Chapter 25 - 24. Claiming Dilemma

In Dante's cave, an impatient and bored omega was waiting for the return of her dominant who would come back soon. The beta who had spent his afternoon on the hunt was helping to butcher today's preys. Cherry, who couldn't wait in her nest, had come to wait for the hunter to return. Sprawled on her lover's bed in her werewolf form, she listened to outside sounds in anticipation of his return. Truthfully, it wasn't her fiancé the young werewolf was waiting for, but a valid excuse to visit Eden's cave.

It had been almost two days since Cherry and Dante had left their friend who was experiencing his first heat with the alpha who was his fated mate. After leaving them twenty-four hours together, she had been caught wandering accidentally, she said, near the male omega's cave. Much to her disappointment, neither the puppy eyes nor the friendship card opened her the way, highly guarded by two men under the command of the Alpha.

She was also unable to approach the two humans who had been placed in a remote part of the cave, also under close surveillance. Access was simply doomed and the teenager was agonizing over being kept at bay. Ever since Eden suddenly went into heat during the banquet and his alpha shielded him from potential rivals, the golden omega and his mate were the number one topic of gossip and not just within the pack.

Indeed, after his son's assault was prevented, Alpha Silver unceremoniously sent the invited alphas home. The six who had tried to claim Eden under the influence of the pheromones had received particularly cold treatment from the leader.

To be exact, just throwing them out of the cave's pack was a huge favor from the traditional pack leader. Indeed, in other packs, assaulting an omega that suddenly entered its heat cycle wouldn't even be seen as a crime. However, in Bloodhood where the Subs are being treated favorably, what these Dominants attempted to do, to the son of the alpha at that, was unforgivable. The others who weren't close enough to attempt anything had escaped Silver Bloodhood's cold anger, but not the utter indifference he displayed now that he had learned of the existence of his son's fated mate. The Dominants had been sent back to their pack and some had made no secret of their annoyance.

After their departure, Silver had visited the two humans who had accompanied Eden's fated mate several times. Cherry had tried to find out some fresh news about them from her mother-in-law who had been assigned to treat one of the men, but the healer remained silent. With her fiancé who had been on duty for a good part of the day, Cherry was in agony. Her curiosity needed to be fed. It had to or her imagination would keep being wild. She groaned in frustration and flipped to lie on her back. She was staring at the ceiling, lifeless when noises caught her attention at the cave entrance.

"It's rare for you to be here." Dante walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. The young woman turned her head towards her lover and gave him her first real smile of the day.

"I was waiting for you. Let's go see Eden!" she said with sparkling eyes.

"What?"

"I'm dying to know! Don't you want to check if his alpha marked him? If he marked him, do you think it will be a normal mark like other omega's or will it be something special? Also… "

"Babe, calm down, let them be!" he chuckled.

"I can not! I want to know! Let's go together! If you're with me, maybe they will let us go through. "

"I don't want to."

"Anw. C'mon… Just a minute… "

"I said I won't."

The burst of voice had startled the female omega who stared at her dominant with a surprised expression. Her man wasn't the type to get angry or lose patience easily. She knew her request was whimsical, but it wasn't the first time she had made one like that and it had never been a problem. She frowned and straightened up before turning her mate's face to her.

"Tell me what it is."

"It's nothing bad… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. " He pressed his forehead against his omega's and remained there, with his eyes closed for a few seconds.

"If it's nothing, then talk to me."

Her words were soothing his mood and the man pulled away slowly. Thoughtful, he peeked at the girl next to him, pondering if it was a good idea to speak then sighed.

"Eden is moving on so it makes me think about us as well and…" He paused and Cherry waited for him to resume, but the beta was deep in his thoughts. He bit his lower lip and suddenly turned to his mate.

"Can I claim you? I'm well aware that it's stupid for me to feel this reckless because you already have my engagement mark, but I want to claim you and I want you to know that I'm ready if you're ready too. "

"I don't get what brings this. Is it some rivalry because of Eden's alpha? Your best friend probably has a bonded mate by now so you want one too?"

The young beta snorted and shook his head. "It's just that the way he was flustered when we suggested that he took care of Eden's heat the most intimate way made me realize that we have been engaged for a very long time. We're an old couple. You're not even blushing anymore when I scent you."

"It's not like you're blushing neither." The omega answered with a cute pout. "I know that you're ready, but... I'm sorry I still want us to wait. You know my reasons. I don't want to be a burden. Eden's amazing. Not only as an omega but as a werewolf. He's strong and his mate seems even stronger. I'm weak and if one day something should happen to me, I know you'd end up doing something thoughtless so I'd like to wait until your dad and Alpha Silver say you're ready. "

"Babe nothing will ever ..."

"We don't know what could happen. This is why our pack respects the tradition of claiming an omega only when the dominant is ready. I know you're strong but there are situations where strength alone is not enough. I don't want to put you in a situation where you'll have to ponder your choices because of me. "

The beta sighed, frustrated but surrendered to his mate's choice. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in a tight embrace. She stayed silent for a moment then talked against his chest in a muffled voice.

"I still want to check Eden's mark."

The beta burst into laughter and squeezed his lover's flimsy body. She flailed helplessly to escape the hug.

"Leave them alone." He said firmly but gently and pulled away to kiss her. A kiss that conveyed all his feelings.

__________

Everything was dark. Total darkness surrounded the male omega. He was lying on something hard and cool like a stone floor. Eden turned his head and despite his werewolf vision, he perceived only the darkness, compact and impervious.

