my gorgeous mate to get home and lay on our bed. I didn't even want to see anyone today. I didn't leave my room to eat lunch, I lost my appetite. I didn't want to see any visitors, not even my closest friends.

I just wanted to be left alone. And I was, for a while. But no one can stop momma from seeing me. And even if you try, it's not gonna bode well for you to be frank.

She came into Ben's room late in the afternoon. I can see she's been crying. Though not nearly as much as I have.

"I'm sorry, puppy." - She came closer to me in the bed and kissed my forehead.

"It's fine." - I mumbled.

"Have they told you when's the wake or the funeral?" - She asked me with concern.

"No, I left the hospital without speaking to anyone. I couldn't bring myself to face anyone's grief but my own." - I confessed, feeling remorse.

"That's fine, but you need to call your grandfather to get some information, at least. You need to put your father to rest otherwise you'll never have closure." - She advised me with her motherly wisdom.

"I know. I will. Right now I'm too broken to talk to anyone." - I said, feeling the tears forming in my eye sockets.

"Do you want me to call? I can get the details for you." - She offered, ever so sweet.

"Thanks, momma. That'd be much appreciated. Do you want to borrow my phone?" - I offered.

"No, I don't want to borrow your fancy cell phone. I can call from my room, sassy pants." - She said in a humorous tone.

"But I want you to get downstairs for dinner. You need to eat. I can't have another sick son." - She reprimanded me.

"I know, momma. I will." - I conceded. Plus, I'm actually really hungry since I skipped lunch.

Ben returned to his (our) room after momma left and we stayed together until it's dinner time.

Though lots of people complain about it, I find the strict schedule for meals of the pack house surprisingly comforting.

I grew up on a strict schedule as well back at the woods. Despite what people may think of rogues, it's not a free for all. We had to have norms of conduct, otherwise we wouldn't survive.

So, it's reassuring to me that I can always count on meals being served at the exact same time everyday (it's later on weekends and holidays).

Ben and I ate with his family tonight so I can avoid the pity stares from everyone. It's not a bother to them as it's been established, on the contrary. I'm part of the Livingstone family now.

We eat quietly as they all are aware of the situation, though Alpha is a bit intrigued about something. I can't say I know him well enough, but I can tell something's on his mind.

"Are you okay, Alpha?" - I asked him, not being able to hold myself back.

"I'm fine, Alistair. I'm just curious as to why I wasn't informed of my warrior passing." - He replied, looking puzzled.

"I'm sure they're getting around to do it, sir. There are probably a lot of arrangements to be made with such a large family." - I offered some explanation as to the delay.

"Yes, I understand that. But not to sound conceited, I am the Alpha. I need to inform the rest of my pack of something like that." - He tried very hard not to sound peeved.

Luna Alicia touched his shoulders as he ate and softly spoke in his ear:

"I'm sure Delta Johnson or Beta Babcock are just about to burst into that door any time to inform you, my dear." - She smiled weakly, trying hard to concentrate on the real person who's grieving. Me.

"Speaking of which, I thought patrols were composed of ten warriors. How did it get so bad that Bruno lost his life?" - I questioned him, puzzled.

"We've been having some unusual rogue movements near our border lately and this time the patrol faced off against five of them. It shouldn't be enough against our warriors, but the patrol was stretched thin last night. So they divided themselves in five and that's when the rogues attacked. By the time reinforcements arrived, Carrera was already in bad shape. Though other warriors also sustained injuries." - He explained in a somber tone.

"I see. I'm guessing dividing and conquering is not always the best alternative for warriors." - I smirked in a foul mood.

"No, it isn't. And it's never gonna happen again, I promise. There's a reason patrols take ten warriors, so we don't face these kinds of odds against enemies." - He assured me.

Momma burst into the dining room out of breath, like she's been running to get here. This startled all of us, but not so much that Alpha gets scared or calls for his warriors.

She bowed her head to the Alpha.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your dinner like this. But I needed to talk to my son urgently." - She spoke in a desperate tone.

"What's going on, momma? Has the funeral already happened?" - I questioned her, intrigued. She wouldn't come all the way here if it weren't important.

"No, Ali. Bruno didn't die!" - She replied and I gasped. Literally everyone is shocked at the table.

"What? Momma, I've heard his heart stop beating right in front of me!" - I exclaimed, utterly gobsmacked.

