Xeno couldn't sleep that night. He awoke, his body covered in sweat, the bed soaked. He pushed the blanket off himself as his Alpha stirred next to him. He walked to the hallway and checked to make sure his children were asleep in their beds, they were.
He sighed and walked outside to look out to the training grounds and there he saw her: Pamoen, training. He lowered his brows, watching her. It was so late in the morning. Two in the morning and here this Omega was...training.
Xeno walked to Pamoen as she did a flip kick, landing on the ground. Her ears twitched and she turned to look at him. "Xeno," she said.
"What are you doing up?"
The little Omega shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't tired, I guess." She said kicking the dirt beneath her shoes.
Far into the city, they sat at a restaurant that was all day and all night. She had her usual shepard's pie, eating with a wide smile on her face.
"I have an idea," she said. "How about you meet my parents?"
"Sous and Kara?"
"Yep! I want them to see who's been training me," she explained to the older Omega.
Xeno smiled, leaning on his hands. A slight blush came over him. He admired Kara, how strong she was, her stepping away and not caring that people looked down on her because she was part witch.
"You gonna invite them since you can't leave the training ground?"
Pamoen nodded her head. "I wrote them a letter about you. My sire wants to meet you," Pamoen mentioned.
"Sous?"
The girl nodded her head, using her fork to scrape up the remaining mash potatoes and lamb.
Xeno carried Pamoen on his back as they walked back to the training grounds. She was asleep now, maybe she just needed food.
The night air pressed cool against his skin. Stars scattered above them like spilled salt. Down the street, a stray cat hunted mice near overflowing bins. Its tail flicked once, a metronome counting seconds until dawn.
Pamoen's breath warmed the nape of his neck. Her small hands curled loosely against his collarbone, calloused fingers twitching as if still practicing kicks in her dreams. He adjusted his grip beneath her knees. The weight felt familiar. Sometimes he carried his own pups this way after nightmares.
He smiled to himself, thinking of his kids, his Alpha. He felt so guilty at times, feeling lonely. How could he feel so lonely with kids and an Alpha.
Xeno walked into the training quarters where the other young wolves slept. He found the empty bed that belonged to Pamoen and placed her in it, covering her with the blanket.
He stood there for a moment, looking at her. She was still asleep, her eyelids flickering as she dreamed. He left the large building dedicated to them and went back to his cottage, getting back into bed with his Alpha, going to sleep.
Xeno landed in Red Woods early that morning. Zhiliary had sent a dragon flyer out to him, bringing him from the area he was in to Red Woods.
He ran up the steps of the city council and entered into Zhiliary's office. She was standing by a window, motioning for him to sit. He sat down, intrigued by what the Alpha was going to say.
Zhiliary came around the desk, sitting on the edge. She cross her hands each other and sighed. Xeno knew this meant he was going to be given a mission to kill someone; after all, he was the best assassin the pack had.
"Yes, Alpha," Xeno started.
"Do you know anything about witches?" She asked, one of Xeno's ears went down, confused by the question. He remained silent because beyond the fact witches were strong, he didn't really know much about them.
"I'm not able to assassinate a witch," he said transparently.
"There's an Alpha I want you to assassinate. She should be easy now. Weak." Zhiliary paused and sniffed for a bit. "Sous."
Xeno leaned back in his chair. "What?" He shook his head. "Wait...I thought-what is happening?"
Zhiliary shrugged. "I want my mate back."
"They have kids. Pamoen is one of them. You took her," Xeno said, not understanding any of this.
"For my mate. Kara is my mate! And Sous, Sous is a betrayer. We never forgot that!"
Xeno stayed shaking his head, he eventually got up and began to pace. "I don't believe she's as weak as you think she is."
"She hasn't a wand, hasn't fought in years. Now is the perfect time. She doesn't suspect a thing," Zhiliary explained, standing up and appoarching Xeno.
"I don't know," Xeno said. "Her daughter, Zhiliary."
Zhiliary smirked. "She gives two shit about that girl. That little girl adores her but Sous gives two shits about her. She was more than ready to hand her over."
Xeno listened to Zhiliary. Pamoen spoke so highly of her sire.
"Sous abandoned Pamoen, even against Kara's wishes," Zhiliary exaggerated.
"She says...she says Sous is going to come visit her," Xeno said.
Zhiliary laughed, shaking her head. "Sous will never come visit her."
Xeno froze mid-pace. Outside, wind clawed at the council building's ancient oak doors. The scent of pine resin and damp stone seeped through cracks, sharp against the metallic tang of Zhiliary's simmering rage.
He remembered Sous' broad shoulders in Pamoen's stories, the way her eyes softened when speaking of her daughter's stubborn kicks. Abandonment didn't fit. But then Sous killed his own sire.
He felt anger rise up in him and he nodded his head to Zhiliary. "Alright, I'll do it but even if I disagree, I would have still done it." He bowed to the Alpha. "I'm loyal to Apex-always."
He walked outside and looked up at the sky. He sighed and shook his head. There was so much to Sous' story. She killed his sire, she abandoned Pamoen, yet she was highly looked up to by many species. Xeno heard the whispers that came from the ghettos: Sous was their savior.