Kegan was surprised when Astra stayed in a bubbly, happy mood the whole time she was in Calix's room with him. She hummed as she went through his clothes, tossing articles out and asking Kegan which ones he preferred.

Kegan couldn't deny his love for Celix's scent, but he blamed it on the mate bond. It was woody and masculine, like the best smelling cologne in the world met a campfire in the best way possible.

"You can build it on the bed," Astra said, grabbing some sheets from deep inside the closet and handing them to Kegan. "I will never understand why the men in this pack need walk in closets. They wear the same shit every day!"

Kegan felt a smile grace his lips. He had the same wonderings; Leon almost never entered the back of the closet and wore dark pants and dress shirts that looked the same every day.

Astra watched as Kegan built his safe space by laying down sheets and making himself comfortable in the space by laying out the clothes and reorganizing. She didn't go close to him, as she knew that he'd be extremely territorial with other Omegas while building his nest.

When Kegan finished, he sat in the warm layout of clothes, pushing his nose into one of Calix's shirts. It was the most comfort he'd ever felt, and he wasn't going to regret not savoring the moment.

There was no telling when Calix would get tired of his protective nice-guy act.

"Are you alright?" Astra asked, pursing her lips.

She was confused by Kegan's behavior. Even before she and Kai were officially mated, she often sought out the Alpha in order to get praise for finishing her nest. It was common Omega behavior to seek praise from the Alphas, especially if they were mates.

Kegan nodded. "Uh, yeah? I think so?" he asked, wondering if he'd done something wrong. "Did I do something wrong?"

Astra shook her head. "No, it's just... you didn't go get Calix to look at your nest. Even before mating, it's kinda common for Omegas to do," she explained, making Kegan falter.

He didn't want to let an Alpha into his safe space, even if he was in that Alpha's room. The last time he had a safe space, Leon ruined the safe feeling by forcing himself inside of the comforting area.

"Do I have to?" Kegan asked quietly, not wanting Astra to mind link the Alpha and ask him to come in the room.

Astra shook her head. "No, it's entirely up to you. I was just confused because I've never seen an Omega deny an Alpha's praise."

Kegan furrowed his eyebrows. "Would he actually... give praise? Or just get to the sexual part?" he asked.

"Well, I don't think Alpha Calix was planning on having sex with you during this heat. Didn't you hear him?"

"I thought it was a joke," Kegan admitted.

Kegan heard his wolf shuffling in his mind before it decided to speak. "Confide in her, Kegan. Her wolf says she's confused because the customs of this pack are different than the other ones," the wolf explained. "And ask the poor girl to sit down! She's pregnant!"

"You okay?" Astra asked, catching Kegan's attention. "You zoned out there for a second."

Kegan forced a smile, nodding. "I was talking to my wolf. He, uh, wants me to tell you to sit down since you're pregnant," he said, making Astra grin brightly and take a seat at the end of the bed.

"Aw, that's so sweet of him! What's your wolf's name? Mine is named Ziva and when we shift we're a toffee colored wolf," Astra said, before silencing herself and looking at Kegan intently.

"Oh, uh, my wolf doesn't have a name," he said embarrassedly, hanging his head. "He never spoke to me until today when we saw the Alpha."

Astra furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You are out of touch with your wolf and what it means to be an Omega, aren't you?" she asked, watching Kegan nod his head in shame. "It's not your fault. If your old pack raised you that way, how can you expect to know?"

Kegan shrugged. "I wish I knew what it means to be an Omega. From what my old Alpha told me, I didn't do a good job at being an Omega, but no one ever taught me. All I know is that we're meant for breeding and-"

"Hold the fuck up," Astra said, crossing her legs and glaring. "They told you an Omega is meant for what?"

Kegan shrunk back, fearing he'd done something wrong.

Astra quickly soothed him by emitting soothing and calming pheromones. "I'm not mad at you," she promised, noticing how she'd scared the other Omega. "It's just... what you said was absurd."

Kegan tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Astra pursed her lips. "I'll tell you in a second.

Just... tell me what your Alpha told you the role of an Omega is."

"He said we're meant to be owned by our Alphas and that we're meant to stay at home in our Alpha's houses and tend to them. We raise the children and are breeding tools, and it is our responsibility to make sure that the Alphas are well taken care of, whether it be making sure they're well fed, making sure their children are taken care of, or handling their sexual desires."

