TRISTAN

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

York looked at me with his son cradled in his arms. The worry in his eyes was what I would have expected from an Omega father. York was always caring and compassionate. I knew the concern he had for me was sincere.

“It’s the right thing to do,” I said. “It wouldn’t be right for me to just sit back and tell someone like Julius what to do.”

“Julius is the mayor. He’s not like you or me. He’s in a position where something like this would be possible.”

“That’s why I have to be there. I know that Julius has the resources to pull something like this off. It’s not about me. It’s not about him. It’s about doing everything I can for the Omegas still out there. You understand that, don’t you?”

York sighed a deep breath. He turned to his husband Hunter as if searching for some guidance.

Hunter wasn’t at all like his husband. He was kind and compassionate. But he was a strong Alpha. If the stories I heard about him were true, I knew he would be the one who would support me.

“If you feel this is something you have to do…” he started.

“It is,” I said.

“Then I agree with you. The number of Omegas in the streets has dwindled. If not our shelter, there’s another orphanage for them to go to. The only place to look for the others is in the Timberlands.”

“And what of the dangers?” York asked. “What about the violent wolfpacks? What about the ferocious beasts in the east I’ve heard stories about?”

“You worry too much,” Hunter assured his husband. “Julius wouldn’t be much of an Alpha if there were anything out there to frighten him. He’s a lion.”

“You faced a lion and lived to tell about it,” York said, raising an eyebrow at Hunter.

“And I know just how fierce a lion can be. Julius and Tristan won’t be alone on their journey. There will be others there to support them.”

“You know this is the right decision,” I said to York. “If we can even save just one Omega, it will all be worth it.”

“I just worry that you’ll do something foolhardy and get yourself into trouble,” York said.

I shook my head and smiled softly at York.

“I know how serious this is,” I said. “This is something I have to do.”

The worry in York’s eyes slowly started to disappear. A tight-lipped smile and a nod were all of the confirmation I needed.

“I guess this means Hunter and I won’t be going on a vacation anytime soon,” he sighed.

“Don’t worry,” I said with a laugh. “When I get back, I promise you that you two can go on the longest vacation you want.”

“We’re looking forward to it,” Hunter said.

The burly Alpha got up from his seat and patted me on the shoulder. York turned his attention back to his child in his arms.

“You should probably go check on him now,” York said to me.

I got up from my seat and headed back through the shelter.

The orphanage was spacious but with so many Omegas running around, it was never difficult to find them. As I roamed through the halls, I could hear the shouting and screaming of the Omegas. The sound of young Omegas playing with each other was music to my ears.

I was used to them wrestling each other. But I wasn’t prepared for the sight when I stepped into the doorway.

Tiny wolves and foxes scattered around the playroom, running around each other, cowering in fear and the lion that stood proudly in the center of it.

My eyes widened as soon as I saw the lion. His mane thick and full. His fur golden along his body. His chest stuck out proudly. He was the kind of beast I’d only heard legends about. Now that I could see the lion for myself, I realized that the legends were true.

“Watch out!” one Omega shouted. “The lion is coming for all of us!”

“Take cover!”

The lion playfully stalked the wolves and foxes as they ran around the playroom. Just a glance was enough to make the little Omegas howl in terror. But even as intimidating as the lion was, he rolled around on the ground so as not to threaten them.

“Now’s our chance!”

“Get him!”

The wolves and foxes all pounced on top of the lion. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the lion struggling from the weight of a dozen Omegas climbing on top of him. His roar sounded like laughter as he gently tried to push them off.

They continued to gnaw on his limbs with their dull teeth. They pounced on his tail. Eventually, they managed to pin him down completely.

“I concede,” the lion roared. “You win. You’ve defeated me!”

The Omegas all howled and cheered in celebration. They stood proudly over the defeated lion. The sight of so many young wolves and foxes was enough to make me grin.

“Okay,” I said as I took a step forward. “That’s enough playing with the lion. There are some things I need to discuss with him.”

“Aww!”

