Chapter Seventeen

Onegi Ocean is made up. I realized it'll be easier to just make up my own world instead. Plus I really like world-building and I figured this will be good practice!

Bridger

I stare at my computer screen, heart leaping out of my chest as I read the contents of the email I just received. It's a response from the pack leader I emailed a long time ago; a response I've desperately been waiting for as Kian and his friends' stay here got closer and closer to an end.

My training with Kian has gone far better than I thought it would. I had faith in Kian and he did not disappoint as he showed up to our lessons full of determination and enthusiasm. I believe that Peyton being forced to go back to their old pack and my promising that they'd find each other again is the main force that pushed Kian to push himself. And pushed himself he certainly did.

He's an incredibly fast learner but the only thing he hasn't been able to do is shift. I've seen how it's been affecting him and he's told me how detached he feels knowing that he's missing out on such a great experience. I've explained that because it's been years and his wolf is dormant, it will take longer than a few weeks to do it again. I believe in him though.

Almost one month ago, I had emailed Alpha Corzo about my plans for Kian. Corzo is probably one of the most progressive and generous alphas that I know. While the size of his pack in population is average, he is one of the biggest landowners among all werewolves. Located in the mountains near the Onegi Ocean, he has been expanding his territory ever since he became alpha (about six or seven years). From what I know, the Onegi Ocean is home to a few Meri tribes and he and them are on good terms.

Corzo is the best and only wolf I could think of to let in on my plan.

My email was a very lengthy one but I had to get my point across in a convincing way so that Corzo wouldn't think I was trying to waste his time. My email stated:

Afternoon, Alpha Corzo

It's been a long time since we've talked and I apologize for this sudden email, however, it is very urgent and should be considered carefully.

I've been working on something that I think you'd be interested in. Two years ago at the Quinquennial Tournament, you and I had a productive conversation about your goals as an alpha moving forward. I shared my grievances with my own pack and we went back and forth brainstorming ideas for yours. One of those ideas was to expand so much that you could have extra land for a pack in need if the time ever came.

The time has come for you to consider going that route with your territory. I've noticed you've grown exponentially since the last time we talked and I have an idea of how you can use some of your land.

Recently, 5 omegas showed up in Arron's pack displaying tremendous levels of abuse. One of them is pregnant. I was able to uncover the source of their abuse - their old pack, unsurprisingly - and convinced Arron to allow them to stay in our pack until the female omega gives birth to her pup.

I came up with a sort of outlandish idea wherein, I focus my time and energy on training Kian Calter - the 2nd eldest - to make a pack on his own solely for omegas. Of course, one can't expect an Omega to act as an Alpha or even receive proper training in such little time but I was hoping, under your supervision and guidance, you could pick up where I left off and equip Kian with the tools he needs to successfully run a Safe-Haven-Pack for omegas. This a step forward to solving the major injustice and abuse omegas face daily – something that you and I have discussed in the past.

If you are interested, please respond to this email asap.

Signed,

Beta Bridger

I had begun to lose hope in Corzo ever answering. Time is waning quickly and Jenna has stated she feels like she's close to giving birth soon. Arron has been asking me if I've found a pack and is growing irritated with me day by day. I was about to throw in the towel and do exactly what I didn't want to do until today, when I turned on my laptop and the first thing that popped up was his response. He had responded positively to my proposal and requested more information on what exactly I was proposing (rereading my email now, I realize I was a bit vague). He had also apologized for taking so long to answer as he's been overseeing renovations over the past few months. I answered back with no seconds to spare, giving him a deep dive into my plans and Kian's progress since my first email.

I haven't told Kian anything because I don't want him to get nervous. But if I know anything about the guy I've been spending hours upon hours with, then I know he will be reluctant at first but will take this opportunity with stride in the end. That's what makes him so much more different than others I've met; he knows what it's like to feel powerless and terrified and he's promised to himself that he'd never go back to that. He's focusing on keeping his head above water at all times and if that's not admirable considering today's time, then I guess I don't know what admirable means.

