Seven Years Ago — Spring

Spring had finally arrived, bringing with it the beautiful cherry blossoms and a sense of excitement I could hardly contain.

I had been accepted into Clayburg Academy.

Clayburg was a prestigious Christian school known for excellence in academics, athletics, music, and the arts.

Over the years, it had produced countless successful graduates, including leaders who had gone on to make their mark on the world.

Attending Clayburg had been my dream ever since I was little.

But not simply because it was such a prestigious school.

There was another reason.

Clayburg Academy was where my parents had first met.

My father was an Alpha, and my mother was an Omega.

And yes—my mother was a man.

In our world, in addition to being male or female, everyone also has a secondary gender: Alpha, Beta, or Omega.

Most people are Betas, while Alphas and Omegas are far less common.

Omegas, whether male or female, are also capable of bearing children.

And between an Alpha and an Omega, there can exist a special bond known as a mate bond.

Rarer still is something almost unheard of—

a fated mate.

The one person you are said to be bound to from birth.

Your one and only.

Very few people ever meet that person.

So few, in fact, that fated mates have become something of a legend.

But to me, they had never been a fairy tale or a myth.

Because my parents were fated mates.

And Clayburg Academy was where they had found each other.

Ever since I was little, I had heard their story countless times.

How they met.

How they were drawn to each other.

And how, eventually, they became mates.

To me, their story was more romantic than anything I could have found in a book.

Even now, my parents were incredibly close.

When Mom laughed, Dad laughed with him.

And the way Dad looked at Mom was somehow different from the way he looked at me.

Even as a child, I could tell.

To Dad, Mom was someone no one else could ever replace.

There was a bite mark on the back of Mom's neck—the mark Dad had left when they became mates.

Mom kept his hair long, usually hiding it from view.

Because both of my parents worked in the entertainment industry, they had never made their marriage public.

There was still a great deal of prejudice against Omegas.

And as a male Omega, Mom had apparently endured more than his share of hardship when he was younger.

So Dad kept their relationship private to protect Mom—and our family.

But inside our home, none of that seemed to matter.

They were happy.

Truly happy.

Ever since I was little, I had loved looking at the mark on Mom's neck.

Sometimes, he would even let me gently touch it with my fingertips.

It was a scar, and yet somehow, it had never frightened me.

If anything, touching it made me feel as though I were touching the invisible bond between my parents.

Something that belonged only to the two of them.

Proof of something special.

Someday—

would I love someone like that too?

Would I become the one person someone else could never replace?

And would someone like that appear in my life—

someone who was meant only for me?

Just thinking about it made my heart race.

I didn't know his face.

I didn't know his name.

I didn't even know where in the world he might be.

And yet, I couldn't wait for the day I would finally meet him.

I knew that finding your fated mate was nothing short of a miracle.

But back then, I don't think I truly understood just how extraordinary that miracle was.

After all—

I had grown up watching that very miracle every single day.

If Mom and Dad had found each other,

then surely, someday—

I could too.

I carried that quiet hope with me wherever I went.

My parents had always been my ideal.

I wanted to love someone the way they loved each other.

I wanted to be loved that way in return.

And someday—

I hoped I could build a family like theirs.

Back then,

I simply dreamed that such a future would one day be mine.