2 Months Later
They had gone to Spain, and it was a nice trip despite it being impromptu. Though, it became less about Graybite and more about the change in scenery. Hopefully, the alpha wouldn't have to quiz Andre on tribe facts when he eventually returned. He, Rafe, Beau, and his mate, Toby, were currently residing in a visitor's cabin in the Serpente Woodlands, home of the Radon Tribe and where Beau made his transition into lupinehood. And the omé could not ignore the differences.
It might have been because the Radon Tribe wasn't a part of the Majestic Moon Monarchy. All that elitism and superiority complex slowly dissipated the farther they moved out of the inner circle. Of course, every village had its resident jerk. Maybe even several of them. However, so far, omegas had far more respect down here. During their time spent there, Beau's job requiring him and his mate to dwell near the tribe, Andre's met other omés, some of them even with a mate of their own. Alpha-omega pairings were the normative and only acceptable bond in a few regions, but luckily, Radon encouraged diversity, from beta-gamma, delta-omega, and even alpha-alpha. There were no backwoods where the unfortunate were dumped and the young wolves were allowed to attend the nearby human school in Sheffield, the next town over.
For a minute, Andre thought he was dreaming.
Even while he and Rafe sprinted through weeping willows of Serpente Woodlands – the young wolf galloping – for a morning run, one of the superhuman's exercises he persuaded the latter into joining, he still couldn't quite believe this was all happening. Beau and Toby have been exceptionally welcoming and kind to him, something he didn't get too often from strangers. The omé had a lot more freedom to do… anything. So much so that he wished he could bring the rest of his orphan brothers and sisters along as well. A bit of guilt arose from that, but it was assuaged by the fact that one less mouth to feed meant more time and money for the other younger kids, who needed it the most.
"I don't get it. You say you don't like fighting or whatever," Rafe spoke as he jumped over a large, displaced stone while keeping his eyes on his friend, "but you're out here training with me. What's your deal, dude?"
Andre chuckled. "I wanted to run with you, dummy! And there's nothing violent about running."
Andre was surprisingly keeping up with Rafe, but the former figured the Hermes superhuman was simply just not moving anywhere near his top speed. It was amazing since the two were already going pretty fast, the drooping foliage blurring as they went by.
"I bet I can whip you up into shape. I know you wouldn't even hurt a fly, but it's always sensical to be prepared, y'know."
"I know, but why go through all that when I have you?" the omé directed an appreciative smile at Rafe, which only made the blond scowl and roll his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm your personal bodyguard."
"More like my knight in shining armor, yeah?"
Rafe scoffed at that, his lips twisting in displeasure. "No way!"
-POI-
"Okay!" Beau burst into the living room from the stairway, sitting on a blue beanbag a few feet from where Rafe and Andre were seated on the sofa watching television. "It took a while because of work, but I finally made the call to schedule you guys a day at Ironward."
"A day?" Rafe's brows rose in question. "Like, an open house?"
"Sure. It's more of a personal orientation day for students wanting to attend. It's actually required for newbies like you guys." He pointed at the teens with two fingers.
"Will we get to see what room we're staying at?" Andre asked.
The lycan smirked and crossed his arms. "Lucky for you guys, they're less inclined to leave their students hanging nowadays."
Their confused expressions deepened almost into bewilderment.
Rafe leaned forward in his seat, narrowing his silver eyes. "What do you mean by that? Did they let you guys do whatever you wanted when you went there?"
"Ironward is… chaos, at worst. But that's the point. They have order, but chaos is definitely preferred. Ordered chaos," Beau shrugged. "They say it's the best kind of entertainment there is."
The superhuman fell back on the sofa and groaned in annoyance. "Why do I feel like you've gotten us into more of a mess than our own problems?"
"I'd never do that to you, imp," the big lycan grinned, then glanced at Andre. "Especially you, cherub."
The omé snickered at his new nickname, something Beau said he couldn't resist calling him since noting the difference in personality between the duo.
"Besides, Ironward has a more… should I say, hands-off approach when it comes to student life."
"What was it like for you, sir?" Andre asked politely.
"At least one of you knows how to show respect to an adult," Beau gave Rafe a mocking stink-eye.
The blond just rolled his and grunted, "Just get on with it, old man."
"Well, there's not much to say about my experience since I spent most of it flitting between there and Hadleigh High. I was kappa material even back then."
In all his time spent here, Beau wasn't one to boast about his job a whole lot, given that Rafe never knew about his kappa status until just two months ago. Though, that didn't mean he wasn't proud of what he did for a living. Apparently, Rafe's been told that the lycan and Toby had to go through a whole mountain of blood, sweat, and tears in order to get to where they were today. He didn't know what that entailed exactly, not wanting to pry into their business, but he knew they earned the right to brag.
"Woah!" Andre was astounded. "Two schools at once. That's-"
"Sounds like hell," came in Rafe with a snort. "Why would you do that to yourself?"
