Well things are certainly beginning to get interesting for both our couples, so here's the next chpater.

Disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters or film rights

Chapter Three

Moving up amongst the Pack, Part One

Awoken by her growling stomach the following morning, Kate lifted her head from the where it laid buried deep into the side of Humphrey's neck and slowly getting to her paws, licked her tongue over the sides of her snout. Tenderly licking her beloved over the side of his snout, a few moments later, she was reluctant to leave his side but if she didn't get something to eat soon than she would be no better off then him. Hopping down from the half moon shaped boulder, Kate strolled over to where Rebe and Janice lay in a nearby out cove and gently placing a paw upon each of there shoulders began to shake them awake.

'Who's there?' Rebe asked sleepily, lifting her head from where it lay across her siblings neck, 'Janice, is that you?'

'No Rebe, its Kate, I going out for a bit and as the strongest wolf in this den I'm ordering you and Janice to keep Humphrey warm until I get back,' Kate growled in a commanding tone, 'He shouldn't give you to much trouble since his stilling sleeping but so would I be if I had done what he did for me last night. Now if he should wake before I return, it's the responsibility of one of you the come get me. Do either of you know of the clearing just south west of here.'

'We sure do, the underbrush there is full of a variety of wonderful tasting berries,' Janice growled, slowly opening her eyes yowling as she woke up, 'But we thought, we were the only ones that knew about it.'

'Well you aren't because Humphrey and I used to hideout, there all the time when we were younger,' Kate growled, in a less commanding tone this time as joyful memories of the days they spent playing and napping under those branches came flooding back; how much simpler life was for them back then, free to do as they pleased with no titles to restrict there inter actions, 'The very same berries you two eat, also happen to attract a plentiful bounty of small mammals which I intend on using to build up Humphrey's strength once more and then we can be on our way.'

'Kate, all of us Omegas always knew there was something special about Humphrey, we're just glad that you are finally able to see it as well,' Rebe growled, now slowly getting to her paws so that her sister could stand as well, 'Go hunt, you can rest easy knowing that Humphrey is in good paws, it would be an honor to keep him warm until your return.'

'Thank you, both of you,' Kate growled softly smiling at the Omega sisters, 'It was long overdue but I finally came to my senses, hopefully it wasn't too little to late.'

'If anyone can pull through this, it's Humphrey, he's far stronger than he looks and has as big a heart as any wolf could wish for. As a matter of fact I don't think you could find a more determined, caring, and lovingly devoted wolf in all of Jasper,' Rebe growled, turning to look at Humphrey's sleeping form on the flat topped boulder adjacent to the three of them, 'Now I don't mean your father any disrespect, Kate, but if he saw Humphrey in the same light we do and always have, he would have made Humphrey a Beta instead of an Omega but since the likelihood of that every happening were slim, us Omegas decided that at least within the confines of our den he would be treated as such and that's how come he has the best sleeping spot of all of us.'

'I figured out that much just from the way all of you behaved, when you came into the den last night and found me cuddling with him,' Kate growled, flashing a warm loving smiling at her sleeping beloved, 'Humphrey is lucky to have so many great friends such as yourselves, though I doubt he sees himself as Beta material.'

'No Kate, we are the lucky ones to have someone the likes of Humphrey to look up to because it gives all of us the hope that maybe one day we could be as strong and determined as him,' Janice growled, now standing on her paws as well, 'But as his friends we can only lay claim to a small portion of his love, the majority of which belongs to you, so you had better treat him well.'

'Don't worry, I assure both of you, that's one mistake I wouldn't be repeating even if it means leaving Jasper for good,' Kate growled, 'I never would have been able to get back home if it wasn't for him and after everything that he has been through, I thinks about time he had someone whom loved him to call his own. I'll be back as soon as I can.'

Then walking back over to where Humphrey lay, tenderly touched her nose to that of his before climbing down from the boulder and heading for the dens entrance. As Rebe and Janice lay down on either side of Humphrey, a few moments later, the identical sisters watched as Kate used her paws to shake Salty awake and ordered him to keep watch until she returned from hunting. Satisfied that her beloved was well tended and safe amongst his friends from any Alpha that might be in the area, the golden furred she-wolf disappeared into a stand of trees a few meters southwest of the Onega den and went on the hunt. It was going on seven days since the last time she hunted and with her first attempt upon her return from Alpha school, having been ruined by starving members of the Eastern pack, needed this one to be successful because Humphrey's injured body required strength to heal and the best way for him to get the energy it needed was fresh meat, not berries and plants.

Emerging on the other side of the tree line, five minutes later, Kate came upon the hidden clearing in which she had wasted away countless an afternoon playing with her beloved as pups. Using the bushes that encircled the clearing as cover, Kate scanned the meadow for any signs of movement with her eyes and clearly spotting several moving patches of light brown fur amongst a vast sea of green grass, felt her mouth beginning to water hungrily. Licking her tongue over the sides of her snout as she crouched, Kate locked her eyes on a group of rabbits and patiently waiting until the moment was just right pounced on top of her quarry. After a short chase succeeding in killing two of three she was after, Kate easily snapped there short necks with her powerful jaws and picking up there twitching corpses retreated back to the tree line once more. Laying the slain rabbits at the base of a nearby tree, a few moments later, the she-wolf returned her gaze to the now calm clearing in front of her and waited to see what else might catch her hunter's eye. Occasionally glancing back at her kills, to make sure both were still where she had left them, Kate conserved what energy she had for going after prey.

