Alpha Xander's Rebirth

First Encounter

It has been six years since I became a member of the Mystic Moon, and while this place feels more like home to me than anywhere else I’ve stayed, I occasionally struggle with a sense of not belonging. Deep within my soul, I resent my position. No matter how hard I try to convince myself that being an omega isn’t so bad and that it’s better than being a slave, I still can’t bring myself to fully accept it. The alpha, Rodrick Osborne, was kind enough to give me a name. He provided several options for me to choose from, and I selected “Robin” because I thought it sounded cool. Unfortunately, I don’t respond to the name as much as I hoped. Everyone told me it was simply because I wasn't used to it yet, but I knew that wasn’t the case—it just doesn’t feel like mine. Each time I hear someone call me “Robin,” it makes me cringe. I also couldn’t go back to the alpha to express my discomfort with the name, as that would only make me sound greedy and ungrateful.

In the pack, everyone was especially nice and accommodating—everyone, that is, except for the alpha's heir and his cronies. I don't know why, but every time we crossed paths, I would break out in hives. To make matters worse, he seemed to take pleasure in bullying those he deemed weaker. No matter what I did, even when I was sitting still and doing nothing, Brian always found a reason to torment me. He would criticize my posture or find some other fault. Just because he is the next in line to become alpha, he thinks he’s superior and feels entitled to pick on anyone he considers weaker than himself. I may be an omega and powerless against him, but I would never behave so arrogantly if our roles were reversed. Or perhaps I would; you never truly know a person's character until they are given a bit of power.

Today is the fifteenth of June, and preparations for the royal guests are in full swing. I don't know much about why the royal family visits the pack every year on this date, but it has been a tradition even before I joined the pack. No matter who I asked, no one would tell me the reason beyond the fact that the princess visits. That's pretty much everything I already knew, so I stopped asking. Another strange thing is that this event occurs only once a year, and during this time, everyone is busy. Everywhere is kept spotless, and decorations are hung as if to commemorate the star of the day. My favorite part, however, is the food. Those in charge of the kitchen always prepare an abundance of dishes, and the variety is always delicious. By the end of the day, anything that doesn't suit the princess's palate will inadvertently come to us. On those days, there was always so much food to eat. If dealing with a little discomfort was all it took to witness such events, then so be it. However, I constantly feared that something bad might happen and ruin everything. This fear made me cower before Brian, who mistakenly interpreted my behavior as respect. The only one I truly respect in the pack is the alpha, and that’s only because he took me in when I had nowhere to go and gave me a name. Even the alpha's commands had no real effect on me, but I had to keep pretending that they did. If I didn’t, they might kick me out, and I definitely didn’t want to wander alone and risk being captured or, worse, thrown into a cage again. It feels as though I am quite comfortable in my role as an omega, and I think I might be enjoying it more than I should. I don’t want many things in life; in fact, I could say I am content with how things are going. However, that’s not entirely true, because there is a significant void inside me, a void yearning to be occupied as if I am missing something. Yet, I can’t seem to figure out what it is.

It always pains me to realize that I am wolfless. Everyone my age seems to have gotten their wolf by the time they turned fifteen, and now that I'm around that age, if not older, I still don’t have one. I also lack any real strength despite all the heavy lifting I do. Most of the time, I need a break from the chores just to catch my breath. It’s frustrating, and those are the moments when Brian walks by to taunt me. I never felt the need to confront him because I knew it wouldn’t lead to anything good. As long as I stay calm and keep my head down, I can live freely—this has always been my silent mantra since I joined the pack.

Everything was almost perfect, just as we had been instructed, and the princess was expected to arrive any minute. Knowing I wouldn't be needed for the next hour, I slipped out from everyone to go to my favorite place. There was a small creek beside the pack's eastern border that people rarely visited, maybe because of the strange rumors about a female ghost haunting the place, but I don't believe this and since I found the place two years ago, no ghost has haunted me, so it's all probably just a rumor to keep people away. The creek was my sanctuary, whenever I had a bad day or got taunted beyond end. I would go there to clear my head. There was something about the place that gave me a serenity I don't feel anywhere else. I was on my own, minding my business and staying out of everyone's hair, when suddenly the bane of my existence walked out from the shrubs. I don't know how long he had been lurking in the shadows, and just when I pulled off my clothes and submerged in the cold water he walked out. To be honest, I didn't expect to see him there, since he was supposed to be in the pack house or at the western borders welcoming the guests. Somehow, he found his way there and had the crazy idea of tying me to a tree trunk naked, saying how it was all my fault to be wolfless and that if my wolf came out to defend me, then I would be less worthless since wolves naturally protect their humans. And as if that was not enough, he ordered one of his friends to throw my clothes inside the creek and I watched in despair as my clothes float away. So there I was, tied to a tree with nothing covering my nakedness except the twine used to keep me tied up. All the effort to free myself was futile, so I gave up on trying to exhaust myself. Once Philip realized I was gone, he would come find me, hopefully. I looked up in the sky and watched as two birds chased each other. I wondered what it would be like to be free and fly away like those happy birds. It wasn't long after that three ladies walked out of the shrub from a different direction. I squinted my eyes to get a good look at them. They didn't look like any members of the Mystic Moon Pack, maybe they were the entourage of the princess. I didn't want to embarrass them by calling them over to help me. It would only make me a pervert for calling them to see me naked, I felt shame and tried to hide myself further into the tree, if I'm lucky, they wouldn't even notice I'm there. But instead of heading towards the pack house, I noticed they stopped a few feet away from me and one of them spoke with the other two. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the girls turned around, and only the one speaking came to me with a pocket knife.

"You should never put yourself in a position that would make you powerless," she said without looking at me. She walked behind the tree and cut the vines, and I fell to the ground.

"Thank you very much," I said in a croaked voice "I am indebted to you," I said when she walked back to me. I was too ashamed to look at her.

"Here, use this," she said, handing me a scarf, the one she probably wore around her neck.

"I...I..." I don't know if I should take it. What if the princess found out about this and got mad that I took a piece of clothing from her maid?

"Just cover up already if you feel indebted like you claim." Well, since she puts it that way, I grabbed the scarf, and although it didn't do much, I was a little less naked now.

"I will never forget this," I said in a small voice, but she only looked at me and sighed before walking away. Something flashed through her eyes. Was it pain? Was that regret? But why would she feel that way towards me when I had never met her before?