Chapter Text
House Omega was all Wooyoung had ever known—an academy for omegas, by omegas.
The academy was a place that provided many services. First and foremost, it was a shelter for lost, abandoned, and rescued omegas of all ages and primary genders. It paired as an adoption center where packs could visit as they pleased and adopt any omega of their liking through a very strict but friendly process. Additionally, the academy raised and taught their residents, shaping them into the perfect omegas who took care of their packs and satisfied their alphas.
On the surface, it was a refuge that encouraged love, patience, and healing.
But Wooyoung had always known the truth.
He’d been abandoned at such a young age that the only thing he could remember about his mother was her gentle milk and honey scent and the way she used to hum sweetly to help him fall asleep. All he had left of her was a necklace and a letter she’d left with him when she abandoned him on the academy’s doorstep. In the letter, she begged for his forgiveness, but Wooyoung always felt in his heart there was never anything to forgive. Life was hard enough for any omega in this world, and even worse for an unmated one with an unplanned child.
Wooyoung knew the polished halls of the academy more than any resident who had ever walked through them. House Omega liked to feed lies to the little ones, always encouraging them to look and act a certain way so packs that visited would find them desirable and choose to adopt them. Wooyoung had also believed in those lies himself once upon a time, before the reality of their situation dawned on him much too soon.
It was expensive to take care of so many omegas, both children and adults alike. None of them were permitted to leave the academy grounds so they weren’t able to work to help support it. And while House Omega was funded by the government, it was nowhere near enough to support how overcrowded it had gotten over the years. To make up for the hefty financial burden the academy had to regularly deal with, they’d started treating their omegas more like products to be sold rather than human beings to be rehoused into caring, loving homes.
The omegas were measured by their value. Those who were deemed the most valuable had higher chances of interacting with potential packs. Those who were deemed worthless hardly ever made any contact with anyone outside of the academy.
Since the beginning, they’d decided Wooyoung was the most worthless of them all. He had been labeled a “problem child” from the moment he’d taken his first steps, then when the value ranking came into practice, it was only a matter of time before he was pushed down to the bottom of the list. After all, no one knew anything about him. He was just a boy who wound up on their doorstep one night without any background. Just a letter from an unnamed woman who called herself his mother and asked the academy to keep him safe. It was never enough, even before the value ranking. No one wanted an omega shrouded in mystery and no one wanted to have to constantly wonder if there was someone out there who would one day come looking for him and demand he be returned to them.
Wooyoung had a bad habit of seeing and knowing too much. He’d always been much smaller than most of the other omegas his age and he was always as quiet as a mouse. Getting around without being seen or heard was as easy as breathing for him. That was how he knew the instructors would visit the classrooms in the middle of the day to call out a handful of names every Sunday. Those omegas were always excused from their classes and sent straight to the infirmary to be examined before the pack introductions which were held every Monday. It was where head alphas from all sorts of packs would come to meet their potential new omegas.
Those whose names weren’t called simply had to go through the day as usual, pretending they didn’t know the very same people they shared their dorm rooms with and called their friends were being sold off to better lives outside of the academy, the very place that only pretended to care about their innocent omegas.
On every other day, the instructors were constantly watching and taking notes, documenting each and every omega so they could be measured and valued accordingly. Every little thing they did or said, liked or disliked, needed or didn’t need. It all got documented and measured.
Wooyoung had never been part of the introductions before. No one even paid enough attention to him to remeasure his value every week. But he’d snuck into a few when he was younger and cared a lot more than he did now. They were humane, which had startled him at first. He expected some kind of sick auction where the omegas were made to stand in a line while a bunch of smelly, sweaty alphas bid on whichever they wanted. Then again, Wooyoung had always had an active imagination growing up. Some would even say he could be a little dramatic at times.
What he’d witnessed instead were the usual round tables of the academy’s cafeteria. The omegas were each given their own table and the packs would spend about ten to twenty minutes at a time with whichever omega they were considering buying into their pack. Just decent conversations, people getting to know each other and figuring out whether or not they would be a good match for one another. From what he could see, it was all fairly peaceful. When Wooyoung had first seen it, he’d almost felt envious.
