[Present]

I awoke with a start, my meeting with Eric flashing vividly within my mind.

Huh, I haven't dreamt about him in a while... I thought sleepily, slowly clambering off my hard mattress.

"Hey, were you alright last night? You were moving around a lot, and were muttering things about 'split trees' and 'glowing hands'." My friend Sarena gave me a worried look as she pulled on a worn out pair of jean shorts. She picked up a ratty t-shirt and put that on too, the scars and bruises lining her stomach disappeared under the navy fabric. Combing her fingers through her long red hair, her green eyed gaze met my eyes with concern.

I shrugged. "I've been better," I muttered gloomily. Though it was five years ago, I could still feel the adrenaline rushing through my body and the fear that made my heart beat erratically.

"What were you dreaming about?" My other friend, Maya, yawned from across the room. She rubbed the sleep out of her crystal blue eyes as she stretched her arms overhead.

"Reliving how I became an omega," I answered her quietly, the disappointed looks of my pack burned into my memory. The Alpha had demoted me in front of everyone the same day I had rescued Eric; it was that day that I became worthless, the grime beneath people's shoes.

Sarena and Maya gave me twin looks of pity, knowing full well how much this status affected me. Though my life as an orphan had never been great, at least I had had a chance of bettering my life and making something of myself. But being an omega? There was no escape from the harsh treatment people bestowed on me on a daily basis. Things much worse than the name-calling I endured as a child.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Sarena chirped. "If you weren't demoted, then you wouldn't have met Maya and I." The nineteen-year-old shot me a bright grin, one that was so infectious that I found a small smile growing on my features.

"Yeah, I can't imagine my life without you guys," I admitted, looking at the two of them fondly. And it was true - without them, I don't think I would've survived being an omega.

Even though Sarena had only been an omega for two years, as opposed to my five, she was the firecracker in our group - always full of energy and ready to tackle any obstacles that awaited her.

Maya was almost like her complete opposite, quiet and polite like she was raised to be. Born into the omega status, she had been there for me since my very first night down in the slums. I was actually sent to live with her family when I was first demoted, but when we were fourteen, her parents got sent to another pack to work. Maya and I were then transferred to a group home solely for omegas.

It was actually in this group home that we met Sarena - who got demoted for trying to steal valuables from the Alpha's home. When asked about why she did it, she would always simply respond with: "I was trying to give back to the needy - the tyrant we live under hordes everything for himself leaving the rest of us to starve."

Personally, I didn't think everyone's situation was as bad as Sarena made it out to be. Sure, sometimes we weren't the richest pack out there, but isn't that how it should be? The Alpha was always the one with the most wealth, and when we had food shortages, he suffered with us, didn't he?

But apparently Sarena's old pack lived under much different conditions, and she would always tell tales of a huge meal on every table every single night. She attributed it to the fact that her old pack lived amongst the humans - a fascination in itself.

Sarena pulled open the door to the little hovel we called home, stepping out into the chilly morning air. "Let's get this day over with," Sarena said, and I could tell that she was dreading the workday ahead of us. She hated our chores, but I thought we were lucky to work at the pack house. The three of us were in charge of preparing the dining room and cleaning up afterwards, which I thought was a lot better than the chores some of the other omegas had.

On the way to the pack house, we actually passed some of the other teenage omegas. They were changing the trash barrels that lined our street, tossing the black garbage bags into a wheelbarrow. I offered them a wave and a smile, to which only a couple reciprocated. I couldn't help but feel sad inside - they're the ones who received the brunt of humiliation, shown by the scratches and scars that peppered their skin.

It wasn't long until we reached the pack house, and we reported to the kitchen immediately.

"First batch is over there," Shelly, an omega chef, said as soon as we stepped in the door. She made a quick gesture with her spatula to point at a line of plates sitting on the counter, eggs and bacon atop each. Older omegas easily had the best job you could get at our social status - they worked in the kitchen all day to prepare food. And unlike the rest of us, they ate more than one meal a day. They were allowed to 'taste' all the dishes that they made, to make sure that they were up to certain standards.

