Chapter 15
Nicole was leading a patrol through the forest in late winter. Wynonna, Waverly, Dolls, Eliza and Kate were following the red wolf after a short period of heavy storms that made it hard to properly patrol over the past week and Nicole knew that if more rogues were gathering to cause trouble then the weather would make it easier to hide. Heavy rain and snow storms washed away scents and tracks quickly, disguised sounds and made things less visible.
Nicole had only a short time left with the pack and planned on making sure the soldiers would have a secure pack land to keep safe when she was gone. She wasn’t looking forward to going back to her nomadic lifestyle.
The Alpha had kept to herself but she still formed somewhat of a a friendship with Wynonna, Eliza, Dolls, Doc, Mercedes and Kate. They had invited her on a few runs and to the tavern with them a number of times and she would miss the company. She would miss the comfort of her cottage, her bed and the good food she had been able to enjoy.
And if she was perfectly honest Waverly was what she would miss most.
Since everything had come to light the omega had been a support Nicole hadn’t known she needed. Often they would find each other in the forest or around the village before talking about something the omega had read or pack gossip, Nothing serious was spoken about and the Alpha found that the smaller woman calmed something inside of her but she didn’t know what. Sometimes they would just sit in comfortable silence and watch the world go by.
She ignored Rua’s interest in Waverly as well as her own. The omega hadn’t been anything other than kind to her and even if the feeling was mutual, she would be leaving, the omega was still with Champ as far as anyone was aware but Nicole hadn’t seen them together for a while. Not since that night in the forest. The redhead just hoped Waverly finally saw she was too good for that lazy lout.
Nicole had told Julian about what had happened but the man was also hopeful Waverly’s rose tinted view of the man was changing and simply chose to watch for now but he had also noticed the omega seemed less interested in Champ as she spent more time away from him.
Nicole could smell the incoming storm and rolled her eyes. The weather was cold and miserable in a way that sank into the bones and chilled the blood and she hoped the run of bad weather would break before she had to leave to return to her lonely travels
“Hey, Haught Shot?” Wynonna asked, pulling Nicole from her thoughts and the Alpha looked over her shoulder at the beta , now back in human form so she could speak to the Alpha. Nicole nodded to show she was listening. “Are you really leaving soon?” Wynonna sounded quiet down and Nicole notice Waverly stiffen a little before the redhead shifted to human too as they all came to a stop.
“Yeah, Earp. I’ll be leaving after the Full moon.” Nicole said and felt her throat burn at the words. Waverly shifted to and looked at Nicole in anger and sadness.
“The Full Moon is tomorrow night!” the short woman growled are Nicole, forcing her eyes to stay trained on the Alpha’s face and not wander. “Why so soon?”
“Because” Nicole started carefully as she looked at Waverly closely, wondering if she was imagining the omega’s disappointment, “my contract with your father has ended.”
“Oh.” Waverly said before Wynonna frowned, wondering what Waverly’s problem was. Nicole ignored Rua who was urging her to press the omega to find out what was wrong with the girl.
“Yeah, but surely Julian isn’t urging you to leave straight away, is he?” Eliza asked Nicole who chuckled and shook her head.
“Of course not-“
“Do you have somewhere else to be?” Waverly asked, accusation in her tone. Hurt too.
“No...” the redhead said softly.
“Drinks later?” Wynonna asked Nicole as the Alpha watched Waverly leave.
“Yeah sure.” Nicole agreed before dismissing them and hurrying after Waverly, rounding her to stop in her way and put her arm out “What is wrong?”
Waverly gave her a hard look and despite her diminutive stature Nicole found herself feeling intimidated all of a sudden.
“Nothing.” Waverly snapped and made to walk around the Alpha but Nicole blocked her path again. She really didn’t want the omega to be angry at her especially when she didn’t know why.
“Why are you mad at me?” Nicole asked softly and Waverly felt herself thaw when she saw the flash of hurt on the Alpha’s face and she huffed.
“I’m not mad at you.” The omega admitted with a growl as she looked down at her feet, careful to avoid looking at something else in view. “I’m mad you have to go...” she mumbled and Nicole tilted her head, unsure what to say.
“Why?” the redhead asked after a moment of awkward silence.
“Because you don’t deserve it.” Waverly growled and Nicole smiled a rare smile as Rua was scratching at her mind as she was prone to do when the omega was around. The wolf was telling Nicole to take the omega in her arms and hug her tight but the Alpha settled for reaching out to squeeze the omega’s hand.
“this was my agreement with your father, Waverly. Before I ever came here I had agreed to leave when the winter snow cleared. My time here had been a welcome respite but I am a Rogue and I must return to the road.” Nicole explained quietly and saw Waverly huff unhappily.
Truthfully Waverly wasn’t happy about Nicole leaving because she really liked spending time with Nicole. Even when Nicole was just silent Waverly and Angel felt relaxed around her, Waverly also never felt like the Alpha found her to be an annoyance. She didn’t want her time with Nicole to end. She liked being Nicole’s friend a bit more than she like her friendship with anyone else. Nicole just made her feel happy just by being nearby.
It didn’t hurt that the Alpha was exquisite to look at.
“But you’re alone out there! What if you get sick or hurt?” the omega asked as she gripped the Alpha’s hand tightly. Waverly looked so worried that Nicole let out an exhale before gently tugged the brunette closer and hugged her.
Waverly melted against her and returned Nicole’s embrace, standing on her toes to bury her face into the crook of Nicole’s neck, enjoying the heat of the Alpha’s body and the warm scent of the vanilla. The Alpha’s arms made her feel so save and were so comfortable she could curl and nap.
