Truth

Following Zion, I was grinning not long after I closed the door behind us. My mate was an interesting young man. "Zion, have my top guards follow Kash. He just left out the window. Tell them he is our future Luna and give them his description. They are to stay invisible unless he gets into trouble since I do not think he would be happy to find out we knew he snuck out. We will go to the dinner and have a chat with the family."

Zion was deep in thought after mind linking with the guards my orders. "He does not seem very happy in general. His anger was not really directed towards us. They are holding back something, and that poor guy seems scared of us finding out about the condition he mentioned."

His reaction had me chuckle just a little. "Correct. He was not happy before I showed up and even less so now with my statement." My chuckle turned to a sigh. "I hope to change his feelings on me as his mate. However, I fear the biggest issue appears to be the lack of control he feels right now. His father, it seems has not given him any freedom or much choice. Complete over protection. It is possible it had to do with the condition he mentioned. It has me worried. His breakout today, well being caught doing it anyways, would have just been the beginning." I thought back to all his cute expressions when we spoke to him. "He seems very expressive and energetic. Proof of his sheltered life and little pack connection."

"I agree. You're very right about the sneaking out. He would have done it before, no question. I am curious on why he is so protected. Shall we have dinner and get our answers then?" He had slid his phone back into his pocket as we made our way back down the stairs. "He did not even use his nose once when we talked to see if we were lying. He really does not know how to be a wolf."

It had only been a few minutes since I kicked Alpha Dax from his son's room but felt like hours. When we got back to the table it was evident Alpha Dax believed his son would be with us. "Where is Kash? I assumed he would be joining us Alpha Atlas." He kept looking at the door then back at me, waiting for the missing child of his.

His son Jace seemed to understand and spoke with a soft smile. "Father. If there was a larger issue, we would know from Alpha Atlas or his Beta. I trust he would make sure his mate is safe from harm and comfortable." It was obvious that his father had informed him what had occurred upstairs and what it meant for his brother. I smiled slightly at his own reaction. Instantly I saw a good future Alpha before me and Jace now gained more of my respect to some degree. 

"Well, I am sure you saw two of Alpha Atlas's personal guards leave. They will make sure he is safe no doubt." Alpha Dax frowned trying to understand why Kash might need guards as Zion continued to speak. "We do have some concerns after our brief chat with Kash. During our discussion we learned a little about our future Luna. That information gave us more questions that need to be answered, mostly due to the lack of background we have. So, we do hope you are willing to assist us in this manner." My beta was polite and straight to the point. Man, I sure was lucky to have him. Without his calm behaviour, I would have trouble holding back some of my small panic needing to know more. "Since you also seem reluctant to speak of these matters directly to our future Luna, this could be a difficult talk."

Turning to the father, then to brother, I spoke my first concern. "Kash told me he had condition that would not let him train. He also stated to me he was not sick. Then what, besides his build and stature, could you think of, would prevent him from learning any self-defence?" This question needed answering first. If he needed a doctor, he would get the best.

Jace was the one to answer. "To start. This information has never left the pack. You will find his birthday listed the next day in any paper trail." This we knew with our own background checks, but Kash told me otherwise. "His birthday was truthfully the night of the lunar eclipse." He lifted his hand before I could interrupt him with our own knowledge. "A second son of an Alpha, born on the eclipse, should have been celebrated. The pup would be expected to be more than just a good omen. The loss of our mother and Luna was great, but it did not overshadow his own birth. The pack adored him. No one could look at him and not want to care for and protect him." He took a deep breath. "It was on his sixteenth birthday we learned exactly why that pack felt that way since his birth. We suspected it but turned a blind eye. Father had already started keeping him away from members by the time he turned five. Except for a few guards and tutors, no one could meet with him anymore. There would be fights among our own when he would get hurt. They all wanted to be close. He would sometimes have small bruises from him trying to please everyone and being pulled around like a doll. Kash remembers none of this."

