A Kink in the Tail

Chapter 59 - 2 Days 3 Weeks and Three months - To mate or not to mate - part 3

3 months - Perth

Constantine stood watching Cyrus and Shaun argue, actually, it was only Cyrus who was talking, waving his arms around and pointing an angry finger at a limp-looking Shaun.  It was a gesture that Cyrus liked to use on people to get his way.

Everyone is worried about Shaun and with good reason. Something is very wrong with him. Over the past couple of months, he has lost a lot of weight. The healthy muscular build he once had has been replaced by a paler and skinner one.  The guy known for being full of fun and energy has turned into a lethargic ghost.  Everyone, from Annie and Karl who are growing more anxious as time goes by, Cyrus who wants answers, and Adam who is halfway around the world, they are all starting to get scared.

Shaun still smiles but the warmth never reaches his eyes. He talks when he has to, and eats when he's forced to, but he takes no pleasure in life. Instead he drifts from one day to the next, doing his job, sleeping, same old same old.

Cyrus has dragged him from one specialist to another. Cyrus, being the sort of person who believes that every problem can be solved, is starting to think he can't fix Shaun. He's organised him into having every imaginable test, MRI, CT, Endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound, X-rays, and not one test result explains why a perfectly healthy young man is wasting away.

Constantine like everyone else is worried, but he has more reason to than Shaun's human friends. The were has a good idea what's wrong with him and knows that the cure is as bad as the problem.

Back in Perth when it became obvious that there was something between them, Constantine thought a relationship was possible, admittedly it was a weird one that made no sense but he thought they could do it.  Several misunderstandings and lapses in communication later, most of them on his side, he was no longer certain of anything. Since then it's been one step forward and two steps back.  Thinking he'd been rejected had left Constantine feeling powerless and doubting himself.  After that, he procrastinated.  Avoided confrontation like a gutless wonder, even during the weeks before Shaun got sick. when the human had made it clear he had feelings for him.

The night that Shaun was in heat, he continued to find excuses to do nothing. First, he told himself that he was mistaken, that Shaun couldn't be in heat like a were because... well...he was human. Such a thing was so rare only a few had been recorded in all of werewolf history. 

Constantine kept on lying to himself, even when his own eyes told him what was happening right in front of him. As rare as it was, as much of a freaky twist of fate, the most annoying human on the planet was his mate, and was very much in heat and ready to be claimed.

He told himself that if he stepped back and let Shaun go through it alone, things would get back to normal. Constantine was wrong and a coward to boot. It hadn't occurred to him that Shaun would react just like a rejected werewolf mate and pine away for his other half.

It came down to one thing. Saving Shaun meant, taking him as his mate. There was no other way, no human medical treatment or medicine was going to make him whole again. The question was, does he force the human to bond with him to save his life?   Or does he give him a choice?

Constantine made a coffee in Cyrus's favourite extra-large cup, and put the biscuits he liked on the side.  He stared at the cup and took a deep breath. The were knew he'd made the best, or worst decision of his life.

He barrelled through the door of Cyrus's office without knocking.   His partner stopped in mid-sentence, frowning at his colleague's bad manners. Cyrus seldom got angry and it was hard to take him seriously when he did.  The boyish face was not intimidating and easy to ignore.  By way of a peace offering, Constantine put the coffee and biscuits in front of him.