James walked back into the house rubbed his face sighing. He knew how dangerous the doctor was, but he never thought he would meet someone who that man was controlling. He walked into the kitchen and decided to grab himself a drink. He knew he needed to call his parents and retell the story but every time he thought about what happened, panic settled in.
Once James's parents arrived, they and Arc's parents went into one of the available offices to talk. James followed suit due to the issue at hand. He has been watching everything from the sidelines and he had a feeling about what was going on between the doctor and Neo. Once everyone had their drink and their seat, James began to talk. He retold the story down to the most minor detail. He kept his gaze on the ground. He could not bear to look at anyone in the eye. Once he was finished, the room remained silent until his father spoke.
"So, he is dead?"
"The doctor... yes, he is dead. Three shot him three times with pure silver bullets. He died within seconds."
"Do you know how long the doctor had a hold on Neo's life?"
"From what I was able to gather... it has been for a while, years even. His foster father passed, his foster mother is a bitch, and then he had to sign some contract with the doctor due to debt or something... I couldn't get much from him since he was terrified of the doctor and because Arc and Patrick wanted to mount that boy" James laughs before resting his back against the couch. He turned his head towards his family.
"There was something that bothered me though, throughout this... Neo had wolf parents, yet he was born human. He should have wolf genes within him, allowing him to feel the mate pull, the scents alphas, betas, and omegas give off, and he should also give off a scent. I know he gives off a scent, but he has never expressed that he could smell others, nor has he expressed he could feel the mate bond. I do not want to say much especially with Arc's father present, but I do believe that mate pull occurred between Neo and Arc but also between Neo and Patrick. Yet, Neo did not feel it. I could see it in his eyes that he was confused as to why two random men started to want him in ways I think he never have been wanted before."
Koa sipped his drink before speaking, "I have spoken to Neo about the occurrences between him and my son, but I do agree with you. Something is off about Neo's past or genes. It is almost like his wolf was stripped from him when he was born or at a very young age. Most wolves don't even know they have a wolf side until they are about six or eight years old."
James furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side as his mind started to connect dots, "Neo lost his parents when he was six so no one would have shown him how to shift or even the wolf life. Father, I know you have spoken to the Lotus tribe and asked them for history about the slaughtering of the villages nearby. What did they say?"
"Well, I went there originally to obtain information about a possible combination of land due to us expanding, but the conversation changed due to their history. They don't focus on claiming themselves as wolves, but connectors of nature to the gods. They don't even allow shifting to take place. They all deceive themselves as humans. "
Lorelei chuckled, "It almost sounds like they lied about what creature Neo is to keep him from this side of life."
Ophelia looked at Lorelei before speaking, "If I was placed into a tribe where they did not seem themselves as wolves, hell even hid their wolf side from themselves and the world, I would not understand what my mind and body was doing when I would have connected with my mate."
James stood up and walked over to the drink cart. "I know I am young, but could Neo be a wolf?"
"It is very much a possibility, but his wolf figure might be dead but not the attributes the wolf gives. I am still confused as to why the doctor migrated towards Neo. I hate to say it, but he really had nothing to offer." James turned around to face his parents before sighing.
Koa stepped into the conversation, "I hate to say it, but during the argument, the doctor brought up what he tried to do to Ophelia... like he was either trying again or he was successful at changing one mate's bond."
James sat back down, but then quickly stood up. "This whole time the doctor knew Neo was part wolf. Neo told us that every time the doctor came in as a member, he would give him candy as a treat. Neo said at first, he did not like the taste, but the doctor made it sweeter. Once we connected with Neo, he expressed that the doctor became slightly more hostile and even bought the company so he would be around twenty-four-seven around Neo. I bet that candy was something else..."
Alex pulled his wife close before sighing, "Knowing how dangerous that man was I do not doubt it, but the issue remains. Neo is fighting for his life, his mates are falling apart, and we don't know how much damage the doctor did to Neo."
Koa stood up and placed his hand on James's shoulder, "Well I will make sure the best doctors work on Neo to keep him alive, who knows, maybe his almost dying might spark his wolf side, might even reverse the effects caused by the medicine. Alex and I will head to the company to see if we can find anything in the doctor's office that could help us. Ophelia and my wife can head over to the nearest witch tribe and ask them for guidance. My love when you get there ask for Cassandra. Tell her Koa sent you and she will help. She owes me one."
They all depart leaving James alone in the room. He throws his cup against the wall before rubbing his face again. He decided to take one of the available vehicles and head to the university, maybe there would be something in Neo's possessions that could help figure out what the doctor did to him.
Neo has been in the hospital for over two months with very little change in health. Tubes and wires still covered his body like snakes wrapped around their prey. School started and sadly Patrick, James, and Arc could not be by his side like they were. They were with him every possible moment, they even got permission to be in the surgery watch room while they went in to stop the internal bleeding again. Every time his stats started to show improvement something happened, he would crash, somewhere would swell, or hemorrhaging would occur.
The doctors expressed to everyone that it was up to Neo if he wanted to live or move on to another life. The doctors were there to continue to give support and keep him alive for as long as Neo wanted. Neo was lost in his mind. To him, it was a mirror maze, no matter which way he moved there was another blockage, or it was a fake exit that caused him to restart. He was growing tired of failing repeatedly. He just wanted it to end, yet he did not know if he wanted it to end either him dying or waking up. He did not know if he wanted to wake up and deal with the harsh light of day, to grapple with the weight of responsibility and expectation that awaited beyond the walls of his mind. He did not want to just rejoin the relentless march of time, to continue the ceaseless dance of life with all the sorrows that consumed it. He wanted to feel joy, happiness, and contentment, but would he be able to obtain that?
He knew his mind was not where he wanted to be. A constant reminder that he is his own villain. He is the reason he is like this, but he could not figure out if it was selfish of him to retreat into the comfort of unconsciousness, to turn away from the struggles and pain that defined his life. He was torn. He knew if he left, he would be free from the puppet strings, but he always stopped at the cliff to the abyss that he dearly wanted. Every time he went to fall into the abyss 4 hands wrapped around his body and pulled him back, dragging him even back towards the light of humanity and life. He always fought the hands and believed they were the villains in his head. They did not want him to go because that meant they would no longer exist. Yet, after the first fifty times he tried to fall off... the feeling of the hands changed. They were soft yet rough, they were gentle but firm, like he knew the hands that were trying to pull him back to reality. Was he ready to deal with the consequences he caused? Was he ready to fight for a new life or even fight for a life?
Neo stood at the entrance of the mirror maze, he looked around and tilted his head confused. While he was at the entrance there appeared to be something against the far wall. He slowly began to walk over curious. He never thought to look around at the battle he was experiencing. He furrowed his brows as he started to walk down a long hallway that was parallel to the mirror maze. Eventually, he stood in front of a door that had a bright red exit sign above it. He placed his hand on the handle before turning it.
Everything was overly bright. The sounds of machines humming fill the air and his ears, giving him an even bigger headache. As he tried to open his eyes, the lights burned his pupils. It took him a few minutes before he could keep his eyes in a squint position. A nurse was standing next to him writing down his vitals. She looked down, gasped, and smiled warmly. She grabbed the remote for the bed and pressed a button before placing it back down.
"Welcome back to the land of the living Neo."