Sage's POV:
Ashton finishes his food in record time, despite his attempts to slow down. He must not have even tasted it, but as long as he's filled and doesn't vomit, I'm fine with it.
"Are you still hungry?" I ask Ashton and he shakes his head.
"I can't eat too much or I'll get sick," he tells me, laying back on the grass and looking up at the cloudy sky.
It's a little cold out, as it's getting closer to fall, but I like the crisp weather. It seems as though it appeals to Ashton too, as he seems truly relaxed for the first time since I met him. The Alphas that we took from the corrupt pack are being watched by our warriors, but none of them have tried to attack or run yet.
In fact, they've been just as skittish as the Omegas. Some have been a bit more relaxed around myself and other Omega warriors, but the Alphas make them cower. They seem to be just as scared of us as the Omegas are of them, and the only Alphas they've been fine with is the ones from their old pack.
Like Ashton and his friends who were all sharing the same bed that they made of three smaller ones. Personally, I think it's cute that they find comfort in each other, but it's sad that they've been hurt enough that both Alphas and Omegas are scared and skittish.
"There you are!" I hear Zach call, and sit up to see him crossing the grass. "I figured I'd find you around here somewhere. Your mom told me the news."
Ashton puts himself between me and Zach, but he doesn't growl and I can see how nervous he is around Zach. It makes sense, since he and the others have been abused by Alphas his whole life and Zach is not a small guy.
He's muscular and his size and agility make him one of our best soldiers. It will make him a great Beta, along with his exemplary attitude.
"Calm down, he's my best friend," I tell Ashton and he moves back to my side instead of between me and Zach. "What news?"
Zach nods toward Ashton. "Your mate," he says, smiling at Ashton. "I'm Zach."
"Ashton," my mate says, sounding unenthusiastic and reluctant.
Zach continues to smile as he turns his attention toward me. "Are we training later?" he asks me, as the last couple of days have been a bit awkward with our raid, the new people in the pack, and my mate now being here.
"Yes, but I don't know if I'm attending," I say, slipping hand into Ashton's cold one to try to get him to be more relaxed around Zach. "My mom wants me to speak with some of the Omegas to see what packs they were from while Matthew helps with the Alphas and deciding where they should stay and admitting them to the pack. They're all welcome to, they just need to adjust and will be welcomed when we have the full moon ceremony."
Zach hums and Ashton seems surprised that I am willing to accept all of his former pack mates. It's not their fault that they were brought into such a harsh environment and forced to raid packs and kidnap Omegas. They all deserve the chance to thrive; the only ones who don't are the leaders of that pack.
"Will your mate be going with you?" Zach asks me. "Some might recognize him and I doubt they're big fans."
Ashton visibly winces and I can tell he agrees with Zach and is shamed of his past actions, no matter how little say he had in the matter.
"He can stay here or wait outside," I say, because I don't want him to be alone.
There's a big piece of Ashton that is very reliant and dependent on someone else, based on how he seems to follow me like a lost puppy and how he needed the physical comfort of the other Alphas. Even now, at the mention of being alone, he scoots a bit closer to me.
I squeeze his hand tighter and he rests his head on my shoulder, which is the closest that I've ever been to Ashton with him initiating it, and I enjoy it deeply.
Other Alphas start leaving the house where they're staying and they go sit down in the grassy area outside of the house. They all stay in their groups of three or four people, similar to the pair that Ashton seems to cling to.
Ashton stands up abruptly, his eyes wide.
"What's wrong?" I ask, and his nostrils flare. "Ashton?"
Ashton curses under his breath and shifts into his wolf form, running off toward the building and shoving the door open.
Both Zach and I follow without shifting and find Ashton jumping into the middle of a fight between two shifted Alphas. Of course, I don't recognize either of them, but Ashton clearly does.
There's a toffee colored wolf standing behind Ashton, and both are growling at a chocolate brown one who is easily bigger than both of them.
"Hey!" Zach bellows, and I'm grateful for it because it gets a lot of their attention and they back away while we march over to my mate and the other two wolves. "Break it up. Now."
Ashton backs away, herding his friend behind him, but the chocolate wolf continues to snarl and follow their attempted escape.
Zach growls again. "Shift back, all three of you. There should be no fighting in here," he says, and Ashton and his friend shift back.
I recognize him now as the boy who asked me earlier about the food and then sprinted out of the room. He's one of Ashton's friends from what I know so it makes sense he's protecting him.
