Niel never thought he would think he was actually grateful for Atlas for once. Without him, he wouldn't have visited his older brother's grave for quite some time. Afraid he would get lectured, or worse, beaten by his father again.
"All right, what's next?" Atlas asked. The werewolf didn't like they were away from their pack and wanted to go back as soon as possible. On the other hand, Atlas wanted to give Niel this last opportunity to visit his hometown and family again as he wasn't planning on letting Niel go back, ever.
The itch, no, the urge to have Niel by his side all the time grew with each day. The need to mark his mate was incredibly hard to fight with every minute that passed. Atlas wasn't the most patient man and he had put every ounce of patience into this relationship with Niel, but it was running low.
"I want to see if my mother is home," Niel said carefully, noticing a slight change in Atlas' behavior.
The Alpha gave a curt nod and escorted Niel to the car. The warrior was constantly on the lookout. At one moment, when they just had left the cemetery the warrior kept on looking at one point, at someone. When Atlas noticed and looked in the same direction, Niel followed suit soon as well and his eyes widened.
"Do you know them?" Atlas silently asked.
The teenager nodded. How could he forget? The cemetery was on the same route to Mills.
"Who are they?"
Niel cleared his throat. "Uhm, one of them is part of Jasper's clique, I-I don't know her name. The other is... a junior, Daisy." Atlas recognized her. He saw her that Friday night, at the game, when Atlas had just noticed Niel earlier that week, paying close attention to his mate. The wolf became extremely territorial right there, right then. But what happened next was something that eased him, just enough to not rip out that girl's throat out.
Some boys followed the girls and when Niel laid his eyes upon them he hid behind Atlas, seeking protection. Pride swelled in the Alpha's chest.
Luckily for Niel, his classmates hadn't noticed him and the three of them could travel to Niel's family home without any problems.
When they arrived at the home, Niel grew nervous. He fumbled with the hem of his shirt and glanced at the house from time to time. Atlas brought his large hand over Niel's. "What's happening?"
Niel sighed. "I... I-I just hopes she still... loves me."
"Of course, that is where mothers are for... Let's go." Atlas intended to walk along with his mate. "Please, can I go alone? I don't want to scare her."
The Alpha and warrior shared a look and a nod. "Fine, but if something happens I will come."
The teenager left the car and hesitantly walked up the driveway of what was once his home. He rang the bell once, then twice. And then, finally, the door was opened, Camilla standing in the hallway.
"Othniel? Othniel! Thank God you are still alive!" The mother rushed toward her son and embraced him tightly. "I missed you so much." She whispered in his ear.
When they had let go of each other, Niel asked, "How come you are home, I thought you had to help the church?"
"Oh, yeah, multiple people had other engagements or were sick, so another day." Niel noticed how he wasn't invited inside and Camilla had closed the door until it stood ajar.
"How-how are you doing, sweetheart? Where are you staying?" She asked worriedly.
Her son had no idea how to explain his situation to his own mother. "Uhm, well-" Just as he was about to make some sad excuse the door was swung open by Peter.
"What are you doing here boy?! Get away! I will not have you stain our family name even further. Come on Camilla." Peter dragged his wife with him, but rather roughly and Niel could see the hurt he was inflicting on his mother.
A spur of confidence coursed through his body as he lunged forward and yelled, "Get your bloody hands off her!" As Niel was trying to shield his mother, Peter focused on the boy. Without a second thought Niel's father hit him square in the face, when Niel wasn't down, Peter gave him a shove, and then when Niel finally hit the ground he was kicked two times while Peter yelled. "Get. Out. Of. Our. Lives!"
Just before Peter wanted to do another kick it was now him who was shoved, by none other than Atlas himself. When the teenager noticed he immediately got up, despite his pain, and shielded his parents from the wrath of the Alpha. "Atlas, Atlas! Don't, please don't."
"He hurt you!" Atlas roared. Niel could see his eyes change.
The teenager knew words wouldn't do the trick. He grabbed his mate's hand and said, "Let's go home." Atlas' eyes turned back to their normal color and stand down, looking at their hands being intertwined. He didn't say anything further and dragged Niel behind him.
The teenager looked over his shoulder one last time to see a glimpse of his mother before she was dragged into the house by his father. He could barely see how Camilla mouthed 'I love you'.
As Niel sat down in the backseat, it was then he could feel the pain. He winced. This drew the attention of Atlas. "Are you all right? Let me see. I should have never let you go." He whispered. The teenager didn't resist as the big guy pulled his shirt up to see redness and the starting form of bruising.
