It was only five months since Jace and Noah had been married, and everything was perfect. The two of them matched each other perfectly and synced with each other. Noah had easily adopted the roles of queen and Luna. He was a natural leader and easily took the reins of his responsibilities. And he was training under Ramen, the head doctor and the healer of Serenity Medical Center.
But fate decided their lives were too boring and they needed to add some action. So that was why they were here. Surrounding an abandoned factory readying for an ambush. In the past few days, the rogues attacks had increased with several kidnappings of children and omegas. So, it was understandable to say Jace was furious.
So now here they were. As a result of the investigation, Colin was able to find out the hideout of these shitbags with shocking revelations. They were not simply rogues. They were hired by some hunters who were still doing omega trades under the law. Even though it wasn't a large scale, Jace was determined to wipe it out completely.
The ambush was successful. Those hunters had very little brains and never accepted that they would come for him. So, it was fair to say they all had been caught off guard, and Midnight Warriors sent them directly to the doors of hell.
Noah was also there, fighting by his mate's side. Apart from the training, this was the first time he was fighting beside his mate, and it was better than he expected. They watched each other's backs and fought side by side, killing everyone who had come to their path. So, within a few hours, every rogue and hunter dropped dead. They found captured omegas and little children; fortunately, they weren't injured. That was what they thought until Nathen's scream echoed through the factory.
"Alpha, you need to see this!"
Jace and Noah ran to the room that Nathen had just entered. And the scene that greeted him made angel's bile run up to his throat. The walls and the floor were covered with old and fresh dark stains. The smell that came from them conformed to what they were. The smell of blood in the room was thicker than in any other place. And the smell of pain and distress.
It came from the table that was placed in the middle of the room, where the only light source hung on the ceiling. On the table was a little kid about six or seven years old, strapped down to the table with a muzzle around his mouth. What made everything horrible was the blood slipping down on the little body and the bloody tools laid around the table. The tools that were used to torture this little boy.
It was Noah who first gathered the composition and made the first move. He dashed to the table, which had given him horrible nightmares. and seeing another little boy in there made his heartbreak. As he got a closer view, he could see the dark orbs of the little boy, who was showing nothing but panic and fear.
Noah didn't waste time and ripped off the muzzle, but the boy was too panicked to trust anyone. So, he did the first difficult thing he could do. He bit Noah's hand as much as tight he could, making Noah hiss out in pain.
That broke Jace and Nathen out of their frozen state.
"Petal!"
Jace ran towards his mate to inspect his hand, while Nathen rushed to hold down the little boy, preventing him from biting off another. Even though the boy was small and hurt, he was strong. He must definitely have some alpha blood. He glared at everyone in the room while trying to get out of the restraints.
"Are you okay?"
Jace asked, inspecting angel's hand. It was pretty bad and bleeding heavily. The kid got him good. But Noah didn't mind a little bit of pain and stared at the boy who was struggling against Nathen's hold.
"Petal."
Jace called him, wrapping his bleeding hand with a cloth he had ripped from his own shirt, trying to get his bleeding to stop. But the little boy was more important than him now.
"I'm okay." Noah said in absent mind, getting closer to the boy on the table while releasing calming pheromones to show they weren't a threat.
The boy glowed at Jace and Nathen but calmed down a little with Noah's scent. That gave an idea of what the boy was really afraid of.
"Jace, Nathen, step back." Noah ordered.
"But he is dangerous." Jace pretended not to know what his mate was asking.
"He is afraid of alphas." Noah hissed. "You two are not making anything better."
Well, now Jace could also see that this little boy was clearly fear of alphas. But that didn't mean he was willing to let his mate get closer to him.
"Petal, but he is not in his right mind." Jace stopped Noah by holding his hand.
Noah turned to glare at Jace, surprising him.
"He is just a child who has been tortured by a crazy alpha who knows how long." Noah hissed. "And he was panicking, scared, and in pain, needing some comfort! So now let go of me!"
Jace was completely frozen. For all the time he had been with omega, he had never seen this side of him.
