Back To The Past
"Jessieneedsyourhelp."
The words echoed through Mathias's brain as he drove through the quiet streets of Willow Cove. He dreaded what he'd find in Will's home, because nothing short of an emergency would have made Will ask for his help again.
Will had told him that much on the phone. "Jessie's pregnancy has complications," he had explained. "I'm worried about him. He's showing signs of pre-eclampsia, and the fact that he has twins..."
Mathias hadn't hesitated for a moment. "Of course I'll come," he'd promised.
And now, here he was, ten minutes away from the place where he was supposed to meet Will and his... lover. Just the thought made Mathias grind his teeth in frustrated anger and guilt.
He'd made a big mistake in going through with the challenge against Dean Simmons. He knew that now. That didn't make it any easier for him to accept the fact that Will would never be his. In a way, he was worse off now that he'd actually met Dean. Before the challenge, he'd been able to hate the man, seeing him as irresponsible and cruel, but after that, he'd realized Dean genuinely loved Will, to the extent that he'd been willing to sacrifice himself for the human.
His hands trembled on the wheel as he thought back to the last time he'd seen Will, at the betrayed look in Will's eyes. His stomach roiled, his vision went a little blurry, and he barely managed to avoid crashing the car.
He was so tired, too tired to continue to wait and to fight. Sidhe might be long lived, but at one point, the ongoing struggle against his loneliness and his dual nature had simply become too much.
Will needed him, though, and so did Jessie. A pregnancy like Will had described could easily kill Jessie, and that was something Mathias could not allow.
Just like that, his mind cleared and he found solace in his renewed decision. Right on time, too, because his senses—both Sidhe and werewolf—caught a feel of Will's familiar scent and energy. Predictably, Dean Simmons was with him, and so was another werewolf Mathias didn't recognize, perhaps one of Dean's sons.
They were waiting for him outside the town, where the main road veered into a smaller, barely visible path. Mathias parked the car, already guessing there was bound to be an unpleasant conversation before he got anywhere near Jessie.
Well, might as well get it over with. Mathias wasn't looking forward to it, but judging by Will's stance, neither was his friend. With a mental sigh, Mathias slid out of his vehicle and made a beeline for the three men.
"Hi, Matt," Will greeted him in a quiet voice. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"You don't have to thank me. You know I care about Jessie as if he were my own."
Dean's jaw tightened, even if Mathias hadn't meant the words as a slight. He supposed that was still a sore point—the fact that Mathias had been there during Will's pregnancy and Jessie's early years, while Dean had not. Nonetheless, the Alpha werewolf didn't snap at him as he perhaps wanted. "We still appreciate it," he replied, extending his hand to Mathias.
Looking at Dean, one would have never said that the last time he and Mathias had seen each other, they'd been fighting for their lives, and for Will. Even if a part of him would always resent Dean, Mathias took the man's hand after only a brief moment of hesitation. "I appreciate you trusting me with this."
At his words, the other man present stepped forward, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Mathias. "I hope our trust isn't misplaced," he said, narrowing his eyes. "My name is Saul Simmons and I'm the Alpha of this little pack. You are welcome in our territory for as long as you need to stay to help Jessie, and we are very grateful for the assistance you provide. However, I must caution you against any action you might want to take that would be hostile to my father."
"I wouldn't have come here if I had hostile intentions of any kind, Alpha Simmons," Mathias replied calmly. "The last thing Jessie needs when he's in such a serious condition is to have another factor of stress added."
Some of the tension drained from Will's shoulders, his energy settling in a calmer, less anxious pulse. "Quite," he said. "Come on now. I told him you'll be visiting, and he's quite excited to see you."
Will's words surprised Mathias, and gave him a measure of cautious hope. "You mean he remembers me?"
"Not in detail," Will replied, "but he remembers... feelings. Most of his memories from that period in his life are somewhat indistinct, but strong emotions have lingered."
Mathias's heart clenched. He remembered the young boy kissing his cheek, the tongue of a wolf pup licking his face, the wave goodbye, and the whispered 'Love you'. He wanted to thank Will for allowing this despite the way he'd nearly shattered their relationship, but he had a feeling his friend knew exactly how he felt.
Besides, now was not the time for earnest speeches. Jessie's situation was serious, and the faster Mathias reached him, the better.
As if guessing his thoughts, Dean provided the more practical details on how they'd proceed. "The house is this way," he said, pointing toward the dirt road. "It's fairly straightforward to reach, but we'll drive ahead, and you can follow."
Mathias nodded. He didn't think the man was waiting for a reply, so instead he headed back to his car. Will and the others wasted no time in going through with the plan. No sooner had Dean gotten behind the wheel than the vehicle of his hosts was heading out, disappearing on the dirt road and into the forest.
Mathias followed, just like he'd been instructed. All things considered, the meeting had gone fairly well. The tension between him and Dean was not unexpected, but if they could be civil to one another, it would be enough for the purpose of his stay. Both Dean and the rest of the pack seemed to feel the same.
It didn't take long for them to reach the cabin that was the home of the Lone Wolf Pack. Will had told him bits and pieces about it, although never in detail, since it had been something private related to his and Dean's past. It was on the tinier side, clearly not built to hold a large number of people, but another house was already in construction. Something about the place gave Mathias a strange feeling of warmth, a melancholic yearning that reminded him of distant days, of times when he too had a real home.
Perhaps he should go visit his grandmother. He hadn't seen her in quite a while, and she always had a great deal of advice for him. She was very vocal, particularly when she thought he was feeling sorry for himself and giving up far too quickly. And how odd that her words and his many arguments with her would occur to him now.
He would have truly been bemused, but he never, not once, lost sight of the true seriousness of the situation. He never once forgot that the boy he'd once helped raise—now a man—was in real trouble. And even if he'd had any inclination to do so, Will's expression would have never allowed him to.