Hendrik changed into his mortal form as soon as he understood what was happening.
Dead. He repeated to himself. Is he really dead?
Near the creature's body, his blurred vision came across something that made his blood boil and prepared him to end the life of any human who dared to come close enough.
A whip, sinking into the layer of snow covering the ground, stained with a bright crimson color at one end.
The whip they used to harm that creature.
He could never find the right words to describe the shock that gripped his soul at that moment, so many emotions hitting him so suddenly, so much resentment and pain mixed with the most heartbreaking agony.
There, in that forest full of despair and suffering, Hendrik was overcome by feelings he had never experienced before.
During his time as a rescuer, he had witnessed the suffering that the Omegas endured at the hands of humans. He himself had carried dozens of dying creatures in his arms as they gasped their last breath, but this... this was fucking different for him.
The tightness in his chest grew until it became suffocating. He felt like he couldn't breathe, and at the same time, something inside him seemed to refuse to let the air in.
It was such an intense clash of sensations that he could even feel the pain escaping from within him. It became real, tangible, materializing in every tiny part of his body.
It hurts; hurts like the depth of a latent wound.
The trembling of his limbs became increasingly evident. Even with the low temperature outside, he knew that the shivering taking over his body was not due to the cold. Tears streamed down his cheeks in a silent cry that he felt unable to control, and when a broken sob escaped him, he could only quickly cover his lips with both hands.
Then, he heard it.
His crying was accompanied by another, more audible cry. Both found and lost themselves in the noise of nature.
He didn't stop to wonder if the sound was a figment of his imagination or not. He quickly closed the distance, his movements nothing more than delicate and gentle touches, with no intention of causing any further harm.
Hendrik didn't want to do anything that could hurt the unknown figure.
He took care to break the ropes that held the stranger's arms immobile, forcing himself to ignore the horrific red marks left on the thin wrists.
As soon as he undid the ropes, the fragile body fell forward limply. Hendrik reacted immediately and rushed to catch it before hit the forest floor.
His fingers burned when he felt the coldness of that unfamiliar skin, and his wolf, still reeling from the recent emotional turmoil, seemed to find some comfort in the sudden touch.
More. He begged inside. Just a little more.
He couldn't help thinking how unusual this whole situation was for him and his instincts. This wasn't how he usually reacted when he encountered creatures in need of help, the desperation of his spirit to breathe in a little more of that scent, to protect a complete stranger... it was nothing he had ever experienced before.
He knew this was a male Omega; he could easily tell from the refined scent emanating from him.
The smell of Alphas was much rougher and more intense than Omegas, and from the way he had found him, it was clear that he was a prisoner of men.
A wolf could never cause such harm to his own kind. He knew that.
Once he managed to free him, the first thing he did was place two fingers on his neck, feeling only a faint pulse beneath. He focused his attention on his bare chest and, to his relief, could detect the movement of the Omega's chest as it rose and fell.
Good, at least he's breathing.
For now.
His wolf growled at his thoughts.
Do something to keep him breathing, you idiot! Our Omega is dying!
No. He couldn't let that happen.
Taking care not to touch the gaping wounds, he lifted the body into his arms and, slowly, walked away from the horrific, bloody scene he had found upon his arrival.
Hendrik didn't stop until he reached one of the farthest pine trees, leaned his back against the oak, and, without losing his grip, carefully lowered himself onto the wet snow until he was sitting with the unconscious Omega in his lap.
He sighed.
His mind was working wildly, searching for a solution that could help him save that creature's life, anything that could give him a little hope for the frantic beating of his heart.
As if his own worries weren't enough, Edward's words came to his mind before he could stop them.
You can't save them all.
It was what his father had repeated to him time and time again, more times than he could count, and although he knew that reminder carried deep meaning, at that moment, it felt more like a condemnation to which he refused to succumb.
He could do it, there had to be a way.
If only...
His fingers instinctively clung to his grip and he looked down at the unfamiliar face that, until then, had been hidden behind long, sweaty coppery hair.
“Omega?” he asked in a low voice, getting no response as he expected. His lips trembled and his own hair ended up falling over his forehead. “I'm sorry... I can't take you home...”
