Prologue

Some say we were descended from animals. Others claimed it was wolves specifically. That’s how we became what we were. 

And then there were those that believed it was magic, in its purest form. That the bonds that come from our circumstances could be nothing but sacred…cherished. People always seemed to blame what they didn’t understand on magic. 

There was nothing magical about the system, about us, or the bonds we were forced to endure. We were nothing but slaves and that was a fact. 

For every Alpha, be there an Omega. And for every Omega, an Alpha. Betas, lived blissfully unaware and unconstrained. This wasn’t “fated mates” like the books liked to romanticize. Alphas and Omegas were destined soul partners, no matter how the bond was described. There wasn’t just one person made for the other. But when one Omega found their Alpha, the door closed for all others. 

In this world, it no longer mattered if a person was male or female or even non-conforming. It was all about masculinity and femininity, something everyone held, no matter the gender. Omegas were the embodiment of feminine energy, Alphas were masculine energy. As for Betas? Well, they were the perfect balance. Maybe that’s why they were treated so well, why they took the seat at the top.

Alphas and Omegas were bonded because by themselves they were an imbalance. Only together did they stabilize. Or so the stories went. They were lesser even because they endured heats and ruts. Vulgar mating rituals that despite being biological and physically unavoidable, were used as proof to show how Betas were superior. That they did not cave to such brutish and barbaric instincts. They were more evolved.

At least, that’s what the Trinity Church’s rhetoric claimed. 

Their ideals had spread like wildfire until it was so interwoven with the law, it was hard to tell the two apart. Maybe that’s how the Force started. Like what once was the military, every Alpha was drafted into the Force for at least two years, Omegas one, after they turned twenty. They could put off service if they needed to, but it had to be completed before they turned forty, or else they’d be thrown in jail. Betas were too precious and could not be risked, so they were exempt from service. 

Most succumbed to the rule of the Trinity Church, for the most part. In the beginning, it was bad. The laws–discrimination really–against Alphas and Omegas were at an all-time high, leaving them with little to no will or autonomy and certainly no protection. It wasn’t until some of the sympathizers finally stepped up and into the light, speaking on behalf of those oppressed did the change happen. 

Now hospitals prescribe suppressants for ruts and heats free of charge. They were given access to better jobs, though still not as high as a Beta, and some of the same opportunities. There would always be the divide, between Betas and the rest, the segregation built deep into society. 

No one questioned it, not really. At least, not enough for the Betas to be wary of it. Not enough for them to care. 

And every day, I wonder what it is they’re hiding.