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Chapter 14

The four walked over towards the house that would be home for the next few days. Alaya's feet felt heavy since her wolf retreated, her limbs feeling out of place now that she had full control over them again.

The house itself was the same as the others. Same deep brown wood that reminded Alaya of the forest, same three wooden steps leading up to a gorgeous wooden porch. It led to a beautiful oak door that held no information upon it, no numbers, each wolf always knowing where their home was. And this most certainly wasn't Alaya's. This house set her on edge, having a vibe about it that she didn't like. A sense of foreboding that filled her with dread.

"Are you sure it's best we stay here? Surely my house with my things would be better?" Alaya urged, stopping at the foot of the steps, not willing to give up her old life just yet. She had a feeling walking into that house would change things, monumental things and now, standing here she didn't know whether she was ready. Ready to hear Noah out. Ready for answers.

"There isn't space at yours. And Luther sleeps there. It's clearly not safe for you to be around him right now. Not until he is calmer. And anyway its what our Alpha decided," Fen explained and Alaya fought the urge to roll her eyes. Calmer? Luther was never going to be calmer! That much was evident when he had knocked her flying 50 feet into the air. She would of been seriously hurt if she had been anyone else.

"It's not forever, just till your father talks to the heads of the houses. A formality that's all," Fen continued when her feet remained steadfast and she showed no sign of moving up the stairs.

"Yeah, because the last formality went so well for me," Alaya reminded him and watched as his gaze dropped from her own. She didn't know if it was at the memory of the day or the reminder of what she was.

"Let's just get you inside," Fen urged, hand on the small of her back, pushing her forward. She considered leaning into his touch so that in fact his attempts would back fire. Alaya imagined herself going all floppy in his hold like a tantruming toddler, laughing out loud at the vision and felt as her wolf's laughter echoed her own.

"Adolpha," she breathed, forgetting herself and who was in ear shot.

"Who?" Fen asked and Alaya turned to face him, smile plastered on her face.

"Nothing. Come on then let's get inside then, no point talking out here in the cold."

Alaya brushed out of his hold before jogging up the steps a little too fast and opening the door, disappearing inside.

The inside of the house was the same lay out as her own but felt a lot bigger, probably due to the emptiness of it. No pictures graced the halls, no blankets lay on the backs on the sofa whose cushions in turn cradled many heads and arses over the years. There would be no rose pink duvet on the bed upstairs and no Namby cooking eggs and bacon every morning.

"I hate it," she called over her shoulder as her hands traced the walls whilst she carried on exploring. As she reached the top of the stairs she saw the toilet and bathroom over to the left and three doors to her right, more than likely lay identical barren rooms that had a bed and a chest of drawers and that was all.

Alaya came down the stairs heavily, not caring to hide her disapproval at this predicament. She wanted her house, her things however silly it was. She also wanted her best friend to talk to, help clear out the mess that was currently in her head.

Awaiting her in the hallway stood the most disjointed group of wolves she had ever seen. Fen stood tall and tense, eyes darting over to Noah and Neve warily. Seemed like Alaya wasn't the only one disapproving of this arrangement. Noah and Neve also looked wary, not of Fen but at the four walls surrounding them.

"I'll shut the door then," Alaya said, pushing through them gently and shocking each out of their own trances.

"Sorry Luna. I was appreciating our first home together," Noah jested, moving towards her with such grace she couldn't pull her eyes off him.

"And last," Fen muttered, breaking the hold Noah had on her momentarily. She gave a soft smile in his direction, having nothing else to offer right now.

"We have cups here right?" Neve's voice pulled Alaya in an entirely different direction and a welcome one at that, despite confusing.

"Cups?" Alaya asked, not really seeing the relevance.

"Yeah you know, cups. Mugs. Things that hold liquid. Not all of us got a coffee this morning," Neve replied, shooting a glare in her brothers direction. Alaya smiled at the memory briefly before realising she didn't know the answer to that question.

"Um I don't know. Fen, do we have cups?" Alaya answered, looking at Fen for reassurance that they did. Instead his face looked as vacant as her own, confused as to why he should know the answer.

Alaya turned and walked towards what she hoped was the kitchen, figuring no one else was going to try to find out the cup situation. A nice warm cup of coffee sounded amazing right now, especially as this house held no warmth whatsoever.

The kitchen was small and pale. That was the only way Alaya could describe it. The walls and cupboards were a light wood and the small table down the end was a subtle grey adding to the neutral theme. The table tops were the same soft colour as the table and although whoever decorated this last was probably going for minimalist, it was more like vacant and boring. Then again there was no life here and life brought colour in her opinion.