Not caring anymore, Noah walked towards the panicked pup, increasing his calming scent, and tried to overpower the metallic blood scent in the air. Nathen, who was still holding the boy, looked at Jace confusedly for orders. Jace slightly shook his head, saying, let Noah handle this.
Jace knew from the moment he laid eyes on omega that he wasn't someone to push over or walk over. He was a fighter, a survivor, and a warrior. That was the main reason his wolf attached itself to him. So, he knew Noah could handle this. His wolf said to let his mate handle this. Also, his mind painfully reminded him that his mate had been in the same situation years before. So, he clearly knew how to handle the little pup better than anyone else.
"Hello, I'm Noah." Noah said, getting closer to the boy. "I'm not going to harm you."
But the little boy didn't take any of that and growled at omega. If it wasn't Nathen who was holding him, he was surely going to bite again.
"Puppy."
Taking advantage of the fact that Nathen was holding him, Noah slowly ran his hand through the raven lock that was covered with dirt, blood, and who knew what else.
The pup was trashing around in his holding. But Noah didn't stop and stroked through his hair gently, minding knots on there, increasing his calming pheromone and making the pup calm down.
"Puppy, you're safe now. Everything is going to be okay."
What was Noah doing? It seemed to be working because the pup slowly stopped trashing around. After he stopped trying to bite, Noah signaled Nathen to move away, which he obeyed immediately.
"Hey, I'm going to heal you, taking all the pain away." Noah said in a calm voice. "But I need to remove resistance first. So don't attack me."
Boy stared at Noah instantly as he removed restraints. Two alphas in the room also hold their breath. But whatever happened next happened so quickly that neither alpha had a chance to move.
As soon as Noah took out the restraints, the boy leaped on Noah, snarling. Noah caught the boy by the arms, but instead of pushing him away, he pulled him towards himself. The boy was caught off guard by the action, but as soon as he recovered, he sank his sharp canines where he could reach into, which was Noah's shoulder.
"Don't move."
Noah warned his mate and Nathen through the mind link as they took steps to interfere.
Not caring about the pain in his shoulder, Noah wrapped his arms around the little boy, hugging him closer and spreading his palm on the back of him. He slowly started to transfer his healing power to the little boy, slowly mending all injuries.
The boy retrained his canines as the new soothing sanitation washed over him. He didn't know what it was, but he felt every pain he was feeling slowly wash away. He felt his body turn to wind and light, with a soft floral scent cushioning him. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever felt. He felt he was safe. He was okay. No one was really going to hurt him again. Everything was over.
Noah felt the boy go limp in his hands as he slowly healed every injury, not even sparing a little scar. Noah's whole body now rumbled with pain. The boy had fallen a moment ago, but it was nothing compared to what he had experienced. The gold-blue glow that surrounded them slowly died down as he healed his final wound.
Noah slowly peeled the boy off his shoulder so he could look at him. His skin was still pale, but better than before. He gently brushed off the strands that fell on his face.
"Puppy, are you okay now?"
The boy simply stared at the beautiful white-haired man with the warmest smile he had ever seen. It was like he was floating in a floral garden. Maybe his mind was playing some kind of trick. He had died from pain, and now he was in heaven. Yeah, that must be. This man must be an angel.
"Are..." The boy tried with a hoarse voice. "You... an... angle?"
The last thing he could hear was a beautiful laugh, like a bell ringing, and a more beautiful smile before darkness engulfed him.
***
Noah stared at the sleeping boy on the bed. His clothes were still covered in blood, dirt, grease, and others. But Noah didn't want to bathe him while he was out and violated his privacy. He knew that after what had happened, the boy was going to care more about his personal space.
He slowly brushed away the streaks on his face and stared at the cute features of the pup. The pup wasn't older than seven. Oh, Goddess, he was so young. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they were late. They made just in time, and the pup was now safe.
They were now in Jace and Noah's home, in one of the bedrooms.
