Copywrite to VedaPettigrew

I found my Grandmother in her little study, going over the day's rota.

"Hi Grandmother," I chirped happily. Having my voice back rocked.

She looked at me and her mouth twisted in disapproval. I still don't know why my existence is such a bane to her, but she obviously hates me. She hasn't done anything but scowl and frown at me from the moment I arrived.

Grandfather doesn't smile, but his expressions aren't full of distaste at the sight of me. I sigh internally.

"I see Alpha gave you permission to speak again. Personally I liked the silence." Her voice was bitter to match her sour expression.

It was a shame. She was a classic beauty, stunning to look at. Like a 1920's glamorous Hollywood star. Even her clothes fitted the model. Her long dresses with their lowered waistlines gave her an elegance I could not achieve with my shapeless sacks.

But her ugly expressions made her beauty lessen. Her mean words and spiteful behaviour didn't help either.

"Don't worry Grandmother, I'm happy to adhere to your wishes and speak to you as little as possible," I offered with a saccharine smile. Her jaw ticked.

Ha!

"Do not call me Grandmother. It seems ridiculous when I only look a few years older than you," she snapped.

Well that was true.

"So shall I call you Granny, or Elgatha?" I asked with fake innocence, knowing she'd hate both.

"No," she bit sharply. "You may call me Luna Elgatha or Luna, just like everyone else."

"Ok Luna." I'm happy not to acknowledge her as my grandmother anyway. How she produced my sweet, funny, kind mother, I have no idea.

"Grandfather has given me a punishment."

She smirked, "What did you do?"

"I'll let Grandfather tell you why. But my punishment is that I'm cooking dinner tonight solo." Her eyebrows drew together and she looked at her list.

"Well that just changes everything I've just worked on. How annoying, I might have to add to your punishment for the inconvenience."

"But it's not my fault, Grandfather was the one who chose it," I protested.

"Yes but if you hadn't done anything to warrant a punishment it would not have been an issue," she said smugly.

"Hence my punishment. I don't think you're entitled to give me another one for the same thing," I cried out, frustrated.

She looked pleased at my distress. Silver growled low, rumbling her dissatisfaction with this female. I certainly wasn't about to take this lying down.

"If you punish me, won't it look like you don't support Grandfather's decision?" I asked, with a curious frown.

Her victorious smirk dropped and it was all I could do to maintain my innocent expression.

"Yes well," she floundered, "It's ridiculous to think that. I support my alpha in everything. Just go you brat, I need to work."

"Ok Gra... Luna." I quickly amended as she scowled at me.

I ran out and through the hallways to find the laundry room. I tiptoed to the door and quietly turned the handle before throwing the door open, jumping in the room and singing, "Hi girls."

Sophie, Bee, Lacy, Joan and Kat all jumped a mile in the air at the sudden entrance and I giggled at the look of shock on their faces. I shut the door behind me quickly, knowing that it was one of the few soundproofed rooms and we would have some privacy. The noise of the constant washing machines was annoying to the peace of the pack house, so soundproofing was considered appropriate.

I turned the key and locked us in.

"I got my voice back," I said gleefully wiggling my eyebrows.

They just looked at me stunned. I giggled again, they obviously hadn't expected me to be like this.

"You're allowed to talk to me again now," I said encouragingly. Just as I spoke, the house intercom, which also went through the whole pack territory came alive with my Grandfather's thundering voice.

"Greta Anderson's silent punishment is lifted." Then the crackle cut off as he shut the microphone. Well that was brief and to the point.

I wiggled my eyebrows again."Told you," I grinned.

"B..b..but why are you here?" Sophie's soft voice spoke out. She looked perplexed. They all did.

"Where else would I go to celebrate but with the people who mean the most to me?" I asked with a smile.

At their baffled looks I continued. "You know I called you my Loyal Ladies in my head this month. Without you I would have gone insane. Or cried non-stop. I could never repay what you did for me."

Joan gulped, "But now you're not under punishment, why would you want to spend time with us? You're a Little-Luna, surely you've got better things to do?"

