Omega to Alpha

Athena

The first mistake I ever made was finding myself in the Lion's Mane pack. The second mistake was being born a female. Stories about my kind in other cities made me realize how unfairly we were treated, especially in the village where I grew.

I witnessed the labor of a warrior in the Gamma's quarters one night-one of those nights I sneaked out of my cage called home to breathe in the fresh forest breeze. I was eight, but I knew a lot, as the daughter of a popular pack warrior. The rage in the eyes of the male Gamma was so frightful, that I thought he wanted to devour the innocent newborn child in cold blood.

"It's a girl, Gamma Richard," a woman announced as she stepped out of the wooden house with a fire stick in her hand and a sloughing back. I stood far away, careful not to be found. The woman was frail and old. She was one of those women who handled childbirth in the village, despite her trembling hands with visible weak veins propping at the surface.

"Impossible! How can she bring such shame to me? The seer swore it was going to be a son!" The man raged as his voice roared into the night. I ducked, clenching onto the poor tree concealing my presence. I felt the leaves rustle as he dashed past me. At first, I thought he caught me. It would have been a different game for the eight-year-old me roaming about.

The surroundings cleared but I wanted to know more. I tiptoed toward the house, wanting to satisfy my curiosity, knowing that it could be my last opportunity to sneak out of the house.

I caught sight of a dimly lit room, one with a lantern on a small table at the center, from where I stood. My eyes traveled down to the silhouette of a woman sitting on the floor, in tears. A little baby was wrapped in white wool, placed inside a basket a few meters away from her. It looked so innocent and pure as it cooed inside the cotton blankets. It made me remember the birth of my brother, Carl.

Then, there was noise coming from the main entrance of the house. I knew what it meant. We all knew. It was a female child. There was no way she was going to be allowed a normal life-just like me. I wondered why my pack hated females so much, especially females born outside the bloodline of an Alpha or a superior warrior. My heart was sore as I saw a troop of men barge into the apartment.

"Please don't take her away. Let me feel her, one last time." The woman's pleas did nothing as they yanked the baby from one of the nurses' hands, who tried to yield to the pain of a mother about to lose her child forever. I didn't realize when I began to sob loudly until a voice asked from beside the window where I stood, "Who's there?"

My limbs became stuck to the muddy ground for a split second. Out of fear, I dove to the ground. No one has caught me since I began my nightly quest for temporary freedom. I couldn't allow it to happen now.

Thankfully, there was a flowerpot beside me, large enough to conceal me. I heard the footsteps fade away as the other voices from within the house faded, except for the crying woman. I felt so much compassion for her. My mother had told me stories like this but I never believed them because I thought she wanted to instill fear in me just to keep me locked away. As I planned to leave, the woman in the house stood from the floor where she sat and the next sound I heard was a gruesome cry. I walked around the house to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe I should have disobeyed my whims and save myself from so many nightmares.

The whole kitchen was flooded as the knife gradually fell from her hands. Blood gushed out from her belly as it traveled to meet the blood dropping from under her skirts. It was a horrible sight. The night wasn't cold, but I developed a sudden fever as I stumbled my way out. My feet were betraying my speed, but I didn't stop regardless.

This time, it wasn't my mother's usual stories, nor was it the news from the pack's messengers. It happened right before my very eyes. I threw up along the way as my brain couldn't digest the gory sight. This would be me in a few years to come if I'm ever found, I whispered to myself as I dashed across the forest grounds, hoping to see a large oak tree-an indication that I was close to home.

I was born a female, but my parents hid me from the eyes of the Alpha when I was born. I'd been in hiding ever since. I didn't know how much time was left until my secret would be discovered, and I didn't do a great job at concealing my identity either, but the thought of my future haunted me daily and made me more hardened. Finally, the oak tree came into sight. It was a dark bitter night-even the croaking noise of the toads were extinct.

"Where were you, Athena? Haven't I warned you several times about leaving the house?" My mother questioned in a disturbed whisper as I tried to sneak into my room unnoticed-it was too late. I corrected my posture, as I stood upright. My limbs were fixed on the spot. I didn't have an excuse. It was way past eleven, and I knew how dangerous it was to roam the forest at such a dangerous time. I managed a whisper, the horrors of the night still haunting me,

"I'm sorry, mother."

For the first time, I meant my apology. My mother's fear for my life was justified. I turned to face her and fell to my knees, crying louder,

"I'm sorry, mother. But why did you make me a girl, mother? Why didn't you make me a boy like my brother?" I wailed bitterly as I held on to my mother's limbs, asking for the impossible, questioning the inevitable.

