The Omega's Predicament

Chapter three

"You will have no trouble with us, we're not a hostile pack. We want to settle peacefully."

Alpha Winter sat back in his chair, scratching the stubble on his chin as he eyed the wolf in the chair on the other side of his large desk. "You have taken in Silverstreams, Alpha Donovan," he pointed out. "Even one of your Enforcers?" His bushy, silver eyebrows raised at the other wolf. He then turned his attention to Bella who sat perched on her chair in the corner, in Alpha Winter's private home office, and gave her a questioning glance before returning to the Alpha before him.

Bella glanced at her tablet. "Sienna Peters, Alpha Winter. She left the Silverstream pack two weeks ago," she supplied. "The Silverstream pack has stressed there is no resentment caused by her decision to leave."

"I suppose she would never be taken as an Enforcer in the Silverstream pack," Alpha Winter mused, his thick finger stroked his bottom lip in deep thought. "They are a chaotic pack, their views are hard to comprehend. She would never be taken seriously, even if she is the strongest."

"Exactly." Alpha Donovan straightened in the chair, it creaked under his weight. He was a big man, as Alpha he would have to be, not quite as tall as Alpha Winter, but just as wide. He was a boulder of a man with a voice like a rock slide. "She is a good wolf, Alpha Winter," he stated.

"You trust her?"

"With my life," Alpha Donovan answered, his wide, bearded jaw clenched.

"As Alpha, you will have to," Alpha Winter stated.

Alpha Donovan only answered with a nod. His hands fisted on the armrest, he swallowed but never let his eyes drift from the other wolf across the table. Bella could see him radiating silent strength and power, just like Alpha Winter. It made the office they were sitting in feel cramped and small even though it was a large room. Both sat with their gazes locked, the air fizzled with tension. As Alphas they could not back down, they could not show weakness, their instincts roaring inside of them to take charge, to fight for dominance. But this was a civilized meeting, they could not give in to the animal inside and one wrong move could be taken as a challenge. Alpha Donovan was young, barely in his thirties, but Alpha Winter had years and years of experience, and even though his hair had changed to silver while he had been calling the shots, he was still the strongest wolf this pack had and any wolf, Alpha or not, would be a fool to challenge.

Bella had been nervous about this particular meeting for weeks. Not because she was afraid it would end in bloodshed. She knew Alpha Winter, he could control himself, and Alpha Donovan seemed clever enough not to throw himself at the older wolf. Only, she didn't usually have to deal with Alphas directly, as the Omega she would be dealing with the other pack Omega. But this was a fresh pack, only recently formed, and Alpha Donovan did not have an Omega yet.

Omegas she could handle, she spoke their language, she dealt with them just fine. Alphas, on the other hand, depending on the pack, were tricky. Some saw Omegas so far beneath them they barely acknowledged them, some treated them like servants. Alpha Donovan, she was glad to note, did neither, he had been polite when she greeted him that day and took him to Alpha Winter. But you never did know with Alphas.

"The unclaimed land down south is not a large quantity of land, son," Alpha Winter stated.

"We are not a large pack," Alpha Donovan countered. His jaw clenched again. Calling another Alpha 'son' was not done, it was bad form and it could cause a challenge. Bella hid her amusement when she saw Alpha Donovan keeping himself in check. He was being tested and he knew it. He couldn't claim land for his pack without every Alpha in the state giving his permission. And without land, without territory, no pack. He needed Alpha Winter. "I have hope that one day, should our pack need it, we would be able to negotiate borders with our surrounding neighbors. But that is long in the future, of course."