2002.
Sophia Montero, an Alpha female, and Hans Matisse, an Omega male, have been married for three years.
For the past two years, the couple had been trying to conceive without success. Hans, being a recessive Omega, had miscarried twice before. But on his third pregnancy, despite being plagued with complications, he gave birth to healthy twin sons.
The couple named them Milou, who was born first, and Saliou, who was born 43 minutes after his older brother.
Milou's first cry filled the room. He was only minutes old, but this tiny boy began to root almost immediately, mouth wide, his instincts strong. Meanwhile, Saliou met the world without so much as a snuffling.
The two were polar opposites from the very beginning. One was impulsive and reckless, the other shy and aloof.
Milou would always risk his life by his spontaneity – getting into all sorts of trouble, big and small. But Saliou was the more sensible one. He would often be reluctant to speak his mind, but he's always the one to get his older brother out of trouble.
But Saliou's proclivity for protecting his brother has stemmed from the fact Milou is a recessive Omega, just like their father.
There is some sort of prejudice towards recessive Omegas. That they are the most fragile in society, barely functioning once they reach puberty and go into heat.
And it's not entirely false.
A recessive Omega's estrus cycles are unpredictable. There's no telling when they'll go into heat, until you begin to smell that strong, sweet scent of pheromones that they often could not control themselves or even with a heat suppressor. This spells trouble for any unpaired Alpha, and even to Betas. Because oftentimes a recessive Omega would emit pheromones so strong, even a Beta would go into a pseudo-rut.
And then, the frail body. Saliou had heard stories about their father. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the same thing happens to Milou. A recessive Omega's body is often not fit for pregnancy and childbirth. Even when healthcare has improved and medicine has advanced over the years, there was still an exceptionally high mortality rate among recessive Omegas.
Recessives are often not allowed to take on full-time jobs. At best, they can work part-time on top of living off government-backed financial support. Only when they are bonded to an Alpha, will they be allowed to fully immerse into society.
But Saliou didn't want this kind of life for Milou. He loves and cares for his brother so much that he didn't want to see him become someone whose existence is merely to replenish the population. A babymaker.
He wanted Milou to become more than that. He wanted him to have big dreams, just like he does.
It's become second nature for Saliou to provide for Milou, even when the other doesn't ask for it. He would always stick up for his brother in front of others, even when he knew the other was wrong. But then later on, privately, he would let Milou know what he really thought and how he should've behaved, who he should apologize to, and how not to repeat the same mistake. Milou would listen to him because he would also listen to the other.
But Saliou, just like his name, would always be "generous" to a fault.
I love cats more, but Milou prefers dogs. It's okay, I'm not allergic to them anyway.
I want to go to an art school, but Milou will have a hard time adjusting without me. It's okay, a prep school for Omegas wouldn't be so bad.
It doesn't matter if Milou gets three and I have two. What's important is that he's happy.
He would always give way for the sake of his brother. He would always give in. He would always indulge.
Despite having lived in an affluent neighborhood, Milou and Saliou have grown up completely in the dark about the extent of their family's wealth. Their parents seemed to have downplayed it, which later on they've learned to be thankful for, because they did not grow up to become spoiled brats.
The twins were the fifth-generation heirs in a now-prominent family. But their grandparents and the ones before them had originally belonged to a different social class. They were working-class people, employed in government and factories. But unlike their predecessors, Sophia Montero and Hans Matisse entered a transitioning market that offered better job opportunities. They started a family as the economy was expanding. And with the government's support schemes for families with Omegas, the couple was able to live comfortably without having to worry about finances.
Hans is a research historian, mostly working from home and supervising the twins as they grew up. Meanwhile, Sophia has been working as a biochemist at a top pharmaceutical company called Pharmalyticals Corporation, for almost ten years, well before she got married. Having two recessive Omegas in the family pushed Sophia into finding a "cure" to their erratic heat cycles. So when Pharmalyticals started a research project that aimed to discover and create a more potent heat suppressor for recessives, Sophia quickly took the plunge and became head of research.
This is how she had met one of the company's board members, Hector Dumont. A steadfast Alpha, Dumont is also a biochemist, and has allocated much of his company shares into medical research.
When two passionate researchers meet for the first time, they would usually tell each other about the research they're conducting and the interesting facts and findings they're producing. Strangely, this was not the case when Sophia met Hector. They found themselves talking not just about their research, but also about what was then, and still is today, their first love: family.
In the five years since their first meeting, Sophia and Hector have become firm friends, as have their families. So when Sophia got married and started her own family, the Dumonts were eager to help her move into a larger house and a more family-friendly neighborhood. That's when the Dumonts and the Matisses became amiable neighbors.
Wren Dumont, the youngest among the three Dumont brothers, was born a year after the Matisse twins. And just like most of the members of the family, he too is an Alpha. Wren and the twins had easily become playmates. They were friends from when they learned to walk and talk.
For the Matisses, the thought of the children so close together, growing up as friends, was exciting especially when the Dumonts shared that excitement with them. The promise of one of the Omega twins marrying into an Alpha family soon then became one of the most highly anticipated moments for both families.
While many friendships would cool and drift away, the bond of Wren and the Matisse twins' friendship would only become stronger over time. And it was a friendship unlike any other.
At the young age of nine, Milou and Saliou manifested Imprinting towards the young Alpha, a rare and exceptional phenomenon that thrilled the elders. They had a special bond, and the twins became especially attached to Wren.
The young Alpha always had so many friends – popular at school without even trying. But unlike his brothers, Wren is an introvert to the point of being 'anti-social'. Not so easy to warm up to others and can be seen as cold and indifferent. But Wren can be especially warm and affectionate towards those whom he considers as close friends. And the only people who earned this special treatment were Milou and Saliou. So while some friends are for a reason and some for a season, his bond with the Omega twins are for life. They were inseparable.
The three spent most of their time with each other and while in their teens. While they did have other friends outside their tiny circle, they still refused to budge from each other. Perhaps this was the natural effect of an Omega's Imprinting. And Wren wouldn't want it any other way. Some are born as brothers, while others are made into the best of friends. And for Wren, the Omega twins are both.
But if Wren were to gauge his feelings, he seemed to have a special soft spot for the younger twin, Saliou...
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