"They said doctors were able to resuscitate him after three rounds of shock. He is still in the Intensive Care Unit, but he's alive." - She informed me and I nearly fainted.

"Oh my Goddess!" - I cried out, beyond surprised.

"Do you want me to take you to see him?" - Ben offered promptly.

"No, that's okay. Last time I visited him it didn't go over so well. Maybe tomorrow after school." - I told him with a guilty conscience. As if somehow anything that happened was my fault.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your dinner, I just had to tell my son the news." - Momma apologized to the Alpha couple.

"You didn't disturb us at all. Thank you for the information, Ms. Young." - Alpha thanked her, politely. Momma left soon after.

"I guess we know now why they haven't informed you of his passing." - Sasha commented, receiving a glare from her dad.

I feel so relieved I can't even put into words right now. Ben hugged me and soon later, we're in bed. I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the night, even though he's still not out of danger. I wanted to rest after that, but strangely I was in the mood for something else involving my mate.

Hey, if you were mated to him you'd be in the mood too. Just saying.

It's Monday morning. After breakfast, the teens are ready to face another week of school. Sarah takes the smaller ones, while Evan shows up to take his mate. The rest of us go with Ben, as usual.

When I got to the school, word had already spread throughout the pack about what happened to Bruno and I got sympathy from everyone. Even the humans who think he was attacked by an animal - which is not that uncommon in these parts, go figure.🙄

"Good morning, princess." - Roger greeted Elodie, who he handed a bouquet of flowers. We're all impressed by this.

"Good morning, Roger. Thanks, I loved them." - She said, admiring the beautiful arrangement.

"Wow. I've never seen him giving anyone flowers before." - Ben commented in a low tone, though not low enough for werewolves inside the classroom NOT to listen.

"Me neither." - Lex agreed, wide-eyed. This only made Elodie smile wider at him.

"Good morning, baby." - Lena greeted Chris, who is sitting down next to Lisa.

"Good morning, Lena." - He replied, bashfully.

"How are you liking the watch so far?" - She asked him in a chipper tone.

"I'm loving it, but I need to tell you something." - He spoke in a somber tone, disarming her sunny disposition.

"I'm sorry if ever I gave you the impression that you and I are gonna happen. The truth is I love my girlfriend and I wouldn't trade her for the world. If ever I gave you the wrong impression, I apologize. And if you want, I can return your gift, no problem." - He affirmed in a saddened tone.

Lena's face descended into an ugly scowl. She got misty eyed all of the sudden.

"I'm really sorry if I led you on. It wasn't my intention, I swear." - He continued, feeling sad for her. She's not used to being rejected, I'm guessing.

"It's funny. Other guys would probably screw me on the side and continue on with their girlfriends. But not you... you're everything Lisa said you were and more. I really admire that. And no, you haven't led me on. I'm the one who created a fantasy in my head that you were available even if you never have been. No need to return the gift, keep it. You're a great guy, Chris. Lisa is lucky to have you." - She spoke after a moment to recollect herself.

"I'm the lucky one, trust me." - He said, humbly. Lena returned to her seat and Lisa spent a whole minute kissing him.

"Damn, where do I find myself another Chris?" - Teddy snickered next to Roger.

Literally the entire class swooned at his speech, especially the girls.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" - Lisa asked him after they parted lips.

"You saw me when I was invisible." - He replied and we all swooned.

Damn, Chris is killing today!

After school, Ben had training so I asked Sarah to take me to the hospital instead since she's the only one of us who has a car. She gladly took me and I arrived at Bruno's room to find only his mate there.

"Is he any better?" - I asked her once we exchanged pleasantries.

"Not since yesterday, no. But he hasn't gotten any worse, so at least there's that." - She replied with a meek smile.

"I'm sorry for everything. He didn't deserve that." - I spoke with a heart wrenching sorrow at seeing him like this.

"No, but life as a warrior is not without its trials and tribulations." - She stated with a heavy sigh.

We stayed together and bonded over the man lying around for half an hour before I returned home with Sarah, who had her own activities to be carried out.

At dinner, I caught everyone up on Bruno and they told me they're praying for him to recover.

"That's my only hope. He needs to pull through for his family." - I commented, as if I weren't part of it.