As I wait for Corzo's response, I sit back in my chair and heave a sigh of relief. While he hasn't totally agreed to work with me, I know that I've reeled him in. Had I not, he would have just rejected the idea and I'd sit here like a dumb, kicked pup. If my conversation with Corzo goes as I hope, today will be the day that I tell Kian my plans.

The email notification tone sounds off on my computer and jerk up in my seat to read Corzo's response. It just says "call me" with a number. I waste no time typing his number into my phone and it rings two times before he picks up.

"Beta Bridger," he greets, his voice as deep as I remember it. "It's great hearing from you again, however, this certainly isn't something I was expecting to read. You're right, this idea of yours is outlandish, unorthodox, even...but I'm intrigued. How have you trained this omega?"

"His name is Kian. Mostly in strength endurance, some combat training here and there. We've done educational training too. I'm mimicking how I was trained when I was a kid, but I'm trying to cram everything into a 2-month time limit which isn't very effective but he's showing great progress – he picks things up very fast."

He hums on his end and I hear him typing something. "So you want me to give up some of my land to Kian in hopes that he'd build his own pack?"

"Under your supervision. Your pack and his would act independently of each other but you'd still very much be the Alpha since his pack won't have one."

"There's only five of them. Why won't you just ask if they can be part of my pack?" he doesn't sound annoyed, more so just confused. I've never been the best at explaining things as I tend to leave out important details or I'm too vague.

I sit back in my chair and try to come up with a proper way of explaining why my idea is the best thing since sliced bread without giving too much of Kian's personal life away to someone he doesn't know.

"Kian and his friends were running away from their original pack," I explain, "where they were treated horrendously and the eldest one - Peyton - made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with werewolves anymore. So you have to put yourself in their shoes and understand that being in a pack where the power dynamic leaves them at the mercy of people who have constantly hurt them for Goddess knows how long would never work for them. Kian trusts me and I promised him that he'd never have to experience that again and look at the bigger picture, Alpha Corzo, if you help Kian then his pack could save thousands who are in similar situations."

Call me a poet because my own words moved me. Jace whispers 'high five' and we both sit in anticipation as we listen to the silence that follows on Corzo's line. After a while, I believe he hung up until I hear noise on the other end. He's thinking so I add more just to send his thoughts in the right direction.

"I've been complaining about the way things are for a long time, Alpha Corzo, and remember at the tournament, you agreed with me," I remind him, "you agreed that we need to find solutions to combat the corruption, and here is one solution. With the way The Elders are running things, corruption is inevitable, but we save those who are deeply affected by it by taking them away from it entirely."

"And what about the conflicts that will arise? Surely, an all-omega pack will attract some unwanted attention, especially from packs desperate for omegas, Hunters, demons, all the bad guys galore." Corzo counters.

"We'll be forced to call upon other protection. Angels, fairies - the good guys. We can keep them off the radar, Kian will be required to do some traveling for his pack to grow. I imagine that if I can convince a vampire or a fairy to connect me with an elf, we can veil Kian's pack and intertwine it with Elven magic then it will be near impossible for any intruder to find his pack more or less, invade."

"It could take years to find a vampire willing to do that, even longer to find an elf, but I'm sure you've already thought of that. What about witches and warlocks? They can veil Kian's pack, but it would require convincing one to leave their coven or life of solitude to live in a pack of werewolves."

Just him saying that almost makes me laugh. While covens are probably worse than most packs, I can't imagine a witch or a warlock happily packing their things to move into a werewolf pack. I'm better off convincing an incubus to not have sex for a month.

"It'll be a goal of mine then, we just need to get the ball rolling. I'm assuming you're on board with this?" I ask just as someone knocks on my door. Whoever it is doesn't wait for my response as my door pushes open, revealing the man who was already on my mind. Kian has gotten comfortable with welcoming himself into my apace and I can't say that I'm mad about it – quite the opposite, actually.

Kian walks inside but notices my phone placed on my ear. His eyes widen and he whispers a sorry as he retracts back into the hallway. I gesture for him to come in but put my finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet.

Corzo sighs before answering, "I feel like I have no choice but to be on board. It's a big middle finger to The Elders, which I like. We'll have to set up a meeting together and I need to think about what I need to do."

