When All Else Fails

Abandoned

Luke

Dear Luke, I’m not going to be here anymore. I have to leave right away. I’m sorry I can’t get to tell you how much I love you in person. You’re a wonderful little man. Keep being yourself, and never let anyone try to change you. Stay strong. I will come to take you away one day, and we will have the life we deserve. It probably won’t be soon, so please stay strong. I’m going to try my best for both of us. I love you. Kat

This is what I came home to. A letter. She’s gone and she’s not coming back. I rushed home to see how her day went, and I was super excited that she found her mate. I wanted to see her happy. This is not what I wanted to come home to. She’s was like my big sister and now she’s gone. My only family left me. Something inside me broke and everything I had to look forward to was gone. My best friend is gone. She abandoned me.

I sat on the bed with her letter in my hands for hours, until the stupid Beta came in looking for someone else. Stupid Beta can’t even smell only her and I had been in that room. It’s all because of people like him, that’s why she’s gone. I’ve seen how they all treat her, even when she tries to cover it up and make it seem like it doesn’t bother her.

Stupid Beta, people like him are supposed to protect her, but they’ve always treated her like a slave. Do this Kat, do that Kat, be faster Kat. I’ve heard them say such mean things, and she always takes it. I get we are omegas, but we are still people, we still have feelings.

I will be strong, not just for Kat, but so I can keep everyone safe one day. I will not let this happen to any omega ever again. I’ll show that stupid Beta how to do his job. One day…

Cory

After the little boy ran out of there. I picked up the letter he had thrown down and sat on her bed, quickly reading through it. She smelled like peppermint and mocha, my favorite warm drink during the winter, and it was driving me crazy. As I sat there I looked around the room, realizing there was nothing of hers here. She had really taken everything and left. The only thing holding her scent here was the bed she slept on. I laid back onto it and succumbed to the glorious smell, I want her in my arms right now. I’ve waited my whole life for this and now that its here I don’t want to let it go.

Things couldn’t be more complicated though. I now have to tell the Alpha she is also my mate and that I want her. I will never do what he did and just toss that honor to the side. I rolled over and shoved my face into the pillow, inhaling deeply. It’s helping to calm my nerves. I really have to idea how to break this news to anyone let alone the Alpha, and on top of that I’ve got to find her. I’ve got to find her and bring her home, to our home.

I can’t waste anymore time. I take the pillow with me as I leave. Walking by the little boys room on my way out I peek in. Part of me wants to make sure he’s ok, because clearly my mate cared about him. He’s stopped crying and he’s. Just sitting on his bed staring out the window. He has a determined look on his face.

“Hey kid?” He turned and looked at me, turning from that determined look at a glare as we made eye contact.

“What?” He spat out, hatred laced in his voice. This made me curious. What was this kids deal?

“You ok?” I was genuinely curious at this point, as I could see a brief moment of sadness cross his face.

“I’m fine, no thanks to you.” Hatred again. I could see his little fists ball up and start shaking.

“What do you mean kid? I’m trying to be nice since my mate cares about you. Why do you clearly hate me?” The little boys eyes went wide.

“You’re Kat’s mate?” He said it with disbelief.

“Yes, she doesn’t know though, that’s why I asked where her room mate was. I thought she was already taken.” The little boy’s head tilted to the side.

“What do you mean you thought she was already taken?” I probably spoke to much, as only the Alpha, kitchen staff, and myself knew what happened this morning in the chow hall.

“I, erm, thought different that’s all. Anyways now that you know I’m her mate, can you tell me where she might have went?” The little boy shook his head. “Does she have any friends she might go stay with?”

“No she doesn’t have friends. Everyone here ignores us.” He said firmly and matter of factly. “I’m her only friend.”

“She’s got to have someone her age she talks to, she can’t only talk to a little boy all the time. So who are her real friends?” The little boys face scrunched up and his face started to turn red.

“I TOLD YOU, I’M HER ONLY FRIEND. EVERYONE HATES US.” He took a deep breath after yelling at me. “She is my only family and she’s gone because everyone hates us and ignores us, and treats us like garbage.” At this point he looked like he wanted to break down crying, but he didn’t. I was slightly taken aback that a child dare yell at me, knowing I’m the Beta of this pack taking care of him.

“You should watch how you talk to me kid, I’m still Beta and I won’t tolerate that.” Maybe reminding him of my station will help get him back in a talkative mood. His face went back to calm and the color started to fade from his cheeks.

“What does it matter, you don’t even want us here. Had you ever even noticed Kat before today? Did you even know her name? Do you even know my name?” He locked eyes with me as he said it.

