Chapter Two

Bridger's POV

I follow closely behind Arron while he goes on and on about his mother's recent complaints. I want to tell him to shut up because it's all he ever talks about but I know if as so much as look irritated at his blabbering then he'll throw a royal tantrum and force me to do something unnecessary and tedious as punishment. And one may ask: what could his mother possibly be complaining about that ruffles his feathers so badly? The answer: a mate.

She complains about him being mateless. Dont get me wrong, not having a mate sucks. I, too, get jealous of the mates running about in this pack, but I dont constantly complain about it. It's just the way life goes and sometimes Goddess doesn't even bless us with a mate. But ever since Arron became alpha, she's been pressuring him to find his mate, scared that her alpha son wouldn't be able to have alpha babies. It's the same thing over and over again. Yet, Arron complains about his mother's complaints day in and day out. I can practically recite verbatim everything he's saying because he's said it before.

"Brigder, are you listening to me?" Arron suddenly asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. I raise my eyebrows and nod but he doesn't buy it.

"Come on, Bridger. Do I annoy you or something?" Arron asks. He knows the answer, but then again, he's such a narcissist that maybe he actually thinks I care about his personal problems.

Arron and I have known each other since childhood. My dad was his dad's beta and when I was born, one year after Arron, he made sure that we stayed close. If we became friends, choosing a Beta wouldn't be as difficult. My father wanted nothing more than for me to be Beta. I always wanted to tell him that just because I was born to a beta didn't mean I was destined to be one. However, I trained with Arron since childhood and we became friends which lead Arron to choose me as his beta during his coronation.

But I can't stand him. I know I must seem fake. One might call me a snake or a traitor, but I seriously can not stand the alpha. His pompous personality makes me sick, his constant complaining makes me want to rip my ears off, and his narcissism makes me want to glue his mouth shut. The only reason I agreed to be his beta is because my father would be heartbroken had I not. Not to mention, all that gruelly training would have been for nothing. It consumed my childhood and barely allowed me to make any other friends in the pack. I had to always be with the alpha; always have his back; always guide him in the right direction; always listen to him; always make sure others respect him. There was nothing for me in this role.

I hate it.

"No, Arron. But you do seem to complain about this a lot. Why don't you go off and find your mate?" I try to keep my voice steady, knowing that if he notices any attitude in my tone then he'll blow up like a volcano.

"Because I have a pack to run," Arron responds, "I don't have time for a mate and that's what Mom doesn't understand. Plus, I have such high expectations, I don't think any woman would be good enough for me."

Ah, here it is. His ego. Werewolves are typically very egotistical creatures. We love to talk about ourselves, we love to act big and better than others. But Arron is simply so far gone up his ass that I don't think he'll ever find his way out. It's nothing to be excused for either. He claims to know he has a mate out there and I'm not one to fight the claim since it's known that some werewolves can sense their mate within having not been close enough to feel the bond. However, he doesn't think his mate will be good enough for him as if Goddess didn't work tirelessly to create a perfect match.

I don't say anything, knowing better than to disagree on something that involved Arron's worth.

Arron's type constantly changes. One minute he wants the daughter of a strong zeta who can defend herself and fight like a true warrior but then he realizes she won't be as submissive to him as he'd like. Then he wants one of the small omega girls who won't stand up to him and will stay at home to do chores and take care of his pups. Then he realizes that she'll be boring and not worth his time.

It's the same thing back and forth. I want this but that, I want that but this.

There's one girl, however, who has always caught his eye.

We stop in front of the packhouse doors. A girl runs out just as we're walking in and bumps into him.

She's the girl: Keira.

She's the daughter of a male omega and a male zeta. She's one of the omegas Arron has constantly tried to pursue only to scare her away because most people — normal people who weren't forced to grow accustomed to his shitty personality — can't handle him.

Arron glowers at her and she quickly slides past him, whispering an apology as she scurries off to her friend who had been gesturing for her to hurry.

"Fucking omegas," he mumbles as though he hadn't been rejected by two of them. I've been pursued by one of the girls who he tried to get with. She was a new omega and very pretty with long, curly black hair. However, when she asked me to hang out with her -- her intentions clear as day -- I made it clear that I was solely into men. Something no one besides my dad and herself knew.

