1: The Delta & The Omega
They say finding your mate is a time for joy and celebration. In most cases this is true. Yet not all love stories are destined to have a happy ending.
My name is Kathrine Silverclaw, I am the daughter of Franklin Silverclaw and Lena Silverclaw, my brother Darian is being primed to take over the pack when he’s ready. By all accounts my life is perfect. I have a family who loves me, a pack that is always there when we need them and for the most part, I’m able to do as I please when I please. I find joy in being surrounded, not just by my blood, but by my extended family we found within the pack. Though we have our hierarchy, as any other pack does, we are closer than you’d believe. We have our traditions and we make our own kinds of fun. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in the entire world. My pack, my family, they are my world.
And today I turn eighteen.
As you can imagine, turning eighteen is a highlight of anyone’s life. But in the life of a Werewolf, it opens so many other possibilities. The ability to shift completely into your Wolf form without the assistance of the moon itself, the day you and your inner Wolf finally become united and in some extraordinarily rare cases. Eighteen marks the day that you can officially find your mate.
A mate of my own. I must admit I was excited as a child in a candy store if your parents allow you free reign. Not that mine ever did, the sugar rush it gave me made me next to impossible to control. Yet the thought of finding my mate, my one true soulmate had me just as excited. I know the likelihood of finding him was slim, mates were rare. Most wolves lived their entire lives without ever finding that bond. Yet they were happy in the mates they chose for themselves. They were still just as devoted and caught up in them as they would be if they found their true mates. The difference is slight, almost impossible to perceive unless you’ve found that mate, yet I’ve heard the stories. Our inner wolves connect on a level that is more than just body and heart. Their souls sing for one another. Yet I’ve also heard the horror stories. Stories of finding your mate but they’re with another, stories of finding your mate and knowing they’re your mate but life and circumstance keep you apart. It is possible to live with another, even mate with another but once you’ve found your soulmate, your singer almost, it’s impossible to ever be as happy as you would be with them.
I could hear the sounds of laughter floating through the opening of the window. I could hear the boom of my father’s voice shouting at how he expects today to be perfect. I took a glance out of the window and I could see the pack putting up bunting, laying out tables and my mother fawning over my father’s tie. It wasn’t just my birthday that they turned into a big deal, but anyone who turned eighteen within the pack was a night for celebration. Even the Omega’s.
Alpha’s, the pack’s leaders. My father is the Alpha of our pack with my mother taking up the title of Luna. Their surname is Silverclaw, the name of the pack itself. Delta’s were the children of the Alpha and Luna. My brother and I fall into this category hence we are also known as Silverclaws. Beta’s are the Werewolves below us, they can rise to become an Alpha if the Alpha of the pack doesn’t produce a male heir. Women can’t take the title of Alpha, only a Luna. Beta’s are typically very fast and very strong. My brother’s best friend is a Beta, they usually have the surname of Moonclaw. Omegas are usually women, it’s rare to find a male Omega yet our pack has one. Nathan Snow. Snow is the given title to an Omega in our pack. He’s the brother of my best friend Talia Snow. Omegas are typically smaller when in wolf form than the rest of us and are generally slower and less sturdy. Yet don’t be fooled, while they’re not overly fast or slow Omegas are extremely intelligent and can use that intelligence in a tight spot if needed.
A knock came at the door as I turned from the window and found myself staring into the eyes of my mother. I bowed my head respectfully, as you are meant to when the Luna walks into your room even if she is your mother. She brought her hand up to my chin and raised my green eyes to meet her blue ones. She had a smile on her face which I returned.
“Happy birthday dulce puella" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "It means sweet girl in Latin." Whether or not that was true I couldn't say. My mother had been trying to learn the Latin language for the past month, why? I have absolutely no idea. "Everything is almost set, the moon is bright tonight too." She looked out of the window and, like me, saw that the last few lanterns were being put in place. "Your father has invited the neighboring pack too. So please do try to play nicely."
That earnt a laugh from me. If there was one thing I wasn't, it was inhospitable. I had, after all, learned from the best. The Silvermoon pack came from over the river. They were our closest neighbors though we barely saw them, yet they came to my brothers eighteenth two years ago and now they were showing up for mine. I wasn't too keen on the Alpha of that pack, he ruled with a heavy hand and a firm grip. I suppose you could say his pack was your typical werewolf pack. They had a hierarchy like ours, most packs did, but they treated their Omegas differently than they treated ours. Last time they were here they only brought two Omegas and that was simply because they were mated to Beta's. I didn't ask what happened to those left behind. I didn't care for the answer.
"You worry too much, dear." My father's voice from the door. "Katherine has learned from you, she knows how to conduct herself accordingly." Normally I was free to run with the Omegas and the Beta's at the social events my father created. I suspected this wouldn't be the case tonight with the Silvermoon Pack joining us. Little did I realize tonight was going to be the night that changed my life forever in ways I could never have thought.
I found myself seated at a large table, my hands in my lap as I looked down at the plate before me. To my right sat my brother and to my left sat the son of the Alpha of the Silvermoon pack. Nicholas Silvermoon. Our packs and intermingled at the other tables, I could hear the shuffling of the Omegas on the outskirts waiting to bring us the feast. I locked eyes with Talia who grinned at me, I could almost see her bouncing up and down with excitement. Next to her stood Nathan, her brother who too, had a smile on his face until he locked eyes with me. It was the strangest thing, his eyes went wide and his nostrils flared. He then said something to Talia and disappeared into the thicket of trees. Yet I didn't think anything of it, Nathan usually handled the food as his skills in the kitchen were parallel to none. I hated this part, the part where our Omegas waited on us like servants. I knew it was part of their duties, but I didn't like it all the same. I hated it at Jaxson's eighteenth. Yet I knew once this part was over the tables would be moved, the music would play and the party would begin.
"Kat I don't think that's..." The rest of her sentence ebbed off into the back of my mind as a scent I had smelled earlier once again flooded my senses. My inner wolf purred at the sensation as goosebumps prickled my flesh. I looked to my left where the scent was strongest and instantly locked eyes with Nathan who was staring at me in both fear and wonder.
Wonder because our wolves connected and what that meant. Fear because a Delta and an Omega was never heard of.
I turned and fled like a coward.
