Chapter 4 Finding Aiden

Thaddeus POV 

After training this morning, Xander and I decided to head to the river. 

Even though I'm in a wheelchair, it's one of my favorite things to do. I go there all the time with Xander and Marcus. 

"Xander, for crying out loud. Give me my damn strap!" I said to this idiot who strapped his legs together, trying to walk towards the water like an idiot. 

"No, I'm a merman! ... Hey, I have a good one for you!

How do you recognize a nerdy mermaid? ....

She wears an algaebra!" this idiot said, laughing at his own stupid dad joke. 

Although I did laugh when he finally fell over, face planting right into the dirt.

"Serves you right! Now give me my damn strap and help me into the water!"

"Ouch! My nose!" he said, rubbing his nose with one hand while taking my strap off with the other.

After he finally hands me my damn strap, I strap my legs together at the knees so my legs don't flail all over the place. Since I don't have control over my legs, when I go in the water, especially with the current, it tends to move my legs in any direction the current wants. Which also means trying to get me to do the splits at times. The strap keeps my legs together so this doesn't happen.

I put on a waist belt that helps keep my lower body upright and balanced. Again, this has to do with not being able to use my legs. Because of the location of my injury, I do have control over my hips, and can move them, but my legs are completely useless. So I can't kick to keep myself upright, I have to solely rely on my arms. The waist belt helps do what my legs would normally do, giving me that extra support. After everything's on, Xander helps me into the water. 

I lost track of how long we were in the river, when Xander points behind me, "Hey man, what the hell is that?" He asks. I turn my head, looking over my shoulder.

As I turn around to look, we both see what looks like a dead body floating down the river. 

Once the body got closer, we could tell it was a small male. Xander moves closer, catching the guy before dragging him over to me so I could see who it is.

We needed to make sure it's not someone who belongs to one of the packs around us, or heck even ours. 

Once he gets closer to me I could see the person's been through hell. He's naked, with bruises all over his face. His lip is busted, he has blood coming from his nose and his eye is swollen shut. Not to mention all the bloody bite marks, and marks from a whip on his torso and the rest of his body. 

I reached out to grab him, to pull him closer so I could get a better look at his face. But as soon as my hand touched him, I quickly withdrew my hand so fast you would have thought he burnt me. 

I felt it... Something I thought I'd never feel again. As soon as my fingers touched him, I felt the little tingles and zaps.

I took a sharp breath in as I withdrew my hand, quickly looking at Xander, who's now looking at me curiously. 

"What's wrong, are you okay?" 

I looked back down at the person he was holding afloat. I slowly reached my trembling hand out to touch him again. My heart was racing, pounding against my chest as my trembling hand slowly reached out to touch him.

I thought for certain my mind was playing tricks on me. There's no way I actually felt what I think I did! But a part of me hoped and prayed I actually did. 

Because the water washed his scent away, I can't smell anything but the river. The only way to know for certain, is to touch him.

My trembling fingers brushed against his cheek, and my mouth opens as I looked at him surprised... They were there, those amazing little tingles and zaps dancing under my fingertips as I touched his skin.

My wolf, who stirred to life and woke the first time I touched him, was peering out as my fingers reached for him. He whimpered as soon as we felt the tingles again, and the word he said echoed in my head.

I looked back up at Xander with wide eyes and whispered, "Mate!".

I instantly grabbed him from Xander, pulling him against my chest and wrapping my arms around him. Xander reached out, grabbing me to keep me from floating down the river.

I felt panicked as my eyes began to tear up. Not only did I just find my second chance mate, but he looks like he's barely even alive!

The only reason I know he's alive is because I can still feel the tingles when I touch his skin. But for some reason I still feel I needed proof. I still needed to see he was alive, so I tapped his cheeks a few times, trying to wake him but got nothing. I put my ear to his chest since I couldn't hear anything over the river. 

Thank goodness, I can hear the soft faint, little thumps of his heart. I sighed a breath of relief and handed him back to Xander. 

"We have to get him back to the pack hospital, now!" I said to Xander, as I swam back to the riverbank.

I yanked the straps off my legs and shifted instantly, shredding my clothes and belt around my waist. 

I had Xander lay my mate on my back and secure him with the strap that was around my knees, then took off toward the pack hospital as fast as I could. 

I linked the hospital on my way there, so they were already waiting outside when I got there. 

Xander showed up moments later with my wheelchair. 

I quickly went into the room where the doctor and nurses were already working on him. With him out of the water, and on the table I can actually see just how bad he actually is. 

He's so small! ... So skinny, there's hardly any meat on his bones. His poor little body, beaten and so lifeless.

I could see the marks from the whip even better, especially when they flipped him over onto his stomach and exposed his back. 

I know they were only trying to help, but I couldn't help the growl that escaped me when I saw them touching the deeper wounds, and saw as they began to bleed again.

"I'm sorry!" I said, when everyone froze and looked at me.

Unfortunately, myself and my wolf were too on edge. Every time they touched him a certain way, Zeus would growl.

"I know you're really concerned about him, but it's best if you leave the room and let us work on him." the doctor said, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Just do whatever you can to save him! That's my mate.... That's your Luna, do not let him die!" I said, and the doctor's eyes go wide. His head whips back to look at the lifeless body laying on his table.

"Yes, Alpha!" he said, not even turning back to look at me as he began working on him again. This time I can see with more urgency as he begins barking off orders.

I left the room, even though I didn't want to. But I knew I was only preventing them from doing their job.

