"Among my stillness was a pounding heart."
― Shannon A. Thompson 

Third person POV

Kyle had first woken up to blinding pain, which had made him want to go back to his previous oblivious state. 

But then, comforting hands had touched his face, forehead and hair, gently pressing a glass of something against his dry lips. He had drunk the unfamiliar beverage without a second thought, and soon after, the pain had begun to subside.

"Good boy", had whispered someone who, even in his state of grogginess, Kyle had recognized to be Darren. His heart fluttered. It wasn't often that he was being praised.

 "Go back to sleep, now. You're safe."

Even if he had wanted to disobey his mate, he probably wouldn't have been able to. At this exact moment, his physical and emotional fatigue was too great. The real world would just have to wait, because he couldn't deal with it. He had had enough.

That was the first time he had woken up. He woke up a few times after that, but always for a couple of blurry seconds. At first, he had been afraid to regain consciousness, because returning to the real world meant having to face the pain on his own. However, every time he had woken up, he had been relieved to find one of his mate at his side. Most of the time it had been Nate, which made sense, since the Beta was a healer and Darren still had to assume his responsibilities as a pack leader.

"Nate?" he tried, as he woke up for what felt like the hundredth time. This time, however, he was able to keep his eyes open. 

For how long had he been laying on this camp bed?

"Shh. Don't try to talk yet." Nate shushed him, immediately scooting closer.

"How are Darren's injuries?" Kyle still asked.

"Darren is fine. He's almost healed, and already went back to attend his duties."

Nate said the last part in a disapproving tone, which didn't surprise the Beta. After all, he knew his mates enough to know both of them were terribly stubborn. Nate had probably wanted for Darren to rest longer, while the latter had insisted on going back to his pack mates who seemed to need him day and night.

"Please don't go." he pleaded, as Nate made a move to get up.

Shit. He sounded weak, didn't he?

"I won't." Nate replied reassuringly. "I just wanted to bring you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry. Just stay here."

Nate hesitated, apparently not very pleased by Kyle's refusal to have something to eat. He sighed, his expression eventually softening. 

"Alright, Kyle. Don't worry your pretty head. I promise I'm not going anywhere, so go back to sleep now."

"I don't want to." Kyle protested. "I feel I've slept for too long already. M'not used to it."

The other man nodded in understanding, then carefully pulled up the blanket to check on Kyle's injuries at his right leg and left hip. He was bitting his lips, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused on his mate's body. For some reason, Kyle found his caring and professional attitude incredibly sexy. Now was not the time for having such thoughts, though.

"You're healing fast, it's good." Nate finally declared. "Soon enough, you'll have a barely visible scar. It's all thanks to your enzymes."

"One of the perks of being a werewolf" Kyle joked as he tried to sit up, only for Nate to press a firm hand against his chest, gently forcing him to lay back down.

"You have to take it slow." he declared in a stern voice. "No more training until you're completely healed, do you hear me?"

No more training? So, he was going to be deprived of his main outlet? Kyle was about to refuse, but a look from Nate was enough to dissuade him. Instead, he nodded with a grim expression, which apparently wasn't good enough for Nate. 

"Words, Kyle" he ordered.

Fuck, that was hot. Annoying, but hot nonetheless. He was more used to this kind of behaviours from Darren. 

"Yes, dad" he said in a mocking tone, to hide the fact that this show of authority was affecting him more that it should have.

Nate sighed, but didn't pursue the matter, instead taking a sit at the edge of the bed, making Kyle rejoiced inwardly at their closeness. He took the opportunity to take a better look at his mate. While the beyond-exhaustion look didn't make the Beta look any less attractive, it still worried Kyle. 

"I'm sorry" he blurted out.

"What for?" Nate asked, looking confused.

"You look like you haven't slept in days. It's my fault because -"

His right hand, the one that had been laying on top of the cover, was suddenly captured in Nate's slightly smaller ones. He looked down at their intertwined hands with wide eyes. What was Nate doing? He wasn't the one who needed comfort!

"No, Kyle." Nate disagreed. "It's not your fault. You risked your life to protect us, and you ended up injured. Darren and I are the ones who should feel guilty. And grateful."

"Grateful?" Kyle snorted. "What for? That's the least I could have done! And I don't want you to feel guilty. I told you that I was going to lose them, not fight them! Anyway, I should have been able to take these Hunters down on my own, without Darren's help."

Nate now had his "don't feed me that bullshit" expression that made Kyle look down bashfully at his lap. He definitely was acting a bit cocky. 

"Actually, that's not the only thing I feel guilty about" Nate continued. "I've meant to tell you that I'm sorry for the way I acted when we were still teenagers. I should have realized you were having such a hard time, especially with your uncle. I should have paid more attention to you..."

