So, this chapter actually wasn't supposed to be in this story. But it is. There may be a cameo from some characters that you may or may not recognize.
TV*JW TV*JW TV*JW
Alpha/Beta relations in the Middle Ages
by Tori Vega (age 13)
By the Medieval period, clans of alphas and their omega mates had parceled out the land into fiefdoms. The highest ranked alphas would swear lesser alphas into their service as knights. These lesser alphas managed the land that the betas worked.
Genetically, alpha-omega pairs most frequently give birth to other alphas and omegas, with alpha-beta and beta-omega pairs next likely, and beta-beta pairs least likely. In these fiefdoms the eldest male alpha would inherit. Other male alphas, including ones born into beta families, would form roving gangs, ravaging the countryside. Omegas were valuable for mating alliances between families. Betas born into ruling families would frequently become monks and nuns.
Male omegas were particularly valuable, because of sexism. Many powerful alpha males, like Alexander the Great, thought a woman's touch would weaken them in battle, and chose only to mate with male omegas. Alexander was considered strange though, because his main lover was another alpha, Hephaestion. Bagoas, a Persian male omega, bore many children who were said to be fathered by both men.
Alpha females, who are not obviously physically distinct from beta females, were not believed to exist. Those who sought out and mated with omegas were frequently considered succubi and put to death. Some historians believe that Queen Elizabeth I may have been an alpha female. As it was not expected for a supposed female beta to marry an omega - male or female -, Elizabeth did not have the opportunity to produce an heir.
This society was destabilized by population growth. Betas moved to cities when they were no longer needed to farm, and invented many things, beginning the industrial revolution. They also formed police organizations and swayed the alphas into placing restraints on the roving alpha bands. Instead, alphas would give their extra sons to the army and navy. As businesses began to prosper, alphas took an interest, and today many alphas are CEOs and politicians, though it is still possible for betas to compete.
The omega rights movement began when the pills for heat and birth control were developed. First used as a way to control wayward omegas, they soon became a way for omegas to control their own reproductive ability and their destiny. Though omegas rarely become business leaders, politicians or top actors, many find work in schools or as nurses or in minor roles in the arts. One day, we hope, omegas will be given equal chances to succeed and take their places in positions of power alongside alphas and betas equally.
TV*JW TV*JW TV*JW
The party was in one of the super big houses in the Hollywood hills. It wasn't like Jade's house, grim and topiaried. Instead it was all California flat roofs and windows. Kids, some Tori recognized and some she didn't, poured out of the doors and onto the lawn. A washtub of beer seemed to be hosting a game of floating beerpong, and the music, pounding base and sequenced dance patterns felt like it was going to shake down the neighborhood.
Tori stood outside awkwardly and texted Cat. In a few moments Cat burst out through the crowd and hugged Tori, nearly knocking her over. "You're here!"
"Yeah, Cat, I'm here."
"Hey Tori." Beck also emerged from the crowd of people, in his leather jacket, holding a plastic cup full of beer.
"Hey." Tori frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"
Beck laughed. "It's a party. What do you think?"
"But, Jade..."
"Jade hates parties. You wouldn't catch her dead here."
And yet she had paused, as if thinking it over, when Tori had asked her to come. It just seemed wrong that he would go out and have fun and just leave her to entertain herself. "It's friday night and you're not with your girlfriend? I don't know if this is gentlemanly, Beck," Tori sassed, trying not to sound too serious about it.
Cat giggled at her side.
"Hey, hey. I asked if she wanted to hang out, and she said she had something to do." Beck frowned. "Didn't you have something to do? Like detention?"
"Jade came and broke me out." Tori felt her cheeks grow hot at the admittance.
"Aww!" Cat squeezed her around the middle. "She really does like you!"
If anything, Tori's cheeks grew even hotter.
"Hmm," Beck wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, if my girlfriend stood me up for you, it's only fair that I get you for the rest of the night." He slung an arm over her shoulder, and Tori felt her alpha bristle. She clamped down on it. He was just being a friend. "Let's get you a beer."
The house was hot and close, so full of people and wired with hormones that it made it hard to breathe. The stench of sweaty teenagers, Axe and arousal didn't help. Tori had mostly stayed away from parties like this, or parties at all, after a girl went into heat at a sleepover, and Tori had nearly lost control. It was dumb luck that she had eaten a disgusting amount of greasy fried chicken that night, and the excitement, candy, and wild hormones had made her throw up. The host's parents had rounded her up and sent her home. But she was older and more mature now. She could handle it. Everyone else seemed to. And really, there were so many douchey alphas pushing their way through the crowd that any hot-to-knot omega that might show up would be surrounded before Tori did anything revealing.
