Addison Wells is a late bloomer. By the time she's starting freshman year, she's the only one of her classmates who hasn't presented yet. Science can well damn say what it wants, in her small town no one cares. Alphas usually present early and her biology wouldn't make such a fuss if she was a beta. Ergo, the entire town is convinced she's an omega. She hates it. Somehow it makes most alphas (especially the males and ain't that jut typical), think that she's fair game. Addison couldn't recall the number of times an alpha had invaded her personal space, promising that his knot was all she needed to present and that he'd give it to her if she was a good little omega. The thought frequently makes her gag.

Addison Wells presents the weekend before they go back from Christmas break, and she thanks every deity she knows that she's alone with Bree at her place. She cries all the tears in her body until she just can't anymore, and her eyes are red and puffy.

If she lived anywhere else in the damn country except Seabrook, she would be okay, but not here. It doesn't matter that laws have changed over the last century, that omegas are now considered on equal footing with alphas and betas. Around here, it doesn't mean shit. Sure omegas can drive and have a bank account, but Seabrook is all about tradition and appearances. And tradition says good little omega kids do what they're told. They get bonded and are good house spouses.

To make matters worse, her family is made up of almost only alphas with a few sparse betas here and there. Everyone in her family presents early, but not her. She's no idiot, she's been hearing the jabs for a while now. An uncle who jokes that her college fund might be better served as a vacation for her parents, an aunt who says she should be homeschooled so she can learn how to tend to a home, a cousin that promises they'll find her an alpha with a respectable job and a big knot… Her parents always laughed it up, but as time went by, she starts to notice the way they look at her. Disappointed. Two alphas couldn't have an omega daughter… Add to that her freaky hair and Addison can see her entire life laid out in front of her eyes. Once they know, they'll want to save face. She'll be bonded off and pregnant before she can go to college, maybe before that. Good little omega kids don't need an education to raise kids.

Addison Wells presents the weekend before they go back from Christmas break and her life is crashing down at her feet, until it isn't.

Bree's parents are the first to come home. Addison knows they can smell her from the moment they walk into their house. She's not on any kind of suppressants and she's in distress. Bree's dad is the one that comes downstairs. Addison whimpers and tries to hide in her best friend's embrace. Bree's dad is an alpha, he's a goo one, the kind that she's seen on TV or read about on the internet. He takes one look at her and sighs. He climbs the stairs an Addison braces herself for the inevitable. He's gone to call her parents. They'll be furious. Not that can she do anything about her dynamic.

Except that when he comes back, there is no phone in sight and he's holding two bottles of pill. Bree's dad is a doctor. Not hers because that would be too embarrassing, but she knows he has his own clinic and that he volunteers at a shelter outside of town (she's not supposed to know that part). He moves slowly like she's a wounded animal – it's a good thing because bonded or not, he's the first alpha around her since she's presented – and when he finally reaches her, he places the bottles on the floor. It's only when he retreats back closer to the stairs that Addison lets herself look at them. Her heartbeat stops.

He's giving her a chance.

AZAZAZ

Addison Wells presents the weekend before they go back from Christmas break and to everyone's surprise she's a beta. Her parents are disheartened, but they get over it quickly. No one talks about blowing away her college fund, no one wants to homeschool her and better yet, no one talks about bonding her off against her will. Life goes on. After all, Addison Wells is a beta.

Aside from the fact that she really isn't. Addison Wells is an omega.

That night, Bree's father offered her a way out. Suppressants and scent blockers. She knows it means Bree must have told her parents how worried Addison was about being an omega, about what was expected of her if she was.

Bree's family moved to Seabrook ten years ago and for all intents, they're progressive. They let their omega daughter go as she pleases, and they promised her she could choose her own alpha. It's almost too progressive but her dad is a great doctor and her mom, a beta, teaches at the nearby college. They're good people with good standing and their little quirks are explained by the fact that they're outsiders. Addison has always known that they disapprove of their town traditional ways.

Bree's dad offered her a way out and she took it. She was fifteen and legally, she doesn't need her parents' permission for medical advice. If most of Seabrook still thinks omegas need their guardians or alpha's permission for treatment… well that law has been overturned a while back.

She still risks a lot if people knew. So Addison Wells is a beta and she's going to stay that way until she can leave this godforsaken town. Not that she's ashamed of being an omega, because she's not. Craving an alpha's knot during her heats – perfectly planned at the shelter and disguised as vacations with Bree's family – doesn't make her any less of a person. She'll admit to herself that it does sounds nice sometimes, mostly in romance novels and Hollywood movies, but nice anyway. She doesn't want any alpha though. No way, no how. She will not be some alpha's pregnant little housewife, only good for their release and popping babies. She's going to go to college and get a job she loves and yes, one day, she wants kids. But it will be all on her own terms.

