Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The northern pack sat close to the mountains, its territory vast and fair. They were one of many packs spread around, but they were unique for their healthy crops and amount of wolves, thriving as the years passed. Every pack wanted to trade with the northern pack, but at the same time, envied them for its power. They were blessed by the moon goddess, after all, with the huge territory and the pure lineage of the head family.

The Head Alpha who ruled their pack came from an extensive line of pure blooded wolves, and he, as expected, mated a pure blooded omega from an influential family within their pack. From their mating, two pups were born. The older wolf, Erik, had presented as a beta three years prior when he reached maturity at eighteen moons, ruling him out of the line of inheritance of the title of Head of the pack, unless his younger brother also presented as a beta. 

Wilhelm was a lanky boy, with limbs too long for his body and a lack of balance to his stride, so the entire pack, and even his parents, expected him to present as a beta or even an omega. What was their surprise when, as the moon shone high in the sky, marking his eighteenth birthday, the boy was hit with a rut, presenting as an alpha.

The pack was overjoyed, as was the Head Alpha. Not even a week after the boy resurfaced from his draining and painful first rut, letters were dispatched to other packs to announce the big news, along with an invitation for a celebration around a big bonfire. 

Every pack came, its rulers and counselors greeting the Head family in delight.

If you ask Simon, though, it was all bullshit.

These packs were only after one thing: Mating their omegas to the future Head Alpha.

The only thing they were delighted about was the chance of uniting their packs, the possibility of having the protection of a pack so big as the northern pack was just too incredible to pass by. But don't take the Head family for fools whatsoever, because that was precisely the reason why they had announced Wilhelm's presentation to whoever might be listening.

The northern pack had its share of pure blooded families, but they also couldn't let the opportunity of strengthening ties with other packs pass. They had been having trouble with the southern pack, with whom they shared a border. And even though no pack stood a chance against them, they still wanted to make themselves even more powerful, so as to let the southern pack know to not mess with them.

Simon pitied Wilhelm, though. The alpha would have no say in the matter of whom he were to be mated with, and was being served on a silver platter so soon after his presentation. He didn't even have time to settle down in his own skin yet, his wolf clearly uncomfortable during the entire ceremony, given the way he kept tugging at his shirt's collar and scratching at his wrists. His scent glands must still be sensitive, Simon thought.

But whatever, as a male omega, Simon should be worrying more about his situation than the alpha's, who probably did not even know him. It was impossible not to know Wilhelm, but Simon, on the other hand, would surely go unnoticed on the future Head Alpha's long list of pack wolves. 

They were a big pack, with countless wolves, and would never cross paths with a mere kitchen worker like the omega.

Simon was not originally from the northern pack, you see, he had come from a small sea pack near east. They were five separate packs, but worked together as one, trading among themselves and trying the wolves who went against their rules together. They were unwelcoming of strangers and kept to themselves most of the time, but they were harsh and close minded.

When he presented prematurely as an omega at only seventeen moons, the small pack was appalled, disbelieving of how such disgrace had struck their pack.

If you couldn't tell by now, male omegas were quite uncommon. They were rare, almost an anomaly, and smaller packs, such as Simon's, saw them as a bad omen, a message from the moon goddess to warn them of bad times ahead. So, after he was put on trial at the mercy of the five head alphas, he was cast out of the pack, allowed only to grab his things and leave at once after he was done.

The omega, lost and alone, walked for days until he found a kind merchant that told him he would be accepted at the northern pack, and offered to take him there. Simon accepted, desperate for a place to call home after being thrown out so coldly. Though his wolf cried for his pack, heartbroken and miserable, Simon refused to cry. He had raised his head and marched out of his old pack's territory without looking behind him, forcing himself to be strong and face this challenge head on.

Proving the merchant's words to be true, the northern pack accepted him, even having male omegas among their population. Now he was one out of three others. Again, male omegas weren't that usual. Simon met them, and the two were also refugees from other packs that had cast them out. One of them was older, surely over thirty moons of age, and had an ugly looking scar across his cheek, beginning at his temple and ending at the other side of his neck. A punishment from his previous pack Head Alpha upon his presentation at eighteen. The man never spoke much, keeping to himself most of the time and flinching at every sudden movement whenever another wolf stood too close to him.

Simon could see then that he had been lucky when cast out. Times had changed, yes, but the prejudice against male omegas was still fresh, a wound still unhealed. The northern pack had accepted them, but its people still looked down on them. The Elders of the pack assigned them lesser jobs, keeping them out of sights and making them work a lot to get their fill. Simon's job was to wash the dishes, along with the other young omega, Henry. They had similar backstories, but never talked, working in silence everyday. They shared a cabin with the older omega, Lucian, far away from the other wolves.

What the three of them had was far from friendship, but also wasn't hostility. They lived together and had an understanding that consisted of being the same gender and sub-gender, but were still tense and unsure around each other. Other wolves still stared at them as they passed, whispering behind their backs, spitting out ‘male omega’ as if it was poison. They bumped into them, blamed them for every little bad thing that happened, pulled on their pups hands to get them away from their path, telling them to never share a conversation with male omegas or else they would be cursed for life.

So yes, starting a friendship among themselves might be too risky, frowned upon, seen as ‘plotting’ together, even, by the extremists.

Given his reality, you can't blame Simon for attaching himself to a narrative different from his own. He began watching the Head family from afar. In a non-creepy way, of course. At least he hoped so. 

Ever since his previous pack, the history of the northern pack's pure blood family was told. They were the longest lineage to ever rule a pack, so they were kind of famous.

Pure blooded wolves were said to descend from the moon goddess herself, being able to shift to their wolf forms, their genes stronger than the ones of the common wolf. They were faster, stronger, could see, hear and smell better than others. They were the prime species. That is why they were the ones in charge, always. If a wolf were to be born pure blooded, no matter alpha, beta or omega, they were automatically in line of succession. Though preferred to be an alpha or an omega, betas could also take over if they had no other options.

The rulers of other packs were also pure blooded, but their lineage was more recent and still weak. Mating one of their own to alpha Wilhelm would be better than expanding territory or receiving a thousand sacks of crops of their choice. 

And Wilhelm was certainly told to prepare, the omega could tell, by the way he had joined the hunters, and had started to take on a heavier workload. Simon would be passing the pack's townsquare and would see the alpha following his father or the Elders around, or carrying firewood or buckets to help other wolves. One time, he was leaving his cabin and walking towards the kitchens when he saw the future Head Alpha perched on top of the pup's nursery roof, repairing it after the previous night's heavy rain damaged it.

The once lanky and clumsy boy now filled out his clothings, growing even taller and walking around with his back straight, chest puffed out. His features became sharper, his uncertain, puppy-like eyes now stared at everyone and everything with determination, like a wolf.  

And Simon was left drooling after him.

The sudden changes took him by surprise, leaving him dumbfounded. He had never thought of Wilhelm as anything other than cute, but now, after he had presented… Simon couldn't help but also see him as a wolf, as an alpha. His omega saw him that way, so it was unavoidable that he would listen to that side more than his human side lately. Which was honestly ridiculous, since he didn't even know what the alpha smelled like.

But smell or not, it didn't matter. The more he watched Wilhelm, the more addicted he became. He prided himself to be someone focused, diligent, but all of a sudden, he started slacking off at work, breaking a few dishes, being late, taking longer than Henry to finish up. He was yelled at by the cook at least once a day because of it. But could you blame him? The alpha seemed to be on his path every time he was on his way to the kitchens, no matter which route he took. And even when Simon arrived on time, forcing himself not to stop and admire Wilhelm from afar, he seemed to be constantly on his mind.

The omega was, to his utmost suffering, pining after the alpha. Someone he could never have.

Simon was aware of that. And every time he reminded himself of that, his wolf whined and huffed inside of him, disappointed. But there was nothing he or his wolf could do to change his blood. He wasn't pure blooded, and worse than that, he was a male omega. He had gotten used to being what he was after an entire year, the heats, his flowery scent, the sensitivity to other smells, the litheness of his body… he had even grown to like these parts of him. But he knew what other wolves thought of him, of what the alpha would surely think as well if he ever met him. 

It pained him, but Wilhelm didn't have to meet him, at all. And watching him from afar couldn't hurt much more than it already did. 

Or at least, that was what he thought, up until that moment.

Simon was out in the woods next to his cabin one morning, searching for a few herbs the cook had asked for, when his ears picked up on the sound of footsteps approaching. He recognized Henry's orangey scent, so he just continued to do what he was doing, kneeling down on the grass and searching around the tree's hoots, a woven basket right beside him.  

“Simon, have you heard?” 

That, along with Henry's tone of voice, finally drew his attention. It was unusual for the boy to start a conversation with him, much less on the giddy tone he had just spoken with. Simon turned to see the boy, head over his shoulder, and raised an eyebrow.

“Heard what?” He asked, voice unsure. His heart was already racing in his chest, weirded out at the situation.

“A ceremony to choose the future Head Alpha’s mate is to be held next month. By the next full moon, Alpha Wilhelm is to be mated to our future Head Omega or Beta.”

If hearts could turn to ash and still beat, his heart had just done that. Simon could swear he felt the ashes clogging up his throat, stopping him from breathing properly. He turned his head back to the front, furrowing his eyebrows and clutching at his chest. It was strange how it tightened, the heavy weight that had settled on his stomach. He knew this was going to happen eventually, and he barely knew Wilhelm, so why did he feel like that?

His wolf was trashing inside him, whining and begging him to do something. Simon faked a cough, trying to gather himself before his scent changed to one of wilted flowers, something that wouldn't go unnoticed by Henry. Simon knew he had a sort of a crush on the future Head Alpha, but he wasn't aware that it was this serious for it to hurt that much. Something felt off. The omega brushed it off, standing up grabbing the last of his herbs and accompanying Henry back to the kitchens.

Wilhelm had presented as an alpha only three months ago, and a mating was already undergoing. The Head family and the Elders must be actually worried about the southern pack if they are rushing this much. Simon did not see the alpha around the pack that day.

The following month was hectic, to say the least. Every single pack would be present at the choosing ceremony, so they had to prepare themselves to welcome them properly. The hunters were barely in the pack, bringing enough prey to last for at least four winters. The harvesters were stocking up the kitchen as well, making the already crowded space feel tighter and smaller by every passing day. The whole pack was buzzing with energy, excited about their future Head Alpha's mating.

When the week of the ceremony finally came, the neighboring packs started to arrive, one by one. They came in parties of five or six people, containing their respective Head families, counselors and Elders. Every time a new pack arrived, a horn sounded at the gates of the northern pack. Simon got used to the sound of it after the third day.

The omega was working double with the new arrivals, barely leaving the kitchen during that week. He didn't see any of the guests at all, but he could smell them. It was easy pinpointing a wolf that did not belong to their pack. Though Simon was a recent addition to the northerns, he already smelled like them after a year and a half, no need for scent marking from other wolves. Other packs also had a distinct smell, and it was easier to differentiate once they were inside another pack's territory. 

Simon did not know who was an omega or who was a beta, he could just tell that they were scents that did not belong.

On the last day before the ceremony, the southern pack arrived. 

The entire pack was on edge, being caught by surprise with their presence. The Head family, on the other hand, had expected them, since they were received with open arms and warm greetings. Simon was confused, wondering where all that bad blood and tense relations everyone talked about were. The southern pack seemed to be at ease as well, even if their pack scent was the one that bothered him the most. 

Simon had barely seen Wilhelm the past month. But it was for the best. The faster the omega stopped with the infatuation he nurtured for the alpha, the better for him. Even if his wolf protested every time it was reminded of the future mating ceremony.

After the choosing ceremony, when the next Head Omega or Beta was chosen, they would begin the preparations for the mating ceremony. There were many traditions to follow on a Head family's member mating, and many of them began the month prior to it.

“What is taking you so long?!” The shrill tone of the Head Cook's voice startled him awake. “Today, people! The Head Omega will be here soon!”

Along with washing the dishes of the entire pack after their meals, Simon and Henry sometimes had to help in preparing the food. At that moment, the kitchens were filled with chatter and noises of sizzling meat, vegetables being cut and the incessant nagging of the cook. Simon was ripping the skin out of a boar, carefully so as to not ruin its coat, that would be reused for clothings, no doubt. Henry, beside him, was doing the same thing, but to a deer.

The omega sighed, feeling his hands clammy with blood, his grip on the small knife slipping. He hated doing that, the smell always left him nauseated, but he had no choice. At the same time that male omegas were seen as too weak by the alphas, by the omegas they were seen as stronger, because of their primary gender as men. Him and Henry were always assigned the heavy work in the kitchens. 

Lucian was incredibly lucky, since he had worked as an apprentice under the Head Healer ever since his arrival in the pack, 15 moons ago. 

“Simon!” The omega jumped, dropping the knife. The Head Cook approached him, fuming. “By the moon, you are not even halfway done! The ceremony is tonight! Move!”

The sound of cutlery falling to the ground distracted the cook, and the beta yelled a protest, forgetting all about Simon as he dashed to the other side of the kitchens, screaming profanities to whoever had dropped it. The omega sighed in relief, dropping his shoulders and crouching to get the knife. It would have to be washed, so he asked Henry to watch the boar so no insects landed on it while he was gone. 

When he found a bucket of water to wash his knife, he found it completely filled to the brim with dirtied dishes. The omega rolled his eyes, fuming inside. The other omegas and betas always did that, piling the dishes up for him and Henry to wash, without a care. He put the knife down, opening a cabinet to see if he could find another hunting knife to replace the dirty one, but the cabinet was empty.

“Sorry, no cutlery left,” A voice to his right informed, and he turned to look at the source. “Everyone has their hands full, so maybe you should wash the dishes. We might need them soon.” The omega smiled, condescendingly, turning back to peeling her carrots.

“How can I wash the dishes if you have thrown them all inside the only bucket left of clean water?” Simon gritted out, crossing his arms, careful not to touch his white tunic with his bloodied hands.

The omega tensed, turning to face him entirely. Her scent of apples turned rotten, and she narrowed her eyes. Her hand still clutched the knife tightly.

“Watch your tone with me, male omega. Know your place.” She spit out, staring him down. “Figure it out. It is your task, after all.”

Simon fisted his palms, biting hard on his tongue to refrain from answering, and he simply turned around and left, picking his dirty knife on the way. He was still angry, but he knew that nothing good would come out of arguing with her. He was at a disadvantage and the consequences of not backing down would fall on his shoulders, no matter what. Sometimes he forgot about it and let his temper speak up, which more times than not got him in trouble.

This time, the entire pack was jittery, so it was best not to mess with anyone. He picked up another bucket and left the kitchens silently so the Head Cook wouldn't see him, making his way towards the water well.

Lucian had warned Simon that he should be cautious and never speak, just listen. It was the main advice he had given. After being at that pack for many years, the older omega had learned not to defy the other wolves. Not that he tried much, after what had happened to him at his birth pack, but he learned things on the way and that was how he was accepted as one of their own. 

The Head Healer, one of the Elders, had him in high esteem, and was usually the one that pushed to accept other male omegas in the northern pack. She was a wise and kind woman that helped Lucian, Henry and Simon whenever they needed, but they were still looked down on by the other wolves. It was inevitable. 

Simon got used to it. It was better than being cast out, or beaten, so he accepted the unfair treatment and kept quiet. Or tried to, at least. When alone, as a form of venting, he spit out his inner thoughts and everything he actually wanted to say, but his self-preservation instinct stopped him. As he arrived at the water well, located inside the woods but close to the townsquare, he knocked the wooden lid to the ground, cursing under his breath.

“‘Know your place’! Know my place? She's also a kitchen worker! Who does she think she is? Head Omega? Ridiculous!” He placed his bucket on top of the well, leaning over to grab onto the rope and pull the well's bucket up. He was pulling on it so angrily that in no time the bucket was upon reaching distance. “I should get the Head Cook screaming at her face to finish skinning an entire boar so she would see something! How can I ‘figure out’ anything when they make me do everything in that kitchen?!” 

Simon continued on his tangent, washing his hands and cleaning the knife all the while. It took less than a minute, but he had to rush before the cook realized his absence. He leaned over the edge of the well again, throwing the bucket inside it to collect more water.

“That little know-it-all, she'll see, next time I wi-”

“Is everything okay?”

The sudden question got him off guard, and he let go of the rope, losing his footing and extending a hand to hold onto the well so he wouldn't fall inside it. Accidentally, he knocked his own bucket over, gasping while it toppled over and hit the water inside with a splash. Simon turned around with eyes wide. He thought he was completely alone, talking to himself and cursing like a drunk merchant, but someone had been watching and listening the entire time.

He felt time stop when he turned to face the unknown wolf, his eyes meeting with the alpha's hazelnut ones, analyzing the omega head to toe. Simon asked himself if it wouldn't be too late to just actually fall inside the well and escape this situation when he took in the fact that the future Head Alpha of the northern pack was standing right in front of him.

****

Wille had desperately wanted to get away from the Elders. He had waited until they were distracted and, with silent and quick footsteps, left the meeting room inside his own house. 

Technically, he wasn't supposed to be out in the streets until that night. He had been tucked inside the Head family's huge cabin ever since the first pack had arrived. It was forbidden for him to see the eligible omegas and betas before the ceremony, because it was custom to meet them all at the same time, giving no space to an eventual favoring of one of the candidates.

Which was stupid, if you think about it, because Wilhelm had met a few of them before he had presented during other events. 

But whatever, right? Best to be locked up, that way no one would bother him asking him to do stuff or choose flower arrangements or meals to be prepared. Right? Wrong.

The Elders tucked themselves inside the cabin as well and made him sit with them inside the meeting room for most of the day, teaching him about the traditions and what he was expected to do at the mating ceremony.

At first, he tried to comply, studying everything thoroughly, but on the fourth day, his wolf began to feel restless. He started to feel anxious every time he was sitting down holding a book and his alpha inside him kept walking in circles, huffing in discontentment. It wanted out, wanted to go for a run, stretch its back and touch the grass. 

Wilhelm himself wasn't doing any better. He also wanted to run away from everyone and their expectations, their pressure. It had been barely four months since he presented, yet everyone seemed to be wanting to leash his wolf as soon as possible. The alpha detested the fact that he was to be mated so soon, but there was nothing he could do. So he kept quiet and accepted it.

Ever since a pup, he just did what he was told, afraid of angering his parents. His omega mother was a force to be reckoned with, and the woman was honestly terrifying anytime she had to scold him or Erik. His older brother was more rebellious than him, that was a fact. Maybe Erik had always known he would be a beta and wouldn't take over the pack.

Wille, on the other hand, was surprised when he presented. He honestly thought he would be a beta. Some people even believed that he would turn out to be a male omega , but never an alpha. The night his rut hit him was the same night that the world's pressure fell on his shoulders. Five days later, when he reemerged, his fever had barely settled down when the Elders and his father were pushing him out the door and presenting him to the pack as the future Head Alpha.

What a joke. His alpha father was completely healthy, and would surely rule for a few more decades. Thank the moon. He did not feel prepared to rule, at all. He was barely eighteen, ruling an entire pack at that age, especially a pack the size of theirs, was impossible.

So he hated the fact that he had to mate at that young age. But he understood why. The relations with the southern pack were worse than their people thought it was. Their packs had stopped trading among themselves, and their messengers came back shook to their core every time they had to step foot inside the southern pack to deliver letters. They were scared of being killed as a message itself to their pack.

It all began because of silly discussions about the border dividing their two packs, and now it all felt tense and dangerous, for anyone involved. His father had stayed up dozens of nights working out possible strategies in case a war broke out between them. The number of casualties would be way too big to risk it. Though they were a big pack, the southern had the advantage of having weaponry of the best kinds. They were the biggest weapon crafters and traders among all packs.

Wilhelm, though against his will, had to do this. For his family, and for his pack. 

But sometimes it got too much, like at that moment. As soon as he escaped from the cabin, he ran to the woods and shifted. The wolf shook his head when he was finally out, snorting and ready to run. Wilhelm grabbed his clothes into his mouth, careful not to rip it with his teeth, and ran deeper inside the woods.

His incredible hearing caught the time when one of the Elders yelled after him from the window, asking him to come back, but it was too late. Wilhelm dashed away, leaving the cabin behind. He ran and ran until he reached the lake near the town square. It was close but far from it at the same, enough that no one would see him from afar, not if they did not trek inside the woods for a good minute.

He put his clothes down next to a tree, then approached the river to drink from it. He thought about going inside for a swim, but he didn't have the time. He had maybe a few more minutes before they came after him. It was impossible to hide in the pack's territory, no matter how huge it was. His smell was too distinct for them not to find him eventually. 

So the alpha laid down on the grass, right beneath the sun, placing his head on his paws while he took a quick nap. He sighed, feeling the sun warm up his coat and the fresh scent of grass and wildflowers calm him down.

He had at least a minute of peace and quiet before he was interrupted. But he couldn't blame the person, when the actual culprit was his great sense of hearing. And smell.

“... Also a kitchen worker! Who does she think she is? Head Omega? Ridiculous!” The wolf continued speaking, but Wilhelm couldn't see him. From the noises that reached him along with the cursing, he was probably at the well a few yards away. 

The alpha thought about ignoring the new presence, since he would go away soon enough, if it weren't for the gust of wind that brought his scent with it. His wolf perked up, snout raising in the air to get more of the delicious smell before it went away.

Wilhelm had never smelled something like it, not even before he had presented.

Usually, wolves that were yet to present had no sense of smell at all, being impossible to discern between scents and sub-genders, but not pure blooded wolves. They were born with great senses, and they were just enhanced when they presented. 

This boy that was at the well was an omega. One of the three male omegas in the northern pack, whom Wille had only heard about, but never met. He had seen the Head Healer's apprentice once, but from afar. Did all male omegas smell like this, or was just this particular boy that smelled this heavenly? 

His wolf urged him to go check, and he quickly shifted back to his human form, putting on his clothes and lightly walking towards the source of the sound. The omega was facing the well, still talking to himself. His sleeves were pulled to his elbows, and droplets of water slid on his forearms while he pulled on the rope, glistening with the sun and illuminating his darker skin tone beautifully. His hair was a mess of curls, grazing his nape and ears. Wilhelm felt jealous of the locks, resting so close to the scent glands on his neck, the source of the smell of cinnamon flowers and wet grass.

“Is everything okay?” The alpha asked, not even realizing what he was doing until the words were already leaving his lips, but he needed the boy to turn around. He needed to see his face.

The omega jumped, shutting up in an instant. He almost lost his balance, and Wille took a step forward automatically, ready to aid him, but the boy regained his composure quickly, then turned to face him. Dark brown orbs stared widely at him, lips hanging slightly open as he took in who exactly was standing in front of him. The boy was absolutely beautiful, and Wilhelm regretted not having the curiosity to meet the male omegas residing in his pack previously. His wolf had strangely quieted down, but he could feel his heart racing when the boy finally spoke to him.

“I-I… You're…” The omega sucked in a sharp breath before standing up straighter, clearing his throat. “Yes, alpha, everything is okay. I am sorry if I… disturbed you.”

The sound of the omega calling him ‘alpha’ made him shudder, his wolf finally waking inside him. His heart stuttered, and he almost asked the boy to say that again, his wolf demanding for it, but he stopped himself.

“You didn't, I was just… taking a walk, and overheard you. My apologies if I disturbed you… ?” 

“Simon.” He responded, understanding the cue to give him his name. “I… I thought you weren't supposed to be out until nightfall.”

Wille’s mouth quirked up for a bit, admiring this boy's courage. No one else would have dared question him, but Simon, apparently, would.

“You're right, Simon. I'm not,” He said, putting both hands behind his back. “I believe that makes it a secret. If you would please not tell anyone you’ve seen me, I would be very thankful.”

The omega scrambled, nodding quickly. “Yes, alpha, of course.”

There it is, again. Wilhelm gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw. He was standing a big distance from the omega, but if he called him ‘alpha’ one more time… He tried controlling his wolf, shaking his head to think more clearly, but it was no use. He was getting intoxicated with the omega's flowery scent, the smell clogging up his mind.

“Do you need help?” He managed to ask, gesturing towards the well.

Simon followed his line of sight, suddenly remembering what he was there to do.

“Oh… No, it's fine, I can handle it-” Before he was finished speaking, he accidentally knocked over the knife perched at the sill, just like he had done the bucket. “Fuck!”

Wille snorted, putting a hand over his mouth right after, collecting himself. He crossed the distance between them in a few steps and Simon turned his head in a flash, seeing the alpha when he was already standing right beside him.

From this close, Wilhelm could smell him even better, and he had to force himself to focus on the matter at hand.

“The well is not that filled with water. I believe… hum… I believe we should call someone to… grab this.” He faked a cough, staring anywhere else but at the omega, standing so close to him.

Simon, on the other hand, had his eyes glued to the alpha's face, unmoving. He didn't respond, and Wille turned to him, thinking he hadn't heard him. But once he was facing the omega, he realized the very little distance they were from the other, and how dazed he seemed to be. 

