Chapter Text
Three hundred years ago, werewolves revealed themselves to humans to save their dying species. They kept saying that the Moon had turned her backs on them, and in order to be in her good graces again, the Moon whispered to them on each full moon they had to mate with humans. It would make their blood even purer, perfecting their transformations. Needless to say, it had been very badly perceived by humans, who despised them and their beliefs.
An unprecedented war between humans and werewolves soon followed after and lasted a hundred and fifty years. During these tumultuous times, hatred, blood, and death, were the daily lives of the inhabitants of the earth. In the end, the creatures won with the help of their Moon who wanted change and did everything to make it happen.
All humans who had not been put to death were forced to procreate with werewolves. Over the years, and over the process of this inter-species reproduction, humans and werewolves, disappeared, to form a new hybrid race, commonly called: homoïys.
Homoïys had all the characteristics of humans, however, their senses had been increased tenfold by the presence of werewolf's DNA in their genes. Homoïys were a hermaphroditic race, composed of different castes: Alphas, Beta and Omegas.
Kai was lying on his bed, his eyes forcefully closed, desperately wanting to shut himself off from the world. Today was his declaration day. He had to go to the Omegas' office, where he would be auctioned off like a vulgar commodity to the highest bidder, regardless of his caste.
"You know your father and I did everything, to protect you as best we could."
He had felt his mother enter his room, and sit on his bed next to him, but only opened his eyes when she had spoken to him. His eyes moistened with tears as he thought of his auction, and he turned his head, not wanting his mother to see him in that state.
"I know," he murmured depressed
A sigh escaped his lips when his mother put her hand on his head. She caressed his hair carefully, wanting to show him all the love she had for him. She leaned over and kissed his temple.
The declaration days of an Omega should normally follow, maximum of two years, soon after the day of caste presentation. The latter one, normally takes place during puberty. For Kai, his caste presentation had happened when he was fifteen years-old, four years ago.
He was an Omega. That day, he had raged with all his might, he had been so angry, against the whole world, against his parents, against his ancestors for mating with werewolves – not that they really had the choice on this matter –he had even raged against the moon, but had changed his mind shortly after that, knowing that his behavior was childish.
Omegas were last in the food chain, only good at having kids and maintaining the home. They did not have the right to hold a job that did not involve nurturing and maintaining the household, to drive a car without the agreement of their mate, or to have a bank account. Not long ago, they did not even have the right to vote.
No, Kai loathed his condition. He had prayed so hard to be an Alpha like his father, to be able to become a right ranking figure, to investigate and put anti-revolutionary criminals in prison, to settle with a nice little Omega or Beta mate and to build his family. But no, the Moon had wanted otherwise. And he wanted so much to scream and say fuck to everything, fuck his biology, but alas, he cannot.
"I know," he repeated, this time, with more conviction.
He did not want to make his parents feel guilty. Because yes, it's true that they had done everything in their power to delay the deadline of his declaration. They had not sent him to N.O.S.E, the National Omega School of Education, where all the Omegas went after their presentation to be trained, for three years, on the principles and behavior that they were to hold as a future mated omega, before being sold as soon as they reached their seventeenth birthday, the legal age to mate.
He had begged, implored, resisted, balked, and his parents had agreed to let him be home-schooled with a personal tutor, Mr. Jimin, a Beta, who had taught him more than what the legal curriculum required. 'You came from an old aristocratic family', he liked to say with his pronounced accent, 'you must learn to behave as such'. But two weeks ago, the Omega's Office, more commonly known as the ODO, noticed him and registered him for the next declaration session. He would not escape it.
"We have to go, otherwise we'll be late,"
However, despite her statement, his mother plunged her face into his neck, wanting to soak up his scent, as if to reassure herself. Soon her son would not have the same smell. Once mated, he would take the smell of his nest, of his Alpha. He would not have that reassuring smell that shouted family to his parents.
Kai hugged her tightly and sniffed, not holding back the tears that flowed down his cheeks.
Once mated, there was a certain period of adaptation where omegas could not go out, in order to get acquainted with his mate and his new nest: his own nest where he will be building his family. And that thought terrorized him. He was very family-oriented, he needed his parents in order to function fully, and to know that he won't be able to see them for a while because of his mating...
