The Omega Who Fought Her Alpha

Something Doesn't Seem Quite Right....

The Alpha looked over the page for a few seconds, blinking as he did so to make sure he wasn't seeing things (well he wasn't actually able to see anything but he wanted to make sure this was the case!). As it dawned on him that staring at the page any harder wasn't going to yield any answers, his hands balled into fists. His fists were shaking in anger and Carter had to gently prise the document out of the Alpha's paws before he crumpled it up and ripped it to shreds.

"Please tell me you have more than just one piece of paper to show for yourself," Nero asked Carter in a forcedly calm voice.

"Well Alpha, that's the thing. It's a really funny story," started Carter.

"Cut to the chase," Nero replied abruptly. "No bullshit Carter."

Carter then explained all the drama he had endured that morning, all places he visited and how he came to be empty handed. By the time Carter finished his story, the Alpha was confused and a little vexed. Surely there could be no pack files that were so restricted that even HE, the Alpha couldn’t view them. While Nero was contemplating his next course of action, he hadn’t realised that Carter was still talking to him. As his focus shifted back onto his Beta, Carter stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly. Nero looked at his friend and looked at him in a confused way.

“You didn’t hear a thing I just said did you?” sighed Carter, in exasperation.

“I, don’t agree with you.” Nero replied, confidently.

“You don’t agree with me suggesting that we talk to your father and Dr. Conway about obtaining access to these files?”

“No, that part I agree with,” came the quick reply.

“What don’t you agree with?”

“I err think we should ask them straightaway; we have a meeting with Dr. Conway this afternoon and I am visiting my father today, I’ll see if I can catch him at lunchtime.”

“Ok?” agreed Carter, his voice increasing in pitch, not masking his confusion as he had suggested the same thing a few moments ago.

“Now that is sorted, we can go over our preparation for the meeting with Dr. Conway.”

“Why are you so keen to find out about this girl? She’s an Omega, she’s a nobody. Ok yes, she was wronged and you are fixing the situation. You are doing everything you can to sort it out. Just sort things and leave it be.”

“Something doesn’t seem right about the whole situation Carter. She’s been adopted by the family but at such a young age is so estranged from her father. She is still technically a child not an adult; yet she has moved into the packhouse and has been living like an independent adult for years. She hasn’t even finished school yet. Why is she so distanced from her father? Why is she being bullied?”

“Maybe they have issues? Maybe she has done something to provoke the bullying? Children can be so unforgiving.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t seem like it. Perhaps visit the school, find out from Principal Goring and her teachers what her school life is like. Come back and report to me so we can finalise our questions for Dr. Conway prior to the meeting.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” replied Carter, sounding surprised.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” asked Nero, raising his eyebrow in curiosity.

“Did I? I’m not surprised?” replied Carter blushing a little in embarrassment. “What was that? I think I hear Cate calling me,” he added sheepishly and began to walk backwards, slinking his way to the door, tail between his legs.

Nero rolled his eyes and started chuckled at his friend. After Carter left, Nero finished sending some outstanding emails and was in the middle of reviewing some proposals and petitions raised from the last town hall meeting. He came across a petition asking for the termination of RUN-OP (Repurposing Un-mated Omegas Programme) that became the name of the operation under which unmated Omegas had been used to breed warriors. Nero also noticed that the petitioner was none other than Laurence Conway, Christian Conway’s brother. Nero smirked at the thought of the sibling feud that had been going on for quite some time.

“He can petition all he likes but it will make no difference,” Nero murmured, grinning to himself as he placed the sheet of paper onto the rejected petition pile.

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Amelie lay in her hospital bed and felt extremely restless. Having never spent so much time in bed before, the situation was a new one for her. Usually, by this time, having been patched up, she would be hobbling back to the packhouse to resume her duties.

“My duties!” Amelie thought to herself suddenly.

“My duties!” she exclaimed bolting herself upright in the process and groaning a little at the shooting pains it induced through her body.

“Hush child! You have no duties except to eat, rest and recuperate! Doctor’s orders!” Lily gently admonished her young charge. “There will be no more talk of duties!”

“But Aunt Lily, my friends are all working so hard and here I am lazing about! It feels so wrong!” Amelie exclaimed.

“You need to recover first little duck. Your friends will be visiting you between their shifts this afternoon. Since you were trying so hard at breakfast to eat, I thought a visit from them would be a nice reward. Now get some rest and I’ll be sorting out your lunch soon.”

“Lunch? I have only just had breakfast; I don’t need any lunch!”

As Amelie finished speaking she gazed at Lily whose face looked sour enough to curdle milk.

“No lunch, no visitors,” came the firm but gentle reply.

Amelie looked down at her lap and twiddled her fingers like a little child faced with a difficult decision; it was quite cute Lily thought to herself. Eventually Amelie looked up at Lily and she nodded. Lily smiled in approval and went to arrange their lunch.

That afternoon shortly after finishing as much as she could of her lunch, Matt, Dahlia and Bianca appeared with some flowers, a fruit bowl and books. Amelie’s heart leapt in joy at the familiar sight. They each gave her a gentle hug and sat along the edge of her bed, while Lily went to fetch a vase for the flowers. Dahlia placed the large fruit bowl on the nightstand beside the bed and sat down on the armchair beside the bed.