But then he was reminded that once the introductions were over, each pack left behind an envelope for the instructors overseeing their products. In those envelopes were prices the packs were willing to pay for the omega they wanted. If more than one pack wanted a single omega, the one who paid the most was fortunate enough to welcome home a new addition to their pack.
That was just the way things were at House Omega—an academy for omegas, by omegas.
A joke, really.
Wooyoung had aged out a long time ago. While omegas of all ages were welcomed, the younger ones were usually the most sought after, but no one was ever going to adopt him and the academy didn’t bother trying to get him purchased so he’d be stuck there for the rest of his life.
Now too old to even be considered seriously, and with nowhere else to go, Wooyoung spent his days working on the grounds. He did odd jobs, usually cooking and cleaning. He didn’t mind it. Life had always been simple for him, but he was still subjected to the same treatment as all the other omegas. If he made a mistake or acted out of line, he was punished. If he wasn’t the perfect omega the academy strived for them to be, he was punished. If he showed his face around visitors for any reason, he was punished.
Wooyoung never wanted to talk about the kind of punishments they were subjected to.
It was easier to keep his head down, his mouth shut, and accept that he was going to spend the rest of his life right within the walls of House Omega, his own personal hell.
What a life.
A typical day for Jung Wooyoung usually consisted of doing his chores and assisting the instructors when needed. These days, however, things had been very hectic lately. The headmistress of the academy had been hinting at some changes she’d wanted to start putting into practice as a way to try to solve the overcrowding issue. The more omegas they sold, the better. But nothing had been set in stone until now. This year, she’d recently announced that an open house would be taking place twice a year from now on. Once in the summer, then again in the winter.
Christmas was just around the corner, which left Wooyoung with a mountain of new chores he needed to complete in preparation for their very first open house. He’d hoped they would leave him out of it entirely. There was no reason to involve their eldest and least desirable omega since the added chores were all menial things any of the instructors could’ve handled themselves. But Wooyoung didn’t get a choice when it came to anything involving the academy, especially not anything pertaining to Headmistress Chae.
Her word was law at House Omega.
Preparations had taken weeks in advance and had left Wooyoung feeling utterly exhausted most days. Whenever things became too much, he liked to hide in his secret spot—a little nook inside a thick patch of tall bushes by the front gates. He’d made it when he was just a kid. Out of all the hundreds of acres of land that was House Omega, this little nook was his home.
After having to reposition one too many heavy desks in the classrooms, Wooyoung found himself curled up in his nook later that afternoon. He’d lined the snow-covered dirt beneath him with some old blankets that would’ve been thrown out had he not stolen them from the donation bins, along with a few stuffed animals and pillows he’d taken from the empty beds of omegas who were bought and taken from the academy.
It was well past lunch hour, but Wooyoung had been too busy to actually eat. Now that he had a moment of privacy where no one could find him, he was finally allowed some peace and quiet. The open house was just a few days away and all of the preparations were nearly complete.
Wooyoung hummed as he took a big bite of his meat bun, staring through the bush leaves to glare at the tall, golden gates of the academy. His stomach was in knots, his instincts buzzing beneath his skin. Everything in him was telling him something bad was about to happen, but he didn’t know what exactly he was expecting. All he knew was that it had something to do with the open house and he didn’t feel good about it at all.
Whatever happened next, he hoped it would have nothing to do with him. But all he could do was pray.
· ─────── · ♱ · ─────── ·
On the morning of the open house, Wooyoung was having his breakfast in his little nook, watching as all the different packs started arriving one by one. There were cars of all kinds. Red ones, blue ones, black ones, white ones. Some fancy, and some old. No two packs looked the same either. Some were made up of mostly alphas, some mostly betas. There were rarely any omegas, but then again, they likely wouldn’t have brought their precious omegas to a place like this if they had any. Wooyoung could imagine how unsettling that would’ve been for them, afraid of whether or not they were brought to stay, no longer welcomed in their packs.