"He does have that aura to him." I looked at both of them as Jace paused, waiting for me to say more. "So, he is truly not ill? He could still learn self-defence, even if the pack was afraid to hurt him, there are things he could do if he so wished." This direction was not what I had expected at all. In fact, it added more questions. "What happened on his birthday two years ago that would make you understand more?"

Jace shook his head and took in a deep breath. "What I am about to tell you hurts him. He feels it makes him less than a wolf." 

Zion and I looked at each other when Jace paused. He was giving us a minute to ready ourselves, I could smell my mate nearby now, but the questions had to answered. The urge to understand him was greater than him knowing that I know not from his own mouth. "Would that be the reason he stated to me that no wolf would want him?"

"You are correct." I turned my head to see Kash already standing by the door. I saw hurt, and fear in his eyes. The knowledge of what I was to learn and how I would react towards him when I found out was a swarming, swirling powerful storm in his eyes. "I am a fucking omega. At the lovely age of sixteen, just past my birthday, my fucking heats started. Just like the females of our species. Unlike the females, who are more wolf than I am, this is what I get." He threw his hands out and up in the air. Just one look at him told me he was bracing for my rejection.

"Kash! Language!" Alpha Dax was furious over his son's behaviour, but from what I could tell, he was also used to this.

This made me want to smile since his ferocity was fresh in my eyes. That also meant he was not sick. I wondered how I could not smell him as an omega, their pheromones were usually very distinctive. "I would have never known unless you told me. Your scent is not prominent like with others. Then my big question would have to be, how does this prevent you from learning self-defence as you wanted?" He froze. "When we go back to my pack, if you would like, I will set up a training that works for you."

The reaction to my statement was not at all what I expected, he snapped at me. "DON'T YOU GET IT?. I am not a man. I am a weird ass being that only looks like a man." He heckled. "Wait. I do not even look like one either really to be honest. I look more like a stupid fucking child!" He now glared at me. "I can have pups. My self being is so full of omega that I am even less than the females. I have no muscles, no height, nothing that speaks Alpha's son. Absolutely NOTHING that says I am a wolf. Humans look better than the mess I am, and everyone knows it."

Looking at his father and brother told me this was not the first time he stated this. I turned back to him. "No, I think you are more than that. You are Kash. Second son of the Alpha Dax. Brother to Alpha to be Jace. My mate and soon to be Luna for the Royal Eclipse pack if you wish. You can be more if you want to be. You are your own person, and only you can change how you see yourself. What others see or say is nothing if you believe otherwise."

Waiting to see what he would say, I could tell my words hit him. Now it was up to him to take it and use for his better. This mate of mine needed help. He was not abused per say, but he was so over protected he did not see himself as worthy. That was going to change, starting now. 

"You know nothing of me." He glared right at me as he struggled to process what I stated. "I came here to tell you I plan to keep my distance from you until I have to be at the ball. Even then I do not plan to be there any longer than I have to be. If you expect me to go running to your arms, then you are mistaken. I do not feel the bond right now and have no idea how it will feel. I will fight it just as much as I fight anything I am able to. You think you can come into my life and fix everything? Fuck you!" 

I watched as Kash stormed off from view. His door slamming signifying his fury even more. I gave a small chuckle. "At least we know he can hold his own." I turned back to the father. "I still do not think you did what was best for him. He can't even use his nose to detect a lie."

"With all due respect your highness. Kash is my son and I raised him in a manner that protected him from harm. His schooling is all top grades and never needing a tutor. He does minor jobs around the pack house, not unlike a secretary would, and never complains." I could see Jace shaking his head at his father's words. "I did what was best for my youngest given his condition. You have no right to come here and tell me how I do my job with my own pups."

"Do you do the same for any other omega in your pack? Or is it just Kash?" I sighed. "What is done, is done. I however will not be forcing him unless it absolutely is against his survival."