Ashes of Our Youth || Solstice

Golden sunlight streams through the dense canopy of evergreens that make up the Olympic National Forest, casting a warm glow over the festivities. Hundreds of Alphas, clad in black tunics, milled about atop a large rock formation, eyeing the pretty omegas that milled in the clearing below, dressed like angels in flowy white gowns and floral crowns.

The sun wouldn’t set until late into the evening — its rays stretching well past twilight. For today — is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year — and today is The Hunt.

It’s an ancient ritual — stretching back to when humanity was first gifted with the wolfish secondary traits that became second nature. Each year, on the day stretched the longest, Alpha and Omegas alike would gather in the woods to pay homage to the beast inside them.

At the sound of bells, Omegas would take off running into the woods, eager to see just how far they could get. Then, the horn would bellow — signaling the start of the hunt, sending eager Alphas into the woods to hunt themselves an omega mate.

In the past, the Hunt was binding — couples being officially bound as mates come the following sunrise, but as the world modernized, it became less of a binding ritual and more a fun celebration — an excuse to get drunk and fuck in the woods–

And maybe even find love.

Every year, there were love stories — and horror stories — that emerged from the various hunts held across the globe. But no story was more viral this year than the rumor that Ashes of Our Youth — the famous emo band and pack of rockstar alphas- would be participating in a hunt.

They never had — not in all the years since they presented, though countless omegas would claim every year to have seen them. It was too risky for famous musicians to go running off into the woods. But this year, the band had a gap in their tour schedule — one that halted the tour between Seattle and Vancouver — just long enough to go to the Olympic Hunt if they wanted.

But would they actually be crazy enough to join?

Fans had been debating for a week over the likelihood — posting conspiracy theories and deep dives, trying to figure out where they’d be — if the rumors were actually true.

And it turns out — they were.

Kellin Beckett rests against the large stone — savoring the rock’s cool touch. He thought the northwest didn’t get hot, and yet here he was sweating in the summer sun. Still — he’d take the ocean breeze here over the stagnant, humid heat of an Ohio cornfield any day. His alpha is restless — thrilled at the chance to finally hunt instead of being denied year after year.

“Ready for this, Kells?” The taller alpha to his left asks, staring out over the crowd as if he were calculating their fates. Ben Lazarra wasn’t thrilled being here — while his alpha preened, gnashing his teeth for a chance to be let off the short leash Ben kept him on, the man could only imagine the scandals that might emerge.

He hadn’t wanted to participate either — but the only other option was leaving his pack of mottly alphas unattended — and he couldn’t have that. Kellin smirks, giving Ben a once-over. “You look two minutes from a heart attack, old man.”

A snort comes from the dark-haired alpha resting against a large evergreen, his hazel eyes closed in a form of meditation. "Knowing Benji," Zack begins, the imposing bodyguard rising to his full height, “he’s calculating just how many laws Mikey is going to break tonight.”

He comes to stand next to Ben, giving the tightly wound alpha a gentle shove. “Come on — live a little, it’s going to be fun. I did one back in Busan right after I presented. The omega I caught was a pretty little thing,” he teases, flashing a charming grin.

“HEY!”

A defiant voice cuts off Ben’s acerbic retort to Zack, a blonde blur dropping down from the top of the boulder. Mikey Ross scowls, looking at his pack mates with a sullen stare. “Why is it me who’s going to break laws, huh?”

“Because it’s always you–” the reply comes from behind him as a tanned alpha with shock red hair emerges from the crowd, the laurel crown a stark contrast. Behind him is a dark-haired alpha — his full Japanese sleeve on display in his dark tunic. Vic Havoc smirks, giving Mikey a playful shove as they approach. “That’s why the bus has a this many days without Mikey causing trouble sign and it’s always at zero!”

Mikey shakes his head, a laugh escaping his lips at his own expense. He hooks his arm around the tanned alpha’s neck, yanking Vic against him in a playful hold. “Yeah, yeah, well you’ll be the one laughing when I bag the prettiest omega tonight, Havoc.”

Davey just shakes his head, refusing to join the juvenile wrestling of his bandmates. Instead, he moves to stand by Kellin, offering a silent nod to the alpha. “You sure about this?”

Kellin gives Davey a side-long glance, his piercing blue eyes fixed on his friend. He can see Davey’s quiet concern — and he knows he’s weighing the cost of losing control of themselves in such a public event. While bringing phones was frowned upon — it wasn’t forbidden, and they weren’t just six friends having fun — they were members of one of the biggest bands in the world. They already had to deal with crazed fans trying to dose them with pheromones.

What if something went wrong here?

“It’ll be fine,” Kellin replies without his usual acerbic bite. “Besides — what kind of rockstars would we be if we didn’t attend at least one orgy in the woods.” A fanged grin appears on his lips, his typical rockstar swagger emerging. “We’ve already been spotted, so we might as well have some fun. And that includes you, Benjamin.”

Ben merely rolls his eyes, tying up his long hair as Zack pries Mikey and Vic apart from their wrestling match.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

---

The band watches from the starting point, gathered around the large boulder as the bells begin to chime through the woods. Hundreds of omegas dash off in a blur of white fabric and petals, and one by one, the omegas vanish.

Their eyes all flash with need — the primal part of their brains activated at the sight and smell of pretty, unmated omegas just out of reach. Mikey can barely hold himself back from chasing immediately — desperate to give in to his baser instincts. But he waits — just barely — until–

An elder alpha steps to the top of the boulder, looking out at the Alphas below. “Once again — the earth completes a cycle around our sun-- and once again — we give thanks to the gods for our gifts. Go forth and claim the other piece of your soul. May Selene herself bless you.”

And with that, he brings the engraved horn to his lips and blows.

It’s a blur of black as the Alpha launches into the woods, darting in all directions after the various scents. The alpha pack does too, working in a unit as they take off into the woods. “You guys smell that?” Kellin asks, his eyes almost black as his alpha catches onto a particularly intoxicating scent.

“Oh fuck — that omega smells like heaven,” Vic replies, scanning the dense treeline for any sign of the owner of the scent. Ben shakes his head, but his jaw is clenched — clearly the scent is affecting him, too. “We can’t all take the same omega,” he reminds the band — trying to stay level-headed when his alpha told him to run and claim.

“Fine!” Mikey grins, running a hand through his cropped blonde hair. “Then it’s a race — winner gets bragging rights — and the omega.” He had no intention of backing down either — he’d been practicing forest running via parkour at each tour stop and was ready for this.

Davey nods in agreement, his eyes already fixed on where the scent trail led. “Fine. But don’t cry when I beat you, Ross.” And then, he takes off, not waiting for the others, his alpha urging him forward.

Zack just laughs, enjoying seeing his pack let loose for once. “You cocky assholes never change — but you forget, only one of us has ever been to a hunt before.” And then he’s off — chasing after Davey and the intoxicating scent of the omega.

“You cheaters!” Mikey yells after them as he too runs off into the dense thicket of trees. One by one, the remaining alphas take off as well, each following the same intoxicating scent. Vic had scaled a tree into the canopy, moving across the thick branches while Kellin, using his agility, wove through the trees with grace.

Six alphas-- all closing in on one scent, herding the omega away from the others to avoid competition. Kellin can feel how close the omega is — eager to get his hands on them.

“You don’t have to keep running — just let me catch you.”

But it’s not just Kellin — he can feel his pack nearby, each closing in — each eager to catch the omega with the intoxicating scent.