Kyle looked at Tucker as he agreed to let his wolf speak and warned him of the danger that might come with this. Kyle nodded in understanding at Tucker's words and warnings, but wasn't too fearful. Although, maybe he should be if the wolf tries to attack with him in this state still, but other scenarios outweighed that one.

He watched as Tucker's posture shifted and heard a low growl coming from him. "Nice to talk to you again," Kyle said to him, "though I would like for you to look at me when I talk to you. But if you wish not to then that's fine by me as well." Kyle's voice seemed low in tone as he spoke with a hint of cockiness almost.

"Is there anything you want me to call you," he asked now, in a more serious tone, "I know some wolves have their own names comapred to their people, I'm curious to know if you're like that. Maybe you gave yourself the name or Tucker named you?"

Kyle still wasn't revealing anything of his true intentions for his test. Right now he wanted to try and understand Tucker's wolf more and get to know it better.

Kyle kept his eyes on Tucker's body as his wolf gained more control it seemed, noticing the posture change of their body. He could hear the low growl in the back of their throat, but wasn't threatened in the slightest by it. Perhaps they were just annoyed that they had to talk.

His gaze stayed on them, a neutral sort of look, as Tucker's wolf said that Kyle could call him Theodore. "Alright then Theodore," Kyle says now, "I guess I'll cut to the chase instead of boring you anymore. Why exactly have you and Tucker not been getting along lately? Did he say something or do something to you that you didn't like? Maybe he didn't do something that he should have done?"

Kyle paused for a moment as he questioned Theodore, wanting to see his reaction to the current questions before he added, "Or maybe it's a power trip from being titled an alpha now.."

**Theodore’s POV:**
Theodore prowled restlessly inside Tucker’s mind, his presence a storm of raw, untamed energy. He was *caged*, and it was driving him mad. Every instinct in him screamed for release—the urge to run, to stretch his legs, to sink his claws into the earth and feel the wind on his fur. But no, *Tucker* was holding him back, the human side of them far too fearful of what might happen if he let the wolf out.

A growl rumbled from deep within, like thunder building in the distance. “Tucker, you have to *let me out*.” His voice, low and primal, echoed through their bond. “You’re suffocating both of us. I can feel the tension in you. Feel it in your body. You’re holding me back, and you’re holding *yourself* back.” Theodore’s frustration flared, clawing at the edges of Tucker’s consciousness. “You think locking me up will stop the storm inside you? It’s only making it worse.”

His eyes—sharp, burning gold—glistened with pent-up fury. “You’re not protecting us, Tucker. You’re trapping us in a cage of your own making. *Let me out*!” The growl shifted to a snarl, the frustration in Theodore’s voice palpable. “I need this. I need to run. You *need* me to run. Or we’ll both snap.” The wolf thrashed against the walls of their bond, fighting for the freedom that Tucker was so terrified to give him.

**Tucker’s POV:**
Tucker flinched at Theodore’s growl, feeling the raw, uncontrolled energy of his wolf surge through their connection. It was overwhelming. The way Theodore’s frustration clawed at him made every muscle in his body tense, and the weight of his wolf’s power pressed down like a physical presence. Tucker’s heart raced, the anxiety building as the wolf pushed against his mind, urging for release.

“I can’t,” Tucker whispered, his voice barely audible even to himself. The words felt like a betrayal, but they were the truth. “I can’t let you out. Not now. Not when I don’t know what will happen.” He closed his eyes, trying to block out the tension that filled his chest, the fear that Theodore’s anger would break free and tear through everything in its path. “You want to run, but I don’t trust myself with you right now. I can’t lose control like that. I can’t lose *you*.”

His breath came shallow, and he pressed his palms to his forehead, trying to steady the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. “If I let you out, we could hurt someone. I could hurt *Kyle*. And I don’t... I don’t know if I can come back from that.” Tucker’s voice cracked with the weight of the words, his own fear of his wolf’s power suffocating him. “I’m not strong enough. I’m not strong enough”

His eyes met Kyle’s for a brief moment, the confusion and pain in them raw and vulnerable. “I can’t control him... *and* I can’t control me. If I let go—if I transform... what if I don’t come back? What if I hurt you?” He swallowed hard, fighting to keep his voice steady. “I just... I just don’t know how to be both things. I don’t know how to be what you need and still hold on to who I am.”

Kyle watched as Tucker's body fidgetted and flinched as he muttered to himself. He felt worry and fear for his mate and his wolf as they seemed to be fighting one another for control. He had never seen, though, this silent of a battle as well as one so painful to watch.

He wanted to reach his hand out to Tucker and his wolf and show them that there was nothing to fear. They couldn't and wouldn't hurt anyone, but if they kept this up then they could serverly hurt themselves.

"You need to do something Kyle," a voice in his head whined, "they're gonna hurt themselves. I don't want to see them get hurt again..." Kyle sighed and nodded at the voice as Tucker turned to him and expressed his concerns about shifting completely to Theodore. With a small sigh Kyle opened his arms and gestured for Tucker to come into his embrace.

(Sorry it's a bit short, I have something planned but I need Tucker and Theodore's reactions and actions first)

Tucker felt his body ripple with tension, every muscle aching as his wolf, Theodore, clawed at the surface. It was getting harder and harder to stay in control. The battle within was silent but brutal, and the pain gnawed at him from the inside out, like a storm trying to tear through a dam that wasn’t strong enough to hold it back.

