[A/N - This story hit ?? 100k ?? reads ?? That's so crazy! Thank you for all the love!  🥰]

"You always said that I'd come back to you again. 'Cause everybody needs a friend, it's true. Someone to quiet the voices in my head. Make 'em sing to me instead, it's you."
~Ben Platt, 'Bad Habit'

~~~

*Type's POV*

Everything hurts.

And it's not just my pain that has me reeling. Tharn's pain is slicing through me like a fucking machete. He's definitely not holding back on how much he misses me. I may be able to block our mind link for now, but I can't block out his emotions without severing our bond. And Tharn is clearly aware of this, as he's using his emotions as a way of reaching out to me. My head pounds with the amount of concentration it takes to block our mind link, especially with how determined Tharn is to break through that barrier.

What part of "I need space" does he not understand? Does he not realize how fucking pissed off I was to find out he lied to me? It's not a secret that I have a bit of a temper, and it was a fucking miracle I held onto some rationality in that moment. If I hadn't, I would have broken our mate bond in an instant. And then I would've regretted it for the rest of my life. Praise the fucking Moon that I reigned in my temper enough to realize what a horrible mistake that would've been. Instead, I asked for time alone to cool down. To collect my thoughts before coming back to fight like normal couples do.

I don't want to fight against us.
I want to fight for us.

I'm not leaving him. I wish he knew that, but maybe letting him sweat it out is a good thing. I don't want him thinking I'll instantly forgive him every time he lies to me.

"Type? Will you come set the table?" My Aunt Lily calls out.

"Coming!" I shout back, standing up from the porch swing and heading inside the house.

I've been staying with my dad's sister, Lily, for the past two weeks. She lives far enough away that Tharn wouldn't be able to easily track my scent. Plus, it's been a long time since I've seen my aunt and my younger cousins. I walk into the kitchen, grabbing plates and utensils to set out on the table. Aunt Lily is right behind me, setting the food out on the table. She makes sure to add extra chili powder to my dish, making me smile at the fact that she remembered I like spicy foods. She shouts for her husband and two children to come to the dining room, and they walk in with smiles on their faces at the sight of the feast strewn across the table.

"So, Type," Aunt Lily begins when we're all seated. "You know that you're welcome to stay as long as you need, but... how long are you planning on staying?"

I tilt my head in thought. "I'm not sure, really. Just until I feel like it's time to go back, I guess." Aunt Lily exchanges looks with her husband. My hand freezes midway to my mouth, and I lower my spoon to the table. "What?"

"Type..." Aunt Lily says slowly. "While we love having you here... don't you think it's time you go back to your mate?"

I stare at her, stunned. My aunt knows that I had a fight with my mate and that's why I needed to stay with her, but she doesn't know the details, so she doesn't see the problem with what she just said.

"I can't just go back," I sputter.

"Why not?"

"He— we— it's— it's complicated," I stammer out. "He hurt me, and spending some time apart is good for us."

"Let me ask you something," Aunt Lily says, setting her utensils down and looking at me intently. "Do you love him?"

Heat rushes to the tips of my ears, turning my face red. "Y-Yes, but—"

"And does he love you?"

"He does, but that's not—"

"And is he sorry for what he did?"

The image of Tharn's tear stricken face enters my mind, and my chest clenches painfully. I know the answer to that question without even needing to talk to him. Slumping in my seat, I nod my head.

"Then it's time for you to go home," she decides firmly. "Two weeks is plenty of time to make him not want to hurt you ever again. Any longer would just be cruel. You're mates, you shouldn't be spending this much time apart. It's not good for your bond."

I want to argue with her, tell her that it's not that simple, but what's the point? Deep down, I know she's right. I can feel the toll our separation is having on our bond. The physical pain of being away from Tharn for so long nearly driving my wolf crazy. My aunt takes my silence as agreement, and she smiles widely.

"Good. Now that we have that settled, let's eat."

***

Frustration creeps up on me as I fight to fit all my clothes into my duffle bag. How the hell did I fit everything in here the first time? It feels like I have a lot more clothes than I left with, but I know that's not true. Maybe I folded them wrong...?

