Notes:
    Rose is given a special mission. Elisa is mated.
Warnings: fighting

    Rose awoke in the middle of a dark forest, laying in a flower filled meadow where a sliver of sunlight peaked through the tops of the trees. It had recently rained and the scent of drying dewdrops invaded her nose. 
    She quickly stood, turning in a circle, the sound of birds chirping in the distance. A sudden voice made her whip her head around to see the familiar figure of Mother Lupa moving from the direction of the trees.
    "Mother?" 
    "Hello, child." She whispered, approaching the red haired Omega. "I come with a message."
    "Why me?" Rose spoke. "Why are we the only weres you to come to?" Mother Lupa inhaled sharply, a slow bittersweet smile spreading across her face. Her eyes showed sadness. "I try to speak to my children but things have become more and more difficult as the years have passed. He's returning and he will lay waste to this land. I can sense it and it saddens me greatly."
    "Why do you come to me then?" Rose repeated.
   Mother Lupa's smile was genuine then, her eyes filled with love. "Don't you know how special you are?"
   "Because I am one of the Ancients children? A part of were royalty?"
    Mother Lupa's smile faded and she nodded. "Yes and you, my dear, will be our salvation. But heed my warning of the wolf with two different colored eyes. And....do not fall for his charm."
   "Fenrir." Rose answered. "What do you mean he will return? Isn't he dead?"
   "Unfortunately, he will not stay that way. Even now, as we prosper, our enemies grow stronger from the shadows." Here she paused. "That is why I come to you now. Your own powers have grown stronger. 'Tis time you used them."
   "How?"
   "You must leave Wolf Haven and travel to all the places where you are needed, to every pack and every lone wolf. They must be taken care of. You must reveal their true mates or a fated match, heal the sick and injured, and care for each of them in whatever way they may need you. Go quickly! The sooner our people can be cared for, the easier it will be to stop our destruction and Fenrir's dark plans."
   Rose nodded. "Yes, mother. It will be done."
  Mother Lupa's smile returned.
  With that, Rose woke up.
                      * * * * *
    "No!" Merlin answered, sharply.
    "But Mother Lupa has commanded this of me!" Rose protested.
    "I SAID NO!" For the first time, his eyes glowed gold in anger. Rose had only seen them turn that color when he was rutting her. He was never angry with her. "You are pregnant with our pups and I will not risk you or them for some fools errand!" He softened. "It is my job to care for you both."
     "And it is my job to follow our mother's commands and save our people!"
     "ENOUGH!" Merlin finally shouted in the Alpha Voice.
      Rose recoiled in surprise but simply nodded. "As you wish then." 
      Then she left the room.
                        * * * * *
      As Merlin left from his appointment with the council, he halfway listened to Arthur still fuming about his son being mated and the Omega most likely would get pregnant since it seemed all the mated Omegas were pregnant now. Arthur had not made up with Gwen so she was staying with Morgana and Cenred. 
     Stubborn bastard.
     Percival joined Merlin as they headed back, excitedly announcing that now not only was Ruby pregnant but so was Dorothy. Merlin smiled at the news. "That is good news. And how is Charlie? Fitting in well?" 
     "Very well, thank you, Alpha."
     "Let Charlie know that he will be joining my knights. I'll need an extra since Mordred is...er...busy at the moment."
     "He'll be glad at the news. Thank you again." Percival bowed and headed off to his den.
      Gwaine joined in the conversation. "So, mighty Alpha, what's the verdict?"
     Merlin let out a low growl. "We may be best friends, Gwaine, but this is nothing to joke about. Elisa must be mated so that she will stop coming after me." Merlin turned his attention to the other Alphas. "Brothers, go home to your Omegas. Gwaine, you too." Gwaine only nodded this time.
      The two sets of Alphas headed off in two directions: one to the dens and the other to the Omega Den. The Omega Den was empty, save for Elisa, sitting beside Nyx who was checking up on her. The moment the Alpha entered the den, Elisa snapped her head up. When she saw Merlin, she smiled.
      "Hello, Alpha." She whispered sensually.
      Merlin ignored her, turning his attention to Nyx. "She's about to go into her heat. She needs to be mated now."
      "You heard her." Elisa said, turning to present to Merlin.
      "Quit that!"
