The Omega's Revolt (completed)

Act 2 - Pre-emptive Strike

            Listen to your heart, mo stoirín. When it’s too dark to see, too loud to hear and you think you’re all alone in this big, scary world, listen to your heart and you will find your way again. Papa will always be with you, right here in your little heart. 

            The ringing in my ears was deafening and I could feel something warm trickling down my earlobes and onto my neck. Sourness filled my mouth and I fought against the heaviness on my chest to take a few deep breaths before I could force my eyes to open. 

            Pitch black darkness stared back at me and I was confused for a second on whether I had succeeded in trying to open my eyes. If not for the uncomfortable feeling of something foreign falling into my eyes, I would probably remain confused for a few more minutes as I struggled to regain my bearings. 

            Images of werewolves running for their lives and the lights in the mine going out flashed in my mind as I slowly began to realize where I was. The heaviness on my chest grew as my breathing quickened uncontrollably, but I still felt like I was suffocating. No matter how hard I tried to breathe, I just couldn’t seem to get enough air.

            My head grew heavy before a crippling dizziness took over as despair held me in a tight grip. I felt trapped in a prism of nothingness, completely and utterly alone like a fleck of dust in a black hole. No amount of wit or training was going to get me out of this one but my instinct to survive wouldn’t allow me to give up. 

            A gruff voice rose above the ringing in my ears, fuelling my instinct to survive, to fight against the hopelessness closing in on me. 

            Rosy! Breathe! 

            I focused on my breathing once again, willing myself to slow down and take long, deep breaths. Oxygen gushed through my lungs and though the air was foul, I was finally able to think somewhat clearly again. 

            You’re ok, Rosy, you’re ok! I’m going to get you out of here! 

            I tried blinking and squinting in the darkness again, but nothing changed. It was still pitch black and I couldn’t see anything, let alone find the source of the voice that was trying to reassure me. 

            A short gush of wind brushed against my skin and I shuddered at the sudden coolness before realizing that I seemed to have lost my source of warmth. Panic began to rise within me once more even though my body now felt more comfortable in the overheated darkness. 

            “Don’t leave me,” I whimpered like a lost child as I forced my arms to reach around in the darkness to try to find the source of warmth again. 

            Stay still, Rosy. I’ll get us out, I promise!

            The gruff voice filled my head again, calming down my erratic heart as I laid as still as I possibly could, fighting against every fibre of my body to get up and run. My ears were still ringing but it was getting better, and soon, I could hear the sound of rocks and dirt being clawed at. 

            My sense of smell also returned to me gradually but I wished it hadn’t as a foul smelling stench filled my lungs. It was an all too familiar smell for a Smith reaper, a smell that many of us would grow accustomed to after the cleaners were done with cleaning up after us. 

            Hot tears filled my eyes as my thoughts became increasingly coherent, and I realized what that stench meant. What were the chances of an accident in the mine on the first day of my husband’s absence and right when I was in the middle of a visit? How many lives were sacrificed today because of me? 

            Bitterness clouded my heart as my mind went into overdrive, trying to map out all the different possibilities and the ones who could be behind this. The Betas were my prime suspects and I didn’t doubt that they would be pulling their moves on Jesse right at the same time to wipe us out. 

            My uncle couldn’t care less if Jesse or Chadron showed up to discuss the new business model that he had in mind, and no doubt it’d work better in his favor if Chadron were to become Alpha. After all, it’d be easier to push a new leader into a more unequal deal than an incumbent one. 

            If that was my uncle’s plan all along, then I wouldn’t put it past him to be the real mastermind behind all of this. The new business model and the invite to visit our Clan was probably all a hoax, and in reality, he was working together with the Beta family, which would also explain why Nessa insisted on coming to the mine with us. 

            My jaws clenched tightly as I continued to lay as still as I could in the darkness. Gone were the fear and panic that had completely overwhelmed me and in their place was a primal and very simple thirst for vengeance, exactly like on the night of Papa’s murder. 

            Rosy, can you try and climb onto my back?

            The gruff voice echoed in my head again, dragging me out of the abyss of my thoughts where I seemed to have spent an eternity. A wetness nuzzled my face and I reached up to find myself cupping a large furry object, like the golden retriever that we had when I was a child. 

            Come on, Rosy, there’s no time to waste!

            Like a trained soldier responding to a command, I reached up higher and felt around until I was sure that my arms were hooked around a wolf’s neck. Waves of calm washed over me as realization dawned on me that it was my mate’s wolf who had been by my side all along. For the first time since death forced me to look him in the eyes, I saw hope amid the darkness.

            Taking a deep breath, I lifted my body and swung a leg onto the wolf hovering over me. A sharp pain shot up my ankle as my entire body weight rested on the remaining foot on the ground for a split second. 

            I bit my teeth through the pain and used my other leg to pull myself onto the warm furry wolf before patting it twice on the head to let it know that I was ready. My hearing seemed to have grown more sensitive after all that time spent in the darkness and I could hear that there was more than one werewolf in the darkness with us. 

            The sound of paws against the rocky ground strengthened my resolve to not let the sacrifices in the mine today be for naught. Tonight was going to be a lesson for those who dared to even think about hurting anyone around me. 

            A faint light in the distance pricked my eyes and I had to squint to adjust slowly as we slowly emerged from the mine. The waning moon provided just enough light in the dark for me to make out my surroundings and soon the faces of the Beta and Gamma werewolves came into view. 

            “I’m so glad that you’re fine, Luna!” the Beta exclaimed with an evil glint in his eyes while the Gamma sat on the ground, completely devastated as the last of the werewolves trapped within the collapsed mine walked out after me. 

            “The Beta family is hereby under arrest for the attempted murder of their Luna,” I commanded calmly while still sitting aotp Levi’s wolf. 

            The Theta warriors moved in immediately on my command just like Jesse had said they would, and my heart rested a little easier knowing that my husband’s Alpha command must still be working because he was still alive. 

            “What?” The Beta bellowed as he turned red face at the sight of a dozen warrior werewolves circling him. “How dare you! Just because you’re fücking our Alpha doesn’t make you our Luna, you b***h! Who died and made you king, you nasty human?” 

            His eyes were glowing but I knew he wouldn’t be foolish enough to shift and fight, at least not now. He was outnumbered and fighting would just make him look guilty, losing him the respect that he held amongst the warrior werewolves. 

            “You should think twice before acting impulsively, Luna,” Nessa hissed at me after she had pushed past the crowd to get to my side like a truly worried babysitter. 

            “Indeed, I should, Nessa,” I agreed wholeheartedly as I turned to smile at her while my thumb discreetly flipped the small lever on the plain looking silver ring on my middle finger. 

            “But we all know that reapers prefer swift action over long drawn out thoughts, am I right, Ms. Bonebreaker?” 

            A loud gasp escaped Nessa’s mouth as I lunged at her and my right fist connected with her neck, leaving a small puncture mark in its wake. Nessa’s face paled as her hand grabbed the small puncture mark in reflex. 

            “What did you inject me with?” 

            “Still so calm and collected?” I chuckled as I shook my head disapprovingly at the bonebreaker. “Answer my questions and maybe I’ll tell you, Nessa. Tik tok, don’t wait till it’s too late.”