"Kyra?" Nikolas asked.

"Nikolas! Oh I'm so glad to see you again! I thought I had lost your forever." Kyra cried as she hugged Nikolas.

Despite the pain, Nikolas hugged Kyra close then cried because he couldn't get her closer. "Kyra! I was so afraid you were dead! Oh Kyra, I love you so much!"

"You... you love me?" Kyra asked stunned.

"Yes Kyra. I can't believe I didn't see it before. Kyra, your my fated female."

"I... I am? Really?" When Nikolas nodded, Kyra squealed. "I'm so happy! Oh Nikkie, I love you too!"

Just then the pain hit hard. Nikolas grunted and blackness over took him.

Nikolas woke up slowly. He was so sore. Every fiber of his being hurt. He carefully moved his head as he looked at his surroundings. He saw Kyra and another man standing outside the door to his room. Nikolas remembered the man. He was one of those who had helped rescue him. They hadn't noticed he was awake yet so he just listened to them talking.

"He will be okay, right? That potion stuff won't kill him." Kyra asked the man.

"Yes, he will be fine. And when he wakes up, we'll give him a special medicine that we made to fight the potions effects. Plus, it will help ease his pain. He still has a lot of the potion in his system. I'm just glad we found him when we did. After two weeks of going through that torture, and probably depression because he had no idea what happened to you, he was quickly giving up on living." The other man said to her.

"I'm just glad to have him back! Thank you so much for finding him. It means so much to me." Kyra hugged the man tight. Nikolas growled. He didn't like the idea of him touching her. Sure he saved her life, not to mention his, but Kyra was his.

Both of them heard his growl. Kyra turned her head and smiled big when she saw him.

"Nikkie!" She yelled as she rushed over to him. She hugged him tightly. "How do you feel? I bet your hungry."

Nikolas was too busy glaring at the man. Kyra followed his gaze.

"Who is he?" Nikolas asked with as much venom as he could add to his voice.

"Oh, right. Nikkie, this is Bowen. He was the one who saved you from that awful place."

Not really realizing he did it till after he did, Nikolas brought Kyra's face to his. He kissed her on the lips as hard as he could. She didn't seem to mind it. She even kissed him back. After a moment, Nikolas pulled back.

"Kyra, I was so afraid I had lost you." Nikolas said before kissing her again.

"I was afraid I had lost you too. I was afraid I was going to die. And I would have if it wasn't for Bowen. He found me."

Bowen cleared his throat. "Kyra, we need to give Nikolas his medicine. Can you hand me the bottle."

Kyra handed a bottle of pills to Bowen. "Here ya go."

Bowen opened the bottle and pulled out a capsule. Nikolas looked at the pill. He could see the medicine inside it. He quickly spoke up.

"No. I don't need any medicine." Nikolas said.

"You need to take it. It will help with the pain. Plus it will help your system burn the potion faster." Bowen held the pill out toward Nikolas.

"No. I don't need it. I'm not any any pain."

"Nikkie, just take it. It will make you feel better. Plus it makes you drowsy. That way you can get some sleep while it helps you." Kyra smiled.

"I...Do...Not...Need...It!" Nikolas said. He started to get up out of the bed they had put him in. As soon as he moved his leg, pain shot through him. It felt like some one beat him with a cast iron frying pan, then dipped him in boiling oil, pulled him out, hit him with a big rig, then hacked his body apart with a chain saw to sale him on e-bay. He couldn't hold in the loud grunt that came up.

"See! You are in pain." Kyra said.

"You do need the medicine." Bowen said.

"No. And that's final." Nikolas would have crossed his arms but the pain was too much. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Fine. Bowen, I'll take the medicine to the kitchen. You hungry Nikolas?" Kyra asked.

Nikolas smiled. "I could eat."

Kyra smiled back, took the medicine from Bowen and left. Bowen looked shocked that Kyra had given up the fight so quickly. Bowen sat in a chair next to the bed and sighed.

"Okay, so I guess I had better explain to you the truth." Bowen said.

"What truth?" Nikolas asked.

"Well, do you remember when your dad died in the last fight against the Hunters?"

"How do you know about my dad?" Nikolas asked confused.

"Well after you went into a rage and started attacking the Hunters, Me and a few others that had left to hunt not long after you did came back from the hunt after smelling blood. We stayed hidden out of fear that, in your rage, you would attack and kill us. So after it was all over and you had ran off, me and the other five looked through the injured and helped who we could. We managed to save about a hundred and thirty of the original nine hundred of the pack. I'm sorry there isn't more.

