In this world, there are two genders: male and female. And then, on top of that, there are the traits that we call "second-gender traits." Second Gender Traits is usually identified during puberty, and the results of the tests they take help make a final diagnosis. There will be three groups.
Omega, Alpha, Beta.
Omegas can have a baby no matter what gender they are, and Alphas can make an Omega pregnant. Betas can have babies with other Betas. Omegas and Alphas release pheromones, their own kind of scent, which the two of them can smell, and no one else.
There are three different types of Omega and Alpha: Standard, Recessive, and Dominant. When it comes to Recessive Omega and Recessive Alpha, it's like they almost never have success in producing babies. If their partner is a dominant, recessives can conceive or impregnate. The pheromones that the dominant Alpha or Omega produces can make the recessive pheromones much more active, making it resemble a dominant or a standard, although it'll only be temporary.
But, Dominants are only born to the Elite and Conglomerates, while Regular Omegas and Recessive Omegas are born to people without their social status or what they call 'Ordinary'. It's really rare for two of them to meet, so most of them end up spending their lives with Beta partners or other Recessives.
You may notice Alpha and Omega's forms from their figures. Omegas are on the small side, especially when compared to a Beta's size. They'll be no taller than 5'8", unless they're dominant. An Omega's body has been prepared for childbirth, so they're mostly slender.
As for the Alpha itself, they're usually around 6'6" or taller.
Gender equality was tough back then. Omega had a hard time finding work, and sometimes people treated them poorly. Now, everything's the same. The suppressant made by FOTHER PHARMA, the largest drug manufacturer in the country, can now make Omega work normally without the heat getting in the way.
That's right, HEAT.
HEAT is when the Omegas are in their productive period. At this point, they'll release pheromones to attract the Alphas to have intercourse with them and impregnate them. As for the Alphas, they experience RUT.
The pheromones that only the Alphas and Omegas can smell are for that purpose. The two will mate by smelling each other's pheromones. Omega and Alpha can get a little carried away during these times. If they're not careful, they might end up having sex with someone they don't know, and that could lead to an unexpected pregnancy.
It takes a week or more for new Omegas and Alphas to experience HEAT and RUT. In the past, it was a problem for many companies when their employees experienced it. Now, though, that isn't really the case. A lot of companies give Omegas and Alphas enough time to get through HEAT or RUT. Over the last eight years, things have really improved, especially for Omegas.
The night sky was so bright that the full moon's light was clearly visible from the window on the third floor of this building. A tall, broad-chested, and athletic-built guy looked out the window. His blue eyes gazed up at the moon in the high sky. His eyebrows moved slightly and he gave a slight smile.
He let out a sigh and looked over.
"Mom, do I really have to go to this place?" He asked, his long platinum blonde hair looking shiny and smooth, and he casually tossed it behind his shoulder, hooked it behind his ear to show off a cute pair of earrings. He was standing behind a woman wearing a fancy dress with similarly colored hair that was styled so neatly it kind of looked like a large rolled scroll.
The middle-aged lady looked at him and sighed.
The woman's only son was wearing a black-and-white tuxedo that matched her own dress. The mom and son went to a big party for the country's top businessmen. Everyone was supposed to be there, and of course, his mom brought him to show him off as the company's heir.
"Amari, just stay quiet. Your dad set you up here to officially announce your role as the company's successor." With a little chuckle, his mom picked up a glass of champagne and handed it to him, who was now pouting and pretty annoyed. His beautiful eyebrows scrunched up as he took the glass.
"Mrs. Ashleen Aston White, it's a pleasure to meet you! Are you here with your son?" A pretty big man came up to them, and he took the petite hand of Ashleen, the middle-aged woman.
"Mr. Bankert! How are you?" Ashley asked politely, smiling big.
"Good! I'm doing great, and you're no different, right?" He pointed to the back of Ashleen's back, his eyes sparking with excitement. Ashleen moved a bit, showing the guy, who was now totally confused about how to react.
"Amari, I'm introducing my son, Amari Midgley White."
The big man, Mr. Bankert, reached out his hand, and Amari, a bit awkwardly, smiled and tried to be friendly.
"Oh my God! It's been a while since I last saw him, he was in elementary school back then! He's grown so much, do you think he'll be taking over the company soon?"
Ashleen gave a big smile and nodded. "Yeah, next week we'll officially announce that Amari is going to take over the company."
He nodded after the handshake, smiled, and said, "Isn't this the first time an Omega has become a company's leader? On top of that, it's not just a regular company, the White family is the second-biggest Mafia family after the Dhurudatta family. Do you think he can handle it? This field is a wild one."
