What Goes Around Ch. 01

Author's Note: Hi! This is sort of a prequel to "All Is Fair", I'm pretty excited about it! You do NOT need to read AIF to know what is going on, but the lore will be the same. I know I hinted towards Andrew's story, but I decided to go in a different direction first. I will try to update regularly, but probably not as often as AIF. Also, the story takes place in the 1830s, so some of the words I use are not really "PC". I debated on this, but thought it was more important to try to keep SOME historical accuracy (I mean some because I am in no way a historian). Happy Reading and as always I love your feedback.

*****

The wagon stopped moving. Daphne heard her father continue to yell at the oxen to continue on, but she was certain this time it was a mechanical problem again. She stood up from the bench and stuck her head outside.

"Daphne," her father yelled. "Stay inside, you'll get all wet and catch a fever."

The rain was coming down in buckets, but after the last several weeks the wagon's covering was warn through anyway.

"Not any more wet than I was getting in there," she yelled back as she hoped to the ground.

Just as she thought the axel was broken. They did not have a spare.

"Daddy," Daphne yelled. "It's the axel, we hit a rock."

"Get back in the wagon," he yelled. "I won't lose you too."

He was right next to her, shooing her inside. Pangs of guilt hit Daphne. Leaving North Carolina to travel to Oregon was the worst idea her father ever had. They'd already lost her mother and brother to the stomach illness. It wouldn't be fair to leave her father all alone.

"We should stay here until the rain stops," Daphne said.

"Look at that sky," her father replied. "It's only 4 pm and it's almost black out. This rain isn't stopping. If we stay we will get hit with a flash flood."

Daphne glanced at the trail. Her father was right.

"Be careful," she said.

Her father finally won out and pushed Daphne back into the wagon. She grabbed the map and traced her finger along the trail. The next stop was Soda Springs, but they still had several hundred miles to go. She kept hoping her father would find a place he decided they could stay and set up shop, but she knew him better. They were going to follow the trail all the way into the Oregon Country and possibly even further. She wouldn't be shocked if they ended up at the ocean.

A loud crash of lightning flashed through the sky, followed with a quick roar of thunder. Daphne stuck her head back outside. Her father was on his back in the mud, his head underneath the wagon trying to fix the broken axel.

"The thunder is too close," Daphne yelled. "Get back inside."

"I've almost got it," her father yelled back.

Another crash of lighting came down. It was close enough to scare the oxen who took off, just as her father must have secured the axel. Daphne felt like everything was happening in slow motion. The wagon lurched forward and the giant wheels ran over her father. She didn't try to stop the oxen, instead she flung herself from the wagon, slipping in the mud at the process. When she got to her father she kneeled over him and touched his face.

"Daddy?" Daphne yelled. "Please tell me you're alright."

His eyes were wide open, staring straight up at nothing. His neck was crushed. Daphne knew he was dead, but refused to admit it to herself. She put her head next to his heart, there was no beating, no rising and falling of the chest. The tears started to flow, but the rain picked up again and Daphne couldn't hear her own sobs over the thunder.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The tiny one room cabin was starting to leak. Hugh knew exactly what this meant. If he made the improvements the Alpha would find out and take his cabin away again, pass it on to a more deserving wolf.

When the Alpha first told him he was eligible for his own home on the pack lands Hugh started designing his dream home, only to be informed his home was already built. It was the worst, most decrepit building on the property, but Hugh didn't care. They told him he couldn't neglect his duties to fix it up, so he didn't. Instead he used every free minute he hadOn that home. It took several years, but when he was done Hugh had never been more proud of himself. Of course it was short lived. Once word spread around the pack about how fine his home had become it was taken away.

"I don't understand," Hugh said.

"You're just an Omega," Alpha Garrett said. "And not even a full one at that. What sort of message does that send to the Betas if I allow you to continue living here?"

"One that says with hard work you can build your dream home," Hugh said.

"More like, I must give that halfbreed Omega too much free time," Alpha Garret replied.

"I sacrificed sleep to make this my home," Hugh said. "Worked extra hard so I would have free time, which I devoted to this."

