Energy of the Omega

Part 8

Caly’s POV

With everyone preparing for the guests to arrive, there wasn’t a wolf in all of Artemis that wasn’t busy. Tuesday and Wednesday were a complete blur for me, I was trying to work full time for each the Alpha and his Luna. Even Jase was too busy to text me more than two or three times a day.  Although I had worried he would mad about all his extra duties, he wasn’t.  Alpha Darius had pulled him aside Tuesday morning to explain all his new duties.  Double training for all junior warriors for the next month, summer break was an ideal time for students to get caught up. His teaching duties were to alleviate the burden on his father.  By the time the Alpha finished his talk with Jase he was more than pumped to be handed his promotion.  Alpha Darius always had a way of speaking that made you enthralled with his ideas, and eager to do anything in your power to assist. I thanked him for being kind to Jase.  He shrugged me off, telling me it was his duty to keep the pack happily progressing.  I thanked him again, and he said it was as much for me as it was for Jason.  I laid the issue to rest after that.

Jason would text me in the morning after the first training. The usual things, ‘are you ok?’ and other pleasantries.  Every day I would respond to him when I took my lunch. Thursday morning his text was different.  

Jase: Dinner with me tonight at 7:30.  Dining room.  Don’t make me come looking for you.

Not a request. I just replied with ‘ok’.

‘Who the hell does that squirrel think he is?  Is he the Squirrel King now?  Summoning us as if we were his subjects! More like squirrel Jester.’  

‘Dinner won’t kill you,’ I simply reply.

‘You really shouldn’t mention killing and that squirrel in the same sentence.  I might get ideas!’ she snuffed out. 

Whatever, Athena.

I worked right until 7:20, then slowly made my way to the dining room.  I felt his eyes staring at me the second I entered, and when I looked up he was flashing me a brilliant smile. He stood to envelop me in a tight hug.  It was crushing, and I eventually patted his shoulder to tap out. 

“Seems like I haven’t seen you in forever!”  he laments.  “I thought I better snag some time with my favourite girl before all the organized chaos begins.”

“Tomorrow is the big day,”  I sigh out, hoping he thinks I am just tired from over-work rather than I was actively trying to avoid him. My wolf grumbles in the background but thankfully doesn’t start bitching just yet. I hope it’s one of those days she just checks out of the conversation.

“I really wanted to take you out for dinner tonight, but the border is closed.” He nervously runs his hands through his hair.  I have rarely seen his confidence falter, so this feels wrong somehow.

“Why are our borders closed?  We are expecting a ton of people to arrive starting tomorrow morning.  Was there some kind of threat?”  I ask him. I know even if there was, I am sure the Alpha would be silent on the matter to me, not wanting me to worry unnecessarily.  

“We’ll be ready for tomorrow morning, don’t you worry.”  He glances at the kitchen, “Let’s go scrounge up some leftovers.”  He’s avoided answering my question, instead, he grabs me by the hand and leads me towards the kitchen.  I let him take charge because the thought of food right now is too alluring.   

“Hello, you two!”  Gloria grabs two covered plates from the warmer and places them on a tray and hands them straight to Jason. “Jase told me to set aside some comfort food for you,” she whispers in my ear as she engulfs me in a hug.  I give her a smile and nod as she lets go of our hug.  This is a heads up about something, but I don’t know what yet.  Athena is now on high alert,  pressing me to use her senses. The kitchen smells like food for heaven’s sake, what the hell is she hoping I’m going find here?

‘Pay attention, Babe! They both smell slightly of nervous sweat.  And use your damn ears every now again.  His pulse is racing.’ Athena becomes even more agitated.   

“Thanks, Glo! You’re the best!”  Jason tells her with exaggerated happiness as he exits the kitchen with our dinners.  Gloria hands me a second tray with two mugs of coffee and two plates of mini chocolate lava cakes.  They are beautifully presented and I immediately fantasize about skipping right to dessert.

“Eat your dinner first!”  She gives me a patent motherly glare.  It must be easier to read me than I thought.   

“Yes Ma’am,” I joke, and turn to follow the man with my dinner.  Maybe I could use my puppy dog eyes and get his cake too.  Athena may be too proud to beg, but I have no problem doing whatever I need to for extra yummies.

I watch as Jason removes the tin foil from our plates.  Honey ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, green beans and homemade mac and cheese.  Did I miss Spring Solstice? This is the exact menu of the spring holiday.  My favourites.  Did Glo make this especially for Jase and me?  I don’t appreciate that woman nearly enough.

“Glo really did go all out, didn’t she?”  Jase breaks me out of my daze. I was so busy lusting over my meal I forgot this was meant to be some kind of distraction.  Perhaps I will think more clearly with a full stomach.

