Under the Skin

Chapter 18

After hugging him tightly against himself and expressing how glad he was to see him awake again, Alec went to get Moira to tell her the news.

The healer came to see Jonah and asked him if he felt any lingering pain, and also took the time to check his wounds to see if they were still healing properly. Once she was satisfied, she told them Jonah was clear to go home, but she warned him not to strain himself and to take it easy. 

When Jonah stood up and his legs flinched under his weight, Alec offered to carry him back to their cabin. However, the omega blushed and insisted he was fine. He only had to get his legs working again. 

Once they were back home, Alec suggested they watched a movie for the rest of the afternoon. Jonah ended up tucked into the beta's side, and he discreetly inhaled the other's comforting scent. 

"You know, when I was staying by your side while you were unconscious, you kept twitching and whining in your sleep. Were you having nightmares?" The omega sobered up when he heard this.

"Not exactly. I made contact with my wolf again. I was trying to convince it to let me shift back." Alec turned sideways to face him.

"And I guess you succeeded, since you're here now..." He trailed off. Seeing how somber Jonah looked, there seemed to be more to the story. 

"I did, but it wasn't easy. We argued back and forth for a long time. But, I think it was you that ended up finally changing its mind." The beta was surprised upon hearing this. 

"Me?" Jonah had a small smile as he hummed.

"It saw how much you cared for us, and when I told it that we didn't have to be scared anymore because you were there to protect us, my wolf finally caved in." Silence stretched between them for a moment as Jonah looked at his own hands with a blank expression.

"I know how excited you were to finally connect with your wolf. So, do you look so sad?" The omega's hands clenched into fists on his lap.

"I told you how my wolf warned me having my memories back would be painful. I thought I understood what it meant, that I could handle it, but..." Jonah cut himself off as his throat tightened and his eyes filled with tears.

"Alec, it was so much worse than I thought! Worse than my nightmares. What I've done to all these innocent people, the lives I took..." He buried his face in his hands as he sobbed uncontrollably. Alec quickly brought him against his chest and held him tight, willing his embrace to take Jonah's pain away. 

It took the omega a couple of minutes to be able to talk again without breaking into a sob, but what he said next wasn't any better.

"I-...I also saw how my p-parents died." Alec's hand, which had been rubbing his back, stilled.

"It was them Alec! The h-hunters who held me captive! They... they k-killed my p-parents." Jonah broke into cries once again, his pain becoming vivid as he remembered the images he saw. His father and his mother, bleeding out onto the forest floor as he cried desperately for them to come back. 

"It h-hurts s-so m-much," Jonah heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He raised his head to look up at Alec. His eyes filled with so much pain and sorrow. The beta had to will himself not to look away, even as his own heart hurt upon seeing how much his mate was suffering. 

"I don't want to h-hurt anymore," The omega pleaded in a soft tone, his voice heavy with emotion. Alec planted a kiss on his forehead and rested his chin on top of the smaller man's head, trying to hide his own tears.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. It's hard to move on from the past, especially with everything you've been through. But I'll be there to support you any way I can, along with Zoe, Moira and all our other friends. You aren't alone anymore, Jonah."