"And today, the people dress the way that they please, the way they tried to do in the last centuries. And they love each other so, androgynous."

~The Replacements, 'Androgynous'

~~~

Kai's POV

It's been two weeks since I met Lucca. Each day that I go without seeing him, the strain on our bond creates a deep ache in my chest. I need him, and I know he needs me too. We're mates; we're created to need each other.

After Lincoln went rogue — bad pun, I know — and came back to me, I've been hoping he would return and meet my wolf. Kieran has been kicking himself for being so shy and missing their chance to meet. I think he assumed it wouldn't be too long before he got another chance to meet his mate, but that doesn't seem like the case.

I want to be good and give him space but it's so hard. Why does he need to much time away from me?

Flopping on the couch, I release an overdramatic sigh of boredom.

Landon and Ryland are both busy with their jobs at the school. Ronnie and Lia have been inseparable the past few months, and I'm still warming up to Lia. I have to like her because she's Landon's sister and Ronnie's mate, but she's still kind of a bitch. I would try calling Xander, but... things are still weird between us. We've hardly talked since his birthday party, and it sucks. I really miss my best friend.

I glance at my video game console. Maybe a few rounds of my favorite game will quell my boredom. Although playing against a CPU isn't nearly as fun as playing against my best friend...

While I'm debating whether or not to call Xander, my phone chimes with a new message. I peer at the phone, grinning widely when I see a name I didn't expect.

{Frankie}

Hey! I'm in town for a few days. Have you had lunch yet?

Right on cue, my stomach growls loudly. I quickly respond, accepting their invitation for lunch.

{Me}

Fraaaaankiiieeee! My tummy is empty. Any suggestions?

{Frankie}

You guys have a restaurant in your pack, right? Let's do that.

Pouting, I text back and tell them that sounds good, even though I really wanted to get out of the pack. Ryland keeps me locked up in the pack — mostly in our house. He keeps saying that he's worried I'll be attacked by an unmated wolf. This is what royally sucks ass about being an Omega. I can't go anywhere or do anything without my brother and his friends worrying that my pheromones will get me jumped.

Great. I sound like some cliche teenage princess who's locked away in a tower.

Groaning in defeat, I pull myself off the couch and head upstairs to freshen up. Deciding to take a quick shower, I let my clothes drop to the bathroom floor before reaching into the shower to turn on the water. As the water heats up, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the sink. Frowning, I stand squarely in front of the mirror and examine my reflection.

Ryland warned me about Lucca's view on mates, but... what if there's more to it than that? What if Lucca took one look at me and was disappointed with what he saw?

I don't think I'm terrible looking. Sure, my brown hair is too silky to style, and might be seen as plain. And I don't have any obvious muscles; a curse of being an Omega. Well, I can't entirely blame my physique on being an Omega. My version of working out is playing video games with Xander all day.

My eyes aren't anything too special. Just a deep brown color. I've heard Landon talk about how Ryland's eyes reflect the colors of honey and liquid gold, but my eyes aren't like his. Mine are much darker, nearly black. Plain and boring.

Just like me, I realize as I continue to look at myself in the mirror.

Maybe I'm just not attractive enough for him. He probably likes guys who are taller and more muscular. Oh goddess, what if he doesn't even like guys? Shit, is he straight?!

Shaking my head, I try to push those thoughts away. As Lyn used to always say: don't worry about things you can't change in thirty seconds or less. I hop under the warm spray of water, quickly washing myself with my Irish Spring body wash. Once I'm sufficiently clean, I turn the water off and grab my towel.

I don't bother changing into anything fancy; just a pair of worn jeans and a navy blue sweater. Checking the time, I notice that I'm nearly late and quickly slip my shoes on before running out of the house. I head towards the pack gate, knowing I'll need to tell the guards that Frankie is with me. A familiar head of dark blonde hair is already waiting at the pack entrance, talking to two guards.

"Frankie!" I wave my arm as I run over to them. 

Frankie smiles in relief and points to me. "See? I told you I'm meeting someone," they huff. The guards look over to me skeptically.

"Did Alpha Thomas give permission for an outside wolf to enter the pack today?" One of the guards questions.

"Uhhh... sure?" I lie lamely. The guard narrows her eyes, looking between the two of us.

"You're lucky I like you, Kai," the guard grunts. "But if you two cause any trouble, I'm telling Alpha Thomas that you snuck her in. I'm not getting fired for you."

"Thanks, I owe you one," I smile gratefully. "Oh, by the way, Frankie isn't a her."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, thanks again!" I shout, grabbing Frankie's arm and pulling them along. Frankie snickers at the guards' confusion as we scurry away.

"Thanks for doing that," Frankie says while we walk to the small restaurant. "It gets exhausting having to explain myself everywhere I go."

I wave them off. "Don't sweat it. Geez, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be, having to give the same speech every time you meet someone new."

They shrug nonchalantly. "I'm used to it by now, but it is frustrating. Especially when there are people who invalidate non-binary folk."

Scoffing, I shake my head in disbelief. Why does it matter so much? I mean, why are people so concerned with how others identify? If Frankie doesn't identity as a boy or a girl, that's their business. No one should be allowed to say their existence isn't valid.

I've known Frankie since we were little kids. Aside from me, they were the only other Omega in our pack. Frankie's mother was from an outside pack until she found out that she was mated to a wolf from our pack. After they mated, Frankie's mom moved into our pack before getting pregnant. I've known Frankie and their siblings since we were born, basically.

Back then, Frankie still used female pronouns and had a more feminine name. When we were eleven, I remember hearing Frankie say how they didn't feel like a girl. At first, I wondered if Frankie was a transgender male, but they said they didn't feel like a boy either. It wasn't until they turned thirteen that we realized why they felt that way. Despite being born a female, Frankie's wolf, Felix, is male. Their parents took them to the Elder Joan and the pack doctor to figure out what was going on, and they discovered that Frankie is intersex.

After that, Frankie stopped using female pronouns and changed their name to a gender-neutral one. It was shocking for most people in our pack, but I didn't have a problem with it. If anything, I was happy that my friend was discovering who they truly are. About a year later, Frankie's grandma got really sick. Their mom wanted to move back to her home pack to take care of her mother. Their entire family moved to the Opal Lake Pack, which is pretty far from here. They don't visit very often, so I don't get to see Frankie as much as I would like to.