Theo's POV:
It's been almost two weeks since Mason's claimed me. Besides what he did to me in the shower that day neither of us had really touched each other. Hell we barely spoke. Which is mainly my fault. I spend 90% of my time in my office or running training to avoid him. I was embarrassed over what I did to him and for giving in so easily. Each night when I return to my room he's there and already sleeping and throughout the time he's been here he's been sleeping wearing less and less clothes. Going from pajamas, to just pajama pants, to shorts, to now where he only sleeps in his tight boxer briefs.
His underwear really doesn't leave much to the imagination and it's very tempting to want to initiate more. Even with talking to Tara over video chat lately, I can't seem to break past that barrier though. I know my heat will end up happening sooner than later and I will have to figure something out. At the moment I was due at the intermediate training to supervise the warrior tests. I clicked save on the spreadsheet I was working on and looked up as a knock sounded right before my office door opened. My Dads walked in and shut the door behind them.
"Hey. We have a problem." My father said.
My brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's here to challenge you." My Dad answered.
I nodded. "And so it begins." I mumbled.
"It's another Alpha."
I paused. "Who?"
"Alpha Lang."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I stood up and went to leave the room.
"He's not just challenging you for your position." My Dad rushed out.
Realization dawned on me. "Where's Mason?"
"He's in the box seat at the stadium. Once the challenge for position and Mate is issued we have no choice." My father answered.
I nodded. "Okay."
"Theo..." My Dad's voice shook.
"I know." I nodded at him before I left the room.
Alpha Lang was 45 and was built like a tank. He had a reputation for winning every challenge that has ever been issued against him or by him. I have only had two challenges against me but none of them.... None of them has ever been as important as this one. I don't care about losing the pack as much as I care about sentencing my 21 year old mate to the life of forced mating to a 45 year old man who he had seen as a father figure growing up. I could only imagine how Mason must be feeling right now. I sprinted to the challenge arena where I could hear my pack's frantic talking. I stopped just outside where my Dads caught up to me.
"We will go sit with Mason. Be careful."
I slipped my Alpha mask on. "If he wants my mate he will have to kill me."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Don't let him anywhere near him."
"Don't let him kill you."
"I'll try my best."
They nodded before they took off to keep Mason company as he possibly has to watch me fight to my death. I took my five deep breaths before I went into the Arena. The second I stepped onto the field all talking ceased. My eyes locked on Mason who looked like he had been crying and running his hands through his hair. I forced myself not to react and turned my attention to Alpha Lang.
"Ah, There you are, Alpha Arson." He mocked.
The challenge arena had been bewitched to make anything we say on the field to sound out across the arena as if wearing microphones. I didn't say anything and just took my place.
"Don't you want to know why I'm challenging you?"
"I don't care."
I started stretching.
"Well you might want to hear my stipulations."
"Go ahead."
"No wolf form. Weapons are okay, as you can see they are spread out around the arena. You can concede but It is a fight to the death. I win and I get your pack, your position and your mate." He smirked.
"And when I win... I get your head on stake in my front lawn." I said.
He laughed heartily. "For a submissive, you have a lot of balls."
I slipped into my fighting stance. "I'm not a submissive. I'm THE Alpha, Bitch."
I could tell I pissed him off as he immediately advanced towards me. He stopped to pick up a sword, a quick glance around told me he had spread the weapons himself as I had nothing close to me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and bringing Titus right to the edge. My Dad was the best fighter the council has ever seen and he trained me.
My eyes flashed open and I dodged the sword swinging at my head at the last second. I landed a punch as he reared back to swing the sword again before I did a running dive forward and away from him. I desperately needed my own weapon or I really wouldn't stand a chance. I swiped my own sword off of the ground before turning back to Alpha Lang and just barely getting my own sword up to block his.
With that started a flurry of parrying, neither one of us quite getting the advantage enough to land a hit with the sword. I was growing tired. It had been a long time since I had fought with swords this heavy. I was just a fraction of a second too slow bringing my sword back up, but was able to bring my head back enough that the very tip of his sword was all that caught my face. I could feel the burn from my jaw, up my cheek, slicing through the skin just outside of the most inner part of my eye and up to my forehead.