The sounds of the forest around them died down. The ruffle of the wind on the trees, the birds singing, everything fell deaf to his years. The alpha sank down on Simon's dark eyes, unable to look away. His wolf scratched at the inner walls of his mind, trying to tell him something, howling desperately. But he didn't understand, couldn't tell what it was. The omegas eyes were flickering back and forth, staring deeply at him as well, and Wille was more focused on engraving Simon's features inside his brain than anything else.

His high cheekbones, the curl of his eyelashes, the bridge of his nose. The omega was incredibly beautiful, and the alpha felt at a loss as to how he was supposed to choose his future mate tonight when he was being faced with Simon. Suddenly, the idea of mating did not seem that distasteful to him. His wolf whined, and it took him a second to realize that he was releasing pheromones to entice the omega, which seemed to be working since the omega was involuntarily releasing some of his own as well.

“Wilhelm!” Erik's voice called from the distance, startling them both, making the pair jump meters away from the other. “Wille, where are you?”

“I am so sorry, I- I don't know what came over me, future Head Alpha, I am so so incredibly sorry!” Simon waved his hands in the air, trying to clear the space of the smell of their conjoined scents. His cheeks were flaming red, and he seemed ready to try and jump inside the well.

“It's fine, Simon, it wasn't your fault,” Wille tried tranquilizing him while he glanced behind him, at the source of his brother's voice. “It was my alpha, I am the one who should be apologizing. I, um… I will call someone to grab your things that fell, but… I have to go…”

“Yes, absolutely!” He nodded, taking several steps back. Wille almost wanted to reach out, but another yell from his brother froze him in place. “Go ahead, future Head Alpha, I will just… uh… return to my work. Yes.”

It took the omega a millisecond to turn around and dash towards the townsquare, hands empty as he left. Not even a minute later, his brother reached him.

“Thank the moon goddess!” He sighed. “Everyone's searching for you! Come on, break time is over. The sun will be down in a couple hours, we need to get you ready.”

His brother grabbed him by the shoulders, nudging him towards the way back to their cabin. Wilhelm went willingly, but his head kept turning to the path where Simon had disappeared from.

****

Simon couldn’t believe it. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He wanted to knock himself out cold, but by now the Head Cook must have realized he was gone, and he couldn't allow himself any more time out. 

His omega kept jumping up and down, urging him to go back to the alpha. He had been calling for them, he had to go back. But the rational part of his brain was sobering him up, filling his lungs rapidly with any scents other than Wilhelm's. 

He kept replaying the part when the alpha went closer to him, when he was able to finally get a whiff of his scent. His white tunic wasn't properly buttoned, the neck resting askew against his collarbone. Once the boy stopped beside Simon, leaning over the edge of the well to take a look inside, the omega was face to face with his neck, right where his scent gland was. The smell of salt water and sea air hit him full force, and he turned to stone. It was the best thing he had ever smelled in his life. It reminded him of home.

Though his pack had kicked him out, he still had many great memories attached to them. Playing on the shore with his parents, making sand castles, learning how to fish, swimming in the sea. He had grown up there, and he missed it dearly. Wille's smell reminded him of everything good from his childhood.

When the alpha turned to him, his hazelnut eyes traveling all around his face, his heart felt like it was about to melt. His knees turned to jelly, and he had to grip the edge of the well tighter so he wouldn't fall. His breathing turned erratic, and he couldn't look away from his beautiful eyes.

Alpha is calling for us, his omega whined. 

Simon realized as he breathed in the next time how heavy the air was with pheromones. Wolves usually let them out when they found an eligible mate, wanting to hook their attention, entice them. Simon's legs felt ready to give out, and he was unable to stop his wolf to respond to Wille's in tune. When he came to it again, the boy's older brother was coming towards them.

Whatever it was that had gone down between the two, it couldn't happen again. If anyone even got wind that he was within a meter of the future Head Alpha, Simon was screwed. 

The omega tip-toed back inside the kitchens through a back door, but he didn't get very far before a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't the little runaway rabbit,” The Head Cook materialized behind him, speaking slowly, tauntingly. 

“I'm sorry, I was-”

“Silence. I'm the one speaking now,” The beta circled him, stopping to stand in front of the omega. Everyone inside the kitchens had stopped to look, the chatter dying down. “You have a simple job in this kitchen, Simon, and you couldn't even do that properly. You have been slacking off for longer than a month, but this time was just… Do you realize how long you were gone?” The beta clicked his tongue a few times, staring him down.

“My knife had fallen to the ground, Head Cook, I was simply getting more water to wash it,” He tried explaining himself, voice small.

“Oh, you were? Where is it, then?” Simon glanced up, biting his lip. “The water. Where is it?”

A long moment of silence passed between them, whispers coming from the other workers. Someone snorted, and when Simon glanced in its direction, he saw the omega from before, smirking.

“Just as I thought.” The cook began speaking again. “I knew accepting two male omegas at the kitchens would be a shot in the dark, but blame my soft heart. I understand that being accepted in a pack as great as the northern pack might have raised your ego for a bit, Simon, but do remember who you are. What you are. This pack has taken you, male omegas, way too lightly. Being permitted to walk among us, to work beside us, might have made you think that you belong with us. But you don't.”

Every word that left the cook's lips was like a whip strucking him. He stared down at his feet, shoulders hunched as he tried to make himself as small as possible. He would never try to fight back the Head Cook. The wolf, even though a beta, was a pure blood. His voice demanded obedience, his authority unmatched. 

“I should have a very serious conversation with the Elders after the ceremony about taking more of you in. Well, about even taking you in. But for now, I will be content to punish you myself.”

Simon shuddered, “Head Cook, please, it was a mistake, I'm sorry-”

“Henry, you are out of dish duty tonight.” The beta announced, not paying the omega any mind. “Simon is prohibited from attending the choosing ceremony tonight, as he is to remain here until he washes every last plate after the feast. Understood?”

“Yes, Head Cook.” Henry answered.

“Simon? Do you, or do you not understand?”

“... Yes, Head Cook. I understand.”

It could have been worse. It could have been way worse. It didn't make him happy, but this was better than losing his job at the kitchens. There was nothing he could have done to change the beta's mind. 

“Good.” The cook clapped his hands, “Back to work, everyone.”

Simon went to stand next to Henry once again, but the boar he was skinning was gone.

“When the cook realized you were gone he asked me to finish it up. The meat is already being prepared by others.” The boy explained, chopping a potato.

“I'm sorry,” Simon whispered, regretfully taking a potato to chop as well.

Henry shrugged, waving him off, but said nothing else. Simon's hands were still shaking from earlier, but he managed to still them at least until he could finish chopping the vegetables. His heart was heavy in his chest with the news that he would be unable to attend the choosing ceremony, but all for the wrong reasons. 

He wanted to see Wilhelm again. Even if it were to see him choose a mate. He just wanted to see him.

But it was for the best. The less heartbreak, the better. Simon was sinking in a fantasy, being so close to the alpha earlier had ruined him forever. Now he knew what he smelled like, and it was impossible to forget that smell. Now he knew what his eyes looked like from up close, and what color was his hair when the sun hit him from behind. He knew what his voice sounded like, and how much taller than him the alpha was.

Simon sighed. He was screwed.

****

Wilhelm felt like a doll at their mercy. He was being dressed in the best tunics, and heavy peltings for the ceremony, piece after piece being piled on him until they found the best match. 

Finally, the coat of a bear Wille had killed on his first hunt as an alpha was chosen, along with a black tunic, and black trousers. Gold jewelry was given for him to wear around his neck and wrists. The heavy necklace hung from his neck and fell to his navel, the golden discs clashing together every time he moved. The bracelets on his wrists were no different, jiggling and twinkling together.

“You look dashing, baby,” His mother cooed, adjusting his pelt for the hundredth time that night.

His brother snorted, clasping his own pelt on his shoulders, “For once in his life.”

“Screw you, Erik,” Wille grabbed a shoe from his right, throwing in his brother's direction, who ducked and let the shoe hit the wall, falling to the ground a second later.

“Boys!” Their mother frowned, going to grab the shoe. “Erik, leave your brother alone, and Wille, behave. Today is a special day, so let us all please have a peaceful rest of our evening, hm?” 

“Yes, mother,” They both answered in unison.

They were all getting ready for the ceremony, which would be held at the bonfire, in the townsquare. Wilhelm would be introduced to the eligible omegas and betas, then the candidates were supposed to show the alpha and the pack their traits and talents, whatever they were. They had to prove themselves not only to him, but to the pack as well, as their future Head Omega or Beta. 

Wille eyed his omega mother, folding the discarded pelts and pieces of clothings. The woman had hair like his, but looked more like Erik, with blue eyes and a long narrow nose. She had had to go through the same thing before mating his father, but among friends that belonged in the same pack. The wolves out there all belonged to different packs. Wille wondered how that impacted relations among them.

“Is everyone ready? Shall we leave?” His father entered the room, and the Elders inside all bowed to him. “Ah, my son! Look at you!”

The young alpha's cheeks warmed up involuntarily. Receiving compliments from his alpha father was something that had always left him embarrassed, no matter his age.

He waved the man off, but got a big proud hug nevertheless. They all left the cabin after a few more minutes, the group of Elders right in front of them.

When they reached the clearing where the townsquare was located, horns announced their arrival, and the big crowd parted to let them all through. The Elders went first, greeting everyone with polite head nods, then went to stand surrounding the bonfire, not yet lit. Then, the Head family came, walking to stand on top of the wooden stage in front of the bonfire. 

“Greetings!” His alpha father began speaking, but Wille tuned out from it after the first word.

His eyes flew around the faces of everyone standing on the first line behind the bonfire. The pack’s Head families. There were seven in total. The eastern pack, the western pack, the southern, and the four others in between. There was the mountain pack, the desert pack, the river pack, and the coastal pack. The last packs were actually made out of a clutch of packs, but since they were smaller and had little power when alone, they had an alliance and presented themselves as one, usually sending a chosen representative to events like these. 

Quite probably, their omegas and betas had already gone through another ceremony to be chosen to come to the northern pack as candidates. Wille felt shame burn through him. It was so unfair to all of them.

Wilhelm couldn't help but raise his head again, eyes flying over the crowd, nose searching for a particular smell. But there were too many people, too many different scents. It would be impossible to find Simon among all of those wolves.

“...I now declare the beginning of the choosing ceremony!” The Head Alpha announced, drawing Wilhelm's attention. The crowd cheered, and the bonfire was lit, the flames climbing high and swallowing the firewood.

*

The eastern, western and southern pack had all brought omegas as candidates. They had betas among their Head families, but knew that omegas had a higher chance of being picked because of their high rate of fertility. Wille's heart weighed in his chest again. 

The other packs, however, had brought betas as candidates, only one of them being an omega. They were all beautiful, but the alpha felt bad for them. For what they were being put through. He wondered how many of them were also there against their will. He watched while one of them showed their skill in archery, another showed their talent with painting, and one more with dancing. They were all incredible, but Wilhelm couldn't even give them the decency of paying attention. He was restless, his wolf was displeased, and everyone seemed to be watching him closely for any slips.

The alpha was sitting on a chair, back ramrod straight, watching them as they tried their best to prove themselves. His palms were sweaty, and he kept rubbing them against his trousers. A heavy hand grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. He turned his head, staring up at his father who stood behind him, lips in a straight line as his harsh eyes remained on the candidates up front. Even if the Head Alpha was looking elsewhere, Wilhelm could tell that he was telling him to stop fidgeting.

Sounds of clapping drove his attention back to the center of the circle in the clearing, and the beta girl that was playing an instrument bowed and left the circle. The next candidate to come up was the omega from the southern pack. She had golden hair and gray colored eyes. The protuberant apple of her cheeks were painted with drawings unfamiliar to him, probably something from her pack. She held two pointy blades in her hands, and her bare feet were visible under the flowy white dress she wore.

Once the omega stepped on the middle of the circle and stopped, a drum from behind the crowd sounded. Everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound, and the crowd parted to show two wolves from the southern pack with a drum each. They hit the instrument once again, starting a melody, and the omega in the center drew her swords. With each beat of the drums, she moved with the swords, almost like a dance, fighting invisible enemies, her flowy dress giving her an almost phantom-like air.

The blade of her swords glistened with the light of the bonfire to their right, the sound of them slicing the air being followed by gasps of wonder from the other wolves in the crowd. Her blonde hair kept flying on her face, but Wilhelm could see the deadly focus in her eyes, how determined she was. The beat of the drums slowed down along with her moves, and then she finished with both blades crossed in an X above her head,  body in a half curtsy, head turned to her right and neck completely on display.

At the same time she showed fierceness, she also showed submission. 

A moment of silence passed, and the omega straightened up, blades dragging against the other as she pulled them down to hang at her sides. The scraping sound brought the crowd back to life, and the wolves present started clapping, loudly, murmurs of amazement coming from the ones closest to the front of the circle.

Wilhelm was also in awe, but more because he was caught by surprise. The northern pack was still confused over the southern participating in the choosing ceremony, but it hadn't come without weeks of negotiation. Ever since he had presented, the topic was constant in the letters exchanged between the two packs. And they had finally reached an agreement.

The alpha should have known that they would come prepared. They were the second biggest pack out there, and they did not come to play. After the excitement died down, and the show was done, the Head Alpha called for the feast, and the entire pack moved to the huge dining hall, where they had their daily meals. 

The place was thoroughly lit and decorated, the tables already served. The Head family was the last to enter, and they sat on the biggest table at the head of the hall. His father gave them the go ahead, and they all began eating. Wille’s head was far away, barely paying attention to his surroundings. After the feast, they would begin The Run. 

The omegas and betas had all taken suppressant teas earlier in the day, and they would wear off by the time of the Run. Wilhelm was supposed to shift and let his wolf ‘choose’ their future mate by hunting them through the woods. The candidates would have a head start, separating to different parts of the forest, and the alpha was supposed to catch them.

His heart kept racing in his chest, and he felt like not enough air was reaching his lungs, but he managed to keep a straight face while he ate. Each bite he took was a bite closer to the Run, and dread began filling his stomach. He doesn't even know how he managed to finish the entire plate. A kitchen worker came and started collecting the dirtied plates, pilling them up inside a big cart, and then left.

His ears stopped picking up sounds, and he only knew that it was time for the next step of the ceremony when an Elder nudged him away, towards a back room where he would wait for the candidates to prepare. Everyone else would leave and return to the towsquare, where the run would start. The omegas and betas were to shift and and wait for the signal to run and hide in the forest.

His mother entered the room, his brother in tow, and sat in front of Wilhelm. The boy could barely breathe under the heavy bear pelt on his shoulders, and his alpha kept thrashing inside him, demanding attention.

“Pup, you know what to do, right?” His mother said, placing her hands softly on his shoulders. “...Wille?”

“Yes, mother,” He breathed out.

The Elder behind him pulled a handkerchief from her vests, and stretched it towards Wilhelm. He took it without a second thought, and squeezed the piece of fabric in his fist.

“I took suppressants as well, none of my scent has transferred to the handkerchief.” The Elder informed.

“Good,” His mother said. “Come on dear, I will help you get ready. Erik, go wait outside with your father.” She ordered, and his brother complied, giving him a brief slap on the shoulder.

His mother started taking off his jewelry, and the Elder unclasped his pelt. Once he was done, he was ordered to shift to his wolf form. His wolf was angry, but accepted being let out either way. Once he had fully shifted, his wolf huffed, moving away from his omega mother's hands that wanted to touch his golden brown coat. The wolf even had the courage to snarl at the Elder when she approached.

“Wille! Stop it!” His mother scolded, taking the handkerchief and waving it in front of his snout. “Now take a good whiff. You have to remember her scent.”

His ears twitched, and he grunted, taking a step forward and smelling the piece of fabric. The smell of an omega filled his nostrils, of freshly picked strawberries. The wolf huffed again, turning his head away from the fabric.

Not right. Not the same.

“There are clothings laid out for you and the omega at the edge of the forest, future Head Alpha, for when you shift back.” The Elder informed him.

“Wilhelm, be sure to find her, alright? No one else. Her.” The Head Omega said, tone serious.

The alpha nodded once, then turned to the door. Once it was open, he stepped out, going outside and followed by his mother and the Elder. They left the dining hall behind, meeting up halfway with Erik and the Head Alpha. They all walked together to the townsquare, where the candidates, all shifted, waited for their signal.

Yes, it was hard reaching an agreement between the southern and northern pack. But they did it eventually, once the southern understood the calling for a choosing ceremony for what it was: a means of uniting forces with another pack in case of an attack. The southern wouldn't survive the full force of the northern and their future ally's army. 

So they talked, and talked, until a peace treaty was signed. And with it, a way to unite their packs, once and for all. 

Through a mating, between their future leaders. 

Wilhelm was to mate the southern pack's future Head Omega.

Chapter Text

Simon's hands felt like they were about to fall off. His work had started even before the feast, when pans and cauldrons and cutlery were piled next to the water basin. He had gone back and forth from the well, collecting water enough to wash those and the dishes to come.

Someone had come to return the knife and the bucket that had fallen inside, but didn’t mention his name. Wilhelm had probably refrained from saying who he had met up at the well, something Simon was incredibly grateful for. 

As the sun started setting, the workers started leaving one by one, leaving just a few at the kitchens to wait for the time to serve them at the dining hall. Once the remaining wolves left with the wooden carts, filled to the top with prepared meals, the omega was completely alone in the kitchens, sitting down on a small bench in front of the basin, scrubbing dishes clean.

He could hear the celebration outside, wolves talking and laughing, musicians playing, pups running around. The kitchens were right behind the dining hall, which was right at the center of the town square. He could hear everything, but wasn't allowed to participate. 

When his fingertips turned stiff from rubbing at the pans, the horns sounded. He straightened up, head turning to face the open windows, his wolf perking up inside him. The Head family had arrived.

Simon wished he could see Wilhelm. What was he wearing? What did he look like?

Was he nervous? Delighted, anxious?

He would never find out. Even if he looked out the window, he wouldn't be able to see the bonfire. He wondered what the omegas and betas from the other packs looked like. Were they pretty? Charming? Would the alpha fall for them at first sight?

The omega sighed. Why did he like torturing himself like this? Imagining Wilhelm with another omega, Wilhelm returning from The Run with his chosen mate, Wilhelm at his mating ceremony in the near future…

He turned his head to the water basin, picking up the pan he hadn't finished scrubbing. This was his reality. 

Scrubbing and polishing dishware, cleaning after the pack, serving them. He would never reach excellence within the pack. Take Lucian for an example. He had been an apprentice for the Head Healer for over ten years, yet would never be able to have a title of healer. He was amazing at what he did, better than every apprentice that had ever passed through the Elder, better even than the actual healers, but because of his sub-gender, he was unable to ever be anything other than an ‘apprentice’.

Lucian, Henry, and him, were all stuck in the same place, forever. They could leave the kitchens, but there weren't many places that would accept working with them. The pup's nursery and pre-school was out of the question. No wolf would want their pup close to male omegas, no matter how nurturing and tending they could be. They couldn't be hunters, nor work at the townhall with the Head Alpha and Omega. They couldn't teach, couldn't cook, couldn't build. They could only clean and assist.

Simon was so tired of this. He had taught himself how to hunt, how to cook, how to plant, how to weave baskets and how to mix herbs to make healing salves or to season his meal, and he was damn good at it. But he would never get the chance to prove it to anyone other than Lucian and Henry.

The latter had, at first, discouraged Simon when the omega said he wanted to buy seeds at the market and plant them around their cabin. But after he had gone and bought them anyway, Henry helped him plant them, and even care for them during the days that passed. The northern pack's lands were very fertile, so they had no trouble growing their own little garden of vegetables, flowers, and herbs.

The sounds of the ceremony were forgotten while he scrubbed and cleaned. The next thing he heard, then, was the sound of the wooden cart's wheels scraping the floor of the kitchen as a worker rolled it towards him. It was the same omega that mocked him earlier, her apple-like scent giving her away. 

Simon didn't turn to look at her, ignoring her presence. He acknowledged the cart filled to brim with dirty dishware with a quick glance, but said nothing. The girl snickered after the boy's show of nonchalance.

“Have fun, omega.” Simon gripped his washing cloth tighter, clenching his teeth, but didn't respond.

He waited until the girl was gone before sagging his shoulders, releasing the tension on his hands and face. Simon didn't even remember her name, but he completely despised her. How is it that someone who isn't that influential within the pack, and shares his sub-gender, can be such a bitch? He never did anything to her, but apparently, she thought otherwise.

The omega snorted, rethinking. He didn't have to do anything. Who he was was enough for them to hate him. He eyed the enormous pile of dishes he still had to wash. He would be there for the entirety of the night.

*

On his way to his cabin, the entire village was silent. You could even hear the animals in the forest without having to focus too hard. Simon had heard the final horn two hours ago, announcing the end of The Run. He was still working halfway the cart of dishes from the feast by then. His hands were stiff, and he could only think of sinking under his pelts and sleeping until breakfast.

His back hurt like hell from being hunched over the basin. Simon bowed to a wolf working the night watch when he passed him, but the alpha just ignored him. His cabin was located at the edge of the pack's territory, so he always saw wolves patrolling around the area.

Careful not to make any noises, the omega entered his cabin, closing the door quietly behind him and tip-toeing towards his shared room with Henry. Lucian had arrived first, so the older had a room to himself. Simon had to share a tiny space with Henry, so crammed that the two beds occupied nearly the entire place. The three of them shared an even tinier bathroom at the end of the hall, and their kitchen was at the entrance, the dining wooden table nearly blocking the entrance door from how small the place was. If another male omega arrived, they would have to expand the cabin, for sure.

“Simon?” Henry groaned, raising his upper body on the bed lazily as he squinted to see. When he confirmed it was the other omega, he fell back down, sighing.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“Yeah, but it's fine. Did you arrive just now?” The red-head yawned.

“Yes. How… How was the ceremony?” Simon hesitantly asked, removing his clothes, changing into more comfortable ones to sleep.

“It was fine, I think. Nothing much to see,” He answered. “The future Head Alpha chose the southern pack's omega. Her name is Fiamma, I believe.”

“...Oh…” Simon responded, not knowing what else to say. 

A second later, three knocks came from inside the room adjacent to theirs. Lucian's sign for them to be quiet and go to sleep. Henry turned around and pulled his pelts up, ready to fall back asleep. Simon just sat in silence on his bed, staring at the window in front of him. He could see part of their little garden, and the crescent moon illuminating the thick woods in the distance.

He would be unable to fall back asleep. So he stood up, trying to leave the cabin even more quietly than when he went in. 

The future Head Alpha chose the southern pack's omega. Her name is Fiamma.

By now, Simon knew where each and every wolf patrolling the pack was located. And he knew how to pass by them, unnoticed. 

By the next full moon, Alpha Wilhelm is to be mated to our future Head Omega or Beta.

The curly haired boy had no idea why he was this affected. He kept reminding himself that he barely knew Wilhelm, barely knew who the alpha was beneath the person he showed to everyone else. But his omega deeply disagreed, pacing back and forth inside him. It acted like they had known the alpha their entire lives.

What? Did it think that Wilhelm would choose to mate them? Ha. What a joke. They were nothing compared to a pure blooded omega from a big pack. Fiamma was everything that Simon was not. She had a name, a title, a purpose. Blood.

… Remember who you are. What you are. This pack has taken you, male omegas, way too lightly. Being permitted to walk among us, to work beside us, might have made you think that you belong with us. But you don't.

Simon kept walking, trekking inside the woods, until he was far from the cabin, but still inside the pack's territory. 

He doesn't belong. He never will.

Maybe they were right. Being a male omega was a bad omen. But not to the rest of the pack, and yes to themselves. The boy stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath in, then releasing. He was tired. He was exhausted.  

He listened, quieting down his heartbeats the more he inhaled and exhaled, waiting. And waiting. Soft noises from animals sleeping or walking around, owl hoots and crickets singing were the only sound that reached him. No one else was around.

The omega pulled his shirt over his head, shivering from the cold wind. Then he unbuttoned his trousers, letting them fall to the ground. He rarely did this, afraid of being found out, even when he was at his birth pack. His alpha mother had been thoroughly adamant that he had to hide this from everyone.

He didn't know why he was capable of doing it. He wasn't a pure blood, that much he knew, from his dulled senses compared to theirs. Maybe it was a gift from the moon goddess. Maybe he was a freak. But what he was sure of, was that it was exhilarating.  

Simon knelt to the ground, reaching out to his omega. The wolf responded to him, yapping happily as it was let out. The boy sighed, letting the feeling wash over him, his skin tingling as it prepared. 

As he shifted into his wolf form.

****

The cackle of the flames in the fireplace was like a lullaby for Wilhelm. He stared at them, the change in color from the bottom to the top of the fire, dissociating from his body. His wolf was uncharacteristically quiet, vexed and upset in a corner of his mind. 

“I know you do no't like this, but could you at least pretend not to be so distressed?” Erik spoke up, snapping him out of it. “Seriously, stop that. You're unsettling my wolf.”

