The Omega Queen

Chapter Six

Holding my mothers book, I gently stroke the leather bound cover, my fingers tracing the sloping cursive letters as the tears run down my cheeks. I'd give anything to be able to talk to her tonight. To have her stroke my hair and reassure me that everything is going to be okay, like she did when I was a little girl and visions of the bad man plagued my dreams.

I had picked up the book intending to start learning about my newly acquired power but the moment I placed it in my lap, the floodgates opened and have yet to stop. It felt so good to be close to her, to have something that meant so much to her in my possession, even if it did nothing but highlight her absence and the giant hole my parents left when they died.

After Grayson left it was close to midnight so I went to bed, an hour of tossing and turning later, I got up and sat in my favourite place, the window seat in my room overlooking the vast expanse of forest that surrounds my home. I watched the moon track across the dark starlit sky, the minutes and hours ticking by quickly as if time itself was sucked into a black hole.

Deep in the trees and undergrowth, a wolf howls. The haunting melancholy song is so desperate and wrought with sadness, it causes a shiver to run down my spine and an ache to throb in my chest.

Wiping away my tears, I scan the property line, hoping to find the source, seeing nothing but the shadows that dance in the gentle spring breeze. What could be causing such anguish and pain to my kin? Who is out there all alone, needing someone in this hour of need? I stand, intending to find the source and start putting on my dressing gown. I'm finishing tying the laces on my worn converse when Michael pops his head through my door.

"Where are you going?" He asks, clearly expecting me to be in bed.

"The howling," I indicate to the forest through the window "I need to help them".

"No, you need to be in bed, sleeping. You can't go running around the forest by yourself. It isn't safe"

"I can't leave them, something is clearly wrong. Who is out there?"

"I have a good idea" he mumbles to himself

"What? Who?" I question

"It doesn't matter Ava. Not right now. I'll go myself and check it out"

"Can I come with you?"

"I don't think it's needed. Come on, get some sleep. I have an inkling it's going to be a very busy day for you tomorrow" he says softly. "I promise I will find the wolf and help them".

I nod and start to take off my shoes knowing Michael will keep his word.

"Goodnight your majesty" he says, the slight lilt of his Yorkshire accent slipping into his voice.

"Goodnight Michael" I say, slipping inside the sheets of my rumpled bed.

The howling stops shortly after, the ache subsides and I slip into dreams of my mother and father chasing me around a field of wildflowers, my hair falling around my face as they catch me. I'm laughing, they're laughing. I'm free, I'm light, I'm happy.

*******************************************

Michael, Ben and I arrive at the training grounds at 6am. The field is full and I wonder what the day will hold. I'm sure I'll be asked a million questions, I wonder if I'll want to answer them?

As we alight the truck, Sol, Fin and Heather join us. They all bow their heads and greet us formally.

"Your majesty" the chorus.

"Good morning Alpha's. You may call me Ava. Nothing has changed" I say. "And none of the bowing. It's already starting to annoy me". The three look a bit taken aback at my rebuttal but one look at Heather and she bursts out laughing. I join her and the tension eases. She gets it, we only spoke about it last night.

I look around the field, there must be a hundred warriors in attendance and even more spectators. My friends stand in a group to the left of the training area, holding hands and staring at me like I've grown two heads. That's going to be a fun conversation. Goddess kill me now! Grayson however is absent. Maybe he changed his mind and doesn't want me as a mate after all. "So what is the plan Sol? Why are we all here?" I ask, indicating the warriors standing around behind them.

"Well, Michael, Ben and I had a long chat last night after you left and they told me the full story of how you came to be here and about the training you've done in secret. I thought you might like to join us for a change. And, maybe kick everyone else into shape. Ben mentioned you are very accomplished in combat.

I nod "I can hold my own. It will be nice to let my wolf out, she's only ever had Michael and Ben's wolves for companionship. You can imagine how hard that is". Wolves are very social creatures, preferring to live in large packs, life for a solitary wolf is very difficult.

"Yes, I can." Sol agrees. He turns to Fin "get your pack ready Alpha, their Queen is about to show them something special".

We all move towards the rest of the pack and I break away, heading to my friends. They all look a bit stunned that I am walking towards them.

"Hey guys, guess you've all heard" I say.

They all bow silently.

"Yes, your majesty" Evan says quietly.

I wait but they don't look up.

"Guys!" They slowly raise their heads but don't meet my eyes. "What's going on?" I question, confused.

"Your majesty" Kate says timidly

"Ava!" I interrupt

"Our wolves are omega's, we do not feel comfortable speaking to the queen"

Not one of them has looked at me directly and my heart sinks.