Whatever. Fuck it. I shove everting recklessly into the bag, not carrying about wrinkling my clothes or keeping everything organized. Like my aunt said, it's time to get home, and some dumbass bag isn't going to keep me from leaving.

I grab the lumpy bag and throw it over my shoulder. I take one step forward before a chill runs up my spine. What the hell? I pause for a second, letting the uneasy feeling settle. Once it does, I shake my head and keep walking. I hug my aunt and cousins goodbye, promising to call often. Aunt Lily let me know that if I ever needed to stay with her again, I was always welcome, but she hopes I don't have anymore issues with my mate.

Yeah. You and me both, lady.

The drive home is peaceful... for the most part. I can't seem to shake that chill going up my spine, spreading through my limbs and making my wolf howl in distress.

Something's not right.

There's something wrong. I can feel it. Danger pours through my veins like ice water, alerting me that something is terribly wrong. I pull over to the side of the road and clench my jaw. Closing my eyes, I let down the mental barrier I've had up for two weeks. Immediately, my head pounds with the desperate voices of my friends. I can hear them all, chattering frantically all at once.

'What the hell is going on?' I demand to know through the pack mind link.

'Type?' Techno responds in disbelief. 'Finally! Where the hell have you been?'

'That doesn't matter right now. Why do I get the feeling that someone royally fucked up?'

There's a collective silence, which makes me growl in frustration. Something definitely happened; something they're not too willing to tell me.

'Techno, Team, Champ,' I growl lowly. 'Tell me what happened. Now.'

They're only silent for a moment longer before Champ stammers out, 'I-It's Tharn. He left to confront Zen, and hasn't been back in a while.'

'Zen?' I question. 'What does Zen have to do with any of this? And why does Tharn need to confront him? I thought we had an alliance with the Silver Sun Pack.'

'Holy shit, he doesn't know,' Team breathes out. 'He's been gone the entire time, without any communication to us.'

'Type, haven't you kept in touch with your parents?' Techno asks.

I shake my head before remembering they can't see me. 'I cut off all communication with the pack. I knew Tharn would use my parents as a way to reach me, so I told them to not contact me. Why? What's going on? You guys are freaking me out.'

'We're at war, Type,' Techno informs me, making my eyes widen. 'Zen was behind the attack on Thorn— which we don't appreciate you guys lying to us about, by the way. Saying it happened while he was abroad, just lying out of your asses—'

'Techno. Focus,' I snap impatiently.

'Right. Anyway, Zen launched an attack against us, triggering a war between our packs. Lhong and Tum are on our side, trying to help bring down Zen and stop the war. Things have been super crazy here, Type. The sooner you come home, the better. Trust me.'

'Alright, back up,' I stop his rambling, ignoring the sliver of annoyance at the mention of Lhong's name. 'Go back to Tharn. What did you mean when you said he's confronting Zen? Wouldn't the warriors be the ones to confront him? Or even Thanayong?'

'That's the thing. We tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. Now that we've lost communication with him—'

'What?!' I hiss. I don't wait for their response before peeling back onto the road, speeding towards the pack.

This dumbass.
This fucking dumb asshole.
Stupid piece of—

Did he really think he could take on an older, more experienced Alpha?! Didn't he think about how recklessly stupid that would be? How much danger he would be putting himself in?

I mentally curse Tharn endlessly as I drive towards where the road splits and choosing the exit that leads to the Silver Sun Pack. The closer I get, the stronger the chill up my spine becomes until it's painful. Fear coupled with annoyance grabs my heart at the possibility of Tharn being in pain right now. I slam on my brakes as I approach the hidden dirt path that forks from the paved road. Climbing out of the car, I race down the path towards where the pack is hidden behind the thick curtain of trees.

Tharn's scent hits me like a truck, along with the faint smell of blood. My heart is pounding in my chest as I follow my mate's familiar scent. In the distance, I spot a group of wolves, snarling and wrestling each other to the ground at the entrance of the Silver Sun Pack. I instantly recognize Tharn's brilliant red fur, which stands out compared to the three guard wolves pinning him down.