"No, nothing. I wanted to finally be able to speak with you. I was hoping to be your friend?" I beseeched, hoping they wouldn't reject me.

"You want to be our ... friend?" Bee asked curiously.

I nodded. "Yes please. I kind of hoped I already was."

"Loyal Ladies huh?" Sophie asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Or sometimes just The Loyals." I added grinning. "I mean come on, you helped me sew secret red undies." I laughed.

This time they did too.

"I have to say something." Sophie looked down at her feet before mumbling something I couldn't understand. Even Silver's extra hearing wasn't helping. Useless wolf, I teased.

She gave me a mock growl at my thought and I smirked at her internally.

"Sorry Sophie, I didn't hear that."

She turned bright red and said louder, "Thank you for my note. I can't even... it just..."

"Spit it out girl," Joan laughed.

"Well, I don't know what to say exactly but... It really helps me. I think about it all the time." Her words tripped off her tongue faster and faster, "Like yesterday, when Base-Beta Jeremy was yelling at me saying really horrid things - I thought about it." She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her apron and showed me the note I had written a month ago.

It was literally falling to pieces, the creases had ripped and the edges were crinkly and uneven. It was obviously something she held onto a lot. I made a bookmark in my brain to write another for her.

"I keep it on me all the time and hold onto it when I'm sad or scared." She folded it like a sheet of precious silk and tucked it back into her apron pocket.

I smiled widely, "I'm glad it helps. I'm just really sorry that you need it. I hate the way packs work like this. My dad was an omega too you know." There were gasps from all around. "Oh yes, my Little-Luna mum fell in love with my omega dad. That's why they ran away."

"What do you mean love? Wasn't she given a mate by Alpha?" Joan asked, her eyebrows drawn together.

A shudder ran through my skin. "She was supposed to mate with Base Beta Jeremy, but she didn't want to. You can imagine why." I looked at all their faces as they shuddered too. Everyone had unpleasant memories attached to that man.

"But what gave her the idea that she could go against Alpha. It's forbidden." Lacy said curiously.

"Well, she just could not stand the thought that of being with such an unkind, selfish, creepy man. She told me that something just clicked in her mind, and she realised that if she stayed in the pack, she would never be happy again.

"She thought about what her life would be like and realised it wasn't something she wanted at all. She already liked my dad. They met because he worked in the Higher house, like you do. He was the heavy lifter. She kept asking him to move furniture in her room so they could spend time together." I giggled at the memory of stories my mum told me with love shining in her eyes.

"They used to talk and laugh. I never believed it when Mumma said they were the only ones that did. Not until I came here anyway." I frowned at the sad truth.

"Mumma said there was a connection between her and Dad that was more than just friendship. It was more than anything she felt for anyone else and she wanted more of it.

"One day, Dad was in her room fixing a new lampshade and she was lying on the bed, talking to him about silly everyday stuff, when she stretched, knocked the ladder and him over. The ladder ended up on the floor and Dad ended up on her!"

"Oh no, did he get in trouble?" Kat asked, shocked.

"No," I giggled, "Mumma said something along the lines of, 'about time' and leant up and kissed him!"

There really were gasps all round now. I laughed again.

"When they kissed, they said it was like sneezles and tingles and a whole lot of sparkle. They couldn't stop kissing until they heard Alpha's heavy steps in the hallway." I lowered my voice ominously.

They all stopped working and held onto various items of wet and dry clothing as they looked at me with open mouths. "Oh no, what happened?" Lacey asked.

"Dad jumped up, grabbed the ladder and got on it, just in time before Alpha opened the door." I gave a light laugh.

"Whoa, that was lucky."

"I know. Alpha never suspected a thing, like you said, it was forbidden. They just bumbled around for the next few days when one day Mumma put a note into Dad's hand asking him to meet her in the forest, she even drew a map.

