My Mate is an Omega

4 - The meeting

Lancaster POV

The next day, my wounds from the battle had completely healed, thanks to Atlas and the doctors. However, a warrior never stays unscathed for too long. At Diamond Tempest, we were required to take part in training five days a week, but with the constant attacks, we now only had Sundays off. The badly injured warriors were excused, but the lucky ones like Luke and I were back to the training grounds, getting some new scratches to keep our blood boiling.

In the beginning, I would only spar with the other Omegas; warriors were paired according to their strength, so no one would have to take a beating without being able to land a single blow. As I became stronger, I started training with the higher-ranked warriors until I ended up with the Beta’s son. No one knew how a stray had gotten so far. To be honest, neither did I; I guess when you have a clear goal in your life, you will surpass any obstacle to get to it. And someone like me didn’t have a lot of objectives.

Once training was over, my partner and I had a few cuts on our arms and cheeks. I also had a black eye, but I punished Luke by giving him a broken nose. You could say we were both equally f****d, but not enough to need medical attention. As usual, we shook hands after our combat before we headed to the bathroom to clean up. Warriors weren’t allowed to step inside the cafeteria covered in blood, and I was hungry like a wolf. As I was washing my face, I noticed a blurry figure coming at us in the reflection on the mirror. The boy was no threat.

“Damn! You two destroyed each other. Didn’t you draw enough blood yesterday?” The young warrior pushed each of us to the side, standing between us to both annoy us and to use the vacant sink.

Jasper Stray was only nineteen, and my oldest friend. His parents dropped him off by the Alpha’s door when he was just a few weeks old. Unlike me, he wasn’t a rogue, but it didn’t make his story less sad. His mother was a young girl who made the mistake of sleeping with a wolf she was in love with. She was already pregnant when she met her real mate, who demanded she get rid of the child. The pup was left behind and forgotten, earning the surname we all despised so much - Stray: a wolf who has no place in this world.

“You don’t look too good either,” I joined his game, elbowing him at one of his bruised ribs. He immediately gasped, trying not to cry from the pain. “Who kicked your ass today?”

“Who said I got my ass kicked?!” He frowned.

“Yes, pardon him.” Luke smirked, running his hands over his blonde hair. “You had your ass handed to you in training.”

“I don’t know why I’m friends with you guys.” He waved us off, heading towards the cafeteria. We followed right behind him. “It was your father, by the way,” I heard him whisper to Luke.

“You got beaten by an old wolf?” My best friend laughed.

“Yeah, right, make fun of me! But I saw the way your wolf bowed in submission when the Beta overpowered him last week. Not a king-like attitude, if you ask me,” Jasper scoffed, playing with Luke’s wolf’s name and making him frown. The two of them would have engaged in a hour-long argument had they not been interrupted by the Gamma’s daughter.

“What are you two barking about this time?” She giggled, joining us at the line.

Sasha Stone wasn’t like most girls. She had no interest in drooling over boys, or gossiping about other she-wolves. Instead, she chose to hang out with us, the three musketeers. Her dream was to become a warrior, but her father forbade her, seeing as females couldn’t become warriors in our pack. At twenty-one years old, she was incredibly smart - as any Gamma should be - and a natural beauty. Her voluminous straight gleaming black hair fell just over her shoulders, contrasting with her immaculate porcelain skin, shinier than the moonlight. The most breathtaking detail about her, however, were her eyes; they were of a beautiful shade of turquoise blue, even clearer than Garibaldi Lake.

“Boys will be boys, Sasha.” I shrugged, showing her a playful smile as I grabbed my plate, which made her roll her eyes.

Once we all had filled our plates with mountains of food, we sat at the nearest empty table. There was a larger table for exclusive use of the ranked members, but Luke and Sasha rarely ate with their parents. They didn’t care much about rank, and they weren’t ashamed to sit beside two strays - which made them completely insane, if you ask me. It didn’t take long for me to be reminded of why.

“Beta Luke!” A brunette waved her hand at my best friend, catching his attention. She was accompanied by two other girls, all carrying trays of food. “Aren’t you tired of hanging out with the strays? Maybe you should sit with wolves who can fully understand your potential, like us.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

“Nah, I’m cool, Natalie.” He immediately waved her off, turning back to us.