The knot in Wooyoung’s stomach never loosened up, his instincts never settled. If anything, it all intensified the moment he caught a whiff of the very first pack to arrive. This was it. The big day.
The omega was given a shorter time to eat breakfast so he tried to stuff his face as quickly as he could when, without warning, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Wooyoung’s back straightened, his body tense as his eyes instinctively snapped forward.
He hadn’t expected anyone to be looking right back at him. His little nook was hidden perfectly, no one had ever been able to see him or find him there for years. Yet a man, much taller than those who stood beside him, was looking directly into his eyes like he could see Wooyoung clear as day. Wooyoung sucked in a breath, his heart pounding violently against his ribcage. Impossible. He couldn’t possibly see Wooyoung.
It chilled him to the bone, far more than the snow around him that seeped through his clothes. The man was standing just within the gates. He’d been the first to climb out of the back of a very sleek black car, waiting idly for the rest of his pack to join him. As he waited, he stared in Wooyoung’s direction, his expression calm and his body language casual despite the fancy clothes he was wearing. His head tilted slightly, as if curious of what—or who—he was looking at, but Wooyoung was certain he couldn’t actually see him, not through the thick bushes wrapped around him.
Once everyone was out of the car, three men in total, one of the academy’s instructors was given their key so they could park the car for the pack. The pack was just about to head inside when the man smiled gently and waved in Wooyoung’s direction.
It set his instincts on fire. As if he’d been physically struck, Wooyoung scurried deeper into the thick of the bushes, breathless and terrified. He’d been seen, but he couldn’t figure out how. It didn’t make any sense unless that man had x-ray vision or something. For years, Wooyoung had felt safe in his nook. It was the only real home he’d ever known. The one place where no one and nothing could hurt him. And like it was nothing, a stranger had ruined it. His instincts screamed danger, and his mind was racing to process what was happening.
If he wasn’t safe there, then nowhere was safe.
His hands clenched into fists, trembling at his sides as angry tears glossed over his eyes. He waited until the stranger and his pack had gone inside before gathering all of his blankets and pillows and stuffed animals, destroying his nest. A nest that couldn’t make him feel safe was completely useless. Wooyoung snuck back into the academy through the laundry room’s sliding door, dumping all of his nesting stuff in an old, unused basket tucked under the folding tables where he knew no one would find them.
“Wooyoung!”
He nearly jumped out of his skin, startled, whipping around to the door leading into the academy.
Standing there was one of the academy’s instructors, Mrs. Han. Ever since she’d been assigned to keep Wooyoung in line when he was just a child, she always clung to him like glue. Most of his punishments were given by her for whatever reason she felt like. It depended on the day. There were times when he’d been punished for simply standing still for too long—wasting time when he had chores to do, she’d told the headmistress more times than he could count. He always needed to be busy, otherwise he was disrespecting the academy that’d done so much for him. He shouldn’t be ungrateful. Shouldn’t bite the hands that feed him. If Wooyoung was lucky, her punishments were mostly tolerable, but he was rarely ever lucky and Mrs. Han liked to hear him beg.
“Yes, ma’am,” Wooyoung mumbled, dropping his eyes to the floor.
“Headmistress Chae has been looking for you,” she exclaimed, reaching for Wooyoung’s hair. She grabbed a handful of it and yanked him forward until a painted yelp slipped through his lips. “The guests are arriving and you still haven’t pulled your weight! Get to work. Now!”
“Ah—y- yes, ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am.”
Mrs. Han didn’t want to hear it. She dragged him by his hair, leading him through the halls of the academy until they reached the second floor classrooms.
Wooyoung was in charge of making sure all the classrooms were prepared. Since so many packs were arriving, the introductions would all be held at the same time in the classrooms as well as in the cafeteria. Wooyoung had finished the first floor, but still had half of the second floor and the entire third floor to do. It was an exhausting task, especially when having to do it all by himself. He had to rearrange all the bulky, heavy desks, hang the decor, prepare the small activities Headmistress Chae wanted to incorporate so the omegas and packs had something to do together while they got to know each other. Every little detail was put on Wooyoung’s shoulders and the weight was unbearable. But it wasn’t like he had a say in anything so he just grit his teeth and did what he was told.
