DAMIEN

Lily has been distant ever since she found out about me not connecting with Cage. She started to snap out of it when Junior called her for help with Lyssa. Of course, she went over there immediately, and I caught her on her way out of the packhouse. When Liam and Azalea walked into the house, I knew what I had been thinking was true.

Liam was reasonably distant the following day. I couldn’t tell how Azalea was feeling because she seemed singularly concerned about Liam and the kids. Not being able to connect with Cage seemed to be making things worse because now everyone was treating me differently. I knew I needed to figure out how to communicate with him again, but I had no idea where to start.

Liam found me on the training ground the next day. Until I knew what else to do and we could talk about me returning to my position, there wasn’t much else for me to do except train. I was doing pushups when he approached. He stopped a few feet away and crossed his arms, waiting for me to finish.

When I stood up, he had a serious look on his face. “What?” I asked, not disrespecting him with disingenuous greetings.

“I called my uncle,” he said. “We’re going to the clinic.”

“Like hell, I am, Liam!” I argued. Anger prickled down my spine; this was my problem, not his.

“This wasn’t a suggestion,” he said. His demeanor was cold, not unlike how his father used to act.

“Are you going to command me?” I asked.

“If I have to,” he said. “Damien, how am I supposed to help you if we don’t talk with the professional?”

“I didn’t ask for your help,” I pointed out.

“You’re my best damn friend, and I am not going to leave this alone!” he shouted. “Your mate feels guilty, and so does mine! We are going to talk to my uncle, and you will let him test you however he wants until we can get some answers!”

My nostrils flared in irritation. “You think I don’t know what my mate feels? I am very well aware!” I yelled back. “Azalea has nothing to feel guilty about. She didn’t more than expected because I am standing here now. Connecting with Cage is my problem, and I will solve it!”

“No,” he said. “We will solve it. You and me. We are a team. When I needed you, you stepped up. You acted as Alpha and helped me get my mate and pup back. Now you need me, and I am not going to let you push the rest of us away.”

“That was different!”

“I don’t care. You don’t need me to rescue Lily, but you do need someone to shake some sense into you. Azalea is worried that you won’t want to live without your wolf and will hold herself personally responsible if you do anything stupid.”

I took a step back in shock. “She thinks I would kill myself? She thinks I would do that because I can’t access my wolf?”

He nodded his head. “She is pushing it all down and pretending it’s not there, but it is. She is terrified; Lily is too. She doesn’t know how to help you, and you aren’t letting her in. She and Azalea aren’t even speaking. So get your s**t, and let’s go. We will find out how to fix this.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I saw the look on Azalea’s face the night that I had to pull Lily from her office, but I had no idea she thought like that. Hell, she is probably the only person in this pack that can relate to my situation even in the slightest. I was grateful to her for waking me up and couldn’t blame her for this happening.

“Fine,” I said. I grabbed my water and towel as Liam turned and headed toward the packhouse. I followed him, growing more nervous about what we could find out from his uncle.

We walked in silence, Liam never once looking back until we got to the clinic. No one was in the waiting room except Doctor Ron when we got inside. “And the guest of honor has arrived,” he said.

“Sorry, there was some argument over whether this would happen or not,” Liam muttered, walking past his uncle.

“I do hope you know that we are all only trying to help,” Ron said as I approached. I just nodded my head.

“Let’s go back and chat first,” he said, clapping me on the back. I sighed and followed his lead. We went back to the room where I woke up from my coma. There was a singular bed inside and a few machines sitting off to the side. To my surprise, Lily and Azalea were waiting for us.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Lily, going straight for her. She had unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

“I just want to help you get your wolf back, Dai,” she said. “I don’t want you to have to live without Cage.” I leaned my forehead against hers.

“I know, Lilypad,” I said softly.

I pulled away from Lily and looked at Azalea. “I want you to know that no matter what we find out, I am happy that you pulled me out of the coma. I will never regret waking up.” Azalea offered me a half-smile and nodded her head. Liam went over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Damien, why don’t you have a seat,” Ron said, motioning to the bed. I nodded and let go of Lily to sit down. He came over next to me and pulled out some sticky pads. “Go ahead and remove your shirt. We’ll run a couple of tests while we chat.”

I pulled my shirt over my head with difficulty as it was still damp with sweat. He began sticking the little pads to me and then attaching some wires to them. When he was finished, he stepped back and grabbed a stool from the corner of the room.

“Okay, Damien, so you haven’t been able to speak to Cage,” he started.

“Yea,” I nodded.

“Do you remember if you could feel him while you were in a coma?”

“It’s all a bit fuzzy, but no,” I answered.

“And when you woke up nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Can you tell me what happened when you shifted?” he asked. I relayed what happened a few days ago in the woods with Liam. Ron listened closely, nodding his head occasionally.

“You still have no access to Cage, I presume?” he asked when I was finished.

“No,” I said.

“Not even when you are sleeping?” he asked.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“When I am sleeping?” I repeated.

“Yes, do you see or hear him in your dreams or unconscious mind?” he clarified.

“I don’t think so,” I said. I tried to think about what I was dreaming about last night but was coming up blank.

“Don’t think too hard on it. Often, we can’t recall our dreams. It’s perfectly normal. If it isn’t standing out to you, we won’t worry about it for now,” he said.

“So, any ideas?” I asked.

“No,” Ron said honestly. “This is all new territory, I am afraid. There is not much in the way of available research on this particular matter to begin with. But, if you will humor me, I would like to test a few things.”

I looked at Liam standing across the room. “I’m not sure I have much say in the matter, Doc. Test away,” I resigned.

