My mate was pretty. The prettiest. Soft pale skin with dark brown hair. Eyes the darkest of greens, like forest. When first saw him, I felt all air leave me.

He looked so hurt and sick, but he was mine. When he fell to the ground, nothing else mattered. He fell just like Grandfather did, making tears nearly fall from my eyes.

I brought him to the house and made sure his hands and feet were tucked under the covers. I growled low and deep as the twinge of iron hit my nose. There was a metal thing around my mate's neck and it was hurting him. I had to be very careful, but I bent it until it broke, easing it from my mate's neck. A whimper left my throat at the color around his throat. There was similar coloring around his wrists and ankles; I noticed every detail the moment I saw him.

I quickly grabbed a bowl with water, gently cleaning the blood from his neck and crusted and dried blood that was scattered in different places on his body. I brushed the back of my finger against his rib through his shirt, my heart hurting in my chest.

When he woke up, he was looking at me suspiciously, but I had hoped by bringing him Grandfather's favorite stew, that it would make him happy. It did! For first bite. Then he coughed, scaring me. I wanted to make sure his throat was okay, but he suddenly became scared of me.

I pulled my hand back. I must have hurt him! Now mate would think I'm a monster like everyone else!

I hurried away, ashamed of myself. I couldn't even be good. Why did I have to be bad? I nearly sobbed, pacing in the kitchen, wringing my worn hands.

I peeked my head around the corner of the kitchen, my mate looking at me. I quickly grabbed a clean shirt and pants for him, his other clothes seeming not able to keep out cold anymore. I was happy he took them and he said yes to more soup!

A warm happiness filled my heart when little snores and snuffles left him. The soup always made me feel good after eating it. A frown slowly curved onto my lips, a pain deep in my belly, making me move away from him.

Mate will never want me.

How wrong I was.

The morning my mate woke up again he pulled wood from my hand. Then he could not bear to leave me alone. Happiness and hope flooded my being, but I could not let it get the best of me. Not yet. Not when I didn't know if he was going to reject me.

My little mate was stubborn. I had to keep putting him on the couch so I could not possibly hurt him. I made him food, thinking he was hungry. It was late in the day and I wanted to spend every waking moment with him. A truth was building in my throat. I had to tell him. Had to tell him I was no good for pretty omega. That I was bad. My mate yelled at me and told me he would not reject me. My heart soared at his words. I could not believe it. I felt as though my limbs could not move. Was it possible? Possible for someone other than Grandfather to love me? I did not know how to act or respond to him for many days, deciding on fresh air in my lungs and through my fur would help clear my head.

Omega asked to come! Asked me how to hunt. His soft green eyes had my heart softening in my chest. I could not say no. I never wanted to tell him no. Hunting smaller game is easier than larger game. Grandfather said it is easier to take down deer and the like with more than one hunter. My omega is fast too. He is slender and small, but he is quiet of foot and nimble and sharp at turning. With him by my side, perhaps we could hunt larger game for the coming winter? Omega seemed to like hunting.

My mate's wavy dark hair always softly ruffled against the pillow. I constantly feared that the heat from the fire could not reach him from the living room; the bed was far more comfortable to sleep on. I like combing my fingers through his hair, his pale soft skin warm beneath my fingers. His lips the color of the wild roses I had seen. Long dark lashes that fluttered atop the apples of his cheeks. He had some muscle to his body, but I must feed him more. His thinness reminded me of Grandfather sometimes. Then I would remember. Ever since pretty omega Theo came, it had stopped the loneliness I was feeling from creeping into my heart. Though Grandfather's passing still hurt deep inside my chest, Theo made it bearable. Made grief less of a burning fire and more like a blown out match, still smoking along a wooden matchstick.

My mate kissed me. I've never been kissed on the lips before. I like kissing. My mate makes sparks and warmth grow in my body. Lightning flew to my groin when my mate's lower half rubbed with mine. I vaguely remembered why from Grandfather's embarrassing explanation so long ago. I wanted the feeling to never end, to never stop. Every moment from then on I wanted to steal as many kisses as I could. I wasn't the only one. Sweet omega jumped on me just as much for more kisses. I could never stop wanting my mate's kisses. Not ever.

