Chapter 11 Marcus

Third Person's POV 

As Thaddeus approached the training field, he heard Marcus yelling at two warriors as he corrected their stances. 

The training field is packed with six teams plus their Captain. Each captain is responsible for 50 warriors. With six teams, that's 300 warriors on the training field, and Marcus is their Commander. 

As Commander of Thaddeus's army, every Captain and warrior is under Marcus’s command.  

Marcus walks up and down the center aisle, watching each team go through the movements and making sure they're doing them correctly. He nods at a captain helping a struggling Delta 2 through his movements. 

As Marcus walks a little further, he nods at his friend Roy, another Captain helping a dominant Delta 3. 

The commander makes it to the end of the line and then turns before commanding everyone to shift to their wolves and proceed with the second part of training. Marcus makes his way back towards the front and smiles when he sees Thaddeus waiting for him. He was just beginning to think Thaddeus was going to ditch him and spend the day getting cozy with his Omega. 

Any other time, he wouldn't mind. But Marcus was looking forward to demonstrating how to take down an Alpha wolf, and then allowing the advanced teams to have a go at Zeus. 

As Marcus approached Thaddeus, he became concerned when he saw anger instead of a smile on the Alpha's face. The closer he got, Marcus could feel the anger rolling off of Thaddeus in waves, and the commander's body tensed.

“Hey, what's going on?” Marcus asked as he sat down on the bench in front of Thaddeus. 

“I found out who did that to him,” Thaddeus said, getting Marcus's full attention. 

“His Alpha hurt him. He's the one who's been hurting him instead of protecting him like he's supposed to. He won't even look me in the eyes, Marcus! He's terrified to look me in the fucking eyes! 

He didn't even know how to work the TV remote. He's never watched TV! He was afraid to eat. He acted like everything he ate he had never tasted before, and I don't think he did… The doctor said some of the scars on his arms are 8 to 10 years old… He can't be any older than 20 or 21.” 

Marcus stared at Thaddeus for a moment before his head dropped. Aiden isn't just an Omega they found floating down the river. He's not just Thaddeus's mate. Aiden is the Luna of the Midnight Moon Pack. As the third in command, Marcus is responsible for Luna's safety.

The more Marcus processed what Thaddeus said, the angrier he got. Knowing his Luna wasn't hurt only once by his Alpha but his whole life caused a growl to rise from Marcus's chest. 

“Let's go,” Marcus said as he stood and walked toward the training field, waiting for Zeus to follow. 

The demonstration will have to wait. First, their Alpha and third in command need to blow off a little steam. 

….

After the Alpha left, Aiden looked toward the balcony. He couldn't believe the Alpha had let him eat with him and had let him eat something so delicious. He has made those things a million times and always wondered what they would taste like. It's been so long since he had tried to steal a bite when he cooked. He learned quickly that the Alpha would find out. He would smell it on him and know he snuck food. Not only would he get beaten for sneaking food, but he would go hungry even longer.

Aiden looks around the room, unable to believe the Alpha hasn't sent him to the basement yet. The Omega looks to where the Alpha has been sleeping, and his stomach flutters. Not only has he not been sent to the basement, but the Alpha gave him his bed to sleep on, and he has been sleeping on that small thing in the corner that doesn't quite look like a couch. 

Aiden looked at the door and then nibbled on his lip. The Omega stood and began slowly walking around the room, looking at the things that belonged to the Alpha. His hand ran along the dresser, and his head tilted as he looked at a cluster of rocks that looked like a child had painted them. His eyes landed on a picture that looked like a young Thaddeus standing next to a man who looked very similar to the Alpha. Aiden wondered if that was the Alpha's father. He had a kind expression as he looked at his son. It made Aiden smile as he ran his fingers along the side of the frame. The Omega set the picture down and then moved on to another. Aiden giggled as he picked the picture up. A dark-skinned man held Thaddeus in a headlock while the Beta dumped water on his head. The picture next to it showed the Beta and the man with dark skin running from the Alpha, and the next picture showed the Alpha pressing them into a mud puddle. Aiden's eyes move to the last picture, and he giggles harder. The Alpha is bent over laughing, and the other two are glaring with mud covering their faces. Aiden has never seen an Alpha act so playful. 

Aiden stops giggling when he realizes something in the pictures. The Alpha is standing… Aiden runs his finger along the Alpha's legs and wonders what happened.

He wonders how long ago he lost his legs. He wonders how hard that had to have been on him, and his chest tightens. 

Aiden sets the picture down and clears his throat. He looks at the area where the Alpha sleeps and walks over to the tall bookshelf beside it. The Omega runs his fingers along the books and then pauses and tilts his head when he sees a small black wolf. Aiden picks it up and tries to figure out what it's made of. It's not metal, but it’s heavy. He takes note of the details before setting it down. Aiden's eyes land on a clear box. Inside the box is a knife laid on black velvety material. 

The Omega goes to pick it up but realizes the top isn't attached to the base, so it comes right off. The handle of the blade is black with carvings on it. The blade looks sharp, with old, dried blood near the tip. Aiden touches it and hisses as he jerks his hand back. He brings his finger to his mouth and sucks on it, trying to ease the burn. Silver… ‘Why would the Alpha have a silver blade?’ Aiden wondered as he set the blade back on the base and placed the clear cover over it again. 

Aiden decides he's done enough snooping and makes his way back to the bed. Times in and gets cozy and then tries to remember how to use the remote. 

Aiden hits the button at the top, and the TV comes to life. His eyebrows furrow, and his head tilts as he looks at the strange people on the TV. He hits a button, and new people appear in the magical little box. The Omega keeps changing the channel until he finds something bright and colorful, and he stops to watch it. It's not long before the Omega is laughing at the funny little creatures on TV.

Aiden watched TV until he began to feel tired, and then he turned it off. The Omega looked around the room before his eyes landed on the door. He stared at it for a moment, wondering when the Alpha would be back. 

The Omega lets out of breath and decides to lie down. His eyes are getting too heavy. 

After getting comfortable, his eyes find their way back to the door and wish Thaddeus would return.