Because of my focus on the cut I was again a step too slow and Alpha lang took advantage, stepping in and grabbing my right arm. He knocked my sword free and sent me a smirk as he twisted my arm awkwardly before driving his elbow down hard into the middle of my bicep. A sickening crack rang through the air before a pained scream ripped out of my throat. He released me and I dropped to my knees clutching my arm. My mouth opened in a silent scream as his sword pierced my right side coming through the back. It was just as painful being ripped out as it was going in. The placement of his stab was perfect. Just enough to have ripped through the lower part of my lung.
I tipped sideways and landed roughly on the field. Alpha Lang circled me and tossed his sword down before he kicked me to get me on my back. I coughed, spraying blood into the air and sending even more blood all over my face.
"Do you concede?"
My eyes found Mason, who was openly crying as he covered his mouth and stared down at what was happening. Another cough, an attempt to get a full breath. Blood pooling beneath me.
"N-n-Never." I gasped out.
Mason sobbed and fell to his knees. My pack gasped, most of them having tears rolling down their faces too.
Alpha Lang growled. He picked me up and tossed me towards the middle of the field. I couldn't even cry out in pain.
"THIS IS YOUR ALPHA?" He screamed.
He came back over to me and rolled me onto my back again. He kneeled down and wrapped his hands around my throat, squeezing and preventing me from breathing.
"NO CONCEDING THEN DIE." He bellowed.
"You first." I thought.
With every ounce of strength left inside me I shoved my hand upwards as hard as I could, using my claws to lead the way. Screams were heard as I punched into his chest and he froze, releasing my throat. My hand could feel his heart beating as I cupped it.
"Some... Alp-pha." I croaked.
I squeezed my fist, crushing his heart. His eyes stopped showing life and he sagged on top of me. I did what I could to get him off of me and pulled my hand out of his body as I did. Unfortunately the most I could move him was directly on top of my broken arm and a pained noise left me before I just gave up on moving. I sucked in what I could of air as I stared up at the ceiling of the arena. I could hear people running onto the field. Someone pulled Alpha Lang's body off of me before I flinched as another person came sliding across the grass near my head. Mason's tear stained face appeared in front of my face, he was shaking as his hands touched my face, his sobs returning as he took in exactly how badly I was injured.
"You're gonna be okay. Please, you have to be okay."
"I-I am o-okay. Y-y-you're sa-afe." I managed.
It was just steadily getting harder to breathe and focus. My eyesight turned blurry before going black. The last thing I heard was Mason's anguished screams as he was pulled away from me.
"NO! THEO!"
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Pain. It flared and throbbed over the entire top half of my body. Every time I took a breath I could feel a sharp pain being tugged when my skin expanded to accommodate when I inhaled. I stayed as calm as I could as the unfortunately familiar feeling of a ventilator tube was in my throat. My right side was propped up a bit and I could feel a cast weighing my arm down.
I slowly opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the dimmed lights. I looked around the room and my eyes landed on My Dad sleeping on a little couch thing and Mason the right of the bed sleeping in a chair. I couldn't speak and I couldn't see the call button so I pushed the Pulse monitor off of my finger. The second it started beeping and alarming Mason shot up, his eyes went straight to the monitor before I could see the panic on his face and his eyes shot to me. He froze as he saw me staring at him.
"Oh my God. You Idiot." He quickly put the pulse thing back into place and the alarm stopped.
"Mason? What's wrong?" My Dad mumbled.
"He's awake." He sniffled.
The sight of him crying again broke me. I moved my left hand up and reached for him. He quickly grabbed it.
"I'll get the doctor and your father!"
Mason started crying as soon as the door shut. I made a sad noise.
"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry."
I pulled on his hand and tried to get him to come closer. Instead he sat back down and put his forehead pressed against my hip. His sobs were heart wrenching and he refused to come closer for me to comfort him. I couldn't speak and I really couldn't move as my right side was practically strapped down with how Margo had me.
"He only came after you because of me. I almost got you killed."
The only thing I could do was get my hand out of his and place it on his head. The fingers I had that were free did what I could from the odd angle to run through his hair. I didn't care that the position was hurting me but my body did and a pained noise left my throat. Mason immediately shot up. My hand dropped back to my lap.
"Am I hurting you?"
I shook my head no. I raised my hand and tried to motion him closer. He shook his head and backed up a step.
