Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/13715427. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M, Multi, Other, F/M Fandom: World_Wrestling_Entertainment Relationship: Dean_Ambrose_|_Jon_Moxley/Baron_Corbin, Alexa_Bliss/Corey_Graves, Kevin Owens/Sami_Zayn, Roman_Reigns/Seth_Rollins_(Unrequited), Dean_Ambrose/ Ember_Moon Character: Baron_Corbin, Dean_Ambrose_|_Jon_Moxley, Seth_Rollins_|_Tyler_Black, Roman_Reigns, Tom_Phillips, Alexa_Bliss, Corey_Graves_|_Sterling_James Keenan, Triple_H, Carmella_(Professional_Wrestling), Lana_(Professional Wrestling), Rusev_(Professional_Wrestling), Sami_Zayn_|_El_Generico, Kevin_Owens_|_Kevin_Steen, Ember_Moon_|_Athena, Colin_Cassady, Dolph Ziggler, Bo_Dallas, Tyler_Breeze, Fandango_(Professional_Wrestling) Additional Tags: Alternate_Universe_-_Fantasy, Alpha/Beta/Omega_Dynamics, Pack_Dynamics, Sequel, Knotting, Mating_Cycles/In_Heat, Precognition, Prophetic_Visions, teenage_dean, Canon-Typical_Violence, Alternate_Universe_-_Werewolf, Pack Building, barbarians_-_Freeform, Tattoos, Pregnancy, Mpreg, Self- Lubrication, Bathing/Washing, Grooming, Visions, Unexpected_pairings, Magic, Witchcraft, Everyone_is_something_more_than_meets_the_eye, the real_world_is_more_complicated_than_expected, Present_Tense, alternating pov, Omega_Dean, Alpha_Baron, Omega_Seth, Breeding, Kidnapping, Attempted Human_Trafficing, Slow_Burn, Slow_Build, Slow_Romance, Baron_lives_in denial, Shapeshifting, Shapeshifters_-_Freeform, Hunting, surrogate alpha, Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta, Omegas_with_opinions, Alternate_Universe -_Magic Series: Part 2 of Howling_for_You Stats: Published: 2018-02-17 Updated: 2018-02-20 Chapters: 3/? Words: 13982 ****** Howling For You [Part 2]: Waking Up ****** by calhale, setralynn Summary Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. A time when the peoples of this earth could shed their skin to become the wolves that live within their hearts. In this time, a great and terrible Alpha king seeks to raise an army of his own children to conquer all the packs of the world. To do so he must have Omegas to bear him strong pups to be his soliders. Either wooed by himself or his Alpha-mate or ripped from their packs through bribery and threats, Hunter will claim them all as his. Dean is a young Omega being sent away from his adoptive family to live with and serve the great Alpha-King. In this world, not all is as it seems. Granted a powerful glimpse of what may come to be be, now it is up to Dean to use that advantage to change the course of his life and perhaps save the lives of a pack he has never truly met. Notes It is highly recommended to read Howling For You [Part 1] first, but in theory this story could be where you start. I'm not telling you how to live. See the end of the work for more notes ***** Chapter 1 ***** Dean gasps as he feels the carriage come to a stop fast enough that he falls to the floor from his bench seat. One of Hunter's men pokes his head into the cart. "Are you alright? Sorry, there's a large tree that's fallen over the road. We'll be stuck here for a little bit." Dean looks up at the man and smiles so wide his cheeks hurt. "That's ok. I'm fine. Take your time." "Huh, it's strange. I could have sworn your eyes were gold. Now they're silver. Like those seers in the swamp. Were you part of Wyatt's pack before you were Shane's?" The guard asks casually. He's glad the Omega's bad mood seems to have faded with a nap. ~~~~~ Baron surveys the scene in the moments before their ambush begins. His scouts found this narrow ravine days ago, and preparations went smoothly. The road passes through a gorge with hills on both sides, and it was easy enough to block the exit by knocking over an old dying tree. The hours of waiting were the most agonizing part, but when the carriage trundled into view and came to a halt right where they wanted it, Baron had to grin. Baron wasn't certain that the plan would work, but Ember had pulled him aside before they departed, looking into his eyes and murmuring blessings that he still couldn't understand. "This Omega is important." She'd said, eyes gleaming their eerie silver color, "Bring him home." It was strange phrasing to refer to an Omega they only planned to capture and ransom, but it gave Baron confidence about the plan. When the last guard leaves the carriage behind to work on moving the tree, Baron signals his small team to move. There are only four of them, but throwing the smoking balls of sap and woad rosette down ahead of them could turn the tables on a group twice this size. The net they have, interwoven with silver and infused with wolfsbane, could prevent the most powerful Alpha from shifting, so it should have no problems holding whatever tiny waifish Omega Hunter is claiming as his next trophy mate. The ambush starts smoothly. The smoke bombs and fill the ravine with thick blue smoke and disguise both scent and sight of their approach from the confused guards. Baron tackles the driver down from his elevated seat at nearly the same time as he hears Rusev and Kevin make their move to attack the other guards who are working on clearing the tree. Baron makes sure Sami has taken out the other guard and is in place with the net on the far side of the carriage before he makes the next move. Baron tugs a bandana up over his face that's painted like the lower half of a skull and rips the door of the carriage open, planning to scare the little Omega out the other side and into the waiting net. Dean knows Baron will be coming through the door of the car but he's not at all prepared to actually see him again. Before he can say anything else Dean reaches out pulls Baron's mask down and is kissing them. "I knew I'd wake up. I knew I'd see you again." Dean is grinning and can’t seem to stop. Baron is momentarily stunned by the kiss, pulling back and staring at the man in the carriage. He's tall and smoothly muscular, and if Baron's nose weren't telling him otherwise he'd think they'd been tricked. The man is definitely an Omega though, Baron knows it instinctively. "What the hell? What are you doing?" Baron sputters, staring down in shock. "Sami!" He calls belatedly, hoping his Beta will bring the net before the Omega bolts. "Sami, if you bring that damned net in here I will never forgive you!" Dean retorts as he frowns at Baron. "We're umm... I'm- no... Thank you for saving me. I never wanted to go to Hunter.” Dean says finally. He wants to tell Baron everything. Tell him how much he loves him and that they're mates but he can't. Ember told him in the vision. You have to let them discover it on their own. If he forces this on Baron he's no better than Roman. “We have to leave. He'll be sending men after us." Baron frowns and considers the Omega for a moment, then shrugs. "Fine. Off we go then." If the man isn't going to fight, then Baron isn't going to stay and wait to get caught. Baron offers his hand to help the Omega from the carriage, whistling sharply to call Rusev and Kevin back. Rusev is naked and leading one of the guard's horses. He passes the reins to Sami before moving to cut free the two from the carriage as well. "Everything ok?" Sami asks, studying the Omega as he carefully packs up the anti-shifting net. "You not gonna run from us or anything?" He asks cautiously, looking to Baron who just shrugs. "Kid wants to get out of here." Baron says. "He can ride. You can Kev can have the other two horses and Rusev and I'll run. Everyone ready to move out?" "Wait, let me grab my pack!" Dean says as he pulls the small cloth-wrapped bundle of his belongings from the carriage. "We should burn it. They're be able to track my scent if we leave it. That way he won't...." Dean stops himself and then just grabs the tinder box from his bag and lights the fabric on the doors on fire. "And no Sami.” Dean says as he turns away from the growing blaze, lips quirking into a smile. “I'm not going to run from you. Let's go home." He leaps up on the extra horse and starts down the path out of the ravine. The echo of Ember's words makes Baron pause, just watching this strange Omega for a moment before he strips. He ties his gear to Kevin's horse and directs his pack to ensure the the carriage burns. He shifts to wolf-form then, ranging along with the horses to watch Sami and the Omega until Rusev and Kevin catch up and they pick up speed, traveling swiftly away from the smoking carriage. They travel hard, and are able to go further than Baron expected. The Omega rides surprisingly well for the kind of spoiled brat Baron expected him to be, and he can see Sami chatting with the man, but doesn't bother to get close enough to eavesdrop. ~~~~~ "By the way," Dean says to Sami when they stop to water the horses that afternoon. "I'm Dean. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was... it's been a stressful… time. I don't really know how to describe it." Dean adds as he soaks a rag in the cold water of the creek and then cools his neck. Sami tries to stay quiet, knowing that bonding with this Omega isn't exactly their plan, but he's never been good with silence. He smiles at the Omega and flushes slightly when the man - Dean - speaks first. "It's ok... I- how did you know? About the net? I know Baron said my name but..." "Ummm," Dean shrugs and shakes his head, "Have you ever felt like you're living a dream? Or you’ve woken up but the dream happens to you again? It's like that sort of. One of Hunter's men asked if I was a Seer." He adds. Maybe if he hints at things Sami will be able to put two and two together for him. He looks over to where the other wolves are gathering to drink from the creek and curses under his breath. "Your Alpha is..." Dean bites his lip to cut himself off. Sami frowns, studying Dean. "Are you?" He asks, glancing nervously downstream at the Alphas. “A seer, I mean.” Kevin and Baron would both tell him to keep quiet, but Sami doesn’t feel like Dean is just fishing for information. "There's a seer in our pack... a shaman. She's the one who told us to look for you..." He pauses. "You should know... we're not really saving you. They're planning to ransom you back to Hunter. To secure some supplies and hunting grounds for the pack. I'm sorry." He tenses a little, ready to pounce if Dean tries to bolt. Dean nods and exhales to stop himself from trying to explain, "I know. And I... I also know that Hunter won't work with kidnappers. He'll just send people to kill you. But I also know there's no way to make you believe me. Why would you?" He stands up and scent marks Sami out of habit or memory. "You're all in danger and it's my fault. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to fight to save our... I mean your pack." Sami returns the gesture out of habit, leaning slightly into Dean's hand and curling his fingers gently around Dean’s neck. It's strange how easily Dean has come along with them, but if he really is a seer like Ember, it's not unbelievable that maybe he knows something they don't know. "If that's true, then I guess we'll know soon enough. We should travel fast though... try to get you to camp. Baron... isn't a bad person. He'd do anything for the pack. Maybe they'll let you stay." He bites his lip and moves downstream to talk to Kevin. They'll trade for the rest of the afternoon, but the Alphas need to know what Dean claims to be. "So you two seem rather... close for just having met." Kevin comments as he pulls his mate in to cover Dean's scent with his own. "He seems fucking nuts to me." He adds with a smirk and chuckle. "Hmmm, can't want to get you home and celebrate an easy fucking mission though. The spring equinox is soon. I'm gonna do it this time. I promise." Sami laughs, leaning in to nuzzle into Kevin's cheek and let himself be held and marked. "Nuts maybe, but I think he's special. Like Ember or Corey." He shrugs helplessly. "At least he's not fighting and crying. This could have been so much worse. No blood, no injuries. We've had worse hunts just bringing down a stag or a boar." His mate's declaration makes him flush. They've been trying for two seasons to have pups of their own, but just having Kevin is worth it to Sami even if they never succeed. He kisses Kevin lightly before looking to Rusev and Baron. "Do either of you want to ride? I could do with some time to think." Baron looks up, running wet fingers through his long black hair to keep it back from his face. "I'll ride if you don't mind." He says with a shrug. "Don't let him get to you, Sami.” Kevin warns, “Alexa will already have sent the ransom demand by the time we get back to camp. Hunter will take him back, and we'll have to send him.” “It’s true,” Baron agrees. “No matter what sad story he tells." Baron pulls some dried meat from his pack and changes the topic. "We're making good time. We should decide if we want to stop and hunt, or just push on to camp. It'd be midnight by the time we made it, but sleeping in my own tent sounds better than a cave with hunters on our heels to me." Sami nods and hums thoughtfully, passing his clothes to Kevin as he starts to strip. "Please be nice to him Baron. I understand that we shouldn't get attached, but he seems... it's like he's already one of us." Sami warns, brows drawing into a slight frown. "And I can't wait to get home either. I vote we push on." He adds before shifting to wolf form. From his place on top of his horse Dean smiles and chuckles happily as he watches Sami and Kevin chase each other around the cleaning in wolf form. He gets distracted as Baron approaches the other horse and starts to pull his clothing back on. Dean never got enough time to appreciate Baron’s tattoos in daylight in the dream, so he lets himself look now. "Are you going to be on Omega guard duty now? I'm guessing we're riding through the night then." Dean comments when he realizes he’s just been staring. Baron narrows his eyes at the Omega. "Yeah, that's me." He says roughly, "Sami said your name's Dean? I'm Baron. And yeah, we're riding hard tonight. Just try to keep up and let me know if you need to stop to piss or anything." Baron checks on the rest of the pack before he signals them to move out, kicking his horse into motion and leading them down the narrow forest paths. Rusev has taken the other horse and falls in behind Dean in an escort formation. Dean does his best to start a conversation with Baron a few times but everytime Baron ignores him or answers his question with a one word answer. "Gah! Why does he have to be so difficult . He was nicer to me after I kicked him in the balls!" Dean growls when Rusev comes up to him to ask how he's fairing. "Was he always like this?" Rusev looks confused. He's a large man, probably the heaviest of the three Alphas, though a bit shorter than Baron. "Kicked him? Your horse?" When Dean just glares forward at Baron, Rusev tries to answer that part of the question at least. "He is a good leader. He does not use too many words." "I have no doubt he is a great leader. I just don't understand why he's being so difficult. I'm trying to be nice to him. But he's being so... standoffish." Dean growls in frustration. The sun is setting now and they split small dinner rations, but they didn't stop for long. Dean had been tempted to try and share some of his food with Baron, but his stomach had protested. There would be time for that later. "Rusev, how did you win over La-I mean your mate? I bet she is very beautiful." Rusev grins broadly, "Sami is right, you are very wise!" Stories always make a journey go faster, so Rusev launches into a story of wooing his mate, Lana. How they met when she was bathing, and how her hair shone like wheat fields under sunshine. He describes in detail the labors and feats he went through to woo her, first to win her attention, and then to prove that he could support her after her pack Alpha tried to arrange a mating to another. They fled together, struggling through a spring and summer without a pack of their own before they encountered Baron's strange group. "We were a smaller pack then." Rusev says, "But to gain an Alpha-Omega pair, they were kind to us." He beams as he describes the joy of realizing that they had found a pack that would accept them. Rusev turns his stories into tales from his own childhood pack. He comes from a settlement much further north, and many of his family died in a harsh Winter just after he came of age. Rusev’s voice turns low and almost reverent as he pivots seamlessly into describing their traditions and those which he has brought to this pack. Stories of his mother turn back to stories of Lana, and eventually describing the challenges of her pregnancy. "It should be soon that the pups are born." Rusev says to Dean, voice booming although he clearly things he is being secretive. "They are so large and strong that it was almost too much for my delicate flower. But she has a strong spirit. Without this, she would have been in much more danger." It is clearly something he was told, and something he has repeated many times over the months of her pregnancy. Dean sees flashes of Lana's pregnancy from his vision and smiles all throughout Rusev's tellings. "She sounds like an amazing woman. And she is lucky to have such a strong mate.” He says, just to see the broad smile on Rusev’s face. “Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to have a strong mate too. Although, if I am to be sent back to Hunter that is a fate I will never be lucky enough to have. He does not mate his concubines." Dean explains to Rusev. He can see the sudden concern and disapproval on Rusev's face. "Forgive me if I am wrong... but is there no danger in such matings?" Rusev frowns in the low light of the dusk. "I was always told for an unmated Omega, pregnancy can be quite difficult." He doesn't like the sound of sending Dean back to such a fate. It is not exactly his place in the pack, but he will speak with Alexa and Corey about it when they get back. Perhaps in a day or two. Dean shrugs, "There is plenty of risk with all pregnancy but without a mate, an Omega can be at risk of... a lot." Another flash or Roman’s smug, dark-haired companion telling him he was with child flashes behind his eyes along with Baron's dead body. The memory still makes Dean want to retch. "I am glad your mate has a strong Alpha to care for her. May your pups be as numerous as the stars." He adds for sentiments sake. Rusev smiles and nods. "Thank you. I pray so every day." He rides close and reaches over to clap Dean on the shoulder before nudging his horse up further to talk with Baron. ~~~~~ Baron is not at all pleased with how easily his packmates seem to be taking a liking to Dean. He's a hostage at best, and they shouldn't need to be getting attached or getting to know him. When Rusev offers to take the point position of trail-breaking, Baron drops back. "I don't know what you're playing at, but it isn't going to work. We're sending you back to Hunter in just a few days. A half-moon, at most. If you wanted freedom, your family already made the wrong choice." Dean can't help but smile as Baron starts to talk to him although he quickly sobers to address his future-mate's concerns. "Don't you care if I have a choice too? What if I don't want to a hostage? What if I don't want to be a slave? Shouldn't I have a say in this?" Dean challenges and looking in Baron's eyes as he stands up for himself makes his heart sing a little. He can't stop his body from reacting to Baron's closeness. His heat will be coming. He knows what it feels like this time. But it's still a few days off. Baron looks over at Dean silently. The sun is set and it has slowed their progress a little, once the moon rises they'll be able to move faster again. It’s nearly three-quarters