"When he got there, she asked him to take her away and he agreed. They snuck away the next day and had a mating ceremony officiated by a rogue Beta that Mumma had befriended on the borders when she was exploring. Even though he was rogue, his power meant that it stuck. They got their stuff together, took it with them and left letters behind for their family."

The various faces around me looked astonished and I grinned at them, "I know, it's a pretty amazing story huh. I hope my mating is as exciting and romantic as theirs."

"What did Alpha and Luna do?" Kat asked breathlessly.

"When Mumma called them, they yelled and screamed and ordered her home, but it didn't work because she and Dad had become rogues. So they disowned her. Dad's family did too, they weren't happy that he rebelled.

"They're not here now though, Dad heard they got transferred to another pack quite quickly because it was too awkward in this one. I think it's actually quite funny - the Alphas and Omegas were related by marriage." I shrugged, it seemed silly to me, but I knew how big a deal it would be to Grandfather.

"So what did they do?" Bee asked incredulously.

"They lived a happy life with each other. They had me, and we had fun, just living life. It was full of singing and stories, laughing every day, and loving each other. We didn't have a lot of money or a big place to live like this, but we didn't care because we had each other. We were the Three Amigos." Tears pricked my eyes as my voice cracked, "I really miss them, it was me and them against the world. Now they're gone and I'm here."

Tears started dropping. "I'm sorry guys, this was meant to be a happy moment."

Silver whined and nuzzled me, giving soft licks to my cheek. She missed them too, and their wolves.

The Loyals hesitated, unsure what to do with a crying Little-Luna, but Sophie got brave and stepped forward, putting her arms around me and squeezing me harder than I had ever been squeezed before.

It was just what I needed.

Soon the others all joined in and I was like the jam in a doughnut.

"Thank you guys," I sniffled.

"I know you don't want to be here," Joan said softly, "But I speak for all of us when I say, you being here is the best thing that's ever happened to us."

They all frantically nodded.

"It's true," Kat said. "Before you came we had no-one, not even each other. We were discouraged from forming friendships, and we were afraid to even rely on each other. Then you came..." tears filled her eyes as she choked on a sob.

"And you served us your own food..."

"And you stood up for us..."

"Like no-one else has ever done in our lives.."

"...ever."

I gave them a watery but genuine smile as Silver yipped with pride. "I'm glad I'm here for your sake then. I know Ori has plans for me, and it seems that you're part of them."

"Who is Ori?" Kat looked confused.

"Oh, sorry. Ori is what we call The Original. It was Mumma's idea, she said it made her more real to have a personal name."

"Who is The Original?"

I laughed for a moment, thinking that Bee was joking but I saw the look on their faces. She was serious and the others looked like they wanted to know the answer too.

"Ori is our creator, the one who made us wolves. She's the one that made our world and the forests and the animals and the sky. The stars and the moon are her home. All of nature is here because Ori made it.

"Ori is the one who put our wolves in us and made us both human and beast. She gifted me with a wonderful wolf. Silver is loving and loyal and helps me all the time. She is the one that helped me heal so quickly."

As I saw their jaws drop, Silver pranced around in my head. Her tail lifted so high it tickled my nose and I tried to bat it away. She wasn't having any of it, my praise had puffed her up and now she was just showing off. Her tail flipped against me repeatedly.

Silly wolf, I smiled indulgently.

"How can you talk about your wolf like that? They aren't actually there. It's just a shape we turn into." Lacy frowned.

I knew it! Our wolves were not the same.

My words were slow, thinking as I spoke, "I realised that my wolf was different than everybody else's. I don't know why." I shrugged, "All I know is I love her, she's amazing. And I'm very thankful to Ori for giving me to her.

"... and I also love Ori. I mean, just look around us at all this beauty she made; the forest is something else," I breathed, my eyes caught up in the wonder of it as I looked out the window. "She's beautiful and generous and loves us. And I don't think agrees with all these stupid Council Laws." I said abruptly.

Their eyes opened wide in shock. Lacey stammered, "Don't bad talk the Origins, it's against the rules. You'll get into trouble."

