This is how I imagine Archie to look with his animal ears! XD!!! Please leave a vote or a comment if you enjoyed this chapter!
I couldn't believe it! Riles tried to leave me!
I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Riles did something drastic like that as I rushed to the Pack hospital. I thank God for the King as he told me what Riles tried to do.
As I skid inside the room I gasp as I see the King standing there with a worried expression. The heavy magenta coloured eyes settle on me as he looks in my direction. "Thank you for coming to visit him, Archon."
I swallow as I slowly edge my way to the prune pale body in the hospital bed. It scares me shitless as I got a closer look at how horrible Riles looked. I let out a distressed whimper at his rugged looked; he had dark circles under his eyes and a stubble covering most of his face.
"Riley told me you guys were having some trouble lately. Would you like to tell me what it was about?" My gaze snapped back to the King.
Riles spoke to the King about our relationship?
The King's heavy stare lightened as he took in my probably panicked expression. "Riley has a difficult time expressing his feeling ever since he was young."
His gaze turned back to Riles "He told me he told you he loved you Archon and you told him not to call you Archon." His gaze turned back to me accusingly "Not really the reaction a mate was looking for when they tell you they love you."
I bristled at the tone, "Are you telling me that this is my fault?!" I snapped pointing at Riles. The King just stared at me, not deterred by my angry outburst.
I turn back to Riles and brush some of the hair from his face "Why didn't you tell me this?" I whispered.
"He most likely thought he did when he called you Archon instead of Archie." The King said, "It might not be the most obvious thing in the world, but it made sense to him."
Sniffling I press my face in the crook of his neck "Come back to me so we can talk this out, Riles."
For the rest of the week, I didn't leave his side as the information the King told me how he was faring. I was shocked senseless as I learned that he slept in the old rickety shed out back. He said he couldn't sleep in the house because it reminded him of me and our times together.
I was scared to see the rock fast Riley crumble to this so fast all because of a misunderstanding and a few harsh words from me. I had assumed it was my entire fault he left that fateful day. Though I am wondering why Riles panther never spoke about the negative spiral he was in when we spoke.
Sighing as I rub his now clean-shaven cheek, I couldn't stand the rugged look on him. It didn't suit him. So I took it upon myself and shaved him, a young nurse offered to do it for me but I rejected the offer. I can't stand the thought of having someone else touch what is still mine.
We are still mated, whether Riles believed it or not. The only few people I let in the room are my family, the King, and Dean. The only people I trusted being around Riles and not mess him up. I only hate the fact that the Cat Clan opposes every decision I made concerning Riley's health. They kept playing the Clan card, but I trumped them with the mate card. That and the fact the King second my decisions helped a lot too.
"Archon... Son, you need to eat something." Dad's burly figure filled the doorway.
"I know dad but I don't want to leave Riles alone right now. He could wake up soon." I say holding Riles' limp hand in mine, rubbing circles on his skin.
Dad sighed as he walked inside "Archon, Riley will be fine when we go grab something to eat."
I shook my head "I still don't want to leave Riles, dad." Dad had the audacity to growl at me, in shock, I stare at him as his animal ears and tail appears. A clear sign he's very agitated with me.
Not taking a liking to being threatened I felt my own animal ears and tail surface.
"Our mate needs us, dad! And I am not leaving him!" I snap at him. To my utter astonishment, dad backed down, his ears slightly dropping. Making mine drop as well as my sudden anger leaves me.
"I am so sorry dad. I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Dad comes around to my side of the bed and squeezes me close to his chest, resting his chin on my head.
"I know son" He hushes me; rocking us from side to side "I know you didn't mean it." He squeezes me tighter as a sob escapes me and my tears steam unabashed down my cheeks.
"I just feel so helpless dad." I sob, covering my face "I just don't know what to do anymore." I was surprised that I still had tears to cry, I thought I had cried them all when Riles left me and when I found out about his condition at the hospital. But I was proven wrong once again as the waterfall kept falling from my eyes.
When my tears finally stopped flowing, and I used to like a billion paper hankies to wipe my face I realised someone was staring at me. Confused I looked around; there was nobody else in the room but me and Riles.
Dad had left a little while ago, insisting on getting me something to eat. I glanced back at Riles; his eyes were still closed and he wasn't moving at all. Playing it off as my imagination playing tricks on me, I sighed resting my head against the bed railing before grabbing a hold of his hand squeezing it lightly.
