VESPER

 

The snowstorm was brutal over the next few days. Even if I wanted to leave my cabin, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to open the door from how hard the snow was blowing.

I didn’t complain about it though. I spent most of my time in a deep slumber. The little time I was awake, Rudy was curled up next to me to make my time in my cabin more enjoyable than I could remember.

The sun came eventually and the clouds started to clear. The sun’s bright rays were enough to begin melting some of the snow away.

Rudy and I began our trek east through the Timberlands together early in the morning. Despite the sun, the cold from all of the snow still covering the forest lingered in the air.

Rudy was understandably wary during our journey. His eyes shifted around constantly as if something would leap out of the darkness and attack us.

I had some concern but I knew at this point, I had to do everything I could to protect him.

We made our way swiftly through the woods without running into anything else. It was later in the day when Rudy put his hand up.

“We’re here,” he said. “It’s just up ahead.”

He stopped in his tracks. I looked forward and could barely make out the clearing in the distance. I rested a hand on his shoulder to give him the assurance I knew he needed.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be by your side. No matter what.”

He gave me a nod then sighed a deep breath. He stuck his chest out proudly and marched forward. I followed right behind him as I stepped into the clearing.

The men and women were what I would have expected from a herd of deer. Their bodies were lean and tight. They weren’t big people. Even some of the Alphas could have been mistaken for Omegas if I wasn’t paying close attention.

They appeared to be in a good mood. They worked together to clear the snow that was still gathered around their tents. They laughed and smiled at one another, seemingly celebrating that the snowstorm was over.

Rudy walked through the clearing until one of them finally noticed him. It was a young Omega boy that first ran up to him.

“Rudy! Rudy!”

He rushed up to him and wrapped his arms around him. The sense of relief on Rudy’s face was undeniable. He closed his eyes and sighed as he patted the young Omega on his sloppy hair.

“I feared the worst for you,” the teenage boy said.

“I’m fine. I made it. You can relax now.”

The boy pulled away from Rudy.

As I took a step forward, I saw the teenager’s gaze switch to me. His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened slightly. Rudy looked at me and smiled.

“Don’t worry,” Rudy said. “He’s a friend. His name is Vesper. Vesper, this is George.”

“It’s nice to meet you, George.”

I held my hand out to him. He slowly put his hand in mine and he remained in shock when he saw that mine was so much bigger than his.

“Wow…” he said in his daze. “What are you?”

“I’m only a man,” I said with a chuckle. “But I’m a bear in my heart.”

“A bear… I don’t think I’ve ever met a bear before.”

“Well…”

I took a knee so I could look the Omega right in the eye.

“…It’s a pleasure to be the first bear you ever met, George.”

“…Cool…”

George’s starstruck gaze was interrupted by Rudy’s urgent voice.

“Where is Knox?” Rudy asked. “I need to speak to him. It’s important.”

“Is this about the man who attacked us?” George said.

“That’s right.”

“I already told him.”

“What did he say?”

George shrugged his shoulders with indifference.

“Knox said that it’s not a big deal. He warned us that we’d traveled too far from the herd and not to do it again.”

“But I was stuck out there…”

Just then, some of the other men and women in the clearing started to notice that Rudy had returned.

“Rudy?”

“Is it really you?”

“Oh, my goodness! Rudy, we thought you were dead!”

They all started to gather around the Omega by my side. They greeted Rudy with smiles and hugs, welcoming him back into their fold like he’d risen from his grave.

It was impossible for them not to notice me standing right next to Rudy. They stared at me curiously, examining me like I was some foreign specimen. I smiled back at all of them and patiently waited for everybody to calm down.

“I need to speak to Knox,” Rudy said to all of them. “It’s urgent. Where is he?”

“He’s in his tent,” one of the men said.

They directed Rudy toward the tent in the center of the clearing.

Rudy immediately started walking forward. I followed right behind him as everybody in the camp returned to work clearing the snow on the ground.

Rudy stopped when he got to the entrance of the tent. He took another deep breath and gathered himself. He turned to me for one last bit of assurance and I smiled at him. He gave me a nod before finally stepping into the tent.

