Meg's POV
"What do you want- omega?" Chris spits out at me, his mouth twisting in a snarl. Chris is a gamma, and his power gets to his fathead sometimes. No, he isn't overweight, he's just stupid. Gammas are in line for beta-ship, so they hold power in their aura.
Alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, and then omega, in that order. A luna rules by the alpha's side.
The alpha holds the highest rank of all, and nobody questions his leadership. In some packs, some individuals attempt to take on leadership roles, and a fight to the death ensues. Most of the time, the alpha wins and either kills the attempted mutineer or expels him from the pack, as the act of defiance can never be forgiven.
Exile is better than death. You will then be a rogue- a wolf without a pack. Defenceless as your family has the choice of leaving the pack with you and being out of the protection of their pack and alpha, or they can choose to stay within the pack and sever ties with you.
Beta is the next alpha chosen by the alpha himself. In our case, Beta Will who is older than Alpha Soren because the beta served the alpha before him. Alpha Soren's father, Elias. Beta is only alpha after the death of the leader. However, this is void if the alpha has a kid who is strong enough to go up against the beta.
Gammas are the pack warriors but are more in leadership positions of the warriors. Generals, if you will. Deltas and Epsilon are the fighters, Deltas being stronger than the latter. Some humans that turn- yes- some humans can survive werewolf venom and become werewolves themselves are epsilon. The stipulation is that since they are not natural werewolves, they tend to be on the weaker side.
But get this- not even weak as omegas and epsilon could participate in fights if the pack warriors needed more members. Never omegas can be selected. Too weak. We are basically walking brittle bones on the field.
Zetas are the old members of the pack. They tend to do things like teaching the younger ones about pack rules and such. They rarely fight and are considered the wisest since they have the wisdom of time and experience. Veterans are often called upon by the alphas to seek counsel and whom I could have gone to seek advice from, had the baby not been the alpha's.
Omegas- well, you already know about me and my housemates.
Chris, Max, Luthor and Lana are all gammas- there are exactly fifteen here in the yard currently- there are more, but they are quite possibly all in their own houses by now after their hard day of checking the perimeter of our territory. These four that remained here stayed back to do something else.
I am aware of these things because I used to have nothing really going on for me besides this. After the three nights of the full moon, which was two nights back, the beta and gammas accompany the alpha to our boundary to mark the territory, as the full moon is significant to us werewolves.
The alpha has to put his scent on the borders to prohibit stray wolves from coming in. Conspicuous locations are chosen where the odour is easily detectable even to a human nose, but it's a warning to other werewolves as a way of communicating with them by the simple statement- this land is defended.
Marking the lands is something similar to what regular 'wild wolves do' except in our human world, we do not k*ll just for trespassing on our lands- it is considered as a threat, however. And most times, the culprit is warned off, or if a resistance is put up-, then cages it is.
Human or hybrid. Werewolves take their laws very seriously, and they are seldom ever broken.
Until they are convinced that they are in the wrong and promise never to trespass again... of course, I am putting it lightly.
"Easy there, Spikey," Lana chides Chris by calling him the pup from an old cartoon we used to look at that used to play on our local TV stations some years back. The pup was always one to annoy his uncle with his bragging skills. "Done with cleaning, or you didn't bother to show up again?" Lana, yes, the very same Lana whom my bestie is crushing on, jeers me, her hand on her waist while she stares me down. She is way taller than me- than most females and some guys.
Lowering my eyes is not something I am proud of doing, but I have learnt that it is best to do so in these situations to curb any additional taunts. I feel more than a bit disrespected by their words, but it's nothing untrue what they are saying. I am an omega, which is what they call me, and I do do the cleaning inside the packhouse.
Beta growls behind them, and they all lower their eyes as well. I smirk, but I keep my head down. Beta never pokes fun at anyone, and I fear for our pack if we lose him, but I will forever loathe him for how he marked me with the omega ink.
The gammas we have now are not what I would choose for my beta if I were pack leader, as I think they are too childish and green...little bullies they are, and they represent the pack.
