Sous waited on the docks for a couple of hours until she saw the familiar small tug boat steaming up the river. She stood up and waved happily at Shadow who, surprisingly waved happily back at the little demon.
He pulled up to the side and pushed down the plank onto the dock. He came down and gave Sous a hug, his hair now gray and white, wrinkles and a face that had seen many years. Shadow pulled away from Sous after giving her a couple of pats on the head.
When he stepped aside, Sous saw a young Alpha in her twenties who looked just like Shadow. Her hair, slit yellow eye pupils, soft fur on the side burns of her face and her canines, sharp as ever.
She stepped forward with her chest out, attempting to intimidate Sous, show that she was the stronger and dominant Alpha. Sous was unimpressed but placed her hand out to shake anyway.
"You must be his daughter," she started, lightly.
Shadow Jr. shook Sous' hand and confirmed she was in fact the daughter of Shadow, and openly admitted to being a product of an one night stand.
"Omegas be like that," she said, turning back to the boat. Sous looked at Shadow who seemed a bit sad by his daughter's words but put on a smile still.
"So...she's upset with you because you had her without a mate?"
Shadow placed his head down. "I did my best to provide for her as a single father."
Sous placed her hand on her mentor's shoulder. "You did good raising her with the resources you had."
His eyes became teary but he wiped them away as fast as they appeared. He held out his hand and the two walked together on the boat.
Just like when she was a kid, Sous walked toward the back to see the barrel of basilisk eggs. Brought a little nostalgia back for her. She hadn't summoned little baby basilisk in twenty years. She wondered if he was even still around this area, or if he ventured somewhere else. She would find out once she needed to summon him.
She counted the barrels and made sure they had the amount they needed for their trips. Funny because when she was young, she was so emotional at the selling of these eggs. And though she was still sympathetic, she realized it was a business and the world often evolved around money.
She walked down to the bunks when she was done doing inventory with Shadow. She chose a bunk, looking at the desk she used to study in, a small smirk came across her face. Such good memories back then.
She took her black boots off and placed them under the bed, different from how Shadow Jr. had her boots thrown across the floor.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Shadow Jr. ran down the stairs and slammed herself on the bed. She was covered in soot and coal, having been just in the boiler room below the bunk room.
They looked at one another, sizing each other up. She leaned over the side of her bed with her back against the wall.
"So, uh, you gotta mate?"
Sous shook her head. The first question that came out of this young Alpha's mouth was regards to her having a mate yet her treatment of Omegas was questionable. Shadow Jr. was insecure when it came to Omegas, Sous gathered.
"I have two kids."
The young Alpha seemed disgusted. "But you don't have a mate. Tsk, just like Omegas, just like my father."
"Just like what?"
"Just like whores, never keeping their legs together. Fucking who ever comes by-"
The bed creaked as Sous rose up. The young Alpha stopped talking and sat back, taking a gulp.
Sous lowered herself to the level of the sitting Alpha. "The Omegas of my children are not whores." Her voice in a low growl that caused Shadow Jr. to form sweat beads on her forehead.
That night, she sat in a pub that was built on the shore of the river, a diverse clientele due to how many took the river for travel still, because of it being a cheap mode of transportation.
Shadow and Sous sat drinking the drinks, Shadow with his beer and Sous with her warm boiled blood. They watched Shadow Jr. flirt with an Omega and proceeded to lead him outside with her.
Shadow turned away, back toward the bar. "Has she gotten anyone pregnant?" Sous asked the father.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully.
Sous finished her drink and walked outside. She searched for the couple, able to find them when she went to the back of the building. There Shadow Jr. was with her pants down, hammering into the Omega.
Sous just watched until both noticed her. Startled, they stopped what they were doing with the Omega running past Sous embarrassed. She turned to look at Shadow Jr. who fumbled to put their belt together.
"Let's go for a walk," Sous commanded.
Crunch, crunch!
They walked on a trail that led to a bench within the woods. It gave them a perfect clearing of the sky, seeing the stars and the moon.
"When you hook up, are you using protection? They didn't have that for female Alphas when I was a kid."
"Nah, that's the Omega's responsibility to be on the pill. Wearing condoms, can't feel shit," the young Alpha said.
Sous nodded her head. "I see," she said sarcastically. "So you want these children to have the same single parent start in life as you did?" Shadow Jr. kept quiet. "Do you know who your sire is?" Still no answer. "If these Omegas did in fact bear your chilld, would you want to know them?"
"Yes..." just a whisper, barely audible but there. That's how Alphas were, Alphas at the end of it all truly desire to have a family and raise their own little pack. Alphas want to provide and shelter their families, give them the best life they could-Alphas were like that.
Sous smiled at her answer. She was breaking through to the young Alpha. There was more to being an Alpha than going to bed with Omegas. More such as finding a mate, settling down, laying down roots. That was an Alpha!
"There's...an...Omega I like. But he thinks I'm an ass." She looked at Sous. "Do you think you could help me with him. Teach me how to be...nice-"
Sous laughed.
"Its not funny...its just. I wanna show him I can be a good Alpha and I'm someone worth mating with."
Sous discovered this Omega lived all the way in Conaska but apparently they met because of how often Shadow's missions took them there. Regardless, Sous agreed she would help Shadow Jr. but only if she apologized to Shadow about her treatment of him and all Omegas. And if she also laid off the hook up culture she was following.
"So you would move permanently to be with this Omega in Conaska?" Sous asked.
"Yeah," Shadow Jr. said. "Yeah, I would."