Being the sole Omega among two brothers was not easy.

Suffering as the abused Alpha at the hands of his father was far from easy.

For Eley, being pressured to find a respectable, dominant, and wealthy Alpha wasn't all that mattered.

Lukyan despised mingling with Omegas and other Alphas, which is why he kept to Betas only.

Eley was recessive and always took inhibitors, which kept his pheromones calm, so he never had trouble claiming he could be a Beta. He didn't bother looking for a partner, and during his cycle, he would either lock himself in his room or spend time with a friend, despite his father's insistence on forcing him to date every Alpha that caught his fancy because he didn't want him to end up alone for life for being recessive and unappealing.

Lukyan had shown up at that bar merely to flee from his oppressive and abusive Alpha father, who never hesitated to reiterate that an Omega and Alpha would always exploit him. Throughout his life, he had been subjugated to the numerous Alphas and Omegas with whom his father had tormented and beaten him. The Alphas would release their pheromones over him, which he found repulsive, and Omegas wouldn't hesitate to take everything from him during their cycle. He couldn't pinpoint when the pain, beatings, humiliations, abuses, and more had started, but he was tired of it all, and his father never stopped. To his father, he was merely an experiment, an entity viewed without the slightest shred of mercy because, although Lukyan referred to him as a father, he wasn't. His father, a dominant Omega, had been with another Alpha, resulting in Lukyan's birth.

The man had only taken responsibility to ensure that his, esteemed family, wouldn't be the talk of the town due to its renown and respectability. And, out of spite for that Omega who had cheated on him, he took it out on the child. The man was a doctor, so his clinic often conducted experiments, testing new inhibitors and more on the poor who volunteered and on Lukyan.

Because of this, he detested being an Alpha and simply wished to be a Beta for a normal life. His father had forced him to be with multiple Omegas during their cycles or when he was in his rut. The same happened with Alphas for experiments and more, thus causing an accumulation of hatred for Omegas and Alphas alike.

He saw Alphas as egocentric, damned, and opportunistic.

He viewed Omegas as needy and manipulative.

Betas, on the other hand, were a different story. None had caused him any harm, so he surrounded himself only with them.

Meeting Eley brought a breath of fresh air to his evening and even more so when he heard from his lips that he was a Beta.

How long would that lie last?

Being a recessive Omega wasn't as bad as everyone thought, and Eley knew this well. There were certain advantages, for example: they didn't release pheromones normally, so they could walk around peacefully knowing they wouldn't cause any harm, unlike how everyone made it seem because an Omega in heat could cause Alphas to fight and confront each other for him. Moreover, they didn't have to worry about getting pregnant.

And it was simple, as each individual received two versions of each gene, known as alleles, one from each parent. If the alleles of a gene were different, then the allele that was expressed was that of the dominant gene. On the other hand, the effect of the other allele, called recessive, was masked.

As Eley walked, he was only surrounded by Alphas, Omegas, and Betas, which he was often mistaken for because he did not release pheromones normally, and it didn't bother him. He was more relaxed seeing that they thought he was Beta. Alphas didn't approach him much and he spent his days in peace. His cycle only came once a year and sometimes it didn't even last a day, so it was something he could easily control.

It was his first year at university and it was a new world. High school was very different and where most began to discover who they really were. When he found out he was Omega, he was quite happy, as he knew some Alpha would like him, but when a month later he was told he was recessive due to some problems he had, everything worsened. Upon hearing that, his father became furious and, since then, all he did was pressure him every day to find a good Alpha.

When he entered his classroom, he felt the pheromones of many Alphas and just sighed. He was tired of those who took advantage of their pheromones to cause the Omegas to go into heat. Not all were like this, but the majority were. Very few were truly good, but those who were good stood out much more than the rest.

"Am I late?" asked someone next to him.

He turned his face and saw Jerley. A dominant Alpha with whom he had become friends under strange circumstances.

Eley watched him sit down next to him. He was tall, strong, his light brown hair was long enough to run his fingers through, and his eyes were so green they shone.

"No, just in time as always."

"Great," he replied with a smile.

Eley had never felt Jerley's pheromones, so sometimes he wondered what they would be like and what they could produce, but he didn't like Betas, so he had never done anything.