His brother wrinkled his nose, waving a hand around in the air. He didn't even realize that his scent had changed along with his mood, his head stuck somewhere else ever since The Run. 

“Sorry,” He sighed, straightening up in his seat, pulling on the collar of his tunic. “It is just that… I feel like a cheater. The entire choosing ceremony was rigged, and we made all of those packs come here for nothing. My mating with the southern pack omega has been agreed for weeks already.”

Erik sighed, closing the book he was reading. The two brothers had stayed in the common room when their parents went up to their chambers. The Run had ended over an hour ago, but Wille still wore the same clothes from when he had shifted back after returning with Fiamma. The girl had been awfully quiet during it all, not even trying to communicate with him in their wolf forms. She was also aware of the role she had to play, and even though she must have been given instructions before The Run, she had hid very well. Were it not for Wilhelm's previous knowledge of her smell, he wouldn't have found her.

“Wille, there was nothing we could have done,” His brother said. “When our packs finally reached an agreement, the choosing ceremony had already been announced. Father told you that. The desert and coastal packs had already begun their journey, it would be worse if they arrived here and were told the ceremony had been called off. We had to do it under wraps.”

“I know that, Erik. But it still feels unfair. It feels like we cheated our instincts,” Wille fidgeted on his seat. “My wolf is very displeased. It feels like it was let out for nothing. Like we chose the wrong omega. It's not supposed to go like this. The Run is something final, when we let them take over and find our true mate.”

The beta tilted his head, then put his book on the table beside him. He stood up, crossing the distance towards his younger brother, sitting down next to him.

“I'm sorry, Wille.” He put a hand on his leg, giving it a few light taps. “I know you both feel wronged, but it's for the best. We need to put an end to the bad blood between our packs. You understand that, right?”

Wilhelm diverted his eyes from his brother's piercing stare, returning his gaze to the fireplace.

“Yeah,” He sighed. “I do.”

“Besides, you and your alpha are lucky you don't have a fated mate,” Erik snorted, going to stand up. “Think how painful it would be if you had to reject a bond like that to be with another wolf.”

Wilhelm furrowed his eyebrows, responding absentmindedly.  “Yeah… You're right.”

“Well, I am going to my chambers. You're staying?” The beta asked, turning to him.

“Just for a little while more. Good night, Erik.”

“Good night, little brother. Don't stay up too much longer. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

The alpha nodded, watching his brother go up the stairs and disappear from sight. He thought about what Erik had said, about fated mates. The way he said it, it sounded like it wouldn't matter if he had one or not. 

Think how painful it would be if you had to reject a bond like that.

Fated mates were rare. A pair of wolves made by the moon goddess herself, two halves of the same soul left to wander the earth, fated to search for their other half forever. It was so uncommon and unheard of, it felt like a bedtime story for pups. His mother had told him that there might have been a case of fated mates in their pack, over a century ago. But there was no proof. No records of them, just stories from the elderly wolves.

If he had one, would his family make him reject the bond? Truthfully? 

They wouldn't do that…  

Except… maybe they would. The pack's politics were more important. It was something real, and fate was not. Fated mates were simply tales, they didn't exist. And Wilhelm didn't have one. And even if he had, they wouldn't be able to save him from a loveless mating.

The sooner Wilhelm realized that this was how things worked, the better for him. One day, he would lead the pack as their Head Alpha. He had to be prepared, had to learn how to make sacrifices when needed. This was one of them. The alliance with the southern pack would bring them many benefits. It was for the best.

But no matter what he kept telling himself, he was still unsettled. His head was full, and he didn't feel like sleeping, not yet. So he went to his chambers, which was located on the cabin's first floor, and carefully climbed out of his window after bolting his door and putting a pile of pelts on his bed to make it look like he was sleeping. He stepped on a bush of flowers, barefeet, and removed his clothes, hiding them in the bush.

He stood naked in the middle of the freezing wind, trying to convince his wolf to come out. It refused to at first, but if there was anything both of them needed, it was a run in the woods.

Once Wille managed to convince him, he kneeled down, letting his alpha take over. His skin tingled and stretched, bones snapping and rearranging, until his wolf was standing in his place, not waiting for another second to run towards the forest. Shifting was like giving control to his alpha, though he still controlled much of himself when in wolf form. The only other time he let go so much and fell victim to his instincts was when he was in his rut.

This calmed him down. Feeling the wind blow in his face, the dirt under his paws as he ran, the smell of the grass and the trees, the sound of nature. He had lost count how many times he had done this after presenting. He was able to shift before, and he had spent a lot of time in his wolf form when he was a pup, but his wolf was still dormant, absent. Now, it felt incredible. It felt like he was connecting to his wolf, tuning in to each other.

He ran and ran, until he reached the lake. That was his favorite place in the pack. He especially loved it at night, when the moon was right above the lake, its reflection painting the dark blue water in silver and white. He laid down, facing the horizont. The lake was huge, and he wondered if that was what the sea looked like. He stared at it, and at the moon, counting the seconds until he had to head back. Minutes that felt too short passed by, and he raised up, huffing and turning away.

Until a gleam in the corner of his eye caught his wolf's attention. 

He twitched his ears, turning to look. At first, he thought it was a rabbit. But when he stepped closer, out from the coverage of the forest, he saw it was another wolf, drinking water from the lake on the other side of it, towards the edge of the territory. Their sandy fur shone in the moon, and Wilhelm tried to figure out who it was. By the size, it must be an omega. He had never seen a wolf with this fur color in the pack before. His own fur was the lightest among them all, varying in tones of brown and black. But while his was a golden brown, this wolf's was even lighter, almost yellowish. 

Could it be one of the wolves from the other packs? Yes that must be it. If Wilhelm could just take a few steps closer, maybe the wind would blow their scent towards him…

Crack.

He stepped on a branch, accidentally. The wolf's head snapped up, alarmed. When it saw Wille, it recoiled back, freezing in place. A moment of silence passed, where none of them moved. Then the wolf turned and sprinted, going for the woods. 

Go after them. Run.

His wolf demanded, and Wille listened to it. He circled the lake, which took more time than he would have liked due to its size, and ran the same direction the omega had gone. The other wolf was running so fast Wilhelm lost sight of it among the dense coverage of the forest. But he knew where to go, where to turn, like it was instinctual. His wolf was guiding him through it all, not letting the thick trees blind it for a second.

From the shade of the wolf's fur, it must be from the coastal pack. The sandy color gave it away. Being a pure blood and an alpha, Wilhelm was fast and had great eyesight, even better in his wolf form, so he was able to spot the light colored wolf in the mass of green, brown and black easily once he caught on. 

He saw the wolf running like its life depended on it, jumping over every obstacle on the way, not even stopping to breathe. Wille focused on its pacing, not moving his eyes away, trying to predict the next time the omega would jump. He saw the moment its rear paws flexed, ready to get a boost up, and Wilhelm jumped first, intercepting them.

The force of the impact sent them both tumbling down, rolling together until they hit a tree. The alpha ignored the pain of being slammed against the trunk and quickly cornered the wolf against the ground, stopping it from getting away again. His wolf was on edge, after being denied and pushed back at The Run earlier, dashing after this wolf had him satisfied over the chase. The omega whined, kicking at him, and Wille neared its neck, pinning the wolf down, growling to assert his dominance. The wolf quieted down, body stilling, and Wilhelm took a deep breath, inhaling their scent.

Cinnamon flowers and wet grass.

He raised his head, staring down at the omega. They had their head turned, snout buried in the dirt as they accepted their loss. Wille tried not to let his mind wander that path, but after the fake Run he was put through at the ceremony… Chasing after another wolf, and an omega for that matter, was liberating. Like he had finally done it right. But this omega, particularly…

“Simon?” He reached out, projecting his thoughts towards the wolf. He had recognized his scent right away.

The omega snapped his head in his direction, snout almost hitting him in the process.

“... Future Head Alpha?” The hesitant, tiny sound of Simon's voice echoed back inside his mind.

“You're… a pure blood?”  Wilhelm asked, confused. He thought he knew every pure-blooded family in the pack. Simon was certainly not one of them.

“No, I am not,” Simon answered, diverting his stare elsewhere. “If you could just… release me, I can explain.”

Wille drew back at once, jumping away from the omega. He was thankful he wasn't in his human form at that moment, because surely he would be burning in embarrassment. There he was, standing on top of the omega, sniffing his neck and growling at him, like he had no decency. He had just been so lost in his instincts, he didn't even realize what he was doing.

Simon stood up, shaking his sandy fur from dirt and moss after rolling and being pressed on the ground. Then he sat down, bowing his head, refusing to look at the alpha.

“I am not a pure blood. My parents were regular wolves, but I was born this way. I can't explain it.” 

A moment of silence passed while Wille took in his words. A wolf that can shift, but it's not of pure blood? And a male omega, at that? He could understand why Simon had hid it. Hell, if he hadn't he might have been dead ever since the first time he shifted. The Elders were already quite conservative in regards of male omegas. If they knew about this…

The alpha eyed the omega. He saw his recoiled position, his head still down as he waited for his verdict. 

“I won't tell anyone, Simon. Don't worry.” He finally said, softly.

The other glanced up, shifting his weight in his front paws.

“You won't? Why?” The omega tilted his head, staring straight at Wille this time.

“I know… I mean, I can imagine life is not easy for you. And I know the consequences of what it would be like if any of the Elders heard of this. So… I promise I won't tell anyone.” 

Wilhelm wasn't a fool. He knew what every wolf out there thought of male omegas. He had participated in council meetings when they would discuss letting other male omegas join in the pack. They always ended in heated arguments, usually between the Head Healer and the other Elders. 

Alma, the Head Healer, was the only omega among the Elders. They were all alphas or betas, and she had only gotten the privilege of being among them because of her work as a healer. She drove his father nuts every meeting, always pushing for more social work on the pack. His brother told him that she had fought very hard for them to accept Lucian, and they only accepted him after weeks of discussion and meetings.

But besides that, he heard what was said about male omegas in the pack. He heard the snickers, the way even a few wolves went to his father asking for them to be cast out because they feared for the pack's future. It was awful, but Wilhelm never let himself be affected by their beliefs, even though his parents participated in some of it. He knew his mother, as the Head Omega, could do something about it, but she never did. So didn't his father.

“Thank you so much, future Head Alpha,” Simon sighed in relief, bowing down. “How can I thank you properly? Anything.”

Anything?

Wilhelm shut his wolf up, diverting his eyes from the omega's neck, his head filling with thoughts that certainly weren't what the omega had in mind when offering. 

“You can start by stopping calling me ‘future Head Alpha’, please. My name is Wilhelm.” He answered, instead.

“... Wilhelm.” Simon tried, and his alpha was doing somersaults inside him when hearing his name in the omega's voice. He almost asked him to address him as ‘alpha’ again, but refrained from doing something that stupid.

“Forgive me for asking, Simon, but are you from the coastal packs? It's just that… your fur…”

“Oh… yes, fut- Wilhelm,”  He quickly corrected himself, getting an amused huff from the alpha. “I was born there. But after I presented…”

“Oh.” Was the only thing Wille could muster up. “I'm sorry.”

“It has been some time already. I'm fine.”

“And you said your parents were common wolves?” Wilhelm laid down on the grass, curling his paws inwards in a comfortable position, waiting for Simon to copy him.

“Yes. My mother was an alpha and my father a beta.” Simon laid down as well, and Wille almost waved his tail. “My mother passed away when I was still a pup, in a storm at sea. My beta father rejected me after I presented.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Simon.” The alpha’s heart hurt for the omega. He couldn't imagine going through something like that as a pup, and as a nearly presented wolf. “Did they know you could shift?”

“Only my alpha mother. She told me to hide it from everyone as soon as she found out, and we never spoke about it again. My father never knew.” 

“And you are sure you're not a pure blood?”

“Definitely. I'm nothing like you.” Simon responded, laying his head on his paws. He couldn't help but notice the edgy tone to his voice.

“Consider me offended,” Wilhelm said, looking away from the omega.

“I-I didn't mean it like that!” Simon shot his head up, scrambling to explain himself, voice regretful. “I'm sorry fut-”

“It was a joke, Simon,” Wilhelm interrupted him before he could use his title, again. “I was playing with you.”

“...Oh.”

The alpha snorted, staring at the omega again. He didn't know what it was about Simon that kept drawing him in, and kept calling for his alpha. it wasn't like the omega was trying, by releasing pheromones or trying to seduce him. He was just there, laying uncomfortably on the grass in front of Wilhelm, doing nothing, and his alpha was urging him to speak more, to hear his voice, to keep his eyes on the omega. And his human part couldn't help but agree, wanting to get to know the boy better as well.

“Well, jokes aside, I can't help but wonder if you are a pure blood, or at least have a tiny bit of the blood to be able to shift,” Wilhelm said, an idea forming inside his head. “What do you say we test you?”

“Test me?”

“Yes. I-” Wilhelm interrupted himself, hearing noises in the distance. Straining his ears, he could vaguely discern the wolves guarding the territory talking. They were changing shifts. The alpha stood up, slowly, “Meet me here, tomorrow, at the same time. I have to go back now, and so should you. I'll explain everything then.” 

Simon tilted his head, but nodded once, standing from his seated position as well. Wilhelm took a step back, against his wishes, but the prospect of meeting the omega again eased his mind. 

We'll see them tomorrow. It's fine.

“Good night, Simon,” Wille said, and the wolf twitched his ears, taking a step back as well.

“Good night, Wilhelm.” The echo of his voice reached him, and the alpha forced himself to turn away, running back towards his cabin.

****

“You want me to do what?!” Simon exclaimed, crossing his arms.

Wilhelm stood in front of him, arms also crossed. He clearly wouldn't back down, Simon noticed. The omega – though he wasn't proud of it – had been excited the entire day to meet with Wilhelm, but now, he wasn't so sure. He had tried to imagine what the other wolf might have meant with ‘test him’, but came up short of answers.

Simon hadn't seen Wilhelm throughout the day, but he had expected that much. The Head families of the northern and southern pack had stayed in the Head cabin, discussing the future mating ceremony. Mating rituals were different for each pack, so the discussion surely must have been long, trying to find a space in between for both rituals to be performed. 

The omega wondered if he would ever get mated. Probably not, given that no alpha would ever dare court him, nor would he find a home within another pack. Wilhelm had been the first alpha to ever actually speak to him, to acknowledge his existence. Simon pondered whether that was the reason his omega felt so attached to the boy's alpha. The fact that he lacked any sort of contact to any other wolf, and secretly his biology begged for it. For a bond.

“I want you to try to hunt me,” The alpha repeated himself, raising an eyebrow. “It's simple, Simon. Hunting is the one time your wolf is completely submerged in their instincts. Every sound, every move becomes easier to detect. Hunting for pure bloods is easier than breathing.”

“So…  Are you going to hide, or…?” Simon asked, shifting his weight from one leg to another.

The corner of Wilhem's mouth raised upwards in a small smile. “I guess you will have to find out. Now shift, please.”

That tiny, teasing smile was enough to make the omega's heart race in his chest. His eyes shifted back and forth in the clearing they were standing at.

“...You want me to shift here?” He asked, unsure.

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Wilhelm tilted his head.

“It's just that… I've never shifted in front of anyone before. I don't know if I'm comfortable with doing it with you watching me…”

“Oh…” Even with just the moon above them illuminating the forest, Simon could see a red tint bloom in the boy's cheeks. “Right. You can… shift behind a tree, then.”

Simon nodded, turning and walking towards the largest tree he could find. Once he was done removing his clothes, he called to his omega, urging him forward. After he shifted, he shook himself, stretching his back, then went hopping towards the clearing again. Wilhelm was nowhere to be seen.

“Wilhelm?” Simon projected his thoughts, hoping to reach the alpha. Silence answered him.

He waited, straining his ears to try and hear the alpha, but there was nothing. Until he heard a ruffle of leaves to his right, and his head quickly snapped towards that direction. 

“...Wilhelm? Was that you?”

Another ruffle of leaves, but this time to his left. He looked in that direction, his heart racing in his chest, then took a small, hesitant step towards the source of the sound. 

“Try to find me, little omega.” The alpha's voice finally responded to him, and Simon almost jumped. His omega shuddered after being addressed by their sub-gender.

“Already? But you didn't even tell me what I'm supposed to do…” The wolf whined, eyes flying all around the clearing, searching for the alpha. He had to be close if they were still able to communicate.

“I’m afraid you'll have to figure it out on your own. Now focus, Simon. Where am I?”

The omega searched for the golden brown wolf in the distance, but it was too dark. There was nothing but trees and more trees. Focus, Simon. He told himself, closing his eyes and trying to regulate his breathing, quieting it down to hear. 

Find our alpha.  

His omega was completely unhelpful, but if this was the way to find the other wolf, so be it. It seemed to work, since the two had the same goal, and his omega wouldn't back down from this challenge. Simon knew how to hunt, and it was in his blood, as a wolf. It was instinctual.

The sounds of the forest reached him, but they were ordinary sounds. The wind, a family of rabbits inside their hole, a bird in its nest… breathing.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked in that direction. He couldn't see the alpha, but he knew he was there. The omega went in that direction, in silent steps. Once he reached the forest, he lowered to the ground, hoping the bushes would hide him, He searched for the other wolf, ears folding back in his head, not letting himself be seen.

His eyes caught on something, bigger than a bush, beside a tree. It was curled up in a ball, and Simon smiled mentally, hunching back, ready to jump towards the alpha. His heartbeat was deafening, so loud it nulled down all other sounds of the forest when he left his hiding spot, crawling towards the tree. The closer he got, the closer his eyes focused on his prey, and the more he realized that it didn't look like Wilhelm, at all.

It was a rock. A big rock.

When he felt it, it was too late. He didn't even have the time to react or defend himself, when something slammed on him full force, knocking him down. Simon growled, fighting to escape the culprit's hold, but Wilhelm yapped at him, snout pressing on his neck.

“Close, but not quite. I was behind you.”

“I told you I wasn't a pure blood.” Wilhelm released him, and Simon stood up, huffing.

“Not so fast. You did find me, you just couldn't see me. Your hearing is good, so let's test your eyesight now.” The alpha said, nearing him and nudging the omega with his snout.

Simon was nearly startled by the affectionate gesture, but he didn't address it. He just followed the alpha towards the clearing again.

“Try to find me again, but this time don't use your ears, use your eyes.”

“It's way too dark-”

“Uh-uh. No excuses. You can do it.”

Simon sighed, nodding once again. He closed his eyes, waiting for the other wolf to leave, as silently as he could. 

“Open your eyes.” Wilhelm ordered.

The omega did, and found the clearing empty again. He looked around himself, seeing nothing but woods. How did Wilhelm expect him to find him? This was stupid. There wasn't a chance that he was a pure blood, but he enjoyed spending time with the alpha. So he went along with it, no matter how silly this whole thing was.

Simon went around the clearing, ignoring all sounds and just looking, searching for the alpha. He didn't even try to be silent, stepping on branches and crushing the grass and fallen leaves beneath his paws.

“Where am I, omega?” Wilhelm taunted, and Simon had to stop in his tracks.

“Stop,” He answered, breathless with the strain of pushing back his omega from reacting. The last thing he wanted was for his scent to change. “Let me focus.”

“I'm not trying to distract you, I just want you to use your eyes other than your ears. If you focus on what I'm saying, you'll forget about listening. Come on. You're getting warmer.”

The wolf perked up, knowing now that he was closer. He remained in the same spot, narrowing his eyes as he tried to find Wilhelm. Green, green, brown, green…

There. Tufts of golden brown fur beneath a thick bush of wildflowers. 

Simon took a few steps forward, stopping when he saw Wilhelm move. Then he prepared, shifting his weight to his rear paws, and jumped on top of the bush, destroying the flowers completely, pressing his snout on the alphas neck as a way of asserting his dominance to stop him from moving and getting away.

“Found you.” Simon said, amusement all over his voice as the wolf beneath him stopped squirming.

Wilhelm’s scent of salt water and sea air invaded his nose, filling his lungs. His omega all but melted, delighted at being so close to the alpha's scent glands. It was a short moment of bliss, though, since Wilhelm was quick to free himself and turn the tables, dropping Simon to the ground and climbing on top of him, but the omega didn't go down as easily this time. He fought for dominance as well, biting lightly at the alpha while he laughed inside, pushing him away. Wilhelm did the same, taking one of the omega's paws between his teeth and growling in warning, playfully.

“Fine! Fine, you win! Let me go, please,” The omega wielded, breathless.

Wilhelm let go of him, stepping away, also breathless from laughing. “Let's shift back. We are done for today.”

“What? What do you mean ‘for today’?” The omega asked after him, but the wolf had already disappeared for sight, skipping towards where he had hidden his clothes.

Simon sighed, trying to find the tree he had left his as well, and shifted back to his human form. When he was done, he stepped out, going back inside the clearing, where he found Wilhelm lowering himself in a seating position, completely dressed as well.

“Come sit,” The alpha called, and he complied.

As he got closer, he noticed that the alpha had something with him, wrapped in a piece of fabric. When the omega sat down, the alpha opened the cloth to reveal bread and cheese, and Simon glanced up at him, confused.

“It's just… I made you come all the way here, at this hour of the night, so… please accept this,” Simon looked down at the food again. “Besides, you did good today. You deserve it.”

“Oh, really?” The omega smiled in amusement. “For what, exactly do I deserve? Getting knocked down by you, twice, and wielding? Or for mistaking you by a rock?”

Wilhelm laughed out loud, but nudged the bread and cheese towards the omega.

“Maybe I was hoping you'd excel more at this when I brought it,” His eyes gleamed as he stared at Simon. “Either way, you have good instincts when it comes to hunting. How did you learn?”

Simon grabbed a piece of cheese, taking a small bite before answering. “I taught myself. When I was cast out of my pack, I had to travel north to get here,” He began, glancing up at the alpha. “I found a kind merchant that brought me half the way, but before that I was on my own, and the little food I had taken with me had ended on the first day. So it was learning how to hunt or starving to death.”

Wilhelm's expression darkened, his eyebrows drawn and eyes harsh. “I hate that you had to go through this, Simon…”

“It's fine, Wilhelm. I'm fine now,” The omega smiled, trying to ease the other wolf. His scent was turning a bit sour. 

“Still. It unsettles me. Imagining you going through all that…” The alpha responded, turning his head away. “My wolf gets angry, restless.”

“Why? It wasn't your fault I went through this.” He ate a piece of bread. “It's the rest of the world's fault. At least the pack took me in.”

“But at what cost?” He looked at Simon again. “I know what they think about you and the other male omegas. I've seen how Lucian is mistreated by the other healers, how they speak about him. And I hate that I can't do anything about it. I hate that I can't change how they think, how they talk about you.”

A moment of silence passed, where they just stared at each other. Simon sighed, putting his bread down, then turned to face Wilhelm completely.

“The fact that you worry about this at all says a lot about you.” The omega glanced down at the alpha's crossed legs, and at his hand resting on his ankle. A surge of courage made him reach forward and grab the boy’s hand.

His heartbeat quickened, and his breath hitched. Wilhelm's skin was soft, but his palm was a bit calloused. It was the first time they were touching like this, skin to skin. Simon glanced up to see the boy's reaction, and saw him staring down at their hands. Suddenly, it hit Simon of how inappropriate this was. The alpha was to be mated to another omega, and there he was, taking his hand like that. He started moving his hand away, completely embarrassed.

“I'm sorry, I-” He stopped. Wilhelm had grabbed his hand before he moved it away, squeezing it tighter and intertwining them. Simon glanced up, surprised.

“You can continue. What were you saying?” The alpha said, nonchalant. Like they weren't holding hands at that exact moment.

“I… um…” He needed a minute to gather himself. What was he saying again? Oh, right. “The… the fact that you care about the way male omegas are treated, it means a lot. The majority doesn't, and knowing you are next in line to lead the pack, with the way you think… I can't help but feel hopeful... But not for me.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I mean… for the future generations of male omegas. For now… it's a lost cause. It's too late for me, Henry or Lucian.”

Wilhelm sighed, “Simon-”

“It is nothing but the truth, and you know it,” The omega gave him a sad smile. “But you could change things, Wilhelm. You have a voice. All it takes is one spark to light a fire. You can bloom in a barren land. It's a start, something all of us, including Alma, have been fighting for.”

“...You really think I could do that?” The alpha hesitantly asked.

“I know you can do that,” Simon reassured, squeezing the other boy's hand. “It won't be easy, but I believe in you.”

Wilhelm smiled, looking down at their hands. Simon took his other hand and placed it above their intertwined ones, content. His omega inside him was overjoyed with the skinship, and he was sure he must be letting that out in his scent, involuntarily. The alpha glanced up at him, still smiling.

A spark of hope, blooming in a barren land.

****

There once was an ancient belief that humans were androgynous beings, with four arms and four legs and two heads. Two halves of a whole. As a punishment after a mutiny, the Gods separated the beings in two, throwing them back on the Earth, cursed to be incomplete and searching for their other half, forever. 