“She really does takes care of us,” I agree.  I grab a fork, no point in waiting for it to get cold. We dig in and sit in quiet appreciation of Glo’s hard work, and each other’s company.  Jase has eaten twice the amount that I have managed and in half the time. Which leaves his mouth open ruin this perfect moment.

“Caly, what are you thinking about?”  He opens the conversation.

“Um, lava cake? When you think about it, is there anything more important than food?” I say teasingly.

“There are lots of other important things,” he replies. His words are heavy, and a complete downer for my mood.  I try to bring back a lighter mood.

“Eat your cake, or I will.” I am not kidding, either, if he doesn’t dig his fork into that molten chocolate dream before I finish my ham he can kiss it good-bye. “Are you excited about the Summit? Will you be patroling, or do you have to break out your tux?”

“Tux. Trust me, I would rather be patrolling,” he deadpans. “I know you’re working, but try to save me a few dances. At least that way I’m not all dressed up with nowhere to go.” He gives a half-hearted chuckle.

“I’ll be in uniform, you don’t want to be seen cavorting with the help.” I roll my eyes in mock horror. 

“I highly doubt the Luna will make you wear a uniform. You’re not the help, Caly, you’re far too remarkable to be hidden away. You’re her star pupil and the girl she never had. That’s why she had you fitted on Monday, so she could play dress-up with you.”

This conversation went from zero to awkward in record time. Time to derail his train of thought.

"You never know, Jase.  There will be loads of extra people here for the Summit and the Grand Ball, maybe you'll find someone special just for you." I wish with all my heart he finds his Mate soon.  He deserves to be happy.

'Are you sure you're wishing for his happiness? Are you sure you don't want to pawn this squirrel off on the next unsuspecting female?' 

"You and I both know that it will be mostly male wolves.  Any of the she-wolves will probably be already spoken for." 

I notice how he doesn't say mated.  I'm sure there will be some unmated she-wolves, but it is likely they are coming with the men they hope to snag.  It is, unfortunately, a sad truth that Alphas are a hot commodity. Good genes make some handsome wolves, they have rank and power by birthright, and often have generational wealth handed down to them. Sometimes their confidence clouds their common sense.  They can have almost anyone or anything they want, so why wouldn't they live a lavish lifestyle and take a luscious woman with them.  It's a wonder anyone believes finding a mate is worth the extra effort.  I try to shake off the sad thoughts from my mind.

He hesitates and grabs both my hands and we lock eyes before he continues, “Who could be any more special than you?  You have no idea.”

“Jase,”  I barely get his name out of my lips when he stops me.

"Caly, do you ever think about what you would do if you didn't find your mate?" Jase looks at me like he's dying inside, rather than being happy about possibly finding his mate. Like me, he knows the chances are dismal at best.

"Caly, what if we decide to just pick a time to find a Mate? Maybe we each take a year to look, and if neither of us gets lucky in the Mate lotto we choose each other."

'Tell that squirrel I'll wait 99 years for my mate!' Athena roars back to life, making my brain quake. 

"I promise you, Caly, I would do anything to make you happy.  I'll let you pick your own rings, I'll give you the most beautiful white wedding.  We could be happy together, I know it!"

'He will be dead and his ashes will be carried away in the breeze before I wear a white gown for him!' She hisses into my brain.

'I'll tell him, just calm down.' I certainly don't need another damn headache.

'How dare you tell me to calm down! b***h, please.  I'm saving you from a lifetime of settling with this fool!'

'Deep breaths, Babe,' I remind her in mock annoyance.

"You know I can’t do that, Jase! I will be waiting forever, I doubt my wolf would ever accept another man into our lives." I look up at him and tell him the truth, even though I know this isn't what he's hoping to hear from me. "Please don't pine for me and miss a chance to be happy with someone else, okay?" I don't understand why he can't accept that we can't be together. I don't tell him that Athena would definitely try to kill him, but he should already realize that.  She's tried to end him once, does he really think she wouldn't try again?

"I already love you, I'm afraid you are it for me," he whispers. Before he can add to his declaration of undying love, I see his eyes lose focus and haze over.  Saved by the mind-link I think to myself before my head is invaded, too.

'Calypso, get to the safe room now!' Alpha Darius sends me, and it is immediately repeated by a message from the Luna.

I almost miss Jase leaning over me to kiss my forehead, before pleading with me to get somewhere safe.

As I hustle my way to the ground floor safe room,  I am suddenly snatched by my elbow by a huge guard.  He looks somewhat familiar, but to be honest, I don't hang out with any of the warriors besides Jase, so why would he seem familiar?  

