Alphas Competition

Run Faster Rosie!

The sickening sound of flesh being torn apart filled the air, wide hazel eyes watched in horror as the wolf tore apart the very man they had always looked at with every bit of love in her heart.

The beast raised its blooded muzzle and snarled in Rosie's direction. With a shriek of terror she instinctively turned to her heel, ignoring the stones bruising her bare feet, and broke into a run.

She could hear the paws of wolves padding on the earth like the thud, thud, thud of a loud drum. The sound of her heart was echoing in her ears like a beat, beat, beat.

Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back.

She looked back.

Two wolves were hot on her heels, snapping their blood stained jaws at her. Her stomach throbbed with the effort of running, her legs threatened to give up but just then, three wolves appeared from the front, baring their teeth and fell upon the others. Pained howls and snapping of bones filled her head.

As if in a nightmare, tears streaming down her face, Rosie dashed forward. She ran and ran and ran until she could no longer feel her feet, until sweat covered her like second skin, until she was only going on for her unborn child.

In the distance, she saw light. High walls. The smell of other lycanthropes.

Shelter.

Heaving, stumbling, gasping, she reached the high iron fence that marked a pack's territory.

"Stop!" a stern male voice barked "Who are you? State your name and purpose."

Rosie looked at the two tall males that approached her very quickly, even for werewolves.

Her lips parted to say something but her mind was blank, her soul shattering, her energy crushed and darkness was filling her vision.

And she fainted.

***

Several hours later, Rosie was holding a baby girl in her arms. Hazel eyes, so much like her own gazed back at her.

"Lucas would've loved you so much," she whispered softly, tears pricking her eyes.

A knock on the door of the little room snapped her out of her thoughts. A woman in her late twenties came inside.

"Rosie, Luna would like to see you" she said gently "come along, dear."

"Yes, let's go." Rosie nodded at the omega Lycan

They walked through the long, narrow passages of the omega quarters to the wide and glamorous hallways of the Alpha and Luna's chambers.

The guards let them into the meeting room where the Alpha and Luna sat. The Alpha was a big man with broad shoulders, a proud scar on his left cheek and fierce brown eyes. Luna was a fragile looking woman but her blue eyes were sharp as a hawk, piercing as shards of glass.

"Alpha, Luna," Rosie dipped in a courtesy

"Mrs. Brooks," the Alpha said, "We sent troops to your pack territory, but no one could survive the rogue attack. No one but you and your daughter."

Rosie nodded, feeling her chest constrict with pain.

"Now, we understand you need shelter," the Alpha continued, "and we would offer you a place here in the estate, as werewolves and Lycans are not so different after all."

"That would be very kind of you, Alpha." Rosie replied meekly

"but," Luna interjected, "you are not part of our pack, hence, you can only stay as an omega."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lainea looked at her daughter's hazel eyes. With a deep breath, she made the choice any mother would've made.

"I accept the conditions."

After Rosie had been officially converted to an omega by taking an oath and shaking her hand, which she'd cut a bit to draw out blood, with the Alpha, who had done the same. She went out, clutching her baby.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when someone tugged at the hem of her dress. She whirled around, her eyes landed on a four year old boy. With his dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, it wouldn't take a genius to guess who he was.

"Who are you?" he asked, though his eyes were curious, his voice had been commanding

"I, well," Rosie struggled with her words "I'm the new pack member."

The boy nodded, craning his neck to look at the child in the woman's arms. Rosie lowered her arms to let him have a look.

The boy smiled at the infant "Hello there, I'm Alfred Williams."

He looked at Rosie, apparently to know the name of the child. Rosie blushed, she hadn't thought of it yet but...

Looking down at her angle, a soft smile tugged her lips

"Paloma," she said, "Paloma Brooks."

Alfred grinned and let the baby hold one of his fingers

"Welcome home, Paloma."

The Attack

"Paloma!"

I whirl around, my pin straight hair follows the movement. My eyes meet familiar blue ones.

"Shuss!" I mock-glare my best friend "I'm doing something important!"

His lips tug upwards in the usual crooked grin and he simply leans against the wall, watching me as I achieve greatness.

Right, I take the catapult, grab a big walnut and take aim. One, two, three...

Snap!

A banshee-like scream meets my ears and I quickly duck behind the wall, choking on giggles.

"Who did this?" A shrill voice demands "Who did this?!"

A familiar deep chuckle reaches me from my side.

