Therapy for the Supernatural

2

The rogue wolf tosses his opponent like a rag doll. The rogue is tackled by another wolf and the fight is over fairly quickly as the rogue dies by the new wolf.

The wolf looks around and makes sure that there aren't any more enemies before changing and going over to the thrown wolf. Matt looks down at the stunned wolf before him and grimaces. If Eric weren't such a good fighter he'd have let the rogue kill him. He still hasn't forgiven Eric for driving Cheryl away from their pack.

"Change, Caroway, then come back to the pack house, we need to have a talk." Matt says hiding his disgust, but Eric is aware of how the soon to be alpha feels about him. Ever since Cheryl denounced him in front of half the pack feelings about him have changed.

Where before he was a golden child and could do no wrong, now people are avoiding him. They treat him like he's got the plague or something. It has even affected his ability to get with some of the females.

He just doesn't understand why everyone is treating him like this just because he cheated on his bitch of a mate. It's not like he ever fully mated with her anyway. He didn't do anything to her except embarrass her.

'Actually that's not true,' his wolf whispers to him. For some time his wolf has been distancing himself from him. He's gone whole weeks without talking to Eric and Eric doesn't understand why.

'What do you mean that's not true?' Eric demands.

'When a wolf knowingly cheats on his mate it causes his mate extreme pain. If it goes on long enough or they have fully mated it could cause his mate to die.' His wolf tells him and Eric stops still where he stands in the forest in the middle of his packs land.

'You mean all those time's I was with girls when I knew Cheryl was my mate I was causing her pain?' Eric asks incredulous.

'Yes, of course. What's it matter to you anyway? You didn't want her, you thought her ugly and a nobody.' His wolf says snidely.

'Doesn't mean I wished her harm. How come you knew about that and didn't say anything?'

'I wanted to mate and you weren't going to be with your mate.' His wolf answered evenly. It didn't matter that he hurt his mate, he didn't care, never did. He wasn't ready to settle down yet and he knew that if Eric knew the truth he wouldn't have been with those other girls.

'You had me hurt her just because you wanted to fuck?' Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing.

'Oh, please, like you care. You hated her.'

'I didn't hate her, I just didn't want her.'

'Then why didn't you just reject her?' With that his wolf went back into hiding. Eric has no answer to that question. It would have been kinder to have done so. If he had known the truth he would have or been with his mate. He had no idea just how bad it was for her. No wonder she rejected him. But now no one wants him. He'd gone through all the available girls in the pack and even those in the neighboring packs.

He feels the need to settle down and now it's too late. His mate is gone and none of the other females want him. At that thought he feels his wolf whine a little.

It serves him right, Eric thinks spitefully.

He makes his way to the pack house and to the Alpha's study. Perhaps Matt isn't officially alpha, but he's handling most of the issues in place of his father.

"Sir?" Eric says knocking on the door.

"Come in Eric. Have a seat." Matt says gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

Matt waits for Eric to sit, his eyes glittering but otherwise hiding his thoughts. "What the hell happened out there today? You should have been able to handle that rogue just like he handled you. Instead I had to leave my fight to save your ass. At one point I had thought of making you my beta, but you've grown weak. What's going on?"

Eric doesn't want to talk about it, but he can't ignore a direct order by his leader, his alpha. "For the last few months my wolf has been growing reserved and weak. I wasn't even sure that he'd come out when the rogues attacked. I don't know why."

Matt shakes his head, "It's from the mate rejection. Usually it doesn't take three years to kick in, but it seems like that's what it did for you.

"Tell me, Eric, just why the hell did you need to put one of our gentle females to such torture?" Matt has been wanting to know this for years.

"Honestly, I didn't know that cheating on her would cause her pain. My wolf only informed me of it as I was walking up here. I just thought I embarrassed her, I had no idea it could kill her or I would never have done that to her." As much as Matt doesn't want to believe Eric, he does.

"Well, that's all interesting. I'm not the one that needs to hear that though and the one that does isn't likely to let you near enough to tell her. If you can find her that is.

"What is important, your wolf is pining. He needs a mate and if he doesn't find one within the next few months, year at the most he will die. If you are strong enough you won't die with him, but you'll feel empty. You'll never fully be a part of the pack and you'll never be able to turn again." Matt takes a paper and writes something on it and then signs it.

Handing the paper to Eric he says, "This makes you an independent and should grant you passage onto other pack lands long enough to ask for permission to pass through or to stay and see if you can find a female willing to take you as her mate.

"I am not kicking you out of the pack. You can stay here if you like and your wolf will fade away. The choice is yours." Matt dismisses him, not really caring what decision Eric makes.

Matt has work to do before he can go and check on his favorite pack member, Cheryl.

Eric slowly leaves the study looking at the paper in his hands. Suddenly the need to leave and look for something is so strong and powerful he has a hard time fighting it long enough to pack a backpack to take with him. He makes sure the all important paper is packed in a safe place.

Once the backpack is secured he heads out of pack lands not sure where he'll go but needing to leave. He never even looks back.