Chapter 3: How It Began


"Right here's fine" an exhausted Jake کہا letting go of the deer.

Humphrey did the same before looking around at the ماند, خلوت خانہ that stood before him, it was مزید of a mound of dirt that had been dug into on the side, but still was a den. He waited as he noticed Jake start to take one of the deer's legs off, holding true to what he کہا only a short while پہلے he gave him the leg as a way of saying thanks. Humphrey was feeling kind of hungry and was glad to be دیا free food but at the same time he didn't feel like he deserved it.

"Are آپ sure آپ want to give me this?" He asked looking up at Jake who was taking off a leg for himself. "I'm مزید than capable of getting my own food"

"Please it's no trouble, آپ showed me that your trustful and I'm okay with giving آپ a share because of that." He replied "You can even stay here and eat if آپ like."

Humphrey smiled and nodded his head "Sure I got nowhere else to be anyway."

He thought for a moment about the possibility of Kate coming out here and not finding him at his den, he usually stuck سے طرف کی close سے طرف کی if he went out so he wouldn't miss her visit. Time seeing each other was valuable, but if she needed to find him then she could follow his scent here. The two headed inside the ماند, خلوت خانہ and sat down across from each other with their meal in front of them.

"So tell me about yourself, آپ seem to be new around these parts." Jake stated looking at him

"Yeah I've been living in a ماند, خلوت خانہ not too far from here for a few weeks now." He answered

"Did آپ used to be part of a pack?"

He nodded "I grew up in the western pack, if you've heard of it"

"Ah a westerner, I come from the southern pack so I've heard plenty about them."

"Really? What made آپ want to become a lone wolf?" Humphrey asked wanting to know

"Well at first I wanted to see what it's like to live on your own and alone, so I left the pack for a few weeks and realized how great it was out here. After that I spoke with the leaders and my family about becoming a lone بھیڑیا and were okay with it, I haven't looked back since." Jake کہا before taking a bite and chewing it "How about you?"

"It's a long story really, I don't want to bore آپ یا anything." Humphrey stated

"Oh please it's been too long since I've talked to another wolf, go on, I'm sure I'll enjoy hearing it."

He smiled from what he کہا and began to tell him just how he left his ہوم behind to become a lone wolf, his story wasn't as happy as Jake's had been, but he still listened to his story.
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Flashback

Clouds hung low over mountain tops as rain began to fall upon the ground, the suns light faded and everything around turned a shade of dull gray. Humphrey sat in the opening of a cave he had recently found and watch on as the storm began, soaking up the ground before his paws. His eyes were slightly red, فر, سمور a tangled mess, and he looked exhausted as he let out a sigh and laid down flat on the floor.

He had great trouble on his mind, much had happened to him within the course of a few days, and now his life was forever changed because of it. The former omega of the western pack was now a lone wolf, forced to live out the rest of his days on his own whether he liked it یا not. The problems began after he returned home, after being captured سے طرف کی humans and traveling many hundreds of miles alongside his puppyhood friend Kate, he learned she had been hiding something from him.

She had to marry an eastern بھیڑیا in order to unite the two packs together as one and stop the hunger and territory issues. Normally Humphrey would have congratulated her about it but that was the last thing on his mind after finding out that that was the reason she needed to quickly get ہوم after being captured. Humphrey, ever since a young age, admired the she بھیڑیا and the friendship they shared as pups, and as time went سے طرف کی he began to fall in love with her. But this wasn't right, pack law clearly stated that and omega like himself could not marry an alpha like Kate.

Upon hearing word about her marriage Humphrey's دل sank, he could not برداشت, ریچھ the sight of seeing the بھیڑیا he loved be married to another alpha. The thought of it even made him sick, after all that had happened to both of them during the past three days and she just throws that down into him. So after pacing back a forth through his ماند, خلوت خانہ he decided that it was best for him to just leave the western pack, he had no reason to stay anymore. When morning came he told his close دوستوں about his decision, they were shocked and confused as to why he would do such a thing.

