Chapter 4 Promise me, you'll be careful

I was quiet, pondering this new information.

"You wanted to go to the Kingdom once," I finally said, stating the fact simply. It was something he had told me before when he was in the right mood for it. He didn't often talk about his aspirations, as it seemed to only make him sad at where he'd ended up. But now seemed like a good time to get him to talk.

"I did. But it's almost impossible to switch packs ", particularly for an omega like me, I thought to myself, " and I was too young and unskilled to know how to find a place there. But yes. Once, a long time ago, I hoped to find my fortune there. Our fortune."

As he spoke, I could see the light of the dream in his eyes. It was clear that he still thought of the past often, and was excited by the prospect of the trip, although he was trying to suppress it.

I kneeled forward on my knees and took my father's hands, smoothing my fingers over the scars on his.

"Let me go," I practically begged, quietly. "Let me go and I'll do everything I can to find our fortune. It isn't lost."

Dad sighed, his eyes searching mine and seeing his hope reflected there.

"It isn't too late " I began, but just then Jason ran out into the yard, waving something over his head. He was still shorter than me, but seeing him from a distance, I could tell that he was starting to fill out and wondered if this would be the month he finally transformed and if I would miss it while I was away. The thought made my heart squeeze in my chest.

"Dad!" he shouted, "Dad you need to come to see this! I think I figured it out! I got it to work "

Morton Pratt grimaced, bracing his hands on his knees to stand. I stood quickly and helped him by hooking a hand under his bicep.

"Let me go," I asked quickly, trying to ignore Jason's excited chattering behind them. "I promise "

"Valarie," my father interrupted with a small laugh. "You think your mother and I don't know that we couldn't stop you if we wanted to?" He sighed. "We are worried, we can't help it, you're our only daughter. And you've heard the rumors about King Gabriel."

I tried not to roll my eyes. My hair was a mess, practically knotted around my ears, and I could feel the dirt under my fingernails. If I made it to the Kingdom, there was no way Gabriel would give me a second glance. An Alpha would never consider an Omega.

"Promise me you'll be careful," dad pressed, gripping my hands tightly.

I practically bounced on the balls of my feet. "I will!" I exclaimed, hope rising in me again. "Dad, I swear, I'll go and I'll show them that we belong somewhere better. "

He shook his head. "Don't worry about us. Just do whatever you can to stay safe. Enjoy yourself, but stay safe, okay? And keep this with you to remind you."

He opened our hands to reveal the locket I was gripping tightly. I ducked my head and let him raise the twine over the mess of hair around my slim neck.

He walked off to see what Jason wanted, and I stood still facing the forest, grinning. Behind me, in the house, my mother stood at the window watching the scene below.

"Are you excited?" Jason asked the next day as he followed me around, almost tripping over my ankles as he watched me pack. "Do you think you'll see the whole royal family? All of their servants? Do you think you'll get to go to the events?"

"Jason!" I yelled, whipping around. "Calm yourself! You're distracting me, and I need to make sure I have everything for the trip."

I turned, sorting through all of my clothes to try and find anything remotely appropriate for my foray into the Kingdom.

"Do you think you'll get to spend time with the other princesses? I heard the Dagger pack"

Jason's voice droned on and I found myself staring down at my hands. I most definitely would be spending time among the other princesses, and that thought made me nervous.

Our pack, the Autumn Pack, lived at the northernmost edge of the country. Our winters were the hardest and their pack was the hardest. Surrounding us were the Crow Pack to the southeast, the Mead pack directly to the south, and the Sturgeon Pack to the southwest bordering the ocean.

In almost the exact middle of all twelve packs was the thirteenth and Alpha pack. Their Alpha, currently King Gabriel, rulers all of the packs and resides in the Kingdom.

For the most part, each pack kept to its territory. But the Alphas and Betas traveled at ease. With them came the rumors.

The Blue pack, which Jason was obsessed with, was known for being particularly violent. They were a strong contender for the Alpha mate with two previous princesses winning the title during the Hunts.

They also fought regularly in the territories nearby. King Gabriel managed to keep a strong grip on the Blue pack, reining them in whenever they got too violent towards the other packs. As poorly as he handled commitment and settling down, the King was known for having a strong hand and being somewhat ruthless.

"And the Yule pack," Jason sighed dreamily, dropping onto my bed. I snorted, shoving him so that he fell over and giggled.

The yule pack was known for its beauty.

"Promise you'll tell me about their princess," Jason said, sitting up again.

"I'm not sure I'm going to have time to describe her to you," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"I wish I had been going with you, Val! It's not just the hunt. I've heard about some of the shops there. How advanced is their machinery? And the schools! I would love to get my hands on some of the new parts they're inventing there. It would make things so much easier here!"

I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.

Jason would never attend any of the schools. He had gone through the public system, learning with all of the other children, but there'd been no chance of him attending the career schools. Which he would need if he wanted to pursue a career in machinery.

Jason continued to chatter away, and although I acted annoyed, I was happy to be spending time with him before the Hunt. After all, I'd be gone for over a month to keep Sophia well put together and prepared for every single event, whether it was meant to showcase her poise or her strength. I'd be up day and night putting together outfits, brushing Sophia's hair, and training. It would be exhausting and intense and thrilling.

"Can you sneak me away with you?" Jason asked, grinning as he pretended to climb into my bag.

I tackled him all of a sudden, knocking us both sideways.

"I would take him with you if I could," I said, my voice muffled in my comforter. Jason hugged me back tightly.

"I promise I'll try to bring some trinkets back for you, okay?" I said, sitting up again.

Our mother, Eve Pratt, walked into the room purposefully.

"You'll need to pack these as well," she said, holding out a stack of clothing.

I straightened up quickly, eyes wide.

The cloth was finer than anything I'd had before, and the colors were beautiful. I reached out a hand but was afraid to touch them, aware that my hands were often dirty.

Mom gestured at the clothes impatiently and I took them, fingering the cloth.

"Mom, how did you..?" I began, and she interrupted me, sitting down between her children and sighing.

"I had some money saved up. But with Sophia's commission, it should be more than made up for this. And you'll need them if you're going to be trailing around after her at the Hunt."

I wasn't a crier, but once again I felt her watering anyway. I got my strength from my mother, and it was hard for both of us to show our emotions sometimes. But mom was great at showing she cared about her actions, and this was more than I could have hoped for.

I leaned over and hugged my mother, laughing when Jason jumped into the emotional moment as well, almost tipping us all over.

Only two more days and I would be leaving this house for the longest period I'd ever left before.