Beau growled at the blond boy, waving a large fist in his direction like an angry elderly man. "If you must know, you uptight little weasel, it's because I was a spy for the previous alpha of this tribe. We were at a war against the humans at Sheffield. And that little attitude you've got going on is why so many wolves agreed with the cause."
It's been a long time since there were any planetary-scale battles fought between humans and werewolves, the two most dominant species on Earth since the Earth Split. They might have been divided to keep a half of the world to themselves, but miniature confrontations that weren't being seen were being waged every other day.
"But anyway," Beau continued, "back at Ironward, I've seen and heard more than I've been in. Honestly, you could make a historical book out of the school's timeline. List all the dates of wars, events, and shit like that. You know what, I think there is one of those. Maybe."
Rafe and Andre gave each other a puzzled look. Their future destination and abode for the next decade were shaping up to be some sort of playground for the students rather than an institute for learning.
"What I can say for sure is that there are a lot more freedoms you guys will have than the average boarding school."
Andre pursed his lips, thoughts jumbling about in his head before he nodded on a shrug. "Cool. That's should sound promising, eh, Raf?"
Rafe frowned, shaking his head. "I'll reserve judgment for now."
"That's a first," the lycan snarked.
The front door opened, and Toby strolled inside, carrying a black satchel and a briefcase with the Coat of Wolframite crest – a fist holding a double-bladed sword – embroidered on both sides.
"Honey, I'm home!" he called cheerfully.
Beau sprang up from the beanbag and sauntered over to his mate, connecting their lips in a loving kiss. "Thank the gods! Me and the little ones need food in us. Especially, the imp. His horns are starting to show."
-POI-
"You probably haven't heard since you don't pay attention to anything Coat anymore, Rafe," Toby began as they settled around the dinner table, "but things are starting to wind down over there. Your disappearing act isn't looking like hot news anymore."
Rafe paused but then shrugged. "Guess I should've seen that one coming. Complaining never did bring the right attention."
That, and the spotlight had been on him for too long. He was only disappointed they haven't declared him dead yet.
"They're not looking for you anymore?" Andre questioned, and Rafe could hear the sympathy leaking from his friend's voice.
Andre knew only bits and pieces about Rafe's family, blue-penciling the graphic and gory parts out to spare the omega's innocent mind. However, he still believed that on some level, no matter how much hatred someone had for their own flesh and blood, there was still a semblance of love underneath it all. Rafe liked to believe that that was just a whole load of bullshit. At some point, the superhuman was going to have to go into detail about his life in the Coat.
"I think so. I hope."
"And it's the same day we got confirmed for the orientation," Beau grinned cheekily at the blond. "See? Ironward is working its magic already."
Rafe couldn't help but smirk a bit. "I hear ya, old man."
Toby went on. "With you gone, they'll have to make your younger brother the heir to the Gold empire."
"Sloedale? Ugh. With him, the empire will topple over much faster."
He didn't want to think about his little brother, Sloedale. Or the rest of his siblings. Alive or dead.
Beau snorted and spoke with his mouth full. "One, that's an awful name. Your parents should be ashamed. And two, you sound upset by that. I thought little devils like you loved watching destruction and mayhem."
"Sure, but what would be the fun in that if I wasn't the one to cause it in the first place? I want to take them down myself. All twelve families."
"There are twelve families?" Andre piped in.
"Yep," Toby raised a finger for each last name he listed off. "Leadquist, Tinseltown, Alumen, Gold, Sylvester, Titane, St. Chromus Kimber, McCopper, Nicholson, Tantamount, Irons, and Tungsend. They also call them legacies. Legacies that have been making the human world go round for over three hundred years now."
The omé gaped.
That was the big goal his superhuman friend was looking to achieve? And all by himself!? Andre turned to Rafe in shock. With all he's been told about the Coat, how could Rafe expect to dismantle a three-hundred-year-old establishment that more than likely has a lot more planets under its thumb?
"That's… a lot to demolish," Andre scratched his head as he took in his best friend with an incredulous but worrisome gaze. "You sure you can do all that in this lifetime?"
Rafe just shrugged it off and continued eating. "Somebody has to believe in me."
"Don't forget us, kid," Toby said, which brought a certain thought to the omé.
"Wait. Toby, sir? Aren't you-"
"Yeah, an Irons. I know. But I've been trying to start a few small businesses unattached to the Coat as of late. The processes are slow without major influence, but at least they aren't other things for the Coat to take credit for."
Andre felt an odd sense of relief hearing that. He was scared Rafe might've had to go against his own foster father one day.
"Besides, Rafe already knows I've got his back. I'm getting a little tired dealing with crooks."
There it was again. That warmth that threatened to wrap around Rafe's chest too tightly, making him fear the repercussions if it were to ever snap.
"At least one of you does," he quipped at Beau, who snorted while proceeding to shovel more food in his mouth.
"Hush up, imp. I'm eating."
Rafe leaned back in his seat, a light smile twitching to life on his face. However, the spark died out when he caught Andre beaming directly at him like the weirdo he was.
"What?" he frowned.
But the omé just shrugged and turned back to his plate, that knowing grin never dimming.
Such a weirdo.