Omegan population has fizzled out in recent times due to the savagery of the dark ages in wolf history. A Succession crisis in the werewolf royal line and political infighting within the elder council plunged the wereworld into chaos. Alpha packleaders around the world in the absence of a higher authority started implementing their own will with impunity. Omegas were kidnapped from their pack and forced into mating to satiate demonic alphas. Most gruesome kidnapping was in Italy where an Omegas upper body was found in a state of inexpressible distress full of bites and marked showing signs of forced copulation but the lower half of the body was never found. Such incidences caused the imposition of new rules against Omegas, including restricting their mobility and reproductive rights. Where earlier Omegas could access abortion they no longer could, as mates wanted to get as many pups as they could before the Omega fell prey to kidnappers. Omegas also had to keep track of their fertility windows and forced to wear neck collars to prevent them from being marked even if captured. This period also saw the publishing of controversial and unscientific pamphlets espousing a gender hierarchy that flowed from Alphas to Omegas. Most notorious being "Omega Commandments" a 200 page document delineating the expectations and treatments of Omega wolves. It supported tying them up in closed rooms where they couldn't be reached by no one but their Alpha, marrying them off early, preventing access to education or independence to them and perhaps the most egregious one that disobedient Omegas be given severe punishments for the minutest of transgressions. Largely written by Alphas, it freed Alphas from all accountability for their barbaric actions but put the blame squarely on Omegas and their animalistic urges. Werewolves are as much slaves to their nature as their will is weak. Weaker the will more feral the wolf. So werewolves can control their behaviour but choose not to. Omega life expectancy dropped rapidly due to lack of nutrition or care afforded to them as they were seen of little value than being concubines. From comprising one-third of a pack they came down to less than 1%.
Despite the installation of a new Wolf King, irreparable damage had been done to wolf culture across the globe which refused to shed off the vicious practices it had picked up. It was silently endorsed by the Monarchy which did little to prevent it from being codified into morality. Ill-treatment of Omegas was wholly ignored and authorities largely engaged in victim blaming and slut-shaming them for actions committed by Alphas/Betas. Soon it became disreputable for an Alpha to beget an Omega child, who were seen as a disgrace to the wolf kind. Omega infanticide spread through the community like wildfire. Cruel irony being that just centuries prior they had denied the right to abort to Omegas, under the guise of 'protecting the pups' but now had no problem doing exactly what they campaigned against.
Omegas all but disappeared from the world. Parents who begot Omega children and wanted to keep them had to resort to being rogues and leave their pack behind. This was another blow to the Omegas image which was then irrevocably intertwined with rogues who are so unfairly hated in the wolf world. This confluence of bigotry, hatred, facade of propriety and complete lack of accountability created the perfect tempest eradicating Omegas from the world.
At the time of writing this book only 36 recorded Omegas remain according state records but the number maybe even lower as most of them are rogues who live precarious and dangerous lives. Although retrospective movements aimed at getting Omegas right exist, the lack of a large enough stakeholder base allows conservatives to deem their demands as vapid. Will there come a renaissance for Omegas? This author sadly believes there will not.
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Jai's POV
I could feel the panic rise as my arms and feet started flapping around like a dying chicken. My nose burned from all the water I had inhaled. I tried moving around and finally reach the surface.
I emerged from the lake in one swift move gasping for air. My torn up t shirt now hung in tatters around my waist. My jeans was wet all the way through so my phone was ruined as well. Bro Chanyeol will have to buy me a new one I'm so serious like. He couldn't have carefully placed me in the forest when we were out of the café?
But when I saw Chanyeol lying breathless against a tree groaning in pain my anger evaporated. He was putting pressure on the side of his neck to stop the blood which had already ironed most of his white buttoned down a deep crimson. His eyes were closed as he was probably directing his healing powers.
"Channie you are hurt" I said as I tried to reach for him.
"DON'T. STAY BACK JAI" He angrily growled at me while baring his canines at me to scare me off. His eyes which now carried an especially painful expression we're having a paralysing effect on me.
He had used his Alpha voice to keep me in place. It was filling me with dread as I felt like I was falling from a high building into a black hole. I started shivering, not from the cold but the sheer panic and fear that now ran wild in my veins.
I have never seen Channie this angry. I'm a bad Omega.
Tears started flowing from my eyes but I bit my lip to stop myself from sobbing. My balled fists by my side shook in fear, trepidation, shame and anger. Channie was hurt and it was all my fault. He will probably hate me forever. He just called me Jai and he never calls me Jai.
Nyx stop putting all these thoughts in my head.
"I'm sorry." Nyx replied, while full on crying. He was scared. I doubt he'd ever want to project ever again even with Sameer. I can't blame the guy, tonight was traumatising.
Sometimes when things get especially stressful usually the separation between Nyx's emotions and thoughts and mine erodes involuntarily causing them to mix. Then even if I don't feel what he's feeling, I can't help but act like I was.
Like right now my mind was focused on trying to help Chanyeol any way we can but Nyx was just heartbroken that we'd made Alpha angry. His overbearing fear was magnifying the effect Chanyeol's Alpha voice was having on me.
Nyx calm down. Please do it for Channie we need to help him right?
Yes. Nyx agreed even though he was crying a god damn Nile.
I could feel Chanyeol's breathing calm down and groaning stop. He stood up, his legs wobbled a bit as he gained his posture but found composure soon enough. He opened his beautiful black eyes and gave me a reassuring dimpled smile.
"Sorry about that OJ. Come here" he said opening his arms to me, beckoning me to fall into them.
My body felt released from a bind as I ran towards him. He tried to engulf me in his arms but I brushed the hug aside to check his neck. The slash was no longer bleeding but was still fresh and needed attention. I left my bag in the Cafe else I could've given him some Neem to help sanitise it.