They lost Cat to a Dragonette song on their way through the living room and then ducked into the kitchen. Beck reached for the keg.
"Is there soda or something?" asked Tori. Drinking lowered inhibitions. Even if it was doubtful anyone would even notice her in this crowd, she didn't need everything to blow up tonight.
"Uh, sure." Beck found a couple of half empty bottles of soda and poured out her pick.
"Thanks."
He gave her a smile that only made her a little fluttery. He was Jade's and off limits, but he was super nice. And, well, he was Jade's, which made him interesting. Jade seemed to like him. What made him so special? He was tall, and pretty, with a lot of hair. He would probably keep the hair. Alphas tended to male-pattern baldness more than betas.
"Hey, Beck."
Tori glanced up at the electric bristle up her back and glared at the huge alpha coming through the door.
"Hey, Doug."
The alpha, Doug, gave Tori something that was more of a leer than a smile. "Who's this? She's cute. Less of a crazy bitch than your other bitch?"
What? Bitch was a degrading word usually used for omegas, or anyone servile, and Tori liked being called it as little as she liked hearing anyone called it. And how dare he insult Jade when she wasn't even here. Fury like fire shot down her limbs. "You-" Tori tried to lunge at him, but Beck - almost reflexively - caught her before she could move more than an inch.
"This is my friend Tori Vega. She's new at HA."
"Your friend, eh?" Doug grinned. "Off limits then?"
"Off limits."
"Man, your bitch, Cat, and now this one. Soon you'll have all the hot girls off limits, Beck." Doug slugged him companionably on the shoulder and then sauntered off.
Tori jerked out of Beck's arm and spun on him. "I can take care of myself!"
"Hey!" Beck waved his hands in a calming fashion. "Don't get all riled up. That's just a running joke between me and Doug."
"A joke?"
"My big brother was like the top alpha around here for a while. I know them all pretty well, so they give me respect. I was just letting him know that you deserve respect too."
"Like 'your crazy bitch'?" Tori grimaced - actually bared her teeth - then pressed her lips together quickly. "How can you let them talk like that about her?"
"Um, because I like my head on my body? I'm friends with alphas, but I'm not one." Beck sighed. "Tor, it's just talk. They won't do anything to you or Jade. Alphas act like jerks, they feel like they have to prove who's on top all the time, so the competition is who's a bigger jerk, but that doesn't mean they're all like that."
"There's a fine line between acting like a jerk and being one."
"It's just the way things are," Beck said, shaking his head. "Sometimes you gotta act a certain way to survive. And, Tor, attacking someone three times your weight is not a good plan for survival. You and Jade," Beck shook his head, "you have no sense of self-preservation."
"Do you act like a jerk to survive?" Tori asked, huffing out her anger and trying to get the uncomfortable feeling of... what was it? territorial possessiveness? She hated feeling like this. Being an alpha sucked. And she was still pretty pissed.
"Betas have their own niche. Alphas act like jerks, so to make ourselves look hot in contrast, we like to play the nice-guy role."
"So that's an act too?"
"It's all an act." Beck eyed her. "You're kind of an act yourself."
Tori felt sick. Was she that obvious?
"But, the more you play the role the more natural it gets. Alphas who act like jerks all the time become jerks."
"And betas who act like nice guys become nice guys?"
Beck flashed another smile, but this one fell limply on Tori's lingering agitation.
"I suppose you'll find out."
TV*JW
They went and found Cat and Andre then, dancing in the middle of the living room, and joined them. Alphas wove in and out, grooving for a bit, grabbing girls who squealed in excitement. Beta couples made out on the dance floor. It wasn't just dancing, not like it had been earlier, when Jade was sneaking her out. The hormones were kind of wearing on Tori, making her head buzz and her stomach knot. She waved to her friends and made bathroom noises and wound her way to the stairs, trying to find a quiet place to regroup for a moment.
She wandered down the third floor hallway, happy to be breathing some air that wasn't thick with sweat, smoke, and that peculiar foul odor that seemed to be a combination of beer and carpet. She pushed open one of the doors.
Two figures were sitting on the edge of the bed, bodies brushing, lips joined in a kiss.
