Hey everyone, I'm back after a VERY prolonged absence. I've probably been tinkering with this story now for a solid week, but it's still not exactly perfect.

But, I hope you like it anyways and as always PLEASE leave a review. I love learning from my mistakes and I thrive on compliments, and I will always respond to all reviews.

This is rated T just for some possible language and some possible future themes, but nothing too bad. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy it!

-wolfgangwalker12

-A Beautiful Sickness-

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does.
Love is a battle,
love is a war;
love is a growing up.

-James A. Baldwin

Chapter 1: Emotions Uncovered

The train scampered along the tracks silently and smoothly, snaking its way towards its final destination in Canada. Its cargo was comprised mainly of coal and some other miscellaneous supplies, but it also was carrying two wolves, who stared silently and morosely at the fast approaching Jasper Park. Not a sound could be heard except for the stifled rattle of the train and the lugubrious moan of the wind.

Neither Kate nor her omega counterpart was eager to get back to Jasper, but Kate knew she was bound by her responsibilities, so there they were; home-bound. Kate knew she would miss being on the road with her companion, Humphrey, but she didn't quite know exactly why. Sure he was fun; with that inimitable charm and comical smile that made her feel warm inside. His charisma alone had captivated her, and intoxicated her with a sense of peacefulness that enveloped her entire being. And not to mention he had made the entire ordeal of getting home somewhat pleasurable, which she hadn't expected from him.

Yet, there was still something else between them; a sort of undeniable tension in the air that hung between her and Humphrey like a turbid fog. She couldn't even look at him anymore without feeling an electric jolt run through her, numbing her senses and making her head spin.

Did he get the same feeling? She wondered to herself. Was he having as much trouble as she was making sense of all her mixed emotions towards their friendship?

She couldn't take the silence anymore between her and Humphrey. It made her sick to her stomach thinking about what would happen to their close-knit relationship after they got back home and she married Garth, so she decided to at least tell him how much she had treasured his help over the past few days.

"There's something I-!" She uttered, but was cut off by the silvery wolf beside her, who had just mimicked her word-for-word.

There was a quick moment of shock that registered on Humphrey's face, and Kate herself felt a hot blush rising to her cheeks. They both looked away embarrassingly and then both looked up at each other simultaneously, making the situation even more awkward for the both of them. They were both caught in a moment of silence, each gazing into each other's eyes.

Humphrey finally motioned for her to go first, but Kate found herself at a loss for words. She was caught in the trance of his amazing azure eyes. After a few quick moments, she snapped out of it and returned to the real world again.

But yet, her usually teeming and decisive mind was now at a standstill. What could she tell him now? She couldn't possibly try to explain her confused emotions to him now, especially with them being so close to their destination. So, she simply fumbled out some words about how their whole ordeal had been 'fun' and all he said in return was, "I told you, we make a pretty good team." And now she realized, they truly did.

Despite their differences along the way, they had been able to make it all the way home. Through all of the obstacles, the hardships, and their own emotional struggles, they had remained as one unit, and Kate knew that was more precious than anything waiting for her back home. She was now truly beginning to piece together her complicated mélange that embodied her affections for Humphrey when out of the corner of her eye she saw two familiar looking wolf packs about to tear each other to pieces.

Instinct told her to intervene. Her heart told her to stay there with Humphrey. But, instinct won the upper hand, and she dashed off, leaving Humphrey hanging in mid-sentence.

If only she had known then that she was making a decision that would ultimately change the course of her life forever.

And the next thing she knew, she was dashing into the middle of two soon-to-be warring packs, and announcing that she would be marrying Garth in front of everyone to stop the fighting from culminating any further. But before she had time to realize the consequences of her actions, it was done. She had now just told the world that she would marry Garth and unite the Eastern and Western packs, causing a clamorous uproar from the crowd around her.

She was now being bombarded by some of the other wolves, who were now frantically asking her about every detail of the wedding. Most of the quips were about how perfect Garth was, and that she was the luckiest girl in the world, but for some reason all she could think about was that one forgotten omega, who seemed to have been lost in the anarchy.

They should be cheering for him instead of me. He saved me, and no one is even thanking him. Kate thought angrily.

He's the hero, not me.

She looked on among the chaotic fray of wolves that were now encompassing her on all sides, searching for Humphrey, but even through the crowd she was able to find him. She could spot those dazzling eyes of his from a mile away now. He was looking down at the ground; his usual exuberant self seemingly vacant. He looked up at her, and she stared right back, something she wished she hadn't done. Another electric jolt shot through her as she felt herself cringe in remorse just looking into his eyes. In one glance, she could feel his anger, sadness, and his hurt. But, the eye contact was severed in an instant, as another mob of wolves blocked her view of him. All she wanted to do was see him again, and tell him that everything would be okay.

