6. Chapter 6
Wolf Lessons
Taking my notebook with my list and a pencil to write notes with, I go to the kitchen.
Abby is standing over the stove, stirring something in a pot.
Sniffing the air, I pick up hints of butter and cheese.
I can also smell bread and some sort of meat.
All the scents in the room make my stomach growl.
I’m obviously a bit more hungry than I assumed I was before coming in here.
Chuckling, I put my stuff down on the table and go to the sink to wash my hands.
“Can I help with anything?” Abby smiles at me as I make my way over. She looks like she was made to be in the kitchen and judging by the smell of dinner, I think she was. Her smile is genuine and her eyes seem to always dance with goodwill and joy.
“You can make the salad for me.” She points at the big empty bowl on the counter and then at the double door fridge at the end of the counter. “Everything is in the fridge. Grab the lemonade as well please.” Nodding, I take off to do what she asked.
We chat about nothing while we work, well nothing pertaining to wolves.
She tells me about going to culinary school and then switching majors to Humanity and Social Work.
As we talk, she finishes the mac and cheese and pulls steaks and biscuits out of the oven.
The salad is simple, but I make olive oil and garlic dressing to go with it.
She asks me about what I want to do as a career and I admit that I haven’t really thought about it.
After putting everything on the table, I sit with Abby to eat. We’re only a few bites in when I think she may dive into the discussion about my new culture. I’m a bit nervous to get into the wolf talk, but I’m excited to learn more as well.
So much of this culture is kept from humans, and I’ve always been curious about how they work as a society and how that society works with human governments and hierarchy.
I wonder if they have a structure similar to wild wolf packs, or if they’ve blended human structure into pack structure to make a unique culture.
Everything I’ve seen so far is no different than how humans work.
I haven’t seen any wolves running down the street or people walking around with fuzzy ears coming out the top of their heads.
For a while, we eat in a comfortable silence, but when we’re both almost done, Abby clears her throat to get my attention. When I look up, she is smiling at me.
“So, you must have so many questions, but I want to give you a bit of information first, then you can ask anything. I’m an open book and nothing is too small to ask, okay?”
Nodding, I open my notebook to take notes, then smile at her so she’ll start talking.
She seems impressed a bit in awe that I’m taking it so seriously, but I love to learn.
I want to know everything, but I’m also aware that I can’t learn it all in one night, so I have to figure out what I need to know right now, and write down any questions that come to mind.
“So, the first thing to know is there are more than just wolves out here, even in this reservation, there are other shifters and a few witches and warlocks.” My mouth falls open and I forget to write anything for a second.
When I do put something on the paper, I just write ‘OTHER?!’ and underline it a bunch of times.
Abby’s smile is both amused and apologetic and I’m not sure how she pulls it off, but she just keeps talking.
“There are two types of Shifters and Vampires, born and Chosen. We never call a Chosen wolf ‘changed’ or ‘turned’.” She watches me closely as she starts explaining about being called or calling a Chosen changed or turned or infected is derogatory and mean.
She says that they have yet to find a difference between born and Chosen supernaturals. Then explains that being Chosen doesn’t make a person any less of a wolf or vampire then being born does.
“The only quirk of being Chosen over Born that we have found so far is that no Chosen supernatural has ever manifested as anything other than Beta. Which brings us to the next thing to know. There are three manifestations of supernaturals: Alpha, Beta, and Omega.”
Similar to what wolves in the wild are like.
My mind starts listing everything I know about each manifestation.
Most of it is from wild wolves or shifter books I’ve read.
I know that there isn’t an actual Alpha in wild wolf packs, just a more dominant male that tends to make all the pack decisions.
And according to books I’ve read, there is a distinct social difference between manifestations, but it isn’t always so clear what a person is.
I don’t speak my theories out loud. I just wait patiently for Abby to explain them.
She’s good at saying stuff and making it easy to understand.
No matter how outlandish it may be, when she is saying it, it seems perfectly reasonable.
“Any questions so far?”
“Only about a dozen!” Both of us chuckle at my response, but I wave my hand between us as if I’m trying to erase the words. “Nothing right now. Explain about Alphas, Betas, and Omegas and I’ll keep writing down anything that comes to mind. We can talk about it more once you’ve explained it.”
She nods and jumps right into the explanation.
“So, Betas are the most common wolves. They make up the ‘working class’ in wolf society.” She air quotes around ‘working class' and rolls her eyes. Clearly there is a misconception in that statement, but I make a note to ask her about it and keep my mouth shut. “The nurses at the hospital and most of the teachers at the school and University are Betas. As I said before, to date, there hasn’t been any Chosen that manifests as anything other than Beta.” She pauses and watches me as if to make sure I understand everything so far.
