Gavin gasped as he breached the surface of the river. He dunked his head underwater to rinse his hair, and he may have stayed under for longer than he should. And the reason for that is because he’s still feeling so giddy and had so many pent-up energies that the solution he thought of was basically almost drown himself. Did it work? Well…he wants to say yes, but the wide smile still plastered on his lips beg to differ.
He sighed at himself. He’s hopeless.
He decided to get out of the water, now feeling more refreshed. He hoped the cold water of the river would help him with his dilemma but it seems it had only made him remember what happened again. He picked up his towel and carefully dried his body with it before wearing a fresh pair of tunic and breeches. He moved to dry his hair using the same towel, closing his eyes in the process and—it was a bad move. In doing so, behind his closed lids, Ainar’s fa
Gavin quickly entered his shack, disposing the sack of his belongings carefully on the table beside his mattress before quickly going out to the alpha. Ainar offered his hand, and Gavin gladly took it, intertwining their hands. His cheeks flushed again, but it was worth the satisfied smile that grazed the alpha’s lips.They started walking, getting out of the omegean living space. They pass by some pack members who are probably heading to the cooking house for the midday meal. It’s almost funny how their gazes first land on Ainar, they give the alpha a small bow in greeting and then their gazes land on him next, and they give him a small bow in greeting too, paired with an unsure smile. Everyone they met along the way did this, and it’s almost amusing now to Gavin. He is still aware of their stares every time he goes out, even when he’s with Maya. But he finds himself slowly getting used to their stares, but he still feels uncomfortable e
Gavin can feel Maya’s teasing look from across the table burning at his head but he pointedly ignores it, for the sake of his sanity. He saw how her eyes widened at the sight of his neck when they arrived earlier. Their tunic, despite being thick enough to go with the climate of the North, doesn’t really have a high neckline so his neck is fully exposed to everyone’s eyes. The amount of pack members that turned to look at his neck and then back to Ainar was embarrassing. And the alpha that looks almost too smug and proud of his work beside him isn’t helping either. He gently pushed the empty bowl away from him when he was done eating. Ainar, who finished way before him, turned to him as he gathered their empty bowls. “You’re done?” the alpha asked. Gavin nodded in answer. The alpha then gave him a flask of water which he gratefully accepted and carefully drank from. He blushed when the alpha drank on it right after him when he gave it ba
The next day, the sun was shining brightly and the weather was unbelievably good that Gavin decided to take on Maya’s offer to join the archery lessons with the pups. He told the beta about it at the cooking house. He went early to have a chat with Nana, and maybe convince her let him help too but he obviously failed again, and Maya happened to be there too.“Really?” she asked, momentarily dropping the hares she was skinning to face him. Gavin hummed in answer, his eyes never straying from the vegetable he was holding. It’s some kind of a plant that only grows in the pack territory and he is tasked to pluck the leaves.“I do not really have anything to do around here. So, I figured joining you would be good,” he answered.“That’s great,” she said, picking up the hare to continue her task. Gavin glanced at her, and then down to her bloodied hands. He wrinkled his nose
By the time they finished the lesson, and having fun, the sun is halfway down the sky. They arranged the clutter of knives on the table back to the wooden box and collected the bows and arrows from the pups. They each said their goodbyes to them, adorably waving their little hands in the air before tottering their way out of the area. Maya sighed as she stacked the arrows, wrapping a band around it to keep it together. Gavin offered to carry some of the quivers and Maya gratefully accepted his help. They carry everything and left the area too. “Tired?” Jannah asked when Gavin passed the quivers he’s holding to his left hand to stretch his right arm. “A little,” he answered with a groan when a pleasant crack sounded from his shoulder.“I enjoyed it though.” “You did. You are surprisingly good at knives.” “I resent the surprisingly part,” he joked to which she laughed
Sweet.There’s that sweet scent again. it’s invading Gavin’s nose, assaulting his insides and he knows, the sweeter it gets, the faster he has to run.He panted hard as he stumbled for the nth time, springing back up almost automatically by now just to continue running. He whimpered when he saw the blood trickling down his leg but he pushed himself to continue running. They can’t catch him.He can hear their howls, and the crunching of leaves and small fallen branches too loud in the quiet night. Even his lungs are having a hard time receiving air as he takes big gulps of it. No. No, please he can’t let them.Sweet.There it is again. They’re getting closer. Gavin ran faster, dodging the branches of trees he blindly sweeps on his way. His arms are stinging with small cuts he