Another legend, this one translated from a dead language from a far away land that is now long gone, affirms that before birth, the Gods tie a ‘red string’ on the ankle of both parts, and the string becomes invisible once they are sent to Earth. The two ‘soulmates’, as they call it, will find each other no matter what, due to being tied together for eternity. The string can knot and tangle, making it hard for the two to meet, but each knot undone is a hardship faced, setting them even closer on their inevitable path.

The two legends, coming together as one, sound quite similar to our modern beliefs of fated mates. It is said that the moon goddess takes one particular soul and rips it in two, setting them free to roam the Earth, and find each other when it is due time. Fated mates could be born days or years apart, on the same or in different packs, of the same or different gender. After their wolves call for each other, they are to recognize the other half of their souls under the next full moon, when the moon turns blue-

“What are you reading?”

Wille slammed the book shut, startled. He turned his head, eyes wide, seeing Fiamma standing on the doorway of the library, arms crossed and face serious. The alpha was quick to return the book to the shelf, standing in front of it so the girl would not be able to see its title.

“I wasn't aware you had arrived already,” He answered, after clearing his throat.

“Father decided to leave the cabin earlier,” The girl explained, going inside the Head cabin's private library. “I didn't know you had a library here.” She said, eyeing the entire room.

“Yes, well… My family has had it for generations. There are books here older than the northern pack itself.” Wille said, following her line of sight and looking at the big library as well.

The omega got closer to him, the smell of ripe strawberries invading his nose. He had been able to smell her since she was at the doorway, but had been so distracted with the book he didn't realize she was there until the girl addressed him. Fiamma walked around the place, studying the filled shelves, hands behind her back.

Wilhelm couldn't figure out the blonde girl, at all. She had been silent during many of the meetings they’ve had since the choosing ceremony. She was an intimidating omega, that was for sure. Her face was always expressionless, but her stare was almost made out of pure steel, the gray orbs staring down to Wille’s soul every time she had her eyes on him. It was a big contrast to her sweet smell and gentle features. 

It had been about a week since The Run. The Head Alpha of the southern pack came every day since then, along with two Elders, a beta and an omega, to meet with his father and his mother and discuss the mating, and also the pack's new found alliance. Wilhelm usually zoned out during the meetings, sometimes throwing a ‘I agree’ or a ‘Yes’ to make it look like he cared about what they were saying. Fiamma always seemed more interested in the alliance part, when they discussed trading and exchange of their weaponry for crops. 

“Why were you reading about mates?” She asked, taking Wille by surprise. “I saw the cover of the book when you closed it.” The girl explained, reading his expression.

“It's just… I-I…” The alpha stuttered, at a loss of words.

“Do you actually believe in fate?” She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow.

“...You don't?” Wilhelm frowned, crossing his arms.

“I believe in choices, Wilhelm,” It was the first time he had heard her say his name. She seemed deadly serious when she spoke again. “I want to be able to write my own history, choose my destiny.”

“And you call this,” He waved a hand in the space between them both, “A choice?”

“I do, yes.” She affirmed, so surely Wilhelm almost doubted himself. “I chose this mating. I was offered the option of saying no, you know.”

“What?” The alpha uncrossed his arms, frown disappearing to give space to surprise.

“That is right. Your pack made the offer, my parents presented it to me, and asked me what I thought about it. I said yes.” She turned away from him, raising a hand towards the shelf, index finger traveling over the books’ spine as she walked. “So here we are now. Didn't your parents ask you before offering to mate you to me?”

“Then why did you hide so well at The Run?” Wille asked, completely ignoring her question. “You sure looked like you didn't want to be found.”

“And I didn't,” She shot back, unwaveringly. “I had been observing you from the start, Wilhelm. I saw how you were during the candidates presentation. Your heart was not fully on this. During The Run, I knew that neither you or your wolf would put that much effort in it. We needed it to look real. We needed the other wolf packs to believe this, so I made it believable by hiding thoroughly well, so you would purposefully take a long time to ‘catch’ me.”

Wilhelm couldn't believe this. He almost asked if the girl was crazy, or if she was just insanely smart. Probably the latter. From the way she acted, he had honestly thought that she had also fallen victim to the duty of future pack leader like he did, but apparently it wasn't like that. At all. 

Fiamma inhaled once, turning to the alpha once again. Her face hadn't changed once during the entire conversation. She was completely unaffected, while Wilhelm was completely baffled, staring at the omega.

“Shall we?” She gestured with a hand towards the doors of the library. “Our fathers are waiting for us in the meeting room.”

Then she began to walk away, without waiting for him. Wilhelm watched her, tight braid swaying down her back as she walked with her shoulders squared, leaving him there, mouth slightly agape and mind scrambling to find sense in the conversation he had just had.

*

“Wille, no!”  

“Wille, yes!” The alpha replied, pulling the omega along with him. “Come on, Simme, it’ not that hard.”

“Yes, but what if I hurt you?” The boy whined, pulling his hand back, but Wilhelm did not let go.

The alpha snorted, looking back at the omega once they were standing in the middle of the clearing. It had been days since Wille had found out about Simon's secret. They had met up everyday since then to try to find out if the omega had any ounce of pure blood on him, but none of the tests Wilhelm had put him through had been helpful.

Honestly? They both knew at that point that the ‘tests’ were an excuse to see each other. But they would never say that out loud. They both snuck out their cabins late at night, well after the pack had gone to sleep, and met at that clearing. Wilhelm always brought food for Simon to eat after they were done, and the omega had started doing the same, with meals he had prepared himself while he worked at the kitchens, in secret.

If the gestures resembled a courting of some sort, they never addressed it.

Those secret little rendezvous had brought them closer to each other, as Wilhelm had intended. It wasn't that hard, when they had connected almost immediately from the start. They talked a lot, about Simon's childhood in the sea packs, about Wille and his brother's pranks on the Elders and their parents… The alpha particularly loved making the other wolf laugh. He loved the sound of it, how his smile lit up his entire face and how beautiful the omega looked when he was happy. 

But he also loved annoying him, making Simon frustrated until he started cursing at Wilhelm non-stop. At the same time it was amusing, it also made Wille relieved to see that his title didn't matter when they were together. Simon would absolutely get mad at him, and curse at him, no matter what. 

“You won't hurt me, Simon.”

He seemed offended at that, eyebrows furrowing and pulling his hand harder from Wille's hold.

“And how are you so sure, mister know-it-all?” He asked, crossing his arms. “I might be an omega but I'm still a wolf. I could really hurt you.”

“You could? Hm… I'm not so sure about that. I mean, you're tiny…” The alpha put a hand on his chin, looking Simon up and down as he pretended to think.

The omega's eyes widened for a short second, then he narrowed them, clenching his teeth.

“Listen here you little prick, I can take you down if I want to, haven't I proven myself to you during the entire time we have been here? And you know what else? My size won't matter a thing when I sink my claws in you!”

“Prove it.” The alpha simply responded, grinning. He knew what he was doing, angering Simon on purpose. He was really pushing it, but he knew it was the only way the omega would agree to it.

“...What.” He said, slowly, as if disbelieving that Wille had truly defied him like that.

“I said prove. it.” The boy clenched his hands in fists, scoffing in response. “Do it, Simme. You just have to try to take me down once, then I will leave you alone.”

The omega looked him up and down, considering. When Wilhelm had asked him earlier in the night, the other was adamant in his refusal. They had done everything but sparring, but the alpha wanted to ‘test his strength’, and apparently the only way of getting Simon to agree would be to tease him until he impulsively said yes.

“Fine. But don't go crying to the Head Healer later when you get hurt, alpha.”  

Something else Wilhelm loved: When Simon addressed him like that. It was something done jokingly, rarely, but it always left a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. His alpha growled inside him, and he always had to refrain from letting it slip through his own lips. He didn't want to scare the other wolf by being all… well, alpha.

However, Wille was guilty of doing the same to him. Calling him ‘omega’, teasingly, just to spite him. Simme always pretended to be angry or annoyed, but though he wouldn't acknowledge it, the alpha noticed when his scent sweetened considerably right after the word left his lips.

Wilhelm made a short gesture to Simon, asking to begin with their sparring. The curly haired boy cursed under his breath, but got in position, flexing his knees and raising his fists in the air. The alpha copied him, pushing his hair out of his face, and smirking at the other.

“Go on, then,” He said, nodding for Simon to make the first move.

In the weeks after he had presented, Wilhelm had been taken to the woods regularly by the hunting team, where they would make him fight them all during the entire day. He was still getting used to himself, to his body, but the alphas and betas never gave him time to breathe, coming one after the other until he had defeated at least one of them.

He had learned how to defend himself the hard way, but it sure worked. Now, even though it had been a short few months, he could probably take three of them at the same time and not break a sweat. 

Simon's right foot moved slightly when he shifted his weight, and Wille caught the movement. He had about a millisecond before the boy actually moved, drawing his fist back and stepping forward to try to hit the alpha. Wilhelm dodged the punch, using his right hand to grab tightly onto the boy's wrist once it hit the air beside his face, pulling on it until Simon turned with the force of it, falling backwards on the alpha's chest.

He grunted with the impact, clenching his teeth as the air escaped his lungs. Wilhelm was thankful that the omega's scent gland was on the opposite side of his neck, or else he might not have resisted the impulse of burying his nose on it, drawing his scent in. He had done it before, but only when they were in their wolf forms, something completely different. The basic touch of skin on skin triggered a lot more nerves, specially on their scent glands. The neck was the most sensitive of them, but the wrist came in close second.

He had gotten used to Simon's scent. Really, he had. But every time he was this close to the omega, every time the sharp tang of cinnamon reached his nose, it got so easy to just… let go of his control. He had to fight twice as hard not to fall into temptation. 

“Again,” Wille breathed down the column of his neck, unwillingly releasing the omega from his hold.

Simon took a step away, turning around to face him again. His eyes were determined as he brought his hands up again, not even giving much thought to his next move when he immediately went for it, catching Wille by surprise. He was able to deflect the hit with his forearm, and with his free hand he pinched the omega's waist. Simon gasped, recoiling, but grabbed Wilhelm's hand at his waist, squeezing it so he would let go.

“You are leaving yourself open. You have to protect your body, especially the vulnerable parts. If I wanted to kill you, I would have,” The alpha squeezed his waist twice, as if to prove his point.

“Is this a class? I thought I just had to take you down,” Simon breathed out.

“I am simply correcting you,” Wille smiled, using his hold on the omega to pull him forward, again, but facing him this time. “If you fight that way you will never be able to take me down.”

Their noses were almost touching from their closeness. Wilhelm stared down at Simon's eyes, searching for something he didn't know what it was. His eyes traveled down his face, down the arch of his nose, the soft skin of his cheeks, and finally stopped at his lips. They were slightly open and a bit red, probably from how often the boy pursed his lips. 

The air suddenly turned heavier around them, and Wille wondered why it felt so hard to breathe. His body started heating up, and he glanced back up to the omega's eyes, seeing how they were slightly hooded as his eyes also traveled down to the alpha's lips. 

“In a real fight,” Wilhelm started, breathless. “You can't leave these parts of your body open. Here,” His free hand, the one that wasn't holding Simon around the waist, climbed up, pressing slightly with his fingertips on his belly. The omega sucked a sharp breath in, hands moving to hold at the alpha's shoulders. “Here,” Wille's hand went higher, pressing on his lower abdomen. “And here,” He pressed at his heart, glancing back at the boy's eyes. “But most importantly, here.” His fingers stopped short of touching his scent gland, teetering close to the edge.

Simon swallowed, his Adam's apple going up and down drily. He didn't move an inch, staring at Wille's face in a daze. His pupils were blown wide, as his own were, surely. His eyes kept going back and forth between the omega's lips, eyes, and his scent gland. 

His wolf was going crazy inside him, wanting him to scent mark the omega, to show him that he was theirs. He had to clench his teeth to stop himself, involuntarily pressing harder on the parts of Simon he was holding. He tightened his arm around his waist, pulling him even closer, making their chests touch and their foreheads lean on the other. His fingers also pressed harder at the skin of his neck, fingernail accidentally scratching at Simon's scent gland.

The exact moment it did, he let out a small, trembling whine, and his scent immediately sweetened. Wilhelm was unable to stop his wolf from growling.

“Tell me you feel that,” The alpha asked, almost begging. “That thing inside. Tell me you feel it.”

Simon closed his eyes, breathing in, then nodding his head up and down non-stop. “I do. I feel it.”

Wilhelm sighed, relieved, “I thought I was going insane.” He whispered. “It feels like that. As if I'm about to lose my mind anytime I get close to you.”

The curly haired boy opened his eyes, staring at Wille's. “I feel like that every time I'm away from you.” 

Wilhelm's heart was racing in his chest, ready to burst. The corner of his lips went up in a small, reassured smile. A moment of silence passed while they just stood closer to each other, basking in the feeling of knowing they felt the same way. 

He didn't know what had come over him to finally say something, finally speak about it. After pushing his emotions down, hiding them somewhere inside him, trying not to show them, it was obvious that he would be unable to hold himself back for much longer. Nothing had ever affected him that much, messed with his instincts, his head, his wolf, all at the same time like this. He could fight it, but what was the use?

The alpha glanced down at Simon's lips, and he licked his own, wondering how they must taste like. He dipped his head just a little, but stopped before he got any closer. Simon sucked a sharp breath in, also staring down at the other’s lips.

“We shouldn't,” He whispered.

“I know,” Wilhelm replied in a breathy voice.

“This is wrong.”

“I'm aware,” His hazelnut eyes never left the omega's lips, watching closely as they moved to form the words.

“If we get caught…” 

If they got caught, a lot of things could go wrong. He had a mating scheduled two weeks from now, two Head families that had been discussing that mating and a deep alliance between two powerful packs incessantly. He had many people counting on him, his entire pack counting on him, he couldn't screw that up.

But then there was Simon in front of him. Simon teasing him, smiling at him, holding his hand. There was them running around in their wolf forms, eating together, talking until they lost track of time. There was the curve of the omegas lips, his pearly white teeth when he smiled, his eyes sparkling as his cheeks almost shut them when he laughed. How he had said he believed in Wilhelm, before they had even gotten to know each other properly.

So if they got caught… Fuck it.

The alpha inhaled the smell of cinnamon, exhaling briefly. 

“I don't care.”

He then finally dipped his head, capturing Simon's lips on his own, pulling him closer as he smashed their mouths together.

Chapter Text

Simon let go of his worries as he got lost in the kiss. Wilhelm's lips were so soft, and the way he was tightening his arms around his waist felt so good. One of his hands climbed up, reaching the back of his neck, and the omega shivered when he felt his fingers sink into his curls. The alpha pulled on his hair, and Simon let out a small moan as their lips disconnected when his head was pulled back.

“You taste so good,” Wilhelm sighed, his nose traveling down the column of his neck. “And your scent…”

The omega shivered when he felt his nose inching closer to his scent gland. When it finally reached it, Wilhelm pressed his lips on it, sucking the sensitive skin between his lips, his tongue licking at it. Simon moaned out loud from the feeling that washed over him, the ecstasy making his legs lose their strength. If it weren't for Wille's tight hold on him, he would have fallen to the ground. The alpha sighed on his neck, sucking harder, and his omega felt euphoric, just as he did. 

More. More. More.

He let go of Wilhelm's shoulder to circle it with his arms instead, one of his hands inching towards his reddish brown strands, caressing it and then pulling on it when the alpha sucked on his scent gland again. It felt so good, so right, Simon felt so lost in the feeling. But he wanted his lips on his again, immediately.

“Alpha,” He called, and Wille stilled beneath his touch. “Alpha, please.”

The boy reemerged from the omega's neck, glancing down at him. His pupils were blown wide, his lips red from sucking on his skin. He felt goosebumps rise when a gust of wind passed them, the area on his neck wet with spit feeling colder. Wille continued staring at him, and his omega felt elated with the attention from their alpha. 

Simon glanced down at his lips, also wet with spit, and he stood on the tip of his toes, tilting his head a little, not resisting the urge to bite lightly at his bottom lip.

The alpha let out a growl, smashing their lips together again, and the urge seemed bigger this time, since he prodded at Simon's lips with his tongue, demanding access, which the omega provided at once. Once their tongues touched, Wille hummed deep in his throat, sighing from the feeling, and the omega let out a whine, opening his lips wider.

Before Simon could process, he was being pushed against a tree by Wilhelm, the force of the kiss tilting his head back forcefully. But he pushed forward just as strongly, holding tightly on the boy's shoulders, their lips fitting together so deliciously good he was keening. His heart was racing, no thought other than alpha, alpha, alpha being processed correctly in his head. 

Wilhelm was almost swallowing his whole, his teeth biting at his bottom lip, their tongues intertwining like in a rehearsed dance, like they had been kissing for eons.

Suddenly, it was gone.

Their lips disconnected with a smacking sound, their heavy breathing filling the air. He whined, following after the alpha's mouth, but his lips met his cheek instead. His alpha was distracted, looking at something in the distance. Why wasn't he looking at them? He poked his cheek with his nose, traveling down to his neck, finding the alpha's scent gland.

Wilhelm let out a deep and low moan when his lips attached to his scent gland, the smell of sea air and salt water filling his lungs, making his brain turn into mashed potatoes. To his eternal dismay, the alpha pulled the omega away from his neck, hand pulling on his hair gently as he turned back to look at him, stare more focused and serious. 

“You have no idea how much I hate doing this, but we have to stop,” Wille said, slightly pulling on him. “Someone is coming.”

His mind was still hazy when the alpha pulled him behind the tree he was leaning on a second ago, turning him around so his back was to his chest. Wille put a hand on his mouth to stop him from making any sounds, his other arm around his waist, pressing him tightly against himself. The omega was still confused, but the more lungfuls he got of fresh air from the forest, the more clear headed he got. And then he heard it.

“I swear I have been hearing noises coming from here, every night.” The footsteps crunched the leaves and grass beneath their feet. There were at least two wolves walking inside the clearing. “You have to believe me, sir.”

“Are you absolutely sure, Alexander?” Another voice spoke, and Simon tensed when he recognized it as it being from the Head Hunter, alpha August.

“One hundred percent. At first I thought it was from animals, but last night I heard talking. It must have been wolves breaking curfew,” The other replied, clearly pacing behind the alpha.

A bright, warm light coming from the lamp one of them held started to inch closer to them, its orange light painting over the darkness. Wilhelm tightened his hold on Simon, almost merging their bodies together against the tree so they were not seen by the two wolves.

Some of the hunters also helped on patrolling the pack borders, and apparently the Head Hunter was also on duty that night. 

“Well, whoever it was, they are gone now. Tomorrow we will send someone to patrol around this clearing, maybe we can catch them,” August said, their footsteps retreating along with the light of the lamp.

The two relaxed as the two wolves left, Wilhelm's hand releasing Simon's mouth, his shoulders sagging. The omega turned to face him, worry in his eyes as he realized the seriousness of the situation. But before he could say anything, the alpha tensed again, turning his face to their right, hearing or smelling something that Simon was unable to.

“Wilhelm, I know you're there. Come out.” The voice of the Head Hunter called, and Simon freezed in his spot, eyes widening. 

Wille glanced back at him, and without saying anything he put a finger to his lips, asking the omega to keep quiet as he silently stepped out from behind the tree. Simon instantly glued his back to the trunk, almost holding his breath as he tried to hear, seeing the alpha disappear from his line of sight as he walked back inside the clearing.

“Wille…” The alpha clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Alex is not a pure-blood, so he couldn't smell you, but you know I could the moment I stepped in here,” August started, voice serious. “With the amount of pheromones in the air, it was impossible to miss it. I also know that there is someone else here, behind that tree.”

Simon felt every muscle in his body become taut with tension, his heart beating miles an hour. 

“...Are you going to report this to my father?” Wilhelm asked, voice harsh. He had never heard the alpha speak like that.

“Obviously not, Wilhelm,” August sighed. “I won't even ask what omega you have there with you, because I know for a fact that it's not Fiamma. What I will tell you is to stop. Your mating ceremony is a couple weeks from now, and her pack is here, for Goddess’ sake. If it weren't for me, you would have been caught by Alexander, or any other wolf. Imagine what it would have been like if you had.”

A long moment of silence passed without Wilhelm responding to him. It hit Simon then that what they had done was so incredibly wrong. How could he have let himself go so easily? He forgot about everything, about the consequences, about the pack, and his sub-gender, and who Wille was. About his future omega.

Not him. Fiamma. She was his omega. Wilhelm was her alpha, not his. 

It felt like his heart was breaking in a million pieces inside him, the pain of it feeling so real that his hand came up to clutch at his chest. They shouldn't have done that. He never should have kissed Wilhelm. He never should have agreed to meet him that first night.

Wilhelm sighed, “August-”

“Wrap this thing up, Wille. I'm serious.”

Then the Head Hunter started walking away, the sound of his footsteps retreating giving space for absolute silence as Simon blinked non-stop to push his tears away, quietly stepping out from behind the tree. 

Wilhelm had his back to him, staring at the path August had disappeared from. The omega studied the alpha. The way his back was straight, shoulders tense and fisted hands hanging on each side of his body. The white tunic he wore was slightly blowing with the wind, along with a few strands of his hair. 

Simon had to collect all of his strength to speak the next few words out of his mouth without letting his voice shake.

“He's right.”

Wilhelm turned to him suddenly, almost startled. It took a second for him to process what the omega had said, eyebrows furrowing and lips opening slightly as he thought of something to reply with.

“Simme-”

“No, Wille,” He interrupted him. “He's right, and you know it. We have to stop. This was a mistake.”

Wilhelm took a step back as if Simon had pushed at him, eyes hurt. “Simon, we-”

“There's no we, Wilhelm,” The curly haired boy sniffed, trying to hold his tears back. “There is you, and then there's me. You are a pure-blooded alpha, the next future Head Alpha of the northern pack. I am a male omega, a nobody who spends his entire day washing and polishing dishware in the back of the kitchens. I'm not even allowed to eat at the dining hall with the rest of the wolves, for Goddess’ sake!” 

Simon's sight became blurry, a lump in his throat making his voice sound choked. His heart was still beating fast, but no longer because of the fear of getting caught, or even because of the way Wilhelm made him feel. His hands were shaking, and he was sure his face was turning red with the effort of holding his desire to cry. 

“You were the one who told me that I could change things, Simon!” Wilhelm waved his arms in the air, clearly wounded with the omega's words. His eyes were also rapidly tearing up, but Simon could barely see him through his own tears. “You are not even going to give me the chance to try?”

“I told you, Wille… There's no hope for us. For me.” He continued, voice softer than before. “You are the silver lining. The start of a change that is long to be made… But in the future. Right now, there is nothing that we can do. I am always going to be a kitchen worker, just as Henry will. Just as Lucian is bound to never become a healer. Just as all male omegas out there are bound to be shunned and cast out by their birth packs, for years and decades to come.” 

This battle was lost, Simon knew that. It went down screaming, squirming, fighting, but it was fated to die, one way or another. It was impossible holding his tears back when he realized that. He took a step closer to Wilhelm, slowly bringing his hand up to rest at his cheek. Tears started wetting his fingertips, and the omega caressed his skin, drying them. The omega smiled sadly, his own tears falling down unrestrained.

“We were playing around with borrowed time, Wille.”

“What… What are you saying, Simon?” The alpha shakenly asked, sucking a deep breath in to be able to finish his sentence. 

“I'm saying that we were not meant to be.” Though he felt anything but, his tone was sure. “Everything we did up to this point was good, but it was supposed to end. You know I am not a pure-blood, from the start, you knew it. We both did, and yet we continued this little game of back and forth, because it was good. And I am so, so thankful I got to truly know you, future Head Alpha. But you have a mating ceremony in about fourteen days, so we should stop seeing each other. For good.”

“Simme, please…” Wilhelm grabbed at his hand on his cheek, the warm touch of his skin touching the back of his hand making Simon retreat, taking his hand back.

“I am sorry, future Head Alpha.” The omega repeated his title again, knowing how it would be interpreted by Wilhelm. He knew he was getting his point across when the boy kept shaking his head, and yet he still bowed down, as if he was putting a definite end to it all. “May the moon Goddess bless your mating. I wish you and the future Head Omega the best.”

Then he turned his back on Wilhelm, walking away from the clearing. Each step he took was a deep cut to his soul, each gust of wind that blew his tears away a shiver that chilled more than just his skin. His wolf cried inside him, not understanding why he would do that. Why would he walk away from their alpha, why wouldn't he fight for him?

But it was way more complicated than that. It took a fight that Simon unfortunately did not possess in him. A fight that began to die the day he presented, and it was gone before he realized it, along the days in the northern pack when he had to deal with what his status meant for him in that society. He knew, from the moment he met Wilhelm, that he should not have fed lies to his hope, but he did anyway. And now he would have to deal with the consequences. 

****

Wilhelm wondered if one could die with their hearts still beating inside their chests.

Because that was what he felt like; dying. 