"If you'd decide how much land you'll give and where you'll place them, I'll continue our preparations and when it's time for them to leave my pack, we'll meet then," I decide. He doesn't need to know that Kian isn't aware of anything that's happening.

I glance at Kian and he's looking at me curiously with those big brown eyes of his. I had thought my little crush would have disappeared by now, but it's done just the opposite. We're always around each other and we've gotten much closer than before. He's opened up to me more which is how I know that his fear of being part of a pack runs deeper than just "I'm scared of being abused again". He wants to be independent and he doesn't want to answer to an Alpha anymore. And I don't know if it's my want for change or my little crush or both but I desperately want to make sure he gets what he wants.

"I'll begin preparations then," Corzo says, "When I'm ready, we can meet."

When I hang up, I turn my attention to Kian. He's still staring at me but when we lock eyes, he quickly looks away.

"I was on the phone with the alpha named Corzo," I say, "I've settled some things and now I can let you in my secret that I've been hiding from you."

His eyes widen and he sits up taller in his chair. We've been working on his tendency to make himself smaller than he is. Kian is pretty tall for an omega and I've encouraged him to use his height to his advantage so his chronic slouching problem is slowly being solved. I almost laugh when I remember comparing him to a banana and his expression was unamused, to say the least.

"Alpha Corzo owns a shit ton of land," I begin, "and I've been considering your refusal to be part of an alpha-led pack. Now remember, you can say no, but this opportunity is huge and I want you to think about it before jumping for an answer."

I go on to explain my plan in greater detail than I offered to Corzo. I'm thankful for Kian's listening skills but I can't tell what he's thinking or how he feels about what I'm saying; he just keeps a straight face as I talk. When I finish, he just stares at me and I stare back, waiting for him to respond with anything.

"You want me to be an alpha?" he asks after a while and I quickly shake my head.

"You wouldn't be an alpha - you couldn't be even if you wanted to. You know, alphas and omegas are genetic. You'd just be a leader, but because you'd technically be working under Alpha Corzo, you wouldn't have to worry about major things that alphas do like pack relations, tournaments, a beta, and all that. But you also wouldn't have to worry about him taking advantage of anything because I wanted to put you into a position where the power and respect would be as equal as possible. That way, you'll still be in a pack with no chance of becoming rogue, you'll be helping omegas in similar positions as you once were, and you'll be self-governed."

He nods slowly. "So...how would omegas know to come to me?"

"That's a job between you and Alpha Corzo. You'll probably be doing a lot of traveling. Honestly, it'll come down to strategy and trickery, but I'm sure you'll figure it out with Corzo."

His eyes light up and I bite back a smile. I know how badly he wants to see the world. He told me that he'd been too focused on surviving up until now that the possibility of experiencing the world and all its wonders seemed unfathomable to him. Now that he's gotten just a taste of freedom, I've noticed that he's running with it and I'm happy that with this insane opportunity, he'll get to do things he never thought he could do.

"Everywhere?" he asks.

"As far as you can."

"I...I'd have to learn all the languages then," he decides as he sits back with a huff. "How will I have time to learn all the languages when I can barely speak this one?"

"I'm sure whatever you put your mind to, you can do it," I say with a smile. "I'll be sure to tell Alpha Corzo to have a library accessible to you with books about as many languages as possible. Even the ones not in this realm..."

I pull a book off of my shelf and hold it in front of him. It's a book about the Meri and their languages and symbols. My father forced me to read and learn their language, explaining that it's important to know just as much about our enemy as we do ourselves if not more. If he's moving to an area with Meri tribes, he should educate himself on their kind at least.

Kian gasps and practically leaps out of his chair for it. He carefully takes it into his hands and flips it open.

"So...I'm on board, Alpha Corzo is on board now we just need someone to steer the ship...are you on board?"

He looks up at me from the book and doesn't answer for a while. I understand he has concerns about everything especially since, to him, it's so sudden. But I want him to trust me in this...I want him to trust that he himself can definitely pull something like this off.

"If it means I can control myself and get Peyton back..." he starts before taking a deep breath and releasing it, "then I have to do it."

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Word Count: 2937

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