|| Orange ||

|| 6 Chapter ||

Days passed, becoming weeks.
Winter slowly melted away, to make room for the birth of spring, the season of beginnings. The scent of the rain begins to be felt with the breeze, with the sunset it awakens the fireflies to make the forest creatures' path shine, the buds begin to open slowly releasing their scent around them and starting to attract the bees , awakening them from a long sleep, then leaving behind their typical buzz.

During the sunny days, the boy spent his days walking quietly through the small and uncrowded streets of the village; almost always accompanied by a girl: Alehandra, who was in charge of looking after him.

She was a simple girl. She was the sister of the Alpha, a young beta equal to her brother: she had a bronze complexion, kissed by the sun, dark and curly hair, soft to the touch and velvety as silk, eyes like the bark of the trees present around them; the latter, her brother had an intense green, like the malachite stone, and the latter wore it as a pendant around her neck.

She had the task of following the boy, getting to know him better and trying to establish a friendly relationship of trust and loyalty, if by chance she would have considered joining the pack as a definitive member of it.

A new day she came and with it a tiny little puzzle piece formed and hooked up with others, trembling; and between one grain and another, the hourglass kept going.

That day the omega was alone.
Before letting him go to observe as usual and wander the streets, the beta warned him that he had a certain commitment, urgent, not possible to postpone. After recommending him, as her custom of hers, about some rules not very essential but still to be respected and followed, she ran away like a fury towards the center of the village. At the heart of it were the exclusive quarters of the previous Alpha pack leaders, and the current one; each with their respective families out of that area only for pure protection towards them.

The day passed quietly. The villagers quietly carried out their duties, while he walked undisturbed through the various streets. He admired every detail from the various colorful and fragrant kiosks and stalls, to the houses, both those of wood and those of stone, each time being surprised at how the well-carved finishes made each house unique in its kind, making it elegant and refined.

Arrived in the evening, when the sun with his rays left their place in the sky to the beloved Luna, he set off to go to the square where the bonfire was held every evening. All the people gathered around it: those who preferred to stay those last moments of the long and heavy day out resting in contact with nature; some preferred to go there for simple company even to exchange a few chats from time to time; others, on the other hand, went there to get some fire for their homes.

As he watched the flames crackling in front of him, producing that much heat that he was deprived of for his entire existence, his whole life passed on to him, especially that strange period in which he was living quietly came to mind.
In those days, he discovered many things about himself, including that of being like everyone in the village: werewolves, shape-shifting beings who could vary their appearance from that of a human to that of a wolf, of which they arranged various hierarchies. , including one of them himself.
A couple of days later, after recovering from that news, he started his life from scratch. He found a cozy little house, he met Alehandra, who taught him many things about the world around them leaving him amazed and surprised each time by everything around him. He started secretly, training in both his human and canine form, or at least he was trying to change his shape, but for that moment he only knew how to do the basics.

A hand on his shoulder distracted him from his thoughts.

Immediately he curled up on the ground, arms covering his head, breathing accelerated, pupils increased, constant trembling, white ears lowered on his head camouflaged in his hair, chest quivering, head heavy and coming out of his throat. pianissimi sounds like whines becoming more and more audible. That behavior only meant one thing.

"I'm having a crisis like that time ... No. Please don't hurt me ..."

The whines became almost unbearable to hear. They kept increasing and being more insistent.

A low, masculine voice brought him to his senses.

<< Hey, hey. Calm. I don't do anything to you, I won't touch you anymore. I'm sorry if I scared you, it wasn't my intention. >> she helped him to stand up.

Eye to eye of him. The young man was lost in admiring those of the Alpha, so light but at the same time so dark, also with a past behind them.

<<Ehm ... >> his cheeks turned red, he turned his gaze elsewhere, so as not to drown in the boy's two-tone ones.
Feeling curious glances on them, he let go of his wrist and waist, and took a few steps away to make room for the omega.
He noticed that compared to the first time they met, he was less repulsive and fearful of physical contact.

Once he was finally on his feet, he turned back to the fire.
The others went back to their things, leaving them undisturbed.

Peace and harmony hovered around him.

After a few minutes, absorbed in the bliss of tranquility, the man again began to speak with that virile tone of his that made something vibrate inside his chest.

<<What is your name? >> simple question, but he could not answer.

The person next to him continued to speak, also focusing his gaze on the flames.

<< You know, you've been in my pack for some time, but you've never uttered a word or revealed your identity ... And I wondered why >>

He remained silent, in the background the crackling fire and the voices of other people who, like the two of them, enjoyed the harmonious sound of the flames together with the warmth of him.

After a few seconds, waiting for the answer, he continued.

<<I know that some things are new to you but- >> deciding to move his gaze on the boy, he stopped immediately at the exact moment in which he saw him with his hands holding his neck, with a desperate expression and sad.

His head was moving from side to side, nodding negatively, twirling his white hair creating light trails like small diamonds set between those long strands of soft, fragrant hair.
The Alpha stood dazed to look at him, bewitched by such a pure and innocent beauty; his green eyes stared at him with a particular spark, never experienced before.

What was that strange feeling? Discomfort, or maybe something else you've never felt before?

The boy, seeing the persistent look on his face, dropped his arms to his hips, feeling immense shame, humiliation and sadness pervade his body.

He wanted so much to say something, to communicate his frustrations to someone, to be able to confide in a certain person, a person who earned a piece of his puzzle.

He ran away, as far as the scars would allow. Step by step he moved away from the man who gave him a chance.

Holed up at home, he gave vent to all the frustrations he had accumulated over the years.

The next morning he woke up with his pillow still wet, his neck still with the marks of his hands and a runny nose.

New day. New piece. Another grain.

Dear readers. This chapter was done a little too quickly, and sorry if the chapter is a bit ugly. I had some setbacks and I had little time to write it, so I would like you to help me point out the mistakes. Thank you and good reading.