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Chapter Two

Eventually, Hana had crawled out of hiding to enjoy the large bath she had admired. It was there that the reality of what she had agreed to began to sink in. Soon she would be living with seven men- seven alphas, no less- and learning how to be part of a pack.

Packs were not particularly common, but not because they were a new concept. In fact, it was an extremely old tradition that had gone by the wayside for a while and was only re-emerging in the past couple of generations. The Industrial Age had reduced the need for a large community. Once, you had to have a strong alpha or two to plow the fields and mend the fences, some capable betas to tend the animals and weed the garden, and of course gentle omegas to bear children and mind the house. Even back then some people preferred to be solo, to drift between groups, or to bond with only one special mate, but packs were believed to be the best for everyone. There was safety in numbers, after all.

Then society changed rapidly. First the need for self-sufficient communities went down as people did less of their own farming and production. At a grocery store a solo beta's money spent just as well as the head alpha of a pack. Attitudes towards subgenders shifted as omegas fought for more rights, because why shouldn't they work in shops and offices when they were perfectly capable? Packs were seen as reinforcing stereotypes and upholding outdated subgender roles. They never fully went away, but the idea of monogamous mates and nuclear families became the new ideal.

What had brought the idea of packs back from the brink of extinction was the growing understanding of mental health. Early pioneers in the field of psychology had believed in a total separation between the rational human mind and the instinctual animal mind. Outdated textbooks had once taught Hana that the reason she, as an omega, went into heat twice a year was because her "inner wolf" demanded that she procreate and bear pups, so it took over and led her to present to the nearest alpha to meet her needs. Much of the focus at that time had been on how to keep the human mind in control. Later psychologists had more respect for the instinctual side of humanity. Eventually they began to understand that honoring all of the complex levels of the mind led to the happiest, healthiest people. More research on the benefits people gained from subgender instincts was done. A huge global study proving that people who had at least five relationships close enough to scent one another experienced fewer illnesses- both mental and physical- had been the tipping point that brought packs back into public favor.

Of course, the world did not self-correct that quickly. Romance in books and movies was still usually monogamy-centric. Packs in media were a loose assembly of friends who scented each other platonically, perhaps with one couple (always alpha and omega) who were actually romantic or sexual. The alpha so in love with a new omega that they left their pack was a common trope that played into the monogamous superiority still ingrained in the public mindset. People still tended to have strong opinions about traditional packs in which everything was shared.

Hana had never had to consider being part of a pack before. She had a hard enough time finding one person who wanted her. The nearest she had come was when she had a close-knit friend group in high school, girls who had taken the time to scent each other every day after school and had weekend sleepovers piled into temporary nests. Her life had smelled like lavender, applewood, rose, and lemongrass. It had not lasted.

After her bath she flipped through the contracts that Jo Ahnjong had left behind for her. Most of the legalese was over Hana's head- she had been an average student, just as she was average in most other things, and her formal education ended after high school. But she did have enough sense to be suspicious of things she could not understand, so she took notes on a hotel memo pad about any sections that she wanted to have explained to her before she would sign. When she reached the salary offer she remembered Ms. Jo's advice- then immediately paled when she saw the numbers that the manager thought were too low. Her salary would already be double what she made working at the daycare in Busan, and that was just cash. The company was also covering room and board, since she would be living at the dorm, and she would be reimbursed for certain expenses that would benefit the pack like groceries and cleaning supplies. How could she possibly ask for more than that?