The other wolf shifts back as well and pulls up his discarded shirt and pants from the floor. "Tell that little bitch to stay the fuck away from me!" he snarls as Ashton and his friend rush off to put on clothes. "He tried to take my food."
"There's a whole buffet and plenty to eat," Zach says, trying to soothe the agitated man.
He's the first one I've seen who is willing to fight back with us and openly shows his anger as opposed to cowering.
"He shouldn't be near my plate!" the Alpha snarls, and Zach sighs and urges him to move to a table in the corner while I leave to go find my mate and his friend.
Thank goddess my Beta can single-handedly keep everything under control.
Ashton is trying to soothe his friend who is pacing and ranting when I enter the room. The other man who was here earlier isn't in the room anymore.
"I didn't even take his fucking plate!" he shouts while Ashton sits and listens in silence. "I walked by him and got a little too close so he tried to fight with me! He always did that shit, even back in the old pack! They should have left his ass behind!"
I open the door to the room all the way and sit down next to my mate. "Zach took care of the problem," I say to his friend who visibly relaxes.
"Thanks," he mutters, sitting down. "So... you're the future leader of this pack, I hear?"
I hum. "Is that a problem?"
"As long as I'm allowed to stay and the leaders don't come after us, I don't give a fuck about who's in charge here," he replies. "I'm Owen."
"Sage."
"Take care of this guy," Owen tells me, ruffling Ashton's hair and making my mate growl and slap his hand away. "He needs his mate."
Ashton blushes at that so I assume that he agrees but is too shy to say it.
"Would you two like to go on a tour of the pack? I have an hour before I need to go visit the Omegas," I say and both Ashton and Owen agree to it.
They're both nervous and they definitely cling to me as we head down toward the town.
I notice Owen attempting to get closer to me, most likely for protection because this is my turf, but Ashton growls at him when he tries.
"Woah, I'm not trying to snatch your mate, big guy," Owen says, shoving Ashton's shoulder.
Ashton huffs. "You're getting really close. Do you have to be that close to him?"
"I'm sorry that this place is unfamiliar and I'd love not to be killed or attacked by a random wolf," Owen bites back.
I cut off their bickering. "No one is going to attack either of you, so relax," I scold, and they both fall quiet.
"Possessive fucker," Owen whispers in a hushed voice, grabbing my hand in his own and shooting Ashton an evil smirk. "You don't mind, right?"
Ashton pulls mine and Owen's hands apart. "I mind."
I grab Ashton's hand and pull him away from trying to chase his friend, and he follows my lead but he's still irritated. I show them the pack house, the doctor's building, the small town with restaurants and the general store. Some packs are small and their members drive to a nearby city or hub to get food and other items, but ours is big enough that we have our own restaurants and store where members of our pack work.
Finally, I show them to the training field that lays empty right now because training doesn't start until later today.
"You have a big pack," Owen says, sitting down in the field.
Ashton places himself beside Owen so that he's between me and his friend. For being shy and hesitant with everyone else, Ashton is very blunt about his jealousy and irritation with his friend.
"Yeah, we have a lot of members and we're still expanding," I say pridefully. "Soon you will be part of it, too, if you want to be. We're all aware that the Alphas we brought with us had no choice in their upbringing."
Ashton and Owen both perk up.
"Your current Alpha will accept us?" Owen asks.
"Yes, she will. She's not dumb and she's going to get an earful from me if she tries to kick my mate out of my future pack."
Ashton seems shocked that I'd put myself out there like that to keep him with me, but he doesn't know how long I've been craving my mate's presence.
"She doesn't trust me," Ashton murmurs. "She wanted me apart from you because she's afraid I'll hurt you."
"It was a long day with a lot of death. She let me come out here and spend the whole day with you, didn't she?"
Ashton raises an eyebrow. "Does she even know?"
I falter. "Well... no, she doesn't, but it's not like I have to run over every single thing I do with my mom. I'm an adult."
"I just don't want her to be angry with you or hate me."
"She won't hate you! She's happy that I found my mate, she's just unsure because of the pack you came from and she doesn't want you to harm me. I know you won't, Ashton, I promise."
He smiles and I realize I probably have to get to the Omega house right about now. We walk back through the town and I see Zach and grab his arm, getting his attention.
"Uh, I have to go, so I'm going to leave you with Zach. He's not going to attack either of you and he'll make sure you stay safe while I'm gone. Zach, take care of my mate," I say, gently hugging Ashton before I take off.
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