The Stars Gave Me You

Two Reunited

Dead Cleome thought, his heart pounding. He strained his ears, if he listened closer maybe he could make it so Zane wasn't really hurt.

Alice sighed heavily one more time. "Zane is very heavily injured."

Cleome sighed in relief. He's not dead.

"It's gonna take him a really long time to recover," Alice said sadly, thinking back to the time she had visited the omega.

He was so cold, eyes sunken in. Even though he was asleep, dark circles bruised his eyes. Eva looked frantic, like she herself hadn't slept in days. Zane was bruised and bloody, broken almost beyond repair. Alice often prayed for him.

Cleome pushed his chair aside, standing up. "I want to see him!" He demanded, "Let me see Zane!"

Alice stood with him, crouching down to his level. Tentative hands brushed the boy's shoulders, not sure if she could touch him or not.

"Let's slow down Cleome," Alice tried to calm him down.

"No! I wanna see Zane!" Cleome demanded again.

"And you will," Alice finally put a firm hand on Cleome's shoulder. He tensed a bit under the weight of the touch, but didn't pull away. "There are rules you have to follow though." Alice became serious, and Cleome, determined to see Zane again, nodded.

"One, do not look anyone in the eye, keep your eyes on the floor no matter who stops us, or who talks to you.

"Two, never leave my side, don't try to run. If you run, you will be caught.

"Three, be respectful. If the Alpha stops us, you bow your head. Be calm.

"I will protect you Cleome. I won't let anything bad happen to you. But you're gonna have to trust me."

Alice didn't know what would happen if she brought Cleome outside. Just the walk from the courthouse to the hospital would turn so many heads. All eyes would be on Cleome.

She also didn't know if Cleome would even trust her enough to fully listen to her. She was a stranger after all. The boy could very well try to run as soon as they stepped outside.

But Cleome had been raised by Zane. At only 7 years old he had honed his observation skills to perfection. His nose and eyes could see through anyone. And right now, they were telling him to trust this woman.

She was soft, like Zane, and had a motherly air to her. Cleome could tell she was very caring, and very protective of the people she cared about.

"I trust you."

Alice did not expect that answer. Tears filled her eyes, but she held them back. This boy had obviously been through a lot the past 6 days. Not to mention the things he experienced while living in the forest. The fact that he could still even trust anyone was astounding.

Alice wondered how the boy became such a good kid.

"Ok," Alice stood, holding out her hand, "now take my hand and don't let go."

Cleome did just that. He held the woman's hand softly. Her hand was soft, and bigger than his dirty, rough one.

He kept his head down, his face almost hiding in Alice's jeans. The door opened, and he kept his eyes glued to the floor.

Cleome counted the tiles as they walked. When Alice stopped, he struggled not to look up at the person in front of them. He stared at their feet. He could tell it was the woman who had been torturing him the past week. Cleome froze, his guard up. He stood partially in front of Alice, trying to protect her from the alpha in front of them.