My eyes begin to glow as I force myself to shift, bones cracking as my clothing tears away from my body. All four sets of eyes snap over to me, with the eyes of the red wolf on the ground widening significantly.

'Type??' Tharn sounds scared, as if he's not the one being pinned by three other wolves. Yeah, how do you think I feel, jackass? My mate is clearly losing this fight, and it's absolutely killing me to see him like this. I know he's stronger than all of them. I know he has it in him.

The loudest growl I can muster ripples from my throat and echoes into the air. The wolves freeze at the sound before sniffing the air, making me go still in my place.

Shit.

In my wolf form, my omega scent is stronger. The wolves pick up on my scent, mentally gathering the fact that I am smaller, weaker, and slower than the rest of them. The first wolf barks a laugh, followed by the other two. The wolf who laughed first separates from the group as the other two wolves continue to pin Tharn down. He saunters over to me, flashing his teeth both menacingly and teasingly.

'Type, run!' Tharn shouts frantically through our link. I stare back at him defiantly, rooting myself in my spot. I'm not fucking weak. I may not be as physically strong as those wolves, but I have other ways of bringing them down.

Tharn whines and thrashes beneath the weight of the wolves. One slightly stumbles from Tharn's growing strength, making me mentally smirk.

Let the games begin.

Standing tall, I remain unmoving as I allow the opposing wolf to approach me. With each step the wolf takes, I can feel Tharn's fear and adrenaline pumping through our bond. The wolf slowly circles around, eyes raking me as he sizes me up. When he presses his nose to my neck and sniffs, a snap my teeth at him with a growl. I'm on my back in an instant and the wolf tackles me easily, and I can hear Tharn snarling.

Come on, baby. You got this. Come on.

Tharn's adrenaline is rushing through his system at new heights at the sight of me being pinned down. I feel slightly bad about using this method, and I know he'll probably be mad with me later, but I need to keep pushing him. If seeing me in danger is what it takes to make him access that crazy Alpha strength I know he has, then that's what I have to do. Swallowing my pride, I help push Tharn even further by releasing a high-pitched whimper.

And that does it.

Tharn snarls and thrashes violently, his golden eyes glowing menacingly bright. The wolves holding him yelp in unison as he finally shakes them off, kicking them away with his powerful hind legs. The wolf on top of me jumps away and charges at Tharn, who throws him off as if he were a rag doll. I watch in awe as my mate discovers his strength, battling against three large wolves with newfound ease. It doesn't take long for the wolves to become a bloody heap on the ground, panting and whimpering in defeat. Tharn heads back for them and I dart in front of him before he kills them without thinking about the consequences. Tharn's form is shaking as he stares at me. I say nothing, just lock eyes with him and then run down the dirt road towards my car. I don't need to turn around to know Tharn is chasing behind me.

We shift just before exiting the curtain of trees. The area around us appears to be empty as we approach my car. Tharn is panting, and we remain silent as I grab my duffle bag from the back of my car. I pull out some clothes, dressing myself before throwing some clothes at Tharn. He doesn't speak as he dresses himself with shaking hands. I look over at him and bite back the smile that threatens to escape at the sight of Tharn in my clothes. He's bigger than me, so my clothes are incredibly snug on him. The white t-shirt clings to his chest, leaving nothing to the imagination as I can see the outline of every part of his muscular chest. His v-line is exposed between the hem of the shirt and the waistband of the shorts, creating a mouth-watering trail to his—

No. I'm supposed to be mad at him.

Tharn reaches up, stretching his muscles and flexing his toned arms. His shirt raises up higher, giving me a delicious view of his perfectly sculpted abdomen. Fuck, I could just lick every inch of—

Nope. Focus, Type. Focus.

Damn, two weeks without seeing him or touching him has affected me more than I thought.

I shake my head and turn away, climbing into the front seat of the car. Tharn settles in the seat next to me as an awkward silence falls over us. Making sure he's buckled, I pull away from the side of the road and turn around, heading towards our pack.