Deeply sighing at her lack luster results, a short time later, she carefully picked up her two kills with her snout and turning away from the clearing headed back toward the Omega den. For an Alpha the likes of her whom graduated top of her class from Alpha school, the idea of just returning home with only two rabbits was disheartening especially when she had been trained to stake and kill far larger game such as deer and caribou but at least the hunt was successful even if she only managed to bag two lowly rabbits. Walking back into the Omega den, Kate laid the slain rabbits on top of the boulder and gently nudged Rebe to get her attention.

'The hunting wasn't a successful as I would have liked but it will keep him going for another day maybe two,' Kate growled, as Rebe and Janice got to there paws, 'Thanks again for looking after, Humphrey while I was out.'

'It was nothing really,' Janice growled, turning her head and looked Kate directly in the eyes before continuing, 'Kate, if you ever need our help again don't be afraid to ask, ok. You aren't the only one here who's worried about him you know, all of us are.'

'Ok, Janice, if there's anything, that I can every do for either of you just ask,' Kate growled back.

'Kate, just be the best possible mate, you can be to Humphrey and that will suffice,' Rebe growled, before hopping down from the boulder.

Acknowledging the tenderness behind there sentiment with a nod of her head as Janice hopped down form the boulder, Kate leaned down and torn one of the two rabbits in half and picking up the front half of the torn rabbit in her snout strolled over toward Salty and laid it at his paws. Lying down behind Humphrey, a few moments later, the golden furred she-wolf hungrily devoured the second half of the rabbit she had torn in two. Still hungry Kate stared at the one rabbit that was left hungrily, despite her best efforts to remember she had purposely left it for her beloved to eat when he woke up, her own hunger got the best of her and she lunged for it. Just as she was about to swallow her first bite, a few moments later, Kate felt a subtle moment issue from beside her. Swallowing the sweet succulent meat that filled her snout, as the movement steadily increased, Kate felt tears of relief and happiness well up in the corners of her eyes. Lovingly pinning Humphrey to the boulders top surface as his eyes opened and he tried to get to his paws, she tucked her head underneath that of his and began to intensely nuzzle him; calming him instantly. Sharing in the couple's happy moment and sharing Kate's relief that Humphrey was finally awake, the Omegas got to their paws and left the den to give the couple some privacy.

'Kate, why are you crying,' Humphrey asked, feeling the large pearly tears striking against the underside of his neck more concerned about her than his own injures, 'Did one of the other pack members, say something to upset you cause if they have just tell me who it was and I shall give them a piece of my mind?'

'No, Humphrey, its nothing like that at all,' Kate growled, now tenderly rubbing her check over the side of his neck lovingly, 'These are tears of joy, my love, you've had me and all of your friends worried sick. Now promise me that you wouldn't ever do anything that stupid ever again, do have any idea how powerless I felt sitting there, watching as Garth viciously beat you like that.'

'I never meant the cause you any worry, Kate,' Humphrey growled, closing his eyes feeling the profound love behind Kate's tender, loving actions, 'It broke my heart to learn that you were going to marry that jerk, Garth, just to satisfy your father. So I figured if I was going the loss you anyway ,than I might as well go out fighting because then at least in my mind I would have died with honor, knowing that I fought for the right to be with the one I loved.'

'As stupid as it was for you to challenge Garth like that I'm glad you did because it helped my find the confidence I needed to finally tell my father just how I really felt about him marrying me off like that,' Kate growled softly, closing her eyes briefly, 'Garth is a great wolf but he's not the right fit for me however there is one wolf who is the right fit for me, only my father was never willing to gave him a chance to prove his worth. Ever since I was a young pup there is only one wolf that I loved and that wolf is you, Humphrey, my heart belongs to you, it always has and always will.'

'That's what you wanted to tell me back on the box car, isn't Kate,' Humphrey growled, partially opening his closed eyes and smiling softly at the shear happiness he brought his beloved childhood friend.

'It was going to be something along those lines but just as I was about to confess the true depth of my feelings to you, I saw the fight that was brewing down in the gully and had to but a stop to that at once,' Kate growled opening her closed eyes, 'Sorry about how my mom reacted last night, she tends to be a little bit too over protective at times.'

'It wasn't exactly the warm homecoming I expected to receive either, but I'm just glad everything turned out alright in the end,' Humphrey growled softly, 'If I had to do it all over again, there isn't one thing I would change.'

