The Omega Queen

Eleven

Erin settled in her seat, frowning as the plane’s engines started up with a sharp whine, and they taxied to the runway. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but the plane suddenly increased in speed and rose into the air, causing her stomach to drop. Gritting her teeth, she gripped the armrests as the pressure of the rising altitude caught her mind in a vice.

“Take it easy,” Alexander comforted her, gently caressing her hand until she released her grip and he could hold it. “Deep breaths, big yawn. It’ll help ease the pressure.”

His voice sounded distant, muffled, even though he was sitting right next to her. Nonetheless, she followed his advice and her ears suddenly popped, releasing the pressure and her hearing returned to normal. Erin sighed, shyly smiling at him in gratitude, before she touched her chin in a gesture he didn’t understand.

Seeing his confusion, she took out her pad and pencil to write it down. Alexander blinked as he read her explanation and said, “So, when you touch your chin like that, it means thank you.”

Erin smiled and nodded.

Alexander felt himself relax a little, and he asked, “So, those signs can mean whole words and phrases, not just letters.”

Erin nodded. That was probably the biggest obstacle for a lot of people she met to understand. Sign language was just like any other. It was adaptable in that gestures stood in for words and phrases and stringing them together could change the meaning, but some were universal. It wouldn’t be a very good language if that was not the case.

She straightened her fingers and turned them toward her face, then pulled her hand back as if tracing a cone or a muzzle. Alexander frowned, and she couldn’t help but snicker at his confusion.

Finally, he asked, “And what does that one mean?”

She wrote down the answer and waited for his reaction: wolf.

“Wait, so that means wolf?” Alexander mimicked the gesture she had made. “That is wolf.”

She nodded. Opening her hand wide, she touched her thumb to her forehead and brought it down in a slight arch toward her stomach. Then she added the gesture she had just shown him. Erin repeated it several times for his benefit before writing down the answer.

“So, those two gestures together mean werewolf,” he chuckled, before mimicking them. “That’s werewolf.”

Erin nodded.

“So, this is thank you,” Alexander repeated the earlier gesture, “and this is werewolf. How do you sign your welcome?”

Erin pressed her lips together before writing her answer: usually, you sign thank you back to me. You could also sign fine to me.

He read her answer, then looked up as she again spread her fingers wide and touched her thumb toward her chest.

“So, that’s the sign for fine,” he said.

She nodded.

“So, if I say thank you,” he repeated the gesture. “You would either sign it back or use that one.”

Erin nodded. There was a sign for welcome, but it was generally used as a greeting or to welcome someone into one’s home. She watched as he repeated the signs she had just shown him. Even his beta seemed intrigued and tried them. At the very least, both seemed receptive to learning. She wondered if her new pack would feel the same. Erin had learned from experience many were not so receptive.

“Thank you,” Alexander said, signing it as he spoke.

Erin felt her cheeks warm but signed back the response. Alexander chuckled at the embarrassment she tried to hide by looking out the window. Just like that, they had their first conversation. Maybe his wolf was right about learning sign language. Even if he never mastered it, learning would show he cared, and he was committed to his luna. It would also give them time together to build their bond. What was more, she wouldn’t have to rely on the clumsy method of writing everything down.

Alexander watched as she studied the clouds below them in awe. Her expression was soft and bright. Clearly, she had never experienced a view like this before. Silently, he vowed he would bridge the gaps between them.

The day’s excitement seemed to have worn her out. Now calm, Erin drifted to sleep. Her head lulled to the side, prompting Alexander to adjust her seat and recline it. He retrieved a pillow and blanket for her as well, tucking her in. Short of moving her to the bed in the back, it was as comfortable as he could make her, and he wasn’t ready to move her out of sight.

“So, have you decided how you are going to handle the Council?” Nathan quietly asked, glancing around their private cabin.

Their escort was in a separate cabin behind theirs. The flight attendants were currently out of sight, so they were alone, and it was safe to talk.

“What do you mean?” Alexander asked with a frown.

