MY NEW SWORD AND SHIELD

"It looks like everyone wants to take good care of the Blue Rose." Haku smiled ruefully.

Eh, what? Wait, what had any of this got to do with me?

But Haku didn't seem to think any explanation was necessary, "Even Gareth is leaving us to follow you."

"I've spent the better part of my life looking for my alpha." Gareth said, "Now that I have found her, it is only natural for me to follow her."

Wait! What exactly did he mean by "follow" me? I mean, I just didn't think he meant my social media channel.

Gareth got off the sofa and came down on his knee, "I've sworn my allegiance to you Alpha. My shield and blades, my very life - I willingly lay them down for you. Let your pack be my pack, your causes will be my causes, your enemies will be my enemies, your wars will be my wars..."

I panicked, "No, don't!"

A look of hurt flashed across Gareth's face. He lowered his head quickly, "I am only an omega, and indeed it was presumptuous of me to ask. But Alpha, if I could just run in a pack again, to follow behind you for the rest of my miserable life, I would be satisfied in this wretched life of me."

I shook my head and opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"Blue Alpha," Haku felt he had to stand up for Gareth, "Even though Gareth was an Omega by birth, his current strength is beyond imagination. With Gareth and his Anna by your side, you will be invincible. Do consider it."

"Anna?" I blinked. What had Anna got to do with this madness? (Other than the fact that she was mated to Gareth.)

Anna quickly knelt down next to her mate, "Please accept me too, Alpha. Even though he is indeed the omega of his pack, my mate is all the family I have left, and my everything to live for. I cannot bear the thought of being separated from him."

How about you just slap him and yell in his face, "Are you mad? You spend the last half a century searching for your so-called alpha while I worked my butt off as a guest healer to pay the bills. Now you want to drag me down the mountains - do you have any idea how thin the magic is there? What do you want me to power my healing with? My own life force?"

Gareth nodded too, "Although I am only an omega..."

"This is nothing to do with you being an omega!" I was flaring now, "Gareth, you and Anna have your whole lives ahead of you. There is no reason for you to... to throw it all away..."

"I consider all this but rubbish, Alpha." Gareth told me.

That was taking it kind of extreme. I looked to Anna and felt very sorry, "I don't have anything for you back home. Back home, everyone treats me like a pup. The magic is almost nonexistent, you'll need to pay bills and work jobs, and... I just don't think it's worth it. I'm not even the alpha yet..."

"All the more I must come with you, Alpha!" Gareth declared, "Especially since Alpha is not yet in power, I must give Alpha my utmost. Although I'm only an omega, I have been the Tyger King for two decades now. Till today, my territories run across the entire Blade Wolf Packlands all the way to Idonia. "

I shook my head. All the more he should stay and take care of his territory!

"To be able to follow my alpha through every trial and tribulation. To be able to contribute and support my alpha's causes from the beginning." Gareth took a deep breath, "I am just an omega, but I want to be strong enough to be your sword and shield."

"Had you even asked Anna yet?" Like seriously, I looked to Anna, "Tell me honestly, is this really okay with you?"

How could it be okay?

Anna paused, "If I may be so bold to speak, Alphas..."

Yes, please, "You're his mate. You're allowed to disagree. You can both stay here."

Anna smiled wryly, she had a beautiful smile, like the kind a painter would look at and become inspired to paint the Mona Lisa.

"Alpha, I had not wanted to leave." Anna answered, "The thought of leaving everything familiar to me had kept me awake for many nights. But I want to remain by my mate's side. I want to be his pillar of support. I want to see him find atonement and make peace with his past one day."

Then please do that from the Colored Mountains. Like seriously, both of you, just stay at home!

"And now that I've met you, I must say you are very different from what I was expecting." Anna continued.

This really made me wonder WHAT Anna was expecting, but she was still speaking, "I think different and unfamiliar might not be a bad thing now."

What?

"I think I want to see what lies outside the Mountains." Anna told me, "All my life, I've only done what was expected of me, I've only followed orders of my Alpha, or the Alpha where I serve as Guest Healer. You are the first Alpha who ask me what I wanted."

I think she was forgetting the part about running away from home to follow Gareth out of the pack. I didn't get that many details when Gareth and the tygers were telling the story, but I felt quite sure her running away to follow the omega would have been the opposite of following orders.

"If this is the only way my mate can move forward, I want to come with him. This is my fate. I will not shirk it." Anna sounded determined now, and also a little bit hopeful, "We will walk into this new life together. And maybe this new life might be something wonderful."

I guess that could happen. I shrugged, "How about the both of you just come over to visit first?"

Gareth bowed low, "Thank you, Alpha! Thank you for this opportunity to prove ourselves. Anna and I will work hard to meet your expectations!"

Anna bowed next to him, "Please take care of us, Alpha."

Wait, I meant like they could come for a holiday, see the world a bit, and then return home. Gareth made it sound like I was giving him a new job probation.

"Good." Haku clapped his hands together, "Then that's settled. Gareth and Anna would be leaving to follow the Blue Alpha."

"What about Jin?" Gareth asked, "Didn't you just say it will be trouble when the top Guest Healer suddenly leaves his pack?"

"Yes, a bit." Haku worried, "But I'm sure I can deal with it. You don't have to worry."

"But you said..." Gareth started.

"Oh!" Haku remembered suddenly, "Blue Alpha, is this your first time here? Now that business is settled, you must see our gardens. Our Four Seasons fruit trees are a sight to behold! Since you've come all this way, you much see it! Perhaps Hayao might show them to you?"