The wolf's expression darkened at an alarming speed, all the warmth and affection he had been conveying replaced by a look of disgust.
Edward took several steps back, fixed his gaze on some random point in the room, and, letting out a deep exhale, spoke.
“Lucas tended to his wounds,” he murmured in a lower tone than usual, as if he were making a great effort to keep his voice calm. "The process was complicated and very risky, his condition was extremely delicate, but they managed to help him. The Omega is not out of danger yet, but if he continues to recover, he should stabilize in the next few days."
At his words, Hendrik felt an immense sense of calm suddenly wash over him.
The strange feeling that had been growing in his chest since he woke up seemed to stop for a moment, and his wolf breathed a sigh of relief as well. It worked, he thought, the unfinished bond, the pain he himself experienced, the energy he transferred to the Omega's body, it really worked.
He could save him.
He was about to smile, happy that his sacrifice had been worth it. However, the happiness that overwhelmed him was nothing more than a momentary feeling before the harsh blow of reality.
“The Omega has to go, Hendrik,” his father's voice echoed within the four walls, his stare returning to the eyes opposite him. He wasn't questioning, nor was he even asking for his opinion; it was a direct order.
“What?” Restless, he could barely whisper.
While in another situation, Edward would surely have responded with paternal sweetness, his authoritative tone remained firm as he explained,
“No creature from outside, Alpha or Omega, is welcome in this pack, you know that.”
No. He couldn't force him to leave in that condition. He himself had said it; the Omega still had to recover. If he sent him outside, wounded and without any support, he would surely not survive.
And, more importantly, Hendrik didn't want him to leave.
He wanted to help him heal his wounds, give him everything he needed during and after his recovery, feed him with delicious meals until he gained some weight, provide him with a comfortable and safe place to sleep.
He wanted to take care of him, erase the torture he had experienced with humans from his memory, and, if he accepted it, give him a dignified life in his village, without worries or pain.
He wished he could look him in the eyes and ask him if he felt the same way. If there was a chance that they were truly meant to find each other, or if it was just him who believed he had found his other half.
“You can't...”
“It's decided, he'll leave as soon as he wakes up.” Edward murmured before he could continue.
By that point, any hint of familiarity had completely disappeared from his face. Hendrik knew he was no longer standing in front of his loving and understanding father, no, he was standing in front of Edward Zolvryck, the Alpha leader of the pack.
“No... you can't do that,” he insisted, determined not to be intimidated by the imposing presence of the Alpha who had given him life. “Dad, listen to me, he can't leave, I marked him, you know? Did you see his neck? I bit him and I really think...”
“I saw the mark,” the leader interrupted him again, causing Hendrik to exhale with genuine frustration. “Why did you do that, cub?”
His back straightened at that question and his heartbeat quickened. For a fleeting moment, his scent seemed to match the intensity of his father's essence, but it didn't last long enough. He looked at the Alpha, trying to convey all the determination that was taking hold of his spirit.
“He's my Omega,” he said loud and clear.
His wolf stirred inside him, satisfied to hear his confirmation.
My Omega, it seemed to purr. My Omega, I found my Omega.
Edward, on the other hand, was not very happy to hear this.
“He's an unknown creature you brought to this village,” he reproached. “Were you even thinking about what you were doing? Do you know the danger you put the whole pack in?”
Hendrik couldn't fucking believe his father was calling a being who could barely fight to stay alive dangerous. What danger could it possibly mean? How dangerous could someone be who wasn't even capable of staying awake to defend himself?
“Danger?” he scoffed. “What nonsense are you talking about?” He couldn't help but mutter irritably.
“Watch your language, cub.”
Hendrik tugged at his hairline in an attempt to hold back everything he really wanted to say. Instead, he chose to find a way to put into words all the emotions and thoughts that had been swirling around in his head since he first caught the Omega’s scent.
How could he explain a connection that even he didn't understand?
Tell him, his wolf, capricious, kept stirring inside him. Tell him he's our Omega.
Swallowing hard, Hendrik sighed.
“You were the one who taught me that a bond is formed when you find your soul mate,” he said in a tone that appeared calm. Remembering the feelings that overwhelmed him that day in the forest. “I-I... don't know that Omega, you're right, what I did was stupid and risky, but something inside me knows that it's him. My wolf recognized him, there's something inside me that somehow clings to him, i-if you'd let me prove it to you...”
If that Omega hadn't awakened feelings in him that he had never experienced before, if he hadn't felt so desperate to stop his pain, so attracted to his scent, so fucking devastated when he thought he was dead, so desperate to save him... Did Edward really believe that he would have marked him just like that?
That he would risk his own life just because?
Hendrik could be too impulsive and clumsy at times, Keith was a witness to that, but he would never act so recklessly without a reason.
Why couldn't Edward understand that?
Hendrik wasn't fucking stupid...
His words didn't seem to be enough to convince Edward. The Alpha's expression didn't change one bit, making it clear that he had made his decision.
“I'm not going to open the doors of my home to a stranger,” he declared. “Your bond is incomplete, the mark you put on his neck will eventually fade, and your connection will disappear over time. It's best that he leaves as soon as possible.”
Hendrik wanted to yell at him, reproach him for believing he could make decisions that belonged only to the Omega and him. Edward was his father and the Alpha of his pack, but that gave him no right to interfere in something that was beyond the understanding of any of his own.
