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
Presentation is a process all shifters, or at least alphas and omegas, go through once in their life. It is equivalent to puberty for betas. During this process, pups develop their scents, which is the apex of their identities. This stage helps them identify their sub-gender, their rank and standing in the pack, and of course, their duties.Unfortunately, as much as this process is natural, it is also quite painful, inevitably so, since this is when their bodies change to accommodate their also growing wolves. Some shifters fall sick before their presentation, which is quite a common symptom. Their senses become sensitive as they mature, their joints would hurt, and sometimes, they would even sleep longer to catch on with the changes. It’s a slow process, but eventually, the final stage of presentation would end by shifting, showing their now more matured wolf and fully developed identity and of course—their scent.
The following days were not fun, to say the least. Gavin had spent them literally just on the bed, writhing and groaning in pain, breaking into tears when it gets more unbearable and fighting off the dizziness and nausea that came with it. He almost wished he would have just passed out for maybe six more days just so he could escape the pain. He had never really felt such pain before. It kept him awake during the night, just occasionally blissfully passing out when his body could not handle it any longer. All this pain is making him second-guess if he really wanted a wolf, but at the same time, he can’t help but feel a different kind of relief knowing that he wasn’t a freak anymore, disregarding his still obvious different appearance. He has a wolf now, and it effectively shuts out the voices calling him an embarrassment for not having one before.He found that Beta Leticia was serious when she said that no one was allowed to visit him
As soon as Alpha Lucy walked away to open the door, Gavin’s head whipped so fast to face Ainar. There was a terrified expression on his face, and his scent had gone haywire in his distress. “It’s about the coronation, isn’t it?” he frantically asked in a whisper. His hand holding Ainar’s is squeezing tightly, but the alpha let him, squeezing back just as tight in a quiet assurance. “In a way, it is. But you do not have to worry—” “Why not?” Gavin is borderline hysterical now. His heart is pounding so hard in his chest, his scent has almost gone bitter, making their earlier scenting useless as it almost completely overpowered Ainar’s scent on him; his body is slightly shaking in anxiety.“I ruined the coronation! They must have had been waiting for this for such a long time now and I just ruined it!” “Gavin—” Gavin let go of the alpha’s hand to bring his hands up to grab at his hair, pulling lightly as if to ground himself. His eyes are focused somewhere on the floor. Even the pain
The room is silent save from the occasional sniffling of Pack Luna Alice, and some more quiet ones from Gavin. They have calmed down, well, Gavin would like to think at least they did, as he himself is still quite practically panicking inside. He’s sitting at the foot of the bed, while the two leaders sat on a chair Ainar got from them somewhere. The revelation had left him confused. That feeling of believing something for so long, your whole life, and then someone just comes to say that what you believe in is not the truth—that’s how Gavin feels.There was a light squeeze on his hand from where it is held inside Ainar’s. Gavin turned his head to look at the alpha and received a small smile. He hasn’t said anything for a while, no one dared to speak. They just sat around each other, waiting for anyone to break the silence.The Pack Luna Alice decided to do it herself.
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