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Chapter 1: A cabin in the snow
Snow was falling down, pouring heavily, its pure white mantle covering the cobblestones of the street.
The village was silent the moment she was pushed out of her home, her mother wailing and crying as she tried reaching for her. His father shouted by her mother's side to stop the village guards from taking Lucy.
The blonde girl looked at her parents with tears in her eyes, a sad smile on her face. At the cries of her mother, some neighbors turned to their windows to look at what the commotion was about.
The guards pulled at the young girl by her arms, pushing her a bit too hard outside the house and causing her to fall on the white and cold bed of snow in the ground.
She then was forced to get up and make her way towards the town's plaza, where a group of officials waited for her, along with the pack's leader. She supposedly had been found guilty of witchcraft and treason.
For most of the townspeople this would be impossible to believe, as no one could have ever thought the beautiful and kind daughter of the Heartfilia family, one of the founding families of the pack, was a witch.
But Lucy knew the truth.
As an omega it was imperative that you would obey every time an alpha would so much as command an order to you. And Lucy, she had been desired by the Mayor's son for a while, and she had denied his advances, just like she had done to many others that had asked her for her hand.
Found guilty of being a beautiful omega, so much so that it caused disruption between the young alphas, who seemed to not have any other better things to do than to fight to possess her. Until, of course, she ended up catching the eye of an important alpha and had denied him.
All her sin was having said no, and she was going to be judged just for that.
Unfair, yes. But not an uncommon practice on small packs like this one she had been raised in.
As she stood in the plaza, she kept her stance firm, not wanting any of the townspeople nor the officials watching to think for a second they got the best of her.
Lucy would stand proud for her actions, preserving her honor for the sake of her family. She had always been too pristine, had always maintained a pure look, one she knew too well had caused the jealousy of some.
Not a single bad action had she committed in all her life.
She knew better than to hope to be spared, most likely it wouldn't be the case. But if she stood her ground they would spare her parents from going through the same judgment.
The blonde girl shivered as the pack alpha, the father of the boy she had denied, took a look at her, as she was only dressed in light clothing on a rather harsh winter night. It's not like they had let her change from her nightgown as she had been on her bed sleeping when they had knocked on her door.
— You, Lucy Heartfilia, have been found guilty of treason against the pack. What do you have to say for yourself? — the harsh and cold voice from their leader cut through the air like a knife on her delicate skin—.
— I didn't do any of the such. There's no evidence of my treason nor my relation to darker arts, it is baseless. I will stay strong as my actions speak better than the defamation that is spewed my way —she said, fiercely looking up, causing the growling of some of the officials—.
As an omega, she was expected to look down on the floor and beg for forgiveness.
But Lucy was done acting the way they wanted just because they couldn't bear what they thought a lesser class, based by sex characteristics, would rise to look up at the bigger class in the eye without fear.
And that was what made them rage, the fact that Lucy wasn't scared. Fearlessness was her temple. The leader looked at her, failing at concealing his anger at her brave words.
How dare this omega talk like that to her leader?
— Then you are hereby expelled from the pack, and shall leave quickly before I send the officials to chase after you. You have thirty minutes to leave this pack's territory, and never return if you know what's best.
Without being given the chance to say goodbye to her parents, Lucy quickly rushed and ran towards the outskirts of the village, and stopped to give a last glance to her hometown before leaving for good.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of her parents and the life she was forced to leave behind just because an alpha couldn't bear her rejection. She silently cried for a short while when she heard the loud noises of howls in the close distance.
They wanted her out of the pack's domain now.
Not being able to transform in her state, Lucy quickly ran towards the exit of the land, venturing into the forest, being chased down by the guards that had transformed into their wolf counterparts just to terrorize her as she left.
The blonde girl ran and ran through the forest, sometimes bumping into bushes and falling for tripping on tree roots.
She couldn't tell how many miles she had run being chased by that pack of ferocious wolves, they even had managed to get in some scratches on her a couple of times. And some close calls to get a bite out of her as well.
