Chapter 3 Draven

Third Person's POV

The little Omega clung tightly to Tristan and then he began to squirm as they entered camp. He was eager to see the Alpha. He was so glad he didn't feel the Alpha get hurt again. An arrow went straight through the Alpha's chest and pierced his lung, barely missing his heart one time. 

The little Omega's feet were moving as soon as they touched the ground and he took off running toward the Alpha.

It didn't take the Alpha long to find his backpack when he saw the little Omega running toward him with a backpack tightly strapped to his back.

"River, quick, I need my backpack." 

River quickly pulled the backpack off and handed it to his Alpha. Atticus wasted no time opening the backpack and digging through it until he found the jar of Draven's saliva.

Atticus quickly dropped to Annette's side and reached into the jar

“Hang on Annette” Atticus said as he began applying Draven's saliva to her wounds. Annette hissed and gripped Austin at the painful stinging sensation that radiated throughout her abdomen. It didn't take long before Annette felt that familiar sensation of her skin pulling tight as it began to heal. 

Atticus breathed a sigh of relief knowing Annette was going to be okay. 

"I want you to rest and take it easy today," Atticus said as he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

Atticus looked at the almost empty jar and let out a breath. He's going to have to risk people seeing Draven again to fill the jar with more of his saliva. But his people need it. It's the only way he can help heal them without shifting and exposing Draven.

"Was it William's people again?" Tristan asked as he approached the Alpha, stopping next to him. Atticus stood there, letting his eyes roam the camp. He wanted to be sure everyone was okay, even though he could feel they were.

"Yes. That asshole just won't give up." Atticus said before passing Tristan the almost empty jar. 

Tristan held it up, letting out a loud sigh when he saw it was almost empty.  

"Do you want to do it tonight?" Tristan asked through the link so no one could hear them.

"Yes, we might as well. For all we know we might need it again tomorrow."

Atticus reached down as the little Omega tried climbing up his body. Tristan chuckled, loving how adorable River is. 

"Man, sometimes I wish I was dominant so I could get a little Omega mate. They're so adorable!" Tristan said as he roughed River's hair. 

River growled and swatted at his hand. He hates that everyone does that to him.

"Stop! I'm not a little kid!" River glared at Tristan who only seemed to laugh harder at him.

"I know you're not. What are you 15?" 

"I'm 17!" River quickly corrected, and then growled and jerked his head back when Tristan tried to pinch his cheek.

"Will you stop antagonizing him? It'll be your own fault when he ends up biting you!" 

A smile beamed on River's face when he heard the Alpha thought he was strong enough to bite a Beta. His chest puffed up proudly before nuzzling the Alpha's chest. 

"Is there any deer meat left?" River asked quietly when his stomach growled and grinded on itself.

The Alpha let out a sad sigh before rubbing River’s back.

"Sorry kiddo. The last of the food was eaten last night at dinner. Why don't you watch my bag and I'll go see if I can find something." Atticus said as he set River on his feet.

"I'll come with you." The Beta said after slipping the jar back into the Alpha's backpack and zipping it up.

....

Atticus groaned and came to a stop. His head tilted as he glared at his Beta who hadn't stopped talking since they left camp. 

"How are you going to find anything if you won't stop talking?"

"I can multitask! Besides, I'm talking through the link so it's not like I'm scaring them away."

"No, but you're scaring me away!" Atticus pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing the headache his Beta caused would go away.

Tristan took a sharp breath in and looked at the Alpha in shock before laughing.

"I'm totally rubbing off on you! That's your second joke in 24 hours!" Tristan said proudly and the Alpha groaned again before pushing Tristan's shoulder, shoving him in the opposite direction.

"You go that way, I'll go this way." 

.... 

Tristan was so proud of himself and couldn't wait to show the Alpha his catch. He heard the Alpha coming and proudly held up the two rabbits he caught with a smile beaming on his face. His smile dropped and his mouth hung open when he saw two large turkeys in the Alpha's hands.

"Seriously! You just have to show me up, don't you!" Tristan's hands dropped to his side as he frowned and then proceeded to pout almost the whole way back to camp.

Annabelle's face lit up when she saw the two large turkeys in the Alpha's hands. It's been so long since they've had turkey. 

"Oh my Goddess! You're the best!" Annabelle said, quickly taking the turkeys from the Alpha.

"Hey, what about my rabbits? Aren't I the best too?" Tristan frowned as he held up the two rabbits he caught and then took a sharp breath in when he saw the Alpha trying not to laugh.

"Holy shit! I think hell just froze over!"

The Alpha shook his head as he ran his hand down his face, trying to put his signature straight face on. It's the first time in a while the Beta has managed to almost make him laugh. 

"Do you need any help preparing the turkeys?" The Alpha asked, knowing how tedious it is to pluck the feathers from the turkeys.

