The first twenty four hours were by far the hardest for everyone.

Malakai had to be kept fully sedated and even with high grade suppressants in him he was still occasionally trying to drag his half-conscious body out of the room to go find his mate.

Victor found the sight of his Pack Leader slowly crawling across the floor while mumbling ‘Mine’ to himself over and over again to be completely hilarious and made a point to take more than a few videos of the event on his phone.

Keisyn didn’t find the situation as amusing as his superior did and was in charge of collecting the gigantic Alpha off the floor and throwing him back on his hospital bed every time he’d try to take off. The few times that Kai fought back, Victor had to step in and assist at holding their leader down, which was decidedly unpleasant for everyone involved.

Assail kept himself busy doing rounds of the hospital, making a point to check in with each of his Beta guards and confirming that his checkpoints were still stable regularly. No one was getting in or out of the hospital without the pack knowing about it.

Asza was monitoring communications as best he could from the few computers the pack had brought along. His entire job was to try to confirm whether the information about Kai bonding had been leaked to any other packs and monitor their more motivated enemies to make sure that no one was preparing for any big moves.

Though, if they were smart, the other packs would wait till Kai was fully bonded and mated before trying to off Azaki. It would be a more effective way to break Malakai and the pack. Asza didn't like having to think like that, but the thoughts came fairly naturally to him. He was known to be a brilliant and brutal strategist, after all.

Maynard spent every free moment he had by Azaki’s side. The Omega was far too overwhelmed by his new perception of pheromones and the dizzying haze of a first heat to really know what was going on around him. Every now and again, Azaki would have a moment of clarity, and Maynard took extra care to make sure that the Omega ate some food and drank some water at those times.

By the time the third day had rolled around Malakai was back to functioning more or less like he usually did. Victor was haggard, half unconscious, and slung over the food tray that should have been positioned in front of his pack leader when Malakai’s eyes cracked open and were clear for the first time.

Vic let out a sigh of genuine relief and swatted his hand lazily toward Asza who was curled up in a ball on the floor in front of the door like a kitten. Asza yawned and straightened before rubbing his eyes. “Vic?”

“Bab-” Vic was cut off by a low growl from Malakai that caused the other two to tighten. The sound only lasted a moment before Kai seemed to get a grip on himself and stop.

“Where is my mate?” The calm timbre of his voice caught them both off guard and they relaxed a bit.

“He’s safe.” Vic started, “And scent blocked with armed guards.”

Malakai smiled broadly, “You four are amazing.”

“Nah, give the credit to the Doc, he knew who to call and how quick to respond.” Vic chuckled while pushing invisible glasses up by the brim in a mocking gesture.

“Heard Maynard tranqed you.” Asza allowed himself to let out a laugh that made Kai laugh along. The three engaged in small talk for a few moments before Kai got down to brass tacks.

“How long has it been?”

“Three days.” Came the swift response.

“Not bad.” Kai nodded to himself before stilling. “I’m starving.”

“Anything for my pack leader.” Victor mocked with a bow and dramatic gesture toward the very cold hospital soup that was on the food tray turned bed.

Azaki hadn’t been so lucky as to come out of his heat quickly. It lasted for five solid days and every moment of it was a different kind of hell for him. For a man who’d never known the burning sensation of arousal, being slapped in the face with it was a shocking dichotomy.

It was like swimming in a sea where each wave was a tidal wave and every one came with a new and more shocking sensation. The first wave was always the heat. A small tingling that started in his gut and traveled down to nerve endings that had never been stimulated before. The feeling would rise seemingly infinitely until exploding in a crescendo that reverberated through his entire being.

Then he would be lost to the lust for a while.

After rocking in and out of crashing orgasm, Azaki would then find the peace of stilling waters. A moment to catch his breath. And in those moments he would find the calm and loving words of his Doctor who tried again and again to assure him that he’d be okay and that he would come out of this unmated.

But not unbonded, as that damage was already done.

It was the bond that would bring the next wave of emotion upon him. He would struggle to catch his breath only to realize that drowning in his Alpha wasn’t the death sentence he’d expected it to be. His Alpha was concerned for him. He was reaching out to Azaki in the only way he knew how, through their bond. Azaki could feel his bonded trying to reach out to him and yet struggling to respect his wishes for distance. He could feel his Alpha fighting desperately in an internal battle to keep his calm and stay away.

Azaki felt an instinctual pleasure from this feeling. Somewhere deep inside him there was a happiness that came from knowing that his Alpha, though not here, was with him in spirit and loving him in his own way. He was wanted, and Azaki felt a comfort in that despite kind of hating himself for it.

When the connection through the bond faded, Azaki would then be completely overwhelmed by his new sense of pheromones. Though he was in a room with only his own and the neutral pheromones of Beta, the simple ability to sense them at all had jumbled his ability to find equilibrium.

He could get lost in this new sensation. It was being alive on a level he’d never experienced before. Though his mind was clear, his thoughts were overwhelmed and consumed with processing the new data it was being presented. He’d genuinely been only living a part of his life before the moment he’d met the Alpha with the golden eyes. He should apologize to his doctor for not having listened before now.

That Alpha was beautiful.

And though Azaki knew nothing of the man, through their bond he could feel the compassion and adoration that was held in his favor. With feelings like this would Azaki be allowed to still live a normal life? His instincts told him that those dreams were possible and he’d find peace. He would almost be able to relax into his pillows and accept his fate.

But, then the cycle would start itself over again.

When he surfaced for air this time though, Azaki felt a balance. There was a sense of clarity in his mind and with this clarity he shifted his gaze around to take note of his surroundings. Maynard was holding his hand gently and whispering softly. Azaki couldn’t quite make out the words being said because the doctor seemed to have picked up on his sense of awareness faster than he did himself.

“You’re awake.” Maynard smiled.

Azaki blinked a few times before he answered, trying to let his mind catch up with what he’d just gone through. Instead of speaking, Azaki nodded slightly and pinned his eyes to the ground in shame. Maynard let out a soft sigh and squeezed his hand.

“I’m sorry, Azaki, I know this isn’t what you wanted, but-”

“It’s fine.” Azaki interrupted, sounding exacerbated and rubbing his hands over his eyes.

“Is it?” Maynard half whispered, the guilt obvious in his tone.

“Yeah, it’s cool.” The word inevitable flashed in Azaki’s mind, but he couldn’t find the words to express what he was feeling out loud.

“Can I get you anything? You must be tired.” Azaki let out a long and deeply held sigh. He let a moment of anticipation pass between the two of them almost like he wasn’t sure how to articulate his feelings. Maynard waited patiently, all the while feeling a sense of guilt toward the Omega who had no idea about the future he’d gotten wrapped up in. Finally Azaki let out a small squeaky voice that was painted with anxiety, resignation, and shame.

“Can you bring me my Alpha?”