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Chapter 3

The rest of the day passed normally for Alaya. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred and by the evening she had half forgotten her run in with Luther. She knew he wouldn't have though and prayed he wouldn't be at home when she got in. She was too tired for anymore of his ramblings. She was an Omega now and Omega's couldn't disobey an Alpha. He must of just not given a proper command. It needed power behind it. Like when her father spoke. The whole room was captivated by him because he demanded it. With his tone, his stance, his entire being. Luther was obviously just shit at it, asking instead of demanding. Just like him to blame someone else for his short comings.

As her shift came to a close she headed back over to the reception, putting in her charts and saying goodbye to Kelly. Well, that and stealing some more fudge. Jeremiah really would swap them out for mint humbugs, she hated mint.

"See you Kelly. Tell Jeremiah I'll see him Wednesday," Alaya said as she made her way out the double doors, shivering slightly as the wind hit her unexpectedly.

"Don't go running out on me Alaya. I need to talk to you," Jeremiah replied from down the hall and Alaya sighed as she let the door swing back, shutting the cold autumn breeze out.

"Sooo close," she whispered to Kelly as she made her way back past the desk. Kelly giggled in response, gathering the rest of her things as she stood up from the desk.

As Alaya came towards the hall she saw Jeremiah near the end, chart still in hand, brow furrowed like usual flicking through the sheets on the clipboard.

"What's up Jeremiah? I need a hot cup of coffee and my warm bed," she called out as she approached, hoping this would be quick.

"Your father wants to see you. He has asked for your presence after your shift," he informed her, not even looking up from the chart. Alaya scowled at him, getting annoyed at the messenger despite knowing it wasn't his fault. He had to tell her.

"Well that's nice. Pity I'm busy but tell him thanks for the invitation," she replied sarcastically, turning on her heel.

"He said you might say that."

A new voice drifted to her ears instead of Jeremiah's but one she knew instantly. It was Fen, her father's right hand man. She turned back towards him, slight smile on her face at her old friend. Fen was 10 years her senior but that had never mattered when they were younger. When her father was away Fen had always been sent to watch over her and her siblings. He was always so much fun, playing hide and seek, tag, any game they had wanted to play. Even now his green eyes still held a playful glint but that was likely due to the possibility of having to give chase. There was no way Alaya was going to come along quietly and he knew it.

His stark white hair stood out to her as she looked him over. His chin held a slight stubble telling her he had been working a fair few days with no rest. His attire was all black, enabling to move like a ghost in the darkness despite his light hair. Alaya always assumed would it would give his position away but he still managed to move like darkness itself. Despite knowing this, she still saw the silent challenge in his green eyes and backed up a little further as she spoke.

"Fen. My, my, it's been a while hasn't it? How have you been dear old friend?" she continued her slow retreat but still kept his gaze. His hair looked recently cut, shorter at the sides than on top. His features, despite his age still looked young, the air of innocence still clinging to them. She knew he was anything but. He had to be whilst working along side her father. His mouth cocked up in a half smile as he tried to sense what her next move was. He was a master at that, predicting what would happen next. One of the reasons he had become so important to her father. He was indispensable. Especially in a fight.

"Do we really have to do this Alaya? Can't we just do this the easy way? Like most people," he continued, now making a slow stalk past Jeremiah and towards her. She brought her hand up to cup her chin, as if she were deep in thought. Her mind shot back to earlier and her run in with Luther and against her better judgement she decided to see if his rambles held a little truth.

"How about you just STOP right there?" She shouted over, putting emphasis on the word stop, saying it a few pitches higher than the rest. Feb continued forward, unfazed, as Alaya quickly ran out of hallway to back up into.

"STOP what you are doing right now, I command it?" she continued, trying to put power behind the words but it didn't feel the same as before. She threw her hands out towards him, as if casting some spell, but it only made her look mentally unstable and didn't halt him in the slightest.

"Are you ok? You didn't have to prove my point," Fen chuckled but with a slight look of concern on his face. Alaya looked down briefly at her hands, realising that she had been right earlier. She was still only an Omega and Luther was just as shit of an Alpha as he was a person. Which meant she had to avoid her father at all costs. So she took her one and only chance to escape Fen and ran for her life.

Alaya ran out of the doors so fast it rebounded off the wall, chipping paint and sending an almighty crash echoing through the building. She was going to have to apologize to Jeremiah for that, come in early on Wednesday with a can of yellow paint. But she couldn't stop now, not with Fen so hot on her tail. She loved the feel of the wind in her hair and clothes. Made her want to phase. But she fought the urge knowing her wolf form would be a hell of a lot weaker than her human one. She hadn't phased since the ceremony and the need clawed at her, her wolf getting impatient. But her wolf form would be an Omega and would act like one, she wouldn't be able to help it. Her human form still hadn't accepted her title and it was better for them both to remain separate until she had. Also Fen would expect her to phase, not doing so would confuse him. He would never expect her to keep her human form.

The wind tore at her as she ran, as if it were trying to hold her in place. Her ponytail whipped at her face as she darted around the buildings, trying her hardest to lose Fen. She relished the feel of the hard mud underfoot, thankful it hasn't rained for a while. Her eyes tried to focus on her surroundings as she ran, but in human form, the houses around her seemed to blur into one continuous long stretch. After a few minutes of running her thoughts became coherrant enough to remind Alaya that she had nowhere to actually run to. Nowhere than Fen wouldn't know of anyway. The compound was large but not large enough to escape her father it seemed. She decided her best bet was to head for her house, maybe Lenara was there and could help her get out of this?