It was never a good feeling to hear the disappointment in an Omega’s voice. But I knew they would get over it quickly.

“Now, now,” I said. “You all should be resting now. If you waste your energy now, you won’t have the strength to play for the rest of the day.”

The Omegas all shifted and scampered out of the room. Just like that, the room fell completely silent.

I took a knee down next to the lion. His chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Just one moment. I think I need a second to recover. They’re quite the handful.”

“I know. I’ve been attacked and pinned down by them many times before.”

Eventually, the lion worked his way up to his feet. I stood up and watched as the lion shifted back into the Julius I was more familiar with.

His body nude in front of me, it was hard not to stare. From his broad shoulders down to his tapered waist, every inch of him was so muscular. His tan skin was stretched tight over his muscles. His abdomen looked harder than anything else. Between his legs, his length hung just as impressive as everything else about him.

“Tristan?”

“Yes?”

“Is something wrong?”

I blinked my eyes and shook my head when I realized I was staring. He smirked at me. I immediately turned around to hide my blushing face.

“Nothing is wrong,” I said as I listened to him get dressed. “I spoke to Hunter and York. They gave me their approval to go with you on the journey.”

“You never needed their approval. You’re your own man, Tristan.”

“I know. But I was supposed to watch the shelter for them. It’s nice having their support. After everything they’ve done for me…”

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly turned around and saw Julius smiling down at me. He was a foot taller than me, so I had to tilt my head up to look at him when he was so close to me.

“You’ll be able to thank them when we get back,” he said. “I promise you.”

“I know. This will be a long journey though. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“You said it yourself. There are Omegas out there in the Timberlands who need us. They won’t be able to find us, so we have to find them.”

I nodded and sighed a deep breath, knowing what I was getting myself into.

“I’ve spoken to some people,” he said. “They’ll be accompanying us on our journey. People who know the Timberlands better than anybody in the city would. We’ll travel in a big group. I can’t imagine even the most dangerous packs posing any kind of a threat to us.”

“That’s assuring. What about—”

“We’ll also have supplies. We’ll be able to survive on all of the food that the woods can provide us but we’ll have more than enough in case we can’t gather anything. I’ve told my people to prepare for a journey that can last for a month.”

“Hopefully we’re not out there for that long. The weather can be quite harsh in the Timberlands.”

“The weather will be the least of our worries. I can promise you that.”

He squeezed his hand around my shoulder. Even though I’d only known him for a day, I felt so reassured just by standing next to him. There was something about Julius that made him different from even the other Alphas I’d met. I just didn’t know what it was.

“It looks like you’ve got everything figured out,” I said. “Is there anything else you need to do?”

“Just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve spent time here at the shelter. I’ve gotten to know the Omegas. You’re right. It’s given me some insight into the personalities of these young ones. I can’t imagine they’re any different from the young ones out there we’re going to save.”

“But what else is there you need me to do?”

He pulled his hand away from me. There was a curious smile on his lips that I couldn’t quite figure out.

“You asked me to come spend time at the shelter and I did,” he said. “Now I’m asking you to spend time with me.”

“W-what?”

“We need to prepare for this journey the best we can. We need to rest and save our strength. Since we’re going to spend time around each other, it only seems appropriate that we grow comfortable around each other. Together…”

“I…”

I immediately felt the butterflies flutter around in my stomach. I was an Omega. I wasn’t stupid enough to ignore what it meant to be alone with an Alpha and have these kinds of feelings. It didn’t help that Julius was as ruggedly handsome as he was.

“What do you think?” he said. “Our journey together starts soon.”

“Okay,” I said with a nod. “We should prepare for the journey together. I’ll do everything I can to help you with final preparations.”

“Thank you, Tristan. I promise you, when this is all over, you won’t regret it.”

Julius’s quiet confidence was enough to put a smile on my face. I’d already grown accustomed to spending time with him. For so many reasons I couldn’t figure out, or maybe I didn’t want to acknowledge, I was looking forward to our journey together.

I couldn’t wait to get to the Timberlands.