***
“Help me.”
Philip heard someone asking for help in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes to see Troy on all fours, at his feet. He looked terrible.
“Shit…” Philip groaned as he got off the couch and crouched beside Troy. “Tell me how you feel.” He asked as he pulled a whimpering Troy into his arms and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was a few minutes past four a. m. “Hey…”
“Pain…” Troy moaned. “So much pain…. Help me please…”
Philip got to his feet, carried Troy fireman style, and rushed out of his suite. As he went, he barked instructions through his mind-link to his aides to unlock the Jungle Room in the basement immediately. Then he sent messages to Jeremy and Stan to meet him in the basement.
Philip got on the elevator and rode to the basement with a passed-out Troy hanging over his shoulder. When he got out, three of his aides were already there, holding open the door to the Jungle Room. The door was made of solid vertical iron bars, making it easy for anyone outside the room to see what was going on inside it. The aides kept the door wide open after Philip entered, thinking he was going to leave Troy inside and come back out.
“You can lock it,” Philip instructed as he lowered Troy onto the plush green carpet. “And you can leave. I’ll let you know when I’m done here.”
If the aides thought their alpha’s directive was weird and dangerous, they didn’t say. They simply did as they had been instructed. Every werewolf knew how dangerous it was to be around a freshly shifted wolf if you were not their family. When a werewolf shifted for the very first time, the wolf was usually wild, destructive, and in a murderous rage. Until the individual learnt to control their wolves, they would try to kill anything that moved. It was the thirst…the hunger…the urge to kill that every wolf had. And because of that blindingly strong urge, people usually stayed away from newly shifted wolves.
In the early stages after a shift, only people who were very close to the wolf stayed with them. The person would direct them on how to curb the thirst and try to keep them calm. Philip was the last person anyone would expect to be with Troy. Hell, he wasn’t supposed to be in the same room with a premier-shifter in the first place. No one had ever done that.
The pack had been informed the day before of the return of Gloria’s son and Jeremy’s brother. There had been jubilation amongst the pack even though they were yet to see Troy. Some suspected that he was the boy they’d seen with Jeremy the day before the announcement. Others were dying to meet him. The aides knew who Troy was alright. Naturally, one would expect Gloria or Jeremy to be playing the role Philip was playing that very moment…and not Philip. But the aides knew their place. They knew better than to question their alpha.
By the time Jeremy and Stan entered the basement of the Stanwood building, the aides had already left. In a section of the basement were dungeons where werewolves who misbehaved were kept and punished. They were hardly used anyway. In another section was a beautiful jungle-themed room that was mainly used for premier shifters. The room wasn’t meant for just any werewolf who was to have his or her first shift though. It was reserved for very important people like an alpha’s mate or child, or any other very important person. The walls, which were made of solid stones, and the ceiling were covered with colourful artistic murals that were almost lifelike in their portrayal of a jungle.
The wall-to-wall carpet was grass-like and so plush. On one side of the wall, a cute wall refrigerator hung like a picture. The potted plants strategically placed in the corners of the room gave the room an earthy scent that wolves loved. Soothing classical music poured from the speakers hidden inside the walls. The distinguishing characteristic of the mural painting, the soothing music, and the earthy scent nicely and harmoniously incorporated a sense of nature and peace. It was supposed to make a wolf feel comfortable and at home during a shift.
“What is this place?” Troy mumbled weakly, glancing around the room. But for the music and the coolness of the room which clearly stemmed from an air conditioner, he would have thought they were in a forest.
“We’re in the Jungle Room,” Philip responded as he brushed Troy’s hair off his wet forehead. “This is where you’ll be having your first shift.” He explained as he began to take off Troy’s clothes.
Philip hated seeing his mate in so much pain and wished he could do something about it. Since he couldn’t, he planned on being with him throughout the process. After all, not only was Troy his mate, the boy wasn’t that close to his family yet.
“Lip?” Jeremy leaned against the iron bars. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Philip sighed. “I’m doing this with him. The fear emanating from him is killing me. Having me here will help calm him down and hopefully, make this easier.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Stan grinned. “You, the man!” He pointed both index fingers at Philip, making the alpha chuckled despite himself.
“Thank you, Lip,” Jeremy said quietly, grateful that his friend was doing that for his brother and sad that he hadn’t done same for his own mate. Hell, he’d thrown Ryan into a dungeon and left him to go through everything alone. Admittedly, he’d thought he was an enemy at the time but that didn’t excuse his harsh and cruel treatment of his mate.
“Hey, it wasn’t you so snap out of it,” Philip growled, picking up on his friend’s emotions. He should have known Jeremy would be affected by what was going on.