"You haven't had a problem with it for the last ten years. What has changed?"

"You're the queen," Evan says sadly.

"Are you f*****g kidding me? What, so we can't be friends now? I've always been this way."

"Why would you want to be friends with us?" Kate says, finally meeting my eyes.

"Because you're the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I couldn't have survived without any of you. You kept me sane"

A tear slides down Evan's cheek and I wrap my arms around him. "Hey, what's up?"

"I guess we all thought you'd dump us and not speak to us again" he says sadly.

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen you big dope". I say and he giggles. Kate and Drew join in and we all grip each other tightly in a group hug.

"Ava!" Ben shouts from across the field "it's time to start.

"Okay guys, I gotta go kick some ass. But we need to get together later to talk about what the hell I'm gonna do about my mate" they all nod excitedly "and if you ever bow to me again, I will lose my s**t. You are now my inner circle of most trusted wolves. You bow to no one. Do you understand?" I say looking at each of them individually. I bow slightly in respect, making Drew take a deep incredulous breath and walk away, happy in the knowledge that at least one thing hasn't changed.

"Maine pack, I'm sure you've heard the rumours. I can confirm that they are true" Fin bellows to the wolves occupying the field and murmurs break out around me. "The Queen of all wolves has been hiding in sanctuary within our pack for the last thirteen years. Last night she found her mate and ascended the throne. My father and I are honoured that we were chosen for the monumental task of protecting our princess, whether we knew it or not, that's exactly what we have been doing" I scan the crowd, heads rise, high and proud. This is an honour to them all. "Therefore, I would like to formally introduce you to our Queen, Ava La Croix. Descendant to our revered Goddess Luna. Your majesty" he sweeps his hand towards the crowd and I step forward. They all lower their heads.

"Maine pack" I say strong and confident, patiently waiting for everyone to look up. "Firstly, I wanted to thank you all. It is because of you, your stringent border patrols, your endless training and your devotion to Luna that I stand before you today. My mother chose this pack specifically, she sent me to you because she knew I would be protected. You are my pack and queen or omega, that will never change.

You all will have heard of the prophecy, I am the Queen that will bring about the end of the rogues once and for all" chatter erupts around me but I continue "but I will need your help. Therefore today, I would like to participate in your training sessions. I will be reviewing skill and technique and hopefully will get a chance to spar with a few of you.

I turn my head to Fin, standing behind me and nod. He steps forward again.

"Groups of six," he shouts "usual training procedures to begin with. Warm ups and sparing".

The wolves break off into groups and begin stretches and laps around the field, still in human form. I slip off my hooded jumper and start jogging on the spot. After five minutes I start stretching my legs until my muscles feel warm enough to participate. By now, most of the groups have started sparing. The snaps and claps of punches and kicks being blocked echo around the vast space of the field. I scan the groups and make my way over to some young teenagers from my year at school. You can tell from their inexperienced technique they are newly appointed warriors.

They all stop as I approach and bow their heads.

"Please don't stop" I say, indicating they can continue. They start again and I assess their form. Walking in a circle around them.

"Stronger stance Greg," I call out to a warrior I recognise from the baseball team. "Lily will be able to undercut your footing with a simple kick if you don't put your weight on that back leg, use it as a prop. Push back on it. Use it to anchor you."

Greg nods, "yes, your majesty" but continues as he was, not listening to my advice, his arrogance showing through his bravado. He laughs as he blocks a punch from Lily and she looks at me, clearly disappointed her partner just snubbed his queen. I give her a subtle nod and she smirks at me. She steps forward aiming a fist at Greg's right shoulder, anticipating his move to block her, she spins out of the way and drops low, swiping her left leg out and knocking Greg onto his ass.

Greg sits there for a moment, stunned he was bested by a five foot five cheerleader, before getting to his feet and assuming the sparing stance to begin again, his back leg firmly planted behind him holding his weight. I wink at Lily who is barely containing her laughter and wander away.

"Ava" I hear a shout from behind me, I spin and see Evan waving from the sidelines. I jog over with a smile on my face.

"What's up?" I ask when I reach my friends.

Evan takes a deep breath and looks down. "I want you to teach me how to fight," he whispers.

"Okay," I say to the top of his head. He looks up meeting my eyes.

"Okay?" He asks, confused.

"Yeah, of course. You want to learn how to protect yourself. I get that. I'm more than happy to teach you, all of you"

Kate and Drew jump up and down in excitement. Omegas are not usually permitted to train with the other warriors and during an attack would be made to take shelter with the elderly wolves and children. I wouldn't ever want them in a fight with me, but I do believe that they should know the basics to better protect themselves.

