Healer For Alpha

Now What

{ Lunanci }

For a couple of seconds, no one can even move, we’re all frozen just watching uselessly as Rio walks away until he finally disappears.

That was beyond horrible. Far, far worse than I thought it would be. Rio was dishing low blows left and right and I can’t even be mad because I’m just concerned.

Zion and I only move when we hear Alex let out a small sob. We both rush to his side.

"He didn't mean any of that. At all," I assure him. Alex raises his hands to cover his face and hide his tears, but he lets me touch and comfort him, "You and I both know that, Alex. He's not like that. Something is going on with him, but I'm still so sorry he said it."

"He just hates me now and it's all my fault," he says through his tears, his body shaking uncontrollably with his crying, "I've never seen him act like this before, he's never been mad at me, not even once. Not like this. Now he... he hates me. He wants me to die."

"Please don't believe that," I beg, trying to make him feel better but I don’t know if I would feel any different if my little brother said all that. Even if I know it was just dishing out and even if we’re not as close as Rio and Alex once were. Zion is just standing here with wide eyes like he has no idea how to deal with this situation, "I promise you, once he eats a f*****g cookie he’ll go back to normal and he’ll realize how f****d up this was. He said horrible s**t to me too, he was just in flight or fight. The Rio I know would never do that, I promise you. I felt his emotions for a second, everything is black and ugly."

"He smelled like deep pain even before all hell broke loose, so this could’ve been his breaking point," Zion mutters before putting one of his hands on Alex's back, "Are you okay, baby?"

"f*****g get away from me, stop touching me all the time. And don't call me that," Alex growls, pushing his hand away, "This is your fault. Why the f**k did you tell him? What was the need?"

"I didn't tell him anything, he just formed his own conclusions. I didn't even know you had a f*****g twin or that your name is actually Alex," he frowns and then his body gives a shudder like he’s remembering something disgusting, "I just saw him and thought it was you. I... I kissed him."

"What?" Alex and I both turn to him in surprise.

"I kissed him. On the mouth," he continues, raising a hand to hold his throat as if he's scared he’ll puke, "I didn't smell his alpha scent, he must be on inhibitors just like you.”

"God," I let out an incredulous laugh, "How is everything so messy? I've been touching Alex like a s****l deviant and now you kissed my man? What is this weird switch thing?"

"You've been what?" Zion demands, his eyes focusing on me with immediate distaste. His heavy black eyes on me make me go small, "Touching him how?"

I forgot he’s Alex mate. He’ll probably want to kill me for that.

"I'm sorry, Alpha, they were just accidents," I defend myself, "I won't ever…”

"Can you stop calling everyone Alpha like that?! I told you not to," Alex explodes at me too so I get even smaller, "Why is everything so damn hard for me? I just want to have everything I want, why can't I?"

This is the first time his behavior reminds me of Rio. The old Rio, of course, not this crazy mess he was today.

"Baby..."

“You need to stop," Alex growls, moving away from the wall to get closer to Zion's face. They're almost the same height, but Zion doesn't look intimidated at all, "I'm not your baby. I’ve been telling you I don’t want you and I don’t want this, why can't you understand that?"

"Are you completely sure?" Zion asks in a calm voice, raising an eyebrow. He’s always so put together, it’s kind of nerve wracking, "Are you sure you want to play it like that? Because I'm not someone who's going to go around chasing your tail like some pathetic pup. I'm not that man and I never will be, not even for you. If this is what you really want, I'll accept it and that's it. I'm not going to beg.”

"Yes, Zion. That's exactly what I’ve been saying this whole time,” Alex replies. I can only shake my head and walk away from everything for a second.

I need a cigarette, I need to smoke something and relax because these werewolves are draining my energy. They are all so dramatic and for what? They don’t know how lucky they are, it’s annoying. Alex is annoying. I love him, but I get what Laurie has been saying about aging prematurely because of Alex.

I walk until I'm sitting on a bench and stay there for a while. Once I'm calmer, I call Laurie.

"Hi, Healer."

"Hi, Wolf. I have news. Bad ones.”

"Oh, no," he groans, "Now what?"

"Rio knows all about Alex. He saw us together, drew his own conclusions and exploded. He was... horrible to everyone. To me, to Zion but mostly to Alex. He said some really f****d up things to him and I know it's not something he really meant," I defend him, because even though his words hurt me and I’m angry… I can't find it in me to be as angry as I should be. He's never treated me that way before.

"What did he say?" he asks and I tell him everything. I'm disgusted repeating what he said to Alex and Laurie just stays silent for a couple of seconds before sighing, "That's not something Rio would normally say, not at all. Is Alex okay?"

