Chapter One, The True Mate

Drinkable water is scarce on the continent Terros, most lakes filled with poisons of creatures long since dead, though the few rivers that cut the soil are able to keep the population of people and animals alive. The climate on the plains is more arid than the previous millennia, savanna-like, but the plants seemed to thrive on the pollution in the ponds.

The thick forests outside the nation of Providence hide a secret pack of Wolves, the Resistance, making do with the plentiful game, and the meager goods they are able to barter from the small, mistrustful human homesteads nearby.

In one of the abandoned metropolises that litter the continent, the dregs of a once proud colony struggle for scraps, the people of Providence unable to grow food in their now barren soil, and any animals they attempt to raise become infected with a mysterious rotting disease. All the while, they isolate themselves from those who would help, hating Wolves for their ability to live in the wilderness, and doing all they could to eliminate shifters from their nation. But, were these their own thoughts, or were they being helped along by their deceptively kind succession of Lord Morningstars in their fanatic loathing?

The people of the world Hastor remember in stories The Time of Great Destruction, when a madman destroyed the world with weapons that were never meant for mere mortals, a weapon from the dark depths of an ancient evil. Many fear it will return to finish its job.

That was the world Dylin Cambel was born into. The only world he knew. The world he was fated to help his true mate, the Omega, Fennis, change.

-:-

Almost there. Dylin was almost finished with his work program, the only source of income for himself and his pack as they prepared for the coming winter. He let his wolf like ears lay back against his skull, trying to hide them in his shaggy hair from the humans that passed him on the street. The Alpha Wolf picked up the last loose stone from the broken road, placing it in the wagon his overseer would have the sickly, half dead horses cart away. Finished.

In the middle of the crumbling byway, his human counterpart unlocked the thick leather collar fitted with inward facing silver spikes that prevented him from shifting into his Wolf-Self, his true form. However human he may appear, Dylin never felt more true as when he was in the form of a tawny wolf with emerald eyes. He simply took advantage of having hands. Often.

The human he worked under during this temporary labor-intensive program had definitely been kinder than any he'd known in his previous positions. He'd even given him a few days to himself when Dylin's rut had come around in it's twice yearly cycle, a Wolf's mating instincts being nearly impossible to overcome. The human had, in his understanding, lightened the Alpha's workload upon his return. Uncommon for a Man, his overseer acknowledged the fatigue. Obviously he knew the Wolf couldn't control his body's raging need.

For a human, Mikel was almost a friend.

Dylin Cambel let his feet carry him through the humans' world afterwards with the scrip coins from the office in his pocket jingling.

He cast his eyes upwards to the ruinous remains of the ancient humans, trying to picture what the titanic buildings were like when their lost civilization had constructed them. Tried to imagine the faces of the people who lived there, but he only could see the ghosts of what they created.

Somehow, his feet seemed to carry him to a portion of the city he'd never been in. The air was easier to breathe, clear of the contamination that emanated from the capitol building. He swore he'd heard a bird sing faintly in the empty streets.

He'd unknowingly found himself on the edge of a carefully kept garden... But without being conscious of the point he'd entered it. Not far from the heart of human territory, a huge rosebush, its flowers a deep blue, seemed to thrive on the small rays of sunlight trying to pierce the greasy looking clouds. Clouds that ceaselessly swirled around the capitol.

The Alpha walked through the short cropped grass, staring at the miracle before him. Nothing grew properly within the borders of Providence, not even the stunted twigs the humans kept in their windows. So to see such a beautiful flower growing in the face of incredible adversity was nothing short of a miracle.

But the small figure tending to the plant... Dylin thought he was a fever dream. The small Wolf was beautiful, even in his quiet sadness. His pale face remained locked in an expression of soft mourning as he pruned the thorny branches. The Omega lifted a navy blossom to inhale the fragrance, and Dylin assumed it was pleasant. Assumed, because all of the extraneous scents were ignored the second he'd smelled the soft lavender, musk and thunderstorms of his mate.