The only people who knew he was a recessive Omega were his parents, siblings, and his best friend. He didn't have problems with his siblings because they attended a different, more prestigious, more special university, almost filled with respectable Alphas and many rich Omegas. Both took out their things for the start of class. It was an elective subject and because of that is how they met, as both had chosen different subjects, but the program had switched both to Arts, and every Wednesday afternoon, they shared a seat and talked about different things.

"I hope the class goes by quickly, I'm actually quite tired," confessed Jerley as he watched the front.

"But sleep, I'll wake you when the class ends. The professor is nice, he won't mind."

He watched Eley checking his phone. He saw his redhead and straight hair falling to the sides of his face and for a moment, he saw him as he had met him, with long hair. He thought he looked prettier with long hair than he did now. It covered his ears and was cute and shiny. His skin was pale and soft at a glance. His eyes were grey and in the sun, they looked almost mesmerizing. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder, how could a Beta be so pretty? Everyone knew that Omegas were beautiful, sweet, and tender, but Betas had a more modest beauty, as they were just normal humans, without cycles, without pheromones, without anything.

He didn't understand much of that, but the simple fact of remembering he was Beta made his doubts vanish. He wasn't interested in Betas no matter whether they were men or women. He only liked Omegas.

"Okay, thanks."

"Nothing to thank me for," whispered Eley with a smile and continued to check some things on his phone.

He was focused on what he was looking at, but he couldn't overlook the fact that Jerley was looking at him. He knew that sometimes he looked at him more than he should, but he always ended up downplaying it. The class progressed quickly. The professor, who was Beta, only explained a few brief things, taught them different things, and gave a new assignment.

Eley wrote everything down because he didn't want to forget anything. It was an elective subject, but it could always help his average if he got good grades.

"Jerley, wake up, class is over," he whispered while moving him a little.

He opened one eye followed by another and looked around before letting out a yawn.

"Can you send me photos of what the professor went over, please?"

Eley nodded and they both left. Jerley was taller than him, so his steps were longer. He was one of the well-known Alphas at the university, but there were many more and, as usual, many Omegas and even Betas liked him.

"I heard some are going to the bar for drinks, are you going?" asked Jerley as they walked down the hallway.

He looked at Eley walking beside him and looked down to see him shrug. An expected response.

"Honestly, none of them are my friends, so I doubt it."

"I'm going, you can come with me, no problem. I can introduce you to other friends."

"No thanks, too many Alphas, I'll pass on that."

"I see, that's what you always say, but it's not like they could force you into anything, right?"

Eley looked up and saw his intense eyes examining him. He knew it was about the pheromones, as they didn't affect Betas and couldn't be forced into sex or into heat.

The redhead just smiled.

"Actually, no, I think I'll go. What time are you going?"

"I'll be there around eleven, do you want me to pick you up?"

Eley immediately shook his head, as the mere thought of an Alpha picking him up at his house would make his father go crazy and believe a wedding was approaching.

"I'll get there myself, I have to do something first."

They both nodded and went their separate ways, as the only place they shared was on Wednesdays in art classes.

When the night came, Eley let out a sigh and just stood up to leave the house. He had been studying a bit for some tests, but he thought maybe a distraction wouldn't be so bad. When he left his room, he bumped into his twin brothers. They talked a bit and cheered him on. When they ran into their father, they helped Eley get out peacefully because of all the questions he asked and how harassing he could be. The moment he crossed the door and was free, his brothers gave him a thumbs up and he gave them a smile. They also had red hair, but their eyes were black. They were good to him and always took great care of him.

He knew his brothers had no problems with his father and that he even loved them more, but his brothers never treated him badly or made him feel miserable like him. The times he heard his father and brothers argue about him were almost countless. And his mother didn't do much. She was Omega just like him, so his father had control of the whole house and what happened. He was the one who decided on everything that was done and what wasn't.

As he walked slowly, he listened to music with his headphones. He watched the night and couldn't help but think that it was beautiful. The stars were clearly visible and the moon shone brightly. He saw some girls walking on the corner of the block and couldn't help but think about the fact that he didn't have many friends. Basically, it was just Jerley and Cheng, a friend who was Beta. With him, he spent more time, but at nights he was always busy because he worked, so they only saw each other at the university and some weekends. And, of course, Cheng also knew he was Omega, otherwise, they wouldn't be best friends.

