A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been meaning to get to this back in December, but transitioning from busy college life to post-graduation has been a bit of a rocky road lol. On top of that, I'm still not a fan of Vince's POV, and probably won't be until a few more chapters where he'll eventually start to mature. Luckily, Simon's POV is a bit easier (more thought out) and those chapters should be faster to produce. The next few chapters for Simon will be, as it has been before, driving the plot a lot more, while the Vince chapters are a bit more filler and behind the scenes. Side note: I may throw in some other POV for these chapters since there's a lot of things to show that isn't really applicable in Vince's POV.
Chapter 12
Vince's POV
I woke up to hear Chase and Xavier talking about something I could barely understand, which wasn't a good sign. The two of them together usually meant they were going nag me or scold me as if I was a child. Despite my status as Alpha, they had no qualms of being a mother hen at every possible moment. I squinted, feigning sleep as the bright lights were blinding.
"I've told him over and over," Chase said.
"It's not working, and if this is going to continue to be an issue, then not only is his health at risk, but the pack's safety is too," my brother responded.
I bit my tongue, it is working. Just up the dose or whatever.
Chase continued, "The side effects are only getting worse, and his dependency on it isn't going to help. The bond works in mysterious ways and suppressing it for this long is most definitely why he's feeling such strong effects"
Fuck the bond, I wanted to say. The only bond that exists is the one between me and Sarah.
A few minutes went by with just silence, and I almost wondered if they had walked out when Xavier spoke up.
"If the pain was excruciating for Vince, I can't imagine what Simon is going through"
Rage bubbled in me and I couldn't hold still anymore. I shot up and glared at the two, a wave of dizziness wracking my brain from the sudden movement.
Still, with clenching fists, I shouted back with an authoritative voice, "I told you to never mention that name ever again"
Xavier just scoffed, unfazed at my outburst. "I was wondering when you would put your two cents in. Now that you have decided to get up, we need to talk about the suppressant you're on."
"You're not my doctor," I interjected.
"Well, I am," Chase punched my arm. "And honestly, Xavier isn't far off with the Simon comment; you're lucky to even have the option to suppress the bond. He's feeling it tenfold, and I've warned you what the suppressants would do. Being on it for this long is going to destroy you. You'll feel exactly what the bond is really like for him, probably worse. That is if he doesn't kill himself from it. You can't say I didn't warn you."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'm pretty sure I told you that I don't give a shit about what he does. If he dies, it'd honestly be better, I wouldn't have to worry about those fucking suppressants. Problem solved."
Xavier crossed his arms, looking out the hospital window while Chase continued to nag about how important it was to keep him alive. Honestly, I didn't understand the fuss. Shit like this happens to rogues, their partners would die and they'd move on. Normal humans did the same shit, why was this any different?
"If you don't want to listen to me, fine. As your doctor, I'm just trying to inform you of the consequences of continuing down this path of destruction. Vince, are you even-"
"Look at our mother, Vince," Xavier interrupted, turning so fast toward me that I wondered how he didn't get whiplash. "Look at where she is now. Is that where you want to be, a vegetable? You think you can run this pack like that?"
I rolled my eyes, "It's different. Our mother loved dad. They were actually bonded."
"You're really oblivious aren't you," he commented. "If not for Simon, think about the pack. If rogues see you collapse like that, they'd see this pack's alpha as weak, vulnerable. They would want to attack, is that what you want for the pack?"
"It wouldn't come to that," I refuted.
Chase sighed before writing on a notepad. "It will with this dose. I'm decreasing the dosage for the next few months, and if these incidents keep happening, it's jeopardizing the entire pack's safety. This isn't just about Simon, Vince. It's about the pack too."
"Fine," I spat. "Enough talking about him though. What did you tell Sarah?"
My brother rolled his eyes, opting to stare out the window again. Both of them were pretty much the only people that knew about Simon, and how technically speaking, as much as I hate to admit, Sarah was not my designated mate. We had dated before I even knew about Simon, and had made sure that she felt like we were a fated pair since then. Of course, the true bond was never felt between us, but a tiny white lie wasn't going to tear us apart. Chase and Xavier on the other hand disagreed.
Chase frowned while staring at me the window my brother decided to stare at. "I told her it was a side effect of the medicine that we weren't expecting and that I'm looking at lowering the dose."
I gave him an incredulous look, not believing a word he said. He probably had told her everything while I was unconscious.
"I'm not lying to you, Vince. It's the truth anyway. I wasn't expecting such strong side effects, but I predicted it would happen sooner or later. She is curious as to why she doesn't have any side effects though," he replied. That was expected since we were both on the same suppressants. She did have a slightly lower dose, but she also wouldn't be able to feel the pull of her real mate either. It was dirty, I guess, but it was necessary to keep us together. Without it, everything I had built up for us and the pack would crumble.
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her it's because you have a stronger dose, and since you are Alpha, it probably was causing some issues with your wolf more than hers," he explained. He sighed before saying, "Vince, you know I do not like lying to her, or to anyone for that matter."
"You're not lying," I scoffed. "It's still the truth, technically."
"You know what I mean."
Xavier uncrossed his arms before sitting at one of the chairs. "You can't keep up this facade forever. One day she will find out and it'll ruin everything."
"She won't if you keep your mouth shut," I huffed. "Now enough of this drama, what did I miss while I was stuck in bed?"
"Lucas wants to throw another search party for Sally tomorrow, but I'm not sure the weather will hold up. The snowstorm is still lingering, so it may be wise to hold off on the search."
I rolled my eyes, "Lucas won't be too happy if we put the search off, we can probably stay within a mile radius for now, but anything past that, we risk our safety."
Xavier opened his phone to type, "I'll let Lucas know. On a side note, our brother contacted us."
I scowled. For a long time, Xavier was considered my only brother, but the eldest, Michael, was an unwanted pain in my ass that I hated to the core. He was dad's favorite growing up, until he decided he didn't want to take over father's responsibilities and position because of some stupid low-rank mutt that he claimed was his mate, some pup caretaker named David. They were so "madly in love" as Michael had called it, and decided they didn't want to follow in my father's name and provide an heir. It was pathetic, and thankfully I got the alpha role and was able to kick them out in the first place. I couldn't allow them to stay and undermine everything this pack stood for.
To think he had the nerve to try and contact me or Xavier left a bad taste in my mouth. "What for?"
"He doesn't approve of the changes you've made to the RCPP. He said father wouldn't approve of it," Xavier replied.
"Like he hasn't already disappointed him enough," I scoffed. "He's twice as bad."
Xavier pursed his lips. "He said he needs to speak with you in person. It sounded urgent."
"He's probably looking for money or something, just tell him to fuck off," I spat, earning a pointed glare from my brother. "Look, he's probably using this as an excuse to try and take over the pack. I'm no idiot, ever since I took out David, he's been more and more aggravated and has gotten closer to the pack. He's just looking for a fight."
"I'd be mad too if you killed my mate," he argued. "I'm just saying, maybe we should talk to him, see what's his deal. He's still our brother."
I huffed while readjusting my position, "I don't know why you're defending him, he tried tarnishing the pack's reputation."
Xavier looked at me incredulously. "Fine, whatever," I continued. "Set up a time and location, and make sure to have multiple betas nearby in case he tries to pull something. Let's see what our big brother wants with us."