My Mate Is An Omega
Chapter 13

Caitlyn POV

After breakfast, I went to Dario's office for my second day of work. It wasn't a particularly easy job, but I was adjusting to it pretty well. The Alpha was a bold, yet kind man who patiently helped me with everything I wasn't capable of doing on my own thus far. He also taught me a lot about pack politics, which was quite interesting. The position satisfied the hunger for knowledge I've had since I was a pup, and it paid relatively well; once I was done with my first month of training, I would be earning as much as a Kappa. It also allowed me to understand my new Alpha better. He was slightly more strict and conservative than Cedar, which made sense, since he was almost three decades older. Behind his stern demeanor, he had the good heart every great leader should have. Although he didn't always show it, he cared deeply for each of his followers, making sure everyone lived with dignity according to his own view.

At first, I thought switching packs had no positive sides aside from allowing me to be with my mate. However, I was slowly realizing it offered me a new perspective on our society. It was amusing to comprehend how two successful packs rose in different ways, and I often found myself comparing the two Alphas who offered me a home. While Cedar took the extra time to memorize pack members' names, from highest to lowest rank, and assign them to positions which would bring out their potential, Dario had a program to help Omegas get an education and rise in the pack hierarchy by covering most of the costs for their education.

I turned around when I heard the door open, watching as the powerful man walked back in. He had gone outside to get himself a cup of coffee while I finished fixing up the text for a speech he would be doing in a few days. Being his assistant, I offered to grab him the drink myself, but he insisted my work shouldn't be interrupted, and said he saw it as an opportunity to stretch his legs after remaining seated for so long.

"How's the speech coming along?" Dario asked as he sat on his chair in front of me, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm done. I only had to make a few minor changes to it, so it wasn't very time consuming," I informed him with a shrug.

"Let me see it." The Alpha ran his eyes over the paper, quickly reading it. Once he was done, he put them down as his mouth curled up in a small smile. "Pretty good. I like the suggestions you made, especially on the last line." "You do? I thought it might sound too poetic."

"A little poetry is vital for the soul, as long as you don't forget reality," he wisely remarked, clearing his throat. "An old wolf like me often has trouble replaceing the beauty in life. I believe your young blood can help me with that."

I nodded, flushing a little. "I'm glad to be of assistance. What else do you need me to do?"

"Well, Gamma Alden dropped the security reports earlier this morning. It'd be nice if you could summarize it for me so I can read it in between calls."

"Of course." I bowed respectfully, rising from my seat to head towards the black bureau in the corner of the room.

As I searched through the pile of papers, I heard Dario's voice again. "By the way, Sasha told me you ran into some unpleasant Kappas yesterday." I immediately stiffened, widening my eyes. "Congratulations on handling the situation with your brains, when your troublesome mate was ready to solve it with his fists." I could feel his frown without even looking at him. "That boy seems to forget his place quite often. I must admit it's partially my fault; I give him boundaries, but I replace it hard to reprimand him whenever he crosses them."

"So I've heard." I couldn't help a small smile from lighting up my face. "If I may ask, Alpha, why do you treat him differently than the rest?"

"What?"

I lowered my head, instantly regretting asking such a personal question. "I'm sorry, this is none of my business."

"No, Caitlyn, it's just..." He sighed, getting up from his seat to stare thoughtfully out of the huge window before turning back to me. "I think this is a story for another time."

I opened my mouth to go on with my apologies, but I was suddenly at a loss for words. My chest tightened, causing all of the air to escape my lungs. When a brief, agonizing pain struck my heart like a lightning bolt, I almost fell to the floor. With everything happening so fast, it took me a few minutes to process what was going on. Realization struck me at the same time I heard my wolf cry out in pain.

"Mate!"

I only noticed Dario had come to my side when I felt his hand on my back. "Are you okay, child?"

"Lance is in danger," I whispered in horror, my chest moving up and down as I fought for air. "He... He is in pain! I can feel it! What... I have to..."

"Breath, Caitlyn!" the Alpha yelled, firmly gripping both of my shoulders. He lowered his voice when he caught my attention. "Now, tell me what is going on. Where is Lance?"

"I don't know," I tried to hide the despair in my voice unsuccessfully. "I felt his pain. He's been attacked, I just know it!"

Behind his frown, there was a hint of concern in his eyes. "Come on, we're heading to the borders. I'll link Beta James to meet us on the way there." He turned around, grabbing a few robes and handing them to me before leaving the room.

We let our wolves out as soon as we left the pack house, not caring about tearing our clothes in the process. Dario's wolf, Cyclone, had light gray spiky fur with a few white markings. I shivered when his icy blue eyes landed on me. He c****d his head to the side, asking if I was ready, and Faye picked up the robes in her mouth before we both set off. A few minutes later, a dark brown wolf with golden eyes joined us - it was Diesel, James' counterpart.

"He was last seen heading towards the north border," the Beta's voice echoed inside my head. By the way Cyclone nodded at him, I figured he had linked us both simultaneously - an ability only wolves of higher rank possessed.

I felt the melting snow under Faye's paws as we galloped through the trees, following the other two beasts at full speed. It wasn't fast enough. Fear consumed me, making it seem as though time had stopped. My heart pounded, threatening to jump out of my chest at any second. The closer we got to the location where my mate was supposed to be, the stronger his comforting, earthly scent became. However, noticing how it was mixed up with the smell of fresh blood didn't bring me peace at all. "It's okay, Cait. Our mate is strong. They are one of the strongest warriors of the pack," my she-wolf recalled. She seemed a lot calmer than me, though I could still feel the pain in her voice. "They will be fine. They have to be."

