It had been a few days since I first woke up in the hospital, my thoughts scattered and my body still sore from everything I'd endured. Today, though today was the day they were finally letting me leave. The nurses had said it with smiles, as if releasing me back into a world I barely knew was something to celebrate. I guessed it was.
Soren had visited almost every day. No,scratch that. He visited at every chance he had. If the sun rose, Soren showed up. If the nurses changed shifts, Soren popped in.
If the doctor said "give him some space," Soren nodded politely and then somehow returned ten minutes later with juice. That boy could talk, could smile, could fill silence with the soft warmth of sunflower scent until I forgot what the inside of darkness felt like.
And I… was not exactly quiet. Not cold. I was talkative when I was comfortable. When I felt safe but I'd been neither for a long time.
Still, Soren had managed, inch by inch, to loosen the stiffness in my chest. I could almost say he'd become the kindest person I'd met since stepping into Paradise or Novaterra Pack.
He'd promised he would come pick me up and that I could stay with him for a few days until they assigned me housing and found me a job. A job. A house. It sounded unreal. Too generous. Too safe.
He'd asked about my family that first day, and I told him the same thing I told everyone: I have none.
It wasn't exactly a lie.
When I was sold or forcefully ripped from my Mama's arms, everything ended. My brother, my Mama, the only world I knew… all gone. Separated. Scattered like ash. I didn't know if they were alive, dead, or wishing for death. I certainly couldn't admit I came from another pack. And definitely not give a pack number not Forest Pack's. Mentioning that cursed name would put me in danger. Possibly get me kicked out. Or locked up.
So I stayed quiet.
Paradise… or rather, Novaterra… had lived up to the nickname in the few days since my awakening. The pack was vibrant, alive, full of things I'd never seen before. Everyone seemed to have a phone. Even Soren. He'd let me use his freely, letting me scroll, watch videos, and listen to music. He said once I was officially registered as a pack member, I'd get one too.
If I ever become one, a quiet voice whispered in the back of my mind.
"Congratulations!" Soren's cheerful voice came before he pushed open the hospital door. He held a bouquet of flowers, beautiful ones, purple and white, tied with a little green ribbon.
I blinked. "Thank you," I murmured, taking them. "They're so pretty. Where did you get them?"
"Jamie made them," Soren said proudly. "He's obsessed with flowers. Literally makes money from it."
"That's… amazing," I replied, genuinely impressed. A pack where an omega could make money off flowers? That was unheard of. In Forest Pack, we were commodities, not creators.
I'd heard about Jamie. Soren talked about him constantly, ginger hair, green eyes, and apparently the prettiest omega in the entire territory. I was curious to meet him.
"Ready to go?" Soren asked with a bright smile.
"Yes." I followed him through the hallways, past nurses who wished me luck, and down to the front desk where my discharge papers were completed with surprising efficiency. Everything here worked so… smoothly. Too smoothly.
Outside, the air felt clearer, lighter, as if I'd stepped into another world entirely. Soren walked ahead, waving for me to follow him across the parking lot, another strange thing. So many cars lined up neatly, shining under the sun.
We stopped beside a small gray car.
"Whose car is this?" I asked, genuinely confused when Soren unlocked it.
"My car," he said casually.
I stared. "You… you have a car?"
"Yes?" Soren tilted his head, amused.
Car ownership in Forest Pack was practically sacred. Only the Alpha had one. The Beta sometimes borrowed it. And a third rusted vehicle was used to haul supplies. Three cars. That was the legendary amount a wealthy pack could own. And even when I'd been the Alpha's mate, I wasn't allowed to even touch his.
And Soren had one of his own?
"How? Why? Aren't cars expensive?" I asked, stunned.
"Oh, they are," Soren shrugged, "but I saved enough. And most people here have one. It's convenient." Then he winked. "And if you want one, you could get one too."
My jaw hung open. This was paradise.
"Get in," he urged, sliding into the driver's seat.
I climbed in, overwhelmed. Everything inside was sleek, clean, modern. When Soren connected his phone and music filled the car, I nearly forgot how to breathe. The screen lit up, glowing with icons. The sound system hummed.
As we drove into the heart of the city, my eyes widened at every turn. The streets were paved, smooth, and lined with shops. Bright signs, colorful buildings, people walking freely with smiles on their faces.
So much freedom. Too much. My chest squeezed at the idea that everyone here lived without fear.
"This place…" I whispered, staring out the window, "is unbelievable."
Soren grinned. "Told you."
He pointed out different spots like the market square, the training arenas, the public gardens filled with flowers Jamie had planted, the omega center, the education tower, the giant community hub. Each one looked like something out of a storybook. Or a human city.
No wonder people never left. If I had grown up here, I wouldn't either.
After a few minutes, Soren pulled into the parking lot of a massive building. Tall, elegant, and castle like, with glass windows that reflected the sun.
"Is this your house?" I asked, half-expecting him to say yes.
He laughed. "What? No. This is the Registration Hall."
"What's that?" I asked, confused.
"It's where you register when you join the pack. Paperwork, identity records, residence approval, that kind of thing."
"You mean… I don't have to meet the Alpha for an initiation rite?" I asked. That was how it worked everywhere. You meet the Alpha, kneel, get marked, and claim their pack as yours.
"Nope," Soren said lightly. "There are too many people here. Impossible for the Alpha to personally approve every member. Even I haven't met everyone"
I blinked. "What? Then how does the Alpha know his people?"
Initiation rites were sacred. The Alpha's touch, the mark, the bond, it connected everyone. Protected them. Without it, how…?
"Oh, that?" Soren said. "It's done differently here."
"Different how?" I asked carefully. "What do you mean?"
"You'll see," he said with a cryptic smile as he stepped out of the car.
A knot formed in my stomach. I wasn't sure if it was anxiety or excitement.
Maybe both.