I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World Chapter 117: CP:117 Meeting Alex’s Sister

And then—

A tear in reality.

A doorway between worlds, shimring with impossible colors and humming with the combined power of seven divine artifacts. Through the opening, Alex could see—

His apartnt.

The sa cramped studio he’d left six months ago. The sa secondhand furniture. The sa motivational poster on the wall (ironically reading "Hang in there!" with a cat clinging to a branch). The sa everything, frozen exactly as he’d left it that morning when he’d walked out and sohow ended up in another dinsion entirely.

Except now there was a teenage girl sprawled across his couch, surrounded by what appeared to be approximately forty romance novels, with her phone held up to her face as she scrolled with the intensity of soone on a sacred mission.

Alex’s sister, Sally.

She looked exactly the sa—dark brown hair in a ssy bun, oversized hoodie that probably belonged to him originally, fuzzy socks with cat print on them. Sixteen years old and completely absorbed in whatever she was reading on her phone.

The portal stabilized with a soft chi.

"Okay," Alex said, looking at his traveling party.

"Rember—Earth is very different. No shifting into beast forms. No showing scales or wings or tails, the disguises will handle that. No threatening people. No—"

"We understand," Naga said patiently. "We’ve been over this seventeen tis."

"I know, I just—" Alex took a breath. "My sister. She’s... she’s going to have questions."

"Understood," Leo said. "You’ve been missing for six months. She probably thinks you’re dead."

[ Uh, can I say sothing? The tiline between Beast World and Earth are different. Six months there is only three hour here. So you’re fine. ]

Alex stared at the system floating smugly in front of him.

"Three HOURS," he repeated slowly. "I’ve been gone for six months—gave birth to six children, bonded with three mates, collected seven divine artifacts, and nearly died at least twelve tis—and on Earth it’s been THREE HOURS?"

[Ti flows differently between dinsions!] System said defensively, tail swishing.

[I told you the stones created portals between worlds, I didn’t specify the temporal exchange rate! That’s advanced dinsional physics!]

"You could have NTIONED this!"

[You were busy having emotional breakdowns about other things! I was prioritizing!]

"Prioritizing—" Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Okay. So Sally thinks I’ve been gone for... what, a study session? A long nap?"

[Probably just assus you went grocery shopping or sothing.]

"That’s—" Alex looked back through the portal at his sister, still completely absorbed in her phone. "That’s actually better. Way better. I don’t have to explain six months of absence."

"Though you do still have to explain three mates, a dragon, and an eagle," Leo pointed out.

"One crisis at a ti," Alex muttered, then stepped through the portal.

The sensation was like walking through a waterfall made of static electricity—every nerve ending firing at once, reality shifting around him, the weight of the Beast World falling away and Earth’s familiar gravity settling back into his bones.

He stumbled slightly, caught himself, and—

"ALEX!" Sally’s head snapped up from her phone, eyes wide. "Finally! You’ve been gone FOREVER and I’m BORED and also I just read the BEST scene where this girl gets transported to a fantasy world and there’s this snake-man with erald scales who can do this thing with his tail that—" She stopped mid-sentence, finally registering that Alex wasn’t alone.

Four very large, very attractive n had just appeared out of nowhere.

Sally’s phone clattered to the floor.

"Holy shit," she breathed, eyes going wider than Alex thought physically possible. "Holy SHIT. Alex. ALEX. Are you—did you—IS THIS REAL?!"

She launched herself off to her brother with the energy of a caffeinated squirrel, practically vibrating with excitent.

" Where did you find such hotties? Are they models? Did you brought them for ? " Sally put the back of her hand on her cheek and whispered to her brother.

" Sally. Do I need to remind you you’re just teenager. " Alex sighed. Already feeling tired of his sister’s behavior.

Sally ignored her brother’s reminder completely, already circling the four n like a shark who’d just discovered fresh blood.

"Oh my GOD," she said, phone already back in her hands, cara app open. "You’re all SO TALL. And soooo HANDSO. And the—"

Sally’s eyes were practically sparkling as she circled the group like a shark scenting blood in the water.

"I KNEW IT!" she declared triumphantly. "I KNEW you’d eventually make friends! You were like a depressed hen after...mom and dad were gone. Always focusing on your studies and part ti jobs. Now look at you...WOW—"

She stopped directly in front of Naga, tilting her head back to look up at him (the disguise hid his scales but couldn’t do much about his height in human form).

