Eden was lying lazily near the river with Cherry lying down, her head resting on his lap. The male omega was enjoying the last rays of the sun of the day as his thoughts drifted away clouded by his worries. He kept coming back to the conversation he had had with his father a few days earlier in the hospital.
Alpha Silver had returned to the cave, fully recovered from his injuries. Only a scar remained on his left side. Each time the young man laid eyes on the cluster of pink flesh that connected the five points where the rogue's claws had pierced his father's body, his chest tightened. He couldn't escape the memory of the night his pack has shown a sign of weakness for the first time in its history. Guilt crept into him, devious and devouring.
The sound of the water cradled the two friends who were trying to escape the sudden changes in their daily lives with a short reconnection with the idleness of their peaceful days. In Bloodhood, a whole new organization had been set up. The number of guards and sentries had been doubled in places, tripled by others. They had listed and filled in the weak spots in their defense and the protection of the entrances to the cave.
Eden was happy to have had an important role to play in the process so far. The pressure of the disapproving looks of some members who disagreed with the intervention of a simple omega rank in the affairs of the pack made him uncomfortable.
However, his charisma and especially his major role in the battle against the rogues led by the beta of Crescent Moon had changed the look that most of the pack had towards him. While some bitter low ranks and one or two lieutenants were recalcitrant, the rest of Silver Bloodhood's trusted men had grown used to Eden and Dante's presence at the crisis meetings.
They were gathering almost every day due to the tensions between their pack and Crescent Moon who continued to stir in the shadows. Even Christopher Fern, the man who had led opposition to the male omega's ideas on the night of the attack, was now one of his strongest supporters.
Eden felt Cherry's head moving on his thighs and opened one eye to observe what his friend was doing. The omega female had slipped her left hand into the satchel next to her to pull out a bunch of grapes which she placed on her stomach before pulling them apart one by one to slip them between her pink lips. Each movement between the bunch of purplish-black fruit and her lips made her head move slightly, which ended up pulling Eden completely out of his semi-lethargy.
"I know you like stuffing your face but you could at least offer me some, you four-legs belly"
"I'm in my human form there, so technically I only have two…". Eden snorted at the answer and just retorted, unbothered.
"I'm waiting!"
With an annoyed growl, she grabbed a fruit and raised her hand to blindly approach her best friend's face. The latter lifted his head and craned his neck to fish for the fruity oval between Cherry's fingers. After two awkward tries, the teenage girl seemed to have memorized the position of her friend's mouth and now lifted the fruit without hesitation, alternating between her mouth and Eden's. After several minutes spent in this way, being fed and listening to the noises around them, the male omega heard his friend break the silence.
"So… do you feel ready for the big day? The one where you're going to meet all your suitors, " she said in a deceptively innocuous tone.
Eden's eyes followed the dance of two butterflies that fluttered nearby.
"Suitors my ass! Most will be there under pressure from their alpha and will decline the offer once they lay eyes on me. "
"With that face? I won't buy it! You could have anyone at your feet with that pretty face of yours. "
Eden sneered upon hearing the compliment, this time a little less harsh. He considered what the female omega had just said and was silent for a moment before continuing. "You know very well that the face is not the problem." He sighed. "I still have time, there was almost one month left and there are other much more important things ahead of this damn banquet like our move to Red Creek starting next week."
"Luckily we were done with our mid-term exams before all this, or I don't know we would have done," she commented in response.
Another change in their lives since the night of the attack, Silver Bloodhood had decided that his son and his two friends would be transferred to a new school, even though they only had a few months left until their graduation. None of them had deigned to protest. Nobody knew better than them about the hate Crescent Moon didn't even bother to hide anymore. To limit the triggers for a clash that the pack craved at all costs, the leader had found the solution of removing his son and the future beta who were the targets of their enemy's animosity.
At the same time, neither Lucas nor Evan had resurfaced since the incident, which kept Bloodhood in the dark as to the truth of the ousting of Crescent Moon's successor. They had all three started their boxes, without choice and with much enthusiasm. Still, the change wasn't that much of a burden since they had already planned to join Red Creek's campus next year.
The only thing bothering them was that they would arrive for the last semester of their senior year of high school in an unfamiliar environment where all the other students had already their habits. The apprehension of rejection was all the more understandable as they arrived to seek refuge from a conflict every pack all over the country was already aware of given Bloodhood's notoriety.
