Page 55 of Blinded
"No fever, chills, or anything physical?" Cohen asked.
"Other than being tired, that's it." Brett shrugged. "I didn't even notice my wolf being distant really until tonight. We were going to shift and spend the night together, but I suddenly couldn't shift. As I got thinking about it, the last time I felt my wolf was at the cells."
"Did you help at the cells?" Cohen took a bite of his steak.
"I watched, but didn't do anything," Brett told him.
"Would it matter?" I asked.
"It might. If he wanted to help and you didn't let him." Cohen glanced over at me.
"You mean me let him?" I didn't understand.
"No, I mean if Brett's wolf wanted to and he didn't let him."
Brett nodded. "I held him back. He wanted to kill him, but that wasn't our place. Nothing we did would have mattered anyway. It wouldn't make me see again."
"Still, your wolf wanted revenge. It doesn't matter now, it's over with, but I think what we are dealing with is your wolf is depressed."
Brett snorted a laugh. "Depressed? Seriously? How can that be? I'm fine."
I bit my lip, trying to figure out what Cohen was getting at. It didn't make sense to me. If the wolf was depressed Brett should have shown signs of it too.
"While you and your wolf are one soul, you are two different personalities or spirits. You both have different needs, desires. Think of today, he wanted to come out and kill, but you in human form knew that the right belonged to Bridger's family. You think like a human. Your wolf thinks like a wolf. How many times have we all argued with our wolf over something? It happens all the time. Think of our matings. My wolf would have never waited weeks for Stephen to agree, and his wolf wouldn't hesitate. It was our human sides that did that. The wolf's needs are primal. Eat, sleep, hunt, sex. What I'm guessing has happened is with you being blind, your wolf is wondering how to fulfill those needs. Yes, you feed him, you are probably having sex, you sleep, but not in the way he does. While being blind affects you as a human in a lot of ways, it almost stops your wolf from doing what comes naturally to him. Have you let him out to run, to hunt?"
"No, not really." Brett sighed. "I've shifted, but not often."
"It might not matter how often you shifted if your wolf is taking the blindness as an end to everything he loves to do," Cohen said.
"How do I make him better?" Brett gripped my hand in his.
"I don't know. Usually, I'd tell you to spend a day as wolf, running, hunting, and letting him have control of everything for a while. It's not that easy for you. Being blind, your wolf needs to relearn how to do everything. He can't just jump off the front porch and take off through the forest."
"But if I can't shift, I can't do that, even if I could run through the forest. He has to let me shift in order to try that stuff. He won't even stir. He's listening, watching, but other than that, he's not active." Brett reached out for his drink, taking a long swallow before turning to me. "Is there a way for Bayne's wolf to force this? Being my mate can he call to my wolf?"
"You can try. I don't know enough about the mating connection to know if it would work, but if anyone can lure him out, it's his mate." Cohen looked at me. "Bayne, tomorrow, or tonight if you want, shift and go outside. Howl for your mate to join you. Tempt him with a short run around the yard where you won't get hurt. Do whatever you can to try and draw him out."
I nodded. "I'll do whatever I can. He'll get over this, right?"
"He should. I've only read of one case where a wolf withdrew and never came forward again and that was a strange case of a murdered mate and violent attack many years ago. Your wolf is young and strong. You have your mate here to help. I hope it's just his way of dealing with everything that has been going on."
"There's no medication or anything I can take?"
"Not that will help. It's hard enough to find drugs that work on shifters. You'd have to take so much of something to have any effect that it could be dangerous. It's not worth the risk. I can't imagine your wolf will stay back for long. His basic needs will be met. Maybe try not eating as human. Have raw steak out so he is tempted when hungry, let him see Bayne out running, playing. Have Bayne's wolf tempt him with sex, whatever you can do to draw him out." Cohen looked back and forth between Brett and me.
"Are you sure that it's depression and not something else?" Brett asked.
"No, I can't be sure, but, I can't think of anything else it could be. Other than your blindness you are in perfect health. You have no physical issues from the attack. You don't show signs of an infection or being ill in any way. I am going to research it when I get home, see if I can find any other case studies or information. I'll call a few colleagues, see if they know anything that can help." Cohen glanced at Stephen. "If you want, after we eat, we can all shift and see if that will help draw him out. Maybe if he sees us outside, running around the backyard, he'll want to join."
"I'd appreciate that." Brett sighed. "I thought once Justin was dead I could move on. I guess half of me isn't ready yet."
"You've been through a lot. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's just going to take time to adjust. Let me research and we'll see what we can come up with," Cohen promised.
"Thanks." Brett again reached for his fork.
"So, what is new with the two of you?" I wanted to change the topic, try and take Brett's mind off of his wolf.
"We're headed to Virginia this summer." Stephen smiled.
