DC Universe owns all rights to Teen Titans.

oOo

The small storage room was cold. Beyond the racks of extra restaurant supplies that kept the closet crowded, was the large meat locker directly opposite the door into the restaurant. Fried Chinese veggie rolls perforated through air. The sound of the cooks scrapping and banging pots was barely muffled through the closed door.

Garfield Logan placed another card down on the table. They were playing with pennies, keeping the mood light with root beer and chips. He'd met Price online and though the friendship wasn't an immediate thing, the more they talked, the more he found he had something in common with another person outside the day to day heroic bond he had with his team. He liked having someone to talk to who didn't know his history, or even his alternate identity.

Price studied him for a moment before putting his cards face up on the table, spread out. "I'm out."

There was a surge of happiness in winning a round, though there wasn't more than twenty cents in the middle of the table, mostly pennies and a nickel. Price had been teaching him to play poker for the better part of a month now. His friend was three years older and just starting university. The older boy dressed like a hipster, shaggy face and hair. His black hair was down to his chin, somewhat stringy. Despite his looks, he was clean.

Price caught him staring as he shuffled the cards and threw him a sideways smile. "Are you worried since you haven't presented yet?"

"Dude, totally not a concern," and it wasn't.

Everyone in both Teen Titan Towers was alphas. The entire Justice League was alphas. Every superhero was an alpha. So he hadn't presented yet. Omegas were nearly obsolete. There just weren't very many, and though there were rumors that a lot of omegas fled to some mystically hidden island, there really just weren't more than a handful of omegas born a year. Betas, on the other hand, were plenty, and they weren't superheroes…. The villains weren't betas. It took an alpha to fight an alpha and he's fought a lot. He could carry his own weight in battle. He was totally alpha.

Price raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to make a friendly wager on that?"

Garfield shifted uncomfortably. His skills at 'gambling' were getting better, but he wasn't sure this was what one would call a friendly wager. Not that he doubted he was an alpha… the doubt wasn't there at all… okay, maybe a fraction of a doubt, so small it was a fracture… well, maybe the doubt was a little more than a fracture, but he never really thought about it, because he kicked alpha butt, so he HAD to be an alpha. "I don't get it. What would be on the table?"

Price's smile grew wider. "If you win, money, if I win, I get to bite you."

Garfield shifted really uncomfortable now. He sized up Price. The older boy was scrawny next to the people he was used to getting in scuffles with. His teeth were white, strong, perfectly aligned; not sharp, but he was a beta and betas didn't use their teeth to bond. "So I can walk around with a huge hickey on my neck. No thank you. Besides, it's getting late."

"Well, if you ever want to find out, you can always come to me. It's not like I'll do anything one way or the other about it," Price said. He acted and smelled like a beta. Betas were not threats.

"I want dinner first," Garfield joked, though panic was starting to ease bitterly through his chest. He'd thought a lot about this for the better part of a year, had been up many a night wondering why he was now seventeen, nearly eighteen and hadn't presented. He'd get way stronger; have better hearing, eye sight and strength. He'd be able to know things, like the others did.

But he wasn't beta, he knew that. In his heart, he wasn't docile like them. And a Beta biting him? It was funny to think he'd put his fate in the hands of a beta… but who better, if it was going to happen, shouldn't it be with someone who he could easily overpower, push down and run from? Run? That wasn't a very superhero way of doing things, but if he was omega… no, he wasn't.

He stood and stretched, taking comfort in the pull of his muscles, knowing that they were there and that he was strong, solid and could take care of himself. "Say I actually let you do this, what's supposed to happen?"

"It might kick start your body into presenting. Either you'll kick my butt as an alpha and feel the need to prove yourself, or you'll be omega and…" he trailed off, and then cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. "Don't you know anything about this? They have classes in school that you start taking in the fourth grade."

Garfield snorted, his good nature bubbling back up despite the lingering tension in his chest. Price hit a sore spot with him, something he tried very hard to keep buried. "Look at me. Do you really think I've ever been to a public school? I've been home schooled." And those classes were replaced with physical education. He had no interest in them, had never once thought about it in all honesty. He'd never doubted he'd be alpha. His entire team treated him like he was, in the training hall and in the tower. He was one of them, just not presented yet.

"So you don't know anything, about any of this?" Price asked, dubious.

Heat rose up the back of Garfield's neck. Why would he blush about his ignorance on the subject? Why was this subject even coming up? It'd never been important. People were alpha or beta and he was a fighter. He was definitely alpha even if he wasn't showing signs yet. No sweat. No pressure. It wasn't like an actual test he had to study to pass. He had this.

"I'll call you after I thought about it," Garfield said. "But for the record, I'm soooo not worried about this."

When he stepped out of the little room and into the kitchen, the cooks were too busy to notice him. He often wondered how Price secured the room when he was obviously not part of the family owned restaurant. It was a small detail, one that he was sure Robin would've looked into a long time ago, but he wasn't Robin, he didn't have trust issues. He crossed to the back of the kitchen that led into an alley behind the restaurant.

Once outside, his heart once again started racing. What if he didn't have this? What if he was an omega? He'd be one of nearly a dozen that were exposed each year. No, he wouldn't be exposed if Price was the one to test his aspects. Price was a friend, he wouldn't tell anyone and that would give him a chance to think…

Which he wouldn't have to do, because he was sooo not beta or omega. He was definitely alpha.

So why was he still sweating and nervous?

oOo

The door clicked behind the young man, merely a child still and if he was an omega, he'd always be considered a child, something small and fragile needing to be protected. At first, Price had been warned before he'd been contracted for the job, that he'd be dealing with someone different. He didn't realize how different they were talking about. The pale green tint to the teen's skin was unusual and no way at all could've been a tattoo. It was too thorough even down to the depths of his pointed elf-like ears. Garfield had pine green hair, soft and was growing long enough to curl around the edges of his ears. His eyes were emerald green, catching the dim light overhead and sparkling in magnitude. His fingers were long, like a surgeon's, and his neck swan-like and almost delicate. Despite his age, he was muscular, or as muscular as his body type would allow more like a runner or swimmer, something smooth and graceful that curved the body's angles just right.

Price held his breath to wait for the tiniest details to change about the room, signaling that he wasn't alone. They never came. The masked man was able to sneak in every time. The details of his features were hidden behind the expressionless mask, but he was tall, and broad, giving off an alpha air. The pheromones, he couldn't smell, but no doubt the alpha was giving them off.

"Good work, Price. Now convince him to let you be the one to do it, right here in this room," the masked man said.

"I looked him up. You're having me mess with a Teen Titan which isn't cool. I don't want to be in the invited to that party when they realize someone's sniffing around their teammate."

"You shouldn't have gone looking into it, Price. Curiosity killed the cat."

The threat made his skin crawl. Instead of looking at the man, he looked at the corner of the room where one of the cameras he knew for sure, was placed. "I'll see what I can do."

Every alpha wanted the legendary omega, a species that might as well be as elusive as the proverbial unicorn, given that there were only twenty registered omegas in the city and less than five hundred in the world.