Dylin took a steadying breath, trying to convince himself it was all reality.

The scent of the Wolf across the grass was the first time Deen felt his true self lurching towards an Omega. He knew the vibration in the deepest parts of his being was the Calling to his true mate. It was a great tragedy to resist the pull. To resist the allMother's path.

Dylin dropped forward onto four paws, his clothes shimmering as they warped into dark blonde fur. He padded across the grass, sitting in scenting range of the Omega. His nose twitched with the need to approach him. The Alpha wanted nothing more than to leap across the short distance, and claim the beautiful Wolf for his own. But as much as he wanted to bury his snout in his mate's thick fur, he waited so that his true mate could come willingly.

Because for all Dylin bragged of being a powerful, strong Alpha, he would never force his mate.

When the Wolf with breathtaking cobalt eyes finally moved around his charge, in line with Dylin's eager eyes, he still didn't notice him. But unexpectedly, the wind gusted towards the black haired Omega and Dylin saw the lithe figure freeze.

He'd caught his scent. He had to feel this, just had to...

But, why was this perfect Wolf taking so long to turn around to face him? What was wrong?

Finally, he looked at the Alpha. His agonized eyes spoke of a cutting loss, a death made all the more painful by their Calling. Dylin dipped his head, laying on his belly in submission, while the other male approached. The air shimmered with a Wolf's shift, and a pair of deep blue eyes in a shaggy black face looked at him. He said, using a Wolf's universal mental link, *I lost my mate, Alpha. His pup, too.*

Dylin let out a sympathetic whine. *I'm sorry,* he mentally whispered.* I won't try to replace your Alpha, but, my Omega... I felt the Call to you...* Dylin keened as he nosed him, gently bumping his snout against the beautiful Omega's.

* I am the Omega Fennis Novar. Widow of Insiam. And I felt my Wolf-Self vibrate with the Call just as you did, my Alpha.*

Fen. He would call him Fen. His true mate, Fen Cambel. I am the Alpha Dylin Cambel. *Well met, my Omega.*

* Well met, my Alpha. But true forms are illegal here... We're risking the whip...* Fen visibly trembled at the mention of the silver coated whip the soldiers used on disobedient Wolves with reckless abandon. Dylin knew its sting first-hand, and would never wish it upon even his worst enemy. The pain was too much to bear for even the strongest Alpha.

*Then let me show you how I live, Fen.* Dylin stood, tounge lolling out in a wolfy grin. He wanted to show his scared Omega the way Wolves were supposed to be. He wanted to show him the feeling of running just for the joy of it, and how to truly live. He wanted his mate to know life as a Free Wolf.

Dylin let his form shift, pulling at the tendril of his two legged self lurking in the back of his mind. As the magic took hold of him, his soft, fluffy fur returned to the coarse, regulation trousers and shirt, complete with the coins in his pocket. Smiling, he watched his mate follow suit. It was a shame he had return to the form he found no less attractive than the stunning wolf, because the headstrong Alpha longed for their first run.

Sure, some Alphas might disagree, but Fen was perfect in Dylin's eyes. He could barely contain the words of love begging to tumble from his lips, as he drank in the sight before him.

Everywhere he looked, from Fen's slim waist to his lean muscles, was pure beauty. The Alpha ran a gentle hand over Fen's cheek, and his eyes were soft as his mate leaned into his touch, letting out a quiet gasp. A single tear leaked out of his mate's eye, and Dylin's thumb brushed it away as he made soft humming noises, a gentle song of comfort. It was the tune of the lullaby his father sang him as he nursed in his arms.

-I have you, my fragile one. I will guard safe your hopes and dreams. I will protect you from the world, soft one. My beautiful one.-

Dylin leaned their foreheads together, craving the relief he felt as their skin touched. It soothed the ragged ache he'd long ignored, a missing piece slowly filling with Fen. He completed his soul in a way that couldn't be denied. Like the bright sun in the sky, he was never without the moon, their endless dance through the heavens a mimicry of the dance of twin souls.

