" N-Noah..?" I question worriedly, staring at my future Luna in concern; he's been standing there for a whole minute with a far-off look in his eyes," H-Hey, are you okay?" I ask, slowly reaching out and gently grabbing a hold of his shoulder.

   And just like that, Noah was snapped out of his trance. But when he looked over at me, his eyes weren't their usual color, they were a gunmetal blue, almost a grey. His eyes went wide in fear once he saw me, and before I knew it, he was on his knees cleaning up the mess I had caused," I-I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to scare you!" he apologized, tears building up in his clouded eyes as he scooped the batter in his hands before dropping it into the bowl that laid on the floor," D-Don't tell the alpha! I-I'll be good! I-I won't mess up again, I-I promise!" he begged, his body shaking with fear.

   " I-I can't stand another beating...n-not another one..." he muttered, his shoulders slumped as his head hung low. I felt my heart clenched in pain watching my future Luna in distress.

   " What's wrong with Luna...?" My wolf asked, feeling the same pain as I am watching Noah clean the mess as if it's second nature to him.

   " I-I don't know..." is all I reply.

   " N-Noah, what are you talking about? P-Please calm down." I beg, worry lacing my voice.

   " T-The alpha will kill me...I-I-I can't handle another beating...!" Noah cried, trying to get everything into the bowl. He suddenly looked up at me with pleading eyes, like a frightened child," H-Help...h-help me."

   " J-James..."

   " What is it, Cassidy?" James asks through our personal pack mindlink.

   " I-It's Noah..."

   " What about him? Is he alright? Is he hurt?" He questions, worry and fear lacing his tone.

   " I-I don't know...h-he had entered the kitchen and accidentally frightened me, c-causing me to drop my bowl of cake mix. H-He stood spaced out for a moment before he began cleaning, r-ranting on about h-how he couldn't stand another beating," I answer, watching Noah with worried eyes as he sat there looking up at me, wearing the same look a confused and frightened child would," I-I-I don't know w-what to do..h-how can I help? I-"

   " Calm down Cassidy, I'll be right there," James states," Keep him occupied." And with that, James cut off our mindlink.

   I look back at Noah, feeling unsure of what I should do to keep him (and myself) calm," O-Okay...I-I'll help you..." I say, giving Noah a comforting smile before kneeling beside him and scooping the batter into my hands.

   Noah repeatedly mutters 'thank you' to me as he continues cleaning my mess up. Tears run down Noah's face as he scoops the batter into his shaky hands, his breath coming in and out in short gasps. I wanted to tell him to stop, I wanted to help him be okay, but I don't think he even recognizes me in the state that he's in.

   I hear the giant door to the pack house slam shut before the door to the kitchen swings open. And there stands James, huffing and puffing, acting as if he just ran a mile (which he probably did since the training grounds is a bit far from the pack house).

" Noah..." James began, taking a step towards his frightened mate.

   Noah's clouded eyes went wide in fear as he scooted away from James," I-I-I promise I won't m-mess up again alpha! P-Please! D-D-Don't hurt me!" Noah begged, bracing himself with his shaking arms.

   The look of pain flashed on James' face," Noah, love...it's me, James. Your mate." he states, trying to inch closer to Noah.

   " N-NO! P-PLEASE!" Noah screamed, scooting himself into a corner," I-I'LL BE GOOD! PLEASE!"

   " Shh shh..i-it's okay Noah, c-calm down," I say, trying to sound as calming and reassuring as possible with my natural stutter. I slowly kneeled down beside the panicking Noah, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He flinched away from my touch, but once he recognized it was me, he snuggled into my side, letting out small whimpers and cries," I-I got you Noah, and I'm not letting go."

   James growled possessively at this action, but quickly shut up when Noah let out another distressed whimper.

   " What in goddess name is-" Alpha Aaron suddenly enters the kitchen, causing Noah to snuggle even closer to me," What's wrong with him?"

   " I-I don't know alpha...! H-He's H-He's-"

   " Calm down Cassidy, breathe." Alpha Aaron stated, trying to come closer to us, but came to a halt when Noah let out another cry," I think...he's scared of us."

" Well, no shit Sherlock." James grits out, obviously irritated in the fact that he can't comfort his mate in his time of need.

   " No, what I meant was that he's scared of us alphas; he was abused by his former alpha wasn't he?" The alpha questions, looking at his son with his usual blank expression. James nodded, his fist clenched in anger," I suggest we leave the room, James. I call the pack doctor to see if he can doing anything with Noah."

   James opened his mouth to protest, but Alpha Aaron dragged him out of the kitchen before he could argue against him.

   I turned my attention back to the frightened Noah that clung to me. I began to hum an unfamiliar tune as I rocked my body back and forth, soothing Noah.