"You are REALLY tall. Like basketball player tall. Do you play basketball? You should play basketball. Also your eyes are super intense, has anyone ever told you that? It’s like you’re looking into my SOUL. Very mysterious. I like it."

Naga looked at Alex with an expression that clearly said is she always like this?

"Always," Alex confird wearily. "Sally, personal space—"

But Sally had already moved on to Leo, who had the misfortune of making eye contact when she grabbed his arm.

"OH MY GOD your hair! It’s so WHITE! Is it natural? It can’t be natural. Wait—" She squinted. "Are you albino? No wait, your eyes are gold not red. Contacts? Please tell where you got those contacts because they’re AMAZING and I need a pair for—"

"Sally," Alex tried again.

She’d released Leo and was now studying Zale with the intensity of a scientist examining a new species.

"You look like you drink a lot of water," she announced. "Very hydrated. Skin’s great. Do you have a skincare routine? My friend Tessa would kill for that glow. Also you’re giving off major ’mysterious ocean and official Ariel vibes’ which is weird because we’re in the middle of the city but I’m into it—"

"SALLY."

His sister finally stopped, turning to look at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"What?"

"Can you maybe not interrogate my friends within thirty seconds of eting them?"

"I’m not interrogating, I’m being FRIENDLY," Sally protested. Then her gaze landed on Drakar, who had been standing slightly behind the others with an expression of profound amusent.

She froze.

"Okay but THIS one," she said slowly, pointing directly at the Dragon Lord. "This one is CLEARLY the final boss of your friend group. Look at him. LOOK. AT. HIM."

Drakar’s ruby eyes (disguised to look rely unusual rather than literally draconic) glead with interest.

"Final boss?" he repeated, clearly enjoying this. " I don’t know what that is... but I like how it sounds. "

"See?!" Sally gestured wildly. "He even TALKS like a final boss! And his whole vibe is like—" She made so incomprehensible hand gestures. "—’I could destroy you but I’m choosing not to because I find you amusing.’ Tell I’m wrong."

"You’re not wrong," Alex admitted, because honestly that was exactly Drakar’s vibe.

Sally spun back to her brother, grabbing his shoulders.

"Explain. NOW. How did you et these people? Where have you been for the last three hours? Why do they all look like they walked out of one of my fantasy novels? IS THIS REAL LIFE?!"

"I went grocery shopping—" Alex started.

"GROCERY SHOPPING?!" Sally shrieked. "You went GROCERY SHOPPING and ca back with FOUR MODELS WHO LOOK LIKE THEY COULD BREAK IN HALF?! What KIND of grocery store were you AT?!"

[This is amazing,]

System said in Alex’s mind, clearly trying not to laugh.

[I love your sister. Can we keep her?]

"She lives here," Alex muttered.

"Who are you talking to?" Sally demanded. "Are you talking to yourself? Is this a stress thing? Did these hot gods behind you stress you out? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

Skye, who had been silent and slightly behind the others, finally spoke up.

"I think," he said carefully, his voice still rough but gentle, "that your brother is trying to tell you he made so new friends. And we’re... visiting."

Sally’s attention imdiately zeroed in on him.

"Oh. OH. You have the sad boy energy. I can FEEL it. The ’I’ve been through so stuff and I’m healing but it’shard’ energy. I SEE you." She nodded sagely. "You’re my favorite now."

Skye blinked, clearly not sure how to respond to that.

"Thank... you?" he managed.

"Don’t thank , it’s just facts," Sally said. Then, with a speed that suggested far too much romance novel consumption: "So are any of you dating my brother? Because I’m getting VIBES. Specifically from tall dark hair and green-y eyes over there—"

She pointed at Naga. "—and golden retriever boy—(Leo.)—and ocean aesthetics man— (Zale.) "Actually you know what, ALL of you are giving ’I would die for your brother’ vibes which is WEIRD because Alex is usually super boring but apparently he’s been HOLDING OUT—"

"SALLY," Alex said, his face burning. "They’re just FRIENDS. Can you PLEASE—"

"Friends who look at you like you hung the moon and the stars," Sally said, narrowing her eyes.

"Friends who traveled here together and appeared out of nowhere in our apartnt. Friends who—WAIT."