Only Omega

Chapter Four.

The morning after I dressed in a pair of booty shorts, a white ruffled top with red lips on the front and a pair of leopard print platform heels, the ones Bridget wore to my party, then I headed downstairs to the kitchen.

“Morning” I greeted Bridget who sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in hand and Vicky who was leaning back against the counter.

“Morning, looks like someone finally decided to get up” Vicky said jerking her head towards Bridget who shot her a glare and went to fiddling with the hem of her pink designer cardigan.

“It’s about time, we were starting to think you were pregnant or something” I teased going over to the fridge to grab the orange juice and poor some into an empty glass that stood on the counter top.

“Uh…yeah really funny guys” I froze while putting the carton away and turned to glance at Bridget. She had her face hidden but underneath her long blonde hair I could see that she wasn’t wearing any makeup.

“Bridget you okay?” Vicky asked as I slowly closed the door to the fridge placing my hand on Bridget’s shoulder and making her jump in surprise.

“Bridget” I breathed feeling her pulse raise as she stared wide eyed down at the marble flooring. She looked scared and was on the edge of breaking down in tears. Vicky pushed off the counter, stepping closer with worry in her eyes.

“Bridget what’s wrong?” she asked coming to stand beside her best friend while I knelt down at Bridget’s side. I tried to meet her eyes but the blonde refused to look at me.

“Bridget is it what I think it is? Are you-?” I couldn’t finish, I was stunned as I searched the face of one of my best friends with concern in my eyes. Bridget bit her bottom lip with tears in her eyes and nodded hesitantly.

“You’re-.” Vicky tried but couldn’t finish out of shock as I pulled Bridget into a tight hug. Tears were streaming down the side of her face as I rubbed her back soothingly “It’s okay, it’ll be okay we’ll get through this like we always do, together”

Bridget pulled away quickly frantically wiping at her tears then looked at me in sorrow and heartache in response to Vicky’s words “No we won’t you’re leaving and I don’t know if I can do this without you”

She was right, I was leaving to be with Hayden and to do that I had to leave everything else behind including Bridget and Vicky.

“Listen to me you’re strong enough to get through this on your own, you don’t need me” I tried to reason cupping her face in both my hands and forcing her to look into my eyes. She was a mess with her hair matted and dark circles under her eyes. She even wore a pair of skinny jeans and a loose white top with her pink cardigan and black flats. Bridget never wore flats.

“Yes I do! I don’t know how to be a mom, I don’t know how to raise a child!” she sobbed looking terrified at the thought of being a mother. She was just eighteen and still had her whole life ahead of her but she had Kyle to take care of her.

“You’ll be a wonderful mother, you have Kyle to help you and-.” She cut me off with a shake of her head looking to the side with pain in her eyes “No I don’t I told him to-I told him to leave after I found out, I-I told him that I never wanted to see him again” 

I knew she was fighting with herself about asking Kyle to leave since her wolf wanted to be with her mate but Bridget was scared and confused.

“I just needed some time to think I-I’m so scared Rachel” she whimpered and I hugged her for the second time holding her close as I tried my best to comfort her “It’s okay, you’re going to have a baby, you’re going to be a family just think about the baby, think about how precious it’ll be” 

Eventually Bridget started to calm down enough to stop crying and took a shaky breath as she pulled away from me wiping her tears away “You’re right I need to think about the baby” her hand went to her stomach as she stared at the far wall deep in thought “I need to make things right with Kyle” 

With that she stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag heading towards the door. I followed behind after downing my juice and sticking my empty glass in the sink with Vicky right on my heels.

“My baby need’s a father” Bridget was saying as we got into her car. I hadn’t felt like driving with Tristan and Bridget needed me more so I got into the passenger seat of her red sports car.

“I need Kyle” Vicky shot me a glance in the rear view mirror knowing fairly well that as soon as we got to school Bridget would make things right with her mate.

“So any idea what we’re going to wear to the graduation party on Saturday?” Vicky asked trying to get Bridget to stop rambling on about how she needed Kyle more than air.

“No clue, guess I’ll just slap something on and hope for the best” I said shrugging my shoulders as I stared out the window at the passing scenery. Vicky leaned up through the front seats and gapped at me with wide eyes, Bridget was still talking to herself.

“What? It’s your engagement party how could you not care what you’re going to wear?” Vicky asked when Bridget suddenly slammed down on the breaks. Vicky was forced back into her seat while the air got knocked from my lungs. We were at a red light but Bridget was giving me a deadly look.

“I don’t care if it isn’t real or that you’re leaving right after the engagement, you’re going to act through it so you might as well look good doing it” I smiled because her words sounded more like the Bridget I knew and loved except with a little more mood swings attached.

