Into The Woods (mxm)

Nineteen

      "Good morning! My name is Agatha Bersbeee. What brings you here? Are you looking to adopt a pup or to donate to the orphanage? Perhaps you are even looking for a companion?" She pushes her chest outward and I take a small step back.

     "I am looking for two boys by the names of Tabari and Akio."

      "Oh, what did those boys do this time! They are all filthy animals here but the two brothers are the most trouble here! I swear if they..."

      "No," I interrupt. "I am here to adopt them."

      "Oh no, they are not up for adoption. I have been ordered not to-," I hold up the paper from Alpha Asmodeus and the woman gasps.

     "No, you must have forged this! The king would not let these two mongrels be adopted!" She takes the paper from my hands and reads it over again and again. She stutters and mumbles as she rushes back up the stairs to the orphanage.

     A couple of minutes later two boys are pushed out of the door with only the clothes on their backs. Agatha calls the other children back inside and locks the doors behind her.

      The two boys stand, shivering and scared, in the pathway. I kneel down in front of the boys and smile warmly.

The oldest boy-Tabari- has wide hazel eyes and tanned skin. He has a small sloped nose like his fathers, curly brown hair, and full lips. He is thin and bony, smaller than a normal child of his age. I could smell his ranking, the sweet honeysuckle scent of an omega pup.

The youngest boy-Akio- is in the same condition his older brother is in. Thin, dirty, small. Both of their clothes are more like hole filled rags. The other kids even seemed to be in better condition than the two brothers. And that was extremely unfortunate.

      Unlike his brother, Akio had blue eyes and curly black hair. His nose was more straight, his eyes almond-shaped. His skin is a pale color and his lips are thin and pink. His foot is pointed at an odd angle just like Keir said it was. His right foot was turned sidewards and curled in. It must be extremely painful for him to walk on his foot.

       "You must be Tabari and Akio. My name is Collin. I am here to take you back home with me."
       "But," Akio says in a thick Russian accent. His mother must have been Russian. "But what about daddy? I want daddy!"

      "Hush, Akio. It is better to go with him then to stay here any longer." Tabari grabs hold of Akio's small fragile-looking hand and helps him to the carriage.

     I place my hand on their little backs as they clamber up into the carriage. I tell the driver to go to the public bathhouse so I could clean the two pups.

      We stop at the market to buy some small children's clothes and washing soaps. I take the boys into the bathhouse and clean them thoroughly. I scrub both the boys until their skin turns bright pink.

       I dry off the boys and help them dress in their new soft clothes. Akio stays silent the whole time, letting me take care of him. I noticed nothing wrong with Akio other than the obvious. No signs of physical abuse.

   When I was washing Tabari though, I noticed the dark purple bruises on his hips and buttocks. After the boys are dressed I ask him where he got them from, already knowing the answer, fearing what he had to say.

     "Miss Agatha hated us," Tabari says, his small hands trembling. I take them on my own, rubbing his knuckles with my thumb. "She couldn't get rid of us so she starved us and worked us every day. One day a man came in looking for a good time as the man said. Miss Agatha was servicing men to make more money for herself. One day the man saw me and said he was willing to pay a large amount of money to have me for the night. So Miss Agatha let him use me."

       My heart clenches painfully, my throat closing up.

    "He has been coming to use me every week for the past year. But it is okay though because we get extra food when I do a good job of servicing him. Akio needs food."

"Tabari, this is not okay. When we get back to the palace we are going straight to the king and telling him. He will have someone take care of Agatha. Someone who owns an orphanage should take care of the children. Not sell their bodies for more money to buy expensive dresses."
      Tabari's eyes well up with tears. I pull him close and comfort him.

Later in the carriage, as we made our way back to the palace, Tabari asks the one question that I was hesitant to answer. How would they react to me being their father's mate?

     "Why did you take us away?"

     "I know your father."

     "Daddy?"

      "Yes. He is my mate."

     "But you look so young," Akio says.

       "I am only sixteen. I am almost seventeen though."

      "Are you going to take us back to daddy?" Tabari asks.

      "Yes, I am."

       Tabari and Akio burst into tears. They both latch onto me and cry. I pick both the boys up and set them on my lap.

      "Does that mean you are our mommy now?" Akio asks.

      "If you want me to. I know that you just met me. Your father just met me too. But-,"

      Akio wipes away his tears with the back of his little hand and nuzzles his face into my neck.

      "Can I call you mommy?"

      "Of course you can," I say in a breathless whisper.

"I can't wait to see daddy again, mommy," Akio says.

I pull the two boys closer and nuzzle their necks. They both carry the scent of Keir. It is a comforting scent. These pups were a part of my mate. I will make sure they have the best life from now on. No one will hurt my pups...