He could feel Theodore’s presence, a growl in the back of his mind, urging him to let go, to give in. But Tucker fought, fought so hard to keep it together. He wasn’t ready to let go—not completely, not yet. He couldn’t afford to hurt anyone, especially not Kyle. But every second felt like an eternity. Every second, the urge to shift, to give in to the wolf's instincts, grew stronger.

Then, Kyle’s voice echoed in his mind, and something inside him stilled for just a moment. Kyle… his mate. The weight of that connection anchored him, reminded him why he had to keep fighting. His mate’s worry, his own concern—Tucker could feel it all, could see it in his eyes. But Kyle was offering something else, something he needed desperately: a reminder that he wasn’t alone in this.

When Kyle opened his arms, Tucker hesitated, the conflict inside him still raging. But there was something calming in Kyle’s gesture, an unspoken promise that they would get through this together. With a shaky breath, Tucker let go of the tight control he’d been holding onto and stumbled toward Kyle, his movements jerky but determined.

The moment Kyle’s arms wrapped around him, Tucker’s body seemed to collapse into his embrace. His wolf still fought, still growled inside him, but there was comfort in Kyle’s presence, a safety that reminded him there was no need to fight alone.

"Please," Tucker whispered hoarsely, his voice thick with the pain of the struggle. "I don’t want to lose myself... but I can’t keep this up much longer." The words were a plea, a desperate cry for help, not just from Kyle but from himself—to find the strength to keep Theodore at bay without breaking.

Kyle's gaze stayed soft as Tucker slowly began to see what he wanted, though some worry in his eyes which he could not control. He watched as Tucker stumbled into his embrace and pleaded to him in a low tone. Kyle did little shushing sounds to try and calm Tucker for a minute. Then, in the swiftest and quickest motion he could, he pulled Tucker onto the bed. He moved Tucker to be laying on his stomach, positioned enough that it didn't hurt Kyle' torso or anything

His arms were gently wrapped around Tucker as he kept trying to calm him down. He could tell that he was in pain and it was making him and his own wolf mad. Why couldn't Theodore just let Tucker be in control and not fight him or vice versa?

"We can't stay mad at them both," the voice in his head reminded him, "even if we just propose to Tucker, Theodore is still a part of him and therefore our mate too." Kyle nodded some at this and got an idea.

A moment later Kyle's mouth opened, but his normal voice didn't come out. Instead one a bit lighter spoke in a gentle tone. "There is no need for you both to bicker," the voice said, keeping Kyle's arms wrapped around Tucker, "you two may be two different people, or wolf, with different personalities, but you must know that you need one another to survive. This means you cannot fight for control all of the time."

Tucker's mind was a haze of conflicting emotions, his body taut with the effort to stay grounded despite the chaos inside him. His head was spinning, but he couldn't ignore the steady presence of Kyle’s arms around him, pulling him closer. Kyle’s strength felt like a tether in the storm of his thoughts, and Tucker couldn’t help but lean into it, even as the fight inside him between his own nature and Theodore’s clawed at his chest.

The frustration was a constant hum, the primal instincts demanding control. But Kyle’s touch, gentle yet firm, kept Tucker from slipping further into panic. As Kyle’s arms wrapped tighter around him, Tucker could feel the gentleness of the man’s touch, his unwavering support. And yet, the fight within him never quite ceased. It was as if Theodore was always right there, at the edges of his mind, challenging him.

Kyle’s voice, soft and low, broke through the swirl of thoughts. It wasn’t his usual voice—it had a softness to it, a lightness that felt almost too tender for Kyle’s usual demeanor, but it was enough to make Tucker still for a moment.

"There is no need for you both to bicker," Kyle’s voice said, calming and steady. The words seemed to seep into Tucker’s bones, loosening the grip of anxiety that had been suffocating him. *You two may be two different people, or wolves, with different personalities, but you must know that you need one another to survive.*

Tucker felt the weight of the words land in his chest, like they were speaking directly to the part of him that was desperately trying to hold onto control. *We can’t keep fighting,* Kyle’s words seemed to imply. Tucker's breath hitched, his heart a little lighter, though the war within him didn’t fully fade.

Meanwhile, Theodore’s thoughts surged beneath the surface, irritated and restless. He could feel Kyle’s presence, steady and reassuring, and it grated against him. It was as if Kyle was trying to undermine them, to diminish their autonomy. But at the same time, something in Theodore’s chest loosened. Could it be true? Could they really survive together, as Kyle suggested?

Theodore’s frustration simmered, but a hint of doubt flickered at the edge of his thoughts. The idea that he *needed* Tucker to survive, that they couldn’t continue this endless battle, tugged at something deep inside him. The pull of Kyle’s words—gentle but insistent—made Theodore falter for just a moment, a rare moment of vulnerability.

For now, Kyle’s embrace was all Tucker had, and slowly, piece by piece, the storm inside him began to quiet. Just a little.

Kyle's face held a soft smile as he watched as Tucker's body relaxed. He noticed his breathing calming down and becoming normal again. Tucker's scent was also more sweet as he calmed down versus the sourness earlier when he was stressed and scared.

"I did it," the voice in Kyle's head said happily to him. Kyle chuckled back to the voice, "Yes you did. Good job. You've always been better at this 'calming people down' thing than I have." The voice wagged his tail happily at the praise.

Their shared gaze watched Tucker and genty ran their hand through his hair, feeling the softness of it. The gentle voice spoke again and said, "See? It's much better for both of you to not bicker. I bet your body feel much better now that it's not being pulled a part because of your fighting." Their gaze stayed looking down at Tucker and Theodore's body as they kept running their hand through their mate's hair.