Though disappointed, she introduced me to one of her guy friends and though our relationship didn't go anywhere, I can easily say that I have more game than Arron. Not that this is a competition because he's homophobic and against male omegas. He's slowly been relocating the male omegas and the one who I had had a good time with was the second to go last year.

I've argued against it, reminding him that most packs who want omegas, specifically male omegas, are known to abuse them. But Arron doesn't care.

No wonder things haven't been going right in his life and his pack. Call me superstitious, but it's known that healthy omegas born in a pack make the pack much more likely to prosper in the future. It's known that they're Her favourite but no one believes it besides me it seems. Maybe it's because I actually see them as equals and bother to talk to them as such. Maybe it's because I have actually read our sacred literature.

I clear my head as we walk further into the packhouse. It's busy as usual. It's currently 2:30 PM which means the etas are taking a break from training. One of the squads is sitting in a circle in the lounge area, surrounding another guy. They're loud, yelling and shoving each other around while the guy in the middle plays what looks like a video game.

Other members of the pack walk in and out, exiting elevators, hanging around on the stairs, eating, chatting. The good vibes from this area make any negative feelings I had from hanging out with Arron slowly dissipate. Despite Arron's shitty attempt at being a good alpha, our pack is always in high spirits.

Then the air shifts. I whip around just as I see a lambda bursting through the doors and running up to Arron and I. Arron notices it as well and follows suit, his face contorting into a confused scowl when he sees the lambda's urgent behaviour.

"A group of wolves has crossed the barrier," the lambda says, "they're all omegas...one is pregnant."

My eyes widen and I look over to Arron. He looks confused.

"Take them back home?" he says smartly, "what does it matter?"

"There were six of them, Alpha," she continues, "three ran off and the other three were captured. One of them is cursing us, the other refuses to talk, and the other — the pregnant one — is having pregnancy issues accompanied by pain. None are mated and they're severely malnourished and scared. The mute one has bruises about his body that I swear to you didn't come from us and the mouthy one threatens to bite us if we come anywhere near him."

Arron sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "My pack is not a shelter or a refuge camp."

"Arron," I say, "this is serious. Especially for the pregnant one. Have some empathy for once?"

He stares at me, his eyes squinting as if to ask what the fuck I meant. I press on.

"We can relocate them but we should give them a place to stay beforehand. We should have the Upsilons check them for spyware and have an omega set up a place for them to stay. If they happen to have spyware, then we'll cross that bridge when or if we get there."

I hate having the be the alpha sometimes. Arron is just incompetent.

Arron continues to stare at me and I stare back. Knowing he more than likely feels that his rank is being threatened, I'm the first to look away, not wanting any conflict. I look at the lambda who looks between Arron and me, unsure if she should relay the information to her Kappa or not.

"Well?" she says.

"I'll allow it," Arron growls out, glancing at me once again.

"Will you tag along?" she asks.

"I will," I say, "Arron, you have other matters to tend to?"

I just want to get away from him. He doesn't seem to have an issue with it so he simply turns and walks towards his office. I give the lambda a crooked smile and she just turns and leads me to the infirmary where I assume they have the captured omegas.

"One of the iota's assistants is an omega," she says, "Ryan had him tending to all three so as to not intimidate them. They seemed really scared, even the mouthy one."

"Well, if they came from an abusive pack, then I wouldn't be surprised," I answer, "it was smart of your kappa to have a trained omega tend to them."

Our omegas are healthy and though Arron didnt listen to me when I told him we should let them train, they are still treated better than how most packs treat them. They eat as they should and as much as they want, they're compensated for their work, and most important they're not beaten or raped. Yes, I know that's the bare minimum but one would be surprised and sad to know that even the bare minimum is rare.

The lambda leads me to the second floor of the infirmary. This is the medium-security floor. Two Epsilons stand guard on either end of the halls, looking bored out of their mind. I nod at them both as I pass him and enter a room.