Sarena, Maya, and I grabbed three plates of food each. I took mine to dining room A, placing them in front of the chairs. Returning to the kitchen, I picked up a few more plates of food, bringing them to dining room A also. By quarter to seven, each of the twelve chairs around the rectangular table had a plate of food in front of it, along with pitchers of water, juice, and milk in the center. When I walked back into the hall that adjoined all three dining rooms, I found Maya and Sarena had also finished.

"I'll take first, Angie takes second, and Sarena takes third?" Maya asked, and Sarena and I nodded. Then we dispersed to our respective floors.

"Breakfast!" Maya yelled down the first floor hallway as Sarena and I climbed the steps. I stopped on the second floor, while Sarena continued to the third.

"Breakfast!" I also shouted, my voice echoing down the hallways. With their super-hearing, I knew that every family could hear me, and soon enough, doors were beginning to open. People and families made their way downstairs, some chatting amongst themselves as others struggled to fully open their eyes.

Most pack members had their own house, but some members resided in the pack house for a few months for various reasons. Whether they just couldn't afford a house, or were waiting for one to be built, our Alpha was kind enough to have a designated spot for them to stay until other arrangements were made.

While staying at the pack house, each member was served three meals a day and had their rooms tidied daily - courtesy of the omegas.

The pack house became alive as more people flooded the rooms and halls, greeting one another noisily. And just like every morning, the pups were up to their usual antics. They squeezed past the adults to get to the food, immediately munching down to try and quench their seemingly endless appetites. Young werewolves always seemed to be the hungriest - I guess their rapidly growing bodies required a lot more nutrition than a full-grown wolf.

Passing by one of the dining rooms, I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face at the sight of all these happy people. Despite the long workdays many of them held, they still had the strength to remain jovial with the loved ones that surrounded them.

Walking back to the kitchen, I grabbed a rag in preparation to clean up after breakfast. I passed by Sarena and Maya, my soft smile growing when I saw them.

Everyone else is grateful for what they've got... so I should be too, I thought to myself as I brought a stack of dirty dishes back to the kitchen. My two besties were already scrubbing away at the pots and pans the chefs used, and I took my place beside them.

We had just finished loading the dishwasher when Shelly burst into the room.

"Alright girls, after you're done, hurry to the kitchen. We need your help today," she said, and the three of us looked up at her, startled at the sudden appearance.

"Help? With what?" Maya asked, as she dried the last of her stack.

"We need your help to prepare food," Shelly answered, gesturing for us to come into the kitchen.

"Why? We still have our other chores!" Sarena whined, clearly unhappy with the idea of extra work.

The older omega's brow rose, and she gave us a pointed look. "Because we have a lot of food to prepare today. Did you girls forget what day it was?"

The three of us exchanged a glance, our expressions mirroring the same emotion: confusion.

"Uhmm... Tuesday?" I tried, thinking hard as to what Shelly was alluding to. I mean, it was also trash day, but there wasn't anything spectacular about that either.

The omega chef sighed, with a shake of her head. "No, it's December 16th!"

Again, I just stared at her in puzzlement. December 16th? The day after December 15th and before December 17th... Seems just like any other day... has Shelly gone mad? What's so special about today?

Then a gasp sounded from beside me. "Oh my God!" Maya exclaimed, drawing my gaze to her. "How can you guys not remember?! It's Declan's birthday tomorrow!" she said, movements frantic as she made wild gestures with her hands. "It's his coming-of-age ceremony!"

Her words hit me like a truck, and I felt the urge to let out a few choice words. He's turning eighteen, how could I forget! I internally scolded myself. He's going to be the alpha soon!

Sarena also realized the magnitude of Maya's words as she paled, green eyes widening. "Oh crap! We better get a move on then, how much food do we need to make?!" She was clearly feeling distressed from the enormity of this task by the way she began to fidget, wringing her hands together. We had one day to prepare food to feed an entire pack, as in, hundreds of people. And considering that there would only be six of us working in the kitchen... I let out a shudder at the daunting mission.