      Merlin lifted his head and let out a low howl. Elisa turned back around in confusion. Moments later, two new Alphas entered the Omega Den. One was Lucian, the leader of the First Pack and the other was a beautiful female Alpha with tanned skin, dark curly hair, and big brown eyes. 
      "Lucian, Mariah, it has come down to the two of you." Merlin didn't bother to mention the fact that no other Alpha had decided to fight for her after the many times she had tried to seduce Merlin. He looked between the two, from one to the other. "Both of you I have no doubt would make a good Alpha. But there can be only one." 
      Merlin was about to choose Lucian. He was a strong and powerful Alpha who could easily keep Elisa in line and keep her from trying to seduce him again. Before he could voice this answer, however, Elisa suddenly spoke up, "Alpha, please, I'm pregnant." Merlin turned his gaze to find her staring at him with big, sad, blue eyes.
     Merlin then turned to Nyx who nodded. "I just checked. She is pregnant."
     He turned back to Elisa. "Who?"
     "Charles Dalimar. We...uh...we used to..."
     Merlin raised a hand. "Say no more."
     He turned back to the two Alphas in the den who hadn't moved from their spots. "Don't bother me none." Lucian said. Mariah shrugged. "Me neither. We can start our family early."
     Merlin took a deep breath. He couldn't bond her to Lucian now. The Alpha was a savage and he could hurt her without trying. That could not happen. Not while she was pregnant.
    "Mariah, take care of her."
    Lucian stepped forward, shoulders hunched as if preparing for a fight. "Alpha, you're not serious!"
    "Let it go, Lucian. Leave!" Lucian stood face to face with Merlin, growls ripping from his throat. "Silence!" Merlin shouted in the Alpha Voice. 
    "You will regret this, Alpha!" Lucian cursed, turning and leaving.
    Elisa whimpered as he left, the smell of expensive perfume, strawberry champagne, and flowery bubble bath filled the air. "Her heat has started." Nyx confirmed as Mariah lifted her head to the scent and Merlin covered his nose.
     Elisa got into position, presenting to the two Alphas, although she seemed to move more in Merlin's direction. Merlin nodded to Mariah who moved forward and grabbed Elisa in her arms, biting down into the side of her neck. Merlin let out a sigh of relief and left, heading back towards home.
                          * * * * *
     Merlin returned to his den to find Rose busily packing a bag full of supplies. "Going somewhere, love?"
     Rose turned, a blush covering her face in embarrassment. "You will never convince me to abandon our people. I have a job to do--"
    Merlin interrupted, "I won't tell you no." 
    She dropped her bag in surprise, folding her arms over her chest. "What changed your mind?"
    "I just got back from a council meeting. Mordred is happy with Belle. All our mated Omegas are pregnant. Even Dorothy is pregnant." He chuckled. "And I had to oversee a mating so Elisa could be controlled." 
     "She's mated?" Rose asked in surprise.
     "Yes. Hopefully now she'll leave us be."
     Rose raised an eyebrow. "Us?"
    "All the talk of mating made me think. I could never live with myself if I lost you. You are my heart. So, if doing this thing will make you happy, you can go."
    She smiled, jumping into his arms. "Thank you, Merl! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
    "But there is one caveat." She nodded. "We'll call this first one a test run. If it goes well, you may continue. If not, you agree to stay home where I can keep an eye on you."
    "Ok."
    "And!"
    "And?"
    "And you need to bring protection. Take Arthur and Cenred with you."
    "Merl, I love you but I don't need a babysitter let alone two."
    "But the pups do."
    Rose rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine then. They can come but they better stay out of my way."
    Merlin chuckled, leaning forward and kissing his beloved mate. "You got it. Who knows? Maybe Arthur will finally get some sense knocked into him and stop pissing off Gwen."
    It was Rose's turn to laugh. "I doubt it."
                              * * * * *
    The next morning, Merlin and Rose stood at the border to Wolf Haven, Arthur and Cenred flanking them. "Are you sure you packed enough, my love? Food? Water? Clothes?"
    Rose smiled. "Of course." She said, moving in for a kiss. "Don't worry. The Timber Pack is only a two days' journey away. Everything will be fine."
    They kissed goodbye. "Brothers, take good care of my mate. Have a safe trip."
