Tidings of Comfort and Joy
Disclaimer: Patricia Briggs owns Alpha and Omega, I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Ch1: Hide and Seek
*Aspen Creek, Montana; December*
APOV
I knew Charles and the others were getting suspicious and worried about my odd behavior. It was only a matter of time before someone demanded answers. The last thing I wanted to do was runaway, but it was the only course of action that made sense because I couldn't keep my secret much longer. My husband had already started to suspect that how I'd been acting went beyond the death of my father.
Thankfully, I'd managed to slowly stash the essentials that I'd need over the past couple of months. All that was left was to pack some more clothes into my pink backpack and I'd head out before Charles got back from his meeting with the Marrok. With the last of my clothes packed away, I hefted the backpack on my shoulders then left out the back door after I dropped a note on the table for my mate.
It had started to snow just before I finished packing and from the news reports, the storm would be pretty bad. That meant there'd be no trace of my tracks, I nodded smugly to myself then bolted into the woods. I had roughly two and half hours of steady hiking in order to reach my destination, the last place anyone would think to look for me.
At noon, I reached my destination, an old Indian Lodge that was over a couple of centuries old but was well kept. The storm had gotten progressively worse during my trek and I'd been glad that the forest had protected me from the brunt of it but now there was about fifty feet of open space from the tree line to the Lodge. My thighs were already on fire from the forced march so I mustered up what reserves I had left and sprinted the remaining distance as best I could.
The wind whipped through the little clearing the Indian Lodge was in. I had made inside just a little worse for wear. I dropped the backpack then made a fire; it wasn't long before the entire place was toasty warm. I stripped out of my jacket and then my boots before curling up on the bed for a nap. Tonight was the night of the full moon and I needed plenty of rest. The spirit of Blue Jay Woman appeared and sang softly in Salish until I drifted off into a deep sleep, I was safe now.
CPOV
I arrived home from my meeting with Da to find it quiet, too quiet. At first, I thought that Anna might just be asleep so I went into the kitchen to make us some hot chocolate, and then headed back to our bedroom. Anna wasn't there and rapid search of the house revealed she wasn't home at all. I went back into the kitchen and placed the mugs on the counter. I remembered that my wife had a lesson today with Asil and then she was going Christmas shopping with Sage.
There was a feeling in the back of my mind that told me that something was off. That Anna was in some kind of trouble. I called Asil and asked to speak to my wife, if I heard her voice then everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. The Moor said that Anna had cancelled there lesson for today and that she'd missed her last few lessons. He sounded concerned about her. When I asked about her shopping trip with Sage, the ancient lobo told me that Anna had cancelled her trip with his new mate as well.
Brother Wolf was starting to panic by the time I'd gotten off the phone with Asil. We paced back and forth across the kitchen while I attempted regain some control. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a piece of paper that had been blown off the table. I picked it and scanned what was written on it.
Dearest Charles,
I love you with all of my heart and soul. I don't want you to worry about us, I'll be back soon. Please don't come looking for me.
Love,
Anna
I let the note slip from my fingers as I bolted back into the bedroom. I found my mate's backpack missing, along with some warm clothes. She'd left me. In a daze, I tried to throw open our Mate Bond but found that she'd already constricted it so I wouldn't be able to find her. Brother Wolf and I were in full panic now.
Mate, peace; we are safe. We will come back when the time is right. We love you, Lady Wolf whispered in my head.
Every time I'd heard Lady Wolf in my mind it was like a lover's caress. Anna's wolf had only started talking to me like Brother Wolf spoke to her for about six months now. It was a precious gift and I treasured it as such. Unfortunately, Lady Wolf's message hadn't eased the panic and it nearly bubbled over.
Son, what's wrong? I'm on my way…, my father's voice spoke in my head this time and I grabbed the phone.
"Da, Anna is gone. Pick up Asil and Sage then bring them over here," I said in an almost dead tone when my Da answered his cell phone.
