"They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite." ( Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince)

Third person POV

There was this general belief, a belief Kyle did not share, that talking was the first step to emotional healing. In fact, according to him, it all depended on who you chose as a depositary of your sorrows. Some people would find the right words straight away. Perhaps because they had gone through sufferings similar to yours, perhaps because they were good with words. Some people - the vast majority - would sympathise, but would prove terrible at comforting you, and hurt you without meaning it. 

A minority would take advantage of your vulnerable state to grind you down. 

The important thing, though, was the fact you were strong enough to share your problems with someone. It meant that you would eventually heal, regardless of others' support.

Talking wasn't the first step to emotional healing; the fact that you talked to someone proved that you had already started to heal. 

That was what Kyle thought. However, as he tried to convey his feelings to his mates, he actually found himself longing for their support and understanding. No matter how weak it made him seem, he needed them. He needed to be seen by them, heard by them, understood by them. 

Fucking neediness. 

"My relationship with my uncle wasn't - uhm - wasn't great, and honestly sleep was my only solace - that is, when nightmares didn't keep me awake."

Someone whimpered. He knew who it was. Nate.

He couldn't bring himself to look at the guy. Maybe because he was walking on eggshells around him. He was more relaxed around Darren. The protectiveness Darren always shown to Nate, he had begun to extend to Kyle as well. At this very moment, laying between the Alpha's legs, his back against his hard chest, provided him a sense of belonging he had never thought he would experience again. 

Of course, things were easier with Darren because he wasn't the one Kyle had assaulted, years ago. 

He was the strongest of the trio, and not just physically. 

"When you say your relationship with your uncle wasn't great... How bad was it, exactly?" Nate asked in a small voice, like he was afraid to hear the answer.

"Very bad." Kyle replied curtly, still without looking at him, and the Beta didn't press him further. 

Going into details meant telling them about the Suppressants and his Submissive nature. He probably would have to let them know at some point, but he wasn't ready yet. For years, he had been perceived as a Dominant Beta, a ruthless warrior and a lone wolf. Although deep down he didn't recognize himself in this picture his pack members had formed of him, he had gotten used to it. 

Somehow, the dominant slash aggressive Beta had become the mask he put on every day, to the point that it felt like it was now part of his identity. 

He wasn't sure anymore who he was under the mask.

If he took the mask off completely, would there still be someone under it worth it?

What happened when you broke the shell to find there wasn't anything left inside?

"There are some other things I need to tell you. You've probably guessed by now that I have secrets of my own. I will tell you just - just not today, okay?"

"That's okay, Kyle. Whenever you feel ready. Also, don't forget you don't have to tell us anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."

He nodded, willing himself to keep talking. Who knew when the three of them would have another intimate moment like this?

"My mum - I miss her, and I never... But now I feel a bit better. I just want to leave all this loneliness behind but I can't and - fuck."

His voice broke and he angrily threw a twig into the fire.

He couldn't do it. He just sucked at expressing himself and probably wasn't making any sense.

It was a mistake thinking he could talk about it. What was he hoping to achieve anyway? For his mates to forgive him? He didn't deserve it. He should just go. 

He tried to get up, but at the same moment, Darren's left hand started to gently rub his stomach, while his right hand carded through his hair. He wasn't being physically restrained, yet it was somehow harder to escape from these gestures of affection.

"You know, you're doing very well, pup." Darren spoke up for the first time in a while.

Kyle gasped, not unhappy but surprised. 

Pup?

This time, he carefully raised his eyes. He expected Nate to be mad or at least shocked by Darren's unexpected use of a pet name. 

Their eyes met, and the other Beta just smiled at him, leaning forward to briefly squeeze his shoulder, before returning to his original position. 

"Why would you call me pup?" he couldn't help but ask Darren, his cheeks hot. "I mean, have you looked at me? I am almost six foot two, and one of the best warriors you'll ever met"

The Alpha laughed. "Cheeky, aren't we?"

"Maybe I am. Still, I don't look like a pup."

"I think it fits you."

Kyle waited for him to elaborate, but the man remained silent after that, seemingly getting lost in his thoughts, just like Nate, who was engrossed in the contemplation of the fire.

As for Kyle, he was hyper-aware of the position he was in. 

Did Darren realise his gestures toward Kyle were those of a Dominant trying to comfort a distraught Submissive? He probably wasn't even aware of it, unconsciously following his Alpha and Dominant protective instincts.

This was dangerous. All he could hope was for Alex to bring him the strongest Suppressants in the following days. 

Being around his mates also meant a higher risk to be exposed as a Sub, but now Kyle couldn't bring himself to put some distance between them. He was tired, and this new proximity felt too good.

