Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reading this story, it kinda blew up in the past few days. I appreciate everyone's supportive messages. 💕
Please check the footnote at the end of this chapter for more information.
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Dominic's POV
I hope Jai is okay.
I was seated in my car in the hospital parking lot. I wanted to be there with him, comfort him, handle the paperwork and foot the bill. I had even bought flowers that I though Jai could take for Rishi, but I hesitated to text him. He had told me to stay away because of the animosity between us, and if I ever want Jai to ever trust me I need to respect his wishes.
I don't think I have ever been as happy as I was when Jai allowed me help him through his heats. Meeting Nyx for the first time, holding him in my arms, kissing his soft skin and listening to his cute whimpers was heavenly. His scent still lingered on my wrists that he kept biting while we were fucking.
A fire cracker that one. I smiled to myself.
Darius had left me alone during that time, allowing me the clarity of mind to try and fix my relationship with Jai. I was happy that we had left things off on a hopeful note. While I didn't think he had forgiven me, he did seem open to reconciliation. I was on cloud nine, finally I'd get everything I'd ever dreamed of.
After dealing with Sebastian, I had scent Aiden to invite Jai for a date. I had everything planned, a dinner at my personal cottage (which is now also his technically so he could also see what modifications he'd like to make), a giant stuffed Red Panda toy I had specifically had made for him and showing him the ancient moonlight bed of the Alpha and Luna.
But as always, Darius had to fuck things up for me.
I massaged my temples and sighed in frustration. Darius had taken over my body again and exacted his revenge. Not only did he attack Jai for his scheme with Sebastian but also made him submit by projecting.
Why did you have to hurt him?
He needed to learn that he cannot mess up my pack. Darius sneered.
I'd already dealt with Sebastian, there was no need for it.
If you weren't such a pissant of an Alpha, he'd never have had the audacity to do so. He'd be in our arms right now. Darius' frustration broke through the veneer of indifference.
How? By forcing him? Taking him against his will?
He doesn't know what's good for him. Punishment is just a part of breaking him in.
Punishment for what? Rejecting you?
Immediately tinnitus rung heavy in my ears as my body contoured with pain. The pain was like being branded by a searing hot iron on every part of my body. I dug my fingernails into the steering wheel tearing through the grip and the material under it. The pain was blinding, it literally affect my spatial senses. I looked in the rear view mirror and could see a rivulet of blood dripping from my nose, but couldn't feel it because of my senses had dulled.
In side I could feel Darius wreaking havoc. Howling like a mad wolf and anger dripping from his fangs. Darius had been the resident monster in my nightmares since I was 8 but tightness is he took a completely different level of menacing. I started to lose consciousness, as my energy drained trying to fight him.
Suddenly the pain stopped all at once and I collapsed into my seat breathing deeply to recover some of the oxygen my lungs were missing. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and tried to calm my nerves. It was over now but my heart was pumping furiously.
No one can reject me. Darius chuckled.
No one.
I was broken out of my trance by a knock on my window. A small and friendly looking woman stood outside dressed in a nurse's hammock. I quickly wiped my nose before rolling down my window.
"Sorry to bother you sir, but are you Mr. Dominic Varela by any chance?" She asked in a concerned way.
"I am"
"Great! If you'd follow me I'll take you up to Rishi's room."
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Rishi's POV
I looked at the clock up on the wall opposite to my bed. The seconds hand was ticking like a bomb driving me crazy. My breathing quickened, as I focused on the motion of the second hand.
Tick....tick.....tick.....
You cannot ignore this forever Rishi.
Tick......tick.........tick......tick.........
My neck twitched as I focused on trying to push my wolf Agni out. The last thing I needed was him reminding me how inadequate I was. I am a failure as a werewolf.
