"I don't need you to worry for me 'cause I'm alright. I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home. I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone."

~Billy Joel, 'My Life'

~~~

*Kai's POV*

"Stop spamming!" I shout as Frankie continuously attacks my character with the same move.

"Hey, I'm just pressing random buttons!" They defend with a smirk. I grind my teeth in annoyance.

"You're pressing the same button over and over!"

"It's effective."

"It's obnoxious."

"Lucky for me, I don't really care," Frankie grins. "It's helping me win."

As Frankie chuckles to themself, I reach over and smack the controller out of their hands.

"Cheater!" They screech, scrambling to pick up their lost controller. I take my chance to beat the shit out of their character. "That's not fair!" Frankie protests.

"Lucky for me, I don't really care," I throw their words back in their face with a grin of my own. Frankie huffs and works on rebuilding their character's strength.

A few days ago, Frankie agreed to stay with us for a while. Their grandparents were constantly testing their patience by using incorrect pronouns and their dead name. Being cisgender, I never really thought about how hard that would be for someone unless I'm hanging out with Frankie. I guess you could say I take it for granted that my gender identity matches my birth sex. I think a lot of cisgender people are like that too. You don't really think about how hard it is for transgender people until you meet them.

I don't understand why Frankie's grandparents are so offended by their gender identity. It's about Frankie, not anyone else. Besides, it's not like Frankie became a completely different person when they came out. They're still the same person I've known since we were kids. The only thing that's changed is how I address them.

Well, that's not entirely true. There is something different about Frankie.

They're happier. Even if things are strained with their family, they finally have inner peace. Something Frankie didn't get to experience for most of their life until coming to terms with their gender identity.

"Hey, pay attention!" Frankie nudges me. "It's not fun to beat you if you're not putting in an effort!"

"How about we take a break?" I suggest. We have been playing for nearly four hours, and it's already evening. "I can make us some sandwiches or something."

"Yeah, sure," Frankie shrugs, setting their controller down. "No peanut butter. I'm allergic."

"I remember," I say with a nod, standing up from the floor and stretching my arms above my head. My shirt lifts a little bit, revealing my soft stomach. Frankie grins mischievously and sticks their finger in my belly button.

"Boink!"

"Frankie, what the hell!" I squeak, pulling my shirt back down. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment as Frankie laughs at me. "You're so weird!"

"You love me," Frankie grins cheekily. Rolling my eyes, I leave them alone in the living room and head into the kitchen to make us food. Pushing myself up on my tiptoes, I frown as I search through the cabinets.

"Damn it," I groan, dropping back down onto my heels.

"What's the matter?" Frankie calls from the living room.

"We're out of bread!" I answer back. "Ryland was supposed to go grocery shopping, and I guess he forgot. Sorry, maybe I can find us something else to eat," I suggest; a suggestion that quickly goes to crap when I check the pantry and realize we're low on pretty much everything.

"How about we go out?" Frankie offers. "My treat!"

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you to spend your money—"

They wave me off. "Don't worry about it. Besides, think of it as a thank you for letting me crash here. Oooh, I know just the place! But you have to dress nice."

I furrow my brows. "What kind of restaurant are we going to that we need to dress nice for?"

"A classy one," Frankie winks. "We passed by it on our way into town. I'll drive!"

"Okay," I cave, although I do feel weird about Frankie taking me to some fancy restaurant. The food there is bound to be overpriced, and I don't want Frankie to waste all their money.

"You have fifteen minutes!" Frankie shouts as they bound up the stairs to the guest room, which was formerly Ryland's room before Landon moved in.

I pause at the foot of the stairs, debating whether or not I should tell Ryland that I'm going out tonight. Most people wouldn't hesitate to at least leave a note for the person they live with, so they don't freak out and think they've gone missing. But Ryland is different. He's not the type to simply say, "okay, have a good time" if I said I was leaving for the evening. No, he would demand that I stay home where I'm safe.

Ryland's always been overprotective, but things got a lot worse after our parents died. Not only was he my big brother, but he also took on the roles of my mom and dad. Feeding me, providing for me, sheltering me, keeping me safe... Ryland's done it all for years.

I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, because I am grateful for how much Ryland has sacrificed over the years to provide for the two of us. And for all the help Alpha Thomas and Luna Charlotte gave us after our parents died. But... I don't feel like I have any freedom. I don't feel like I have my own life.

I want more control over my life.

While I do appreciate Ryland's protective nature, and I know it comes from a place of love, I also think he goes overboard.

Ryland thinks unmated wolves are likely to jump me since I'm an unmarked Omega. Yes, I have a mate, but we haven't marked each other. Once I'm marked, my scent will only affect Lucca. Until then, my pheromones will still be picked up by other unmarked wolves. It's dumb, I know. Normal wolves don't have to deal with these issues; only Omegas have problems with our pheromones.

I think it's because we were originally supposed to serve as the child-bearers for the pack. The majority of Omegas are females, and their roles used to be providing the pack with pups. But that was centuries ago; no one follows that way of life anymore. And especially for Omegas like me, who were born male. Male Omegas are rare, but we do exist — obviously. 

Just like female Omegas, we release strong pheromones and secrete slick. I've even heard that our heats are more intense, but I haven't experienced that yet. Unlike female Omegas, I can't get pregnant. Which is great for me, because I think I would look freakin' weird with a huge pregnant belly.

Anyway— I honestly don't think I'll get jumped if I go out with Frankie. The wolves around here never cause any issues, except for the occasional rogue. 

N-Not that I think Lucca would cause any problems! Hell, Landon was a rogue for years and he was fine! I'm just saying, there are some rogues who aren't as trustworthy as those two.

But I won't be alone. I'll have Frankie, and we'll be fine. Even though we're both Omegas, I think we have a good chance of getting through the evening unscathed.

In my room, I pull out a simple, pink button-up shirt. Pairing it with my best light grey slacks and black leather shoes, I give myself an approving once-over in the mirror before heading downstairs to meet Frankie.

Their blonde hair is stylishly pushed away from their face, showing off the sharply defined angles of their jaw. A loose, black blouse covers Frankie's torso, somehow seeming both masculine and feminine. I smile to myself. Frankie always manages to have the most fashionable androgynous style.

"Ready?" They ask, and I nod my head. We head out to Frankie's car and start driving towards the pack gates. I flinch inwardly as we leave the pack, feeling a tad guilty about not telling Ryland I'm leaving for the evening. But he's usually busy with Landon; he won't notice I'm gone... probably.