Pack Canteen

Canteen-01 is the largest canteen in the pack, where all common people eat... well, all common wolves eat. Right now, omegas are busy preparing lunch for the entire pack.

"Dammit! Where is that sissy?!" a beautiful female omega grunted in frustration, her gloved hand continuously stirring a massive metal pot.

"Let him come first, then we'll teach him a lesson," another female omega chimed in, and the two laughed together.

"If you have so much time for chit-chat, why not wash some utensils?"

A crisp female voice echoed through the kitchen, blending with the sizzling and bubbling of food.

The working omegas exchanged awkward glances. They talked too, but not that loudly—and certainly not about bullying someone.

"Those two and their group can't leave that boy Ivor alone," an older female omega snorted, shaking her head.

The two younger omegas glared at the older woman but dared not act out in the presence of the omega leader.

"What are you waiting for? A formal invitation?" the omega leader snapped again, her tone sharp.

"N-no, Omega!"

The two omegas hurried to the back room to wash utensils. The omega leader gave a silent signal for the others to continue their work.

Mary watched the pair leave, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Grandma Yone, I really don't know how to control these young omegas. What fun do they find in bullying someone?"

"Don't mind them, dear. They're just jealous of that boy's beauty. Truth be told, they like to trample on the weak," Grandma Yone replied calmly.

A young male omega, who had been working nearby, chimed in curiously.

"But where is Ivor, seriously? We're not close, but it worries me not seeing him here. Is he sick, Omega?"

The young teen frowned slightly as he looked at Mary. He and Ivor were about the same age. Though he had tried to befriend Ivor, the boy was quiet and reserved, limiting their interactions to simple greetings.

Mary's gaze shifted to Zion, the young male omega who stood beside Grandma Yone. After Ivor, Zion was considered the most beautiful omega in the pack. His soft pink lips, glassy blue eyes, and flawless, healthy skin—paired with his silky blue hair—gave him an innocent and pure aura. Unlike Ivor's ethereal beauty, Zion's charm felt gentle. He was also the only one in the pack who could occasionally get Ivor to speak.

Mary sighed. "I don't know much, but I think it has something to do with his mate," she whispered softly, ensuring only Grandma Yone and Zion could hear.

Hearing this, Grandma Yone's face darkened with concern. Male omegas being rejected wasn't unheard of. Though rare, it happened enough—about four out of ten male omegas faced rejection. It left scars not only on their reputation but also on their spirit. Society often isolated them, labeling them impure.

Zion's brows furrowed with worry. He didn't know much about Ivor's personal life, but he considered him a friend in his own way.

"So... where is he now?" Zion asked, his voice laced with unease.

Mary shook her head. "I visited his apartment, but he wasn't there either."

Zion pursed his pouty lips. A bad feeling settled in his chest, gnawing at him.

While Zion was deep in thought, a commotion erupted from the central hall where the pack gathered to eat.

"What's happening?" Zion asked, his ears twitching slightly at the noise.

"Oh! I completely forgot to tell you—Augustus asked me to make something easy to digest, just like yesterday. Moon Goddess! How could I forget again?"

Omega leader Mary slapped her forehead in exasperation.

The day before, True Alpha Augustus had appeared without warning and requested a light, easy-to-digest meal. Mary, known as the best cook in the pack, had culinary skills that surpassed even the professional chefs employed in the Alpha's kitchen. Despite the general lack of authority held by omegas, no ordinary wolf could dare force Mary to cook for them. Her reputation as an exceptional cook had earned her respect, and even Alpha Richard had once praised her talents.

"I don't get it. Why is he asking you to make something like that?" Zion asked, curiosity tugging at him.

"He said someone at his home was sick, so he needed me to prepare the food."

Mary shrugged, though the request puzzled her just as much.

The memory of Augustus showing up at the pack kitchen's entrance still lingered vividly. The entire canteen had gone silent in shock. Elders and high-ranking elites rarely stepped into the kitchen, a place where omegas work.

"Omegas cook their brains along with the food they make," the elders often said, turning their noses up at the thought.

Mary rolled her eyes just remembering it. Ironically, the same people who ridiculed the kitchen showed up at her doorstep with gifts in hand, begging her to cook for their celebrations.

She owed Augustus a favor, so even if he'd made a ridiculous request, she would have accepted without hesitation. But this? A simple meal for someone who was sick? It almost felt like she was the one taking advantage of him.

With a soft sigh, Mary rolled up her sleeves and began cooking.

Before she got too far, she caught Zion peeking on tiptoe from the kitchen window, his gaze fixed curiously on the central hall.

"You! Stop snooping around and get over here."

Zion's face flushed bright red at being caught.

Mary chuckled along with Grandma Yone, the old omega beside her. Zion's childish curiosity never failed to amuse them.

In the old cabin on the borders of the pack,

Ivor lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as he yawned for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Lowell~~" he called out, drawing out the name dramatically.

"Hey! Can you stop stretching my name like that? And stop acting like a baby," Lowell grumbled in response.

"Why~? I'm just sixteen. So~ young~" Ivor teased with a playful smirk.

Lowell sighed. "Okay, what do you want?"

"A big d*ck, daddy~~" Ivor said in whisper.