Now she had finally managed to make a good enough distance, she was now fully aware she was outside the pack's domain as she caught her breath, panting harshly.
They must have turned back towards the village.
Lucy cried of anger, pain and sadness, she was now completely alone, no one to protect her if she were to be attacked by a wild animal or a feral lone wolf.
What hurt more was thinking of her parents and what they might be feeling now.
Lucy couldn't help but cry remembering the warm hugs of her mother that she wouldn't be able to feel again anymore. Or the soft sound of her voice when she called for her to help her around the house. Or the kind look in her eyes when she taught her how to do chores right when Lucy sometimes failed at them.
Out in the cold and harsh winter, shivering under the moonlight that creeped on top of the trees, Lucy also thought of her father and how he would light a fire every cold night so the warmth wouldn't get to his dear daughter.
She even missed his strict look and sometimes harsh words that he only really mentioned for her sake, because he cared. She had been stripped of everything because of the greed of a single man.
Bracing herself she walked, in pain as she was, her feet aching, sore, and her wounds fresh and bleeding that sting under the freezing air of the night, she kept walking.
Lost as she was, on no-man's land, she just hoped no one would find her and assault her on the spot. The blonde girl couldn't smell a scent of any pack near, and she recalled her mother saying that close to the end of the forest found the entrance to a land that belonged to a guild.
Lucy had never thought to ask what it was about that land that made packs around it keep a strangely large gap from getting too close to them, declaring it a neutral ground.
A land perfect for outcasts and dangerous criminals to thrive, as she had been warned all her life.
She still kept walking, enduring the pain, maybe if she fell on their good graces they would let her stay for the night. She wondered if that was even possible.
Not knowing what a guild was, it was difficult to tell if they would react negatively and chase her down like her old pack had done.
But it didn't hurt to try, or at least, it wouldn't hurt more than the blow she had been given already.
Soon enough she found herself nearing the end of the forest, a wood cabin in the distance. Slipping in and out of consciousness at the loss of blood from her wounds, she forced herself to step out of the forest, trying to reach the cabin before collapsing completely.
The snow hitting her skin had started to feel warm on her cold body, the flimsy and light nightgown she wore, soaked with the seeping from the snow and the blood of her wounds. But as she was a couple of meters away from reaching the cabin, she fell on the ground hard, the snow somewhat pillowing her impact, and Lucy collapsed on the spot.
Her consciousness slipped away from her as she fell on a numbing and deep sleep. This is it, she would die before making it to her only possible salvation.
Or would have died, if only for the fact that whoever lived in that cabin, had heard the loud thud and came out to inspect what had happened.
Snow crushing beneath his boots, he made her way towards what he thought was an animal of some sorts, and as he finally reached the spot Lucy’s body was resting, he panicked for a second and shaked her to try and see if she would wake up.
His only response of her being alive being a little whine that came out almost like an exhale from her mouth, he quickly picked her up from the pile of snow she had been resting in.
As he looked at the snow he saw the blood staining it and realized she was badly injured. He rushed her inside the cabin, warming her up would be the best thing to do right now to assure her survival.
Lucy thought she was definitely in heaven as she felt the warmth embody her.
All around her was soft and nice like a pillow, blankets keeping her warm as she was still not fully conscious.
She could feel her body a bit sore and achy, but she didn't want to move when she was so comfortable and cozy.
A slimy and humid texture in her forehead annoyed her though, like a wet cloth when you jump into a river fully dressed. Warmth touched her face, though, a furry texture settling on her neck, next thing she heard was purring.
Lucy could hear the distant hitting of a hammer against metal, as she slowly peeled her eyes open. Realizing that, after everything, she was alive and hadn't died out in the cold.
Still not bothering to move, she looked at her side where a kitten was napping against her neck. So that had been the reason she had heard purring.
Next thing she could tell was that she was inside a wood cabin, and she had been placed on a bed, covered by blankets, pellets and furs.
Whoever had saved her had made sure to cover her to warm her up.
Slowly she tried to incorporate herself, startling the kitten a bit, that jumped out of the bed at the movement, the feline curiously looking up from the ground to the bed.