"Oh!" Tori slapped a hand over her mouth, wishing she hadn't exclaimed.
The two beta girls broke up and looked at her. The small one with a cascade of blonde hair narrowed her eyes and glared. "You lost?"
The other grinned awkwardly and threaded her fingers through her dark hair. "Can we help?"
Tori groped for words, "uh, no, I'm sorry. I'm going to go."
"Don't worry about it."
The blonde kicked off her boot and peeled off her sock. She threw it at Tori. It hit her in the face and then dropped into her hands. "Put that on the handle, 'kay? I don't need more tourists watching me macking on my girl."
"Please and thank you," added the other, and then leaned in and captured the blonde's lips.
Summarily forgotten, Tori staggered back out of the room and placed the sock on the handle, as asked. Then she leaned back against the wall and slid down to sit on the hall carpet.
Betas had invented dating, she knew. They had invented marriage as well, but they hadn't invented sexual orientation. Most people assumed that alphas and omegas didn't have any flexibility in their orientation, they were just oriented toward each other, but it wasn't really true. Lots of alphas messed around with betas, and some picked girl betas, some boys, and some didn't care either way. Some alphas formed committed relationships with beta males. There was even a weird movement for a pack-style family unit supported by the neo-traditionalists, who thought that an alpha male should have his omega and then as many betas, male and/or female that he could support. There was definitely the suggestion that he was fucking them all, and that they would all help take care of the children.
Tori had worried about it. Her dad had sat her down and told her that scenting omegas in heat was just biology. What was important was who you chose as a rational, reasonable, affectionate, loving human, not what your body said. Your body would adapt. Alphas who listened too much to their bodies never settled down into happy relationships. "You have to listen to your mind and your heart too."
But that wasn't the whole story, was it? Betas were really the test case, to separate attraction from biological need, and until now Tori had only been attracted to male betas. But that kiss... it had been pretty hot.
Especially the second one.
It had to be the hormones. The house was full of them. Looking up, Tori realized that the thumping she heard from the room across the hall was now accompanied by voices. "Ow!" said a girl. "Can't you get it the fuck out already? I'm sick of this!"
"Hey, sorry. I just-"
There was a small oof and then the door opened, a redhead beta girl emerging, straightening her skirt, along with a nearly overpowering gust of sex air full of alpha hormones.
Upstairs was not going to give her relief. It was time to go home.
Tori snuck down the stairs and nearly made it to the door. But Cat caught her in the entry hall. "Tori! Tori! We're playing games!"
Tori was dragged into a side room where a circle had gathered on the floor. Cat pushed her down next to Beck and across from Andre who grinned and waved. The other kids were mostly HA kids she'd seen in the halls, plus Doug. She stiffened. Doug.
"Time for inprov drinking games!" announced Andre. A cup of something pink got pushed into Tori's hand. She sipped it hesitantly. It didn't taste like alcohol at all, and yet...
"Improv?"
Beck grinned at her. "We're not arts students for our resumes. We love this stuff."
"What'll we start with?"
"I like my women!" shouted a boy.
Doug laughed. "I like my women like I like my yogurt."
The boy to his left said "Low Fat!"
"Creamy!"
"Covered in granola!"
"Cultured," said Andre.
"With a cream top."
"Oh, oh, with fruit on the bottom!" said Cat.
Everyone stared at her. "Uh, what?"
Cat cocked her head. "I love yogurt with fruit on the bottom. Sometimes, I even like, just push the yogurt aside and eat that sweet, sweet fruity syrup..."
A few of the guys were shifting awkwardly.
"Pass! That's a pass!" said Andre.
"Uh," Beck looked awkward. "I like my women like I like my yogurt, vanilla."
"Lame!" came a bunch of shouts.
"Tori?" Beck passed on the game. Tori gaped. She was not good at this. And she didn't like her women any way!
"I, um, like my women like I like my yogurt," she repeated, trying to buy time. yogurt, yogurt. "with a foil cap?"
Everyone laughed. Tori grinned. Maybe she wasn't terrible at this after all.
After a few rounds and a cup or two of the pink concoction - she had to chug once when she had said "I like my women like I like my seals - with flippers!" She wasn't sure if chugging was supposed to be a positive or a negative. - Tori was feeling much better than she had been earlier, happy and super relaxed. To be honest she was more relaxed than she had been since she had started Hollywood Arts. It felt... awesome.