He ended up needing surgery for internal injuries that they didn't specify at the time. They simply told me his wolf was too weak and wasn't healing him, so he needed the surgery.

I sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours.

I had so many thoughts racing through my mind.

I was terrified, what if he didn't make it?

Who did this to him? How can anyone hurt him like this? He was so small, so defenseless, how could anyone even hurt him? I became angry just thinking of the bastard who did this to him. 

But then I pictured his face again, and I felt my anger turn to sadness again. I began to remember what it felt like to hold him in my arms, even though it was brief and he wasn't even awake. But I still felt his skin against mine, and my arms around him.

Thinking of him in my arms makes me so happy, but at the same time terrifies me.

What happens when he wakes up? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? 

What if he sees that I'm a guy, in a wheelchair, and thinks I'm pathetic? Just like my last mate did.

I couldn't handle another rejection like that. I couldn't handle somebody looking at me like that again. I don't know what I would do if that happened! 

I looked down at my legs, I reached out with my right hand and touched my leg just above my knee, then slowly closed my eyes. 

It still feels so strange, especially right now when I'm worried about his reaction to them. It feels as if I just touched someone else's leg, I can't even feel my own hand resting on my leg. It begins to feel so creepy and gross all over again, just like it did in the beginning.

I can almost picture the disgusted look on his face when he sees my legs. 'Who's ever going to want me like this?' I thought, feeling my heart ache and my wolf whimper in my head, as he retreats to the back of my mind.

I run my hands down my face, trying to shake these thoughts and I begin to think of him and his injuries again. I remember how pale he looked from the blood loss. How cold his body was from both the loss of blood, and the cold water from the river. 

'What if he doesn't make it?' I thought, and felt the panic begin to rise again, and feel my chest ache again.

While lost in my thoughts, the doctor finally came out and my head shot up to look at him. 

He looked a little nervous, which made my stomach drop. I began to think the worst. 

"What's going on? Is he okay?" I asked, thinking my voice was calm. But when the doctor flinched, I realized I actually yelled.

He put his hands up to calm me down. 

"Yes, yes he's okay. He made it." he said.

He sat down next to me and was quiet for a moment. 

"You said he's your mate right?" he asked, as he turned his head to look at me.

"Yes, he's my mate." 

"Okay, well, you need to know the extent of his injuries then." he said, then paused for a moment as he looked ahead, not at me.

"It looks like he's been abused for quite a long time... He has old and current scars. You can also tell he has had numerous broken bones in the past. Some of which have not healed properly. He has a lot of internal scarring as well... Obviously, those scars are from silver, so that means he's been stabbed in a few spots with a silver knife. That's where the scarring came from. 

He's extremely underweight, and extremely dehydrated. It looks like they've been starving him for quite a long time...

I'm sure you could see what some of his injuries were from, but somebody definitely used a whip on him. He's covered pretty much from his shoulders down. I even saw a few lashes that wrapped around his ankles. He did lose a lot of blood, so we had to give him some more to stabilize him.

This abuse, I think it's has been going on for quite a long time. If I was to guess, it looks like he's been suffering for at least 8 to 10 years by the looks of some of the old scars on his bones… I couldn't find any evidence around his rectum indicating rape...

Right now he's still unconscious and probably will be for a while. I'm not sure how long it will take for him to wake up once the sedation wears off. It could be hours, days, or weeks.

His body went through quite a traumatic experience and needs rest so he can recover...

I'm terribly sorry Alpha, I wish I had better news. But he did make it, and I will do everything I can to help him recover." the doctor said, giving me an apologetic look, before standing to leave.

I sat there for a few minutes, digesting everything he said. 

Xander put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. I jumped slightly, forgetting he was there.

"He's going to be okay!" Xander said. 

"I know he's been through some shit, but he has you now. He has all of us, he'll make it through this, he'll be okay...

I know you want to see him, so I'll head back to the pack house. Link me if you need anything at all.

Should I call Noah?" Xander asked, pausing to look back at me.

I glanced at the clock then shook my head.

"No, it's late. I'll give him a call in the morning before they head out for training."

"Are you bringing them home?" Xander asked.

"No, but they deserve to know I found their Luna." I said, and Xander gave me a soft smile, before nodding his head and turning to leave.

I approached his door, staring at it for a moment before slowly entering his room.

It's crazy how you can feel two completely different emotions at the same time.

I was heartbroken, seeing him in this condition; laying there so helpless and broken in that bed.

But at the same time, he took my breath away. He was beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. Even in the state he was in, he was absolutely beautiful! I couldn't believe the Moon Goddess gave me someone so perfect.

Goddess, I hope he accepts me. I thought, as I approached his bed. 

But what if he doesn't? What if he rejects me too? I thought, locking my wheelchair into place then looking at him.

My feelings were all over the place, I didn't know what to think.

But the one thing I knew for sure, my heart broke looking at him. My wolf whimpered in my head as we looked at our broken mate.

I reach forward, taking his hand in mine. As soon as I do, I feel those amazing little tingles dancing across my skin where his hand touches mine.

I reach up and gently cup his face with my right hand and feel the tears fall. 

I rest my forehead on his arm and silently cry for him. 

As I cry, I talk to him.

I tell him I'm so sorry this happened to him.

I tell him that everything's going to be okay now.

I tell him he's safe now that he's with me, and thatI  will take care of him and keep him safe.

I tell him I will never let anyone ever hurt him again.