The next day at school, Lena stopped flirting with Chris so openly. She still smiled at him flirtatiously, but she didn't 'attack' him so directly.

Roger on the other hand...

"Hey, can I take you out again on Friday night?" - He asked Elodie, smiling like he won the lottery.

"Of course!" - She replied in a chipper tone.

"On Saturday, there's Teddy's back to school party. I'll pick you up at 8!" - He announced it, not leaving room for her to say no.

"Sure, I've never been to a high school party before!" - She said giddy with excitement.

"Just don't expect to return from it with your virginity intact." - Chris snickered. Elodie slapped him across the face quick and hard. It startled everyone - especially Lisa, who sits besides him.

Elodie is glowing in rage right now. I had to mind link her to close her eyes for a moment. I'm glad Ben had already taught me how to do it.

"If you don't respect me as your sister, the least you can do is respect me as a woman. I'm not you!" - She barked at him, livid. Her eyes turned back to normal.

Chris felt the sting of her slap on his face and was left stunned. But this time no one is on his side.

Everyone is embarrassed by this, but the girls rally behind Elodie. Even Lisa offered her support. Chris is mortified.

Some hours later...

"I apologize for my comment earlier. It was inappropriate to you and unfair to Roger. I shouldn't judge him because of his reputation, any more than I'd like to be judged for being a former nomad." - Chris apologized to his sister, remorsefully. He also muttered an apology to Roger, who said it was fine.

"Damn, Elodie is not playing around! Good for you, girl!" - Teddy commended her. - "Even if Roger doesn't bring you to my party, I'd send a car to pick you up." - He smiled at her, who returned it.

"Back off, Teddy! You're gay now!" - Roger snickered. We all laughed at their silliness.

"I miss being invited to Teddy's parties." - Lex mumbled, grunting in disappointment.

"Bitch, you were only invited once because he was after ME!" - Ben raised his voice at him, causing discomfort among the students including me.

We all gulped awkwardly at this.

"Of course you're invited, Lex. Maybe this time you stay sober enough to check out people's tattoos." - He snickered, even if only a few people got the inside joke.

I know I didn't.

Lena is quiet the whole morning and I kinda feel bad for her.

"Cousin, I'm sorry for the situation with my friend. If you had asked me, I'd tell you Chris is the most loyal person I know. He'd never leave Lisa. He loves her." - I commented in a low tone. Though again...

Lena smiled awkwardly at me.

"It's fine, cousin. I should've known better than to pursue another girl's boy. Even one as fine as Chris." - She smirked.

"And you haven't even seen him naked yet!" - Lex interjected, catching everyone's attention. Both Lisa and Chris gasped at this.

Chris is blushing so hard he's pink.

"Good one, bitch. Now the boy is gonna stop showering in the locker room for the rest of the school term!" - I glared at him.

"Hey, just because I'm on a diet, it doesn't mean I can't look at the buffet!" - He snickered.

"The buffet is straight, Lex! Get over it!" - I snapped at him, protective of my friend.

"I know, bitch! I'm not delusional! I'm just saying... damn, that's some dick!" - He doubles down and Chris is blushing like never before.

"Don't make me slap you, Alexander! I'm not joking!" - Lisa threatened him, irritated.

"How is it that your friend is still alive?" - I asked Ben, baffled.

"Because he never went after committed people so far." - Ben replied, sideways glaring at Lex.

High school, am I right?

At the end of the classes, Chris, Elodie, Ben and I walked together to the library to get some books for an assignment. Lena was already there reading alone and feeling gloomy.

We feel bad for her, but there's no point in denying the obvious. Chris picked up his books and stopped by her seat.

"I'm sorry for everything, okay? I'm sure you're gonna be 'dated' to a great guy." - He comforted her like a gentleman.

"It's fine, Chris. Thanks for letting me down easy. I appreciate it." - She responded with a weak smile, then hugged him.

We were distracted by the librarian talking and suddenly he's kissing her passionately. She's sitting on his lap completely engulfed in a hot kiss.

We're all gobsmacked at the scene. It took me a minute to figure out what was happening. And I only hope we can save him from the destruction this is gonna cause.

https://youtu.be/qReHGDNKC0c

A|N: BOOM!

I loved this film and song. I wrote the chapter with the song in mind even if I didn't want to give way into Bruno's development. I just couldn't resist it.

Love,

Léo.