Feral

Chapter 4

Vincent shifted uncomfortably as the wooden flooring began digging into his knees. He had been in a kneeling position by the bed for close to half an hour as they waited for Nine's distress to decrease.

The boy was still sitting on the bed as far as he could away from the alpha. Something had changed between them and Vincent was wracking his brain trying to figure it out. It was an instant switch that led him to believe that it'd been something he'd said or done. He had pushed his luck when he touched his mate and invaded his personal space though he hadn't sensed any discomfort leading up to his outburst.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I did but I never meant to make you upset. Please talk to me." He pleaded. Voice low as he tried to coax his mate without messing up.

Nine slowly shuffled to the edge of the bed and leaned over to look at him. There was a deep crease in between his eyebrows as he studied him cautiously. He leaned back on his heels after a while and huffed, "Nine... not good."

"What do you mean?" Vincent winced. The alpha had been too scared to move and make his mate feel threatened or prompt the boy to attack him so now that Nine was somewhat responsive, he slowly moved to sit with his legs crossed.

Nine glared at him, "Nine bad. N-Not good boy." His glare deepened when Vincent laughed at him for mimicking his tone.

"No." He growled, slapping a hand on the alpha's face.

"Ow." Vincent scrunched up his face in pain as he held his nose. "Okay I'm sorry for laughing."

Nine nodded and stared at him expectantly. The alpha sighed and stood up to sit beside him on the bed, "You're not bad, Nine- Hey no hitting!" He grabbed a hold of the boy's arm midway through speeding towards his face again, "You were being very good and I'm proud of you."

Nine shook his head and averted his gaze, he looked upset as he sat silently with his head down. Vincent cooed and cupped his cheeks in his hands. The alpha couldn't wait for them to fill and get fat as the boy adjusted to his diet. Nine was a very beautiful boy but Vincent was sure he'd be otherworldly once he was healthier.

"Look, hitting me is bad but it doesn't make you bad. It makes you... not nice. You are a good boy, Nine. You're my good boy." He whispered the last words.

Vincent could see the uncertainty in the boy's eyes as he peered at him through his lashes, after a moment he hesitantly lifted his upper lip to show him the space where his canine teeth should've been, "Look. Nine bad."

The sadness Nine displayed so openly over his missing teeth was almost like a physical blow to Vincent. His canines had been removed with malicious intent as a way to punish him for something and despite being utterly clueless about everything, the boy was feeling the loss. "Does it make you sad?"

The boy looked at him confused, not seeming to recognize the word so Vincent reworded it, "Does it make you feel bad?"

Nine tensed up and the alpha was beginning to figure out that good and bad were trigger words for his mate which was unfortunate given how those were the only two words he understood perfectly.

"Uh-huh."

"We'll take you to see a dentist and maybe they can do something about it. Is that okay?" Nine shrugged and Vincent assumed his little mate didn't understand what he was suggesting so he dropped the subject.

Nine was still pouting on the bed, his small frame swallowed up whole by the alpha's large clothes and greasy hair clinging to his forehead, "I think we should wash you. You stink." He chuckled, squeezing his nose for good measure.

The boy's nose twitched as he sniffed around, trying to see what Vincent was talking about. "It's you, honey." The latter laughed as he gently lifted Nine's arm so he could smell his armpit.