Dylin had never heard of a Wolf with blue eyes, he realized, gazing into the majestic orbs. Nor a human, for that matter. Humans' eyes were varying shades of brown. While Wolves generally had gold or amber eyes and hair to match their fur, with the very few chosen ones straying from the norm. He knew his own green irises had a specific meaning, according to lore. A Wolf born under a summer moon, with eyes like the leaves, will have to earn his future status as a Righteous Wolf. His Alpha mother was proof in the flesh, she'd earned her eyes a hundred times over.

While they were sharing the intmate embrace, the Alpha felt an overwhelming urge to comfort and protect his lovely mate overcome him. And he would, no matter what it cost. He longed to soothe Fen's pain, take it inside himself and share the burden.

He - despite the overwhelming urge to proclaim Fennis as his - tried to keep his hands to himself while the Wolves made their way into the stream of people leaving the capitol. Most were farmers taking their empty horsecarts home from the market, their few workers trailing behind. Dylin quickly pulled Fen in line behind a line of other Wolves - slaves from the wealthy plantation owner up ahead, blending in the crush of bodies.

A quick tap on the shoulder, a a few whispered instructions later, the Free Wolves blended into the slaves. The yellow eyes of their brethren communicated their pain. As if the silvering scars on the muscled backs weren't enough. One day, my brothers, we will be free, Dylin knew it was a pipe dream, not possible under Lord Morningstar. Every day more and more Free Wolves were being caught, forced into the Compound, to have their spirits broken. Samule, Dylin's brawny giant of a brother regularly led missions to aid the starving Wolves.

As the couple stumbled towards the looming city wall, Dylin felt his mate huddle closer to him in fear. He completely understood, the Alpha's fearless gaze flitted between the soldiers with their crossbows and short swords, to the gallows just beyond. A few bloated corpses still hung, greedy crows circling the daring freedom fighters. Flies buzzed around their furred ears, wandered across the sightless amber eyes. Dylin repressed the rage he felt burning inside of him, looking away from the Wolves who deserved more.

If the soldiers patrolling the wall noticed the extra charges in the line, they made no comment. It wasn't unusual for stray Wolves to be taken by those who wanted cheap - meaning free - workers. No one cared about a mangy Wolf being abducted and enslaved. It is just a Wolf, the humans of Providence reasoned, they breed like rabbits, who will miss it?

Dylin slipped the Wolf five of his scrip coins as soon as the trundling caravan neared the Forest, and whispered a quiet, "Thank you, brother. Gaia bless you and your pups," to his co-conspirator. He knew that the money would go toward food for their pups, not a piece wasted. When an Omega only received one full meal a day, it was pretty much impossible to feed an infant.

"To you and yours as well, brother." The Wolf flashed his yellow eyes as the rope around his wrists pulled him forward, watching the rouges as they slipped away into the trees.

Dylin led Fen through the thickening forest, keeping a sharp lookout for any of the soldiers that occasionally ventured there. The two Wolves melted into the trees like shadows, disappearing between the branches of the pines, until Dylin pulled Fen to a stop. On the trees in front of them hung the bleached skulls of stags, with arcane symbols carved into the bark beneath.

"We're safe beyond these trees. The magic will only allow our kind past. Humans know the consequences of breaking the deep forest's laws and trespassing in the wilds." Dylin sent a smirk Fennis' way, as he shifted forms, and bounded past the wards.

Fen tentatively reached a paw past the spot that had glowed with a crackling purple light, and skittered back at the tingling feeling of Dylin's sister in law's magic.* Come on, Fen!* Dylin felt more than heard his true mate's apprehensive muttering, as he debated the worst that could happen. * It won't hurt you, I promise.*

Dylin grinned wolfishly, watching his mate back several paces away from the boundary line. The Omega got a running start before he leapt through the barrier, the energy shooting violet sparks through his glossy black fur. His mate shook his body, trying to remove the traces of the spell as he would water.

Dylin rumbled deep in his chest, laughing gently even as his mate glared.

