Omega Lupus

My body shakes with the fight to stay where I am. I know that she needs to come to me, but the embarrassment coming from her is enough to make me smile. She has no reason to be shy. She’s perfect; she should be strutting at the top of the pack, knowing better than anyone else just how beautiful she is.

But she’s an Omega. It makes no difference to me, but my parents are sure to care and hers too. No one would keep me away from her though. No one ever would. Even the thoughts makes a growl vibrate in my throat. Confusion then fear and uncertainty run through her and I run to her. Her eyes are downcast, her body fully facing me so when I tackle her, much more gently than last time to compensate for her frailer human form, she falls on her butt and blinks in surprise, grimacing. I breathe her in, vanilla and blackberries clouding my mind. I want to howl, but startle us both by whining, nose a hairsbreadth from hers. Her hand shakes, but she slowly raises it to scratch beneath my chin. I narrow my eyes at the unfamiliar pleasure and nuzzle her, unable to get close enough.

Then footsteps coming around the side of the house make me spin and I bare my teeth, already bristling, but sit back when Thomas comes around the corner, “Just bringing your clothes Dame.” He says, smiling crookedly.

I dip my head and he sets them on the porch where Cara’s shirt had been and where the shorts she hadn’t bothered to put on still were. He smiles at her before walking away again. I’m very grateful Thomas and Lillian didn’t seem to have a problem with her. With a sigh I push my nose under her chin and nuzzle her again, inwardly grinning when the action startles a giggle from her lips. Then I go to the porch and hold my clothes carefully in my teeth before glancing at her questioningly.

“My bedroom’s down the hall on the right.” She says, her voice making my heart beat speed up once more. She stands and opens the door, letting me slip inside. It was cool and sparse. A dump quality loveseat coupled with a low coffee table in the next room are the only pieces of actual furniture and the hallway she’d mentioned is dimly lit. The kitchen, where we stand, is clean to excess, looking little used.

She’s tense behind me, probably trying to imagine her space through my eyes. It was undoubtedly hers too, even without any personal aspects to the place. The entire area was sweetly scented with vanilla and blackberries, the same smell that had first alerted me to her presence in this pack in the threads of the green sweater, “I-uh… it’s not much…” she murmurs faintly, shifting nervously from foot to foot. I look back at her, her pale arms crossed and shirt hanging around her small frame. I smile to myself and start toward the hallway, my thoughts soft as they meet hers, [It’s perfect.]

She jumps slightly and I enter her room, dropping my clothes to the floor as I begin the Shift. It wasn’t the worst Shift I’d ever experienced, but it was painful and I had to remain tense and silent as the aches in my muscles diminished. I look around, glad this room is a little more detailed. The covers on the bed are twisted and a dark plum color while the bed itself is a poor twin, looking as if it’d fall over if I sat on it. The dresser is small and painted black, its top holding a handheld mirror laying facedown next to a white handled brush and lastly a small picture frame with a picture of a pretty woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, smiling. The clothes in the closet are all falling off the wire hangers they’re so stretched, the colors faded. I sigh softly and get dressed, [Come here.] I think to her and hear her hesitant steps in the hallway before she eases the door open, standing on the threshold warily. I go to her and she relaxes a bit, watching me up through her lashes, “Are you alright?” I ask quietly.

She shuffles her feet, her eyes dropping to the wooden floorboards and she nods, “I’m fine…”

I motion to the bed, “Not much, huh?”

She steps past me, “I’m the Omega, I’m used to it. Sarah wanted to give me a blanket, but Drake has a heart.” She suddenly looks mad, hands clenched into white knuckled fists.

“Why do you think this happened?” I wonder out loud.

She whips her head around to look at me, eyes cool, “What do you mean?”

I blink, trying to gauge her emotions, “What do you think makes you different, from other Omegas I mean. Who are your parents? What are they like?”

She pauses and sits on the bed, which surprisingly doesn’t collapse under her, “Oh… well… my mom was the former Omega. She died before I turned 14, it triggered my first Shift. She… never took a mate… I think she was raped, she didn’t have a Kelsey to protect her and Drake’s parents were still the Alphas then. They died before I was born.” She explains, “She protected me, even at the cost of Sarah’s teeth. Sarah thought she was foolish and pathetic.” Her lips curl in the human variant of a snarl, “Sarah wanted to send me away, but Drake said no. He’s always kind of… looked after me. Pity I guess.” She exhales through her teeth, making a faint whistling sound.