   Minutes went by as I continued to calm Noah like a mother would for her crying child. I look down at Noah and see that he had fallen asleep. My heart clenched in pain, thinking back to what Alpha Aaron had said:

   " He was abused by his former alpha wasn't he?"

   How could anyone hurt someone as sweet as Noah? My wolf stirred angerly inside me just thinking about it.

   I laid there on the kitchen floor with Noah till Dr. Libel comes walking in, med kit in hand like always," How is he?" he whispers, walking over and kneeling beside me.

   " Asleep. I-I hope he's back to normal when h-he wakes up." I reply, worriedly looking down at my future Luna.

   " Normal? Was he acting strangely before?" He asks before pulling out a small notepad and pen.

   " W-Well...I don't know how to explain it, b-but he was acting...like a child." I state," A-A confused, and scared child. H-He had startled me when entering t-the kitchen, and I dropped my bowl of b-batter. He froze and seemed to have a flashback or s-something, then snapped out of it. H-He then began cleaning the mess, ranting on about not being a-able to handle another beating."

   Dr. Libel nods and writes it down on his notepad. I continue to describe Noah's behavior up to this point, all the while petting Noah's black locks to keep him asleep," Well, Cassidy, I don't have a diagnostic, but I can only assume he was reliving past traumas. Or to be more clear, he was seeing everything in the eyes of his past self." Dr. Libel states, standing up from his kneeling position beside me," He'll probably be very confused when he wakes up, and hopefully he'll be back to normal."

   I nod my head in response," C-Can James come back in? I-I know he's worried sick over Noah." I ask, knowing that my future alpha is probably pacing outside the door.

   " Unless Noah returns to his...'child-like' state, then yes, he can come in." He states before calling James into the kitchen.

   " Is he alright? What happened to him? Why was he scared of me?" James asks, bombarding Dr. Libel with questions.

   " SHH!" I point at Noah who stirred a bit in his sleep; I don't know why, but I feel like a mother babying her child. Its silly for me to say, but I feel protective of Noah now. And even before this, I always had the urge to protect Noah.

   " Sorry sorry..." James apologized, lowering his voice to a whisper," So...what happened to my mate?"

   Dr. Libel sighed and explained to James the same thing he had told me before. Alpha Aaron enters the room after Dr. Libel finishes speaking,"Sorry; I got a call from an ally pack. Is he alright now?" he asks, looking over at his son's mate with fear and concern swimming in his eyes.

   Dr. Libel shrugged," I can't know for sure till he wakes up." he states. Alpha Aaron nods before sitting down on a barstool. James walks over and sits down beside his sleeping mate, while Dr. Libel remains standing.

   We decided it was best not to move Noah, just in case he wakes up and panics. Cole ends up coming in and checking on me (isn't he sweet?) asking if I was alright after being filled in by James through their pack mindlink. He ends up sticking around, sitting beside me as he rubs my back soothingly. We all sit there for a good ten minutes before Noah wakes up gasping, his eyes wide with fear. He looks over at James before lunging himself at him, burying his head into James' chest," Shh shh, it's just a nightmare Noah. You're safe." James cooes, petting Noah's hair comfortingly as he hugs his mate close to him," He's back." I smile in relief, glad that Noah was back to normal.

   Five minutes pass before Noah is able to control his breathing. He slowly removes his head from James' chest, wiping his stray tears away before looking up at James," S-Sorry..." Noah apologizes, pointing at the wet spot on James' shirt. James shakes his head, telling him that it was fine. Noah smiles slightly before looking at all of us with a confused expression," U-Umm...w-what happened?"

   " You don't remember?" I ask, my stutter seemingly vanished now that I was in the presence of my mate. He shook his head in response," You...well, we don't really know what happened to you."

   Noah tilts his head like a confused puppy," You see Noah," Dr. Libel begins, reading over the notes he had taken before," You had a 'flashback' of your past, and you somehow -I'm not really sure how- were seeing everything from that moment from the eyes of your past self."

   " You didn't recognize me." James adds, a frown itching its way onto James' face," You were terrified of me coming near you, even as your mate."

   Guilt flashed onto Noah's face, small tears prickling the corners of his eyes," I-I'm sorry..." he apologized, a stray tear running down his face.

   James shook his head, smiling as he leaned down and pecked Noah's lips," You have nothing to be sorry for; you just...scared me."

   A small 'awww' escapes me, causing Noah's face to go bright red," Sorry sorry, I couldn't help it! You guys are really cute." I admit, causing everyone (minus Noah) to chuckle.

   " Not as cute as us though," Cole states, pulling me into his chest before leaning down and placing a kiss on my cheek. I felt my face flush red," See? Now that's cute."

   " Alright alright. This isn't a contest on who's the cutest couple." Alpha Aaron states, allowing me to see something very a rare: him smiling," I think it would be best if Noah returned to your guys' room to rest."