Lucy whined at the pain she still felt on her body as she brought herself to a sitting position on the bed. The blonde girl looked down at her body when she realized she had been patched up, her wounds cleaned, and she had been changed from her wet and bloodied flimsy nightgown into a much warmer green cotton nightdress that didn't seem to belong to a woman.
She looked down to meet the eyes of the startled kitten, that after seeing her awake meowed and scurried away out of the cabin through the half opened door.
Lucy, still confused, brought one of her hands to her forehead and peeled away at the wet cloth that had been put there, surely to bring her fever down. She placed it on the nightstand, where there was a small bowl with water.
The noise of the hammer that had been present since she woke came to a halt as the tiny meows of the kitten were heard outside.
Then the voice of a man was heard, answering to the cat's meows.
— What's wrong, Happy?
Lucy’s heart rate picked up after hearing the approaching footsteps, and soon enough she found the kitten running back inside the cabin again, this time looking after itself expectantly, as if waiting for the man owner of the voice she had heard to step inside.
And step inside he did.
First thing that hit her eyes were salmon pink messy locks of hair, paired with curious green eyes that gazed at her with mildly-concealed surprise.
He looked young, around her age if not a year or two older, his clothes made out of wool and leather, he seemed like some sort of hunter or blacksmith.
And an alpha, she quickly judged by his scent.
His scent of sandalwood and bergamot, with a hint of apple, reminded her of the scent of campfires. It was alluring, intoxicating even.
He smelled great.
She tried to conceal her interest in his scent the best way she could, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
— Oh, you're awake! — the alpha expressed with surprise and a smile on his face— For a moment I thought you wouldn't wake up! Thank Mavis, you're alive!
Lucy's brown doe eyes locked on his sharp green ones as she gave him a small nervous smile. She was still a bit confused from waking up.
— You're the one that saved me, right? Thank you... —her voice came out soft but with a twinge of sadness at recalling her reality and what caused her to get there in the first place—.
He nodded and shaked his hand at her as if telling her it was nothing to worry about. But then he showed concern, probably wondering what had happened to her.
— No problem, I did what anyone would have done at seeing someone in your situation... —he explained— Speaking of that, you were severely wounded. I had to clean you and bandage your wounds... I also had to change your clothes, I hope you're not upset about that.
The blonde girl shook her head no.
— I understand, don't worry, I'm not angry. If anything, I am deeply grateful you rescued and took care of me.
As they were talking, the kitten jumped back into the bed, and settled on Lucy’s lap, getting himself comfortable to nap. The alpha walked closer and settled next to the bed, sitting on a wooden chair.
— So... How did you even get here? I mean, it's not like everyday a young maiden falls into my garden during a snowstorm.
Lucy turned flustered at the words "young maiden" he used to describe her.
— Well... You see... I was chased away by my pack. Or, better said, my old pack.
His eyes opened widely at hearing her explanation, and he inched closer in his sitting position, signaling he was listening.
— What? Why? Who in their right mind would chase out a member of their pack?
Lucy’s gaze dropped down to the pellets and furs on the bed, her look turning sour.
— Those who wouldn't accept an omega rejecting the advances of an important alpha and condemning her of treason so as to get expelled from the pack.
Well, that seemed personal.
The pink haired man opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, finding no words to say as the full story settled in, he silently nodded. Understanding it was difficult for him, as he had never been raised on a pack with strict ruling.
— I see... Well, you don't have to worry about them getting to you now, you're safe here.
Lucy lifted her gaze only to find the male smiling at her, a warm and comforting smile that told her he somehow understood. Was he willing to let her stay here?
— Really? —she asked shyly, unsure—.
— Of course! You can stay here if you want. No one is going to come and kick you out, I can assure you of that. Not if I'm here to stop that, anyways!
Lucy smiled at his comforting words and nodded, thanking him. She looked down at the kitten that was napping on her lap, and cautiously caressed its back, gaining a purr from the small feline.
—Looks like Happy likes you —the alpha mentioned with a chuckle—.
