"Ethan?" His mom calls out into the night.
Both Ethan and the alpha turn to look at her. She shuffles on her feet near the propped door, her hands curled into the pocket of her apron, her brown eyes squinting into the dark alley way.
"Ah, right." Ethan rubs the back of his neck and glances back down at the black haired alpha. He can't just leave him here, can he? "Momma, can you come help me, please."
"Help?" She repeats, stepping forward, she follows the sound of his voice and gasps when she sees the rough state the man is in, her hand flying to her mouth to muffle her sound of surprise. "Oh dear! Don't just stand there Ethan, help him up." She slaps his shoulder.
Ethan sighs and drops to one knee. He pulls the guys left arm over his shoulder, and with a slight struggle, helps the big and burly alpha to his feet.
Though Ethan can't smell his pheromones, the scent of his laundry detergent mixes with the faint iron of blood. Though he can feel the burn of the alphas stare on the side of his head, no one says anything as they go back into the restaurant.
Ethan's mom picks up the wooden chip and with a loud click, the back door locks. She quickly scrambles to clear the large metal table she uses to chop and prep. Ethan grunts as he lays the alpha on it.
"Call an ambulance, Ethan." She murmurs as she takes in the poor state he's in.
"No!" The alpha grabs Ethan's arm and then groans in pain, his neck arching as his head falls back. Ethan frowns down at him. Why are alphas so against seeking help when they need it?
Ethan's mom tisks at the man and then, "If you were my son, I'd have smacked you upside the head. What do you mean no? Look at you boy!" Instead, she slaps his cheek, the sound of skin on skin is loud, and he winces.
"Ah, mom, don't do that." Ethan pulls her back behind him, his shoulders tensing as he eyes the alpha on the table. What if he decides to hit her back?
He doesn't though. Peering through strands of black hair, he watches Ethan with tense green eyes. "Alpha's heal quickly." he says.
"So what?" No longer feeling weary of the injured alpha, Ethan moves away from his mother and closer to him. "That's not the point. But if you won't go to the hospital, then," He glances back at his mom, "Go get the first aid kit and then head to bed. You have to open up the shop tomorrow."
His mother blinks, "But-"
"I can finish cleaning up after I get him out of here." Ethan nods his head at the man and gives a smile to ease her worries. The alpha silently glances between the two.
She peers over Ethan's shoulder at the alpha who watches them with emerald eyes.
Her lips turn down into a worried frown, but she knows the stubborn look on her son's face. "Very well."
The two men watch until she disappears upstairs. Ethan sighs and rubs his palm down his face. He turns to face the alpha who is already staring at him, his gaze intense.
"Don't go feral on me." Ethan says, his voice stern and just above a whisper. The alpha doesn't say anything, just blinks. "Say something, did you go mute?"
"No." The alpha answers. Ethan purses his lips. His vocabulary seems limited right now. Just how hard did those thugs hit him? He doesn't have a concussion, right?
They settle into silence, Ethan's mind racing at the presence of an alpha who looks on the verge of going feral, and said alpha just staring.
When his mother comes back, she hands over the first aid kit, says goodnight to both men, and returns upstairs.
Ethan rustles through the first aid kit with a frown, "We don't have much. I'll have to resupply this." He mutters, mostly to himself. He pulls out the disinfectant and some bandages and cautiously approaches his patient.
"I said this before, and I'm going to say it again." Ethan glares at him, "You better respond this time. Don't go feral on me."
The alpha smirks, making Ethan's eyebrows raise. "Okay."
Another one worded answer. Guess it's better than nothing.
Despite the alphas agreement on not going feral on the beta, Ethan is still uneasy as he roughly patches up his face. The entire time, the other man doesn't flinch or hiss, he doesn't show any signs of being in pain whatsoever. It's unsettling.
"Why are you helping me?" The words are rough coming out of the alpha's mouth. It makes Ethan pause before he continues to stick on a bandage on his swollen nose.
"Honestly," Ethan takes a step away to admire his nursing work. "A big burly alpha like you getting the shit beat out of you? You look pathetic." He mutters. "I'll be right back. If you're not in this same spot, and if money ends up missing, I'll never help you again."
It's an empty threat, and they both know it because they'll most likely never see each other again, but the alpha nods anyway.
When Ethan comes back down with a blanket, he shows the alpha to a back room besides the office. A bed on a metal frame sits against the back wall, along with an empty bookshelf. "You can sleep here tonight." He gestures to it. Then turns to face him, "You have to be gone before my mom wakes up. You got it, Alpha?"
"It's Zan." His low voice seems to echo in the nearly empty and cold room. He hasn't looked around, not that there's much to look at. The hair on the back of Ethan's neck rise and he has the sudden urge to run away.
"You got it?" Ethan asks again, his voice firmer this time.
"Yeah." The alpha chuckles. He finally tears his green gaze away from Ethan and to the flimsy mattress. He doesn't say anything about it, which is a good thing, because if he has, Ethan would have just tossed him out. Feral alpha be damned.
Once Ethan is in his room, he leans his back against the door and sighs. Definitely in three's. Pushing to stand up straight, he sits down at his desk and turns on his laptop. He pulls up his spread sheet for the restaurant, and adds a tab at the bottom to invest into pheromone cleansing fans. Then he begins to search on how much they would cost.
Too much, is the answer. It would take a few months to add to their budget. He taps his chin. This is the first time an accident like the alpha in rut has happened. Most alphas and omegas have a handle on their cycles, unless their teens just manifesting.
Ethan pulls up the sleeve of his shirt and stares down at the bruising hand print around his wrist. Maybe it won't happen again.