First, Ron had me run on a treadmill while connected to a bunch of leads. I was not back in shape by any means yet, so I gassed out much sooner than I wanted to. Next, he had me focus on connecting with Cage while he monitored neurological activity. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, and he didn’t bother explaining. He wanted to do one more test when we were done with that.

“I want you to shift,” he said. I looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

“I can’t control Cage. Why would I shift again until I can?” I asked.

“Well, I would like to see if we can get Cage to be reasonable. I would also like to observe what happens. Plus, I believe Cage may have acted out the way he did because he has been cut off from everything. Think about it similar to when a wolf is cast out as a rogue, and they slowly lose themselves. Cage is becoming more rabid as he struggles with the situation. You and I are speaking about this, and you are around your mate and friends. Cage is cut off from everyone,” he explained.

“What if Cage is out of control again?” Lily asked.

“Well, I would also like to see if Cage will calm for you or your wolf. I believe we also have an Alpha handy to stop him if things take a turn,” Doctor Ron said, looking at Liam with a calm smile. I can positively say that I had never seen this man panicking or uneasy about anything.

“Sure,” he agreed. “My Alpha tone seemed to work last time.”

“Alright, then shall we head out to a more suitable setting for this test?” We all filed out of the clinic and made for the nearest section of trees. I wasn’t too excited to do this; I didn’t want Cage to lash out and hurt anyone. I was also afraid to see Lily’s reaction if Cage wouldn’t acknowledge her or her wolf.

When we got deep enough in the trees, Liam started pulling his clothes off to shift, handing them piece by piece to Azalea. I sighed and did the same. Lily grabbed my shirt before I could toss it to the ground. She gave me a sad smile as I handed her everything else.

Liam shifted first, landing on four paws next to his mate. “Azalea, would you mind staying behind Liam and the doc?” I asked her. She nodded, keeping her eyes on my face. Liam moved to block her from me; at least I knew she wouldn’t get hurt if Cage lashed out.

“Alright,” Doctor Ron said. “Whenever you are ready, Damien.” Everyone’s eyes were on me, making me feel like a spectacle. I had shifted a million times, but it felt like something was on the line. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“Come on, Cage,” I thought. “Just be there. I need you, man.” I focused on my wolf form, imagining my features morphing. Pain surged through my body, starting in the base of my spine and moving outward. It wasn’t as bad as the other day, but it was not pleasant.

Slowly, I could feel the shift happening. My body curled in on itself, bracing against the pain of my bones reforming. “Cage!” I called out, hoping to find him.

Then, nothingness.

LIAM

Damien stood in front of us, struggling to shift. I blocked Azalea, although I knew she was trying to look around me. I didn’t want her near Cage just in case.

Damien bent over, pain evident on his features as he suppressed a g***n. Slowly, we watched as his skin rippled over his morphing anatomy. Slowly, he sprouted fur, and his limbs elongated. I could tell he was holding in his sounds of discomfort due to the audience.

His shift was quicker than the last one, but only marginally. Finally, his wolf head looked up at us. His eyes were dark, and I knew my best friend wasn’t present.

“Damien?” Lily asked softly, stepping forward. His head tilted to the side slightly, observing her. His l*p twitched as he smelled the air.

“Damien, can you hear us?” Uncle Ron said.

“Damien, are you there?” I linked him. I got nothing. “Cage?” Still no response.

“Cage, are you there?” Lily said, bringing her hand up slowly. Damien’s wolf bent down defensively, a snarl on his lips. I looked at Lily, who was starting to tear up.

“Lily, let your wolf have control. Maybe Cage will recognize his partner more readily,” my uncle instructed.

Lily nodded and closed her eyes. A moment later, her posture changed as she opened her eyes. Her shoulders relaxed but lurched forward a bit, her demeanor transforming to a more timid one. “Cage?” she said shakily.

At that, his ears perked up, and he stood back up. Cage walked over to Lily and started circling her protectively. He rubbed up against her; she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck. He sat back, letting her hang from him.

Cage’s eyes connected with mine. A threatening look passed between us. “Cage,” I linked. He responded with a growl. “You need to listen.”

His eyes traveled from me to my uncle and back. “Cage, we know you cannot speak with Damien,” Uncle Ron said. “We know you are struggling. Please try and stay with us for a moment.” My uncle looked at me and nodded, telling me to take the lead.

“Something happened when the vampire bit Damien. Your connection was severed,” I linked him. His expression faltered for a moment. “When Damien woke up, he couldn’t access you, and it has been worrying him. It seems you can only be brought out when he shifts, but he does not know what is happening when you are present.”

His head nodded slightly. “It’s dark and quiet,” he finally spoke. “I want out.”

I nodded my head. “I know. We are trying to figure out how to make that happen,” I told him.

“Now,” he said.

“I don’t have any answers yet. We don’t know if we can fix this,” I told him. There was no point in being dishonest with him. I could see his eyes widen, and he looked like he was ready to bolt.

“Cage, you cannot leave!” I said quickly. “If you leave, Lily and her wolf would be devastated; your pups will be devastated. Give us some time to figure things out.”

Everything was still for a moment. Cage just held my gaze, and I had to wonder if he was talking to Lily’s wolf. Finally, he nodded his head fractionally. “Let me out. I need to be out,” Cage said.

“I will make sure that Damien shifts every day to let you out of his mind if you promise me that we can trust you to stay in our packland and not hurt anyone,” I said.

“I feel the fall,” he said. “In the dark, the fall is imminent.”

“We won’t let you fall like rogues. But you have to fight for yourself and Damien,” I assured him.