September 3rd Pt. 4
“Well done. Accept my embrace.”
I step into him, trying to close him into a hug but this time he’s too quick for me. He steps back quickly, falling backwards into the bed with a yelp.
“Perhaps doing your test while he’s seated on the bed would be better, Demetri.” I suggest as I sit next to him.
“What’s this test you’re talking about? I don’t want any tests.”
“Hello Cole. I can’t begin to explain what a relief it is to hear you talk to me. I’ve been very worried about you.”
“I’m sorry.” He responds almost automatically.
“It’s not something you could control.” Demetri addresses him calmly.
“The test I want to do is testing your memory. Maverick mentioned that your wolf might have woken up and coming out of Dormant Wolf Syndrome has the potential to stir up memories, even if they are subconscious. What I would like to do is speak names that you are familiar with. You have interacted with these wolves regularly and subconsciously, you should know who they are.”
“I don’t like this.” He whispers but doesn’t move.
“Alpha Demetri Black.” He starts without waiting.
Cole winces with a slight whine at the word ‘alpha’ but is otherwise non reactive.
“That’s you.”
“Yes, I gave you an easy one but I didn’t miss your whine. You’re still struggling with the formal titles so I will leave them out from here on.”
“Thank you.”
I’m surprised how quickly Alpha Black changed for him. Before now, I’ve only heard of the Alpha Black who took no prisoners if you crossed his land looking for trouble.
“Lillian.”
“I miss the chicken soup.”
I cock my head as I wasn’t expecting something so random.
“Excellent Cole. That’s exactly what I need.”
“I don’t know where it came from.” He admits sounding ashamed.
“That’s okay. On the calm names, the ones I know have not hurt you, I want you to speak the first thing that comes to mind.”
“Okay.” He nods.
“Madisyn and Madilyn.”
“I miss them.” He sounds like he wants to cry.
“They miss you too. Damian.”
“I’m not sure. Nothing really comes up. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t work with Damian enough to get anything good or bad. How about Angela?”
“Doctor.” He responds with a whine.
“While she didn’t intentionally hurt you, the amount of medical care you needed did result in many painful procedures being needed so I understand why you want to whine. What about Kathy?”
“She doesn’t like me.”
“I can see where you get that impression. Lucas.”
There’s a long pause before he speaks.
“Lucas hates me.” He sighs sadly.
“Lucas doesn’t hate you. I know you don’t remember but you were right to be worried about him when I told you of Kristoph…”
“Nooooo!!!”
His yell is as sudden as him leaving the bed.
“I can’t be naked. Please. I need clothes.”
The statement gets broken up with ‘I cant be naked,’ and ‘I need clothes,’ going on repeat as he paces the wall. I quickly get up and put myself in his way. I need to get my hands on him as such a dramatic response to a name has stunned everyone involved.
“Nooooo!”
He screams again as he bucks the gentle hold I’ve put against him.
“Lay your head on my shoulder then tell me who I am.”
My command is gentle as I encourage him to listen to the instincts I know he has. He ducks into my neck a lot quicker than I expected but the instant he grabs my shirt tightly tells me what I need to know. I keep the hand I have on his hips holding me tight against me but I move the one from his shoulders to the back of his head.
“Much better buddy.” I remark as I gently pet his head. “Can you tell me who I am?”
“Alpha Cassius.” He whispers.
“Yes sir.”
We stand in silence for several minutes waiting for Cole to calm.
“I’m very sorry Cole, I had no idea that hearing your brother, Kristoph’s name.”
“No.”
He cries out again at the sound of his brother’s name only this time he maintains a lower volume.
“Please Buddy stop.” He suddenly gives a confusing clue as he stands. “Please Buddy.”
He whines, shaking his head as if something is hurting him inside. He pushes away from me, placing his hands in his hair as soon as he’s able , whimpering lowly.
“Buddy please. I am trapped in a room. There is no where to go. I don’t understand what you are afraid of. It’s just a name. Please, stop this.”
I can tell that he’s trying to hide that he’s speaking and reacting to something we can’t see or hear, causing me great alarm.
“Alphas I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to formulate my thoughts to tell you of this but this is one of the behaviors that got him placed on a psychiatric hold.”
“This isn’t the first time he’s spoken to another entity?” Demetri is the first to speak as I stay within arms reach of Cole.
“I don’t remember the situation, what was said, but he reacted similarly in talking about having nowhere to run.”
“Cole.” I start approaching him again in the hopes of getting him back into my embrace.
“Cassius please. I don’t want to hurt you. He’s telling me to be afraid. That I need to run. I can feel his emotions and I can’t stop the panic. Buddy, stop. There’s nowhere to go. Stop it. I can’t handle this.”
Cole is sobbing hard. He’s managed to move himself into an empty corner. His forearms are pressed into the side walls while his forehead rests exactly in the corner.
“Cole, I need you to come to me. Except my embrace.”
I touch his shoulder gently with only enough pressure to turn him towards me. He resists my efforts for several minutes before completely collapsing.
“That’s it.”
I praise gently as he finally submits to my desire to comfort him. He wraps his arms around me tightly and lays his head on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry alpha. Please help me. I know I’m crazy but I can’t stay in this room. I need clothes. I need out. I need help. Please alpha, help me.”
He begs through his sobs.
“While I have several guesses as to why he might react this way to a name I had no idea that it would cause him this much pain. I’m so very sorry Cole.”
Demetri tries to understand what none of us do. We wait in silence for the young man to settle down when it suddenly dawns on me something that was said by Martin when he first came back.
“Cole, while it is not painful if you’ve never been scented it can be awkward especially since I’m an alpha male the same as you. I need you to stay still. I think I might know what’s going on.”
“You do?”
Martin and Anna ask at the same time. I place my hand on his head gently keeping him from moving. Even something as simple as scenting has him nervous enough to grasp my shirt tightly. I start on his neck just below his ear and slide my nose, just a hair above the surface of his skin, down his neck and across his shoulder. I maintain a steady rate of movement and breathing to ensure the proper capture. Considering how he smelled just a month ago I’m immediately hit with the answer to his problem. While his wolf being active really should be celebrated, his reaction is downright terrifying.
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