“Alright fine just don’t bite my head off sheesh” I said holding my hands up in surrender as the light turned green and Bridget went back to her reckless, pregnant woman driving.

“Good we can go shopping on Saturday to find you the perfect outfit and while we’re at it we can go get pedicures!” she was so overly bubbly that it was hard to imagine her glaring at me just a minute ago let alone crying. Vicky leaned over and whispered low enough so that Bridget couldn't hear.

“And so the moods begin” I suppressed my laughter as we pulled into the school parking lot and came to a stop at an empty space near the front steps. As soon as we got out of the car Bridget was off trying to find Kyle.

“Well this ought to be interesting” Vicky muttered staring after Bridget’s retreating back when the bell rang signalling the start of the school day.

“I’ll see you later Rachel, I have to make a pit stop at the office” I nodded watching her go then started making my way towards Math’s class, I hated Math more than anything in the world but we all had to deal with it even if it was absolutely pointless.

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Once the bell had rang for Lunch I started making my way towards the Cafeteria where Bridget, Vicky and the rest of them were already waiting. When I walked through the Cafeteria doors I froze at the feel of the mind link between pack members being opened.

‘Enemy pack attacking, Alpha’ one of my father’s guards announced as the double doors swung open and closed behind me.

‘Location?’ my father asked emotionless but stern then Dalton joined the conversation.

‘North eastern border!’ he snarled almost in warning but it sounded pained like he was in the middle of a fight and knowing my brother he most likely was.

‘Then let’s take the fight to them’ my father’s words rang through my mind just before the mind link was cut off with a loud growling and what sounded like fighting in the background. My eyes locked onto Tristan’s from across the Cafeteria and I could see the realisation in his eyes, he had heard the conversation.

“Rachel-.” he breathed lowly but not low enough for my enhanced hearing not to pick up on. Even though he tried to stop me I still turned on my heels and took off , exiting the Cafeteria and racing down the hall.

“Rachel!” I heard Tristan call after me but I didn’t stop as I headed for the school doors. I could sense Tristan following behind, trailed by Travis and Kyle.

‘Rachel, wait you can’t just run into a fight you’ll get yourself killed!’ Tristan’s voice tried to reason with me through the link but I ignored it and instead turned a sharp corner heading towards the football field.

‘Listen to him Rachel he has a point!’ Travis backed him up as I barged through the doors to the field where the forest tree line sat on the other side of it. I ran past the bleachers dropping my bag and kicking off my heels to push myself to go faster.

‘Rachel!’ this time it was Vicky that called out to me, I hadn’t noticed her and Bridget following but it didn’t stop me from sprinting across the field while Bridget fussed over my abandoned heels. Tristan ran after me while Travis and Kyle stayed behind with Bridget and Vicky.

‘You’re just as stubborn as you’re brother!’ Tristan barked at me once he managed to catch up enough so that he was a few feet behind. I was smaller which meant faster than most wolves but not stronger so Tristan naturally had a hard time keeping up with me.

‘It runs in the family’ I shot back pumping my legs faster when all of a sudden I heard fabric tearing and bones cracking from behind me. When I looked to the side a large grey wolf was racing through the forest beside me.

‘It’s more like it runs in the bloodline’ was his reply as he glanced at me out of the corner of his brown eyes. I knew he was referring to me being an Alpha and it may have been true since it was instinct for me to protect my pack as well as my family.

‘I’m an Alpha what did you expect?’ I asked leaping over stumps and dodging trees faster than humanly possible.

‘Maybe a little more brains would’ve been appreciated’ Tristan shot back moving at the same pace as me weaving in and out of the forest brush with a glance in my direction. I rolled my eyes ignoring his comment by increasing my speed, even in human form I could easily outrun wolves.

‘Just try and keep up, will you?’ I retorted with a smug smirk knowing that he was trying his best just to try and stay on my trail let alone keep up.

‘Yeah easy for you to say it’s not like you’re the abnormally large wolf chasing little red’ I was about to say something snarky in reply when I came to a sudden halt at an open clearing near the northern border of the pack lands. 

Wolves were fighting, tearing each other’s throats out and clawing at flesh. Blood was staining the ground and a total of three wolves were already dead. I stood frozen staring at the scenes unravelling before me when Tristan bolted past my frozen form, head on into the battle. That’s when I felt it, the presence of someone jogging up behind me. Whirling round I met with a pair of bright forest green eyes that belonged to a dark chocolaty brown wolf that stood at the same height as me.

‘Hayden? What the Hell do you think you’re doing here?’ I bit out narrowing my eyes onto him with a razor glare. He took a threatening step forward and into the clearing.

‘I could ask you the same thing’ he matched my glare but his eyes were filled with worry and concern as if he was afraid that something would happen to me when in reality I was the one that should’ve been worrying about him.