His mother began to hum slowly to calm him while still gently stroking his hair.
"Ahem ..."
"We're ready, David, let me just say my goodbye to my baby," murmured His mother, her nose still buried in her son's neck, on his scent gland, where his Omega pheromones were the most concentrated. She licked it, wishing to put her smell on him. 'It will help' she rationalized, 'It will temporarily dampen is scent and limit the drift of Alphas.' This thought sowed a hint of joy in her heart, and she stood up with a smile on her face. She reached out to her son to help him up.
"I really do not want to hurry you," David approached Kai, and put his hand on his shoulder "Son, I know it's hard for you, but if we do not hurry, we'll be in delay, and you must be prepared by the ODO's officers." His hand touched his son's cheek, before putting it behind his son's neck, having the same desire as his wife.
He let out a sad sigh and blinked quickly, holding back his tears. But his sadness could be felt in his scent, making the distress of the Omega increase.
Kai gently pushed his father's hand away from his shoulder with his eyes staring at the floor and walked out of his room onto the path that led to the car, his parents right behind him.
If he stays a minute longer in this room, smelling sour scent of his parents, sign of their sadness and bitterness, he was going to crack.
The ODO was located in the heart of Seoul, just a little over Gangnam Distric, right in front of the Namsan Tower. From the outside, the building looked old. The facade of the galley was greyish, with no apparent windows, and Kai had a choking feeling just by looking at the building. The logo "Ω" followed by a "£", appeared above the front door, in large letters with neon effects.
The Omega suppressed a shudder. The logo alone made his condition feel very real.
By crossing the doors of the ODO, he would no longer be Huening Kai, beloved son of his mother and dad. No. He would become Omega number x, the weird Omega who was home-schooled one year longer than the legal duration, he will be older than every Omega present. The fact that he had been home schooled for four years instead of three could be detrimental to him. This could influence his price, and he would then be sold to the lowest bidder, which could turn out to be a bad choice in the end, according to the testimony of Omegas who had gone through this scenario.
"Hello and welcome to the Omega's Office, I'm Yoona, your host. How may I help you?"
"We came for our son's registration," David said, putting his hand on Kai's shoulder, implicitly indicating who the Omega was. "We had been asked to come at an hour early so that he could be prepared."
"Very well." The host assistant turned to Kai and looked at him sharply. "Omega?"
"..."
"Omega?" She one again said, her voice a little stronger and assertive.
Kai was not paying attention to what was happening around him, fascinated by the inside of the office. It was in perfect opposition to the facade of the building. Indeed, the office was decorated with finesse. The walls were covered with a chestnut-colored painting and adorned with several arts that brought out the oligarchic side of this society.
On the wall opposed to the entrance, there was a tapestry that represented all the noble families of the city of Seoul. He was nevertheless drawn from his contemplation by His mother who gave him a nice nudge in his sides. He raised his puzzled eyes to his mother and then turned his head towards the host assistant when his mother pointed her chin at her.
Yoona was an old lady, she was quite short, about five feet tall. She was wearing a ponytail, and her peppery hair had been braided neatly, which emphasized the roundness of her face and brought out her blue cobalt eyes. There were wrinkles on her face that gave her a playful look when she smiled.
"Please excuse me, I was not paying attention." Kai said.
"It's nothing, I will let your parents fill out the forms of your declaration, as for us, we will start your preparation. Follow me."
She turned away and opened a door, which had the same color as an trompe l'oeil effect-style walls, and with a gesture of her hand, implied for him to enter.
They walked in silence, Yoona had not specified exactly where she was taking him, and he did not dare ask the question. His eyes wandered around, watching his entourage while they landed on a text of law, which had been bordered in a golden frame and dominated the other present decorations.
He stopped in front of the board to look at it more carefully. This one indicated in big fat letters:
Law No. 1980-1563 of 16 December 2022 about the position of Omegas in society.
