New Clothes
New Clothes:2770words
Update Time:2024-11-01 09:40:36
[Austin]After a week of bedrest, I was able to get up and move around more easily. I was extremely grateful to Rock and Carmen. I didn’t know how much longer I could have survived in that trap. It had been almost a week between getting caught and Carmen finding me. She would never realize how close to death I was. I didn’t tell them how long it had me and I wouldn’t. They knew they saved me and that was enough. I didn’t need more pity. Not that Carmen went overboard with it, but I could see it in her face whenever I talked about my pack and my past. For being blind, she had a very expressive face. I hadn’t even realized it until she told me. Carmen seemed like any other wolf. She was nicer than the Beta blood wolves I knew, and there was something about her that made me relax. She told me it was because ranked blood wolves were supposed to protect their pack as much as ranked wolves were. Everything I heard about how her pack was different made me hate my pack more. The ranked members cared for other wolves. Not for omega wolves. We were the very bottom of the pack and were treated like it. Seeing her and getting to know her made me think there were really good packs out there. Carmen was kind and caring. She showed no signs of frustration with my condition, only with my thinking. Rock and Carmen believed in the goddess wholeheartedly. Carmen told me that the goddess loved all of her people. Rock told me she loved the fae a little more. He said it as a joke, but I was pretty sure he believed that himself. They always talked about her path and her plan and her love. Love wasn’t something I believed in. I never had. The Alpha got me from my parents when I was three. I was raised by Timothy’s nanny. She didn’t hate me, but she didn’t love me. I never got physical affection as a child and was rarely treated nicely. I met my parents once, when I was sixteen. My father worked in the packhouse as a general servant and my mother was in the laundry room. I found them talking behind the house and didn’t even remember who they were, but they knew me. My mother tried to hug me, but I pushed her away. I didn’t like people getting too close to me. They told me I had a little brother and that they loved me. They didn’t know what I had to live with. My parents saw a chance for their son to be raised alongside the Alpha’s son. Better food, better education, better home…. I didn’t feel anything for them or my brother, though. I couldn’t. Anything I ever cared about was taken from me or ridiculed by Timothy and his other friends. I just looked at my parents and told them to have a good day. It was hard to ignore the sound of my mother crying. They thought I was heartless, but I was protecting them in the only way I could. If the Alpha knew they had been talking to me, he might do something to them. I was only permitted to interact with and for Timothy and the Alpha family. Timothy was the only friend I was allowed to have. They took away my last name, so I never even knew who I truly was. It was a lonely life. Especially when the Beta’s twins started befriending Timothy and I was pushed to the side again. That was when we stopped being friends and I started being his scapegoat and target. Shaking my head, I focused on the future. I was able to walk and stand, now. Rock wanted me to have another week relaxing at home before he started training me to fight and taking me to work. I was fine with that. It would give me time to pay them back with housework. Stepping into the bathroom, I was eager for my first shower in months. When they brought me back, Rock had helped me clean up and get warm in a bath, but there was a different feeling to a shower. Something about the hot water raining down on me made me feel better and more alive. Today, I would be meeting one of Carmen’s friends. She was bringing me some clothes that would fit me. Carmen said it was one of her best friends, so I planned to see what another ranked blood wolf was like. If she was like Carmen, I would believe what she said about packs being different. I washed my hair twice with the shampoo, rubbing it into my scalp. Rock said he didn’t see any fleas when I told him I worried about them because of how badly it itched. If the itching went away, I would know it was only dirt, grease, and sweat. I hoped it did, because it itched real bad. The shower was refreshing and made me feel more human than I had since I left my pack. It was nice to know I still had it in me to be human. When I left my pack, I shifted into my wolf and hadn’t changed back until that trap got me. It surprised me when I found out I was in northern Oregon, but my wolf, Knut, had a horrible sense of direction. I knew this before we started