Aurelia had been walking for what felt like hours when her quarts started to chime. A simple device, a clear quartz crystal. It used for speaking to audibly to others with a similar crystal. They were rendered useless among wolves due to being able to mind link.
Only Alphas used it to communicate with other packs in dire need. But Aurelia had one gifted to her by Claudia when it was discovered she had no wolf so unable to mind link, it was Claudias grandmothers. She was a luna's right hand woman many years ago.
"Liah!? Oh my god. Where are you? I have been trying to find you for ages!"
Shit. In all the deafening emotions of the mate bond and Grants total disinterest in her, Aurelia forgot to tell Claudia that she left.
In her defence it was a spur of the moment decision.
"Clauds I'm so sorry. I'm in Halen, heading west. Grant didn't want me... so I kind of... left...", Aurelia knew what was coming so she pulled the quartz away from her ear an inch or two.
"YOU DID WHAT?! Not only did you not even say good bye but Liah, you cannot defend yourself out there! You have no wolf, so the Rogues aren't even gonna come for you! Why?! Why did you go??" Claudia was distraught. She did not feel the link snap when Aurelia left the pack like she would one of the other shifters. And she certainly did not expect her to leave.
"Whats there for me Clauds? I hold you back because you defend me. Nobody even wants my help as an omega so I just take up bed space and food for worthy wolves. Grant is likely gonna take one of his harem as his Luna, so I may as well go to the humans. I'm more like them than my own pack.." Aurelias voice started to break.
Her Mother and Father were well known shifters. Her father was a Gamma to Alpha Graeme and her Mother was a lowborn. But he accepted her anyway.
She knew they loved her but if they had lived to know she was wolfless, her father at least would have disowned her. Her blue hair already made him think she was peculiar. They died on a trading voyage to the Blood Moon Pack. Aurelia was 5.
"You do not hold me back Aurelia. You know you won't make it through Halen. The Fae will catch you. I can't believe-"
"I know." Aurelia cut her off. "I know to avoid Fae. I know to call you if I need help. And I know to find shelter before nightfall. I have water and food", she lied.
She had no provisions, but Claudia would be servering her ties also if she followed Aurelia to help her. It would be excruciating for Claudias wolf, Cora, and she couldn't risk destroying her only friends happiness with her mate and her good position in the Eclipse Pack.
"I have to go Claudia, I'm making good progress. I should be at the edge of the forest by nightfall and I will find a place to sleep for the night."
It was already passed midday and the Fae would be stirring by sunset. They preferred the twighlight and their two sets of eyes made them the apex predator to a wolfless now rogue. The sun was too bright and the night deafeningly quite for their acute sight and hearing.
"Okay, but call me to let me know you're alive. You send me your position when you find a place to sleep.
Please be careful Liah, I love you" Claudia sounded almost exhausted with the aprehension of losing her best friend. She knew it was likely she would not survive the night.
"I love you too Clauds", Aurelia ended the call. She didn't want Claudia to sense the anxiety in her tone. Aurelia could feel eyes on her. She had dawdled for too long and it was time to pick up the pace. She put her quartz in her back pocket and marched on. Determined to make it out by nightfall like she planned.
In the thick canopies of the Halen forest, a quad of bright lime green eyes followed the whisper of sapphire hair below. A long in breath and it smelt like wolf, but not vibrations of a shifter.
The Fae could feel a buzz from shifters, like the wolves inside sending a warning to stay away.
But this Fae found no buzz. Just the scent of wolf. Which meant this peculair creature was fair game.
Aurelia could hear the leaves rustling above her head. The shades of green, blue and brown where like a watercolour and it was hard to not stare up the whole journey. Never seeing any of the world putside her pack lands, Aurelia was completely awestruck.
Were it not for her complete weakness in this vast terrain, she would explore and sit and paint it all. The images in the books severely did not do any of it justice.
But this was the first time she heard movement other tha birds and squirrels scurring around. This was big and above.
She knew she was feeling a Fae.