My One and Only Alpha

Chapter 7

Louis was awoken from his dreamless sleep by Peeta standing over him and gently shaking him with a hand on his chest. He croaked out a few grumbles and then rubbed his tired eyes, sitting up to acknowledge his Omega friend. "Good morning, Peeta," he yawned, wrapping his arms around Peeta's neck to greet him and sighing when the Omega reciprocated the gesture.
"Hi, Lou. Are you ready for work?" Peeta asked engagingly, like it was some wonderful task to take on.
"Yeah," Louis groaned through another yawn, rising clumsily to his feet and stretching his stiff limbs. "Alright, let's go."
They walked to the fields in a sleepy stupor, only making small conversation as they attempted to energize themselves for the day. They crossed through the center of the bustling village and Louis' eyes fell onto a horde of Omega children happily bounding toward a longhouse with two wolf-embroidered flags flanking the structure and swaying in the morning wind. "Where are all these cubs going?" he wondered aloud, finding himself grinning at their innocent giggles and yips of joy.
"They're going to school," Peeta informed, smiling at the cubs as well because as an Omega, he was hormonally drawn to them. He couldn't wait for his own. "They go every other day to learn about our culture and pack history, general ways of our lifestyle, learn to shift correctly, cultivate their natures and such, you know. The usual. Alpha children go on the other days, but I know there's one day wherein both genders go together. It's all taught by Ianalfto, our last Pack Elder. He's instructed every generation of wolves I've ever been alive to see, and long before that," he recited in helpful detail that left Louis without the need for follow-up questions.
"I see...that's really nice, actually," Louis noted with full approval, widely yawning for the countless time and laughing when the contagious action took hold of Peeta too.
The Omegas strolled for a few extra lazy minutes before coming to an expansive food crop lined with rows of tall bushes covered in succulent red berries. Louis' mouth watered at the tempting sight of them, and he couldn't wait to sneak eating as many as he could. Consider it payback for that blasted Harry sticking him on literal berry duty.
"Okay, Louis. I have to leave you here now because I'm on the corn fields today and gotta get to work, but I'll hand you off to Draconis and he'll show you around," Peeta announced, taking only one step into the berry patch before Louis grabbed onto his wrist.
"Wait, how are we to know where we're supposed to go?" Louis asked, knowing there was some system here he was missing and would most definitely need to know for future reference.
"It rotates every day. We have a schedule figured out, and I'll help you with yours, but that'll be later. I know you're stationed here today because Alpha Harry specifically said berries for you," Peeta explained, cocking his head to the side when Louis' face took on a malicious scowl.
"Of course he did," Louis grunted, clenching his entire body so he wouldn't growl and startle the nearby Omegas-and Peeta, for that matter.
Peeta nervously chuckled and pulled the stoic Louis down the nearest row of berries, hooking his arm through his elbow and smiling when the Omega seemed to relax his earlier tension.
Louis sighed out his frustration and focused himself on where they were headed, stopping when Peeta did behind an unnaturally tall Omega with long straight hair white as snow and Alpha bites all over his skin, his gangly arms dutifully reaching for the berries at the very top of the bush.
"Draconis," Peeta greeted, his tone clipped and serious but blatantly a ruse.
The Omega in question didn't move from his position facing the bushes and shook his head tiredly, a sigh blowing past his lips as he picked three more berries from the selection. "It's Draco, Peeta," he muttered in such a way that Louis was sure he'd definitely made this correction before.
"I know, I know, I just like bothering you. Turn around, I have Louis here for you," Peeta giggled, his formal demeanor dropped like a sack of potatoes.
The Omega jolted from the words and spun around at once, quickly wiping his red-stained fingers on his hide bottoms. "Oh! I'm sorry, Louis," he said in an easier, less annoyed tone. "I wasn't really paying attention, but now I smell you. Welcome to Chehalis!"
Louis laughed at the odd introduction and approached Draco to hold and scent him, beside himself that the Omega passionately encouraged it and reeled him into his chest. "I'm happy to be here. This pack is filled with the nicest wolves I've ever met, it's a serious relief. There's nowhere like here, and I love it," he rambled, soaking in the comforts of another stranger Omega and trying not to think of ever leaving here.
Draco nuzzled his nose into Louis' hair and held him close, glancing up when Peeta began to back away, his work here officially done.
"Alright, guys," the blonde quipped, turning Louis around from his conclusive tone. "I have to go to the corn now. I'll see you later, Louis," he called, throwing them both a wave and blowing consecutive kisses on his way out.
Draco and Louis voiced their goodbyes as Peeta zipped out of sight, then Draco clapped his hands together engagingly, stealing Louis' immediate focus.
