Alpha's Second Chance (Second Chance Book 2)

10

Evan

I was standing in my room, admiring the two blooms in my vase, wondering if I could possibly make it to the nearby flower shop and back in time to give Dean a flower that meant I loved him, when I heard the screams.

I jumped about a foot in the air at the sound, fear coursing through me. I felt a pained tug on the reforming Mate bond that connected Dean and I temporarily (until we decided to either accept each other and complete the bond, or reject each other and break it completely).

Within seconds of hearing the screams, I heard several sets of pounding feet running up the stairs. Obviously, I wasn't the only one to hear it.

I left my room, continuing to hear those pained sounds when I saw people gathering outside of Dean's temporary room. That scared me more than anything, not knowing what was going on and just seeing a crowd in the doorway.

I squeezed my way through, and found Angel, Jamie, and Jake standing around the bed. Angel was standing over Dean's side, shaking his shoulder and shouting at him.

I forced my way to stand next to him and cried out to Dean as well as Angel continued shaking him.

"Dean! Wake up!"

I was terrified of what was happening, and found my vision blurring as my eyes filled up and spilled over with tears. This was almost too much for me to bear.

A tear landed on his pale face and he flinched before his eyes opened and he looked around at everyone in a daze before sitting up, a look of confusion taking over his face.

"Are you awake now, Dean?" Angel asked softly. He was just as concerned as I was about this situation.

I stared down at my Mate as I watched his face change from confusion to questioning, and suddenly, his face constricted with pain and he leaned forward, clutching his chest tightly, struggling to catch his breath.

"Dean!" I screamed frantically. What terrified me more was when he glanced at me with a broken, confused stare before he slumped forward again, a sound of agony releasing from his lips.

Jasper momentarily took over and pushed Angel out of the way so I could climb onto Dean's bed and hold him tight. I kept my arms around him, relishing in the sparks from every point of contact. He stiffened in my hold, as if he didn't actually want me to touch him, or wasn't expecting me to. He wasn't responding to anything that was said and I didn't want him to fade more.

"Dean, please come back," I whispered pleadingly, my throat clogged and voice thick with tears. I kept sobbing into his shoulder and couldn't stop. He wasn't moving at all and I was worried he wasn't going to return from this. I looked up at Jake and Angel and asked them what the hell was wrong with my Mate. They didn't hear me, instead having a conversation of their own.

"What do you think could've caused a pseudo-rejection reaction like this?" Jake asked calmly. His question confused me for a second before Angel's response cleared it up for the most part.

"Based on the events that have taken place recently, I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that his subconscious ran away with a nightmarish thought just before he fell asleep, producing a nightmare where his worst fear occurred. Perhaps it felt so real that he hasn't fully grasped the fact it was actually a dream."

It made sense to me, especially with all the work Dean had put into trying to gain my forgiveness with these flowers, even just today and yesterday. He probably even had more planned further out into the future as well, for all I knew.

I buried my face in his neck to take in his Cracker Jack scent before whispering in his ear, "Dean, you were having a horrible nightmare, weren't you? Where you thought I wanted to reject you?" He didn't respond at all so I continued. "I won't do that, Dean. I may need some time to forgive you, but I will never reject you as my Mate, because..." I paused, trying to swallow my tears again before I started sobbing. "Because I already love you," I said even softer. Before I knew it, the dam had broken and I was crying into his shoulder, wetting his shirt. "I love you, I love you, I love you," I said, over and over again like a mantra, hoping I could break through somehow.