When I first declared my mate, there was disbelief. Then there were arguments. Then there was silence, the heavy kind that feels like it will last forever. Even now, I can't call the pack's response true acceptance. In every pack, there will be anomalies. This has been an accepted part of the wolf rankings for as long as they have been in place. Some people are not born to lead the lives set out for them. However liberal my parents were, my father as an alpha and my mother his highly-ranked mate, it was only to a certain point. Other people could push the boundaries; I could not. Yet love isn't something that I can control. When I set eyes on my mate, an omega, their eyes were not clouded with blind admiration. I have always been subject to praise I don't feel worthy of, told I will succeed my parents as the strong leader who I don't think I want to be. We started meeting in secret, and they were the first person who treated me like I was not some ethereal being, but someone with flaws and secrets and shortcomings. They are kind, and calm, and gentle, but so am I. As hard to believe as it is, I would be content to live in the shadows of the pack, with a mate who may not be powerful, or strong, but who loves me and who I love in return.