Wooyoung got to work quickly, hoping Mrs. Han wouldn’t linger if he appeared more eager to finish his chores than he actually was. But the moment she was gone, he paused, his shoulders slumped, and he let his tears fall at last. His scalp still ached from her abuse. Abuse. Always the abuse. He wanted to leave, but there was nowhere for him to go. He definitely would never allow himself to be bought, but then again, no one wanted to waste their money on a worthless omega like him anyway. He didn’t need to worry himself with that.
This was his life. His forever. The mere thought brought more tears to his eyes as he got back to work, hanging decorations with blurry eyes and wet cheeks. It felt endless, but he at least enjoyed the solitude. Being left alone was always a blessing in a place like this. Even as one of the eldest residents, Wooyoung wasn’t always able to find any alone time unless he snuck off to his… nook. Right. Not even his own nook was safe anymore.
“ —and this is the second floor where you will be able to meet our older children. This specific room is—oh. You haven’t finished preparing the rooms yet?”
Wooyoung’s entire body tensed, his shoulders bunched up at his ears. He quickly wiped all his tears away before facing the headmistress and bowing his head. “This is the last room, ma’am. Then I’ll get started on the third floor.”
Headmistress Chae sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. Wooyoung didn’t dare meet her eyes. He knew it would only make matters worse.
“You were supposed to be finished days ago. The guests are already arriving,” she said, as if he wasn’t aware.
Of course he was. “Yes, ma’am. But I had to start with the desks and they were too heavy for me to move by myself. It took a lot longer than—”
“I don’t need your excuses, Wooyoung. I just need it done before the introductions begin. Quickly.”
Logically, it was impossible to finish putting up all the decor on the third floor in time for the introductions. There were so many details that it would likely take him most of the day to finish. He dared a quick glance up and his legs nearly gave out when he saw three men standing behind the headmistress. One of them was the tall man from earlier that morning, the one who’d ruined his hiding spot. Wooyoung sniffled at the thought, quickly wiping his nose with his sleeve and looking back down at his feet.
“I think I won’t be able to finish all of it in time. It’s too much for one person. If one of the instructors or one of the older kids helped, then maybe it would be done faster…” Wooyoung mumbled, his arms instinctively wrapping around himself. He was no longer in the mood to try to sweet talk his way out of an inevitable punishment. If it was going to happen anyway, he didn’t need to bite his tongue.
“Jung Wooyoung!” she hissed. The young omega flinched back, expecting a strike that didn’t come. Must’ve been because they had an audience. “Should I have Mrs. Han escort you to the correctional room?”
Just the mention of that room sent fear shooting straight through his veins. His hands began to tremble. “N- No, ma’am. It was a mistake. I apolo—”
“She said she found you in the laundry room this morning, avoiding your chores.”
Wooyoung’s head snapped up, his eyes widening. “That’s not true! I’d just finished eating break—”
“In the laundry room?”
“No.” Wooyoung shook his head desperately. It was one thing for Mrs. Han to accuse him of slacking off, but another thing entirely for Headmistress Chae to believe her. It would only worsen his punishment. “I swear I wasn’t. I ate my breakfast outside, that’s all. She found me right as I was coming back in. I really wasn’t avoiding my chores.”
“So Mrs. Han is lying?”
He couldn’t just say she was. Calling one of their instructors a liar was a mistake he’d stopped making a long time ago. But if he said she wasn’t lying, that would make him a liar instead. He was backed into a corner and Headmistress Chae knew that. Of everyone who worked at House Omega, she was the worst of them and she hated Wooyoung the most. If she could’ve gotten rid of him, she would’ve done it years ago.
Feeling helpless, Wooyoung whimpered, taking a step back. His head dropped again as the trembling in his hands traveled through his body until he was shaking all over.
