TRISTAN

 

Julius laid naked on the ground before me. His eyes closed, he breathed calmly. His body glistened from the fire that burned next to us.

“Give me the salve,” I said. “It should be in my pack.”

Goro handed me the container and I applied it to the wound on Julius’s arm.

“You can relax, Tristan,” Goro said. “The bleeding has stopped.”

“The bleeding has stopped because I burned his wounds shut. He’s still in danger. The fangs of a Primal are larger than a regular wolf. I have to do everything I can.”

I rubbed the wound on Julius’s arm, wiping away the blood and making sure the salve covered every inch of it. After I finished the wound on his arm, I turned to Julius’s leg.

Mordecai’s claws were so sharp they cut through the fabric of Julius’s pants like paper. His leg was almost shredded. I reached down and began stitching the wound closed. It was meticulous work that needed my entire focus. My brow was covered in sweat as I worked by the firelight.

Goro, Vesper, Knox, and Rudy watched as I continued.

“One of our elders can assist you,” Knox said.

“Thank you,” I replied. “But this is delicate work. Too many hands would only make this take longer and we need every second we can get.”

I pieced together Julius’s skin until the wound was finally sealed shut. Julius didn’t move when I burned the wound shut. Another helping of salve upon it followed. Then I put a bandage over the wound to make sure that everything stayed in place.

“That’s all I can do,” I sighed. “A doctor should look over him when we get back though.”

Goro put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at the big man and he smiled at me.

“You’ve done well,” he said.

“You should let him rest now,” Rudy said. “I can’t imagine being in a fight with a Primal and living to tell about it. Let him recover his strength.”

“I will,” I said. “Just… give me a moment with him.”

The others excused themselves from the tent. I sat next to Julius with my hand on top of his.

It wasn’t just the wounds on his arm and leg. There were cuts all over his body from the swipes of Mordecai’s sharp claws. It was remarkable that he was somehow still breathing.

I looked at his face as he continued to breathe calmly. His face twitched slightly.

“Julius?”

He slowly peeked his eyes open. He tilted his head and looked up at me.

“Where—”

“It’s okay,” I said as I put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s over.”

“It’s over?”

“Mordecai is dead. The other Primals will give complete freedom to any Omega in the area. They’ve agreed to live in peace with anybody they encounter.”

Julius blinked and sighed a deep breath.

“It’s hard to believe those as savage as the Primals will live in peace,” he said. “They are predators.”

“Not any longer. They know there will be repercussions for their actions. If they hunt innocents, they will forfeit their own lives. As savage as they are, they’re not foolish enough to risk their own lives.”

“Is that what you believe, Omega?”

“It’s what I know. There is much in the forest for them to eat. The fruits in the bushes. The fish from the waters. Living in peace is not a death sentence.”

“It was for Mordecai.”

“Mordecai was the last of his kind. The Primals are a relic of ancient times. If they continue to live the way they did, they will eventually go extinct. We have nothing to fear from them.”

Julius was exhausted. He barely had the strength to even smile at me. But he still reached his hand up and caressed my cheek.

“I’m glad to see that you’re no longer worried, Omega.”

“I was worried. I feared the worst when you were fighting Mordecai. I…”

I swallowed and looked down at the ground.

“…I’m ashamed.”

“You’re ashamed? Of what?”

“Mordecai fought with a viciousness I’d never seen before. I’m ashamed that I thought you might fall against him. I tried to keep those thoughts out of my head but I couldn’t. Julius, I’m sorry—”

“It’s all right.”

A sudden tear leaked from the corner of my eye. Julius wiped it away with his thumb. The smile remained on his face.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “You had every right to think that.”

He slowly pushed himself up.

“Julius! Your injuries—”

“I’m all right,” he said. “I’m only sitting down.”

He straightened up in his seat and looked me right in the eye.

“I could have lost to Mordecai,” he said. “That was possible.”

“I don’t want to think about it,” I said, shaking my head.

“You don’t have to think about it. But I want you to know that it’s possible.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to know that, above all else, I am only a man. I’m no more different than anybody else in Dirge. I’m no more fallible than anybody else. That’s why I came out here. To help those in need. The Omegas out here in the Timberlands need to know that Dirge is real. They need to know that their lives have meaning. This is the best way I can do it.”