full already, with the equinox steadily approaching. In the darkness, what he sees is more like what his wolf would see, a combination of Dean's shape and scent and warmth all in one. "You should have a choice." Baron offers finally, "If we could, we'd see everyone treated fairly. But to protect what we have, we need to barter with Hunter. Securing even a small victory will help us." "Who thought up that idea?" Dean asks with a cynical laugh. "Hunter does not negotiate. He's a warlord anda thief. He takes what he wants and slaughters anyone who gets in his way. I am nothing more than a pawn and a slave to him. If I had a choice, do you believe I would ever want to be bred by that monster?" Dean declares. It's dark enough he can see the reflection of his now silver eyes gleaming in Baron's. Baron bristles, glaring at Dean in the darkness. "Hunter has half a dozen Omegas from what we've heard. Keeps them in style and comfort. Lots of town- bred Omegas, that's what they want. Not working, not fighting to survive. There's plenty of people that would love to be kept like that." He knows his tone is defensive. It's an argument that he and Alexa made to the other pack leaders already. They all assumed that most people going to Hunter would see it as a privilege. That's certainly how the stories from Hunter's people go. "If that's not what you wanted, why did your family send you away?" "Because I'm a broken Omega, with inconsistent heats, no family other than the Alpha who took me in, and my Alpha was under Hunters thumb! I don't have a real family. Shane took me in and I've been forced my entire life to try and be this ideal Omega that I'll never be. So fuck you for assuming what I would ever want without knowing me." Dean is on a roll now. He can't stop. The anxiety of his situation is once again starting to crash down on him. All he wants to do is crawl into Baron's arms and make him remember but he can't. "Fuck you, Baron! Send me away and regret it your entire life. I don't care. My torture and death will be on your head." Baron rolls his eyes, he'll be damned if he's going to let this sheltered city Omega make him feel guilty. "Everybody's had a hard life. Sorry that yours will have to end sleeping on a feather bed and riding Hunter's knot once a month. If that keeps my pack and it's pups from starving to death for a winter or two, I won't be shedding any tears for you." "Oh yeah, because being kept in a harem where you're forcibly bred and then separated from your pups is counterbalanced by a feather bed." Dean snides. Seth had sent him letters after he had gone to Hunter's pack. Seth’s words were always clever, but Dean knows what kind of prison he was being sent to. "Don't you dare take a moral high road with me when you've already thought about how much my body is worth to you! How much am I worth Baron? A hundred pieces of gold, ten sacks of grain, furs? Tell me Baron! How much would you charge a man to put his dick in me without my consent?" Dean asks, suddenly furious in ways he never was before. He understands now the workings of their pack. Things are bigger now than just his safety. If they weren't riding, Baron would slap this man. Instead, he just growls. The phrasing of it makes his stomach turn. If that's true, no one should be subjected to it. "Who the hell do you think you are, to take that kind of tone with me?" He spits back at Dean, as much in anger at the idea as at the Omega putting it in his mind. "You were supposed to be Hunter's happy new bride. Going to do your duty for your pack and your family. We're just a little detour on your way." He meets Dean's eyes and would swear they glint silver in the rising moonlight. It makes Baron suspicious, remembering what Sami said. "Where did you hear this about Hunter's harem anyway?" Baron demands. Rumors in towns and out to the field are always unreliable. The stories aren't all good, but most families who send Omegas to Hunter seem to be at least content that they will be cared for. Dean sees the flash of red in Baron's eyes and knows he's pushing the boundaries. He growls and stops his horse in a small clearing so he can get off and stretch, do anything not to just lay into Baron, into his mate, to make him understand something that he never can. "Tell me I'm worth more than a bushel of dead rabbits to you first?!" Dean yells at Baron. It's a low blow to no one but himself as a flash of the claiming gesture made by Baron in the vision flashes in Dean's head. "Tell me what I'm worth to you before I tell you my secrets!" Baron wheels his horse around and whistles to warn the reset of the pack that he's stopping, but stays mounted as he stares down at Dean. That flash of silver in the moonlight is unmistakable. Baron has only seen it one place before. Baron forces his face into a near snarl. "We don't know you! What was one of Hunter's precious Omega brides worth?" He debates even telling Dean, but can't seem to stop himself spitting out the answers. "Land." Baron spits out, sliding down from his horse and gripping the reins tight in his hand to keep from taking a swing at Dean. "Guaranteed hunting grounds without encroachment from Hunters army." He continues. It’s hard to read Dean's expression in the shadows of the trees, but he keeps talking. "Plus supplies. Extra food to feed the pack through the next winter and seeds and tools to start planting on that land in the meantime. We wanted to build a few permanent shelters, places to stay when people are sick or can't travel." Baron shakes his head, knowing Dean can't understand any of this. Baron sighs in frustration. "We hear stories of how highly Hunter cherishes his Omegas. Heard you were strong or special in some way. We hoped maybe he'd offer us at least half what we asked. It may not sound like a lot to you, but it would change everything for us." Dean understands that to Baron and the pack he wasn't a person. He was a piece in their struggle for power and stability. But it doesn't change the fact that he is a person and he won't be sold. He has to make Baron see him as a person before he can work on the rest of it. He was never good at calming people like the other Omegas but maybe he can try something else. "Baron, I understand that I'm nothing to you but you're so much more to me. Forgive me for this but I can't keep looking at you and see nothing behind your eyes." Dean declares as he reaches out with both hands to grasp Baron's face as he concentrates on them, together. His eyes flares silver white like the moon as he sees Baron pressing into him as they share deep heated kisses and whispered words of love. It's too soon for this. So he focuses on something else. He focuses on their night in the field on promises made under star light and their fingers tangled together. Nothing sexual or deep but a spark of what could be. The force of the vision practically knocks him off his feet and after only a moment he collapses against Baron. "I'm sorry. But I had to show you what the real price you're paying for land was." He whispers before he succumbs to darkness. The change in Dean's demeanor lets Baron relax slightly, maybe he can understand a little what this trade would mean. It's not like Baron to let someone get so deep under his skin or into his space, but something about Dean forces him to react. He's not sure what's happening when Dean steps into his space and then he's disoriented, seeing disconnected flashes of things that have never happened. One image solidifies. It's shocking to see himself through someone else's eyes, smiling, and leaning in for kisses. He can feel the overwhelming emotion behind it, but before he can grasp it, it's gone. "What-" Baron gasps the word like a first breath after surfacing from underwater, but Dean is already gone, collapsed against him. If that was real... even an echo of it, then he's been more wrong than he'd thought possible. "Fuck." He breathes out, supporting Dean's weight as he sinks to the ground. Sami and Kevin pad up to him, obviously concerned, but Baron can't possibly explain what just happened. When Baron still hasn't moved after a minute or two and Rusev has circled back to the small clearing, Sami and Kevin both shift back. Together they get Dean back onto the horse, but when Sami offers to ride double with the unconscious Omega, Baron refuses. Sami dresses and takes the solo horse instead, and they tie the third horse to a lead so that Kevin and Rusev can be their scouts. It's hours into the evening, and still takes them a while longer to reach the camp. Dean stays out cold the entire ride, and Baron is left alone with his confused thoughts. ***** Chapter 2 ***** Chapter by setralynn Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes The camp is quiet when Baron and his raiding party reach it, the guards recognizing them and not waking anyone for the moment. Baron leaves Kevin to make his explanations and takes Dean straight to his tent. The Omega is still unconscious after whatever vision he tried to press on Baron in the forest. They planned to leave Dean with Breeze, but the frivolous Omega is likely dead asleep and after talking to Dean, Baron is fairly sure they won't get along. He spreads out the bedding in his small tent to accommodate two and lays Dean down carefully before stripping and laying down beside him. ~~~~~ When Dean wakes up he is warm, relaxed, and wrapped in a bundle of furs as well as Baron's arms. He smiles happily, not waking the other man right away. He has to be patient. He has to use what his vision showed him to make this work. Another flash of Baron's dead body and the burning camp flashes in his head and he buries his head against Baron's chest to hide from it. "I won't let them take you." He whispers softly as if he was running from a bad dream. Baron didn't go to sleep with Dean draped over him. They weren't even touching, in