JULIUS
One week later…
The sun was already shining bright early in the morning. The snow was quickly melting away. Everybody in the herd worked to clear the remnants of the snow out of the camp. It would take a good amount of time but from what I could tell, everybody in the camp worked hard.
I stood next to my tent and stretched my arms to the sky. I couldn’t help but yawn with fatigue.
“Tired?”
I turned to Tristan and smirked.
“Not tired,” I said. “Just anxious to get out of the tent.”
“Was spending all that time with me in the tent that terrible?”
“You know it wasn’t.”
I leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. There was nothing for us to hide. Everybody could see it. Everybody could smell it. And now that I’d impregnated Tristan, there was no denying that he was the man who was meant for me.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! The sooner we clear this out, the less cold it’ll be!”
Knox shouted to the herd and urged them to keep working harder. He took command like the Alpha that he was and everybody followed. Then he walked over to where Tristan and I were.
“Hello, city-dwellers,” he greeted us. “I take it all is well.”
“All is well,” I said.
“You seem to have recovered from your injuries.”
“The snowstorm was a perfect opportunity for me to rest.”
“Thank you for letting us stay here,” Tristan said.
Knox smiled and nodded at my Omega.
“It was a pleasure to have your company,” Knox said. “It’s not often you have the leader of the city paying you a visit.”
“Perhaps I’ll be paying you a visit more often,” I said. “It’d be nice to keep tabs on what’s going on out here in the Timberlands, especially so far east.”
“Interesting…”
Knox raised an eyebrow in curiosity, a sly grin forming on his face.
“…Someone came to us earlier,” he said. “A man named Saxon. He spoke about forming peaceful relations in the city.”
“My visiting would only be a continuation of that,” I said.
“Then I welcome your company. Though I don’t imagine you’ll be coming out here too often. Running a city will keep you busy.”
“Almost as busy as being the Alpha of a herd.”
Knox stood as proud as I’d ever seen him. Knowing that he was out here with his herd, I was confident that there would be peace in the Timberlands for a long time.
“We’ve made contact with some of the other groups in the area,” he said.
“Have you?” Tristan said.
“Yes. There’s a fox skulk. A strong woman named Anita is Alpha. She agrees with me. Just like the other groups. We’re all working to maintain peace in the woods. There will be no bloodshed. Predators will not hunt innocent Omegas.”
“And hunters will be discouraged from coming to the forest if it ever comes to that,” I said.
“That’s good to hear.”
Knox nodded softly in approval.
“Speaking of Omegas,” Tristan said. “What of Amil and his brethren?”
“See for yourself,” Knox said.
I looked over to the side. I saw the young Omegas Rudy and Tristan rescued working with the other men and women to clear out the snow. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing and smiling while they pushed all of the snow away.
“They have a home here,” Knox said. “They’re wolves but they’re welcome. They’re the same as you or me.”
“Are you sure?” I said. “It wouldn’t be a burden for us to take them to the city. After all, that’s why we came out to the Timberlands in the first place.”
“It’s not a burden for them to be a part of the herd. I spoke to Amil. He’s wise beyond his years. He hopes to find Omegas out here just as Tristan and Rudy were able to find him. Perhaps they’ll find a home. In the Timberlands or in Dirge. Does it matter?”
I looked over at Tristan. He smiled softly at me and shook his head.
“Wherever the Omegas are happy,” I said. “Just as long as you do your best to make sure they’re safe.”
“I’m not alone,” Knox said. “Every group in the forest is working together to maintain the peace. There’s no reason we can’t find happiness. The Primals are no longer a threat. Everybody has free passage through Fierce wolf territory. What else is there to do?”
“Then it appears our job here is done. I think it’s time Tristan and I headed back to the city.”
I held my hand out and shook Knox’s hand.
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
“Thank you, Alpha. Lead the city of men and women to new horizons. That is what all of our ancestors would have wanted.”
Knox turned toward Tristan.
“And you, Omega.”
He glanced his eyes down his body. His stared lingered on his stomach. The smirk forming on his lips made Tristan blush.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Is it that obvious?” Tristan asked.
“You’ll both be good fathers. I know it.”
“Thank you.”
Tristan bowed his head. Knox did the same and excused himself to go back to work with the rest of the herd.
“We should probably get going now,” Tristan said. “To take advantage of as much of the daylight as we can.”
“Good idea.”
I walked over to the side of the clearing where Rudy was standing. The Omega rocked his child in his arms. He greeted us with the kind smile he always had.
“You’re leaving now,” Rudy said.
“We’ve done what we needed to do,” I said.
“I never imagined that the Timberlands would be at peace in such a way. Make sure you come back and visit once you’ve done everything you can in Dirge. Now that there is no more danger lurking in the darkness, there’s so much more to explore.”
“I’ll return. I’ll make sure of it.”
Rudy turned to Tristan and smiled at him.
“Fatherhood is something special,” Rudy said. “Your child will change your life for the better. I’m sure of it.”
Tristan didn’t say anything. He just nodded softly and returned Rudy’s smile.
“Just one more thing,” Rudy said.
He pulled away the door from his tent and called into it.
“Vesper… Vesper, come out here. Our guests are on their way. Come say goodbye.”
A few moments later, Vesper stumbled out of his tent, groggy like he’d just been awoken from a long slumber.
“Excuse me,” the big man said. “I tend to oversleep when the snow comes.”
Rudy rolled his eyes and chuckled at his mate.
Vesper straightened up and sighed a deep breath through his nose.
“I’m the protector of this herd,” he said. “But now that the Primals have been dealt with, it appears there’s not much to protect them from.”
“You still have a responsibility,” I said. “To Rudy. To your child. To the herd.”
“I know. I want you to rest easy while you’re back in the city. There’s nothing to fear as long as I’m out here. The Timberlands will remain at peace and I’ll do everything to keep it that way.”
I nodded and put a hand on his arm. He did the same to me.
“Take care, city-dwellers,” he said.
I bowed my head to him then turned around to head toward the other side of the clearing. Tristan was right alongside me.
We met up with Goro and the others in the expedition. The lumbering men looked the same as Vesper, like they’d just gotten out of hibernation in some cave in the forest.
“How was your sleep?” I said as I patted Goro on the back.
“I don’t remember it,” he said. “Those are the best kind.”
“Good to hear. Do you have enough strength to make it back to Dirge?”
“I’ve got plenty of strength. The question is do you have the strength to make it back?”
I patted the wound on my leg. There was a scar but the pain had subsided to the point that I didn’t notice it.
“I’ve got all the strength I need,” I said.
“Good. It’ll be a long, peaceful walk back to the city. Before we head back, you should make sure that you’ve done everything you needed to do.”
I turned around and looked out on the clearing. The herd appeared to be going about their day like nothing was wrong despite how cold it was. They were smiling. They were laughing. The peace on their faces was infectious. I knew that everybody was safe.
I glanced at Tristan. I didn’t say anything. I just watched the smile form on his face. That alone was enough to tell me we truly had done everything we came out here to accomplish. With Knox spreading the word, it wouldn’t be long before every Omega in the forest who needed shelter would find it. There would never be an Omega in the Timberlands in danger ever again.
“Julius?”
Goro raised an eyebrow at me.
I nodded back to him then responded.
“Let’s go home.”