New Order

Chapter 1 - New order

*Three months later*

There was a loud bang on my door.

"Athena, get your ass up. We're going to be late." A voice shouted from outside my room.

I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. As the seasons changed from summer into fall, the morning sun grew tired and made waking hard.

"I'm coming; calm down," I mumbled as I got out of bed, chucking on my training outfit. I swung open my door, looking at my friend. Her raven-coloured hair, done up in a braid. She looked up at me with her crimson eyes, annoyance written all over her face. I let out a sigh as I stepped out of my room, shutting the door behind me.

"If you don't want Beta Paul to make you do extra training, you should stop being so late all the time." She scowled.

"I said calm down, Greta, I'm up. If you don't stop nagging me, we will both be doing extra training." I rolled my eyes at her and gave her a smirk.

Greta was the first person who really connected with me at the packhouse. She lost her parents in the war and was an orphan like me. She was a sweet girl, but she could kick your ass if she needed to. Her five-foot-two appearances fooled many. She was fast and always knew where your weak points were in a fight. She and her mate lived in the packhouse.

"Crap, I forgot a hair tie," I groaned, running my fingers through my tangled hair.

"You're so lucky you have a friend like me. Honestly, where would you be without me." Greta joked, pulling a band off her wrist and handing it to me. I looked at her and laughed. I grabbed my scarlet hair and twisted it into a messy bun.

"You'd probably be dead in a ditch after pissing off Beta Paul again." My wolf teased in my head.

"Glad to see someone finally woke up." I scowled "If you had woken me up, we wouldn't be late. Phoenix, now would we?" I smirked and rolled my eyes at my wolf. Though we couldn't shift into our wolf form yet, we were connected at birth. She learned as I did, and once I turned eighteen, she would be able to finally roll in the grass and sink her paws into the dirt.

As we entered the gym for training, there was an uneasy feeling that filled the room. At the front of the gym stood Beta Paul. His eyes were tired and filled with sorrow. As most of us were too young to fight in the war, we would only hear updates the following day before training. But, most of the time, the information was the same. The only reminder that the battle was still raging on was how our pack had grown smaller and weaker with each passing day.

"Attention pups," Beta Paul shouted, his voice stern and filled with pain. All of us stood up and stared up at Beta Paul. I couldn't help the knot that was forming in my stomach. I knew what he had to say wasn't good. 

"Alpha Hues has fallen. We are no longer..." The room filled with gasps, and whispers broke out. You could see him trying to form his words carefully, trying to deliver the news without causing complete chaos. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"We are no longer the midnight pack. Our warriors fought hard and brought honour to our pack. The Bloodstone pack was far too big for even our strongest warriors. We will hold our heads high as we join our new pack. We will hold our new name with just as much honour." He shouted, his voice strong and demanded our attention.

"The Bloodstone pack is fierce and so strict, we won't survive with your attitude," Phoenix whispered, worry clear in her voice. "Their alpha is ruthless."

"Quiet, we can worry about that later. I want to leave once I turn eighteen. I can contain myself until then." I snapped back as I tried to hide the worry in my voice. The stories that we heard of the bloodstone pack were unsettling. I didn't want to think about that until it was needed. Besides, my birthday was a month away. Then I would be free.

"There will be no training today. I want you all to pack as we will be moving to the bloodstones packhouse this evening. That is all you are dismissed." Beta Paul shouted. The room filled with whispers of worry and fear.

"Athena, I need to speak with you in my office." I heard Beta Paul shout over the crowd. My stomach in knots, I nodded and gave Greta a worried look. I knew I had trouble following orders and controlling my attitude; I only wondered if that's what Beta Paul needed to talk to me about.

"I'll be back shortly," I mouth to Greta before I followed Beta Paul into the hall towards his office.

We walked down the hallway and turned down the left-wing of the packhouse. We passed several doors until we reached the door at the end of the hall. I had been in this office so many times in my short stay at this house, but this time felt different. I looked up at Beta Paul as he opened the door and walked in, holding it open for me.

"If this is about my attitude, I'll work on it," I spoke softly. Beta Paul looked at me a small smile rose from his lips.

"Athena, sit down," Paul ordered, his voice soft but assertive. I walked in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. His office was bright with large cascading windows. The walls were a bright white with black trim and pops of gold throughout the room.

"As an Omega, you don't need to know the details, but I'm here to warn you. As a close friend of your father, I promised to protect you as my own." He said in a worried tone.

"The new Alpha runs things very different from here and demands order. So you need to be able to control yourself."

"I will, and once I turn eighteen, I will leave and be on my own," I muttered, annoyance clear in my voice.

"That's just it, Athena. He doesn't allow pack members to leave. Once you are in his pack, he owns you. You are not to defy his orders. You will be punished or killed." Beta Pauls's voice sounded rough, and his eyes darkened. My heart sank to my stomach.

"We can't be owned. We aren't pets." Phoenix hissed. "This Alpha is unbelievable."

"I will not let us be trapped, I promise," I said with anger in my voice.

"I can't promise you anything." With that, I got up from my chair and walked out of his office, slamming the door behind me before running down the hall to my room. If I couldn't leave once I turned eighteen, I would leave now before I was trapped. I only owed my loyalty to Alpha Hues. I was not going to be trapped with a ruthless Alpha, who treated his pack members like pets.

As I turned the corner, I saw Greta sitting in front of my door. Her eyes lit up as she saw me, but then a frown flashed on her face as she saw the anger that had become stuck to my face.

"What happened this time?" Greta asked. I opened my bedroom door and pulled her in.

"I'm leaving is whats up. This new Alpha will not allow me to leave once I turn eighteen—no chance to travel or find my mate or myself. We will be his property. I am not anyone's property." I muttered as I grabbed a bag and placed a few outfits in them. I didn't have much, but it didn't matter. It would be enough to last me until I got to where I needed to be.

"You can't, Athena. You don't have your wolf form yet!" Greta's voice was full of concern and worry. "It's too dangerous out there, with rogues, humans, and everything else in the world. You would be killed. It might not be as bad as the stories you need to wait and see." She whispered, her voice shaky and uneven. I turned around to see her eyes filling with tears as she feared for me.

"Greta, you are already eighteen and have your mate. I might never get the chance if I'm stuck there. So you don't need to worry. I'll be fine." I reassured her with a smile and then hugged her. As I got up, I swung my bag over my shoulder, giving her one last look as I opened the door.

"I'll miss you," Greta mumbled as tears fell from her eyes.

I made my way out of the packhouse. Watching for any other pack members as I walked down the driveway to the edge of the forest. I looked around to make sure no one was watching as I slipped into the trees and began running.