Omega Lupus

CHAPTER One |Cara|
I know who I am. I know what I am. I know my place, that there’s no fairytale ending for me; for an Omega.

My name’s Carolyn, but by those that bother learning my name, I’m Cara. I’m 16 years old, three years into my Shift. My Shift happened the first time my wolf-self came out, triggered by the death of my mother, the origin of my Omega status. I’m a small statured girl, short and downright scrawny with stringy, pale blonde hair and unusual gray-blue eyes. Kelsey says I might have witch blood or something. I don’t really care, all I know is that the white fur and strange eyes don’t help me blend at all.

Fortunately my body has a talent for quick healing so even though I get hurt and punished a lot more than a normal wolf, even a normal Omega, because of my appearance, I’m not dead yet. Oh, I’ve come close; snatching prey right out from under the Alpha Female’s nose is not smart, even if you can outrun her. Sarah simply ripped into me when I had to come back, afterward Kelsey carried me home.

It was worth it the next morning though when she called a pack meeting to inform everyone that I was dead, just to see me standing at the back of the assembled werewolves, limping, but otherwise kicking. For the briefest moment even Drake, the pack’s Alpha Male and Sarah’s Soulmate, couldn’t keep a look of reluctant respect from showing through his typically impassive expression. Of course, it might have been my imagination.

Either way, it was a good day.

Kelsey’s the closest thing I have to family. She’s the only one in the pack that speaks to me on a regular basis. In fact, as cliché as it sounds, we’re best friends. Of course, she’s the only one of the pack that doesn’t suffer by speaking to me. Kelse is a special wolf in the pack; a Luna. A wolf is born a Luna, they can’t be created and they’re very rare with remarkable abilities. Plus, other wolves physically find it almost impossible to harm a Luna. Sarah even accidentally tested this when she got too angry with Kelsey once. I never knew who my father was, though mom dropped hints that she was raped when I was conceived so maybe it’s better this way.

Kelsey is the first Luna our pack has had since the Great Fires over a century ago. Her healing abilities are the best in the pack and being around her seems to stabilize the emotions and mentality of other wolves and she claims to see auras. Other than members of the Alpha family, a Luna is the only one in a pack that can have a Soulmate. Regular ranking wolves can have mates of course, but the bond between Soulmates makes it possible for a Mated pair to feel each other’s emotions, and to a degree, even read their thoughts. Statistically, it’s difficult for a wolf to find its Soulmate though. There are 50 packs in the United States, one for each state, named after the state’s capital. Each time an Alpha family member or Luna wants to find their Soulmate they have to go to each pack and meet with eligible Lunas and Alpha family members to find them and sometimes even that doesn’t work. Some wolves go their whole lives without meeting their Soulmate.

Despite being a Luna, Kelsey’s awesome with bright red hair and sparkly, pale green eyes and smells like honeysuckles. All wolves have a unique scent, with Alphas and Lunas it’s supposed to help wolves find their Soulmate. She’s sweet and has an innocent, child-like demeanor, but I know she has an iron backbone and a witchy stubbornness that surpasses any Alpha. She’ll make an amazing Alpha Female someday.

“Cara!” Speak of the Devil…

I stand as Kelsey sprints into my living room, her eyes glittery with excitement and the spicy smell of exhilaration flowing off of her in waves. The 15 year old skids to a stop, barely keeping from crashing into me as her lithe form practically dances in place, making her curly hair bounce from her shoulders in Slinky-like springs, “Guess what!” she squeaks.

I smile slightly, “What?” I ask. I’m used to this side of her, more akin to a gushing 10 year old than a 15 year old werewolf.

She spins in a circle, “Drake and Sarah are getting visitors from the Frankfort Pack!” she pauses, breathless. Then, realizing I’m not understanding the meaning of her enthusiasm, she continues, “The Frankfort Alphas’ two children are coming! They’re brother and sister and both haven’t found their Soulmate yet! Their pack’s Betas’ son is accompanying them too.”

“Ohhhh!” I exclaim, grinning. She’s hoping the brother is her Soulmate, “Do you know his name?”

She giggles, “Damien, his sister’s name is Lillian.”

