Chapter 23 : Need time.

The first time Minndt opened his eyes, all he could hear was his cry of terror when he saw the medic soldiers. All these alphas around him, ready to pounce on him, to lay their hands on him. He could not. It wasn't long before darkness returned and his eyes slowly closed as his whole body was once again washed away by the waves of sleep. When Minndt opened his eyes for the second time, his first instinct was to look around. His eyes only rested on his father who stopped reading and looked up in his direction.

"Hello my son," he greeted him tenderly as he put the book down on the nightstand."Take the flow of your thoughts well, don't panic, everything is fine."

"My head hurts so much..."

"I know Minndt but you have to ease the pain on your own as I taught you. Do you feel like eating anything in particular?"

"Something sweet."

"Chocolate?"

"A lot of chocolate."

"Haha, not very much either."

"Why not?"

"Because you could end up sick. I'll get you it just keep calm here."

The younger god of spirit and feelings nodded and watched his father go before pushing back his sheets. His trembling hands loosened the waistband of his kimono before resting on his chest. The scars perceptible under his fingers made him tremble with their size and number. He remembered each of them, each feeling the knife had given him as it slashed his skin. The sensation of his blood flowing over him was so keen that the god had the impression of seeing him coming out of his wounds but it was not. Everything was properly closed and the bites on his arms were gone but the ones on his neck, were they still present? Fear gripped him as he turned to grab his phone from the nightstand.

"What are you doing?"

Minndt dropped his phone on the bed and looked at his father who was carrying a tray. The sweet smell of tea and the sight of chocolate tiles and steaming bread suddenly whetted his appetite. The door closed as soon as his father stepped into his room before placing the tray on his legs.

"I wanted to see if the marks were gone...are they still there?"

"There are no more marks, everything is gone."

"There are scars."

"They will fade a bit over time, but shalt keep them for life. However, you should not see them as a burden but as a strength. You were brave and you resist, I'm proud of you."

"My mind gave way a few times. It was horrible I felt like I was going crazy, I didn't control anything and...and…"

"And you endured it, you have been strong my son."

"What's on my temples? This is strange and painful."

"The remnants of your burns will wear off over time too. But for now, don't think about it and eat, you need it after this long sleep."

Minndt nodded and grabbed a piece of chocolate between his fingers before bringing it to his lips. He bit into it sharply and let the morsel melt on his tongue, as the pleasure flowed through his body. He needed kindness, sweetness. The rest of the chocolate didn't long outlive his appetite as the steaming buns were devoured.

"How are the others?" asked the god when there was only tea left to consume on the tray.

"The attack that there was a few days ago and their heats have reduced their form but they are fine."

"Their heat? What day is it?"

"June fifteenth and it's two-twenty o'clock in the afternoon."

"Four months...Day, how is he? Is he good with his heat?"

"He takes suppressants like Foud, don't worry he's a great teacher. He was attacked not long ago but he's recovering very well."

"Attack?!"

"Calm down, he's fine. The other dumb little fellow saved his life."

"Who?"

"Duke Orthon Monty."

Minndt flinched at the name and dropped the mug onto the tray. The still-hot tea spilt over him, but he didn't care, he was there. This alpha was in the same place as him. All his years of training and self-control were swept away in a wave of anger. He was there. The tray flew quickly across the room and the now empty mug smashed against the door when it opened.

"Get out of the way! Leave me alone!" he cried in his hoarse voice.

"Minndt-sama…"

"BACK OFF! NOW!"

The beta instantly twisted at the pain of his howl and brought his hand to his throat. A fire must have spread, the pain was so sharp and excruciating.

"My son, calm down. It's okay you are safe, no one is going to hurt you the slightest bit," his father tried to calm him down as he rubbed his hand on his hunched back.

"Go...Them…"

"Close the door please, he doesn't stand for your presence."

The shaken guard nodded emphatically and closed the door, leaving the father and son in a silence that dragged on forever.

"I'm going to run a bath for you son, don't move out of your bed. The sheets will have to be changed," his father said calmly before going into the bathroom.

It wasn't long before the water was heard and a sweet scent of soap and vanilla wafted through the room, almost instantly calming the god of spirit and feelings. The smell was sweet. The beta let his father help him out of bed and accompany him into the bathroom, his cottony legs barely supporting him to the sink he leaned on. When he felt ready, he took off his kimono and sat down on the high stool, letting the water run over his bruised body. His movements were slow and punctuated by barely audible moans but the god managed to wash his body by himself and go alone in his bath. He needed to be alone.

"I'm not far if you need me, okay? Your robe is here and your clothes are on this cabinet. I'm laying your towel here," his father informed before leaning over him."I love you, my son."

His lips placed a loving kiss on his forehead before pulling back almost immediately. Even though the bathroom door was closed, Minndt heard his bedroom door open and footsteps in his bedroom. These alphas were going to touch his sheets, his pillow, spread their alpha scent in his room and maybe even their pheromones! The mere thought was enough to make him tremble and, as if to protect himself, Minndt brought his legs closer to his chest. Steps approached the bathroom door. The door opened. The steps were near the tub.

"Hello, Minndt."

The god lifted his head from his legs and turned his head towards Day accompanied by Foud and Lou. Theyhim smiled at and stepped forward cautiously before sitting down on stools.