The tent was larger than the others in the camp. It was just as spacious as my cabin. It was clear that someone of importance lived here just from the size of it.

Despite its size, the decor was modest. Linens and cloths were scattered all over the floor. Bags of picked fruit were lined against the walls along with flasks of water. At the center of the tent, there was a small fire that burned with the smoke rising up toward the hole in the ceiling.

My attention was drawn by the man who sat in front of the fire. His back turned to us and his legs crossed, he didn’t appear to be moving.

I wondered if he even knew Rudy and I were there but I got my answer quickly.

“You’ve returned.”

His voice was low and deep.

Rudy didn’t respond. He just waited until the man got up to his feet and slowly turned around.

He was a fair-skinned man. His body was as lean as the others but a little bit more muscular. His face was clear and unblemished. The blond hair on his head was long and unkempt. His eyes were a striking blue.

He appeared calm as he stared right at Rudy.

“I thought you were lost,” he said.

“I wasn’t lost,” Rudy replied. “I had to run from the hunter. I had to keep him away from the herd. This man… He provided me shelter.”

The man slowly shifted his gaze toward me.

“Hello,” I said with a nod. “I’m Vesper.”

The man examined me, slowly shifting his eyes down my body then back up to my face.

“Knox,” he said. “I’m the lead Alpha of this herd.”

“He saved me,” Rudy said. “If he hadn’t taken me into his cabin, I would have surely frozen to death.”

“Then it appears I owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for returning one of my Omegas to the herd. I assure you that my appreciation is sincere.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” I said. “Rudy needed help. I would have done the same for anybody.”

“That’s not important right now. Knox, there’s someone out there. A hunter—”

“Yes, I heard the story. George told me when he returned. He said that you were attacked by a clothed stranger.”

Knox appeared indifferent about everything. He turned his back and walked to the other side of the tent with his hands behind his back. Rudy shook his head in confusion.

“Don’t you understand?” Rudy said. “The herd might be in danger. The hunter is still out there. If he attacked me, he could attack—”

“What did I tell you about wandering so far from camp?” Knox interrupted him.

“W-what?”

Rudy raised an eyebrow at the Alpha.

“I told you to stop going on your little excursions away from camp,” Knox continued. “There are dangers out there. And to think you put a young Omega like George in danger.”

“What are you saying?” Rudy said. “Are you saying that it’s my fault that I was attacked?”

“Yes, Rudy. That’s exactly what I’m saying. If you were to listen to me for the first time in your life, listen to me now.”

Knox took a step toward Rudy.

“Our people have lived in this part of the Timberlands for generations. We’ve been at peace and maintained it for centuries. We did so because we stayed where we are. You only got yourself into trouble because you refused to listen.”

“This is different,” Rudy said. “Someone out there tried to kill me. Someone tried to kill George. Someone tried to kill Vesper. If they’re still out there, the herd will never be safe. You know that.”

“I know that we’ve been here since the beginning of time itself. The stories have been passed down from one generation to the next. Now you’re telling me that things are different?”

“The world isn’t like it used to be. Our people may have been here for centuries but the city has been around for less time.”

“Ah, yes… Dirge… Men and women living ordinary lives away from their packs. The way those people live their lives is no concern to you.”

“It is now. They attacked and tried to kill me. If they’re in the Timberlands, they’ll eventually find the herd and slaughter all of you.”

Knox smirked at Rudy’s remark despite the concern in the Omega’s voice. Knox put a hand on his shoulder as he spoke softly to him.

“There is nothing for you to concern yourself with,” he said. “The hunters will stay on their side of the Timberlands. Dirge is so far west. They have no reason to come all the way out here.”

“Then that’s it? You refuse to do nothing about it?”

“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve always done. The same thing that’s been done by our people for centuries. And that’s live in peace.”

“Then you choose to live in ignorance than face the dangerous reality that threatens all of us.”

Knox pulled his hand away from Rudy. The smirk left his face. The Alpha’s eyebrows furrowed with a slight anger as his eyes narrowed.

“Watch your tongue, Omega. You’re speaking to the lead Alpha of your herd.”

