“Morning,” I said and took a better look at him. He really didn’t seem happy with me as he walked in, holding a black bag in his hands. “I take it your trip was successful?”

He glared at me and slowly closed the door. “Don’t know about success, but…”

I nodded slowly. “Did you get what I asked?”

“I did,” Francis said, dropping the bag on the floor. “But don’t ask me to do it again. I’m… I don’t want to do that again… It’s too much…” he trailed off, his eyes glazing over.

“You know I can’t promise you that,” I said quietly. “I would’ve gone myself, but the kid…”

“No. You better make someone else do it. I came out of it alive only because of my partner,” he hissed at me. “No. Sorry, Boss, but my answer is no.”

“You’re my right hand,” I said. “Who else am I going to ask? I could only trust you with this task.”

“No. I will quit and leave this fucking group if you ever make me do that again!”

“Oh my God, Francis, you were just buying clothes!” I groaned. “It’s not that terrible.”

He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. “You don’t get it. Tanya dragged me to a mall. A mall! All the bright lights! Stupid jingles everywhere! ‘Pay for ten, get two!’. And the teens? The teens?! I will never set foot in that place ever again!”

While he went on and on about the horrors of a shopping mall, I grabbed the bag and opened it. It was filled with new clothes for the kid.

“I do appreciate this, Francis. I knew you could do it. You are a very brave man,” I praised him. “And please thank Tanya for giving us a hand. These clothes look great.”

He only bared his teeth at me.

I ignored it and peered at the second floor. “He’s resting now, but maybe we could try if he’d like to meet you?”

Francis dropped his act and looked up as well. “I can’t say I’m not curious to see how he’s doing now.”

“Come. Let’s give it a go,” I said, took the bag, and headed upstairs.

When I stopped behind the kid’s door, I had an idea, and gave the bag back to Francis. “Hold this for me.”

He nodded while I opened the door and peered in. The kid was awake, sitting in an armchair by the window, and watching the yard. I smiled when he turned to look at me.

“Hey, kid. You remember Francis? The ugly guy who was with me when you first got here?” I asked.

He frowned lightly. I’d talked about my right-hand man to him, but I doubted he could actually remember him.

“Well, he’s got something for you,” I said with a smile, then gestured for Francis to follow me as I stepped in. “He went out of his way to get new clothes for you.”

“Hi,” Francis said, trying to look friendly. “Uh… What’s up?”

The kid stayed in the chair, his expression turning a bit timid, his frame becoming smaller.

“It’s all right,” I said soothingly as I made my way to him. “Francis is a good guy. He won’t hurt you.”

The kid stared at me when I crouched in front of him, resting my hand on his arm. I gave him time to adjust, and eventually, he did turn back to Francis. There was more curiosity in his eyes now. Francis stayed patient and waited by the door, maintaining his friendly expression. He was good at reading people, so I was sure everything was going to go just fine. The kid just needed a moment to remember he was actually very, very brave.

“Can he hang out with us for a moment?” I asked.

He glanced at me and gave me a little nod.

“Great! You need to see the clothes he got you,” I told him. “Can he bring them here?”

The kid nodded again, but when I gestured for Francis to approach us, he lost a little bit of his bravery, and his posture dropped more.

“It’s all right, baby boy,” I said quietly, caressing his arm. “It’s just good old Francis.”

“You look great now, by the way,” Francis said quietly, leaving plenty of distance between himself and the kid. “It’s nice to meet the real you. Last time, I only met your alpha.”

“Look, here’s your new clothes. You don’t have to borrow mine anymore,” I said, taking the bag from Francis, and putting it down at the kid’s feet.

The kid was still trying to figure Francis out, but eventually he decided to tolerate my right hand, and peered into the bag. He slowly leaned in to pull a T-shirt out of it. It was a black one with a colorful picture printed on the front. It was clear these new clothes were too big for him, but he’d grow into them.

“Better than my old rags, huh?” I asked with a smirk.

The kid fiddled with the fabric for a moment, his timidness subsiding, while his eyes gained more shine. I had a smile on my face the entire time I watched him pulling out more clothes so he could take a better look at them. He seemed happy.

“I take it you like them,” I said gently.

He gave me a little nod while he studied his new hoodie.