Now, omega wanted to go into town. The town Grandfather said was dangerous for me. Had people who would try to hurt me. I wrapped my arms around my sleeping omega, burying my nose into his ruffled hair. His sweet scent was something I could not name, but I loved it. If people in town tried to hurt mate because of me, I would never forgive myself. How could I make omega understand? What could we need in town that we could not do here? I was wary of this, but my omega seemed so sure. I trusted Theo, my omega. But Grandfather also told me to be wary.

Theo nearly leaped out of the bed come morning, hurrying to shower and reclothe himself. I slowly followed after him, letting him take charge of cooking breakfast. He already had everything out and vegetables chopped by the time I wandered in. I was hoping that by eating slowly it would make my mate not want to go. That did not happen. It seemed his great big green doe eyes were watching me happily as he was nearly bouncing in his seat. I sighed heavily, my mate snatching my finished plate to put into the sink.

For some reason he had me put on one of Grandfather's shirts, which was far too tight on me. I was afraid of tearing it, hoping omega could just wear the shirt instead. Before I could say this, my omega quickly put a little bit of the paper into his pocket and the black card, hiding the book back into its place. Tugging my hand I was pulled out the door and down the dirt road that lead up to the house. The dirt road would go away a little ways away from the house, which is how most would not know a house was so deep in the woods.

I nibbled my bottom lip, my mate's eyes alight with happiness. A smile on his pretty lips, making my own want to curl up to match. His hair was tousled by the wind, his scent washing over me. The sun had slowly risen into the sky, gray clouds scattered within bright blue. The pine trees were growing thinner in number the further we traveled until the breeze came over us again, making me freeze.

Scents of so many humans and wolves came over me that I was nearly shocked at the number. It was a huge number, one that would take me a long time to count up to out loud.

"Callan, my alpha? What's wrong?" Theo asked gently, moving to stand in front of me. Omega was small and sweet. I shook my head no, taking a few steps back. His small hands held tightly to both of mine.

"Hold on now, I won't understand if you don't tell me," Theo whispered. He got onto his tip toes so he could cup my cheek into his warm hand. I hunched down so he could reach me, loving his warmth. I looked into his delicate eyes, a nervousness coming back into me. Trusted omega.

"Many. Lots," I said, Theo's brows furrowing.

"Lots of what?" Theo asked, looking behind him before his brows rose.

"People, you mean? You can smell how many people are in the town?" My omega's voice was filled with awe, nearly making me flush. I nodded quickly, seeing a frown mar his features.

"Many wolves and humans. I am scary. If hurt me, try to hurt you. Too many for me to protect sweet omega from. Bad idea to come," I said softly, begging for my mate to understand. Theo nearly jumped at me so he could wrap his arms around my neck. He kissed me soundly making my insides feel like they were filled with warm stew. My hands pressed against his thin back, wanting to keep him pressed against me.

"Listen to me Callan," Theo whispered against my lips, pulling away but keeping his arms around my neck, "yes there are many people in the town. You'll see and hear a lot of new things. The world might have changed a little from when your Grandfather was here, but if there are still people that try to hurt you, I'll rip them apart. You might look scary to some, but I won't let anyone hurt you, or me for that matter. If something goes wrong, we can leave. But I think this will be a good learning experience for you. I will stay right by your side. I won't leave you alone and I will explain everything to you the best that I can. I'm here for you Callan, and I will not go anywhere."

I slowly took in the many words of my mate, nodding very slowly. My omega patiently waited for my response as I felt the tips of his fingers play with the hair on the back of my head.

"If try to hurt my omega, I hurt back and we leave," I said, Theo sighing out a smile.

"Yes, we can do that. And if you get overwhelmed," Theo said, seeing my brows furrow, "everything is too much, we can take a break and hide somewhere in the town. How does that sound?"

