Second Chance Mate

Chapter Seven: I'm Here, I'll Always Be Here

" I know that there's a way out when all hope is gone."

                                    ~Andrew Valesquez of Crown The Empire

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Chapter Seven: I'm Here, I'll Always Be Here

Alpha Jace's P.O.V

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RECAP

The silence didn't last long, his cries of anguish came one after one, tearing an even bigger hole into me.

I slumped against Susan and began to cry.

"Why wasn't I there to help him!?! I promised him that I wouldn't let anyone hurt him and look what happened!?! I promised him Susan.... I promised him he would be okay." I cried against her, burying my face into her shoulder.

She just rubbed circles into my back and let me cry. It was in that moment, that I was glad that my little sister was my Beta and not some stranger.

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The tears never stopped rolling down my face, even when his muffled screams died down to an occasional whimper, I couldn't stop them. It's like something in me broke every time I heard his screams, every time he cried out for me to help take the pain away.

Knowing I could do nothing to help him ate at me, slowly breaking my resolve into tiny minuscule particles. I sat, hunched against the wall, with the pup burying his head in my arms, and Susan sitting next to me for moral support.

Why couldn't I be in there with Austin? Why couldn't I hold his hand and help him through this.

She had her hand in mine to remind me that she was still here, which I was very grateful for. I reduced to quietly sobbing with my head on her shoulder.

You'd think it would've been the other way around considering I was the oldest, but tradition was one of the last things on my mind right now.

"J-Jace?" I heard a tiny whimper from behind the closed door, I immediately stood and rushed to the door.

"W-where's Jace?" I heard Austin ask just as I opened the door and ran to his side.

"I'm right here baby, I'm right here." I took his hand in mine and stared into his eyes.

He looked somewhat better now. His lips had gone down to only a slight swell, left cheek only purple and blue with no swelling, and his tongue no longer looked like a balloon.

His eye still looked about the same, the only difference being the tiny amount of swelling shaved off, and it was no longer a deep black. It was now more of a rich plum purple.

"D-did you g-get the p-pup?" His voice raspy and scratchy, as if he had been screaming all week.

He probably has been.

"Of course I did, he's right here." I set the pup in his hand and watched as he fondly smiled at the wounded pup.

"Thanks. You know, he reminded me of myself when I found him." He spoke in a whisper, stopping every other word to catch his breath.

"How did you find him?" I asked, curiosity coming over me.

I leaned in close so he wouldn't have to try so hard to speak louder for me to hear.

"I had just put the other pups to sleep when I heard a whine....I thought it was one of those pups, but they were all sound asleep....I heard it again and followed the direction it was coming from." He stopped to catch his breath.

"I moved a bin and he was huddled behind there....He was covered in his own blood and he kept flinching every time I touched him....I got him all cleaned up and surmised that he had been beaten and cut a number of times....Whoever did it assumed the pup was going to die soon enough, so he or she just threw him behind there....Like he was nothing."

Tears found it's way into all of our eyes as we gazed at two very broken boys who had managed to find each other just in time. It was so sad yet so relieving to think that not everything in this world is bad.

"Emily and Susan, can you give us a minute to talk privately?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of Austin and the pup.

"Yes Alpha." They whispered at the same time before walking to the door.

I waited until the door was closed before speaking again.

"Austin, how would you feel if I told you that you could join my pack?" I asked cautiously, not sure how he would react.

His gaze switched from the pup to me and back again, but not before I could see the tears pooling in his eyes.

"You know I can't without parental consent or my Alpha's consent...."

"What if I told you I had Alpha Aaron's permission to take you and let you become one of mine?" I asked.

I watched in awe as a small smile spread across his face, "don't tease me Jace."

I giggled a bit and took his hand in mine, "I wouldn't joke about something like this Tiny."

He gazed up at me and tears welled in his eyes, confused I went to comfort him, but he shook his head.

"You have no idea how much all of this means to me Jace." He threw himself in my arms, burying his face in my chest.

I held him close and whispered sweet things into his ear until he was calm. I smiled down at the top of his head, wondering for about the hundredth time how anyone could ever hurt him the way these monsters have.

How do they sleep at night knowing what they've done to this purely innocent boy?

"What about Dean and my brother? I can't just leave them here...." He trailed off, going stiff in my arms.

"Of you can't, they can come with you if you wish it. You can bring anyone you want, as long as they are nice to you they are oaky with me. Especially your brother and this little tyke." I whispered, fondly petting the pup's - err Dean's - tiny little head.

Dean lazily yipped at me while his eyes drooped close once again.

Smiling, I gently set Austin on the bed next to Dean, and set the blanket over them. They looked so adorable all curled up around each other under the too big blankets. I set Austin's head on the over-sized pillow and stroked his cheek.

"I'm going go pick up your little brother in a bit, for now you need to rest. Tomorrow will be a big day, considering you'll go to school one last time, come back here, gather your's and your brother's things, and then we'll hit the road. How does that sound, love?"

He lazily nodded his consent and let his eyes flutter close.

With a fond smile, I kissed his forehead once again and tucked him and the pup in before walking towards the door. As silently as possible, I put my hand or the doorknob and twisted it to the right.

I glanced one last time at his sleeping figure, and with a sigh, quietly left the room.