I was taken aback by what he said. Guilt hitting me instantly, I broke eye contact with him and looked down. He’s right before today I had never noticed her. Before today, I hadn’t cared to notice her. She was an omega after all, and then I realized how f****d up my thinking was. Even with her rank she should have mattered, but before this moment I had never realized how much we ignored them.

“You’re right. I had no clue. That doesn’t mean that I can’t change that now.” The little boy looked at me like he didn’t believe me. “What’s your name?”

“Luke.” I could tell now he was questioning my motives.

“How old are you Luke?”

“I’m twelve.” He picked his head up proud as he said his age.

“And you’re Kats only family?” His look turned to sadness again.

“Well, we aren’t related, but she’s the only family I got. She’s taken care of me since I came here, since my parents died.” He looked at the floor clearly deep in thought and reliving quick memories.

“I guess that makes you my family now. Pack your things, we’ll move into my house tomorrow.” The little boys head shot up.

“Are you serious?” I took a look around the room.

He didn’t have much. It was about as bare as Kat’s empty room. I really have failed them here. His clothes hanging in the closet, ratty and torn, his one pair of shoes looked like that sole of them would fall off any day. I didn’t even see a backpack for his pile of school books laying on the otherwise empty desk.

“Yes, unless you want to stay here?” Luke jumped up off the bed.

“No! No I don’t want to stay here. Anywhere is better than here.” He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped hisself.

“What else kid?” He clasp his hands together and looked down, instantly nervous that I asked him that.

“Well, um, can I start training? I want to get big and strong to help everyone like me.” His hands fiddled with one another as he stared at them, waiting for my answer.

“You know that training starts at 16. You have the option then to try out to be a warrior.” He looked up at me with a serious expression.

“I don’t want to try out then, I want to train now, this is what I want to do.” I thought it over for a minute. I’m Beta, I can teach the boy myself.

“Ok.” The boy looks like he’s going to cry again.

“Thank you Beta Cory.” He walks over shoving his arms under Kat’s pillow and wrapping them around me. Silent tears of joy falling down his cheeks. “Thank you for being so nice to me.” I wrap my arms around the boy. This was all very unlike me. I don’t know why I agreed to train him, I guess my feelings for Kat are already affecting my judgement.

“Now you pack up. I’m going to go figure out where Kat went. I’ll come by tomorrow after you get out of school to pick you up and move your things.” The boy steps back and looks up at me, this time with admiration in his eyes.

“Yes Beta. I will be ready.”

I walk out of the orphanage with Kat’s pillow, gaining me a few odd glances as I cross the grounds back to the pack houses. My house is right beside the Alpha’s. Just like our offices are right down the hall, my position in the pack puts me with him at all times. This might make things very weird between us, but he did reject her effortlessly. Only the pain following the rejection seemed to bother him. I hope Kat wasn’t going through that much pain.

I open the door to my house and run inside quickly depositing the pillow on my bed, as I fully intended on imagining that it was my mate in my arms tonight. I will find her soon. She can’t be far with no means of transport and no money. I take a minute to enjoy the scent of her in my home.

Now for the hard part. I get up and make my way to the pack house where the offices are located and I know the Alpha is still locked in his. As I’m coming down the hall I can still hear things breaking inside his office .

“Alpha.”

“Go away.”

“Alpha we need to talk its urgent.”

“Nothing is that important right now, leave me alone.”

“Sir the girl has left.” I hear glass shatter. That must have been his whiskey decanter, as the smell of moderately priced smokey whiskey hit me I knew I was right.

“What do you mean she left?” He sounded like he was struggling to say it without yelling.

“She packed her things and left the grounds. I don’t know where she’s going.”

The door is ripped open. Exposing all the damage to his office. Holes in the wall, parts of his wooden desk splintered from him slamming down his fists, whiskey dripping down the wall, glass covering the floor, papers strewn everywhere. It looked like a tornado had swept threw it and took no mercy.

“Well go find her! She’s a member of this pack, she can’t just leave! Not without my permission!” His eyes gave away he was barely holding onto to his sanity. Wide with grief. His wolf was fighting for control, but he wasn’t allowing it. His soul was literally fighting itself.

“Alpha, there’s something else.” He looked like he was about to loose it.

“There’s nothing more important, go get her.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Alpha.” I thought for a second if I should actually say this out loud. “ I’m her second chance mate.” I barely jumped out of the way from him lunging at me, snarling. His wolf had won for a few seconds.

“No.” He growled out. “She’s my mate.” This was his wolf talking.

“Alpha since you rejected her, I am her second chance, and I’m going to find her and bring her back.” The wolf talking through the mans body thought on this for a second.

“Go.” With that being said I turned and got out of there fast as possible before the wolf changed his mind. I heard the door slam behind me as I was leaving. Followed by the sounds of wood being shattered. His wolf clearly didn’t agree with the decision he made.