What happened to him? What was this place? The youngster sharpened his other senses to find clues. It was then that he noticed a faint ringing echoing inside his head. He focused on it and suddenly the sound that sounded like a chime increased. The two notes echoed in his head like an alert. What disturbed Eden was that the sound wasn't coming from the room, but from inside his head. What was that? The moment he thought that something appeared in front of him. A holographic screen. Eden closed his eyes and the pale blue rectangle disappeared.

His heart pounded in his chest and fear gripped the omega. He had no idea what to do. Had he imagined things? He opened his eyes slowly and the screen popped up at the same time casting a soft blue light that allowed him to see where he was. It wasn't a dream. This thing was in front of him and it seemed to exist inside his head.

He wasn't an enemy of flesh and blood that he could fight, so Eden was unsettled. The teenager's pulse grew more and more unsteady. The beats echoed in his head, keeping company with the ringing that still hadn't stopped. He decided to watch more closely and noticed that a message was displayed.

[Congratulations. You have met the prerequisite. Start? YES / NO]

The message, written in bright white letters, appeared before Eden's eyes. He took his eyes off the screen and detailed where he was.

The room looked large and it was completely dark. He redirected his attention to the rectangle that strangely reminded him of the video game interface. The werewolf had never had consoles, as his pack was traditional. However, thanks to his smartphone, he had already tried some games. He took a chance and spoke out loud.

"Yes."

A dazzling light illuminated the room and Eden couldn't help but close his eyes. When he opened them again, the screen was gone and a will-o'-the-wisp of the same light blue color was in front of him. He was the size of a man, at least that's how Eden looked. The werewolf stared at the phenomenon like he was hypnotized. He took one step forward and then another. He continued until he realized he couldn't approach. No matter how many steps he took, it always stayed the same distance. Eden frowned and observed the strange blue flame silently waving in front of him. The ringing started again inside his head and soon the screen materialized again before his eyes.

[The messenger of the Moon Goddess wishes to speak to you. Initiate contact? YES / NO]

The Goddess of the Moon? The only one divinity of his kind? The one who grants them their capacity and who, according to the ancient legends, is at the origin of their existence?

While there is no exact date that marks the appearance of the very first of its kind, there are several oral histories within Bloodhood that tell their legend. According to what had been passed down from generation to generation, werewolves were born during a time when human civilization was little developed. Men still fought for their territory with handcrafted spears and bows.

As a great war broke out between several clans, a pack of wolves fought alongside men with whom the animals lived in perfect harmony. Both respected each other and when the war reached the clan the wolves protected them at the risk of their own lives. At the end of the war, the pack of wolves was blessed by the Moon Goddess who offered them human souls as a reward for their sacrifice and devotion. From then on, the wolves of this pack and their descendants were able to take human form. Today, this story was considered the only clue to their origins.

The omega's heart had calmed down and started to stir again. Was he dreaming or was it really happening? He didn't know the place, so it must have been a dream, yet something whispered to him that it was reality.

Dream or real, it doesn't matter, this entity was waiting for his answer. The teenager swallowed and this time gave his answer in a slightly trembling voice.

"Yes"

The will-o'-the-wisp in front of him grew and its light intensified forcing Eden to look away. By the time he could finally open them again, the flame had returned to its original form. A voice then echoed in the room.

"Salutations to the Chosen One. To receive the blessing of the Moon Goddess and gain strength, the Chosen One must pass the trials. Do you agree to take the tests? "

Gain strength? Could he get stronger even being an omega? Eden couldn't believe his ears. If he could get stronger, maybe he could be a real asset to his pack. Now that he even added a fated mate, their pack could only gain strength. Bloodhood would be safe from harm and enemies like Crescent Moon pack. Once again, the Omega wondered if he was dreaming. It could only be a dream, right? Either way, what did he have to lose? He stared at the will-o'-the-wisp that continued to wave in front of him.

"Yes". He answered this time in a clear and confident voice. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so why hesitate?

Eden woke up. A sweet smell enveloped him. The pleasant and comforting scent had dispersed into every nook and cranny of his cave and the omega felt calm and soothed as he had never been before. The omega opened his eyes and saw he was in his nest.

His memories were disparate. He felt a weight on him and wondered if Cherry and Dante had come to spend the night with him again. He looked down at the hand that constricted his waist that he didn't recognize and frowned. The teen tried to pull away from the tight embrace, but only managed to tighten the grip around his chest. A breath tickled the base of his neck and he felt a kiss as light as a caress on his shoulder. His heart raced and the young man started to remember.

His mate! He has a mate! A fated one at that! A hot and handsome mate!

On the evening of the banquet, he had met his fated mate. Eden felt his cheeks heat up with emotion. The hue changed from pink to crimson red when he realized he was naked. He remembered that his meeting with his mate was also the night he went through his first heat.

The omega panicked, screaming inwardly with every bit of memory that came back to him. He remembered the way his fated mate had embraced him and the kiss they had shared. Raising his hand to his neck, he found out he hadn't been claimed yet. That's good. He wanted this to be done without the pheromones and any loss of control getting in the way. He wriggled to turn around and face the alpha embracing him tenderly. When his eyes rested on the still sleeping man, his heart finally felt complete. The heartbeats that were echoing in his head calmed down.

He detailed every inch of the face of the man. His deep black hair contrasted with his skin, pale with a slight pinkish tinge. The omega lifted a finger and gently brushed the delicate lashes that decorate the eyelids. His finger then slipped on the slightly hollowed cheek and finished its course by passing along the mouth whose pink and fleshy lips called for a kiss. Eden hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had the right to kiss this man sleeping next to him. Then he remembered that he was his alpha and that they had kissed during his heat. He leaned on and closed his eyes and pecked at the soft lips. He pulled away, opened his eyes, and froze. Before his eyes, a holographic screen appeared.

What the hell?