Angry Wolf and His Deaf Mate

In Time - Part 1

Huge, dark clouds quickly filled the sky as I raced through the woods, the sounds of deep guttural growls were all around me. I pushed my legs to the point of breaking. Sweat poured down my body as I broke through the dense tree line into a large clearing. Panic sets in as I see no place to hide. The growls suddenly stopped, silence filled the air around me as my breath froze in my lungs.

Slowly, I moved through the clearing, heading for the other side. My ears and senses are on high alert, ready to pick up any sounds of the hunt resuming. I had thought that I had found a good place to hide, no packs nearby, no human settlements to bother me. It was the perfect place, or so I thought.

When I was a child my father was our pack alpha, my mother our Luna. I had the typical childhood of being the alpha's son. Everyone expected me to be the next alpha. I was trained accordingly. A few months before my sixteenth birthday my mother began preparing me. At times it seemed like she was preparing me to lead, and other times she was preparing me to run. On the night of my change, my sixteenth birthday, I finally realised which one she had been doing.

Mother came to me that night and led me into the woods. I was alone, scared and confused. Normally, for my first shift, I should be surrounded by my pack brothers and my alpha, my father.

"Look at me son," she ordered softly. "You need to let the change take you and then run as far as you can," her voice was laced with pain as she spoke.

As soon as she spoke those words I felt the change. Deep breathtaking pain coursed through me as I felt my bones contract and shift. Fur sprouted through my skin like hedgehog spines. A strange heat filled my core as I felt my teeth extend and sharpen. It felt like hours had passed but in reality, it was only a few seconds. My father had warned me it would be like that.

Through my wolf eyes, I saw glittering, silver tears falling down my mothers face. Her sad, proud smile took my breath away. She handed me a bag and stroked my fur.

"You are beautiful my son, but you are in danger. Listen carefully, you are an omega male. Many believe that omega males are a curse. If they see you, my love, they will kill you. Your father will not be able to stop them. Like omega females, you can go into heat, which attracts unmated males. It is seen as a waste and pointless. You must live on your own now, stay clear of other packs and wolves. Make sure they do not discover what you are, try not to shift if you can."

I whimpered in my wolf form as her small, soft hand travelled over my snout. After a few more seconds, she stepped aside and walked away. I took one last look at her retreating back and then did as she said. It wasn't until I stopped near a lake and saw myself that I understood. Pure white fur, not a single blemish of any other colour stared back at me in the rippling water. Many of the omega females in the pack had white fur with tufts of brown or black in places. I had none, just pure white.

That was several years ago now, eight in fact. At first, life was hard. Not only did I have to learn how to trust and use my wolf but I also had to learn how to stay clear of others. I had a lot of close calls, a lot of fights, my heat was the worst. A year in I encountered a rogue omega female. She found me during the start of my heat and helped me. She kept me safe during the heat and then after she told me the signs to look out for. When I questioned why she had helped me she had told me of her brother who had been killed when he had presented as an omega male. I had hoped she would stick around but she insisted it would be easier for me to avoid others if I didn't have anything or anyone holding me back.

--

I'm almost to the other edge of the clearing now, my senses still on high alert. Suddenly, just as I stepped through the dense, dark treeline, a painful groan freezes me in place. Peering into the darkness I scanned the trees around me. At first, there were no more sounds or any movement, until another groan of pain made me jump. Using my wolf senses I caught a faint scent of blood in the air. Slowly, I followed the scent, ready to run if it turned out to be a trap. There curled up at the base of a huge, oak tree lay a man covered in cuts and lots of blood.