Alpha and Omega

A surprise inside

My name is Lenora Hall. I’m on the precipice of my 18th birthday with less then 48 hours to go. This date holds special meaning to kids of all species, it’s the day when you become an adult. But for my kind, werewolves to be exact, this date means you can finally find your mate.

For me though? It means I can leave. I can finally get out of this place, this pack, this territory. My mother has been trying to get us out since that night, 5 years ago almost to the day, when everything we’d known changed forever. But the Alpha has denied my mothers requests for a pack transfer under the guise that as a minor, I can not leave the pack. But as of 2 days from now, we will be free.

You may be wondering why we are so on edge to get out, and that’s a simultaneously easy and difficult question to answer. We have to leave because I am not safe here; see, easy. We are not safe here because on my 13th birthday almost 5 years ago everything changed; see, difficult.

I experienced my first shift that night, standing on our back porch as I felt energy surging through every nerve in my body. At 13 I had been a tall lanky girl just coming into womanhood, with long straight black hair that contrasted drastically with my startlingly crystal clear blue eyes. When I had felt my shift coming I also felt an influx of power into my body, filling me and stretching my mind even as my bones began to contort and change. There was a shimmering in the air around me and then I was down, on all fours, my face in the grass, taking in its sweet aroma with new senses.

I’d lifted my head taking everything in, amazed at just how clear wolf vision was at night, I’d thrown my head back looking up at the night sky and the full moon shinning it’s silvery light upon me. The joy I felt was so great it bubbled up and out and I was howling at the moon, letting everyone for miles around hear the joy and happiness I felt.

“Hello?” I heard a soft voice in my mind.

My wolf! I was finally not alone! After feeling like a ghost in the halls and rooms of my life, being ignored everywhere I went, I had a new built in best friend.

“Hi!” I exclaimed back, not even attempting to withhold my delight at her presence. “I’m Lenora, but my mom calls me Ora! What’s your name?”

“Mathilda.” She answered back happily; finally, someone in my life was happy to talk to me.

“That sounds similar to Matilda, but with math added in… it’s pretty!” I told her, just as the back door to our house opened up and lol ran out.

“Oh honey I heard you howling! Let me look at-“. Moms words had started off thrilled but she’d cut herself off once her eyes had met mine.

I titled my head to the side curiously and made to walk to her when she threw her self on the ground, her forehead resting on the grass. She was muttering under her breath but it was nothing I could understand.

“Mom?” I thought, trying to connect to our mind link. I stuck a paw out to move towards her and froze, looking down at my self. I was white.

Like, pure white.

That was impossible, only Alpha wolves were white.

“We are an Alpha.” Mathilda said, her words making my mouth drop open in shock. That was impossible… only males were Alphas and came from an Alpha family. My parents were an Omega and a warrior, though he had been brother to an Alpha, he was not one himself? “I don’t know what is going on Ora, but I know one thing for sure, I am an Alpha. We are an Alpha..”

Now, I was standing In front of my locker on my last day of school. I graduated tonight, and I couldn’t be happier to get out of this hell hole. Not that I had been bullied or anything, in order for someone to bully me they would have to speak to me, and none of the other kids at school saw me much less spoke to me.

Pulling the hood of my black sweater down further over my face I turned up the music on my phone that was blasting through my ear buds, and slung my backpack over my shoulder ready to walk out those doors forever.

I expected it to feel different. Leaving for the last time. But it didn’t. Honestly it was anticlimactic.

“It’s because you have been ready for this day or years. Building it up in your mind, so now that it’s happened, it isn’t as big as you made it out to be.” Mathilda’s voice drifted soothingly through my mind, always here when I needed her.

She was right, as normal, I had over built this moment in my mind and now it didn’t add up. But that was okay, because leaving the territory the day after tomorrow, I could never over build the relief I’ll feel knowing my mom and I are finally safe.

Imagine Dragons played in my ear buds as I waited for the bus and soon I was on my way home, to finish packing for our big move. Maybe, just maybe, once we leave this pack behind, we can both breath again.

“Mom! I’m home!” I holler through the house, hanging my bag on the hook beside the door and pulling the hoody off my head. I honestly hate wearing sweaters all the time, but mom and I agreed that the less attention I drew, the easier it would be to leave the pack and slip out of town before anyone even thought to wonder why we were so anxious to leave. My discomfort was not in vein though, because the sweaters were definitely helping to keep me under the radar, no one else in the pack even questioned why they had never seen me shift. “Did you get anymore boxes?” I yell as I track through the living room and push on the swinging door leading to the kitchen, only to catch my mothers wide, worried gaze the moment I enter.

Moms eyes darted to my left and back again, a warning flashing in their blue depths. Turning to follow her gaze I found my self face to face with our Alpha.

“Look who’s come to visit dear! Alpha Neo came over to wish you a happy 18th birthday, isn’t that kind? Say thank you Ora.” I’ll give mom props, even though she was scared to death right now, you wouldn’t know it from the tone of her voice.

Alpha Neo was sitting at our little breakfast nook making the spacious table look awfully small with his large stature. Standing at 6’4 Alpha Neo was a tall man, and he was just as wide, with arms bigger then my head and thighs to match, his chest was wide as well and just as muscular. With salt and pepper hair, deep forest green eyes and a strong jaw, I could admit that even at over 50 years old her was a handsome man.

