It's a quiet trip to the village. The cobble roads are just ahead now, with them the end of my journey; a small town tucked quite far from the buzzing city life. The perfect spot for a pack of werewolves to settle down and blend amongst the civilians that resided here; some kind of 'hiding in plain sight' strategy from what I've read.

I close in on the edge of the villagr when I catch myself faced with a dilemma; I hadn't planned this far ahead. Although armed with an extra basket of clothes, I still need a place to hide. Waltzing into the roads would put me at uch to be spotted by a Human. Crossing paths with one of my kind is asking for a fight as most of them are undoubtedly charged with sexual tension at the idea of potentially becoming Luna or —for the males— bagging a couple of heart broken females.

An Omega like me would be nothing but a piece of meat for them to release their frustrations on.

With little options, I turn to the back alley of a nearby bar and choose to head there. The smell of trash, vomit and alcohol would no doubt cover my scent and any rumor of a giant wolf could be dismissed as nothing more but that of a drunkard's hallucination.

My belly low to the ground, I turn the corner and keep close to the wall, senses on high alert. I reach the side of a large metal bin, the smell of rotten food so putrid, I can barely breathe.

A door swings open, the smell of sweat, cigarettes and booze pouring through as a trio of men stumble into the alleyway. I crouch and keep low to the ground, watching them silently as they mumble gibberish and stumble around in a drunken stupor. I step back and watch quietly.

"Fuck man, I'm so wasted!" Blurts the first, wiping a drop of liquid from the corner of his mouth.

His friend chuckles and they turn to the third man. "Yeah, the hell you put in those drinks anyway Ryder? That shit hits hard!"

The man called Ryder smirks. He pulls out a cigarette and whistles out a puff of smoke. "A bit of Moondust." He casually pulls out a small flask of purplish liquid, the content swirling before his friends' mesmerized eyes. "You asked. I delivered."

Those three are Wolves. I conclude by recognizing the liquid from a book I've read. Although its use currently eludes me, it seems to be some kind of powerful wolvish concoction or drug.

"Shit." My attention pulls back to Ryder gazing at his watch. "Let's go, the ceremony begins in ten."

My heart drops. Ten minutes?! Oh shoot, that means I'll be late too if I don't hurry up! Having no other options available, I duck further behind the bush and hastily shift as I pull my dress out of its basket and slip it on.

I stand up, rogue wrinkles smoothed by a quick swipe of my hand through the fabric. The material shines like stardust under the sun. I allow a quick smile before I school my thoughts and sternly recite the plan.

Do not cross his gaze. Recite the letter. Give the gift. Leave.

I engage onto the closest paved road and head for the mansion. Many minutes pass by, my heart beating hastily with the sound of my heels clicking against the pavement. The roads were mostly empty, filled by an eerie silence which grew with every passing second.

I take a left when a voice calls to me; "And who's this!" I halt my steps and gaze to where the voice came from. The stench of booze makes my throat clench as the three men from before catch up to me. Shit.

"Looky here!" The first man slurs, his steps awkward as he stumbles on. "What a pertty dress youz have!" His eyes trace the contour of my legs before he settles towards the slit of my breasts, his face lifting with a grin.

I yelp as wind sweeps between my legs making me realize the second man had lifted my dress, giggling in amusement as he peeked at my underwear. I urgently pull the fabric from his hands, horror clenching my throat.

His chuckle is dark and low as he speaks. "Aw, don't be so tense now... We just wanna have a bit of fun with ya."

My stomach wretches at his words. Fearful hazel eyes plead to Ryder as I gaze in his direction, hoping he would step in and speak sense into his drunken friends.

He speaks softly. "I recognize you." I shiver. He steps closer. "You're the Omega from that little cottage out in the woods." He leans, putrid grey smoke puffing onto my face. "Heard good things about you. Though, you're quite younger than I imagined." he brushes a rogue hair strand behind my ear. My blood freezes as the hunger in his amber eyes grows.

"I-I don't know you..." My eyes pull away, lungs urging for air, choking, heaving.

"The name's Ryder. Maybe you've heard about me when my friends came to visit you last year." I shake my head, both disgusted and confused from his words.

