I'm back, after a two-month break. It's summer~

CHAPTER FOUR- Sneaking Out

Lilly woke up. Even in her subconsious state, she could tell something was different. Even this, this tiny difference- had caused her to stir from sleep. And as the brisk of morning air pried her more and more awake, she noticed the difference was actually two differences. The first, more minor one was that the tuft of white fur usually blanketed over her left eye had been tucked neatly back. The cause of this was, she knew, the soft powdery object that was perched next to her ear. She carefully teased the object out with her paw, only to find that it was a sweet-smelling violet blossom, the exact same shade as her eyes. She sniffed it closely, and smelled a familiar, warming scent. Garth. He'd put it in while she was sleeping.

The next disturbance was obvious- a furry body pressing against hers, the top rising and falling evenly. As her mother had "granted" permission, Garth had been allowed to sleep in her den last night. Usually nighttime was a frustrating time for Lilly, as she found it troubling to go to sleep with so much going on in her head. Lilly, being meek, was afraid of just about everything and paranoid in every way. But with Garth's presence, she hadn't found sleeping difficult at all. She'd tumbled into a deep slumber almost immediately. She smiled at the memories of meeting her beloved came back. Garth had been more prideful then, but his confident streak had softened into a protective one, making her love him more than ever.

As soon as Garth felt the movement, his green eyes popped open wide. His eyes clouded from dreams, he blinked a few times and shook his head. Then he looked up at Lilly, who had put the sleek-petaled flower back into place. He flashed her a sparkling smile, his ears revolving forward in glee.

"Have a good night's sleep, Lilly?" he asked, pushing to his paws and stretching. Lilly elicited a small giggle and nodded her head, the flower slumping out of position in the process. Garth nudged it back, giving her a series of good morning licks.

Lilly returned the offer, smoothing the fur on his face where sleep had ruffled it. Lilly couldn't contain her love for this wolf, this wolf she had once been afraid of and too shy to admit her feelings for. And she knew, considering this, that having him as her mate had changed her. No longer was she tentative, too feeble to try out new things and increase her skills. And she knew she had to change more. Garth, though gentle when he was around her, had always been a talker. She knew him enough to say so. Garth wouldn't be able to survive without the general pleasure of daily conversation, and Lilly had to give him that. She would have to pull out of her shell and be more straightforward. If this relationship was to stand, that's what she'd have to do. Lilly planned to be with him her whole life, and she had watched enough couples throughout her life to know how it went. The first few full moons were a session of happiness and utmost love, but it wouldn't always be that way. It would settle into regularity, and chances were Garth would grow tired of Lilly's enclosed personality. Wolves didn't always choose lifelong mates. In fact, it was normal to go through a series of mates. But Lilly had planned to have Garth always by her side. If that were to happen, she'd have to change for him.

000

"Mama, I'm hungry."

Humphrey cringed as he heard the mewling voice of a wolf pup to his left. Naturally, it was an Omega pup, lean-boned and scraggly-furred and obviously starved. This was the fifth time the little cub had repeated the phrase, and each time his mother said in the same tired voice, "When the Alphas are finished with their share."

Humphrey couldn't bear it. He had gone through the exact same thing as a pup. Back in the days when he was still an Omega, he'd have to wait, famished, for the Alphas, the Betas, and the regular wolves to eat before he could. He remembered happily trotting over to the leftover of a caribou after the other ranks had eaten their fill, only to find scraps and gnawed-on bones. Omegas got unfair treatment for no reason- or almost no reason- and the pack treated them differently because they'd fallen into a lower rank. This was only because he'd acted "less dominant" as a pup. Even after being in the wolf pack for that long, he still couldn't understand why that was. Even though he was an Alpha. Being an Alpha had always been his dream, but now, living it? He was still unhappy. Because he knew there were still Omegas out there who needed help. They barely had enough nourishment to keep them alive. And he wouldn't stand for that.