"The moon goddess knows all. We can't question her decisions. Now get up and go back to your room before your father finds out about this." She helped me to my feet and pushed me briskly into my room. Immediately, I heard my father's muffled voice from behind as I shut the door. "Who was that, Olivia?"

"Nothing, my Lord. It was a wild cat," my mother replied nervously-she feared my father more than I did. It wasn't hard to understand why.

"Don't you dare lie to me. I heard you speak with someone just now!" my father roared. From my room, I felt his wolf.

The next thing I heard my mother's scream. "Where is she!" my father raged as he banged my room door open. I jumped on my bed before he came in, turning the sheets over my head, pretending to be asleep as I tried so hard to hold back my sob. It was not the first time my mother defended me. It was not the first time I heard her cry from my father's hit. The pain she went through because of me made me obey her for a while and remain locked up but something in me wanted more. I wasn't ready to be caged. I choked my mouth with my bedspread to muffle my silent sobs as my father entered my room. His presence was dreadful, it was as though he could sense lies from a distance.

"I hope you pretend to the Alpha the day you fall into his traps. Ungrateful bunch of shits!" he cursed and slammed my room door close which made the windows rattle from the impact.

A few minutes passed. My eyes were sore and wet. I stared vaguely at the full moon above a large palm tree beside my window from where I lay, questioning whatever being was up there, watching all these to happen. Then, my mother's silhouette blocked my view. She sat at the edge of my bed. Immediately, I flung my arms around her as my tears increased, resting on both knees on the bed as I sniffed on her shoulders. It was all I needed. Her love was more than enough to fight through anything. I was deeply sorry for the pain I caused her.

"It's okay, Athena. Just don't put yourself in trouble. I don't want you to end up like me."

I didn't understand what she meant but i nodded as she pat me to sleep. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to know why they chose to keep me hidden, what happened to the females captured by the alpha. I wanted to know why she allowed my father to hit her time and time again. Was I a special being, or was I a curse never to be seen? Questions I wished I had answers to. Just as my eyelids were falling asleep, a terrible thunder vibrated the whole house. I flew out of bed and met the frightened look on my mother's face. It wasn't a bad weather. Only one person could make such a fearful growl. He was around. Right in our house.

"Go!" My mother's tensed whisper rang in my ears as the growl grew louder. It felt like the end of my miserable life. There was no escape. I was finally joining the rest of my kind or maybe get killed for trying to deceive the Alpha. It was as though the tears dropping from my swollen eyes were drying immediately as they fell with the heat that shot through my entire body. I jumped out through the window while my mother dashed out of the room in a panic.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Rowan. Her scent is all over here," the murderous voice echoed as I heard my father stand in my defense. This was the first time the Alpha visited our home. Somebody must have seen me. I was too careless. I scolded myself as I sat in fright, shivering and suppressing the cry ready to burst out of my mouth.

"I would never lie to you, Alpha Gonzalo. My mate and I have been the only inhabitant of this house after my son joined your warriors the last six months. There must have been a mistake somewhere, Alpha," my father explained with a courageous tone and every bit of assurance that was hard to question. I sat still in the dark hole, dug by my father after the first visit of the Alpha to the Gamma's quarters some years back, waiting for the next slap of woe. Everyone in the pack knew how dangerous and unpredictable the Alpha was.

There was tension in the house. I heard more feet marching in as the alpha commanded,

"Search everywhere!" I heard the heavy pants of monsters. I knew they were among the Alpha's ferocious wolves. My imaginations of them were so frightful. Sweat oozed out of me as the growls grew louder. If I stayed any longer, they were sure to find me, I said to myself as I swallowed a large chunk of fear in my throat ready to attempt a flight before I was caught-I had overgrown the hole.

My legs were already sore from squatting. I peeped through the hay over the wooden plank above me. The coast was clear but the thundering and shattering from the house made me question my sudden decision. Rather than sit there and await capture, I decided to prepare for an escape-Run. I took off my sandals, slowly climbing out. There was a thick forest ground close by-one of the places I sneaked out to witness the fight of roaming rogues. It was the only feasible option for me-the safest hideout for me at the moment. It didn't matter if I got killed by a wild beast or even a ghost-the forest has been known to be haunted by the ghost of dead witches.

I didn't want to be a slave to the Alpha or to anyone. I ran. I didn't stop. Every thought of the newborn baby fueling my motivation to escape. I was too scared to look back. Scared to find a pack of wolves chasing after me tears rolled down my chin while I licked the secretion from my nostrils. My feet sore from the harsh pricks of twigs. Approaching the forest grounds, I felt a sense of escape, finally far away from the clearing where my house was but it didn't make me stop running.