"Ryder!" Just as I feel his knee press against my legs, Ryder is swiftly shoved aside as a tall figure steps in. A loud gasp escapes my mouth, releasing the breath I'd unwillingly held in. I gaze up, noticing the tall figure shrouding me in shadow. "The hell you think you're doing?"

Ryder's tone shifts to soft but challenging. "Why don't you get back your precious master, lapdog? Mind your business and I'll mind my own.

- You should've been at the ceremony an hour ago. With your mate.

- Haven't I warned you before, lapdog? You've got your business-" Ryder steps closer, now an inch away from the taller man's face. "Don't meddle in mine."

They fall silent, tension sparking between their challenging gazes. Ryder eventually looks away, face distorting into a strange frown. He huffs and steps back, his steely eyes falling back onto me with a sinister glint.

"See you around. Omega."

The trio takes their leave. I press against the brick wall. I nearly collapse, feeling as though all my energy was drained. I pull a shivering hand to my chest to soothe my beating heart.

"Miss?" My eyes flicker to the sight of soft blue pools. My breath nearly caught in my throat, surprised to realize those eyes belonged to the same man who'd send Ryder and his friends away. He speaks, gentle and comforting. "Are you alright?"

I swallow the knot of emotion that nestled in my throat. "Yes... Th-thank you."

He nods and smiles before his brows knit into a frown. "Are you... The Omega?

- Yes... Why do you ask?" Fear regains its icy grip onto my stomach, churning my thoughts into chaos.

"Shouldn't you be at the ceremony like the other girls?

- I was on my way but... I... Got a little lost. Then those guys showed up." My eyes fearfully flicker where they were last seen, fearing they'd somehow still be there, watching me. My shoulders relax, relieved to confirm they were definitely gone.

His laugh is gentle as he speaks, "I reckon you were. I can escort you to the mansion if you wish. Save you the trouble."

My lips part with the intention to refuse his offer, but doubt urges my tongue to hold. What if Ryder and his friends returned? Perhaps it's best if I keep close to him. "Y-yes. I guess you're right." An awkward heat flush my cheeks red.

He extends his hand. "Cade, at your service.

- Pleasure." Our hands shake clumsily, but I find the gesture to be very gentleman-like regardless.

Minutes later, crowd gossip buzzes to my ears. Turns out I was only a few streets away from my destination, the realization flushing my face with the flames of embarrassment. My discomfort quickly gave way to amazement when I set my eyes onto the Weston pack house; it was beautiful, albeit quite larger than I had initially thought. Marble pillars erected from the ground to incredible heights, an obsidian coloured roof resting atop while highlights of silver and gold framed windows and doors alike with an incredible shine. Lanterns shone brightly against the pale grey bricked walls, illuminating every detail for all to see with large oaks to guard the front walls and a plethora of rainbow hued flowers colouring the rims.

Wow is all I could say.

''Cade!'' A new voice rings to my ears, startling me to look up. A man with jet black hair steps out from the crowd and stops before us. My lungs are robbed from air when I catch the deep, forest green of his eyes.

He sneers towards Cade, paying me no heed. "Where the hell have you been? The ceremony began twenty minutes ago!"

My eyes glue onto the man and a strange warmth blooms in my chest. Suddenly, my wolf explodes with joy, emotions of bliss pouring into my mind. I gape at the green eyed man.

"Found Ryder roaming town with his two buddies. They managed to get themselves completely wasted before harassing this poor girl.'' Cade's arm gestures towards me, guiding the man's eyes to mine.

Hazel meets forest and his eyes widens, illuminating with a silver fire unlike anything I've ever seen. A string thin like silk, once dormant within my soul, lunges forward almost pulling me with it. The line slithers and dances, wrapping around the man whose face shared the same shock as I. The string tightens around his wrist, solidifies and a wave of visions overwhelms my mind. A flash of white, crimson eyes, a wolf, black, red, smoke, teeth.

My heart thrums in my chest.

Fire, screams, blood... so much blood. Pain surges through my body, blood boils in my veins. A scream swells in my chest, ripping out of my throat with staggering force. A flash slices through me, dappling my vision as I feel my legs sway.

Red, white, black, red... then nothing.

-*-

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ✨