I nodded again, wondering if there were caves or a small forest in the town we could hide in. As we headed closer and closer to the town, evident changes started to appear. The road for one thing. It was no longer dirt but a dark road made of hard stone or gravel that did not sway under the pressure of my foot. Trees were scattered about and the air was stifled with many new scents, some I did not like. We started to pass by people, many who stared at me. I hunched my shoulders down, hoping to look smaller. I was able to look over many of the people's heads here. I blinked suddenly, feeling my mate's fingers entwine with my own.

"I won't let go of your hand," Theo whispered, "so hold on as tight as you want."

I felt ease seep its way into my heart, clutching his hand a bit tighter when two beta woman passed by us. Their heads whipped towards me, whispering and giggling. They stopped immediately when my mate bared his teeth at them. I felt better about that.

I don't like shoes. They are unnecessary and I can not grip the ground or the inside of the shoe with my feet. My mate said many places won't let us in without them on, which also doesn't make sense. He got himself some and a package of socks. Socks were okay and they made my feet feel warm. I could probably feel the dirt better with them on than the shoes. It was hard to walk in them, but my mate made sure I was okay with them as we walked about in the small shoe store. I didn't think something like these could be so popular that there were many different kinds in many different colors. These were at least black. My mate said I could take them off once we left the town, but I have to wear them in town.

I grumbled in agreement, my mate kissing me sweetly. We went back outside, omega holding my hand again. We didn't go very far until I gaped at the number of clothes I saw. So many! So many colors in sizes and shapes and I didn't know where to look. I squeezed my omega's hand who looked up at me and smiled.

"I've got you alpha," Theo whispered, leaning up on his tip toes to nuzzle under my chin. I let a soft rumble leave me, nodding. My omega picked up different shirts of different colors along with pants that were similar to the one I was already wearing except less filled with holes. He shuffled me into a tiny, tiny room that was a bit smaller than the bathroom. One of the people in the store who worked there glared at Theo, so I bared my teeth at them making them look away and let out a whimper; skin going white like snow. Theo snorted out a laugh, so I think baring my teeth is okay since Theo had done it before.

I blushed darkly, kissing my omega warmly when he tugged off my shirt. I pressed him against the thin wall of the room we were in, loving the moans leaving his lips.

"Alpha!" Theo laughed, pulling away with a smile, "I'm getting you clothes that will fit you."

I grumbled at the lack of kisses, suddenly surprised when a shirt was tugged over my head. I looked at my mate in awe, seeing him smile smugly.

"Not tight anywhere? Can you move your head and your arms?" Theo asked, lifting his own arms up in example. I matched what he did, smiling at the free range of the shirt. I promptly picked him up to spin him around, loving his sweet laugh.

"I'm glad you like it! What colors do you like?" Theo asked, already shifting through the mound of shirts that he had grabbed. I scratched at my chin, shrugging my shoulders. Theo frowned at that, his eyes suddenly twinkling with an idea.

"Okay, do you like this one, or this one better?" Theo asked. This went on for a while until the pile of shirts for me got a bit smaller. The pants were interesting. Pants were pants in my opinion but Theo seemed to think otherwise. As long as they weren't tight and I could sit without them slipping down, they were fine. Theo had a soft blush to his face since he had also bought a package of underwear for me. I hadn't worn underwear since I was sixteen, but I trusted Theo to get me the right things.

Theo sat me in a chair outside the tiny room once we were done, making sure I was wearing the new pair of pants, called jeans, and a black t-shirt I liked a lot. It had a small sliver of moon on the right chest. I waited patiently for my mate who was trying on his own clothes. I never thought it was possible to wear something in my size! I had been larger than Grandfather for many birth years, so I thought there were no clothes in my size anymore.

My ears twitched at the sound of high voices, picking up the scent of both human and beta she-wolves. I glanced over to see three of them looking through the clothes like my mate had, deeming them not a threat as I waited for my mate. I could hear their quiet whispering and giggling, smelling a scent similar to the one my mate released around me sometimes. My mate's was sweeter and made my body feel light. Their scent made me want to push them away.

"Hi! I'm Lucy. These are my friends Bridgette and Torey," the she-wolf Lucy said, moving a curl of her brown hair behind her ear. I just stared at them, not sure what to do. Why were they talking to me? Did I do something?

