Chapter 12 Fears

Third Person's POV 

Aiden was sound asleep when Thaddeus entered the room, so the Alpha slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower. When the alpha came out of the bathroom, he found Aiden still asleep. The alpha made his way around the bed and stopped in front of Aiden. The Omega was lying in his usual position, face down near the edge of the bed, with his face in the perfect position for the Alpha to look at. The sheets were tangled around his body, and his foot was sticking out. He was adorable! 

Thaddeus raised his hand and lightly brushed the hair away from his forehead before trailing his fingers down the side of his face and gently cupping his cheek. His thumb lightly stroked the Omega's cheek, and his heart beat faster when his blue eyes fluttered open. The Alpha's heart skipped a beat when those beautiful blue eyes landed on him. The Alpha felt he could live the rest of his life looking into those eyes. They were so magical. They held so many emotions and caused the Alpha to feel things he'd never felt. He felt the omega's heart calling to him, pulling him in. 

Thaddeus was surprised at how long Aiden looked into his eyes. He was glad he wasn't frightened this time. He seemed so calm and relaxed as he looked at the Alpha while he gently stroked his cheek. It caused a warmth to spread through Thaddeus's chest. 

“Hi,” Thaddeus smiled at Aiden, wishing he could lie down with him and hold the Omega in his arms. Oh, how he wishes he could. But he knows Aiden isn't quite ready for that yet. 

“Hi,” Aiden replied, his voice so soft and delicate that it caused the Alpha's heart to flutter. 

‘My goddess, I swear he's perfect! Thank you so much, Moon Goddess! Thank you for giving me this perfect and beautiful soul.’ Thaddeus sent a silent prayer.

“ It's lunchtime. I was hoping maybe you would join me downstairs for lunch. I had everyone leave the packhouse so I could bring you down. I was hoping to properly introduce you to my Beta, Xander. He's the one you met, and he is also the one who helped rescue you. I'd also like to introduce you to my third-in-command, Marcus, and his mate, Zendaya. They are really good people, and they would love to meet you. They're like family to me. Marcus and Xander are like My brother. I promise no one will hurt you.” Thaddeus hoped Aiden would say yes. He's eager to introduce him to more people. He wants to show him off to the whole pack and shout from the rooftops that Aiden is his mate. 

The Omega began nibbling on his lip as he weighed his decision. It took everything the Alpha had not to reach forward and tug that lip from his teeth. Thaddeus can't wait for the day to feel those lips against his own. Just as the alpha began to dive deeper into thoughts of those lips, he was brought from his thoughts when the omega spoke. 

“Okay,” Aiden replied, and the biggest smile the Omega had ever seen spread across the Alpha's face. It made the Omega smile to see how happy he had made the Alpha. He'd never made an Alpha smile before. It was the best feeling in the world. Aiden wanted to make Thaddeus smile for the rest of his life, especially if it felt this good seeing him smile. 

….

Thaddeus noticed right away how nervous Aiden was. He walked quietly beside him down the hall, his fingernails digging into the nail bed of his thumb as he walked, before he began fumbling with his shirt. 

Thaddeus pushed the button on the elevator, and when the door opened, the Omega jumped back.

“It's okay. It's just an elevator,” Thaddeus said when he saw Aiden's confused look. He looked inside the elevator as if he didn't know what it was and seemed ready to run. He cautiously followed the Alpha inside, and when it began moving, he reached out and grabbed a hold of the Alpha's wheelchair.

“It's okay. It's taking us downstairs since I can't use the stairs. I had this installed when I lost my legs,” The Alpha said as he placed his hand on Aiden's. 

The Omega looked down at Thaddeus's wheelchair and legs before looking into the Alpha's eyes. Thaddeus could see the Omega relaxed. He could hear the omega's heart beating faster as they looked into each other's eyes. The alpha thumb caressed Aiden's hand. The Omega's hand began to move, turning in the Alpha's hand. Just before Aiden's small hand wrapped around Thaddeus's, the door opened and startled him. 

The Omega blushed at the embarrassing sound he made and wanted to disappear. 

His heart was already racing when he tried to hold the Alpha's hand, and now it was practically beating out of his chest from the fright of the darn door.

‘I tried to hold the Alpha's hand!’ Aiden almost tripped over his own feet when he realized what he almost did. 

Thaddeus was ready to reach out and catch the Omega when he noticed he had tripped, but he quickly caught himself and continued as if nothing had happened.

Aiden walked next to Thaddeus until they entered the dining room. The Omega's stomach dropped, and his heart raced. He wasn't only nervous to meet these people, it was also the first time he'd been in the dining room since he left his old pack. It was an uncomfortable feeling. He felt as though he shouldn't be walking next to Thaddeus. He felt his place was in the kitchen, and he should be there working and serving them. 

