Pack Hodges

Cyrene-Chapter 1

A loud banging on my door has me reaching for a knife, a butter knife covered in frosting, but still a knife. I’ve spent the last 12 hours in here solo celebrating my 26th birthday with a cake and an extra tub of strawberry icing cream, both contraband here at the omega center. the treats were gifts from the only person I truly trust in the world and fellow omega, Mari, and it’s her lilting voice through the door that has me dropping the knife.

“Open up, Cy”

I spring up not wanting her to be exposed in the hallway for long. Mari and I always travel in pairs when not in our rooms, it’s safer that way. As the only two omegas in the facility who haven’t presented we’re considered easy pickings for the other girls with their cloying scents and simpering smiles. We may be small with absolutely no omega curves to speak of but get us back in a corner and we fight like rabid raccoons. Opening the door quickly and ushering her inside, she glances at my television playing Greys yet another time.

Her somber expression breaks with a groan “is this the one with the bomb in the butt?”

“Yes and it’s a classic”

She gives me a look taking in my night shirt with raccoons on it, “it most definitely is not”.

Her expression falls again and I bite back a retort when she says, “Mr. Cassabian wants to see you.”

A pit forms in my gut. Marcus Cassabian runs the NDO, National Department of Omegas, and if he wants to see you it’s either to see you off to a pack or…I won’t let my mind go there.

“Do you really think they’ll do that to me?” I ask her my eyes already filling with tears.

“Cy, you’re 26 and unawakened. You have to be prepared for the possibility. No one has ever heard of an omega not presenting by 25 at the latest.”

“So they ship me off to a reform pack just like that?” I nearly screech my breath coming in fast pants.

Mari is younger than me at 19. She still has time. Time. Something I didn’t appreciate until it’s gone. I thought 22 years of my life at an omega center were bad but being sent to a reform pack? It’s usually for omegas who have behaved so poorly they need the worst type of punishment possible but what have I done? What have I ever done but been f$cked over by life?

Mari gives me a sharp look. “Cyrene. As far as the rest of the world is concerned we’re throwaway f$ckups. WE know we aren’t. But at the OC we’ve got a rap sheet a mile long.”

I start to interject,”those girls deserved-“

She continues, “it’s up to us to make some sh$t lemonade out of this sh$t”

“Not the expression.”

“It’s not?” She looks at me genuinely confused.

“No.”

“Mari this might be the last time I see you” my eyes now say “f$ck it” and tears fall freely.

She pulls me into a fierce hug and says, “make some omelets, break some eggs.”

Laughing now I say, “now you’re just making sh$t up”

Looking older than she is she looks me in the eye and whispers, “you didn’t survive to not thrive.”

I nod, taking deep breaths. With a final spoonful of strawberry icing, I leave my room, head held high.