Fighter

Chapter 3

Pov Dan:

When I was feeling somewhat better and Mia confirmed that my wounds wouldn't reopen for now, she helped me up and gave me a tour of the camp. We had to walk slowly as I was still in a lot of pain. During our walk, Mia and I chatted a bit. She was really nice and happily told me about her life and the pack's structure. According to her, it all sounded quite relaxed in theory, but in practice, it was different. Almost all the Loup-ga we passed looked at me with suspicion or reproach. Immediately, I felt a new wave of unease. It wasn’t as bad being by Mia’s side, but it was still a heavy burden to know I was unwelcome.
A little further, in a clearing just before the camp, Mia and I noticed some kind of commotion. Several pack members were gathered around someone, loudly discussing something. It was likely that I was the cause of this discussion.
Mia and I approached the group, and I spotted Xaver’s platinum blonde hair in the middle of the crowd. He was trying to calm those around him, but it was proving difficult. When he saw us, he pushed his way through the people and came towards me. At that moment, I could have sworn he wanted to kill me, judging by his bad mood.
Xaver grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with him. He stood on a slightly elevated rock, and I stood next to him like a child forgotten by its parents. "Now shut the fuck up, all of you!", Xaver shouted, and the crowd immediately fell silent. "That's better." Xaver's gaze swept over the group in front of him before he began to speak. "I understand your mistrust. But I, as your Alpha, have decided to keep him here!" The group started murmuring again, and I heard some prejudices against me. Xaver began to growl and then, in a not-so-polite tone, demanded silence again. He looked down at me and asked, "What's your name again?"
"D-Dan.", I replied hesitantly. Xaver turned back to the crowd. "Dan will stay with our pack for now until his wounds are healed. In the meantime, he will have the rank of Omega. He is just as obligated to follow the rules and my orders as all of you. Whether you accept him or not is irrelevant to me, but I don't want to see any violent attacks against him, understood?" Reluctant affirmations came from the pack. "Now get lost!",  Xaver commanded, and the Loup-ga dispersed.
Mia came over to me, and Xaver jumped down from the rock. I turned to him and thanked him for letting me stay. "Stuff it.", the Alpha retorted. I let it slide. Only now, standing so close to him, did I notice that Xaver was slightly shorter than me. Without knowing how, the words just slipped out of my mouth, "How tall are you?" Mia looked at me in shock, and Xaver's expression darkened. "5'7. Why are you asking?", Xaver replied in a threatening tone. Realizing my inappropriate question, I tried to save myself. "J-Just curious.", I scratched my head awkwardly. "Don't think you can act big here. One wrong move and you're dead." With that statement, Xaver walked away.
"I think he likes you.", Mia confessed. I looked at her, confused. "I think you’re really mistaken. He’s only tolerating me because of you and Jack." Mia laughed a bit. "No, no. Normally, he would have killed anyone on the spot for asking about his height. Xaver is quite sensitive about that."
"And that’s why you think he likes me?"
"At least he doesn’t completely hate you." Mia and I looked at each other and then burst out laughing. "Well, I'm glad to hear that.", I said.
Mia continued showing me around for the rest of the day, pointing out important places and explaining the pack's rules. It was a lot to take in, but if I wanted to stay here, I’d have to adapt. In the evening, Mia walked me to my temporary lodging, a small hut not far from hers. "My house is over there. If you need anything, just come to me."
"I will. Thank you for everything." I smiled happily, and Mia returned the smile. "No problem. It's the least I could do. So, rest up. Tomorrow won’t be any easier." With that, Mia said goodbye and went to her house. I also entered mine. It wasn’t very big but had enough space for me. The room contained a bed, a wardrobe, and a small table. I walked over to the wardrobe, on which a note was stuck. It read: "I figured you didn’t have any clothes and wouldn’t want to keep wearing your torn rags. So, I left you some of my clothes, as we’re about the same size. Best wishes, Jack."
I had to smile at this and opened the wardrobe. Indeed, there were several clothes in my size. I was really indebted to Mia and Jack. I let myself fall onto the bed, relieved, and quickly fell asleep. No matter what had happened to me before, I was glad to be here now.