The game broke up, Tori still giggling about Cat's last contribution: "I like my women like I like my spinach - hydroponically grown." She stumbled as they headed toward the kitchen, and Beck caught her, giving her an arm to cling to while she found her feet.
"Hold it together, Tor."
Tori grinned up at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a seal?" It was true, all dark brown fuzz of hair that sort of gave his head a seal-like outline.
Beck considered this. "I think not. But it's sexy, right?"
He leaned in and kissed her.
"Mmmm." Tori hummed into the kiss. It was nice. There was a scent on him, not beta-bland, but something warm and comforting, kind of like... hmm... kind of like Jade.
OH SHIT.
Tori shoved him off. "What are you doing? What about Jade?"
For a moment she expected him to look puzzled, as if he had drank as much as she had and just forgotten. But he didn't. He just arched an eyebrow. "It's cool," he said. "Jade's cool with it."
Haha, bullshit! "Are you joking? I kissed you in Sikowitz's class and Jade wanted to slit my throat! She got me put in detention for two weeks! There is no way on earth she's cool with it!"
Beck frowned. "We have a deal," he said. "Yeah, she got pissed that time, but that was about you."
"What?"
Beck shrugged. "You two were having some weird bitch match or something. Just for future reference, I don't like being a poker chip, 'kay? I was just figuring we could make out or hook up or whatever you were up for. You and Jade made up, so it wouldn't be a thing."
"No," Tori said. "Just no. It's still cheating, even if you have a deal." The idea of a deal kind of made her sick. Jade deserved better than that. It made her more than sick. It made her angry.
"It's cool," Beck stepped back, raising his hands as if in surrender. Tori swallowed. Did she look that pissed? She felt that pissed. "If you don't feel it, I'm not pushing it."
Tori shook her head. "I don't feel it," she said and started fighting her way through the crowd toward the kitchen. She needed another drink. Beck was nice, right? He was supposed to be nice. And Jade was like, in her scary old house with her scary retro-omega mom, and wasn't here. She couldn't say if she was pissed at Beck for messing around. It wasn't fair. God, where was that pink stuff?
Most of the drinks were gone by now. She mixed the dregs of a vodka bottle with lemonade and sucked down half of it while in the kitchen. When was it going to start working? She didn't like feeling this upset.
It was time to go. She'd find Cat and Andre and tell them she was leaving. There were too many jerks here, and they weren't all alphas.
Passing the stairs, she smelt something odd. It stopped her. Sex and fear. Most everyone smelled like sex, but this scent was different. It was familiar. And the fear made it distinctive. Fear, anger and alphas.
"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't have, beta bitch?"
"Get away from her!"
Alphas, a big alpha she didn't know was pinning the blonde from before against the wall. She was glaring. The other girl - the nice one - surged toward him, but another alpha grabbed her. The big one seemed to have a posse, two or three other alphas who had his back. The blonde lifted her head and spat in the big alpha's face. The big alpha's fist came back winding up a serious punch, and Tori lunged. Jumping, grabbing his arm, she was dragged off her feet. The alpha, swung around, dropping the blonde to lay a fist in Tori's gut.
The next few moments were nothing but confusion. Tori punched anything that looked like alpha. She caught a glimpse of the blonde doing her best to claw out the big alpha's eyes. The other girl twisted out of her captor's grip and clocked him under the chin. There was a crash and then it was over. She found herself standing next to Doug, the big alpha laid out at their feet. The blonde girl had a split lip and a bloody nose and was holding a beer bottle by the neck. The base had been shattered, and she was using it to keep the rest of the posse at bay. The other one was wringing her hand. Tori couldn't feel anything.
Doug glanced down at her. He clapped her on the back. "Good one," he said. He grabbed the rest of the posse by the collars and dragged them off.
Tori swallowed. She tried to bend her fingers and pain shot up her hands, and she doubled over, bringing them to her stomach.
"Yeah," said the blonde, swirling the beer bottle like a very deadly baton. "I coulda taken him, but thanks anyway." She offered a fist bump. Tori accepted a very soft, very loose bump. It was still insanely painful.
The other girl wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and grinned at Tori. "Really thanks. It's nice to know there are some good-guy alphas around."
Tori gulped. Oh god, she had totally just outed herself, hadn't she?
"Oh My God Tori! That was so, so cool!" Cat shrieked, bounding up to her. "And," she cocked her head, "really kind of hot." And then Cat had looped her arms around Tori's neck and was kissing her.
Oh god, Tori barely managed to think. How was this her life?