But nothing is going to be okay between us anymore... she thought wearily.

The last she saw of him, he was turning to leave, walking slowly in the opposite direction. There would be no words of congratulation from him tonight.

But no, this was more important right? Uniting the packs so they wouldn't starve? She couldn't be worrying about Humphrey when she had a whole packs fate on her shoulders. For some reason though, she was still getting the feeling that something had been left unsaid between them.

The last of the milky sunset finally steeped below the mountains, giving way to a silvery ribbon of stars shadowed by the opaque emptiness that was the night sky overhead.

That night, Kate lay looking up mournfully at the night sky as the stars danced around on a stage of pure perpetual blackness. She couldn't sleep, as the thought of Humphrey plagued her mind. For some reason, she thought she had just completely let him down.

That look he had given her back when she had announced the marriage haunted her deeply and reminded her of her unfeeling nature towards him during their time together. She knew she had seemingly used him, yelled at him, and she knew she hadn't given him a scrap of respect the entire time during their adventure, treating him like some unwanted accessory. But she had done something else as well. Something that had agitated the very essence of their friendship, and had sent everything that defined their complicated relationship crumbling down.

Then, in an instant it became all too clear. Her heart dropped, and despair washed over her like a surging tidal wave. She realized why she was so unenthusiastic about marrying Garth, and she understood the feeling she got whenever she looked at Humphrey. Her heart skipped a beat and nearly stopped completely.

"You're in love with an omega… You- you're in love with Humphrey!" She said to herself. The words sounded foreign to her as they rolled off her tongue. It was as if she didn't even know herself anymore. But she did know that she had to accept the fact that she wanted, no, needed Humphrey as more than just a friend, but she knew it could never be a reality. Humphrey was an omega, and she knew just as well as anyone else that they weren't allowed to be together.

The rest of the night, she pondered on how she could explain herself to her father, and how she would tell Humphrey about how she felt towards him. But for some reason, she just couldn't picture her and Humphrey ending up together. It was just so perfect, yet so forbidden. Of course, they could never be with each other unless they ran away, so if he even reciprocated her feelings towards him, they would still have to find a way to escape Jasper and survive outside the park.

It was all so unfair. Why couldn't they just live together in Jasper in peace? Why weren't alphas and omegas allowed to be with one another anyway? It all didn't make much sense to her, but she understood that pack law was everything to them.

As she drifted away, she began to dream of Humphrey. She imagined his face, an image that brought peace and clarity to her befuddled mind. She imagined kissing him, something she had never even considered doing with another wolf, but she trusted Humphrey, and wanted to show him that she truly loved him. He had always been the one since they were cubs, and throughout her life of variables he had been the one true constant. She loved him with all her heart, and she only wished that she could be with him right now to tell him that.

Morning came faster than expected, and Kate bolted upright as soon as the first tendrils of sunlight crept their way into the den. Her heart was racing, and she could feel all of her repressed emotions boiling within her, waiting to be released, waiting to be expressed.

She went straight to her father, Winston, who was still fast asleep.

"Dad," She said quietly as she nudged him. He began to stir, so she nudged him again.

"Dad, wake up. I have to talk to you." She whispered to him again.

"Mmmmmm, what?" He said groggily as he struggled to sit up.

She led her still half asleep father outside their den, so they wouldn't be overheard. "What is it Kate?" Winston said irritably, "It's too early, the wedding doesn't start for a while now."

"Dad," She said pressingly. She was now pacing, and her thoughts began to blur. "I, I, I…" She stuttered, as she fumbled with her words.

"Spit it out Kate, what's going on?" He said, now more urgently than angrily, realizing that there was something wrong with her. Kate's heart beat like a drum in her chest, and she just couldn't put the right words together. She tried to say something, but yet she faltered. A pained expression began to dawn upon her face. After a few long, tedious seconds, she spit out,

"I, I can't get married! Not to Garth anyway…" She said as she lowered her head, looking shamefully at the ground. She knew this would break her father's heart to hear that his daughter didn't even have the fortitude to marry Garth and unite the packs.

Her father didn't utter a word, so she looked up, expecting to be met with a face of shock or disappointment, but instead found the grinning face of her father. It was a look of understanding, and empathy; the last thing she expected from her dad.

"I know Kate… it was wrong of me to expect so much of my little girl. I understand that marriage is a big thing and-"

"No dad!" Kate blurted out indignantly "That's not why dad! I can handle marriage! It's just because I…" But the words were sucked right out of her mouth. Now her plan of going up to her father and saying, "Dad, I love Humphrey, and there's nothing you can do about it!" seemed completely outlandish now.

"What Kate? What's going on?!" Winston asked, now more suspicious than anything.

"Dad… I- I have feelings for someone else."

"Someone else Kate? I never see you socializing with any of the other alpha males during the howls, so who could it possibly be?"

