The Omega's Rebirth

Potatoes

“I can’t wait for you to meet your fated mate, I hope you can find the same happiness your father and I have.”

I knew Mum meant well, but was I supposed to reply with the truth? ‘No, I want more? I want better? I can see your love for each other but I’d feel cheated with what you have?’

I’d never break her heart like that, I truly loved my mother and father, and adored and respected the kinship they had for each other; but I couldn’t help feeling like I’d be left somewhat dissatisfied. Their commitment to each other was unwavering however their relationship seemed almost… stilted. Not quite stale- but stuck. Not forced, yet without the natural ebb and flow of passion and intensity I’d seen in other relationships.

I found myself wondering if that was simply all I would find as an Omega, that our mate bond was about as exciting as our role in life perhaps.

Mum and Dad were truly happy however, satisfied and confident with their place in the world, and indeed within the pack. They couldn’t understand my uneasiness.

Dad tended to the pack grounds, handy with tools and with unusual strength for an Omega he was often called upon to do maintenance upon the pack house and surrounding facilities. He had garnered respect and social standing by being dependable and efficient, and whilst he didn’t have the Alphas’ ear, Dad’s voice was heard when needed. At 6’4” he had height matching the strongest of the warriors, but a leaner physique lent him to being graceful. His movements were deliberate yet seemed almost like a dance. As a young pup I used to love watching him in his workshop, the way he handled tools with ease.

I didn’t share many physical features with Dad, we both had the same willowy brown hair although his was kept short, whilst mine was waist length when I let it down. His eyes were a striking blue yet mine were brown. His face angular and hardened but his facial expressions consistently put those around him at ease. He was always smiling with a soft, kind eye.

Mum’s gentle, caring nature landed her a position within the hospital wing, rotating through the clinics but her favourite role was that of carer to our elders. Sometimes entire shifts would be spent sitting with one, enthralled by tales of times gone by, victories won, losses endured. With a life span of often over 200 years, our elder wolves had so much life experience to offer, and indeed- it was often unclear who benefited more from Mum’s time spent with them.

I definitely looked more like my mother than my father, aside from her blonde hair, we were almost mirror images of each other. 5’6” with a lithe build, we were not made for strong work or fighting. Our minds were the sharpest tool in our arsenal.

As I had not yet found my wolf, I was rotated through all Omega duties as were all other young Omegas. This gave us a chance to find where our skills lay, what took our interest, what we were most proficient at. Time management was my greatest skill, no matter which area I worked on or which tasks I were to complete, I would always find the most efficient way of completing them. My passion however, lay in the secretarial duties of the pack. Not so much because I enjoyed paperwork and filing, but because it offered a rare insight into the workings of the pack. Trades, treaties, laws and rulings were of particular interest to me, a glimpse into the outside world as it were.

This week however, I was on rotation in the kitchen, perhaps my least favourite tasks. Without my good friend Sheena, time would probably go backwards. Sheena was a few months younger than me, we’d grown up together and always maintained a steadfast friendship.

“I feel so awful when Mum says that though, like, I lie through my teeth to tell her what she wants to hear, but I’m sure she sees right through me.” I was relaying the conversation Mum and I had just prior to the start of my shift. Peeling potatoes for a couple hundred pack members to eat for dinner gave one a lot of time to chat.

“Yeah that’s tough. You know she only wants the best for you though, yeah?” Sheena was forever diplomatic, thoughtful, tactful.

“Yeah, I know. But maybe her best is different to my best you know?”

“Hmm.” Sheena was as stumped as I was, this wasn’t the first time we’d had a similar conversation. Whilst she had grown up with me and we’d often discussed my uneasiness with my lot in life, Sheena herself was more on the side of my parents. Content and felt like her place in the pack was correct. No interest in the world beyond the pack borders, no desire to be anyone other than who she was.

“Meh, anyway. Tell me how your date with Steve went last night.” It was time for a change of topic.

“Oh goddess he was delightful! Such a gentleman. I feel so bad though, like I’m only 4 months from finding my wolf and my fated mate- what if it isn’t him? Like what if I end up breaking his heart? Or what if he does the same to me?!” Sheena was a natural beauty and had never struggled for the attention of the males we’d grown up along side, however this was the first time she’d felt a connection with any of them and decided to date.

It wasn’t uncommon for those of us close to coming of age to date, a lucky few felt a pull towards their fated mate beforehand, however the majority ended up falling for someone else entirely once their wolf surfaced. Not unlike the human world, being 17 could create a lot of heartbreak. Sheena’s decision to date was a risky one, but she had a good feeling about Steve.

“What about you though, Zee? You got your eye on anyone yet?”

“Nah. Knowing me, I’ll end up wolf-less and mateless” I laughed.

A sudden sharp pain shot through me, from the base of my spine all the way to my brain. Hot, searing nerve pain, branching out.

A half peeled potato dropped from my hands and rolled along the floor, I grabbed the bench in front of me and gasped.

“Zee? What’s wrong?” Sheena dropped her potato and peeler and ran towards me. “Someone? Come help! Anyone?” she cried out.

The pain was so intense, it felt like the rest of the world sunk away from me. Sheena’s voice became muffled, my vision blurred. I realised my legs had given out and it was only my death grip on the bench holding me up, knuckles white.

My hands failed as I fell to the floor, curled up in the fetal position.

The world around me became black.

Pain. Just pain, nothing else.

I was consumed.