I started wordlessly opening his shirt to check for othe injustices. It was bloody crimson so he had to have more cuts he's bleeding from.
"Woah woah OJ slowdown I thought you had a boyfriend" he chuckled while pulling me toward him with the waistline of my drenched jeans.
"I'm checking you for injuries you Nympho" Goddess I wanted to slap him silly right now.
"I'm fine"
"Then shut up and let me look"
I saw checked his pecs and abs for cuts but there weren't any. His back was clean as well. This was confusing how come he had almost no cuts beyond that one at the neck but such massive red stains on his shirt.
Then it dawned upon me.
"ALL THIS IS THE BETA'S BLOOD?"
He shrugged and threw me a dimpled smile as he kissed my cheek. I hadn't realised it but in wanting to check his back I had wrapped my legs around his torso and was practically sitting in his lap. On his end, he made sure to close any space between us by wrapping me tightly in his arms.
"Channie stop." I held my ground firmly.
The smile dropped from his gorgeous face and he loosened his grip. I slipped from his lap and sat in front of him. His gaze was cast at a piece of weed growing near my feet and he looked so upset.
I held my hand to the side of his face and massaged his temple to calm him down. I didn't want him to feel bad or break his heart especially when he's done so much to save me tonight. He grabbed my hand and started kissing it. Over the knuckles and the palm. As much as I've always loved it when he did that, that one annoying voice was nagging me. No not Nyx (who just had fainted from exhaustion at this point.) but something else.
Conscience.
"Channie..I'm sorry but.."
"I like you Jai."
Channie.
"I mean I've always liked you but I underestimated just how much. Watching you in distress something came over me like I just wanted to keep you with me forever. I hate the way those Wolves were touching you. Like it was pissing me off." He growled the last part.
I'm going to hell for sure.
I'm about 90% sure that this was the effect of the projection. I mean Channie and I have always been close and had feelings for each other but when I told him about Sameer the other day he seemed fine. And Channie isn't someone who can hide what he feels. He will say whatever is on his mind and that's what I love about him the most. The transparency. Clearly even now he was vocalising what he felt even though he was unsure about it.
As I was lost In thought he ran his hand across my bare chest, trailing down my pecs brushing his fingers against my midriff. I stared at him with a puzzled look.
"Sorry. I don't know why I just did that. You just look so..."
"Eager and Beautiful?" I helped him reach the words.
"Exactly! So eager and beautiful and...mine" he said as his eyes flashed bright yellow and his canines extended.
Im sorry Channie this is for your benefit.
Saying this prayer I gave him the tightest slap I could muster with my palms. The sound reverberated through the forest sending birds flying in the air. In Hindi, there is a saying "you hit someone so hard that you send parrots flying". I embodied that perfectly as an angry red print materialised on his left cheek.
"Ow..mmhph" Chanyeol whimpered and but his lip. His nose twitched again as he looked up to make eye contact with me. His eyes were still glowing yellow, not only that he seemed to have fallen deeper into the projection. He flexed his muscles and gave me the most spine chilling smile I had ever seen. He wasn't the handsome warm Alpha I knew, he was emanating waves of arousal.
Shit.
"Who knew little OJ had that much gas in the tank?" He said before he swept my legs from under me, making me fall on my back with a thud. Anticipating my resistance he brought down his knee on my chest and held my arms in place using his strong palms.
Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck
"Chanyeol listen to me. You need to stop"
"On the contrary. I think I need to teach a bratty Omega a lesson"
"Chanyeol listen please don't do this" I was downright begging at this point. This predicament was beyond terrifying. If Chanyeol couldn't control himself right now, the results could be disastrous and he'll do something he'll regret.
"Aah yes. Beg OJ." He said veering dangerously close to my neck. "Act like a brat then beg knowing well enough Alpha cannot resist your begging"
I swallowed again feeling the panic spread through my body. My breathing was running at 100 mph. Then suddenly something clicked.
"Chanyeol why did you throw me in the water?"
"Huh?"
"You threw me into the water. Why?"
"I don't...remember?" He got up with a furrowed brow genuinely puzzled at why?
"Yes you do! Think why would you do that?"
"You were smelling so good. Like lavender and wet clay. But I didn't want you near me." He cocked his head in clear confusion.
"Yes you didn't. Why is that Channie?"
"Because I...I didn't want to mark you. And I didn't think I could control myself" he whispered as a wave of realisation came crashing onto him, causing his eyes to return to their original colour.
His heartbeat steadied and his scent returned to his usual cold metallic one.
"OJ what's going on why do I have my knee on you chest?"
He's back thank God.
Like I said Channie vocalised a lot of his feelings and thought process. So if I could make him rationalise his actions by trapping him in conversation, his human part would get more engaged granting him control over his wolf, Zzar. It was a long shot but thankfully it worked.
"Nothing we were just wrestling" did he really not remember?
"Why were we wrestling? I could've really hurt you. Why would I wrestle you?"
"I said Taylor Swift is overrated."
"Oh makes sense. You probably deserved the knee to the chest" he nodded knowingly fully convinced that it makes sense.
I'm a little bit gagged that this actually worked.
"Wait but I remember I carried you here. Why were we talking about Taylor Swift? Wait are u hurt?" He looked at me with panic and concern.
"I'm fine. Yeah it's just a blur to me too. Something about the Lunar Rock being in phase."
That's not even a thing. What even is that?
"Oh ok" he ran his hand through his hair and got up to dust himself off. He didn't want any more explanation.
Channie you're really naieve you know that?
"Let me drop you home?" He asked.
"We need to take you to the hospital first" I said getting up and grabbing my phone from the bushes nearby