The Wolf of the Wilds

The Old Alphas

"Ready for dinner?" Helena asked as she peered into Adrian's office. His head was resting against the wooden surface, his arms splayed out in front of him. The only indication he gave that he'd heard her was a low groan. Helena stood in the doorway with her shoulder pressed against the frame and her arms crossed as she waited patiently. Eventually he lifted his head and sent her a look of pure hopelessness.

"I'm so done with work today." His voice was hollow and lifeless. She approached and glanced down at the pieces of paper he'd been pouring over for the last hour or so. Her nose crinkled as she winced in sympathy.

"I can see why. I certainly don't envy you," she returned, her hand resting on his shoulder as she leant over him. His blue eyes watched her closely.

"How about a walk before we have dinner? I desperately need to stretch my legs," he finally said, now resembling a wolf rather than the soulless husk he'd been a short moment before. Helena stepped back and sent him a nod, her eyes glancing to the window. 

It was still light out, low cloud cover blocking the sky of blue. There was no threat of rain, but the temperature was on the cooler side of warm.

"Alright, we can do a loop through the town square and past the furnaces."

Adrian span in his chair and got to his feet, stretching and popping various stiff joints.

"Sounds good to me."

The streets were relatively busy as everyone headed home for the evening, but when they got close to the pack den the crowd ground to a halt. Adrian and Helena shared confused expressions and Adrian attempted to look for the source of the commotion from his high vantage. They didn't have to wait long because suddenly the sound of yelling rose above the throng.

"What were you thinking Ed?!" The voice was accusatory and unfamiliar to Helena. Adrian grimaced at the tone and turned to her.

"Ah. It's Ed's parents, the old alphas Colden and Inga. They haven't taken well to retirement and they're harshly critical of Ed and Hermine's running of the pack. This isn't the first time they've had a public yelling match. I ought to see what's happening," he said uneasily. Helena sent him a silent nod and he set off towards the den. Lena followed with less urgency, interested to see what the fuss was all about.

"I was thinking about my pack and my mate mother! I am an alpha of this pack and my decisions were made with great thought." That sounded like Ed. Poor sod. From the waver of his voice Helena could tell that he was fighting a loosing battle.

She slipped through the bustling bodies of wolves to get to the front of the ring that'd formed around the arguing alphas. Both pairs faced one another with tension crackling off of them in waves. 

"Great thought? Great thought!? Don't make me laugh Ed. Accepting a rogue into our territory was bad enough, but taking a rogue to the meeting of alphas? That's insanity. Our pack will be an absolute laughing stock."

Helena groaned as she realised what, or who, this was about. She pursed her lips and pressed her fingers to her forehead, a scowl pulling at her face.

"There's no such thing as rest for the wicked apparently," she muttered under her breath as the yelling continued. As time went past, more attention fell on her from the other members of the pack and her ire grew.

"That rogue has contributed nothing to our pack! How can she represent us before our fellow wolves? She's been here for less than one lunar cycle!" The vein in Edgard's father's neck bulged an almost freakish amount as he yelled.

Adrian had taken a standing position behind his alphas and from the glare he was sending the other pair, he was less than impressed by the topic of conversation. The yelling continued, but as the wolves shuffled to make distance between them and Helena, Colden caught sight of her stood there. He rounded on her with his teeth bared.

"Ah. The rogue decided to make an appearance," he hissed. Inga stared the woman down with a look of equal hatred.

"What do you have to say for yourself dog?" She spat.

Helena remained almost perfectly still and stared them down with a blank face. She quirked a single brow at them and turned her head away, her gaze landing on her furious mate who was standing, barely restrained, a short distance away. 

"Adrian. Calm yourself before you burst an artery," she said softly, totally blanking the elder pair. Instead of replying to the question put to her, she bowed her head towards Edgard and Hermine. "I apologise Alphas. If I had known that my presence in Semul would cause such a problem, I would not have requested it of you.

"I understand that becoming Alphas and earning the respect of your pack is a tough challenge, but I hadn't intended for my actions to spark an uprising amongst your pack elders and for them to publicly question your authority before our fellow wolves. It is a disgraceful situation and I apologise for being the cause of it." Despite her calm words, her voice was low and growling. Her teeth flashed at the older pair as she spoke.

Wolves, by nature were proud. Helena had always been aware of her people's faults and the mocking of their Alphas had always been a sore spot. The Montis wolves had only recently pledged allegiance to Edgard and Hermine, but the quicker they let go of their previous loyalty, the better.

A thick tension had settled on the crowd around her, the true meaning of her words sinking in. Whispers and tense murmurs hummed like static as the previous Alphas paled at her accusation.

"I support your decision Alphas," a familiar voice said from within the throng. "Miss Helena has helped our community on many occasions. Last week she helped out in the kitchens when we were severely understaffed and I believe I saw her helping out with the show preparations before the full moon. If Edgard and Hermine believe she is worthy of representing us then I trust them to make that choice." It was the wolf that had greeted her when she had been searching for Adrian. 

This seemed to trigger something within the other wolves and an omega stepped forward, her chin stubbornly clenched as she resolutely stared at the older Alphas. 

"Miss Helena has done much good for us omegas. My children ate fresh poultry for the first time in a year because of her. Her kindness was a blessing to us in a time when money is scarce and I am eternally grateful for our alphas' decision to welcome her here." The small woman appeared to be shaking in her oversized boots, but she remained stoic. As time past she appeared to shrink into herself when no one replied, but soon a scrawny teenage wolf stood at her side.

"Miss Lena taught me how to make sour dough bread in one of her meet up sessions, so now I can make sure my dad has food to eat when he gets home from working at the furnaces. It's been tough since mum passed away, and being able to help out more has been really nice. Ex-alphas, she's a good rogue I promise. I trust her and our alphas."

More wolves stepped forward, each expressing their support of the younger couple. Colden and Inga appeared increasingly uncomfortable as each admission was said, their glares morphing into embarrassed frowns. Edgard was holding Hermine's hand and both of them looked a mixture of tearful and flustered.

"Thank you everyone. Your support means the world to us," Hermine said clearly, unable to keep the smile off of her face. She met the rogue's eyes and nodded back to her. "And Helena. We decline your apology. You did nothing wrong and we would still be very happy for you to come to Semul with us." 

"You have my thanks," Lena replied before beckoning to her mate with an outstretched hand. "Come Adrian. I'm hungry and I believe it's time for dinner." He joined her without delay and grasped her hand as they left the congregation as hastily as possible.