Chapter 5
A strange sense of calm fell over me as I packed my things. My duffel bag was almost overflowing with clothes and other necessities. I didn’t bring food or bedding, since I was assured the other packs would provide them for me.
Since we didn’t have time to waste, I was to be escorted to the South Pack border early next morning. The sun’s first rays poked out behind the trees, casting an orange-pink glow over the land. Now that I was going to be leaving home for the first time in my life, I found myself appreciating the little things, like sunrises and morning dew. I breathed in a deep breath of air and sighed.
Mom and Dad waited for me by the front steps. They both gave me a big hug.
“You’ll do great, son,” Dad promised.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t you let those other wolves boss you around,” Mom urged. “Remember that you’re the most important person around the lake right now.”
“Kinda hard to forget with all the attention,” I mumbled.
Her expression softened and she hugged me again. “I know it might be rough. I never thought you’d be swept up in some destiny-changing prophecy…”
“Me neither.” I shrugged. “What can you do?”
“Remember, we’re not that far away. If anything goes wrong, you know where to find us.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“We’d better get going,” Neil said firmly. He stood a few feet away, ready to escort me to the border.
Mom and Dad gave me one last goodbye. I reached down to heft my bag over my shoulder, but Neil swooped in and took it with ease, setting off with his long strides. I jogged to catch up with him.
“Er, thanks,” I said.
Neil kept looking ahead as he walked. “It’s my job to protect you until we reach the South Pack border.”
“Right.”
I decided not to try and make any more small talk with him. Neil had been acting strangely since news of me being an omega spread throughout East Pack, like he didn’t know how he should react to me. Even though he’d always protected me and my family, I was never a big fan of him in the first place, so it was fine by me if he wanted to act like I didn’t exist.
After leaving home, we shifted into wolf form for ease of travel and made good time. The sun had risen above the trees by the time we neared the border. I knew East Pack territory like the back of my paw, but it still surprised me to realize just how close South Pack was to us. Maybe the world just seemed bigger as a pup.
The land sloped into a rocky ravine. The lush forest thinned out, turning into sparse bushes and tall gangly trees.
“The border is ahead,” Neil said. He motioned towards an oddly shaped boulder jutting out of the hard packed earth on the crest of the ridge.
I lifted my muzzle and scented the air. It smelled so different than East Pack already. Scent markers from South Pack flooded my nose, and among them, I noticed the fresh scents of people nearby. Maybe South Pack members were waiting over the crest to take me to Ramsay.
I made a casual beeline for the ridge, but suddenly Neil cut in front of me. His wolf form was large, as alphas were, and I barely stopped myself from crashing into him.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He shifted into human form, and I did the same. He looked down at me with a focused gaze.
“You know, this whole time I’ve been thinking. Why did the gryphon automatically assumeoppositemeant directions?” Neil asked.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I guess it makes sense, with the four packs and all.”
Why was he asking me about this now? The border was just ahead. I furrowed my brow and tried to walk around him, but he grabbed my arm.
“Think about it, Matheson,” Neil continued. “Opposites could simply mean opposite statuses. Alpha and omega.”
“Yeah?”
