Emerald: Omega to Alpha

Chapter 9

~ Marco/Mark ~

I was training boxing with Franklin Smith. He was the Delta of our pack, Dawn Light Pack. I dodged a few times, moved fast, and kept avoiding Franklin. Until finally, my patience paid off. I caught Franklin off guard. I jabbed him hard on his chin. 

Receiving such a swift and full force jab, Franklin was knocked out. He sat for a few minutes after removing his boxing gloves. 

Then Franklin commented, “Hey, Mark! I didn’t expect the jab! Good move, man!”

I removed my boxing gloves too, then offered my hand to Franklin to help him rise. “Thanks, pal! You’re not bad yourself. You need to be a little patient.”

Franklin sighed. “Patient isn’t my virtue.” Then Franklin saw elsewhere. I glanced toward what he saw, Elder Magdalene. Franklin nodded toward her. “Elder Magdalene’s here.”

I waited until Elder Magdalene was in front of me. Considering she was 60 years old, she couldn’t walk fast, but she was still very fit for her age. 

After Elder Magdalene was in front of me, I nodded to her. “Greetings, Elder Magdalene.”

“Greetings, Beta Marco. I need to speak to you alone. Sorry, Delta Franklin, I don’t mean to be rude, but it is an emergency.”

“Yes, ma’am, I understand. See you later, Mark!” Franklin then left Elder Magdalene and me alone.

Magdalene waited until Franklin was in no hearing distance. “You shouldn’t be too familiar with your Delta. It won’t be good once you become the Alpha, dear Beta.”

I nodded to show my respect to her. She knew me when I was still a baby. “I understand, Elder Magdalene. So, I am curious, how can I help you?”

Magdalene put her hands on my shoulders. “Your time has come, my dear Beta.”

“Sorry? I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“In my meditation, I got a vision about you, Beta Marco. I saw you and your mate!”

Hearing Magdalene’s words, suddenly, my heartbeat sped up. “Oh, are you sure about that? What does she look like?”

“Let’s sit first, shall we? My old bones need a rest. I cannot stand for too long.”

“Please forgive my ignorance, Elder Magdalene.” 

I hurriedly took a chair and offered it to Magdalene. After that, I took another chair from the boxing room, carried it, placed it in front of Magdalene, and then sat on it. 

“Please, tell me more about her. I am curious to know more,” I said.

“I was meditating last night. Suddenly, I saw a vision. It was you. In my vision, you were marking a girl,” Elder Magdalene said. “The girl was slender and small with her long brown hair, almost reaching to her waist. I saw you bury your face in them.” Elder Magdalene stopped for a few seconds, then continued, “Oh, and her eyes! What gorgeous green eyes! You wouldn’t miss them. It created a deep image in my mind of how those shining green eyes stared at you!”

I listened to Elder Magdalene and then asked again, “Where can I find her? Is there anything else I should know to help me find her?”

“She seemed like a damsel in distress. I saw in my vision this morning, some girls of her age surrounded her. It seemed they bullied her severely, and none helped her. Her name was Emerald.”

“Emerald?”

“Yes! In my vision, a girl with red hair called your mate Emerald. But this red-haired girl was mean; she slapped Emerald and asked some students to harass her too.”

I shook my head. “I need to find her fast, then. I should protect her. What else did you see in your visions, Elder Magdalene?”

“The red-haired girl was with a tall and handsome boy. She called him Doug.”

I grimaced. “Don’t tell me that Doug’s full name is actually Douglas Campbell.”

Elder Magdalene stared at me with her mouth forming an O. “How did you know? In my vision, some boys around Doug called him Douglas. Some others called him Campbell.”

I sighed and then shook my head. I covered my face with both hands. “Not again! He is the Beta of Rainfall Hill Pack. Last year, at the Full Moon Festival, I almost beat him in a horse race, yet he cheated. Unfortunately, I couldn’t prove it.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “So Emerald, the red-haired girl, and Douglas Campbell are all in the same school. It will be easy to find where the school is.”

“There you go. Please find and bring our future Luna to our pack. I tell you this not as an elder but as your pack member to their future Alpha,” Elder Magdalene said again. “Find our future Luna fast. I saw her being rejected on her pack too. She will need a lot of your support and love, but she should find her path to her pack herself. It is the only way for both of you to be together.”

I frowned upon hearing that. “I don’t understand. Didn’t you tell me I was marking Emerald in your vision? Then it means no matter what, she is and will be my mate, my future Luna, doesn’t it?”

“Patient is a virtue, Beta Marco. I haven’t finished explaining my vision yet.”

I scratched his head, then tilted it a little. “Sorry, Elder Magdalene. Hearing that she is in trouble rushed me.”

Elder Magdalene patted my hand. “You are the one she will need the most. She has a hard life, but you will be the joy of her life, and so will she be yours.” She stared at me for a moment. “Beta Marco, she is in a heartbreak. It would be best if you approached her slowly. She should know you first as her friend, instead of moving too fast as her mate. She needs to build her trust and fondness for you first.”