All the years of it drilled into his head that his place was never beside them, it was to serve them, was hard to forget. The years of discipline, beatings, and harsh words are suddenly fresh at the surface, and the Omega's muscles twitch, screaming to run into the kitchen and start working.

Thaddeus saw Aiden had slowed down. He could see how nervous he was and fought the urge to pull him into his lap. The Alpha fought that urge and continued toward the table. He pulled his wheelchair to the head of the table. Thaddeus locked his wheelchair and then looked at the seat next to him that had been empty for so long. The Luna's seat. It had been empty since Thaddeus took the title. 

Thaddeus looked at Aiden and saw he had stopped a few feet from the table. He looked nervous and scared. He nervously played with his fingers as he looked down, stealing nervous glances toward the table every few moments. The Alpha's heart broke seeing him like this. The Alpha was proud that he had come down, but it was more than obvious how scared he was. 

Aiden couldn't bring himself to move his feet any closer. He has never been allowed to sit at any other tables in the dining room. He has never been allowed to eat with anyone. The only place he has ever been allowed to eat is in the basement. No matter how hard Aiden tells his feet to move, they don't. He's not even sure where he should sit if he could move. Does he sit at the same table with them? Should he sit at the opposite end, away from everyone? Or does he sit closer to them? Maybe a few seats away? The Omega nibbled on his lip and tugged and twisted his fingers harder as he nervously tried to figure out what to do. 

When Thaddeus pulls the chair out next to him, Aiden's eyes go to the Alpha. His heart feels like it stops beating when Thaddeus motions him forward with his fingers. 

“Come here, sweetheart. You can sit here,” Thaddeus said softly. 

At first, Aiden wasn't aware that his legs were working. He slowly approached and then paused next to the chair. Aiden nervously glanced at the Alpha, wanting to make sure he really wanted him to sit there. He knew what this chair was, and what the implication of him sitting there meant. The soft smile on Thaddeus's face was warm and comforting. It answered the unspoken question, and the Omega sat down.

As soon as the Omega sat down, Thaddeus pulled his chair toward the table and over toward him, not stopping until the Omega's chair touched his wheelchair. The sudden movement caused Aiden's arms to flail out as he yelped. He grabbed onto the Alpha's arm as if he was falling, and the other arm grabbed the table. Aiden slowly turned his head and looked at the alpha with a shocked expression. Thaddeus smiled at Aiden, and he quickly pulled his hand back and looked down. Blush quickly spread across his face as it turned hot. 

Aiden lifted his head and looked back toward the sound of a cart approaching the table. The Omega saw a familiar face, Grace. Grace approached the table, coming to a stop next to Aiden. She placed her hand on the Omega's shoulder and gave it a chance to squeeze when he looked up at her. Grace smiled warmly at Aiden, and he felt at home. 

Grace placed a plate in front of Aiden before setting one down before Thaddeus. As she moved on to the next person, the Alpha began speaking, “ Aiden, I'd like to introduce you to everyone.” Thaddeus said before pointing to the person sitting to his right. 

“This is Xander, my Beta.”

Xander gave Aiden his famous goofy grin.

“Hey, kid! It's good to see you again!” Xander said, and Aiden scowled. 

‘Yup. He definitely doesn't like to be called a kid.’ Thaddeus thought as he chuckled. 

“This is my third in command, Marcus. And this is his mate, Zendaya.” The Alpha said, pointing to each person as he introduced them. 

“Everyone, this is my mate, Aiden.” Aiden's heart skipped a beat when the Alpha announced him as his mate to everyone. He wasn't expecting it. He thought the Alpha would be embarrassed to let anyone know someone like him was his mate. But when he looked at Thaddeus, he could see how proud he was that he was his mate. It shocked the Omega, and it caused his heart to flutter.

“Hi! It's nice to finally meet you, Luna.” Marcus said, shocking Aiden to be called Luna. The Omega didn't know how to respond. His attention was drawn to the beautiful lady sitting beside Marcus when she began speaking. 

“Hi, Aiden! It's a pleasure to meet you!” Her voice was soft and warm. Her smile was contagious, causing a smile to spread on the Omega's face.

“Hi,” Aiden's voice was soft, and Zendaya's smile spread even further. 

….

As everyone ate, the Alpha glanced at Aiden and saw him staring into his lap while playing with his fingers.The Alpha glanced around the table and saw everyone stealing glances at him, trying not to stare. He could see the pain on their face that they were trying to hide. 

It broke their hearts to see that their Luna was afraid to eat. 

