The Omega Witch

Chapter 1 -Haven

"I think they're close." Ayla's weak voice broke the silence in my mind as she spoke through our bond. We lay curled together in the small cave we had found, both thankful that summer had only just ended and the days were still warm.

"We will move soon. Find a new place. We stayed to long here as it is." I replied listening to the wolves beyond our den. If i had known how close to another pack we were I never would've stopped. I would've dragged Ayla if id had to. I pressed my hand into the dry dirt beneath me, trying to pull a little extra strength from the earth. We had been running for what felt like forever, but in reality we had only escaped a month ago. Ayla already wasn't fairing very well. She had always been the strongest of us. It had been her to plan how to get us out and where to go.

Ayla was the only female alpha in our last pack. And because our Alpha had felt threatened by her and her potential to take over he had planned to kill her. He was trying even now through what was left of her bond with the pack. A bond that was meant to help keep us safe and heal each other. And he was using it to tear Ayla apart. I knew he was in her head i could feel it, an inky blackness that slowly leached into her thoughts and body. She was still connected with him and our old pack, though because she was an alpha and i followed her i was saved the anguish he put her through. It was hard to break your connection with your pack. If your alpha allowed it or pushed you out then it simply fell away or snapped and the connection was gone. But when it came to leaving a pack without being pulled into a new one it was much harder. 

Ayla was a few years older than me at 23 And i just having reached 20. Ayla had helped me hide the fact that i was a omega since my first shift at 10. She had tried to keep me safe. But two years ago when our alpha found out he had begun to torture us. Me for being omega and Ayla for being an Alpha and hiding me. Omegas had the distinct ability to ignore the Alpha commands of most alphas. Alpha commands were specific commands that were physically impossible for a wolf to ignore. Those that tried often went insane   They also were able to pull magic from the earth more easily than other wolves. Some said it was because the moon goddess had taken favor over the weaker wolves. We were smaller both in human and wolf form, we couldn't fight as well, we had less strength. Basically we were f*cked over when it came to the genetic lottery. 

Having been the double lucky winner of not only being born an omega but also part witch my Alpha had no use for me except when he needed power. Aside from that I only served as a reminder that his power was not all he wished it to be. Witches could pull magic from the world around them. They could manipulate elements and push energy into either people, plants or animals. The Alpha had used his status to pull magic from me to increase his power and pull more wolves into his pack and exert his control over them. 

I opened my eyes to peek at Ayla, shaking off the negative thoughts. Her blond hair was dulled with dirt and her normally tan skin was even darker with the mud we had used to hide our scent. She curled into me and i into her. I heard her stomach rumble reminding me how long it had bee since our last meal. 

Im going to hunt. Please stay here and dont move. I will be back soon. Ayla nodded her head at my instructions as i untangled our limbs. I listened carefully before climbing our of our small space. Taking care to replace the brush to hide the entrance. Thankful once again for our slim statures that allowed us to fit where most could not.

I used my magic to create a spell to ward the door. A simple spell that would make anyone who came near think that they had forgotten something important and turn back from where they came. I was rusty with magic not being able to practice much besides pulling energy to me. I stripped and shifted. My wolf stretched in the warm sun. My black fur matched my black hair and I knew i looked Ayla's complete opposite. When she shifted she was tall exuding power and status. Her coat was pure white without blemishment. She was gorgeous. Me on the other hand I looked like a shadow. I was small in stature, looking more like a medium sized dog than like a wolf. 

I ran through the forest careful to avoid the patrol lines of the pack whose land we bordered. The warm sun felt good on my fur and to run without hindrance sent a pang of longing through me for the days we had been allowed to run free as children. Before our nature had pitted those in our pack against us.

I caught a rabbit quickly enough and ran for our cover. I climbed inside still in my wolf skin nuzzling Ayla until she woke and shifted her skin's as well. She rarely bothered dressing anymore as she didn't have the energy and said it didnt seem necessary.

I don't know how much more i can take of this. Ayla spoke in my mind. She had never been good with pain and while i knew the pain he inflicted was mental it didnt change the toll it was taking on my friend. She had a haunted look in her eyes that i wished i could remove.

The farther we get the easier it will be. The less hold he will have and the better you will feel. Tonight i will scout for a new den and we will leave tomorrow night. I swore to her keeping the worry and angst out of my mental voice. She simply nodded her blond head as she ate her fill of my catch. She nudged it my way and i lied. Telling her id eaten before coming back.

In reality i was afraid to even remove the single rabbit from the outskirts of the unknown packs territory lest they notice and come looking.

After she had eaten her fill she shifted back to human and i did the same. I dressed myself before dressing her and laying us down to curl into each other again. She slipped into another sleep and as I looked down at her face pinched in pain even while she rested i chose to break my promise. I closed my eyes and set our foreheads together before using our bond to push gently into her mind.

I drew a bit of power and whispered a spell looking through her memories and watched the ones in which he tormented her.  The first day he had done it and i attempted to intervene she made me swear not to try it again. She didnt want him hurting me as well. But as i watched the damage he was creating i broke my promise. I silently weaved a path in our bond, using a small spell to strengthen it. I connected . Taking the pain and memories and torment he pushed to her and i pulled the worst of it into myself instead.

I cracked my eyes to look at her face and breathed out in relief as her face relaxed and her breathing eased. I could feel the pain course through me. I felt it in my muscles an joints. 

I spent the remainder of the day listening to the world around us as she slept. The patrol for the pack came like clock work. The same two wolves for four hours then two more for the next. They talked and laughed with each other, making it painfully aware how close they were to our spot. If id had more time id have moved us farther away, but Ayla had been in bad shape when we arrived.

When dark had fully settled around us i shifted Ayla to lay by herself and slipped back out. I gave their paths wide birth and traveled on foot about two hours before finding an old hunting cabin.

I looked around the place, there were no scents out side and it looked as though it hadnt been used in ages. It was over an hour ago that id last smelled the pack. I popped the door open to the cabin. The inside was clean save for the layer of dusk that coated the room. I stepped to the sink twisting the handle. It sputtered fir a moment before releasing a cool stream of water. I leaned down to get a drink quenching my thirst before turning the water off. I looked around the rest of the room and saw a loft with a bed and another door that led to a bathroom. The tub looked inviting. It had been so long since Ayla or id had a bath. I stepped back into the main living area seeing a stove. I turned the handle not seeing a flame but smelling the gas it produced before turning it back off. We couldnt stay here long but maybe one night wouldnt hurt. We could bathe, wash out clothes, regroup and move on. A warm meal would do us both good.

With that thought in mind i quickly left the cabin, excitedly starting the long trek back to our den. I reached it with a few hours to spare before dawn and climbed in to snuggle with Ayla who barely acknowledged me as I lay down. I fell asleep dreaming of a warm bath and a soft bed.