Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Amidst numerous pills and creams, there lies the desired item.

The problem is, it’s the only one of its kind there.

Taking the whole jar would be too obvious. I need an empty container, he figured.

“Container… container,” he mumbles while looking around the room.

Not finding anything useful, he goes back to the cabinet. He decides to pour one of the bottle of painkillers into a smaller, concealed compartment of his own bag.

Painkillers are always practical anyway. He proceeds to transfer as much of the ointment as he can in the now empty bottle without it being too conspicuous.

Ointment back into place and cabinet locked, he tosses the key on the floor where Nara had rushed to help him earlier. Hopefully, she’ll think she dropped it.

He contemplates keeping the key to further his stash later, but that would be a greater risk and he supposes he’ll have plenty of opportunities to steal medical supplies during his stay.

Besides, the lock on the cabinet doesn’t look too hard to pick. He just has to be careful if he doesn’t want to get kicked out early.

Happy to be on his feet again, albeit the subtle limp, Millan decides to explore Headquarters properly.

Backpack tightly fitted on his shoulders, he feels like a kid in a candy store. He has thirteen days to fill his bag with essentials he’d desperately need to cross to the Eastern Lands and he probably doesn’t even have to venture out of Headquarters to do so.

The place is just so huge.

While strolling outside, everyone politely greeting him, he vaguely questions if they’d give him everything he needs if he would just ask.

He quickly dismisses the idea, unsure of the pack’s honesty, thinking there might be an angle he hasn’t seen yet in this bizarre ambient kindness.

He decides to take his time and mostly watch his back while surveying the perimeters. It would be better not to steal anything else, for now. Unless, you know, an opportunity comes that’s too good to pass.

He’s only a werewolf after all.

*****

As Millan navigates through the area, he realizes the main house and the hospital are at the center of what looks like a big city buzzing with people either in human form or in wolf form just going about their day.

Stores, service centers, houses, Millan's in so much awe that he can’t even think of stealing anything yet. He’s starting to think the Blayne Headquarters is the biggest in existence, not just the biggest Millan's ever seen.

The more he walks though, the more he is aware of a lingering scent.

A scent that seems to chase him everywhere he’s going.

One of tobacco mixed with pine and... was it cinnamon maybe? A spice of some sort.

It’s hard to discern from the numerous smells coming out of the bustling environment, but thanks to harsh circumstances, Millan's nose has gotten more accurate than average over the years and he’s fairly certain at this point that a beta is following him.

It would make sense that they decided to put a tail on him. Millan wouldn’t trust himself either.

Pretty fortunate I didn’t steal anything out in the open yet, he appraised.

The beta isn’t following him from very close either. From what the omega can pick up from smell alone, he keeps a pretty good distance and seems rather adequate at his current job.

Millan smirks.

This will be fun, he giggled at the thought.

Not too far, on his right, he spots a florist’s store.

Perfect.

He waits until he’s right beside it, takes a sharp turn and enters, immediately locating a back door.

Lucky.

The scent of tobacco still hasn’t entered.

Good.

He knows his own scent is pretty floral, so as long as the beta’s sense of smell is average, all he has to do is dock behind the highest arrangements and other omegas that smell a bit like him until he resurfaces through the back door.

Easy.

Once he’s back outside, he takes a few sharp turns into smaller streets to make sure he’s lost the tail for good. It’s with a renewed pep in his step and a content smirk that he continues his more than pleasant walk through the gardens.

Poor little beta, better luck next time, he smirked.

*****

Turns out the beta following him is better than Millan originally thought.

It doesn’t take more than five minutes before the omega senses the annoyance to be back. It would be too obvious to try and lose the fucker again.

He figures he’ll just have to be careful if he decides to steal something today. For now, having a face to put on the problem would be pretty useful...

Once he gets to a quiet corner of a park, he sits on a bench. Getting comfortable, elbows on the back of his seat, he waits.

Eyes closed, he leans his head backwards hoping to convey he’s simply basking in the sun and relaxing, although all his senses are on high alert.

An alpha is writing, the sound of his pen only slightly perceptible over the water fountain. The wind makes the leaves bristle while a bird flies from one perch to another.

Two omegas walk passed his spot and finally, the faint breeze brings him a hint of tobacco, pine and definitely cinnamon. He waits until the scent immobilizes a few meters away.

Millan brings his hands over his face as if to rub the fatigue off of his face while opening his eyes again. He takes the opportunity to turn towards the beta.

There, next to a fountain- this place honestly- sits a raven haired man, silently reading a small book, a peaceful expression to his face.

