I groan internally as I'm led down the hallway to the office of the Moonsong packhouse. Another standard trade meeting brought me here, as the Alpha leader of Emberheart I gotta deal with boring bureaucracy.
Normally there'd be minimal internal groaning but I met the most interesting omega yesterday. She was witty and played along with my dumbassery, something drew me to her as well. I mean she's absolutely beautiful, with a pink frizz of hair, and soft features, I could think about her statue esc build for a long time. But it's something else, she's rough around the edges, but from the way she holds herself I imagine those sharp edges prick herself more than the people around her.
Anne. What great fun she was, I wonder if I'll run into her again? I sure fucking hope I do, because there's a decent part of me that has the urge to sweep her off her feet and run into the sunset.
"Alpha Charlie is in here." The beta who's name I totally forgot opened the door for me. "The staff will be setting up lunch in the dining hall if you would like to join us after."
"Thanks sweetcheeks." I say as I walk in. The splutter I hear behind me brings me much joy. How I love annoying people. I bet Anne would be great fun to annoy.
After the meeting I start looking for this dining hall, it's a fair journey back home and who am I to pass up free food? I catch a scent as I pass by a hallway. Familiar, herbal, but laced with something wrong. It was Anne's scent wasn't it? Not like I was trying to check her out yesterday, well not too obviously. But that blend of mints and lavender and earth were the same as yesterday, but the almost sickly, too sweet hint that had been there previously was much more noticeable. Was she upset?
It isn't really my business but I'm nosey so I explore. It's a faint scent but I track it anyway, until I hear voices.
"Really Anne?" Someone hissed angrily. "I've asked you twice already to empty those bins and you still haven't!"
"I'm sorry mum, I'm just so tired today and it feels like I'm being pulled towards too many different tasks at once." That's Anne's voice. It's small, and wavering.
The other person, her mother, sighs in frustration. "I don't need your excuses. You left the house a mess just to spend half the day in the forest. That's your fault. This is why you're tired all the time, you push yourself too hard. Now I brought you here to help me so, help."
Footsteps that somehow sound angry walk away and I hear Anne let out a shaky breath. I casually walk down the hall until I see her, I wave overenthusiastically. "Oh my, fancy seeing you here. Come here often?" I wink like a cartoon character.
Anne jumps like she's been caught doing something she shouldn't. Her eyes seem a bit shiny like she was about to cry. I suddenly very much dislike this mother of hers. She looks at me in confusion and then frustration.
"I thought you were from Emberheart?" She snaps almost defensively. There's layers to this woman, maybe that's what is so intriguing to me. People and their weird ways can be really entertaining.
"Indeed I am," I shrug sheepishly like I too have been caught, "had some business with the big boss, turns out us Emberhearts are a lot cooler than this little town, but I made the business deal with Charlie-poo anyway, y'know since I'm so cool and all that. Gotta help out the underdogs." I wink.
I expect to get a fun reaction from that. I kinda insulted her pack there but she just looks at me with confusion at most. "Alpha Darcy!" I hear the beta from before call me over, "dining hall is this way."
"Lead the way, my guiding star." I say playfully, he looks past me and at Anne, she seems to shrink in on herself before scrambling to pick up cleaning supplies while both arms are mostly occupied by crutches. I don't like the way he looks at her, I decide that he doesn't get the honor of my teasing pet names anymore. It's no fun to make fun of an asshole lightheartedly.
I follow him anyway, as Anne has already half made her escape. "That omega is so annoying parading about those sticks as if she needs them." The asshole says casually. "Like she never even broke a bone, and they're bright yellow. She's obviously looking for attention."
He looks at me, oh is this a conversation? Do we say bullshit about people instead of discussing the weather in this pack? I wish I could punch him right now. I give him a genuinely hard stare instead.
"What?" Asshole chuckles awkwardly. I glare. "Oh sorry I'm just so embarrassed for you right now." I say sweetly," I met a guy like you yesterday actually, same inconsiderate energy. Poor soul ended up drenched in the river." I give him a slightly unhinged smile.
I see some people up ahead carrying platters up ahead, I look at Asshole and he's clearly unsettled. Good enough for now. "I'm starving, see you Rocky!" The beta says something about his name not being rocky as I walk away from him.
I must admit as I sit down with my plate filled from the buffet, the food smells good. It tastes pretty good too, I realise when I scarf down some delicious fresh bread. I look up to see Anne walking in, swaying slightly, her face tense, there's a woman walking beside her.
"Sarah I know it's rough, but I think we just need to accept things the way they are. I've tried yoga routines a lot but I just don't have any energy to do the necessary things in the day afterwards." Anne sounds really tired as she speaks.
"Anne I'm your best friend, you can't just tell me not to care!" Sarah says with a bit too much annoyance in her tone for a best friend in my opinion. "You're not letting yourself be happy, you just need to keep trying, get enough sleep, drink water, and actually move your body and it'll be fine."
Hurt and anger flashes in Anne's eyes. "Easy enough for you to say that." Anne snaps back. Sarah looks like she's been slapped and walks away sniffling with tears. Bit of an overreaction I think, but that's fine. Until I see the look in Anne's face. Then it's a lot less fine.
I try not to growl as I watch Anne walk unsteadily to the buffet. She struggles to hold the plate and keep her own balance, some people offer to put things on her plate when she's standing beside them, but no one offers to help her carry it to a table. Anne manages quite impressively with the two crutches and the plate of food, I definitely don't think it would be an easy task.
Then someone walks right into her and both Anne and the plate go crashing into the ground. I stand up suddenly. The person turns around and Anne looks up at him in slight shock. He leans down and she puts her hand out to accept the help up when he reaches straight past her and picks up one of her crutches. "Goddess, Anne!" He yells, I start walking over. "You need to get over yourself, it's pathetic seeing you limp around, you could at least try to be useful to the pack."
My fist connects with Asshole the 2nd's face and he stumbles back. I turn to Anne who is shaking and clearly in pain. "What the fuck you bitch." Asshole the 2nd spits at me.