“I- I’m sorry… it w- won’t happen again, ma’am…”
“Excuse me,” said one of the three men standing behind the headmistress. Wooyoung didn’t dare look up to see which it was. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I saw him outside right as we were coming in. He really was eating. Maybe your instructor misunderstood the situation?”
Wooyoung’s eyes widened, but he still didn’t look up. He didn’t need to anyway. He knew it must’ve been the man who ruined Wooyoung’s hidden nook. No one else had known he was out there, they hadn’t seen him like that stranger had. Why he was standing up for Wooyoung, the omega had no idea, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t want any help, didn’t want to owe anyone a damn thing. He could take his punishments, fine. He’d done it his entire life. It was familiar. Normal. Wooyoung had no idea what it would mean to owe someone, especially a stranger who was an outsider, and he didn’t want to find out.
But it wasn’t like he could say anything. Only an idiot would willingly throw themselves into that terrible correctional room.
Headmistress Chae seemed to change her tune the moment those words left the strange man’s lips. Her voice brightened back up and her mood switched in an instant.
“Oh! You saw him? Are you sure, Mr. Jeong?”
“Of course I am,” the man—Mr. Jeong, apparently—replied, confident. “I’ve got great eyesight, Headmistress. It was definitely him I saw this morning, wasn’t it? I waved at you. Remember?”
Wooyoung sucked in a breath, not expecting to be put on the spot. Reluctantly, he nodded.
“Great!” Mr. Jeong exclaimed. “Now that we’ve settled that, do you think you could show us the rest of the rooms? Hwa, baby, why don’t you have a seat here. Okay? I know how tired you get when we travel.”
Rest here. Right. Because Wooyoung owed him now so he was leaving one of his pack mates to keep an eye on him.
“Certainly,” the headmistress agreed without a second thought. “Right this way, Mr. Jeong. Mr. Kim. We’ll send someone to escort you to the cafeteria in a few minutes, Mr. Park. If that’s alright with you.”
“It is,” an unfamiliar voice agreed. “Thank you very much.”
Three pairs of footsteps left the room, leaving Wooyoung with one other. It had been so many years since he’d been this close to a stranger, let alone since he’d been left alone with one. Wooyoung wasn’t allowed to interact with anyone outside of the academy. Ever. So he didn’t dare. His nerves made his stomach twist painfully as he forced himself to return to finishing putting up the decorations. They needed to be finished quickly, then maybe Headmistress Chae would overlook his disrespect. He let the silence weigh heavily in the room, smothering the air between them until his throat started to burn.
And then— “So your name is Wooyoung?”
Before he could help himself, the young omega froze, his body still trembling. He could only nod.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Park Seonghwa, but you can speak casually to me. How come you aren’t downstairs with the other kids?”
Wooyoung’s fingers tightened around the string of tinsel in his hands until it bit into his skin. Speak casually. As if he could. It wasn’t allowed at the academy, none of the omegas could speak casually or they’d risk being taken to the correctional room.
“I—” his voice cracked, sending an embarrassed heat up his neck and straight to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and tried again, softer this time. “I’m not a kid… and I have chores…”
Seonghwa hummed, as if he understood—as if he could possibly understand—and let the silence settle again. Wooyoung hoped that would be the end of it and this stranger would allow him to finish his chores without interruption. He’d managed to finish decorating the room, even with trembling hands. Yet as he was trying to escape the room, Park Seonghwa stopped him.
“Will you sit with me for a moment?” he asked gently, tapping the desk beside the one he was sitting on. “Please? I’ll explain it to the headmistress so you won’t get in trouble.”
Wooyoung shook his head, distancing himself from the man. “I- I’m not allowed to talk to strangers. And I don’t own anything so I can’t repay your mate for helping me.”
“Why aren’t you allowed to talk to strangers? My pack is looking for a new omega. How will we know you’re a good fit if we can’t talk to you?”
“N-No, no…” Wooyoung shook his head sharply. “Only the kids get adopted. I- I’m not allowed to talk to strangers. I just do my chores until they tell me I can go to bed.”