"Your dad told us not to make you talk too much so you can just answer with a nod, okay?" said Day softly.

The beta nodded and continued to watch him before letting a smile stretch his lips.

"You cut your hair," he pointed out in a hushed voice.

"I had to have to, getting knocked out can take a toll on the haircut."

"You in any case your voice is completely broken!" exclaimed Foud, getting up with a good foot."Come on, you look soggy, we're going to motivate you!"

"Foud, he just woke up!"Lou remembered sternly.

"Exactly! Come on, what colour do you want us to colour your bath? There are blue, pink, red and green."

"Red."

"Good choice. Come on, let's pour a generous amount!"

"It's an extremely generous amount, you put in half!" Day laughs, taking the water jet."Now the moss!"

The two omegas went into ecstasies when the foam covered the entire surface of the water, surrounding the god in the bath who just smiled.

"Haha, now you relax Minndt while we change your sheets like your father has asked us."

"No alphas?"

"It was only us who returned, don't worry. We will pass your news on to the others who would have liked to come and see you!"

The god of spirit and feelings nodded sharply from left to right and hid behind the moss, making his three friends laugh at his childish face.

"It's just us," Day repeated, putting his hand gently on the edge of the tub."You are safe, no alpha is in the room."

"None..."

"Yes, none alphas. Enjoy your bath, we will make your bed ready to welcome you in!"

The blond patted the edge of the tub before getting up, following Foud and Lou into the bedroom. He made sure to close the door and waited for them to start undoing the sheets to speak.

"He's really not well," he whispered for fear that Minndt would hear him.

"He is afraid of alphas but the monastery is full of them," Foud sighed, undoing the pillowcases.

"That is the problem…"

"He's going to have to face it," Lou asserted as she put the tea-covered sheet in the basket."He's also going to have to confront him."

"It's too early!"

"The sooner the better, we should ask his father for advice...He will know better than anyone how his son's mind works."

"He will say no directly, that makes sense."

"Not necessarily, if he sees fit to do it he will let us do it but will stay close to him. The team must be assembled as soon as possible if we are to move forward even faster. The information Minndt has is invaluable."

"Just like his health! I hope he will get better soon..."

"I also hope, I don't like to see him so thoughtful after such an ordeal."

Both omegas nodded to show their agreement and pulled the sheets on the bed before placing the pillows. The bed was ready to welcome its owner, who struggled out of the bathroom with a white kimono embroidered with fine red floral patterns.

"Thank you…"

Minndt walked over to the bed and slipped under the sheets before turning on his side and the cool, soft coolness almost immediately put him to sleep. The three friends, though puzzled, shrug their shoulders and pull the blanket up over his shoulder before leaving the room. They were satisfied with themselves. Just a few yards from the door the other members of the team were waiting.

"How is he?" the duke hastened to ask, looking at them in turn.

"He's tired and needs time," Day replied before pinching the bridge of his nose."It's not going to be easy, I'm telling you. He's freaking out just at the word alpha."

"It's horrible..."

"Yes. Let's give him a little time before we try anything."

"How long exactly?" Nyx questioned as he stared at the guarded door.

"I have no idea, we should ask his father."

"Whouoh, you are not afraid to set him against you! He is extremely touchy when it comes to talking about his son. He is his jewel, you have to be careful in the choice of words."

"You want to do it?"

"Certainly not! You are the son of the Lord, if you ask him he will be much more tolerant to you. You are untouchable compared to us."

"Um…"

"If he says no to you then that will be categorical."

"Where is he?"

"Probably with your father since he's not going to leave for a long time."

The blonde sighed loudly and rubbed his eyes before starting to walk towards the card room.

"It will wait until tomorrow then," he said in a way that left no room for the slightest objection.

The gods shared a meaningful look and followed him without saying a word, Orthon following the group as those thoughts focused on the god of spirit and feelings locked in his room. The vampire barely listened to the discussion of the progress of the research when they were seated in the map room. He wanted to see it, he needed to see it. He needed to see what he was wrongly accused of.

"Orthon, eh Orthon!" Nyx snarled, abruptly pulling the vampire out of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What are you thinking about not listening to me? You looked completely elsewhere."

"To him. The weight of guilt weighs more and more, I can't stand it."

"Be kind to yourself, even if you are partly to blame."

"That feeling won't go away until he says the words you want to hear," Day added as he paced the room."You want him to forgive you so that you can take the whispering behind your back."

"Yes..."

"Our forgiveness is not enough to restore your soul to the semblance of peace it had."

"It's not likely to happen, is it? He won't grant it to me."

"It all depends on the words used, this is one of the main characteristics of the gods of spirit and feelings. Every word will touch their soul," confided Leit with a small smile."Whether they are in the register of love or simple friendship."

"I think you are mistaken!"

"Who knows?"

"I know you are mistaken!"

"If you say so. A cookie?"

The duke grabbed one of the cookies in the box held out by the goddess of light and observed it for a moment before biting it down. If he didn't seem to have noticed the faint colour on his cheeks, the other people in the room had noticed. Orthon was so consumed with guilt that he didn't even understand what was driving him, which made him so thoughtful. His admiration and fascination with Minndt were more than that.