    Rose and the two Alphas waved goodbye then shifted into three large wolves, one with a slighter larger belly, and they took off into the morning air.
                           * * * * *
    The group had stopped to rest in the afternoon.
    The crisp fall air felt nice after the sweltering heat of summer. Unfortunately, going out beyond Wolf Haven, the group had to wear actual clothes so they went with loose fitting clothing to be more comfortable.
     They set up camp next to a mid sized stream. Arthur and Cenred knelt and cupped their hands, drinking from the stream. Rose eventually stripped down and jumped in. Moments later, her brothers joined her and the three began splashing one another, laughing and joking.
     That's when a girl came tearing out of the woods like a bat out of hell! She had cuts and dirt on her face, her blond hair tangled and covered in leaves, her dress torn and caked in dirt, mud, and grime, a frightened look in her pretty green eyes.
     "Help me!" She shouted.
     Rose pulled herself from the water and rushed over to help the girl, Arthur and Cenred right behind her. The blond girl fainted, falling right into Rose's arms. Arthur reached Rose first and took the girl from her hands, the group heading back to the camp. 
     She cleaned the girl up and stitched up her wounds with the first aid kit they'd brought with them. "What could've happened to her?" She asked the two Alphas.
     "I have no idea." Arthur replied.
     "You know what this means?" Cenred asked. "It means someone's after her which means they should be...."
     Before he could finish speaking, several weres came bursting from the same woods. Arthur and Cenred got into position as Rose protected the Omega. 
     "Well well well." The leader said. "What have we here? A couple of Alphas trying to steal our Omega?"
     "She's yours?" 
     There's no way! Rose thought. She could tell by the smell in the air that they were ferals. Not only that, the look on the poor girl's face when she ran out of the woods said it all.
     "How do we know that's not a lie?" Rose spoke up.
     The leader of the group of ferals stepped forward, an evil smirk on his face. "Ooh what do we have here? A beautiful Omega. Pregnant too. How delicious!"
      "Don't you even dare!"
      "Ooh I like 'em fiery! I guess we'll take you as well as our Omega!"
      Cenred stepped forward. "I don't think so!" His hands were on his swords, ready to remove them and kill the leader.
      Just as expected, the ferals then attacked. Cenred unsheathed his swords and counterattacked. Arthur immediately shifted as the ferals did so too. Rose put a protection spell over the Omega and began sending energy blasts at the ferals. Cenred sliced his swords through the leader, ending the fight as the rest turned tail and ran.
      "I hope we made the right decision in saving this Omega." Cenred said as he turned and walked back to the lake.
      "I know we did."
                           * * * * *
      Sometime later, the Omega finally woke up. "Well good morning, sleeping beauty!" Rose said, running a cold, wet cloth across her forehead. "How do you feel?"
      "Um..." She blinked. "Ok I think." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"
     "Not exactly. You ran out the woods, being attacked by ferals. My brothers and I saved you." Rose paused. "I'm Rosalia but my friends and family call me Rose."
     "I'm Rosalind." the other Omega said.
     "It's nice to meet you, Rosalind."
     "You too. Where are your brothers?"
     "They went out hunting. I stayed to keep an eye on you."
     "You're pregnant." Rosalind stated.
     Rose laughed. "Is it that obvious already?"
     "A bit." Rosalind said with a smile. 
     "It's my second pregnancy and I have to say, it's so much easier than the first. I guess I must have less pups than last time."
     "How many did you have last time?"
     "Nine."
      Rosalind's eyes widened. "Wow! How'd you manage that?"
      Rose chuckled. "My mate helped me through it. And my family too."
      "I've always wanted to mate." Rosalind said thoughtfully. "I've just never been able to. The only weres in this area are ferals."
      "Perhaps we can help." Rose said. "We come from Wolf Haven and I can vouch that there are many good and loving Alphas back home."
      "That sounds lovely." Rosalind smiled. "I'd love to come with you."
      "Ok. The only thing is that my brothers and I are heading to another town. We're in the middle of a mission."
      "A mission?"
      "It's complicated. I'll explain later."
      At that moment, Arthur and Cenred returned with their kills. Rose introduced them to Rosalind who had gotten shy once more. Then, they settled down for lunch.