Chapter 7: The District I Belong

            The pink sunset and golden hour reminded the school to ring the bell. The students are quickly packing their bags up and exiting the room one by one, leaving the hard-working class president in the classroom.

            Organizing all the paper works all the students had done throughout the day while segregating it from what activity and to whom it will be passed to.

            Six piles of thirty papers for three teachers on the class’s front desk. Luke tried to carry it all at once but it was too heavy for him. Looking for alternatives but less efficient since the teachers’ lounge is at the ground floor while he is at the third floor.

            “Okay. I will take two piles at a time, for one teacher. Then placed it on their respective desks. What time is it now?”

            Taking out his phone from his pants’ pocket and scanning the current time.

            “Four twenty and I think I will be done by four thirty-five.”

            Putting his phone back while alternating the position of the second pile over the first one, as Luke was mumbling to himself. He opened the door before carrying it with him.

            “Since my shift will start at five thirty. I need to ride the bus around four fifty or so. Then, around five fifteen, I will run through the West Mountains.”

            Luke rumbled under his breath as a reminder. He paced up to finish everything in time.

                                                                                                                                                

            In the hallway, where the sun rays lighten the dim, quiet and unending-looking hallways. Aside from the sound of his own footsteps, a few students’ faint chattering can be heard as Luke passed through other rooms and he could not help but look at who else was there at that time.

            Him knowing them, they should be with their friends going out, eating dinner with them or spending time with their family.

            A familiar short curly dark amber haired boy around 172 centimeters tall, sitting on a desk while loudly teasing the person across from him.

            A well-toned 180 centimeters tall student with short black hair with brown eyes, towering over that boisterous student but with such gentleness and loving atmosphere. The stillness from them makes Luke blush but he got flustered when both of them met his eyes.

            “Isn’t that Luke? Leo’s twin brother?”

            Luke heard the shorter guy’s question and it was answered with a hum by the other. Weird enough, he feels like he knows them but could not particularly pinpoint when and how.

            He should not have stared at them for too long. Maybe that 180 centimeters tall alpha felt it and telepathically told the other. A deep and steady exhale while shaking his head as he needs to focus and finish all of that within ten minutes.

            Luke reached the teachers’ lounge and opened the door only to be met with silence as some teachers went home while others were nowhere to be found but their belongings were still in their chairs.

            “Pardon my intrusion.”

            Luke said it loudly despite no one was around to be disturb with. Saunter his way to the other corner of the lounge to properly place the piled papers on the right area of the desk. Making sure that he put a big and heavy stapler over it.

            Leaving the lounge and back to his room. He passed by that respective classroom, where he witnessed intimate interaction between couples, but it was quiet and he thought that they went home – together.

                                                                                                                                                

            Time passed quickly after going back and forth from the ground floor to the third floor. Of course, Luke’s legs were wobbly and his uniform was drenched with sweat when he took his bag from his room. He swallowed hard and deeply sighs when he realized that he needed to go back down to leave the campus.

            “I should have brought my bag with me on the third one. Why did I even forget to bring it with me? Haa.”

            Luke complained while looking at the clock above the board.

            “Four fifty-eight. Great. Thirty more minutes.”

            Sarcastically mumbled to himself while heading out. Luke was exhausted, so he dragged his feet, gently slapped his face, then did the lip trill while slightly jumping on the intermediate landing of the stairs on the way to the second floor. Afterwards, he dashed to the gate while laughing as he had fun and it has been a long time since he ran.

                                                                                                                                                           

            Luke sat near the bus front door and he leaned his body to the window pane while blankly stared outside. He did not bother to check the time since he knew that it would only stress him out.

            The ride was deadly uncomfortable for Luke, he thought ‘was it because I’m already too tired to move?’ His eyes are threatening to close but no matter how he fights against it – it succeeded.

            ‘I dozed for who knows how long but thank goodness! The driver asked a passenger to wake me up’ or he will be a few meters away from the back gate of the Omega District. Apparently, the driver knew Luke by riding the same bus for the last two years.

            “Thank you, sir.”

            “Be careful while working hard, young man.”

            The old driver said in his husky voice with an eye smile before closing the sliding door and drove off the street.

                                                                                                                                                

            Before entering the entrance, Luke went to a comfort room to change his uniform into a plain black shirt and pants while neatly folded them to fit inside his backpack. He even changed his school shoes into white running sneakers.

            Not forgetting to put on a black cap and mask on. Luke sauntered straight to the gate while the alpha police officers seized him from taking another step until he showed them his identification card and pulled his mask down to the chin.

            “We’re sorry but we need you to take off your cap, please.”

            The police officers asked Luke as they took the card so he could take it off and he was not that pleased to do it but it is necessary. They need to verify that he is the person on the card and elaborately check his ears for piercings which he does not have, and pupils if he has different eye color.

            “Okay. He’s clear.”

            One of the officers told the others to open the automated black gate; once they verified, he was ‘the person’ in the identification. Luke grabbed his bag and opened it to place the cap and face mask in while taking his phone to the side pocket and held it. The backpack hung on his left shoulder and he did not bother to put the other strap to the other shoulder.

            “Five twenty in the afternoon. Okay.”

            Tucking the phone in his pocket and going to his planned destination.