Given the Homoïys code of March 6, 1874
Considering the law n ° 1890-0413 of February 4th, 1890 relating to the mating of Omegas
Considering the ordinance of May 3rd, 1974 relating to the rights and obligations of Omegas
Considering the decree of application of January 15, 2000 relating to the rights and obligations of Omegas
Article 1
Without the express agreement of their mate, whether it is an alpha or a beta, omegas are not allowed to carry out a paid activity, or an independent activity. They are not allowed to take on tests and examinations that are granting them a degree. Furthermore, they are not allowed to buy a house and other grand purchases under their name.
Article 2
According to the referendum of April 6, 2010, Omegas, now have the right to vote, the right to express themselves publicly through all the existing means of communication, and the right to own a two-wheeled vehicle, without an engine, to transportation.
"Omegas rights have evolved a lot in the recent years. Some people may think that we are in a society of injustice, but 100 years ago Omegas did not have all these rights. Many tell me that I cannot understand because I'm just a Beta, but my mate is an Omega, "says Yoona, who had noticed when Kai was not following her anymore and had turned around.
She looked at the frame with an intense look that Kai couldn't understand, and he shadowed her as she urged him to follow her.
"We're late in our schedule," she said, taking long strides.
They passed multiple doors, turned at the end of corridors, and crossed long alleys in silence, which only the sound of heels meeting the ground prevailed.
He almost bumped into Yoona, not noticing that she had stopped in front of a red door with an Omega's sign graved at the front, the "Ω".
"We are here," she said.
She turned her head slightly towards him and looked at him with kindness. "I want to warn you," she stopped, thinking about how she could say it and then added quickly: "all Omegas must pass by, I know it may seem impersonal, but Omegas who enter ODO must be examined before being auctioned off." She narrowed her eyes slightly and pursed her lips, as if she was restraining herself from adding something more, then without further preamble, she opened the door and let him in.
The first thing Kai noticed was the auscultation table that dominated the room, he only noticed the person present a few moments later, when their smell tickled his nose. 'Beta,' he thought. The said Beta cleared her throat before slowly approaching him, uncertainly, as if advancing in front of a wild animal, fearing of being suddenly attacked. Kai found that attitude so ridiculous that he quietly rolled his eyes.
"Hello Omega Huening, I'm Dr. Kim, in charge of your auscultation. We will proceed to the examination, so I ask you to please undress and settle on the table, we will proceed."
"Hm, here, in front of you?" He shyly asked, his cheeks red.
He quickly looked up at Yoona, who had been sitting at the back of the room, she was looking at him tiredly, as if she were confronted with such behavior every time she took an Omega to this place. He lowered his head quickly, feeling ashamed, gathering his courage, and with both hands he started to undress under the gaze of the two people present in the room. Yoona came to take his clothes he had put on a chair next to him, and with a large pliers, she put them in an impermeable and transparent bag.
Frowning slightly, he settled without a word on the table and rested his feet in the slots provided for this purpose, indirectly causing him to spread his legs. Dr. Kim came to sit on a small stool, placing herself between his legs. She put on her gloves and started the exam. Kai closed his eyes and tried to imagine that he was at his home playing with his stuffed dolls and toy cars.
Thankfully it ended in just a few minutes. Kai breathed, his blush spreading all over his body, a clear sign of his embarrassment.
"Virgin." She said, to no one in particular. "Have you had your first heat Omega Huening?"
"No," he replied, his jaw clenched. He swallowed and then added: "I am under suppressants since the opening of my entrance".
"Hmm, you'll have to go through a detox phase before your mating. Please Yoona, add this to his file so that his future Alpha will be informed of his condition."
"It will be done."
Heats were the most fertile period for Omegas, it was a period when mating was the most recommended for procreation. In times of heat, omegas were often sick: fever, vomiting, headache, those were the warning signs. Furthermore, during heats, Omega had compulsions of procreation and did everything to favor that: eating more healthily, avoiding physical activities, multiplying sex activities et cetera. The duration of heat depended on the Omega's cycle, however, the heat cycle of a typical Omega was four days every sixty days.
The auscultation continued in silence, and when it was over, he dressed himself with clothes that the doctor handed him. It was a gray flannel set, devoid of any smell, which perhaps had been bought and then washed with an odor neutralizer. The top and the bottom covered most of his body. However, his feet had been left bare.
