The Dance of Wolves

Boot camp is done and it’s back home and back to school for me; word got back to my pack about Alma. It’s all good, the kids my age treat me like any other pack member and I feel at ease. I even got a boost in status, after earning the rank of tracker. It’s kind of a big deal since it’s rare for an Omega to get an active, non-support pack role.

Peter and I meet up for runs once a month, sometimes we shift and let Paan and Alma run wild. He’s giving my workout a try to improve himself physically as soon as possible.

“What’s the hurry?” I shrug.

“I just want to be my best self for the Gathering, I want to look good for my mate. Don’t you?” Pete tilts his head as if I were an oddity.

“I guess, I never really thought about it,” I admit, “I won’t be able to do the runs for a while. Senior year homework is kicking my ass and I’m working two part-time jobs to save up for my own place.”

Pete smiles at me knowingly, thinking I have my own way to get ready for my mate. “That’s cool, just give me a call and we’ll catch up when we can.”

I spend the rest of the year diving into my work like a madman. The Gathering comes and goes. Peter found his mate, a kind, beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. Her name is Belle and she’s a talented mechanical engineer. If it has a motor, she can fix it. Somehow, I’m not surprised at his good fortune.

Truth be told, I feel like the goddess gave me a she-wolf to complete me. I don’t feel a particular drive to have pups either; maybe it’s because my male body is out of sync with Alma’s. I don’t get heats or yearn to feel pups grow in my womb because I don’t have one.

My thoughts worry Alma. “I love you Aksal, but you need touch. You need to connect deeply with someone who’s not me.”

“What are the odds of finding a girl with a male wolf, huh? Can you imagine feeling drawn to another she-wolf if I find a girl and settle down? Your instincts weren’t wired for that. It’s equally unlikely to find a guy with a wolf that wants pups we can’t give him. Face it, there is no one for us anywhere!”

I don’t mean to raise my voice. I just felt so agitated suddenly. “I’m sorry Alma, can we drop this? I don’t want to argue.”

When people see me, they only see what is different- that used to bother me as an Omega; but since I’ve bonded with my Alma, I’ve chosen to own those differences instead of hiding them. Who needs a mate?

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Author’s note: First, thanks for joining Aksal on his journey towards accepting himself and his she-wolf spirit in Part 1 of The Dance of Wolves, I hope you enjoyed it and had a laugh or three. Part 2 of the story is focused on how the bonding of a she-wolf spirit and a male shifter came to be and on the potential for Aksal to find a mate. Part 2 was written with an adult audience in mind because it does contain some erotica.