The center turned out to be the place they passed by earlier. With its busy alleys bustling with pack members, open cabins, kiosks, stalls and many more displayed on the road. The walk was quite long from the palace to the center, they had to pass by the big gate again to go out but it was all worth it.
Gavin’s mouth is agape, his blue eyes shining with wonder as he scanned the place. He had never seen such a busy place. Well, of course, he had seen how busy packs can get every time there are occasions that require it, but this is just different.
Gavin is suddenly feeling overwhelmed again. He’s excited, eager to explore, but just like the selection of food laid in front of him earlier, he doesn’t know where to start. So, he slowly turned his head to look at the alpha beside him. Ainar, the ever-attentive alpha that he is, of course, is already looking. He has a small fond smile on his lips, eyes swimming wi
Their walk around the center was filled with giggles and laughter. Gavin is having so much fun trying out many different things. They actually walked back to the earlier kiosk they saw that served the sweetened strawberries to get one. The small fruit was served in a stick and they walked around munching on it, enjoying the sweet taste of it on their tongue. Gavin doesn’t know how long they had been walking, but they were taking breaks in between, sitting down on stray benches for a rest before standing up again to explore more. By the time they managed to explore and stop by almost every open cabin and kiosks, the sun has already long descended in the horizon, and the air was ten times colder. He’s now quietly standing by a wall, waiting for Ainar who went to grab a shawl for them. He’s not even cold. He can recognize that the wind is blowing colder, but with himself, he doesn’t feel the cold at all. Does that make sense? The omega has his head hung low; eyes focused on his feet. He
The next time Gavin woke up, he feels much lighter. His joints are aching, and he’s covered in cold sticky sweat. He winced at the feeling. At the back of his mind is a vivid memory of slipping in and out of consciousness during the night, flashes of memories where he kept on waking up to pain only to pass out because of it too. If his memories are doing him right, he thinks he also remembers gentle hands carding through his hair, shushing and humming to soothe him every time he groans in pain. He remembers the rainwater scent, and something else he could not pinpoint. He’s sure it was Ainar though, did the alpha stay with him the whole night?He opened his eyes to a dark ceiling, casted by faint yellow glow from the few torches illuminating the small room. His vision is still blurry, and still feeling a little dizzy but they soon fade away as he looked around. He silently groaned as he sat up, joints aching with every move he made. The mattress dipped under his weight, and only when
Gavin shivered despite the lukewarm water. His legs are modestly folded in front of him, tucked into his chest as his arms wrap around them. Every sound is echoing loud in the quiet place, where only the sound of the water gently splashing around could be heard. His eyes are stubbornly set on the soapy water in front of him, cheeks burning as he let out yet another full-body shiver. Ainar made a questioning sound in his throat, sending him a worried glance. Gavin only gave him a small smile of assurance. He’s not cold, just…shy. When Ainar offered to help him bathe, he assumed the alpha meant he’ll just help him to the tub since he was still feeling weak anyway. So, Gavin went with it. With an arm around his waist, the alpha helped him get down from where he was sitting on top of the marble shelf and walked to the tub. The alpha made sure he was stable enough to stand up on his own, hands gripping his waist tight until Gavin gave him an assuring smile. “Do you need help with your clo
Gavin is staring blankly at the dark ceiling of his room. His eyes follow the swirling pattern of orange glow casted by the lit torches. He doesn’t even know how long he has been staring at it, maybe hours, he lost track of time. All he knows is that his eyes feel dry from zoning in and out of focus, and night has gotten deeper from when he laid on his bed earlier. He heaved a heavy sigh as the memory of the earlier conversation with the palace healer flashed in his mind again, the nth time for the past hours.They’re taking a familiar path; one Gavin is sure he remembers as it led to the quarters of the palace tailor. But instead of turning left, they walked straight this time. He briefly looked up to Ainar, the alpha quietly walking by his side. Ainar only smiled down at him gently, squeezing from where his hand settled on the omega’s waist before looking away to focus on their path. Eventually, they reach a door—tall and
Maybe going out at such an ungodly hour isn’t the best idea after all. Good news is, the cold night air feels very refreshing. Gavin’s head feels ten times clearer, and the pain around his waist is almost nonexistent. See? It’s not that bad. But not good either. Well you see, the bad news is, he doesn’t know where exactly he is in the palace. Is he nervous? Yes, yes, he is. Does he regret going out? Well…maybe? Does he know how to get back to his own room? No. Definitely.He kind of both wants to smack and laugh at himself at the same time. The thing is, he was actually doing well at first. He successfully located the dining hall, although it was already deserted, for obvious reasons of course. But he’s proud that he actually remembered the way. And then from there, he walked further, walking through dim hallways after hallways until he lost count of the many turns he took. And now, here he is, lost. But he can&
The palace feels weird. Gavin doesn’t know if he’s the only one who thinks and feels that way, but the palace feels really weird these days.For the past days, the palace moved in preparation for the coronation. Packs who gathered for the tradition took this time to explore the pack grounds more, something they were not able to do during the grieving period. They met for small pack gatherings, joined each other for moon dine and even discussed exchange of pack products. It was harmonious. Even Moon Valley Pack’s elders and pack leaders joined in the fun. Gavin, on the other hand, spent his time mostly resting, joined by his stubborn alpha who refused to leave his side no matter how much he told him that he’ll be fine.“The Pack Alpha might want you to be there, Ainar. It’s a chance to know more pack leaders and build relationships. I’ll be fine in my room, you do not have
Gavin is not fine. Well, a little maybe…okay, not really. He feels nauseous, saliva pooling under his tongue and he feels dizzy. He swallowed for the nth time. He feels warm. Too warm. He’s sweating under the dark robe he’s wearing, using its sleeves to wipe the droplet of sweat he felt trailing down his temple. He feels sick, and he should probably tell Ainar, but he really wants to attend the coronation so he ought not to. The alpha might be able to smell it still anyways, but fuck it.The robe he’s wearing is another old robe from Tundra’s Pack Luna. Just like the white grieving robe he wore before, this one also fits him perfectly, as if tailored to his size. It’s smooth and soft, cozy and comfortable. It smells like it had been in store for long. Just like the first time, the palace tailor—Omega Shaun, looked at him with critical eyes. The Elder Omega regarded him with something unreadable in his gaze
Maybe he stood up too quick, or maybe he’s really sicker than he thought.Gavin scrambled for purchase, hands darting out to grab somewhere to grab onto, in his case he thinks it’s Ainar’s robe he managed to clutch onto really tight. The moment he moved to stand up, his vision turned black, rendering him blind for a few moments, a flash of burning pain, before his vision came back like nothing happened. There’s a ringing in his ear, making him want to cover them. But then it subsided, replaced by the sound applause of everyone present as they welcome the leaders of Tundra. His hearing felt muffled, as if there was cotton pushed in his ears, making everything sound like it’s coming from far away. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the feeling and suddenly, he can hear clearly again. He belatedly realizes that Ainar had been calling him the whole time. When he came back to his senses, the alpha’s face flooded his vision, eyes full of worry. He looked around and they’re already sea