“You are looking well Amelie,” Bianca commented, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you Bianca,” Amelie blushed. “I think it’s quite easy to be looking well after what the doctors told me this morning.”

“What did they tell you?” Matt enquired.

“Just about my injuries and how my healing is coming along. I should be out in a week I hope,” Amelie explained. “Thank you so much for coming guys, it means a lot to me. I have barely been awake a day and I am already going out of mind!”

The three of them chuckled in response.

Just as well we’ve brought you some books to read along with some schoolwork to take your mind off things and keep you occupied. That said, you should rest Mellie, you don’t know when you’ll get this kind of opportunity again. Chilling in the Alpha’s hospital suite, putting your feet up and having nothing to do!” teased Dahlia.

There was another bout of laughter.

“Oh, talking of treatment, there is so much food! I couldn’t finish my breakfast or lunch and I asked Aunt Lily to save the untouched food in the kitchen for you! Please eat it or take it with you, I just felt so bad and couldn’t let it go to waste!”

Her friends looked at her in silent admiration; that even in her present state, Amelie would still look out for her friends and their well-being; she still remembered to consider their needs. Dahlia had tears in her eyes. Amelie sat up and leaned forward, wiping them away.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” Amelie asked worriedly.

Dahlia took Amelie into her arms and embraced her, followed by Bianca and then Matt.

“Amelie sandwich!” exclaimed Bianca excitedly to which the rest of them giggled.

As they released her from their grip and recomposed themselves, Lily returned with the small bunch of multi-coloured carnations arranged in a vase and placed them on the table on the other side of the bed.

“The flowers are beautiful!” Amelie exclaimed, looking at them in wonder. “These are my first ever flowers! Thank you so much!”

“Carnations symbolise love Amelie and we all love you very much,” explained Matt gently.

Amelie blushed again and smiled.

“I love you all too, I am so lucky to have you all in my life, my family.”

They continued to talk about work, their families and all the pack gossip which was peppered with the occasional reprimand from Lily when they were getting overexcited. Dahlia who had been eyeing the fruit bowl since they arrived, started picking at the grapes absent-mindedly.

Amelie also found out from Lily who eventually succumbed and joined in on the conversation, that Vanessa had been the perpetrator all along and that the Alpha had punished her for her actions by subjecting her to the same treatment the Omegas were subjected to in the RUN-OP programme. Amelie gasped in horror at her tormentors fate.

“I would not wish that upon her,” Amelie said sadly, to which her friends shrugged.

A little while later they were joined by Jake, Bella and Hazel. Dahlia and Bianca took this as their cue to leave as the room was going to get quite rowdy otherwise. Matt didn’t want to leave initially but both of the she-wolves had to eventually coax him out, food bags in hand and the half-finished grapes. By the late afternoon, her friends had taken their leave and Amelie, tuckered out by all the hubbub and excitement, drifted off to sleep.

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“What the f**k do you mean by ‘restricted access’? I’m the Alpha and I should be deciding what is and isn’t restricted!” shouted Nero at his father.

Nox knew his son’s temper all too well. Nero grew up to be just like him; intelligent, controlling, power hungry and highly ambitious. There was a great likeness between the two of them that extended beyond mere looks. They had been in a heated discussion about this topic for half an hour now.

“Son, listen to me, while I understand your anger, you need to understand that a lot of the research that goes on in the IPRC is classified for the lack of a better word. We work with other organisations and packs and there is information that shouldn’t be available for just anyone to view. We have worked too hard on this to start arguing semantics.”

“Father I am only asking for access to a file with information about a member of our pack. I don’t give two figs about the other packs and other organisations, but I shouldn’t be barred from viewing files concerning my own pack members!”

“It depends on the programme son, if pack members are at all inducted into any external collaborative programmes it is confidential, which seems likely in this case given this file has been redacted,” Nox replied calmly, waving the almost wafer thin manilla file in the air.

“Well then why the hell have you spent all these years training me and involving me in various projects?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I need someone to replace me eventually.”

Nero growled in exasperation; he felt like he was getting nowhere.

“Who currently decides the administers the access protocols father?”

“That would be myself, Christian and Laurence Conway, Octavius Kundera and Idris Faulks.”

Between the five of us, we manage most of the programmes and resourcing; we have visibility on the alliances and collaborations involved within them.”

Nero looked at his father, barely containing his emotions. The vein in his neck was twitching. He was clenching the cutlery in his hand so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Nox on the other hand was completely unaffected by the waves emanating off his son; he continued to eat his pork chops as though all was well between them. Rather than letting his temper rise at his father’s nonchalance, Nero stabbed and chomped at his poor pork chop as though it had wronged him. After a few more mouthfuls, and a sip of wine, Nero recomposed himself.

“Father, you are coming with me to a meeting after lunch.”

“What meeting?”

“I have a meeting with Dr. Conway.”

“What about?”

“The investigation into the pack member the redacted file belongs to.”

“Speak plainly son, why are you investigating his daughter?” Nox asked, calmly putting his cutlery down.

“She’s being abused by pack members while her father turns a blind eye. Why would he adopt a child if he wasn’t going to look after her, especially since it looks like she was involved in a research project.”

“Because I gave the order for her to be terminated.”