I mentally wince as my wolf-self suddenly pushes for control. I glance around, looking for the source of her restlessness, but when nothing makes itself apparent, I focus back on Kelsey, “That’s so great! I’m so happy for you!” I say brightly. I am too. Kelsey deserves someone to love her unconditionally as only a Soulmate can. I’d die trying to protect her if I had to. Even though the Luna is only five months younger than me, I consider her my little sister who I have to protect, despite knowing she can take care of herself. I’d definitely help her before thinking about offering Sarah a hand.

Or is it paw…

“They’re on their way now! In a jet!” she says, “Drake said they’d be here in time for tonight’s hunt. There’s a party for the pack too.” She pauses, watching my face before adding, “You should come.”

I feel my wolf-self give off a pulse of satisfaction. I’d totally forgotten there’d be a full moon tonight. The party bit is a long withstanding argument between me and my best friend. Kelsey thinks I should participate in the pack more, be more social, and go to the meetings, that kind of thing. I hate pointing it out to her, so I’ve mostly just ignored the topic, but it wouldn’t matter if I went, they’d still ignore me, or worse punish me or taunt me. I’m much better away from the rest of the pack. Kelse is all I need.

Kelsey crosses her arms stubbornly, “One of these days when I’m Alpha Female you will go to these party things and you will get a mate and Sarah can kiss my ass.”

I flinch slightly, eyes widening as I reply, half horrified, “Are you crazy? That kind of talk can get you outcasted Kelsey!”

Her pale eyes hold deep loathing, but I can feel the spark of anger slowly dissipate, “It’s just… It’s not fair.” She growls.

“Life isn’t fair.” The voice is almost a purr, but cold. Kelse and I jump and she turns as I back away. I already know who’s there. I stare down at my bare feet, head tilted away from Sarah to expose my neck. I can feel her eyes on me, light brown and piercing as topaz, as she takes in the submissive, natural Omega posture; a look I’ve perfected. When the Alpha Female speaks again I can hear the smirk in her voice, “This miserable excuse for a wolf will never be anything but an Omega. It’s all she is.”

Kelsey shakes her head, “No. It might be all she knows, but it isn’t all she is. You’re wrong Sarah. Cara would be triple the Alpha you are.” Kelsey’s voice is strong and her eyes are narrowed as Sarah’s pupils grow larger and the smoky smell of a werewolf about to Shift permeates the room. Then, just when I expected a blonde furred wolf to bury her fangs in my throat Sarah’s eyes slowly settle back to brown and she gets a faraway look in their depths.

I glance at Kelsey questioningly and she mouths, “Drake.”

I shiver. That was one thing of many I wouldn’t be able to handle about having a Soulmate, let alone being one. It’d mean someone would have access, perhaps minimal access, but access nonetheless, to your darkest thoughts and secrets. Someone would know you, maybe even better than you know yourself.

Abruptly Sarah comes to life again. She blinks and fixes Kelsey and me with muted looks of fury, “The visitors are here.” She growls as if talking about a rotten piece of prey, riddled with worms. Then she turns and walks purposefully out my front door, leaving the lingering smell of juniper and dog in her wake.

As the door slams shut behind her we both exhale breathes we’d been holding, then smile wanly at each other, “We’d better go.” Kelse says, then adds hopefully, “Can I steal that green sweater for tonight?”

I laugh, “It was yours to begin with, of course.” I reply warmly, then speak again, avoiding her eyes, “I’m going to go for a run.” I see her dip her head out of the corner of my eye, a surprisingly submissive gesture. Seeing my bewildered expression she smiles and starts down the short hallway to my bedroom, passing the bathroom door as she does, to get the sweater.

I sigh and opt for the back door, undressing quickly on the rickety patio before tearing down the barrier between me and my wolf-self. She’s hesitant at first, testing for oppression. When she finds none, the Shift comes on quickly. I mentally and physically flinch as our body begins to change shape. With the help of the chemicals released during the Shift it comes on quickly and relatively painless, although the unsettling feeling of bones snapping in and out of place and into slightly different positions still makes my stomach coil.

Then I rise to my paws and take a deep breath, shaking out my new fur coat. We take off then, leaping and twisting… Worries melt away as we run. Oh, this was much better than being with the pack.