“Thank you Alpha.” I did as I was told, keeping my tone soft.

Standing from the table Alpha Neo approached me, his eyes looking me over with curiosity. “Little Lenora, not so little anymore huh? How tall are you now girl?”

My wolf was snarling at the ‘girl’ comment but I just hunched my shoulders and tried to look smaller then I was, this also prickled Mathilda’s pride, even if she understood the reason behind it. Stay small, hide my aura, never challenge.

I kept my eyes cast down and shrugged. “I think like 6 foot.” This was partially true, I was 6’2. Tall and lanky, just as I was at 13, though now other body parts had caught up and I looked more woman then child. Thank the goddess I went to a purely werewolf school or I’d stand out like a sore thumb. All the males were 6ft and taller, females were mostly 5’6-5’10, so though I was taller then them, it wasn’t super noticeable if I kept my shoulders hunched and sank down in my seats.

“Look taller then that to me.” Muttered the Alpha softly his eyes still watching me much closer then I would have liked. I tried my best to keep my eyes down cast, not meeting his gaze. To meet an Alphas gaze would be to challenge him, and an Omega never challenged anyone. Especially not their Alpha. “You graduate tonight right?” He asked, crossing his large forearms over his chest as he stared at me in fascination.

“Yes Alpha.” I continued to keep my voice soft. Play the role Ora, stay small.

“My boy, Knox, graduates tonight as well. Couldn’t be prouder, of all the kids graduating tonight that is.” He smiled towards my mom as he spoke and I took the opportunity to search his features again. Knox was a conceited, arrogant, self entitled brat. But I guess after being told your entire life that you were better then every one else, that you were a step above all of those around you, a inflated ego was to be expected.

Alpha Neo’s green eyes flicked back to mine and I didn’t lower them in time. I stared back at him, watching as thoughts flashed through his mind. First amusement that I had been caught staring at him; then curiosity as he realized I wasn’t looking away; followed by indignation that I didn’t have the audacity to look down. A wave of his Alpha aura washed off of him and through the room, a gentle reminder to submit, to know my place. Mathilda bristled at the warning, wanting to accept the challenge.

“Ora?” My mother warned, her voice now shaky as her Omega side coward before its Alphas power. Moms tone snapped me out of my moment of rebellion and I whipped my eyes to the floor again.

“Sorry Alpha Neo.” I muttered from between clenched teeth. I couldn’t say more, if I did then all of my mothers carefully laid plans from the last 5 years would be ruined.

“So sorry Alpha, you know kids these days, curious little things.” Mom laughed as she made her way to me, putting a hand on my arm and squeezing it softly. “Ora is still learning her place.”

Learning my place. Mom told me all the time I had to learn my place, but that’s hard to do when your place is constantly in question.

“It’s fine Nina, Knox can be rebellious as well sometimes.” Alpha Neo responded with his own chuckle, but I could feel his eyes boring into me, I had to get out of here before I made another mistake.

“I’m going to go to my room and get ready for graduation. Hair and make up and all that… you know.” I’d never done my make-up in my life and the only thing I’d ever done to my hair was wash and brush it, but I needed a reason to flee, and quickly.

“Of course, you’re excused.” Alpha said absently, turning to speak with my mother again. I reminded Mathilda to stay calm as she snarled at the Alphas approval of my leaving, in her mind she needed his permission for nothing. I turned and rushed out of the room but I felt his heated gaze follow me all the way out.

“I can’t believe you would challenge him!” Mom whispered as she walked into my room without knocking and threw her self on the bed dramatically. “Everything we have planned, all of these years of careful preparation almost destroyed in seconds.”

I put the brush I was running through my hair back on my vanity and turned on the stool to look at her. “I’m sorry mom.” And I was. She was right, everything she’d done in the last 5 years she’d done to protect me, and I’d almost ruined it in 5 seconds. “I didn’t mean to, he wasn’t looking at me when I was staring at him, and when he turned back our eyes just locked…” I trailed off because I knew how lame that sounded. But mom would never understand.

Mom was an Omega through and through, she even found it hard to argue with me because of my Alpha aura, even though I wasn’t her Alpha. I couldn’t explain to her how hard it had been to force my self to submit to that arrogant j*rk, because she would never understand what having an Alpha wolf was like, especially an Alpha who was forced to play the part of an Omega.

“I know dear, I’m not mad at you.” Mom sighed as she pushed her self up to a sitting position on the bed and glanced over at me before looking away quickly. She also hadn’t been able to look me in the eye for longer then a half a second since I shifted at 13. “I just worry is all. If they find out about Mathilda then…” Mom couldn’t finish that sentence, but it was her worst fear.

“I know mom, a pack can only have one Alpha family, if they find out I’ll be forced to face Knox’s challenge and fight to the death.” Moms eyes sparkled with tears which she quickly wiped away.

Forcing a smile to her lips she stood from my bed and clapped her hands together. “Okay! Now, let’s get you ready for graduation! You’ve lived under the radar your entire high school career and we are leaving this place tomorrow, so tonight, let’s do what you were born to do dear.”

When I raised my eyebrow in question of what that meant she giggled and turned me back to the mirror, picking up my brush. “To stand out dear. You were born to be the brightest diamond in the room. Let’s give this pack a memory of you to last a lifetime!”