"What are you? A six year old?" He asks, his eyes shining with amusement

"Just because I'm 19 doesn't mean I can't have fun." I grin at him "you wanna try?"

He considers it for a moment "Why the hell not?"

I give him a walnut and the catapult, we exchange a serious nod like the ones best friends do before stealing ice cream from the fridge.

He takes aim, pulls the rubber back andー

Snap!

"I'm going to kill you when I find you!"

Unable to hold myself back, I stumble away, clasping my hands on my mouth. Only when I'm out of ear shot, laughter bubbles past my lips and I can almost feel my face becoming red.

Another laugh combines with mine and I realize I'm not the only one who ran.

"Goddess, you didn't see her face!" He says

"Oh don't worry, we always have next time." I say grinning

"Ceder!"

Both of us jump at the stern voice, soon enough a tall man with pale blond hair and gray eyes comes in my view.

"Beta perry," I and Ceder bow our heads

Beta looks at me for a second, his eyes holding the usual glint of disdain, then turns to my bestie.

"What are you doing here?" He demands "all the pack warriors are supposed to be training right now."

"The training ended not five minutes ago, Beta." Ceder says, jumping to his serious voice "in fact, I was just here to tell the Omega to clean the weapons."

Beta turns his harsh face to me again.

"Then stop standing here like an idiot and get to it!" He barks

I stare back into his gray eyes defyingly. My muscles itch to bend my neck and submit, my eyes prickle with the effort of looking into his powerful ones but I've practiced this for ages.

"Of course, Beta." I finally say and turn around to get as far from him as possible.

Like father, like daughter.

But it's not really Beta's fault. You see, ever since he found out that Nicole─ his daughter, is a nut job, he's been one himself. And what a pity I've never known him before his condition.

As I pass through the hallways of our ridiculously big pack house, everyone considers my existence in their own unique way. Some give me the stink eye, some quickly turn away, some with looks of superiority.

My wolf claws at my head to let her out.

I roll my eyes as a bunch of pack warriors pass by me, smirking. Lycans, I shake my head, they think they're so amazing.

I pass by the weapons room but don't bother checking. I cleaned everything just yesterday.

So far, Ceder has been the only friend I have other than a few omegas. Heck, even some of the omegas look at me and mom with dislike.

But none of it bothers me as much as it did. Because my escape plan is simple;

1-Find my mate.

2-Convince him to take my mom with us to his pack.

3-Escape.

4-Attain Godly powers and destroy every lycanthrope with superiority complex and then take over the world.

See? Simple.

I go outside the main pack house and towards the Omega quarters. On the outside of the little building, I see a familiar figure.

"Rosie!" Nicole barks, my fingers curl in fists as my mother hurries outside to receive the b*tch

"Yes, Miss Minnie?" Mom asks politely

"I want a foot massage, right now!" She says, flipping her long blond hair

I watch as my mom swallows, see the hesitation in her eyes and watch as her head moves in a nod.

My blood boils.

"Wait!" I quickly jog towards them

"What is it Alice?" Nicole snaps

"Mom is needed to clean the weapons in the weapon room, sorry she can't come with you." I say trying my level best not to glare at her

"Fine," Nicole huffs, then her eyes light up "Why don't you come with me then? My feet could use some proper tending. And it must be an honor for a werewolf Omega to touch the feet of a Lycan beta."

My left eye twitches but I glance at mom, at her still pretty face. The light in her hazel eyes is so dull than what it used to be...

Swallowing my pride and dignity I nod.

Nicole flashes her pearly white teeth at me and turns around to go inside the pack house. I turn to mom.

"No cleaning needed in the weapons room, go and rest, yeah?" I say, smiling at her

"Paloma, sweetie, you shouldn't have." Mom says "if Nicole finds outー

"She wouldn't care," I waved dismissively. "She likes to piss me off whenever she gets the chance."

"Alice! Hurry up you lazy, good for nothing idiot!"

"I better go," my lips curl in disgust

Nonetheless, I turn to follow Her Royal Dumbass and quickly fall in step behind her.

"Took you long enough," she snaps

Maybe next time I can throw rotten eggs at her? Or if I can somehow get my hands on a used diaper...

"I can't believe how slow you omegas walk,"

Although, it's too much effort for the likes of her, I think I might just do it.

"Are you mute or something? Then again, you can't argue about it."