There were two sides of his mind that were fighting for dominance, and he didn't know which side to hear. One of them was trying to reason with him, saying that he had a duty as the next in line, as the only alpha son, as a leader. He had to push his wishes and desires aside, because the pack was more important. But the other, the one that was highly influenced by his wolf, said that this doesn't make any sense. He was an alpha, and he had found his mate. Why did he have to mate another omega, be with another omega, when his choice had already been made?

His omega was there, he showed him his skills, he was caught on a Run, then they were courting, so why let him slip away through their fingers, let him leave? They fit together. They were one. This wasn't what the moon Goddess had created them for.

With his head pounding, he laid on his bed, sinking into his pelts with eyes swollen, not knowing what to do or who to hear. His walk back to the Head cabin had been cold and painful, almost numbing him altogether. But he made it home, and the more he tried to sleep the more sleep escaped him. His heart wasn't at peace, his head was heavy with so many thoughts, and his wolf was screaming at him. 

But there was nothing he could do to make it go away. There was nothing he could say to make Simon change his mind. There was nothing. So he fixed his eyes on the potted plants alongside his windowsill, the ones he usually used to keep the window slightly open for him to climb back inside his room without being noticed. He stared at it until his eyes dried and he had to blink, until his breathing evened and his mind started quieting down. Until his eyes became droopy, and the last thing he saw before surrendering himself to sleep were the cinnamon flowers inside a brown ware pot.

*

“Wille!” A voice called in the distance, almost too far for him to reach. “What are you doing? Wake up! We are going to be late!”

His consciousness swam towards the voice, until his mind cleared out the remnants of sleep, awareness coming back to him at once.

Simon.

It was the first thought in his head. Before the touch of his skin on the warm and fuzzy pelts, before the cold morning air coming through the window, along with beams of sunshine lighting up the room. He went to sleep with the omega's name at the forefront of his mind, and it was the first thing his heart and mind thought as soon as he woke up as well.

Simon had imprinted himself on Wilhelm, on every organ of his body, every nerve. He could feel the ghost of his touch pulling on his hair, hugging his shoulders, his pillowy lips kissing down the column of his neck. He swore he could feel his dark brown curls wrapping around his fingers when he touched them, the softness of it. But more than that, Simon had ingrained a feeling inside the alpha's chest that made it impossible to forget him. How was he supposed to go back to his routine like nothing had happened? Like he and Simon had never met?

“I will be right out, Erik,” Wilhelm finally responded to his brother, standing still at his doorway, voice empty of emotion.

“... Are you feeling well, little brother?”

The alpha could hear the worried tone in his brother's voice, but Erik wouldn't understand. He had been raised like Wilhelm, being taught to fulfill his duties as part of the Head family. He was probably going to study for the rest of his life, become Wille's right hand, have a long career inside the pack and then become an Elder. And the wolf was satisfied with that. He didn't want anything more, anything extraordinary or out of the plans that were already made for him, even though he could. He could choose differently if he wanted to, he could fight his destiny. Wilhelm couldn't. And Erik wouldn't understand the urge to want something different than what was meant for them.

“I’m fine,” Wille answered, removing his pelts from over his body, sitting sideways on the bed. He couldn't manage to face his brother, instead turning away from him and avoiding his gaze. “If you don't let me get dressed I will be even more late.”

The beta seemed to agree, remembering the reason why he had barged inside his little brother's chambers at that moment. He left quickly with a warning to not be too long, and Wille waited until he heard his footsteps retreating in the hallway to slouch his body on the bed again. He sighed deeply, rubbing his hands on his face. Fiamma and her father must be in the meeting room already, from the way the sun was high in the sky. Wilhelm had overslept, but he couldn't bring himself to care that much.

Simon's words started repeating in his head, about how they were worlds apart and could never be together. His mood was down to a subterraneal level, yet he still stood up and got dressed for the day. He left his room, dragging his feet towards the meeting room. He went inside to find his mother sitting beside Fiamma, her alpha father on the other side talking with Erik. His own father wasn't anywhere to be seen, which meant he had matters to care for at the town hall, most probably. Wilhelm much rather be with him. Anywhere else sounded better than planning his mating to the omega he didn't have a say in choosing.

“Ah, Wille, you are here! Come sit,” His omega mother urged, tapping the seat beside her.

He complied, taking a quick glance at Fiamma, who had a warm tint to her cheeks, her stare wandering around the room. 

“Since we have finished planning the ceremony, I took it upon myself to plan the after,” The woman informed, taking a thick scroll and putting it on the table, open. The plant of a cabin sat there, the structure mostly empty if not for walls and location of doors and windows. “This is the cabin your father and I used to live in before your grandparents passed.” She smiled, and Wilhelm gulped. Somehow, this was even worse than the mating itself. “You and Fiamma are to live there after the mating. You can choose the decorations, the main chambers, and also… the nursery.”

His stomach sank, and he had to push down the anxiety that started spreading all over his body. Fiamma had her stare towards the empty chairs on the table, not even looking at the plant. Wille's mother continued speaking animatedly, not realizing the two wolves’ discomfort. The alpha tuned out of the one sided conversation, focusing on breathing in and out, not wanting to freak out.

Pups? He couldn't even think about it. Two moons ago he was considered a pup still, now they were talking about him having some of his own? No, he was too young for that. They both were. Even Fiamma could agree with that, by the look on her face.

Even though he pushed those thoughts away, an image flashed in front of his eyes, of him aged up, sitting at the Head cabin's main room, on his father's armchair, watching two small pups running around it, laughing and screaming, their dark brown curls bouncing on top of their heads, big smiles on their faces that almost squeezed their eyes closed.

It went as quick as it came, leaving him wide eyed, startled with how far his feelings for Simon went. Disconnected from reality, he didn't even realize his wolf was letting out a pleased scent, completely against his will, until his mother drew his attention with a huge smile on her lips.

“Do you like it, honey? I knew you would! We can put more of those potted plants around the sills and-”

Wilhelm used every ounce of strength to calm his wolf down, ignoring his mother completely. He glanced beside his mother, seeing Fiamma already staring at him, cheeks still warm, but eyes narrowed and uncertain. It started hitting him then that she would be the one he would spend the rest of his life with. The mating was a deep bond, one that united two souls intrinsically. Once one of them died, the other one would follow right after. In two weeks, they would bite each other and would never be able to separate after that. They would share a cabin, share a bed, share feelings and thoughts. Their pups would probably have her eyes, and would grow up to be in line after Wilhelm and her.

He didn't want that.

Panic started clutching at his heart, and his breathing accelarated as he kept thinking over and over again how that was not what he wanted for his life. He could take being Head Alpha, but sharing a bond like that to Fiamma… It would be a nightmare. He wouldn't be able to run away from her. She would feel what he felt, if he was sad, angry, happy, if he got hurt or sick, everything.  

There was not enough air in the room. He couldn't breathe.

Wille stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the wooden floor and making a loud noise. Everyone turned to stare at him, conversations dying down. He stared at every face looking at him, and everything started spinning as he ran out, trying to get away from that room. He felt like a caged bird, fluttering his wings desperately yet being unable to get away. Every corner he tried he hit against one of the bars of the cage, and every second that passed they got closer and closer together.

He could smell his brother running after him, but he was faster than the beta. His footsteps brought him to the entrance door, and he did not waste a second before opening it up wide, running towards the forest. He only stopped once his surroundings were filled with trees and bushes and fallen leaves. Then he dropped down to the ground, laying against the grass, and stared up at the sky. His chest was heaving, trying to catch his breath, his mouth dry.

The trees were already changing colors, announcing the imminent arrival of autumn.  Soon enough the leaves would start falling down, covering the ground in a thick blanket of red, brown and orange. The air was already turning colder, the blowing wind making his warm body cool down, little by little. Thankfully, no one had followed him out that far. He couldn't smell nor hear anybody in the distance. 

Wille knew he would have a lot of explaining to do once he went back. His mother would surely be fuming, and would make him apologize first thing to the southern pack's head alpha. But Wilhelm could not take a second longer inside that room. The walls felt like they were crushing him, the space getting smaller by the second. All he could think about was Simon, and what he had said to him. 

We were playing around with borrowed time, Wille.

He was right. As much as the alpha hated to admit it, he was right. What was he thinking? That he would be able to go against his family, break off a mating as big as this one? The other packs were still there, waiting to witness the alliance of the biggest packs in their territory. There were a lot of things at stake. If the mating was called off, they could even risk going to war, the southern taking it as an embarrassment in front of so many leaders. The relations between the two packs were still fresh, fragile. One tiny mistake could bring it all down, shatter everything with no chance of return.

Even if he wanted to fight them, Wille had recently presented as an alpha. They would never take him seriously, even if he was 18 moons of age. He wanted to laugh at their hypocrisy. He wasn't ready to choose his own path, but was ready to have pups?

He felt like screaming. He was out of the meeting room, but was still a caged bird. He was stuck in place, with nowhere to go, no way out. How could he speak up, say he didn't want this mating? 

Wilhelm didn't realize how long he stayed there, laying down on the ground and staring up at the clear blue sky, until he smelled ripe strawberries wafting through the air. He quickly raised his body into a sitting position, turning to look over his shoulder. Fiamma took one silent step after the other, hands grazing at the trunks to help her step over the obstacles. Her yellow dress was stark against the colors of nature, setting her apart from everything else, long blonde hair falling loose around her shoulders. Her gray orbs did not look his way until she was standing right beside him.

Wilhelm stared up at her, waiting. He didn't know what she wanted, but he was thankful that it was neither his brother or one of his father's wolves. After a moment too long of silence, he diverted his stare elsewhere, glancing at the forest instead. Fiamma sighed, looking away as well, then sat down on the ground. The alpha glanced back at her, surprised. From the way she was carefully trekking through the woods, it seemed like she did not want to get dirty. 

“What was that?” She asked, suddenly.

“...Nothing.” He gazed at the forest.

Another long moment where none of them said anything.

“Do you…” She cleared her throat. “Do you feel well?”

“What?” The alpha furrowed his eyebrows.

“The way you ran. I just… Forget it.” She shrugged her shoulders, still not looking at him.

He and Fiamma hadn't spoken much. They had had very few interactions over the few weeks she had been there. It wasn't some sort of worry over him that she was showing, that much he knew. It was just some shroud of human decency, something that she hardly showed, and now Wille knew she possessed. Nevertheless, it left him surprised.

“I… I feel fine… now, at least,” He answered hesitantly.

The wind blew in their direction, bringing her scent towards him. There was nothing else along with it, no emotion at all being surpassed. Wilhelm had no clue what she was feeling, but at the same time he hoped she wasn't searching for any emotions on his scent, because what he was feeling was not something he would be able to explain.

“I know you do not want this mating, Wilhelm,” She said, taking a small leaf from the ground. “You have made that crystal clear, I'm afraid. But… I need this mating to happen. Not only for our packs, but-” The omega interrupted herself, biting her lip. She glanced away, mask of indifference slipping away for a second. “What I mean is… I understand that you and your wolf might feel wronged because of it, but your pack and mine… I mean, imagine what the two of us could do together. The changes, the progress we could bring. We would be unstoppable.”

The alpha was confused. He knew that. He was aware of everything she had said, and yet… there was something underlying her words. There was something deeper, and he had no idea what. He could see from her tone how important that was for her, the first time she had shown true emotion, through voice and expression. 

“I don't understand, Fiamma. A simple alliance could do, why do we have to tie ourselves together for eternity for that to be possible?” Wilhelm stared at her profile, waiting for one single twitch of her eyes towards him, so he could see what she was feeling, truly.

“No, Wille, that wouldn't do,” She huffed. “A simple alliance is what we, the southern pack, have with the eastern pack. Yet at the first sign of a war, they would not help us against you. Alliances can be broken, agreements can be undone. A bond like a mating? That can never end. The north is powerful, influential, greater than any of us out there. Joining the north and south, we can have a bigger number of wolves than all of the other packs joined together. Can you imagine that? Just two packs having more wolves than six packs together?”

The way she spoke, it was almost like the south was running from something. Wille noticed then that he knew almost nothing from the southern pack besides the fact that they produced weapons and that their climate was of almost a constant winter. He had never visited, nor had his parents. He knew they had an alliance with the eastern pack and good relations with the western, but nothing else. He didn't even know that the Head family had had an omega daughter. 

Could they be having trouble with one of the smaller packs? No… That was impossible. No pack would dare try something with the southern, not with the risk of getting cut off and losing their biggest weaponry supplier. Everyone out there had traded with them, and they knew how pointy sharp and deadly their arrows and spears could be. A fight with them would be suicide. Besides, he had seen the leaders interacting at the choosing ceremony, and none of them seemed hostile towards the other.

So… What could it be? What was Fiamma hiding?

Today would not be the day he would find out, it seemed. The Head Alpha's wolves had come in search of them, their scents drawing closer. Wille and Fiamma both looked in the direction they were coming from at the same time, and the alpha stood up with a sigh of resignation. They would always find him. No matter where he was, where he would hide. There was no place far enough inside that pack that he could go to find a small moment of peace. They would always find him.

*****

Simon has had many awful days, weeks, and months during his life. He believed that the worst one to date had been the month he presented. At first, it had been him and his beta father, alone in the cabin. When the heat struck him, his father had been as still as a statue, speechless. Then, the man locked him inside his chambers, leaving food and water outside the door. The first cycle that hits a wolf is always the worst one, so he could not stand from his bed without dropping to the floor and writhing in pain, curling in on himself to try to stop the cramps.

Betas did not have cycles. His father hadn't been prepared for one, believing Simon to be a beta like him ever since he was born. He couldn't blame the man, even when he had to crawl to the door, passing out from pain most times, just to grab a cup of water and bread to fill his stomach. He figured out, days after he had emerged from his cycle, that his father had not even been at home during those days. He came just to fill the cup and give him food, then he left again, refusing to be anywhere near his omega son.

It was impossible to hide then, from his disgust and the two weeks isolated, that Simon had presented as an omega. He was taken to see the Head Alpha, and then the healer to confirm his sub-gender, and then to a group of Elders to decide his destiny. It took another whole week of that come and go. On the fourth and final week, all Elders and all Head families from the coastal packs had gathered at the town hall to finally decide if he would stay or go. 

During that entire month, he had been scared. He didn't understand what was going on, the changes to his body overwhelming him. He was still getting in touch with his inner wolf, his scent glands were sensitive and emotions messy. He went through a storm of feelings, and then ended up thrown out from his birth pack, completely alone, having to fend for himself and cross over many miles to find a home again.

So you could say his life had not been easy, from the start. He had been through tough things, but he might just change the number one place to that past week and a half. 

After he had left Wilhelm in that clearing, his days had been almost numb. He could not bring himself to care even when he was screamed at by the Head Cook, or if he heard snickers and bad words thrown at him. One day, an omega had kicked the water bucket he was using to wash the cutlery. He was sitting down beside it, and the water had completely drenched him, but he could only stare, without reacting. The omega had laughed out a not-at-all regretful ‘sorry’, but he didn't even look at her. 

Henry asked him everyday if he was feeling well, and everyday he got the same detached answer of ‘I'm fine’. Simon had thrown himself into his tasks, getting up early to avoid seeing Wilhelm on his way to the kitchens and leaving late, taking the long way home to not pass through that clearing. It was funny how, soon enough, it would be two full weeks since the last time he saw the alpha, the same amount of time he had been meeting up with him in secret, yet it felt like no time at all had passed.

There was a before Wilhelm, and an after Wilhelm. 

He thought that he knew the alpha. Or, well, knew of him. But getting to know Wille, talking to him… That was different. He could never go back to not knowing him. He would always carry those two short weeks with him for the rest of his life, because in no way would he be able to forget what the alpha had made him feel. How he made him feel. 

Along with that, Simon had shifted continuously into his wolf form over the course of those days, and now he hadn't shifted ever since that day. His omega was tense, wanting to be let out, but Simon couldn't risk it. Before Wilhelm, he could count on his fingers how many times he had shifted into his wolf form. Now, after knowing what it felt like to constantly be in contact with that side of him, he didn't know how to go back to normal.

In short, the sum of it all had turned into a sweet form of torture to him. He counted the days to the mating ceremony, and the closer it got, the more he wanted to just… stop fighting. Get his things and just go somewhere else, live as a rogue, away from the judgment, and his miserable little life, and the expectations of a future that would never happen. How is it that someone can wish so strongly, and yet never be capable to make it all come true? 

“Are you even listening to me?” A snotty voice drew him back to reality, making him blink repeatedly until he focused back on the person in front of him.

The omega with the apple scent had her arms crossed, an annoyed expression on her face as she stared down at Simon. He had finally found out that the girl's name was Jia, and that she was a bitch to everyone, not just him. But him in specific, mostly. He had no idea what he had done to her, but she had always treated him that way, it had just gotten worse after he had decided to clap back at her.

Jia scoffed, “Seriously… I don't know why they accepted you here. You are useless.” She turned to grab a wooden box, filled to the brim with cutlery and dishware bathed in gold. “Polish these. They are to be used during the feast before the mating ceremony. Head Omega's orders. Be sure to finish it all before the sunrise.”

Then she pushed the box in his arms, and started walking away, throwing her hair over her shoulder. But then she stopped in her tracks, turning around to face him.

“Oh, and be careful. They belong to the southern pack,” She narrowed her eyes, a small smirk growing on her lips. “They were a mating gift to the Head Omega and Alpha, so if you get even a teeny tiny scrape on them, you're dead.” Then she finally left, leaving Simon alone.

He stared down at the expensive cutlery. They were beautifully designed, immaculate even though they must be hundreds of years old. He could never imagine using those things to eat. 

This was his life. Destined to polish plates until they gleamed and glistened just to be used at the alpha of his dreams’ mating ceremony. He sighed, tucking himself in a corner to begin working. 

He focused completely on what he was doing, tuning out from the other sounds inside the kitchens. He could never tune out his thoughts, though. They all wandered towards those hazelnut eyes and reddish brown hair. He was so tired. Everyday of the past week had been like this, and he had hated every second of it. His wolf was angry at him for rejecting the alpha like that, rejecting their bond. But it would never understand reason, it would never know how that ‘bond’ was nothing but an illusion. They could never be together. 

As the day passed, the pack started preparing more for the ceremony. A carpet of flowers had been spread out at the lake, the chosen place for the ceremony. Since it would be a full moon, they wanted it to be completely visible so it bathed the soon-to-be mates, blessing their union. The Elders had retired from their positions in the pack, secluding at a temple somewhere far north inside their territory to pray to the moon Goddess. 

There was a giddy atmosphere at the pack, the wolves could not stop talking about it, the preparations reaching their homes. They would talk about the pelts they would use, the clothings, and the food they would eat at the feast. There was no other topic of conversation, it was all they spoke of. 

The mating would be three days from then. Everything in Simon screamed at him to do something, even if it was running far, far away. But he fought that urge, had been fighting it since the first day after he had left Wille. He did not know how much more strength he had left in him. 

When the sun started touching the trees in the distance, bathing everything in an orange light, he had finished polishing the last spoon. The Head Cook released him from his work, and he went home.

 He trekked through the woods, eyes staring down at the ground while he walked, mind distant. 

It wasn't until he heard the noises that he noticed the other presence, or presences, in the distance. He usually took the path deeper in the woods, far from the bustling of the village, in hopes of not meeting Wilhelm. This time he wasn't so lucky, he realized, after smelling the heavy scent of warm sea air. 

His head snapped up once he smelled it, and his ears twitched, trying to hear more. There were snippets of a conversation, but he was too far away to hear clearly. Through a gap between two trees, he could see Wilhelm's back, arm stretched above him as he leaned against a tree. For a minute, no, a second, he allowed himself the luxury of that sight. He got closer to the trees, hands leaning on it as he peeked at the alpha. He could not get any closer or stay too long, or else his scent would permeate the air and reach the alpha in no time at all. 

One, two, three, four seconds passed of pure bliss, his lungs filling with his scent, the feeling of finally being able to breathe after so long washing over him. Then it all came crashing down, when the smell of freshly picked strawberries mixed with salt air, and a beautiful omega wearing a red tunic and trousers stepped out from in front of Wilhelm with a small and contained smile.

He turned his back to the scene at once, walking away as quietly as he could before any of the two could see him. His eyes were wide, heart racing as he retreated back towards the towsquare, changing paths towards his cabin.

He didn't know why the scene had shocked him. Fiamma was his omega, of course they would be together. Maybe he was expecting some sort of rejection towards the mating from Wilhelm, some part of him that wished to still be with the alpha. But he forced himself to be happy with this, think of it as a good thing. He had moved on from Simon, he would mate the blonde omega and live a happy life.

Suddenly, the prospect of watching that unfold in front of his eyes did not seem that bearable. His heart tightened, and he imagined himself watching the mating ceremony, watching the two wolves bite each other in front of the moon, the passing days, weeks, months, until they had their first pup, then standing in front of the pack wolves as a unit, presenting proudly. It burned at him, at every cell of his body, every inch of skin. 

No. He couldn't take it. It would be impossible. 

At that moment, he realized what he had to do. He stopped in his tracks, seeing the town hall in the distance, and he stared at it, eyes tired, but resigned. It would be hard, it would take a whole lot of him, but it was better than the alternative. He took a step forward, almost stopping, but then he took another. And another. And another. The more steps he took, the easier it got, and the more the will was cemented on him. This was it. 

He had to leave the pack, for good.

****

“Wilhelm, son, have you heard from your mother? Is everything set for tonight?” His father asked, making him turn his gaze towards the tall man instantly.

“Oh, yes,” He responded, realizing what the alpha was talking about. “She requested that we be ready by sundown.”

“Great!” His father said, turning back to the scrolls on top of his wooden table.

The two of them were at the town hall, one of the rare moments of that month when he was allowed to attend his tasks as the future Head Alpha. He would usually sit with his father, learning quietly and helping with minor stuff. Wille actually enjoyed those moments, when they worked in silence, side by side. He liked learning, even the more annoying parts of it, like reading petitions or summing the amount of crops they had traded the past month, and how much was left, how much it lacked. 

He had learned to enjoy it more after staying at the Head Cabin during the entire month to discuss the mating. This was so much better than that.

That night, they would be receiving the southern pack's Head Omega. She had stayed back at their pack, since it was hard to leave it unattended. Most of the pack leaders that had come to the choosing ceremony had left at least the Head Alpha or Omega back at the pack, so it was not that unusual. 

The Head Omega of the southern pack was the one that had been next in line to lead the pack, their Head Alpha being a common pure-blood from one of their families. She was rumored to be a cold woman, never leaving the pack, never showing much of herself in public. His mother was on edge because of that, wanting everything to be perfect for the woman's arrival.

He was reading over a report from one of their farmers, of how much they had planted and how much it was reaped when one of the workers from the hall barged in the room, breathless. Both him and his father raised their heads, watching the beta woman cross the space between the doors and the long wooden table they were sitting at, holding a scroll. The woman had her eyes wide, red hair a mess as she reached his father across from him.

“Head Alpha, my apologies,” She panted, straightening up and clearing her throat, collecting herself. “It is just that… one of the pack wolves made an official request yesterday at sundown, and-”

“You barged in here just to say that?” His father frowned, voice harsh. “We receive official requests everyday. Put it with the others. I will read it in due time.”

The beta widened her eyes, sweating. “No, Head Alpha. It was a request to leave the pack. Permanently.” Wilhelm freezed at that. His father's demeanor changed, body tensing and his jaw clenching. “It was received after most of our wolves had gone home, so it was read this morning. I came as soon as I heard.”

No wolf had ever asked to leave the northern pack. The last wolf to ever leave out of his own free will had been an alpha that wanted to mate with an omega from the western pack. And that had been before his parents had begun leading the pack. It had been a huge commotion back in the day, from what his mother had told him. 

It was considered a shame on the pack if a wolf wanted to leave. All their instincts of uniting together to form a pack was all in favor of finding a home together. Building a safe place for everyone, for wolves to mate and have pups, work, hunt, all together. If a wolf wanted to leave, it meant that that home was not enough for them. That the pack had failed. If anyone heard of this… It would be nightmare.

“...What.” The Head Alpha asked, voice dry, staring the beta down.

The woman was nearly shaking under his father's gaze, probably regretting being the one to deliver the message. “There’s… There is more,” Her voice shook, eyes looking down at the scroll as she unrolled it. “It was one of the male omegas.”

Suddenly, Wilhelm's world stopped spinning.

A male omega. Wanting to leave the pack for good. He watched as his father took the scroll in his hands, reading over it cautiously. The beta woman took a step back, and Wille's eyes focused on his father's hands. His heart started racing, thinking of Simon saying that they should stop seeing each other for good. Had he meant it in more ways than one?

“Has he given a reason why?” The alpha asked, gritting his teeth. 

“It's- We, um…” 

“Speak!” The order rang in the silence, making the beta jump and Wille's heart race.

“No, Head Alpha. He has not.”

“Who received it? Bring the wolf to me, this instant!” The woman ran from the room, quicker on her feet than when she had come in.

Wilhelm hadn't taken his eyes off the scroll for a second. His mind was already racing, a million thoughts a second. He desperately hoped that it had been Lucian or Henry, but he knew it wasn't any of them. Lucian had been with them longer than he could remember, and Henry, though not that much, was still there for longer than Simon. Still, he couldn't help but hope.

