Chapter 332

Dale maybe hates his mom at the moment, he had ignored her constant nagging all through the drive to Paper District then he had had enough.

He stopped the car, right at the side of the street, called a cab and practically threw her in.

"Dale, what's the meaning of all this…"

"Bye mom." He cut off her self righteous disgruntlement. "You're not invited to the wedding and say hi to dad for me." He said effectively cstunning her speechless.

That was enough to send her cab on his way and race to his car, he knew that no one else would have been able to get rid of her but that was like half an hour of time he didn't have to spare wasted.

He was livid, managing to not get flagged down as he easily broke the speed limit to get back to the Pack House, a car passed by him seeming awfully familiar just as he got to the Pack House but he paid it no mind, moving with a one track mind to the top floor.

The door to Dream's apartment is closed and he wonders if he should knock, he quickly scraps that thought, for whatever reason, Dream would just throw him out, he had a better chance just going in and trying to figure out what went wrong first.

The apartment is strangely quiet when he steps in, sun streaming in through the curtains.

"Dream? Dream! Kieran?" he calls out, quickly making his way over to the bedroom, his heart drops like a rock to his stomach when he takes in the widely opened doors of the wardrobe, clothes hastily taken out and strewn all over the bed and the ground.

"That fucker." He curses underneath his breath at Kieran, it was his car that he had seen out of the corner of his eye.

He had no idea what Dream had to his Head Beta but he needed to see Dream, right now.

He whipped out his phone as he spun on his heels and hurried back out of the apartment, if the Pack members were surprised by their visibly upset Alpha running around with a mating mark that they hadn't seen before. They made no comment about it, wisely staying out of his way.

His dark gold eyes were on full display and that was one loud red sign to anyone that it concerned.

He tries Dream's phone number, unsurprised when he doesn't even get a hold of him, he would be lucky if all he got was his number in his blacklist.

He keeps racking his brain and coming up blank, what could have gone wrong? What exactly the fuck happened for Dream to run out on him and refuse to see him? Had he said anything wrong over the past few days or… his heart thumped unhealthily…

Had Dream come back to his senses and regretted everything?

He pushed that ugly and terrifying thought out of his mind, terror coating his bones like ice, that couldn't be it right? It... just couldn't.

This time he tries Kieran's phone and it rings…

"S'up Alpha." the Head Beta drawls from the other end of the call, his seeming light tone barely concealing the steel in his voice.

"Where is Dream?" Dale asks without preamble, already at his car ready to drive over to Kieran's house.

"He doesn't want to see you." Is all Kieran says before hanging up.

Dale glares daggers at his phone, the temptation to hurl it out to the asphalt outside was great but he swallows back the urge, he would need it.

Swerving wildly, he drove to Kieran's house, good thing he was a jealous, curious person because that meant he knew where Kieran lived… it was an information he had dug up in the case of necessity, who knew he would actually need to use it?

•~•

Kieran stares at his quiet phone one last time before shoving it in his pocket, Dream coming out of the bedroom of the cute little cottage-like house that Kieran had bought because his mom liked the aesthetic… she wasn't alive anymore though…

"Who was that?" Dream asks curiously, coming out with his sweater sleeves rucked up, a dotted kerchief holding up his long hair.

The cottage had been well kept but he knew Dream needed something to distract him so he made no comment at the Omega's bustling.

"No one important." He says dismissively, sharp hazel eyes watching Dream, the Omega hadn't told him yet what happened and he wasn't about to push but Dale sounded truly at a loss.

"I'll be right back." He tags on, there was a very huge possibility that Dale knew exactly where his house was, he didn't want the Alpha to come and not find him there.

"Sure." Dream gives him a shaky smile. "Thanks, Kieran." He adds in a soft voice.

Kieran comes over to offer a slightly awkward hug, a lump growing in his throat when Dream relaxes into his hold. "That's what friends are for, now come on, get some rest, I'll come back with supplies."

Dream steps back first, nodding firmly. He had to make a ton of phone calls to somehow explain to everyone why he wasn't at the Pack House anymore.

His breath catches when he imagines how many people knew about his heat…

"No one." Kieran cuts off his train of thought, easily guessing what would make him go pale so suddenly. "Just Dale and I." He adds for reassurance.

Hayden's heat had provided the perfect cover for Dream's.

Dream's sigh gets punched out of him as he nods again, waving Kieran goodbye.

Kieran makes quick work of leaving, hurrying to his car. The cottage Dream was staying at was only a few kilometres from his, he wanted to be able to keep an eye on the Omega.

He drives up, parks his car and goes in to make himself a quick drink - with what was happening, he definitely needed it.

He's not surprised at the aggressive pounding on his door when he's halfway through his second glass, wandering casually to the door to unlock it.

Dale just shoulders him to the side and Kieran stands to the side to watch the Alpha wander around, most likely trying to catch a whiff of Dream's scent which wasn't going to happen because Dream hadn't been in his house.

Dale's nose tracks back to Kieran who smells blatantly like Dream and he slams the Beta against the wall, icy rage evident on the snarl on his face.

"I'll ask one last time, where's Dream?"

Kieran looks unperturbed at this turn of events, he had expected it even, watching his drink slosh over the side of his glass and drip on his hand with a faint frown. "That's not information I can share." He shrugs, taking a sip from his drink like there wasn't a threatening hand wrapped around his neck. "You should try asking him yourself."

Dale staggers back at this, hopelessness on his face, swerving to the side as he punches a fist on the wall, the paint chipping. "Did he look okay?" He finally asks, knowing Kieran, he would be better off interrogating a boulder, the Beta would keep his secrets until Dream said otherwise.

Kieran takes another big sip of his rapidly emptying cup. "No." He says honestly. "But if you keep pushing so hard, you might lose him, give him some time, he'll come around." Kieran mutters. 

"Yeah." Is all Dale mutters, his still gold eyes going unfocused.

"What did you do anyway?" Kieran asks, lighting up.

"I have no fucking clue." Dale mutters.

"Figured." Kieran scoffs, he could tell from how traumatized Dale was and how fast he had gotten rid of his mom that perhaps no one was at fault. "He probably misunderstood, give him some time." He adds.

"Sure." Dale mutters again, wishing he could go home, fall asleep and get woken up only when Dream was ready to talk to him.

He doesn't think anything hurt more than how he feels at this moment, walking to his car, distracted and worried. 

There was no doubt that Kieran knew where Dream was so it meant he was in good hands, he slumps in his car and drops his head on the steering wheel… this fucking hurt...

Kieran watches through the window, more than ever he wanted to tell Dale where Dream was so that everything would hopefully get fixed but it didn't work that way.

He could only hope to try to change Dream's mind, he didn't want to risk his and Dream's relationship that way, besides it would help none of them if Dream decides to run away again.

With how independent he liked to be, there was no telling when that would happen if Kieran so much as proved himself untrustworthy.

He turns around only when Dale drives off, he would head back to the Pack House later today, if to make sure he didn't swallow lead or throw himself out the window of his office but first he had to get supplies to Dream.

He was in the dark as much as either of them so he would do his part and try to stop their relationship from crumbling entirely because as much as he didn't really like to admit it, they were both his friends...