Chapter 260
He finally lifts his head and stands from the stairs, walking slowly towards me. Suddenly his pace picks up and has taken on a more aggressive look. I start moving to intercept him as he’s headed straight towards Cole.
‘Stop me. Please dad, I don’t want to hurt him.’
His call for help is real, he genuinely fears hurting Cole. I step quickly into his path, silently wrapping my arms around him. One around his waist, the other under his arm allowing me to curl around and place my hand on the back of his neck. He freezes in place and stifles a yelp as I hold him close. I’m struggling to put together what these new symptoms mean.
“Lay your head. I need you to relax so I can submit your wolf without causing you pain.”
I whisper in his ear as I guide his head down. He whimpers quietly as I massage his neck looking for the best pressure point.
“I need you to talk, Luke. To anyone. I don’t care if you confide in your brother, your mother, any of the doctors or nurses in the wing, tell me what you need. Please, Luke. You pulled away from me. Got quiet and secretive four or five years ago. It’s only been this past year that you opened up about wanting to advance your training and to become a trainer yourself. I have never seen you struggle so badly with your wolf and I’m struggling to put together the pieces. Please Luke, reach out for help like you're doing right now.”
“I’m sorry, dad.”
He whispers with a slight waver in his voice.
“Think about it. We need to get to the bottom of why this is happening before it gets worse.”
“How can it be any worse than it already is?”
His wolf has started to respond to my hold freeing Luke up to speak more openly.
“Without knowing what’s going on it's hard to tell but you're not on a good path right now.”
I’m being as honest about the situation as I can. I remain quiet as I feel him change. I wait patiently for his body to relax, keeping my submission hold firm but gentle, my aura powerful but neutral.
“Are you ready?”
I keep my voice low and comfortable near his ear.
“I can’t do this? As soon as you let go he will take over. He will attack. It doesn’t matter what I say, all he wants is the blood of Alpha Redmen.”
I cuddle him a little closer, laying my cheek upon his head. It hurts to hear him struggling so badly with his wolf. It’s obvious that Cole’s visit here triggered something deeply disturbing yet so far he hasn’t been able to speak of what it is.
I have several ideas based on his symptoms what might be going on, all of which could lead to his wolf going feral if we don’t get a handle on it but without proof of abuse or violent sexual assault none of them are logical.
“I will hold you for as long as you need to say what you need to say. It seems very important to you to do this.”
“It is important but I fear him, dad.”
“Cole?” I can't help but ask in shock.
“No. I don’t fear Cole. I fear what my wolf wants to do to Cole.”
“Okay, so let’s try having you turn so you face him but your shoulder is against me. I will hold on to you as you say what you want, then you can head inside.”
“What if I lose control? I can feel him fighting you.”
“Head into the woods, to the warriors cabins in the north west quadrant. That way if you go into a shift you're protected by the tree line.”
He nods his head but I can tell that he’s not kidding, he is indeed very afraid of speaking with Cole. By the time I get the two of us in position, Cole and Jessa are separating from their hug.
“Cole, Lucas wants to speak with you.”
I try to say it gently but just his name seems to bring tension to an already tense situation.
“Alpha please don’t hurt him. He doesn’t have to say anything he doesn’t want to.”
I can hear the panic in Cole’s voice while also feeling Luke’s body shaking.
“I need you to calm down Cole. He doesn’t have much time and he very much wants to do this. I’m not hurting him in any way. The submission hold is freeing him from his wolf so he can say what he feels he needs to say.”
He nods in understanding but obviously still uncomfortable with the way I’m holding him.
“I’m sorry. I lost control of my wolf and I couldn’t stop him from attacking you. That’s no excuse though. I should have better control then I do and I am sorry for the fear and pain I have caused you. I know you probably have mixed feelings towards me and you are right to feel that way but please, please don’t allow the mistreatment I gave be the reason that you leave. That you don’t return. You don’t deserve the way you’re being treated. Even if you have done wrong, it doesn’t matter that I’m struggling with what to believe, what I do firmly believe is that not even a criminal deserves the pain and suffering you have back home. It’s not a home when you really think about it. Please don’t leave. They’re already talking about Wolfington Academy. I’ll go away, you stay and everyone will be safe.”
Cole is in complete disbelief hearing what he has to say. Despite my close watch and firm hold on him I missed the beginning signs of his fight. The changes in his eyes indicating the beginning of a shift are no longer subtle as he rapidly changes between his normal light brown eyes and the golden amber eyes of his wolf.
“Nooooo!” He suddenly yells, catching us all off guard. “He’s not the Alpha Redmen you want!”
I change my position, quickly getting in front of him as he continues to lose his battle of wills with his wolf.
“Damian, cover Cole. Cole, stay as you are. Lucas these are commands and you will follow them. You will respond to the pressure on your arms by walking backwards. I will tell you when to stop.”
I instruct as we start slowly moving away from the crowd. I can hear Madilyn whimper, incapable of understanding what’s going on with her brother, and I can hear several people’s attempts to console her. I’m not even fully able to grasp the gravity of what’s going on with him.
Once I’m satisfied with the distance between Cole and Luke I stop pushing Lucas away.
“We are going to talk about your options as this is a very serious situation. You are to go to the warriors cabins in the northwest quadrant. You will stay there until I get you. You go now.”
I relax my grip on his arms but stay in my position in front of him. He stays still as well, obviously caught in a massive tug of war, one that should never happen to an alpha even to a new shift.
“Go Lucas. To the cabins.”
He makes eye contact as my aura grows. Despite them being the eyes of his wolf, his expression is pained and fearful.
“Please forgive me.”
He whispers as he finally makes a move, running towards the woods but stopping five feet from the tree line.
“Noooo!”
He cries out again as he fights against the full shift his wolf desires. I can feel my wolf preparing for a battle.
‘We will shift and protect Cole but it must be done in such a way to minimize injuries to Lucas. He is our son.’
‘No son of mine is this callous.’ My wolf argues back.
‘He is my son and you will do as you are told.’
I growl back as he remains silent.
“Allow the shift Lucas. A forced shift is very painful.”
I shout as I also link with him but it doesn’t do any good as he yelps and screams his way through a full shift. In less than a minute his clothes are shredded and in place of my son there stands a tawny brown wolf. He’s the size of a standard wolf, normal for a new shift, with black feet and beige muzzle and stomach.
It doesn’t take long for his continued fight to be seen on the outside. It’s as if the goddess herself has placed a collar around his neck in order to pull him towards the woods. His yelps echo across the land as his fight to gain some sort of control continues. I can feel Lilly’s sadness in response to such a dramatic change to our son, the feeling of confusion and helplessness being shared by both of us simultaneously.
“Into the woods! That’s an order!”
I shout again in the hopes it will give him the push he needs to run off before I have to physically shift and run him off. After an intense fight he finally falls silent and with great hesitation, runs into the woods.
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