It didn't take a genius to guess that if Lowell was out of his body, his white fur would be turning a light shade of pink from the sheer amount of embarrassment.

"Y-You... You, Ivor. Stop it!! Or I won't talk to you!!"

"Okay, okay, don't be angry. I won't tease you anymore." Ivor chuckled softly. No matter how mature Lowell acted, he was still just a sixteen-year-old wolf — and Ivor couldn't resist poking fun at him.

"Hmph! Don't talk to me, old pervert."

"But... but what am I supposed to do? It's soooo booooring." Ivor stretched dramatically across the bed, draping himself like a starfish. His arm dangled off the edge as he lazily flicked a loose thread on the blanket.

Lowell's voice stayed silent in his mind, but Ivor could feel the subtle pout radiating through their bond.

With no response, Ivor sighed deeply. "Fine, ignore me then."

He flopped onto his back, staring at the worn ceiling for a moment. Then, as if an idea struck him, he began to roll.

From one edge of the bed to the other.

Then back again.

And again.

And again.

"Roll... Roll... Roll... Roll... Roll...
Roll... Roll... Roll... Roll... Roll..."

"Ivor."

"Hmm?" Ivor didn't stop rolling.

"You're going to fall off."

"No, I won't."

A second later—

THUD.

Ivor groaned from the floor; legs tangled awkwardly in the blanket. Lowell's amused snort echoed through his head.

"I told you."

"Shut up," Ivor grumbled, peeking over the edge of the bed with a sheepish grin. "I was testing gravity."

"Mm-hm. Seems like gravity is working just fine," Lowell teased.

Ivor huffed but couldn't stop the small laugh that slipped out.

"!!"

Suddenly remembering something Ivor sat up on bed.

"Lowell... if I remember correctly, I was beaten before... you know, before having se— I mean, before my first night with that scum Augustus, right?"

"....."

A heavy silence lingered.

"Ugh... Come on, Lowell."

Lowell's exasperated snort filled Ivor's mind. "Yeah."

Ivor frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing over his arm. "Then why don't I feel anything? I mean, I feel perfectly fine... aside from being a little too thin."

"Of course, that's because I healed yo—"

"You feel it too, don't you, Lowell?" Ivor interrupted, his gaze narrowing slightly.

"....." The silence this time was louder.

In their previous life, both Ivor and Lowell had been too heartbroken to notice much beyond the pain of Augustus' rejection. They were so consumed by their fear that they didn't notice at all that they were in the excellent health condition.

No matter how much Lowell heal but constantly getting injured still take toll on his body.

Ivor's ankle, for example, had been broken or twisted when he was young to the point where it still ached even after healing. On rainy days, the pain was unbearable. Running in wolf form became a distant memory, and Lowell's speed was nothing compared to what it used to be.

Yet, if he remembered correctly, he was so heartbroken by rejection of Augustus that he had sprinted home in wolf form without an ounce of discomfort. Not a limp, not even the faintest soreness.

Now, that same ease lingered in his body.

He felt whole.

Ivor flexed his toes beneath the blanket, curling and uncurling them thoughtfully. No pain. Not even a dull ache.

"Lowell... someone else healed us."

Healers were rare in the pack, and their services were usually reserved for warriors. Ivor's injuries had been severe enough to warrant more than just herbs from the local omega healers.

"Could it be..." Lowell paused but Ivor completed his question with an answer.

"Augustus, huh."

Ivor's lips twisted into a small smirk as he flopped backward onto the bed, letting his hair splay out over the pillow.

Even Lowell seemed surprised by the possibility, but Ivor couldn't deny the logic. There was no one else who could have touched him. No one had been close enough, physically or emotionally. Augustus was the only one.

It made sense. As a true alpha, with his authority and a younger brother who is renown as genius doctor of all times, it not hard to guess who had helped.

But why would he bother?

"Was it pity or...."

Ivor roll his eyes to the side and absentmindedly ran his tongue over his pale lower lip, his eyes half-lidded, the smirk still lingering as curiosity stirred within his sky-blue eyes.

"Interesting."

Meanwhile...

Valor couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The almighty Augustus—the true alpha capable of breaking boulders with his bare hands—was... walking carefully through the dense forest with a small container of food in his hand.

For Moon Goddess' sake.

"Bro... are you sure you haven't fallen for that small omega?" Valor blurted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Augustus' brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Why? Why are you even asking?! You personally went to the canteen to ask Omega Leader Mary for something easy to digest, and now you're personally delivering it... all the way out here?! In the middle of the forest?! For him?!" Valor looked at him with wide eyes as if suspecting that he had been possessed.

Augustus' frown deepened as he thought for a moment. His grip on the container tightened.

"Should I... not take it this way? It'll get cold if I leave it too long. Yesterday seemed fine, but..." Augustus trailed off in a near whisper.

Valor's ears twitched. He caught every single word.

Every. Single. Word.

It took him a full minute to process what he'd just heard.

His alpha—the infamous Augustus—worried about the food temperature.

Valor let out a long sigh, dragging his hand down his face.

"Augustus... do you seriously not care about that omega?" Valor muttered under his breath as he trudged forward, trailing behind his friend like a shadow.

No matter what happened, he was going to stand by Augustus' side—through thick and thin.

Not just as a comrade.

But as a friend.