"I don't want to hurt you."
Margo and my Dads chose that moment to come back into the room. My Father stood nearby and watched while my Dad went and wrapped Mason into a hug as they both watched and listened.
"Alright, Theo, you know how getting off the vent works."
I nodded.
"I'm gonna turn it off. I can only give you 2 minutes before I have to turn it back on."
I nodded again.
She waited until the vent filled my lungs with air before quickly disconnecting the vent. I still had the tube in my throat but it wasn't connected to anything. I struggled trying to force myself to take a breath.
"Come on, Baby." I heard Mason whisper it almost inaudibly.
I sucked in air.
"There we go. Few more, show me you can breathe on your own."
I closed my eyes and kept breathing through my nose.
"Nice job. I'm going to remove the tube now. I have to sit you up."
I nodded. Despite the warning and me trying to have prepared my body for it, the pain that hit me when the bed was raised was unbearable. My brow furrowed and a groan left me.
"I'm sorry." Margo said. She quickly unhooked the thing that holds the tube in place and removed it from my mouth and around the back of my head. "I'll be quick."
She grabbed the tube while a nurse held a puking bag under my face. She nodded once and quickly started pulling the tube out. I gagged violently twice before coughing once it was finally out. Pain flared up worse than before in my chest and I placed my hand over where I had been stabbed by the sword. My face was screwed up with the pain.
"Let's give him some of the good stuff through his IV."
"I'm okay." My voice sounded very hoarse and raw as I tried to wave them off.
"You're in pain. Shut up and take it." Mason said.
My eyes landed on him. "Only if you lay with me."
"You're injured and we can't both fit on the bed." He protested.
"I can move over." I went to move myself before grunting as a sharp pain ran through my back and my chest. "Or not." My hand found my stab wound again.
"Stop being so stubborn."
"Then stop blaming yourself and get your ass over here so I can touch you." I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
The nurse injected my IV with whatever pain medication Margo wanted to give me. Even being an Alpha, Being part human makes me heal slower than normal Alphas. Normal Alphas would bounce back in two days. I healed like a regular pack member and wouldn't be healed completely for at least 2 weeks.
"But it is my fault." He shook his head.
I leaned my head back and tried to hold myself together so I could speak. "You have two options... You can either come over here so I can touch you and I can feel you, because the last time I heard you, you thought I was dead, and I never want to hear that anguished scream come out of you again.... Or I'm getting up."
"You're not getting up!" All three of them said.
"Mason better get his ass over here then or I am." He didn't move. He wanted to play hardball, fine. "One."
"Really? I'm not a child."
"Two."
"Stop."
"Three."
I used my left hand to start to push me out of bed, ignoring exactly how painful it truly was. Mason sprang into action and came over.
"Okay, Okay, Stop, Please stop." He helped situate me back down.
I grabbed the back of his neck so he couldn't back away.
"Okay, you've touched me. Now you need to rest so you can heal."
I slowly slid my hand from his neck to his chin and pushed his face up so I could see his face that he was trying to keep hidden.
"I'll be fine." I said before I pulled his face to me and our lips pressed together.
All the tension in both of our bodies left and I could feel him let out a breath of air, like me kissing him was finalizing that I really was okay. I kept the kiss short and sweet as I just started breathing on my own but I pushed my forehead against his.
He blinked his tears away. "I'm not meaning to be a cry baby."
"You watched me almost die."
"You did die." His lip trembled. "Your heart stopped for 3 minutes. I had to live in a world where you no longer existed for three minutes and it tore me apart."
"I'm sorry. But I will never let anyone take you in a challenge. Not without the fight of my life."
"That's the only reason you wouldn't concede?" He asked.
"I may suck as a human and werewolf, but you're mine. And you clearly didn't want to go with him. I wasn't going to give you away for anything. He could have taken my pack and I would have let him as long as he left you alone."
"You can't say shit like that to me when you're injured and you don't want anything to do with me when you're not."
I cupped his cheek. "I want everything to do with you. I'm just scared but I'm working on it with Tara. She's trying to help me learn how to submit to you. My heat should be hitting around the time I'm healed but I... I'd really like to lose my virginity before my heat. That way we can take the time to help me work through it and it's not a heat of the moment, necessary thing."
He groaned. "Theo.... You're killing me, here."