The three werewolves arrived twenty minutes later. Once I filled them in on everything, Da took over. Tonight being the full moon meant the Pack would be out hunting. Anna's absence would be noted but there was nothing that could be done about that now. As he and I needed to stay with the Pack for the bulk of the hunt, my father ordered Asil and Sage to stay at the back of the Pack so that they could break away and start looking for our wayward Omega. She'd been on foot when she left the house, so she couldn't have gotten far.
SPOV
We left Charlie's place with clothes for him and Bran in a waterproof bag, then head our separate ways. 'Sil and I stopped by our place to add clothes to the bag and then I was to find a good place to hide it in the forest. When the task was completed, my mate and I ate a light lunch and cuddled on the couch until it was time to leave.
The Pack assembled at the usual spot just outside of town. Everyone milled about chatting while we waited for the moon. Many members were already partially under the spell of her song. At the appointed time, Bran stepped onto a large flat rock and looked out over the assembly.
"It is time," he said simply as he stripped out of his clothes and changed.
Everyone followed his lead and soon there were numerous wolf howls that filled the night. When the last member of the pack had changed, Bran and our resident Queen Bitch – his mate Leah led us into the woods. Charles, as his second, took up position at the rear in order to protect us from any threats.
As soon as we were sure nobody would notice my mate and I slipped away from the Pack to hunt down our "special" prey. The two of us trotted through the trees for a few minutes before 'Sil's wolf stopped and closed his eyes. After a brief pause, he ran in what seemed like a random direction. We'd doubled back and were on the far side of Charlie's property when I saw a flash of movement.
At first, I thought it was just a trick of the light, but then I saw it again. A naked woman was barely visible as she ran through the trees. My mate had noticed it too, one look from me and he bolted back to where the pack was hunting while I ghosted after the female. For some odd reason, I couldn't pick up her scent or find any footprints she'd left behind. It was almost as if she were a ghost.
Eventually, I located a small clearing with an old Indian Lodge in it. I recognized the structure as being similar to a painting in the Marrok's study. Smoke drifted lazily out of the roof and a flickering light could be seen from inside. I trotted over to the entrance and found my way inside. Anna's scent was all over as I explored the ancient structure. As quickly as I had come, I left the building and waited in the trees for the others to return.
BPOV
The Pack had just finished with the hunt and the wolves were breaking off to play when I noticed Asil's return. He sat on his haunches by the large wolf that was my son. I spared Leah a glance; she was too busy cleaning herself from the hunt to notice anything. With a soft snort of disgust, I made my way to my son and the Moor.
Asil had taken the lead as we ghosted away from the rest of the pack. We stopped long enough to pick up the bag of clothes Sage had hidden earlier. When we reached the other side of my son's property, I knew where Anna was hiding. I didn't need to look back at Charles to know he had figured it out as well.
We picked up the picked up the pace until we met up with Sage. She picked up the bag from where my son had dropped it then trotted off to the Lodge. She left it inside and rejoined us. There was movement in the trees to the side of the Lodge, so I gave silent orders to the others to converge on that spot.
A very naked Anna was dragging a dead deer towards the Lodge. Blood covered the front of her and glistened off her teeth and claws. For some reason, she'd only partially transformed. Halfway to her hide out, she sensed us and froze. Silently, we showed ourselves. Anger then fear flickered through her eyes and she tensed her body for a fight. Omegas by their very nature abhor violence; it is part of their magic to bring peace to a Pack. The fact that my daughter, and she was my daughter, was ready to fight spoke volumes about her mental state. Then I caught her unmasked scent and knew why she'd run away.
I mentally told the others to go back to the Lodge. When the others had gone, I slinked forward and gently nipped at her ankle in admonishment and then helped her drag the carcass to the Lodge. Anna had the good sense to mutter low apologies and look contrite. The others had already changed back to human and gotten dressed by the time the two of us had entered.
She ignored the rest of us while she cleaned herself off then got dressed. After a few minutes, she turned to face us. The others could read her apology in her body language but she said the words anyway. When she was finished, Charles was the first to speak.
"Anna will you tell me what's wrong," he asked; that one question covered a multitude of topics.
"I'm three months pregnant," she replied barely above a whisper.
