Marcus and Bram.
I felt so much relief at seeing them. We were all similar ages. They were just two years older then me and although I've never really interacted with either, they were my pack mates that I've seen more regularly than anyone else besides Alpha and Beta.
My wolf wanted out to rub all over them. He wanted to bask in their scents and familiarize himself with wolves he felt a bond toward.
Marcus and Bram were both average sized wolves. They sported short hair, but where Brams was a nice chocolate color Marcus's was a bright red. Like their contrasting hair colors, their skin was also vastly different. Marcus was ivory and Bram was a healthy sun-kissed tan and both men had well-built bodies.
Marcus was the first to notice me. Like always, I didn't allow our eyes to meet but I could hear his startled gasp of surprise. His hand came out to clutch onto Bram's upper arm and motioned toward me. Bram's eyes followed his arm until they reached me. Again I ensured to advert mine.
Neither of them had ever been mean to me. Marcus had always seemed to leave extra meat on his plate when I was waiting to eat when some of the others seemed more hungry than normal. Those nights I would go to bed full. When Beta noticed what Marcus was doing I was made to throw the food away instead of eating it but the few times before Beta, I had made sure to indulge.
Bram was usually the one who brought me food when I got banished to the dungeons. There had been a good amount of times he didn't come for days but when he did show up he'd leave with a small sorry. I had always wanted to reassure him that it was my fault and not his. If I had behaved then I wouldn't have been in the dungeon and he wouldn't have to remember to tend to me. In the end, I was the burden.
My heart faltered a little bit. I was a burden.
A hand came up and rested firmly on the back of my neck, squeezing lightly, almost in reassurance? It snapped me out of my inner thoughts and looking beside me I noticed it was the Alphas hand that was comforting me. Kain didn't glance at me but he made no move to let go. His anger with me moments ago seemingly forgotten. My wolf was rolling around in joy over our Alphas actions toward us. In my mind, however, I was trying to figure out what triggered the change.
Turning my attention back to the new occupants I watched them as they just stared at me. Suddenly, Bram brought his hand up to cover his face. I wasn't sure what was happening but as the room continued to remain quiet I started to hear the choked sobs coming from the wolf. His salty tears tainted the air. Marcus put his arm around the other wolfs shoulder and whispered something into his ear, too low for my sensitive hearing to pick up on. But with a pat to the mans back Marcus directed his attention to the Alpha standing beside me.
"Alpha." It was a greeting filled with respect. His voice wavered a bit but he stood strong.
"Explain." Kain's voice was like steel.
"I'm not sure we can," Kain growled at Marcus's response. The hand at my neck grew tight but not enough to hurt. I glanced at Kain. He looked angry, his wolf shown in his eyes, a warning.
"Then if I were you I would do my best to try." It was Bens voice who gave the reply. He had been slowly making his way over and now he stood beside us. Orion has already made his way back to the seating area while Basil stood to the side, watching.
Bram let out a shuttering breath and wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He gave Marcus a small pat on the back and looked over at us.
"Promise us safety within your pack. I know the merge is only for the pups and women but we also want to be a part of it." Pack? What about Alpha? No one had said he had been killed, did their hope for a new pack come from the fact that Alpha was dead? I felt my heart rate pick up a bit and the hand on my neck loosened slightly but gave a gentle squeeze.
"You have done nothing to earn such allegiances." Kain's words were firm as he addressed the request.
"If we tell you what we know, Alpha Clyde will come for us. Offer us safety and we will tell you everything we know." A snarl ripped through my throat. How dare they! That was their Alpha! My eyes grew hard and for the first time, my eyes met theirs, challenging them.
I hadn't had a choice when Kain scent marked me as a temporary pack member, but when my Alpha came for me, I would offer him my neck for not fighting for the pack as I should have. My allegiance would always be with him and although my wolf felt comfort in our temporary pack, this wasn't where we belonged. We had our Alpha and our pack. Seeing our pack mates willingly seek out another pack was a betrayal.