“That’s great,” Francis said quietly, smiling as he watched the kid go through his gift.

“So… What did you say about your trip to the mall?” I asked him, grinning.

He waved his hand dismissively. “It was fine.”

I laughed lightly at his words, then turned back to the kid.

“I bet they look good on you,” I told him. “We can step outside if you want to try them on.”

He held the hoodie and turned to me with excitement in his eyes.

“Okay – we’ll wait outside then,” I told him, patted his arm, then left the room with Francis following me.

“He does look so much better now,” Francis said once we stood in the hallway, behind the closed door.

“He does, doesn’t he?” I said, feeling happy, but it faded fast. “So, uh… Have you found anything? His… His family?”

“Nothing, Boss,” he said, and sighed. “If I have to guess, he’s either not from here, or he’s lived on the streets. Trust me, I’ve asked everyone. No one knows him. No one can find anything.”

I nodded slowly, hating myself for feeling… relief. “Maybe… Maybe he doesn’t have anyone.”

“Have you asked him?”

I froze for a brief second. “I… No. Not yet.”

Because I didn’t want to…

“Maybe he can give us a clue or two. Maybe even a name. He’s still not talking, is he?”

“Trust me, the second he starts talking, I will let the entire world know about it,” I said, chuckling.

Francis snorted in amusement, then fell silent, his eyes studying me. “Or… You know… We can just give up. He can stay with us.”

“No,” I said immediately, turning my back to him. “That’s not fair to him.”

“He’s bonding with you,” he noted.

“No. Just… No…” I said quietly, letting out a sigh. “We’ll find his family.”

“Uh-huh… Or we let him decide what he wants,” he said tentatively.

“No, let’s not do this,” I told him.

He hummed lightly. “Sure. Sorry.”

I shook my head and only a moment later, the kid came to open the door, wearing his brand new, dark-gray sweatpants and a big, green hoodie. He wasn’t smiling per se, but his expression was so bright he nearly was.

“See? That’s so much better,” I said. “You look so good. And comfy.”

And there it was… His first smile. It was small and shy… and beautiful. My heart melted watching him and his shining eyes. I lost sight of them when he looked down, spreading his arms to see the clothes.

Francis patted my shoulder, and when he looked at me, he raised his eyebrows at me, smirking. I ignored him. I knew what he was trying to suggest. That I felt something for the kid. But it didn’t matter. This boy was better off without criminals in his life.

He suddenly stepped next to me, patting my arm like he had something important to tell me.

“Hmm?”

He pointed something at the opposite side of his room, then looked back at me with bright eyes.

“What is it?” I asked, and he pointed at something again. There was only the chair with his clothes spread out all over it. “Something about your clothes?”

He let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at me, then perked back up and gestured for me to follow him.

“What is it?” I asked again when he stopped next to the chair, but he was pointing out the window. “What are you… Oh! You want to go outside?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, okay, sure,” I said, smiling at his energy. He was so lively today… “I did promise you a tour around the garden.”

But the kid seemed to have something else on his mind before we could go. He turned to Francis and carefully approached him. He stopped a few feet away from him, then bowed his head a little, smiling at him.

“You’re welcome, kiddo,” Francis said.

It was such a cute little moment. Of course, Francis, with his steady, calm nature, was able to win over the kid. He was the more level-headed of the two of us, after all, so if I could do it, so could he. The kid already liked him, and I was happy to see how easily he was able to accept a new person in his life. It meant his fear was finally subsiding.

A moment later, I pushed open the door to my backyard. The kid stood next to me, looking both excited and scared to step outside. When the door was fully open, he stepped closer to me, seeking reassurance as he looked around like a wild animal, his eyes wide. I guess it still was his alpha mostly in charge, and the human in him was still too afraid to deal with new situations.

“Ready?” I asked, nudging his arm.

He didn’t reply to me. I waited for a moment, but when he didn’t give any attention to me, I took half a step forward. He immediately glanced at me and followed my example, making sure to stay right next to me.

“It’s all right, baby boy,” I said calmly. “You’re safe here. I’ll watch your back, don’t worry.”

His alpha’s presence was really strong now. I would’ve loved to know if his human side had gotten overwhelmed and retreated, or if the alpha in him became so worried it stole the control from him. Perhaps both? But one thing was sure: if this didn’t change, we’d hang out by the door for a while and then go back upstairs, to his safe place. He was making such good progress I didn’t want to take any risks to ruin it.