I only believed her words when my eyes landed on the familiar creature laying over a patch of crimson snow. The sight of Atlas' soft, beautiful light brown fur soaked in blood made my heart ache, but at least, he was alive. He lowered his ears when he noticed us, letting out a painful cry as he forced his wolf to retreat, shifting back into his human form. Faye gave me back control, and I didn't wait for my Alpha's permission before I rushed towards my mate. He stumbled, but I reached him before he fell onto the ground, offering him support as I covered his shivering body with one of the robes.

"Lance!" I hugged him as tight as I could, not caring about the blood staining my skin. Not once in my life had I been so scared. The adrenaline slowly left my system, and relief washed over me.

"Hi, beautiful." He tried to smile, but winced instead.

The second I pulled away, my eyes landed on a huge cut on the left side of his chest. It was impossible to hide the horror in my eyes as I finally took a moment to analyze my mate's condition. Dozens of wounds covered his perfectly tan skin, his right wrist was swollen, and there was a big bruise on the side of his body. I had to fight back my tears; it pained me to see him in such a terrible condition.

"What happened, boy?" Dario approached us, his eyes locked on my mate.

"There was a bear lurking around the territory. I followed him here, and we fought." Lance looked away, lowering his head. "I couldn't get him, Sir. I'm sorry. He fled a few minutes before you got here. Had I been able to hold him off until you arrived, we could have gotten more information on the attacks."

"It doesn't matter. It's a miracle he let you go before finishing off the job." A hint of pain flashed in the Alpha's semblance before he looked away. "Caitlyn, you're dismissed for the rest of the day. I trust you to escort Lance back to the infirmary." He then turned to his Beta. "James, tell Alden to meet me in my office. I wanna know how a bear got through our security, and I wanna know now!"

***

A team was ready to take my mate in as soon as we arrived. I stayed with him throughout the process, watching how a few nurses helped clean his wounds while the doctors stitched him up. Despite the terrible shape he was in, he remained calm and talkative, which helped me relax a little. After a few hours, he was recommended bed rest and released to go back home. The hospital staff offered a wheelchair for his comfort, but he was too proud to accept it. It took us a bit longer than usual, but we eventually made it to the small house near the border.

Once we were inside, I helped Lance lay down on the couch and prepared him a meaty soup. It was my mother's favorite recipe for when I was sick, since it was easy to prepare and to eat. Of course, it wasn't as good as hers, but my mate seemed to approve of it. We didn't talk much all through the afternoon, since he was mostly asleep. He needed to rest so his wolf would have enough strength to heal his wounds - some of which were pretty deep - so I just sat on the chair next to the couch and watched him. Back in the hospital, he had briefly explained what happened; how he was working when he picked up on a different scent and set off to check it. On his own. He wanted to protect his pack, but the reckless way he did it concerned me.

I woke Lance up later in the evening to change his bandages. As tender as I tried to be, he still winced a few times. At least Atlas and the medicine seemed to be doing a good job, because he wasn't bleeding anymore. The worst injuries were the huge cut on his chest and his sprained wrist, which should take around a week to heal for an Omega like him. I planned on heating up the remainder of the soup for him when I was done, but he slowly sat up on the couch to offer me some space and pulled me by the hand to sit by his side.

"Thank you, beautiful." His voice was weaker than usual, but it was still soft and melodic. I leaned into his touch as he cupped the side of my face. "You're an amazing assistant, but I must admit you'd do great as a nurse as well."

He was smiling, but my concern didn't let me return the gesture. "They said you got lucky today. You should have warned someone, Lance. You should have at least linked me so I would know where you were. Goddess only knows what would have happened if we hadn't gotten there on time."

Although his expression was serious for a moment, it didn't take long for the playful smile to light up his face again. His handsome face, all covered in cuts and bruises.

"I guess it just wasn't my time to die," he chuckled.

"I'm serious, Lance!" I couldn't take it any longer. My heart was breaking, and he thought it was all fun and games. "You can't keep risking yourself like that! You said you wouldn't... you said you'd live. For me." My voice cracked. I looked away, on the verge of tears. "Hey, it's okay, Cait. I'm here. I'm alive, with you." He tried to touch me, but I pulled away.

"You need to stay alive!" I cried out, staring into his beautiful green eyes. "I love you, Lance. And I'm glad my first mate didn't want me, because it led me to you. But I don't wanna lose you too. I can't," I confessed, in between sobs. "My father died before I was old enough to actually remember him, but that doesn't mean he didn't leave me scarred. He was a hero, you know. For years, the former Alpha praised him for saving the lives of a dozen pups after a few rogues broke into the bunker during an attack." I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure, in vain. "I can't remember my father's face, but I remember the state my mom was in after her mate passed. He left us alone. He died a martyr, but you know what changed?" "Cait..."

"Nothing! It doesn't matter how you die! In the end, everyone is left broken."

We hadn't marked each other yet. I couldn't completely feel what Lance was feeling. But the sound of his heart beating when he pulled me into his arms, ignoring his own pain, showed he understood what I was feeling. He rocked me like a baby, planting a long kiss on my forehead. With his thumb, he wiped away my tears, gently brushing my hair with his fingers afterwards. He cupped one of my cheeks with his hand, securing me in place as he stared deeply into my eyes.

"You're right, beautiful. I'm sorry." I could almost feel the sincerity in his voice. "I won't leave you, ever. I promise I will be more careful, okay?" After a few seconds, I nodded. "I love you, Cait," he whispered as he leaned closer, capturing my lips with his. When his tongue pressed against my mouth, I quickly gave him passage. Dwelling in his marvelous taste, I let him kiss my worries away.