"Any way, since your dad is gone, you take over as the Alpha wolf of the pack. So we looked for you. Followed you around, trying to catch up to you. One night, we were checking the surrounding woods, when we caught the scent of smoke. We followed it till we came across a camp site, where we found Kyra tied to a tree. She was pale and very sick. And from the looks of the barely alive fire and some other things, She had been there for about, for two or three days. We brought her here and tended to her. She kept mumbling your name in her sleep. When she woke, we asked her about you. She wasn't able to do any talking so we let her rest more. When she became able to talk, and eat, again, she explained that she was traveling with you.

"She also told us that she thought the Hunters had taken you. We quickly went about looking for you as she continued to heal. She was so happy when we told her that we had found you. She helped pack everything so that we could go save you." Bowen paused to let it all sink in.

"No. None of this is true. It can't be." Nikolas couldn't believe. He had lost everything that day.

"How can I prove it to you?" Bowen asked.

"If it is all true, then why didn't you howl? I would have recognized you and come to you."

"We knew the Hunters were after you. We didn't want to give away our position or yours."

"I still don't believe it." Nikolas couldn't risk believing in something that wasn't possible.

"Then I will prove it to you." Bowen stood and moved the chair out of his way. He looked at Nikolas and changed into his wolf form. Nikolas couldn't believe the relief that flowed through him when he saw the gray wolf standing in beside the bed. Bowen changed back and knelt down beside the bed. "You see. I am telling the truth. I am a wolf shifter, just like you. And there are more of us. And you, Nikolas, are our Alpha." Bowen bowed before him.

Nikolas was still taking it all in when Kyra returned. She was carrying a bowl full of what smelled like the cheesy hamburger mac Hamburger Helper. Bowen stood up and smiled at her. "I told him, just as you wanted me to. But I think it might be a bit too much for him to handle right now. So I'll give you two some alone time and check in on him later."

Kyra nodded as Bowen left. Then she moved the chair back beside the bed and sat down. She scooped up of spoonful of Hamburger Helper. Nikolas was proud of his sharp nose. She put the spoon to his mouth. "So, how are you taking it all?" She asked feeding him a bite and scooping up more.

"I just can't believe there were more shifters out there. And they were looking for me. I must be dreaming. Is this some kind of dream or something." Nikolas took another bite.

"Not unless we are having the same dream." She fed him another bite. "I'm just glad this all worked out for you." Another bite. "I'm also glad I have you back."

Nikolas swallowed bite after bite till all of his food was gone. Then he looked at Kyra. "I have something to tell you, Kyra."

"Okay."

"When I was coming out of the rage I was in when they found me, I remember your voice was like a safety rope. I locked onto it and pulled myself out of the red haze. It was so sweet and calming. I realized then that I need you around. Kyra, you are my fated female. My fated mate."

Kyra seemed shocked, then she smiled. "i am so glad to hear that. I was afraid I'd have to let you go."

Nikolas smiled at that. Then he noticed he was starting to feel tired. He was wide awake a second ago. Before he started eating. Then the truth hit him. Kyra had taken his medicine with her to the kitchen.

"Kyra, you drugged me!" Nikolas said.

"Nikkie, you wouldn't have taken it any other way. You needed it. I'm sorry."

"Kyra, how could you trick me like that! I trusted you. And you trick me!"

"You can be so stubborn sometimes. I just did what was good for you. You'll thank me one day. Maybe not today, but one day." Kyra leaned down and kissed Nikolas on the head. "Sleep tight my sweet Nikolas." And then she left.

Nikolas was tired and angry. She had tricked him into taking that medicine. She had drugged his food. Well, no matter how angry he was, there was no fighting it. He tried but it didn't work. Nikolas sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

Kyra looked at Nikolas as he slept. He seemed so peaceful. Kyra hated the fact that she had to trick Nikkie like she did. But she was telling the truth when she said he was stubborn. He rarely complained when he was in pain, even though Kyra could always tell when he hurt. Bowen came back into the room.

"Is he asleep?" Bowen asked.

"Yep. Did you tell him about you? And the other shifters?"

"Yes, I told him. I'm not entirely sure how he is taking all the new information though. Anyway when he wakes up again, we need to try to get him to move around. It will help the medicine take effect faster." Bowen said, running his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, okay."

Bowen left. And then she was alone.