running, but I really had hoped we would have been in Colorado by now, not Oregon. He kept getting turned around. I didn’t blame him for anything. He was doing his best and he supported me when I said we were leaving the pack. Most wolves wouldn’t have done that. Especially not the wolf of an omega. They knew we were only a little stronger and faster than a natural wolf. Our odds of survival were drastically reduced if we weren’t in a pack. That was what I liked about the idea of being in a collective. It was like a pack, but not. I could have the freedom to go where I wanted, but I was safer. Since I went to high school, I took the required rogue classes. I knew a lot more about them than a normal omega in my pack. My thoughts turned back to Rock and Carmen. She really lived outside her pack but was still a member. I was shocked when I first heard that and even more surprised when I heard her talking about the baby shower for her brother, the Beta. She was on the phone and thought I was sleeping. It proved that she really was still accepted by the whole pack, not just the lower-rank wolves. I thought it was something like the Alpha’s sister. She was accepted by the omegas but no longer accepted by the ranked and ranked blood wolves. Seeing Rock and Carmen together made me actually think there was something to the love they talked about in the mate bond. If anything was going to make me believe in love, it was them. A troll and a werewolf were already strange, but he didn’t mind that she was blind and he didn’t treat her as if she was any less than him for being blind. Rock always treated Carmen as if she could do anything. She would tell him when she couldn’t and they would figure out a solution together. I’d never wanted a mate, but that made me think of what it might be like. It might be nice to have someone care about me all the time. Not only when I’m hurt or when something bad has happened. I saw how much Rock and Carmen touched each other and wondered if I would feel that when I found my mate. Would I finally want to be touched by others? By her? Never in my life, had I actually thought about the possibility of finding my mate. That felt like a pipe dream, something meant for everyone else, not for me. Of course, I never thought I would have the strength to go rogue, either. Maybe I was meant for something more than being Timothy’s punching bag and alibi. Stepping out of the shower, I dried off and brushed my teeth. Goddess, I had missed the feeling of having a clean mouth. There was no tooth brushing in wolf form and I hadn’t been allowed to stand long enough to do it in the last week. I shaved and brushed my hair out. I needed a haircut. Thank the goddess hair didn’t grow much while we were in our wolf form. But two weeks of growth made me fuzzier than I liked in my human form. My preference was to be clean shaven, short-haired, and well-groomed in other ways. I went to work on my fingernails and toe nails. I needed a lot of work to get myself in order. When I was finally finished, I went out into my room. As I opened the door, the door to my room opened. I froze. I was only wrapped in a towel. I hadn’t had a chance to put on the clean sweats Rock lent me. Carmen entered the room carrying several bags. She set them down on my bed, then turned and left. I didn’t know if she sensed I was there, but she didn’t seem to notice me. Her friend must be here, so she was probably eager to go see her. I went to the bed and started pulling things from the bags. There was everything I could need, even a box with some sneakers, but Rock told me there were no shoes allowed in his house. As I sorted through the clothes, picking out what I would wear, I noted that they were new, but had been washed and dried. That would make them less stiff. I was grateful she had done that for me. Pulling out some socks, underwear, jeans, and a t-shirt, I quickly finished drying and got dressed. The clothes fit nicely, much better than the oversized sweatpants I’d been wearing. They were a little loose, but I knew they were my size from before I left home. I shook my head. Not home. That place was never really my home. If anything, Rock and Carmen’s place was more home than my pack would ever be. This felt like a place where I was actually liked. The clothes smelled really nice and I worked on folding and hanging items. I couldn’t help sniffing them as I did. I needed to know what detergent her friend used. There was something about this scent that made my heart soar. It must be a scent memory from before I could remember. Something that made me feel safe and happy. Once I was finished, I went out to the living room. I followed the voices of Rock, Carmen, and another woman. The house was really nice I couldn’t wait to explore it more. I’d