The Love of an Alpha

Chapter Two

Noah's POV

     My brother and I were currently making breakfast for our tormentors when we heard the clock chime six. At six o'clock, breakfast was supposed to be done and waiting on the table, but we didn't have any eggs, so we had to run to the store this morning. They wouldn't accept that as an excuse though. No, we would be punished for not doing our chores properly. They just loved any excuse to hurt us. 

     Aiden and I tried to finish as fast as we could while trying to cool the food down as well, but we failed. When the man took his first bite of the eggs, he immediately spit them out and chugged down some of his beer. I know what you're thinking. It's only breakfast and he's drinking beer. Well he hasn't stopped drinking since we came into his life. Ever since we were born, he has blamed us for not having enough sleep, not having enough money, not having enough time for himself. But the truth is, we were just babies with no control over who we were born to. Believe me, if we could be someone else's children instead of theirs we would.

     I expected the first slap. But what I didn't expect was for Aiden to take it for me. I was the first born. I had to protect my younger brother. Even if he was only younger by three minutes. I quickly pushed Aiden behind me once more as my biological father punched my collar bone that was still healing from the last beating. He knocked me to the ground and began kicking my ribs over, and over again. He finished the beating with a stomp to my right leg. I could feel the bone crack, and I knew that he had gone too far again. But we were never allowed to go to the doctor. It would be too suspicious to go to the ER with this many injuries over such a long period of time. 

     The whole time this is happening, my human incubator just sat there watching and eating her breakfast, like this was dinner and a show. She didn't care about us. She didn't care about anything unless her darling husband cared about it. The only thing she was concerned with was not getting caught. She told him when to stop so that they could continue later.

     She put make-up over the bruised and swollen cheek of my brother and tapped up my ribs, so that they wouldn't be too obvious. There was nothing she could do for my leg, but I suspected that she got some kind of sick joy out of watching me limp. Her parting words at the door as we made our way to school were, "If anyone asks about the limp, tell them you fell and sprained your ankle."

     We were not allowed to talk at that house unless we were spoken to. Usually to hear us beg for them to stop or to hear our excuses before the beatings began. I think they took pleasure out of the fact that we didn't deserve the beatings, but we couldn't do anything against them.

     Aiden took my arm and put it over his shoulder to help me walk to school.

     "I'm sorry, Noah. I just wanted to protect you, but I made it worse," Aiden looked like he was on the verge of tears. I stopped us walking. I wiped his eyes before the tears could spill.

     "No crying. Those monsters don't deserve our tears," I reminded him. 

     He nodded and tried to hold the rest in. Aiden was soft hearted. He held onto hope the longest. Trying to believe that one day he would wake up and they would love us the way parents are meant to love their children.

     That was why I had to protect him. He needed me. If for nothing else, but for support while we thought of a way to leave them. We were only seventeen and out eighteenth birthday was a long way off. If we went to the police, they probably wouldn't believe us.

     The beatings were not the only things I protected Aiden from. I also protected him from my thoughts and feelings. If it weren't for my brother, I might have taken my own life before now. Anything to escape this horror. 

     All I wanted to do was runaway and never come back, but I could never leave Aiden. My brother. My only friend. I tell Aiden not to cry, but I want to do the same. 

     I want to be able to breakdown and scream at the universe for cursing me with such awful people as my parents. But I can't. If I show one sign of weakness, Aiden will suffer.

Aiden's POV

     Noah was really quiet on the way to school. I couldn't tell if he was in pain or if he was just thinking. Knowing Noah, he was probably blaming himself for me being hurt. He always protected me the best he could, but our parents wouldn't let me get away unscathed.

     More than one time, after our father was done with Noah, he would have our mother hold him still while he turned his abusive attention onto me. I could see it in his face that Noah was screaming on the inside more than I was screaming out loud. That was the worst part of the beatings for him. Knowing that I was in pain and not being able to do anything about it.

     It was the same for me. Noah always protected me, but I couldn't stand to see him hurting. I wanted to protect him this time. But it looks like I can't even do that right.

     If only I wasn't around. Then Noah might have had a chance of being with loving parents instead of our tormentors. Two babies cost a lot more than one, they take up more time, and they cry more than one baby. If I wasn't around, then Noah would be happier.

     "I can tell what you're thinking Aiden. It's not your fault that we got saddled with those monsters. It would have been hell for me either way, but with you here, at least I'm not alone. You're my best friend Aiden, and I wouldn't trade you for all of the wonderful parents in the world," Noah interrupted my thoughts and squeezed my shoulders just a bit tighter and then let go of them entirely. 

     No one could see us supporting each other, because then they might make us go to the nurse. If she found out, then we would have to move again and we would get beat more, because this job paid the man very well, and he would be-

     "Aiden, breathe. I know. It's going to be okay. We won't let anyone find out. It's okay. Breathe," Noah soothed my mind again. He was always the calm one. The one with a plan. Every night we would brainstorm ways to get out of that house when we turned eighteen. They wouldn't let us have a job and they checked the receipts from when we go shopping, so there isn't any money for us to use. 

     I was about to reply to Noah when I heard someone introduce themselves.

     "Hey, I'm Harper," an angelic voice said from behind us. When we turned around, there she was. A real angel. Her brown hair had honey and mahogany tints in it and her eyes. Her eyes were like emeralds shining in the sun. She looked really strong, but dainty at the same time. Like she could kick your ass and then kiss it to make it better.

     "Hi, we're Aiden and Noah," we replied at the same time. My brother and I do that sometimes. It's a twin thing.

     "You're new here, right? Would you like me to help you to the front office to find your schedules?" She asked in her sweet voice.

     "That would actually be really good," I replied with a smile. She was so nice. I felt like I could trust her with anything. Even our secret.

     "Yeah, thank you," Noah replied. If Noah was on board, that meant that she was trustworthy. Noah never interacted with people other than me.

     She formed the biggest smile on her face, like we had told her that she won the Nobel Prize for curing cancer. She took our hands and it felt like an electric current passed between us, making both me and Noah gasp, but it didn't hurt. It actually felt really good. I didn't want her to let go. I looked over at Noah and saw that he felt the same.

     "I guarantee you are going to love it here. I will help with anything you need. Just let me know," she promised us as she kissed Noah's cheek and then my own. The sparks intensified and our eyes widened. She continued to lead us to the front office by our hands as we followed just a step behind her. Noah and I shared a look and I knew that we were on the same page. 

     We were both thinking that this girl had to be our guardian angel.