"We haven't seen you before so we thought we'd say hi!" The human girl Bridgette said with a big smile over very red lips. She had dark brown straight hair unlike Lucy's.

"Oh," I said quietly, the girls seeming to buzz at my word. This is odd.

"We'd love to show you around town," The last girl named Torey said with wavy soft yellow hair and brown eyes. Her lips had curved sharply, making my eyes narrow.

"I mean whoever left you here clearly couldn't care less. A big man like you left alone like that? My friends and I are good at making people feel welcome the first time," Lucy whispered, her finger tracing down my arm. I furrowed my brows at her, looking back towards the tiny room. I could still scent my mate, not sure why the she-wolves and human thought I was left alone.

"Besides, they won't know we left anyway," Torey said, looking where I had looked to before, "We'd love to see what you're like. I bet your absolutely dominating in -"

A snarl that was dark and low made the three women jump away from me. My mate looked amazing. He was wearing a dark green long sleeved shirt that matched his eyes and black pants. He stormed over to us, snapping his teeth together in warning.

"Touch my mate again and I'll see you six feet in the ground," my omega growled nastily, green eyes flashing to a brighter tone. The three woman hurried out quickly, Torey baring her teeth back at him as she was dragged away by the other two. My omega started pacing back and forth in front of me, face still set in a snarl. Saying something about she-wolves trying to claim me and take me away. No decency and being little hussies. That's an odd word. One I was guessing was not very nice.

"And you!" Theo turned, pointing at me, "how could you let them touch you!? You are mine! My alpha!" Theo starting to stomp. I quickly went to hug him, my mate clearly upset.

"Pretty omega," I rumbled low and deep, feeling him melt in my arms. I nuzzled into his soft hair, smiling at the rumble that almost started in his chest too.

"Won't let she-wolves or human girl touch again. They talk to me for some reason. Wanted me to leave with them. You here, did not want to go. Never leave pretty omega," I said gently, moving a piece of his dark wavy hair behind his ear. Theo flushed warmly, sighing as he held my hand against his cheek.

"Okay. Only I can touch you. You are mine. Do you want other alpha's to touch me like that?" Theo asked with sad round eyes. The very idea had my lip start to curl, Theo looking relieved at that.

"Exactly. Now, let's go pay for this because there are two last places I want to take you before we leave, okay?" Theo said. I nodded in relief at that, my omega probably realizing I was becoming that word he said before. Overwhelmed.

The person who ran the money machine did not make eye contact with us, which seemed to be fine to my omega so I didn't care. I promptly twined my hand in his before my omega could, seeing his shoulders relax and for him to smile up at me with his pretty lips. I leaned down to kiss him again, my omega sighing happily, grabbing the hairs at the back of my neck before pulling away.

"Alright you soft alpha, I'm not mad at you anymore," Theo laughed, pulling me along. I grumbled at him calling me soft, but he said he meant it in a nice way; like when he called me sweet. Theo pointed to things called statues, fountains, different kinds of stores, the things people were talking in to were called phones. Phones seemed fascinating and complicated, Theo saying you could talk to anyone, anywhere in the world on it; which seemed impossible.

I particularly liked the furniture store that held hand made wood pieces. I could see an older man working in another half of the store through the windows, using machines that were loud and other tools with his hands to make a chair.

"Do you like what he is doing my alpha?" Theo asked. I could only nod, feeling my hands have a need to make such things too. Theo seemed to hum to himself for a moment, tugging me along after a while. The old man had seen us as we walked away, waving at us through the window. Something ached in my heart when he did that, unable to stop myself from waving back. The old man had smiled when I did that, making me smile shyly away.

I was slowly relaxing as we walked through the town, only some people bothering to notice me. Which was nice. No one ran away screaming or started calling me monster. I knew I couldn't have looked that much different from the child I once was. I still had the same hair and eyes, the Elders saying as much. So what had changed?

"You ready alpha?" Theo bouncing on the balls of his toes, his smile so wide with his pretty white teeth gleaming. I nodded, though I was unsure. Theo tugged me into another store, my body freezing. I felt my jaw drop, my eyes going wide. The smell of paper and ink, of books, crashed through my senses.