Rua howled as Nicole blushed at the feeling of their bodies pressed together until pulled back and gave her a tearful smile. “I’ll see you at Shorty’s later.” The omega said and walked away, leaving Nicole feeling a little discombobulate.
The alpha shifted and walked back to the edge of the village where she had left her clothes and dressed before she went to the cottage to collect some coins to buy the last of the supplies she knew would be hard to find or cost too much on the road.
Since Isa’s announcement many of the stall holders had been generous with Nicole but the redhead simply wanted to pay and move on but they wanted to speak with her, ask for her blessings as a member of the First pack. Everyone’s interest in her was uncomfortable, she thought as she handed over some coins.
‘Except Waverly’s.’ Rua quipped in her mind and the redhead rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit she could still feel the omega pressed against her.
When she was done she went back to the cottage and carefully packed the new bag she had paid the leather worker for. It was bigger and she had paid him to put the straps on it she could tighten around her legs. It hadn’t been cheap but she saw it as an investment.
She sat on the bed with a sad sigh when she was done and she sighed sadly. Her cottage was warm, tidy and comfortable. There was a comfort in being in the middle of a pack, the sounds outside of people going about their business outside, the smells of a pack, she would miss it when she went back to being alone.
She made herself something to eat but she didn’t have an appetite and put the bowl down. There was something she needed to do before she left that she was putting off but the Alpha needed answers.
She left the cottage and went to the house nearest the small temple that Isa was in charge of. The large cottage’s door opened before the Alpha reached the door and the Priestess gave her a small bow.
“Come in. We have much to discuss.” The beta woman said, sounding like she had expected the Alpha to call exactly at that moment. The Alpha scented the air to make sure nothing seemed off before she ducked to go through the low door frame.
The Priestess showed her to a corner of the large living area that was beautifully decorated with warm and exotically coloured wall hangings, a purple dyed bear fur rug lay on the floor that was littered with massive, stuffed pillows and in the middle was a low table painted in colourful patterns piled high with half melted tallow candles flickering away
“Sit, Alpha. Tea?” the older woman asked quietly but didn’t wait for a response before going over to the fire as Nicole lowered herself onto the pillows, looking around. She hadn’t been in anyone else’s home other than the Pack Alpha and she had never been in their inner living area. She forgot when you had a home you could fill it with what ever you wanted and the Priestess’s home was like her, beautiful, colourful and mystical.
Incense was burning as the woman joined Nicole and placed a cup of tea before the Alpha as she sat and gave Nicole a look that made her feel like she could see into her soul.
“You truly have no idea how powerful you really are...” the dark skinned woman hummed after a moment. “Not really.” She seemed amused by that as Nicole frowned slightly.
“what do you mean?” Nicole asked.
“You will fulfil your true potential soon.” Isa smiled before it slipped from her face. “in the challenges ahead you need to remember the Gods are on your side. The Gods chosen.”
“How do you know that?” Nicole asked in a hushed voice. “What does that even mean?” Isa reached across and pressed a finger to the Alpha’s forehead with a smile.
“You are the Alpha of the Red Wolf pack-“
“there is no more pack.” Nicole growled. “I was never in line to be Pack Alpha. My sire and dame where soldiers. Simple folk.”
“You are the last Alpha of the Red Wolf pack and as such you are the Pack Alpha. The Pack lives through you. You have the ability to rebuild your own pack in the lands you grew up in.” The beta smiled before sighing. “However before you can do that you have some challenges to face first.” The air in the room grew heavy.
“What? What do I have to do?” Nicole asked as Isa reached out a hand, palm up, smiling when the Alpha mirrored the movement and the beta looked at her palm as she gripped her wrist as the younger woman watched her closely. The Priestess then closed her eyes and threw her head back before beginning to mutter some prayers.
When she opened her eyes again she gave the redhead a kind smile but there was a sadness underlining it. She let out a heavy, deep Sigh and cupped the Alpha’s cheek tenderly.
“Save us all from the darkness coming to consume us, Red Rouge. Only you have the power destroy the heart of the hungry beast making its way towards us. When the moment comes, trust yourself, your wolf and the Gods. They will guide you and give you the strength you need.”
“Why did they let my pack die?” Nicole asked when Isa let go of her hand.
“The gods cannot save anyone when Death has marked them. Death is as much a part of life as being alive and they cannot interfere. If you are fated to die today then nothing the gods can do will change that. It was not a punishment or disinterest in the Red Wolf Pack. Your pack members now feast with the gods every night and run free in the ancient forests of the afterlife with the Gods every day, who treat them with great affection. They are favoured above all others.”
Nicole sat and digested the beta’s words as Isa watched her closely but the Alpha didn’t say anything for a long time.
“’You will find what you seek’. What did you mean by that?” the redhead asked when she finally spoke again.
“Drink your tea. All of it.” Isa said as she reached for a pouch off a nearby shelf and opened it to pour out bone runes onto the table as the Alpha did as she was told . The beta snatched the cup from her and looked down at the tealeaves left on the bottom of it as she continued to mumble, glancing up at Nicole and consulted her runes in turn.
When she seemed satisfied the Priestess gave the younger woman a knowing smile.
“I don’t want to spoil the surprise but listen to your wolf, trust her and soon you’ll know exactly what I meant by that.” The beta teased before she grimaced. “But you need to survive the upcoming fight before you can truly rest. Trust in your wolf, the Gods and especially the moon Goddess, they trust in you.” The woman said. “You are the force of good and those who are good will fall behind you. You must stop hiding on the Safe Road and hold your head high.”
Nicole nodded and stood before thanking the priestess. She had a lot to think about before she met Waverly and the others in the tavern.