All my life I've only wanted to stick by the rules. I find comfort in conformity, it comes naturally to me. I wanted to be the Alpha that could look after my tribe, the ones who would throw their life with honour to protect their own. To watch a happy pack grow around them. To inspire the young ones to look out for each other, instilling in them the values and culture that our ancestors left for us. Despite sticking to the old, I wanted to welcome the new, train everyone irrespective of sub-gender and abolish practices which involve hierarchy. I wanted to earn the respect that the Alpha name comes with.
But how can I do that now? I'm not even a complete wolf anymore.
Tick........tick.......tick.......tick......
The war. How I wish I could turn back time and stop it. I never wanted to know.
Atleast then I would've had hope. No matter how false.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in"
Dominic entered peevishly through the door shutting it behind him. His body language was understandably tense and he scanned the room around him, taking a note of all the exits and sharp objects around the room. He was carrying a small bouquet of lilies which he kept clutched to his chest.
I couldn't help but smile at his astuteness. I've been visited by multiple people in this room, he's the only one to have done a perimeter check. In theory he was every bit the Alpha I would feel comfortable leaving my brother with as his mate. He was powerful and fiercely protective of what's his. I was also impressed by how he sent his own royal doctor to treat Sameer when they fought, so he also has some rudimentary grasp of an honour code.
"Why are you smirking?" He asked with a skeptic look on his face.
"You're so sexy I couldn't help myself." I said giving him a lopsided smile. He squirmed where he was standing and took a step back. Lol this kid.
As much as I thought he was a good warrior, he is also a MORON of the highest degree.
It still baffles me how colossally he had managed to fuck this up. Your mate arrived with his father right to your doorstep and your first response is to disrobe him in public? Threaten his family? MARK HIM? Add to this whatever reason he hurt Jai for, which believe you me was making it very hard for me to hold my composure and not gut him like a fish.
Focus Rishi. We need this to work.
"Thanks.....I guess?" He said putting the flowers on side table, still unsure of what to say. He slipped onto the chair beside my bed and sat there looking awkward as fuck. His expression was somber as he checked my bandages and the IV attached to my arm.
"Rishi I.."
"As well intentioned as you are, I refuse to sit through another sermon so let's cut to the chase shall we?" I said keeping the damn smile plastered on my face. I will not have another exhausting moralising lecture on giving up, especially from a mutt I barely know.
"There's tension between you and Jai isn't there?"
"Jai told you that?" He asked with the same confused expression he'd been carrying on his face since he's step foot into my big white room.
"He didn't have to. I could tell the moment he walked in my room alone."
"That means nothing, he told me to wait outside because your parents may not like it."
"You think if Jai wanted you to be here our parents' "feelings" would have stopped him?"
He looked shocked, like the realisation just hit him like a sack of bricks. You know when that one slow friend finally gets that the compliment was actually backhanded? Yeah that kind. He pursed his lips in one moment of weakness but quickly composed himself.
"This is none of your business so stay out of it." He said threateningly, grinding his teeth. His temper was rising and rightfully so, it is none of my business how things are going between him and his mate...
...except his mate is my brother and that makes it every bit my business.
"You might wanna simmer down Dominic since I'm literally the only person who wants help you."
"Why would you help me? And if Jai didn't tell you anything how did you know I was even here?" The fact that he hadn't laughed in my face at this suggestion was all the proof I needed that he was open to being helped. That's a good sign.
"Once again he didn't need to, from what little I know of you I know you wouldn't let Jai come here alone. Wherever he goes you follow him like a dog cause you like him"
"How can you possibly know that?"
""Rishi could you tell me something about him? I don't want our last memories to be painful"" I said wiping a fake tear from my eye trying to imitate the last words he had spoken to me. I don't know why he had to pretend he didn't like Jai? How would that help in any way?
He sat back in his chair, and massaged his forehead. I couldn't see his face but after 45 seconds of him holding his head in his hands, I craned my neck to get a better look.
"Are you blushing Dominic?"
"NO I'M NOT."
"I was only jokingly coming on to you, I wasn't serious."
"IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF YOU"
"But you ARE blushing." I smiled.
"Look..."
