Page 44 of Threads of Fate

“Why is the dose so high?” Leo asks, because if Doctor Finn is worried, then Leo is worried.

“Because the lower doses wouldn’t shut him up! My wolf would not leave it be, and I can’t be the one to hurt Nix. When he opens his eyes and finds out I’ve done this to him, I can’t just tell him he belongs to me. Us. I won’t take that choice away from him, too. Not after all he’s been through. So, I don’t care what it’s doing. I’m going to be on these for as long as it takes.”

Seeing his pack leader so clearly struggling and thinking about all the ways these meds could be fucking him up, Leo has to speak up. “No.”

Jay looks at him disbelievingly. “What do you mean ‘no’? Leo, look—”

“I mean no fucking way. Your guilt is driving you crazy. You won’t hurt him—you love him too much for that. I’ve seen how fiercely you treasure those you love, and I won’t let you sacrifice yourself over this.”

“I need them. When I take them, my wolf is quiet.” Jay looks desperately at him and then at the others.

“We’ll help you.” Rowan moves to hug Jay from behind, pulling Luca from his blanket burrito so he can snuggle in under his alpha’s chin. Finn puts a finger under Jay’s chin, over Luca’s head, and kisses him.

“No more. Let us help you, okay?” He squeezes in behind Luca and rests his head on Jay’s shoulder.

Their alpha has never been able to deny them anything, and even though he hesitates, he eventually nods. “Okay.”

Leo is never one to miss out on group hugs, so throws himself under Jay’s other arm. “Come on, Gideon, you know you want to.”

Gideon rolls his eyes but moves to hug them, too. If Leo feels a hand on his ass, he doesn’t mind.

In the quiet of the room, Luca whispers, “I miss Gray.” Leo does, too, especially with his sore ass as a reminder.

Rowan jumps back, shouting as he runs out of the room, “Shit, I forgot about Gray! Imma go get laid. Later, bitches!” Leo can’t help but laugh and wonders if they shouldn’t limit Rowan’s internet use.

***

Turns out that coming off high-dose alpha suppressants cold turkey is unpleasant, and they try to bundle Jay off home.

“I can just rest here. We can’t just leave him.” Jay complains as Gideon helps him with his jacket with complete disregard for the words coming out of Jay’s mouth. A timely grimace and a hand to his belly undermine him further.

“You’ll rest at home for a few hours and be back later.” Gideon’s tone is firm.

“Let me stay. I can do it. I’ll have a nap right here,” Luca insists and pats the bed right beside Nix, where he’d just been a few hours ago, scent-drunk out of his mind.

So Leo forgoes the dream of a hot bath, their pack bed, and a nice long nap for the time being and happily settles for a chair at Nix’s bedside. Luca finally gives up, holding his tongue at Gideon’s pointed look, but crosses his arms in protest as he follows the others out into the hall.

“I’ve got this. Go.” Leo gets kisses and a few ass-grabs for his generosity (still sore, by the way) from the others, and they guide a pale Jay into the elevator.

“Love you, Leo,” their leader calls, blowing him a kiss, uncaring that he’s probably drawing attention, and Leo heads back into the room.

The new nurse, Kyle, is surprisingly easy to talk to. As Kyle works, he and Leo chat about music and pack life. Kyle’s mates are musicians, too, which leads to stories about the smaller venues Leo misses from the old days. By evening, Leo feels like he’s made a new friend—and the distraction is exactly what he needs.

The afternoon sun is filling Nix’s room with golden light when Kyle reports that they’ve received the order to move Nix out of the ICU and into a suite. The timing is perfect, as he receives a text from Finn about dinner at the same time.

5:09 PM - from Finn

Bringing food and grumpy mates. Anything you need

5:10 PM - from Leo

Clothes and my laptop? Jay didn’t sleep?

5:06 PM - from Finn

No. The meds are brutal

We heard Gray’s awake. Pissed off but himself.

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