Alpha Wyler
Victory should have always felt this sweet. It's all I could think about as I watched them sleep through the early morning. The fire would die down and with it, the shadows of it's dying flames. It kept me awake and motivated to keep the small cabin warm. Olivia snuggled our son and he nursed from her on and off through those hours. The pup's strength and determination only validated our union as mates. Pride would keep me on a high for days, maybe weeks.
I peeled the blankets back as the cabin cooled again, realizing how warm I was keeping it, the blankets were almost not needed. A few pieces of split pine later and I returned to bed.
Olivia's eyes fluttered open as I joined her under the many quilts.
“Are you warm enough?”
She gave me a lazy smile and dropped her cheek to our son's forehead. “Have you thought of a name yet?”
I'd been given the honour of naming our pup. Olivia had graciously handed the duty over but I'd yet to come up with a name fitting for a son like him. “No.”
Her hand lifted off the back of the sleeping child and cupped my cheek. “Caleb, it's been hours...” Her fingers raked my stubble that had gotten undoubtedly a bit long the last few days.
“It will come to me,” I said between kisses, that left me nibbling her neck.
She wiggled away with a laugh. “You're going to wake up the children...” Her hand fixed the blanket over Krissy's shoulder as the little girl slept, her head rested on Olivia's abdomen. I'd tried to fix Krissy a bed just feet away but she'd wanted Olivia for comfort and my mate hadn't objected.
I settled into the bed next her as our son sprouted some faint cries.
Olivia hushed him as she fixed the tiny blanket around him in the swaddled wrap. Though I hadn't been in the presence of many, she was the best mother I'd ever seen. So attentive, gentle, and kind. I wondered if asking her to have more pups was too soon.
Our son bounced his cheek against her bare chest. She was clean from the birth, I'd melted snow on the fire and washed both of them shortly after. She was still naked under the mountains of blankets and furs though. Everything that I found in the cabin that could provide warmth was now on the bed. She hadn't complained though. The dead of the early morning temperatures outside were enough for me to start thinking about how I would get them all back to Silvermoon later that day. Leaving Olivia with the children to go seek help seemed out of the question from my wolf standpoint. however from a logical stance, it made sense.
“Are you hungry... again?” She fluffed the blankets around and made room to feed him. It was all so natural for her, I couldn't help but watch her nurse him. Her forehead slipped against mine once the pup happily kneaded her full breasts. In the last six hours her smaller chest had filled with milk and it was even more noticeable now.
“I'm hungry,” she mumbled to me.
There wasn't anything to eat. I knew this because I'd ripped apart the cabin for supplies after the birth. Anything and everything useful had been used. “I'm sorry.” The best I could think of doing was going to hunt for something, then bring it back and cook it for her over the fire.
“It's okay. I just wish some of the supplies had made it here.”
We would have no contact with anyone until we crossed back into Silvermoon's borders over forty minutes away – an estimated time of arrival was shifted and at least at a trotting pace.
She shut her eyes as she cozied into the bedding, stomach growling just loud enough for me to hear. Guilt wrenched my gut, I wasn't providing well enough for them at the moment.
“Olivia.” I whispered.
She turned her face to me and we kissed when our mouths got close enough. It wasn't what I intended to happen but I took the opportunity to make out with her for that moment. When I pulled back, her rosy cheeks and soft lips were wanting more. The daydream of us back at the house on Silvermoon territory got the best of me just then...
“I think I should go to Silvermoon. Get help and I'll be right back to get you. It will only take me a couple hours.” At least, that's what I told myself. “You don't want to be carried back there by me anyways. We don't even have the clothing to keep warm.”
She lifted a hand and put it through my hair, grabbing me closer. “No, I don't want you to go.”
“It won't be for long, Olivia.” It took all my strength not to feel her fears. She felt safe with me there but how could she not? After my pack had failed to keep her safe and my brother had almost killed her... I had been the only one there for her. That pressure alone almost ripped me apart.
“No one knows you are here,” I assured her, just like I'd done many times before – sometimes even when I wasn't sure.
“But...” The fear never faded from her eyes.
“I killed them all and then double checked.”
“Some got away,” she pointed out. “I saw them run.”
“Exactly, they ran away from me. They're gone.” I came over her and nuzzled my face in the crook of her neck. She tensed from a sob of fear bursting from within.