"I shouldn't have come," Niel said absentmindedly. He could only think about the ways his father could hurt his mother. During his childhood, Peter was only verbally harsh and unkind towards his family. It was leading up to the rumors about Florian he started to hit, first his oldest son, then youngest son, and then his wife.
Niel was glad, however, to get confirmation from his mother, that Camilla indeed still loved her son. It was sad Arabella wasn't there, but maybe that was for the better.
When they arrived Niel was in a daze. Upon entering the pack house Atlas guided him to the hospital wing. "First let's get that checked out." He spoke to his mate. "You are being hurt way too often, I should-"
"I want some chips, can I have some chips?"
Atlas quirked up a brow. "Uh, yes, I am sure we can arrange something but first we need to check you out."
"No, I want some chips now."
"I will send someone up. Come." Niel wanted to fight, slipping out of Atlas' grip to go to the kitchen but he had simply not the energy for it and thus hoped the big guy would keep his word. The teenager wasn't surprised there was a full-on hospital wing in this mansion.
They entered and were soon faced with Dr. Laura. "Alpha," She bowed her head slightly and once she looked up again her eyes traveled toward Niel. "What happened here?"
"What happened isn't of any importance, I just want you to patch him up," Atlas ordered. It seemed Dr. Laura understood small talk wasn't going to happen and she pointed immediately to a bed for Niel to sit on.
While she examined the teenager he did want to speak. The beating from his father had Niel still left in a daze. It had pained him so much, to be rejected like that by his own family, his own father to whom he had looked up for so long. Trying to impress him since day one. The pain was so intense it numbed him and every ounce of emotion was hidden behind the walls Niel had built over the years.
"It was my dad who did this," He said calmly. Dr. Laura looked up for a short moment and resumed her work again. "He rejected me, really."
Dr. Laura empathized with the human boy. She hated humans, loathed them, but what she heard from Niel warmed her cold heart toward her future Luna. Werewolves sometimes never understood how humans could be so heartless to their own. Family was a very important value in the werewolf community.
The three of them were all brought back to reality, snapped back from their thoughts as they heard bickering in the hallway. It were Rain and Levi. "You can't bring that many chip bags with you, he isn't even that hungry," Levi exclaimed.
"You don't know that and I just want to make sure I have the right flavor." Rain argued back.
"He just said some chips, any will do."
"No, you don't know that. And besides, this is the first time Niel asked for food so I better do my very best for his first and most important request. You just don't understand people who have a passion for food."
"Hey, I do have a passion for food," Levi stated.
A humorless laugh came from Rain, "No, you eat everything that is edible, that's different." It was then they both turned around the corner. When the young shewolf saw Niel she held up the bags and said, "Hey fresh meat, look what I got." There were indeed many chip bags, Niel thought.
"You know, you are just a filthy cockroach, annoying everybody," Levi muttered. Rain turned around to face Levi, dropping the bags while doing so. "I am not a cockroach, why would you call me a cockroach? I wasn't even fucking mean."
"Did so," Levi responded childishly.
Dr. Laura had enough of their biggering and excused herself.
"Guys, could you please?" Atlas sighed. His tone was low, but powerful, making Levi and Rain drop their heads and apologized in unison, "Sorry Alpha."
Atlas grabbed some bags from Rain and offered them to Niel. "Which one do you want, love?" The teenager looked up at the big guy in front of him, confused and irritated, but decided not to pay any attention to the endearment. He picked out a bag and started to munch on the savory snack.
Shortly after the doctor came back with bandages in her hand. She walked up to Niel and placed them on his right cheekbone where a small cut was, caused by his father's punch. "You are lucky the eye isn't harmed in any way. You will just end up with some bruising, the same goes for your stomach."
A soft thank you came from Niel and the doctor shortly left after that.
"What happened to you, fresh meat?" Rain asked, now more worried than she was a second ago. Niel didn't want to answer, however, focused solely on his chips. He could hear how Atlas shortly explained what had happened. It remained silent after that.
Niel just thought of the fact that the reason he wanted to go home, the goal he had, he hadn't even slightly achieved. He wanted to do something for his brother, he wanted to do something to make amends but nothing of that could even happen, he couldn't even try as his father was done with him. Now Othniel Johnson truly felt he wasn't the son of Peter Johnson anymore.