THE SILENT REBELLION

Chapter 13

I gave a light laugh.

"Whoa, that was lucky."

"I know," she replied, her eyes wide. "Alpha never suspected a thing. Like you said, it was forbidden. They just bumbled around for days, and then one day Mumma slipped a note into Dad's hand, asking him to meet her in the forest. She even drew him a map."

"When he got there," I continued, "she asked him to take her away. He agreed, of course. They snuck away the next day and had a mating ceremony officiated by a rogue Beta that Mumma had befriended while she was exploring the borders. Even though he was a rogue, his power made it stick. They gathered their things, left letters for their families, and disappeared."

The faces around me were stunned, and I grinned at them. "I know, it's a pretty amazing story, huh? I hope my mating turns out as exciting and romantic as theirs."

"What did Alpha and Luna do?" Kat asked, her voice breathless.

"When Mumma called them, they yelled and screamed, ordered her to come home. But it didn’t work, because by then, she and Dad were rogues. They disowned her. Dad’s family did too, not happy that he’d rebelled."

"They're not here anymore though," I added. "Dad heard they got transferred to another pack shortly after. It got too awkward in this one. And, get this—they were actually related to the Alphas and Omegas by marriage." I shrugged, thinking how silly it all seemed, though I knew it was a huge deal to Grandfather.

"So, what did they do?" Bee asked, her voice incredulous.

"They lived a happy life, just the two of them. They had me, and we had fun. We sang, told stories, laughed every day, and loved each other. We didn’t have a lot of money or a big house, but we didn’t care. We had each other. We were the Three Amigos."

I felt my throat tighten. Tears pricked my eyes as my voice cracked. "I really miss them. It was just me and them against the world. Now, they’re gone, and I’m here."

Tears began to fall. "I’m sorry, guys," I murmured, "this was meant to be a happy moment."

Silver whined and nuzzled me, licking my cheek softly. She missed them too—she missed their wolves.

The Loyals hesitated, unsure how to comfort a crying Little-Luna. But Sophie, always the brave one, stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me, squeezing me tighter than I had ever been squeezed before.

It was just what I needed.

Soon, the others joined in, and I was enveloped in a group hug, like jam in a doughnut.

"Thank you, guys," I sniffled, wiping my eyes.

"I know you don’t want to be here," Joan said softly, "But I speak for all of us when I say, you being here is the best thing that’s ever happened to us."

They all nodded frantically.

"It’s true," Kat said. "Before you came, we had no one, not even each other. We were discouraged from forming friendships, and we were afraid to rely on anyone."

"And then you came..." Sophie’s voice wavered, and tears filled her eyes.

"...And you served us your own food..."

"...And you stood up for us..."

"Like no one else ever has in our lives."

I gave them a watery but genuine smile as Silver yipped with pride. "I’m glad I’m here for your sake then. I know Ori has plans for me, and it seems like you’re a part of them."

"Who is Ori?" Kat asked, looking confused.

"Oh, sorry. Ori is what we call The Original. It was Mumma's idea; she said it made her feel more real to have a personal name."

"Who is The Original?" Bee asked, her curiosity piqued.

I laughed for a moment, thinking Bee was joking. But when I saw the serious look on their faces, I realized she wasn’t. They all looked like they wanted to know.

"Ori is our creator, the one who made us wolves. She’s the one who made our world—the forests, the animals, the sky. The stars and the moon are her home. All of nature is here because Ori made it.

"Ori is the one who put wolves in us and made us both human and beast. She gave me Silver, my wonderful wolf, who’s loving, loyal, and helps me all the time. She’s the one who helped me heal so quickly."

As I spoke, Silver pranced around in my mind, her tail flicking high enough to tickle my nose. I tried to bat it away, but she wasn’t having it. She was showing off after all my praise.

"Silly wolf," I smiled indulgently.

"How can you talk about your wolf like that? They aren’t actually there. It’s just a shape we turn into." Lacy frowned.

I knew it. Our wolves weren’t the same.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke slowly. "I realized that my wolf is different from everyone else’s. I don’t know why."

I shrugged. "All I know is I love her. She’s amazing. And I’m so thankful to Ori for giving me to her."

"...and I also love Ori. I mean, look around us at all this beauty she made. The forest, the animals, everything. It’s incredible," I breathed, my eyes catching the wonder outside the window. "She’s beautiful, generous, and loves us all. I don’t think she agrees with all these stupid Council Laws." I said it abruptly, my frustration building.

Their eyes widened in shock. Lacy stammered, "Don’t badmouth the Origins. It’s against the rules. You’ll get into trouble."

"I won’t," I said cheekily. "Because no one’s here except us. And you’re not going to tell on me, are you?"

They shook their heads frantically.

"I just think it’s crazy that you don’t even know who Ori is. She’s the one who gave us the Origins in the first place."

I shook my head. "But I don’t believe for one second that this life—the way it is now—is what Ori intended. The way women are thought of as less important than men, the way omegas are treated... it’s all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Bee asked, confused.

"How can it be wrong if Ori made the Origins?" Sophie asked.

"Hmmm. I simply don’t believe she meant for life to be like this. Why would she want one wolf to be thought of as less than another? She made us all. She loves us all. It just doesn’t make sense to me."

"But the Alpha’s job is to keep us all safe. That makes him very important," they said, nodding as if they were agreeing with some unspoken truth.

"Yes, it is," I agreed. "The Alpha’s job is crucial and hard. Not just any wolf can do it."

"But that doesn’t mean the Alpha is more important than you," I added. "He’s just a wolf, like you. His position may be higher, but that doesn’t make your work any less valuable. Without you, the pack would fall apart."

"But anyone could do our job," Kat said glumly. They all nodded, as if they’d heard it a thousand times.

"So? Your job might be less selective in who can perform it, sure. But it’s still valuable work. And you—each of you, as a person—are valuable and special to Ori."

"But why would she care about us omegas? We’re useless," Joan said.

It was exasperating to hear them say it again, but I had to remind myself—they’d never had anyone say or do kind things for them.

"Do you think Ori needs Alphas to do something she can’t do?"

They looked confused but shook their heads slowly.

"No," Lacy said with a spark of understanding. "If she created everything, then she can do more than we can, so Alphas can’t do things she can’t."

"Exactly!" I grinned. "So do you think Alpha’s job is as important to her as Alpha himself?"

"Ummm, nooo...?" they said, unsure.

"Correct!" I said triumphantly. "So she loves Alpha not because of his job, but because she made him."

"Okay," Sophie said brightly, though Joan still looked unsure.

"Do you think she loves you any less?" I asked. "She made you too. If Alpha’s job isn’t important to her, why would it be any different for you?"

"Because we’re weak and useless," Joan said, almost to herself.

Silver growled loudly in my mind, and everyone jumped.

"Sorry," I said, trying to hide my frustration. "Neither she nor I like hearing you talk about yourselves like that."

"Nobody should say those things about you. And I’m sorry that they do," I said gently. "It’s wrong. You weren’t useless when you kept me going. You were the most important people in my life."

They just stared at me, wide-eyed.

"You were important and necessary to me."

I turned to Sophie. "Thank you for being the first to step in when I was vulnerable, for making me feel safe here."

Joan smiled faintly.

"Thank you. You’re my best friend."

I gave them a grin, looking around at my friends—my pack, our wolves—who I could always rely on.

"You are not useless, okay?" I said firmly. "You are not a weak omega. You are strong, and you have your place here."