His mate, Kate, was tearing into the shoulder of the caribou they had brought down together. It was delicious, of course, but he felt bad eating so much when those growing cubs and exhausted mothers got bones and scraps. He knew what he had to do. He searched for an excuse to shoo Kate away for a while.

"Kate," he said through a mouthful of meat. "Didn't you promise Lilly you'd go flower-picking with her tonight?" He tried to sound as casual as he could while questioning her, so it wouldn't seem like he was trying to get her to leave.

Kate's amber eyes flashed. "Oh, yeah! She did tell me that." She licked the last few specks from her chops, then blinked at Humphrey. "I guess I can't break a promise with my sister. You want to come?"

Humphrey shook his head roughly, but not too roughly. "It seems more like a sister- bonding time," he chirped. "I shouldn't barge into that."

Kate laughed. That was one thing she loved about him- he always made her laugh. She stood up and fluffed her tail up. "I'll see you after our 'sister- bondng time"," she woofed.

Humphrey wagged his tail lightly in response. He waited until she had bounded up the hill, then turned around to face the mother and her cub, who were waiting about five tail-lengths away.

Humphrey padded over to them. When they saw him, they instantly flattened their ears, tucked their tails between their legs, and crouched low to the ground. Humphrey hated that. They had to do these dramatic gestures in front of him? How was he any higher or mightier than they were?

"Dear Alpha," the mother muttered. The pup squeaked the same, shivering. He was scared. Scared! How could he be scared of a big, clumsy wolf like himself?

Humphrey shook his head. "Stop that!" he growled, sealing his ears against his head, mimicking them. "You shouldn't bow to me! As command of an Alpha, I order you to stop!"

The wolves' ears twitched, but they seemed skeptical about moving. They knew better then to protest, but they did remind him the rules.

"We bow down to Alphas- that's what we do," the mother mumbled. She got up only to lick him on the nose. It was a symbol of respect, but it still bothered him. He knew he wouldn't be able to change their mind with words, but he could do so with objects.

Meat.

He ran back over to the caribou, tore a large fragment of juicy meat from the flank, and tossed it straight under the mother's muzzle. She was shocked, but she didn't dare move or make eye contact with him.

"Eat," Humphrey woofed. "I, an Alpha, am telling you to eat. You can relax- please. I don't want to be bowed down to or anything like that. I used to be an Omega. I know what it's like."

The pup rose and started wagging his tail. "Really?" he piped cheerily. "We can eat this big slab of meat?"

The mother nipped the cub's ear. "Juniper!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Be respectful!"

"No," Humphrey said, "the cub has the right idea. Tell all the Alphas, as long they're around me and no one else, they can act normal. You can rise, you can eat by my side." He winked at the mother, whose brown eyes were open to the whites. "Just don't tell Winston or Eve, okay?"

The mother nodded, biting timidly into the chunk of meat. "Thank you, Alpha..."

"Humphrey," he corrected her. "Call me Humphrey."

The tiniest smile tugged on the mother wolf's mouth. "Humphrey."

"Now...what's your name?"

The mother wolf gulped. "Rose."

Humphrey woofed softly. "Rose," he said. "I'll remember that one."

He padded away to leave the bewildered Rose with her cub, who was happy now at least. He knew he'd just defied the rules, and with the old alphas angry at him for letting a loner get away already, he couldn't let them find out. And he especially couldn't let Kate find out. What would she think of her mate, sharing with the Omegas? She would think that he was still an Omega, that's what. And that's the last thing he wanted to happen to him.

There was one more thing he wanted to do before he could settle. Serena. That mysterious black wolf with the captivating blue eyes. She had seemed so kind, and yet the wolf packs wanted to drive her away. But as an Alpha, he felt compelled that it was his job to do this. He was going to meet Serena again- and he would get to know her. If she seemed pure enough, he was going to give her a second chance. Find out who this loner really was.

So he snuck out.

R&R.