All Chapters of Winter Flower: Bloom for the Alpha: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

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

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&

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

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. 

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