"I don't think so. Can you call Rio to check on him? Laurie, I'm really worried. His energy is the worst, he looks tired and thin."

"Oh, I know. He's been like that since you left and he's getting worse every day. King and I are worried too," he admits and my heart clenches, "Can't you just beg? Beg him to take you back? I know that's what he needs. Once he has you back he’ll feel better.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think is wise to approach him if he's still taking inhibitors, he'll just yell at me again. He saw me with another alpha and he thinks I'm f*****g him."

"But you're not, are you?"

"Of course not," I spit, offended that he's even considering it, "I wouldn't do that. Normal Rio would know that. Please force him to stop taking inhibitors and get him to eat better, then... I'll beg."

I don't love that idea, but if that's what I need to do to help him get better, then I'll do it. And once he’s okay, I’ll make him beg ME. And apologize for calling me a scammer again even though he knows how much I hate that.

"Okay, we’ll do that,” he agrees and I hear some movement on his side, “Peace out, talk to you later."

I end the call and sigh before walking back to the restaurant.

Weirdly, Alex and Zion are inside, sitting at the long table with Aaron and some other guys who arrived while I was on the bench. They are all talking as if everything is normal.

"Hey guys, this is my friend Lunanci," Alex introduces me when I arrive, with an extremely fake smile on his face though his eyes still look sad. The guys greet me and then I sit down next to Aaron again.

"So..." I whisper, "That guy was..."

"I know," Aaron interrupts me, pushing some nachos towards me, "But we'll talk later, okay? About everything."

➿➿➿➿

"He left," Laurie tells me and Alex. He and King arrived at Aaron’s house at the same time we came back from the restaurant, "He took off before I could get home to talk to him. He stole my car. He sent me a voicemail telling me he knew my secret and that I was dead to him and took off to god knows where. He's unpredictable now."

Alex gets up from the couch and paces back and forth with stress, his hands on his waist.

"It's over. He's going to go tell everyone."

"And why is that so bad? Just be strong and stick to your decisions," Kingsley tells him. Laurent tries to give him a look to shut him up, but King ignores him, "You've been at the academy for a while and nothing bad has happened, right? You love it and you're good at it, so just tell everyone that."

"Right, you i***t, like it's that easy," Alex scoffs, "It's so easy to admit I stole someone's identity to get in to the academy. The most omega-free place there is."

"Your family makes the rules and they often bend them," Kingsley insists, rolling his eyes, "Just force everyone to do that like you've been forcing Laurie."

"Oh, yeah? Uncle Daniel isn't as easy to manipulate or force as Laurie, he's so f*****g proper and by the book. And my mom? She's going to have a stroke. My dad's going to have a panic attack."

"And you don't really love the academy," I dare to add in a whisper, "You and I both know that."

Everyone shuts up to look at me. Alex is giving me the stink eye.

"So, maybe just give up?" I try.

"Maybe just shut the f**k up?" He spits at me, I do that, "Thanks. I'll keep going as long as I can. And if they keep treating me like a useless fairy boy, I'll seriously f**k off to another clan."

"Dude, I feel like I've aged twenty years these past few months," Laurent repeats, sounding and looking tired, "Please, Alex, just be normal. Be a normal person, can you?”

"Normal? Like him? Playing house with some alpha?" Alex snorts looking down at King in more ways than just one, "Never. I already told you, I'm nothing like King. King is exactly everything I don't want to be."

My eyes widen with shock and I expect Kingsley to explode at Alex, but he just smirks and leans back against his mate, who wraps one of his giant arms around him immediately.

"Of course you're not like me. I'm happy and you're not," he says with a confident smile, "And I'm not playing house, I'm too busy being Tallahide's first lady and I love it."

"Of course you love it, Ladyboy," Alex spits hatefully.

"Stop it now," Laurent orders and his heavy voice makes Alex shut his mouth immediately. He looks incredibly annoyed at being forced to shut up, so he doesn't say anything again, just walks back into the room, "I know I shouldn't have used my alpha power against him, but I hate it when he's disrespectful like that."

"It doesn't bother me, you know that. I actually just feel bad for him," King replies, shrugging, "It's obvious he just hates himself and that's why he takes it out on me."

That's true.

"Oh, man. So, the twins have issues, huh?" I grimace, "Like, a lot of them.”

“You think?” King snorts, “They just don’t know how to deal with real life. Laurie is the same, but at least I’ve been helping. They need someone to help them, too.”

"Alex doesn't want help. At this point I'm sure he doesn't even know what he wants," Laurent says, "But Rio, I'm actually worried about him. He smells sick, he’s just going through it. Nothing about him this past week has been normal."

“And now we don’t even know where he went,” I whisper, trying not to let my eyes get wet but failing.