The beta woman returned with an alpha man, who had his eyes down to the ground in pure fear. His father stood up, his looming height intimidating both wolves. Wilhelm could only see the moment the alpha had let go of the scroll, and his fingers twitched, wanting to reach for it.

“Did the omega tell you anything?” The woman asked the alpha, nervously.

“Nothing at all, sir. He came, asked for the request scroll and a feather, wrote and gave it to me, without saying another word. I just took it and put it on the pile with the others.” He explained.

Wilhelm, seeing that none of them were paying attention to him, he decided to just do it. He stretched a hand out, grabbing at the scroll quickly, opening it again. His eyes read over the letters, barely reading them, searching. His eyes frantically moved over the scroll, until he saw it, in cursive, beautiful letters, signed at the bottom, and his world came crashing down.

Simon Eriksson.

*

Wilhelm was at a loss of what to do. His father had asked him to leave the room, talking privately with the other two wolves. He stood outside, eyes wide and body still frozen in shock. Simon wanted to leave. He couldn't wrap his mind fully around that idea yet. His wolf, on the other hand, understood completely fine.

Our omega wants to leave. He wants to leave us.

It kept scratching at him, wanting him to shift and go after Simon. But he couldn't move. His legs were weighing tons and feeling like lead at the same time his heart raced as if he was preparing to run. Run to Simon. Stop him from leaving. If the prospect of not seeing the omega anymore was already painful enough, then the thought of not seeing him ever again was practically tearing at him. Before, he at least knew that he was out there, but now… where would he go? 

Would other packs accept him? Would he go back to his birth pack, try his luck? Or would he simply… live as a rogue?

No, that was impossible. Living as a rogue meant fully giving into your instincts. It was letting go completely of your humanity, choosing your wolf side and living like it, forever. That entire process was so serious that even those who weren’t pure-bloods could shift into their wolf forms, but to stay like that for the rest of its days. There were stories told around the bonfire of wolves that had turned rogue before leaving their pack. It mostly happened with mothers when their offspring were in danger, usually alphas. 

Alphas had that more dominant trait, which led to them not thinking straight when faced with their animal instincts. They were born protectors, and when their duty to protect was challenged, they would fall into a dangerous headspace, wanting to tear at everything in their path in a murderous way. To other sub-genders, it was not that serious, though they were all still wolves, and wolves are led by instinct, no matter dominant or submissive. 

If Simon actually got lost like that, choosing to give up his humanity completely… Wilhelm would never see him again. As an omega in these woods, specially the unmarked lands where rogues ran free, it would be way too dangerous for him. Simon would be risking his life, his safety, everything. If anything happened to him, no one would know.

His line of thought was interrupted by the sound of the heavy wooden door behind him being opened. The beta and alpha left, shoulders tense and head facing the ground, skittering away after stopping for half a second to bow slightly to him, then they were gone. He glanced back at the room, seeing his father standing up with his hands leaned on the table, head hanging between his shoulders. The young alpha walked in, taking one step at a time.

“What… Have you decided, father?” He asked, voice a mere whisper in the silence. His heart was racing in his chest.

His father glanced up, a deep frown on his face. “I decided to let the omega go.” His stomach sank. “There is no reason to keep him here if he wants to leave.”

“B-But… He has nowhere else to go. No other packs beside us accept male omegas,” He tried arguing, voice shaking. 

The older man raised an eyebrow, straightening his back and crossing his arms. “Where he chooses to go is not my problem, nor yours. Not anymore. I have signed his request, he is no longer a northern pack wolf.” He clicked his tongue, “That omega could have at least waited until after the mating ceremony. Now we have to hide that he is leaving from the entire pack and especially from the other packs staying here. What a nuisance.”

Wilhelm gritted his teeth. He is no longer a northern pack wolf. How could his father just discard the omega like that, as if it was nothing? Why couldn't he investigate further what had led him to want to leave? 

Apparently, receiving the northern Head Omega was more important. Keeping up appearances was more important. If his wolves were being treated unfairly constantly and for years, it was not a problem for him.

Instead of doing what he wanted to do and scream at his father, he turned around and stormed off. He left the town hall in a hurry, seeing the sun in the sky start its course to begin setting. He should go home, get dressed to receive the Head Omega as his mother had ordered, since the woman must be on her way this instant, but he dashed to the opposite side.

Once, very briefly, Simon had mentioned where he lived. Maybe if Wille ran to get there before his father's wolves, he could stop Simon from leaving. Talk to him, make him go back on that idea. He could rip that request to shreds, like it had never existed. Simon would be one of them again.

He ran, and ran, and ran. Once he saw a tiny wooden cabin, almost falling to pieces in the distance, he sighed in relief. He got closer with quick steps, heaving, then knocked on the door. Nothing. He knocked again, peeking on the window beside it, trying to see if there was someone inside.

“Simon!” He called, mentally begging for him to answer. 

When no one answered again, he twisted the doorknob, the lock giving in easily. Once he took a step inside, he was hit full force with the scent of an orange orchard, cherries and cinnamon flowers. All of the scents were mixed together, clearly indicating that they all had lived together for some time now. But the scents were faded, which meant that nobody had been inside in hours.

Biting his lip nervously, he turned back around, closing the door behind him. Then he circled the cabin, finding a small garden of vegetables and other flowers and plants Wille did not recognize. There was no scent in the air, no one in the nearby vicinity. But he couldn't lose hope. So he ran to the next place he could remember when he thought of Simon. The clearing where they usually met.

His heart was beating fast with hope of finding the omega, but the place was empty. Of course it was. What was he thinking? That Simon, who was avoiding him like the plague, would be there, at that exact spot? That he would want to say goodbye to the alpha before leaving? The wind was blowing gently, ruffling the trees, the sun bathing it in a warm light. He leaned on a tree, trying to catch his breath. He had never ran so much in his life, not even when he was training with the hunting team. Droplets of sweat fell down his forehead and temples, his tunic clinging to his skin. No, the omega had made it clear to him where he stood in regards to the two of them. But where could Simon be?

Then, it hit him. Working. That’s where Simon was. At the kitchens, working like he did everyday at this time. With eyes wide and mouth dry from inhaling air back in his lungs, he went back to running, this time towards the town square. If he couldn't find Simon even then… His father's wolves would have already escorted him out of the pack. He prayed that was not it.

When he finally reached the town square, many of the wolves were bustling around, leaving their work to go home. Some of them, after recognizing him, bowed down and greeted the alpha, but he couldn't bring himself to pay any attention. He strained his neck to peek above the crowd, pushing at them to open a path he could walk through, trying to reach the kitchens behind the dining hall. He ran, colliding into other wolves and bumping accidentally. He didn't even apologize, his mind just thinking of Simon, over and over again. 

Once he finally arrived, there was a group of people standing outside. He frowned, crossing the remaining distance. He hoped to see Simon among them, but there was just the Head Cook, the Head Healer, an alpha Elder and a couple wolves Wille did not recognize. The Elders must have returned from their retreat to the temple in order to receive the Head Omega from the northern pack, which would explain their presence there. He could hear the Head Cook screaming, causing a commotion.

“Why would you leave that in his hands?! You should have predicted this was going to happen! This is your fault!” He screamed, and Wille stepped inside the little circle they had formed. “Oh, future Head Alpha! Thank Goddess you are here!”

“What happened?” He asked, nearly panting.

“Something terrible, terrible!” The beta said, nearly crying. His face was red with anger, hands fisted. “The gold cutlery from the southern pack has been stolen!”

“What? What do you mean?” 

He could care less about the gold cutlery. He tried peeking inside through the row of windows, trying to find Simon. The place was empty, only the people outside were present. His shoulders sagged almost immediately. No sign of the omega

“Yes, future Head Alpha! That male omega-” His eyes snapped back towards the cook's face. But he was interrupted before he could say anything else.

“Do not make any accusations you cannot prove, Elias!” The Head Healer said, voice imposing.

“What more proof do you need, Alma?! Jia said she gave it to him to polish, and when she went to grab it, it was gone! Gone! Now he suddenly moves away to work at a remote farm?! He stole it and ran away, I am sure of it!”

“You do not know that! That is all based on your assumptions!” 

Wilhelm's eyes kept going back and forth between the beta and the omega. He didn't understand what was going on, who they were talking about. Henry was a male omega who also worked there, so they could be talking about him. But something inside him said that it was not Henry. 

Now he suddenly moves away to work at a remote farm.

So that was the excuse his father was going with. His hands tightened into fists. Simon wouldn't do that. He would never steal. Why were they accusing him? He glanced at Jia, one of the wolves he was not familiar with. She had her head down, but she wasn't as tense as the other omega with her. Wille narrowed his eyes, sniffing the air. He could only smell the other girl's distressed scent, nothing from Jia.

“Future Head Alpha, if you allow me,” The Elder, an alpha named Corio, turned to him. “The problem seems to be that the cutlery given by the south to be used at your mating ceremony has gone missing. It was a mating gift to the Head Alpha and Omega from the southern pack, so it holds immense value.”

“And now, Elias pointed out omega Simon as the culprit, when he has no proof,” Alma completed, throwing a fuming glance towards the beta. The cook had the guts to hold that stare and throw an even nastier one towards the old woman. “Omega Jia had the cutlery and apparently gave it to Simon to polish, when it was her work.”

“Head Healer, I promise, it’s not my-”

“Quiet, child!” Alma silenced her, making the omega flinch. The Elder had a way with her voice that led everyone to comply, her tone unforgivingly dominant for an omega.

“Let her speak, Alma!” Elias said with a scoff. 

“I-I… I had chores to do at the kitchens as well. I gave them to omega Simon because the task had to be done as soon as possible. I left before he was finished polishing, so I don't know what happened after,” She explained herself, biting her lip. She fiddled with her fingers, finally showing some nervousness.

“Alright, but have any of you seen Simon after last night?” Wilhelm asked, eyes going back and forth among the people standing there. The omega had given his request last night as well, and after that everything seemed to be blurry, for everyone.

“I have,” The omega beside Jia finally said something, raising her eyes for a second, then looking down again. “I saw him when he left, and also this morning.”

“Did he have anything with him as he was leaving, Teresa?” The healer asked, voice softer.

“No, Elder Alma. His hands were bare.”

“There you have it!”

“That proves nothing,” The cook cut in, arms crossed. “He could have taken them this morning, when he left for good!”

“Did you see him take anything, Elias?! Stop making groundless accusations!”

“Your judgment is clouded, you have no say in this!”

“What do you mean with ‘my judgment is clouded’, you senseless-”

“What is the meaning of this?” A voice cut the two of them, silencing them both quickly.

Wilhelm was nearly jumping from one foot to another, having to contain his anxiety. All he wanted was to find Simon, fix this mess, but now an even bigger mess was coming, a huge storm brewing in the distance.

His mother walked towards them, a clutch of her wolves behind the woman. Her posture was imposing, nothing of the loving woman he knew at home. She was wearing her Head Omega persona, and she did not look as unforgiving as usual. 

“Head Omega!” The wolves all bowed to her, except for Wille. He was too on edge to think straight. 

His mother glanced at him, frowning. Then her eyes traveled down his attire, seeing that he was not ready to receive the southern pack Head Omega. Her frown deepened. She was completely ready, wearing a deep green flowing dress, jewelry placed strategically to make it look like it was part of the dress.

The Head Cook was the first to rise from his bow, quickly explaining to the woman his version of the facts, making every wolf snap their head towards him, Alma looking extremely displeased by it. Wilhelm widened his eyes, listening to him accuse Simon of everything, and he wanted to bite the cook's head off.

“...What?” 

His mother managed to sound even scarier than his father. When she heard the story, her eyes turned icy cold, her lips twisting in anger. She had been in a fuss the past days because of the imminent arrival soon to be there. She wanted everything to go perfect, and hearing that a mating gift had gone missing inside the pack, mere days from the ceremony, it surely set her off. Her face was turning reddish, her scent turning cloudy from anger. 

Wille's heart raced, and he turned away from the scene, grabbing at his hair and pulling. Others would think he was frustrated with the disappearance of the cutlery, but that was the last thing on his mind. He knew that Simon hadn't taken it, he was sure of it. All he wanted was to know where the omega was.

“How could you let this happen, Elias?! I trusted you with that cutlery set!” His mother hissed, anger crystal clear in her tone. “I don't want any more of your excuses. It is no use now. We have to find that set.” She turned her head slightly to peer over her shoulder, looking at one of the omegas behind her. “Find me that omega. Whatever it takes. I want him alive, and I want that golden cutlery set in front of me before the Head Omega arrives. Go.”

The young alpha snapped his head towards where his mother was standing when he heard the command. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. His mind was racing, his heart beating so fast he wondered if anyone could hear. He saw half the wolves behind the omega scatter around, leaving just a few and the ones that were previously there before she had arrived.

“You are all dismissed. I will speak to my mate, and we will find a solution. But know that if we do not find that male omega, Elias and Jia will answer to his punishment,” Her voice was cold, and Jia widened her eyes, mouth opening and closing over and over again. She started shaking, looking scared out of her life, as was the cook. Before his mother left, she turned to him. “Oh and Wille, dear, go change. You were supposed to be ready an hour ago.”

Get ready. Get ready? How in the world would he do that? He gave zero fucks about the Head Omega, or the mating ceremony, or anything else. There was a crisis happening and his mother was thinking about his appearance? He was a brink away from losing his sanity. His wolf demanded for their omega, but they were unable to find him. What did that make of him as an alpha? He was incapable of finding their mate. If they had exchanged the bite none of this-

He shook his head. What the hell. His wolf was getting to him once again. He needed to think clearly. He had to find Simon, before any of them did. After his mother spoke to his father, every wolf would be searching for the omega, and he could very much still be inside the pack. He feared what could be done to him. They could injure him badly if they truly believed he had stolen the cutlery.

A cold hand touched his shoulder, startling him. The alpha gazed at Alma, seeing that they were now the only ones standing in front of the kitchens. His breathing was accelerated, his eyes still surprised and scared. The healer turned to him, worry all over her face.

“I know omega Simon. I know he is not the culprit. But with the circumstances… I fear what they will choose as a punishment to that poor boy,” She sighed, her scent turning sad as she stared at the path his mother had disappeared from.

“You mean the fact that he is an omega?” Wilhelm asked.

Alma tilted her head, looking back at the boy. “I mean the fact that he is no longer a pack wolf. Lucian told me as soon as he heard,” She paused, making Wille's stomach sink. He realized then what she meant. “Before, when he was still a northern pack omega, he would answer to our rules and judgment. Now, he does not belong to any pack, since your father had already signed the request to leave. Once he is found, he will be judged and sentenced as a rogue. They could very well decide that he should hang for it.”

*****

“But, Simon, why?” Henry's shaken up voice asked.

“You have to water them regularly, or else they will wilt and die. The potatoes not so much, they are very sturdy and self-preserved. Just water them once a week, it will be enough.” 

They were both sitting at the table inside their cabin, and Simon had a scroll in hands where he was writing everything about their tiny garden outside for Henry to take care of. An hour ago, one of the wolves who worked at the town hall had come to the kitchens, asking Simon to accompany him, and Henry had followed after them. Once outside, the beta had said that his request had been accepted, but that he must leave quietly and before the Head Omega of the southern pack had arrived. The beta woman spoke to the Head Cook and said that Simon was going to be relocated to work at one of the remote farms inside the pack, as an official order from the Head Alpha.

Henry had heard it all, and once Simon had been dismissed to grab his belongings and given an hour until she came back to accompany him to the edge of their territory, the red-headed omega had urgently approached him. He had asked incessantly why he was leaving, what did it meant, if he had been cast out once again, but the boy had only responded that it was his choice, and that he couldn't stay at that pack any longer. Simon refused to say why, knowing that the story was too complicated, too dangerous for him to be saying out loud. No one could know of his involvement with Wilhelm.

The omega gathered every pelt he had made himself, with the skin of his own hunts, and took some of the seeds from the garden, along with dried herbs that were hanging by their window. He had nothing else. Now Henry sat with him while he gave the instructions for things he usually did himself, without the red-head's help. The other omega was still restless, wanting to know the true reason why the boy was leaving.

“There are also the seeds. If you need more of them, I usually buy from Timothy at the end of the market. He has the best prices,” He continued, writing it all down at the same time.

A hand grabbed at his, stopping him from writing any more. He glanced up, startled. Very rarely Henry touched him. His orange like scent was sour, and his eyebrows were furrowed. 

“Simon… What happened?” He asked, voice softer than before. “Ever since the beginning of the month, you have been acting weird. You think we don't see you, but even Lucian came to me asking why you were sneaking out every night. Then you changed completely, and haven't been acting like yourself for days. Now you want to leave? Please, at least give me an explanation. What am I supposed to tell Lucian?”

Simon glanced down at the pale hand still on top of his. He cared. Henry cared, at least a little bit about him. That spread a warm feeling on his chest, and the corner of his lips rose a bit. He raised his free hand putting it on top of Henry's, then sighed before starting.

“Have you ever seen the sea, Henry?”

Henry took a while longer to answer. “...No, can't say I have.”

“Well… Living in front of it, it gives you a perspective of how big the world can be. The water stretches for miles and miles away, you can't see where it ends and where it begins. When the sun sets, it swallows it whole. And then it spits out the moon. When I was a child, I always wondered where they went, before learning the truth. But I still wonder what is on the other side of that huge sea,” He looked up, staring at Henry's confused eyes. “When I arrived at the northern pack, I thought that there was more planned out for me. But there isn't. There is nothing here for me, for us. I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what it could have been. I don't want to torture myself with what ifs, not anymore. I want to find my home, the place where I truly belong. So I need to leave.”

Henry stared at him, silent. He could see that the omega understood now what he meant. Maybe, in another life, he and Henry could have been best friends. But in this reality, they were both too broken and too censored by the other wolves to do anything other than breathing quietly. He wished that had had the opportunity to get to know the other omega better before he left. He would miss both him and Lucian.

A knock on the door drew their attention, and they both stood up. Henry stretched a hand to open it, and the beta woman stood there, waiting for Simon. The omega grabbed his pack with his very few belongings, then turned to Henry. The red-head watched him take a step outside, then he smiled, nodding once.

“I hope you have a safe journey, Simon. Thank you. For everything,” He said. Then, he seemed to consider something for a second, glancing at the beta woman. Henry then surprised him once again, by throwing his arms around the boy and hugging him tightly. “Make sure to find what you are looking for.” 

He let go of Simon a second later, the ghost of the hug still there, making him wonder if it had actually happened. The curly haired boy smiled, nodding once. He would find his home, whatever it cost.

“I must warn, you are not to say a word of omega Simon's departure. The Head Alpha gave strict orders of how secretive this whole process must be.” The beta woman had her arms crossed, eyes narrowed towards Henry. 

The boy nodded a few times, tense. “I won't say anything, I promise.”

The beta nodded, then gestured with a hand to Simon to follow her. The omega sent the red-head one final look, then he left. The woman guided him through the forest, not looking back at him once. They walked and walked, until they had distanced themselves so much his wolf had become restless, being able to smell the border of the territory. The closer they got, the more he was able to smell the outside, the clear and immaculate air of the part of the forest that did not belong to any pack. The beta woman stopped, turning to him.

“I cannot go any further. You must continue on your own now, omega.” 

Simon took a deep breath, nodding once. “Thank you.”

The beta nodded, giving him space to pass. “Good luck.” Then she turned and left, like she had never been there.

Simon glanced back at the forest, tightening his hold on his pack. Then he took a step further, and crossed over the border.

Chapter Text

The sun started setting in the distance. The omega hadn't been walking for long, but his wolf didn't like the fact that they were leaving another pack. Each step further away felt like too much time had passed, his omega urging him to go back. It warned him at how dangerous this was without their alpha.

He hated every single time he thought about Wilhelm that way. The brief time he had been with the alpha, it had been enough to fully cement the idea of him as theirs. 

Simon realized, as he walked, that he had forgotten about the smell of packless land. Unconsciously, he had his guard up, ears strained for any sudden noises and nose in the air to smell any different scents. Sometimes, the hunting team had to travel this far out to hunt properly, because the bigger prey never entered the pack's territory. They could smell their predator scent, the danger as soon as they stepped foot on the land.

Crack.

His head snapped towards the direction of the sound, body stilling. He couldn't smell or see anyone, which meant it could probably be just a rabbit, or the unknown presence was just too far away. With quick and silent steps, he dodged behind a tree, crouching down and making himself invisible. He already smelled like flowers and earth, so he could just hope that his omega's scent wouldn't give him away. He slowed down his breathing, waiting, listening.

Nothing.

Then another sound, this time a hiss. 

Someone, a wolf, was nearing his location. Simon breathed in, trying to get a whiff of their scent. The colder autumn air filled his lungs, along with the sweet scent of red roses, and a sharp tang of something else. 

Blood.

It was clearly an omega, from the underlying scent beneath the roses. A hurt omega. Could it be a rogue? No, highly unlikely. Rogues had a wilder scent to them, like they belonged to the unmarked forest. Maybe it was a wolf from his pack?

Not your pack anymore. His mind supplied, bitterly. 

Someone from the northern pack, then. It could be, since he was still close to their territory. The wolf let out a wince, and he tensed again. Should he go help her? His nurturing side felt awful over just hiding when there was another wolf out there, hurt and bleeding. There seemed to be just her, no other scent in the near distance. 

He stood up, peeking from behind the tree. His eyes flew around the scenery of red and orangish trees, searching. Then he saw it, an inch of a white pelt, right behind another tree meters away. He sighed, deciding to just do it. 

As soon as he stepped away from his tree, the wolf could smell him. “Who's there?”

He stilled.

It was a male voice.

“Hello?” He asked again, moving slightly, the white pelt disappearing from his line of sight.

A male omega. He widened his eyes, resuming his walk. He took careful and slow steps, nearing the omega, careful not to startle him.

“My name is Simon. I just want to help,” He responded, letting out calming pheromones on his way, trying to ease the other.

By then, the wolf had realized that he was also a male omega. The white pelt reappeared, and then a head peaked out. The man was older than Simon, which he had mostly predicted from the mature voice that called out at first. He might have been a few years older than Lucian, or maybe his age. The omega had longer blond hair, neatly braided behind his back. What struck him had been his eyes, clearer than any other he had seen, the orbs almost absent of color.

Simon pulled away from that gaze that pinned him down, eyes following down to see the area where the wolf was hunched over, protecting it. His trousers were ripped at the seam, blood soaking it and his hands. The curly haired boy stopped walking, both hands in the air, then calmly talked to him.

“Let me help you. I can make a salve with a few herbs in my pack. It will help with the healing.”

The omega analyzed him, eyes careful and guarded. His oversized pelts were dirtied, as was his pale skin. He was old enough to be a presented wolf for at least more than half his life. He had probably been cast out from his own pack a long time ago. Had he been living as a rogue this entire time? 

The older, after a few seconds, nodded once, tense. He slowly moved his hands away, showing the rip in his trousers. With one hand, he rolled the seam up, showing a cut circling his ankle. It wasn't that deep, but it was bleeding a lot. From the lighter color of the blood, it wasn't a serious cut.

Simon crossed the remaining distance, crouching in front of the omega. His light eyes were stuck to the boy, watching closely as he grabbed a small canteen from his pack, popping it open and pouring the water inside on top of the cut. The wolf winced, twitching his leg slightly. Simon glanced up, seeing how his jaw was clenched, trying to resist the urge to recoil. Once the wound was clean, he could see it more clearly. 

The younger turned around, grabbing his pack again and pulling out the dried herbs he had taken with him. From the little amount, he would have to use up most of it in order to make the salve. Using a big and flattened rock close to them as a make-shift table, he started crushing the leaves with a smaller and rounded rock, pouring some water in between to turn the powder into a paste. The other omega watched everything closely, in silence. Until he decided to speak.

“Are you from the northern pack?” 

Simon glanced up, stopping his movements. “No… not anymore.”

The omega hummed, not saying anything else, but he could see some curiosity in his eyes still.

“The northern is not my birth pack,” He explained. “I have been living with them for almost two moons, but I never felt like I belonged there, so the decision to go came to me easily.”

A moment of silence passed while Simon finished mixing the salve. He didn't look at the blond, focusing entirely on scraping the paste from the rock.

“Leaving a place that you used to call home is never easy.”

Simon glanced up, staring at the man. Yes, that was never easy. Just thinking about restarting everything, all over again, he felt exhausted. He wanted to just cry and throw a tantrum, let other people deal with his problem in his place, but he was unable to do that, not ever since his mother died.

“I don't think I've ever had a home after I presented.”

He said with resignation, but the other did not respond, lips in a straight line as he regarded the boy. Simon ignored the stare, taking the salve and very lightly spreading it over the cut on his leg. The greenish texture of the paste was stark against his pale skin, mostly unblemished. Instead of wondering about the omega, Simon decided on just asking while he stood up once again, ripping a large leaf from the tree above them. 

