Wolv

23 - The den

They had taken her from me.

I had nothing. Nothing to look forward to, nothing to hold on to.

So every night, I left the den with a handful of the Omegas to patrol our borders. I would return in the wee hours of the morning, and crawl down into the den and curl up on the cold stone in an attempt to get a few hours of sleep before the sun rose and banished any hope for rest from my eyes.

I'd been given a run that was relatively close to the den. I'd offered it to Tara, thinking that she might appreciate something a little closer to home, but she'd refused, opting instead for a run as far from the den as possible. She didn't blame me for what had happened to Spike; ironically, she'd been the most understanding wolv in the entire pack. All of the Alphas looked down on me as though I was nothing; reminding me of what had happened seemed to be enjoyable for the whole lot of them. I'd almost expected to be assaulted by Spike's parents, until I'd realized I'd never actually met them--and, given how everyone seemed to avoid me like the plague, I doubted I ever would meet them. The Omegas had taken me in, but I couldn't help but feel unwanted whenever I was in a group with them. No one talked to me or invited me into a conversation.

I'd been left with no one.

Hutch hadn't shown his face to me since we'd gotten back from Bloodvein. Tara and Mingan were thirty kilometers away, keeping watch on the far northwestern borders. They'd come back every few days to rest, but I hadn't been around when they'd returned. I'd been out on the trail, watching for intruders, or keeping tabs on the local caribou herd. Nadie had pretty much become an Alpha, which was funny, because as a wolv, she and I were the exact same physical size. I suspected that Kémé had insisted she be an Alpha, if only to punish me further.

And Alphas and Omegas can't mate. That went without saying. I felt the guilt on my back every time I shut my eyes--I'd never told her how I felt. I'd never given her the opportunity to express herself in return.

Why did I have to be so blind?

Honestly, I didn't feel like the punishment fit the crime. He could have put me on patrol with Mingan and Tara, but instead he'd insisted that I be put on a run close to the den with a bunch of complete strangers. He could've let Nadie end up an Omega, but he hadn't.

Every time I was in his presence, I could sense his deep mistrust for me. He would look at me strangely, squinting his eyes as though he wanted to ask me something. It only reinforced the feeling I had that he was hiding something. Spike had once told me that Kémé was reasonable, but that wasn't the vibe I was getting.

Spike's last words regarding the pack leader didn't help, either.

Something splashed outside of the cave, and I shook my head clear. I'd been daydreaming. I peered out into the night to discover that the hail had ceased, and the rain had lessened.

"Hello?" I called out. Paw prints splashed once more outside of the cave, and Jamie's head filled the entrance.

"What are you doing? I finished my run twenty minutes ago!"

I squeezed my way out of the cavern and shook myself off. "I got sidetracked." I knew that response wasn't gonna fly with him, but what else could I say? Sorry I didn't finish my run, Jamie, I got sidetracked feeling sorry for myself and my complete lack of friends in this forsaken place. I'll do better next time.

"Ha," he huffed, rolling his eyes. He licked his chops and flicked his head in the direction of the den. "Whatever. I'm too tired to deal with this now; let's go home."

"What about the rest of my run?"

"I did it for you. Let's go."

Crap. I didn't want to piss Jamie off any more than my presence already did, but if he'd just completed my run, he'd be in a crunchy mood for a while.