"Nonsense! You caught these, we'll take care of them. Why don't you relax while I get to work on these." Annette gave the Alpha a soft smile.

That evening, Atticus watched his people relax around the fire. He watched Rose and Nick and tried to see what Tristan saw. The more he watched them, the more he began to see it too. 

Rose paid close attention to every word Nick spoke. Every horrible joke he told, Rose laughed as if it were the funniest thing she'd ever heard. They sat so close their arms touched, and every now and then she leaned into him. Atticus could almost hear her heart skip a beat when Nick finally wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. 

Rose's heart began to beat erratically as she looked at Nick. Nick saw the way Rose was looking at him, with so much hope and desire. 

Rose's breath caught in her throat when Nick reached up and trailed his fingers along the side of her face. Her breath stuttered in her chest as their faces became closer. Rose let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes and felt Nick's lips lightly pressed against hers. She reached up, gripping his shirt as she leaned into the kiss, pressing their lips firmly together.

The Alpha's lips tugged up as he watched their first kiss. It looked so magical, he was happy for them. 

For the first time, Atticus wondered what it would be like to have a mate. To feel that kind of connection to someone. 

The Alpha's body jerked to the side as Tristan practically fell against him when he plopped down next to him and then began shaking his arm excitedly.

"Oh, my Goddess! See, I told you! Isn't that so amazing!" The Beta was thrilled that another couple came together. 

"Yes, it is. Now for the love of Goddess, stop shaking me!" 

The sound of Annabelle laughing had the Alpha looking in her direction. When he did he saw River glaring at her while growling, then he suddenly threw his cards into the pile.

"Oh, come here you!" Annabelle said as she pulled an angry little Omega into her arms and squeezed him. 

River fought against her, squirming and pushing against her chest before finally giving up and nuzzling against her neck. 

"Why don't we go now before someone gets too sleepy and comes looking for their Alpha's warmth for bedtime."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's go." The Alpha said as he stood and linked Annabelle that they'd be back. 

As they walked to the river, the Alpha began thinking it might be a good idea to invest in duct tape. Maybe if he taped Tristan's mouth shut, he'd enjoy a silent moment with him. 

"Do you think it's possible for you to stop talking for 5 minutes?"

"Why would I do that?" Tristan smirked as the Alpha glared at him. 

Atticus felt Draven's excitement rise as the scent of the river became stronger. He could feel his other half pressing against his skull, eager to be free. Tristan stopped talking the moment he smelled ash and turned his head to look at the Alpha. He could see Atticus' eyes flickering between brown and the color of flames. He could see goosebumps spreading across the Alpha's body as the smell of ash became stronger.

"Easy Draven, we're almost there," Tristan said and a few moments later Atticus began pulling his clothes off. 

"I can barely hold him back. Fuck, he's excited!" The Alpha gritted out as he struggled to hold the beast back.

As soon as they broke through the tree line, with the river in front of them, it was like an explosion went off inside Atticus's body as the beast came out. 

Tristan took a sharp breath in and jumped back as the large beast shifted so close, that his massive body almost landed on him. 

"For fuck sakes Draven! You almost flattened me!" Tristan looked at the magnificent creature in front of him, shocked that he was almost flattened like a pancake.

"I'll tell ya, it doesn't matter how many times I see you, it blows me away every time Draven." Tristan was impressed by the sheer size of Draven. His body was so massive that his tail was resting in the river. His colors were more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen. All the red, blue, and charcoal color was gorgeous, and somehow also made him look even more terrifying than he already was.

Tristan watched as the beast stretched his head towards the sky, stretching his limbs, and loving the fact that he was standing on solid ground again. 

Draven shook his body out before taking a few steps forward and swishing his tail.

Tristan watches Draven's body move, amazed at how large his claws are as they grip the ground with each step he takes. 

"All right, let's get this over with so we can get you out of sight," Tristan said as he opened the jar and held it out toward Draven. 

Tristan turns his head as Draven lowers his head to the bottle. Watching Draven fill the bottle with his saliva wasn't something Tristan wanted to watch. The Beta cringed at the gross sound Draven made as he filled the bottle. 

"You're lucky I have a strong stomach,"

"Grow a pair!"  Draven retorted and Tristan almost dropped the jar as he began laughing. 

Once he was done, Tristan tightened the lid onto the jar as Draven turned toward the river. Draven looked towards the sky with longing before diving into the water. His claws dig into the rocky bottom before pushing himself forward, deeper into the wide river. His limbs stretch out and he almost feels like he's soaring through the sky. 

"Do you think there will ever be a day where I won't have to hide?" 

"I don't know. I really hope so." Atticus hopes one day Draven won't have to hide from the world. But he knows the odds of that happening anytime soon are very small.