Page 6 of Chosen Omega

She nods and jumps right into the explanation. “So, Betas are the most common wolves. They make up the ‘working class’ in wolf society.” She air quotes around ‘working class' and rolls her eyes. Clearly there is a misconception in that statement, but I make a note to ask her about it and keep my mouth shut. “The nurses at the hospital and most of the teachers at the school and University are Betas. As I said before, to date, there hasn’t been any Chosen that manifests as anything other than Beta.” She pauses and watches me as if to make sure I understand everything so far. After a few seconds of me writing in the silent room, she continues.

“Alphas are the next most common. They can be male or female, but only every one in one-hundred Alphas are female. These wolves are our leaders and protectors. They are in charge of keeping order and usually only one to two alphas are born to any Community every generation. August and James are Alphas in the same pack.”

“Wait, I thought the whole reservation was one pack?” The way she is talking about packs and alphas makes it seem like they are an exclusive group, but I always thought ‘pack’ meant a group of wolves that live together, like the Reservation.

“No. The reservation is a Community. Each family is a family but a group of three or more Alphas and their Omega is a Pack, let me finish explaining each manifestation and then I’ll explain Lupin community structures to you.”

I nod and take another bite of mac and cheese. I want to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, so I remind myself to write down my questions and not interrupt again. It sounds like this can get a bit confusing, so I have to take detailed notes and remember to ask about the stuff I don’t quite understand..

“So, as I was saying. Only one maybe two Packs are born to every generation and most of the time, each alpha is born to a different community so the other Alphas get sent to live with a family in one community so they are all raised together. The first Alpha born that generation is the lead Alpha and the rest of the Pack follows him, usually. Every now and then, a younger Alpha will prove to be more suited to lead and they will be the top Alpha, but the oldest’s community is still the one they live in. Alpha Charles is the lead alpha for our community. He is the governor of the Reservation and he sits on the Alpha council, they run the Lupin Government. His son, CJ was the first alpha born in your generation and once he has his Omega, he will start training to take over the Community.”

Wow, that seems a bit chaotic, but it makes sense. If only one Alpha pack is born at a time, then there would need to be some way of ensuring they meet and like each other to form a pack. “So what about Omegas?”

“Omegas are the heart of the packs. They are the caregivers and the only wolf that can give birth to Alphas or other Omegas. Most of the time, Omegas don’t work, and if they do, it's always in a caregiver capacity, so daycare workers or nurses. Omegas have higher emotions than other wolves and they go through a Heat. I’ll explain that more another time. Any questions?”

“So, I’ll be a Beta?”

“More than likely, but we won’t know for sure until the first full moon, in two weeks. Once you shift, I’ll be able to find a suitable placement. Though, the family that already applied is probably the best fit no matter how you manifest.”

“So, Alphas are in charge, Betas keep things running day to day, and Omegas keep us happy and continue the next generation of leaders?”

“You got it!”

Abby and I talk about who the main Betas to know are and she tells me about the Alpha pack and their Omega. Mrs. Lycan sounds like a wonderful person and I can’t wait to meet her on Friday. Although, now that I know they are in charge, I’m a bit nervous about going to their house for dinner. Abby tells me that the upcoming Alphas are all nice, that the leader of that Pack is Alpha Charles’s son, but the boys spend their time bouncing between the Alpha pack and the Beta Family that took in the other three boys. According to Abby, the more Alphas in a pack, the stronger the Omega destined for the pack is. She explained that while Omegas are usually very mild mannered and almost child like, they are all Alphas in their own respect.

We spend the next few hours talking about the power structure in town and she explains that the Lead Alpha, Alpha Ricky, for the Lupin Council is like the president for the humans. They have a Council of the five strongest Alphas that handles the politics for the whole Lupin species, and any of them can be challenged for their position. I asked about how long wolves live and she seemed flustered that it hadn’t already been mentioned.

“Um, well we stop aging at thirty and we don’t die from natural causes. We heal super fast, so only fatal blows can really take us down.”

“So, I’m going to live until something kills me?”

“Yeah, basically. The oldest wolf alive that we know of is Alpha Klan of the Norwegian Community. He was the Lead Council Alpha for a while, but stepped down when his Omega gave birth to their daughter, about six hundred years ago, I think.”

Holy shit! That is insane. So much time and opportunity waiting for me to grab it.

“It’s late, let's get some rest and we can talk more tomorrow. In the morning after breakfast, we can go shopping and I’ll show you how wolves interact with each other. It’s a lot like humans, but wolves tend to be friendlier and touch more.”

Excited to see more of the shifter ways, I quickly agree. Together we clean up our mess from dinner then Abby gives me a tight hug.

“You’re taking this all so well. I know you’re going to love being a wolf. Just give it time and soon you won’t remember being anything else.”

I have no words. I think she may be right. I’m not scared or angry that I’m a wolf now, even if it was never something I considered before. Sure, my choice in the matter was ripped away from me that night. But now that this is my life, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Chapter Seven

Meeting Mandy

Thedaysflybyas Abby teaches me more and more about Lupin culture. We go shopping Wednesday and I’m amazed at how welcoming everyone is. Children run up to me and hug me, sniffing my hair and grumbling in their chests. Abby cocks her head as she watches the crowd of children interact with me, but she doesn’t say anything is wrong, so I ignore her strange look and play with the pups. It takes a few minutes for the mothers to wrangle in the little ones and they all apologize but I wave it off and tell them to call me if they ever need a babysitter.

Walking back to the car, Abby finally brings it up.

“So, you’re really good with kids, huh?”

“Yeah,” I smile again just thinking about all the sweet little ones I got to play with today. “I used to babysit for money and I was planning to go to college to get an Early Education and Business Degree so I could start my own daycare and preschool.”

She nods, showing that she is listening even though her eyes are unfocused. She doesn’t say anything for the rest of the walk or while we are in the car. I let it go and tell her about how excited I am to draw the ocean again now that I got new art stuff. We spend the rest of the day talking about anything and everything. Neither of us bring up the kids again, though I do catch her looking at me funny every once in a while. Thursday is spent on the beach. Abby reads and I draw. We both spend a little time cooling off in the waves. It’s a perfect day spent with a new friend. I do notice new things, a scent I’ve never smelled or a sound that is new. Abby explains every time I ask about something and when I try to say sorry for being a burden, she waves it off and explains that it's her job to help me get used to being a wolf. Random questions come to mind and she is patient and kind as she explains it all. I couldn’t be more thankful for Abby.

Now it is time to get ready for dinner at the Alpha’s house and I’m a nervous wreck. I keep pacing the floor in my room and I have clothes thrown everywhere. Nothing seems good enough for meeting the leader of the community. My makeup is done and I must admit that the wing liner looks better than ever before. But no amount of great makeup or good hair days can calm the storm of nervous energy in my belly.

---