Chapter Text
Wooyoung
“They put in a bid yesterday morning. But let’s be honest Wooyoung, this will probably be the only opportunity you’ll get to join a half decent pack.”
What the hell is happening?
“Granted, they have explicitly stated that there will be no chance of a bonding mark, but even just being associated with the Kim pack is a once in a lifetime opportunity for an unbloomed Omega like you.”
I’m 2 years away from finally paying off my debt and being free of this place. Why did this have to happen now?
“And now that your position here is no longer available, the only way you would be able to pay off your debt is if you rent yourself out. I’m sure there should be some Omega-less packs out there that wouldn’t mind renting out a broken Omega to take the edge off their rutting episodes.”
This is fucked.
After being sold off to the institute at 6 by my apathetic parents and spending the next 12 years being “educated” on how to be the perfect Omega, it all came to a crashing halt when I never “bloomed”. Omegas normally got their first heat in their late teens, but now at 25 with no heat in sight, I was categorized as a lost cause.
Omegas usually graduated the institute at 18, and late bloomers usually hung around for a couple more years, helping with odd jobs until their heats came in and they were able to be bid on by packs looking for an Omega. The packs that would pay off the Omegas’ debt that had accumulated over their years at the institute. The price of their “upbringing and education”- If you could even call it an education. It was more of a brainwashing programme to teach us how to smile, shut up and spread out legs.
So that’s what I have been doing for the last 7 years. Working off my debt, my only hope was that after it had all been paid off, I would be allowed to leave. To find a way to live a life with no pack.
And now I was here, sat with the Principal of this god forsaken place, being told that a pack wanted me.
But they can’t really want me. They won’t even bite me.
Really, the excuse that my role as errand boy was no longer available here was nothing more than a pile of shit. They were trying to scare me into signing a contract with this pack. Because as bad as being a bondless member of a pack was, being rented out to the packs that didn’t want a permanent Omega was even worse. Because there was only one type of pack that didn’t want an Omega as a permanent member. The all-Alpha supremacist packs that deemed Omegas worthless apart from being a warm body to fuck.
The Kim pack was practically royalty, a branch of the head Jeong pack which had the longest lineage of Alphas in the country. And despite the Kims only forming 6 years ago and making an effort to distance themselves from the head pack, they had still managed to make a name for themselves. They were praised for their achievements in different fields, from arts to business, all without any apparent influence from the Jeong line.
So whether they offered me a bonding mark or not, it didn’t matter to the people at the institute, because the commission they would get for selling me off would be nothing short of a fortune. After all, the Omegas here were all either abandoned or orphans. They had no pack, no family and no backing. So to these people, our only worth was how much money we could earn them.
I could feel my nails breaking the skin of my palms as I clenched my fists in my lap. “When will our first meeting be?” It was a wonder I could even get the question out with how hard my jaw was ticking.
An amused scoff was her reply, as if I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “There will be no introduction meetings. Once you have signed the contract, you will be sent to their residence within the day.”
In any other situation I would have laughed. So they really didn’t want me.
Were they the same as those other packs? Just looking for a convenient, disposable Omega to get them through ruts? I guess when you’re that wealthy, having to pay the rental fee every time an Omega is needed is a bit of an inconvenience. Or was my errand boy role being transferred over to them? To be honest, if that was the case I would be ecstatic. I didn’t mind hard labour as long as it meant no one would touch me.
The fact that they weren’t even bothering with setting up meetings before signing the contract, meetings that were a way for potential packs to court and get to know the Omegas, was nothing short of a blatant insult and indication as to how little they valued my opinion. But honestly, it didn't surprise me. I hadn’t bloomed, so I had no value. I wasn’t able to give them pups and with no scent, I wouldn’t even be able to be used as a glorified calming pheromone air freshener.
In a way it was baffling. Packs only ever had one Omega. Partly due to Omegas being so rare, but mostly because of how territorial Omegas got about their mates. Having two in one pack would just lead to endless power struggles and volatile pack dynamics. So why would they request a broken one like me?
“They have a bonded Omega already.” My head snapped up to look at the principal . Did I just say that out loud? Her wrinkled skin seemed to twitch around her mouth momentarily, trying to hold back a smirk, clearly pleased that I had called myself broken. “There seems to be some issues with their current Omega, issues they refused to share. But it seems they are looking for another one to take on some responsibility at the request of their elders in the Jeong pack.”
Ah. So they really, really didn’t want me.
Just by reading between the lines I could surmise that they were probably being forced into this contract by their head pack. And an unbloomed Omega would be less of a threat to their already bonded Omega. The idea of having to invade another Omega’s territory made my insides twist in such a feral way that I could swear I tasted bile. But then again, if I had a scent or if I was another innocent Omega with the delusions of this leading to a welcoming pack, I could only imagine how much worse off I would be.