‘You-.’ I didn’t get to finish when a sudden growling from my right interrupted me. A large enemy wolf stood snarling at me with his teeth bared and his eyes giving off a predatory sheen.

It charged towards me, nearly twice my size as it came barrelling my way and knocked me clean off my feet onto my back. I struggled against it pushing on its neck to keep it from tearing my throat out but still it kept snapping its jaws in my face. With all my might I kicked up sending the wolf tumbling over me and to the ground giving me enough time to roll onto my feet only to have a second wolf lunge towards me. Dodging its razor teeth by mere inches I raised my leg and kicked it square in the chest sending it flying backwards further into the clearing.

‘Tristan!’ I called through the mind link backing away from the two wolves stalking after me like predators to prey.

‘Right here’ Tristan’s voice echoed through my mind just in time for a light grey figure to skid past me giving me the perfect window of opportunity to latch onto his fur and hoist myself up onto his back as he headed for my brother surrounded by enemy wolves. 

Dalton was being pinned down by one wolf while another went for his throat rising up to slam back down as Tristan skidded closer to the scene. Leaping from Tristan’s back, grabbing hold of the wolf’s opened jaws and used my body weight to drag it to the side stopping it from slamming down and burying its canines into my brother’s flesh. I struck the ground with enough force to knock the air right out of my lungs while my brother took the opportunity to attack the wolf pinning him down. He latched onto the wolf’s neck and flung him off before slamming his body right into the wolf that lunged for me. I crawled back until I was back onto my feet when my eyes caught sight of something ahead of me. Hayden was about to have his throat torn out by a wolf much bigger than him when I took off towards him.

‘Hayden!’ I cried jumping in between him and the other wolf just in time for the wolf to bite down hard on my left arm. Gritting my teeth together to suppress the pain filled scream trying to escape, I raised my right knee and struck the wolf in the jaw hard enough so that it let go of my arm then I spun around sending a round house kick to its skull with such a force that it sent the wolf tumbling to the side. I glanced down at my arm completely covered in blood and torn to near shreds when I felt something pressing up against my side.

‘You need to see the pack Doctor’ Hayden stated kneeling down beside me and hurriedly nudging me towards his torso with his large head. Stumbling forward I inspected him, Hayden was covered in cuts and scratches with his brown fur soaked red with blood .

‘I don’t think I’m the only one that needs to pay the Doctor a visit’ I said hoisting myself up onto Hayden’s back with a struggle and leaned closeer into his back as he stood then took off towards the pack house. My left arm hung down next to Hayden’s body while the other clung to his neck holding me in place.

‘You’re hurt’ Hayden said as if it made all the difference in the world to him maybe but not to me. I rolled my eyes, burying my face into his fur as I inhaled deeply.

‘You could’ve died’ I replied through the mind link. That made all the difference to me, he was my world and just the thought of him dying killed me inside. It was worth taking the blow for.

‘I’d rather die than see you get hurt’ turning my face to stare at the passing scenery I reached my hand out towards it almost as if I could touch the horizon as blood dripped down from my fingertips.

‘If you die, I die’ I whispered back blinking my eyes sleepily as my vision began to blur from blood loss. My arm dropped back to Hayden’s side.

‘If you die, I die’ Hayden repeated to me while tilting his head back to brush his blood soaked muzzle against my cheek leaving a smudged trail of crimson along the side of my face. I pressed my body closer into his with the grip I had on his neck starting loosening.

‘You shouldn’t have followed me’ I finished what I tried to say earlier, my eyes fluttering shut as I listened to the sound of his rapidly beating heart thundering in his chest in time with the force of his strides pelting down onto the forest floor like reared back hooves.

‘I’d follow you anywhere, Rachel’ was the last thing I heard before the darkness took me over and I was dragged down into unconsciousness. 

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I woke up to the sound of light snoring coming from somewhere beside me. There was a dull pain in my left arm and my body felt stiff and sore from the battle. Blinking my eyes open I met with the sight of Tristan fast asleep in a chair beside my hospital bed. It was well past midnight and the moon was high up in the star filled night sky.

Slowly I pulled the covers back and made my way towards the door, creeping along as I tried to be as silent as I possibly could. The hallways to the pack house were dark and quiet as I made my way through the winding halls and to the kitchen.

I was dressed in one of Tristan’s oversized white T-shirts with my left arm and chest bandaged. Luckily the Doctor’s medical room was on the first floor along with the kitchen so I didn’t have to venture far to get to my destination.

Once in the kitchen I got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water under the tap, my throat was dry and so I chugged down the glass when a foreign scent reached my nose. It was the scent of dried blood and admitted defeat coming from downstairs in the basement.