His right arm continued to hold the body, uncertain and hesitant, while he used his free hand to brush the damp hair away from Omega's face.
Leaving a clear path, Hendrik was not prepared to encounter that face.
Such a beautiful face.
So perfect that it took his breath away.
His emerald eyes fixed on that face as if the rest of the world had just become blurred before that beauty, totally mesmerized by the image before him. Analyzing it, as if his eyes had found some unknown gemstone to admire.
A sparkling treasure, with a brilliance that had remained hidden from those who did not deserve to admire it. Protecting itself from the wrong kind of gaze.
Every feature of that creature seemed to have been hand-drawn by the Gods themselves. Even with the bruises and wounds marring his skin, he still retained an extraordinary beauty.
The Omega's cheekbones were prominent and striking, standing out until adorned by the touch of long, thick, raised eyelashes, slightly darker than the color of his hair. His lips, battered by small injuries, were thin and fragile, just maintaining a faint reddish color in those low temperatures. And, even in his emaciated state, he seemed to retain a subtle golden color in his skin.
As if the sun's rays shone only for him.
Hendrik thought about all those stories his mother used to tell him when he was a cub and how beautiful the Omegas she described were.
You can't be real, he thought. You must come from some magical story.
Against his own wishes, he didn't allow himself a second more to admire the creature. Obeying the commands of his instincts, he maneuvered carefully until he found a suitable position where the Omega's back was facing him. With one hand, he held his belly, and with the other, he held him by the chest, without exerting any pressure, simply preventing him from falling face-first to the ground.
As soon as he was a few inches away from the painful exposed marks, his wolf forced him to begin licking each of the open wounds that appeared. And, unable to refuse, he brought the taste of the blood to his mouth, without eliciting any reaction from the one who would surely have fainted from the pain.
The saliva of the Alphas and Omegas acted as a healing balm for their own kind, he knew, providing calming and medicinal effects on the cells of those who received the oldest treatment of their species.
However, Hendrik was aware that using that method of healing on an unknown Omega would be considered a terrible lack of respect on his part.
They were not related or bonded; there was no link between them, and under other circumstances, doing something like that without the other's permission would surely mean punishment for the disrespectful Alpha.
Still, it was the only solution he could find at that moment. He didn't think he had enough time to go ask Keith for help, much less could he distract himself by looking for the rest of his partners.
He licked each cut cautiously and didn't stop even when his tongue began to feel rough and the metallic taste of fresh blood made him gag. He continued to go over the battered areas for what seemed like an eternity, growling in frustration when he realized that the appearance of the stinging marks didn't seem to be improving at all.
His wolf whimpered sadly inside him.
My poor Omega.
The minutes passed in abysmal silence without improvement, only the click of his tongue hitting against skin and the frustrated moans he let out when he realized his failure becoming the only thing his ears could hear.
Out of pure instinct, a warning growl emerged from his chest when his wolf recognized the traces of a new scent making its way, and it didn't take long for him to realize that the trail of vanilla mixed with a noticeable concern belonged to his best friend.
“Hendrik!” Keith's figure in his mortal form appeared in his field of vision just a couple of seconds later, stopping abruptly when he heard the new round of growls that the Alpha let out. “What the hell do you think you're doing? We have to get out of...”
The words stopped suddenly as Keith's eyes fell on the strange scene before him.
Hendrik couldn't care less how he looked at that moment, surely seeming like a complete freak with the unconscious body of an Omega in his lap, both covered in blood mixed with the snow around them.
He wanted to hit himself as soon as he realized it.
The temperature was dropping to freezing, and the Omega was barely wearing some torn rags that couldn't cover him properly. He knew that Omegas weren't as resistant to the cold as wolves. They were creatures with great emotional strength, but physically, their bodies tended to be more sensitive to changes in nature.
He wanted to cover him, wrap him in a warm blanket.
A creature that smelled as sweet as he did, should be kept warm and soft.
“Hendrik?” Keith tried to approach, immediately earning another roar that came out before he could stop it. His friend's familiar brown eyes widened in amazement. “Hendrik, what's going on? What are you doing?”
Honestly, it was the same thing he was wondering.