Alaya could sense Fen behind her as she crashed inside, heading straight for the kitchen where she knew Namby would still be warming her dinner. She hadn't bet on Alaris being there too or Evelyn, both greeting her with very shocked and confused expressions as she barrelled through the door panting and out of breath. Before she could straighten and explain herself, Fen followed but his arrival was more like that of a ninja. One moment he wasn't there, then suddenly he was.

"Seriously? You didn't think I'd know you'd come here?" he asked but she could hear the humour in his tone. If she wasn't so out of breath she would be laughing at herself too. But she hadn't known where else to go and hadn't ran like that in months. Jesus she was unfit.

"You...know...me...forever... predictable," she panted out, hand on the chair as she tried to keep track of his movements.

"Are you done yet? Because play times over. You know how much he hates being kept waiting," Fen informed her, hand outstretched and all humour gone from his tone. Alaya looked at it as if she might for a moment take it. Rising slowly she smiled and forced herself to relax. She saw Fen's eyebrow raise, letting her know he didn't believe her in the slightest.

"How about I get my diary? Pencil him in for a year next Tuesday?" she joked, looking behind him to the door, wondering if she could make it up to her bedroom. She doubted it but she would still have to try. She glanced down at the chair her hand was wrapped around. Perhaps if she threw it hard enough it would hurt him long enough for her to make it out?

"Don't you even think about it young lady," Namby chided, giving her a glare that could raise the dead.

"But..." Alaya tried to explain but Namby cut her off, hand on her hip and fire in her eyes.

"No buts Alaya. Your father wants to see you. And what he wants he gets, perks of being the Alpha. Now are you telling me you'd rather refuse and have this poor boy go back without you?"

"He is hardly a boy Nams. Have you seen him? He's a goliath," Alaya gestured to Fen who was now leaning against the doorway, knowing he had won this fight without even trying.

"Compared to your father everyone is a boy. So come on and get. Before your dinner gets so cold even Timothy wouldn't steal it," she continued, hand pointed towards the door. Alaya huffed, knowing there was no point to this argument. Namby was right, if she refused then her father might take it out on Fen. Even though Fen could handle himself, but so could she and she had been delaying this for far too long.

As Fen and Alaya walked out she didn't miss how Fen made sure he was right at her side in case she made another run for it. It made her smile to know that he knew her so well.

"Your father will be happy to see you," Fen said as they reached the outside, cold wind biting at their skin once more.

"Of course. Because he has been calling me everyday for the past 6 weeks, desperate for my lowly company," she replied sarcastically, trying to keep the hurt from her voice and failing.

"He was waiting for you to come on your own. He didn't want to force you."

"Ha. An Alpha doesn't want to force an Omega. Oh the irony," she laughed out as she fidgeted with the stray hairs that had escaped her ponytail.

Fen came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, pulling his top free from his body despite the cold.

"What are you doing?" Alaya questioned, despite knowing the answer. He was going to phase and he would expect her to phase along with him. Her wolf paced within her, eager to get out, to have control.

"It's faster to phase from here. You know that so quit stalling," he said as he continued to undress, tanned muscles tensing against the cold.

"I don't phase anymore. I won't phase Fen. I'll just catch up," she shuffled uncomfortably, not wanting to explain herself. Fen stopped for a moment, straightening himself as he looked at her.

"Alaya. It's just me," he urged, taking her hand in his. She pulled it softly out of his grasp, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It doesn't matter. I don't trust my wolf anymore. It's not who I am. I promise I will meet you there. I give you my word," she turned from him, walking in the direction she used to call home when she was younger. Fen knew she would never break a promise, let alone after giving her word.

Alaya heard as Fen phased behind her, the ripple in the air calling to the beast within herself. The beast that was getting restless in its cage. It was instantaneous going from man to wolf, over in less than a heartbeat. Not like in those scary movies where bones break and flesh tears. It was like breathing, two halves of yourself that flow from one another. It was a beautiful thing really.

Alaya walked briskly through the streets. Her mind wandered as she walked, back to her exchange with Luther this morning. Had she really given a command? Or refused his? She had felt the power when he had spoken but it wasn't enough to hold her in place. Had been like a tickle, a promise of what might be coming. Not like when her father spoke. When he commanded a room you could physically feel his presence around you, binding you. Luckily for Alaya her father had always been easy on her, kind. He had never felt the need to force her to do anything. But she had still felt it, felt his Alpha just by being around him. No, Luther was clearly just doing it wrong. Shitty Alpha just like he was a shitty person. She had all but proven it when her words had had no effect on Fen's approach. She was and always would be, an Omega.

Her steps slowed as the paths between the houses petered out until one remained. The house itself was rather unassuming, disguised so that if someone broke into the community, something that had never happened since before she had been born, they wouldn't be able to just pick out what house the Alpha would be in. It's wooden exterior matched her own house, dark oak door with no numbers as if a mirror image. It was slightly larger though than the rest of the houses that surrounded it but not overly so. But you could feel it, feel the power that resided inside. Well Alaya always could, she hadn't exactly asked anyone else if they could as well. She kind of felt like it made the whole matching houses thing redundant. But then maybe that was because she had always been an Omega, the Alpha's presence would have always felt stronger to her.

Alaya took a deep breath before walking up the wooden porch, realising she had probably taken longer than necessary leaving Fen to look either incompetent or compliant. Neither of which would be acceptable to her father. So she braced herself for what was to come as she pushed open the front door.

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