Looking down at the contract in front of me, skimming over it for what felt like the hundredth time, I reached my hand out. “Can I have a pen?” As long as I had a room with a lock and was able to eat three full meals a day for the first time in my life, maybe I could hold on just long enough for their situation with their current Omega to work itself out. Then maybe I really could be free to live a life I chose for myself.
A sickly sweet, pinched smile adorned the principal's face, her claw-like hand sliding a pen across the desk, completely ignoring my waiting hand. “Good choice.”
***
Hongjoong
“Why? We don’t need another Omega!” From the way San’s forearms shook, I could tell how hard he was clenching his fists. “This is bullshit, hyung.”
I leant forward in my office chair, hands cradling my head. “Sannie. I know, trust me I do, but you know this is out of my hands right now.” I sighed.
“Is he really unbloomed?” Jongho spoke up from his spot in the corner. The Alpha hadn’t looked up from his feet since I had announced the news, but from the way his scent spiked, I knew he was barely holding it together.
“I had all the information in his files investigated and yes, he’s unbloomed. Honestly, it was a stroke of luck that I was able to find an Omega that is at this age, because if we have to do this, an unbloomed Omega will bring a lot less hassle.”
“Have you told Seonghwa yet?” Yunho asked and I was grateful for the calming scent he had been pumping into the room despite his own tense expression. The way his bond was practically vibrating gave away how agitated he was.
“He knows. He’s putting on a strong front, but this is the last thing he needs to deal with.” I stood from my office chair and rounded the desk to lean against it facing the pack. “It’s not going to be easy, but we just have to put up with him until power changes hands within the Jeongs.” I shared a look with Yunho. “As soon as your brother makes his move and takes charge, I have his word that he will grant us our independence. Then no one but us will have a say on how we run this pack and who can come and go.”
An ongoing power struggle had been shaking things up in the head pack for the past three years. It was one of the main reasons why I had taken the head Alpha position of our pack despite Yunho being the only direct descendant of the Jeong line and one of two sons of the current elder head Alpha. It was his way of completely removing himself for the running of the next in line, essentially bowing out for the sake of his brother to take the title.
The pack had said I was better suited to the role than Yunho, even Yunho himself, but I found that hard to believe. He had been raised to be the perfect Alpha. He knew when to take charge and had the power to enforce it, and yet he was equally good at keeping a level head and keeping everyone calm under pressure. It’s truly one of the things I love most about him. And, it was an area I sorely lacked in. My fuse was too short. I had the tendency to push harder when I should take a step back and often made situations more tense when I lost control of my inner Alpha. I was never trained to stamp down my instincts the same way Yunho was and to this day, I still wonder if one day it will cause the downfall of this pack.
But now Yunho’s father was just barely hanging onto his title due to bad health. Even so, every last bit of power he had left was used to put off handing over the title to Yunho’s brother, Jiho. The elders had made it known that they thought Jiho was too soft. To them power was everything, and despite Jiho being a near genius academically, he had never excelled in the physical.
“This is bullshit.” San repeated, his pout appearing more aggressively than usual. I sounded off a warning growl in response which made his flinch, but he held strong to his little tantrum. “Fine, he can come here, but don’t expect me to even acknowledge his existence.” He announced to no one in particular before storming out the office and upstairs, to find Seonghwa no doubt.
“Does anyone have any other issues with this?” It was a stupid question. I could feel in all of their bonds that no one was happy about this, different levels of anxiety and anger pumping into me in waves.
“As long as it’s temporary I can hold my tongue until it’s over.” Mingi stood from the couch he was sharing with Yunho, stretching his limbs. Being one of the only two Betas in our pack, Mingi had the tendency to keep a level head, something I was thankful for at this moment.
Giving him a grateful smile, I turned to Yeosang, the other Beta, who had been silent this whole time. He just shrugged. “I’ll make it work.” And that’s all I could really ask for.
As everyone was leaving the office, Yunho turned back to me, already half way out the door. “What’s his name by the way, Hyung? The Omega.”
”Wooyoung.”
***
Opening the door to the pack room, I could smell Seonghwa before I saw him in the dimly lit room. His floral and cotton scent came in soothing waves, but there was an edge to it that told me he wasn’t as calm as he wanted everyone to believe. Normally I would have been able to decipher his emotions through the bond, but it had been hard the last couple of months. The others had noticed it too. His bond was blurry, as if there was a heavy fog trying to hide something and it had thinned out, barely hanging on by a thread.
