Page 32 of The Feisty Omega

The young alpha was leaning casually against the wall and pushed himself off when he saw me. The bastard was smirking.

“C’mon,” he put an arm around my shoulders, and gave me a little shake. “Me ‘n the boys’ll look after you.”

It was kind of him, but it wasn’t going to make up for Talius not being there. I’d been eager to see where we stood now that he’d passed his majority and I was starting mine. Would our relationship have changed too?

People swarmed around the food hall. Several of the younger kids were running around the room, plastic airplanes in their outstretched hands, mock battles taking place in the air. Others were jumping up and down, pestering the adults. Betas and older omegas moved around bringing out steaming plates of festive food as everyone gathered. Alpha, the Alpha Mate and my parents were already seated at the table. Marius and his sister were too, but suddenly I was surrounded by a rambunctious bunch of newly majored alphas – Talius’ friends – who literally swallowed me up into their vociferous group. No-one else could get near me or was able to speak to me, and before I knew it, they’d carried me along with them and I was seated in the middle of their group, actively engaged in their talk.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mar – now Marius – scowling, an empty seat beside him. I shuddered, feeling frighteningly vulnerable without Talius there to support me, then my eyes fell on his friends gathered around me, and I realized they had taken on his role in his absence. A lump formed in my throat, and I blinked a few times. This was what it was like to be pack.

At least I got my venison this year, though I didn’t miss Marius’ eyes shooting daggers at me as I helped myself to the steaming meat.

Christmas came and went. Worst Christmas ever.

???

The following week passed. The alphas rallied around me, so it was next to impossible for Marius to get time alone with me. Since he wasn’t friends with the group, he didn’t join us for any hanging out time. He often prowled past us scowling, but the boys swallowed me up into their group and he never got the chance to speak to me.

When the boys were summoned and given tasks to perform as part of their new status in the pack, I made myself scarce, hiding out in the woods behind the pack compound, or playing hide-and-squeak with the younger pups. But my heart wasn’t in it. I went through the motions of engaging with the others, but there was a quiet dead place inside me that felt like it would always be empty.

I had to get through another week without letting Marius corner me and I’d be free. Not fine, just free. I tried not to think about Talius not being here to see me. I thought of Darius’ words, and I wished they were true, but I didn’t want to delude myself. Pretty sure he knew I’d be here, and his absence sent a clear message. It felt like a kick in the gut, but I was determined not to show it.

I couldn’t wait to go home and lick my wounds in private.

I thought about next year and wondered how many of the alphas would still be here… they were at an age where they could leave and start their own packs if they were brave enough, though they were still too young to take mates. But there were always packs that had lost their Alpha that would happily accept a new young Alpha as their leader, and plenty of unattached betas that would jump at the chance to be part of the formation of a new pack, even with an untried, untested Alpha.

Maybe Talius had already left to join or form his own pack. Maybe that was why he wasn’t here. He was supposed to be here now, but he hadn’t come back after camp. Would he really just leave without saying goodbye to everyone?

It wounded me to think he’d left without me. It hurt to breathe.

Goddess, I just wanted to get out of here, go home, be alone.

But there was one more obligation I hadn't considered. Under other circumstances I would have welcomed it. I should have guessed it was coming, but I was so caught up being miserable that I'd failed to notice the way my blood was starting to stir. The full moon was calling to the wolves.

"We'll be attending the pack run tomorrow night," my dad informed me, one evening sticking his head into the dormitory."The whole pack is running. That includes you," he added, in case there was any doubt. "It'll be good for you to experience one."

"Sure," I muttered listlessly from my bunk, pulling the covers over my head. I'd always wanted to go on a pack run, but tonight I couldn't bring myself to care.

???

The excitement was palpable.

Wolves and people had gathered in the courtyard, where the atmosphere was one of barely contained anticipation. Because the entire compound was surrounded by trees and was isolated, there was no need to wait to get into the forest to shift. I'd always assumed these events would be chaotic, but it was all very organized, notwithstanding the pent-up energy everywhere around me. No clothes scattered on the ground, nor shoes left lying around. Everyone undressed in their homes and entered the compound either naked or already shifted.

When everyone had assembled, Alpha Moray addressed the restless pack.

"We have guests running with us tonight, Alphas Mensen and their son, so I expect a respectful run from everyone.As I always do.There will be refreshments served in the hall afterwards as usual. We are expecting some cloud cover tonight, so keep your little ones close. Now, let's go!"

One moment it was an older, slightly portly man standing on his porch in front of the crowd, and the next a mighty timber wolf stood before us. His coat was a blend of grey and brown, and the fur under his chin was beige, with tufts of the same color peeking out from under his belly. A large bushy tail swept the ground behind him, its black tip blending with the dark of the forest behind making it appear strangely stumpy.

A deep howl reverberated around the compound as the Alpha signaled the start of the run. The enormous wolf leaped down, and raced away into the forest, his mate at his shoulder, my parents' wolves following close behind.

Those who hadn't yet shifted, did so, and howls of different tones and timbres broke out around the compound as the rest of the pack followed their leaders like a stream of fur in shades of brown, black, and grey slipping between the trees. There seemed no particular order in which to run - some family groups with small pups followed close after the leaders, othersseemed to be waiting for the main group to leave.

The adolescents were still playing and leaping around each other in the compound, clearly in no hurry to join the pack.

A hand on my shoulder made me jump.

"Ready to go?" asked Darius, as he began his shift.

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