"You should be proud of yourself," Alpha Garret said. "You've created a wonderful home for Beta Teller to live.

It was like the Alpha knew exactly where to cut Hugh. Beta Teller was the worst, least deserving member of the pack, outside of the Alpha's daughter that is. Hugh chastised himself for these thought, Alpha Garrett was right, it was for the betterment of the pack. Hugh nodded his head.

"Grab your personal items," Alpha Garrett said. "Nothing that goes with this house though and I will show you to your new home."

Hugh let out a sigh, he was scared he would be sent back to live in the barn, but at least Alpha Garrett was being generous enough to give him a new home instead.

That was four homes ago, Hugh learned from his mistakes. No matter how miniscule the fix, there was always a more deserving wolf to take his place, so for now he would have to live with a leaky roof. At least this one was on the edge of their property, and unlikely to attract a new owner in its current state. There were only one hundred and eight members in the Garrett pack, and every single one of them outranked him, so there was no way he could put up a fight with Alpha Garrett's decision.

Even though it was raining that didn't mean Hugh had a pass on his duties for the day. He worked for thirteen hours in the elements and the rain left him with a chill in his bones. He threw another log onto the fire and gave the soup he was preparing a stir.

He wondered what they were eating at the big house tonight. Probably steaks from the cows he tended too, with bread from the fields he worked. He shook his head at his own bitterness, Alpha Garrett was a good man to take him in. When his mother died, the last thing she told him was to stay with a pack, he had to trust her advice.

"A wolf without a pack will go insane," she said right before she died from her broken heart.

At least Hugh would never have to worry about that. There was no way his mate was out there, after all, he wasn't a full wolf. How could he ever have a mate?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rain was getting harder. Pieces of the muddy cliffs around them were starting to break off. Daphne's father's warning about a flash flood was starting to ring more and more likely. She tried to move his body out of the road, but he was too heavy. It felt wrong just to leave him, but if she didn't make it to higher ground she would end up joining him.

"Rest father," Daphne said. "Say hello to mother and my brother for me."

She closed his eyelids and gave him a kiss on the cheek. When she stood up she almost changed her mind, but noticed the water level on the ground was starting to rise. It almost hit the hem of her skirt. If Daphne wanted to survive she had to get to higher ground. She ran to her right, through the mud and puddles. By the time she reached the nearest embankment the water was almost to her knees. The cliff was taller than her, but being only 5'3" she expected that. The current started to pick up in the makeshift river she was standing in. Daphne tried her hardest to jump and grab on to something she could pull herself out with. Right when she thought all hope was lost her hand grabbed a wild root. She gripped on tight and pulled herself up out of the cold water and on to the wet land above.

Her face, dress, and blond curly hair were soaked and covered with mud. She probably looked unrecognizable. Not that there was anyone to see her either way. She needed to keep moving, hopefully find a cave or a large tree she could try and stay dry in until the rain past. There was no use going after her wagon, she was sure it was long gone. Instead of following the trail she decided to move inland, to higher ground. To her death from an Indian or a wild animal would be better than drowning, at least she could have a chance of survival in one of those situations.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Daphne was stopped dead in her tracks as an arrow shot in the ground right in front of her. She spun around, trying to see where it came from. On the hill above her stood a single Indian. Daphne raised her hands in the air, hoping he took it as a sign of surrender.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hugh's internal clock woke him up well before dawn. He hoped to get out to the fields before the sun rose too high and finish with the spring planting today. Then he had to head to the big house and clean the kitchen, next he had to head into the woods to chop down some trees. The pack needed more firewood. That should take him until dusk to prepare.

He poured the rest of his soup from last night and drank it down quickly. Then he pulled on a pair of pants, they were getting baggy again. The physicality of his jobs kept him ultra slim, especially when he wasn't getting enough to eat. He knew that his cheek bones were starting to look hollow and his black hair was overgrown. Maybe he would talk to Alpha Garrett about increasing his rations, or at least having a new pair of pants made. He pulled on his white shirt and headed out for the day.

The time in the field went by fast and soon he was in the big house. The Omega cook rolled her eyes when she saw him.