“I will not watch my tongue if you refuse to see reason.”

Knox put his head down and sighed softly through his nose. He put his hands on his hips.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry that you had to go through what you did. But you’re here now and you’re safe. Let’s not discuss this anymore.”

“If you won’t do something about it then I will.”

“Don’t defy me again, Omega.”

“I’ve already defied you. You can’t expect me to sit around while a stranger lurks in the woods. I will leave and find the man responsible. I will go to Dirge if I have to. I…”

Rudy paused for a second. His throat shifted as he swallowed. He turned to me and I saw the worry in his eyes.

I knew what he was thinking.

I gave him a soft nod, urging him to say what he had to say.

Knox looked at Rudy with a curiousness I hadn’t yet seen from him.

“What is it?” Knox said.

“I… I was in heat,” Rudy said. “When I was in his cabin… There was no other choice… I laid with Vesper.”

Knox stared blankly at the Omega in front of him. He took a step forward and leaned in close to smell him. After a few seconds, Knox pulled away and sighed.

“For centuries, our people have lived in this clearing,” he said. “We’ve kept ourselves free from the burdens of outsiders. Now you’ve gotten yourself pregnant by a man outside of the herd. This is the first time this has ever happened.”

“Just because it’s never happened doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing,” Rudy said. “Will you condemn me, one of your own kind, just because I was impregnated by someone outside of the herd?”

Knox shook his head.

“We are a people of peace,” he said. “We are not influenced by the violence of outsiders. Your child will be welcomed into the herd.”

Rudy sighed a deep breath of relief.

“Thank you, Alpha—”

“All the more reason for you to remain where you are. Speak no more of this hunter.”

“What? But Knox—”

“I’ve been patient with you, Omega. I’ve forgiven you for disobeying me and wandering far away from the herd when I warned you so many times before. And now I’ve accepted you.”

Knox looked up at me and smiled.

“Thank you for bringing my Omega back to me,” he said. “But we are a peaceful people. I ask that you go on your way. Return to where you came from. Let us return to the solitude we desire. I promise you the child will be taken care of as one of my own.”

I wasn’t about to let Knox shoo me away and separate me from Rudy. Rudy agreed with me before I had the chance to say anything.

“No,” Rudy said as he shook his head.

“No what?” Knox said.

“I refuse to sit here and do nothing. I refuse to let you send Vesper away like nothing has happened.”

“Rudy—”

“If you won’t do anything about it, then I will.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Omega.”

“I do. I’ve always known what I’m saying. I just didn’t realize it until now.”

Rudy spun around and marched out of the tent before either one of us could say anything.

Knox grabbed me by the arm and glared at me.

“If you’re a good man, you’ll do what’s right,” he said. “You know there’s only one choice for Rudy to make.”

“I will let Rudy decide that.”

I pulled my arm away from Knox and walked out of the tent.

I searched for Rudy and eventually found him standing near the edge of the clearing with George. Rudy had his hands on his hips with obvious frustration on his face.

“There is nothing I can do,” Rudy said. “Knox refuses to see reason. He’s a stubborn old deer.”

“What will you do?” George asked.

“I don’t know. But I have to do something. I can’t just sit here.”

“Perhaps there is something we can do,” I said.

They both turned toward me.

“If the hunter is from the city, then I might know someone who knows who this hunter is.”

“Then it’s settled,” Rudy said. “Let’s go now.”

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” George asked.

The young Omega looked up at Rudy with a pleading look in his eyes. Rudy sighed as he put a hand on his arm.

“Don’t worry,” Rudy said. “I’ll return. Just like I always have. With Vesper by my side, I’ll be safe.”

George turned to me. I smiled at him and nodded.

The concern in his eyes slowly started to disappear as he grinned back at me.

“Okay,” George said. “I’ll wait for you. Just promise me you’ll return.”

“I promise,” Rudy said. “As soon as we put an end to the danger, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Rudy squeezed George in his arms before pulling away from him.

I walked back into the forest with Rudy by my side.

“Where are we going?” Rudy asked.

“I have some old friends. They should lead us in the right direction.”