'There is one thing that I would have changed however, my love,' Kate growled just as softly, 'Instead of squashing your hopes, of the two of us becoming mates and ultimately having a family of our own, I would have been more open to the idea. And if I felt we complimented one another nicely after a period of time, than I would have sent Marcel or Paddy back here to tell my folks not to worry anymore because I realized that my ideal mate had been beside me all my life and even though he was only an Omega to them, in my eyes at least he was an Alpha of the highest quality and more deserving of my paw than any wolf back here in Jasper.'

'Kate, you really mean that,' Humphrey growled, taken back that Kate would give up everything she ever knew just so that the two of them could be together, 'You would have considered never returning to the only home you've ever known, just so that we could spend the rest of our lives together.'

'Humphrey, I do love it here in Jasper and it would be great if we could raise a family here as well but its not my home, at least not anymore,' Kate growled, ceasing her affectionate actions and laying her head against the side of her beloved Omegas neck, 'If there's anything that I have learned over these past few days, its made me realize that Jasper was never really my true home in the first place, my true home was always your side. Now that you're awake, I hope you're hungry because I have a freshly slaughtered rabbit here with your name on it.'

'Now that you mention it, darling, I am feeling sort of hungry but I don't know if I have the strength to chew it,' Humphrey growled, suddenly feeling like a burden on his beloved, 'That fight I had with Garth took quite a bit out of me, tell me I don't look as bad as I feel.'

'I think it was very brave and chivalrous for you to do what you did, sweetie, and with me tending to your wounds, you'll be back on your paws before you knew it,' Kate growled, lifting her head from where it lay upon the side of Humphrey's neck and detecting the burdensome note in his voice lovingly added, 'Until you're strong enough to do it on your own again, I'll be more than happy to per-chew your food for you. It will be good practice for when we have a liter of hungry of pups, of our own to care for and besides that I want my mate to be in top health before we journey back to where we belong.'

'And just pray tell where might that be, dear,' Humphrey growled, feeling like less of a burden on Kate slightly and overjoyed that she now thought of the two of them as being mates, 'And what's this about us being mates, I know that we howled at the moon together as we rode the train but if I recall correctly, doesn't it go against pack law for an Alpha and Omega to become mates.'

'It dose, honey,' Kate growled, softly smiling down at her beloved, 'So that's why when you are well enough to travel again, were catching the first train south and heading back to Saw Tooth. The humans sent us down there with a purpose, so why shouldn't we return. It seemed like a nice enough place to raise a family, plenty of food and fresh water and like Marcel said he had never seen wolves there before, why down there we could even establish a pack of own, if we'd like. I only hope that we can hide out here, until that day comes.'

'A part from you, darling, no other Alphas usually come to this side of pack territory, so we should be safe and I'm pretty tight with all of the Omegas here so you can trust that, they wouldn't reveal our location should an Alpha just so happen to cross their path,' Humphrey growled, confident that his fellow Omegas would keep quiet, 'And if they can't seem to keep their snouts firmly shut about us, then I guess those responsible will just have to the feel the painful sting of my teeth and claws.'

'Oh I'm sure it wouldn't have to come down to something like that, sweetie,' Kate growled, lightly nuzzling him with her snout, 'As a matter of fact, I know it wouldn't because you see in the eyes of your friends, you're no ordinary Omega but something better, a Beta wolf, and I must agree with them cause an Omega would have never fought with the heart and determination you did last night, that's something only a Beta or Alpha would have done. But then again in my eyes you have always been an Alpha trapped inside the body of an Omega, so for me to think of you as a Beta wolf would be a step down from me usual thoughts, so I'll just continue to think of you as I always have.'

Ceasing her light nuzzling, a few moments later, Kate tenderly touched her nose to that of Humphrey's and gently bit him upon the ear, signifying that as far as she was concerned they were mates and had been from the very first moment they met as pups but were just to young to really understand what it meant at the time. Retrieving the rabbit from where it lay behind them, the she-wolf tore off a piece of the sweet succulent flesh and partially chewed it before leaning down over him, so that her beloved could lick the mashed meat from inside her mouth. Inwardly giggling at the sight they must have looked like, if someone was watching them from the entrance of the Omega den, Kate felt more like a new mother feeding her pups than a mate tending to her injured companion but she took it all in stride because as a result of all the wounds he had received during the fight with Garth, Humphrey was in no better shape and just as helpless as a new born pup, at least this way he would still get the food he needed to recover even if it was sort of embarrassing for the two of them. Continuing to feed Humphrey in this manner, she fed him until he was full and even licked his snout clean motherly before downing what remained of the rabbit, not wanting it to go to waste; which wasn't much, but there was just enough left to stave the fringes of her remaining hunger at least until that evening or hopefully the following morning. Licking the blood out of her fur, Kate cuddled against Humphrey's back and gently placing her fore paws over his shoulders, buried her snout deep into his black and silver pelt. Deeply breathing in his musky sent, she closed her eyes and drifted of to sleep.

Now that Humphrey is on the road to recovery it shouldn't be long until they leave Jasper for good but before they do he has a bit more of healing up to do and quite a few skills to learn before he can truly be considered a proper Beta wolf but I sure with Kate teaching him it wouldn't take him to long. As always I welcome all opinions, plz R&R