CHAPTER 48: 048

{THREE MONTHS LATER}

Alpha Mitch sat in his office in total darkness, few bottles of liquor and an ashtray filled to the brim were on the table before him.

He sat rigidly and stared blankly ahead, one could easily mistake him for a dead person if not for the occasional rising and falling of his chest.

For the first month that Tristan has been with Agatha, he had gone to her place every other day. Hoping he would see him as the worry was eating away at him, but she always sent him away until she warned him not to come back until she asked him to.

And for the next month he had done nothing but drank and smoked all the time.

He had previously quit smoking before he and Tristan got married but he had a relapse because there was no other way to distract himself.

This last month had been better, he had appeared better, worked and functioned properly. The people around him had assumed he was moving on from the Omega but today he wasn’t doing well.

He hadn’t heard from Agatha since the last time she sent him away and he doesn’t want to risk going there despite her warnings. Although he was on the edge of doing so.

"Alpha–

Oh shit!". Gale muttered as he coughed from the thickness of the air.

Flicking on the light switch after he had choked on the smoke that hung on the air. He frowned as he could not see properly beyond the fog that had formed around the Alpha’s face. He wouldn’t have thought he would meet him in such a state.

Gale looked at the empty bottles on the table and the ashtray, he sighed and walked towards the Alpha.

"Isn’t it bad that you drink so much already but you are now adding cigarettes to it. Are you trying to kill yourself?" He asked, resignation and disappointment making his voice low. He looked at him as he remained silent and shook his head before he started putting the bottles away.

"It isn’t working". Alpha Mitch finally replied in a hoarse voice.

"Huh?

What isn’t working?" Gale asked in confusion.

"The alcohol isn’t.

I need him so badly...

It hurts here, the alcohol wasn’t numbing the pain" He explained and pointed to the left side of his chest. He glanced at Gale while he did so.

Gale paused and looked at him.

He couldn’t believe it was his own Alpha that was so heartbroken.

"What is wrong with him?"

"Do you want me to go over there?

Agatha won’t send me away and I would make sure he is fine before coming back" Gale offered, he knew he has been secretly wishing he forgets about the Omega since all he ever brings was trouble but he no longer cares. This was worse than having the Omega around.

Alpha Mitch shook his head in refusal at what he asked and waved him away.

Gale took the empty bottles with him and turned off the light again before closing the door after him.

***

Meanwhile, at Agatha’s cabin time seems to pass faster than the rest of the world and it was like they were in another realm entirely.

Tristan knelt in front of a rose bed as he slowly plucked at the weeds while minding the thorn of the roses. He was so engulfed in the task that he did not notice the eyes of the people watching him from behind.

"Do you think it’s time I send him back?" Agatha asked the man standing quietly beside her.

She has decided to spend the last months here and not in the realm beyond. Because she wanted the both of them to feel the reality of the time they spent apart.

She didn’t really care about their bond initially but seeing the way the Alpha suffered, she thought the Omega should feel a fraction of it too.

And it brought her satisfaction to know that the cocky Alpha King could not be as smug as always.

The first time she had met Tristan, she had taken him away and he hadn’t experienced or felt the extent of the time he had spent with her.

"I think we should go with his decision. If he doesn’t want to return, there is no reason to send him away.

And he seems happy here, "her companion replied.

She nodded in understanding and continued to stare at him as he gave all his attention to the bed of roses.

He had planted them the first week he woke up after she started treating him.

He had been adamant about returning and would not stop begging her just like the Alpha.

Even on one occasion attempted to run away but she found him just in time. She then gave him the task. If he could plant and look after the flowers till they blossom then he is free to return.

And since they started to blossom a few days ago, he had not talked about returning which was why she was curious.

What’s going on in his mind?

While they were still focused on him, Tristan slowly rose from the ground and faced them.

"When I’m going back, can I take a bunch of roses with me?" He asked, pointing at the plants.

Agatha thought for a minute amused by his question.

"Why?"

"I want to give someone".

Tristan replied and walked toward her.

She already understood who he was talking about.

"He should be the one giving you flowers".

Tristan smiled shyly but went into the cabin to clean himself.

His smile disappeared once he was alone, he had heard their conversation.

And he was terrified.

He had wanted to return when he first woke up but he no longer wanted to.

He was scared that something bad would happen again.

He had kept stalling the past days because he didn’t want to bring harm to the Alpha by returning into his life again.

But more than being scared of returning, he was scared of hurting the Alpha. Thinking about the last minute he spent with him at Alpha Raul’s pack terrified him.

What if he wasn’t fast enough? He would have been blamed for hurting the Alpha.

By then Gale won’t hesitate to point fingers at him, and the Alpha would be forced to let him go.

But If things were going to end between them, he wanted it to be mutually.

He hated the fact that he was a burden to the Alpha.

He was supposed to be a source of strength not weakness.

He thought as he stripped his clothes for the shower.

On his back was a fading scar from the gun shot, just at his lower back right in the middle.

"I need to do something quickly," he thought quietly as water ran down his head as he stepped into the shower.