San was sprawled on top of Seonghwa, resting his smaller frame on top of the Omega with his nose buried in his neck. That explained Seonghwa’s scent, he was trying to calm San. It was times like these that it was easy to forget that San was an Alpha.
Early on in his life, San had faced issues with his secondary sex. His pheromone levels were almost nonexistent and he never truly awakened as an Alpha. He had no scent, was unable to produce a knot and at some point he had stopped growing. He was an inch or two shorter than me, but he was lanky, as if he had never received the genes that let you build muscle. His stature especially had always been a sore spot for him and it turned into an obsession with food. He ate far more than you would expect to be normal for someone of his size.
“How did they take it?” Seonghwa whispered, I assumed trying not to break the tranquil atmosphere. He didn’t move to sit up and stayed lying down, running fingers through San’s hair.
I took a seat on the pack bed and scooted over until I was sat up against the headboard next to them. “About as well as I expected.” Starting to fiddle with a long piece of his hair, I sighed. “We’ll keep him out of the house so you won’t feel too uncomfortable. I doubt any of us will have too much to do with him, it’s not a permanent thing anyway.”
A small muffled grunt came from San in agreement, his face nuzzling further into Seonghwa’s scent gland. Seonghwa frowned and for a brief moment, his scent soured causing both San and I to flinch.
”What’s wrong?”
“I know none of us wanted this,” Seonghwa sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. “But, it’s not his fault.”
San sprang up, straddling Seonghwa’s hips. He looked baffled. “But he’s trying to take your place!”
The look Seonghwa gave in reply was caught somewhere between sad, resigned and thankful to be defended so fiercely. “But I don’t think he is. My mom’s pack took in a few Omegas who had grown up in the institute and the stories I heard about it were never good.”
Seonghwa’s mother was the Luna of an all Omega pack, the only one of its kind to my knowledge. She was from the Park pack, a very influential pack known for their strong line of Omegas. So they were not best pleased when she fell in love and bonded with a “common” Alpha and fell pregnant soon after she bloomed. Seonghwa’s sire, a female Alpha from nowhere of importance, had died when he was 2 years old.
After her mate passed, Seonghwa’s mother formed an all-Omega pack. She had no desire to find another bond or a pack with other Alphas, so she became a Luna to the lost and abandoned. And with no Alphas or betas to become territorial over, the small pack flourished with a harmony that no one could have expected, reaching heights even the Park pack had to acknowledge.
The only exception to the “no Alpha” rule had been San.
Due to his pheromone issues, he had all but been abandoned by his birth pack at 10 years old, a pack that preached the superiority of Alphas. But it was also that same constitution that had allowed him to find a home with the luna pack. Perhaps it might have been due to spending the majority of his formative years with Omegas, that he sometimes acted like one.
Seonghwa often said that San nested better than any Omega he knew. And San’s need for attention and physical touch was similar to an Omega’s too. However, that also could have been due to the lack of it from his birth pack. Either way San loved love and that made him all the more easy for us to love.
I had been hesitant when Seonghwa had agreed to join our pack, only under the condition that San could also join. By that time though, I was so enamored by Seonghwa that I would have done anything he asked. To me Seonghwa was my missing piece. The way my inner Alpha had run in circles and pranced around the moment I met him made it clear. But, I had also resigned myself to the fact long ago that I was not his first love, not even his first bonding mark.
That was San.
Their relationship was something I would never understand. Whether through shared experience and trials, or just the amount of time spent together, it was something that I would never be able to interfere with. Not that I wanted to. Their bond was a beautiful thing to witness.
I briefly let go of the strands of Seonghwa’s hair to massage out his growing frown, encouraging him to continue. “I doubt he had any choice in this decision.” He looked up at me. “As soon as you sent that contract to them, he would have had no way to say no. They would have made sure of it.”
The hand that was playing with Seonghwa’s hair instantly froze in place. Why hadn’t I thought of that possibility. In the past, outside Omegas had made advances at different pack members even with the knowledge that we were all bonded with Seonghwa. But to them, the possibility of being part of the Kim pack was worth offending us and our Omega. In the back of my mind, I think I had grouped Wooyoung in with them. Just another Omega who would try to take Seonghwa’s place. And the harsh clauses in the contract had reflected that.
”All the Omegas from there that came to us before had run away from the packs that the institute had forced them into bonding with. The institute's goal isn’t to give Omegas a safe environment to grow up in before they go off to find a pack. It’s to pump out obedient dolls to be sold off.” He turned to San, who was still scowling, although it looked a little softer now. Seonghwa reached out a hand to soothe up and down his arm. “I’m not saying we should accept him into the pack. That’s unfair on all of you and lord knows my inner Omega wouldn’t be able to deal with that.” He breathed out a small laugh. “But at least treat him fairly. Please.”