"Top floor safe room for you, move faster!" He snarls at me, wanting to get out into the woods with the rest of his pack, fighting whatever danger was out there. He seemed less than impressed to have to escort an Omega upstairs to maximum security.  I wonder if Luna requested me?

Ascending five levels of stairs at a werewolf's speed without being in my wolf form made me incredibly winded.  I was wheezing when I finally reached the top floor and was aggressively pushed into the safe room.  Asshole, I think to myself as I hear the door shut, and the hiss of the hermetic seal. Being sealed in airtight, and on my hands and knees after being shoved down into the dark is hard on the nerves.  I know I am all alone. Before panic can set in I tell myself that I need to find the switch.

I shakily stand and turn myself back in the direction I came from.  Two steps forward and I can feel the wall, I run my hands along with it at about chest height until I find what I'm looking for. With a barely audible click, a soft light and quiet fan come on, the gentle flowery scent of high-quality neutralizers starts filling the room. I sigh deeply knowing at least I can see and have air. I slow my breathing and heartbeat.

Feeling somewhat better, I take in my surroundings. This room was built specifically for the Luna after the attack four years ago. I knew it existed, of course, but I had never had to shelter here before. It was a tiny room, much the size of a walk-in closet. Two wide chairs, a table stacked with a dozen books and a cupboard, which likely held bottles of water and dry rations.

But where was Luna?

'I sniffed her on the main floor, she's down in the safe room with the others.' Athena informs me.

'Then why the heck am I up here?

'I don't know, Babe.  But it's just you and me, I suggest you get cozy.  Can we read the romance novel?' she asks me.  Athena likes to read about sexy, god-like men acting like cavemen, possessively taking their women over their shoulder before whisking them off to some mansion to be ravished for weeks on end.  Fairytales where the male lead instantly falls in love with his Mate and is only concerned with her pleasure. I just roll my eyes.  I mean which one of us is being unrealistic?

Unfortunately for me, I have read all the other books that I'm currently trapped with.  Normally I would read at least an hour a day, but with everything going on I haven’t cracked open a new title on my book app since I left school a week ago.  I check my cellphone, no signal. I guess a little frivolous light reading wouldn't hurt.  It would be distracting at least.  I easily get lost in the story, and I’m two-thirds of the way through when the door swings open.  I drop the book to the floor and hold my breath in.  I know it’s unlikely that the packhouse has been breached, but you always need to be aware of a possible threat. 

Instead of a guard, as I expected, Luna Katherine opens the door, “Just me, dear,”  She sings out.  I stoop down to pick up the book.  “Ooo. I liked that one,” Luna comments, and adds “Doesn’t she make that man sound sexy as all hell?  I love it when the girl gets swept up off her feet.”

“I was enjoying the story, I’ll need to borrow the book for a bit, I didn’t manage to get it finished.” I absolutely can’t abandon a book without finishing it. I have read a ton of truly terrible books over the internet only because I would not accept defeat. But what can you expect when reading for free.  If I ever get rich enough the first thing I would do is buy out a bookstore.  Or maybe buy a million tokens, and read all the good stories at once, instead of wait-for-free.

‘Side-tracked by a book again.  Maybe try opening your eyes to the real world?'

‘Really? You seemed to be enjoying the book. You forget I can hear your coquettish thoughts, Athena.’

‘One day you’ll thank me for this important research.’

Having my fill of that topic, I move onto something that could be actually important. “So what happened out there?” I ask Luna.

“Just the usual.  Two rogues trying to take advantage of the fact that we have been busy planning the summit. They had to be tracking our increased activity,  they seem to be looking for something.”  Worry creases her brow, and for a moment she frowns. “Don’t worry, nothing will interfere with this weekend!”  She forces a cheery smile and musters up some fake enthusiasm for what she tells me next.  “You should head home, and finish up your book.  We start at 7 am tomorrow, dress comfy, we have things to decorate!”

We say our goodnights, and I head to the kitchen, hoping that maybe Gloria saved my cake. Sure enough, two little plates wrapped up with clear plastic wrap are sitting on the counter waiting for me.

‘Screw him, take them both,’ my over-joyed wolf whispers to me.  Having Athena is like always having that little devil sitting on your shoulder.  In my case, I don’t think I have the little Angel of consciousness to balance her out.

‘We don’t need one, you spoil my fun plenty enough as it is,” She retorts and shakes her muzzle in disgust. 

I look at the two desserts and contemplate how many calories are probably in the molten chocolate deliciousness.  ‘f**k it, I can be greedy just this once. Right?’

‘Do it, you know you wanna. Don’t deprive us of this joy.’

I head back with two cakes, a good book and a smile on my face. I am determined to have my cake and eat it too.