fact. But he wakes up with the Omega nestled into his side and half on top of him. It should be more worrying that this stranger got so close into his space while he slept. As he wakes up fully, he realizes he was woken by Dean's distress. All the Omega’s pheromones say something is wrong. "What happened?" Baron says roughly, Alpha instincts flaring defensively despite being barely awake. "Are you alright?" Dean shakes his head softly, "It’s fine. Just bad memories.” They're both silent for a little while and Dean smiles when he realizes that neither of them are moving away from each other. It's easy and natural in an unexpected way. "I'm sorry I yelled at you last night. I was... frustrated. Sometimes it feels like there are so many things my head that are all trying to get out at once that I might just burst." Dean comments after a little while. Baron sighs, "I'm sorry you're in this situation that we can't change...." He hesitates, not wanting to set Dean off again and still not sure why he's so comfortable with this Omega so nearby. "For the other things... I think you should talk to our Shaman. She may be able to help you sort through... Whatever is in your head." He doesn't say that Dean will only be here for a few days, there's no use in treating him like a prisoner when he's clearly not planning to run. "Yeah, I should should go see her. Ummm, I should also tell you now...." Dean replies as he moves to sit up a little. He looks down at Baron, laying in bed with the warm morning light shining down on him through the top of his tent. He's so beautiful. The stirrings of his oncoming heat happen again. "I'm going to go into heat soon. Tomorrow, maybe even tonight. I won't ask you to try and help me, although I wouldn't mind your company. But I think Sami should help me. It will help him and Kevin with their pup situation." Baron frowns up at Dean. "Me? Not generally the person people want as a surrogate Alpha." He says with a shrug, "Usually one of the Omegas would stay with you. Sometimes Ember has alternative remedies." He frowns suspiciously at the mention of Sami, "I don't even know how you know about Sami and Kevin's breeding but... I can ask him. Kev doesn't like sharing him with others most of the time.” "He doesn't need to...." Dean stops and blushes a little. "He doesn't need to do anything. Ember can drug me, keep me sedated. But my scent will... it will send Kevin into Rut and it will make Sami receptive. Sami told me they were... struggling." Dean admits although he doesn't remember if that was this time or in the vision. He doesn't even know if the vision as actually real or not. He needs to talk to Ember. "And you're the only Alpha I've met that's not mated. And you're... attractive. Why wouldn't I want you?" Baron raises a skeptical eyebrow at Dean and shrugs. "Could work for Sami and Kevin I guess. If they're up for it." He sighs and hauls them both up to sitting. "Courting me isn't going to stop us sending you back to Hunter, you know. We won't move you while you're in heat of course, but what I told you yesterday stays true. If we make a deal with Hunter, we can't just keep you without endangering everyone here." "I know. I'm in limbo, but it's better you're prepared. I don't want to cause too much trouble." Dean says although it makes him laugh a little. "Although that thought alone is a little strange. Some days I'd swear trouble is my middle name. " He doesn't reply to the courting comment. He'll bide his time. Baron rolls his eyes, "So far, I'd say that seems accurate. First day out and you've already picked a fight with your kidnapper, worked yourself to collapse with some kind of vision, and then woken up in bed with an unmated Alpha." Baron rolls his shoulders and yawns. "You're lucky I didn't hit you for crawling in close to me like that. I don't..." He doesn't know how to explain his usual aversion to close contact. He has to force himself into the kind of easy closeness that most members of the pack enjoy. "If you hit me I may have hit you back, so beware." Dean teases. "And honestly, I'm pretty sure you're the one who took me to bed not the other way around. But I could make crawling into your bed a habit of your prefer." Dean can't help himself. Flirting with Baron is just too easy. Especially when they're still half way in bed and on top of each other. Baron shakes his head. "I'm seeing what you mean about trouble." He nudges Dean off of him and stands, moving to locate the pack that Dean had grabbed from the carriage. "You want to bathe before we go ask Ember what to do with you?" Baron tosses the small pack at Dean and then pulls on some clothes of his own. He itches to be clean after such a long day of riding, but understanding what the hell Dean is and verifying if he's right about his heat is more important. "A bath would be great. I can help haul water, too. For the tubs." Dean offers before he remembers he should know they have a bathing tent, let alone how it works. It's getting harder to remember what was in his vision and what he's been told this time. Baron hasn't undressed him in the night so he pulls on his back and his boots, ready to go. Baron shakes his head at Dean, "It's downright creepy how you... know things." Baron says, giving Dean a look as he holds the flap of his tent open for Dean to exit. "Ember was like that when she came to us. Only she was panicked, running. I'll let her explain, I guess." It's later into the day than they probably should have been allowed to sleep. "Anyway, the stream is over this way. There's a well in this area too, but for bathing river water is fine." Baron awkwardly narrates the areas of camp they pass through, not sure what Dean will know or not. Dean does his best to try and remember where the river is in comparison to the main feasting tent after grabbing a few large leather buckets. Breeze is there with Dango. They're weaving baskets. Dean raises his hand to waves at them but then has to run it through his hair to cover when they give him a confused look. "Thank you for not abandoning me last night after I... Umm touched your mind? Gave you my vision? Memories?" Baron shrugs. "Wouldn't have been much point in dumping you in the forest after all of that." He says, though he knows that doesn't explain it. "I don't think I got as much of it as you wanted me to but... I could feel the emotion of it?" Baron refuses to look at Dean as he says it, filling the largest buckets and starting to walk back toward the tents. "If you really saw all of that, felt that way about me... I couldn't just leave you with someone else." Dean quickly follows suit with his own set of buckets as follows Baron back towards the camp. "You're taking this all much... better than I anticipated. What did you see? I'm only asking because it was my first time trying to show someone what I saw... or maybe lived? It felt so real." Dean asks as the pour their water into a small tub that is just large enough to two or three people. Luckily no one is in the tent yet. After starting the fires to heat the water they sit down and strip while washing off most of their bodies with water in the trough. This time Dean pulls a bar of honey soap from home out of his pack. He had missed it so much the first time. It leaves his skin scented lightly with lavender and honey comb and brings a smile to his face. Baron takes his time answering. Dean doesn't seem to mind when silence falls between them, and Baron is grateful for that. "I saw flashes... of myself from the outside. Of..." He clears his throat, not about to try to explain the moments of obviously intimate mating that he'd seen in the beginning. "Like I said, it was the feeling that was overwhelming. Love and desperation..." It's the way Baron feels about the pack sometimes, but it coming from outside of him was bizarre. Baron smiles bemusedly as Dean moves easily around the tent, knowing without asking where to stash his things and pulling his own soap from his pack. "How long ago was this vision again? Did you pack to be kidnapped?" "No, I was packing to go to Hunter. My vision... it happened while I was sleeping in the carriage." Dean replies as he steals sidelong glazes at Baron's naked body. "I was with you... part of the pack for a while. Through the equinox." Dean explains even though he knows it won't make much sense. "Our initial meeting was much different. I punched you in the face." Baron frowns but lets Dean talk. He's gotten used to listening to things that are probably crazy and then figuring out what to do about it afterward. "You punched me? That sounds... unwise. I assume I kicked the shit out of you for it later?" He shouldn't make Dean talk through this now, Ember will make him go over it all again later, but Baron is curious and they're still mostly alone in the early afternoon heat of the tent. Dean chuckles as they both move into the heated tub and Dean brings a rag and his soap. "You certainly tried, but I kicked you in the balls and your wolves had to stop you from ripping my throat out." Dean replies with a chuckle as if the moment has been a cherished memory. "Do you want me to wash your hair?" Baron shakes his head and scoffs at the description, imagining the faces Sami would have made in disapproval at his abuse of their prisoner. He's already pulling his hair up into a loose knot at the back of his neck. "No, that's... ok." He says it automatically, like he would to every member of the pack. "Did I... let you do that? Before?" He asks curiously. There aren't a lot of people he's let into his space, and oddly Dean is already miles ahead of most others despite the fact that they've only just met. "Ummm..." Dean blushes and bites his lower lip as he shakes his head. "No, not really. I mean not exactly that.... we bathed together but ummm we kind of... we bathed a couple times together. Other things happened." He replies before dunking himself under the water completely. He's not a shy person but Baron's curiosity is shocking. Baron watches Dean's pale skin flush with a sort of delighted fascination. 