"They really shouldn't let you in this house at all," she said. "It's not proper."

"I'm only here to clean," Hugh replied.

He kept his head down and walked for the broom.

"Well since you're here to clean once you're done take the bin of dirty dishes down to the stream and wash those," the cook said.

"Yes ma'am," Hugh said.

"I swear those blue eyes of yours are a gift from the devil," the cook said. "A reminder of what your mother did."

Hugh wasn't about to engage this women in a conversation about his mother. The scent of eggs and bacon was overwhelming. He gave up hope a long time ago that there would be any left over for him. His wolf hadn't accepted that fact yet and continued to claw at Hugh to go and steal some food. Hugh forced his wolf down and started sweeping the floor.

"Why don't you look where you're going mongrel?"

Hugh looked up to see Nina, the Alpha's daughter, standing right in the middle of the kitchen. Her black hair went down her back in waves, she had too much makeup on, and her bust was sticking out of a red garden dress that looked too fancy for the daytime.

"Do you like my dress?" She asked.

"Very lovely Miss Garrett," Hugh said.

"If you speak to me again I'll tell my father," Nina said. "What are you doing in the house?"

Hugh shook his head and continued sweeping. She just gave him permission to ignore her. He couldn't believe they used to be friends when they were little. The life Hugh had in front of him changed the day his mother died. He had only been around for twenty-five years, but to a human he would look about five years old. He hit maturity at fifty, where he resembled 18 and hadn't appeared to age a day over the next thirty years.

"Mongrel I asked you a question," Nina said.

When Hugh didn't reply again she walked over to the fresh water he had brought in to clean the floor and counters with. Hugh went to grab it out of her hand, but he was too slow, she flung the bucket over him, covering him with water. Then started laughing. The leak in Hugh's ceiling came to mind, then the hunger pain in his gut, and for some reason he knew this was his breaking point. He lunged at the Alpha's daughter and wrapped his hand around her neck.

"If you ever had to work a single day in your lazy, over privileged life maybe you could understand a single thing about me," Hugh said through gritted teeth.

He knew his blue eyes had turned red. Instead of Nina bringing her wolf to the surface and fighting back, her brown eyes were scared and submissive.

"Hugh Benson that is enough," Alpha Garrett yelled. "Put my daughter down."

Hugh released his grip on Nina who ran back towards her father and hid behind him. The Omega cook in the kitchen also dropped her head. There was confusion plastered all over Alpha Garrett's face.

Knowing Hugh was in for a serious beating he didn't think it could get any worse, so he stormed out of the big house stripping his clothes in the process and shifted into his silver wolf before taking off running through the trees. He didn't even care that those were his only pair of pants. He needed to run free.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Daphne was cold and tired. She didn't put up a fight when the man bound her hands together in front of her and started leading her through the terrain. She didn't speak, mainly because she was so numb and could only picture her father's body, with his eyes wide open.

Part of her was angry with him. Angry that he insisted on moving the family out of North Carolina. Sure, it was far from perfect there, but she missed their huge farmhouse and giant tobacco fields. At least in North Carolina they were all alive and together.

The man pulling Daphne stopped. She wasn't paying enough attention and walked right into him. He turned around and raised his arm. She flinched expecting a blow, but instead he dropped it and tied the end of the rope he was holding to a tree.

He spoke to her for the first time, as predicted it was in a language she didn't understand. The way she looked at the situation either he was tying her to the tree to leave her for the animals to eat, or was going to check something and be right back. Daphne was so exhausted either situation was fine with her. She smiled and nodded and he walked off.

Her legs hurt from walking. They moved during the entire night. She hadn't slept in well over twenty four hours. At least the rain had stopped. The sweat had to have washed away some of the mud from her face and hair. Daphne repositioned herself so she could sit down. She leaned back against the tree and forced her mind to go blank as she drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hugh couldn't remember the last time he ran that far or for that long. It felt exhilarating. Even with no lunch and a minimal breakfast he was filled with energy. Once the sun was started to set he decided it was time to make it back to his cabin. He wouldn't seek out Alpha Garrett for his punishment. He expected a whipping, it had been years since the last one but the memory was enough to keep Hugh from acting out.

