An Alpha's Bond

sixteen

Hunter

   Four in the afternoon rolled around faster than anticipated, with school finished and almost everything else over and not, but Wells still hadn't gotten up out of bed by the time I got back to the house. I'd walked into his bedroom, trying to check on him and see how he was doing, only to see my Father of all people sitting on Cova's bed with all but a confused frown on his face. In times like this, you could really see his age, and he had been watching over Wells for the entire day. Memories of the days he would spend beside my Mother flashed before my eyes and I knew that was how I wanted to be for him.
  "All day, he's gotten up just once to go to the bathroom, that's it," he whispered, looking at me. Cogs were whirring in his mind. "Are you sure he isn't just sick?"
  "I don't know what's wrong, but I don't think he's just sick."
  "Go on and sit with him. Try and make sure he's okay, as best as you can. He's not all that talkative today."
  Wells was facing the wall, dressed only in an old hoodie and a pair of boxers. That's when it was clear that it wasn't just some flu or a cold keeping him in bed. Wells would never walk around the house in boxers, even if almost everybody was at school. Every time I had tried to convince him to just leave my room to see Cova in the middle of the night when everyone asleep would have been asleep, he had refused and told me about how unsafe that option is for him.
  "Hey, Wells, how are you feeling?" I whispered, sitting beside him without moving the bed too much. The frame couldn't have been replaced almost ever.
  "Can I just sleep?" he grumbled back at me, grabbing the closest pillow and holding it over his head. I sighed and rubbed his back.
  "Of course, you can. Are you sick?"
  "Sick to death of people bothering me all day." that one stung, and I pulled my legs onto the bed and urged myself not to respond to that so fast. I would only say something that would hurt both of us, so I bit my tongue and waited a moment.
  "I know you're tired, but please don't talk to me like that. I'm not doing anything wrong." he huffed and turned to face me. "Somethings wrong, Wells, I just want to help."
  "I don't know what's wrong, Hunter. Im just so tired right now and I want to sleep but my brain won't shut off." I nod, moving the pillow and playing with his hair. It was already starting to knot up.
  "Do you want me to brush your hair? Maybe it'll help you relax." he shrugged but didn't move. I reached for his desk and grabbed his hairbrush. Brushing his hair was a challenge at first, getting through the knots was the toughest part. Then it became easy, and I was brushing his hair until he fell to sleep on me. Once I knew I wasn't going to wake him up, I got up and started to clean his side of the room for him.
  The clothes on his bedroom floor were first, going into the laundry basket after I briefly checked every pocket. Then the hot chocolate mug and the empty plates beside his bed were moved to the desk. I moved a couple of empty water bottles onto a plate and set them aside. I'd move them once I was done.
  I grabbed the cushions from the floor and placed them at the top of his bed, gently lifting his head so he was resting more comfortably.

  "Oh, hey." I shushed Cova as he walked in, and he looked at Wells, then me. "What are you doing?"
  "Before my mum... well, before then, she was depressed, and I know it might not be the same, but I remember my Dad would clean the bedroom to help her feel better. It lessened her stress a little and stopped her from getting really bad, I think. I want to help, but he just wants to sleep, so I'm doing this instead." Cova nodded, moving to start tidying up too. He was quiet, like everybody else who had noticed the sudden change in Wells' behaviour.
  "Never thought that I would ever see an Alpha who can clean up after themselves, let alone after somebody else." I laughed at his joke, shaking my head.
  "A lot of my family thinks omegas are for that. I don't. I don't like cleaning my own mess much, but it's always been how we kinda show that we care in my family. My Dad for my Mom and when I'm sick, now me for Alex when he's sick and Wells when he's too tired to move."
  "Sweet of you, but I think Wells is depressed, Hunter. Probably more than that." I stared at him, trying to understand. More? What, really, could be more than depressed? "He needs help for it, especially if it gets worse."
  "Go back. What do you mean more than depressed?"
  "Suicidal, Hunter. He's definitely thought about it before. I've been thinking about it and there are another few possibilities for him."
  "Like what?"
  "It might not be, so I won't bring it up yet. Maybe we should focus on the suicidal part?" I nodded and looked back when Wells started to mumble and wake up. "Wells."
  "I'm going to sleep in the garden if nobody leaves me the fuck alone."
  "Don't be an ass. I get it you're tired. Sit up." Wells stared at Cova until Cova reached over and pulled him up. "Please, stop doing that."
  "Cee, i'm tired."
  "No you're not, you're depressed and it's fucking you over."
  "Leave me alone and let me sleep."
  "You're acting like—"
  "Like what? Like I'm crazy, a bitch?"
  "Like your Dad did. I need you to tell me how bad you're feeling." Wells went quiet, like he couldn't believe what Cova was saying.
  "Right, because out of everything I'm going to—"
  "Wells the second you knew you weren't going to be beaten if you didn't do as you were told you got into bed and you haven't moved since. You're wearing clothes that you've worn for the last two weeks, haven't washed or brushed your teeth. Tell me you think i'm wrong to at least think it could be possible."
  "I feel like shit okay. It's like nothing is there, and like I've walked for miles and not rested once. I've tried to sleep but I can't, my body doesn't want to. I'm drained of everything."
  "Okay, okay. Hunter?"
  "When did it start? Feeling like that?" he was quiet for a moment, thinking through his words like they wouldn't come out at first.
  "It's been building up, I guess. For days, maybe weeks. Can I just go back to sleep now?"
"Of course. Rest up, love." I sighed and watched him lay down again. Even his movements were slow. "I'll get you up when dinner is lay out, okay?"
"Okay..."

It was like fighting a war, getting him out of his bed. He cried and tried pushing us away, but eventually, we had him at the table. Now I had to get him to eat since he was refusing to get anything. It worried me.
"Wells, please. Eat something."
"I want to go back to bed, Hunter." he whispered.
"Eat something and you can go back up. I need you to eat a meal." he shrugged and put his head on the table, catching some attention.
"This is why omegas—"
"Leon, continue that sentence and I might feel tempted to throw something sharp at your head," I mumble, hand against the table. "I have already made it clear that you will no longer be disrespecting omegas, but one thing for sure that you will not due and leave unscathed is disrespect my mate, your Luna. Do you understand?" I saw Alex grin at me and knew I was doing something right. "Good. Now, as I was. Wells, please."
"Can you put it on the plate, then?" he mumbled, and I started to fill his plate.
"Is your Luna unfit to take on his duties?" Leon started again, and I had to finish scooping food onto Wells' plate before saying anything. "He can barely make his own plate."
My glass of water was held tight in my hand, but clearly not tight enough. It ended up flying towards his head. He dodged it. Cova went to stand up.
"No, Cee, let Leon clean it up. Don't bother with it."
"Answer my question, though. Is our Luna unfit to perform duties?"
"Maybe I'm reluctant in getting my own because I might want to throw scalding hot food at your face. Who knows?" Wells finally said. "I'm perfectly capable of more than you think, you just don't like that I was born an omega and that you can no longer try to get your hands down our pants every time you think an opportunity is clear."
"You shut—"
"I'm not done. Do you have your own mate?" he shrugged, and Wells took a moment to force the food down his own throat. "Do they know just how badly you treat people? I bet if mine knew half of the shit you have done to me alone, your shoulders would be missing a head."
"What do you mean?" he went quiet again after I asked, and Leon's face lost all colour. "Wells."
"Don't try and order me."
"What has he done?" I whispered. "Can we talk about it later then?"
  "Alright."