I grinned down at Sorrel, who loped towards me with a determined look. Instead of rushing, he took one careful step after the other, finally finding the balance on his growing paws. When he made it up the hill, he headbutted my shoulder.
“There,” he said through heavy breaths. “I did it.”
“You did it,” I agreed, licking his ear affectionately. “Good job.”
He slumped onto his haunches and wagged his tail. We sat together and gazed out across the snowy field, feeling the wind in our fur and taking in the beautiful view. The wide-open space felt freeing compared to the crowded barracks and tight education rooms at the clan camp.
A small, secret part of me wished we never had to go back. But this was our life. We didn’t know anything else. And like Konrad always said, the outside world was dangerous. A pair of young wolf shifters wouldn’t last on our own. We needed the clan alphas to protect us.
“What’cha thinking about?” Sorrel asked.
I smiled at him. “How I beat you in the race.”
He growled playfully. “I’m gonna win next time!”
“Maybe if you try really hard. And stop stumbling over your paws,” I teased.
Sorrel pouted, raising one of his giant paws. “I can’t help that they’re so big.”
He was only two years younger than me and he still had a young wolf’s face, but his body was growing fast. I figured itwould only be a few months before he towered over his older brother. Apparently, our omega father was a huge white wolf, one of the biggest the clan had ever seen. Sorrel must’ve taken after him.
“Besides, it’s a good thing, right?” Sorrel asked eagerly. “I have a better chance of being a child-bearer when I grow up.”
My stomach sank. It was the highest honor for an omega in our clan, but he was too young to be thinking about that.
“Focus on being a pup,” I said, pawing him over the ear. “You’ll have plenty of time for that when you’re an adult.”
Sorrel huffed. “But it’s the best thing an omegacando! I don’t wanna be useless.”
The fur on my shoulders bristled with unease. I couldn’t argue with him because he wasn’t wrong. Child-bearing omegas were handpicked by the clan alpha, and had special privileges. They got to sleep in nicer rooms, ate better food, and were treated better overall. Not as well as the alphas themselves, but well above the omegas stuck doing basic chores.
Still, I couldn’t shake the discomfort that came from Sorrel’s excitement. I didn’t want him to think that was his only purpose in life.
“You will never be useless, Sorrel,” I said gently. “Because you’re my little brother.”
He gave me a shy smile before breaking into a laugh. “That’s so sappy!”
“It’s true!” I insisted.
Chuckling, he got to his paws and flicked me with his tail. “C’mon, let’s race again. I’ll beat you to that rock down there, I swear.”
Changing the topic was a relief. I got to my paws and nodded. Sorrel barrelled down the slope, racing for the conspicuous rock in the middle of the field.
I followed him at a steady pace, but my heart wasn’t in it. I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation. It sat in my stomach like a stone.
Overhead, a white blur of movement caught my eye. I raised my muzzle to see a snowy owl flying silently above us. It glided effortlessly through the air on smooth, elegant wings.
My chest ached. If I could fly like that, I could be free, too.
I slowed to watch the owl. Its head angled sharply, as if hearing something out of range for my ears. Suddenly, it folded its wings and dove with claws outstretched. It hit the ground near the rock like lightning. I heard a high-pitched squeak that cut off abruptly. When the owl lifted its head, a mouse dangled from its beak.
Despite the mouse’s sacrifice, I felt happy for the owl. It was a large bird—likely a female with eggs on the way. She was doing what any good parent would do.
My chest stirred. I couldn’t put my paw on the feeling swirling inside me. Why did I feel so peaceful and happy thinking about the owl and her soon-to-be-chicks, yet such dread at the idea of Sorrel growing up to be a child-bearer for Konrad?
In front of me, Sorrel skidded to a halt, also awed by the sight. “Whoa,” he whispered as I caught up with him. “Did you see that, Poppy?”
“I did,” I said quietly. “It’s amazing.”