The light from the moon strangely made me stronger, illuminating my path amidst the tall canopy of trees. As I ran into the heart of the forest, a cry came from within the forest. I froze in fright and looked around me afraid that the Alpha's wolves have caught up with me.

Whatever thing that made me leave my father's trusted abode must have left me stranded at the spot when I discovered the cry was from a distance ahead of me. What was I thinking? I clutched the bark of a nearby tree, looking out for the source of the impending danger, my ears active for the slightest sounds.

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it" a cry broke out. I would have stolen a peek to satisfy my curiosity but I learnt that already. My stubbornness had left me. I was like a lost rabbit amidst wild beasts. Then I heard another screeching cry. I closed my eyes so tightly with my hands on my ears as I sat on decaying leaves with my back to the tree. I wanted everything to stop. I wanted my mother's hug again, to tell me I was safe and that I was only having a bad dream. But I was wrong. Everything was real, and I was the prey.

As I sat there, trying to block out the sound of the scream, I realized that it wasn't going away. In fact, it seemed to be getting louder. My heart raced as I wondered what caused such a terrifying noise. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, trying to locate the source of the scream. As I scanned the forest, I saw a figure running toward me. A slim woman. She was covered in blood and her clothes were torn. I froze in fear as she got closer and closer. Just as I thought she was going to reach for me and grab me, she collapsed at my feet. I quickly realized that it was a young girl, pretty much older than me. She was gasping for air with terror in her eyes. I knelt down beside her as a dead stump buried in snow-petrified and speechless.

"He's coming for me! Save me!" she urged, pointing earnestly at the space behind us. I needed help myself, but whatever was after the girl would definitely not spare me. I gathered dry litters of leaves to heal her bleeding sides, just as I caught my father do sometimes back. Somehow, I knew I had to act fast. I pulled her up with the best of my efforts after the bleeding reduced. Then, we started running through the forest, trying to put as much distance between us and the attackers or whoever was after her.

"Take one more step and you're as good as dead meat," a murderous voice commanded. I immediately let out a reflex scream as the girl fell to the floor without my support. I couldn't make out his face as the burning moon was right behind his large body as I back-crawled away from him. But, it looked nothing like the usual werewolves I was accustomed to. He leaned forward to get a good sniff of me and threw me a look of suspicion.

"Impossible," it whispered while leaning toward me. I couldn't hold my gaze on him. His eyes were blazing, like a lightening ready to shoot and destroy everything around it. Amidst the fright, I felt something strange, a kind of calm I could only get from my mother.

"Run back home and never look back or I wouldn't spare you," he commanded as he backed away from me, dragging the body of the girl along with him while retaining his gaze on me. I took to my heels immediately. I ran as though my life depended on it. At that point, it did. I didn't dare steal a second glance at the creature and it didn't come for me either.

"Athena!" I heard my name from miles away.

Athena

Although my father was the least person I expected to come to my rescue, I was glad he came. I ran into his built arms while he threw me on his shoulders like a hunter with the price of a dead antelope. The forest grounds moved briskly before my eyes as I groaned in pain over his shoulders. He flung my body unto the floor. The rug was familiar. I was back in my room and the house was quiet like it never had a visitor.

"I should have allowed you to die a long time ago." He clasped his palm around my thin neck, ready to end me himself. I couldn't make sense of his words.

"You should be grateful I stood up for you. This is the very last time I'll save you. I promise you. If I ever see those legs outside the confines of this house, I'll personally hand you over to the Alpha."

He released his grip on me, peeling off his murderous gaze and stormed out of my room. I struggled to catch my breath, crawling toward the foot of my bed.

As much as I was in safety, I knew that the memory of that night would stay with me forever. The screams, the blood, and the terror of that night, coupled with my father's threats. I found it hard to believe that such violence and evil existed in the world. It was a harsh reality that I was not prepared to face. All I wanted was a normal childhood, like the boys. That was the birth of my hatred for the pack, and for every warrior-including my father. I felt cheated and deprived. I slept off on the floor where my father had thrown me, wallowing in pain. There was no point trying to search for mother-he must have locked the door from without. I wasn't surprised she wasn't there to comfort me. It was obvious she was getting a pretty good share of the blame. One she didn't deserve

***

From that night onward, I lived in fear. Fear of what might become of me. Fear of my kind. But, I grew more hardened, regardless. Life was monotonous and bland until I received a present from my mother on my twelfth birthday.

It was a normal morning, but my mother tried to make it special. My father was promoted to one of the Alpha's advisor early that year since my younger brother, Carl, made a name for himself among the warriors. It made him scarcely around and I was more than glad. We didn't have to face him-my mother and I.

