The Alpha's Survivor

Chapter 21: Turning Point

Drake was startled when I barged into the cabin, his eyes widening as I kept a domineering stance. My instincts were to shout at him, but I knew it wasn't the right way to handle the situation and instead inhaled slowly.

In the past I had always solved my problems with anger, punching several holes in the cabin walls, but Adrian took all of that frustration out of me. He always brought out a better side of me, the side that everyone else liked. When I was around him I couldn't help but smile and feel as if I was floating. I wasn't a scary werewolf, or even the guy whose parents died when he was a kid. I was just Finn, or Finny, and that meant the most to me.

"Finn?" Drake said, reaching for my arm as he set down the bottle in his hand. "Are you alright?" he looked behind me at the shut door. "Where's Adrian?"

The reminder of my mate only brought out the need to order my pack members around. I opted for a calmer reaction, though it certainly didn't change my attitude.

"He's gone." I muttered, trying not to growl at the mention of it. "Someone took him."

"W-What?" Drake looked as horrified as I felt, his eyes starting to fill with tears. "W-We have to get Clause, he'll know what to do."

His reaction slightly caught me off guard. I knew that the he and Adrian had started to form a bond, but I was still sure that there was bad blood between them after everything that happened. The tears on Drake's face only disproved my theory as he took a seat on the couch, swiftly taking the phone out of his pocket to call Clause.

"C-Can you please come over here?" Drake said, the remorse in his tone very prominent as he tried to keep himself together. "Yes, I'm okay. Something happened..."

The fact that Drake felt the need to call someone else to solve our problem only seemed to stick me down further in the hole I was burying my self in. I was the Alpha, but I still couldn't protect my pack.

I didn't notice Drake getting off of the phone until I felt his arms around me, trying to give me some comfort. My arms stayed firmly planted at my sides while the smaller boy hugged me. Though his embrace did little to make me feel better, it was a kind gesture on his part.

"We'll figure this out." he said, one of his hands reaching for my cheek, a touch that felt too intimate as I turned my head in refusal.

"Drake-" I started, but he just released me and shook his head.

"I know, Finn. I'm with Clause now and you have a mate. All of that is behind me." Drake gave me a small smile. "I'd like to believe that, considering everything that happened, we're still friends."

I tried to shoot him a friendly smile, but I didn't have the strength, so I patted his back instead.

"We're still friends."

My wolf was quiet, stirring in the back of my mind as he tried to assess the precarious situation we had gotten into. He was always better at making these tough decisions, though he has been known to be rash. I trusted him to do what was best for the pack. He's as much an Alpha as me.

"Can you try to mind link him Finn?" Drake asked, putting a slump in my shoulders. "I know they'll probably drug him and it won't work, but it's worth a shot-"

"We never finished the mating process." I said, discomfort leaking out in my tone. "I only marked him, we didn't...go all the way."

Mind linking was something that came with being a werewolf. When you're shifted you can't exactly communicate with words, so instead we're able to link each other and talk through thoughts, sort of like telepathy. I knew that I should have mated with Adrian sooner. He would officially be part of the pack and could use the mind link then. But I understood that he was nervous and I wanted to wait until he was ready. I would never force him to do anything like that before he wanted to.

"It's alright, Finn. We'll find another way." Drake said, his voice barely audible against the rapid pulse thumping in my head.

My legs shook as I sat down on the couch, forcing my face into my hands to try and calm myself down a little. I wasn't used to showing this much weakness. I was supposed to be the strong one in the pack, but still I continued to fall into pieces.

I couldn't help but feel responsible. I was supposed to be there to protect Adrian, I promised him I would. And he believed me, even after being hurt before by those he was close to.

Clause came as soon as possible, but his presence seemed to calm Drake more than me.

"I'll send my warriors out to look for him." Clause said, Drake pressed firmly at his side as the smaller man tried to contain his tears. "We'll find him Finn, I promise you." I felt like a small child being coddled by their parent. "Do you have anything with his scent on it? It'll really help when we go into town to track him."

I nodded my head and tossed him Adrian's sweatshirt that I had been clutching tightly since that morning. His sweet smell lingered on the thick fabric, it had been one of his favorite shirts to slip on and snuggle with. I shuddered when the fabric slipped from my fingers, reminding me all too well of my taken mate.

"He'll be okay, right?" Drake asked his lover, insisting on a tender hug.

Clause smiled softly and brushed the boy's silver hair down, trying to comfort him as I did my own mate.

"It'll be alright, angel." he mumbled, using a tone that I barely recognized as it came from his mouth.

He was known as a brutal man that had an unstoppable pack, a good number of them trained fighters and warriors. I knew that he had a more gentle side to him, but I rarely got to see it.

"Do you have to leave right now?" Drake questioned, tears still trailing down his face.

Clause let out a sigh and nodded his head. "Yes. We should start looking as soon as we can."

I stood up at the mention of this, standing beside Clause as he was still firmly holding the smaller male. There was little I could do to separate them, so I just waited for Drake to pull away.

"I love you." Clause whispered, a painful laugh coming from Drake. "I'll be back later to have some fun."

The two finally broke the hug, a couple smiles being exchanged before Clause turned to me.

"Let's go find your mate." he said, looking almost as determined as I felt.

And with those words, the search for my missing mate began.

(Posted 8/5/17)