“Do you have any idea who your dad is?” I question.

She turns a downright cold look on me, “No. Which is a good thing, I’d die trying to kill him.”

An icy shiver runs up my spine, “Well then, I’m glad… We… You want to go see the rest of the pack? You can meet my sister and Thomas.” I offer, unsure what else to say.

She looks down, “Sarah and Gabriel won’t like it.” She cautions halfheartedly.

I snort, “Gabriel is a measly punk.”

She smiles sadly up at me, “Not when he and his buddy have got you all alone in his room.”

“They didn’t.” I snarl, anger making my ears hum.

“No… Kelsey got there in time, she saved me. She kicked their tails too. Lunas can be uber scary when they want to be.” She shrugs, “I could have been like my mom though, a baby at 15. They… they cornered me the day after her death…” she trails off and begins to shake uncontrollably, rolling herself into a little ball. I pick her up and hold her, shaking too as I try to keep myself in check and she sobs steadily into my shirt, occasionally muttering, but mostly just crying.

Lillian finds us an hour later like that and her eyes show her bewilderment. I am usually not so… emotional. She scans the room and shakes her head, “You’ve got to be kidding me… Is she alright?”

Cara freezes at the sound of Lil’s voice and I can only growl, “Shut the door before I got tear that kid apart.”

She raises an eyebrow, but obeys, then returns to the dresser. Cara’s quiet now, tracking Lillian by her footsteps, “Hello Carolyn, my name’s Lillian.” My sister says pleasantly. Cara slowly unwinds herself, wary and skittish. Even with her eyes puffy and red from tears she’s still beautiful, her pale hair framing her face, her bright eyes clear and wide. Lillian sticks her hand out, “If you call me Lil though I’ll call you Cara.” She adds and Cara smiles, shaking my sister’s hand, “Well I spoke to dad.” I tense, “I paraphrased what happened. He said he wants us home ASAP and that he’s very excited to meet the newest members of the pack.” She flashes a smile at Cara, who had sat back down next to me, “I am too, there aren’t many chica wolves in our pack.”

“Except Felicia.” I murmur worriedly.

Lil glances at me and her expression hints that she has already thought of our pack’s possessive Betas’ daughter. Cara makes an impatient gesture, “Felicia..?” she prompts.

Lil replies slowly, voice harboring on cold, “She’s our pack’s Betas’ daughter. She also has a very creepy stalker obsession with my brother here.”

“It’s not that bad…” I attempt to protest, but know very well that it’s not far off.

Cara rolls her eyes, “Oh how cliché!” she growls venomously, eyes flashing fiercely, “So, not only am I going to have to fight to even be accepted, but I’m also going to have an already appointed arch enemy. Classic.”

I feel my eyes narrow, “I’ll protect you.”

She looks away, her face drawn and virtually unreadable, although the fear in our link is enough, “You can’t save me from everything Damien…” she says, so softly I momentarily wonder if she’d spoken at all, “I can’t… I can’t let you fight my battles. I’ll deal with Felicia. Drake says I’m a natural fighter, I’ll be ok.” She takes a deep breath and seems to relax a bit.

Lil watches her thoughtfully, “You know Cara, I think you’ll do just fine.” She smiles crookedly and adds, “I’m going shopping. Dad gave me permission to use the card to buy whatever we thought you’d need for the next couple days until you get settled in. You need a new wardrobe anyway.”

Cara looks speechless, then hurriedly shakes her head, “Oh no! No, no, no, you don’t need to do that. I… uhm, I can’t accept such an offer. I-I…” she closes her mouth, looking stricken.

Just then Kelsey appeared, her eyes glittering excitedly, “Oh! Nonsense Cara! You’ve needed new clothes for near a decade! Good thing I know all of your sizes.” She winks at my Soulmate, then adds, “I mean, you won’t mind me coming along will you Lillian?”

Lil is surprised, but nods, slowly smiling. Then the two wave at Cara and I as they leave, Lil flicking the debit card dad must have given her to show Kelsey. Their voices echo back to us after that before even that faded. I glanced at the alarm clock next to Cara’s bed. It was 5 in the morning and with the drive to the nearest town, plus traffic, they probably wouldn’t start shopping until 9 or so. Tack on five or six hours and the amount of time it’d take for them to get back…

“She really doesn’t need to do that…” Cara whispers.