The way Julius looked at me made it hard for me to contain my emotions. I swallowed to keep everything down. His stare was so intense that I had trouble looking back at him.

“You were on my mind the entire time,” he said.

“What?”

“I remember the first time I saw you in the shelter. I saw the joy in your eyes when you helped all of those Omegas. We need more people like you, Tristan.”

I scoffed and shook my head.

“I’m only doing my job—”

“I care about you, Tristan. You’re all that’s right. In this city and out here. You understand what it’s like to struggle living life as an Omega. I will be by your side, no matter what.”

“I… I will be by your side, too.”

He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. I didn’t resist. I just let it happen. The warm feeling spreading through my stomach made all of my doubts and fears disappear. The only thing that mattered now was how good he made me feel.

I pulled away and opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. Julius was everything a man like me could want in an Alpha. He was so strong and brave. He fought with honor. Yet when I looked into his brown eyes, I saw a kindness and compassion that I wouldn’t have expected at first glance. I wanted him in every way possible.

I somehow fought off my own instincts.

I put a hand gently against his chest.

“You should rest,” I said. “Save your strength.”

Julius nodded and laid back down. He smiled at me before closing his eyes and quickly drifting off. I covered him with cloths and fabrics to make sure that his body stayed warm.

I stayed with him until I knew that he was resting peacefully before exiting the tent.

I stepped outside and the others were standing there waiting for me.

“How is he?” Goro asked.

“I think he’ll be all right,” I said with a nod. “The wounds were deep but they should heal if he’s given time to recover.”

They all sighed deep breaths of relief.

“Thank you,” I said to Vesper.

“For what?” he said.

“For saving him. There’s no telling what Mordecai would’ve done had you not intervened.”

“I did what I had to do. This isn’t about me. It never was. It’s about the safety of everybody in the Timberlands.”

“From the sound of things, everybody in the Timberlands is safe,” Goro said. “It appears Julius has accomplished what he’d set out to do.”

It was only now that I considered everything that Julius has been through. He came out here to make peace with everybody in the woods. Even the most violent packs had been tamed. Now the Omegas who lived on their own could roam free and seek refuge in Dirge without the threat of predators.

“I can’t believe it,” I sighed. “Julius did it. He actually did it.”

“I guess that’s why they elected him mayor,” Goro said. “I’m sure there’ll be some celebration waiting for him when he gets back to Dirge.”

“That might not be for a long time.”

“What do you mean?” Rudy asked.

I shook my head.

“Julius will recover from his injuries but… The wound on his leg. It’ll be a long time before it fully heals. He won’t be able to move as quickly as before.”

“Then my brothers and I will take turns carrying him back to the city,” Goro said.

“I know you’re capable of that,” I said with a laugh. “But we would still move slowly.”

“Slowly but surely.”

“Tristan is right,” Knox said. “Look.”

He pointed up at the sky toward the horizon.

“Clouds are coming,” he said. “The elders speak of another snowstorm. Even if you left the camp now, you would be caught out in the woods. You bears can handle the cold. But with his injuries, Julius would surely freeze to death.”

“Then what are you suggesting?” I asked.

“We’ve welcomed stray Omegas in our camp before. Why would we not welcome you as guests as well?”

I looked at Goro.

“It’s just as Knox says,” Goro said. “We bears can handle the cold. If the snow comes, we will find a place to sleep until it passes. But you… You will need a place to stay.”

“Stay,” Rudy said to me. “We welcome your company. There’s no need to be in such a rush to the city.”

“Who knows?” Vesper added. “You might even enjoy it out here.”

They were all giving me such kind smiles that I couldn’t refuse.

I nodded to Knox.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll stay by Julius’s side until his wounds heal. We’ll stay in your camp while the snow passes.”

“It’s a pleasure to have you here,” Knox said.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Knox put a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.

“You’ve done more for the Timberlands than anybody I can think of,” he said. “To live out here without fear. To know that the Omegas out there struggling on their own have a place to go to and the help they need to get there… It’s the best feeling anybody can ever have.”

Knox’s smile was sincere. Everybody else was in the same good mood. I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of them.

“I can’t recall ever being this far from Dirge,” I said. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy it while I’m here.”