She looked up curiously to look up at him.
—Happy?
— Yeah, that's his name. I found him hiding in my wood pile three weeks ago. He was real tiny, I mean, he still is, but he was even tinier then. He was probably abandoned by his mom —he explained, looking at the sleeping cat on her lap—.
Lucy nodded and gazed down at the kitten, who cutely yawned as he enjoyed the pets from the blonde.
— Poor little thing...
— Yeah, he was out in the cold weather, freezing... Kinda like how I found you —he chuckled at the end of his last sentence, his words causing Lucy to giggle—.
At the softness of her laugh, Natsu looked up to gaze at her, while she was focused on his cat that now was playing with one of the felts as he had decided to cut short his nap.
He could tell by that smile and that laugh, that was the most natural way to be for her.Happy, instead of that sad smile she had in the beginning.
— Well, I suppose I should introduce myself properly, now that you're going to be around...— he patted his knees and in a motion got up from the chair, then extended his hand to her as he smiled— The name's Natsu Dragneel.
Natsu... So that was his name. Rather fitting, if she said so herself.
The blonde girl smiled softly and took his hand to shake it gently.
— Lucy Heartfilia, pleasure to meet you...
Natsu looked at her for a second and grinned with a bright smile on his face, and he thought of something to make her laugh a little bit.
— Luce? Well, that's a pretty name!
Lucy giggled and shook her head no. She guessed he was trying to be funny, but the blonde kinda wanted him to say her name correctly.
— It's Lucy.
— Lucy, huh? Well, I like Luce alright, think I'm going to call you that, haha! I'm just joking, but really, Lucy is a good name.
She blushed, a bit flustered but she smiled anyways, being friendly.
— Thank you! Your name is good too. It fits you.
— Haha, thanks!
They fell into a comfortable silence like that, both of them watching as Happy played with the furs. Maybe she was still plagued by uncertainty about what was going to happen with her life, everything feeling too new for her.
But Lucy was sure of one thing. She felt safe.
After that conversation was done, Natsu had gone back to his chores, leaving her to rest and recover her energy. The alpha had explained that he was a blacksmith and that was why she had heard the hammer before.
He had also explained that this land belonged to the guild of Fairy Tail, which he was a member of, and that this portion of the land was assigned to him, the capital being only a couple of hours away from there.
The city, that he referred to as capital, of this land's name was Magnolia, and it was known as Fiore's most magical city. There stood the magical guild of this land, and it was home to all the mages of the guild, their families and other members of this strangely built pack.
Lucy had heard of mages and wizards before. But granted, maybe not in their best light.
People on her pack feared and hated witches and anything magic-related, as they thought those were only but dark arts that corrupted the souls of the ones that casted the spells.
Her parents had instilled in her the fear of being pointed as a witch by the locals in the village, so she had always been steered away from thoughts of magic.
Even if she knew from her family's history that her great grandmother had once been a powerful mage herself. It had always been shushed, silenced and put away in a closed vault like many secrets her mother had locked away, only confiding these secrets to her away from prying ears and in certain moments they had alone.
The blonde girl was still left wondering about many things of her past, but she was more curious to know how it was that a guild worked.
Natsu had given a simple explanation, telling her it was like a pack but that they made jobs together in exchange for money so they could all make a proper living. And a magic guild, she guessed, did magic quests in exchange for rewards.
She rested her body as she looked out the window to where Natsu was working away, melting iron and hammering what she guessed was a sword.
Lucy thought the man was definitely strong.
As his well-defined muscles could be clearly read through the tight fabrics of his gear, while he kept on hitting the hot melted iron into shape as it cooled. She couldn't help but stare at how the sweat trickled down his face and neck, even if around the open workshop everything was snow.
How he even managed to sweat in such weather conditions was beyond her comprehension.
There was definitely something alluring in him, she had noticed since she had gotten a first look (and sniff) of him.
The blonde looked at how his green eyes seemed to glow at the sight of fire, reflecting gold streaks in his irises, like fire embers burning up in the air. Kinda like when one would arrange the wood on a fire and it would crackle up.