“You'll be okay.” I had to make it clear this was our only choice and even though I hated it, it would happen. I kissed her, then trailed my mouth down to the dozing newborn who was still attached to Olivia's breast. I snuggled my mate and pup in the goodbye, hoping this journey would be an uneventful one. “I'll be fast.”
Promises had never been easy for me but with Olivia, they seemed to just flow out of my mouth. Fast had been a promise in a half. I was exhausted from running, all my muscles and joints hurt from the fight and when I stood out on the porch of the cabin to shift, my body almost said no.
I needed food, almost as bad as Olivia did.
My paws hit the snow, and my sense of smell exploded from the aroma of a near deer. Never in my life had the thought of killing and eating something shifted entered my mind, but it had this time. I snarled away the instinct to hunt and right before I bound forward onto the narrow trail, I looked back at the log chinked cabin with the smoke billowing from it's small chimney.
It came as the final push to get my family to the safety they deserved. I pressed forward at a big loping run, that ached every bone in my body. I'd figured I was in better shape than this but adrenaline had a knack for doing funny things to a body and I hadn't been spared.
Branches swatted my snout and dirt flung all around from the frozen forest floor beneath my stride as a fresh ray of cold sunlight peeked through the canopy of pine and fir trees.
Silvermoon's border patrol stepped out in front of me as I trotted onto the road and approached the chain link gate. “Shift!” They demanded like I was an intruder. “Now.”
I flashed my canines from under the curl of my lip. I didn't have time for this bullshit but I supposed stupidity would always get in my way. I dropped out of my wolf form in front of them and caught myself on one knee kneel before I buckled over. They stood up to my full height, shoulders squared.
“Open the gate for me.”
They swallowed, glancing at each other under my demand.
“What are you waiting for!” I shouted, losing all of my patience as my feet froze in the damn snow. When they didn't do what I said, I did it for them and walked to the guard house.
“Caleb!” One of them ran after me.
I hit the red button on the wall and the gate started to roll open. “There better be a good reason for this!”
The guards failed to say a word to me and I didn't have the time to stick around to hear their pathetic excuse. I shifted and ran for the pack house. when I was about a hundred feet out, that's when I was tackled and flattened to the roadway.
I threw off the two patrol members that had taken a bad approach to begin with. Jackson's rogue pack had a better chance than them of taking me down. I got back on my four legs, feeling every hair on my back stand on end and giving them a growl of warning not to touch me again. Something had gone on in the twelve hours I'd been absent at Silvermoon. I wanted an explanation and fast.
“Caleb.”
I looked up as Bryon- barely an omega wolf at best- walked down the driveway of my house toward the scene. he had a pair of pants and a shirt in hand for me. I shifted when I noticed how the patrol had backed away from me upon his approach.
“What is going on?” I took the pants and shirt from him.
He didn't give me an immediate answer.
“Well!”
He glanced over his shoulder as a few of the pack members trickled out their front doors to watch the show. “We thought you were dead.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I'm not, so get some fucking patrol together and a few cars so I can go get my mate.”
“She's alive too? where?”
I stared at him as another insubordinate gesture from my pack hit me. “Get me what I'm asking for.”
“We'll go get Olivia for you.”
I smiled at him in correction. “No, I will.”
“As it stands right now, Caleb, Silvermoon doesn't have an Alpha. Since you're clearly alive, that means, we're challenging you.”
I stepped up into Bryon's face. “Who's going to challenge me? You?”
This had to be a joke!
“We all will. You're a reckless Alpha and you don't deserve Silvermoon.”
I growled at him, my wolf wanted to rip his head off and start another bloodbath. My will power, no matter how I fought to keep it, had worn thin and I lunged at him.
“Arrest him!” Bryon shouted as he tumbled flat to his back from fear. The patrol that had circled around us charged forward, grabbing my arms and shoulders in an attempt to disable me.
“Don't fight or they'll shock you!” Bryon warned as he got off the ground, frazzled and brushing the snow off his clothing to gain composure he didn't have.
I felt the taser on my spine suddenly. One shock from the powerful charge of that and I'd be knocked out for hours. The defeat caused me to hang my head. This wasn't the blow I needed and Olivia would never forgive me for it...