Mateless and Luna Bound (Self Published)

Chapter 15: Mine

Authors Note: Hi guys! Hope you didn't freak out too much at the last chapter. Don't worry, I would never kill off my baby. Enjoy another chapter! Thank you for all the votes and comments!

-Saturn

"It looks like it was an anxiety attack," Dr. Button told him. "That, along with the pain medication wearing off, must have put his body through too much work."

Max didn't know who to be angry with. So many people were trying to learn about him all at once that it must have been too much for him. It wasn't good that he kept answering questions when he wasn't feeling good either. Max knew there was something in his mate's past that had caused him to be this way, but he had no idea that it would bring him to such pain. Even if it was a child asking the questions, he shouldn't have answered them.

But Max was also at fault. He could have stopped the questions right when they started happening. He could have told Leah to get the kids out of the room so that they wouldn't press him for more information. He knew what set this whole thing off: it was when Charlie started talking about his past. As soon as he did, Max could hear his heart rate go up. What threw him off was that he kept on talking with such a normal, happy face.

He avoided Max's face when he talked about it. Now Max knew why. Charlie didn't want him to see just how stressed he had been.

He should have made him go back to the infirmary right when he saw him in the kitchen. Max had been selfish in thinking that Charlie could do all of that. Max could have stopped the luncheon at any time. But he loved how happy Charlie seemed, and how much he lit up every time he talked. He loved watching his face as he talked to Ana. Even when Ana was talking about werewolves, Charlie brushed it off with such grace that it shocked him.

And he couldn't help but be curious about Charlie's past too. As soon as he said that he didn't have parents when he was thirteen, Max had gotten this bad feeling of understanding. That was why he had been so closed off to everyone. That's why he was so cautious to tell everyone about his past.

"This is all my fault," Max muttered to himself. He collapsed onto a chair that was by the bed and hid his face in his hands.

"Max," Dr. Button put a hand on his shoulder. "No one could have expected that this was going to happen. No one knew enough about him to know that he was going to have an anxiety attack. I don't even know what you guys were talking about to work him up this much."

"His past," Max told him. "He got emancipated at thirteen. His parents were druggies. That's all he told us." He ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know why that was what made him so anxious, but I could barely even get him to hear me when we were walking back here."

"Hmm," Button furrowed his brows. "It could be a form of childhood trauma then. I was wondering if he had a victim mindset from what he had said about his attacker. It could be that he got it due to his parents."

"Great," Max said. "So, I get to learn this about him all because he almost had a heart attack right in front of me."

"You said he started to calm down when you were hugging him?"

"Yeah," Max answered. "But only a little bit."

"Well, on the bright side, that's a good sign that your bond with him is growing," Button said. "That might have helped him more than you think."

"That doesn't change the fact that this is still all my fault," Max said, the guilt was killing him. "I shouldn't have let everyone meet him all at once."

"It's not your fault, Max," Button said. "We all played a part in this happening, even Charlie."

"I know," he admitted. "I just wish this didn't happen."