"At what? You blushing?"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" He thundered with his face fully red and puffed up from frustration and blushing. This is so fucking weird, never in a million years did I think I'd see Dominic Varela, the mad king famed for his cruelty and brutality, being reduced to a blushing little boy in my hospital room.
"Ok fine I will not address the blushing"
He glared at me again and this time his menacing stare was enough to make me shift in my own bed. I should probably not push my luck he's tried to kill me before and I wouldn't put it past him now.
"But tell me what's up." I offered.
He heaved a long sigh and scrutinised my aura to check the veracity of my intentions. He fiddled with his thumbs a bit before speaking.
"He doesn't act like an Omega."
"Probably because he doesn't like you."
"I don't mean that. There's no one who likes me and I can deal with that...."
Not gonna lie that comment did tug at my heartstrings a little bit.
"...but Jai would rather put himself in pain than ask, no even accept my help. It's like he doesn't NEED me, and that's...not ideal. Omega's are supposed to need their Alpha, to love them and support them no matter what. Instead I feel like I'm going to war everytime I so much as talk to him.
Look I feel terrible about what I have done but I cannot undo it. I want to make up for it but Jai doesn't listen to anything and keeps lashing out. And now it's starting to interfere with my pack. That I cannot let go unchecked."
I did not know things were this bad.
"Have you wondered why Jai lashes out?"
"It's probably because of my altercation with your dad. He's still very affected by it."
Geez this kid absolutely has no idea what's happening does he? I guess I'll have to spell it out for him.
"Jai's been lashing out long before this. It's not because you attacked Dad, although I'm sure that didn't help it one bit.
It's because he is an Omega. No one listens to him. He has to yell twice as hard to only be heard half as well. He flies too close to the sun because there's no other way to get his point across.
I mean you're his mate and you also want him to just be an Omega and not give you a hard time with his independence. Can you blame him for not trusting you enough to submit? Do you even know anything about him? Have you asked him about himself?"
Dominic just stared as the floor while rubbing his hands together. From the look of guilt on his face, my words seemed to be sinking in.
"He's not just an Omega Dominic. He's a once-in-a-generation genius at Botany and Witchcraft. He's a famed insurgency specialist. He's an amateur nail technician. He's lactose intolerant."
"He's lactose intolerant?"
Control Rishi. No matter how much you want to slap this idiot just control yourself.
"Dominic how can you expect submission from him when you haven't done a single thing to earn it?"
A bit scathing for the kid Rish. Agni quipped.
Notice how you said 'scathing' and not 'false'. It is scathing but it's also the truth.
Dominic surprisingly took this really well. I was fully expecting him to go ham and start beating me to a pulp but he stayed silent for a bit with a pained expression on his face. Then he got up and started pacing the room. He seemed to be planning something in his head.
"I think I know what to do." He said with a winning expression on his face.
"While I don't want to destroy your Eureka moment, but I have serious doubts about you actually understanding what to do so could you tell me what your plan is?"
For my peace of mind.
"I should buy Jai a sports car."
"NO YOU IDIOT YOU SHOU...."
"Relax. I was joking. I got your message loud and clear." He smiled as he picked one of the white flowers from my bedside table and put them in the pocket of his black shirt, before staring at me again. His eyes scanned the tubes from my arm and my bandages again as he stood arms akimbo at the foot of my bed. He cleared his throat like he was about to say something, but unable to get the words out. Knowing him it was probably a thank you.
"Just go"
"Bye" he said running out of the room with quickness and haste.
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Author's note:
Hey everyone!
So far I was only writing for myself but now I feel I have amassed quite the audience here so I'd love to get your opinion on what I do next.
I more or less know how I will be completing this story, so please look forward to frequent updates.
But for the projects I have in the pipeline, I want to know what you guys would want to read more:
1. A collection of One-shots about Sameer & Chanyeol.
2. Rishi's solo story.
3. Original characters in the same universe.
Please comment here so I can get some idea of what you guys would like from me.
Happy reading!