Darren's POV

Nate heard it before I did. It was a low, broken growl but it did sound a lot like Kyle's. Without further ado, we started running faster and faster towards the source of the cry. We thought we had finally found our mate, but when we reached the clearing, there was nobody to be seen. 

"There is someone nearby" Nate insisted. "Use your muzzle properly, mate of mine".

I sniffed the air "I think you're right. We better be careful, though. Maybe the person here is the one who hurt Kyle"

He smirked in response. "You're lucky to have me with you. I am much more perceiptive than you are". Then he frowned again, suddenly serious "I am not afraid of the motherfucker who dared harming our mate. I swear, if I get my hand on them I will make them paid"

I was about to retort something snarky, but that's when I saw it. I caught a glimpse of a white fur trying to leave the clearing discretely. I guess it wasn't my business who this wolf was and why he did not want to talk to us but why would he try to leave the forest unseen? Clearly, he had a guilty conscience. Maybe he knew something or he was involved with Kyle's disappearance. One way or another, we had to find out.

"Nate" I urged him through our mental link. "Can you see him?"

"Who?" he asked, clearly confused. I snorted "I thought you were more perceptive than I am? Nevermind - there's a wolf with some white on his fur. He is trying to remain unseen. We have have to find a way to corner him"

"But why? Kyle's fur is a deep brown, and if this wolf has some white in his fur, then he is a submissive. This must be the reason why he is avoiding us: Subs tend to be quite shy. We better leave him alone". 

"No" I snapped, annoyed by my mate's disobedience. "I have a feeling he might know something. 

"Ok, ok" Nate sighed. "I hope you're right, though. I hate attacking weaker beings". 

Turned out he was very wrong: this white wolf was surprisingly strong. At first, I had let Nate attacked him alone, because my mate needed some training and there was no way he would loose against a Sub. This also gave me the opportunity to better observe our opponent. He was incredibly beautiful, I had to give him that. He was entirely white, which was pretty uncommon nowadays, and he was also quite tall for a submissive. Probably as tall as Nate, which meant he was only slightly smaller than me. I did notice three very strange things about him:  number one - he did not smell anything, which was impossible, because every wolf had a very distinct smell. This could only mean one thing: for some reason, this wolf was trying to hide his own smell. It made him even more suspicious in my opinion. Number two, and that was the reason why I was not attacking him yet: he was not seriously trying to  hurt Nate. In fact, neither of them were being very agressive, they were just trying to pin the other but so far, none of them had succceded. Number three, and I was slightly disappointed at my mate for being so blind sometimes: this wolf was slightly limping. His right ankle looked a bit swollen. Had Nate noticed it, he would have won within minutes. 

"Darren" Nate whined through our mental link. "I am getting tired"

I smiled at my mate. "Leave it to me, babe"

Kyle's POV

I froze when Darren suddenly appeared in front of me. I was getting tired and he knew it, as he smirked at me with a triumphant expression. I was still hurting and I had already fought against Nate  but those were not the only reasons why I was quickly weakening. I knew what the main reason was: it was not natural for a Sub to be fighting Dominants, and my wolf was not really giving his best. In addition, there was the fact that these Dominants were my mates . Never in a billion years would I seriously hurt them, I would rather die from their own hands - which could very well happen, if Darren's angry stance was anything to go by. 

He kept looking at me without making any moves and my I could feel my heartbeats quickening. His aggressive gaze had suddenly turned very inquisitive, which was not good. Darren had always been highly perceptive, and there was  no way  I could let him get close to me. Who knows, he might still be able to recognize my smell. That was my only plan: I had to prevent him from getting too close, and then try to run at some point. Okay, that did not sound very promising but it was the only idea I could come up with. I knew I might even outrun Darren, so why not give it a try?

"Don't even think about it, Sub" he growled, as if he was reading my mind. 

"Don't call me that" I snapped back.

"Why?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "I did not mean it like an insult. Are you ashamed of who you are? It actually reminds me of someone..."

"Now is not the time for talking" I retorted.

"You're right" he smiled. "No more talking"

He was so quick I could barely register what had just happened: before I knew it, I was lying on my back, with Darren's body firmly grounding mine. I could not move even if I tried. For a few seconds, both of us were silent. I was actually quite shocked that Darren had managed to pin me so easily. Sure, I knew he was strong but I had always  thought we were almost equal in a fight.

"That's because you're having trouble to stay focused" he explained. "You're a good fighter but for some reason, your head is not into it. Plus, you're foot needs to be taken care of"

"Are you my fucking therapist now?" I asked him with as much venom as I could conjure. "Now get the fuck off me" I yelled, trying to push him back.

"Stay still" he commanded, grabbing my throat and squeezing it lightly, not tightly enough to hurt but firmly enough to show me he was the one in charge. Instantly, I felt myself slackening beneath him and I cursed at my wolf for being so passive. I would have never obeyed before, but I guessed I had gone without suppressants for too long. 

"Good boy" he praised and I let out an involuntary whine, immediately hating myself for it. "Now, shift" he ordered. I tensed, as I felt my body slowly cracking, shifting against my will. I wanted to resist but my wolf was already disappearing into the back of my head. Why was I unable to disobey my mate? I could feel myself panicking and suddenly, Darren's arms were around me. He was holding me in the most gentle way. Did that mean...

"Shhhh, you're alright" he cooed. "Shift, Kyle. I promise, we will take care of you"

I felt my eyes widening and looked up to find Darren's eyes on me. "I know", he said. "I am not that stupid, Kyle. Shift, so I can have a better look at your ankle. Then, we will talk"

At this point, I could only nod and I shifted. It was so bad. My whole body was hurting, which was very unusual. All of my shifts had been so painless in comparison. I think I blacked out for a few seconds. When I opened my eyes again, I was in my human form, completely naked in front of my mates, who had already put some clothes on. I could feel myself blushing. I had never been so vulnerable in my entire life: they could see everything now, not just my naked form but my biggest  fear as well. All my life, I had tried to avoid this moment and here we were: they knew everything, and would never respect me ever again. 

"Here" Darren eventually said, handing me some pants. 

Nate was still silent, looking at me with a bewildered expression. 

" I am sorry I lied to you" I admitted. "But I hope you understand I had to hide it from you. All my life, I had tried to fight against that... part of me but in end, I failed. My uncle had told me I was doomed. You can leave me now and -

I could not finish my sentence, because suddenly I found myself in Darren's arms. He was surprisingly good at giving hugs, holding me tightly while caressing my hair with his left hand. Then, to my utmost delight, I felt Nate's arms circling my waist and he was hugging me from behind, his head resting on my shoulder. I had never felt the need to be protected  before,as I was one of the most feared wolf in the region, but it felt so good right now. For the first time in ages, I did not want to run as far as I could. I was tired of running, of being alone.

"You smell absolutely divine, Kyle" Nate sighed in my neck, making me smile; "And your new wolf form is georgeous but... we still have to talk. This time, we won't let you leave". Oh, crap. 

Annnd congrats to all of those who guessed that Kyle had turned white lol. Hope you enjoyed it, guys. Only a few chapters left now - including a more mature one coz  smut is life, but you probably know it already.

Until next time,

Xoxo

Hasnoshame