Survivor

Chapter 9

Pov Dan:

"I just don’t know what to do. He’s been suffering from this constant nausea for weeks, and I feel like his emotions switch from happy to sad to angry in seconds.", I complained to Mia. I was at her place for coffee, sharing all my worries and problems with her. She listened attentively and nodded in agreement. After taking a sip of her coffee, she set her cup down and explained, "I understand. But you know, that’s completely normal." I looked at my friend, confused. "Normal? He was never this stubborn and emotional before. Well, he has always been stubborn, but not this extreme, and he was never this emotional. I just don’t know how to handle it." Mia placed her hand on my arm and looked at me encouragingly. "This is just a phase. You have to understand that Xaver is going through a tough time right now. He can’t help that his feelings are all over the place, plus he has all the responsibilities as Alpha. That must be stressing him out even more." I nodded slightly. Mia was the only person I could turn to in this situation. If she said this time was just temporary, I believed her. Still, it troubled me to know how much Xaver must be suffering and that I couldn’t help him. "But is there nothing I can do to at least ease Xaver a little?", I wanted to know. Mia thought for a moment and replied, "I think it would really help if Xaver let Jack take over the leadership for a while, but you know him; he would never allow that."
"I’ll still try to explain it to him. It would definitely be good for both him and our child if he had less stress." Mia nodded in agreement. "What week is Xaver in?", she asked afterward. I had to think for a moment and then said, "Beginning of the eighth, I think."
"Then it’s only about two more weeks. It would really be better if Xaver gradually brought some calm into his daily life and let Jack take over." I looked at Mia somewhat in disbelief. Were we really going to have our child in just two weeks? Time was definitely passing too quickly.
I agreed with Mia. She gave me a few additional tips on how to deal with everything.

In the afternoon, I finally sought out Xaver. He was surrounded by a few other Loup-ga, all of whom obviously had different problems. The Alpha looked quite irritated but was trying to stay as calm as possible and take care of everyone. "Xaver?", I asked cautiously. My partner turned around, clearly agitated, and asked, "What!?" I flinched slightly, and the others fell silent for a moment. When Xaver realized I was talking to him, his expression relaxed, and he apologized, "Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry, I’m a bit stressed right now."
"It’s okay.", I assured him. Xaver turned to his packmates and explained, "I’ll take care of all the problems as quickly as possible. Give me some time." The others agreed with Xaver’s suggestion and left. My partner turned to me and asked, "What’s up?"
"Can we... talk for a moment?" My counterpart snorted a bit and placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, what is it?" Xaver still seemed a bit stressed, as if he didn’t have much time and I should get to the point quickly. "Listen, I know you’re not going to like this, but..."
"But?", Xaver asked irritably. I took a deep breath and continued in a firm voice, "I think you should let Jack handle the pack matters for now." Xaver’s eyes narrowed to slits. "What do you want me to do?", he asked. "Let Jack handle everything.", I explained again. I could clearly see that Xaver was not happy about this statement, and it seemed like he was struggling to hold back his anger. "Why should I do that?" I knew this question would come, so I had already prepared myself. "I don’t want you to put yourself under so much pressure. It’s not good for you or our child if you’re stressed all the time. It’s only two weeks until we have the baby. For this short time, you should be able to let Jack take over the pack. And I’m saying this not just as your partner but also as a parent." I had prepared myself, but there was still a slight uncertainty in my voice regarding Xaver's reaction. This uncertainty proved to be justified. The blond-haired guy did not take my request well and hissed, "Two weeks? Are you seriously fucking kidding me!?" I swallowed hard and nodded fearfully. "Do you really think I would prioritize my own needs over the pack’s well-being!?" Xaver was getting louder. Normally, I would have stopped arguing at this point, but this time it was a serious issue, and I wanted to assert my will for Xaver’s sake. "I understand that you prioritize the pack above all, but think about yourself too! Two weeks isn’t that long!", I countered. Xaver started to growl a bit. He always did this when he was extremely angry. Until now, he had never done this during an argument with me. "I won’t trust anyone with my pack for that long! I am the Alpha, and it’s my duty to ensure the well-being of others!"
"But think about your situation! You’re pregnant!" I was starting to get a bit louder too, and there was thick tension between Xaver and me. "I didn’t choose this! If I had a choice, I would never have decided on this! I don’t give a shit about any of it!" Xaver's words shocked me. He seemed to realize what he had just said and looked shocked at his own words. I knew that Xaver was not a fan of the tradition, but hearing what he really thought hurt me deeply.
Xaver clenched his fists and looked at me, enraged. "I won’t put your and the pack’s well-being at risk for someone else, especially not for me.", Xaver whispered quietly and left. I stood there, watching Xaver walk away, feeling my eyes moisten. Just before the first tear could escape, I wiped my eyes with my hand. Inside me, there was both sadness and anger. I just couldn’t understand Xaver.