Are there any babies in our pack? Ones that might have stomach problems?

Nicole leads me to her room, the pinkest, furriest, most sparkling room in the house. One I've been in too many times.

She lays down on the daybed and gestures at her shoes.

Don't lose it. Do not lose it.

I yank off her shoes, ignoring the smirk on her face. My fingers itch in resistance as I move them near her feet, my wolf claws at my head harder than usual but I focus all my energy on my breaths. In and out. In and out.

"You know Alice," Nicole says as I try not to crush her feet "I'm very happy today, so happy that even your inferior presence isn't bothering me."

"You're too generous."

"It's like my birthday, Christmas, and the full moon all in one!" She says

If I can just move my fingers a bit higher, preferably to your throat, it might be like your funeral too.

"Because he's coming!" She says excitedly "my love is coming back and thankfully Moon didn't find his mate or something. Now there's nothing separating us!"

"Who's coming?" I ask

Surprisingly, she smiles wider, it's creeping me out.

"Alfred! My Alfred is coming back!" She says

I freeze. Her words echo in my head.

Alfred! Alfred is coming back!

Oh no.

***

Alfred Williams. The only son of Alpha Ray and Luna Molly. The soon-to-be Alpha of our pack.

He's coming back. After five years.

The sound of my heart pounding in my ears gets faster by the second and Nicole, in her joy, doesn't even realize I'm not massaging her feet anymore.

No, no, no!

I don't wanna make a reunion feast!

"My hot, dashing, charming Alfred!" Nicole claps her hands together "And finally he's going to come back ー without any mate! Which means one thing! Him and me, forever!"

"Yeah, really amazing." Better find my mate before she becomes Luna

"He's the most handsome man I've ever seen you know," Nicole says dreamily

Sometimes, some very rare times, I feel kinda bad for Nicole. The pathetic soul has no friends.

"I've only seen him like, 3 times." I feel obligated to point out

"Of course, the likes of you can't even look at him often." She smirks at me

No wonder she doesn't have friends.

"Now go, shuu!" She says "I have to get ready before he comes, it takes a lot of time, not that you'll know."

Thanking the goddess, I hurry out of her room and towards the Omega quarters again. There must be an uproar there.

When I enter through the main door, the sound of chaos hits me hard. People are running around with decorations, folding invitation envelopes, making lists.

Even in the crowd, I can easy make out a short, plum woman with dark red hair shouting;

"Stay calm people!" She says loudly "Stay F*cking calm!"

"Captain Hudson," I pushed through the rushing crowd "Don't tell me..."

"Yup," She nods with a grin, "it's a code red."

I attempt to pass out and fall but someone grabs my elbow and pulls me straight.

"No time for fainting," Octavia, Hudson's daughter, with the same red hair and green eyes, says to me "We have shopping to do!"

"Tell me that's not true," I say a bit too dramatically

"It's not true," Octavia says, taking me with her "Now come on,"

Goddess, save my ass.

***

"No more, I ─ can't." I lean against the wall "not another step!"

"Paloma, we have yet to buy all the dairy products!" Octavia says, waving the list

"You're a Lycan, I'm a werewolf!" I give her a look "and I can't walk around with eight huge bags in my arms in this blazing heat!"

She takes in consideration my sweaty and red face, then sights.

"Fine, let's put these things in the car and take a break, Kay?" She says

My face lights up "Is there any other answer but yes?"

We make our way through the busy streets of Minneapolis and towards the car that the pack finally offered us to transfer this stuff in.

"Back so soon?" Ceder, our willing driver, raises an eyebrow

"No such luck," I say as Octavia opens the back door and puts in her bags, I do the same "We're going to do another shift after a quick break, you can take these back to the pack house, yeah?"

"Sure," he shrugs and the engine roars to life

I and Octavia quickly decide to jog to the forest near the pack house and take a run─for Octavia, and a stroll ─for me, before we come back.

The earthy scent of the forest greets me, I smile. Walking deeper in the forest, I focus on the sound of my feet padding on the ground, the breeze ruffling the leaves, the scent of flowers and... A human?

I squint my eyes and let my nose guide me to the source of the scent. About ten feet away, I see the humped figure of an old woman.

"Umm, hello?" I say unsurely "are you lost?"

The woman turns around to face me and I falter in my steps. Blazing yellow eyes stare back at me.

Witch.

"Not at all, dear." She says "I know this forest like the back of my hand."