After explaining it to them all they could tell him were their best wishes and that they hoped he would come سے طرف کی to visit again, he made them that promise before saying goodbye. Finally came the moment that made his دل feel as if it was right in his throat, he needed to tell Kate that he would be leaving. She may have caused him pain سے طرف کی just throwing him aside like they had shared nothing but he still cared for her, it was only right that she knew he left.

Kate was shocked as well to hear that he was leaving and tried to hide her sadness from him as he told her, unknown to Humphrey she was going through emotional pain as well and still trying to figure out and understand what was happening to her. Responsibility told her that she needed to go through with the marriage but at the same time she was becoming aware of the feelings she had towards Humphrey. But it was too late to go back now, she had made her choice the گزشتہ night and she had to stick with it, all she could do was just watch as the بھیڑیا she had fallen for ran into the forest, never to return again.

A bright flash erupted before Humphrey causing him to escape from his thought's, the storm was worsening now as the sound of thunder echoed through the trees. He closed his eyes and let the sound یا rain and thunder drift him to sleep, rest was what he really needed at this point. After walking all دن and coming across this cave the omega decided it was best to spend a few days where he was and simply rest before moving on, he had no destination in mind on where he wanted to go live.

All he wanted to do was to keep heading further and further away from Jasper Park as to put distance between him and everything that had happened. It was all in the past now and he wanted to keep it that way, and secretly he hoped that Kate would go on to have a good life with the بھیڑیا she married, in his mind she deserves to have a good life even if he was not in it.

As Humphrey slept a dark figure entered into the ماند, خلوت خانہ and sat down, a burst of lightning revealed that the figure was another wolf, with golden فر, سمور that was soaked from walking in the rain. The newcomer she بھیڑیا looked outside at the storm that continued with no end in sight, they let out a sigh of defeat. This storm was ruining the slim chance she had left to find a بھیڑیا that she deeply cared about, for the rain had already erased their scent trail. It was starting to get late and she needed to return back ہوم to her pack before they figured out she was gone.

However now that the storm wasn't going anywhere any time soon she would have to just spend the night in this shelter rather than brave the cold outside. Hope began to leave her as the realization came in of the probability that she really was never going to see this بھیڑیا ever again, and she couldn't just keep searching for them. She had a new life to attend to back within her pack and had no مزید free time یا the allowance to just keep leaving the packs border.

Though her luck was about to quickly change, as the she بھیڑیا got up and began to head further back into the cave for better warmth her front paw stepped onto something soft and slightly warm. It was enough to make her jump back in fear, adjusting her eyes to better see in the dim light she noticed something surprising. Right there in a ماند, خلوت خانہ she thought to be empty laid a بھیڑیا appearing to be asleep. Humphrey groaned awake after feeling something press down onto his tail, at first he thought nothing of it but his suspicions soon got the best of him.

Opening his eyes he looked up to see another بھیڑیا standing in front of him, but instead of feeling fear and alarm he felt a sense of relief come over him. There she was, Kate, the بھیڑیا he was running away from standing right before him.

"Kate...?" He asked still trying to wake up again from his nap

"H-Humphrey?" She asked back upon recognizing his voice, she couldn't believe it, there he was sleeping right behind her the whole time she was in this cave.

Humphrey also couldn't believe that he was seeing her again, though he didn't want anything to do with her after what happened he grew curious as to why she was out here.

"Kate what are آپ doing here?" He asked again as the two only looked at each other

"I've been looking for you" She answered, her voice becoming pleasant in tone.

"Looking for me, why? I made sure to say goodbye to آپ before I left." He left Jasper only a full دن پہلے and she already came looking for him.

"I know but after آپ left I realized that I forgot to tell آپ one thing." She began with Humphrey waiting for her to continue "I've realized that there has been something I have overlooked I my life."