“That’s not fair. Isn’t that like they’re holding you captive?”
Wooyoung’s brows furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn’t understand what this person wanted from him. He’d finally looked up like Seonghwa had suddenly spoken a different language, but the moment he did, his heart nearly stopped.
The man was beautiful. Like the most beautiful person Wooyoung had ever seen. He didn’t even know people like him existed in the world. His hair was dyed white, fluffy and long, pairing beautifully with his warm skin tone and his big, boba eyes. He was dressed neatly, his clothes too fancy for Wooyoung’s liking, but they looked wonderful on him. Park Seonghwa was like something out of a drama. Wooyoung got to see one of those once when he was a kid. One of the omegas—older than him—snuck a phone into the academy before they were bought. Wooyoung never saw her again after that. He cried for days.
However, none of that had anything to do with what stopped him cold in his tracks. It was the the collar wrapped around Seonghwa’s throat that caught Wooyoung’s attention. The collar was pink velvet with frills lining it, a bow in the front, and a star charm dangling from it. As beautiful as the man who wore it.
But collars were only meant for omegas. They were gifts, rewards, proof that omegas were loved and cherished by their packs.
An omega.
They brought their omega here.
Why anyone would dare bring their own omega to the academy of all places was beyond Wooyoung, but it made him sick. Omegas who already belonged to loving packs had no business within the walls of House Omega.
An academy for omegas, by omegas.
It was all a lie. A prison. An auction house. Those were better words to describe what the academy truly was.
Seonghwa shouldn’t have been there.
“Th- They’re coming back for you?” he worried before he could even help himself.
Seonghwa appeared taken aback, confusion furrowing his brows. He seemed to search Wooyoung’s eyes for a clue, trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that. When it finally dawned on him, his eyes widened.
“Oh. Of course they are, darling. Are you worried they won’t?”
Wooyoung nodded. “Omegas who are brought here never leave once they’re too old. Only the kids get adopted. I- If they don’t come back… you’ll be stuck here too.”
“So you really are being held captive?”
Wooyoung stiffened, the word landing wrong again. He shook his head quickly, almost panicked. “No, it’s not like that,” he said firmly. Seonghwa didn’t understand and something about it just didn’t sit right with the younger omega. “They keep me because no one wants me. I’m just too old so they can’t get rid of me. Most packs won’t even look at omegas older than fifteen. Sixteen, if they’re desperate. After that, we’re just… extra.”
Extra work. Extra mouths. Extra space that could’ve been used by someone smaller, cuter, easier. Someone worth more.
“So they give us chores,” he went on flatly, so used to it by now that explaining it didn’t affect him at all. “The older ones clean, cook, fix things, help raise the kids until they get adopted. I’m the eldest so I get more chores. Most of the others haven’t gotten too old yet, that’s why Headmistress Chae wanted to do the open house. She doesn’t want them to stay too long or she’ll have to keep them.”
Seonghwa listened without interrupting, his posture relaxed, hands folded loosely in his lap like he had all the time in the world. His jaw visibly clenched, then unclenched, but his expression remained soft. He managed a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes like the ones before it had.
“That’s awful,” he whispered. “I’m sorry you have to live like that. Can I ask… how old are you, darling?”
Wooyoung shrugged, an automatic reaction. “Twenty-five…”
“And you’ve been here for how long?”
Wooyoung let his hands nervously tug at the sleeves of his shirt. “Since I was a baby.”
Before Seonghwa could say anything else, there was a gentle knock at the door and a man poked his head into the room. His sudden presence startled Wooyoung enough that he took two big steps away from Seonghwa, clutching his chest like his heart might burst out. The man was, if Wooyoung was remembering correctly, Mr. Kim. He was with Seonghwa and Mr. Jeong. His smile was gentle, almost apologetic, as he glanced between Seonghwa and the younger omega.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, barely a whisper.
Wooyoung could only bring himself to nod, lowering his eyes until he was staring at the floor again. It was best to avoid eye contact, he had been too bold to look at Seonghwa as long as he did.