Millan looks away as soon as he’s spotted him. It wouldn’t be as much fun if the man knew he’s not as subtle as he thinks.

Happy about his current advantage, Millan eases off and surveys the peaceful area he’s stumbled upon.

The flowers, the benches, the fountain, he feels like he’s stepped out of reality and into Eden’s garden.

It’s then that he spots a familiar face, sitting close by, a book in her hands. He doesn’t miss the side glance the raven haired beta gives him when he gets up to sit next to his intended target.

Let’s give him something to watch, he considered.

*****

“So you met him?”

“Yeah, at the hospital last night. I also heard you and Nara talk in the corridor.”

“So you know what I’m about to ask. Again.”

“I know you want Millan to stay, Andy, but things are more complex than that. I need to know why he was banished in the first place and make sure he doesn’t pose a threat to the pack.”

“If you met him, you know as well as I do, he doesn’t.”

“Andy-”

“No, Weston, it’s fine. Do your little investigation if it makes you feel better, but if you did hear Nara, you know his health is bound to be affected by the fact he was alone for so long. Rejecting an abused omega is honestly heartless in my opinion.”

“I hear you, Andy. Hell, I agree with you, I just… I have to think of the pack first.”

Andy sighs, knowing Weston won’t budge.

“So what did you think of him?”

By the way Weston’s eyes widen slightly and how he opens and closes his mouth, unsure of what to say, Andy would say it went as expected.

“He’s cute, isn’t he? I knew you two would get along.” Andy’s smirk unnerves Weston.

“I- well, yeah, he’s not bad, but, well… I’m pretty sure he hates me… so...” a pang in Weston’s guts reminds him of how closed off Millan had looked just before the alpha had left the hospital room.

“Give him time. You DID mention his own pack didn’t want him.”

“Wait, you think Millan heard me say that?”

“The walls here aren’t that thick, dude! He was sitting right there and you were shouting. Of course he heard that.”

Face heating up in embarrassment, a familiar, uncomfortable ball of anxiety and guilt is forming at the bottom of his stomach.

Fuck, Millan must have been so hurt, he thought regrettably.

Redemption is the only thing on his mind when he sets out to find him and apologize.

*****

“So it ISN’T a dictionary.”

The beta laughs, “No it’s not, why would you think it is?”

“I don’t know, it’s pretty thick?”

“It is, isn’t it?”

Millan is overjoyed that he came across Madelyn- the beta he’d seen reading outside of Weston’s study the other day. Without a moment of hesitation, he’d introduced himself and asked about her book.

Turns out it’s poetry from this guy Edgar Allan Poe or something, Millan wouldn’t know.

How great must it be to just pick up a book and read with not a care in the world?

He plays up his charm, smiling big and laughing every chance he gets. It’s easy with someone like Madelyn who responds so enthusiastically.

With a bit of luck, his shadow will get bored and report back that Millan is an upstanding citizen who can be trusted and can be left alone for the remainder of his stay, leaving him all the opportunities to fill his bag with precious goods.

Okay, maybe with a lot of luck.

“Hey, Madelyn- ”

“You can call me Maddie.”

Millan's omega is getting giddy at all the affection its been getting. He tries to repress it a bit knowing he’ll have to go back to normal someday soon.

“All right, Maddie then, don’t look for too long, but the guy reading close to the fountain with dark hair, do you know him?”

“Who? Oh! Jace. Yeah, almost everybody knows him. He’s the Defense Commander.”

“Defense Commander huh? That sounds pretty important.”

Millan has no clue what a Defense Commander does.

“It is. He’s like Head Alpha Weston’s Military Advisor. Why?”

Oh fuck. No wonder the guy’s good at chasing him around. He’ll have to get creative if he wants to trick him.

Madelyn is looking in the beta’s direction too often for Millan's comfort so he decides on changing the subject.

“Nothing, just thought he looked cute. Do you read a lot? Looks like it.”

The beta smiles proudly, unperturbed by the sudden shift in topic.

“Yeah, I’ve almost gone through the whole poetry section of our library.”

“Library? You mean you have a library at Headquarters?”

She nods vigorously.

This place, I swear, he mulled over.

“Could you show me?”

“Of course.”

Even in the presence of the beta, his stalker doesn’t ease up. Given the guy’s profession, Millan didn’t really think he would.

He’s not too bothered since he actually does want to see the library and Madelyn’s a pretty good company.

And so, that’s how he finds himself shamelessly gawking at the endless rows of books surrounding him.