His scent… Maybe it was just a little bit stronger again? It was… I could smell… A hint of… roses?

Roses… Now that was odd. I didn’t think I was the kind of man who enjoyed the scent of flowers… But Rene’s scent wasn’t lying. It was strong enough now for me to detect it. And I did have a large garden, so…

I smiled. Roses, huh…? Now I knew his scent, and I couldn’t wait for it to grow strong. I wanted to learn every little detail in it. And about him.

I pulled my nose away so I could study his skin instead. I carefully touched his bare shoulder with my fingers, caressing him. He had soft skin… Warm and smooth. But the scars and the bones… How could anyone do such a thing to someone so innocent and kind? The alpha in me was slowly getting enraged, just like I was.

I should’ve tortured that man to death… I regretted killing him so fast. He should’ve spent weeks bleeding out. I entertained myself by picturing all the things I would’ve done to Lonnie Hill if I’d had the chance… My trusty old cigar cutter would’ve had a lot of use, that was for sure… His dick would’ve also been small enough for it, I imagined…

Rene shifted in his sleep, and my full attention was on him. I watched with a smile on my face as he continued moving, but then came the little sounds that hurt my heart and took away my smile. His little whimpers sounded like he was afraid or in pain. He was having a nightmare.  

“Hey, Rene…” I whispered in his ear, caressing his shoulder soothingly. “You’re all right, my darling boy… I’m here. I’m watching over you.”

Little by little, he settled back down, but his sleep didn’t seem so peaceful anymore. He’d told me he slept better with me here. How often did he have nightmares? And how many nights had he slept in this bed in fear, all alone, while I could’ve been there to protect him? That thought crushed my heart.

I gently wrapped him in my arms and held him tightly, hoping he could feel me there and that his nightmare was over.

It didn’t take long for him to start waking up. I caressed him slowly while he moved around, his breathing changing. I couldn’t see him opening his eyes, but it was easy to tell the exact moment when he did. His body tensed, and he cowered under my touch in fear.

“Hey baby… It’s just me, Michael,” I murmured soothingly, but he…

He didn’t respond to me.

“Hey? Rene? What’s wrong, baby boy?” I tried again, pushing myself up to see his face.

He was completely shut down again. I hurried to get out of the bed and made my way around it to sit in front of him. He didn’t react to me at all. His eyes were glazed and his hands trembled as he held them tightly against his chest, like trying to protect himself.

“Rene?” I tried again, bringing my hand closer, but I didn’t dare to touch him, fearing I’d only make things worse.

His breathing grew hard while I tried to decide what to do. My presence must’ve scared him or his alpha or both. But what was I supposed to do…? I took a moment to calm myself first. He wasn’t in danger, and my panicking wasn’t going to help anybody, so I had to stay calm.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, baby boy…” I whispered, carefully touching the back of his hand. “Don’t worry, you’re safe here with me. You’re all right…”

He blinked, twice, his breathing changing again. He sniffed the air, and suddenly, his eyes met mine.

“Hey, baby boy,” I said with a smile. “It’s just me.”

He let out a deep breath, his eyes and expression turning soft. “Sorry…” he whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said reassuringly.

He shook his head, taking my hand in his. “I had… a nightmare…”

“I know, baby… Listening to it broke my heart,” I told him, slowly touching his cheek. “Did I scare you?”

“Just my alpha,” he said. “I knew it was you all along.”

I smiled at him wider. “Yeah?”

He gave me a little smile back. “Yeah. But my alpha took control so fast… It’s… It’s still afraid…”

His expression turned scared again, so I quickly shushed at him gently. “I know, I know… Everything is all right now. You’re safe here with me.”

His smile returned. “I know. And my alpha knows that, too.”

“Good,” I murmured, caressing his cheek. “You’ll both grow big and strong in time.”

He didn’t say anything, only smiled at me, his hold on my hand growing tighter. I watched his beauty for a while, but then heard a small growl coming from under the covers.

“You sound hungry,” I noted.

“I’m starving…” he breathed out.

“Now that’s a very good sign,” I said, standing up. “Come. I’ll make you a big breakfast.”

He sat up slowly, but then stopped, holding onto his covers. There was something in his eyes when he looked at me. Nervousness?

“What’s the matter?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head and looked away, but only a brief moment later, he carefully peered at me. At my body, to be precise. I looked down as well, wondering if I had something weird going on with my clothes, only to realize I had none on me except for my boxers.

“Right… I should probably get dressed,” I said.

Rene looked away again, his cheeks gaining a little bit of color. I went to find my clothes so I wouldn’t make him more uncomfortable, but I only managed to get my pants on when I felt a soft touch on my back.

I turned around to see Rene standing behind me, his fingers studying my muscles. I carefully flexed at him, bowing my head when I slowly turned around.

“You’re strong…” he whispered.

“Strong enough to protect you,” I said quietly while he touched my chest.

He then looked at himself, his bony arms and legs. “I’m… I’m weak.”

“Not for long, darling boy. You’ll grow big and strong in no time. I’ll give you everything you need to get better.”

He nodded lightly, then surprised me by hugging me. I hugged him gently when he rested his head on my shoulder, hiding himself under my arms.

“I’ll protect you forever,” I promised.

He hugged me tighter without replying to me.

Once he felt safe enough, we exited his room and made our way down to the kitchen. He was still timid as he followed me quietly, and stayed by my side when I started cooking. Little by little, he found his courage again and took a few steps from me to explore the kitchen. He pulled open cabinets and drawers as he looked around, and I hoped he was curious not only because he was bored, but because… because it was his home now.

He returned to me after a moment and stopped right next to me to rub his nose against my shoulder. With a smile, I brought my nose as close to his as my neck would allow me, and he didn’t hesitate to bond with me a little.

I loved his breath on my face. I loved his gentle little nose tickling mine. And I loved that smile on his face… Those relaxed, baby blue eyes on me… When I had to turn back to my cooking so I wouldn’t burn our bacon, he continued rubbing his cheek on my shoulder.

I did most of the talking while we ate. Rene seemed to be in a good mood, and his timidness faded over time, but he didn’t really have a lot to say. He did reply to me if I asked something, and laughed at my stupid jokes, but otherwise he stayed silent and just listened to me. It wasn’t a big deal. He was still only getting used to being around me, after all.

But after we finished eating, and I was clearing out the table, it was he who broke the silence.

“It’s not raining anymore,” he noted carefully.

“Uh-huh. It's very nice weather now,” I said, facing him. “Do I sense a question?”

He gave me a shy smile. “You promised to show me around your garden.”

“That I did,” I said with a smile, walking to him. “Would you like to go for a little walk?”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes shining.

“All right,” I said, touching his arm, giving him a little rub. “Let me finish cleaning up and we can go check it out.”