A Truce?

~

JeonJa

~

I stood silently as I watched Jackson crack his knuckles, his lips tugging down to form a frown and his dark eyes challenging me to take the first leap.

So I did. But he moved fast, cutting me off as he punched me in the gut. I could feel the pressure of his aura descend on me and the heavy release of pure anger from his fist. He was seething and he wasn't hiding it.

But unlike his belief that he would be able to push me back, I was still standing, with my palms defending against his fist. So when the dust around us cleared, he was left aghast to see no plausible effect on me.

I smirked, taking in his confusion. "Pardon."

He flinched back as soon as he saw my claws aiming for his face. He was lucky, I wasn't that serious.

Growling, I heard him curse before taking another strike at me, however it just resulted into providing me with an opening which I took without delay. This time squarely hitting him in the jaws.

He flew back, sliding on the paved walkway, the friction causing the tiles to crack and break. And next to us his sigma, Jae was shivering with fear, unable to believe that I could advance so much over his mighty leader.

Just when I started to think Jackson had fainted, I was given a delight as he stood back up, maintaining a quick martial arts pose, his eyes turning to a bright red, marking the onset of the second phase of the battle.

He was going to turn into a hybrid. A trait very common among our race.

But I didn't mind, even I always used my claws which were interchangeable with normal human nails. I didn't need the hybrid form to fight off the alpha, even though he had already triggered his change gaining one advantage over me.

Well, I had expected that.

Hybrid forms provided with exceptionally sharper and longer claws, and the amount of fur that grew on the limbs, shoulder and abdomen decided the protection coat. It might look soft and fluffy as silk, but it was bristly and sharp enough to cut anything which came into it's contact. It was like an armor. Thus, hybrid forms were always saved for the battle purposes, although triggering it took time and not all could complete their formation in time before they were struck down by the enemies.

The most easy and predictable was the use of claws and the five senses we had, it came before the hybrid transformation. Which I was currently using.

Whereas, the wolf form was an unique ability not all had, it was very difficult to maintain but was also the most powerful transformation one could go through. It was quick and also gave additional strength to the user. Most alphas and betas could only turn into a wolf during the full moon, but that also happened very rarely.

And the Werewolf form was only taken during the new moon period or when the person was desperate enough to shut down his conscious and run on instinct. Such people were labelled as rogue, since a werewolf state was the most unrestrained and turbulent one.

"Come at me now if you will," the leader provoked confidently, his voice rougher and more steely than before. His dark hair covering his torso, limbs and shoulders. Even his eyes were a glaring red, sparkling with a vengeance and hate that came along the hurt pride.

Funny.

"Where is the rest of your pack, they should fight me before you, doesn't it hurts to go first like a weakling." I mocked, showing contempt towards him.

But he didn't take the bait, peaking my interest, for his brain might be working towards my demise. If he had a brain to speak of, since most alphas and betas were just filled with pride and arrogance. Utter bullsh*t.

Instead of saying anything, he pounced on me like a raging dog. He was fast, yes, but I was faster, so I dodged him.

Now that I think about it, I could feel the dense air around me filling with a wider range of scents. Like I was surrounded by many people.

And true to my instinct, my observation had been right. There were more than thirty to forty pack members standing around the garden. Some were even atop the trees for better view of me and their boss.

The scents alone were enough to confirm that the gammas were involved as well.

"So it's like this," I mumbled to myself. I now understood why he was challenging me alone, firstly he thought of me as inferior, and secondly he knew there was no escape for me. I also wondered if he enjoyed the fighting.

I dodged again as Jackson pulled his kick on me, his body tense under all the flexing and energy he was investing into the fight.

I clawed him in return, only to feel the sparks flying upon meeting his shoulder fur. Damn it. If I couldn't drop him in one or two strikes, then participating in the arc fest would end up being a serious fail. I wanted to reach the top, and in order to do that, I had to be strong enough to deal with such packs within seconds.

Huffing with annoyance, I withstood his incoming series of kicks and claws, waiting for the correct opening to show.

I knew his pack won't attack me out of the blue, it was a pack code to stay put if their alpha was fighting, and it gave me a small relief, but I also concluded that Jackson was personally testing me.

A minute later I was still dodging and it was pissing me off, this shouldn't be happening, my goal was an immortal being, to fight him I had to be better than this.

So with a determined change of steps, I increased my body heat and tip toed on my toes with skips, as if boxing. Then with a small intake of breath, I maximized my energy into my claws, so much that it started to glow a deep black instead of the ivory white.

My gifted element was the element of darkness (others had other elements) and it was known to be poisonous to our kind. Even my nerves were turning dark beneath my skin, and it was showing.

Gasps and murmurs were heard from the crowd who had silently gathered around us, and I noticed Jackson taking a step back with alarm. To solidify his shock he even slightly gaped at me.

"Who are you." He asked me curiously, his anger thrown out the window as he waited for my answer.

"An Omega."