He changed back into his human form right outside his cabin. To his surprise his pants and shirt were folded right outside the front door. He dressed before walking inside. He was even more surprised at what he walked into. Sitting on his chair was a trey with food. There was a small note pined to the top. It had been years since Hugh had to read anything, but he remembered the words and letters clear as day.

I brought you some lunch. I'll be by later with your dinner.

Hugh lifted up the cover on the tray to see slices of ham, bread and butter, and cheese. It was all cold, but Hugh was ravenous. He gobbled down all the food in front of him, curious as to who dropped it off. A knock came to the door. Hugh started to wonder if this was some sort of trap, maybe a final meal and Alpha Garret was about to kill him.

When he opened the door he was surprised to see the Omega cook standing with another tray. She pushed past him and entered his small cabin.

"What are you doing here?" Hugh asked.

"I see you ate your lunch," she said. "Are you hungry? I can leave this or take it back and come later making sure it stays warm? Did you find your clothes? I took the liberty of stitching up your pants for you. They looked a little baggy, but I didn't take them in too much because you need to put some meat on your bones."

Hugh knew his mouth was open. He didn't know what to say.

"I wanted to make your favorite," she said. "But then I realized I didn't know what you liked, then I realized the way I've treated you over the years you probably don't know what you like. So I decided to just make the food I can prepare the best."

She lifted the lid off of her tray. It was steak and potatoes. Hugh couldn't remember the last time he had a potato.

"Where did you...," Hugh started.

"I have my secret stash from when some of the men go trading," the cook said. "Are you not hungry?"

"No," Hugh said. "I would love to eat. Thank you Madam Omega."

"Please," she said. "Call me June."

"Thank you June," Hugh said.

He picked up the fork and knife and started cutting away at the steak. He hadn't used utensils in a long time and was a bit rusty. June smiled at him and signaled she would like to help.

"It's easier if you hold the knife like this," she said. "And use your fork to hold the meat down while you cut."

The way she was helping Hugh was not the least bit condescending.

"I don't understand," Hugh said. "Why are you here? Bringing me food? Being nice to me? This morning you insulted my mother and didn't think I should be allowed indoors."

"I am so sorry about everything I have ever said to you in the past, every look I have ever given you, every poor word I have used," she said. "May Luna have mercy on my soul for those terrible mistakes. If you give me the opportunity I would be glad to earn your forgiveness and pledge to make it up to you for the rest of my days on this green earth."

"Uhhh...sure," Hugh said.

"Thank you Sir," she said.

"Hugh."

June's eyes went big and she nodded her head again.

"It is a great honor that you will allow me to use your first name," June said.

Hugh dropped his fork and looked at her quizzically.

"What is going on?" Hugh asked. "I know you know something, what caused this large change?"

"Isn't it obvious?" June asked. "You are..."

"The mate of the Alpha's daughter," Alpha Garrett finished as he walked into Hugh's small cabin.

The large man had an even bigger smile. He walked over to Hugh and gave him a large hug.

"What?" Hugh asked. "I always thought I couldn't have a mate."

"We were wrong," Alpha Garrett said. "So wrong. Nina felt it this morning, in the kitchen. She's been going crazy for you all day. Tell me if you heart and head dizzy for her as well?"

Hugh hadn't thought much about Nina. In fact his mind spent most of the day with his wolf in the lead and he was more interested in getting as far away from this place as possible than thinking about mates.

"No," Hugh said. "No they aren't. I think there must be some mistake."

"No mistake," Alpha Garrett said. "Maybe your status is stopping you from feeling the bond. Your human side is blocking it, but trust me when I say that she is feeling the bond enough for the both of you."

"This is true?" Hugh asked. "I have a mate."

"Actually..." June started.

"Silence Omega," Alpha Garrett said. "Stop trying to suck up to the boy. Get out of here and back to the kitchen where you belong."

"But...," June started.

Hugh watched as his Alpha's eyes turned red and he glared down at June. She let out a little whimper and ran out of the cabin.