Ainar blinked fast, caught off-guard. He tilted his head to the right, eyes focused on the omega in front of him. Did he hear that right?“Pardon?” he asked in reply, not really sure if he heard him right.Gavin scoffed, briefly looking away before looking back to meet the alpha’s gaze again.“I asked you. Should we mate?” he repeated. And this time, Ainar is sure he heard him right.“G-Gavin, what are you saying?” Ainar stuttered out a reply. What is the omega saying? Why so sudden?“Your rut is near. Don’t you think this is the perfect opportunity to mate?” Gavin said almost nonchalantly, not even a shake in his voice but Ainar could see the way the omega is fiddling with his fingers. “We have been pushing it off for my sake anyway. So, I
It’s been days since Gavin last got out of his shack. It’s like he was back to square one, back when he still wasn’t comfortable to come out. His meals are delivered by Maya. Although the guilt of giving her extra work by doing that is bugging him, the embarrassment of the outcome of his conversation with Ainar is eating him up. Now that he had time to think about everything, he feels silly. What was that even about? What was he thinking when he said all those things? He remembers the alpha’s disappointed gaze, the hurt in his voice and the sadness that tinged his scent. Gavin wants to punch himself for doing that to the alpha. But at the same time, he’s trying to justify himself, trying to find things that would convince himself that maybe, what he did isn’t wrong. Was it? He suggested to mate. Ainar mentioned that the elders have been getting impatient. He is merely making things easier for the both of them. At the back of his mind, he could hear Ainar’s voice asking him. ‘Are yo
The Moon Valley Pack is somewhere in between traditional and not. There are certain things that runs in the pack that are obviously still rooted in that traditional upbringing, such thing as discrimination against rank is one of them. But through the years, with the many leaders and pack alphas that have ruled the pack, they have slowly moved past that mentality and have evolved since. But of course, there are still things that just cannot be erased in history, namely their dynamics and rank, most especially when it comes to the omegas of the pack.Ainar is a son of an omega breeder. His parents, both alphas and in need of an heir, asked help from an omega to conceive. It took a lot of talks and trust on both sides, and eventually Ainar was born.Unfortunately, Diana, his birth mother, died during her labor. Ainar did not get to know her but he loved her nonetheless. He grew up hearing stories of her kindness and selflessness. Ainar grew up hearing the stories of his brave mother and
Pain. It’s the first thing his body registered when he gained consciousness. He wasn’t even aware of when and how he fell asleep again. But now he’s awake for the nth time, and he is once again enveloped in pain. His whole body is aching. It’s a cycle at this point. One that he had fallen into without a choice, ever since he was taken. Weird. That seems to be a trend in his life. To wake up in pain. That seems to happen a lot to him. Did he exist just to suffer? Does living means to suffer? Or is he a special case? The back of his head is throbbing from where he was hit by something hard. He thinks it even bled at one point. But the tightness he feels from it tells him that maybe it’s all dried up and gross by now. It doesn’t make it hurt any less though. If anything, he thinks it only hurts more. The ache in his body is different though. It’s not the kind of ache that one gets from being hit, like the one in his head feels. The pain feels more internal, reminiscent of his previ
Everyone in the hall fell silent at the entrance of the two leaders. Numerous pairs of eyes watched their every step as they made their way in front of the hall. The former pack alpha, clad in his usual white attire stood in front, a stoic expression on his face. Beside him stood the Pack Luna, whose features were hidden behind her usual veil. There was a certain tension as the hall fell silent, that even Nicholas who was standing beside Ainar looked tense, back as straight as a plank as he gazed upfront. It’s affecting Ainar too. But his desire to know what happened and at possibly being a step closer into finding Gavin is overpowering. Despite himself, Ainar waited with everyone—all equally eager for the news. The lack of urgency is getting into his nerves, stressing him out. But he guesses the Tundra has their own way of dealing with things. If this happened in Moon Valle
The sound of his footsteps was loud in his ears. The clacking of the heels of his winter boots as it made contact with the marble floor of the palace echoed loudly against the darkness of the hallway. It sounded hollow, bouncing off of the corners coldly. The shoes weren't even laced up properly. Just messily worn in his haste to get out of the room upon hearing the news. He barely had the consciousness to grab a coat if not for the cold that he knew awaited him. He was still wearing the same clothes he wore earlier, ruffled from his sleep, or was that yesterday already? He doesn’t know. He had long lost track of time. It wasn’t a matter of importance anyway. He doesn’t think anything is important at the moment. Just Gavin. His eyes briefly gazed out of the lone open window, scanning the outside surroundings. It’s dark. Ainar doesn’t really know the exact time. But it’s dark. The usual bright moon now hidden behind dark clouds. How long was he asleep? He passed by some palace helper
