Theo's POV:
My eyes fluttered open and I looked around the room, everyone was sitting around me and whispering to each other. Mason sat in a chair on my left and stared down at his hands, he looked absolutely terrible. Red, puffy eyes, wild hair, dry cracked lips. My Dad was whispering to him but he looked like he wasn't hearing a single thing. No one noticed I was awake yet. I took time to take stock of my body. My right arm was strapped down to my chest, my hand across my waist and tucked under some sort of fabric band. My chest was hurting but for having surgery it wasn't overly painful, meaning I was being given some sort of painkiller. My mouth was extremely dry and I tried to swallow, ending in a painful cough. Talking ceased as Mason launched to his feet and came over grabbing my left hand gently.
"Hey, hey. I'm here." He whispered.
"W-water?"
A cup of water appeared on the other side, a straw in it so I wouldn't have to sit up. I took a few sips until my mouth felt better before pulling away. I turned back to Mason. He looked even more distraught.
"C'mere." I whispered, pulling his hand up to rest on my left collarbone.
He moved closer to me but still wasn't where I wanted him. I was upset he wasn't here earlier but by the looks of it he had gone through the ringer for something. My lip trembled as I took in the sight of him. I released his hand and brought mine up to his neck.
"M'n'tmad." I mumbled.
I pulled on him weakly, not really having the strength to get him closer but he moved closer leaning down until his forehead touched mine. He closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. I eyed him for a second before I cautiously moved my hand and let it settle over his scent gland. The tension left his body and a few tears leaked out.
"I'm okay. What's wrong?"
"I...It's my mom. And I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
"I'm not mad. You were scared. What happened?"
"I tried... I tried to call her. Let her know what was happening... She's always had a knack for talking me off the ledge. Her best friend answered the phone. When you killed Alpha Lang... his son attacked her."
Fear struck me. It wasn't because of me killing Alpha Lang... sure that could have played a part in it but that was almost a week ago. Yesterday I had sent transfer papers to get her here for him. I already had a house set up for her. This was my fault.
I swallowed. "Is she?"
"She's alive. Your Dad sent people to get her. I haven't seen her yet. Margo just met them to bring her in and check on her about 15 minutes ago. I didn't want to leave you again."
"Mase... Baby... I sent transfer papers for her yesterday. I was trying to cheer you up. This is my fault. You should go see her."
He shook his head. "She told your Dad I wasn't allowed to leave your side. When she's cleared she is planning on coming here. It's not your fault. You did your job and prevented a truly awful man from gaining more power and from taking me."
Margo coming into the room drew my attention.
"Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
I released Mason's neck and when he went to move away I took his hand again.
"Okay, groggy. Can you take this thing off my arm? It's making me hot."
"Sorry, no can do. It's staying on so you don't overdo it again. You, my dear, are on strict bed rest until you are fully healed."
I closed my eyes and sighed. "That's fair.."
"How's the pain?"
"Manageable."
"So on the normal scale it hurts and you could use some more painkillers."
"I don't want anything else. I don't like how it makes me feel."
"Is that why you decided not to take your prescriptions?" My Father asked.
I looked at him and he walked over, setting four full bottles on the little table. "How did you know about that?"
"I filled the prescriptions two months ago and you didn't come for a refill, and I had to do a tox screen so I could know what painkillers I could give you and not a single prescription was in your bloodstream." Margo answered, her eyes were on my monitor and she was taking notes in my chart.
I looked away from my Father to the bottles to the bed. " I just didn't want them. I was fine and they weren't needed."
"I hear that a lot... Both you and your Dad keep saying you're fine and that you don't need your medications yet you both relapsed and I'm just finding out about yours. You can't pick and choose when you want to take the meds. You are more human than werewolf, which is why your healing is so slow compared to normal Alphas. You AND your father are to take everything you are prescribed and that's that." He flashed a hard look at my Dad.
I could see Mason's eyebrows furrow and I squirmed.
"I don't need them. I'm managing just fine without it."
"Really? All of the diagnoses that Tara gave you proves otherwise. You attacking Mason that first day home proves otherwise. You're taking them, you are staying on bed rest until you are cleared to get up and I don't want to hear another word about it."
My eyes flashed to my Dad. "You fucking promised."
"I didn't tell him. I swear."
"No, But you should have." My Father snapped.
"Don't fucking snap at him."
"I will. You both lied and hid things from me." He started opening the bottles. "You are going to take the meds and get some food and rest."