Shelly let out a grunt of satisfaction once she saw us panic at the date. "Nevermind your usual chores, the other boys and young ones will clean today. You three head to the kitchen, and get those aprons on!" she barked, and immediately we scurried away.

Throughout the morning and all afternoon, late into the night, we worked tirelessly to cook plate after plate of a range of food. From appetizers to snacks, finger-foods to a variety of main courses, we cooked and baked and fried and sizzled our way through the day.

By the time 11:30pm rolled around, the three of us were exhausted. The ceremony was scheduled to start soon, and we had just finished putting the icing on the cake - literally. The main dessert was a towering seven-tiered cake with white buttercream frosting over a rich chocolate interior. It smelled so heavenly while we were making it, and I couldn't resist sneaking a few spoonfuls of raw cake batter before we baked it - chocolate was always my favorite, and apparently it was Declan's too.

Sinking down to the floor, I leaned my head against the cabinet, my legs feeling stiff from standing and walking all day. My hands were practically throbbing - they had been kneading dough and mixing ingredients together for the past several hours and now the muscles felt incredibly sore. The ding of the oven kept ringing in my head, a ghost echo of the million times we've used it today. 

Sarena and Maya mimicked my motions, both of them covered in flour and various spices as they slid down beside me. None of us had the energy to speak, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep for an eternity at this point.

"Alright, I'm sorry to do this to you girls, but you're going to have to go and get cleaned up. They do expect everyone to be at the ceremony, and we need your help to serve the food." I resisted the urge to let out a groan - one look at Shelly's equally tired appearance made me feel guilty for wanting to protest my duties. The bags under her eyes told me that she felt just as drained, but if she still found the energy to work, then I could too.

Sarena let out a few grumbles, but none were convincing.

So, with a sigh of resignation, I forced myself to my feet, swaying slightly as I gripped the counter for support.

"Come on girls," I goaded. "Let's get this night over with," I muttered, legs shaking as they began to walk back towards the slums.

I knew we had a long night ahead of us; we would work right up until the official ceremony started - in which Declan would be declared the next Alpha. The mark of the alpha would also appear on his collarbone - a red crescent moon that only showed when an Alpha exerted his power.

Walking into our hovel of a home, I headed straight into the shower-room. Sarena and Maya already occupied two of the five stalls. Though only three of us were living on this floor at the moment, I had no doubt that we were going to get a roomate soon. It seemed as if more people were demoted than promoted these days.

Standing under the cold spray helped to wake me slightly, the cold water chasing away some of the exhaustion. I quickly ridded myself of all the food and grime clinging to my skin and hair, watching as it slowly swirled down the drain. It left me feeling a bit more refreshed despite the fatigue still tugging at my mind. Wrapping a towel around myself, I walked back to our shared room and dug around under my bed for the small trunk that held my belongings. Sifting through the meager amount of clothes I owned, I pulled out a simple white dress that was too tight when I was younger. But as I pulled it on, I found that it hung almost limply against my skinny frame, pinching in at the waist before flowing out to about mid-thigh. This was one of the few things I had left of my former life, but the dress was a lot shorter than I remembered.

Nonetheless, it was still more acceptable for a formal ceremony than the rest of my worn-out t-shirts and baggy pants.

Pulling a brush through the wet knots in my hair, I gently combed it out until it flowed straight down my back in black waves. Then I stood, pulling on the pair of black flats that sat beside my bed. They were also a bit tighter than the last time I had worn them - which I guess was no surprise considering I didn't wear them often. They just weren't practical for doing all my chores in. It was much more comfortable to wear sneakers everyday.

"I'm ready," I said, yawning as I gave my stiff muscles one last stretch. I walked to the doorway, waiting for my friends to finish.

"Me too," Maya chimed in as she finished tucking in her white camisole into a simple olive skirt. She also left her hair down, light brown strands swept neatly to the side as they cascaded over her shoulder.

Sarena was the last to join us, red hair pulled into a tight bun on her head as she adorned a tight red dress that accentuated her figure. Though the clothes we wore were clearly a bit worn, I had to admit that we looked pretty good for a bunch of omegas.

"Let's get this show on the road then," Sarena grumbled, leading the way out into the night.