"Something?" He slowly replied

"Well... someone" Her eyes stayed fixed on his "I've realized that this someone has been there for me many times in my life, from my days as a pup all the way up until now. This someone is very kind, funny, caring, and has been all that I've asked for in a good friend."

Humphrey sat up and continued to listen closely to what Kate told him, all the while his دل rate increasing as he hoped she was going to say what he thought she was going to say.

"However I screwed it all up for us and ruined the friendship we shared together, and after watching him leave because of my actions I realized just how much my دل really cared about them. So I followed their scent and right when I began to lose hope I finally caught up with them, and now I'm here to make things right between us again."

Each word Kate spoke to him felt like it lasted forever, his insides began to knot up as he knew for sure what was about to be told to him.

"This someone, Humphrey, is آپ and I've followed آپ all the way out here to apologize for what I have done and as well as to tell آپ that I..." She paused for a moment, even though she was certain he loved her back she still felt hesitant in saying the words "I love you"

Nothing but the sound of rain was audible after that moment, Kate starred into Humphrey's eyes as it all processed in his head, she had finally کہا the words he's waited ages for her to say. A smile came across his face and felt like he had been placed into the world of his dreams.

"Kate, آپ have no idea how overjoyed I am right now after hearing all that, I've waited a long time for this moment to come and finally it has." His tail wagged slightly as his excitement could no longer be held within him "I love آپ too"

Kate's tail began to wag as well before they slowly leaned in to kiss each other "Oh Humphrey I'm so glad I was able to find آپ again, I felt so bad for not realizing my feelings sooner and having to watch آپ leave." She کہا after their noses parted

"It's alright, I forgive you, I'm just glad that everything's all better now." She smiled at hearing that he forgave her but it quickly turned into a frown.

"You know it's going to be real hard to make this work out with everything that's going on back in the pack."

Humphrey frowned as well, she had a point, they may have just confessed their love for each other but things were still far from normal. This didn't mean that Kate was no longer married to Garth and it also didn't change the fact that he was still a lone wolf. But being the good team they had become after their Idaho adventure they discussed ways of how they could make this work out and not raise the suspicions of her family and anyone else. Well into the night the two continued to talk until finally coming up with a plan they both could agree on.

Humphrey would live in the ماند, خلوت خانہ they currently laid in and Kate would come visit him any free chance she got, it seemed pretty straight آگے but it would require some good timing, acting, and luck to make it last. The risks of being found out on were already in their heads but they weren't going to worry about it until another time. Seeing that it was far too late and still raining outside Kate decided to spend the night with Humphrey and the two lovers fell asleep side سے طرف کی side with smiles clearly visible on their faces. Things weren't going to be anymore easier for the pair now but they held high hopes that they will get through it and someday become properly married and live a nice life together.
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"...and that's how I became a lone wolf, she still comes to visit me and is now teaching me how to hunt and defend myself." Humphrey finished after telling his story for several minutes

"Wow that's amazing, all that because of love, but at least آپ managed to work it out in the end." Jake replied stunned at what this بھیڑیا before him has gone through.

"Thanks, I'm glad it did too"

They had already finished eating a long time پہلے and continued to talk for a little while مزید before Humphrey decided that he should get back to his ماند, خلوت خانہ just in case Kate made another visit. Jake understood and thanked him again for helping him with not only the deer but also telling him his story and talking with him. He welcomed him to come back anytime and even offered that he could teach him how to hunt as well. Humphrey appreciated his offer and کہا that he would think about it, the two wolves کہا their goodbyes before he exited the ماند, خلوت خانہ and headed back to his own.
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A/N: There that should answer the سوال of how Humphrey became a lone بھیڑیا and everything, though I'm sure آپ could already piece that together. I know I کہا I would put the part about the omegas in this chapter but due to how long this chapter turned out I decided to bump it over to the اگلے chapter. It's late and I'm tired, so I will say farewell for now.