"Um well that's the problem." She said as she let out a nervous chuckle, "The wolf I'm in love with… is- is an omega."

Then Kate did something that shocked her father and herself as well, and did something she hadn't done since she was a pup. She began to cry, letting her tears ebb down her cheeks and plunge to the ground mutely.

Her father gave a hearty laugh and put his paw on her shoulder.

"Kate, dear, you know that just because you're… in love with an omega doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"Yes it does dad! I can never be with him, at least, not around here."

"It's Humphrey isn't it?" He said, still with an unnerving look of serenity to his face.

"How did you know?" She said looking up with an expression of awe, teardrops still clinging to her cheeks, emanating the light of the amber sunrise that now was making its grand ascent into the sky.

"You two have always been close Kate, and I was always afraid that you two would fall in love, so I tried to keep you two further apart, but obviously that backfired."

"I mean, I just can't help having feelings for him. He's always been there for me, and I always feel like I can truly be myself around him. And after he saved me I- I just realized… he was the one. What's wrong with me dad?"

"Nothing's wrong with you Kate, you're just in love, and I understand that. You need to go and tell him how you feel."

Kate was amazed that her dad was actually trying to convince her to tell an omega that she loved him, but she wasn't about to argue with him.

"But dad, I'm afraid that he might not even love me back. What if I call off the wedding and then find he doesn't like me back? Then all I would be doing is hurting the pack. Besides dad, he's an… omega." She winced as the word 'omega' rolled off her tongue like poison.

"Trust me Kate, he loves you. He wouldn't have risked his life to bring you back home if he didn't love you back. You have to open your eyes Kate. Humphrey truly cares about you, and he proved it by helping you get home, even if it meant he couldn't be with you. I know there's a tradition we have upheld for generations about alphas and omegas, but that doesn't mean it's right. You should be able to have a life with whomever you choose. But, can you handle the consequences if you two are caught together?"

"Yes." She said firmly. And she was completely prepared to leave, if that's what had to be done.

"Good," Winston said, "You know I'll always be proud of my little girl, no matter what choices she makes."

Kate smiled, amazed at her father's compassion. "Thanks dad…"

"Well you better hurry Kate. Go and tell him how you feel, and I'll take care of calling off the wedding. Hopefully I can get the other pack to understand your situation, but if I can't you might not be able to come back to Jasper." He said grimly.

"I understand." She said solemnly, as she realized that this could very well be the last exchange she would have with her father if the pack decided to banish her for loving an omega. "Thanks again." She said as she gave him a quick hug and then ran off to go find Humphrey.

She was as happy as ever, knowing that she would finally be able to tell Humphrey how she truly felt, which would take a tremendous burden off her shoulders. She dashed through the woods, shouting his name.

"Humphrey! Humphrey where are you?" She called, but was only met with the howling of the wind and the melodic rustle of aspen leaves and pine needles as they swirled around her in a jamboree of scarlet, tangerine, and jade as the wind took them up into the skies.

She was about to disband her search for him when suddenly, two familiar birds came swooping in.

"Marcel, Patty!" She exclaimed as she approached the birds. "Have you two seen Humphrey anywhere? I can't seem to find him." She asked.

Right away she knew something was wrong.

Marcel looked at Patty, and Patty looked back at Marcel, both exchanging uncomfortable looks.

"Um, Humphrey didn't tell you?" Marcel asked nervously. "Mademoiselle, Humphrey uh… left."

"Left? What do you mean he left? Left where?!" She started to shout angrily.

"Um yes, last night… he boarded the train again and took off." Patty said. "He seemed pretty upset, and I assume it had something to do with you perhaps?" Both of them shot her an accusing look. Kate bowed her head in shame. She knew that they were right and she was the one who had caused this whole ordeal.

She was the one who had caused him to leave.

"Yes it did have something to do with me…" She said, eyes still fixed on the cold, dank ground underneath her feet. "I know that I hurt him and now I need to make things right." Kate said urgently. "Now show me which way he went!" She demanded, with renewed ferocity, as she glared daggers at the two birds, making the hair on the back of their necks go rigid with fear.

"Um…" Marcel gulped, trying to hide his fear. "Alright, we will show you where he went, but you better hurry. The next train could be here anytime."

Kate immediately began to sprint in the general direction of the train tracks, with Marcel and Patty on her tail.

Her love for him was so strong that there was no danger she wouldn't brave to get to him. She had to reach him, even if it meant risking her heritage, her future, and her safety. She would give it all up for Humphrey, and that's what scared her the most.

Well, there it is and again I hope you liked it! As always, you can check out my profile for updating times and other information regarding my stories. You can also PM me if you have any other questions/comments/suggestions/etc.

And again, be sure to leave a quick review. Thanks!

Until next time,
-wolfgang