Sleepless: Leo POV

Three days. That's how long it's been since my baby slept. It's been five days since the incident with Kyle and his lackeys. That night, as well as the next two, I awoke to Cyrus screaming. Begging incoherently, while tears streamed down his face as he clawed at his body. The third night, after I finally pulled him from his nightmare, I held him for an hour as his mind locked itself into a cycle of anxiety attacks and intense paranoia. That was the last straw, in his eyes, and so began his streak of insomnia. The next night, he simply refused to sleep. He laid in my arms, waiting for me to drift off and wake up again. When I tried to bring it up, he simply brushed it off, saying 'it'll pass'. It didn't stop me from worrying.

The change in him from lack of sleep became more noticeable the longer it went on. He was extremely irritable and agitated with any and everyone that wasn't me. His usually emotionless face had turned into a permanent glare that threatened violence at the slightest word. He didn't hesitate to growl, snarl, or snap his fangs at anyone who breathed too loudly for his taste. Personally, I'd had to pull him from four fights before lunch one day. Above all else, he never left my side except to handle business in the bathroom. Otherwise, he was right there. Even during class.

He'd walk in without giving a second glance to even the teacher, following behind me and sitting on my lap where he'd stay curled quietly until class ended. The first time he did this, the teacher had tried to protest but, despite the rules that stated the teachers were to be respected regardless of the rank of the student, the look he gave and the aura he exhibited quickly put a stop to the protests.

It scared me to see him like this, and it pissed me off that Kyle had been the catalyst. Above all else, I felt so useless, and it hurt that he wouldn't really talk about it. About his pain or his nightmares or his anxieties. I wanted to take it all away, but I was powerless. My dad was none too happy either. In fact, he'd reprimanded Kyle and his lackeys the same day.

*Day of the Incident*

I laid my sleeping mate on our sheets. Careful not to wake him with my movements. He'd finally fallen asleep after twenty minutes of us rocking on the front porch. Pulling the blankets up, I gently tucked them around him before brushing his blue-black hair from his face. I carefully exited the room, closing the door softly. As I stood, still holding the doorknob, I inhaled deeply. Trying, and failing, to reign in my anger. I was pissed. I wanted Kyle's head served up with his cohorts, Trevor and Mica, as side dishes. As I was trying to simultaneously get my anger under control and figure out new ways to murder someone as slowly as possible, my dad contacted me through the pack link,

\Can you join me in my office? It concerns the incident at dinner.

//Yes

\Good

He cut the link off and I continued the useless breathing exercises as I made my way to the Alpha's office. I opened the door, almost ripping it from hinges as the scent of the main head warrior along with his second and third drifted to my nose. As I slammed the door shut behind me, I knew my eyes were shifting colors as my wolf fought to get out and rip them to shreds for hurting our mate. I stalked over to my father, who was seated behind his desk, eyes glowing amber. All three had their heads down and necks shown in submission. The anger radiating off of both me and my father most likely was making the room unbearable for the three. My dad hissed out a breath as his jaw clenched. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the three who dared not look up,

"How, exactly, do you want to explain yourself?"

My father's voice was low and gruff, showing the temper that was pushing just beneath the surface. After too many moments of silence, my dad's growl filled the room as he snapped,

"Well?! Don't be silent now! Explain yourselves!"

After a few more seconds, which almost caused me to growl as well, Kyle finally stepped forward, head still bowed,

"I merely wished to confront the future Luna about the sparring match he had with my mate."

My eyes narrowed as I held back an audible scoff of disbelief. My father took a beat to breathe before he raised a single brow,

"Tell me, Kyle, do I look stupid to you?"

I heard Kyle swallow,

"No sir."

"Your actions say otherwise."

Kyle said nothing as he continued to keep his head bowed. My dad's desk creaked as he leaned on it and stood. He began to circle the wooden object,

"Let's stop beating around the bush, shall we? You, Kyle, do not care for the rogue Luna, do you?"

Kyle's face stayed bowed but had shifted into a reserved kind of distaste. After a few seconds, my father snapped again,

"Answer me!"

"No sir."

"Why?"

"His own pack didn't want him, so why should we be forced to have him, mate, or not."