"Type—"

"Shut up," I snap, a bit harsher than I intended. "Just... please. Shut up for a bit, okay?"

Tharn nods his head slowly, relaxing back into his seat. The drive to our pack is shorter than I would have liked. The guards at the gate look shocked to see me. I would be surprised by that since the guards never really noticed me before, but I don't doubt that everyone knows Tharn has been going crazy looking for me these past two weeks. I'd be more surprised if there was anyone left in the pack that doesn't know we are mates.

I pull into the long driveway of the pack house and turn off the car. It's silent for another minute as Tharn fidgets nervously in his seat. His various emotions emit off of him; worry, relief, fear, joy, heartache... it's all hitting me in waves. Taking a deep breath, I finally break the silence.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I ask lowly.
Tharn's eyes dart up to mine before falling back to his lap. "You could've been seriously hurt, trying to take on a pack by yourself. Are you out of your goddamn mind? You didn't even make it past the guards! Imagine what would have happened if you tried to face Zen and his army! Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking, Tharn?"

Tharn's eyes are locked on his hands, which are clenched into fists in his lap. "I wasn't sure you still cared," he says softly.

My jaw drops. "The fuck? Of course I still care! Why the hell wouldn't I?"

This time, Tharn finally looks up at me and holds eye contact. "You left, I didn't think—"

"I asked for space, not for you to send yourself on a fucking suicide mission! Jesus, do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you? Seriously, what the hell could have possibly prompted you to do that?"

"You left."

"Huh?" I ask dumbly.

"You left, and I couldn't reach you," Tharn explains patiently. "You shut me out, Type. I missed you and I needed you. I didn't know what else to do, how else to make you come home." The meaning of his confession sinks in and my eyes widen. Tharn yelps as I smack his arm with my open palm. "What the hell was that for?" He exclaims.

"You did this on purpose?!" I yell back. "You put yourself in danger just to make me come home?! You asshole, I was already coming home! I asked for space, why couldn't you just give me that?"

"Space is a few hours, maybe a couple days at the most. Not two fucking weeks," Tharn snaps, making me fall silent. "You can't do that, Type. I know I hurt you, and I never should have lied to you, but two weeks? What did you expect me to do? My mate disappeared. No one was able to contact you. You were hurting, but what about me? Don't you think I was hurting, wondering where you were everyday? Wondering if you were safe? I did the only thing I could think of to bring your stubborn ass home."

He's right. I took the space I needed, but then went further than I had to. I didn't need to stay away for as long as I did. Yeah, he lied, and that sucked. But did that really warrant me vanishing for two weeks? Yeah... probably not. If it had been Tharn that disappeared on me instead.... fuck. Guilt makes my stomach sink as I look at the hurt swimming in Tharn's eyes.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, making Tharn blink. "You're right. I shouldn't have left for as long as I did. I just... I've never done this before, you know? Loving someone as much as I love you. Being so completely tethered to another person, caring about you more than anyone else.... it's all new for me. Finding out that you lied to my face, it really scared me. I didn't know someone I love could hurt me that much."

"You love me," Tharn grins like a fool.

I roll my eyes. "Is that really all you got out of what I just said?"

"No, but... I was worried you left because you didn't love me anymore. You can't imagine how much of a relief it is to hear that I haven't lost you. I love you so much, Type. Thank you for still loving me, despite what an idiot I've been."

This time, I'm the one that grins. "Of course I still love you, asshole. I don't think anything could ever make me stop."

The wind is knocked out of me when Tharn suddenly reaches across the seats and yanks me into a tight hug. I instantly sink into his embrace, our mate bond singing with glee. His scent fills me and I nearly purr. Moon Goddess, I've missed this man. I smile and bury my nose into the crook of his neck, breathing him in.

I'm never letting him go again.

~~~

daawwwww
Idk about you guys, but I feel like these two need some good old fashioned make up sex

I started compiling my playlist for my FighterTutor story, and it's... 🤤🤤 hawt

Comment and vote! See you next time!
-Gumbie