After the boy had fallen asleep in Noah's arms, Jace ran to him in panic, fussing over the biting wound. Well, the little pup had very strong teeth. That reminded him of a certain someone he had met long ago, bringing a smile to his face. After Lena and the other healer were with them, treated and wrapped his wounds with clean bandages, Jace ordered them immediately to go back to their pack with the little boy and other rescuers, leaving matters there for him. Well, Noah didn't protest it because he also didn't want to get away from the little boy. And someone was needed to calm down other distressed omegas and pups.
So now Jace was still at the abandoned factory, taking care of runaway rogues and hunters, while Noah was waiting patiently until the little pup woke up.
Noah must have been dozing off from the exhaustion and pain he felt because he woke up with someone poking his cheek. Noah blinked as the chubby face with dark black eyes came into his view. They both stared at each other for a moment before Noah sat on the bed.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Noah asked in a soft voice, caring not to shock the little boy. But the boy didn't answer. He just stared at omega with wide eyes, taking every detail in.
"Is this heaven?"
His voice was hoarse, not using, and screaming. But he wanted to know where he was. Surely heaven. Wasn't, because there was a pretty angel with him.
Noah laughed loudly upon hearing those words. This boy. With a laugh, he took a water glass from the bedside table and slowly handed it to the boy.
"Here, drink this." He helped a boy to drink it. "And this isn't heaven."
"Isn't?" The little pup asked with wide eyes. His doe-like black eyes were large, and he looked at him with an expression that melted Noah's heart right away. "But you're an angel."
"Yes, I'm an angel." Noah spoke slowly, not wanting to overwhelm the boy. He knew the boy was just thinking that he was dead. "But you're not dead."
"Not dead?"
The boy was confused. Then he looked at his surroundings for the first time. He realized he was in a clean bedroom. The faint light was coming from the window that was covered with soft yellow curtains. There was a small desk and dresser side by side. And the room was decorated with soft-looking white flowers. It didn't look like a threat, but it wasn't also completely unfamiliar.
"Where am I?"
Noah could feel the boy was getting panicky so he released calming pheromones, answering softly.
"You are in my house. My mate is the King of supernaturals, and we rescued you from hunters where they held you. Don't worry; you are safe now. No one is going to hurt you now."
The boy looked at him with fearful eyes. But his body relaxed with calming pheromones. Then he remembered how this pretty angel saved him and took away all his pain. He slowly moved his limbs, looking at them. Then he noticed he was still dressed in dirty clothes covered with dirt, blood, and grime. But his wounds were gone. All the cuts and holes were gone. So also, the pain. The burning pain he felt for Goddess knows how long wasn't there.
"Are you hurting somewhere?" Noah asked, looking at the boy, how he examined his arms.
"No?" The little pup looked at him, voicing it like a question. "How?"
Noah laughed, understanding what he wanted to know.
"I'm a healer." He answered. "I healed you. So, you're good for now. You don't feel any pain, do you?"
"No pain." Boy confirmed. And then, for the first time of the day, he smiled. It was a small smile, but it was enough to light up the whole room. So, Noah's heart.
"Then how about having a bath and getting something to eat?" Noah asked standing from the bed. "I can make something delicious."
"Really?" The boy asked with wide eyes like he couldn't believe his ears. Seeing that expression, Noah's heart filled with pain. Because he knew exactly what the pup was feeling.
"Really, what do you like to eat?" Noah asked as the boy slowly climbed down from the bed. He felt first unsteady on his feet, but he was okay after that. "I can make anything you want."
Boy, think a minute before answering.
"Macaroni."
"Then macaroni." Noah smiled. "First, get you cleaned up."
Noah led the little boy into the bathroom, where he had already prepared a bath. He quickly adjusted the temperature of the water before looking at the boy, now staring at him in little fear. He knew the boy was afraid to get necked in front of strangers, and then again, Noah could understand.
When his mother tried to bathe him after they first rescued him, he nearly clawed out her eyes, earning harsh punishment. So he could understand exactly what the boy was feeling.
"You have clean towels here." Noah pointed to the clean towels on the counter. "And I will place some clothes in bed. You can come down to the kitchen after you finish getting dressed. No need to hurry; take your time, okay?"