There was the fact that he had told her about being in a magic guild, it didn't take much for her to guess he was a mage too. And being in his element, the blonde concluded it was definitely fire. It fit him, she could see it.
Lucy wondered with her cheeks flushed, how a man like this was living all alone in a cabin so far away from their capital. Especially she thought about the alone part.
Now, she wasn't going to lie to herself and say the guy wasn't attractive when he definitely was.
Natsu from what little she knew so far seemed like the charming and funny type of guy, the type that would crack out a couple of jokes just to hear you laugh.
She could tell though, that he probably had a mischievous nature to him.
Lucy looked away from the window, thinking her ministrations had taken too much space on her mind, and she glanced around the cabin.
There was a big fireplace in the opposite corner of the room from where the bed was.
Cupboards next to it where she guessed ingredients were stored, on the ground stacked up some wooden boxes full with potatoes,onions, carrots, garlic and pumpkins. There was a big cauldron next to the hearth, a light fire crackling near it.
She wondered if Natsu would get hungry soon.
Not knowing what else to do, and finding herself bored, the blonde girl got up from the bed, her feet still a bit wobbly but she could stand.
She carefully walked, making her way to that side of the cabin, where the food and cauldron laid. Kneeling, Lucy sat down and peeked a look into the cauldron. It was half-full of clean water.
The blonde located a knife on the table, and she took it, deciding that moment she would pay back the kindness of the alpha by preparing lunch for him.
A curious Happy was gazing at her from the bed, the kitten checking what the human was doing.
As she peeled and cut ingredients, she put the cauldron above the fire, and she placed more wood into it, making sure it burned well so the water would boil. When she finished preparing the vegetables, she put them to boil.
A vegetable stew would be good to fill up on such a cold day. She hadn’t seen meat in the cabin, so it would have to make do.
The blonde girl focused on cooking for a good hour, time passing by rather quickly, she hadn’t noticed the halt of the hammer outside, as the crunch of the steps of the alpha reached the door to the cabin.Deciding he was done for the day.
First thing that welcomed him as he came through the door was the savory smell of stew cooking in the fire. Then the sight of the blonde omega kneeling next to the fireplace, stirring the stew that was definitely her making.
Natsu could feel his mouth watering just by the smell alone, and he didn't know if it was because of the stew alone or her sweet scent as well.
I mean, he had noticed her scent before, that was true, but seeing her now in his cabin cooking with such domesticity made him feel a bit more… Aware of her, in a way.
The alpha smiled as he approached, she hadn’t yet noticed him coming in, so he crouched down next to her, looking at the cauldron with the bubbling stew in it.
— That smells really good, Lucy!
Lucy startled at the sudden notice that he was beside her, and she blushed, noticing he was close. The girl was flustered, she had been too concentrated on cooking and she hadn’t realized he was back.
—N-Natsu! Ah, yes, I-... I thought it would be good to make lunch for you, you know? Um, you seemed tired from your work so I figured, well…
She stuttered a bit, nervous. What if he didn't like it that she used his ingredients or something?I mean, she only thought to make him food, also she had been bored, so there's that to blame as well.
All her nerves calmed down the moment he chuckled at seeing her so nervous, and as he patted her head gently he smiled down on her.
— Hey, it's cool! Thanks a bunch, Lucy! It smells great, can't wait to dig in!
Lucy couldn't help as a bigger blush settled on her cheeks.
Alpha and omega then ate together, sitting across from each other, a light conversation between them about his work, Fairy Tail and Magnolia.
As they finished, Natsu asked her to go rest on the bed as he would sleep with some pillows and blankets on the wooden floor.
The blonde felt bad as he had to sleep on the floor because of her, and there was no other bed in the cabin. He calmed her down saying it was fine, but she still felt guilty for it.
Regardless, they settled in for the night that way, and as Lucy’s head hit the pillows, she felt her exhaustion get over her, lulling her to sleep.
In her sleep, she found herself dreaming about running happily through fields of flowers, grabbing the hand of a certain pink haired alpha.