Chapter: 37
******

"Alpha!" Colleen yelled. "Shit Alpha!!" He called again, shaking the Alpha now. "He's not breathing!" He screamed, looking from Dom back at their Alpha. "Alpha!!" Both Betas tapped and shook the Alpha, trying to wake him up. But that didn't seem to be working either.

"Hit him on the chest!" Mano called from the front seat.

"What?!" Dom asked, bewildered.

"Hit him on the fucking chest... Hard!" Mano shouted as he looked behind the car with wide panicked eyes. Reece was barely keeping a focus on the road at this time with all the commotion coming from the back seat. "Do it, Goddammit!"

"Okay okay! Okay... I'll do it!" Dom said, hitting the Alpha in his sternum twice. They watched and waited but nothing happened.

"Hit him again!" Mano yelled back.

"What?!" Colleen asked this time.

"Ahhh! Shit... Stop the car, Brother!" He told his twin who pulled over so suddenly that the car following closely behind almost ran into them. The car had barely stopped when Mano shoved his door open and got out, rushing to the back and waving for the Betas in the other car to come down quickly.

"Fuck Mano... We nearly ran into you guys..." Clyde complained, jumping out of the vehicle with his second and running over to them. "What the fuck is going on?" He demanded but Mano did not give them a reply; he simply pushed the back door open and charged Dom to get out.

"Get out here!" Dom nodded and got out of the car, leaving the Alpha slumped in the back seat along with Colleen who looked too shocked to react, his gaze bore into the Alpha's sleeping face. Mano took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slide in beside the Alpha then started punching his sternum. "Dammit, Alpha! Come on! Wake up already! Wake up!! Fuckin' open your goddamn stupid mouth right now if you want to live! Dammit!!"

"Shit Mano, that's enough!" Anya yelled, putting her hands on Mano's shoulder to try and pull him away. "Let's just call someone." Mano kept punching, not listening even though the Betas tried to stop him. "Reece, get your twin!" She snapped at Reece who grabbed Mano and began dragging him out of the car but he wouldn't budge, he was going to deliver another blow when Rafa snapped red eyes open, gasping loudly and making choking sounds. Everyone jumped back startled as Rafa coughed and hacked, clutching his neck as he tried to take several breaths.

Reece and Mano rushed to his side to help, but he jerked his head off their hands and growled. They backed off instantly, scared by the sight of him. A trail of Blood ran down the corner of his lips and nose as he coughed violently. Mano stood still beside him but kept glancing over his shoulder nervously. The rest of the Betas were waiting outside the car, even Colleen had left the car at some point, leaving just the Alpha, they all stared nervously at the scene before them. The twins exchanged glances as they noticed the blood dripping onto the seats. He tried to reach for the Alpha once again, to help him out of the tight space and ease him onto the asphalt but Rafa growled, and they knew he would rip their limbs clean from their joints should they touch him, so they stood back again. They were silent as they heard Rafa's coughing get worse, and he seemed to struggle to breathe.

"I-I can't breathe..." Rafa managed to say, "It hurts..." His voice broke as he gasped and clutched his throat again before he fell back against the seat with a thud. "My ribs..." Rafa cried out hoarsely, grabbing his shirt and ripping them apart. "Caleb..." He muttered weakly. "I need to get home... NOW!" Mano opened his mouth ready to object but swallowed his unspoken words when he saw the glare the Alpha held into his. Nodding, he motioned for his twin to get back into the car and immediately they all returned to the cars and Reece pulled off once again, this time speeding as fast as possible. They didn't dare look back. The brothers looked at each other with worry written across both of their faces as they sat in silence. The air in the car felt thick with anxiety and tension.

Finally, when the car was well beyond speed limits, Colleen cleared his throat and spoke. "So... uhm..." He looked nervous and uncomfortable but he continued, nonetheless. "What's going on, Rafa?" The others nodded, curious. "You... You said something about Caleb. What the hell is happening to you two?" Rafa sighed heavily and turned away. "Please, Alpha... You don't look good one bit... I'm scared." He choked out the last word with difficulty like every word was painful for him. He was scared. The three of them were, and so would the two coming in the second car behind them.

Rafa was still trying to settle his breathing but it wasn't easy. The pain was still sharp in his chest and he knew it would never go away. It hurt too much. And there it was again. He couldn't shake off his thoughts. The thoughts of HIM dying or of Rejection. He was at a crossroads, unable to decide which path he should choose, and that was driving him nuts. This was all wrong. He had no control over anything anymore. He could feel himself slipping away. His emotions conflicted with each other, fear being one thing that was overpowering most. Then his heart started pounding rapidly and he had a feeling that it might just be too late by the time he reached home. If he wasn't so weak he would be getting out of the car and sprinting the rest of the way. One part of him knew exactly what he should do, but the other part wouldn't allow him to.

He should never have listened to him when he promised he could control her spells. But what would he have done when after the night they Bonded he somehow managed to wake up the next day, had breakfast with him, and even picked him flowers, even though his Birth Omega had told him only the tonic could wake him up, and since the tonic was finished, he didn't think he would wake up again, and yet he did. It made him relax, thinking Caleb could fight it, but look what's happening now.

