AT THE SAME TIME
ZAVIER
The moment my paws crossed the boundary line, something inside my chest loosened. I slowed then stopped. The forest behind me went quiet, like it was holding its breath. The invisible weight of the pack territory gone, just gone. I shifted back, bones snapping softly into place, fur retreating as I stood there barefoot on cold earth, breathing hard.
"I crossed." I said.
"You did." Aiden said, calm, steady. "You are no longer theirs."
I turned my head slightly, glancing back at the dark trees. No Alpha authority pressing down on my shoulders For the first time in my life I felt light as I let out a slow breath.
"Good." I said.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the folded map, hands still a little unsteady. I opened it under the pale moonlight, smoothing it against my thigh. The world felt bigger now, not just the pack, not just the territory. Roads stretched across the paper. Towns, cities and borders.
"You can go anywhere." Aiden reminded.
I stared at the map, eyes scanning slowly. The word felt unreal; my finger moved across the paper until it stopped. Moonlight Capital, the largest city in the region. Neutral ground. No pack ownership. Wolves, humans, and hybrids all mixed together. A place where no one would know me, a place where no one would care.
"A city." I said.
"Yes." Aiden said. "There, strength matters, not blood and not favoritism."
I stared at it a second longer then I folded the map.
"Fine." I said. "We go there."
"Good choice."Aiden hummed in approval.
I adjusted the strap of my bag and started walking. The journey took hours, the forest slowly thinned, turning into a worn path, then into a dirt road. The sky shifted, the deep black fading into early gray as dawn crept closer. My legs were tired, but I didn't stop, I wasn't going back. By the time the sun began to rise, I saw it, massive stone walls stretched across the horizon, tall and unyielding. Towers stood at intervals, guards posted on top, watching everything below. Moonlight Capital. Even from a distance, I could hear it, movement, life, noise. Not like the pack, different and alive.
"Careful." Aiden said. "Cities have rules, not like packs. But rules all the same."
"I figured." I muttered.
As I got closer, the road became busier. Merchants, travelers, a few wolves, some humans. No one paid me much attention. The main gate loomed ahead, large wooden doors reinforced with iron. Guards stood at the entrance, armored, alert. I walked forward nad one of them stepped in front of me, hand raised.
"Stop." He said.
His eyes scanned me from head to toe, barefoot, dirt on my clothes, bag over my shoulder.
"You are new." He added.
"Yes." I said.
"Name?"He asked.
"Zavier."I said.
"Origin?"He studied me a second longer.
I paused and Aiden stirred slightly.
"Doesn't matter." He said inside my head.
"No pack."So I answered.
The guard's brow lifted slightly.
"No pack?" He repeated.
"Left." I said simply.
He exchanged a glance with the other guard then looked back at me.
"Hm."He said. "You got coin?" He asked.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the small pouch I had taken before leaving. I opened it just enough to show the coins inside.
"Enough." I said.
He nodded once.
"Good, no trouble inside the capital. No fights unless you want the guards on you, no stealing. Follow the laws, and no one cares where you came from."Guard explained simple rules of the capital.
"Understood." I said.
"Then welcome to Moonlight Capital."He stepped aside.
I walked past him and just like that I was inside. The city hit me all at once. Voices everywhere, overlapping, merchants shouting, people laughing, footsteps echoing against stone streets. The scent of food, metal, smoke, unfamiliar wolves, I stopped for a second, just taking it in. No one looked at me, no whispers, no 'other twin', no expectations. Just another person in a crowd.
"We are invisible again." Aiden said.
"This time, I don't mind."I smirked slightly.
We moved forward slowly. Stalls lined the streets, food, weapons, clothes, trinkets, wolves and humans stood side by side, arguing over prices or laughing over drinks.
"First priority." Aiden said. "Shelter."
"Yeah." I muttered.
"And information." He added. "A city like this has layers. Power, danger, opportunity."
I nodded slightly as my eyes scanned the street. An inn sign hung a little further down. People were going in and out. It looked decent enough.
"There." I said.
"Good." Aiden replied.
I adjusted my bag again and started walking toward it. The inn could wait, that thought came suddenly, and once it did, it didn't leave. Because something else had caught my eye. A large stone building stood across the street, taller than the others, its entrance wide and constantly busy. People went in and out: wolves, humans, hybrids. Some carried weapons. Some wore armor, some looked like they had seen far too much of the world already. Above the entrance hung a carved sign. 'Adventurer Guild'.
My fingers tightened slightly around the strap of my bag.
"That." Aiden said, his voice low, interested. "Is where strength speaks louder than status."
I stared at it for a second longer then I walked inside. The moment I stepped inside, the noise hit me. Completely different from the pack hall. Voices overlapped everywhere, arguments, laughter, deals being made. Boots thudded against the floor, yhe scent of iron, sweat, and something sharp filled the air and no one looked at me twice. A large board stood near the center, covered in papers, requests, missions. People crowded around it, reading, talking, pointing and then I saw it. Different from the others, larger, stamped with an official seal. 'Royal Order'. My eyes narrowed slightly as I stepped closer.
'By decree of the Crown: Recruitment for the Royal Army is now open. Only Betas and Alphas will be accepted. Strength and loyalty will be rewarded.'
My fingers curled, something inside me twisted. Then I smiled slow and sharp.
"Of course." I said quietly.
Aiden shifted inside me.
"You see it too." He said.
"Yeah." I replied.
My hand reached forward, gripping the edge of the paper slightly. Betas and Alphas only, of course. Always the same, always the same damn rule.
"You are an Omega." Aiden reminded me, his voice steady but firm. "They will not accept you."
I tilted my head slightly, still staring at the notice.
"I know." I said.
"Then why are you smiling?" He asked.
My grip tightened just a little more. Because for the first time it didn't feel like a wall. It felt like something to break.
"I don't care." I said.
Aiden went quiet for a second.
"You should." He said after a pause. "This is not the pack. Rejection here is not silent. It is direct."
"Good." I said.
I let go of the paper and stepped back slightly, eyes still locked on it.
"I'm done being quiet about it."I said.
"You intend to challenge it?"Aiden stirred.
I exhaled slowly.
"I intend." I said. "To choose who I serve."
Not a pack that ignored me, not parents who forgot me. Not an Alpha who rejected me. Something else, something bigger.
"Royal army." I murmured.
"They will not be kind."Aiden's presence tightened slightly.
"I am not asking them to be." I said.
"They will test you."He said.
"Good."I said.
"They may humiliate you."Aiden added.
"They'll have to try harder than my own family."I smiled faintly.
Aiden let out a low, approving hum.
"Then we do this properly." He said. "Not like a rejected Omega. Like something they can not ignore."
My eyes flicked toward the counter at the far end of the hall, where guild staff was speaking with adventurers.
"First step?" I asked.
"Register." Aiden said. "Get a name, a rank, and a place in this world."
I nodded. Then started walking, because this time I wasn't going to stand at the edge of the room and be forgotten. I was going to step forward and make them see me.