'Other things happened' indeed. He lets himself lean back against the side of the tub, eyes drifting half closed. "Whatever you say. I don't... I'm not big on people touching me. I know that's weird. It's so important to pack bonding." Baron spent a lot of years as a loner, but it's not something he talks about if he can help it. Dean slowly rises from the water and practically crawls up Baron's body to slide between his legs. "You didn't have a problem touching me last night." Dean offers as a retort. He lifts a hand and scent marks Baron's throat slow and soft. Baron tenses, nostrils flaring instinctively to catch Dean's scent as his hands slide to rest on Dean's hips. "Yeah, well you had been unconscious for hours. I didn't think you'd be crawling into my space. I was more worried about making sure you didn't die in your sleep." He licks his lips nervously, not sure what's happening here but curious. He raises a hand to match Dean's touch. "I think maybe I'm supposed to know more about those 'other things' that you remember happening." Dean closes his eyes and let's himself bask in this moment. "There are lots of other things I've seen. You're going to have to be more specific." Dean counters with a playful smirk. He chokes back a moan when Baron's hands tighten on his hips. "Do you really want to know? I think I should probably keep some of it as a surprise." "You think we were mated." Baron says knowingly, his voice low. "I saw the flashes of it. You riding me..." He swallows hard. "Was I that selfish in your vision? That I decided to keep you for myself despite all the danger it would bring?” There was a time when Baron would have been that selfish, and he can almost imagine it, though he’d like to believe he's grown into a stronger leader than that. "Was that your heat?" "No. That was..... after. A long time after. You were incredibly strong. You still are." Dean replies. "I won't force myself on you. I won't tell you that we belong together. You have a choice. But... if things change... if you can't send me to Hunter. I will plan to make a declaration to run for you at the equinox." The words are heavy and Dean doesn't think he can stay here and not kiss Baron. So he slides back into the water and starts to get out of the tub. Baron catches Dean's wrist before he can think about it, sighing. "Stay. Please. I'm not trying to tease you." He holds up both hands, releasing Dean’s wrist. "You deserve a chance to relax and be clean after yesterday." He doesn't pull Dean back close to him, letting the man settle on the far side of the tub. "This is a lot, just.... give me time." Baron tells himself that the pull he feels to Dean is probably the pre-heat pheromones. Thousands of years of biology trying to draw potential mates close to maximize the chance of producing strong offspring during the heat. Baron blows out a deep breath and needs to focus, he doesn't even know where to begin addressing Dean's declaration. Baron splashes some water on his face and then steps from the tub. "Take your time. I'll just be outside." He nods to the little side entrance and moves away, picking up a cloth to dry off with while he sits in the afternoon sun. Dean nods and decides to relax a little to try and clear his mind a little. Experiencing it now, he can partly understand why Roman acted the way he did. The desire to be with his mate is consuming. He lets Baron leave. Baron lets himself soak in the sun for longer than he should. The air is still cool and the only two person who arrives to share his space is Cass. After basic greetings, they settle into easy silence. ~~~~~ A few others move around the tent while Dean soaks, but Corey is the only one who approaches. "You must be Dean." He says, tattoos on full display across his shoulders as he leans against the outside of the tub. "I'm Corey. I hear that we should probably talk." Dean smiles wide and bright at Corey as the man slides into the tub. "Hello. Yeah, I'm Dean. Your tattoos are... impressive. So many stories. I feel like I should get mine. It's a strange one." "Thank you." Corey considers Dean with a slight frown. "Kevin was right, you're... not what we expected. Sami said you might have the gift of foresight as well?" Corey can't hide his slight sadness at the mention of tattoos. "It sounds like you've been told our plans for you. But you believe the trade won't work?" "Your shaman, Ember. She would call it true sight." Dean comments as they move a little closer together. "I know the plan won't work. Hunter won't negotiate and he won't be blackmailed. I don't mean anything to him. He will just send people to kill you all." Dean replies. "But it's alright. I understand. Ember just told you I was important. She didn't tell you why. She's better that this than I am." Corey has to laugh, glad that he came alone instead of sending Alexa to talk with this strange new Omega. This kind of cross-talk would drive Alexa mad. "I appreciate the warning." Corey says casually, "You'll have to forgive me if I don't entirely believe you have all these details based on your gift. You have had a chance to speak with several members of our pack at length already." Sami in particular is known to run his mouth, and Rusev as well. If this Omega's pretty blue eyes disarmed them, Corey isn't planning to be taken in as easily. "That's alright." Dean concedes with a shrug. "I don't really expect anyone to believe me. I mean, I wouldn't believe me." Dean adds with a smirk. "Baron and Cass are out there in the cold pool. I think Baron's having some kind of breakdown. You and your mate should probably talk with him. He... he needs some support." Corey smiles and shrugs. "Alexa is already planning to. She'll be along." He shakes his head slightly at Dean. "I should ask how the hell you knew that, but I'd rather ask about that tattoo you wanted. I don't mind the idea of sending Hunter an Omega marked by my inks." Dean smiles impishly and nods, Yeah actually. I want-” He frowns, trying to remember. “Umm... there's a rune that looks like two ghosts swirling together. My mother had it on a present. It means we will meet again." Dean describes but chuckles at his own description. "I can draw it out for you in the dirt." "I know the one, I think." Corey says thoughtfully. His eyes are narrowed as they roam Dean's skin, seeing him now as a canvas and considering positioning. "Would you want it.... I call them focal points. A place where you start a tattoo to begin a larger story. Baron started his back piece from the center, for example... Or else it could go somewhere where /you/ will see it... like your wrist. Which might be better if it ends up being the only one you get." Dean hums while he thinks about that. "Could you put it over my heart?" Dean asks a little shyly. It's not like he cares too much. He'll be happy wherever Corey sees fit to place it, but he knows whom he was most excited to meet again and who he's pursuing. Corey pauses to contemplate Dean. "That's a gutsy start... good area to work on though. I would have time tomorrow, if you're serious. You all made it back so quickly, I doubt that we'll have directions back from Hunter's people any sooner than that." Dean nods with excitement. "I would like that very much. Thank you, Corey." Dean replies before reaching over and scent marking the other man with his hand. It's so strange, the first time he was scent marked in the vision was here, into his very tent. He misses Carmella suddenly. "Corey, where do you and Alexa want me to stay tonight? I mean, there are other Omegas or maybe Sami and Kevin? Or Rusev and Lana. Or Carmella and Cass. They're all good people." Corey frowns again suddenly, not liking the amount of information that Dean seems to already have on their pack. "Baron is taking you to Ember today, right? Find me after and I'll see who has some extra furs." A smile breaks across Corey's face as Alexa joins them, "There's my goddess." He murmurs to her before a soft kiss. "Alexa, this is Dean. Our... hostage." He shrugs apologetically at Dean. "Not you too." Alexa says with a sigh, sliding uninvited into the tub and settling on Corey's lap. She fixes Dean with a glare. "I get that you want to stay. We're pretty great. But the plan is the plan. You're going to have to get over it." Dean chuckles and leans back against the tub to watch them cuddle. "I do want to stay but I understand that, as you said, a plan is a plan. I'm just going to sit back and let my imprisonment here be as easy as possible on you." Dean decides. He knows what Hunter will say. He just needs to be patient and let them make the decisions. There's no point in fighting it. However, that doesn't mean he's above a little but of guilt tripping. "I'm sure that when Hunter locks me in a tower somewhere with a chastity belt on and no way to escape, I'll look back at this time here fondly." "We appreciate the cooperation." Corey offers with a soft smile. Alexa rolls her eyes at Dean's dramatics. "Oh, now I see why Baron likes you. You’re both ridiculous." She gestures at him with a shooing motion. "Go cool off and make him take you... somewhere else." Dean laughs and agrees as he gets up and hops out of the tub. "Have fun you two. It was nice meeting you Alexa. See you tomorrow, Corey!" Dean says as he grabs a rag to dry off before grabbing his bag and heading out to the cold pool. "Hey, how's it going?" Dean asks as he takes a seat next to the pool while he gets dressed. ~~~~~ Baron has been trying to sort himself out since Alexa appeared. "Anyone else." Alexa said to Baron the moment she walked out of the bathing tent and settled beside him in the afternoon sun. Her voice was firm and brooked no