Kyle didn't really listen to what Nate was saying. He knew what the Beta was trying to express; after all, Darren had told him more or less the same thing when they had been sitting around the fire, before the attack. All he knew was that his pain was finally being acknowledged and it was a good feeling. He, too, had done things he should apologize for - things far much worse that Darren and Nate had ever done. Yet, they were now all trying to mend their broken relationship. They were putting efforts and energy into this mating thing. 

Despite Nate's recommendation of taking it slow, he suddenly sat up, wincing a bit at the sudden flash of pain in his ribs - he must have cracked a few of them. Unwilling to give his mate another chance to scold him, he put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a fleeting kiss on the cheek.

Then, horror seized him at the realization of what he had done on a whim. He had kissed Nate. On the cheek, but still. 

Since this time he wasn't able to run away, he laid back down and hid under the cover because you never knew, maybe the cover was a flying carpet that would take him far away from here.

What could Nate be thinking?

Goddess, the silence was killing him.

He had acted on an impulse, not taking Nate's feelings in consideration. He could never face the other man again, and read the anger, disgust or worst, hate on his face.

Had he ruin his only chance for their story to end in a happy ever after?

Yes, it had been said that he was a bit of a Drama-queen. 

Suddenly, he felt the mattress drop and could sense that the Beta was leaning over him, providing him extral warmth in the process.

"Kyle?" he asked in a neutral voice that didn't make Kyle feel any better.

Nope, Kyle wasn't there. He had been replaced by his clone, who had NEVER kissed Nate on the cheek. His clone was actually much smarter than he was. Long live the technology.

"Kyle, can I see you? Please?"

Fuck. If Kyle had the reputation of being a ruthless warrior, he had always been weak to softness, especially when it came from the ones he loved.

He slowly lifted up the cover, only to be met with a pair of brown eyes, which carried such obvious fondness that he felt himself blush. They looked at each other in silence, Nate caging Kyle with his arms at both sides of his head. Weirdly enough, Kyle didn't feel trapped. Rather, he felt protected. Recently, his mates had provided him a sense of security that both exhilarated and frightened him.

Smiling, Nate cupped Kyle's face before slowly leaning down toward him.

"May I?" he asked, and Kyle nodded.

"You can kiss me", he added, just to be sure they were on the same page.

"You're cute" Nate smiled, making the other man frown. Cute? 

He didn't have time to protest, because soft and inviting lips suddenly brushed against his own. The kiss was chaste, and quick - too quick for Kyle's taste. He needed more.  

Nate must have sensed Kyle's frustration, because he smirked. 

"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently, making Kyle groan.

"I wanted my first kiss to last a bit longer."

The Beta looked a bit taken aback by the sudden admission, before a grin slowly reappered on his face. He lightly carded through Kyle's hair, as if to soothe him a bit, before whispering:

"Your wish is my command, Princess."

It was a simple closed-mouth kiss, perhaps because Nate didn't want to scare Kyle away. Neverthless, it was everything Kyle needed at this moment: soft, caring, and affectionate. He melted into it, letting out little gasps that had Nate breathing a bit more heavily.

"Nate you - oh, sorry, didn't meant to interrupt!" 

"What is it, Yanis?" Nate grumbled, obviously annoyed with the interruption, while Kyle was dying with embarrassment.

"The Alpha wants to talk to you."

"Now?" 

"Yes. He said it's important."

Nate's expression tensed at the werewolf's statement and he briefly squeezed Kyle's hand before rising to his feet. 

"I'm coming now. Kyle, you stay here and keep resting." 

"But-"

"I don't know what Darren wants to tell me, but we will be back shortly and tell you everything, okay?"

Kyle nodded obediently, and Nate smiled at him, before quickly exiting the tent.

"You don't have any idea of what's going on, do you?"

Yanis startled when Kyle suddenly broke the silence, before shrugging.

"Dunno, but Alex has been summoned by our Alpha. Poor guy's as white as a sheet."

"O-okay. Thank you, Yanis. You can go, now. I think I will sleep for a while."

As he was left alone, Kyle threw back the blanket before cautiously getting up. He took a few steps and decided that he could walk just fine. 

What could have Alex possibly done? While his friend wasn't a people-pleaser, quite the contrary in fact, he had never gotten himself in trouble before. This couldn't be good, and judging by Nate's tensed expression when he had left the tent, the other man was also worried.

Nate wouldn't be happy to find he hadn't followed his recommandations, but he had to know what was happening. If Alex had some issues, he had to be there for him. That's what friends do for each other.

With that in mind, Kyle started walking toward Darren's tent as discreetly as he could.