And of course, my own alpha was getting worried. It already reacted strongly to the younger one’s distress, and to make things worse, it couldn’t figure out why the boy was so alarmed. It couldn’t sense the threat, but in its strong need to protect the younger alpha, it refused to calm down in case we were missing something.

After a few deep breaths, I took another small step forward and stopped just outside the door. The kid followed me quickly, but this time he hid partly behind my shoulder, gluing himself to me. I carefully looked back at him. He stared at the fences without blinking, the bright, cloudy sky turning the blue color of his eyes almost icy. His chin rubbed against my shoulder whenever he turned his head, distracting me.

“You’re all right,” I murmured to him, searching for his hand. I found it and took it gently in mine. “You’re safe here, little one.”

I guess he believed me. Little by little, his eyes finally softened, and his body relaxed. There was a clear moment when his alpha retreated and gave more room to his human. It was almost like he woke up from a trance, and he calmed down, calming me down.

“Hey, baby boy,” I said when he peered up at me. “Did your alpha get a little worried?”

He wrinkled his nose with a little sigh. I took that as an annoyed yes.

I chuckled. “It’s just trying to protect you. And it’s doing a very good job.”

He turned his attention to the yard again, and this time he paid attention to the garden. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave my side, though. His hold on my hand was growing tighter, and he rested his chin on my shoulder as he looked around.

I suddenly didn’t feel like asking if he wanted to go for a walk around the garden. I was… quite happy like this, just standing there by the door with him. It was peaceful. He seemed content as well, and not in a hurry to explore. So… Maybe we could just stay there for a while.

There was a small cough coming from somewhere behind us. I glanced at Francis, who smirked at me, waved his hand, and left without saying a word.

“Or… You know… We can just give up. He can stay with us.”

His words echoed in my head.

I closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath. All my senses were on the kid. His hand in mine was cold. His small frame against my back was light as a feather. His chin on my shoulder barely weighed anything.

I wanted to take care of him. I wanted to be the one to take care of him.

“Do you want to take a small walk around the garden?” I asked, forcing the words out of my mouth, and turned to see him.

He looked at me without moving his head off my shoulder. His blue eyes sparkled in the light. Almost as if he had tiny silver specks in his eyes. He didn’t reply to me, but he did let out a breath, then rubbed his cheek on my shoulder.

“We can stay here as well,” I suggested.

He yawned, his eyes closing.

“Or we can take you to bed,” I said, smiling at the adorable sight. “I guess your alpha drained a lot of your energy just now.”

He nodded a little and yawned again.

“Okay. Let’s get you back to bed,” I said gently.

He stood up but didn’t let go of my hand, even when we returned inside and walked up the stairs. Once we were in his room, I led him to his bed, where he only took off his hoodie before curling up under the covers. I sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure he was well tucked in, then rested my hand on his shoulder.

“You just rest now, baby boy. I’ll stay here until you fall asleep,” I promised.

He looked up at me and gave me a soft smile. He shifted closer to me and rested back down, hugging his pillow. I stayed there, caressing his shoulder, watching him almost without blinking so I wouldn’t miss out on his beauty.

He was going to be so gorgeous in full health…

He looked back at me, his eyes only half open, but he refused to let them fall closed. I waited for a while with a feeling there was something he wanted. But he didn’t do anything.

“What’s up?” I asked. “Why are you trying to stay awake?”

He shrugged a little.

“Hmm… Don’t want to sleep?”

He shrugged again.

“Huh… Well… How about I take a nap here with you? Would you then sleep?”

He nodded. I smiled.

“I see,” I murmured, and carefully lay down next to him. “Is this better?”

He nodded.

“Okay. Will you now sleep?”

He shifted closer to me, then rested his head on my arm, curling up against me. He was smiling a little. I had no words. My emotions had stolen them from me.

I rested my hand on his side, rubbing him gently. He finally closed his eyes, snuggling his head against my arm a little, then quieted down with a content expression on his face.

I couldn’t stop smiling at him. This little alpha felt so right in my arms…

“He can stay with us…”

If I was a selfish man… And at that moment, I wanted to be. 

*****

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