White ceilings.
They stared back at Kael as he lay wide awake, his mind in turmoil. He had been looking at them for a while—about thirty minutes yet he still couldn't make sense of his situation.
"My head hurts so bad…" he muttered, his hand already moving to massage his temples.
For the past half hour, the pounding in his skull had been one of many things occupying his thoughts—along with something far more troubling.
Where was he?
One moment, he had been with his stepsister, trying to explain how he had supposedly been cursed with heart cancer at a young age. The next, he was here, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
Not that the ceiling itself was the problem. Hospitals had white ceilings too. But the smell…
Hospitals carried that distinct, sterile scent—a mixture of antiseptic, medicine, sweat, and blood that always lingered in the air. But here? None of it.
Rising from his position, he rested his back against the bed frame, unease creeping in.
"This…" His words caught in his throat as he finally took in his surroundings.
This was no hospital.
The walls were painted in two different colors and designs, oddly enough, his favorites: grey and black. The room was tidy, with a sleek gaming setup in one corner.
Kael arched a brow as his gaze settled on the setup, intrigued, but he didn't dwell on it for long. He continued scanning the space, searching for one thing.
Even though everything pointed to the fact that he wasn't in a hospital, he needed one final clue to confirm it.
"Where is my heart monitor? The damn beeping machine that won't let me sleep because it keeps going off every second?" he muttered.
He shifted, swinging his legs over the bed, but the moment his feet touched the ground.
Cold.
His gaze drifted toward a mirror near the gaming setup. Pushing himself up, he walked over and stood before it.
What he saw made his breath catch.
His face… It was different. He was different.
Kael stared, wide-eyed, at the stranger in the mirror.
Delicate features. Black, wavy hair—where his had always been straight. Long eyelashes and thick brows—he had always wished his were fuller. Hazel-blue eyes—where his had been black. Pink, full lips—kissable, he'd say. His entire face screamed cutie.
If this were his past life, he would have killed to look like this.
At first, when he had woken up in this unfamiliar room with the strange smell, he had entertained the fantasy that maybe his entire life had been a dream, that his struggles had been nothing but a fabricated nightmare. That now, he had woken up to a real life, a life of fun and freedom.
But this…
This shattered that illusion.
People dreamed in their own image, right? Could someone have a different face in a dream and wake up with it in reality? Was that even possible?
Kael needed answers, but all he could do was stare at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.
Then, a thought struck him.
"Or… am I in my stepsister's book? That can't be true, right? I can't suddenly be living out the plot of one of those stories where the main character transmigrates into another world… Can I?"
His heart pounded.
He turned toward the door and opened it. Immediately, voices echoed from below.
As he stepped into the corridor, the noise grew louder. Following the hallway, he reached a staircase and descended carefully.
At the bottom, two people stood arguing.
"I seriously don't understand why you're trying to put all the blame on me! There's absolutely nothing wrong with my son, and you made him this way! When I gave birth to him, he was the sweetest child I could have ever asked for, and now you want to take him away from me just because of your selfish heart?"
The woman, seemingly in her late forties, bore a striking resemblance to Kael's new features. Her voice was filled with fury.
Kael's gaze shifted to the man she was arguing with.
"I never did anything to your son. You caused this from the beginning. All I wanted was for him to take suppressants and stay at home like a good boy. But instead, he sneaked out and got into an accident. How is that my fault?"
"If you had never threatened his identity, he wouldn't have felt the need to sneak out in the first place and end up in an accident! He's just a sweet boy, and you made him feel unloved! I know you don't love him, why not just admit it? I know you see him as a disappointment, but must you make it so obvious?"
Kael blinked.
Suppressants? Accident?
"Erm… Can someone tell me what's happening here?" He cleared his throat, his gaze shifting between them.
The moment the woman turned toward him, her eyes widened.
"Son… You're awake?" She reached out to touch him, but the second her fingers brushed his shoulder—
A sharp pain struck.
His head throbbed violently. His vision blurred. He stumbled, gripping his temples as his balance wavered.
The woman's expression twisted with worry. "Are you okay?"
Kael barely managed to respond, his voice weak. "I… I don't think I'm okay."
And he wasn't wrong.
Because now, he knew exactly where he was.
This was just like the world of his stepsister's book.
And the body he currently inhabited?
An Omega.
The memories hit him hard.
This world followed the Omegaverse hierarchy: Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Omegas were seen as the weakest, frail, powerless, and, in some cases, disgraceful. Male Omegas, in particular, were viewed as failures. And in Kael's case? A disappointment to his father.
He clenched his fists.
At first, the idea of waking up in a new world had thrilled him. A fresh start. A second chance. A life where he could finally be free.
But instead, he had landed in a family of Alphas, with a father who would rather he die than let the world know he was his son.
Just kill me already, Kael cried internally.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at the woman before him—his new mother. She appeared deeply concerned, but right now, he couldn't bring himself to care.
He held her hand, and the first words that slipped from his lips mirrored his exact thoughts.
"I don't want to keep living in secret, in hiding, as though I've committed some huge crime. Why can't I even be seen outside or acknowledged as part of this family?
"I'm tired of being homeschooled."
In his past life, choice had been a luxury he never had. But in this world, the only reason he was hidden was one man's selfish decision. And that was something he refused to accept.
Still lost in thought, Kael felt his new mother's hand gently soothe his own.
"Baby… I'm sorry. I can't do much."
"You don't have to do much. I'll put an end to this stupidity today."
Kael turned to his new father, a man similar to his previous one.
They were both assholes.
He squared his shoulders and said firmly, "I don't care about what you think, your opinions, or your damn reputation."
'I refuse to stay hidden when I've been given a second chance at life. A life without heart problems. And you want me to stay locked away? No way!' he mused.
His father didn't even spare him a glance before turning to his wife.
"Is your son okay?" he asked.
Then, still avoiding eye contact, he added, "I won't let the world know you're my son."
Kael chuckled. "So you'd rather your son die than let him step outside?"
He met his father's gaze and challenged, "Who said I want to be out in the world as your son? I can go out as myself, with no association to you. Or, if you'd just calm down and listen, I can go out as your son—as a strong Alpha. What do you say to that?"
And Kaelith's last words seemed to strike a nerve. His father's expression finally shifted.
"What do you mean, 'out in the world as my son, as an Alpha'?"
'I don't know, but there's something in my memory—suppressants.' Kael thought before speaking.
"Suppressants," he said boldly. "I can use them to disguise myself as an Alpha while I attend college. I'll get the freedom I want, and you'll get the respect of having a 'real' son. What do you say?"
"Did you just say suppressants?" his father asked, his tone suddenly sharp. "Didn't you complain that suppressants made you weak and dizzy?"
Kael frowned, sifting through his memories. Understanding dawned, and he let out a small chuckle.
"It's true that the suppressants make me feel weak. But if you get me a high-grade one, I won't have that issue. I can pass as an Alpha without any problems."
"A good deal, right?" Kael pressed.
His father studied him carefully. "Hmm…" Then he asked, "What college do you plan to attend?"
Kael shrugged. "I don't know yet. Do you have one in mind?"
"If you don't have any in mind, why not apply to Imperium Crest Institute?"
"Really? You'd let him go there?" His mother sounded surprised.
"Yes—if he manages to get in." His father turned to Kael. "Look, if you get admitted into that institute, I'll get you high-grade suppressants and let you live as my true son."
Then, without another word, he left.
Kael frowned as he watched him leave, "Why do I feel like there's something off about his last words?"