"Happy Birthday, Athena," she exclaimed as every other birthday, but this time, with a cherry smile.

"Make a wish, except wishing to become your brother. I'm sure the moon goddess has a plan for you too," she said, holding a slice of cake and a tiny old candle.

I was half awake, the burning ray penetrating my window blinds, causing me to squint at her. There was nothing to celebrate. I wasn't leaving my mini prison. It would be another baking spree, and a runny stomach after consuming all the sugary pastries alone. I wasn't interested in any of those. I was getting too old for her routine present.

"Not interested," I replied plainly, as I turned to my other side, ready to continue my sleep. The only thing I looked forward to was having my wolf and that was still in few years.

"I know exactly how you feel, Athena. Trust me when I say this is the best gift a girl from this pack would dream of-" I cut her off immediately facing her this time, sitting up,

"Living in seclusion my whole life and waiting to be sold out to goodness knows who? Or being hit by your own mate just because they're superior? Is that the life you speak about, mother?"

The words already slipped from my mouth before I realized the weight.

"You don't talk to your mother that way, Athena! And you must speak of your father with respect," she yelled back then I knew I had gone too far. Her eyes turned sad but she held on a straight gaze. I looked away instantly, regretting my words. I loved my mother. She was all I had after all. It must have been the thought of staying indoor all through the day that got to me. With everything I said, I didn't see the need for an apology.

"Someday, you'll understand all of the sacrifices." There was an awkward silence in the room as I slumped back on my sides then she added, "I've something for you."

I didn't move a muscle.

"Have a look first and I can take it back if you don't want it."

I turned around reluctantly only to be wowed by the glistening card in her hands. I drooled.

"It's your brother's but I want you to have it for today. I've just one condition, however. No one must see you."

She smiled and left after dropping the square card on my bed. I gazed at the metal card. It had the imprint "Carl Styles, 056."

It was my brother's school tag. I've always dreamed of seeing what a school looked like. I heard there were modern ammunition there but those were just rumors. There's only one way to confirm. I ran out of my room and hugged my mother. Without many thoughts, I wore one of Carl's baggy coats that helped me conceal my feminine features well enough to go unnoticed. It had gone dusty from disuse but I didn't mind sneezing all the way out.

"Don't stay long. Be back before the sunset," mother instructed as I dashed out of the house without waiting to hear the rest of her words. It was about to be my best birthday, taking the shortest route to where the school should be. It was the only one in the pack and I knew it wouldn't be so hard to find.

I sighted a grand entrance from afar, the massiveness extends into the skies. It was unmistakable. Definitely the rumored place. I drooled from afar at the massive structure after minutes of running. It looked better than my imaginations. The front gate was locked and deserted. I pressed forward in eagerness. To my surprise, the large entrance gave in to my push, as the giant door creaked open.

It seemed like no one was around as the whole surrounding was deserted-just a large expanse of green shrubs sparsely sprouting. It was a good thing for me. I continued slowly around the structure. A wide passage demarcated the structure into two. I walked along it. There were doors facing opposite sides of the walls that took the pattern of a crocodile skin.

"Why are there so many doors?" I whispered in awe as I tried entering one of it. Of course, it was looked. What was I thinking?

I arrived at what seemed to be the end of the long passage only to find an open space that looked exactly like a forest ground with the greenest of trees. "What is this place?" I thought.

"A place for the wise, child" a voice responded causing me to flinch immediately turning around-scared for my life. How did he hear me? He must have found out. I broke a rule. Mother will be angry with me.

"I've never found a student so early since my fifty years of service. Whose son are you?" the old short man asked. I took few steps back scared that he might find out and report me to the alpha.

"I smell fear," he continued while he walked toward me-my heart threatening to disengage from the rest of my body. He had long white beards weaved at the tip that bounced on his slightly protruded belly. He walked past me and approached a large tree stump without taking a second look at me. He took a yoga position at the center of the stump. I stood there in silence as one who had lost the sense of danger. I didn't even know who it was and I still had the guts to stay glued to the spot. But, there was this aura around him that spelled safety.

"Rule number one, never allow fear. It's an illusion set to ruin your peace. Once your inner peace is gone, you become weak prey," he whispered loud enough. He spoke with so much wisdom that made me want to stay longer. But the sound of chirping birds flying above us told me it was time to leave.

"I perceive you're the son of a great warrior but you're yet to discover yourself. Find yourself, son" he concluded. It felt awkward to be addressed as a boy, but I loved it. I could swear I saw him floating above the stump where he sat as my mouth fell open.

"Get ready for class" he concluded with a commanding tone. I heard the footsteps of one running behind me and I instantly backed away from the entrance,

"Shaman, the Alpha is here."