Marcus and Bram looked shocked at my response. Kain's grip grew hard as my snarls grew in volume. My wolf was also unhappy with the two. They were untrustworthy to us now.
'Backstabbers!'
My snarls continued until I was yanked onto my back. My challenging eyes directed towards fierce blue ones.
"Enough Omega!" Kain towered over me on the bed. His wolf at the surface but my anger wasn't tame. I had never felt such a feeling before and replaying Bram's words over in my head had me shifting, my own wolf wanting to discipline his pack mates for their betrayal.
'Traitors!'
Before my wolf could fully be let out, I felt teeth at my throat. Instantly, I stilled. Kain had kept his own wolf from turning but in an animalistic effort to keep my beast from overtaking he had latched onto the vulnerable throat, his own snarl coming forth in a warning.
"Toby calm down." Levi's words broke through the tension in the air but did little to soothe my raging heart and thoughts.
I closed my eyes but all I could see was red. I was so angry. I felt Kain shift until his entire body was covering mine and his scent filled my senses.
Kain seemed to have known my thoughts because he was reaffirming his mark on me and my temporary residence within his pack.
Reminding me I was no longer apart of his pack.
It seemed to calm my beast but my heart was anything but. My relief and excitement for the two wolves had diminished. I had gotten confirmation that my Alpha was still alive, he was out there somewhere and I knew he wouldn't allow Kain to keep his territory. Alpha would come back, seeking revenge and I couldn't help but be excited for that day.
After a few more tense moments Kain finally released me. My wolf had basked in the warmth of his. The moment of dominance had calmed me but I could still feel my anger boiling just below the surface. Somewhere in my mind, I knew I would be punished later for my slip but I didn't ponder on it too much.
"Ben, sit with him and keep him restrained. I don't want another episode." Kain motioned for Ben to come over. Once the male was next to me I was scooped up into his arms and walked over to the seating area where he sat us down with me in his lap. I was shocked by the action but Kain had looked pleased and focused his attention back on the two shocked wolves standing at the door.
"Well, that was interesting." Levi's off-handed comment got a small growl from Kain but she waved it off as she walked over and took a seat next to Orion, who had been observing the entire ordeal.
"You will be granted protection and welcomed into the pack." Kain's declaration got a small growl from me but Ben tighten his arms and gave a small growl back silencing me. I turned my head away from Marcus and Bram, my excitement at seeing them gone.
"Thank you, Alpha," Marcus replied with an unsteady voice. Good.
"Why don't you all come sit down and we can get this discussion going," Levi called out to the men and they slowly made their way over to us. Kain sat next to Ben and me while the others found their own spots across from us. Basil stayed standing to lean against the wall.
I felt my anger fuel at their nearness but Bens hand had started to make soothing circles on my back. I couldn't help but enjoy the attention and the feeling of being so close to him. Ben felt safe. My wolf was content with him and slowly I relaxed.
"So tell me about how the Omega came to your pack?" Kain was straight to the point.
"Clyde's father, Stalin, was the one to find him. He was just an infant at the time, Clyde had just taken over the pack, I don't know too much more about it, just what our parents had told us." I couldn't help but be curious as Bram spoke about me however I already knew this story.
"Why was he never matched?"
"We don't know." Marcus chimed in answering. "Alpha didn't allow anyone near him. Hilda was the same, but the rumor was that she passed away because her wolf got depressed and faded." Hilda? Was that the old Omega that cared for me? "Hilda was the one to raise Toby for the first two years before she died."
"You had two unmated Omegas?" Kain's growl was strong. What did it matter if we had been mated or not? What was the big deal? Many wolves didn't have mates.
"Yes, but I'm not sure when the older one came in. She may have been mated, no one ever saw her we just knew she was there. We were just pups when she died and when Toby came into the pack." Kain stayed silent and Marcus took that was the cue to continue. "We grew up with the rules to never interact with Toby. We weren't allowed to play with him and if he looked at us we had to inform our parents. We grew up like that and never really questioned it." Marcus gave a shrug.
"Why didn't your Alpha accept him?" Bens rumbling voice came out.
