The Omega's Revolt (completed)

Act 2 - The Mine

            “Careful, now,” Aino said as we ventured deeper into the mine and the ceiling became lower. 

            After I had shared my idea to win Aino over to my side to gain control of the mines with Levi, he was quick to arrange a trip to the mines with Aino on the same day. It was a long drive to the mine and everything went according to plan, except for the bonebreaker sitting in front of me in the car. 

            Despite Aino’s insistence that only pack members were allowed at the mine and my emphasis on the importance of upholding pack rules, Nessa had insisted on coming along to ensure my safety. In the end, we reached a compromise by allowing Nessa to tag along but she had to wait outside at the entrance of the mine. 

            The air in the mine was humid and extremely warm and I had to slow down in order to catch my breath. It was inhumane that anyone would have to work in these conditions and I couldn’t imagine how the Omegas could survive in this heat everyday, considering how much warmer werewolf bodies were. 

            Loud drilling echoed in the tunnel and I copied Aino’s actions and put on my insulating headphones to protect my ears. A few Omegas milled past us, wheeling out cartloads of Tiger’s Eye and to my horror, not one of them was wearing a mask, helmet or protective headphones. 

            Aino’s steps slowed down and we came to a stop in front of a flimsy looking metal cage attached to some ropes and sitting atop the deep mine shaft.

            “This is the way down to the heart of the mine. Are you sure you want to do this, Luna?” 

            Cold sweat formed a sheen on my palms as I swallowed nervously. I had done many things in my short career as a trainee reaper in our Clan but jumping into a metal cage and dropping myself a few hundred feet beneath the ground was not one of them. 

            A few more Omegas shuffled past us and rode the metal cage down as if they were simply taking a normal elevator. Seeing their tired faces filled me with an odd sense of courage and I knew that if I wanted to earn the trust of those that I wanted to win over, then the very least that I had to do was to walk in their shoes once.

            “Let’s go,” I shouted over the din and I was grateful for how small the metal cage was as Aino took the first cage with an Omega down, while Levi and I took the next cage alone. 

            “You alright?” 

            Levi’s warm breath caressed my face, chasing all of my anxieties away and succumbing to the cover of darkness, I allowed myself to lean against him. My heart should be exploding from fear now and my senses should be on high alert so long as I was in this death trap, but nothing seemed to be working like they should be. 

            Was this the magic of the mate bond? 

            The thought alone made me feel silly but Levi’s unwavering determination to stand by me, despite everything that I had done and the emotions that he awoke in me left me no choice but to begin to believe in magic. Sure, he was a handsome man and if I had chanced upon him at a bar, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring him home for the night, but this was so much more than that. 

            A simple touch and a few words from him were enough to calm any raging storms within me, and though I might not have known him for a long time, there was something within me that wanted to trust him. It was an instinct, so primal that I had no control over it, and trust was never my strong suit. 

            Suddenly, a loud rumbling thundered through the shaft that our metal cage was travelling down and in the next second, sparks lit up the darkness as metal scratched against rock while our metal cage spiralled into a free fall towards the bottom. Screams and roars filled the mine even as an unbearable heat tunneled through every cavity. 

            If there was a hell, this was probably how it would look like. 

            “Rose! Rose! Snap out of it!” Levi’s desperate scream was like a bucket of ice cold water, bringing my overwhelmed senses back to reality. 

            The warm embrace that I was in was gone as Levi turned around with his back facing me while his claws were already extended and clawing at the rocks through the metal cage we were in. Our free fall was now slowed down to a controlled descent but from the blood oozing out of his fingers, I didn’t know how long Levi could hold on for.

            Looking down beneath us, I could see steam rising up the shaft and there was no doubt in my mind that everyone down below was gone. 

            “Aino,” I whispered weakly as I thought of the Gamma female who had gone down before us. If not for my request to visit the mine today, she wouldn’t even have been here. 

            “Rose,” Levi said sternly through gritted teeth, reminding me of my reaper trainer during my first mission. 

            “Hold on to my back as tightly as you can and don’t let go. If we want to live, I need to shift into my wolf. We can do this, alright?”

            A faint flicker of hope tried to fight its way into my heart but my mind was still consumed by the tragedy unfolding before my eyes. In contrast, my body reacted like a trained soldier to Levi’s voice, as my arms and legs wrapped around the man in front of me.

            The sound of bones cracking was barely audible above the din in the mine and in a few moments, I was hanging onto a large wolf for dear life. The metal cage burst open like a cardboard box as the man became a large wolf nearly three times larger in size, and surprisingly, there was nothing but awe and wonder in my heart at the furry savior that I was hanging off of. 

            I had always thought of myself as a calm and collected person, never fretting or at a complete loss in the face of danger. Even when bullets were flying my way during our missions, there was nothing but adrenaline pumping through my bloodstream, fueling my body to follow through the plans that I had concocted in my head. 

            Yet, in this very moment, I realized just how little I knew myself. As Levi’s wolf climbed up the mine shaft back to the first level of the mine, my mind remained useless and hazy. If not for Levi’s quick reaction, I was pretty sure that we would have become steamed pancakes at the bottom of the mine shaft, just like the others who had traveled down before us. 

            My survival instincts were nowhere to be found as we finally climbed back onto the first level of the mine and Levi’s wolf roared at the panicking mob still on this level of the mine. I had no idea what his wolf had said in that roar but it was clearly a command that all other werewolves, shifted or not, took seriously. 

            Hang on tight, Rosy, and don’t let go!

            A commanding voice echoed in my head and for a minute, I thought that I must have finally lost it but there was something about the voice that felt so familiar and comforting. As if it was the most natural thing, I locked eyes with the wolf who had turned to gaze at me for a short moment and I knew immediately that I hadn’t gone insane. 

            Before I could wrap my head around it, the ground beneath us trembled violently and I tightened my hold on Levi’s wolf instinctively, unsure if I was seeking cover or solace. Another loud roar echoed in the mine and I watched from the back of my mate’s wolf as everyone scurried towards the entrance of the mine while we ran in the opposite direction. 

            There were still too many Omegas in the mine and I slowly began to understand what Levi’s wolf was trying to do. Like a sheep dog herding his sheep, he had taken up the rear and snapped at any Omegas who were too shocked to save themselves, driving them to run together with the rest of the herd. 

            His plan was working out well despite the shaking ground and the rocks that were falling on us until suddenly, the lights above us flickered and then went out completely, plunging the entire mine into an eerie darkness of hopelessness.