“And you? What are you doing out here, all alone?” He inquired, kneeling down again to place the leaf on top of the wound. “Were you trying to get to the northern pack?”

“Yes. I got a bit lost, since I am not used to these terrains,” He answered, wincing when Simon tied the leaf around his ankle with a string of fabric of his ripped pants, after the boy tore it out. “I am Andri. Thank you for helping me, Simon.”

Simon smiled, nodding. Andri probably heard that the northerners accepted male omegas in their pack, so that is the reason he had come. He just wondered what had taken him so long, since him, Henry and Lucian had all gone as soon as they presented. He refrained against asking about that, though, not wanting to sound rude. But something else nagged at him, something he wasn't able to hold back.

“I believe you are going to ask for shelter once you arrive there… But I must warn you, Andri,” Simon bit his lips, knowing now that it was too late to back down. “Even though the northern pack is popular because of their acceptance of male omegas among their people, the reality is quite different.”

The blond raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to Simon. “Really? In what way?” He seemed genuinely curious, so the younger responded, avidly.

“They do not treat us as kindly as it is said. We live separate from them, do not eat among them, and if it was possible, we wouldn't even work with them. Even if we are officially accepted, the pack wolves despise us.” 

He couldn't help the tone of bitterness in his voice. The fact that the situation was out of his control, that the problem was the others, made it all incredibly frustrating. He wished so badly that he could do something, change things, but it was impossible. That change laid in the hands of people with power, not on his own.

Andri had his eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed. He straightened up across from him, adjusting his hurt leg to be able to sit comfortably, careful not to mess Simon's bandage. He stared at the curly haired boy, in silence.

“What is your story, Simon?”

That startled the boy, who tilted his head in confusion. “What?”

“I would like to hear your story, if you'd let me. I am not leaving this spot anytime soon, so if you'd please entertain me, I would be very grateful.” 

Andri sent him a small, awkward smile, waiting for a response. Simon thought about it, wondering if it was worth it. The sun would set soon, and darkness would swallow the forest. He took his eyes off of the orange sky, looking down at the omega's crystal eyes. The only other male omegas he had met were Lucian and Henry. He probably wouldn't see the man again, and talking about it with someone, even if it was a stranger, sounded quite tempting. So he decided to comply, and began speaking.

He told Andri about how he had been born at the coastal packs, and how he was shunned the moment he presented. He went into detail of his journey to the northern pack, and then about his life as a male omega there. He was unable to hide his resentment, since it was a tough lump to swallow. The hardest part to speak of was about Wilhelm, though.

“And… I met someone at the pack,” He started, hesitantly. “I had an admiration of sorts for him before. Then I got to know him, and it was beautiful. I had never felt something like that before. Then reality came crashing through, and societal norms pushed us apart. We could never be together. But what I felt for him ran much, much deeper than a simple admiration. I fell completely, hopelessly in love with him.” Simon sighed, staring up at the purple sky. 

“You seem to believe that both of you are incapable of fighting for that love.”

The omega glanced down, seeing Andri already staring at him. “That's because we are. He is set to be mated to another omega, and he has a role to play as the…” He interrupted himself, before he revealed who Wilhelm was. If the older was going to be a part of the northern pack, he shouldn't know about him and the future Head Alpha.

The other omega stared at him, expectantly, but Simon pressed his lips together, eyes wandering elsewhere. Then Andri sighed, resigned.

“My life as a male omega was also very difficult,” He began. “My alpha father was a vile man, and he wanted to have me dead after I presented. I was so confused then, because my mother wouldn't look at me, and I knew my father blamed her for my sub-gender. Thankfully, the Elders decided against hanging me, instead choosing to throw me out of the pack. That process entirely took a long time, because my father fought valiantly to be my executioner himself. But I fought even harder.”

Simon listened attentively. Not much had changed in regards to male omegas in society, but things definitely got better after word spread about the northern accepting male omegas among them. When Andri was eighteen moons of age, that wasn't the case. The prejudice against them was much, much more ingrained. Lucian had that kind of hatred marked in his face for the rest of his days. He couldn't even fathom how hard it must have been for them.

“When I realized what was happening, I was seething mad. I was trained as an alpha before I presented, and suddenly I was being treated as lesser than a worm, when I was still a wolf, still a living and breathing being. My life was being played with as if it was nothing. So, even in the post heat haze, I made up my mind about something.” Andri was staring at his own hands, eyes fiery, as if just the memory of it set him off. “I challenged my father for a duel.” 

Simon stilled. A duel was a very, very serious thing. You defied someone for their position, for their status, and it was required that you had to fight your opponent to death. It was a custom from old ages that was still respected and performed to this day, though very rarely. For an omega, to defy an alpha… Andri must have been suicidal.

“I know that look,” Andri narrowed his molten silver eyes. “But I am standing here now, aren't I? I–”

The older stopped speaking all of a sudden, head snapping to their left. The muscles in his neck tensed as he raised his nose in the air, sniffing. Simon straightened up with the look in the other omega's eyes, glancing in the same direction, but he couldn't see or smell anything. When he glanced back at Andri, the omega had stood up, so silently that even with him standing right next to the other, he hadn't heard a single leaf ruffle. At the same time that the blond put his hands behind his back, searching for something, Simon was able to smell it.

Then he heard it. Or better, them. There were wolves coming towards them, all northerns. Many of them. The curly haired boy stood up, grabbing his pack and hugging it tightly. His eyes were wide, heart racing in his chest. Something flashed in the corner of his eyes, and he turned to see that Andri had pulled an object from his pelt. It was swallowed by his hand, but he could see how it caught on the light and reflected it slightly. It must be a small knife of sorts. Simon refrained from telling the other that it wouldn't help them, not against all of those trained wolves from the pack.

The first wolf appeared from behind a tree. The omega took a step back, closing in on Andri as he recognized the Head Hunter, alpha August, carrying a long spear in hand. After him, more wolves appeared.

The other wolves stopped walking, standing at a distance, but August continued. Once the Head Hunter took a few more steps closer to them, he tilted his head as he stared at Simon. He sniffed the air, something akin to realization flashing in his eyes. But he did not have time to dwell on it for long, because Andri beside Simon moved his arms so fast that the younger barely saw it. 

The object that he believed was a small knife was actually something else. It suddenly elongated, with small plates snapping into place as it curved and formed an arch. 

No, not an arch. A bow.  

Andri removed his white fuzzy pelt with a quick movement, revealing a quiver strapped to his back, the silver arrows glistening inside it. Simon widened his eyes at the same time that August growled from the sudden movements, raising his spear. The blond didn't even flinch, instead quickly grabbing an arrow behind his back and loading in the bow, drawing the string back until it was ready to shoot. 

If the bow was impressive, then the arrow was on another level entirely. The triangle shape of the tip was curved up and down at the ends, reminding Simon of the squids he used to play with when his mother came back from a fishing trip. The tip was so sharp that even just a small and soft touch would cut the skin open. The shaft was long and narrow, but it seemed heavy enough to stabilize the weight when it flew through the air. 

“Announce yourselves!” Andri demanded, voice loud and confident. “What is the meaning of this?”

Simon snapped his eyes to the male omega's face. He was being bold enough to point a weapon at the pack wolves and not wield under their power, and now he yelled at them. The younger was terrified for his and Andri's lives.

“We owe no explanation to male omegas!” A wolf yelled in the distance, tone condescending. He quickly looked in their direction, catching as August tensed in the corner of his eyes.

Before Simon could even glance back at Andri to see his reaction, the sound of the arrow cut the air, zipping past August and lodging on a tree, quite close to the source of the voice. The curled ends of the head of the arrow burrowed on the trunk with violent crack, making wooden splinters fly around. A few gasps were heard from the wolves nearby the tree, and before the younger omega could blink, another arrow was already in place in Andri's fancy bow.

Where had he gotten that? Had he made it himself? Simon had never seen something like that shrink-and-expand bow before, and the arrows… It was something out of that world. The northern wolves seemed to think so too, by the look in their eyes. Andri had given them a show of what those curled ends would do if they sank into soft flesh. 

“Believe me, you will want to explain yourselves to me. ” Andri said, his tone as sharp as his arrows, not an ounce of emotion other than a demand to be obeyed.

Alpha August maintained his stance with his spear up, even though he was aware that it was no match to Andri's speed. He would be dead before he hit the ground if he tried anything. He glanced quickly at Simon, eyes traveling up and down his body, seeming to search for something. Then he looked back at Andri, licking his lips before speaking.

“Simon Eriksson seems to have taken something that belongs to our pack before leaving. We are here to bring him back with us. Peacefully.”

His body froze in place.

“What?” Simon furrowed his eyebrows, his hold on his pack faltering. “What do you mean with ‘taken’?”

The omega searched his mind, trying to think of anything he had with him that wasn't selfly made or grown, but there was nothing. Even the pack he had stitched himself from one of his kills’ fur coats. 

“This is something to be discussed on pack grounds,” August announced, voice dropping to a lower tone. “Not in front of strangers. Now if you will please come with us, willingly–”

“What has he taken?” Andri interrupted. “Speak now or else he is not going anywhere with you.”

August narrowed his eyes, hands lowering, clearly losing his patience. “With all due respect, omega, this does not–”

“Omega Andri of Thorns,” A chill went down Simon's spine as the blond declared in a freezing tone. It was almost rehearsed as the cold autumn air billowed around them as if responding to the older omega. “You will want to address me with respect if you do not want one of these buried in your chest, alpha. Simon Eriksson is no longer a northern pack wolf, so he has no duty of obedience towards you or your Head Alpha. There are about a dozen alphas alone in that group of yours, some that clearly do not know how to respect an omega, and you call it ‘peaceful’? If you want to take packless omega Simon with you, you shall treat him as fairly as any other wolf and tell him what he has allegedly ‘taken’ before considering him guilty of anything.”

Simon was shaking. Why was Andri going so far? He wanted to nudge the other omega and just tell him to stop before they were ripped apart by those wolves, but he was more afraid of triggering the man in his war-ready stance and making him shoot an arrow accidentally. The blond hadn't moved an inch even since he had drawn the bow, his body as still as a statue. His aura screamed ‘dangerous’ and Simon did not feel like putting him to the test. 

August was seething, he could tell from the look in his eyes. He breathed in slowly, eyes unmoving from the other omega's face, jaw clenched. He spoke again without looking at Simon.

“The golden set of cutlery from the southern pack. That is what he has taken.”

…What?

Andri finally moved, head snapping to him and eyes widening. Simon, on the other hand, stared in shock at August. They thought he had stolen that set of cutlery? But… but that was impossible. He had polished and organized the cutlery one by one back inside the box Jia had given him. 

“I–I…” He stuttered, trying to make sense of what was happening. “I did not take anything! What are you talking about?!” 

“The set has gone missing right after you left the pack. Other workers reported that you were seen with it last, Simon Eriksson. So you shall come with us at once and present yourself in front of the Head Alpha and Omega, explain yourself to them.” 

Simon began to feel anger brew inside him. He had gone through some bad things inside that pack, but being accused of stealing? He clenched his jaw, arms falling loose on each side of his body, right hand clutching tightly at his pack. When he took the first step forward, Andri tensed, the string of his bow groaning as he pulled on it harder. A few wolves growled, the Head Hunter gripping his spear so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He took a few more steps, stopping exactly in the middle of the blond omega and August.

He harshly ripped open his pack, turning it over and dropping everything he had inside on the ground. A couple dried herbs fell, along with his empty canteen and the few pelts he had. Once all the objects had fallen, he shook the pack a few times, proving it to be empty, then let it fall along with the other stuff. 

“There is nothing with me. Tell me, how would I carry that amount of cutlery on this tiny pack? That is absurd!” He gritted out, cheeks warming from anger. All self-awareness had left his body after the accusation.

August pursed his lips, but he had seemed to realize that Simon did not have the cutlery with him way before, from the unsurprised look in his eyes. The sun was going down quickly, the dark seeping over the forest slowly as the last ounces of light faded. Soon enough, the moon would be above them and it would be hard to see clearly in their human forms.

“Still, I have strict orders to take you back to the pack with me–”

“Whose orders?” Andri cut in once again. Simon couldn't see him, but he could feel the arrow still pointed at August.

The alpha huffed through his nose, trying very hard to keep his anger in check. “The Head Omega,” He answered, stiffly.

“Call her here.”

Simon turned, widening his eyes. The blond was still in the same position, chin high in the air as he aimed, unmoving, still as a statue. What was he doing?

“Pardon me?” Even the Head Hunter seemed shocked by the request.

“Call your Head Omega here, and we will speak about this matter. Go on, now,” He repeated himself.

“Who do you think you are t–”

“I am done talking to you, alpha,” The omega interrupted, tone unforgivingly harsh. “I will now only speak with your leader.”

The cold breeze of the night gusted around them, the stunned silence of everyone present giving it space to flow freely. The curly haired boy's heart threatened to jump out if his throat. The corner of Andri's mouth raised slightly, a small smirk forming as his lips opened to form words that made Simon's world turn upside down.

“And she will speak to me. One Head Omega to another. Tell her the Head Omega of the southern pack sent this request himself.”  

****

Wilhelm had dashed from the town square at a speed unknown to his human form. Alma was left shocked and screaming after him as he disappeared from sight, not thinking of anything else other than Simon in danger, Simon being threatened by his father's wolves, Simon with a necklace of rope, being the next to hang…

His wolf was going crazy inside him, thrashing and growling. He could not even fathom the idea of the omega being hurt. His chest felt like it was caving in, his heart like it was being butchered at the mere thought of it. So, even if he lost everything he had by defying his parents, going against his own pack and the southern, just to have Simon safe in his arms… He would do it. In the blink of an eye.

He had no idea why he was holding on so hard, trying not to go after Simon, not fighting for him, for their love. Being apart was shattering him slowly, every single day, hour, second. He hated not feeling the smell of cinnamon flowers and wet grass around him constantly, not seeing Simon's dark eyes glittering in the moonlight as he laughed at Wille. Maybe that was why he had slept with the window open ever since that night.

The wind would blow inside his chambers through the small crack that was held open by the potted cinnamon flower, blowing its scent inside the room, towards the alpha. The moonlight would reflect on the glass of the window, and for a few seconds he could pretend he was somewhere else in the distance, with the one he wanted to be with.

But no make-believe would last for long. It would be only a matter of time before he snapped. Simon was wrong when he said that the two of them were never meant to be. They were, because Wille would choose so, and if the omega chose that as well, then all else be damned. If he had to run away with Simon, live as rogues for the rest of their lives, then so be it. He would choose Simon, every single day of his life. 

So he ran, and ran, passing wolves and shoving them without apologizing, rushing past the wolves guarding the border, not even registering their yell at him. He shifted midway run, not caring about stopping to remove his clothing and just ripping them to shreds as his body changed and his bones snapped in place, his alpha letting out a low growl of satisfaction at being let out. 

He could smell August's musky scent, along with many others, fading quickly in the air. The path he had taken was the one mainly used as an entrance and as a way out of their territory, so it was quite probably the one Simon had been guided to when he was allowed to leave, and by the smell still present, also the path taken by his father's wolves. As quick on his feet as he had been, it wasn't enough to intercept them, so he would just have to make it on time, whatever it cost. 

*****

The amount of time that passed after that last sentence seemed non-existent. Simon did not know if it had been short or long, filled with silence or murmurs, hot or cold, night or day. 

All that made sense to him started to fade out of existence, the hands of his mind running after it, trying to grasp at something that began to be made out of thin air. An entire life where he spent the formative cycles of it thinking he was less than nothing, yet now… It all changed. Suddenly everything was possible. 

A male Head omega. A figure of leadership that had inherited his position fairly. Andri had been born into a lineage of pure-bloods, had presented an omega, and instead of cowering at it, he stepped into his shoes and fought for his place as next in line. He had dueled his father and won. He had become Head Omega at eighteen moons of age, and remained that way for many, many moon cycles more. And no one knew of it, until now.

A place far away in his mind had registered the fact that August had dispatched a few wolves to go back to the pack and call for the Head Omega. As he snapped back to reality, he realized that he had been staring at Andri the entire time. The omega had lowered his bow and retrieved the arrow back inside the quiver. He stared the other wolves down, eyebrows relaxed yet jaw tense.

Simon glanced back at the remaining wolves, that were still plenty, and noticed the look in their eyes and faces. They did not believe Andri for one second, but the conviction in his words and the danger his actions screamed were enough for them to realize they could not handle this situation on their own. 

He had caused this. If he had just left before getting twisted with the other omega, or maybe if he had kept quiet at the pack, not requested to leave, maybe none of this would have happened. Andri wouldn't have felt like he needed to defend Simon, and none of that commotion would be in progress. His throat started to feel dry as he breathed quickly through his mouth, tongue turning cold because of the chilly air, and his heart started beating faster and faster. This was his fault.

All of a sudden, the knot in his stomach eased. His omega stopped pacing inside him, raising its head up, alarmed, but Simon could only think of the feeling of looseness washing over him. Instead of the forest's cold and sterile air, his lungs filled with the scent of salt water. A twig snapped behind him, and Andri turned before even Simon could, raising his bow and grabbing another arrow. The curly haired boy widened his eyes, turning to the other omega, feeling his heart race once again.

“No, stop!” He warned, raising his hands up, alarming the other wolves. 

But their attention all redirected to the wolf drawing closer to them by the second, his golden brown fur distinguishable for all those who knew him. Wilhelm smelled distressed, especially when he saw the armed omega. The big wolf let out a growl as he slowed down his run, sharp teeth appearing in a snarl.

“It's fine, Andri, please put it down,” Simon tried again, seeing how the blond's eyes twitched quickly in his direction. His heart raced desperately as he saw the deadly weapon pointed at the alpha.

A command was heard from the other wolves, followed by the rustling of weapons being pulled. Simon turned to see them pointed at both him and Andri. They had realized that that was their future Head Alpha, and that his life was being threatened.

“Put down your weapon, omega!” August ordered, voice booming across the forest.

Wilhelm growled once again, this time louder. It was an obvious command to stop, but the pack wolves did not seem to understand that it was meant for them, not the omegas. They maintained their stance, some of them even snarling when they saw that Andri hadn't moved an inch. 

Simon stared at the parties involved with eyes wide, not knowing what to do. The air was heavy with tension, the winds blowing with more force by the second, indicating that the night was now upon them. His eyes flew around rapidly, every beat of his heart resounding in his ears. 

The pack wolves collectively took a step forward, threatening to take action against the omegas. Andri turned around, firing an arrow at the ground in front of them. It had happened so fast that the boy had barely registered it.

“STOP!” He yelled above the growl of the wolves, arms extended in front of him in the direction of each party.

But none of them seemed to be listening to him, since the northerners took another step forward as the older omega grabbed another arrow, this time aiming straight at the Head Hunter.

“Take another step further and the next arrow is going inside your heart,” Andri warned.

Wilhelm's scent began to overpower all others, fighting for dominance. He stepped closer, huffing in anger, mouth still in a snarl. Simon felt himself relaxing against his will. Alpha is here. Alpha will protect us. The omega gritted his teeth, trying to reason with his wolf, to snap out of it. Wille took slow steps as the blond omega stretched the bow's string further. 

Sounds of footsteps crushing dried leaves reached them, and heads turned in the direction of it, including Simon's. His neck was so stiff with tension that it was almost hard looking away, but the new presence demanded more attention. He could feel the imposing aura swallowing the air, and he knew who it was before they reached them.

The Head Omega and Alpha appeared from behind a few trees. The Head Omega wore a deep green dress, and she would've camouflaged entirely in the forest if it weren't for the reddish tones of autumn taking over the scenery. Her face was rock solid, lips in a straight line as she regarded the situation. Simon heard a low, almost imperceptible, growl coming from WIlhelm behind him.

He understood why when he saw the Head Alpha.

The man wore a heavy and long coat, the black pelt giving him a more intense air of intimidation, one bigger than the one he usually carried with him. The man was huge, and Simon wondered if that was what Wille would look like once he reached that age. His eyes traveled down, seeing the glistening of the silver blade he held tightly in his right hand. The sword was long, sharp and imposing, the handle studded with gems Simon knew were worth the entire crop season.

“What is the meaning of this?” 

The sound of the Head Alpha's voice made Simon want to kneel and beg for forgiveness, his omega willing him to submit. He had used his alpha tone, and the boy had to fight the urge to answer to him as a northern pack omega.

Wilhelm growled again, this time louder. He saw the moment his parents saw him, and how his mother's eyes finally showed some emotion, widening slightly. 

“This omega claims to be the Head Omega of the southern pack, Head Alpha,” August informed, head bowed. “We seem to have reached an impasse, because omega Simon refuses to come with us, at the same time the other omega stops us from forcefully taking him.” The Head Omega's eyes snapped towards Andri.

“Andri of Thorns, your leadership,” The blond introduced himself, bow and arrow still wielded. “We have spoken through letters over the course of the last few days. Now if you will please call your wolves back, it would be much appreciated.”

Silence.

“You are lying.” The Head Alpha accused, voice angry. Both Andri and him gaped, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Take them both, now. We will deal with them in the morning.”

The wolves accepted the command, wielding their weapons collectively and stepping forward again. The younger gasped, stepping backwards, hand reaching towards Andri to pull the omega with him, but he didn't budge.

“Do you realize what you are doing, Head Alpha?” He gritted his teeth. “You are threatening the leader of your rival pack, on the eve of our agreement coming together. I could wage war upon you and the other packs wouldn't even bat an eye at it. You would be helpless.”

“Andri, please,” Simon begged, pulling at his pelt, eyes focused on the pack wolves nearing them by the second.

“Do you truly believe me to be a fool, male omega?” The Head Alpha answered, voice guttural and threatening. “Some rogue wolf appears out of nowhere, claiming to be the Head Omega of the southern pack, with no proof other than a fancy weapon that you have probably taken from another wolf, and expect us to believe it? Archers!”

Rustling followed his command, and the younger saw when a group of wolves that was standing at the back of the crowd pulled their bows and arrows, pointing it towards them. His heart nearly stopped. He turned around quickly, seeing Wilhelm right behind him, growling. A flash of red caught his eye, making him blink over and over again, clearing his sight.

“Fire on my account!” The Head Alpha yelled. The young alpha stood there, snarling with his teeth out, and he choked on air. Wille was too close, if they fired the arrows, he could be hit accidentally. 

“Head Alpha, wait–” He heard the Head Omega speak, probably realizing the same thing as Simon, but she was ignored.

“THREE!” 

Simon bit his lip, head turning to the archers, then to Wille. The wolf lowered his stance, and Simon followed, bucking his knees slightly. They were going to die. His eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away. He wanted to memorize the alpha's features, for the little time they had. 

He hadn't even told Wilhelm that he loved him.

Was this what it was supposed to be like? Had the moon goddess written this destiny for them? He wanted to howl at the moon. Show his resentment to the goddess, beg for another ending, for another life where they wouldn't be in this situation.

No. His omega interrupted his line of thought, distressed. Alpha is in danger. If it was just them, it was fine. But Wilhelm was still in the line of fire. He could get hurt. Simon shouldn't let that happen. Another flash of red caught his eye. Then it was brown again. The moment his skin startled tingling and his bones started to shift, the Head Alpha yelled again.

“TWO!”

Simon felt the moment his clothes started ripping apart, his soft skin changing to the sandy fur, claws and fangs growing. He heard gasps coming from the other wolves, but before he could turn and stand in front of the alpha as a barrier of protection, something knocked him down suddenly.

He was forced to stay still with the weight on top of him. His sight was clouded by golden brown fur, his nostrils filling with Wilhelm's scent as the alpha pressed him down with his chest, fully protecting the omega with his body. Simon felt the rumble when the wolf growled again, imposing. He heard the Head Alpha yell at the archers to stop, but he couldn't care less as he moved his head to search for the alpha's eyes.

“Omega is in danger.” The voice that spoke in his mind wasn't Wilhelm. Or better, it was, but it wasn't. The sound was different, clouded by something else.

“Alpha?” The wolf glanced down at the omega beneath him, and Simon felt the world tilt.

His eyes were red.

“He has gone feral!” A wolf yelled in the distance. “Step away from him!”

“Omega is in danger. We must protect.” He repeated, and the omega searched for the alphas scent gland.

“Wille, can you hear me?” Simon asked, reaching out to the boy. This was his alpha he was speaking to. He needed to call Wilhelm back, or else it would be too late.

Turning feral was a death sentence. Wolves that went down that lane almost never returned, becoming a danger to their families and packs. They were forced to be put down. He let out a cry as he thought about the pack trying to kill the hazel-eyed boy. Wilhelm must have let the anger take over him, the illusion of their wolves believing that they were mates speaking louder than rationality.

“Wilhelm, please, come back…”

“WILHELM!” The Head Alpha yelled, yet only a growl was heard as an answer. Simon focused on those blood red orbs, searching for any sign of the boy. “Step away from him!”

The wind started howling, the force of it nearly pulling them along. The leaves flew away, trees tilting as they followed after it. It took the other wolves by surprise as well, by the murmurs and steps as they lost their balance. It blasted around them, the sound of it almost angry, demanding attention.