Yoona took him to a "beauty" room, but for Kai, it was more of a torture room than anything else. It started well though: Beautician Omegas had first taken him to an adjoining room, where he had been bathed with Sakura's flower oils, which had largely served to dampen the odor associated with the emission of his pheromones, thus rendering the act of his parents obsolete.
He was then massaged; the forks of his hair had been cut off and he had been given a manicure and a pedicure. But it was tough when he was put on a hair-removal table, and all his body hair – apart from his head, eyelashes and eyebrows – had been torn off. His raucous voice was one of the many signs that showed how much he had suffered.
"Wait here with the others, Omega Huening, we'll pick you up when people are starting to bid on Omegas." Yoona gave him one last glance and turned on her heels.
Kai looked around him: there were twelve of them in the room. He was intimidated. The principle of the auction was to put a price on them and be selected either because of their beauty, talents or the education they had received.
And apart from his virginity, which more than ninety percent of unmated Omegas possessed, he had nothing special. His parents always told him that he was beautiful, but by being bullied by his comrades who enjoyed making fun of him and criticize him during all of his childhood, before his presentation, this had impacted his way of seeing himself today. He had lost all confidence in him. Who would like him? Would he have a happy mating? Would he-
"Hi, is it your day of statement? Me too! My name is Lee Jeno. Do you know that there are only twenty percent of omegas in the world? And that most nest are composed only of Alphas and Betas?" Jeno looked at him with sparkling eyes, a sign of his enthusiasm. He then continued to chime out words, asking questions but leaving no time for Kai to answer.
"Oh, excuse me," he said when he seemed to have finished his monologue. "I don't behave like this habitually… I think it's because I'm anxious, I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous… So, I presented myself without giving you the opportunity to do the same." He gave him a smile and held out her hand. "Jeno, Lee Jeno." he narrowed his eyes and added slowly: "peasant."
He raised his head slightly, looking at him defiantly. Peasants and aristocrats did not mix. Except Omegas, during the auction. The probability that a peasant Omega mate with an Alpha or Beta aristocrat was very very low. However, when this was the case, Omegas were often abused or ill-treated, used as a living incubator, good only at popping out babies, and nothing else.
But sadly, nobody was really interested in their fate. Nobody except Kai, who took the condition of Omegas, regardless of their social class, very seriously.
When Jeno pulled his hand away and tried to get up, an air of rejection and weariness on his face, Kai held him by the arm, smiling.
"Huening Kamal Kai, aristocrat."
"Oh ..." he said, surprised that he answered him. All the aristocratic Omegas present in the room had not even bothered to answer him, treating him like a plague, an insect that if ignored would go away and stop bothering them. "Nice to meet you, Kai, did you know that only the regent ruler of the country has the right to have four people, Betas or Omegas, in his nest while others have only the right to have one?"
Kai arched an eyebrow, his face showing a slight smile. This boy really went randomly in his remarks, without a link between them. "Err, yes, I know. Everyone knows it, I think."
"Not everyone," he said, "you must have read: Earthly change: the life of homoïys, to know it".
"You don't really need to read this book, you learn it in high school," Kai added.
Jeno frowned stubbornly, "Yes, but the book has more explanations than what is said in class."
"I admit it," he laughed. Jeno laughed with him, and at that moment, Kai knew it would be the beginning of a great friendship between them. 'I hope I can keep in touch with him,' he thought very hard, crossing his fingers.
"Stand in front of your respective names, they will be indicated on the ground with white plaster. Do not step on it, stand in front of it to make your name appear," said a host assistant who introduced herself as Bae Joohyun, a beta. "Once placed, do not move, do not say a word, do not look up, keep your eyes down until you are spoken to. "
They had been in the waiting room for a while, and that had allowed Kai to learn more about Jeno. He too, took the condition of Omegas at heart, and even wanted to create a charity group to advocate and change the current society. "Except once mated, I could say goodbye to those dreams," he had added with an air of defeat.
Jeno lived in Busan with his parents but was attached to the ODO of Seoul instead of the ODO of his hometown. His parents were dentists, both Beta. And he was a bit bossy according to Kai, but he would not dare say it in front of him.
Joohyun had taken them by surprise, interrupting their discussions and asking them to follow her. It was time, and most potential buyers had arrived.
