Under the Skin

Chapter 4

Now that he got a proper look at his mate's face, Alec couldn't deny that he was one of the prettiest boys he had ever seen. His skin was very pale, almost white underneath the dirt and grime that covered his face, and it complemented his grey eyes perfectly. He wanted to run his fingers through the curly dark brown hair, even though right now they were tangled and mated. 

"I just told the news to Thomas, and he wants to meet him," he told Moira. She bit her lip in hesitation before she turned to Jonah, who was still sitting with the blanket clutched tightly to his chest.

"Our alpha wants to speak with you, you'll have to go with Alec here." Jonah's grip tightened. 

"C-can I stay here? I don't want to see a-alpha." 

Alec felt his heart clench at his fragile tone. Before long, he found himself coming forward and kneeling in front of his mate. Even though something deep inside of him told him Alec wasn't dangerous, Jonah couldn't hep but press further against the wall. The beta was sad to see his mate afraid of him, but he brushed the feeling aside. 

"If you agree, the alpha can come here instead, and I'll be with you the whole time." The young boy stayed silent for a while, thinking this over.

"O-only if she stays." 

When Thomas saw the rogue, he thought this couldn't possibly be the same wolf who attacked one of his packmates. The boy looked afraid of his own shadow. 

Both Alec and Moira warned him to stay calm during the conversation to avoid startling him, and the alpha could see why when as soon as he entered, the boy leaped off the cot and hid in a corner of the room with his blanket wound tightly around him.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want you to answer a few questions." Beside him, Alec was struggling to resist the urge to go comfort his mate.

The boy didn't respond, but the alpha simply continued.

"We'll start with something simple. What's your name?" 

"J-Jonah." He fiddled with his hands while his head was hanging down, which made his hair cover his eyes. 

"Alright Jonah, can you tell me why attacked one of my packmates?" 

The boy froze as his grew wide when he heard that. 

"I h-hurt someone?" His voice trembled as the words left his mouth. The alpha frowned when he saw his reaction.

"I hope you're not trying to act innocent, because if you are it's not helping your case." Jonah flinched at the harsh tone.

"I-I'm really sorry! I d-didn't want to hurt someone on purpose, but..." He paused since he felt nervous about revealing the next part. "I-I'm not conscious when I'm in my wolf form."

He uttered the last words in a soft tone, but the three other people heard them well with their enhanced hearing.

"Is that even possible?" Alec asked Moira, who looked deep in thought. 

"I never heard of something like this before, but I don't think it could be impossible. Maybe his mind is subconsciously blocking him out from his wolf." 

"I guess this would explain why he couldn't shift. This would mean his wolf form is simply acting on primal instincts." Thomas held his chin in thought. 

"Jonah," The boy lifted his head to look at Alec when he heard his name. "I have to ask, why did I smell humans on you." 

Thomas and Moira both looked at Alec. The alpha looked angry that his beta had withheld this information from him, but there was nothing he could do about it now.