POV - Alpha Carlisle
The universe hates me. Or this is punishment of a different sort for those neglectful years, separate from the way I punished myself.
I tapped my pen on my desk.
Both of my sons are in the seats in front of me, my Beta and Gamma standing behind me.
They both clearly gave as good as they got, still healing deep bruises and evidence of multiple knitted cuts on both of them.
We had just been finishing up at Trout Creek, putting the rest of the rogues down when a distant pack link from one of my Deltas came through.
'Alpha! Something is going on at the packhouse!' It came from Matteo, Matthew's wolf.
'What is it?' I asked, cold dread making me freeze.
'I'm not sure, Alpha. I got a push from Kyas trying to contact you or anyone in leadership. When I learned you were gone, and told him, his voice got all different, and he said there was a problem, but he was going to handle it. You said you wanted him watched.' Matteo said.
Shit! Why now!?
'Matteo, head back, we're on the way. I need Kyas and Elias located, and someone needs to put Kyas down. Just stop him from whatever he's doing! I need a status report as soon as you know something!' I sent back.
I told Trout Creek we had to go, and my pack members and I left immediately, hoping we wouldn't be too late.
About halfway there, Matthew reported back.
'Alpha, it's bad. A little girl got hurt badly by a knife left out by Elias. Kyas went for him, but by the time any of us saw them, it looked like they had both been taking the snuff out of each other for a while. Kyas dragged Elias to the little girl's room, and doctors found them both on the floor in the hall outside it. Kyas was tranked with low grade, and they're both being treated.' He sent.
'How's the little girl?' I asked.
'Alive, stable, but she's going to carry a nasty scar the rest of her life.' Matt said.
I headed straight for the hospital, but looking at them both told me all I needed to know. I was too late. Kyas' "No regrets" said a million things I had hoped he would never have to know. And, as bad as it killed me to watch my sons in the dungeon like that, to see Kyas reduced to that…the unmitigated fear… I was now glad it was done. I couldn't imagine… if we hadn't…
So, here we sit. I have to think about what to do with my sons, who should have been closer than water and air, but it seems to be more like fire and ice.
"Was it worth it, Kyas?" I asked him.
"If it helped him, if he finally learned something, then... maybe? If he didn't... then, no. Not at all." He said.
"Elias?" I asked.
"I'm sorry about Mindy. I just wasn't thinking. I... think you're all right about me. I don't know how to put others before me, I never have." He admitted.
I tapped my pen some more.
"What do you think it would take, Elias? How do we open your eyes to see your pack?" I asked him.
He continued to stare at the floor. "I don't know." He answered.
"Anyone else have ideas? Scott? Chris?" I put forward.
"Another council? The Elders would have more insight, I would think." Said Scott.
"You're more experienced than me, Alpha, I'm learning right along with you. I got nothing." Chris said.
I shook my head. This is unreal.
"Kyas? Maybe something that doesn't involve beating each other bloody?" I asked.
"Um... maybe the same thing that you did with me?" He asked.
"I'm listening..." I responded.
"Forced interaction." He said.
I heard it. The shift into "gamma mode" for him.
"Go on." I invited. "What does that look like for him? When he doesn't see the bonds like you do, he's not driven to build them."
"One of his issues is the ability to close himself off. He hides from the pack in his room, he blocks the pack links, he doesn't communicate. He's everything he ever hated about you when he was younger. "
"Ouch, Kyas." Elias said.
"True, Elias. This attitude on Papa's part was the entire reason for the first promise. The reason the pack was broken, and now it's the reason you're broken. " Kyas said back.
"So...?" I invited him to continue.
"Remove his ability to block us out, within reason. Make him come with me and Chaos to learn about them. Forbid him from hiding in his room, placing limitations on his time there. Closing himself off from the pack only makes it easy for the self absorbent attitude to fester. Elias is a wolf shifter. Being closed off from your pack isn't healthy for him or his wolf." Kyas said.
"What does 'within reason' mean?" Asked Scott.
"Alpha will need to command him not to block us out, but that's a pack wide open door, all the time, because we're alpha sons. Too much of that will drive anyone insane. So put a cap on it, say from supper to bedtime, or after school til supper. The reason we did that for me was so the pack could see Me, so I could build the bonds I needed. The reason for Elias is to help Him see Them." Kyas advised.
"I'll consider that.... And for Kyas?" I asked the room.
"Me?" Kyas squeaked.
"Kyas, one of the troubles with a true gamma is the willingness to go to extremes. You recognized the threat level you are yourself to them, and you took measures to eliminate it just as completely as you nearly did to Elias. You took yourself out, for the pack, and I'm glad you did, but that intensity must be balanced somehow." I said.
Elias cleared his throat. "Maybe... forced isolation? With a therapist?" He said.
Hmm... maybe the brothers can help each other.
"I'm listening..." I said.
"Well... Kyas just made the point that closing myself off makes it easier to focus on myself. Maybe Kyas needs that as much as he needs the pack." Elias said.
Kyas caught his breath. He definitely doesn't like that idea.
"Kyas, thoughts?" I asked.
Kyas looked at the floor. I could see him struggling with the wisdom of the idea and his unwillingness to do it. "He is...not wrong. I did confess that I'm not processing that part, on purpose. I avoid it by staying busy with the pack."
They might be more in tune with each other than I thought.
"Ultimately, this is another case for the Council of Elders. Until I can meet with them, I think I'll utilize both sets of advice, and see where that leads. Kyas, does our pack have a licensed therapist?" I asked.
"Yes, Alpha, Dr. Porter." He said.
"Alright, I'll put in a call and set something up. Maybe you two can actually help each other instead of trying to kill each other." I said.