"Oh, umm, sorry." I say, witches rattle me "I'll go then."

"So soon?" Her bushy gray eyebrows rise "mostly lycanthropes are curious to know their future or find when they will meet their mate."

"You can tell me that?" I ask, a note of excitement leaking in my voice

"What do you think?" She grins, gold teeth flashing between yellow ones

"Tell me when I'll find my mate, please!" I say instantly

"Show me the palm of your right 'and," she holds out a wrinkled, frail hand

I hesitate for a moment, she is a witch after all, she might be tricking me but...

I hold out my hand to her. Her bony finger trails the map of lines on my palm.

"Very interesting, such a..." She mutters toying with my hand

"You're going to meet him soon."

"Soon when?" I furrow my eyebrows

"You will meet your mate after you fall in love."

I stare at her blankly.

"Nice talking to you, dear." She turns around and starts walking fast

"Hey, wait ─

Before my very eyes, she shifts into a Raven and takes off.

After you fall in love...

Confusion clouds my mind, a strange restlessness settles in my stomach. I shake my head and start walking back.

Witches! They're all eccentric! After I fall in love? Please! My mate is going to be the only man I ever fall in love with!

Taking fast steps, I went back to where I was supposed to meet Octavia─ the parking lot of the supermarket.

I look around the empty parking lot and then see familiar red hair. My eyebrows furrow at the scene.

A man is standing close to her, caging her between himself and the wall. Taking a few steps forward, I catch a glimpse of Octavia's horrified face, my stomach twists into a tight knot.

Half marching, half running I go towards them and catch a throaty voice saying;

"Why so afraid of me, baby?" The dog is saying "All I'm asking is─

I grab his arm and turn him around. Unthinking, uncaring, on pure instinct, my hand raises and─

Slap!

I pull Octavia away from him, she clings to my arm, silent tears running down her face.

"You bloody b*tch!" The man hisses, his eyes on Octavia rather than me

"What are you staring at, you asshole!" I give him a death glare

"You," he turns his face to me "you just wait until─

"What is going on here?"

I freeze as the deep, powerful voice reaches my ears. Unfamiliar, yet oddly known...

Out of their own volition, my eyes fly to the source of the sound. My breath hitches.

A tall, well built figure walks up to us. A perfectly angular face, a jaw sharp enough to break rocks on it, straight nose and a subtle tan on smooth skin. Dark, stormy blue eyes meet mine and for one single moment I feel like─

"What is this, soldier?" He asks the other man

"This female was attacking me, Sir." He glares at me

Dark blue eyes turn to me, a hint of irritation evident in them. Alright, maybe I look like I can kill someone right now but there's no way this man would be a big enough jerk to─

"Apologize."

I stare at him in amazement. Wow, he just broke all the records.

"No, I will not apologize." I snapped, eyes ablaze with anger "Your 'Soldier' was harassing my friend!"

The newcomer's eyes go to the ghastly pale girl trying to hide behind me.

"Is that true?" He narrows his eyes at the asshole

"You're asking him?" I ask, my voice portraying my anger "Are you blind? Can't you see her face?"

A low growl rumbles in his throat, his jaw tightens. Apparently, no one's ever talked to him like this.

"Do not interrupt me when I'm talking," He throws a glance of supreme disapproval in our direction, Octavia whimpers a little "I don't have time for such ridiculous arguments anyways."

"Ridiculous arguments?" Should I slap him too? "Your employee just did something completely immoral and you'll walk away like a man with no honor?"

Lighting flashes in his eyes and he takes a step forward. I register the power radiating from him, my muscles start itching, my eyes wanting to blink and look away but I don't back down.

"Do you know who I am?" He asks, or rather demands

"Of course I do," I say, much to his surprise "You're a textbook jerk!"

I turn my face away, grab Octavia's arm and walk away, very aware of the piercing blue eyes staring at me until I'm out of sight.

"You okay?" I ask Octavia when we're far enough

"I'm fine," she mumbles, "just a bit shaken."

"Don't sweat it. Let's go back, someone else can get the other things." I put my arm around her, hoping to be of some comfort

"You shouldn't have done what you did, Paloma." Octavia says as we start walking "Maybe those are guests or something, you might get in trouble."

"Screw trouble," I say "Men who can't respect women are dogs. And men who can stand those men are b*tches."

A smile tugs at her lips "You're crazy."

I grin "Crazy awesome."

***