never been in a house other than the packhouse. This was smaller, but I felt like it would be easier to clean that way. When I reached the living room, Carmen smiled at me. I could see her focus on me a little more. It was the expression she got when she was using her magic to look at me. Rock smiled. I was getting used to troll smiles. On one of the chairs was a woman she turned to me as well. She was very pretty with a calm smile and big clear eyes. Carmen stood up and came to me. She reached out and I accepted her hand. It was something she did when she felt I needed support. A simple hand squeeze. “Come over here and meet my sister-in-law. My friend couldn’t come today. She works as an assistant for the Gamma and he invited her to go visit a nearby pack with him. She’s hoping to find her mate while she’s there,” Carmen explained. “I hope she finds him,” I replied as she led me to where her sister-in-law was. The woman stood and her stomach strained against her dress. She was very pregnant. I remembered something about Carmen’s brother and sister-in-law expecting triplets. “Beth, this is Austin. Beth is the Beta female of our pack.”“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am, but please sit. You need all the rest you can get right now.” I smiled at her. “Yes, everyone keeps reminding us of how much work the babies will be when they come. And I’m much bigger than most werewolves at two and a half months. Soon, I’ll have to actually buy maternity clothes, instead of wearing my biggest dresses,” she giggled. She sat and Carmen pulled me to join them on the couch. I listened to them talking about baby names and plans for her baby shower. Carmen seemed as excited as if these were her own pups. Rock joined in the conversation a little, but mostly watched the women interact. The front door opened and a tall man who looked like Carmen entered. He took off his shoes and went to lean on the arm of the chair Beth was sitting in. The man took Beth’s hand and kissed the back of it. I realized this was the Beta of their pack. On instinct, I looked at the ground. I didn’t want to make him angry by looking at him or his mate for too long. “Mike, this is Austin. Austin, that’s my brother Mike…. Are you okay? You smell scared.” Standing, I bowed deeply to him. “I’m sorry, Beta. Is there anything I can get for you?” My rogue status wasn’t at the forefront of my mind, only what I had experienced my whole life. This was a Beta, not some normal wolf and I hadn’t been treating his mate with the reverence or respect she deserved, either. I never should have sat in her presence. “Please don’t bow like that, it looks painful. I’m not the Beta of the pack here. I’m just Mike, Carmen’s brother. And none of our omegas are required to act like this in our pack.” “I told you, Austin. Other packs aren’t like your pack was. Please, sit down and relax. Mike is nice. He won’t hurt you or get mad at you. You’ve only just gotten back on your feet, don’t strain yourself,” Carmen said. I glanced at her. She had a pained, worried expression. Tentatively, I stood up straight and looked at the Beta. He stood and held out his hand to me. Carefully, I extended my own. He shook my hand firmly and put his free hand on my shoulder. “You’re not a pack wolf anymore and you never have to be again, but please consider touring our pack and seeing what it should be like. I can introduce you to omegas in all sorts of positions. Doctors, teachers, accountants, gardeners, and anything you can think of. Your pack was sick. A healthy pack isn’t like that, I promise,” the Beta told me. “Please consider it, Austin. I think the only way you’re going to get over what they did to you and the other omegas is to see how a good pack works. And you’ll be our guest. We have an alliance with the rogue collective you’re part of. No harm will come to you on our lands,” Beth promised. “Don’t pressure him too much. He needs time to process everything. Mike, you’ve been holding on to him for too long. Let him go,” Rock said. “Austin, have a seat. They’re staying for lunch, so you’ll have to sort yourself out until they leave. I trust that you can.” The Beta… Mike… let me go and backed off. He went back to where he had been perched before and sat again. I looked around the room. They were waiting for me to sit again. Carefully, I sat down on the couch again and everyone relaxed. I could hold out until lunch was over. I had only been expecting a Gamma blood wolf, not a ranked Beta. I needed to calm down and watch this man and his mate. It would show me what sort of people they really were when they weren’t paying attention. If I liked what I saw, maybe I would consider touring his pack lands. It might be nice to be in a good pack. For now, I would keep my rogue title, though.