OLIVER

 

One month later…

 

Dirge was as strange as I imagined it would be.

Buildings so high they disappeared into the sky. Cars moving up and down paved roads. Men and women walking along the streets, fully-clothed as they went about their business.

There were no trees. There were no rivers. There was no brush to hide in or forest clearings to relax in.

I watched everything move by as I stared out the window of the car. I hadn’t been in the city for very long but there was a strange familiarity to everything already despite all of the differences from the home I knew.

“How are you feeling?”

I turned to Knight and saw the smile on his face.

I spent so long staring at Knight out in the forest that I didn’t stop to consider how different he would look in the city.

He trimmed his hair and slicked it back over his head. His beard was shaved clean. Chiseled cheeks were suddenly visible without any dirt or injuries on them.

He’d walked through the Timberland and survived a burial.

“I feel fine,” I said.

I shifted the collar of my shirt and ran my hand along the fabric.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I could get you some better fitting clothes if you like.”

“The clothes fit just fine. They feel… nice. I’m still getting used to them.”

“You look very handsome today. Just like always.”

I turned my face back to the window as my cheeks started to blush. I continued to observe the city and watched all of the buildings pass me by. Our child started to coo in his car seat in the back. I spun around to check on him.

“Are you all right, Love? You okay?”

The baby was only a month old. He stared at me, wide-eyed, his mouth half-open with a smile. I giggled at the bit of drool trickling down from his lip.

“I never imagined I would ever have a child,” I sighed. “He’s beautiful.”

“Just like his Omega father,” Knight said.

“I think he takes from his Alpha side, too.”

I turned back toward the window and saw the buildings beginning to change all around me. They weren’t as tall as the ones in the part of the city Knight and I lived. Some of them looked completely empty and rundown.

The streets seemed empty, too, unless you counted the trash and debris.

Even the sidewalks looked dirty. Alphas and Omegas seemed to be sitting along them or lurking in the alleys. I knew we were in a different part of town just from how strange everything looked.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“We’re in the slums of Dirge. More affectionately known as Pandora.”

“Why are you taking me here?”

“Because there’s something I want to show you.”

“Is there? In a place like this?”

He sighed a deep breath, his eyes focused on the empty road as he drove ahead.

“…You say that you never imagined you would ever give birth to a child. There was a point in your life when you thought you would be the lowest Omega in your skulk until you died. You believed you would never have found happiness with an Alpha.”

I swallowed to dry my throat. Just thinking about the life I lived before I met Knight brought back rough memories.

“There are others like you,” he continued. “Others who need our help. That’s why I went out to the Timberlands. That’s why I’m bringing you here now.”

“If there are people I can help, this is the place I want to be.”

Knight looked at me and smiled tenderly.

A few moments later, the car pulled up to the curb. I got out and grabbed Love out of the backseat. I held him against my chest as I looked up at the building we’d parked in front of.

“Omega shelter… They have Omega shelters in a place like Pandora?”

“That’s where most of the Omegas who need shelter are,” Knight said. “Come.”

I followed Knight up to the front entrance of the orphanage. He rang the doorbell. A few moments later, a man with striking blue eyes answered the door. He combed his blond hair back over his head and greeted us both with a smile.

“Hello,” the man said. “How can I help you?”

“Are you York?” Knight asked.

The man nodded.

“That’s me.”

“My name is Knight. This is my Omega, Oliver. We were here—”

“You don’t have to say anything more. Donovan told me you were coming. Please. Help yourself.”

I followed Knight inside of the shelter. I wasn’t prepared for the sight I saw.

The shelter was more luxurious than what I saw from the outside. It was strange to think that a place in the middle of Pandora was as fancy as it was. The paint on the walls looked fresh. The floors were clean. Just standing in the main hall of the shelter, I immediately felt welcome.

But as spacious as the shelter seemed, there was chaos all around me. Young Omegas ran back and forth as they chased each other. They laughed and screamed, playing their games without a care in the world.

“You’ll have to forgive me,” York said. “They’ve all just had a meal and they’re putting all of that energy to good use.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. “It’s good to see Omegas with such a zest for life.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them.

“Come on,” York said. “Let me show you around.”

York led us around the shelter, showing us all of the rooms. He talked about how the place had been renovated several times to become the place it was now. Donations from people like Knight’s friend Donovan meant they could afford it. The resources Knight secured from the mines also meant they wouldn’t have to worry about where to get the materials for expansion.

We made our way around the shelter before making our way back to the front hall.

“That’s it,” York said. “It’s a wild place but we have everything we need. The one thing I wanted for this place was not to have to turn away any Omegas who came to us. There are Omegas out there. Shunned from their packs. Outcasts. Castaways. They have no place to go. Especially the young ones. But…”

York sighed as he looked at Knight and me.

“…There are so many Omegas out there. This place can only grow so big.”

“How can we help?” I asked.

I said it without hesitating.

“That’s why you’re here,” Knight said to me.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you want to help. There are Omegas here who need your help. York here will help you get the hang of things, dealing with Omegas who need someone. And once you figure things out, you can do it on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“I spoke to Donovan. We have the resources. We have the finances. We’re talking about building another shelter, right here in Pandora.”

“I…”

I didn’t know what to say.

“That is what you want, isn’t it?” Knight asked.

I looked over at York and saw the smile on his face. There was no way I could refuse their offer.

“These Omegas remind me so much of myself,” I said. “I know what it’s like to be hopeless. If I can do something to avoid that, I’ll do it. I’m on-board.”

“Great!” York said. “I appreciate your time. Anything you can do, everybody here at the shelter is grateful.”

“If you want, York can introduce you to some of the Omegas right now,” Knight said.

“Yes. But first, there’s something I’d like to speak to you about.”

“By all means,” York said.

The Omega excused himself and went back to overseeing the Omegas running around the shelter.

I walked outside with Love in my arms, rocking him back and forth as I looked out into the city. I shook my head at the sight of everything.

“This place,” I said. “I’ve never been to Pandora before, but I know it’s not the best place for an Omega runaway.”

“This shelter wasn’t always like this. It was a rundown place without much going for it. Now, it’s a beacon of hope. Eventually, there’ll be another shelter you’ll be in charge of. And some of these other buildings… I’ve spoken to Donovan about renovating these other businesses. Maybe fewer bars and more parks. Turn the slums into something else.”

I turned to Knight and stared at him. He looked off into the distance. His chest puffed out and his posture straight… He’d never looked more magnanimous than he did at this moment. He was an Alpha. And I was grateful to call him mine.

“You’re amazing,” I said.

He turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

“You walked into the Timberlands of all places, because you wanted to help the people here.”

“I went to the Timberlands because it was the right thing to do. I ended up finding more than I ever imagined. You… Oliver… You changed my life.”

He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the forehead. I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing there was nothing more in my life I needed to worry about. Then he leaned in close to our son and kissed him just the same.

“You changed my life,” he said. “Now I’m going to do my part to change this city.”

“We’ll both do our part. It can only get better for Dirge from here.”

“Come on,” he said as he wrapped an arm around me. “York can use some help.”

I smiled and nodded at my Alpha.

There was still a lot of work to be done. The number of Omegas out there who needed help seemed endless.

But I had hope. I had hope things in Dirge would change for the better. With Knight by my side and my child with me, I knew that it was only a matter of time until things got better for everybody.

They would find the happiness I found with my Alpha. And I would do my part to help them find it.