Lily's pov
I was still in the woods when the sun began to set. I knew I had to leave soon before they came out, but a part of me wanted to stay. It had been 2 years since the last time I had seen a wolf, and my wolf yearned to have a pack. Although I hated my old pack, my wolf loved being surrounded by other wolves. It sucks that they were so horrible. I just wish I could have had a better pack.
I shifted my focus back to hunting as I stalked my prey. The deer had sensed me and was on high alert, but I was smarter than it was. I stayed silent.
As I was about to pounce, I was slammed into a nearby tree. I wasn't too sure what had happened until I smelt it. Shit. There's a wolf on top of me. I tried to get out from under it, but it was no use. This wolf was strong. I couldn't get away. I began to whine. Pleading with him to get off of me. There was a reason I had made it for 2 years. I knew when to give up and when to fight. Then he shifted and looked down at me.
" Shift."
I was about to run when another wolf stepped forward. It was smaller than the other wolf but still considerably bigger than me, and I knew I couldn't outrun it.
I shook my head. I wasn't shifting in front of 2 males if I didn't have any clothes. Especially ones I don't know.
"I said shift." He repeated.
I shook my head again, and this time the wolf growled and took a step forward.
I whined, hoping to gain sympathy, and shook my head again.
"Shift now. Or else I'll just have to kill you rogue."
He spat out the word rogue like it was poison. But I thought the stigma around it was overrated. In the past, it had been drilled into our heads that rogues were wild, crazy and hunted everything in sight just for fun. But here I was living the rogue life for 2 years, perfectly fine. Not a single thing had changed about me other than that I was occasionally lonely. These were the happiest years of my life. It was the only time I had really felt free.
When I realised how serious the situation was, I hid behind a tree and shifted.
"I'm not moving from behind this tree. If you want, talk to me from where you're standing."
He scoffed. "The rogue is giving us orders now?"
"I don't have any clothes. So it's either this or I run. That's up to you."
"I'll keep this short. You have to come back with us to our pack."
What in the hell? "No."
"I wasn't asking."
"Well, I'm telling. No."
"Alpha's orders."
"He's not my alpha. Not happening."
He growled, and I could hear him walking closer. I started to get ready to run.
"Look, rogue. You have to come back with us or else."
"What does your alpha want with me. I'm not trespassing, I haven't killed anyone, and I haven't committed any other crime. So what does he want exactly?"
"One, you're scent is all over our borders. That's how we chased you here. Two, our alpha is searching for his mate."
I scoffed. "You think I'm the alpha's mate?"
"No. But we're ordered to bring every unmated female back to the pack. Once he confirms you're not his mat, you're free to go."
"What if I don't want to?"
"Again, you don't have a choice. Look, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Look around, princess, you're surrounded."
I look ahead of me, and that's when I notice he's telling the truth. I am, in fact, surrounded.
"I'll go with you, but I'm shifting. And I want to go home and get my stuff."
He scoffed. "Since when do rogues have homes. And no, we don't have time. We have to be there by 9, and it's a 3-hour run. So we are already late."
I shifted and went back out to the douchebag wolf and his other companions.
He also shifted and barked for me to follow him. The other wolves started to run through the familiar forest as I followed behind.
I was just as fast as them but I pretended to be slower to keep my stamina in case I needed to escape them.
I can't believe this is happening. I don't even know why they decided to take me to him. I'm an omega. It's not like I'll be his mate. And I don't need a repeat of my last pack. But considering I live close by to his pack, I'm doing this to ensure my own safety and to prove that rogues aren't monsters, even though everyone portrays us to be.
According to douchebag, who I later learned was the gamma of the pack, it was 7.30 and we still had about an hour's worth of running left, but the wolves seemed tired, which was strange since all of them looked bigger than average. How were they so weak when I an omega, was not at all tired. Maybe it was because I was used to running.
They offered me water and food as they had resources hidden in this part of the forest. I mean, this was basically their territory. I loved this land because I knew that it was the only place where there weren't a lot of packs around. In this part of the forest, only their pack stood. And the closest one was around 4 hours from my home, so around 7 hours from their pack. We were in the heart of the forest.
Everyone had shifted, but I thought it better not to. Until douchebag threw me some women's clothes.
"Here. Wear them. You can shift, we won't hurt you."
Did I believe him? I shook my head.
" You have my word. That no one here will lay a finger on you."
I looked into his eyes for a moment. My gut told me to trust him. So I went behind a tree and shifted.
"Thanks," I said as I sat down on the twig next to him.
" Here," he said as he handed me a chocolate bar.
"For me?" I asked. He nodded. A smile made its way to my face. I had always wanted to try one, but my old alpha forbade it.
I took a bite and all but moaned in delight. "This is sooooo goooddd. Thank you!!!"
He smiled and shook his head. "Is this your first one, rogue?"
I nodded, and my smile faded. "Yeah."
"So what's your story, rogue?"
I shrugged. "I was left in front of the pack house as a baby. No one knew who my parents were, and I was assigned as an omega and forced to do the chores every day. And one day I decided I hated this, so I left."
"Damn. You've been through it."
I shrugged as I took another bite of the heavenly goodness in my hand.
"I didn't think there were any packs with omegas. That was abolished by the council years ago."
"The council doesn't give a crap about anyone but themselves." A wolf sitting across from me said.
"Dylan, stop. You know what happens if you disrespect them."
Dylan rolled his eyes. " Whatever, let's get going or we're going to be late."
Douchebag aka Gamma Ben got up and turned to me. "You don't have to shift now. We usually run this part in our human forms."
I nodded and followed him.
Knots started forming in the pits of my stomach. Boy, was this nerve wracking.