The teenager sighed and straightened up, forcing Cherry to do the same. His fingers caught a pebble and he rose to throw it into the water with effect in the hope of relieving his frustration. Quickly, the two omegas embarked on a ricochet contest that the female won and wasn't shy to let him know what amused Eden.
"You plan the Cold War with Dante to last for a long time?" Eden asked out of the blue.
Hearing his question, the young girl missed her momentum and stumbled slightly. Her stone, however perfect in shape and weight, fell heavily into the water. Cherry turned to glare at her friend who replied with a smirk. When he continued to stare at her, awaiting her response, she set off in search of a new stone claiming to be oblivious to what Eden had just asked of her.
"You know you can't stay like this. It's not you to be touchy for so little. You grew up with us! We have always teased you why are you taking it so seriously?
"Do you honestly think I'm mad for a bad joke? C'mon Eden, give me some credit. I'm not that petty! " She rolled her eyes and turned away.
"What is it then?"
Stubborn, the young woman feigned extreme concentration. The stone, which she let loose with a nimble touch, grazed the surface of the water five times before sinking into the water. She gave a satisfied smile and was already bending down to pick up another one when Eden grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to look his way.
"Talk to me. It's not your type to shut yourself and don't say anything. You can talk to me fearlessly like you always do. Hm? "
He bent down and pressed his forehead to Cherry's who closed her eyes and leaned on the reassuring contact. After a few seconds, she sighed before pressing Eden's chest with her free hand to put some distance between them. The male omega released her wrist and wait for her.
"I feel like everything is moving on but ... Me."
"What do you mean? "
"I-I feel like I'm stuck with my old self. I don't know what I can do to take a step forward. I'm not sulking because of a stupid joke, Eden. Truthfully, at first, I just wanted to, you know, teach him a lesson but now. " She sighed heavily and her shoulder dropped. "Now it's just a pretense because my head is a mess. Since that night I've been ... thinking. "
"About what?"
"Well, I've got a lot on my mind", She chuckled. "I've been thinking about me and what is it that I want. I keep wondering what I can do. I've been thinking about my place beside Dante, my place in the pack and I feel like something ... Isn't right. "
"I'm not sure of what you're saying," Eden said with a frown.
"You're growing! Both of you! And I'm just… Me. I mean. I feel powerless ... There is so much I want to do, but I'm just stuck feeling helpless while I'm watching everybody moving on. "
"That's not right and you know it, Cherry. Even if it's not the same, you're growing. At your own pace. You're fighting. For you, for the pack. "
"But I want to do more, I know I can do more. I want to help my pack, Eden, I want to find my place like you guys found yours. "
The two omegas were looking at each other when they heard the murmur of commotion rising not far from them. A group was hurrying away. They recognized Trinity who was leading several healers and some fighters. At the same time, Dante linked Eden who answered him immediately to indicate his position. Seconds later, the young man appeared in his wolf form. Although his silvery gray fur similar to his beta father's already made him recognizable, the teenager also had the advantage of his height. While werewolves were tall by nature, Dante's height, even among his own, was quite impressive. The grey wolf came running in front of Eden and Cherry and linked him again.
[Alpha Silver is looking for you. He's in the middle of a meeting.]
[Why didn't he link me, and why are you here instead of there with them?]
[He's busy. He wanted me to help. There is some trouble next to the Crescent Moon's border. Seems like a few of our guys have been hurt.]
The beta was talking while staring out of the corner of his eye at his fiancée that had bowed her head to the ground when he arrived. Eden, whose face had darkened upon hearing that the pack had caused further problems, couldn't help smiling as he observed his two friends. He sighed and decided to let them sort out their problems alone now that he was sure there was no water in the gas between the couple, and that Cherry was just adjusting to all the changes in their life.
The omega male nodded to greet his friend and sprinted towards the cave. The omega female followed him with her eyes as he disappeared. Suddenly she heard a soft whimper and looked down to make eye contact. The beta stared at her for a few seconds before linking her.
[I have to go.]
Cherry twisted her fingers between the hairs of his fur before letting them slide over them in a sweet caress that the wolf gladly accepted.
Dante took a few steps back, leaving Cherry behind as she gathered her courage to call out to him.
"Can I come?" she said as the wolf paused before turning around. "I-I want to help," she said in a more confident voice.
"I thought you would never go for it." Trinity's voice reached them from the rock where she was perched near the group of sentries waiting to resume their journey. A link arrived straight in the head of the omega female.
[Hurry, they are waiting for us]
Without a second thought, Cherry rushed forward to the female dominant, her eyes gleaming with determination.