September 3rd Pt. 5
“Cole, my son. I need you to listen closely.” I speak slowly and soothingly.
“I know what’s going on. You’re not crazy.“
“Yes I am. I shouldn’t be hearing voices.”
“When did you first hear it?”
“When Elizabeth was being attacked. He gave me the strength and courage to break down the door.”
“Very good, Cole.” I praise as I pet his head.
“What you just told me and allowing me to scent you confirms what Maverick smelled when you woke up in the jail cell. Your wolf has awakened from his coma. What’s concerning is that you are the first wolf, to the best of my research, that had both dormant wolf syndrome and dissociative amnesia who is unable to immediately remember being a werewolf.”
“Are you certain?” Demetri questions.
“Yes sir.” My voice is quiet as I continue petting Cole’s head.
“I can help calm him if you need me to.”
I quietly offer knowing that Demetri will strongly disagree with submitting him.
“He feels the need to run. Kristoph and Charles are dangerous. I’m naked and bad things happen when I’m naked. Please help me. I can’t handle him.”
“It’s going to be rough on you.” I give him my honest opinion.
“I don’t care. He won’t listen to me. I can’t handle his panic. How can he be a part of me if he doesn’t listen to me?”
His sobs continue as the pinnacle of our concern is realized.
“I promise this will be very gentle. I need to put you in a submission hold so I can command your wolf directly. I will not hurt you.”
I reassure him as slowly work the hand rubbing the back of his head towards his neck.
“Cass?”
Demetri’s voice has the slight bite that comes with a warning tone. I continue anyway. I feel Cole tense with a sharp whine as the palm of my hand reaches the back of his neck.
“Breathe Cole. I want to feel a pattern on my neck. Slow and even.”
He shifts his feet as I continue to hold him. We stay, frozen in this position until he regulates his emotions. It’s only when I feel a stiff but even pattern of hot and cold that I close my hand so that my fingers rest on one side and my thumb on the other side of his neck. I rub gentle strokes with my thumb helping him to realize that it is indeed a submission hold.
“Cole, I need you to relax your thoughts. I need my voice to reach your wolf. Is he still panicking?”
“Yes sir. It hurts.”
He whispers with a soft whimper behind it. I continue my gentle rub for a minute before leaning towards his ear.
“Buddy, I am Alpha Cassius Marcellus, leader of the Shadowlands pack. You must calm yourself, submit to my command. Your human half was in a life threatening battle several months ago and woke up with dissociative amnesia. While I celebrate that you have finally emerged, your memories and his do not match. The panic you are in over Alpha Kristoph and Charles is hurting your human. I assure you, they are not here. You are in no danger and encouraging Cole to run from those who wish to help will not help him. It will only serve to harm him further.”
The relaxation of Cole’s fists on my shirt has been slow but steady as I speak. The young man is nearly sleeping by the time I finish.
“I know you hate submission but I’m going to keep my hand here for a minute longer to make certain he doesn’t panic again. Can you tell me what he’s doing?”
“He's sad.” It takes him a moment to speak. “He doesn’t understand what he’s done wrong.”
“Is he still listening?” I ask gently as this is certainly a unique situation I haven’t encountered before.
“Yes sir. He sees, hears and feels everything I do. He’s just different from me. He remembers things that I don’t. They make him afraid.”
“It appears that the awakening of your wolf has revealed an issue only seen in non-shifter that have a wolf.” Deven explains gently as he walks back into the room.
“You’ve heard enough to suggest a diagnosis?” Demetri sounds shocked as Deven takes the phone from my pocket.
“Martin showed me to your bag. I can’t tell what’s clean or dirty but these will cover you until we know where we’re staying the night.”
Cole nods a thank you as he lifts himself from my hold. He slips the shirt over his head before using my shoulder to balance himself. He dresses quickly enough that I can tell it causes him physical pain but I don’t call him out on it.
“When I first met you I was afraid this was a possibility.”
Deven crouches in front of Cole now that he’s sat back down on the bed. Cole looks at him intently. It’s the longest I’ve seen him look at anyone’s face.
“What are you afraid of with me?” He asks quietly.
“The only time an alpha’s wolf takes on their own name, their own personality, is when that alpha has been permanently injured as a child rendering them a non-shifter. Dissociative identity disorder is a complex and at times dangerous disorder. In humans it’s also called multiple personality disorder but in werewolves it means the two of you never merged into one.”
The room is silent with the revelation.
“Cole.” Demetri is the first to speak.
“Due to your reaction to your one brother’s name and you mentioned your father’s name also as a huge source of fear, I am going to give you respite on the rest of the names. There are two that I still need you to provide me with as much information as you can.”
“You sound hesitant.” Cole comments softly.
“I wasn’t expecting Kristoph’s name to be so difficult for you so talking about your oldest brother is difficult without knowing your reaction.” He explains.
“But you need information from me about him.”
“Yes sir. I’d like to take it slow and give you some information leading up to it so you have some context.”
“Okay.”
“Several months ago you were in a battle that put you in a coma. You woke up in the hospital three weeks later.”
Demetri pauses waiting for a response.
“Yes sir.”
“A day or two after you woke, Dr. Moore explained that he would be transferring you to another hospital south of White Ridge that’s a part of Operation Underground. You would stay there five days before leaving for the next one on the list but you ended up disappearing from Ridge General the day before the transfer.”
“Yes sir. When I woke I was told that the man staying with me was my brother Andre. He was the one that stopped the battle. His intervention saved my life and he hadn’t left the hospital since I arrived three weeks previously. I found out that he hadn’t been able to see his mate during that time. She wasn’t allowed at the hospital and he didn’t want me to wake up alone. The night I ran I insisted that he leave, that I’d be fine. I woke up screaming. I didn’t realize how much I needed him as having him there made me nervous.”
“Excellent Cole. You gave me your memory without me having to ask a lot of questions. Thank you. I do have one more name. Are you okay to continue?”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