Inside the room sits an angry omega. He's tall and lanky and very, very skinny. He has brown wavy hair, a sharp nose, and green eyes that land on me. He squints them into slits and if looks could kill, I'd be dead.

Beside him...wow. Beside him sits the most gorgeous boy I have ever seen. He's shorter than the brunette and doesn't look nearly as angry, in fact, he looks terrified. He's slightly trembling on the bed, his gaze stuck to the floor so I can't see his eyes. His scent is sweet: it's like strawberry pastry of some sort. He has messy, golden locks curled loosely atop his head. I can't see the rest of his face thanks to his head being down and his curls hiding it. He's much skinnier than the brunette and he sits with his knees hugged tightly to his chest.

I clear my throat to grab their attention.

I introduce myself first. "Hello, my name is Bridger, I'm the beta of this pack."

Neither of them answers. The blonde simply shuffles closer to the angry one, glancing up at him with a look that makes my heart ache for him.

"I'll take it from here," I tell the lambda and she nods before quickly exiting the room.

"May I know what pack you've escaped?" I ask as I take a seat in the armchair close to the door.

They don't answer.

"Okay.." I rake my brain for a better question, "may I at least know your names?"

No answer.

"Your alpha's name?"

No answer.

"Have you any pups?"

The blonde glances up at his friend. I ask this because when a werewolf carries and births pups, their scent is always much sweeter during the infancy stage. It's so sweet it's disgusting but their scent changes for the pup, not for random people they don't know. It helps the pup scent their parents better and take on the scent of their carrier. And both of these omegas emit such sweet scents that my teeth almost hurt.

Still no answer.

Finally, the blonde speaks up.

"I-I don't want to go b-back to my pack," he says, "we just...we didn't mean to trespass. If you would just, kindly, l-let us go..."

His voice is soft. It feels like a feather being brushed against my skin. He trails off as he gets closer to his friend, practically pushing the man off of the bed.

"We won't send you back," I say surely, "our pack is different. Most of us don't see omegas as...uh...inferior."

"Most," the taller one finally speaks up with a cold chuckle. "Most."

I nod, looking down at my hands. "You can't teach an old wolf new tricks. Some are stuck in their ways but violence against omegas is not tolerated here."

The blonde glances up at his friend again. His friend doesn't respond.

"Where are your pups?" I ask. "If they are out there, we have to find them immediately."

Are the three other missing omegas their pups? This makes their situation all the more serious.

"What pups?" the brunette retorts. "What does it matter?"

My wolf growls but I settle him, knowing this is just a way the guy is protecting himself. And he has my respect since he has the nerve to disrespect me on my land that he's trespassing on. I don't fight fire with fire, however, I'm glad Arron isn't here.

"I have to get to know you," I say, "I have to play Devil's Advocate for you three. Right now, you're the bad guys and my alpha doesn't take too kindly to trespassers--"

"Then let us go!" he cuts me off, "we didn't want to be here."

Once again, my wolf growls.

'You're not going to take this disrespect, right?' Jace asks and I sigh.

'Can't you tell that they're terrified? Respect is the least of their worries'

The brunette's heart is beating rapidly against his chest and I know he's trying hard to appear strong for his friend who looks as though he's on the verge of a breakdown. I realize that questions will have to wait until I've established more trust between them and me. I clasp my hands together and look between the two of them. I assume the other is in another room where they and their pup can be closely monitored. I stare at their skinny wrists and take in the way the brown-headed one trembles either from the cold, his anger, or fear. The blonde slowly drags his hands from around his legs and presses them between his knees and chest.

"I assume you two are hungry?" I ask, "the closest packs here are hours away. I can't imagine how starved you must be. What would you like?"

The blonde seems to think for a second as he peels his gaze from his friend and to me. His big, brown eyes scan my face and I take the time to appreciate his beauty as the afternoon sun pours through the windows behind him and highlights his body like an angel. Goddess...

"W-We'll eat anything," he says, "we're not picky."

I nod and stand. "May I have your names now?"

Neither of them answers.

"No pressure, I'll get you something to eat and I'll have someone warm this room better, you're shivering."

- - -

Word Count: 2732

At some point, I'll post a full rank breakdown