I could never hurt him enough to make his betrayal stop hurting. And it hurts, in every part of my body." (Veronica Roth, Insurgent)

Third person's POV

Thankfully, Kyle didn't meet anyone as he headed toward Darren's tent. The only one who spotted him was Laura, a timid werewolf who always seemed lost in her own world. He saluted her with a nod, and she nodded in return, an unfocused expression on her juvenile face. A few seconds later, she was back to whatever she was reading, running her hand through her short and frizzy hair in a mechanical way.

Did she even recognize him? He smiled, shaking his head with a certain fondness. He had always had a soft spot in his heart for those who never seemed to truly fit in, the loners, the marginalized and the tortured souls.

Which reminded him he had to make sure Alex wasn't in trouble, and if he was, he had to find out how he could help him. Alex had been the one to help him for all these years, whether or not it had been intentional. Not only was the other guy a good listener and a great adviser, he also had a wicked sense of humor Kyle particularly enjoyed.

Ouch. Okay, here we go. I feel like I'm stuck in the body of a two-hundred years old man.

Walking was a bit painful, but it wasn't as bad as he had expected. His legs seemed to be working just fine, and his wounds had not reopened. He could probably go back to training in less than a week, if he could convince Nate that he was fine.

Nate. He's probably with Darren now. I have to hurry, if I want to discover what is going on exactly with Alex.

Wincing a bit, he managed to pick up the pace, so that he could almost run.

Alright, so I should stay close enough so that I will be able to hear what they are saying, but at the same time I can't get too close to the tent or my mates will sense me.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming in his direction and backed away, hiding on the other side of the tent. The newcomers were Yanis, Noura, and Alex, who was standing between the two warriors, his head down and his face a bit pale.

Crap.

Yanis and Noura didn't seem to be escorting Alex. Rather, they were gripping his arm and shoulder the way you would do to a prisoner. Knowing them, they weren't doing it for fun. Yanis and Noura weren't bullies, quite the countrary, despite their strenght and natural authority they were considerate and thoughtful, which was probably why Darren trusted them so much.

Oh, Alex, what have you done and how can I help you? If Darren asked Yanis and Noura to treat you like this it means that the situation is worse than I thought.

A few seconds later, the three werewolves had disapperead inside the tent, and Kyle took a cautious step forward.

"Alex, do you know why I summoned you here?" asked Darren, making Kyle frown. The Alpha was always quite serious, but now there was a new harshness to his tone.

"Yes I do, Alpha." Alex replied obediently. "You want to know about the pills."

The pills? Which pills? No. No, it couldn't be. Did Darren find out about the suppressants he had asked Alex to bring him? But if that was the case, why not summon Kyle as well?

Maybe Darren thought Kyle was still too weak to get up, and wanted Alex to explain him the situation. But why have Alex escorted by Noura and Yanis, like he was afraid he would run away?

"Did Kyle asked you specifically to bring him Ambosius?"

If he had thought Darren sounded annoyed before, now it was obvious that the Alpha was barely containing his fury. Why? What was Ambosius? Kyle had heard the name somewhere, but couldn't remember what it was.

"No, he didn't." Alex replied after a moment of hesitation. "He asked for... for a different kind of pills."

"And which pills did he ask for?" Nate intervened for the first time.

This time, the tense silence lasted longer. Kyle was so focused on not missing anything that was being told that he almost forgot to breath.

Please, Alex, he silently begged. Please, don't mention the Suppressants. You promised to keep it to yourself. I will tell my mates about it, but not now. I'm not ready yet.

"So?" Darren asked again, his patience wearing thin.

"So, I'm sorry Alpha, but I'm afraid it's not my place to tell." Alex replied firmly. "You'll have to ask Kyle yourself."

Kyle clamped his hand over his mouth, his eyes suddenly felt warm. Alex was keeping his secret! Alex wasn't betraying him. Although Darren was questionning him, he was keeping his mouth shut, in the name of their friendship. Alex was his best -

"So, you intended to kill Kyle by giving him a very powerful poison instead of whatever pills he asked you to get him, yet you pretend to be a good friend by keeping his secret?"

Kyle froze, his heart skipping a beat. He suddenly remembered that his uncle once declared that the only solution to get rid of all the incompetents werewolves in the pack would be to give them a healthy dose of Ambosius.

Ambosius was a poison, in the form of violet pills which happened to have the exact same appearance as the Suppressants pills he took. But why would Alex want to kill him? What had he done to stir up such hatred in the one he considered his friend?

"Answer the question!" Darren growled.

"I know it sounds bad" Alex eventually muttered. "I can explain -"

"Just reply by yes or no" the Alpha interrupted. "Alex, did you know that Ambosius was a poison that can kill a werewolf within minutes?"