                                                                                                                                                

            Omega District and is located in the West Mountains of Vooke. That entrance over there with the officers are very strict in following their protocols as one wrong move can lead to a disaster. That area is the safe haven for omegas as it is a government issued district with the cooperation and full funding of the Full Moon Organization.

            It is filled with colorful lighted buildings at night, and the busy and cheerful streets show that they are comfortable and at peace strolling out here without the constant fear of going into heat and being forced by alphas.

            A place where omegas can hang out with their omega friends, work and earn decent money without abuse, prejudice and discrimination, and the security during their heat week – everyone is looking out for everyone’s back.

            A district where omegas, human and werewolves, can genuinely smile, laugh their hearts out, drink as much as they can to forget the pain of the past, without worrying of being openly harassed on the streets, and throwing off their neck protectors as they know no one is trying to bond with them.

            Omega district is also known as Omega City as it has five thousand omega Vooken living within the residential area and has the basic necessities – private and public schools and universities, hospitals, city hall, malls, hotel and resorts, restaurants, law firms, and all government offices – where they can hardly enter without their neck protectors.

           There are few alphas that work there which are the police officers at the entrance and in police booths scattered throughout the district. Others are working in high position professionals like specialized doctors and chief officers of commercial buildings but the one who runs the local government offices are omegas, from top to bottom.

            Although, those alpha workers have an omega mate and live within the district but are under surveillance to keep relevant information from leaking.

            Humans thought that that place was exclusively for them, when it was built meant as a zone exclusively for omega werewolves and their pups since it is near the mountains to easily train them but it did not happen so, the organization tried an alternative plan for it.

            The mountainous area is still part of the district but is inaccessible for humans as they need to walk far and dangerous terrain but an easy task for a shapeshifter like Luke.

                                                                                                                                                

            He went to a bustling street with various signs on every building and which is also known as the entertainment area within the district and the usual customers were working adult betas to drink and have fun. Then, he sneakily turned to a narrow road between club buildings and went to the mountains.

            Few meters away from the wired fences, Luke hid behind a huge coast redwood tree to shapeshift. Undressing himself down from the underwear and shoved them into the bag.

                                                                                                                                                

            His eyes glowed to sky blue then his snow-white long thick fur appeared together with his ears and tail. Before he proceeds to dash away, Luke checks the area with his keen sense of smell and hearing.

            He bit his bag when he sensed no one was around, then gracefully galloped from trees’ thick roots to the leaves-filled ground that the leaves danced in the air once his hind legs left the ground. As he started to enter a dense forest, almost at the tip of the mountain, and saw faint light in the distance, Luke paced up until he reached a sandy dirt pathway and followed it.

            When that faint light became more vibrant and entered a clearing in the middle of the thousand years old coast redwood trees. There were small cottages at the sides and few market tents that sold authentic West Mountains’ indigenous carved jewelries and weaved clothing.

            Werewolf pups are freely running around while their mothers in human form follow them from behind and smile at him.

            Entering the backdoor at a black with red accented building and passed through the kitchen glass walls. Luke hears what his co-workers said on the other side.

            “Snow white has arrived, everyone!”

            “Really? Wait?! Where is he?!”

            “Can I go out and touch his fur then come back again?”

            “No! You’ll bring fur inside the kitchen. Do it later. After the service.”

            Snow white is their nickname for Luke’s wolf form and she liked it – his inner wolf. The changing rooms are separated from male to female and everyone is required to take a quick shower after shapeshifting to eradicate any furs attached to the body when working in the kitchen.

            Luke did the necessary steps but when he changed to his working uniform, he tripped over his pants. 'Thank goodness' he thought as no one saw him but he knew his co-workers heard it. Although, they did not check on him, knowing that it was natural for him to trip all over the area in the restaurant except in the kitchen.

            Luke went out and entered the kitchen while tightening the knot of his apron then listened to the brief meeting before the service started.

            “Sno – oh, Luke. You will be in the meat station tonight.”

            “Okay, chef!”

            Confirming chef’s instructions while he continued.

            “For entrees, we will have filet mignon, beef wellington and crispy skin salmon. For appetizers, lobster risotto, beef tartare and pan-seared scallops. Heard?”

            “Yes, chef!”

            “Okay. Into your stations.”

            Dispersing to their own stations throughout the kitchen then the service started. From the first order of five filet mignon to the last order of three filet mignon, two beef wellington, and one crispy skin salmon, Luke was in Zen mode and busy tilting back and forward the pans over a high heat.

            Sometimes, he showers the meat with smoked oils to quickly cook it. Making sure that he slowly put them without splashing hot boiling oil everywhere and not to overcook them. Although, he did not forget to be vocal while communicating with the other chefs so the flow of orders will be smooth.

                                                                                                                                                

            “We completed fifty order tonight, chefs. A hectic service with no accidents is all we want. Congratulations everyone for a job well done! You may exit the kitchen once you’re done cleaning your station.”

            “Yes, chef!”

            The head chef closed the service with an explosively closing speech which they answered with the same energy then laughing and tapping one another’s back from the job well done. Then they slowly cleaned their stations by clearing out the garbage bins and washing the cooking wares. When Luke’s co-worker walked past him and retreated back just to whisper something to him.

            “Leave that and go home quickly. You smelled.”

            “We’ll tell the boss about it.”