Bram looked over at us and I continue to ignore the wolf. "Listen," I could see out of the corner of my eyes Bram running his hands through his hair, his face looked troubled. "We don't know his reasons. I wish we did, but we don't. We weren't allowed to ask those questions. I grew up knowing the rules and no one wanted to cross Clyde, especially with Sid around."
Marcus let out his own breath and continued before Bram could. "There were rumors that Clyde planned to use Toby's heat as the reason he killed Luna." I turned my head to him and narrowed my eyes. Another growl was forcing its way out. 'How dare he!' My enter frame was shaking in anger. Alpha wasn't like that. He cared deeply for his mate, he would never betray her.
Bens arms tighten around me again and he whispered in my ear. "Calm down Toby or we'll have to take you out of the room."
I bared my teeth at him not caring one bit about my misbehavior. Then out of nowhere, I felt myself being yanked from his grasp and crashed into a hard chest with a hand gripping my throat and forcing my face up. Kain stared at me with harsh eyes. "Be good." His voice was like acid raining down on me and I stilled. For a long moment, he held my gaze until he released my neck and I immediately bared my throat to him, wanting to appease his anger.
Ignoring my attempt he refocused on the wolves across from us.
"So how many of your pack believe this rumor?"
"Not many at first, but now that she's dead I think a lot of opinions have changed." Marcus's words cut like ice. Luna was dead. Who did it? "If what Bram and I have discussed is right though, Clyde will come up with a lie about how your pack killed her."
Kain growled. "She was torn apart before we even crossed the border." His harsh reply was accompanied by the growls of the others in the room.
"Kain, let us increase the search party! He deserves a public execution for his crime." Basil was livid.
Ignoring the outburst Kain sat back in his chair slightly adjusting me so I was straddling him. I didn't look at his face and kept my head turned to the side. I was processing the conversation.
'Why were they lying?'
'Why would Alpha do that?'
'Why?'
My confusion and frustration must have been evident on my face because Levi spoke up on my behalf.
"Kain, let me take him on a walk. He's not educated on what Omegas are. This conversation is just going to confuse him." What did being an Omega have to do with anything?
Kain's hands held my hips in place as I struggled with my thoughts.
Ignoring Levi, Kain looked back to the two wolves. "He desires something he couldn't have because he had already mated, correct?"
I assumed they nodded as Kain continued. "And to be able to breed the Omega, he had to get rid of his mate. So," his large hands slightly loosened their hold as Kain studied my reaction to his words. "he alienated his Omega, refused to scent mark him, abused him, denied him proper nutrition; all to force his heat so that he could blame his wolfs desires for killing his mate." Kain moved me slightly to get a better look Marcus and Bram. "He went against the laws."
Lies.
"That's right." They replied in unison.
'Stop lying!'
Kain addressed me. "Your Alpha has committed a very serious crime." His voice sounded pleased.
I clenched my eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears. I would not cry over lies!
Warm breath creased over my neck and ear. "He killed what was mine to keep me from finding out about you." Confusion washed over me.
"Kain you can't assume that by what you just heard."
"Lily would have called him out on it if she had noticed him when she visited." Kain snarled at Ben, and suddenly I was shoved to the ground. "She came here to establish herself as the future Luna to our neighbors! This was her last stop and the last place she was seen." Kain's anger was reaching new heights, his wolf shown brightly in his eyes.
"She would have smelled him and demanded they release him!" His breathing was coming out hard as he fought his shift. "I know they killed her, I can feel it." His once blue eyes had shifted to amber, his muscles rippled with the tension.
"Did you see her Omega?!" Kain screamed at me. "Did you witness your precious Alpha kill my mate to keep you hidden?"
I was terrified and as Ben and Orion got up to stand in-between us I scrambled back before I felt my own shift take over. It happened all too fast. I had to hide and the moment I was in my wolfs skin, I ran for the still opened door allowing Kain's anger to keep the other wolves busy.
There was only one place I wanted to be and I ran for it. Howls of anger filled the pack house as I ran for my safe haven.
'What is he even talking about?'
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