Not even the most powerful wolf in the world could override a sacred bond.
“Are you even listening to anything I'm saying?” he asked incredulously. “I'm your son, and I'm telling you that I've found my Omega, but you don't seem to care at all.” His tone rose rapidly until he ended up raising his voice. “Stop acting like that damn emotionless Alpha everyone wants you to be!”
He didn't hate Edward, of course not. On the contrary, he was so valuable to Hendrik that it would be painful to imagine a life without his father by his side.
However, at times, he came to hate the heavy burden the wolf carried on his shoulders. At moments like this, Hendrik didn't want to listen to that all-powerful Alpha that the pack members admired so devotedly. All he wanted was to have an honest conversation with his dad.
If his mother were there, would she understand? Would she be on his side? Or would she think it was all nonsense, just like his father?
“You are my son, but that does not mean I will forget that you have broken the most important rule of this pack.” The Alpha leader spoke after a moment of silence, ignoring the younger wolf's blatant offense. “What you did will be punished, as it would have been with any other wolf. You made a mistake and you will have to fix it.”
Hendrik let out a humorless chuckle.
“A mistake? You’re unbelievable…”
His father truly believed that finding and saving his Omega was nothing more than a mistake, a whim of an idiot cub who seemed to have no better way to waste his time. He could certainly imagine that the rest of the outside world shared the same thought, and more than a few would not hesitate to throw in his face how stupid he had been and how, thanks to his privileges, he would surely end up without any punishment.
Silence reigned between them again for several minutes, that strange feeling forming in his chest returning with greater intensity until it left him with a lump in his throat. The hairs on his arms stood on end when a sudden chill attacked him, and the image of Edward suddenly became blurred to his eyes.
Anna was right, he still hadn't fully recovered. He knew it from the way his arms could barely lift high enough before falling limply to his sides, from the way his legs didn't even have half their usual strength, and from the annoying throbbing in his head that spread until it pierced behind his eyes.
He also knew that it was very unlikely that his condition would improve in the next few hours, aware that it wouldn't happen until the Omega recovered as well.
Once he had taken all the energy necessary to keep himself out of danger, they could both begin to heal properly.
Hendrik couldn't deny how surprised he felt when he experienced the effects of a bond firsthand. The transfer of energy, the voice he heard in his head in the forest, were things he never imagined he would experience.
It was so strange, but... somehow, it felt good to do it.
Edward let out a sigh after another moment of silence, his brow furrowed and his eyes closed, momentarily showing a slight trace of vulnerability that he never let anyone outside his family see.
“I understand that you're angry with me, cub. But I'm doing this to protect you,” he said in a calmer voice before looking up again. “I couldn't bear it if that creature did anything to hurt you, son.”
“But...”
“Have you forgotten what happened, Hendrik?” The leader interrupted him, with palpable pain marked in those simple words that was impossible to ignore. “Do you want history to repeat itself?”
No, that was the last thing he wanted. He never wanted to go through such heartbreaking torment again as they had in the past.
“You don't know if that will happen,” he tried to comfort him without arguments, “We can't go on living like this, you can't judge him that way,” he denied. “It's unfair to do so!”
Even with the fragility in his voice, Edward did not give in.
“I can't allow that creature to be part of my pack,” the Alpha said sternly. “And he will never be part of my family. He's going to leave, cub. I'm sorry.”
Enough.
He 'd just had enough of all this nonsense. His wolf was not only filled with indignation and disappointment, but also felt damn annoyed by the words he was hearing.
Can't you trust me? Hold on just a little longer?
“If he's not part of your pack or your family, then I don't want to be either,” Hendrik declared with sudden confidence, without hesitation or looking away from the headlights ahead. “If he leaves, I'll go with him.”
His father tried to stifle a low growl, without really succeeding. The leader's countenance became rigid and authoritative again, accompanied by a gesture of obvious disgust.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Watch your language, Edward.
“He's my Omega, I'm sure of it. I'm going to take care of him, even if it means going against you,” he declared. He wasn't questioning him, he wasn't asking for his opinion on the matter. He had made up his mind.
Edward's scent suddenly intensified, becoming difficult to breathe in such a small space. He was upset, it was more than obvious, and somehow Hendrik felt proud to have broken the Alpha's cold shell and forced him to show at least one real emotion.
Mom wouldn't want to see you being an emotionless leader for the rest of your life, he thought.
“I won't let you do something crazy. Your place is here, with your pack.”
It might be crazy, he agreed. Leaving behind all his comforts and his family to go off with a stranger with no destination sounded like fucking madness. Where would they go? Humans would try to hunt them down at the first opportunity, and neither of them was in any condition to survive out there.
Keith would surely never allow such a thing, and Alexander wouldn't even give him a chance to set foot outside the village in his condition.
It was an absurd idea, but he couldn't stand idly by and watch an innocent person be left to fend for themselves, much less accept that this Omega would leave his side, not when he hadn't even been able to get the answers his heart so desperately sought. Hendrik was willing to do anything crazy to stay with the one he believed to be his soul mate.
“My place is with that Omega,” he repeated aloud, instantly regretting what escaped his lips right after that. “I'll take care of him... like you should have taken care of Mom.”
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