Addison dreams of an alpha that will take care of her, that will cherish her, but will respect her enough to let make her own decisions. That's the kind of alpha she wants to submit to. That's the kind of alpha she will never find in Seabrook. They're too busy posturing and inflating their own egos. None of them deserve her submission.

Addison just turned eighteen, she's cheer captain and she's eyeing any college that would get her out of here. People say she's too bossy for her dynamic and she delights in it. If they only knew. She's breaking down all the stereotypes without thinking twice about it.

The best thing about being a beta is that alphas leave her the fuck alone. Betas aren't nearly as enthralling to teenage alphas as omegas are. People call omegas weak because they crave a knot during their heats, but unbonded alphas in scenting distance of an unsuppressed omega will pop a knot. Go figure! Addison tries to avoid them altogether. They have no reason to use their alpha voice on her and she's gotten exceedingly skilled at ignoring her omegas instincts but better not tempt it.

Addison tries to avoid alphas altogether… unless she's cheering. She fought tooth and nails to be captain of her squad. However, she's not naïve. If her parents hadn't been two important alphas, her name would have never been considered. They might have gotten her nominated, but she secured the position by her own merits, she proved herself over all the alphas. When things are at their worst, she clutches desperately at that fact. Addison Wells, omega, is a better cheer captain – a better cheerleader – than any of them.

In the meantime, she takes her pills religiously and makes sure only three other people know the truth about her dynamic. She doesn't date. Not betas, not omegas and certainly not alphas. That kind of closeness could lead to disaster. Graduation is only months away and then she'll be free.

AZAZAZ

Zed Necrodopolis presents early, almost too early. People – or zombies – typically present between eleven and thirteen. An alpha's dynamic can appear as early as ten for early bloomers.

Zed Necrodopolis is nine when he first presents. Everyone in town knows it's probably related to the incident, but no one really cares. Thankfully for his parents, he gets his first rut at a more age-appropriate time. Dynamics are a question of sexuality and that was not something they wished on such a young child.

Zed goes through the las of his childhood carrying the scent of an alpha…and the stubbornness that goes with it. Barring a few incidents when he first presented, Zed is usually pretty mellowed-out. His parents are a true bonded pair; his father is an alpha and his mother is an omega. They balance each other smoothly, a well-oiled machine. They cherish each other more than anything other than their kids.

Zed is also a zombie: green hair, grey skin and Z-Band. Being a zombie, Zed grows up in Zombietown. He can't think of a better place to live, especially when he hears the stories about Seabrook.

Here's the thing, Zombietown? Zombietown is quite progressive by any standards, let alone Seabrook. Maybe that's because they only have two dynamics. Zombies are either alphas or omegas. Not a single beta in sight. Either way, alphas and omegas live in general harmony together. Sure, alphas still have alpha instincts and omegas still have omega instincts, but they respect each other. They are two sides of the same coin after all.

Zed, like any zombie, learns really early that a good alpha cherishes their omega. Being a good alpha isn't just popping a knot and breeding, a good alpha is kind and fair and knows that an omega is meant to be treasured. A happy omega is the sign of a great alpha.

Zed grows in a house filled with love and laughter. He looks at his parents and decide that this is what he wants. One day, he'll meet her, his omega. She'll be made for him; they'll be made for one another. He needs to be worthy of her love though; he doesn't want her to bond with him because she has to, he wants her to bond with him because she wants it. Zed throws himself in his schoolwork and keeps his grades up. He makes their high school football team because something tells him his true omega is out there somewhere. Human.

He knows all the omegas in Zombietown and while some of them are nice, he knows they're not it. He won't settled for anyone other than his true pair. Zed is popular with alphas and omegas alike. He's always surrounded by other people, but Eliza and Bonzo are the two he really befriended. They'd been friends since they were in diapers. The day he presented, Eliza had rolled her eyes and made him promise not to turn into a jackass. They never really talked about it again…

In Zombietown, purity isn't the big deal it is in Seabrook. If an omega wants to share their heat when someone then all the more power to them, if an omega wants to keep pure for their alphas then all the more power to them too. It's no one's business. It does mean that Zed gets propositioned through the years, more so now that he's a senior. Omegas that tell him they want an attentive partner to relieve the desperation of their heats. He can't bring himself to say yes, no matter how many times he's been asked. The only omega he'll ever take is his omega.