Kyle's own Submissive instincts were screaming at him to snuggle further into Darren's embrace, to bare his neck and pur in contentment. 

He managed to quiet them down, and eventually the position just started to feel natural. 

A strange thought came to his mind. Maybe it is not such a bad thing, being a Submissive.

Nate wasn't touching him, but he was sitting very close to him, and it was probably already more than he could have hoped for.

Kyle didn't know anything about relationships, much less about sex. What he knew was that he would have give ten years of his life for moments like this. 

Moments of comfortable silence, and shared loneliness. 

Only, it couldn't have lasted for long. 

"Kyle-" Nate started, only to be silenced by Darren, who leaned forward to put a hand on his mouth. 

In the blink of an eye, all sense of peace and safety was gone.

"What is it?" Kyle whispered, tensing up in Darren's arms. 

"Something's wrong. Nate, put the fire out."

Nate immediately complied, and both Betas turned to their leader in tense anticipation.

Out of nowhere, arrows pierced through the air, one of them brushing Kyle's shoulder.

"Humans!" Darren yelled. They're armed! Let's go back to the camp but we have to make sure they don't follow us!"

"How do they know we're werewolves? We are in our human forms!"

"They must have seen us shift earlier. Run, now!"

They started running as fast as they could. Kyle noticed something weird, though. Darren was usually much quicker. Now, he was obviously struggling to keep up with him and Nate.

"Fuck, Darren, you're hurt!"

"Just run, Kyle." the Alpha barked in an authoritative tone.

Although the look in his eyes was fierce, the leader of the pack wasn't looking good. Kyle swore as he realised that there was blood dripping down his leg. 

There were about ten hunters on horseback. The three of them could probably kill them all, but would be badly injured in the process, especially considering Darren's weakened state. 

Suddenly, Kyle had an idea. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only one he could come up with. 

"Look, you keep going and I will to wait for them. This way, they will follow me instead and you'll have time to reach the camp safely"

"It's absolutely out of the question" Darren immediately retorted.

"You're the Alpha, your life is worth more than mine"

"I strongly disagree"

"Fine, have it your way. I guess I will just run by your side then and we might all die"

Another arrow barely missed Nate's face. Those Hunters were highly trained. 

What was it with humans, that the couldn't seem to let other species live in peace? There were actually the biggest threat to werewolves. Whenever werewolves fought, it was never the bloodbath it was when humans were involved.

"I will stay with you." intervened Nate.

"No, you have to run, too." Kyle was quick to object. "You are not only a good warrior but a good healer, the pack needs you. Plus, I am by far the fastest here. They won't be able to catch me."

Nate cursed but Kyle could feel his mate's resolve weakening. As precarious as Kyle's plan was, it was their only alternative.

"Please, go. I promise I won't get hurt."

The Alpha growled, looking torned, but they could hear men on horses getting closer and Kyle started walking instead, looking at his mate with pleading eyes. Darren looked at him intently, then finally nodded. 

"Run in another, direction don't try to fight. I will call for help."

"I will. Now, go."

The two werewolves still looked conflicted, but they started accelerating and quickly disapperead in the woods.

Kyle's relief at knowing his mates were going to survive was short-lived, as he made out the figures of his opponents. 

There weren't ten but twelve, and of course they were all armed. Before thinking of escaping, he needed to injure a few of them, or they would eventually get him. 

"Fuck, look at his wolf." exclaimed one of the Hunter. 

"Yeah, he is huge." added another. "Bet he will make a beautiful fur coat."

"I don't know, man. We saw him in his human form, so now it feels weird to hunt him like a prey."

"He is not one of us, don't forget that. He is an abomination."

"Okay, yeah. You're right"

This was not the time to whine, though. If he couldn't run away, he was going to fight until his last breath and die the way he had lived: alone.

The important thing was that his mates were alive. They were the ones who deserved to live.

With that thought in head, he jumped on his first ennemy and managed to severely bit him at the thigh. 

The man yelled in pain and fell from his horse. Less than a second later, Kyle had knocked another man down. Two of them got scared and ran away.

Kyle saw his chance and tried to flee the battlefield as well, but suddenly felt something sharp piercing the tender skin of his right leg. He quickly ducked, then bit the leg of another horse who immediately reared, making his rider fall on the ground with a loud thud.

But then, Kyle felt another arrow piercing his left hip and that's when he kew for sure everything was lost. How could have things go downhill so quickly? 

A few minutes earlier, he was peacefully laying in Darren's embrace, having an open and intimate conversation for the first time in eons with his mates. 

Now, he was living his last moment because of some strangers who considered his kind to be an abomination.

He opened his mouth, wanting his mates' names to be the last words on his lips, but everything turned dark and he fainted.