An Omega to Save them All

Chapter 4

Everlyn

The day goes on as normal, class with Pen, class without Pen, lonely lunchtime. But my favorite time of day is art class, when I can stretch my skills creatively. I'm working on my senior project, a painting of my wolf in my mind's eye, though I have no real idea what she looks like yet. She purrs every time I'm working on it so I'm thinking I'm relatively close in appearance. The white fur jumps off the canvas as other shapes come to surround the wolf I've painted. One looks strangely a lot like Nico's wolf, brown fur like her hair, while there are two other strange wolves and a bear. In the center, there is a vial of liquid, which I suppose represents my mom's cure. All the animals are positioned around it, guarding it as though it is a close kept secret.

"Marvelous work, Everlyn." Mr. Graves praises as he looks over my work. "What are you going to title this magnificent piece?"

"I'm not sure yet, sir. I'm confident I'll come up with something though."

Mr. Graves walks off, the final bell ringing as I place the cover over my painting and move to leave. I gather up my belongings as someone shoves me to the ground, cackling behind me.

Of course. The Britneys.

Like a clique straight out of Mean Girls, the Britneys are a group of she-wolves with a mean streak. And they have determined I am the target of their issues. "Watch where you're going, Faterlyn."

Ugh, what a nickname. "Excuse me, Britney. I wasn't aware I was in your way. As I'm at my desk."

My belongings promptly hit the floor, one of the other Britney's making sure to scatter it far out of reach. With Mr. Graves no where in sight, I recognize I'm on my own. "Oopsie daisy."

The smile that curls the corners of my mouth is borderline sickening with disgust. "No harm done."

"But what about this?" I look over to see that Britney—whichever one—had taken a black paint brush to my senior project. The work I have been put exorbitant amount and labor of love into. I fight back the tears flooding my eyes as I look upon the canvas now marred with a black streak across it. Was this how the world saw me? Saw my work? My birthday cannot get here fast enough.

Penelope enters the room at that moment, fury clearly across her face. Her eyes flit about the classroom and she looks poised to sound the alarm, but I subtly shake my head. There's no point. The Britneys are well connected; who would believe essentially an orphaned wolf over them? Especially when everyone knows the Prime Alpha hates my guts.

"Come on, Everlyn. Let's go home." Pen pipes up finally, the Britneys quickly making their escape as Mr. Graves walks in. He gasps looking at my canvas.

"What happened, Everlyn?"

"Nothing, Mr. Graves. I just," I shrug, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible. "I just decided to go in a different direction right through the middle of my work."

A stillness settles over us, the unsaid crying loudly out for recognition that never comes. Mr. Graves hums solemnly walking over and looking at the canvas, tears settled into the corner of his eyes. A sorrowful smile curls against his lips. "Perhaps this will mean something more internally can be portrayed on this canvas." His hand rests on my shoulder in a reassuring pat, before he sets off to his desk.

"Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you tell?"

"When did that ever work, Pen?" Never. It has never worked since I became known as the traitor's daughter. "I just have to keep my head down until I can leave with my mom."

Pen nods, looking at the painting with a grimace. "What will you do?"

A lightbulb goes off in my head, genius striking me as I look at the destroyed painting. "I'm going to send a message. Mr. Graves?"

Mr. Graves looks up from his desk. "Yes, Everlyn?"

"Do you have somewhere secure and private I can work on my painting?"

A smile blossoms across his face. "I guess you have some idea you want to hide away?" I nod eagerly, the ideas churning through my mind. "Very well. Come see me first thing in the morning. I'll show you where you can work during class time. You'll just need to check in with me to be counted as in attendance."

I nod eagerly, ready to take on this new challenge. Pen merely looks on silently, before asking what she desperately wants to ask. "What message are you going to send, Everlyn?"

"One they will never forget. Come on, let's go home."

We walk back towards the pack house, Pen making a detour towards her family's home as I make my way into the kitchens. Marla is busy preparing food for dinner with other Omegas and I fall into step in the hub bub and bustle of the kitchen. Pretty quickly, dinner is ready and I'm heading upstairs with two plates on a tray for my mother and I.

Opening up the door, I notice Mom hasn't moved, the tray before her littered with flies and bugs as it goes abandoned yet again. I quickly remove that food, setting the steaming food before her and dutifully begin serving her. Spoonfuls of stew pass her lips, subtle chewing happening as she takes in the food. "Don't worry, Mom. I have a plan. We will get away from here. I promise you this."

Feeding Mom takes roughly an hour and then it's time to put her to bed. She's like a ghost as she moves around the rooms, haunting them one by one in her wake of silence. I settle her into bed and softly sing her a lullaby, watching her eyes slowly close as the last bars leave my lips.

Then it's my turn to eat cold food and study. Only a few more months…