He took out the four pills I was supposed to take and tried to hand them to me. I looked away from him and wouldn't let go of Mason's hand. He sighed and held his hand out for the pills before he turned back to me.
"Can we have a few minutes alone?" He asked.
Everyone nodded and started to leave. My Dad stopped by the door.
"Is there anything in particular you want to eat?"
"Something easy I can eat left handed."
"Okay. I'm sorry. Margo didn't know he wasn't aware. I didn't know you lied about taking them."
"I know. I'm sorry you're getting the blowback."
"I can handle your Father."
He left the room and left me with a quiet Mason who had been reading the bottles that were left by my Father. No doubt all of this was done on purpose as I never would have willingly told him.
"Mase?"
"I'm not mad. Can you take these and then we can talk about what they're for?"
I sighed and released his hand, letting him set the pills in them. He raised the bed slightly so I was sitting up. I popped them in my mouth and he held the straw up to my mouth. I took the water and swallowed the pills. He set the water cup down on the table and moved his chair closer.
"There's room up here."
"I'm not moving you and hurting you so I can fit next to you."
"I'm sitting up. I'm wearing shorts, just move the blanket and I can move my legs. If we are going to talk about this... I kinda need you close."
"Nothing you say is going to chase me away. I already figured something was up. No one tries to hang themselves out of the blue and no one attacks someone like the way you attacked me without something going on."
He moved the table before he moved the blanket. I went to bend my legs but he just lifted my left leg, planted his ass in between my legs and put my left leg over his lap.
"When I hurt myself a few months ago I was forced to start going back to Tara. It only lasted 2 weeks before I decided I didn't want to go anymore but it was enough time for her to test me for a bunch of things. The obvious being depression and anxiety. Which she thinks stems from feeling responsible in taking care of my siblings and my Dad when my Father wasn't able to. Especially when Apollo was diagnosed with Asperbergers. I have ADHD which is why I have a hard time sitting still and why I become fixated on things. And uhm... Intermittent Explosive Disorder. IED for short."
He nodded. "Okay... Why do you feel ashamed?"
"Because I'm an Alpha. My rank says I should be in control, I should be the fastest, I should heal the fastest, I should be dominant. Yet every bone in my body practically does the opposite. I know it's because I'm half human and maybe I wouldn't be if I hadn't been born so early but... I'm more like my Dad than not and I've seen how he struggles and when it started getting bad I didn't want to go through what he did. It's why I tried it the first time. The second time I wasn't trying so much as taking my anger out on myself because I didn't want anyone to know I was overwhelmingly angry and I didn't want anyone calling my Father home thinking I couldn't handle being the Alpha. I can. I can handle it fine. I just... sometimes I can't control it."
He squeezed my ankle. "That's what medication is for. I'm a werewolf and I have diabetes."
"What?"
He nodded. "Yeah. My pancreas got damaged during a fight and I can't create insulin."
"I haven't seen you take any?"
"I don't do it where people can see. I always got weird looks for injecting myself and as much as I wanted those pumps or whatever, my old pack didn't have the money or the access for them and even my paycheck wasn't enough to help pay for what I needed to and get them."
"We can get it now."
"I know."
I leaned my head back. "Okay... so I'll let Margo know to order some. Then-"
"We aren't discussing my condition. I only told you because I understand where you are coming from. But.. we can make a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"I watch you take your medications every morning until I can trust you to take them on your own. No skipping any days. I let you get me the pump. I will even let you watch when I take insulin until I get the pump. No more secrets."
"But I-"
"If you have the diagnosis you do need the meds. I'm not ashamed to be with someone who needs medication. Besides... I'd really like it if I don't have to worry about getting my nose broken again. Kind of a buzzkill."
"I said I was sorry about that."
"I know. Now I also know you couldn't control it but it doesn't change that it did happen."
I sighed and leaned my head back against the pillow. "Okay. Deal. On the premise you get me some painkillers right now though. Whatever I had before is wearing off and I'm starting to hurt."
He nodded and went to get up.
"Un uh. There's a call button. You're not leaving.... Not again."
"I thought you said you weren't mad at me."
"I'm not. I just don't want to be left in here alone and you look like shit and most of that is because I fucked up and reinjured myself despite you and Margo warning me to take it easy. I'd like to think any form of contact is helping you as much as it is me right now."
He reached over and pressed the call button. "It is helping me. Also I have no idea what you and your Father keep doing to my neck but... Jesus. I don't think I have ever calmed down that quickly."