"Lets go," I state and they start removing their coats. "First up is cardio, you need to be able to run and run fast. Ten laps around the field." They groan at the daunting task but I know it's nothing to them, having joined them on their runs every Sunday morning for as long as I can remember. I start to run, calling out over my shoulder. "Loser buys the ice cream".

Hearing them laugh and start following me, I pick up my speed.

I spend over two hours teaching and training with my friends. I have shown them the best blocking techniques and the most vulnerable areas when attacking. We are covered in sweat and I can see they are exhausted.

"That's it for today. Take a break guys" I say before grabbing a bottle of water and downing it in one. Although I'm hot, I've still got a lot left in me. Training with my friends doesn't even come close to sparring with Ben.

"Even my eyebrows hurt" I hear Drew mumble from the ground where she collapsed minutes before. Laughter bubbles in my chest and I drop to the floor in a fit of giggles, Evan and Kate joining in.

The sound of footfall behind us, ceases our joviality and has us turning in unison. Fin reaches us and greets my friends with a smile and nod.

"Ava, I was wondering if you would like to put your reputation to the test by sparring with me?" He reaches down his hand and I take it, standing to face him.

"Are you sure about that Alpha? I wouldn't want to embarass you in front of your pack" he smirks good naturedly and runs his hand through his thick dark hair.

"I'm game if you are Omega"

"Lets have at it" I respond. I wave a goodbye to my friends and Fin and I head to the centre of the field.

Standing in the centre of the large circle created by the pack warriors, I stretch my triceps against my chest and shake out the ache in my shoulders. The yoga pants I put on this morning are slick with sweat and I cannot wait for a shower.

"Normal sparring rules apply" Sol bellows. "First to pin their opponent wins. Ready? And spar" he finishes before stepping back into the circle and leaving Fin and I in the centre alone.

We bow to one another in respect and step closer. Humour lights in Fin's eyes, he knows I'm good and he isn't arrogant enough to be certain of his victory but I can tell he isn't fully taking this seriously. He is in for a rude awakening.

I step forward with my left foot, and strike out with my right fist, my knuckles clipping his eyebrow as he ducks out of the way. He takes a step back, shaking his head. The humour dims in his eyes and determination takes its place. He's serious now, which is exactly what I wanted. The last thing I wanted was him to go easy on me. I am an accomplished fighter, I can take anyone and hold my own.

He strikes out his own fist and I duck, spinning around him and land a kick above his kidneys. He turns to face me and aims another punch at my stomach which I block with my forearm, the shock of the collision echoing through my bones. He's strong and fast, as expected from an Alpha.

We exchange blows for ten minutes, neither of us gaining the upper hand, sweat drips from every pore and my body is sore and spent. I need to finish this, just so I can take a shower. I take a step back and a deep breath to calm my heart rate, where is his weakness? I've been paying attention to his form and technique, storing the information subconsciously. He steps forward when he punches, his left leg slightly bent at the knee. If I take this shot at victory, he will land his punch somewhere in the vicinity of my stomach, it's inevitable and necessary for my plan, so it all depends on whether I can still follow through after the blow. It's the best I've got, I have to try.

I step forward, my fist aiming for his throat, he blocks me, his own fist clashing with my own. He rights himself and goes again, his knee bending slightly as he pushes his weight and strength into his arm. I close the space between us and hop, pushing off on my right leg, my foot finds its place on Fin's thigh as his fist hits its mark just above my stomach. I swing my leg up over his shoulder ignoring the pain shooting through my ribs and clamp my legs around his neck, squeezing. I twist my body and the weight of the movement topples us both to the floor. I secure his arms behind his back,my weight still on his neck and pull. Sol begins the countdown. Fin struggles under my weight but I have him pinned and unable to flip me off. The count reaches five and he declares me the winner. The circle of warriors are dumbstruck as I get to my feet, the field silent. Reaching down I grab Fin's hand and help him to his feet. Fin raises my hand, my arm in the air and bows. "Maine pack, your winner" he shouts "and deservedly so" he adds quietly as the field erupts into cheers. We shake hands.

"Ben wasn't exaggerating huh?" He questions before taking a long drink from the water bottles thrown to us moments before.

I just shrug, I could explain, tell him everything but now isn't the time. There's only one thing I want right now, something I've been waiting for my whole life.

"Fancy a run? With the pack?" I ask.

He looks down at me and smiles.

"It would be an honour, your majesty"