Her Broken Mate 27

*a few days later*

"Seth ... what do you think about going to therapy?" said his father suddenly.

He lifted Seth's head, his hand still tight around Sarah's slightly cold but pale hands. Her breathing was steady and the sparks were so small. Virus was worried, his whimpers sounding over and over through his head as he pushed day and night for her and her wolf to wake up.

When he came back to his senses, he answered his father. "What ... with the therapy?" he finally murmured in a curious tone.

Jupiter came near the hospital bed and pulled up a chair to sit next to him. It squeaked on the floor, making an unbearable noise. Seth winced at the sound and did not like it one bit. It was like claws scratching across a chalkboard.

He quickly turned to his father, who had his full attention on him. Seth seemed hesitant about what he was going to say, because his father was not used to seeing him speak. "I mean... Some help from a therapist. After what your ...," he paused, sounding bitter, "Mother abused you along with some pack members, you are damaged both physically and emotionally. I think you should be diagnosed and treated so you can get better."

Seth's heart raced slightly at this statement.

He still did not feel comfortable being all alone with strangers.

There was a slight fear in his heart that even the therapist could hurt him. He never wanted to be hurt again, certainly not in this way.

He swallowed the lump in his throat: "W-Would I be more ... worthy of Sarah ... If I underwent this ... Treatment?"

His father smiled gently in response and put his hand on his shoulder. He winced slightly, for he was not used to having skin to skin, except with Sarah.

Frowning, Jupiter let his hands slip from him and let a tear roll down his cheek.

"I am so sorry I let that happen to you, my boy. If I had woken up sooner..." he cried, looking pleadingly into his eyes.

Hiding his fear, he replied softly, his throat aching, "No, Dad. It's not your fault. You saved me back then ... back when I was kidnapped. If you had not saved me, I would be dead and I would not have ... Sarah. Yes, it was difficult and it hurt, but everything happens for a reason... If anything, I thank you for this."

For the first time in his life, his father dropped to his knees and hugged him. Even though he was older, he was now taller than Jupiter. So much time had passed, and Seth realized that the last time he had really hugged him was when he was fourteen years old.

It also reminded him that they never actually spoke face to face without some sort of interference or problem between them.

Now it was just them, father and son.

He did not realize he was crying until he felt tears running down his cheeks as well.

"I missed you dad, welcome back," he nodded sobbing into his shoulder.

"I missed you too, son."
_ _ _

"Are you... sure this is going to work?" he asked, nervous about being alone with a man he had never been alone with and had never met.

His dad laughed reassuringly, "Yeah, I am sure. He helped me when I found out your mother was opening her legs for other werewolves. He opened my eyes to the fact that I had to move on. And now? I feel better than I ever have before."

Seth wanted to laugh at the joke he had made, but his nervousness got the better of him. His heart was pounding, his palms sweating. His father must have noticed he was starting to freak out, because he turned to him and spouted some nonsense that somehow calmed him down. His breathing normalized, and his heartbeat slowed to what it used to be. Virus was still on high alert, but not as much as before.

"Seth, breathe. You can do this. You just have to be open. I'll come get you as soon as the session is over, all right? If he ever touches you, I will personally come and make sure his balls are hung up as a warning, to show that no werewolf can lay his filthy paws on my son. Do you understand?"

Seth nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Jupiter smiled and waved goodbye as he went on his way.

Seth stared at the doctor's door after he left. He kept reminding himself that he had to do this not only for Sarah, but for himself. He needs to feel better, to be better.

He gathered his courage and knocked loudly on the door. The answer, "Come in," echoed back.

He took this as an opportunity to go in, and as he entered, he was overcome with stunned fascination. The room was quite different from what he had imagined. It was professionally furnished and smelled pleasantly of mocha and coffee.

He loved that smell.

Looking around, he spotted two comfortable chairs off to the side. On one of them sat a well-built man. He appeared to be in his late 30s.

He raised his head, his eyes zooming in on Seth. His whole presence did not seem threatening, just comforting and friendly. Seth had a feeling he had met him before, but he was not sure.

He grinned a professional smile and spoke,
"Good evening, Seth. How are you? Good, I hope? I apologise for not calling you Alpha, but in this room I want you to just be yourself and not wear a title."

Seth could only barely nod, not knowing what to say.

He let out a laugh, "Come, come. Sit across from me."

Wide-eyed, he did as he was told.

The man frowned, sensing that he wasn't well. "Am I scaring you, Seth? That's not my intention. I want you to feel comfortable around me. If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me."

He clenched his hands and said shakily, "I'm sorry, this is the first time I've ...
Without Sarah, my mate ... By my side. I'm not used to it yet..."

He nods in understanding, "Of course. I understand that, because I couldn't live a single day without my mate. You're very strong to get through this, Seth."

Seth's eyes light up at his praise, "Thank ...
You, sir."

"Call me Alfred."

They exchanged smiles, now feeling completely comfortable in each other's presence. Seth really felt like he knew Alfred from back then, but once again he wasn't sure if he really knew him.

Alfred quickly turned the page on his clipboard. "So, let's start with your treatment. Could you please tell me exactly when this event took place and how it affected you?"

He recalled his memories and told him about the abuse from day one.