An Omega to Save them All

Chapter 1

Everlyn



Everlyn. . .

The voice sounds so distant, so far from me. Yet so close at the same time.

They are needing you, Everlyn. Find them.

Find who?

Find the four who are yours. Everlyn. . . Everlyn. . .

“Everlyn! Get down here this instant!”

The barking begins every morning, the same cadence and time. It jerks me from the dead of sleep, the dream long forgotten of the silvery voice. Prime Alpha Leo and his tirade of morning shenanigans never changes but his ire regularly does. I wonder what has set him off this morning. Shuffling around my room, I struggle to find something presentable for the Prime Alpha to see, something quasi-clean. Finally settling on a long shift dress, likely cast aside by another she-wolf, I made my way out of my room and down the hall.

Walking slowly through the pack house, I hear the twitter of conversation around me. Doors creak open, waiting for me to walk by, only for there to be snickering or chiding behind those slivers of life. The wooden barriers do nothing to shield me from their toxicity. I am a well-known wolf in our pack but still, the Prime Alpha selects me for his verbal punching bag. I wonder if it has to do with the fact my father never bended knee to him, that my mother never returned his advances. Regardless, this weight is mine to bear, my mother's mind gone with the mating sickness when my father was beheaded for treason. I am defenseless, unable to hide behind my books and work, my mom's apron long from covering my face as I cower behind her knees.

Continuing to make my way down the stairs, my ear listen closely for any sound to hint at what my transgression may be. But the pack house remains largely still, causing my mind to racing endlessly. If he worries I am following my dad's footsteps, the whip will be hanging nearby, within reach of his chubby fist. When pack matters are weighing him down, sometimes the whip will be dipped in silver, the cuts taking longer to heal than if it was just the braided leather. And my cries only make him smile so I choke them down, not giving him the pleasure of my pain. But still, I walk towards my destiny, unable to deny the bark of my Prime Alpha.

This is the way it is within White Fang pack. We are proud wolves but are ruled by a ruthless Prime Alpha, Leo Carter. He and his son sit in the cradle of our pack, the heart of it all and knows not of all they have. I have been trying to teach others of all the wealth around them, the resources, the secrets beyond what they see. But Prime Alpha Leo is sternly against anything that teaches about the outside world, shunning me as a lunatic. My reputation quickly precedes me with the youth following in their stead and copying what the adult have taught.

Pushing open the heavy door to the main living area, a plate whizzes by my ear, narrowly missing my head as it shatters against the wall. Oh good, he's throwing plates. Must be something wrong with the kitchen.

"Where the f**k were you this morning?" Prime Alpha Leo demands. He's encircled by his confidants, standing proudly with their plates abandoned before them, waiting for my reply.

Shrugging nervously, the truth determined to be better than any fallacy. "I had to take care of mom this morning. She had an attack…"

Another piece of fine china sails past me, this time nicking the side of my face on it's journey, sure to leave a bruise. My hand cups my face gingerly but I quickly remove it, remembering what he will do if he sees me displaying discomfort. Laughter rises around me from the group of men, all feasting on the breakfast I had no part in making. "Did I ask for reasons?"

"No sir." I refuse to let me voice shake, the steel in my spine hardening resolutely. "I just thought…"

"I don't keep you here to think! That's what got your father in trouble, after all." A sickening smirk fills his features, his face cold despite the warm light of the morning, no doubt filled with glee of what he could set upon my head. "Now stand still. We have target practice this morning."

Shit. That means I am the target. I stand still, steeling myself for the pain to rain down around my head. I hear the delicate scrape of china being picked up from the nearby table, every person poised to throw at me.

"What's the meaning of this!?"

The melodious voice rises above all the white noise filling my head, freezing the men in their places. It's Leo's wife Crystal, the Alpha female of the pack. Leo looks mildly chastised but largely annoyed at the intrusion. "Princess. We were just teaching this wretched girl a lesson."

Her eyes shift to my form, standing in the early morning light, gaze skating across my skin. While mated to the Prime Alpha, his wife always shows me kindness despite her husband's choices. She moves slowly into the room, wrapped in grace and elegance as she moves. Her form stops out of the corner of my eye, never making contact but close enough for me to reach out and touch her. "What is her transgression?"

"She didn't report for kitchen duty this morning."

Crystal stills, the silence eerie around her. Every man in the room holds their breath, avoiding offending the beauty before them. Several have sucked in their voluminous guts to hie their sagging forms from her sight. "I see." The words come out cold and dark as she stalks closer to her mate, away from me in the pursuit of her goal. "And the Head Omega is incapable to rectifying this situation?"

"Well…it's not that."

"Then perhaps there is a larger offense at play?" Her hand reaches out and gentle touches the shoulder of Prime Alpha Leo, watching as his face lights up with crimson color at the contact. Despite being mated 20 years, it's clear the mate bond still is strong between them both.

Sheepishly, Leo shakes his head no. He stands at his seat, gingerly setting the china down, signaling the others to do the same. Groans and arguments of regret fill the hollow hall as Crystal stands before them all.

"Everlyn, go see the Head Omega. I'm sure there are chores to be done. As for the rest of you," Crystal's eyes scan the table and those around it. "Be gone! Clearly, my mate and I need to have a larger discussion."

All of us flee the room, the confidants faster than I am, as we escape the anger of our head Alpha female against our Prime Alpha. Crystal can be a lot of things but she sees the danger Leo puts me in and holds him to a higher standard. I move in quiet contemplation as I walk the halls towards the kitchen, walking straight into Marla, the Head Omega.

"How's your mother, dear?"

Marla knows I wouldn't be there this morning. My mom had another sickness attack, the broken mate bond fracturing her very existence into oblivion. "She's okay. She survived." Far from the truth. Each attack is getting harder and harder for her to fight, the battle causing the light to leave her eyes in an eerie way.

Marla merely tsks in response, pulling me over the the counter. "You have school today so I need you to get to work on some pastries. Nothing too decadent but we have visitors coming. Is that something you can handle?"

Nodding eagerly, I pull out the ingredients of my trade and begin my studious work in croissants, macarons, and all things pastry. Perhaps today will be a good day.