dissent. "For fuck's sake, Baron, pick anyone else." She had proceeded to tell him all the ways in which taking Dean to his tent had been unacceptable, and by the time she'd let him speak, he'd nearly forgotten to even tell her about Dean's warning about his heat. "Of course." Alexa had said with a groan. "Then you stay the hell away from him after today. He can stay with Ember if she'll take him. Or with Breeze and Bo. Sami maybe if he wants to get involved in that mess." She leaned into Baron's space and right up into his face, "But not you. You want to pick a mate finally, great. But not. This. One." Baron's protests had been brushed away easily and Cass just feigned sleep in the face of her tirade. She was right of course. But that didn't stop Baron from spending the next twenty minutes at least just trying to sort through this strange draw he felt for the first time in his life. Baron blinks in surprise when Dean appears, breaking his recollection. "Hey. Fine. I'm fine. You have a good soak?" "Yep." Dean says with a nod. "You feeling any better or are you just as confused as I am still?" Dean asks with a small smile. "Alexa says you need you take me anywhere but here? Which is cool, I just want you to know I suck at basket weaving and Breeze is nice but he never shuts up." Baron smiles, purposefully averting his eyes when he realizes he's staring a little too much at the curve of Dean's thighs and chest. Dean's words finally shake him from his contemplative haze. "I- that's- yeah, fine. Let me get dressed. We need to go to see Ember. This is... Just strange." Dean laughs and ruffles Baron's hair a little. He ignores the raised eyebrow Cass gives them for the most part but does nod in greeting to the giant man. "You look tired." Dean mentions to Cass as Baron slowly gets out of the tub. "Cass, this is Dean." Baron introduces belatedly. "He's..." Baron shrugs. Cass already heard everything that Dean might be while Alexa told Baron not to think of him as a mate, so he just waves at Dean. "Nice to meet you finally. And yeah, young pups will do that to you. I'm ok though." He studies Dean quietly, his eyes shifting to Baron as well. He doesn't say anything, but the potential is obvious. Baron doesn't let newcomers touch him like that Dean waits patiently while Baron dresses and then grabs his hand and pulls the large man out of tent with their fingers interlaced. "I actually have no idea where Ember's tent is at this camp. I only saw her tent after we moved." Dean explains to Baron even as he's leading him towards the center of camp. Baron chats with Cass about the health of baby Enzo as he dresses, and then tries his best to walk more sedately while Dean rushes around him. "OK, ok. How about you let me lead then? What is wrong with you?" Dean's words finally sink in and Baron comes to an abrupt stop. "What do you mean moved camp? That's.... a week away at least." Baron frowns at Dean, he has been trying not to believe Dean's claims about danger coming for them, but the camp moving... Dean knowing that it was coming up. It's all too disturbing. Dean almost falls from the force of Baron stopping in his tracks. "What? Oh, well with me going into heat and then the messenger coming back with the sorry- out-of-luck message from Hunter... we moved. I don't know where, exactly. Mountains. I was kind of out of it. Heat will do that to you. Especially me since I haven't had one in like nine or ten months." Dean admits casually although everything he just said is sure to make Baron's head spin. "Hasn't Ember told you any of this? Baron hesitates, "Ember... isn't like that. She may know things, but she doesn't just share it all like you..." He starts slowly moving toward Ember's tent again. "I've never even heard of someone like you. You have so much detail from the vision... it's very unusual." "Well, I mean, I'm not really good at anything else. I'm a shit Omega. I'm not pretty or delicate. I'm too big and I don’t have regular heats." Dean counters. Baron hasn't let go of his hand yet which is something but he can feel Baron's resistance to the pull they have. "Maybe this is just the thing I'm good at." Baron shrugs. "That's one way to look at it, I guess." He doesn't understand what Dean means about not being pretty or good at this when Dean's done nothing but charm everyone he's met in the pack. The last thing he needs is Alexa getting wind of him telling Dean he's pretty out in the middle of the camp, so Baron stays quiet. "Here we are." Baron says, dropping Dean's hand to guide him inside Ember's strange smokey tent. It is composed of three smaller tents. The main one, which constantly has a low fire burning, as well as separate spaces for Ember to sleep and a third she uses for examinations when healing is needed. The tents are set up near the well, but outside of the center of camp, allowing her to get water easily and watch the camp. Ember enters the main tent shortly after they do, and Dean instantly feels at home when he sees her. He walks over to her confidently and scent marks her. "Please tell me you remember me. I don't know what I would do if the craziest person I know wasn't crazy with me." He whispers to her with a hopeful smile. Ember smiles, slightly surprised but easily pulling Dean into a gentle hug and marking him as well. She rests her forehead against Dean's for a moment before pulling back to study him. "Remember may be the wrong word. But I know you. I've seen you. And I am relieved you are here." Baron opens his mouth in shock at the familiar greeting, but can't get a word out before Ember's silver eyes flash at him. "Sit down, lonely Alpha. We have so much to discuss." "Be nice Ember, he's... important." Dean retorts with a playful smirk. He takes a seat himself near Baron but far enough away to not be imposing. "I don't even know where to start. I kind of feel like you're the only one who's gonna get what I'm living through." Baron looks confused, but settles to the ground beside the fire. "I didn't think you could seem more crazy." He says to Dean, "But you're managing. What- " He cuts himself off when Ember raises a hand to stop him. "I haven't seen or heard everything, but I think I understand." Ember says to Dean, her voice is calm and her eyes are fixed on Dean. "It seems you have been born into your gift. It is not so very unusual at your age. You had a vision, one with details clear as spring water. They will not always be so... but you are right to cherish what you have." "What do you mean born into my powers? I'm 17 summers old. Why would I be ‘born’ now?" Dean asks confused. "Did you get your powers like this? I mean I spent half a month with this pack. I got to know them and I saw… I have to stop that from happening." Dean declares although he's not even half as confident as he wishes he was. Ember hums thoughtfully, "Our bodies awaken to their nature as Alpha or Omega as we mature, now your mind has awakened to its true nature as well." He stirs the coals of the fire. No visions are yet required, but she lays a twig of dried lavender into the flames, letting the soothing scent fill the tent. "Visions come at times of stress, times of change. They can grant us clarity to make the choices we must make." "The urgency of the vision can feel overwhelming,” Ember says gently, laying a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “But know that even a single butterfly can change what flowers will bloom in the fields…” Dean furrows his brow and hums, "So, I shouldn’t share what I know with them? Because it could mess things up even more? Right? I mean, is that what you're saying?" Dean asks. He wants to ask Baron for advice but the Alpha looks just as confused. Ember chuckles and shakes her head. "In this case I think you've used your visions very well although a bit heavily. Rusev came to me for advice this morning about you. He is very conflicted. He does not think we should send you to be kept as breeding stock. He thinks you should stay here." Ember turns to look at Baron, tilting her head in question. "What do you think we should do Lonely Alpha?" Baron sighs, "I... feel the same way. But the sacrifice may need to be made for the greater good. When will-" he cuts himself off as he turns to Dean, "You said that Hunter will refuse. Will attack us. How soon do you think we would know that?" Dean looks at Ember before answering. She nods and Dean turns to Baron, "Umm not tonight but the next. At least I think so. That's when you moved the camp. I don't really know for sure. My heat started before...." Dean admits with a blush. "It was after you left me in your tent. Kevin and Sami were there." "You were in my tent? In heat?" Baron asks, feeling tense and confused at the idea and at the surge of foolish possessiveness that runs through him. "Kevin was near you during a heat?" "Don't get jealous Baron. He didn't touch me other than to put me in a carriage with Sami." Dean counters when he sees the flash of red in Baron's eyes. "And yes, I was in my vision. I... went there on instinct and you were incredibly strong. You still are." Dean adds carefully. According to Ember he's already given away too much. Ember watches the two interact with a fond smile on her face. "Some patterns will repeat, and some may vary. Since we know of your heat, you will stay here when it hits." She gestures to one side to a secluded area where two or three people could comfortably sit. "Though Sami seems to enjoy your company, and the stability of a Beta can be soothing if you wish him to stay with you." Baron muffles the low growl that threatens to escape him. "You keep saying that. That I'm strong. You don’t mean it like most people do. What do you want from me?" He doesn't mean it to sound bitter, but he's never enjoyed confusion and Dean presents nothing but. "I can't save you from going back to Hunter. I can't..." He shakes his head, Alexa's words ringing in his mind. 