"I won't," I said cheekily, "Because nobody is here except us and you're not going to tell on me are you?" They shook their heads frantically. "I just think it's crazy that you don't even know who Ori is. I mean, she's the one that gave us the Origins in the first place. But I don't believe for one second that this way of life is right; that women are thought of as less important than men, that you omegas are degraded the way you are."

"What do you mean?" Bee looked confused.

"How can it be wrong if this 'Ori' person made the Origins?" Sophie asked.

"Hmmm, I simply don't believe she meant for life to be the way it is. Why would she want one wolf to be thought of as less important than another? She made us all. She loves us all. It just doesn't make sense to me."

"But the Alpha's job is to keep us all safe. That makes him very important." They all nodded.

"Yes it is. The Alpha's job is crucial and hard. And not just any wolf could do it." I agreed. "But that doesn't make Alpha himself more important than you. He's just a wolf like you.

"His position may be higher, but that doesn't mean your work isn't valuable. The pack would fall apart without you guys."

"But anyone could do our job," Kat said glumly. They all bobbed their heads as if they'd heard it many times.

"So? Your job is less selective on who can perform it, sure. But it is still valuable work. And you all, each of you as a person, are valuable and special to Ori."

"But why would she care about us omegas, we're useless."

It was exasperating to hear them repeating things over and over, but I had to remember, they had never had anyone say or do kind things for them. I took a deep breath and smiled, trying not to show my frustration.

"Do you think that Ori needs Alphas to do something she can't do?"

They looked confused but shook their heads slowly, "No," Lacey said, with a spark of understanding. "If she created everything, then she can do more than we can, so Alphas can't do things she can't."

"Yay! Exactly," I grinned, "So do you think that Alpha's job is as important to her as Alpha himself?"

"Ummm, nooo...?" they said unsurely.

"Correct," I said triumphantly, "So she loves Alpha not because of his job, but because she made him."

"Okay," Sophie agreed brightly. Joan looked less sure.

"Do you think she loves you any less? She made you too. And if Alpha's job is not important to her, why would it be any different for you?"

"Because we're weak and useless," Joan said.

Silver growled so loudly that they all jumped.

"Sorry, neither she nor I like hearing you talk about yourself like that." I covered my frustration. "Nobody should say those things about you and I'm sorry that they do. It's wrong. You weren't useless when you kept me going this month. You were the most important people in my life."

They just looked at me wide-eyed.

"You were important and necessary to me." I looked at Sophie, "Were you weak or brave when you came to my room and defied orders to take care of me? Using balm you were not allowed. I'll tell you. Brave."

I turned my head to Joan, "Were you useless when you left me a note under my pillow telling me to keep going? No, you gave me hope and happiness."

"But even if you were weak, and rubbish at everything, does that mean that Ori wouldn't love you?" I asked, desperately hoping they understood.

"Yes," Joan said at the same time as Bee spoke excitedly.

"No, she loves us because she made us. All wolves mean the same to her and we are all important to her."

Joan looked at Bee and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Oh," she ejaculated happily.

I danced around, "YES! You got it. Ori loves you just as much as Alpha. She does not want you to suffer because you're omegas. That's why I don't think she meant for life to be this way. Full of unfairness and hatred."

They joined in my dancing and for the first time since I came, I felt pure joy. Something good had come from me being in this dreadful place. 

I hated the old ways of pack life. It was hard, depressing and grossly unfair. Packs should run more fairly, with women having equal respect and omegas to be appreciated as fully equivalent pack members. There should be joy instead of duty, and loving relationships instead of business ones.

But this moment reminded me of a story my mum told me about a freak storm that had landed thousands of starfish on the beach. With no way of getting back in the water, they were dying. As one man walked along, he came across another man who was picking up starfish one at a time and throwing them back in the water.

"Why bother doing that? It won't make a difference, it's impossible to get them all back in the sea."

"Well," said the man as he picked up a starfish and threw it in the sea, "It makes a difference to him."

I looked around me and saw the five women and realised, they were my starfish.