Looking through the cupboards all Alaya found were cobwebs and empty shelves. Luckily at the same time, Robert, a Beta from the patrols knocked on the front door. Alaya immediately convinced Fen that seeing as their guard had arrived then he could leave them. She also convinced him that he really should get back to her father, especially with such an important meeting occurring and to make sure he was then able to keep her up to date on what was happening. That meant by the time he came back before the reading at 2pm she would hopefully know more of what was going on. He raised his eyebrow at her last comment wondering when he had agreed to be her spy but he nodded anyway.

Alaya hugged him before he left despite her wolf's feelings of revoltion, hoping it conveyed to him some of the hundred things that she couldn't voice. Yesterday everything had been so different and in the space on 24hrs her heart felt like it was being torn in a million different directions. She didn't miss how he lingered at the doorway, turning back to ensure it was alright to leave her here, with them. She could sense his distrust of Noah and Neve and of course she knew why. These two wolves were strangers. And if he was reacting that way to them then she could just imagine how the heads of the houses would.

Once Fen left she stayed alone in the hallway momentarily, knowing she needed to go into the lounge and talk to Noah but not quite having the strength to move her feet.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, Adolpha soothed and as Alaya felt her wolf's trust in Noah, she knew that together they were ready for this. Or as ready as they could ever be. She loved feeling so at one with her wolf now and started to ponder if others felt the same. Did all wolves talk to their human halves like this? If so why had she never heard of it before now?

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, her wolf reasoned, saying exactly what Alaya felt. The bond they shared was different, even allowing Alaya to do things she shouldn't be able to. Like tap into her wolf's senses without the need to phase. To be both wolf and human all at once. To talk to her wolf as if she was both a separate entity yet half of a whole at the same time. Alaya had a feeling different was an understatement.

Walking into the lounge she saw Noah and Neve sat next to each other on the three seater mauve sofa. They were sat so that each were in the middle of two cushions, making it more a place for two so Alaya chose to sit across from them on the matching chair off to the left.

"So," Alaya breathed as she sat, staring at both of them as they eyed her then each other.

"Where do you want us to start?" Neve asked as Noah stared softly into her eyes. His gaze held a sadness, his brow furrowed, like what he was going to say wasn't going to be something pleasant. But Alaya knew that already. It was going to change everything for her and the last time that had happened it hadn't been for the better.

"At the beginning might help," Alaya replied, not knowing where else there could be.

"Oh, if only you knew how far back this whole thing goes," Neve chuckled, laughing at a secret joke Alaya had yet to be told. She fidgeted a little in her seat as she waited, not knowing what Neve meant but not willing to ask.

"How about what it all has to do with me then? And how you two fit in? The rest can wait for now," Alaya urged, knowing she didn't really care what had brought them all to this moment, purely what it had to do with her. And Adolpha.

"What I said the other night was true. My wolf has been searching for you for weeks, pushing me further and further as time went on. But what I left out to your father was that it's not only when I phased. I knew exactly what we were searching for because my bond to my wolf is different. Much like yours it seems," Noah explained, shuffling further forward so he was closer to her as he spoke. Alaya sat quietly, listening and nodding to each new piece of information he gave. Neve fell silent, listening just as Alaya did despite likely knowing the story already.

"Neve and I are from a community a few days hike from here. It's a community much like yours but it has no ranks. No Alphas, no Betas. We are all the same as each other apart from the chosen few," he continued, stopping there for a moment so she can take that in.

A place with no ranks? No Alpha or Beta to take orders from sounded amazing. Also it would explain why Neve’s eyes were still blue, her wolf had never been called to the forefront. It sounded like a place Alaya would love to be in reality. A place where it didn't matter what she was, even if what she was turned out to still be an Omega.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to take it over? Lone Alphas are searching for places like that all the time and yet your telling me you've lived all those years peacefully? Without anything like that happening?" Alaya asked, confused how her father for one hadn't tried himself. Especially if it was only a few days hike from here.

"Now I never said that. Others have tried and failed to take over what is ours. But that's what the chosen ones are there for. They protect our community from the others that would seek to steal it. And for many, many moons now no-one even knows it still exists," Noah smiled, a twinkle in his eye that Alaya hadn't seen before. The sadness had gone for now, instead he looked proud and as she glanced over at Neve, she was staring at him with the same love and proudness in her own eyes.

"Ok. And what does all this have to do with me?" Alaya asked, heart beating a little faster as she waited for the answer that might change everything.

"Well that's what I've wanted to tell you ever since we met, the moment I knew for sure that you were not just my mate," Noah continued, confusing Alaya all the more.

"What else am I?" Alaya asked, her voice quiet as it caught in her throat. She wished he would just spit it out already, instead of letting her question hang in the wind for a moment.

"You're a chosen one Alaya. Just like I am,"

"A chosen one?" Alaya repeated, her mind and heart racing all at once. But how could she be a chosen one to a community that wasn't even hers? That she hadn't known existed until moments ago?

"Yes, because you most certainly are not an Omega. You were born an Amaris."

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