'You can't do this. Pick anyone else.' "I can't tell you what happened. I don't want to force you to.... pick me. I mean. Fuck, I'm doing this all wrong." Dean says with a growl. "I don't know what I'm doing OK?" Dean spits out in frustration. "If you don't want to be here just leave. I'll figure it out. I'll be... ok is a relative term but if you don't want me then... just go." Dean offers. He will mourn the loss of Baron as his mate but if this vision is different - if saving the pack means he ends up alone - then he's alright with that. Them all being alive is worth more than the memory of their bond. Ember moves fluidly around the fire to settle behind Dean, one hand firm on the center of his back between his shoulders. "I think you may have the right idea. If for the wrong reasons." She says softly, sliding her arms around Dean's shoulders comfortingly when he doesn't move away. "You should take some time to process what is true for this world and what you remember from the vision." Dean shudders in Ember’s arms. It hurts too much, suddenly, for Baron not to trust him. He’s right back in that cave from the vision, wanting to kick Baron in the balls. Baron is still looking at him like a dangerous wild animal. Dean looks away from his mate, staring into the fire again. Something in Baron flares as Ember wraps herself around Dean and speaks softly to him. He stifles a low growl, but still gets jerkily to his feet. "If you say that we'll need to move, then we should start preparations now. That much doesn't sound like a bad idea. The rest...." He reaches for Dean and stops his hand halfway, knowing he can't do that. "I can't know the future like you do. But I want to understand." He pulls his hand back with a low growl to himself and turns to leave the tent. Chapter End Notes A long first day in camp for Dean. Next chapter will be a short one and we'll see Roman and Tom for the first time! Will things go the same way we remember? Hope you're enjoying this second part! Drop us a comment if you are, we love hearing from you all. Setra is going back and touching up some basic details and grammar in the original story as well, so you may see little changes happening there. Thanks for reading! ***** Chapter 3 ***** Chapter by setralynn Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes Roman leaves Hunter's fortress as quickly as he can. The Beta who had come with news of the attack is in no shape to travel, so the longest delay is in finding someone who can travel with him. Roman prefers to travel light and finding someone willing to pick up and do the same on no notice proves challenging. "This mission seems dangerous." Tom comments as he saddles up his horse. "Tracking a barbarian raiding party isn't going to be easy. They're good at covering their tracks." He points out to Roman without much purpose. As a scribe, Tom is mostly responsible for chronicling 'the great deeds of the Alpha King,' but Hunter has has less and less use for Tom, and as a former assassin the Beta is quite thrilled to be escaping the fortress even for a few days. Roman shrugs, "Barbarians." He says, attaching his pack to the second horse. He plans to do most of the tracking in wolf form, using his heightened senses, but the horses will be the best way to get to the site of the attack, and Tom can lead the spare mount the rest of the time. "Likely means they're disorganized." Roman explains. "They may not even have meant to capture anyone, and were just looking for supplies. But most people won't kill an Omega, especially people from the tribes." He's still not sure what to think about his companion, but the man at least seems fairly competent. Tom just shrugs. He had been from a nomadic tribe himself before Hunter had overtaken them. He knew that settled packs often underestimated the forethought it took to command a roaming city. But Roman was practically royalty in comparison to him. The great noble cousin to the Alpha of the Anoai Pack, gifted to Hunter years ago as a guard and soldier to appease Hunter’s greed. "I'm sure this will be a very interesting learning experience for us both. Shall we?" Roman nods firmly, mounting the horse and leading the way out of Hunter's fortress. "We'll ride hard to the site of the attack." He says, a bit apologetic. "I don't want to lose track of the scent trail, and it smells like we may see rain in the next day." Tom just nods, so Roman kicks his horse into a canter down the road, kicking up dust in the early spring morning. They'll rest the horses while Roman investigates, so he pushes them hard while the road stays smooth and clear. There are already storm clouds gathering by the time they locate the sabotaged carriage and the road blockage that has already been moved off to one side. Apart from one recognizable wheel and the location, Roman would barely recognize the collapsed pile of ash as Hunter's carriage that left the keep two days before. "Didn't expect them to have burned it.” Roman says thoughtfully as he circles the area cautiously, scanning for any lingering footprints. “You'd think it might be more valuable if they kept it." Tom contemplates the scene before he drops down from his horse. "They clearly wanted to cover their tracks." He comments as he scents the air and then wanders over to a small pile of ash. "Interesting. They were very organized. They knew we would try to track them. They used smoke bombs made with..." He runs his fingers in the ash and smelling it, "...woad? How strange... It only grows far to the east. Interesting indeed." Tom muses. Roman is impressed with Tom, making mental note of the details the Beta provides. Roman takes a moment to range off, checking around the perimeter for tracks, especially back towards the woods where they might have fled east. On the road, there are too many tracks, of feet, carts, and wolves, but once it hits the forest line, tracking what seems to be three horses and two wolves gets instantly more challenging. "Tracking through the woods will be damn near impossible." Roman tells Tom when he returns and finds the Beta crouched over the low mound beside the road that some local farmer must have raised over the dead horse and rider. “That smoke makes even the Alpha scent fade like it was nothing.” Roman circles wide around the attack site noting where they must have come down from the ridge. "They moved fast, and there's no sign of a struggling prisoner. They must have subdued the Omega quickly." "That's very odd. It's as if there was an inside man.” Tom comments as he walks around the blackened wreckage of the carriage one more time. “They clearly knew more about this transport than they should have. But why go through so much trouble for a single Omega? He's nothing special even if he is going to be one of Hunters kept boys." Tom looks skeptically at the tracks circling the destroyed carriage, "The blaze was clearly intentional and set after the Omega was pulled out. Are they keeping him for ransom perhaps?" Roman shrugs. “That won’t work out well for them. We’ll be sent out with a raiding party long before Hunter lays out a ransom to get back one of Shane’s strays.” He doesn’t agree with their Alpha’s attitude, but he knows he’s right. Tom pauses and looks up at the sky. "With rain coming in, I suggest we return to the keep and inform Hunter he has either been denied his bride by very clever and skilled barbarian - who are the only ones I know of who use woad - and the Omega is already dead or we are simply waiting for a ransom to identify the culprits. Thoughts?" Roman shrugs, he knows why Dean was special, Seth told him that much. Beautiful and clever, with the size and strength of an Alpha. He sounds like exactly Hunter's type. "Tracking will be miserable in the rain. And we'll lose what little scent we get from the raiders. Seems like mostly Alphas... though I scented one Beta as well, I think. The Omega is likely dead if they're not planning some kind of demand." Roman sighs deeply, already feeling sorry for Seth at losing his friend in such an awful way. "I can smell your regret. I'm sorry we couldn't save him but we're not gods. It's not as if we can work miracles because Hunter wants things to be a certain way." Tom comments as he collects a few samples of ash as the fuses from the smoke bombs for study and then gets back on his horse. "Maybe Hunter will let us go after these men from the East. I'll see if I can figure out who they are from my records." Roman casts a regretful look over the remains of the carriage. "Of course. At least you know where they came from. And the direction of their tracks seems to match that. They traveled fast and light though." "Come on, Big Man. If we hurry back we may make it back before the rain storm catches us." Tom says encouragingly. Roman is far too caring for his own good. Roman shrugs and nods, mounting his horse and turning back toward Hunter's keep. If he's very lucky, they'll get free after reporting to Hunter fast enough that he can get word to Seth and be the one to break the news. He wouldn't trust the gossip mongers in the palace not to use the kidnapping as leverage. ------------------------- Dusk is starting to fall when Baron finally makes his way to Alexa’s tent to discuss what he's learned about their hostage. There are rain clouds gathering on the western horizon and he thanks all the gods watch over his pack that it will make tracking a misery for anyone coming behind. He’s barely opened his mouth to speak before Alexa is in his face, and Baron steps back involuntarily. "I swear to every god in the heavens that if you mention ignoring the plan - the one that you came up with, may I remind you - I will tie you to a pole in the middle of camp by your pretty long hair and I will- let every damn wolf in the pack come and kiss on you!!!" Alexa screams, flailing