Kai sat down in front of his name "Ω Huening", crossed his hands behind his back, and stared at the floor. That's what Mr. Jimin had taught him. 'Above all, do not look an Alpha in the eyes. A Beta, it can happen, there would not be lots of fuss, but an Alpha, you must absolutely not do it. This would be seen as a challenge to his authority,’ repeated his teacher at the end of each lesson. Admittedly, there were not only Alphas in the room, but Kai did not want to try his luck.
He looked up briefly as the master of ceremonies spoke, quickly staring at him, then lowered his eyes. The guy was slender and had blond wavy hair. He had particularly bright teeth only visible when he smiled.
"Hello and welcome to the declaration of twelve Omegas. Tonight, I'll be your host. Let me introduce myself, I'm Kim Taehyung! I know it's a joy for you to see me, but unfortunately, we're not here for me." He laughed at his own joke and then quietly cleared his throat when his statement was accompanied by an icy silence.
"Well, let's start!" He turned to the prompter and began to read fluently. "On your left, at the beginning of the line, we have Omega Song, virgin. Unfortunately, he took heat repressors since the day he came of age. A detoxification phase will therefore be necessary. He comes from two Beta parents, one peasant, the other aristocrat. "
Murmurs of discontent were heard in the assembly. It was very bad to have a mix of social classes. Everyone had to stay in their place. However, some were progressive and did not care about class - but it was only a minority - like the parents of omega Song, or Kai's parents. His mother was a peasant woman while David came from an old lineage of aristocrats, who were important in society. However, after their marriage, the name of the Huening had lost some of its value because of it. And even though his father was a high-ranking Senator, it did not change the fact that the peasantry had 'diluted' the aristocracy of the Huening's name.
"Ahem," said Taehyung, "He's 17 years old and he validated his training at N.O.S.E with a mediocre appreciation. The auctions start at one hundred pounds."
The result of the auction was fast, the highest bid being 250 pounds sterling. It came from a Beta called Kim Hongjoong.
The omega's auction went on, but Kai did not pay attention until it was Jeno's turn. There were four people between them. Taehyung announced, his name, his age, and his virginity. "He validated his training at the N.O.S.E with excellent results and with the congratulations of the jury," he says with astonishment.
"It's a pity he's a peasant boy," he added. And at that moment, Kai wanted to hit him, to hurt him. Because his simple sentence had just erased the fact that he had had excellent results. All that was left was that he was a peasant boy. And that was reflected in the amount of the auctions. It went up to fifty pounds, nobody wanted to bid a hundred pounds.
"Congratulations Alpha Na Jaemin, you have just bought Omega Park for a price of fifty pounds. I wish you a very fertile mating, " Taehyung said cheerfully.
Kai turned his head discreetly towards his friend and noticed that his lips were sealed tight and that he was holding back her tears.
Na Jaemin came from an old family of aristocrats. He was a member of the inner court of the country's chief ruler, Alpha Choi Yeonjun. After the war, when the homoïys had emerged, the need for a leader was strongly present. At first it was Alpha Kim Namjoon, who turned a war-torn country into a flourishing country. His slogan 'Let's lead homoïys to happiness with an iron fist' justified the dictatorial regime he was doing.
He was overthrown by a uprising, led by Choi Yeonjun and his followers, fifteen years ago. True, the dictatorship continued, but the chief ruler focused on giving more rights to Omegas, while strengthening the power that Alphas had on them in order to increase its popularity and limit revolts. To give with the right hand and to take subtly with the left hand, such was his policy.
"And finally, Omega Huening, virgin, he took suppressants in order to contain his heats since he came of age, so a phase of detoxification will be necessary. He is one year older than the previous omegas and homeschooled, so we don't know about the kind of education he received. He's from a peasant and aristocratic kinship. Yes, we may say that his aristocratic statue was diluted because of that."
Kai started to fidget on the spot. His statement was not very flattering. "The auction starts at a hundred pounds" began Taehyung.
It was all mess of sounds then it stilled.
"I offer fifty thousand pounds," said a baritone, assertive voice from the back. The amount of the auction exceeded all other offers that had been made for said Omega and it sent a shiver down his body.
Slowly, Kai raised his head and found a pair of dark crimson eyes staring back at him.