1. Life of an Omega

Myra

There are nights when I fall asleep from being tired. Some nights I take painkillers to numb the dull ache of the bruises that I receive from various members of my pack and then there are sleepless nights that leave me restless and results in me being sluggish the following day. I sit upon the old springy mattress that I have been benevolently given to sleep in and stand up. 

Taking a sleeping medicine that the pack doctor had slipped into my pocket secretly a few months ago wasn’t an option at this hour. I stare out of the small attic window into the inky black forest. What woke me up? Why can’t I remember the dreams or nightmares that lead me to wake up with a sweat-drenched body? I feel the dull throb in my temples and I hate this. 

Walking around or pacing about in this small room will definitely wake someone because the floors are creaky and the alpha has done nothing to repair it so I go back and lie down on the mattress staring at the night sky visible through the roof window. The sky is starless, gloomy darkness concealing the twinkling balls of light. 

In times like these, I like to dream about my mate. As werewolves, we are destined to find our soulmates. Some of us are lucky enough to find them at the age of 17, just after we meet our wolves for the first time, while some are not so lucky and wait for long periods of time before they are blessed. 

There are unfortunate ones who get rejected, and I loathe this concept. Why reject when we already know that someone is out there, waiting for us. I exhale heavily as my insecurities surface. What if I am also rejected? Well, we shall deal with it when we get there, I convince myself. But I was certain about one thing, I will never reject my mate. 

~~~~~

The following day comes with a host of problems. Firstly, I woke up late, which had a domino effect on the house chores that were allotted to me. Even though modern society saw omegas as equal, our pack still worked with a regressive mindset. I had to earn my stay in this packhouse because I had no parents backing me up, no family that would provide for me. I digested the taunts and scathing comments from various pack members, but I was spared from any strict punishments. 

Jeanette was the only person who was kind to me. She was the cook and sometimes she covered for me. “Just leave for school and come back early,” she grumbled. I finished the dishes and dashed out through the back door. 

School for us meant a training school. Even though omegas never patrolled or fought in the front line, they were nevertheless trained because who knows when the training might come in handy. I was, to some extent, better than most omegas, which surprised my trainer. However, that was the extent of it, I never received any appreciation for doing better than others like my classmates who were alphas and betas. 

~~~~

“Go!” Kevin shouted, and we began our training. We were being tested on agility. Since omega wolves were smaller in comparison to an alpha wolf or a beta wolf, they could make it up with their swiftness. If an omega worked on this skill, they would be much faster than either of them. I let my wolf take over and then I was off into the wilderness. We were told that in the middle of the forest, we will find a number of colourful handkerchiefs tied to low-hanging branches. We needed to bring a piece and go back. The faster one would run, the quicker they would get the cloth because it was less in number, which was done in order to keep up the competitive spirit. 

I let Akira navigate the way. My ears perk up as I skid to a stop and observe the familiar surroundings. My gaze wandered around as I tried to pick up every sound that echoed through the woods. I wasn’t unaware of the crafty methods that many high ranked wolves sought to, in order to win and the authorities turned a blind eye towards these ‘mistakes’. 

I weaved through the trees as I ran further in. However, my wolf came to an abrupt stop. I was about to ask her why she did so when an overwhelming scent hit my nostrils. I frantically look around, trying to detect the origin of the smell. Akira chalked it out faster than I could have done. She ran to the left, opposite the direction where we had to go and I could feel how fast our heart was beating. Finally, I would meet my soulmate. I had to applaud my wolf’s sharp senses because as we ran, the scent intensified. It had wrapped around my senses like a warm blanket. 

My gaze darted around frantically. We came to a stop in a clearing. I could feel their presence, but for some reason, I couldn’t feel their wolf’s presence. That did not deter us though. Whether they were a dormant wolf or late bloomer, I would accept them as long as they would accept me. I transformed again and luckily found a change of clothes. The clearing looked awfully familiar, but all forests almost looked the same, yet this one...

However, those thoughts came to a halt when I heard a distinct sound of...chewing and then the metallic odour of blood mingled along with the distinct heady sugary scent. The smell of blood did not affect me, but I was sure that none of our pack members or as far as I knew, members of neighbouring packs would hunt so openly.

I cursed under my breath as the dry leaves crunched under my bare feet. I followed the sound and finally spotted a person standing with his back towards me. My heartbeat kicked up a notch as I approached him. “Uh?” I croaked out because I did not want to seem like a creep. The moment I did, he stopped doing whatever he was doing.

“I was hoping that you wouldn’t approach me, but when have dogs ever listened?” The lilting tone was anything but friendly. I stopped dead in my tracks. My hackles rose at the tone of his voice. I clenched my jaw. Who did he think he was, mocking me when he didn’t even know who I was? “How dare you belittle our kind like that?” I asked fiercely. The fact that he is my mate angered me even more. I heard him sigh. 

He finally deigned to turn around and show his face to me, which equally alarmed and annoyed me. He was holding a carcass of an animal I didn’t know. His hands and lips were tainted, dark red almost black, which was a stark contrast to his pale, almost translucent skin. The weight of the dreadful reality was setting in. He was Moon Goddess’ offspring, the race that we loathed. The creatures that I hate with every fibre in my body.