Chapter Text
When Alphas and Omegas presented, they were often excited with big dreams for their future. They knew they had their whole life ahead of them and the whole world to explore to find their bondmate.
A bondmate was something that everyone dreamed of. Everyone had hopes of finding that one person who would perfectly complete them. It was often described as finding something you never knew you were missing, like that last piece of your soul sliding into place.
Popular media sensationalized it. Countless stories, movies, and artwork has been created all of which sung the praises of finding one’s bondmate. Tragedies were also quite popular with tales where the Alpha and Omega couple did not receive their happy ending. Betas weren’t left out either; the media reported on the heartbreak of Betas whose partner left them for their bondmate just as vigorously as on the bondmates themselves.
Either way, bondmates were romanticized and held up as the ideal that everyone should strive towards. It was not uncommon for parents to throw elaborate celebrations when their child found their bondmate.
Parents counted it as a blessing if their child was born an Omega or Alpha as it was only those two dynamics that were blessed with a bondmate.
Betas made up most of the population and could have children with both Alphas and Omegas. Male Betas could only have children with female Betas and Omegas and Female Betas could only have children with Alphas or Male Betas. Betas were viewed as the run of the mill, nothing unique about them.
Alphas and Omegas were the special ones and it was seen as fate smiling upon you to have one born into the family.
Alphas were blessed with endurance. They could not only last longer, but were physically blessed in terms of height, strength, and speed. They were dominate in every aspect and almost none could stand against them. Alphas simply were at the top in terms of raw power. Alphas could only have children with Omegas or female Betas meaning that they are unable to have kids with other Alphas. Parents could rest easy knowing that their child had an easier life ahead of them if they were born as one as they often ended up being the leaders, politicians, and CEO’s of the world.
Omegas were also highly valued. Omegas could have children with whomever they wanted except other Omegas and female Betas. The main catch was that they could not sire but could only carry. Omegas were blessed with the ability to become pregnant easily and had relatively risk-free pregnancies. They also were able to have children at an older age than any of the other dynamics.
They were also the rarest dynamic in the population. Omegas were blessed with beauty beyond normal standards and were naturally nurturing, patient, and upheld as the ideal mother. Odes have been written for their charms and their looks have been described as alluring, irresistible, and other worldly. They were to be cherished, protected, and almost no one could ever think of raising a hand against them.
It was not uncommon to hear that families in the older times sold off their Omega child in order to make a profit. Thankfully, Omega rights had evolved since then. However, Omegas were still seen as the heart of the home and as the delicate, gentle, and nurturing dynamic. They were softer and while that meant pampering and waiting on, it also meant that they were resigned to jobs that required less strenuous activity, both physical and mental.
Yao however, when he presented as an Omega, was disgusted. His own biology had betrayed him.
See, Yao didn’t exactly have the same background as other Omegas. His family was an old, proud family that was about as traditional as one could get. They still subscribed to old customs and thoughts such as the belief that an Omega should rely on their Alpha for everything. The Alphas were the tough ones, they were the ones who provided and protected. In return, the Omega ran the household and did their best to keep them happy.
Since Yao was the eldest child, he was expected to be an Alpha and was raised as one.
Not only were the Wang family staunch traditionalists, but they also just so happened to run the biggest and most powerful mafia in China. Nothing happened without their permission and they had their hands in seemingly every illegal activity. What they wanted, they got. They were able to pull any strings they wished and were virtually untouchable.
And thus, Yao was raised to be a fighter. From the moment he could remember he was taught lessons in combat. He was trained in many martial art forms and there was a period in his life where he couldn’t remember not going to bed bruised and aching. Each time he fell, he would come back with such a savage ferocity that it was rumored that nobody willingly volunteered to be his sparring partner any more.
His hand to hand combat was supplemented with lessons in weaponry such as knives and guns. He turned out to be better with knives than guns but was a decent shot. He liked the more personalized feeling a knife could provide and viewed guns as a weapon for cowards. It is easy to hide and shoot, but to be able to stand toe-to-toe with your opponent and still come out on top gave him a thrill like no other. Knife lessons and hand-to-hand combat were his most anticipated lessons.
Of course, Yao also received lessons in the darker aspects as well. His father made sure he knew how to manipulate, steal, lie, and other things necessary to keep the operations running smoothly. He excelled at all lessons and was the apple of his parent’s eye. He was their perfect child, the golden child, and they couldn’t ask for more. Yao’s parents would never miss an opportunity to show off their future Alpha son while beaming with pride and over flowing with praises.
However, when Yao later reflected, the warning signs were all there in plain sight. For one, he did not possess the usual Alpha height. He was 5’7 which is tall for an Omega but short for an Alpha who were at the very least 5’11. He also had trouble putting on muscle and he remained slender and lithe to his eternal frustration. No amount of weight lifting, protein eating and training would bulk him up.
His features were delicate which almost suggested a fragility. Yao possessed a gentle curving mouth, warm amber eyes, and glossy black hair. Put together, his features didn’t exactly inspire fear or intimidate those who looked upon him. Yao loathed his features, he couldn’t wait for puberty where he would grow in height, pack on muscle and become more Alpha like. He had an empire waiting for him to run after all.
Fate had other plans.
On his 16th birthday he woke up sweaty and in excruciating pain. Yao had no idea what was going on or why his body was aching the way it was. He felt needy and empty, longing for something he didn’t know how to ask for. He remembered his parents pounding up the stairs and bursting into his room. Upon opening the door, the sweet scent of jasmine had flooded the halls.