"Come back already Riles. It's been weeks already, enough is enough. I don't think I can handle this anymore." Just then Riles heart rate machine thingy beeped wildly, making it known he heard me.
Shooting upright, I look for signs that he's waking up. I scan his face anxiously for fluttering eyelids or a twitch of a muscle as a flustered nurse and doctor push me aside.
"What happened?" The doctor demanded as he could see no injuries that caused his heart rate to spike.
I glared at him "I don't know. I asked him to wake up because I want him home!" I didn't tell him that I could handle this situation any more than I already did. It was getting too much. The doctor just made a rude noise as he marches out of the room pulling the nurse in tow.
"That was too close for comfort Riles." I sighed as I plopped down in the chair I was pushed out of when the doctor and nurse entered the room.
Maybe I can help him.
My wolf offered
I can get in touch with his panther and maybe he can help to wake Riles up.
Please do. Do anything you can to get through to his panther. The King told me he cut Riles off after he left us that day.
My wolf just hummed before I felt him saunter off to wherever Riles' panther was hiding.
I will do my best Archie!
My dad walked in with a tray with some light chicken soup, the only thing I could keep down at the moment. "How is he doing?" Dad asked softly.
"His heart rate spike a little while ago, but nothing else happened since," I say as I blow softly on the spoon full of soup.
Dad looked at me wide-eyed "What do you mean his heart rate spiked? That's not good son! What did you tell him?!"
I swallowed the spoonful "I told him I couldn't handle this situation any longer if he doesn't wake up soon. And my wolf is off trying to get Riles panther to help to wake Riles up." Dad's wide-eyed gaze softened as he looked at me with pity. The last thing I wanted to see. Before I can say something about it my wolf came back with news of Riles panther.
Riles panther is up to the challenge!
He said smugly.
He said he could get Riles up in no time.
So the only thing now is to wait and see if it works.
Of course, it'll work! We just need to believe it will work. Just like Riles still believes you love him.
I gaped at that, making my dad look at me in question. "What happened Archie? What had your wolf to say?" He asked anxiously.
I wasn't surprised to feel the tears streaming down my face yet again. "He still loves me." I gasped. "After everything Riles still loves me. He thought I didn't want to be with him anymore and it never occurred to him he could have just come by the house."
I hiccuped, shaking with emotion. "He even-handed in his resignation letter and everything. He apparently wrote me a goodbye letter, in which he explains his reasons for leaving me and the Pack behind. He all thought this was something he deserved for being a bad mate. For not being able to express his emotions properly to those who matter most to him."
Dad nodded at me "That's a good thing, Archie. That means he has the will to come back to you." Dad's huge hands held me in place as he made me look at him.
"That means he's fighting his hardest to get back to the surface." Sniffling I wiped my eyes and nose, I nodded my head.
"The only thing that we can do now is to wait. Wait for him to return and wake up."
Dad smiled in agreement and slapped my cheeks gently as he kissed my forehead "That's the spirit son!" He got up and walked over to the door "I will see to it that you'll get your own bed here to sleep."
I didn't know when I fell asleep, but I did and woke up with a start. Looking around for a threat, I see none. My gaze drawn to Riles in the bed beside mine. Then I felt it again, the feeling of a slight prodding. The prodding didn't feel threatening, so I hesitantly opened the link.
[Is that you Riles? Are you there baby? Talk to me].
The link was silent but I noticed Riles eyes moving behind the still closed lids. Grinning I would have shouted out in joy, but settled for rushing out to the hall where I knew my dad was talking with Niamh and Maeve.
They were all startled as I threw open the door "He's waking up!" I squealed "He prodded my through our private link and I saw his eyes move behind his closed lids!" My sisters squealed and crushed me into a huge hug. My dad sighed in relief as he moves over to me to hug me as my sisters finally let go.
"I am so happy for you son!" He chocked as he crushed me to his chest tightly.
Dad went to get a doctor to confirm that my claim that Riles was on the verge of waking up. My sisters and I moved back into the room as dad was on his way to get a doctor. We all noticed Riles colouring was getting better; there was a more rosary colour to his cheeks that wasn't there when he got admitted to the hospital weeks ago.
Later the doctor would confirm that Riles was indeed on the verge of waking up. The doctor talked to Riles' panther, who confirmed that he and my wolf together managed to drag Riles back from the deep negative spiral he was sucked into.