“Omega safe?” The alpha asked, staring down at him, his scent distressed and anxious.

“Yes Wille, I'm safe. I'm with you. Come back to me, please,” He begged again, nudging at him.

“What is that?!” Someone asked.

Simon turned away from the wolf's neck, seeing the group staring up at the sky. Andri had lowered his weapon, also glancing up with his mouth agape. The younger omega followed his line of sight, seeing the full moon high in the sky. He huffed, confused. The full moon wasn't supposed to come for another few days… Had the Elders calculated it wrong? 

The silvery orb wavered in his sight, a string of clouds passing in front of it, dimming the light. The wind roared again, harder than the last time, and even the rock solid body of the wolf on top of him shook with the force of it. Simon glanced back at Wilhelm, seeing him still staring at the omega. He nuzzled at his neck again, whining, calling for Wilhelm. He had to come back.

Someone gasped, “That is impossible…” The sandy colored wolf barely registered it, crying out for the alpha. The low lighting made it hard to fully see him, just his red eyes glowing in the darkness. 

Suddenly, a fuzzy feeling pressed at his heart. The lack of light was replaced by a bluish glow, and Simon looked up again, seeing the moon. The blue moon. He gasped for air, eyes widening, seeing how the forest lit up blue, wind stopping little by little. He gazed back at the alpha, and if he was in his human form he would have cursed. His eyes were no longer red.

They glowed as blue as the moon.

Wilhelm's stance faltered, his tense muscles loosening. “Simme?” The omega let out a relieved sigh. Wille was back. He hadn't been lost to his instincts. “Simme, your eyes–”

“I know,” He interrupted. “I know, alpha.”

The feeling of pure bliss washed over him, and the omega promised himself to remember this moment for the rest of his life. It wasn't an illusion. Wilhelm and him did belonged together. How could he have let himself believe that they weren't supposed to just… be?

“No… No, it can't be,” The Head Omega gasped out. Simon strained his neck to see the woman with a hand on her chest, gripping at the green fabric of her dress. “It can't be!”

“Wilhelm, come here this instant!” The Head Alpha demanded. “Come or we will shoot at the omega!”

The alpha growled, eyes still blue. He yapped at them as a warning, sharp fangs glistening in the blue moonlight. Simon didn't understand. Did they not know what it meant? Him and Wille were fated mates. It explained why the young alpha had almost gone feral trying to protect the omega. Actually, if he thought about it, it explained quite a lot about their relationship.

“Wilhelm you have three seconds!” The older yelled again. “One!”

The countdown seemed to set the alpha on edge, certainly remembering it from a few seconds ago. He was once again threatening their lives, threatening Simon's life, and the alpha did not like it one bit. He could feel the anger coming off of him in waves, his role as his mate being threatened by another force, one big enough to rival his own.

“Simme!” A voice whisper-yelled, drawing his, Wille's and Andri's attention. They all glanced at the woods behind them, seeing half of Lucian's face, hiding behind a tree. “Prepare to run on my command.”

The pack wolves didn't seem to acknowledge the new presence. They were too far to hear or see the omega. Simon did not know what he had planned, but he would much rather risk it than the alternative. Wilhelm understood the nudge, releasing the omega from beneath him. Simon stood up, shaking his fur and huffing. Andri was tense, ears twitching towards the forest as he also waited for the signal.

Not even a second later, an object that the wolf was unable to identify flew over their heads, landing right in front of the pack wolves. They all looked down at it, confused as they saw the tiny flame lit at the top. 

“NOW!” Lucian screamed out, a second before the thing exploded.

His ears rang with the string of shouts after the boom of the explosion. He did not linger to see the damage it had done, instead just turning and running after Wilhelm and Andri. Lucian caught up to them, running beside the trio. Then Alma appeared out of nowhere, making them stop on their tracks.

“Good, you got them. Now follow after me. Quick!”

Simon did not think twice before following after the woman.

*****

“We don't have much time. Soon enough they will track us all down,” Alma warned, closing the door of the small cabin behind her.

Wilhelm stared at the group wide eyed, panting. The elder omega was in worse shape than him, her old age certainly catching up to her after so much running. Andri studied the cabin, his silver eyes attentive at his surroundings. It was rusty and old, big enough to fit just one rectangular table and nothing else. Cobwebs filled the corners of the walls, dust flying around when they closed the door.

Wilhelm huffed, glancing back at Simon, nudging the omega to get his attention. Simon turned around, nuzzling his neck in return. The smell of wildflowers filled his lungs, and he tried to relax. The anger rushing through him was still fresh, an open wound that was being prodded over and over again the entire time that his mate was standing close to so many weapons. 

His mate. Simon was his fated mate.

Suddenly, everything started making sense to him the moment that truth was revealed. The way he was so attuned to the omega, how it felt like he had known the boy for ages, eons, even though they had just met. Even their scents were clues to that invisible string that tied them together, and he hadn't even realized it. His family had always wondered why he smelled like a wolf from the coastal packs, and now he knew why.

“Do you really believe they will come?” Lucian breathlessly asked. 

“I believe that they will if they wish so,” Alma responded, grabbing a stick and scraping it on the wooden wall.

The stick lit up with a small flame, and the omega used it to light the candles on top of the table in the middle of the cabin. Lucian quickly closed the old and dusty drapes on the tiny windows. Alma opened a chest that was sitting in a corner that Wille hadn't noticed before. From there, she pulled out a pair of pelts, which she gestured for him and Simon to take and change into after they shifted.

Even with the tight space and the people standing inside, they changed back into their human forms. The pelt Wille draped over his shoulders smelled like it had been kept inside that chest for ages, but he held back the urge to sneeze, instead looking for Simon. The omega had just finished buttoning his own, and when he felt the alpha's stare on him, he glanced up. 

When his eyes met his, Wilhelm felt his heart race. He thought back to the moment in which they glowed blue, beautifully mirroring the moon, and it was the only moment he had loved another color other than the natural dark brown of his orbs. The alpha extended his hand out, focusing on the warmth that overtook his skin as the omega’s hand intertwined with his. 

“This is no longer just about pack alliances and the taboo of male omegas,” The woman said, drawing their attention. The alpha furrowed his eyebrows. “This is about hierarchy, and the balance of power. Simon shouldn't have shifted in front of them.”

“I don't understand,” Wille took a step forward pulling Simon with him as he neared the table. “It is an anomaly, yes, but what could be so dangerous about the fact that he can shift?”

“Wilhelm, why do you think omega Simon is able to shift?” Alma asked, leaning her hands on the table. 

Andri neared them, stiffly taking steps forward. The male omega still seemed a bit out of sorts, but he was rapidly recovering as he focused on the conversation.

The alpha glanced away, thinking about the question. “Because we are fated mates,” He looked at Simon standing beside him, sending him a small smile that was answered with the reddening of his cheeks. “We are two pieces of the same soul, and since I can shift, so can he…”

“That is not the reason,” Andri sighed, saying something for the first time in a while.

He felt the way Simon gripped his hand tighter, confusion filling his voice as he asked, “How do you know?”

“Why are pure-bloods, pure-bloods?” Lucian asked suddenly, making all heads turn in his direction. “What sets them apart from the other wolves?”

“Our… blood?” Wilhelm answered, furrowing his eyebrows. “We can hear and smell better, we are faster, because of our blood.”

“Correct,” The omega nodded, the low lighting of the candles giving his scar an eerie look. “That is called genetics. It is a branch from science that was long forgotten, a part of the old world we left behind. The basics of genetics is that, if your father and mother are both tall, the chances of you being tall as well are high. Not certain, but high.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Simon asked, leaning forward on the table. “Are you saying that being able to shift is something… genetic?”

“Exactly, Simme. But not.”

Wille shook his head, staring at everyone around the table at a loss. Where were they trying to get to? 

“That is what they– I mean, we want you to believe,” Alma glanced down, almost ashamed. “That shifting is part of our blood, but it's not.”

“What she means is that… Being wolves is not something in our blood,” Lucian began. “That would be medically impossible. Alma and I have been studying medicine for a few years. We dug into the pack's library and found many books from the old world. We did many tests, and they all came back inconclusive. So we had a theory that what made us wolves was… something else.”

It was a lot of information to digest. The way Alma spoke, it was almost as if the Head family was in on it, but Wilhelm didn't know about anything. He was so confused with everything they were throwing on top of him and Simon that he was barely able to keep up.

“What do you mean with ‘something else’?”

“I mean something beyond our comprehension. Something much, much bigger than us, or medicine or genetics,” Alma declared, her tone making chills go down his spine. “We confirmed that theory today, when the moon turned blue and your wolves recognized each other. We had never seen something like that.”

“My mother told me once that there was a tale of fated mates in our pack…”

“Tales are not facts,” Lucian cut in. “There is no written or drawn registry of other fated mates, not in this pack. So it was probably something out of a pup's tale, not real.”

“Alright… but again, what does this have to do with the fact that Simon can shift?”

Alma sighed, “If we are wolves because of this unknown force and not because of science, it means that it is impossible for us to be genetically unable to shift into our wolf forms. Which, in place, means that–”

“We have a generation of packs built on top of lies,” Simon interrupted, eyes focused on the table in front of them. His voice was shaky, hand gripping tightly at his. 

“...Precisely, omega Simon.”

“What?” The alpha squeezed the omega's hand, trying to get his attention. He didn't understand.

“Wille, don't you get it?” The omega said, wide eyes staring straight at him. “They know. They've always known common wolves are able to shift. At least some of us are.”

“That doesn't make any sense… Why would they hide that?” He asked, frowning.

“For power,” Andri answered instead of Simon, tone dry. “Being a pure-blood is no longer about the power they can wield as wolves. It's about the power they can wield as leaders.”

It felt like the ground was slipping from beneath his feet. His brain had formed a huge knot that was impossible to untie, many things he was finding out in a conversation that took about ten minutes crumbling the castle his family had built for him in his mind in mere seconds. Everything they had told him, taught him when he was a child about where he came from, about their blood and their lineage, it was all a lie. 

“Our theory is that after so many decades, centuries… The wolves stopped connecting with the moon goddess on a deeper level. That is why the ability to shift became something rare. They stopped praying, faithfully believing. They started leaving the job of praying to Her to the Elders and the temple keepers. But then… once in a while, a wolf is born with this ability. They shift and they run beneath Her at night, connecting, believing, silently praying. After the pure-bloods made us believe that they could shift because their lineage directly descended from the goddess herself, these wolves started hiding this, even from themselves. Who knows how many more wolves like Simon are out there?”

Simon felt the way he wavered, quickly drawing closer and hugging his arm tightly to his chest. The omega leaned his chin on the alpha's shoulder, his nose brushing lightly at his jaw. The proximity was easing at the bubble of anxiety building in his heart, but it still ached with disappointment. It felt like he was losing his family for the second time that night.

“They would have told you the moment you became Head Alpha,” Andri informed him. When he glanced at the omega, he saw those striking gray eyes already staring at him. “I had to figure it out for myself, but the Elders in my pack knew. They were obliged to tell me if anything were to happen to my parents before they could guide my steps towards my future leadership. Little did they know I would be the something that happened to them.”

His stomach sank. Andri terrified him, but he wouldn't admit that to anyone other than himself. He gazed away from the omega, free hand moving to grip at Simon's other hand, intertwined with his arm. If he was telling the truth about being Head Omega, then…

“I need this mating to happen. Not only for our packs, but-” The omega interrupted herself, biting her lip. She glanced away, mask of indifference slipping away for a second. “What I mean is… I understand that you and your wolf might feel wronged because of it, but your pack and mine… I mean, imagine what the two of us could do together. The changes, the progress we could bring. We would be unstoppable.”

Something clicked in his mind. He turned to stare at the blond omega, seeing the tight braid, the swell of the apple of his cheeks and the absence of color in his irises. He was, in fact, telling the truth. He was the spitting image of Fiamma, and her goal with this mating… He could see it now.

“The mating… It was all a ruse,” He spoke up, seeing how the male omega raised an eyebrow. “The thing about our packs, and this peace agreement… It is not why you want to unite our packs.”

“So you understand now?” Andri inquired, crossing his arms as he turned his body to face Wilhelm.

“I do.” 

“Wille, what…?” Simon asked softly, confused, and the alpha turned to him.

He moved his hand to cup at his cheek, thumb lightly rubbing at his soft skin. “Our spark of hope, Simme,” He smiled softly. “It has finally arrived.”

*

Everything was clear to him now. His chest was brimming with an emotion he couldn't name, an anxiety for good things about to happen in the future. They had stayed inside that small cabin, planning, scheming, waiting. After he had explained everything to the other wolves, they were also giddy and anxious.

The entire night passed without them being found out by the pack wolves. It was maybe a miracle, maybe that thing that Lucian threw at them – he had explained to them that he had mixed a few herbs and something called gunpowder inside a small bag and lit it up with a small flame so it would explode, but Wilhelm didn't know what it all was. Whatever it had been, he was thankful for it. 

Andri, though he didn't have to, was happy to participate in their planning. He was playing a small part in it, but the significance of what he was, what he represented, was much, much bigger. He could understand where Fiamma had taken her perceptiveness from as he saw the man in action.

Even though he was just the future Head Alpha, and not yet a leader, Andri had reached an agreement with him. They had spoken for hours, along with Alma's knowledge as an Elder, and what they had up to the point when the sun started climbing up in the sky was pretty solid. Fiamma was completely right. What their packs could do together… It was huge.

It was when the first birds started chirping outside that the northern wolves found them.

Simon was sleeping in a corner Wille had cleaned for him. He had laid out another pelt from the chest, sitting beside the omega, talking in quiet whispers until he was ressonating in his shoulder. The alpha had gently laid him down, rubbing his nose all over his scent glands until the omega was reeking of salt water and sea air, and it fit him so right it was astounding. It was like the scent was just waiting to find its owner.

Wilhelm neared the omega, caressing his cheek very lightly. Simon sighed, still soundly asleep. The alpha neared him, kissing his curls, then traveling his lips down in a string of kisses until the boy was fidgeting beneath him.

Simon opened his eyes to stare at him, but the smile on his face was short lived as WIlhelm uttered his next words. “They're here.”

The curly haired boy stood up in a second, shaking himself awake as he saw Alma standing by the door, while Andri stood right next to the window, partially hiding behind the drapes, watching the people outside.

“COME OUT, NOW!” August's voice screamed out, and Wilhelm gritted his teeth, containing his anger.

“Head Omega, if you will please,” The young alpha requested, drawing Andri's attention.

The blond omega stepped beside him, and Alma stepped away from the door. They crossed the small distance between them and the entrance, opening the door very slowly. He peeked his head out, seeing his father and mother standing in front of the pack wolves, much more than there were at first. August was standing between them, spear in hand and chest puffed.

Once they saw Andri, they wielded their weapons again, sensing the danger. Wilhelm raised his hands in the air, gesturing with his chin towards the male omega. He grabbed his bow and arrow, throwing it towards them. They all crouched down, expecting another explosive object, but relaxed once they saw the weapon lying at their feet.

“All arrows are still inside the quiver. We do not wish to fight, we just want to talk,” He informed, voice calm and collected.

“Mother, father,” Wilhelm addressed, seeing how their eyes flew to him. “There are no other weapons inside. You should come in and we will all talk, peacefully.”

They analyzed him thoroughly, frowning. “We can talk outside, Wilhelm. Where is omega Simon? Bring him out, now.”

“My mate is inside, and he shall stay inside,” The alpha gritted out, crossing his arms. “But if you wish to speak out here, then fine. Now, about the fact that he is able to shift as a common wolf–”

“Wilhelm,” His father warned through gritted teeth, interrupting him. “Fine. We shall speak inside.” He turned to the pack wolves. “Wait for us a couple miles from here. This talk should be private.”

The young alpha smiled, seeing how the first part of his plan had worked. He had been working with his father for a few months, and he knew how the Head Alpha acted, had understood his way of dealing with stuff, so he knew that was going to work. The wolves obliged, moving away, just August remained, but he had expected much. He was the Head Hunter after all, so he was going to stay one way or another. His parents and the young alpha walked towards the cabin, and he stepped away from the door so they could come in.

“Alma?” He heard his mother ask, breathlessly. “Are you a part of this?”

“Why am I not surprised?” His father sighed, and Wilhelm closed the door behind him.

They all gathered around the table, Simon clutching tightly at his hand when he neared him, eyes glued to his parents. August watched the pair interacting closely, eyes almost narrowed. Wilhelm realized that the alpha must have figured out who Simme was once he had smelled him. The fact that the alpha was staring so intently at his omega made him involuntarily let out a snarl. Everyone turned to look at him, but August quickly glanced away, clearing his throat.

“This is absurd, Wilhelm, what do you think–”

“Mother,” He interrupted, tensing his jaw and grabbing at Simon's hand tighter. “You will have to hear us first.”

“First of all, omega Simon has not stolen the gold cutlery. I have my theory on who did it, but that is to be solved later, now we have more pressing matters at hand,” Alma began, raising her chin in the air. “You have pointed weapons and threatened the life of the southern pack Head Omega. This is absurd.”

“We–”

“Thank you, Head Healer Alma,” Andri interrupted August. “I appreciate the concern, but the northern pack may relax. I will not be fighting back. I will just withdraw Fiamma and my mate from their pack, and no deal is to be made, as well as no mating ceremony will be held.”

“What?” His mother inquired, voice high-pitched. “You don't expect me to believe that–”

“Enough. Admit to yourselves that you were wrong so we can move on to another topic,” The omega tiredly said.

“What is going on here?!” His father asked, slamming his fist on the table. “Stop with the nonsense and explain!”

“What we mean, father, is that there is no longer an agreement between our pack and the southerners. We are on our own. Every peace treaty, trades of weapons and crops, it is all gone. There is no longer an alliance,” Wilhelm explained. 

He had seen how much the lack of that alliance would cost them. They would be ashamed in front of the other pack wolves, and the reputation of the northern pack was more important than anything else. Without their reputation, they were nothing. His father's eyes widened, glancing at the blond omega standing in front of them.

“There is more,” Wilhelm continued. “We are going to tell the entire pack, and spread around the long hidden information about common wolves being able to shift in their wolf forms. That, coupled with how the other packs will think of the northern pack after the southern ‘mysteriously’ decided to call off the mating and the alliance… It will be fatal for you.”

“Wilhelm, have you gone mad?” The Head Hunter stammered, but was completely ignored.

“That revelation will change the pack hierarchy forever. It will be a messy process, but think about how many common wolves out there were forced to hide who they were because of the dominance of pure-bloods,” Andri clicked his tongue, pretending to be in deep thought. “Think how many wolves out there are thirsty for just a tiny amount of power, and how that secret will change how they view us in a place of leadership. There will be riots, uprisings, mutinies… With a pack the size of yours,” The blond omega whistled. “I shall put your names on my prayers.”

The mated couple was baffled. His mother held her mouth slightly open, eyes traveling from one wolf to another, completely at a loss of words. His father, on the other hand, was clenching his teeth so hard that Wilhelm thought they would break. His eyes had darkened in pure rage.

“You would do this to your pack, Wilhelm? To your family?” The Head Omega asked, voice shaken.

“You lost the right to call yourselves my family the second you threatened to murder my mate,” He snarled, eyes narrowed. “So yes, mother. I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Do you even understand the consequences of these actions?!” His father chided, looking at Andri. “If you truly led the southern pack, you would not risk your position as Head Omega like that.”

“If I was worried about ‘risking my position’ as a leader, I would have never stepped in command as a male omega, Head Alpha,” The blond responded, a smirk blooming on the corner of his lips. “And you need not worry about my pack. They wouldn't dare form an uprising against me, not when they know I am a better Head of the pack than my father ever was.”

August sneered, “So, is this a threat? An ultimatum?” He huffed out a mocking laugh. “If we do not oblige to what you want, you will do that? We have the place surrounded by not even half of our fighting wolves outside. Do you truly believe you have any right to bargain?”

Wilhelm sighed, “I figured you would say that… But I'm afraid you have no choice. Omega Lucian Serrat left this cabin hours ago with many letters ready to be dispatched with every merchant he could find in the region,” He leaned a hand on the table, seeing how his alpha father raised his nose in the air, as if finally noticing the fading scent of cherries in the air. The male omega had left before the sun had even risen. “If we do not meet with him at the agreed place in three hours, every wolf in our shared territory will know about the secret of the shifting before the next sun rises.”

The older man snarled, gritting his teeth. “I can find him before the hour ends. My hunters are the best in the region.”

“You can try,” Simon smiled, tilting his head slightly. His voice was defiant and almost sultry, making a wave of pride and something else travel up his body. “But I disguised his scent by mixing a few simple herbs and making a suppressant tea. You will never find him in time.”

The space was filled with a tense silence while his parents absorbed the fact that they were left with no way out except to listen to their demand and obey it. His mother scoffed, crossing her arms and turning away from them. 

“What do you want.” His father demanded more than asked, and Wille celebrated the tone of resignation in his voice.

“Head Alpha, you cannot be seriously considering this nonsense–”

“First of all, I will mate omega Simon Eriksson,” Wilhelm announced, straight to the point as he spoke over August.

His parents did not seem surprised by that request, but they surely showed their discontentment. The Head Hunter scoffed, deciding to stop speaking completely. Simon’s scent beside him sweetened, and the grip on his hand tightened. He turned to look at the omega, seeing the way his cheeks were red, but his eyes were delighted.

“I am willing to give up on the mating between my daughter and your son, but maintain the agreements of peace and trading between our packs,” Andri continued. “But only after the mating between omega Simon and alpha Wilhelm takes place.”

“What?” His mother turned around once again, startled. “Why? What good is that mating to you?”

“When they mate, Simon Eriksson will be in line as the next Head Omega. That is of my utmost interest,” He responded. “Two of the biggest packs, led by male Head Omegas. This is even better than what I had initially planned.”

“Planned? What do you mean?”

“I mean that I had no interest in your crops or the territory between our packs like I had made you believe,” The blond explained. “What I wanted was your influence. Once I revealed myself as a male omega, I would need the protection your pack would offer. After that, it would be a long process of waiting until it was time to act to change a few things regarding the prejudice against male omegas in the packs. But if these two mate, that process will be much shorter.”

“...What about the shifting?”

“We can hide that… for now,” Alma answered. “Omega Simon is a commoner regardless, so it will be a big enough change for a pure-blood to mate a common-blood. We can disguise his ability to shift as something from the fact that they are fated mates. For as long as we live, nothing will be done to change the pure-blood prevalence in the power of the packs. What they will do after is something up to them, as the next generation of leaders.”

This is what Simon had told him about. The changes that they believed were too far away in the future, were now in course to be made. The seed to plant in that barren land was now in their hands. He glanced back at the omega, seeing him already staring up at him. He could see it in his eyes that he was thinking the same, and feeling in his heart that Simon also felt the same. His eyes traveled down to the column of his neck, as his fangs started aching, retreated inside his gums, begging for him to bite the omega at once.

“Then we must go back to pack grounds, sign a parchment–”

“No need,” Andri interrupted his mother, pulling out two scrolls from his pelts. “We have written an agreement with everything we just said here, we just need the parties involved to sign it. With Alma and your Head Hunter as witnesses, we can consider it truly valid.” He unrolled the parchment, sliding one copy across the table towards his parents, keeping the other one with him. “You may read it and see it for yourselves. This one is an exact copy of the one in front of you.”

His father raised an eyebrow, slowly taking the parchment from the table, “Quite ahead of yourselves, are you not?”

“We didn't want to risk you ambushing us if we left the safety of the packless land. Once we stepped inside the northern pack grounds, we would be subdued to your command as a leader. Out here, we are all one and the same.”

The man regarded the southerner, gaze scrutinizing. His eyes wandered down to the parchment, reading over it carefully. It took him a long time as he nitpicked at every word written, asking for a few slight changes that would do nothing to nullify the main accords. They discussed it together, finally reaching a common ground, but Wilhelm only let himself relax once his parents had signed both parchments, along with Andri. When the two copies were passed to him and Simon, he felt his fingers tingle as he grabbed the feather and the ink pot. 

It was actually happening. While they planned this during the night, the alpha couldn't help but expect it to fail, fearing the worst. They had bluffed completely about Lucian, the man was simply hidden somewhere in the woods with Simon's suppressant tea still in his stomach. If his father had fought a bit harder, he would have realized they actually had the upper hand on the small group of rebels, but thankfully, Andri's assertiveness did its job on keeping them hesitant and contained.

Simon's hand slid into his, the boy's index and middle finger avoiding the feather gripped on his own. He gazed up at the omega, seeing the hopeful look in his dark brown orbs, his lips going up in a soft smile, and Wilhelm smiled back, feeling his heart race in his chest. He hoped that the omega could feel the wave of pure love and adoration he felt at that moment just by looking at him. The future he had only dreamed of in the back of his mind now shined as bright as the glint in the omega’s eyes, and he couldn't wait to see it come to life.

So he took the first step towards it, and signed the agreement.