“It’s… Emma, actually…” she corrected with disappointment, still in disbelief after being denied. Her friends dragged her out before she further embarrassed herself.

Those three were Kappas - they were one rank above Omegas in the pack hierarchy. They’re wolves who pursue an education to get a degree that can help the pack in the future, such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, among others. Omegas didn’t have a lot of time to study, so the ones who managed to get accepted into a college or university were the smartest ones - and, of course, it made them feel more special than the others.

Comments like Emma’s were frequent; Luke was handsome and powerful, attributes every she-wolf looked for in a partner. He was lucky enough to inherit his mother’s blonde hair, only it was much darker than hers, from what I heard. His piercing golden eyes were even more intense than his father’s, always drawing attention. He also had a pretty muscular build, and sunkissed skin like a Greek god, thanks to warrior training.

Jasper didn’t fall too far behind him, though. Despite being a stray, his unique ginger hair, rare for wolves of lower rank, earned him a lot of attention. It was wavy and always messy, which gave it a wild look the females went crazy for. His fair skin was easily burnt by the sun, turning it an uncommon shade of rosy. His auburn stubble beard and pale blue eyes, almost white, complemented his exquisiteness.

“That’s not fair. If I were a Beta, I’d get a lot more girls,” the warrior mumbled.

“You know what, I might accept their offer later,” Luke stated playfully, grabbing a bite of his food. “Haven’t gotten laid in weeks! I’m starting to go crazy here.”

“Gross.” Sasha flashed him a disgusted look before turning to me with sympathy. “I’m glad you’re not like them, Lance.”

“Which begs the question…” Jasper smirked, and I already knew where he was going with it. “When are you gonna pop your blueberries? You’re the only twenty year old virgin I know.”

“I told you already.” I frowned, annoyed. “I’m waiting for my mate. I have to focus on warrior training, and I see no point in wasting time with random she-wolves.”

“Thank you, Lance!” Sasha sighed, wrapping her arms around me. “You’ve just restored my faith in men.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her dramatic reaction.

“Goddess, you’re a fun killer!” The ginger boy joked. “Fine, suit yourself. More for us, I guess.” He shrugged, fist-bumping Luke. In response, Sasha stuck her tongue out in disgust.

As a stray, I didn’t have much; but these three lunatics were the closest family I had. If one thing, I was thankful they chose to stick around with me.

***

Time seemed to fly by the next couple of days. I had a pretty strict training routine as a warrior, and my job as the pack’s lumberjack kept me occupied throughout most of the day. I was also a woodcarver, but that was mostly as a hobby. My small cottage was decorated with a bunch of my sculptures, big and small. Sometimes I sold them to get extra money, but I mostly kept them.

“I still can’t believe you’re attending an important meeting with my father and Dario. I never get invited to major events,” Luke mumbled, playing with the latest statue I had carved - a tiny hummingbird.

Today is the day I will leave with the Alpha to visit Ninebark Pack in Whistler. My best friend had come to keep me company while I packed my bags, though he didn’t help much. I had only left pack territory a few times, but never more than a day trip, let alone overnight. For long minutes, I just stared at my empty suitcase, unsure of what I should take. There weren’t a lot of clothes in my small wardrobe, yet I probably scoured through it a thousand times until I lost my patience and grabbed a pair of jeans, a couple of plain t-shirts, and clean boxers.

“Are you jealous?” I teased, turning around to face the man. “If you’re not careful, I might just steal your place as the pack’s Beta.”

“You wish!” He scoffed, tossing the tiny sculpture upwards. With my heightened werewolf reflexes, I managed to catch it mid-air before it might get damaged. “Wow. You’re really attached to these things, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I am! This one took me four hours to carve.” I admired the little wooden hummingbird for a few seconds before placing it back on the shelf alongside three other ones.

“You’re a peculiar guy, Stray.” He shook his head laughing.

Before I could reply, I heard the Alpha’s voice inside my head. “The car is ready. We’re leaving in ten.” That was his casual way of letting me know if I didn’t run, I would be left behind. He probably wouldn’t really do it, but he still had to hold on to his strict Alpha act.