"It's your scent gland. Alpha's typically scent their mates or Omegas. When you aren't their mate they just hold their hand on your gland. If you are their mate it tends to be more of kissing and sucking on the gland while rubbing your naked bodies together. I can't exactly scent you the right way with this." I pointed at my arm and chest.
"Yeah, okay. That makes sense."
Margo stepped in the door. "Hey guys, What's going on?" she pressed the button to end the call alert.
"He needs some pain Meds."
"Of course."
My Dad stuck his head in the room. "I have food and a visitor."
I nodded. "Come on in... Hey Margo?"
"Yeah?" She was getting the dose of meds ready in a syringe to put in my IV.
I locked my eyes on Mason. "I need you to get an Insulin pump here as quickly as you can and stock up on insulin. My little mate here has a damaged pancreas and I'm assuming is almost out of insulin."
Margo nodded as she pushed the pain meds into my IV.
Mason's face flushed. "I've got enough... for today, maybe tomorrow. I know how to manage and use it sparingly."
"I believe I already told you that that is very unsafe, Mason. You can't wait until it's almost dangerous for you in order to take it. Insurance be damned."
I looked over to the woman who looked so much like Mason as she followed my Dads into the room. She had some bruises and a sling on her broken arm and cuts on her face but she didn't look overly bad, thankfully.
"Mom?" Mason said, timidly.
I went to pick up my leg when he squeezed it.
"Don't move on my account, Sugar. I can walk over. From the sounds of it, you're worse off than I am."
She walked over with my Father making sure she was stable and being ready in case she wasn't. My Dad brought two plates over.
"I do have insulin on hand. I'm going to go grab it and then if you don't mind I would like to check your levels. Especially after you just admitted you haven't been using your correctly because you're almost out." Margo said.
"Please do." I answered.
Mason's face turned an even darker shade of pink as he nodded before he let his Mom wrap him in a hug.
"Did you take them?" My Father asked, quietly.
"Yeah."
"I'm not mad. I was... but I'm not now. I was also only mad because you both relapsed and I knew nothing of it. That scares me. Yeah, your Dad finally told me about his, which I already kinda suspected but no one mentioned yours and now I see why you made the comments about feeling like you triggered your Dad."
I kept my eyes on Mason and his Mom. Mason finally looked relaxed. "I know. Can someone help me go to the bathroom?"
"Margo didn't give you a catheter?" His eyebrows furrowed.
"Uh.. Negative and I'm not going to get one."
"You're on strict bed rest."
Mason turned his head over to me.
"I draw the line at going to the bathroom while sitting in bed. I just need help off the bed."
"You can get up to go to the bathroom, but I would really like someone going in with you to help you sit and get up without pulling any stitches." Margo said as she came back into the room.
"I can do it." Mason said.
"Haha.. Ha. No. No. I draw another line... A huge line... At you coming and watching me go to the bathroom. At least my Dads changed my diapers and potty trained me. And Personally if anyone is going to help me, I would really really prefer my Dad."
Mason laughed. "Okay. Okay. It's fine."
"And you have to wait for me so I can know what to do with all of that."
He raised an eyebrow as I pointed at the supplies Margo brought.
"You expecting me to not be capable of doing it myself?"
"Well... You did admit to not taking care of your insulin levels because you couldn't afford it."
"I couldn't. I can't now since you won't let me get a job."
"You're the Alpha's Mate. You don't need medical insurance or money for whatever it is you need. I've got a card coming for you soon anyways. I just want to make sure I know what to do if you can't do it."
"Okay."
"Okay... You gotta move because I really need to pee and those painkillers are starting to kick in so I'm not sure how much longer I'm even gonna be awake."
"Oh, yeah. Here."
Mason got up carefully before he cautiously helped me get up. Once I was standing I could actually feel the full effects of what I had done through, even with the pain killers.
"Ahh." I put my left hand on my chest, over the bandages. "That feels fantastic."
"Now you know why you're on bed rest. Think you can walk? At the very least I can carry you into there and leave while you do your business."
"Yeah.. That might be a better idea.... Sorry I'm having to meet you like this, Mrs. Cameron."
"You saved my son from that man. I owe you my life. Don't worry about how we are meeting."
"Here, Baby. Put your arm over my shoulder, your Dad can bring the IV stand."
"Thank you." I whispered, as he carefully picked me up off my feet.
"Always."