Jade's POV
Our boots crunched into the snow as we made our way towards the frozen, frigid river. I could barely feel the morning sun as it seemed to struggle to peek over the tall, snow-laden trees which made the majority of the forest. Smoke trickled weakly from the chimneys of several small, rustic log cabins, and the air here carried the subtle, collective scent of resignation and pine. Everything about this place carved out memories—it was once my home; the Omega Quarters—the farthest place from the Aerie's power, a place of outsiders, a constant, quiet reminder of one's place at the bottom of the pack.
"This will be your place within the pack's territory." Liam's voice, warm yet formal, broke the silence.
We came upon a log cabin no different from the ones we had passed by, except it was closer to the borderlands of the territory—of course they had given me the farthest one; it was a reminder of my place in the pack.
Just as he was about to step onto the snow-coated porch, I spoke, "You don't have to show me around."
"I wasn't going to." His face remained expressionless.
Liam hadn't really changed much since we were younger. Still had almost the same boyish looks and his easy charm, except he looked a tad bit muscular; a proof of several hard-won training sessions and hard-won battles.
I didn't say another word. Instead, I looked away, observing my surroundings. At least, I was glad the place was a bit far from my neighbors—I wouldn't be needing any warm welcome.
"Now, let's get straight to it," Liam pulled out a book from his satchel and handed it to me. "This is the rule book. I advise you to read every word and adhere to every word. The council doesn't take violators lightly."
"Noted." My hand scaled the width of the brown leather book as I eyed it—I would definitely be reading every word carefully, who knew what knowledge could aid my little quest.
"Good." He breathed lightly. "You're assigned to the training grounds and the council archive as a servitor. You must commence work tomorrow as early as possible."
I tried to fight a smile. The gods had to be on my side for handing me such favorable tasks—the council archive and training grounds.
"In the meantime," he continued. "You should get familiar with the place. Maybe, get familiar with your surroundings once more." His voice softened, hinting memories. "It's been a long time."
"You can say that." I breathed out a cloud of white fog. I hugged myself as I ran my eyes all over the place. "Things are barely different. Do we still have the well?"
His eyes crinked as he smiled. "The one we used to throw coins into when we were younger?"
"Where you once wished you had a bigger dick," I chuckled, my muscles slowly relaxing. "So you could make a senior cry in bed? Yes, that one."
He rolled his eyes, his lips slightly tilted up. "See you around."
"You too."
I watched him leave and only turned away when I lost sight of him.
"What a home." My foot kissed the porch.
It wasn't much, but it was a foothold. And from a foothold, you could tear down a kingdom.
___
My Ironwood home wasn't the best but it was functional, and functional was good. Although I still had a lot of cleaning and dusting to do, I was nestled on a dusty counter in the small kitchenette, eyes scanning the letters and hand flipping the pages of the rule book—there was barely anything new; The Aerie where the Alpha lived was still very much off-limits except to authorized personnels, so was the Council Archive. Ironwoods were still not allowed to cross the borders except given permission from the council. Amongst the old rules, none of the new restrictions were helpful to my quest.
"Stupid book." I cursed, tossing the book towards the other end of the counter.
Instantaneously, the hairs on my back stood, and my wolf groaned awake. My ears twitched, numbing the whisper of the winter wind and picking the sound of boot against hardwood. A squeak—someone was on my porch. My nose pricked the scent. Wolf. Male.
"What part of 'I don't need a warm welcome'", I jumped the counter with a soft thud. "Don't the universe understand?"
I gingerly walked towards the door. I had known some foolish omegas would later come around to puff their furs at me and remind me of my rather too low position in the hierarchy, but I hadn't expected it to be too soon. I bent over and picked up a heavy, think wood from the dirty floorboards. My movements, careful and precise, morphed into a fight stance, wood in hand, and I waited patiently as I watched the door.
It took too long, tension sizzling through me, before a gentle knock fell on their door.
I gave no response.
Another knock.
"Go back home, wolf." My voice echoed in the room, calm and firm. "I'm not interested in a get-to-know-your-neighbor meeting."
My ears picked up a gentle chuckle. "I thought you would like a nice welcome." His voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite hear owing to the howl of the wind. "It's getting windy out here. Mind if I come in?"
A pause.
My hand tightened around the wood. The door knob began to turn. The second the door creaked open, I threw the wood at the mass of black, tousled hair that came in view. However, the head ducked down right on time—the wood flew out, landing by the stairs leading to the porch.
"Nice throw." That stupid smirk.
"What the fuck, Kael?" My stance eased, nevertheless, my unpleasant scowl lingered.
He chuckled, shutting the door close behind him. "Good morning to you too."
My wolf howled at the sound of his voice. Damn, I couldn't stop my eyes from running down his tall, huge frame—his presence made the cabin feel too small.
"Now I think of it," His eyes gleamed with mischief. "We never really got down to business that night at Velvet Inferno." His eyes scanned the dirty space briefly before resting on me again, lustful. "Well, the cabin is not all that bad, is it?"
Of course, he had caught on to the fact that I had been checking him out. When I shouldn't have been doing such. But, I couldn't help it when he had showed up in a white button down which cling to his muscles and revealed a nice, broad chest.
He cleared his throat, catching me once more.
Oh, to punch that stupid smirk of his face. "Your Luna doesn't do a good job warming your bed?"
His comical smile fell, replaced by his gruffness. "She's not yet my Luna."
I couldn't explain why that affirmation relieved me. However, I choked it down, returning to the matter of state. "Why are you here, Alpha?"
"To welcome you, I said."
"I'm not interested." I walked away from him and went over to sit back on the counter from before. I let out a sigh, glad to chuff down some air since his closeness seemed to taking up all the oxygen in the room.
Kael's eyes bored into me, not speaking. I didn't have to look, I could feel it—familiar and intense. I gazed at nothing as my fingers fiddled with one another. I could feel it: the unmistakable tension in the room as bittersweet memories weaved into the cold atmosphere.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Jade." He finally broke the silence. "You and I know that too well."
I scoffed, leaning into the cold, wood wall. "Don't act like you care, Kael."
"What if I care?" He professed abruptly, causing my heart to stop.
My eyes turned to meet his. I saw it—a moment of something warm, but when the realization hit him, the coldness returned. His spine straightened, and I watched his muscles tense.
"If you did," Bile rose in my throat as I remembered that day from seven years ago. "You would have never cast me aside."
His jaw clenched. "You would get yourself killed for something that happened when we were young?"
My blood boiled at his words. "Don't you dare coin me as foolish, Kael." I slid down from the counter, fists clenched, and marched over to him. "Rather, you should admit you made a mistake."
No reply.
I tilted my head to the side slightly, mildly amused by his defiance. "Either ways, whether you choose to admit it or not, karma has knocked at your door and let herself in." I sighed, feigning sadness. "How painful it will be for you. Having to lose everything you've spent your entire life building."
His hand, in a blink of an eye, gripped my neck. However, I couldn't help but laugh at the futile threat he posed—the fire in his eyes only amused me.
"You don't scare me, Alpha."