He can distinctly remember the way his mothers face crumpled as she took him in and the way his father’s face was horrified before turning cold. His father snapped some orders to the attendants, threw a look of disgust at him, held a hand over his nose and sharply turned away. His mother kneeled at his side, wiped his sweat drenched forehead, and looked at with resignation and sympathy. Then she too exited the room without a backwards glance. That was the last time his mom ever touched him with warmth.
With that final exit Beta guards, with masks firmly over their mouths, eyes too wide, and hands that were too wandering, tossed him blankets, toys, and locked him into the heat room.
For a painful week he was left to his own devices. Food and drink was slipped into the room through a flap in the door. The entire week was miserable with no human contact as he was cutoff from the rest of the household and left to suffer by himself crying out for anyone and anything. Each wave was more humiliating than the last and it seemed never ending. There was also the unending pain too of growing a womb where one did not exist previously. The changing anatomy was perhaps the most excruciating part of the transformation, even more so than the unending waves of pure want and desire that washed over him were. No one one warned him of the emptiness that would haunt him, the desire and longing to be filled.
After a week, he had emerged, exhausted and in pain. Everything had changed: circumstantially and appearance wise.
Yao had limped to the bathroom after his ordeal and with a deep breath stood in front of the mirror. He felt off balanced and unfamiliar in his own body. He counted to three and ripped off his robe. He did not recognize himself in the mirror and a strange new being was staring back at him.
It went without saying that he did not get the growth spurt that he had so desperately hoped for. The muscle that he had fought so hard to gain had seemingly melted off and he was left simply toned. His hips had widened and waist had shrunk becoming almost impossibly tiny which gave him the much lusted after hourglass shape. His hair had become silky instead of the coarseness it was before and reflected light off of it.
Yao stepped closer to the mirror to get a better look at his face.
His jawline had softened and the small amount of stubble he had been growing had vanished. His lips were now plump and soft with the cupids-bow more pronounced. His eye lashes had grown impossibly long and his previous dark brown eyes lightened to a pleasing amber. If it wasn’t obvious from going into his first heat, he was an Omega.
Yao had felt faint. He did not recognize himself at all and he was not happy about the changes to say the least.
Every part of him that was Alpha like was gone, and he was instead left a gentle creature. Someone that would make Alphas want to dominate, protect, and keep to themselves. He could appreciate becoming more gorgeous, who wouldn’t, but he was expecting a much more masculine, rugged handsomeness. He was expecting height, muscles, and an increased presence that would intimidate anyone. He never asked to become this ethereal, stunning creature.
Nature’s natural seductress he bitterly thought.
He wanted to scream and beg to go back. He would have been happy with what he had had if it meant that he could be an Alpha. Hell, he would have even settled for being a Beta. At least that way he could still have a chance to run the mafia and be seen as a leader. Anything was preferable to being a weak Omega.
No longer did his father throw proud glances his way. No longer did his mother brag about his achievements. Instead, he received loud lamentations questioning how they could have possibly gone wrong. They did everything correctly, what horrible sin had they committed in their past life to end up with an Omega firstborn son? It had to be his fault. They mourned their loss and now unfortunate circumstances.
He wasn’t their favorite child anymore. He was kicked off of the pedestal they had lovingly crafted for him and now on the harsh cold ground. No longer did his parents pay any attention to him. Instead, they focused on his younger siblings because after all, they still needed a successor. They still had an empire to leave behind.
All his favorite lessons abruptly stopped. Instead talk turned from what was the best way to prepare the Alpha son to how best to attract a powerful mate. He no longer was a piece on the board but was now a bargaining chip. Yao was left to be discarded to the other person once captured and had no autonomy anymore. After his disappointment and failure, the least he could do was to be traded off to better their position. Suddenly, they couldn’t wait to wash their hands of him.
His father lamented the waste of spending all those years and resources training him. If he was going to end up with an Omega son, he should have been training him in other specialties all along. He should have been taught how to be seductive but virginal, how to please his future Alpha mate, and how to run a household. He should have been taught how to be submissive, to avert his eyes to the ground when his betters walked by. He should have never become full of pride. Yao should have been taught how to raise children properly. He should have been how to calm his Alpha when they go into a rage, to soothe them.
Instead, he was now a backwards Omega. An Omega that walked too proudly possessing an abundance of pride. Yao was an Omega that could defend himself, knew how to do indecent things like lie, cheat, manipulate, and gamble. He was too coarse with his colorful vocabulary, his lust for fights that often ended with him licking the blood off his hands in front of his opponents a wicked grin upon his face that showed a mouth full of sharp teeth. An unnerving penetrating stare that could make anyone sweat. Yao spoke his mind whenever he pleased, he argued whenever he believed himself to be right, which was quite often. To say the least, he was rough along the edges. He was an Omega that knew the ups and downs of his family’s legacy when no Omega should have that knowledge.
He was powerful and that scared his Father and Mother. He was the perfect Alpha son in every way, surpassing their wildest dreams. The only problem of course was, he wasn’t an Alpha.
All their training had to be reversed and new training begun if he had any chance of attracting a powerful mate. What Alpha would want an Omega that could outsmart them, could out manipulate them, was better than them?
Everything had to change as time was running out. Usually an Omega would have been brought up as a clean slate and Omegan training would last two years until the Omega was 18 and ready to be presented. Because Yao was expected to be an Alpha and was raised that way, it would take much longer to refine him. His training was going to be much longer to his parent’s horror. His future was no longer clear but instead uncertain and able to crumble apart any moment.
There was much to do and very little time to do it.