in her annoyance. Baron holds up both hands. "Not needed. There's been enough campaigning on that front. I was just with Ember." He sighs, not sure how to explain the interaction he just had. "I think we should prepare to move the camp early." Alexa opens her mouth to shout again and Baron talks over her quickly. "We expect the reply from Hunter soon, right? Either way, there's risk of that message being tracked back to us. That means for better or worse, Hunter knows where we are. I'd rather be ready to move. To prevent them trying a reverse kidnapping or any kind of retaliation." He keeps his tone as rational as he can. He's half hoping that Dean is wrong about Hunter's reaction and that he'll get this frustrating, confusing Omega out of his camp and stop having to worry about any of this. Alexa groans and wants to slap something so she smacks Corey on the ass hard enough that the man jumps a little and then flushes all the way down his bare chest. "Fine! But only because you're being sensible for the first time since you got back. Have the weaker wolves, the children, and half the fighters start up the mountain. We'll go to the summer camp near the hot spring. It's easier to defend and has more permanent structures." Alexa concedes. "And to be clear,” She continues, stepping into Baron’s space and jabbing a finger into his chest, “You are to stay away from the prisoner until we hear back from Hunter. He's already seduced two of our best men. I don't need him making you his bitch too." Baron glares and bares his teeth slightly at Alexa to make it clear that he's not particularly pleased with her tone. "I wasn't planning to go anywhere near him, thanks. He's probably insane. Plus, he thinks he has a heat starting and Ember was planning to keep him with her. I think they were going to ask Sami to help him through it." Alexa rolls her eyes and throws her hands up in the air. "You know what? Fine! He can stay with Ember in her creepy tent getting high with Sami and tomorrow Corey can mark him up like he's been begging to for the last hour, but you will spend the next two days hunting or scouting or whatever you want to do that's not near him. Outside of that, I don't care.” Alexa flops back onto her elaborate bed platform with a huff. "You know, I really thought this was going to be simple. Just an easy, simple, kidnapping." She sighs as she turns around and grabs Corey's hand. "Baron, I honestly don't give a fuck what you do when it comes to that boy. But understand that when we have to send him away and your heart breaks because you had it set on mating him, you only have yourself to blame. Now get out..." She adds with a seductive look at Corey before she shift in a single smooth motion and pushes her mate down on their furs. "I'm frustrated and want to ride my mate's cock." Baron growls and rolls his eyes. "You're letting your own libido go to your head. There's nothing between me and Dean." Regardless, Baron flees the tent, leaving Alexa and Corey to... whatever it is they get up to. He spends much of the rest of the night spreading the word about the move and assigning duties. Some of the slower-moving wolves and the few carts they own can get started moving in the morning. The whole camp can move in hours if needed, but they've gotten used to settling a little in each place and the extra time to plan will keep things from being forgotten. Sami is questioning about being asked to assist with a heat, but agrees and goes along to see Ember and Dean. Baron stays clear of that side of the camp. ~~~~~ Dean spends the rest of his night telling Ember the story of his vision. They take a few breaks for food and for Ember to make tea from dried flowers and fruit. It's vaguely sweet and makes it easier for Dean to get through the end of the vision. "I don't know how I knew to jump off the cliff I just... I knew a world like that, with Baron and the pack dead... I didn't want it to be real. I knew I'd wake up. I had to. But waking up-" Dean stops and shakes his head. "Seeing Baron for the first time was like lightning! I couldn't hold myself back. And now, he doesn't even want me. Everything I do pushes him away. I want him so badly, don't know how to handle it. What do I do?" Ember sighs and pours Dean more tea. "Do not lose hope. A bond such as you saw, one such as you feel now... It will always resonate." She thinks quietly for a moment, obviously choosing her words, "Visions can be influenced by your own desires. In the world, the true world, the agency of others can be harder to combat than you imagine. Unless you have the faith of others, it can be best to... guide their decisions more gently. Is the passion of our Alpha the thing you most desire to achieve?" Dean stays silent for a long time thinking about that question. He wants Baron. He wants to know what their pups would look like and what their future together would be. But being with Baron also means being with the pack. It means there will always be obligation to the pack’s safety first and Dean knows he wouldn't love Baron as much as he does if the Alpha didn't feel the same way. "I think what I want most is to protect our pack. I want to be part of it and I want to help by being at Baron's side.”   Ember nods and smiles at Dean, "That is the vision I have seen. I am glad to hear you say it." She takes Dean's hand in hers, stroking his palm in a gentle, soothing motion. "I cannot say why he resists. Perhaps we will both be wrong, but our lonely Alpha has long needed a mate to help guide and lead. The pack led by the two of you has great potential." "So I'm not crazy about him and me right?" Dean ask with a mischievous smirk. "Because if vision sex with him was as good as it was, I can not fucking wait to have it in real life. I mean I don't think I could lay myself out like a plate of food for him during the run, but I would probably end up with my ass in the air begging for it if he caught me." Ember chuckles, reminding herself how very young Dean is, and how different his early life has been than her own. "He will not be yours for this heat at least, I'm afraid. But we can ensure your comfort. Have you used a false knot before?" If Dean is going to focus of sex, she can at least address those issues. "Ummm no. I mean the other Omegas helped the few other times I've had a heat and in the vision Baron ummm put his fi- fingers inside of me..." Dean replies with a blush. "I mean, what do you mean by a false knot?" Ember's eyebrows raise substantially, but her tone remains smooth. "Smooth wood or stone, warmed and slicked... To settle inside you. It cannot swell or move like an Alpha's knot, but many Omegas find it... Comforting, to be filled with something as they endure the heat " "Others prefer the comfort of their own kind, if course. Or of a surrogate Alpha who is sworn not not to take advantage of their state for a true mating against the Omega’s will." "I guess I'll umm think about that." Dean replies with a small smile. "I don't think Alexa will let me have a surrogate. She's pretty sure I'm a succubus or something." Dean jokes as Ember pours him more tea. The more he drinks the heavier his limbs feel. "Mmm, you've had quite an effect on those you've spoken to. Perhaps our pack finds it too easy to trust..." Ember settles in beside Dean rather than circling back around the fire. "Alexa can not warn me away from you... If you wish for an Alpha's touch and scent." She smiles ever so slightly, "It is a service I have provided before." Dean practically purrs as he lets Ember pull him into a close embrace. This close to her, Dean can easily see the way the fire plays beautifully in her silvery eyes and across her smooth dark skin. "Is it a service you're providing now?" Dean asks with half drunken smile. "What is in that tea? It's fucking great!" Ember leans in close, her lips ghosting over Dean's cheek. "Where I grew up, we called it 'Peace'... It calms fears... To bring visions, I can also add a certain honey..." She keeps her voice low and smooth, not wanting to break his half-trance. "It can lessen the need of the heat, but only an Alpha's knot can speed it’s completion." Dean relaxes and leans into Embers touch. "You're going to have to teach me how to make this tea. And I, uhh… I guess you could say I prefer the human touch to having a false knot. Want to feel something alive inside me." Dean moans as he turns his head to kiss Ember. It's different than kissing Baron. It's soft and sweet like honey. "I will teach you many things, future Alpha-Mate." Ember breathes out after a slow, seeking kiss. "You are our pack, whether they believe it or not." She shifts to settle on Dean's lap, straddling his hips and pressing him back against the cushions that litter the floor. Sami backs cautiously out of the tent, certain he was not meant to see whatever he just walked in on. He'll check in tomorrow. Baron said Dean wanted Sami's help during his heat, but from the scent, it clearly hasn't begun just yet. Chapter End Notes Chapter 3 appears~ As promised, a short chapter with some Roman for you. Drop us a comment to let us know what you think, we love hearing from you. The more we write of the story, the more it pivots away from what we expected. Next chapter should have a bit more of both sides of the story, plus the introduction of Seth! End Notes What has Dean already changed? Will he be able to make anyone believe he isn't crazy? We're baaaaack~! After a short break, editing has resumed. It's a new morning and a new day. Tags will continually update, and there may be some things that surprise you. As always, if you got here and read this, we love you and hope you liked it! There are some special new sexy times and plot twists to come. Comment and subscribe to watch the story unfold if you like it, we love to hear from you! 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