His head was a sea of confusion constantly drowning him, his instincts didn't let him think clearly, reacting on their own, his body moving before he could realize what was happening, and his heart wouldn't stop beating as if it were about to explode at any second.
On top of that, his damn wolf seemed to have become completely unstable and insane because of that scent.
“H-help...” he muttered, trying to convince himself that these strange and sudden protective desires were triggered solely by his rescue duties. “He needs my help...”
He needs me.
“Hendrik, we have to go.” Keith tried to ignore the strange situation and simply repeated the instructions they both knew. “The rest of the wolves are gone now. If we stay here, the humans will find us soon.”
The Alpha's response was to continue licking, completely ignoring Keith's words. He couldn't leave the Omega in that condition; he had to help him, get him away from the men and heal his wounds, cover him from the cold, and stay by his side until he could open his eyes again.
What color would they be? Could they be as beautiful as his face?
Surely, they should be so captivating and sublime.
“Hendrik, listen to me...” Once again, Keith tried to get closer, caring little about the look the youngest gave him. “We have to leave, now. You can’t help him, look at him, it’s only a matter of time before...”
“Shut up!” Hendrik roared. “Don't you dare say that... he, he's going to be fine, I'm going to save him!”
You have to. You have to save him.
He had to succeed. Because if he failed, he didn't know what might happen to his heartbroken wolf.
Keith finally reached his side and, avoiding the motionless body, brought his hand to Hendrik's cheek, forcing him to connect their eyes in a deep gaze. The wolf's rigid expression immediately relaxed when he encountered a pair of bright emeralds filled with newly discovered emotions.
“Hennie...” he tried, using that ridiculous loving nickname his family had given him since they were cubs. “I know you want to help him, I understand, but you can’t do it.” Keith glanced briefly at the wounds on the Omega’s body and immediately looked away, horrified by the image. “You can’t absorb his pain, there’s nothing you can do to help him.”
Absorb his pain. That was what Hendrik wanted.
He needed to do something to ease Omega's suffering, to help him get through the pain somehow. But how? How could he make someone else's pain his own?
“Is he going to die?” Tears welled up in his eyes again and his mouth felt shaky. Saying those words hurt, hurt in the way that ripping out a living heart would hurt.
Keith gave him a smile he knew perfectly well, lips closed and eyes incapable of conveying any hint of happiness.
It was that smile.
The same one Keith had given him for the first time years ago, when Hendrik's mother and sister died and he did nothing but cry in his little friend's arms for hours.
The same one he gave him every time Hendrik ran to take refuge in his home when some creature made him feel like a piece of shit, unworthy of living.
The same smile that didn't convey Keith's genuine happiness, but was instead more of a bright consolation after feeling so much pain inside.
He hated that smile, so full of compassion and sadness.
“It's a matter of time,” he repeated. “ We'd better leave before it happens.”
Once again, Hendrik couldn't hold back the tears. If his wolf had managed to cling to a small shred of hope before, his friend's words had sent him straight into a bottomless abyss.
No. He whimpered. Don't let him go. Save him, you have to.
He rested his head on the creature's bare shoulder, sobbing and mentally reviewing all his healing knowledge, every lesson Lucas had taught him so fervently. He had to find a way; there had to be a way to save him.
If he couldn't help him, if he couldn't find a way, what was the point of continuing to be a rescuer?
He felt the crystal-clear drops hitting the Omega's skin and turned his head, coming face to face with the creature's skeletal neck.
A fleeting idea crossed his mind.
What if he...
Do it!
With blurred vision, he searched for any trace of a mark, and a sickening satisfaction ran through his soul as he realized the purity of that being's soft skin. He swallowed hard, wondering if he had lost his mind or was truly desperate.
Do it now! Save him!
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Keith, who was watching his every move, waiting for the right opportunity to pull him away from that body and surely take him back home by force.
Hendrik couldn't allow that. If he left without that Omega, if he abandoned him to his fate, he was sure his wolf would push him into a pit of pure despair and sadness.
He wanted him by his side so badly that it was frightening.
Before his thoughts drove him completely mad, he gathered his courage and did it.
He sank his fangs into the Omega's neck.
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