"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you need to take everything you were taught and literally find some way to burn it," Astra said, growling at what Kegan had just told her. "That is not at all what it means to be an Omega."

Kegan could feel his wolf purring in agreement, rolling over and wanting Kegan to reveal his throat and stomach to Astra as a sign of respect.

"My wolf agrees with you," Kegan said. "I... it's all I've ever been taught, though. My natural instincts are useless because I am what I've been taught."

Astra gave him a piteous look. "After your heat, Calix will show you how an Alpha should really treat an Omega. And I promise you, it's not at all what you were taught," she said angrily, hating the pack that had turned a fellow Omega into a terrified shell of a wolf. "Those things are all like, teachings from two hundred years ago. Most packs are more modernized and the Omegas are the ones who are protected and taken care of."

Kegan nodded numbly, not sure what he should believe. His wolf was pushing him to trust Astra, but he didn't want to believe her. There was no way that he could've just entered a world where Omegas were values for more than their reproductive organs.

"Hey, how about we focus on something else?" Astra asked, seeing how confused and lost Kegan was. "Do you want to name your wolf? It may help you connect better to him."

Kegan felt his wolf howl in agreement, trying to gain control so he could shift and tackle Astra so he could lick her and thank her. Kegan kept his wolf under control, but not before his eyes shifted to their natural lilac color to show his wolf's fight for control.

"I think my wolf likes that idea," Kegan said, making Astra smile at him. "How do I do it?"

Astra hummed. "Well, Ziva chose her own name when I was younger and I just had to accept it. If your wolf doesn't offer suggestions, just think of some names. Once you both accept it, that's his name," she explained, smiling encouragingly at Kegan.

Kegan nodded and closed his eyes. He kept his hands up in case anyone decided to attack him while his eyes were closed, but he felt like he would be safe for the time being.

"Name ideas?" he asked the wolf who instantly started rambling off all of the names he'd been thinking about for the past twenty years.

It made Kegan feel guilty that he'd deprived his wolf of a real name, so he tried to remind himself that his wolf refused to speak with him for his whole life up until earlier that day.

"I can hear your thoughts," the wolf growled.

"Keep snarling and I'll make you wait until tomorrow to name you."

"I'll snitch on you to Zakai."

Kegan groaned and collapsed onto the bed, throwing Calix's shirt away from him.

"He's not working with you?" Astra asked, seeing the irritation crossing Kegan's face.

"No," Kegan muttered. "He's being difficult."

"When's the last time you shifted?"

Kegan growled to himself. "Willingly?"

Astra winced, realizing that Kegan and his wolf's relationship was much more battered than she thought. "Just give him control for a few minutes," she urged, smiling encouragingly. "I'll give Ziva control and they can talk."

"But... I don't want to," Kegan said, grabbing the shirt he had cast to the side and pushing his nose into it. "I can't."

Astra looked at him sadly. "I'm gonna go make you some hot chocolate. You like chocolate?"

"What's chocolate?"

Astra's eyes widened in shock. "Tell me you're joking, please," she pleaded.

Kegan shook his head. "No, I don't know what you're talking about," he said nervously. "Should I?"

"I guess not," Astra muttered. "I'll be back in a few, okay? Maybe... try to name your wolf if you're feeling up to it, okay?"

She vanished from the room and Kegan rolled onto his back, feeling safe in his nest.

"I know you're mad," the wolf said, sounding regretful. "But I have a name idea if you're okay with it?"

"What is it?" Kegan asked, feeling bad for his scared and sorrowful wolf.

"Jade? I know it's usually a girls name, but-"

"I love it," Kegan thought, smiling at the fact that his wolf was trying to please him. "It's a good choice... Jade."

Jade purred, thrilled about his human half's acceptance of his name. "Thank you!" Jade yelped, his happiness making Kegan smile to himself.

"Can I ask a question?" Kegan asked, feeling Jade jump to attention.

"What is it?"

"Why did you never speak to me? Until today? It's clear you know how, so why didn't you?" Kegan asked, wanting to know what he couldn't possibly done wrong to make his wolf, the other half of him, not want to speak to him.

Kegan felt Jade's anxiety spike, and then he fell silent, not responding to Kegan's questions. In a matter of minutes, his mind fell back into its own familiar silence, and the tears that Kegan knew all too well dripped down his cheeks.