When he arrived at the meeting place, it was quite crowded. There were many college guys and girls. He felt the smell of pheromones suddenly, but he was so used to it that he just ended up entering. He looked around, but didn't see Jerley anywhere and just took a seat at the bar to wait for him to arrive. He watched the people inside, but didn't know anyone.

He sent him a brief message, although he got no response and assumed he might be busy. He ordered a glass of juice because he didn't plan to drink that night, he just wanted to have a little fun to relieve some stress and nothing more.

Suddenly, he noticed that everything went quiet. He blinked a couple of times and looked over his shoulders because everyone had stopped talking all of a sudden. He thought a fight was about to start or that even someone had fainted, but it wasn't any of that. When he looked at the entrance, he saw a guy walk in. He didn't know who he was, since it was only his first year at university and he didn't know anyone, so he just looked ahead and ignored everything that happened. He checked his phone, but Jerley was still out of touch.

He let out a sigh and thought about just leaving because he had been waiting for almost twenty minutes, but he stopped when he saw the guy sit down beside him out of the corner of his eye. For a second, his blood froze because it was an imposing presence and it was enough to know that he was a dominant Alpha. He felt his body shake and feel a little strange, so he was unable to move due to a slight fear that ran down his spine. He heard him order a glass of liquor and gathered the strength to drink the rest of his glass of juice.

"Having a bad night?" asked the guy serving the drinks.

He was Beta, friendly and maintained a nice smile.

Eley looked at him thinking he had made a big mistake in talking to him, but, although he had a serious face and the clear desire to want to hit and break everything, he responded kindly to say:

"It's all crap. This place smells awful."

The Omega remained silent the whole time and was just looking for the first chance to escape, but then he felt the Alpha's gaze and tensed up. He swallowed hard and didn't know what to do.

"Are you Beta?" he heard him ask.

He knew his pheromones wouldn't come out, that they were controlled, but, despite that, he felt afraid to look up and see him.

And he was astonished.

His hair was black and curly to almost his shoulders. It was a few centimeters longer than Eley's, but that wasn't what amazed him the most, but the fact that his eyes were two colors. The right one was as blue as the sea, the other one as green as the most beautiful emerald in the world and he swallowed saliva with difficulty. His heart raced because he was the most handsome Alpha he had ever seen. And, with difficulty, he responded:

"Yes, I'm a Beta."

The Alpha stared at him for a few moments, gauging whether what he said held truth. He inhaled deeply a couple of times, but detected no scent at all, and so he relaxed.

He said nothing more and focused his gaze on his glass of liquor.

Eley couldn't help but watch him for a few more seconds, struck by his beauty, and then mentally chastised himself to snap out of it. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment. He attempted to rise to his feet, but then his legs failed to support him. He saw the ground rushing up towards his face, yet it never made contact. Blinking a couple of times, he then realized his right arm was being grasped. It wasn't harsh nor gentle, but simply matter-of-fact. Looking up, he met his attentive eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked the Alpha.

His body couldn't ignore the fact of the touch. The hand was large and his arm was slender, practically encircling it without any difficulty.

"Sorry, there's a lot of smoke in the air."

"Yeah, they fail to realize that some people don't enjoy smoking."

Eley said nothing. He just remained quiet, noticing the graver tone in his voice from the annoyance. He saw him clench his jaw tightly but he didn't use that strength to keep gripping his arm.

"Are you from the downtown university?"

"Yes."

"Really?" asked the Alpha, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

The Omega just nodded.

"That's strange, I've never seen you around, and I've been there two years."

"I'm... it's my first year," he whispered.

The other man nodded and went back to sipping from his glass.

"I'm Lukyan, and you?"

"Eley, but I have to go now," he announced, standing up.

He moved swiftly. All the way to the door, he felt the Alpha's gaze on him and he wasn't wrong. Lukyan had been watching the whole time, curious about everything. Not just the fact that he was at the same university, but also that he was too cute to be a Beta. He'd met many Betas in his life, both girls and boys, and none had been like him. His red hair looked soft at a glance, as did his skin. His body was slender, and he was shorter, with Lukyan nearing six-foot-three.

He downed the rest of his drink and ordered another, continuing to imbibe while ignoring the discussions about him. He began breathing through his mouth only, finding the pheromones in the environment revolting.

