It's That 'I Hate You' Kind of Love

Chapter Thirty Five

**When you see ITIHYKOL that stand for It's That I Hate You Kind of Love**

"PTSD." The pack doctor said pursing his thin lips and looking between me and Carson gravely. "Or post traumatic stress disorder."

We were both silent and Carson squeezed my hand tightly.

"Isn't that found in soldiers?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

The pack doctor nodded. "Yes, it is very common in military men and women returning from combat. They often suffer from terrifying nightmares with symptoms such as unrest, or thrashing around, sweating, yelling, screaming, muttering, kicking and a sense that they have the inability to wake up."

That definitely sounded familiar. My heart sank to my stomach and I swallowed the building lump in my throat.

"And you think Ben had this," I asked. "PT--"

"PTSD." The pack doctor corrected. "And yes, although I am not completely sure. The nightmares are just one symptom. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your brother, if that is alright Luna Charlotte?"

The immaturity rose up in me because of my growing dislike for this man. He had given my brother medication that was meant for an entirely different species! Not to mention a much stronger species. However, I couldn't let this childish side take over. Like Carson controlled his fury earlier with the pack doctor, I could too.

Especially for my brother.

I swallowed again. "Okay."

"You said that your brother has a great fear of werewolves." I nodded as he spoke. "Do you know what that stems from?"

I shrugged, biting at my bottom lip worriedly. "My mom and I started to notice the nightmares around the time the first girl in our town got claimed by a werewolf. That's when he started to get up in the middle of the night." I hesitated for a brief moment. "But, now that I think about it. I'm pretty sure he had nightmares before that, just not as bad."

The pack doctor rose his eyebrows in thought. "Were there any big change's in your brother's life before that? Anything that would impact him emotionally."

"No..." I started, and then paused. "Well, my dad did leave us when we were little. But both me and Ben rarely saw him anyway, my mom was always enough for us. For some reason, we just weren't close to our dad."

"That could be very traumatic." The Pack doctor muttered instead, scribbling in his small green notebook. He looked up, not taking notice of my

annoyed expression. "Did he ever try to avoid any situations or things involving werewolves or loved ones leaving?"

I recalled his unwillingness to go to any town hall meetings with the werewolves, and how he had yelled about werewolves thinking they could take whoever they wanted when Carson had chased after me. But, those reactions were normal in my town. Perhaps Ben was a little more adamant of not going to meetings and more angry and vocal about my being claimed but...

He had feared for years and years that me or my mom would get claimed and leave him.

"Yes." I finally whispered hoarsely.

"Did he often view himself, or anybody else in a negative way?"

"Werewolves," I responded. "But-"

"Did he lose interest in his favorite activities?"

I remembered times when Ben would go out with his friends and come back with a smile on his face. After the first claimed person, when he became scared for me and mom, he stopped wanting to go out.