"Y-yes."

Kyle closed his eyes. He had to keep his head clear. He could not let himself panick and let his emotions get the better of him. Not now. Never. Crying was for the weaks.

"And did you ask a little child called Miléna to give this poison to my mate?"

"I did, I-"

The despair and shock Kyle was experiencing started to mix with anger. How dared Alex involve an innocent child in his dark schemes? What if the little girl had ingested one of the deadly pills, thinking they were candies? Plus, although Miléna was very young, she was also quite clever, and might have later understood that she had unknowingly given poison to Kyle. She could have felt guilt her whole life, because of Alex's stupidity.

"Alex" Darren interrupted, "I can barely contain my wolf not to kill you on the spot for plotting to harm my mate."

At these words, Kyle moved forward, almost reaching the entrance of the tent. He could not let Darren or Nate kill Alex. First, he didn't want them to go through the trauma of having killed one of their pack members. A pack was like a family for a werewolf, and a family was to be protected at all costs.

Then, and it was probably pathetic of Kyle to feel this way, he couldn't stand the idea of Alex being killed. Traitor or not, murderer or not, Alex had been his only friend for years.

"You know betraying and murdering someone from your pack are the two things which can never be forgotten nor forgiven" Darren added.

"I do, Alpha. I am aware of our laws and customs."

Alex now seemed resigned to his fate, his voice becoming low and monotone. Although the latter had tried to kill him, Kyle felt his heart ache at hearing such desperation. Did Alex care so little about his own life, that he didn't even iintended to defend himself?

"You can open your eyes, Alex. I'm not going to kill you" Darren abruptly declared, his voice a tad bit softer.

Kyle let out a sigh in relief, and took a few steps back. As he headed back toward the infirmary, he still caught a couple of sentences.

" I officially ban you from this pack and from this day, you are a rogue. If you ever come close to Kyle again, I will kill you without second thoughts. Is that clear, Alex?"

"Crystal clear, Alpha."

He hurriedly laid down in his bed, and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. A few minutes later, his mates entered the infirmary.

"Kyle?" Darren whispered.

"He is asleep, Dar." Nate observed in a low voice. "He is still recovering. We should let him rest."

"Yes, but - "

"We will tell him about Alex when he wakes up, alright?" Nate declared in a stern voice. "Now is not the time for upsetting news."

There was such a long silence, that Kyle deduced that his mates had left. However, soon after, the feeling of a hand carding through his hair told him he was wrong. He knew the hand belonged to Darren, without even needing to open his eyes. As for Nate, he was busy tucking him so that he would not get cold.

He enjoyed the moment without letting his mates know that he was in fact awake. They were now taking care of him, but tomorrow, they would start asking him questions about the pills he had asked Alex to fetch him. He didn't want to tell them about the Suppressants. He didn't want them to look at him differently, especially since they were finally making progress in their complicated relationship.

Being a Sub was the worst, and he had only wanted to be the best for his mates. The other Subs he knew were great, though, no doubt about it, but he was an exception, as his uncle had told him. He was the worst, and all he could do not be banned from the pack, was to pretend he wasn't as bad as he truly was.

To simply put it, Kyle was a fraud, and he was tired of it. Maybe it would be best to leave his mates alone and lead a hermit's life in the woods. This way, he would not feel so shitty for hidding the truth from them. Things simply couldn't work between him and other people, and this disaster with Alex had just proved it.

Since his mother's death, he should have realised earlier that true love was something he would never get again. Something he wasn't worthy of.

He had to leave the pack, but he was weak, and he had no doubt that Darren and Nate would come for him. They would find him and bring him back, because for some reason they seemed to be always worried about him.

They would find him, unless...

As Darren and Nate eventually fell asleep, Kyle opened his eyes and carefully sat up on his bed. He had an idea how to escape and remain out of his mates' radar.

He looked at their sleeping figures. They appeared younger and much more more carefree in their sleep. He wanted to reach out and take their hands. He wanted for them to lay with him in the bed, until he fell asleep in their arms. He wanted to wake up by their side and -

No. He had to get away from them, even if the very idea of never seeing them again was already killing him. He had to accept his fate and be the useless, freaky Sub he was always meant to be. His uncle was right, werewolves like him were better off as rogues.

Trying to be as silent as possible, he got up, and opened the bag containing the medication that Nate had left in the corner of the tent.

It would work. It had to.

A/N: Alex is the main character of the Third Wheel's sequel, which is called "The Traitor". It will be published shortly after I finish uploading TTW. You can suscribe to my profile to be informed about any update. 
P.S: Hope you like the story so far! Have a nice Sunday :)