“I came to check on you, love,” Mr. Kim said to his omega. “The introductions are about to start. I thought I’d come get you myself.”
Wooyoung was relieved, at least, that they actually came back for him. Thank goodness, he thought. It would’ve broken his heart if Seonghwa was left behind.
“Oh no. Wooyoungie, I’m so sorry,” Seonghwa rushed out, standing quickly to his feet. “I took up all of your time. You didn’t even start on the third floor.”
“I- It’s fine,” Wooyoung mumbled. It definitely wasn’t fine, but he didn’t want Seonghwa to worry about it. He was a guest after all. “I’m used to getting in trouble. I can take it.”
Seonghwa frowned. “Wooyoungie…”
Wooyoung bowed quickly, a silent goodbye, then scurried out the door before Seonghwa could say anything more.
· ─────── · ♱ · ─────── ·
After the punishment he’d received when the open house came to an end and all of the packs went on their way, Wooyoung had been on his best behavior. He assumed maybe that was why the instructors had been more gentle with him. He wasn’t always an obedient omega, constantly getting himself into trouble, especially when he was backed into a corner and his instincts forced him to lash out. Maybe they were rewarding him for finally falling in line. The thought made him itch uncomfortably beneath his skin.
The open house had been incredibly successful. Only a week had passed, yet many of the omegas had been told to pack their bags. They’d been bought for lots of money, no doubt, and a pleasant mood had settled over the academy for the first time in a very long time.
It made focusing on his chores much easier for Wooyoung. Without Mrs. Han hovering around him every second of every day, he didn’t need to worry about how slowly he was forced to move due to the pain his body still suffered from. His last punishment had been so severe that Headmistress Chae needed to call for their medical team to treat his wounds. He still hadn’t fully recovered from it and it slowed him down significantly, hindering him from moving too much.
For the most part, his days went on as they usually did. Wooyoung was in the kitchen, getting started on meal prep. It was almost time for dinner, but some of the other older kids were too busy with their chores to handle the meal prep or make sure the kitchen was clean for Wooyoung to use. As the eldest, he was always in charge of cooking the meals so it wasn’t his responsibility to clean the kitchen or prepare the ingredients, but he’d had to do all of it himself more often than he could even remember so he didn’t complain.
Wooyoung hummed quietly to himself as he worked, chopping vegetables with practiced ease when— “Wooyoung, the headmistress is calling for you!” called one of the younger kids, Juyi.
“Okay!” Wooyoung called back, sitting the knife aside and wiping his hands clean with a dish towel. He pulled off his apron and rolled down his sleeves to hide some of the bruises. “Is she in her office?”
“Yeah!”
Never eager to be forced to sit in the same room as the headmistress for even a second, Wooyoung took his time heading to her office. Why she wanted to see him, he had no idea, but it couldn’t have been for anything good, knowing the headmistress. She probably wanted to give him more chores, or maybe they received some new omegas she was putting him in charge of again.
Once he’d arrived, he knocked reluctantly, a small part of him hoping she wouldn’t answer or she’d changed her mind and would send him away.
“Come in,” she said through the closed door, to Wooyoung’s disappointment.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside, his heart sinking as he saw Headmistress Chae was accompanied by Mrs. Han. He lowered his head and sat himself down on one of the leather chairs across from the headmistress.
“Y- You wanted to see me, ma’am?”
“Yes,” Headmistress Chae started, “I have some news to share with you. Quite shocking, actually, but it’s cause for celebration.”
Wooyoung’s brows furrowed, confused. “Pardon, ma’am?”
“You’re being adopted, Wooyoung. Congratulations.”
Adopted. The word scraped his ears like nails on a chalkboard. At first, he tried to process it, he truly did, but it didn’t make any sense. Wooyoung wasn’t allowed to attend the open house. He was too old. Packs didn’t adopt—purchase—omegas his age. He didn’t know who could’ve possibly wanted him or what he’d done to cause it. He kept his head down, kept his distance, he was even on his best behavior so Headmistress Chae wouldn’t have had any reason to humiliate him in front of everyone. She’d done that plenty of times before, but he didn’t give her a reason to now.