With Noah's words, the little one relaxed and nodded.
"Call me if you need anything." With one last smile, Noah went out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him, giving him some privacy.
He placed a clean t-shirt and pant, along with a pair of house slippers that Sarah had bought before, on the bed before going down to the kitchen. The house was quiet since only two of them were there, but it was peaceful and always gave him comfort.
He quickly went through the cupboards, searching ingredients for macaroni. A while after he had everything gathered on the kitchen counter. He started chopping vegetables after placing a pot of water on the stove to boil.
Now that he was alone, he had time to think about everything. And suddenly he felt a strange pain as he recalled the state of the boy as well as his own past. He was really glad the boy was an alpha, not an omega. But if he were an omega, he wouldn't be in that state. Then he didn't know what was crueler. Why would these people be cruel to do something like that to a small pup?
His thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of feet padding on the floor. Noah raised his head to look at a little boy staring at him from the doorway.
"Come here." Noah called with a smile, placing the knife away after chopping the last piece of carrot.
The boy slowly came in, curiously eyeing everything in the room. The clothes fit him well, and he looked smaller and softer now that he was clean and washing away all the dirt. His hair was still slightly wet, but it looked softer with the shampoo and conditioner he used. And his sweet ginger smell was now spread around without the interpretation of bloody iron smell or dirt.
"Food will be ready in minutes." Noah said adding macaroni to boiling water. "You can explore around or sit here."
Boy seemed to think for a minute but then decided to settle on a chair at the table, staring at what Noah was doing.
"Oh, I forgot." Noah smiled warmly at the boy adding vegetables to the other pan. "My name is Noah. What is yours?"
"Levi." The boy said in a small voice, staring at how Noah quickly added everything to the pan.
"Oh, it's a beautiful name." Noah stirred everything, not letting it burn. "Nice to meet you, Levi."
Levi just smiled but didn't respond. He silently stared at how Noah added macaroni to the vegetables, then cheese and others. So, within a few minutes, delicious macaroni was ready. Noah placed a plate filled with it in front of Levi with a spoon and fork.
Levi glanced at the delicious meal and Noah with hopeful eyes. like he wasn't sure this was real.
"You can eat now, Levi." Noah spoke in a soft voice, knowing what was on Levi's mind.
And it was the only thing Levi needed to hear because he didn't delay a second to take a mouthful of the delicious meal.
"Slow down, Levi; otherwise, you will throw out." Noah softly advised placing a glass of orange juice in front of him.
Levi listened and slowed down the speed, but still, he took a large bite after one. Noah, softly smiling, sat in front of Levi with his own plate. There was a comfortable silence between them as they finished the meal in silence. After finishing, Noah quickly cleaned away the fixing plate for Jace and kept it in the microwave for heat.
"Do you want to go back to bed, or we can watch some TV?"
Noah asked, coming back to where Levi was waiting for him.
"TV." Levi said in a shy voice that it would be the wrong answer.
"Okay, then TV."
Noah offered his hand to Levi. Levi studied it for a moment before taking it hesitantly. Noah led him to the living room, where there was a comfortable sofa and a large TV.
Then Levi and Noah settled on a comfortable sofa with a cartoon playing on TV. Levi stared at the TV with a happy smile as little characters played around. And Noah started with a fond smile mixed with some strange feelings.
It didn't take much time before fatigue overtook a little boy. He slowly started to doze off. And he unconsciously found Noah's warm body and snuggled into him. With a fond smile, Noah wrapped his arm around Levi, cuddling him close to his chest with a warm green blanket around both of them.
The TV was played in the background as little snores of Levi mixed with them. Noah slowly ran his fingers through the soft hair of the pup, caressing at the little knots on there. It was peaceful and lovely. In his arms, the boy was perfectly matched. And he swore to himself that night that he was never going to let any harm come to the boy.
The mixture of sweet floral and ginger aromas slowly lulled him to sleep. And that was how Jace found them when he came back late at night.