✨Her Essence✨

1: The Omega

Why are we born different?

Why are some werewolves born to be alphas, betas, or omegas?

This is a question I have been asking myself since the day I learned that the kind of werewolf you are determines how you will be treated. Alphas are regarded as superior and treated with respect, no matter their age. Betas, though not as high in rank as alphas, are treated almost just as well. The lowest in the chain are the omegas, that is where I fall into. We barely receive any respect from our superiors, and sadly, they are allowed to get away with it.

Only a few omegas make it to the top, and dine with Alphas... but the moment they get to the top, they become heartless and treat the rest of us with contempt, forgetting that they were once like us.

My name is Lana, and I am eighteen years old. I am a member of the Blue-Moon pack as well as the daughter of Francie; My mother is the overall chef of the pack and I am training to become just like her. This is my path, and I must follow, 'because nothing good ever comes out of the omegas'. That is what I am always told.

I don't attend school, all the education I require is in the kitchen with my mom. I barely see my dad except at night, because he spends all day running errands for the Alpha.

Right now, I am helping my mom with dinner. She is making rice with chicken and salad for the pack, and I am prepping the veggies for the salad. I don't even remember the veggies' names, so much for being a chef in training.

The kitchen is quite spacious, with cabinets nailed to the wall, an island in the middle, and has everything needed to run a smooth kitchen. There is a double window facing the sink and overlooking the tennis court outside the pack-house. My mom has managed to keep everything in perfect shape for years, I hope I can do the same. But it is challenging enough to not stain the white wall with hot sauce any chance I get.

"Chop chop!!! Lana be fast with that... there's more to get done!" My mom start to rush me like many times before.

"Yes, mom" I answer and increase my speed. My arms hurt, but I can't complain. A sudden feeling of fatigue overwhelmed me, it was as though I couldn't breathe. I held myself from falling because honestly, my mom wouldn't care.

Suddenly, I felt someone shove me from behind. This was followed by a series of tingles on my skin and an intoxicating scent. I knew who it was.

"Get out of my way!!" He ordered, even though the kitchen is big enough for more than twenty people.

"I'm sorry, alpha"  I move closer to the counter and 'out of his way'. His arm slightly brushed over my back as he walked past me.

He is Jace, the young son of alpha Richard, the leader of our pack. Jace is in training to follow in his father's footsteps.

I watched Jace grab an apple from the island and take a big bite out of it. Three other boys run into the kitchen as well and grab any food items they can find in the fridge. From milk to bread, even sardines... Eww. They are all friends, not the same rank; two of them are betas while the remaining one is a delta.

"Sorry for disrupting your work, Francie, we were really hungry." Explained Bret, the beta's son. He acknowledged my mom and me while the rest didn't care. "We went hunting in our wolf form, and now, our human bodies are super tired and hungry"

"No problem, sir" My mom answered with her head bowed. We are not to make eye contact with our superiors but I often disobey this rule when I can. I have seen the color of Jace's eyes...grey. He has a well-sculpted face, a square chin, and brown, buzz-cut hair. His deep voice matches his appearance. He is every girl's fantasy... but as for omegas like me, we can only dream. Alphas like him go for powerful females with whom they can breed powerful cubs.

"Lana!!! I told you to be fast with that cabbage!"

"Oh, sorry mom" I didn't realize that I was daydreaming again about Jace. Thankfully, he cannot read minds or he would have known what I was thinking.

The boys left the kitchen and an hour later, we served dinner. As always, my mom and I stand by the dining table as they eat. All the omegas eat in the quarters. It's always fun! With the feast prepared by my mom, we eat to our satisfaction and listen to random stories. Being an omega is not so bad... sometimes.

After dinner, I go to lie down in the room I share with another omega, Talia. When I felt an abrupt pain in my chest. It isn't the first time I felt this, but I cannot explain it. The pain surges through my body for almost an hour until it stops.

Why do I always feel this pain?

***

"Come back with the groceries quick!" My mother's warning voice rang in my head as I made my way back from the grocery store, which is a long walk from the pack house. I pass a couple of my friends on the way. We exchange greetings and I continued down the tarred road, admiring the green vegetation covering the hills on either side of the road.

Do you know what would be exciting? Taking the shortcut! I haven't done that in a while, but the least I can do is have a little fun since I am always cooked up in the kitchen all day long.

I follow my sick desire for some adventure and take the path through the woods. Feeling like Little Red Hood, except that I wasn't wearing a red hood, just plain old blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and worn-out sneakers.

The woods are hunting grounds for the alphas and betas. Omegas only got the chance to hunt once in a blue moon, and that is when there were no alphas in sight.

I take the path formed by trees and shrubs blessed with abundant green leaves thanks to the rain. I pick up a daisy and sniff it. "Such a beauty"  I admired it as I walked further into the woods.

"Omega!" A growl reverberated from behind me.

I halted in my tracks, stupefied by fear. Slowly, I turned back. But before I could get a glimpse of what that was, I felt sharp claws strike me on my chest. And the next thing I saw was the wet ground as I fell to it.