Ashleen was quiet for a second when she heard that, and then she smiled big when she lowered her eyes. "Oh, Mr. Bankert! Don't you still think that an Omega can't take on a lead? These days, gender equality is already a thing. An Omega can do almost anything."
Mr. Bankert was slightly stunned by what Ashleen said, but then his eyes widened and he burst out laughing, almost as if he thought it was funny. Amari snorted. He was sick and tired of hearing people say that ever since they started talking about him taking over the company.
The company officials, all Boomers, weren't having it and refused to accept him as a leader. While a lot of people do recognize the Omega's abilities, there are also a lot of Alphas who think of the Omega as nothing more than a baby machine only.
Amari's the only son of the White family, as Mr. Bankert mentioned. The White family's known as the biggest Mafia family after the Durudatta family. They're in the business of selling and leasing cargo ships and heavy construction equipment like excavators, bulldozers, and cranes. That explains why these two families have been joined at the hip for ages.
Amari strolled toward the back of the building. After going through a bit of a smile-and-wave-fest with a few folks, he finally managed to get away. He'd been there for two hours straight, listening to his mom go on and on about how he's the company's next big thing. Not to mention the hate and sarcasm he got from people because he was an Omega.
Amari isn't an Omega Dominant, so many people underestimated his abilities. Only people from elite families are born as dominants, and his family isn't elite except for his mom. Ashleen Aston White's an alpha who'd been top dog, but she gave up her position to go be with Amari's dad, Jesse White, who's also an omega.
The two have been married for almost forty years now.
Amari sat on a bench, stretching his long legs. For an Omega, he stood at 5'10", his body slim but athletic, with muscles bulging from his arms when he spread his hands. Amari looked up at the full moon in the clear sky.
He didn't want to take over the company, but he couldn't say "no" either. The company needed someone new to take over, and his parents were already over sixty. They couldn't be as active as they once were. His dad, dealing with diabetes, was mostly at home, and his mom had been dealing with heart health issues.
Amari didn't have any choice in the matter, his parents finally decided to give him the company when he was 29.
He took another breath.
"You've been sighing like crazy since you sat down." Amari jumpstarted when a deep voice from nearby made him turn around. He saw the silhouette of someone leaning against a tree.
"Who are you?" He asked, his brows scrunched up, and tried to focus.
He could hear someone chewing, and then this guy he actually knew showed up. He's the same as he was when they met on campus five years ago, when they were both college students. The only thing that had changed was that his black hair was now so short, his earrings were just as they were a year ago, and his sharp monolid eyes, small high nose, and beautiful curvy lips were all still the same.
"Joshua?"
The dude walked up to Amari and, without saying a word, sat down next to him and handed him the box of chocolates he'd been holding.
"Want some?"
Amari, who was still pretty surprised, shook his head slowly.
"You're going to this party too?" He asked him, and Amari leaned back in his seat and looked at the guy next to him, totally amazed.
"Cross and Gruvv couldn't make it, so I filled in for them." He replied casually, taking one chocolate from the box and eating it again.
Amari took a second after realizing he was now back in touch with his childhood friend. I'd think that would be fair, seeing as they went to school together and grew up together. Back then, parents would take them to parties and let them play together at the playground. Amari and Joshua both went to the same kindergarten, and then they met again when they were in college.
"You're the same as always." Joshua said, then looked over at Amari, who was still staring. "Hey, your hair's getting longer." The man said that with his plain, emotionless face, it was hard to believe he was munching on chocolate.
Amari then let out a chuckle. He covered his mouth with his hands and laughed, "You too, you haven't changed. It's just that you cut your hair." Amari said.
"It's getting hot. My nieces and nephews are always bugging me, anyway. They're always playing with my hair."
"Ah yeah, Gruvv already has two kids right?" Amari was asked, but he looked away after noticing Joshua's intense stare.
Joshua nodded.
"Hey, I heard you're going to take over the company?" Joshua then asked, taking another chocolate and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Right, my parents are going to retire," he said.
Joshua didn't say a thing after Amari replied. Amari was a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't quite sure how to talk to Joshua. They hadn't seen each other in a while, and Amari was curious about the changes in Joshua's life after hearing about his older brother's move out from the underground.
Just as Amari was about to say something, Joshua suddenly put his arm around Amari's shoulders and gave him a big hug, then brought Amari's body down to a lower bench. A loud noise was followed by, PSIU! CLANG!
PRANGGG! The breaking windows made a loud noise, and a shot fired into the building, startling all the guests. Amari's eyes were still closed, and his body was shaking.
It happened again. The shot targeting him came again.