"Go inside," Beta Will orders them, and the heavily covered tattoo, boots with jeans and t-shirt-wearing crew, including Beta, walks away himself after giving me a stern stare-down. I am left alone in the shadows once more because the alpha has gone to the back of the pack house where the cages are along with the others. This terrifies me, and I wonder if it's a warning to me because he watched me as he walked by.
If this was his way of letting me know that I was disrespectful for not showing up to work, and this is the next stage for me- the cages if I annoyed him more than I had. I admit it was wrong of me to not show up to work, but I mean, I was upset. Literally upset because of him on both ends. Upset because of how he treated me and upset because of the result of what was swimming in my belly- both because of him.
Granted, he had no idea, but well, he is about to know, isn't he?
The baby inside my belly is three months now, and I have to consider joining the clinic, Jax told me. I'd been under the impression that I would have been home and only go to the hospital when the child was ready to come out. I had even considered just joining the women's clinic as advised by the pack pharmacist who said I would talk to an obstetrician, and something about antenatal, alone. But when I went back to her, she apologised and said she thought I understood that what she said meant joining the clinic- just as Jax had stated. How naive I have been. To say I am pressed for time to inform the daddy is an understatement.
My unplanned plan had been to just go with the flow of things. Without telling anyone. I figured sooner or later everyone would know. I mean, it's not as if it's anyone's business if and who I was pregnant for. They would have just seen my belly growing rounder and rounder, and that was it.
They might ask questions about it, and I would ignore them. They would probably get mad at me for not answering what isn't their concern and go around gossiping and spreading lies about me as usual. This time, they would say things like, I was a sl*t that didn't know who my child's father is because I slept with too many men. They might even go further to say the baby was a human's one.
But what do I care if such things are said.
I mean, it's not like I have parents to embarrass with this, 'without-my-mate', child. Yes, very near taboo as humans think of an unwed mother. I even considered moving out of the pack and into the human world, where bastards were accepted as a norm.
But Red prevented it. With sensible talks. Okay, so I can get a job as a housekeeper with an actual salary, then what? Rent, food, baby stuff. Not to mention my entire weak aura would be like cocaine to advantageous males, and all with the wrong intentions.
Hybrids are attractive to natural humans and imagine a vulnerable one such as myself. A magnet. I'm better off here.
If harm comes to his baby, the alpha might rip the humans apart. Red could sense that wolves are fiercely protective of young ones and were worse that way when it came to their offspring. They go feral if harm comes to them, plus I had overheard some stories from other wolves when they were casually talking, paying no mind to me because I am an omega.
Human and hybrid relations that resulted in a child being borne and after that moon mates were found, had a bunch of commotion. Custody battles here and torn families there because a moon mate match can never be ignored.
The pull is too strong. After all, they were a match chosen by the Gods themselves. But Jax told me there are cases where the bond was rejected, but the result was death.
But my baby is not part human, is it?
"Is my dinner ready?" I hear gruffly beside me, minutes later, and my body jolts for it's the alpha. My head lowered because it was expected of me, squinting because the setting sun was now directly in my line of vision.
The beta is coming towards us now, and I frown, thinking of Jeb and if he has the food ready. Today is Tuesday, so it's Destiny and Lu on duty tonight. "Yes, Alpha," I answer in confidence, knowing that they never failed to prepare his meals on time. They would have prepped meals for the entire team out tonight, which he already knows, but I think he is doing it as a show for the beta and the others who could easily hear us.
"What about my shirts?" His tone is still steely.
"Washed Alpha," I lie because I have not been here. I wonder if the others did wash his clothing for him. My outside does not show it, but on the inside, I am near dying with shame. The father of my baby treats me like a servant.
Even with my limited thinking and experience, I know it's shameful.
"I'm sorry about what I did. Hitting is not something I value doing to a woman, but it was necessary, yes?" I know he is saying it for the beta's benefit, and my shame deepens, but I nod my head, my eyes burning. "Good. Are we going to disobey my orders again?
He turns to his beta, who pauses near me, his tone changing to accommodate the beta, "Will, why don't you head on inside? I'll join you shortly." He nods and heads to the pack house, metres away.
Raising my head, I meet my alpha's cowardly eyes.