After a few seconds of me writing in the silent room, she continues.
“Alpha’s are the next most common. They can be male or female, but only every one in one-hundred Alphas are female.
These wolves are our leaders and protectors, they help the omegas keep the order and deal with the Betas.
They are in charge of keeping order. August and James are Alphas in the same pack. ”
“Wait, I thought the whole reservation was one pack?” The way she is talking about packs and Alphas makes it seem like they are an exclusive group, but I always thought ‘pack’ meant a group of wolves that live together, like the Reservation.
“No. The reservation is a community. Each family is a family but a group of three or more Alphas and their Omega is a Pack, let me finish explaining each manifestation and then I’ll explain community structures to you.”
I nod and take another bite of mac and cheese.
I want to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, so I remind myself to write down my questions and not interrupt again.
It sounds like this can get a bit confusing, so I have to take detailed notes and remember to ask about the stuff I don’t quite understand.
“So, as I was saying. Only one, maybe two Packs are born to every generation and most of the time, each Alpha is born to a different community so the other Alphas get sent to live with a family in one community so they are all raised together. The first Alpha born that generation is the lead Alpha and the rest of the Pack follows him, usually. Every now and then, a younger Alpha will prove to be more suited to lead and they will be the top Alpha, but the oldest community is still the one they live in. Alpha Charles is the lead Alpha for our community. He is the governor of the Reservation and he sits on the Alpha council, which runs the Shifter Government. His son, CJ was the first Alpha born in your generation and once he has his Omega, he will start training to take over the community.”
Wow, that seems a bit chaotic, but it makes sense. If only one Alpha pack is born at a time, then there would need to be some way of ensuring they meet and like each other to form a pack. “So what about Omegas?”
“Omegas are the heart of the packs. They are the caregivers and the only wolf that can give birth to Alphas or other Omegas. Most of the time, Omegas don’t work, and if they do, it's always in a caregiver capacity, so daycare workers or nurses. Omegas have higher emotions than other wolves and they go through a Heat. I’ll explain that more another time.
Most importantly though, Omegas are the true leaders, almost like a queen that has a council to handle all the little stuff, but she makes all the big decisions. Any questions?”
“So, I’ll be a Beta?”
“More than likely, but we won’t know for sure until the first full moon, in two weeks. Once you shift, I’ll be able to find a suitable placement. Though, the family that already applied is probably the best fit no matter how you manifest.”
“So, Alphas are in charge, Betas keep things running day to day, and Omegas keep us happy, make the big decisions, and continue the next generation of leaders?”
“You got it!”
Abby and I talk about who the main Betas to know are and she tells me about the Alpha pack and their Omega.
Mrs. Lycan sounds like a wonderful person and I can’t wait to meet her on Friday.
Although, now that I know they are in charge, I’m a bit nervous about going to their house for dinner.
Abby tells me that the upcoming Alphas are all nice, that the lead of that Pack is Alpha Charles’s son, but the boys spend their time bouncing between the Alpha pack and the Beta Family that took in the other three boys.
According to Abby, the more Alphas in a pack, the stronger the Omega destined for the pack is.
She explained that while Omegas are usually very mild mannered and almost child like, they are all Alphas in their own respect.
We spend the next few hours talking about the power structure in town and she explains that the Lead Alpha, Alpha Ricky, for the Lupin Council is like the president for the humans.
They have a Council of the Four strongest Alphas and an Omega that handles the politics for the whole Shifter species, and any of them can be Challenged for their position.
I asked about how long wolves live and she seemed flustered that it hadn’t already been mentioned.
“Um, well we stop aging at thirty and we don’t die from natural causes. We heal super fast, so only fatal blows can really take us down.”
“So, I’m going to live until something kills me?”
“Yeah, basically. The oldest wolf alive that we know of is Alpha Klan of the Norwegian Community. He was the Lead Council Alpha for a while, but stepped down when his Omega gave birth to their Daughter, about six hundred years ago, I think.”
Holy shit! That is insane. So much time and opportunity waiting for me to grab it.
“It’s late, let's get some rest and we can talk more tomorrow. In the morning after breakfast, we can go shopping and I’ll show you how supernaturals interact with each other. It’s a lot like humans, but we tend to be friendlier and touch more.”
Excited to see more of the shifter ways, I quickly agree. Together we clean up our mess from dinner then Abby gives me a tight hug.
“You’re taking this all so well. I know you’re going to love being a wolf. Just give it time and soon you won’t remember being anything else.”
I have no words. I think she may be right. I’m not scared or angry that I’m a wolf now, even if it was never something I considered before. Sure, my choice in the matter was ripped away from me that night. But now that this is my life, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.