It itches.* Fen scratched his ear with his hindpaw and shook his head. * Is it supposed to itch?*

*Sometimes, especially if you haven't crossed for a while.* Dylin jumped on the air playfully, his whole body wriggling as his hindquarters lifted up and he crouched, his forelegs stretched out in front. Dylin was all too well aware he was acting like a pup begging to play, but Fen was his true mate, dammit. He was allowed to feel happy. * Run with me, my Omega?*

-:-

Fennis let out a howling yelp, akin to speech as he pretended to pounce. * Yes, my Alpha. Our first run.* Fennis had never known how amazing freedom was, until he felt the release of undeniable safety that lay behind the barrier. He wanted suddenly to run, to feel the dirt fly beneath his paws and the sun on his back. Dylin's presence, his mere proximity, soothed the ragged hole the humans had torn from his heart. A hole made when the young men had beaten Insiam with their clubs until the Alpha no longer breathed.

But the memories of his once-full womb remained a cloud against the brilliant sun that was his true mate. He tried his best to let the fragile joy he felt blossom. As Dylin led Fennis through the forest, tumbling over him, and frolicking in the small meadows they encountered, it grew. Dylin acted like a pup, tail never ceasing to wag, yelps and yowls ringing through the murky woods in his joy.

Dylinn had shifted to his other form, when he entered the largest glen, and Fennis followed suit, puzzled, but willing. He already trusted Dylin, they needed no questions.

As he and his mate laid to rest in the larger size clearing, Fen accepted this newfound life. Maybe he could be truly free, live a life without fear and pain. A life of healthy pups, and smiling faces. Laughter and joy in unmeasurable quantities. Love, at last.

Fen never fooled himself, he had always known something was missing between him and Insiam. But he'd been swept off of his feet by the happy family the gray and brown haired Alpha had promised. He longed for true connection between mates. He longed for the other half of his soul.

Which was Dylin. Undeniably.

The Alpha's hand brushed his as the mates lay in the cool grass, their soft breathing accompanying the forest's music. "Fen?" Dylin asked, and the Omega turned his head away from his first look at the marvelous blue sky. "I'm sorry for..." Dylin's furred ears twitched, and he swallowed, as if nervous. "I just want to be yours, but I promise, I will wait until your heart can accept me as your mate."

"I am so very grateful, my Alpha, but the Call to you is unbreakable. Let me grieve, for my pup, before I fall pregnant with yours." He remembered the tiny pup his body could no longer bear, and the vicious kicks that had caused his miscarriage, but he knew it would not happen again. Dylin would protect him in ways Insiam couldn't, not there in the Capitol. They had been honest and caring neighbors, but humankind's ability to hate knew no limits. He was safe here in the deep forest. Safe with Dylin.

"I understand. I would never force you, Fen." Dylin brushed his finger over his mate's hand, and he looked over, a sad smile on his face. Dylin was a good Alpha. Fennis knew it simply by the softness in his green eyes as he promised to wait until he was ready. "My village is just beyond the trees, my Omega. Whenever you are ready."

"We may go." Fennis averted his eyes, when Dylin stepped up on a large root of a tree, taking a small bundle of clothing from the crook of a branch. He should have guessed that true Wolves wouldn't wear these signs of the Sovereignty; the coarse, harsh clothing of slaves and the lowest class.

But Fennis was unprepared for the sense of rightness he felt, when he saw Dylin's outfit. Just a simple pair of suede breeches and a leather jerkin, decorated with small, woven embellishments in reds and yellows. A thick gauntlet adorned each of his muscled forearms, and his feet were wrapped in supple leather, adding to the sense that Dylin belonged here, in the forest.

Fennis wanted similar clothes as his mate had. Wanted them fiercely.

Dylin cast a small smirk Fennis' way and took his hand, pulling him across the clearing and into the village. The Omega knew that he was never going to be able to live with the humans again, when he saw the beauty of the Wolves' simple life, there in the heart of the Old Wood.

He belonged here, these were his people.