Chapter 2: The Routine Morning

            Waking up from that nostalgic dream. Everyone else sleeping while Luke was awake, alone, has been a normal routine for him – a comfortable time to move around the house without being cautious of his surroundings. Five in the morning, it is quiet, cold, but he loves it.

            Getting out of his white fluffy blanket and slipped his blue cottoned house slippers on. Luke neatly tucked it into the foam and flatly pressed the visible creases. Dusting off both pillows and positioning it upright to the headboard. He satisfyingly purred when he locked both hands and stretched it up as high as he could.

            “That feels good.”

            Contently mumbled to himself while he placed his hands on the waist. Luke grabbed his heat suppressant paper bag at the hidden compartment of his side drawer and quietly walked towards the kitchen.

            Filled his glass with water and swallowed it together with the pills. Utilizing that time to recall his schedule today by mouthing every single one while sliding his pointing finger on the countertop when he is done with one.

            Afterwards, Luke brought the paper bag with him and walked on the second floor’s hallway, checking every passing room with his heightened sense of hearing. As always, their mother is working early in the morning and he could not even catch her leaving the house.

            She does it to provide for their needs and as a single mother, she carried all the burden and all he could do was take care of his younger twin brother, Leo, who is sleeping well in his room.

            Not wanting to forget to bring emergency pills and injections, Luke hid a few of it inside his bag’s side pocket while the paper bag was returned to its previous hiding spot. It was five thirty and he started to scan through his phone.

            “Okay. Twenty to twenty-five minutes shower then thirty minutes or less for cooking and preparing everything before heading out. So, by six thirty, I will be done and be at school at seven.”

            Mumbling to himself while raising his pupils above to think then tapping his phone. Luke ambled his way to his room and grabbed his uniform before locking the door and then on to the bathroom. As he undressed himself, he constantly made sure that the water was warm enough but suddenly felt shiver all over his body.

            He twisted the doorknob and tried to open it. Luke sighs in a relieving way then walks inside the transparent shower glass door. Letting out a deep breath as the warm water runs into his head down to his body.

            Staying there for good five minutes to drown himself from that peaceful moment that no fear can get through him – to look at him as if he was a breeding machine, to touch him thinking that he will like it, to taint him like a plain blank canvas, to bite him like a piece of meat nor to impregnate him like his free will does not matter.

            “Not everyone is like that.”

            Reassuring himself that there are alphas who would not fall to their instincts. An alpha who will look at them with compassion, who will gently reach out to them, who will bring color in their life, who will protect them like a precious treasure, and will ask for consent rather than biting their neck.

            Luke tightly shut his eyes when he covered his neck with both of his hands and his forehead on the cold tiled-wall. Realizing his actions, Luke aggressively slam his hands on the wall and is heavily panting from the force.

            “Luke! You should not think like that. You will be fine with or without an alpha.”

            Suddenly rambling but stopped when he needed to rephrase what he said.

            “I will be fine with or without an alpha. We will be fine with or without an alpha.”

            Repeating it again and again until he stuttered from it that he decided to stop. Slightly panting from it, Luke slowly did a breathing exercise to calm down. When it worked, he continued to clean himself from top to bottom.

            Hurriedly went out of the shower cubicle as he realized that he needed to prepare breakfast and lunch for him and Leo. Drying that omega body of his – smooth skin, small waist and slender limbs – he turned away from his own reflection and was reminded of how he found out.

                                                                                                                                                           

            Two years ago, when Luke was fifteen, he was anxiously waiting in a white, wood accented reception lobby alongside with other patients. Sitting in a roundish single seater gray sofa, he was profusely sweating and fiddling with his fingers above his black backpack, without looking at anyone's face.

            His vision was either on the wool rug, people’s feet or on his own hands. His heartbeat was loud enough to overshadow the ongoing conversation inside the area.

            “Luke Sager. Luke Sager.”

            Almost missed on the front desk’s call. He grabbed his bag and went forward.

            “Umm. E-excuse me, I'm Luke Sager.”

            “Room 34, on the left. The doctor has your result.”

            The staff in the front desk gave Luke directions but his head was in a jumble, he did not catch everything she said. Good thing, she repeated it and he was able to find his way to the doctor’s office.

                                                                                                                                     

            Knocking on the door thrice before a male voice answered, to let him in. Luke went inside and sat in the chair in front of the doctor’s desk. In his hands were the test results, nothing was more nerve wracking than this.

            “Are you ready, Mister Sager?”

            He suddenly spoke in his sweet voice and Luke thought it was because the doctor saw how nervous he was. Luke nodded his head and faintly smiled back before drifting his gaze on the while tiled floor.

            “Do you want me to read it for you? Or you want to see it for yourself?”

            “Whi-whi-which one is be-better, doctor?”

            Stuttering from his words that he only glanced at the mated alpha doctor in front of him. He fiddled his hands hard.

            “I’ll do it for you. So, please listen because I’ll just say it once.”

            Knowing his full intention of saying it. The doctor knew that it would be hard for him to just flip the paper open. Luke was in full contemplation mode whether he should listen or not? But unintentionally heard it in the corner of his ears.

            “You’re an omega.”

            The doctor articulated it well that it was impossible not to catch it. Luke looked him in the eyes, lifeless and speechless.