I was quiet, and then I put my hand below my chin. “You said Emerald was bullied. If I showed up to defend her, I thought she would trust me fast.”

Elder Magdalene shook her head. “No, it isn’t how it is supposed to be. Emerald needs to build a genuine friendship with you first. If you insisted on being her mate soon after meeting her, the road would be even steeper. You need to build the relationship slowly, don’t rush it. It won’t be a good foundation for both of you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I received the visions twice. The second time was even clearer.”

“I understand. To be Emerald’s friend, I think it will be easier to register myself as a new student. What do you think?”

“Great idea! Don’t forget to be less striking when you have been there,” Elder Magdalene added.

“I still don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?” Magdalene smiled to see me stunned. “You are too handsome not to be noticed by others, dear Beta. It will help you more if you do camouflage. If you come to the school as you are now, you will need to drive away many girls. You won’t have enough time and space to approach your future Luna.”

I realized that some girls in my pack fancied me, even to the point of infatuation. Some of them said that I had a captivating look. I had blue eyes, a sharp nose, a firm jaw, and a clean-shaven face.  However, I didn’t pay attention to any particular girl, nor did I think too highly of my look. It was because I was too busy learning leadership, economics, and martial arts. I wanted to prepare myself well since I wanted to be an excellent Alpha. 

“Ah! That is what you meant. Right, I will think of something. Thanks very much, Elder Magdalene. I truly appreciate your help and insights,” I said while bending my head to respect Elder Magdalene.

Elder Magdalene gazed at me for a few moments and then smiled again. “You remind me so much of your father, our Alpha. You will be a great Alpha when the time comes.”

“I still need a lot of preparation, Elder Magdalene. Yet, I am grateful for your kind words.”

“No time to lose now. Please find our future Luna fast, Beta Marco.” Elder Magdalene stood, then nodded to me. After that, she left the boxing room.

I sent the message soon to Franklin through the telepathy channel in my mind. Come to the boxing room now! It’s an emergency. 

Just a few minutes later, Franklin was already at the boxing room. “Hey, Mark, what’s wrong?”

“Elder Magdalene got two visions about my mate.”

“Wow! That’s great. You’ll have your future Luna soon!”

I nodded. “Yes, but I need to find Emerald’s school first. She is at the same school as Douglas Campbell.”

Hearing Douglas’ name, Franklin spat to the ground. “Campbell? Oh, boy! We should teach him a lesson or two.” Then Franklin continued, “I know where his school’s. It’s Dream High School.”

“Wow! You’re amazing!” I patted Franklin’s shoulder. “How do you know that? It’ll save a lot of time since we have discovered her school.”

Franklin beamed to hear my praise. “I was so pissed off when he cheated you at the Full Moon Festival. So, I searched for his address and his school in case you wanted to give him a lesson.”

I laughed. “This time, your bloodthirsty personality helps me a lot. Thanks, Frank!”

“Anytime, my friend. Anytime. So, what’ll you do next?”

“According to Elder Magdalene, Emerald, my mate, is bullied at her school. I need to protect her. To do so, I need to register at her school as a new student. Though I am a sophomore, I will be undercover as a twelve-grade student.” 

“Are you sure it’ll work? You’re too sophisticated for a twelve-grade student.”

I shrugged. “I can't find any other way to approach her. I should be there to protect her, yet I can’t be too striking. Being her senior is a good way for me to know and to approach her.”

Franklin shook his head. “Well, it’ll be hard. I mean, about your look.” Franklin stared at my bulky and 6 feet and 2 inches of body, then at my face. Franklin tapped his chin while thinking. “You’re too handsome for your own good! But considering Emerald is your mate, it’ll help you a lot when you meet her. She won’t resist you at all.”

I sighed. “I wish it would be as simple as that. Elder Magdalene told me I should gain Emerald’s trust first. I should build a friendship first with her. I can’t just come to her school as myself.” Then I stared at Franklin. “Do you have any idea of what I should look like? I don’t want to pretend to be someone else, but I don’t think I should reveal my identity to her too soon. Not before she truly falls in love with me.”

Franklin tapped his chin again while thinking hard and then muttering, “Let’s see…. You should cover your appearance, but your personality should stay the same....” 

I snapped his fingers. “Aha! I know! I will wear glasses.”

“Okay, it’s a good idea. Make sure you don’t wear trendy glasses.” Franklin then snapped his fingers too. “You should be a nerd! It fits with your personality.”

I frowned upon hearing that. “A nerd? What do you mean? I am not a nerd.”

Franklin ignored my protest. “Not in appearance, but you love learning and reading. It’s the quality of a nerd.”

“I'm a learner, not a nerd.”

Both of us were laughing because we were debating over a term. 

“Learner and nerd are the same,” Franklin teased me further, then he laughed. After that, he continued, “You said you should be there soon to protect her. You’d better move fast.” 

I clenched my fist. “Yes, I will. Once I find my mate, I will never let her go. I will protect her so that none can hurt her anymore.”