   Dr. Libel nodded," I agree with the alpha; it would be best if you tried to rest Noah." Noah looked down at his lap, nodding his head silently," I will also be giving you some sleep medication since it seems you can't sleep right with your nightmares."

   Noah just nodded as he allowed James to pick him up and carry him out of the room," You think it'll happen again?" I ask, looking at Dr. Libel with curious eyes.

   He shrugged, packing his things up," It depends."

   " On what?"

   " If he's able to move on from his past."

   And with that, Dr. Libel exits the kitchen, probably heading back to the pack hospital," I'll relieve you of your omega duties for today Cassidy." Alpha Aaron spoke," I know you're worried over Noah by the expression on your face."

   I nod my head," Thank you Alpha."

   He nods his head before leaving the kitchen as well, leaving only me and Cole," Are you alright?" He asks worriedly, cupping my one cheek while his other arm remained wrapped around my waist.

   I nod my head, my gaze glued to the ground," I'm just...worried." I reply, my heart clenching in pain at the memories of earlier that were still fresh in my mind.

   Cole smiled slightly before leaning forward, capture my lips with his. His kiss was soft and full of love. I pouted a bit when he pulled away," You never change Cassidy; caring and loving as always." He states, kissing my forehead," I can't wait to marry you."

   I felt my face flare red and the mention of marriage," Goddess you are too precious for this world..!" He exclaims, squeezing me in a bear hug.

   " S-Shut up." I growl playfully, causing my mate to chuckle.

   " Now go on. I know you want to check on Noah." Cole states, giving me one last peck on the lips before releasing me from his protective grip," Love you, Cassidy!"

   " L-Love you too!" I reply back as I scurried out of the kitchen.

-----

   I stood at James' bedroom door, a little out of breath from running up here. I raised my hand and knocked quietly on the door," Who is it?" I hear James' voice ask from the other side.

   " I-It's Cassidy!" I reply back," I-I wanted to check on Noah if that's alright..?"

   " I don't think-"

   " L-Let her in James. I'm perfectly fine now." I hear Noah softly state from the other side of the door," Come on in Cassidy!"

   I slowly open the door, speaking my head inside. Noah laid tucked into the cover of their bed, James sitting at Noah's feet," H-Hey. How are you feeling?" I ask, closing the door behind me once I fully enter the room.

   Noah shrugged," F-Fine I guess." He replies, looking off in the distance for a moment before looking at James," Do you mind giving us a moment?"

   James nodded, though it was obvious he wanted to object. He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving me and Noah alone," Come, s-sit down." He says, gesturing towards the bed. I nod my head and scurry over to the bed, sitting down where James once sat," I wanted to...thank you."

   " F-For what?"

   " Helping me." He smiles," I-I remember only fragments of what happened, but I know you were a big help."

   I shake my head, pink dusting my cheeks as I smile sheepishly at Noah," I-It's nothing, Noah. It's what friends do."

   His smile widens at the word 'friends'." No. I-It means a lot." He states, his tone going from lighthearted to serious," I...never had friends before, only Roxy. I thought you guys only cared for me because I was James mate. But what you did back there...it meant a lot to me."

   I felt my heart clench at his words, the urge to hug him growing stronger inside me. Tears prickled at the corner of Noah's eyes as he stared at me with a smile. He let out a dry laugh," I seem to cry a lot, don't I?" He says, wiping his tears away," I just...I-I'm so happy to finally have people to call friends..."

   I could no longer resist my urge and lunged forward, embracing Noah in a tight hug, catching him by surprise," You aren't just my friend...you're family." I state, feeling a tear slide down my cheek," We all care for you, and love you just the way you are."

   Noah seemed to be in complete shock for a moment, but he soon hugged back," T-Thank you...thank you..."

   We sit there for a moment before we finally release each other from our warm embrace," I-I should get going now...I bet your mate wants to spend some time with you." I state, standing up from my spot on the bed.

   " YOU DAMN RIGHT!" We hear James yell, obviously listening to our conversation from the other side of the door.

   We both laugh," I-I'll come check on you later, Noah." I say, waving Noah goodbye before leaving the room. I grab a hold of James' arm, stopping him before he enters the room," You better take care of him." I state, my voice serious.

   He looks at me in shock, but then nods," I would never hurt him."

   I smile slightly," Good."

   I release James from my grip, watching as James shut the door in my face. I begin to walk down the corridor, humming to myself before a thought suddenly popped into my head," Oh my goddess...I didn't stutter." I stand there dumbfounded before joy spread throughout my body like wildfire," I DIDN'T STUTTER!!!!"

   I was now running down the hall, excited to tell my mate the news," COLE!!!! COLE! I DIDN'T STUTTER! I DIDN'T STUTTER!!!"