Omega

Chapter 11

*Galen's POV*

Will was sprawled lazily across my bed, his legs dangling off the edge on one side and his head resting against my thigh. Though he was seemingly engrossed in the old Gameboy SP and Pokemon game he'd found in one of my desk drawers, every time I sighed he would nuzzle his face against me and smile before turning his attention back to the screen. Lucky him, getting to play games all day. I, having the privilege of being Alpha, had at least another few hours of finances to go over before I could even think of taking a break.

Will's presence made it all a little more bearable. He'd grown more comfortable with me as one day wore into one week. With the familiarity came a cocky, demanding side of Will that I hadn't anticipated. Even now with enraptured by the hand-held game, the moment I stopped stroking his hair he would nudge me and glare until I started again. At first I'd been annoyed but I'd grown used to it. I realized it was Will's way of showing he cared for me, just like how he'd growl anytime I came back from a pack meeting smelling of other wolves. After literally having nothing but the skin on his back, I could see why he would be possessive of me. I was sure in time he'd grow more sure of himself and less dependent on me.

A violent snarl ripped from Will's throat, startling me so much I dropped the stack of documents I'd been organizing. He thrust the Gameboy into my hands.

"You do it! I can't beat the rock guy." Will glared angrily at the game as if it was its fault he couldn't win the battle. I glanced over the Pokemon Will had, trying to recall anything about them. I hadn't even remembered I had the Gameboy until Will had found it.

"I think your problem is you have a thunder guy. Use the blue one instead."

"This one? Squirtle?" Will tapped on the little Pokemon sprite on the screen. I nodded and handed the console back. He stared at it a moment longer before setting it down on the bed. I watched as his eyes slowly raked up my body. Did he even realize he was doing that? Will was so innocent most of the time it was hard to tell. As if to prove me wrong, Will inched up to see eye to eye with me and pressed his lips hard against mine.

I let him lead, despite wanting to tear his clothing off right then and there. His lips were warm and slightly chapped, but they felt perfect against mine. Will couldn't seemed to decide what to do with hands, leaving them by his sides at first but them switching to exploring my shoulders and upper back. I groaned and arched my back into his touch. Unable to help myself anymore, I slid my hands down his chest to the hem of his T-shirt. Immediately he froze. Damn it. I pulled back, expecting him to dissolve into the convulsive shaking fits that accompanied his panic attacks, but he just stared at me with widened amber eyes.

"I... I can't do this." Will back himself as far up against the headboard as he could. I'd come to recognize that as his way of appeasement; Almost like a cornered animal playing dead to avoid being hurt. I felt pain for his fear but also a flash of irritation.

"I won't hurt you, Will. You know that."

"I can't. I can't. You won't want me if you knew." Tears were streaming down his face by now and I realized this was about far more than not wanting me to touch him. Apprehension tore though my gut like a silver bullet. I reach towards him, pulling Will against my body once I caught his arm. Frightened growls ripped from his throat as he writhed in my grasp, clawing with his dull human nails. I snarled back as his teeth sank deeply into my forearm.

"Damn it, Will! Stop it!"

Instantly all the fight left his body and he relaxed in my grip, panting and looking at me with wild eyes. Somehow this was worse than the cowering Will of a few moments ago. This Will lacked any of the life that even the terrified Will had show.

"Will, I won't hurt you. I promise. I just need to see what's wrong." He nodded and stared up at me with a dull expression.

"Can I take your shirt off?" I got no response except silence. My mind was in turmoil. I needed to know why he wouldn't take his shirt off or I couldn't help him, but at the same time it felt wrong to take advantage of his current passivity. I finally tugged his shirt off over his head, deciding his safe outweighed his current desires. As I looked over his now bare torso I had to fight the urge to shift. My wolf snarled and clawed at the inside of my head.

"Kill them! They touched Mine! I will leave them without breath!" His anger tinged my vision red and I clenched my hands into fists to keep my extending claws from scratching Will. A rumbling growl tore for my chest as they pierced through my palms and burst through the back of my hands. The pain cleared my head enough to allow me to rein my wolf back under my control. He further receded as Will broke from his trance to lick the wounds, allowing my claws to shrink back into nails.

As he licked the puncture wounds clean a soft hum built in his chest. I knew he was trying to sooth me but I couldn't calm down. The sight of his chest and back was burned into the back of my eyes. I could still see row upon row of interwoven scars marring his flesh. Fangs, claws, whips, and other marks I couldn't even begin to identify had dug so deeply into his flesh that even with his healing abilities he still bore the evidence. And it had happened again and again, some scars starting on top of several previous wounds; Wounds that would have killed a human and could have killed a weaker Were.

As he continued to care for me all I could do was create apologies in my head. I'm sorry I never saved you. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I haven't killed the fuckers who hurt you. None of them made it past my sealed lips and impossibly dry throat. All I knew was that some day, maybe some day soon, I would find Will's old Alpha and I would kill him.