            “Huh?”

            It escaped his mouth that the doctor just handed him the paper, open.

                                                                                                                                                

                                             Secondary Gender: Omega

                                                                                                                                                

            It landed straight to his sight that tears started falling, the moment omega was read. Clenching that paper with both hands and drenched it with his tears as Luke loudly bawled his eyes out. He did not care what the doctor thought or felt but it went on and on, and he did not know for how long.

            Although, when Luke calmed down, he apologized and thanked the doctor before heading out.

                                                                                                                                                

            He grabbed on the side railings to support himself in walking as he felt weak and exhausted from all that crying. Suddenly, his vision got blurry when the thought appeared from his mind. ‘I needed to tell mom’, and water welled up in the corner of his eyes that he needed to go to the restroom.

            Grabbed some tissues before entering and locking a toilet cubicle, dialing his mother’s number on his phone while wiping his unending tears and sniffles. It took a few rings before she picked it up.

            “Hello? Luke? Luke, are you there? Hello Luke?”

            Unable to say anything as Luke does not know what to say or how to say it. Sniffles echoed throughout the toilet.

            “Luke?! Are you crying? Luke, answer me. What’s wrong?!”

            Shouted on the other line with a worried tone. He wiped his tears away and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

            “Mo-mom.”

            Just with that word, the lump on his throat came back but he tried to tell her properly without bawling his eyes out.

            “Mo-mom. I’m an omega.”

            There was no answer, just noises from her background and Luke was scared of her delayed reaction. The noise died down and a door creaked then slammed. A sniffle can be heard and he knew.

            “It-it’s okay, Luke. Everything is going to be fine. Mo-mom will help you. Everything will be fine.”

            Slowly her voice became breathy and cracked. She muffled her mouth so; no voice would escape but it failed as he heard it all clearly – her constant ‘sorry’ and ‘it’s my fault’. It made him more in pain and angrier to the world.

            ‘Why me? From all of the alphas that can turn to omega, why me?!’ No comforting words can console the pain of his realization that he will be a burden to his mom, that she needs to work more shifts to cover his extra needs. 

            He is angry at himself, of his body – ‘why did you change?!’ But there is nothing Luke can do but to cry it out and to blame no one. That day ended with him and his mom crying for each other’s pain.

                                                                                                                                                           

            Tears came out from his eyes when those memories flashed back to his mind and Luke hastily wiped it off then dressed up with his white sleeved buttoned-up shirt with school logo on the left pocket and navy-blue uniform pants with black belt. He let the navy-blue necktie hang on his shoulders so he could properly hang the towel on the towel bar.

            He tied it neatly under the collar and grabbed his used clothes with him as he walked out of the bathroom. Went straight to his desk to organize the piled books, notebooks and pencil case in his bag. With his bag and used clothes on both hands, he proceeds to the laundry room which is across his and drops his damp clothes on the weaved basket then exits from there.

            Luke quietly strode his way downstairs to the kitchen and placed his bag on one of the chairs on the dining table, to prepare their food.

            Grabbed the black apron at the wall hanger, took the eggs and vegetables from the refrigerator, the cookware, dinner plates and utensils at the countertop cabinet, the seasonings, chopping board and knives on the shelves, and the cling wrap on the top cabinets.

            He tiptoed to reach the uppermost layer but it was hidden on the far back. So, he took a chair and stood up on it to get it. He cooked rice and washed his hands and the vegetables afterwards.

            Humming as Luke swiftly and effortlessly cut through the potatoes, carrots, scallion, garlic and onions. Cracked the eggs with one hand over the glass bowl and whisk it with a fork with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

            Took two cups of rice from the rice cooker and let it cool before he stir-fried it on the pan since they do not have any wok. On a hot pan with a small amount of oil, he threw in the minced garlic and onion to sauté before dumping the diced potatoes and carrots. Let it cook before adding the cooked rice.

            He seasoned it before stir-frying the vegetables and rice, and tasted a bit of it.

            “Hmm.”

            In an exclamatory manner Luke expressed the flavors he tasted. Turned off the stove then scooped it in a molder before plating it down. His face twitched multiple times as he tried to make both of the plating as clean as possible and in one shot.

            When he was satisfied, he turned the stove on medium heat and drizzled oil before pouring half of the whisked eggs. Let it sit for three minutes on each side and slowly place it over the domed rice, making sure that it is done perfectly.

            “Perfect! One down, one more to go.”

            Luke did the same procedure as the previous one and sprinkled his rice omelet with scallions with a drizzled ketchup. He was about to get a mouthful when he forgot the notes he needed to write, so he put down his spoon and strode towards his room to get the various colored sticky notes.

            Placed them on the table and popped off the lid of the pen. As he eats, Luke writes down his small reminders to his sleepyhead brother. By six twenty, he was done eating, washing and putting back the cookware, dinner plates and utensils. Even covering Leo’s breakfast with cling wrap and arranging both their lunch boxes, without forgetting to place the final touch.

            Sneaking into Leo’s room and sat on the corner of his bed. Looking at him peacefully sleeping and Luke could not help but smile as he is so different from when he is awake. He gently massages his glabella when his younger brother starts to frown and lowly grunt in his sleep. All he could do was cover his mouth when Leo shuffled around and rubbed his eyes.