Following the scent I stumbled down the stairs and into the cell room where prisoners were usually kept. The cell at the far end of the hall was where the scent was coming from and me being as weak as I was I tripped over my own feet time and time again but managed to catch myself every time.

“You smell that?” a male voice asked and I froze for a moment hesitating as I stepped closer into the shadows, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“Female” a second voice said this one deeper than the first. I came into view with my bare feet brushing across the cold stone surface of the basement floor and my eyes trained on two figures seated across from one another in the cell. The figure closest to me looked up as I approached the bars with my hands reaching out to wrap around them as I knelt down to get closer to his height.

“Didn’t daddy ever warn you never to go near the big bad wolves?” the man closest to me asked, he was the owner of the voice that had spoken first. He had dark brown, black hair and golden eyes that seemed like they could pierce right through into someone’s soul.

“I don’t listen to him anymore” it was true because to me my father wasn’t my father anymore nor was my mother. They were complete strangers, stranger that I’d have to leave behind in less than three days.

“What did he do, take away your credit card?” I could hear the sarcasm leaking from his every word but I ignored it and stared into his golden eyes with curiosity. They weren’t Rogues but they were of an enemy pack, the Tyrant Pack.

“He took away my right to choose” it was true; my father took away my freedom by making decisions for me instead of allowing me to choose for myself. I didn’t want to marry Tristan but he didn’t care about what I wanted.

“Your right to choose what?” the man questioned looking me over with a hard gaze. I looked up at the small barred window that sat across from me inside the cell near the ceiling. The moon was almost at its peak.

“To be with the one I love” there was nothing but dead silence until the other man, the one who hadn’t said a word to me turned to give me a stone cold almost dead, black stare.

“Your mate” he stated and I bowed my head to hide behind a mass of golden blonde locks. I felt weak against him, like his authority and status reigned high over mine. He was an Alpha and a strong one at that.

“Yes” I breathed low enough for him to hear. His eyes were as black as death and his hair matched the colour of a raven.

“You want to run” it wasn’t a question more like a statement but still I nodded. I had no idea how he knew that I wanted to leave but he did just from looking at me and I gave it little thought “But you’re afraid” 

I froze and even my breath stopped for a minute. He smelt the fear rolling off me in waves and it was true, I was afraid to run away, I was afraid to leave everything behind and to start over.

“Alone, we won’t last long” I found myself saying the words for the first time and even though I’ve been thinking them since I met Hayden, I only then realised the truth in them. If Hayden and I were to leave alone we wouldn't last longer than a week at most.

“But in a pack we will” I had found a way to escape death and the Alpha of the Tyrant Pack was our only salvation. He looked at me with eyes as black as the night and let loose a low growl from the pit of his chest. It was a warning.

“Do I look like I’m in any position to accept useless runaways into my pack?” he snapped turning his head to instead stare out of the barred window at the nearly rounded moon.

“I’m the Alpha’s daughter” I desperately blurted thinking that it would change his mind but it didn’t instead he just kept staring at the world beyond his reach.

“What difference does it make whether you’re an Alpha or an Omega? You’re still just a little girl” I felt stung by the venom in his words and looked down at the cold stone beneath me as I knelt on my knees.

“Alpha” the first man said in a tone that sounded willing, persuasive and filled with contemplation. He was thinking things over while his Alpha shot him a look.

“Alpha think about this, Rebecca can’t-.” he was cut off by a feral snarl escaping from the Alpha’s chest. He looked ready to tear his pack mate apart but calmed down when he thought about whoever Rebecca was. The Alpha glanced at me then back to his friend.

“She and her mate can trail behind when we’re set free” I could almost taste the vile in his words but I kept silent as the man with golden eyes nodded his head in agreement “And they can join my pack on one condition” 

I leaned forward waiting for the Alpha to finish. He turned back to the window when he spoke next “You and your mate become the heirs to my pack”

I froze in disbelief blinking at the Alpha in front of me in utter shock. The pack mate looked at me with a stern gaze.

“Those are the conditions, our freedom and the future ruling of our pack in exchange for your survival” he paused glancing at his silent Alpha before he continued “Do you accept pup?” 

I thought it over and for a split second it felt like I was making a deal with the Devil but I knew that if I wanted Hayden to be safe then it was the only thing I could do.

“I accept” as soon as the words escaped my lips the Alpha tore loose a low howl that echoed through the cell room and out into the forest. A moment passed and then another howl pierced the night coming from beyond the pack border.

“When?” the Alpha asked while I stared out the window realizing that his entire pack were stationed around the border waiting to see if there was need to attack. By making the deal I has saved the lives of many in my father’s pack without even knowing it at the time.

“The next full moon” I replied. The next full moon was on Saturday, the night of the graduation party when the moon would be full and us wolves at our strongest.