Before I could react, my dad had pinned Kyle to the wall by his throat, his canines fully extended,

"Tell me, Kyle, have you ever heard of the Black Moon Pack?"

"No...s-sir."

Kyle struggled to speak through the pressure being applied to his throat but my dad was completely unphased,

"You just know that they didn't want him."

Kyle said nothing. My father continued, his eyes narrowing,

"The Black Moon Pack was eradicated in one night. The gore left behind was barely identifiable as wolves. That rogue that you and your warriors continue to disrespect is the last remaining survivor. He's been surviving on his own since he was 9 years old, most likely on the run from his attackers. Tell me, what the hell were you doing at 9?! Don't answer, I'd hate to rip your tongue out."

I was shocked that my dad knew that much about Cyrus. The pain I felt for my mate only intensified as I thought about how traumatic it must have been for a 9-year-old to watch everyone he considered to be family ripped apart in front of him. All of these new emotions I kept hidden as I continued to watch the scene in front of me. All three of the warriors now held looks of shock and remorse as the information sunk in. My father dropped Kyle to the floor with no less than a disgusted look on his face as he now addressed all three,

"Listen to me carefully, this type of disgraceful behavior and bias will not be tolerated. You will respect the future Luna and give him the utmost honor or, by The Mother, I will personally remind you that there are worse fates than death. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

This answer came from all three. My father walked back to his desk,

"Get the hell out of my office and head to night patrol because you all have got it for the next three months along with the morning training sessions."

"Yes, Alpha."

They scrambled out the door.

**

All of this lead to our current position on the couch in the second living room. Cy had straddled me and we were currently engaged in a heated kiss. I'd decided that we'd spend the day with each other, watching movies, as a way to help ease his nerves and relax. During the second movie, my baby had ended up in my lap and by the end of it, we had started kissing. Now we were fully making out as the television cast strange shadows off of the fireplace.

The sound of footsteps had us pulling apart with heated cheeks as he nuzzled himself into my neck. I looked towards the door, slightly irritated at whoever had interrupted us. My eyes met Josh's as he walked in, shaking a matchbox slightly while rolling his eyes. I whispered who it was to Cy, who gave a breathy laugh into my neck at my irritated tone. He kissed me gently as he continued to relax into my chest. The most relaxed that I'd seen him all week.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to savor my success for too long, as the fireplace ignited with a whoosh. As soon as it did, every muscle in Cyrus' body tensed. I could feel and smell the fear coming off of him in waves. It was almost suffocating. It scared me how quickly he'd been triggered. I tried to get his attention, but he didn't react. As I lifted my shoulder slightly to at least see his face, he pushed himself off of me, falling to the empty space on the couch to the side of me.

He curled into a fetal position and started rocking, his eyes distant as he stared at the flames. I tried calling his name, but it was clear he wasn't here anymore. His mind was elsewhere. I reached forward, touching his arm lightly, hoping to bring him back. Instead, he started screaming, his voice filling the room as tears streamed down his face, making twisted rivers from pain-filled eyes. I pulled my hand back, hoping it would calm him. Instead, he started to beg and plead, his voice strained and shaky,

"PLEASE! IT HURTS! PUT ME OUT! PLEASE! PLEEEAASSSE! IT HURTS!"

He continued to cry and beg and shake and rock until his breathing became too ragged to maintain it. His heartbeat was out of control and he had started to pull at his hair. I guess his body couldn't take the stress any longer as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went limp, falling towards the coffee table in front of the couch. I moved quickly and pulled him into my chest. I held his unconscious body, listening to his heartbeat and breathing as it slowed, trying to understand what I had just witnessed. I was scared for my mate and the memories he harbored trapped behind those crystal eyes.

Readjusting his limp body, I carried him bridal style up the steps and to our room. I don't know how much longer I could let him suffer alone. We needed to talk about this because the way he was handling it, by keeping it all bottled inside, was gonna tear his mind apart. I gently laid him on our bed, carefully pulling off his jeans so that he was more comfortable. I sighed softly, watching his unconscious form as I pulled the covers up and headed to the bathroom to shower. Once I'd finished, I pulled on a pair of sweats and crawled into bed. My baby unconsciously curled into my chest, leaving me to wrap my arms around his waist while I drift, trying to figure out how to address his past and the need to talk about it.