Eley stopped at the corner because his heart was racing. He pressed his hand against his chest to feel its rapid pulse. Short of breath and feeling dizzy, he thought how the Alpha hadn't done anything yet somehow his mere presence had caused so much turmoil within him. He swallowed and continued walking. At the red light, he stopped to message Jerley to say he'd waited but couldn't anymore due to a last-minute issue. There was no reply to his messages.

He stood waiting for a taxi; it was too late for buses to still be running. Seating himself, he thrust hands into his pockets as the cold began to set in. He thought of calling Alay or Ilay, his twin brothers, for a pickup but decided it wasn't that serious. A taxi ride wouldn't be the end of the world and he sat, patient. When he saw a taxi come by, he stood up, but it was full and didn't stop.

With a sigh, he sat back down.

"It's hard to get them to stop," he heard a voice behind him and looked over his shoulder.

On seeing him, Eley stood abruptly and stepped back.

He stared for a few seconds, but the other man did nothing except lean casually against the corner with his arms crossed over his chest. Eley swallowed, trying to appear calm though it was an effort. The man wore an open black coat, a sweater underneath, combat boots, and jeans.

"Yes, I've noticed. I think I better walk."

He moved past him, the scent of his cologne briefly raising goosebumps on his skin.

"Am I frightening you?" he heard him ask and stopped.

He knew he had to appear strong and resolute.

"Why would you frighten me? It's not like you could force me to have sex with you," he said, turning with a smile to add, "or could you?"

The Alpha watched him for a few gravely seconds, a silent reminder that he was a Beta and didn't care about Alpha status.

"You're right," said Lukyan. "So, may I walk with you? I'm headed that way too."

"Sure, but don't think about trying anything. I'm not interested in Alphas. Especially ones like you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Like me?"

"Yes, egotistical and... dominant. I prefer Omegas."

"Well, I loathe Omegas," the Alpha released, his voice laced with unmistakable distaste.

Eley maintained his composure, saying nothing more, simply nodding and turning on his heel to walk on. Hands in pockets, he stepped out, not bothering to look back but heard the Alpha's footsteps drawing close.

Walking alongside him, the disparity in their height was apparent. He thought of running away, yet kept calm and walked normally. However, in his mind, he couldn't stop replaying the way the last words were said with palpable vitriol, not mere dislike. Those words carried sheer disgust, and the earnestness in his expression affirmed it was no joke. Lukyan detested Omegas, as much as he scorned Alphas.

They walked two blocks in silence, simply one beside the other, slowly and at ease, until Lukyan spoke:

"What's your area of study?"

"Telecommunications and yours?"

"Economics," he replied, stopping at another traffic light.

"Great, sounds like you'll have a secure job and nothing to worry about."

"Actually, no. I'm studying it out of necessity, not desire."

Eley gave him a quick glance and tipped his head back due to his height, observing a face shadowed by those words.

"Why? To study something you dislike seems torturous."

"Because my family wanted it, and I live to please them," he replied, turning his face away.

The Omega saw his heterochromatic eyes, felt their danger, and his own smallness, so he slowly lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I see. Sorry about that. Alphas often have to carry on the family legacy. A burdensome task."

Lukyan said nothing, though he agreed, but found it odd that a Beta would say that as if he knew the weight of it. Curiosity piqued, he glanced at him. His clothing wasn't cheap yet not extremely expensive either. He deduced he might be a Beta from an Alpha family. A gust stirred his red hair, and the aroma of his cologne joined the scent of his shampoo and soap, sweet yet distinctive.

"You said it, not me."

Eley just nodded.

"So why don't you like Omegas?"

"A long and tedious story, not fit for tonight," he said.

"Yes, you're right. Besides, I'm a stranger. Sometimes I ask things without thinking, sorry."

"Then, so as to become more than strangers, we'll have to keep talking, don't you think?"

Eley lifted his gaze. He saw the other man watching him with a smile, blinked several times, feeling his heart race again. For a moment, he thought he could drown in that smile.

He then remembered the tale his grandmother used to tell of finding one's fated Alpha, that his heart would race first to show he was the one awaited. And he thought his heart must be mistaken, for it could not choose an Alpha who despised Omegas.