"So. Louis. Pretty simple. Pick the berries, put them in your basket-I'll get you one-and when it's full, go drop it on that wheeler over there, then when that's full, we go on to the next field on the list. Alphas come and take the wheelers to the Keep, so we don't have to worry about that, and at the end of the day you and I will go to there and make some of these berries into a paste-they have medicinal properties in them, and the paste is something Jade needs handy at all times. That part's always my job, so you'll be doing it with me at least today," Draco explained as he walked to fetch Louis a basket as promised. "Make sense?"
Louis walked in tandem with Draco and nodded at his every word, eager to learn how things worked around the pack. "Makes perfect sense to me... Is that all?" he asked, taking the basket handed to him in his arms and following along when Draco strode back to where they'd been.
"Yes and no... it's the same concept all the way around, but we have to hit five fields a day. These berries are in bloom now, but we only have two or three moon cycles left of them. We have to get them all soon so we won't waste any when the skies change. When the ice comes, we'll turn all of them into that same paste and store or consume it that way," he grunted, standing of the tops of his toes to snag the highest berries that only he could possibly reach.
"So how many Omegas are needed to pick this whole field?" Louis wondered, taking the lowest spots on the bush because he wouldn't have a chance in Draco's area, picking the squishy red fruits and carefully dropping them into his basket.
"All of us, technically. It's just rotated. There are twenty Omegas to a duty at one time, and we switch off every day. I think tomorrow I'm grass weaving for housing reinforcements. Right now is the busiest time of the leaf period; we have to utilize and take great care of our resources while we can before the ice-that time tends to be harsh on the pack," Draco explained, cringing to think of how susceptible Omegas were to sickness when the ice coats came. Alphas were always fine, but Omegas depended on the body heat they didn't have themselves; unmated Omegas had to pair up with unmated Alphas just to steal their warmth, or they would suffer. Though, a lot of matings happened that way, so it wasn't all bad.
"That makes sense. I come from a pack of stone and metal, so we didn't need to worry about the ice affecting our housing-only food. My home pack is in the north, and we northern Omegas are bred to withstand ice times; which is lucky, because I've had to endure two of them on my own so far," Louis snorted, taking out the bits wherein he'd actually cried himself to sleep in little alcoves during the storms.
"I'm so sorry...that sounds awful. I can't imagine being stuck in the wilderness during ice times, I don't even know if I'd survive. Enough about that, though. You're safe now. Tell me about your old pack, I'd love to hear it...if you want to, that is," Draco suggested, his words assuring Louis he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to.
Louis hummed and recapped the same details of Siksika he'd given to Peeta, touching on Rixon, his mother, Stanley, sparing the details of his crimes and ultimately ending the speech with his banishment, and how he'd had to come to terms with living on his own. Draco reacted in much the same way Peeta had-with abounding sympathy-and Louis had to bite back scoffs multiple times. These Chehalis Omegas were sweet, but they couldn't fully grasp the horrors Louis had lived through, and that made him want to steer clear of his tale. He didn't need coddles-he needed respect.
Unbeknownst to Louis, an Omega one row over had been listening in on his story, and he suddenly came speeding around the corner, giving Louis a fleeting glance at bright pink hair before swooping Louis up into his arms. Louis might not like talking too much, but he'll never get tired of these constant embraces.
"Morning, Kurt," Draco greeted, sniffing and rubbing his nose against the early morning cold. "Dropping eaves, were you?" he accused lightheartedly, walking past the pair with a full basket to drop it off at the wheeler.
Kurt let go of Louis' waist and glared over his shoulder at the retreating Draco. "Hush, you. You know I couldn't help it," he defended, turning back to Louis with a dazzling smile. "I'm Kurtanis, but please call me Kurt. Draco and I both have a thing about our names. I've wanted to meet you since you got here, Louis, I'm so glad you're here-you're absolutely perfect," he gushed, rubbing his hands up and down Louis' soft arms.
Louis blushed a deep red from the startling compliment; he was not perfect by any means, but he was pleased to hear wolves thought so. He would have said 'thank you' or something similar, but a much more imperative trait of Kurt's was begging to be addressed and that became his reply instead. "...Your hair," he said lamely, touching a strand of his own hair to emphasize his point.
"Oh, the colour?" Kurt laughed, his dark, ocean-blue eyes gleaming in amusement at himself. "I forget I have it sometimes. I dye it with the berries, though it took me a bit to convince Harry to let me; I had to beg him for five moon cycles before he caved. I know it's odd at first, but I think it suits me best," he chuckled, both hands lifting to ruffle the very hair he spoke of and showcase its through-and-through pigment.
Draco returned and dropped his basket to the ground, snorting at Kurt's confidence with his ridiculous hair and resuming his dutiful berry-picking.
"Hey, it does!" Kurt snapped playfully, having caught the not-so-subtle jab from Draco. "Daven likes it, and that's all that matters," he defended in a huff, obviously speaking of his Alpha mate.
Louis cooed and leaned into Kurt like he was going to tell a secret, whispering, "I like it too" to the pink-haired Omega and winking when Kurt grinned in elation.