Nathan sighed, “You know, they are going to throw a fit about your mate being a wendigo. They are going to attack everything about her, including her mysterious background and the fact we know nothing about her.”

Alexander growled as Argo stirred. Until then, his wolf had been quite content just having their mate close at hand. Now, its protective instincts stirred.

“I’m just saying,” Nathan held up his hands in surrender. “And you already know this.”

“So, what do you suggest?” Alexander asked after his wolf eased back.

“…Maybe, we don’t tell them she is your mate, just yet.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hear me out. When we get back to the pack, I’ll get Peregrin to investigate her pack and what happened ten years ago. We’ll build our case before the Council even knows her name,” Nathan said. “And she can get to know our pack without the pressure of being Luna. They’ll be more accepting once they spend time with her.”

Alexander frowned. There was merit in the suggestion, but it made him uneasy. She was his mate and unmarked. It was difficult to even let her out of his sight, let alone accept the idea that unmated males might come sniffing close to her.

“If you suggest she live in the packhouse, I may just kill you,” Alexander said after a moment.

“I wasn’t. She should stay with you in your house. Just, don’t mark her yet.”

Alexander growled.

“It’s tradition to do it on the full moon anyway,” Nathan reminded. “She can live with you and your mother. Cahira handles most of the Luna duties right now. Erin can learn at her side. The rest of the pack will get used to seeing her with the former Luna too.”

Alexander tapped his finger on the armrest. He didn’t like it and neither did his wolf. They had searched for their mate long enough. They wanted to claim them immediately and to hell with everyone else. Yet, there was merit to Nathan’s suggestion.

There were too many unknowns shrouding Erin’s past and the Council would certainly attack anything they thought was a weakness to make things more difficult for her. He also couldn’t argue that many still held prejudices against wendigos and would find it difficult to accept one as their luna and queen. Allowing them to get to know her at his mother’s side was a good idea.

It would also help Erin. She was clearly apprehensive about being his mate and luna, especially in a pack that was completely unknown to her. His mother would look out for her and help teach her everything she needed to know. At the same time, she could introduce Erin to the pack and ease the transition.

And it would give them time to investigate Erin’s past. It was unnatural for an entire pack to simply disappear without a trace, unless someone deliberately hid it. In which case, it was a conspiracy. They had no idea who they were dealing with or how deeply it ran. Nor did they have any idea why someone would target a wendigo pack. None of it made sense.

Alexander sighed. Just how was he going to protect his mate from so many unknowns? He really did need more information.

“It also means she’ll need her own room,” Nathan said.

Alexander bristled, glaring at him.

“Seriously,” Nathan said. “Exactly how long are you going to last if she sleeps in your bed? You start smelling like her and everyone is going to know.”

Alexander let out a slow breath.

“I know it won’t be easy, believe me, I know, but if this is going to work, we have to keep everyone in the dark,” Nathan said. “At least until we can gather the information we need and are ready to go on the attack.”

When Alexander didn’t answer, he continued.

“The way I see it, we have three main questions to answer. One, how did an entire pack disappear without us knowing? Two, who attacked it? And three, why would someone cover it up? Once we can answer those three questions, we’ll know who our enemy is and what we need to do.”

“Four, how did Erin manage to survive?” Alexander muttered. “And are there any other survivors? Does she have any family left, anywhere?”

Nathan nodded, “Yeah, that too.”

Alexander sighed, “All right. We’ll go with your plan, but I’ll only give you until the next full moon. I won’t wait any longer than that. Consequences be damned.”

“Fine,” Nathan agreed, glad he had gotten even that much of a concession. “We should tell Peregrin the truth, so he understands the stakes of his mission. Kaison, too.”

“And my mother,” Alexander added. “She won’t be happy with this, but she’ll help Erin settle in. And if we are going to tell Kaison, we should let him tell Meredith. It’ll be good if all the pack’s upper ranks are on the same page and can help Erin adjust.”

“But we keep it secret from everyone else,” Nathan agreed.

Argo grumbled and Alexander didn’t blame him. He didn’t like it any better than his wolf, but he would do anything to keep their mate safe.