Why was this happening?
“Look at you,” Mrs. Han tutted, shaking her head disapprovingly. “So grim. You should be grateful. There are many omegas here who weren’t so fortunate.”
Wooyoung felt himself becoming smaller, sinking into his seat as if hoping he could suddenly disappear. His fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeves, nails pressing into half-healed skin.
“I—” He choked on his words, swallowed, then tried again. “I don’t understand.”
Headmistress Chae smiled, though he didn’t dare lift his head. “Believe me, we were just as surprised. But it’s true. A very generous—” she really meant to say wealthy, “—pack expressed interest. They were quite insistent, actually. You’ll be picked up later this evening so please have your things ready before then.”
“No, I- I—” Wooyoung shook his head, his stomach twisting painfully. “My chores. I still have to cook dinner a- and finish washing the laundry. I don’t… I won’t go. I don’t want to.”
“Excuse me?”
Wooyoung flinched, the headmistress’s tone darkening in an instant. She sighed, as though inconvenienced.
“I don’t think you understand, Wooyoung,” she said while folding her hands on top of her desk. “Everything has already been made final. You are no longer property of House Omega and your owners are coming to pick you up this evening. End of discussion. Go pack your things.”
Wooyoung didn’t move. Couldn’t. His body went rigid, like someone had poured cold cement down his spine. He hated the academy with everything in him, but the last thing he ever wanted was to be bought. He didn’t want to be forced into a pack he didn’t know anything about. He didn’t want to be surrounded by strangers who owned him and could do whatever they wanted with him. He would’ve rather taken his chances out on the streets. Anything that could happen out there had to be worlds better than this.
His breath stuttered. His vision tightened. His instincts pressed hard against the walls of his ribs, clawing upward, demanding movement.
Run.
Fight.
Anything but sit here and let them sell him off like this.
Wooyoung’s slippers scraped the floor as he lurched to his feet, breath suddenly harsh against his lungs. “No. No, no, I’m not—I’m not going with them.” A sob tore midway through the sentence as he stumbled back. “You can’t make me. I don’t want to. I won’t—”
“Wooyoung, watch your mouth and do as you’re told.”
“I’m not—” He couldn’t finish the sentence; his throat folded in on itself. His hands rose defensively, elbows tight to his ribs, expecting to be punished for his disobedience. “You didn’t even let me—you didn’t tell me—you just—I can’t—”
“Wooyoung!”
Mrs. Han approached him way too quickly and reached out to grab his arm. Before Wooyoung even realized what was happening, he could taste blood in his mouth and hear Mrs. Han scream so loudly that his hands flew up to his ears to block out the sound. He could feel a growl rumbling in his chest as his back hit a wall and he sank to the floor, biting and scratching anyone who got too close.
Sold.
Owned.
Everything happened in a blur, too fast for him to fully comprehend. All that was going through his head was that he needed to protect himself. They were trying to hurt him, but he’d been good. Obedient. He didn’t deserve to be punished. He didn’t want to go. He won’t. He won’t. He won’t—
A scream tore through him as he felt a fist wrap around his hair, yanking his head back until his neck was fully exposed. He kicked, thrashed, fought as hard as he could, but it was useless. Arms from every direction grabbed hold of his flailing limbs, pinning him down to the ground so he couldn’t move.
A needle flashed into view and he sobbed. He sobbed desperately, his chest aching, and he couldn’t breathe. He begged, but his words went ignored. He promised to do better, to be a better omega like they wanted him to be.
He could feel the needle sink into his skin and then everything became blurry. His head started to spin as a chill seeped through his veins, dragging his limbs down no matter how hard he strained against it. His strength bled out of him in seconds, body turning traitor, movements slowing into useless jerks. He sagged against the expensive rug beneath him.
Please, help me. His last conscious thought.
Then the world dulled, sounds smearing together until he couldn’t hear anything at all. And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head.