I turned towards Zachary, who's proud tail dropped at the sight of my eyes, no doubt filled with a fiery fury and lust for vengeance- no, for revenge. I peeled back my lips, turning towards him completely, tail raised and a throaty snarl escaping my muzzle.

He glanced at the large wolf behind me, at the sudden army of wolves now behind me.

He snapped dangerously, "You're no more than a selfish Omega!"

I spat back, hackles raised and teeth bared, "Watch what I become! I've been waiting my whole life at a chance to avenge the unjust death of my parents!"

The black wolf neared me, speaking lowly, "You're an omega?" And then without waiting for an answer he turned to Zachary's surprised face, "And you're a liar. And a coward, too."

I was trembling slightly with fear. My secret was out. I could never win in a fight against this huge black wolf! But he seemed much more focused on Zachary's scheme than mine.

"How dare you!" Zachary snarled, froth flying from his lolled tongue. He looked like a Labrador that had run too much in one day, tongue hanging from drooling lips, foamy spit trailing from his gums to the top of his muzzle.

The black wolf neared him temptingly, as if every paw step was another threat to Zachary's pack, another wolf beheaded. I walked beside him, paws matching in unison, although I paled in comparison to the black wolf's size. He must have come from a long line of strong alphas. Still, I knew the way the moonlight would have reflected our furry silhouettes, particularly bouncing off our hides in such a way that shadowed our faces but illuminated our eyes.

Much like all of the other wolves in Zachary's pack, we had undergone extensive training since grade school. I had excelled in every category- too much so, and Zachary apparently felt threatened and kicked me out of the school with a fair beating.

A memory flickered across my eyes of a time when Zachary and his son sought to punish me for god knows what- probably dropped a plate while working in the pack house's kitchen again. In his human form, Zachary was tall and lanky with a dark face and much too big nose. He wasn't unattractive conventionally, and his charming and charismatic demeanour often won him more favours than an attractive face ever could. Still, he was troubled with the weight of responsibility that a werewolf pack held, and he would often take out his frustrations on the omegas- I specifically.

His son followed his father and alpha's lead. His son held little responsibility, as he was only 18, but he was just as ruthless and pent-up as his father was. What weighed Zachary's son, very uniquely named Zachary Jr, was actually his lack of a mate. He had been faced with the strong agitator of disappointment whenever he found that nobody of age in our pack was his mate on his birthday. And thus, he took it out on me in beatings. With a belt that left slashes on my backside, with tongs that were superheated over embers leaving marks on my thighs, with punches and kicks with immense power behind them.

With the beatings, my soul decayed. No, not decayed- my soul went into hibernation, waiting for the perfect opportunity to re-emerge from its den. Now, that moment arose.

The black wolf called out, "Bring forth your real son, then. Bring forth a true alpha! Or dare he not show his pathetic face?"

"Dare he not be slain by a monster!" Zachary howled, rallying his pack which had been antsy anticipating a battle.

"Monster?" I called in disbelief. "Your son is a monster! He gave me beatings like none other!"

"I am not a monster nor a coward!" I heard the familiar voice from somewhere behind the crowd. It was high and snake-like, sending chills up my spine. Zachary watched wide-eyed as his pale son strolled through the crowd of wolves, nearing the front and then morphing into his wolf. I glared at him harshly, and he glared right back.

The black wolf hissed, "Soon, the lands will belong to my pack!"

And with that, a fight broke loose. The black alpha leapt forward and upon Zachary who howled in rage and pain; then, the packs began to squabble treacherously beneath the moonlight and stars.

I had a few skills. I was fast and agile; but in a one-on-one fight, I held no talents. I would lose in a fight with any of these wolves. I didn't even know who's side I was on! And so, as an omega does, I ran- but it was the smartest option at the time.

I had made my way past the crowd and into the woods when a sweet scent hit my nose, and I suddenly knew that I was 18 years old and my mate was right behind me, large heavy paws thumping against the ground as they raced. Even so far behind me in the darkness, I could smell the unmistakeable scent of a mate from here. My instincts yelled out, "Mate!" And threatened to turn my wolf around to face them.

But why were they chasing me and not speaking? Why weren't they calling out saying, "Stop, wait, I'm your mate!"?

Perhaps they were as frustrated and scared and confused as I was in that moment. It would be a sin to hurt your mate, after all. But I still could not shake the feeling of immense dread as the heavy wolf closed in on me. But I was fast, and kept outpacing them stride after stride after stride. It was my saving grace.

That was, until I screwed it up by tripping over some tree roots and thistles and falling flat into the underbrush- which was not thick enough to hide me by any means, by the way. Suddenly, the large wolf pounced and was upon me, pinning me down and suffocating me with the sweet scent that the Luna Goddess had placed on him for me to find. My body emitted the same odour to him. He snarled, and I dared to glance up, curiosity overtaking me.

And there, looming over me in the pale moonlight, I saw Zachary's son, Jr.