Thaddeus looked at his plate and swallowed the lump in his throat. He took another bite in hopes that if Aiden saw him eating, he would know it was okay to eat… But it didn't work. Aiden still looked into his lap and nervously played with his fingers. His poor lip was once again being abused as he nibbled on it. He chewed on his lip harder when he glanced at his plate and then looked into his lap again. The sound of the Omega's stomach growling broke Thaddeus's heart. The Alpha reached over, gently placed his hand on Aiden's knee, and gently squeezed. The Alpha's thumb caressed his knee as the Omega looked up at him. 

“It's okay, sweetheart. You can go ahead and eat.” Thaddeus smiled at Aiden and was pleasantly surprised when the Omega smiled back. 

Those words seemed to be what the Omega needed, and he reached for the fork. He glanced around the table and then looked at his plate before looking at the Alpha again. Thaddeus smiled and nodded at Aiden, and the Omega slowly brought a bite from his mouth. He slowly chewed his bite and then looked at his plate as if shocked how it taste. He immediately scooped another bite into his mouth. His lips wrapped around the fork, and his eyes closed as he pulled the fork out of his mouth. The little Omega lightly hummed as he began chewing, and the alpha smiled. It was like the little Omega was in his own little world as he happily ate his tuna pasta salad. ‘ He has no idea how adorable he is,’’ The Alpha thought before glancing around the table and seeing everyone smiling at Aiden.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, these sandwiches are nice and hot,” Grace said as she approached and placed a plate in front of everyone. 

Aiden's nose flared as he looked at the hot ham and cheese sandwich. The Omega licked lips before looking up at Thaddeus as if asking if he was allowed to eat it.

“Go ahead, sweetheart," the Alpha said, and a smile beamed on the Omega's face. 

Aiden turned his attention to his plate, carefully picking up his sandwich and bringing it to his mouth. The Omega's eyes once again closed as he began chewing, and he lightly hummed. 

“He's adorable, Thaddeus,” Zendaya said through the link, and the Alpha's heart swelled. 

The Alpha only made it halfway through his sandwich before he felt a warrior desperately pressing against the link, and he opened it.

The Alpha's body tensed when the warrior said a rogue breached the West border by the river. “He ran through Alpha Michael's territory first, and they're still chasing him. I'm right behind them, but that sucker's fast!” He said, sounding out of breath.

The Alpha closed the link, and Marcus was already out of his chair and swinging the front door open. The commander shifted as soon as he was out and took off running as fast as he could. 

Thaddeus looked at Xander as he stood to take off running. “ No! I need you to stay with Aiden and make sure he's safe,” Thaddeus said as Zendaya ran out the back door to gather the pups playing in the backyard.

Thaddeus turned his attention to Aiden, “Stay here, and don't leave the pack house for anything at all!” The Alpha said harsher than he intended to. He immediately felt bad when Aiden flinched from his tone. The Omega looked terrified as he sank in his chair.

Thaddeus had no time to make it better. He backed away from the table and turned his chair before locking The wheels. The Alpha leaned forward and shifted to Zeus.

As the alpha raced toward the enemy, he could sense him coming. Marcus is fast, but Zeus is faster, and he quickly passes Marcus and darts into the woods.

The thundering sound of Zeus's paws hitting the Earth was loud as he raced through the trees, weaving around them and jumping over logs. Zeus had one thing in mind and that was to stop the Rogue before he made it to the pack house and hurt anyone. 

When the Alpha reaches an area where the trees thin out, he spots a small white wolf running in his direction. Zeus immediately goes for him, and their bodies collide before hitting the ground. Both wolves snarl at each other as they tumble. Jaws snap as Zeus wrestles the white wolf. The little shit is quick and squirming all over the place, making it hard for Zeus to land a good shot. 

Zeus growls when the little shit bit down on his thigh, almost taking a chunk out of it. The white wolf took advantage of that brief moment Zeus nursed his back end, and it took off running toward the pack house again. 

Zeus gave chase, but that little fucker bit into his muscle pretty good, and it slowed him down. Thaddeus hated to admit it, but that little wolf was fast for its size. 

They broke to the tree line, and the pack house came into view, making Thaddeus's heart beat faster. His heart pounding in his chest as the white wolf got closer and closer to the pack house. The Alpha thought of Aiden, and he pushed himself faster, ignoring the pain in his back leg. 

The Alpha's stomach dropped, and he watched in horror as his worst nightmare unfolded in front of him. As the white wolf approached the front of the pack house, the front door swung open, and Aiden ran out. 

The Alpha was relieved to see Marcus coming in hot from the opposite side. Marcus's dark gray and red wolf collided with the white wolf just before he reached the stairs.