"Oh I didn't know that, anything else?" he asked sarcastically.

I was still cautious of him so I didn't lower my guard, but he looked genuinely interested in knowing who I was, it was a 360 degree change in his personality. And to my surprise he morphed back to his human self, no longer maintaining the hybrid state.

"B-Brother?" I heard Jae call, even he was confused, just like the rest of the pack. A quick glance at them from the corner of my eyes cemented the claim.

"Why did you come here, I have a right to know, you did beat up my brothers pretty bad from what I hear." Jackson appeared to be rather calm, it was seriously annoying, that he didn't attack me again, and I was left stranded, still holding my powers in place, my claws feeling ice cold against my skin. Talk about feeling embarrassed.

Taking his pacifying verbal assault as a hint for truce, which was surprisingly coming from a leader whom I though would call for my execution, I summoned back my element, the black traces of shadow veins dispersing away into nothingness. My arm returning to normal, more humane. "I heard you are a member of the council, so I wanted to participate in the arc fest... by your recommendation."

His disbelief was apparent, when he started to laugh as if I had cracked a joke, "You crazy kid, you should know omegas were banned last to last year, since their masters often send them to compete for sport purposes. It was a practice that had to be banned due to several grave repercussions, mainly the backlash of the exhausting slave community. Omegas are a minority wanted by most of the majority, their mortality rate was going down fast. The-"

"I know the rest of it," I interrupted, not knowing whether he just liked to talk that much or was he actually trying to hint at something deeper than common history.

"Then you also must know that I such as myself am in no position to grant your wish. My pack's welfare is more important than your's. Even if you kill me I wouldn't submit."

The murmurs among the pack rose, as I knew that for a leader to say he wouldn't submit until death meant he acknowledged his enemy was powerful. That made me think. He wasn't like the rest, he actually acknowledged his defeat in a more subtle way.

"I know you won't, but all you have to do is submit my name in the challenge arc," I proposed sincerely, "you can easily strike me off as an alpha, I have my ways to hide my omega scent."

"Even if I do that the truth will come out eventually, and then what? You should know that such foolishness would cost me my future. You may get just disqualified, but I would be imprisoned for my lies. The rule was passed by the ruling pack of Jibaeja, they lead the fest, the council and the judicial branch. One cannot escape them."

I pouted internally, manipulating a man like him would be difficult, he looked stubborn. "I could simply force you to give my name you know."

He smirked, "You can do that, but unlike my brothers I am the most brutal and cold. Kill my pack and I would take revenge, but I don't let them hinder my judgement."

I looked around at the stern faces of the pack members and even Jae, observing that Jackson was right. They all seemed to know his political maneuvers and strict dictatorship.

"Then let me ask you this, what will you decide if I told you I would be the one ruling this world soon enough. Jibaeja can go take the leap for all I care, they are still below in rankings than the one who rules all."

After my statement, I heard his pack members bursting into laughter and fits of giggles but Jackson didn't. Unlike the rest he just watched me, staring into my eyes with his regular black ones.

Then he just sighed and scratched his neck with apprehension, although he still maintained his dominant stupor. "I can't even say it is a ridiculous notion, but even with determination and will you cannot achieve your goal without external help of a pack, which I know you don't have. The one you have to defeat for your purpose is the true alpha. The apparent God we have only heard of."

"People say omegas are the scum of the society, but just now I defeated your brothers who are well known betas. I even fought with you. Does it not seem impossible to you."

He sighed again, much to my frustration, "Yes, but the true alpha is not someone you could defeat just like that, besides, he also has a pack, and you should know, I am not dissing you because I do find your skills applaudable. For an omega you crossed the threshold many could only dream of."

His pack silenced themselves as they heard their alpha speaking so highly of me. I saw a brown haired man standing closer to us than the others would think safe and he was watching me intently. "Brother Jackson," he spoke to his alpha, but still kept his focus on me, "you shouldn't accept his request, he is our enemy despite having earned your respect."

Jackson snorted, "I never said I respected him, he did hurt our pack, given that it is the same approach everyone follows, you either win or lose."

The brown haired man shook his head, rubbing his pink blazer with anxiousness. "Then stop praising him brother! We did not yet take our revenge on him."

"Oh, right."

I sweat dropped, finding the situation hilarious. What the hell was with this alpha, was he really an alpha as heard? He was almost like a mad bull, raging at one minute and going all dumb the next.

"Brother, if we are just going to discuss around, we should go back inside, also the party would start in a few hours, we need to be prepared." I saw a yellow haired man tell the alpha, who nodded and gestured for me to follow him. Jae, who stood behind us, hesitantly, but slowly started to follow us as well, but the rest of the pack stayed behind, probably because it wasn't in their jurisdiction, they were low ranking member for a reason.

I stopped a few times to search for a pink haired boy in the pack, whom I had seen earlier but just like before, I saw no one. Had I been day dreaming that time? Sigh.