Ainar, in his wolf form, furiously ran through the heavy snowfall. His slim form is struggling through what everyone in the palace had warned them as a snow storm, but he’s determined. It’s been two days. He can’t let another day pass without finding Gavin. He can’t just sit still and let the palace hunters do it. Not when it’s Gavin’s life on the line, never mind the fact that he is such an important figure in Tundra. It’s his Gavin. He has to move. He shook his whole body to get rid of the discomfort brought by the cold. He doesn’t know how long he has been running, but he knows his body is starting to get numb. Still, he persevered. His thick dark fur is almost white now with snow, his huge paws numb as it continues to dig into the cold ground, the soft snow engulfing his whole paw—even his senses are weaker because of the weather but he is stubborn. Ainar continued to brave through the snow storm, pushing his form harder. He left the palace with a group of hunters earlier to sear
Ainar’s boots dug into the snow as he walked on it. Why did Gavin want to go out in this weather, anyway? Ah, right. The omega doesn’t feel the cold, being a different breed of winter wolf, plus the blessing his family is believed to have. Ainar is definitely not jealous, in his thick clothing, bundled up like a waddling bear, nope—he is definitely not jealous.Still, he made his way to the passage Gavin had told him about earlier. As he walked, he felt the heavy weight of his gift in the pocket of his breeches. With shaky hands, he felt for it, sighing as he held it through the fabric. It’s an important gift. Well, all the gifts he gave the omega in the past were all important, all have different meanings and reasons as to why decided to give them, but this one is a different case. It’s extra special. A gift especially meant for one special purpose. And along with it, is a question that has been brewing
As soon as Gavin saw Pack Alpha Frederick patting Ainar on the back, he quickly stood up and made his way behind the platform. The servants easily cleared the way, opening the door for him, taking him to the hallway that leads to the garden he mentioned. He followed his instinct and the residual scent still hanging in the air, until eventually, he found the figure standing behind the taller bushes, back against him. Gavin slowly approached the figure, making effort to not make much noise. “Already running away, Pack Alpha?” It was almost comical, the way Jared almost jumped out of skin. The alpha turned around to face him, eyes wide with his hands clutched dramatically against his chest. “You scared me, brat,” he breathed out. Gavin giggled at him.“What are you doing here?” “I saw you sneaking out and figured I should do the same,” Gavin shrugged, walking closer so they were standing side by side.“You?” “It’s overwhelming.” Jared sighed, averting his gaze. “I thought you were r
Gavin pulled at his cloak for the nth time, fidgeting as he adjusted the bow around his neck for the lack of nothing else to do to ease his nerves. He can’t stand still; his legs haven’t stopped shaking from where he’s standing and his hands need something to hold—preferably Ainar’s hand but the alpha is not with him at the moment—just to distract himself. He’s so nervous he might actually throw up.They are now standing behind the drawn curtain, at the side of the makeshift platform in front of the snow-covered ground of the palace, waiting for the ceremony to start. It’s still a few hours before the sun’s descent, but the square is already brimming with people attending the ceremony. Gavin could hear their murmurs as they also wait for the ceremony to start. They are probably excited, completely opposite of what Gavin is feeling now. He heard it’s the first time in the past two decades that they’ll be seeing their leaders, and even their past coronations were always mostly done priv
Everything is almost like a déjà vu as the palace fell into another whirlwind of preparations. It felt faster this time, and soon, Gavin found himself standing in front of the lost pup’s monument again—his supposed monument—a night before the coronation. He was feeling restless for some reason. His heart is in a constant state of fast beating with nervousness as the day of the coronation neared, the same day he’ll be properly introduced and revealed to the whole pack. He believes his nervousness is reasonable, everything is still fairly new to him after all, and now, he’ll be exposed and revealed to the people who thought he was long gone. A coming-of-age ceremony that is probably long overdue. It’s nerve-wracking, but not in an entirely bad way. So now, he’s here, trying to find ways to ease and distract himself. He thought maybe the cold night winter air would help, so he stepped out. And that’s how he found himself here, after wandering through the hallways that he still can’t get h
The table is filled with chatter as they ate. Pack Luna Alice looks especially happy as she urged everyone to try every food they prepared. It was adorable. Her excitement for the whole ordeal was almost childlike, eyes twinkling and crinkling on the corners with her big excited smile as she looked at everyone on the table. Gavin feels for her. Because as he, too, roamed his eyes around the table, the obvious difference in the two packs where the others looked completely fine while the others are bundled up in thick clothing, was a contrast that still goes undeniably well, they look harmonious—complete. Even the Pack Alpha Henry, who looked almost passive most of the time, has a small smile playing on his lips as he silently ate, sitting at the head of the table, occasionally engaging on a conversation with Pack Alpha Fredrick.“Gavin,” his mother called from across him. He looked up and gave her a small smile, swallowing his food