In a swift movement, I closed the suitcase and headed towards the mirror to make sure I looked presentable. I was wearing my only white button-up shirt and my best beige trousers. Over it, I had a black overcoat I had gotten when I turned eighteen, but never used - I knew I would need it someday. I combed my hair and put on my shoes before I turned to my best friend.

“It’s time to go. And you’re leaving, too.” I pointed my index finger in his direction. “I don’t trust you around my sculptures.”

“Way to kick out a guest! I didn’t want to stay, anyway.” He shrugged playfully.

“I know. You wanted to come with me,” I teased, winking at him. He frowned before standing up.

After locking the door and saying my goodbyes to my best friend, I rushed towards the entrance of the packhouse, where the car was waiting for us. I was shocked to find Dario and James standing next to a limousine, unable to believe I was about to ride on one of those. Limos were for exclusive use of the ranked members; never in my wildest dreams had I pictured myself inside such a luxurious car.

“What are you staring at? You’re already late!” Dario scolded me with his usual frown. “Are you gonna make me regret my decision?”

“No, Sir!” I saluted him playfully, and his frown intensified in response. “I still don’t know why you want me to come, but I won’t let you down.” My sincerity seemed to strike him right, because he just sighed and went inside. I followed his lead.

The ride from Diamond Tempest to Ninebark was roughly two hours long. Throughout the entire way, I admired the different sceneries, taking in the intoxicating beauty of the land. The white fields and pine trees covered in snow were quite a sight to see, but I was sure the view would be even prettier in a few months, when the emerald green of the forests would take over alongside the colorful spring blossom.

Dario briefed me on how to behave once we arrived, but for the most part of the journey we were in silence. The moment we crossed Ninebark’s borders, I noticed my wolf stiffen. His ears pointed up before he started impatiently pacing in circles inside my head. I tried communicating with him to figure out why he was so fidgety, but I couldn’t seem to reach him - he was too alert to hear the sound of my voice.

Although it was an unusual behavior for Atlas, I shrugged it off and blamed it on the long trip. Wolves hated being confined in small spaces; it made them feel trapped and vulnerable. In an attempt to ease off his tension, I rolled down the window, drawing in a long breath of the chilly air. The second I did, I picked up on a scent unlike any other I had ever smelled before.

At first, I was hit by a strong earthly fragrance with a touch of vanilla, which soon became sweeter. I closed my eyes, deeply enjoying the mixture of fresh honey and warm caramel. The longer I dwelled on the scent, the easier it was to notice its peppery notes - hot, intense, spicy. It felt like home, delightful and welcoming, but also daring like the thrill of a good challenge. It kind of reminded me of… tequila.

As soon as the car stopped, Atlas howled in ecstasy. My heart was beating fast. The whole world seemed to disappear as a clear goal appeared in my mind. I opened the door with urgency, ignoring my Alpha’s screams as I followed the source of the scent. My vision was blurry, as were my thoughts; all I cared about was finding the fragrance that made butterflies dance in my stomach. And when my eyes landed on a beautiful she-wolf, all I could see was her.

Her gleaming hazel eyes were wide with surprise. Strands of her long, wavy chestnut hair with angelic curly ends danced in the light breeze. I could see the fair skin in her face turn slightly rosy because of the cold, and I wanted to shelter her in my arms; warm her. A shocked sigh escaped her naturally reddish-brown lips, making it impossible for me to hold it in any longer.

Looking straight into her eyes, I whispered, “Mate.”

I couldn’t believe she was standing right in front of me. After so many years waiting for her, she was just a few feet away from me. And she was perfect. Atlas ran in circles in my mind, wagging his tail like a lovesick puppy, but I couldn’t blame him - I was pretty sure there were hearts in my eyes, and I couldn’t care less. All I wanted was to pull her closer, learn her taste, memorize her tantalizing scent. However, before any of us could take another step, a sinister laugh disrupted our peaceful moment.

“Now that’s more like it!” I took my eyes off my mate for a brief second to analyze the blonde guy standing behind her.

Who was he?