Micah (bxb)

A wound unhealed

(Landon)

I stood to the side as I watched my mate being comforted by Arlo in our bed. They were holding each other while Micah snored softly. Arlo ran his hand through his hair while shooting daggers at me.

I glared right back at him, letting him see that if I didn't have any other choice but to get him involved, he wouldn't be here right now.

I did try my best to comfort Micah, but the reminder of what I did to him in the past had left a wound that hadn't fully healed as yet.

The only way to get him to calm down was by calling Arlo.

After making sure that Micah was asleep, Arlo slipped out of bed quietly so that he wouldn't wake him.

He then gestured for me to follow him outside so that we could talk.

"I hope you're happy," Arlo growled out, making me raise my eyebrow at him. Just who did he think he was trying to intimidate?

"You think I wanted this? I was fucking worried about him, and he left without telling anyone." I clenched my fists at my sides; my anger was like a cold, sharp blade in my chest.

"You know that Micah is sensitive. He likes to joke around and laugh a lot. He finds fun in the littlest of things. The way you acted, being angry like that is only taking things a step back from rebuilding the trust that he finally has for you." I don't understand why I was standing here and allowing this pipsqueak to dictate my life.

It's like I'm not allowed to get angry, why was everyone suddenly on my case as if I had done something wrong?

"You're one to talk." I shot back as I took a step towards him. He backed away while narrowing his eyes at me.

"Jacob abused you as well, maybe even more than I did Micah. Yet here you are acting as if everything is alright between the two of you when you know damn well that it ain't." I could see the hurt flashing in his eyes when I said that, but I didn't care.

"That's different. I learned to control my feelings towards Jacob a long time ago. Why? Because I accepted him as my mate the moment that I met him which allowed me to forgive him. But Micah was adamant that he didn't want a mate, and you kept on fucking things up between you two without trying to see that the problem was with him." His words cut deep, but I refused to let them show how much they affected me.

He was right about him and Jacob, but that didn't mean I was wrong about what I said.

The tension between us crackled like electricity, the air thick with unspoken accusations and resentment.

"You think I don't see the problem?" I growled, my voice low and dangerous.

"I see it every damn day. I see it in the way he flinches when I get too close and the way he avoids my eyes when I try to talk to him. But what do you want me to do, Arlo? Sit back and watch as he slowly slips away from me. I can't just pretend everything is fine when it's not." His expression softened slightly, but that didn't mean anything.

"I'm not asking you to pretend, Landon. I'm asking you to be patient. To show him that you're not the same man who hurt him. Micah needs time, and you need to give it to him." I clenched my jaw, the frustration boiling inside me.

"How much time? How long do I have to keep proving myself before he trusts me again?" I thought we were past this, but it seems to only be getting worse, and I didn't know what to do anymore to make my mate happy.

"As long as it takes," Arlo replied firmly.

"Micah's not like you or me, Landon. He's got a big heart, and when you hurt him, it cuts deep. But that heart still beats for you, even if he's too scared to show it." His words hit me like a punch to the gut, the truth of them settling heavily in my chest.

I knew Micah loved me, even if he tried to hide it most times. But every time I noticed that flicker of fear in his eyes, it felt like a knife twisting in my heart.

"I don't know if I can do this, Arlo," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Every time I look at him, I'm reminded of what I did. Of how I failed him." Arlo stepped closer, his gaze intense.

"You have to try. He didn't have anyone to defend him back then, his parents practically pushed him to you when he told them about you and didn't even try to get an explanation from him. They knew that he didn't want a mate, and they called him childish for it." I could now see why Micah and Arlo were best friends.

Here he was defending him and telling me exactly what I wanted to hear even though I hated it.

"He has his cousins, but they are junkies and can't think straight most times. I try to be there for him, my brothers, and my parents. Logan is a bit obsessed with Micah now and regardless of me trying to find out why, he's not saying anything." Hearing Logan's name made me growl; I wanted nothing more but to snap his neck every time he looked at Micah.

"I have to go, but I'm warning you, Landon, if you ever make Micah cry like that again, I will personally take him away from you and make sure you don't get to ever see him. Jacob's gifts were transferred to me when we mated; I'm not afraid of using them." I could tell that he was serious, but why the hell am I constantly having to defend myself for something that I didn't do?

"He only started panicking when he felt my anger through our bond. I could not control it." I explained, hoping that he could get it through his head that I didn't intentionally hurt my mate.

"It still affected him, and you need to learn more about Micah, or else you're going to lose him. I'm leaving now, but I'll be back later. Make sure that Micah is in a better mood or else..." His threat settled in the air as he walked away from me.

Just what the fuck am I supposed to do?