What about this mirror his Birth Omega spoke off? This person who stands between him and the Witch? He would challenge the Witch in a fight but how could he, when she has a hold on his life? She was controlling his strength, his weaknesses, his Lycan. What else can he do? He had thought of all the worst-case scenarios and eventually he called for a meeting, he would need all the help he can get, all the magic within his reach, if he must bring her down. But, even then, he must find that mirror and crack it.

"Alpha?" Dom called, softly.

"I should have Rejected him and sent him back," His voice cracked at the end as tears slipped down his cheeks. "He wouldn't let me bring up the conversation... Always made sure to dodge the topic whenever it arose, and slowly I began to forget the imminent danger we both were in... Somehow I think he already knew what it was I wanted to speak to him about, and he didn't want to hear it... He doesn't want me to say it... But, he's going to die if he doesn't hear it... I am going to die." He paused for a moment, gathering himself together. "But I cannot leave him alone. He needs me, he won't be able to face this on his own, and neither would I." Tears pour down his face.

His vision blurred and he sniffed, struggling to blink through the tears. "He is hurting, Col. He might never see another sunrise," He whispered as fresh tears streamed down his face. The Betas watched helplessly as the Alpha of Alphas slumped into his First Beta's shoulder and cried like a Pup. "I do not want to lose him... I can't lose him... Please... Don't make me lose him," He chanted and the sound of his voice had them all in tears. They have never witnessed their Alpha so defenseless, and oh so defeated even before the battle had begun... So vulnerable. "Dear Goddess, please... don't make me lose him... Do not take him away from me... I waited so long... I know I did wrong, I do not even deserve him after all I did, but please... give me one more chance... I promise to make it right again. I will make it all right again." Rafa sobbed, his voice hoarse and cracking.

His Betas struggled within themselves at the scene they witnessed. None dare says a word, clueless and helpless like their Alpha they suffered silently while listening to the heartbreaking wishes of the Alpha who would not bear the thought of losing his Mate.

"What am I supposed to do now, huh?" He leaned into his best friend as tightly as he could. Colleen wrapped his arms around the Alpha, gently rubbing circles onto his back, and looking over at his Second Beta who was staring down at his feet dejectedly and hiding away the fact that he was crying along with their Alpha this entire time.

"I'm sure we will figure this one out, Alpha," Colleen tried to soothe his ache, but Rafa shook his head. "Don't give up, please," He pleaded.

"What more is there for me to do if he should die?"

"We will bring him back!" Mano called from the front seats and his brother smacked his hand and glared at him to zip it.

"We can't," Reece muttered to his brother who raised a brow in both question and confusion.

"Then Reject him, Alpha, and keep him alive," Mano said once again.

"Either way he will lose him," Dom replied.

"Not if Caleb forgives him when this is all over... An Omega can grant their Pair a second chance," Mano told him.

"I'm aware of that, but why would you think he would forgive Rafa this time after what he had done to him before? Would you forgive him?" Dom threw back.

"If I were an Omega I would much rather prefer to stand by the side of my Alpha no matter what, in death or life, than suffer Rejection," Reece spoke softly and Mano met his gaze worriedly.

"So you see Mano, his fear is justified," Dom told the Beta who kept his gaze on his twin.

Rafa who did not bother to get involved in their banter, cried softly on Colleen's chest and once he felt he could breathe again, he took a moment to let his emotions settle, and when he could hold his tears in, he grabbed his phone and dialed the only one he knew would look after HIM no matter what. He picked up on the first ring and Rafa choked up a sob when he heard the worried tone calling into the receiver. They had shared glances during the meeting but did not exchange pleasantries. They prefer it that way, for a purpose.

"Hey," Rafa called back and heard him exhale.

"You're going to do it?" The other asked, and Rafa nodded but remembering he couldn't see, he swallowed with much difficulty and answered.

"Yes,"

"Let me know if you need me there with you,"

Rafa shook his head again at his offer. "No, I need you to take care of him. Take care of them for me... Can you do that?" The line went quiet for a few minutes and Rafa started to wonder whether he hung up, but he knew he would never do that to him.

"Even without asking, Rafa, you know I would rather die than let any harm come to him... to neither of them."

Smiling and nodding once again, Rafa sniffed. "Thank you..." He replied quietly, feeling his eyes fill with fresh tears. "And I'm sorry,"

"You keep apologizing like this and we will never move on from it..." The other chuckled lightly before sighing. "It wasn't your fault... It wasn't his either... Please, stop thinking about it." He pleaded gently, hoping to ease his troubled mind. He could hear Rafa swallow thickly.

"How is he?" He asked after a while.

"He's holding up," He replied and Rafa bit down his bottom lip to prevent himself from speaking. "He's stubborn, but he will be fine. I'll make sure of that," He added softly. Rafa smiled slightly, hearing him.

"We talk again soon, yes," Rafa mumbled.

"Of course we do," With a soft chuckle, the other continued. "Hang in there, it will hurt like hell, but we will fix it... together."

Rafa agreed with a nod and a pained smile. "Yeah," He mumbled and just immediately added. "Oh and... I love you, Leon." His lips quivered when he heard the other let out a soft breath, and he imagined he was smiling.

"Love you too, Rafa," He muttered.

The line cut off and Rafa slumped into the seat, closing his eyes. "Let's go home." He muttered softly and they all nodded together.

******