Not to say that he never shares his own ruts. He does, with other alphas – not Eliza or Bonzo because that would be wrong on so many levels – alphas who know he's not looking to settle. Sharing his ruts help with what little aggression and impulsivity he has.

Sometimes, he wonders if she shares her heats with someone, wonders if she has shared a heat with an alpha. On bad days, it raises the hair at the back of his neck and unsettles his zombie. Most days, he realizes it's mighty hypocritical of him and reigns his instincts in. They don't owe each other anything yet. Just because he wrote off other omegas doesn't mean she has to do the same with alphas. On the worst days, the ones where he knows he's already spent half of his life waiting for her, Zed is gripped by fear. Afraid that he'll meet her too late, and she'll already be bonded. Terrified she won't deem a zombie worthy enough. Petrified that she'll bond with him, but only if he agrees to share her with another alpha.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that's not his thing; it's his greatest fear. He wants them to belong to each other. However, he knows that if she asks, he'll do it. The cost to himself will never be higher than her happiness.

Zed is eighteen, he's the star of the football team and graduation is so close he can almost taste it. Then, he'll find a way to get out there, he'll find a way to meet her.

It goes something like this.

It's a week before senior year. Every year, there's talk about integrating the schools, but this year some jocks decide to "teach a lesson to these corpses". There's confrontation. Someone insults someone else's ability to knot – seriously? Can they get any more stereotypical? – and things escalate. When all is said and down, Zombietown High – or whatever building doubled as their high school – has burnt to the ground and half the players on each football team are suspended.. The whole incident gets national coverage and before anyone can try and PR the hell out of it, the verdict is in. Either the schools and their teams integrate, or everyone gets banned from competing… and not just football. Everything! Cheerleading included.

Fucking alphas, Addison can't help but think. By some strike of luck, Addison stays captain of the squad, but her orders are very clear. Everyone has to audition for squad this year, even veteran athletes. To be fair she doesn't mind. She'll take great cheerleaders, zombie or human. She's been thinking about a few routines that would benefit from a bigger roster.

With so many people to audition, Addison is granted a special authorization to hold the auditions the day before school starts. At first, only humans show up, trickling in pairs or small groups, newbies and squad. When zombies show up, they do so all at the same time. There is strength in numbers and they're not on their turf. By the look of them, they're not all there to try and make the team.

Addison isn't going to be deterred by the whispering around her. She grabs a pile of numbers and head their ways. Because her life is never easy, she doesn't get there first. Some alphas from the football team walk on the field. Addison can already feel the migraine. She speeds up, hoping to avoid any conflict. The second she's in hearing range, she knows it's too late. Williams already insulted one of the zombie omegas… a bonded one at that.

Everything about her dynamic tells Addison to walk away from the two alphas grappling at each other's shirt. She might not smell like one, but she's still an omega; instincts dictate she should let them resolve this. It takes every last bit of self-control for her to ignore those instincts. She might be an omega, but she's the one in charge here.

Her pulse is erratic as she pushes between the two tall alphas. Williams knows better than to hurt her and the zombie seems surprised to see her. There's someone else by her side – an alpha by the smell of him – he's pushing the alpha zombie away and placing a protective hand on her. Both of the fighters are still growling. That does it.

"Enough!" Addison yells.

Everyone freezes.

"This is my squad and I will not allow fighting."
"Chill out, Wells. Us alphas have everything under control."

The hand on her shoulder clenched out and she can hear the alpha growl.

"You better back off, Williams. My squad, my rules. If you don't like it, get lost."
"My ome–"
"I don't give a fuck. You either comply to my rules or this is going to become closed auditions."

Addison stares him down, her glare never leaving his. On the inside, she's shaking. She's arguing with an alpha when she should defer to him. When Williams finally break eye contact, Addison whirls around to face the alpha touching her, effectively shrugging his hand off her. He's a zombie. She's not surprised. He's really tall and she need to look up even more to look at him in the eyes, but she's not backing down.

"Listen to me buster, you don't touch me. I'm not some simpering omega, you can't boss around. I don't need you to protect me." She finishes her spiel and inwardly startle to fin him holding his hands up in the universal "I'm not armed" way. She glances at the other zombie alpha who's still growling. She looks between the both of them pointedly. "Like I said; my squad, my rules. Anyone is welcomed to audition, but you back the fuck off. I don't tolerate fighting. Not from my team and certainly not from gawkers."

She must get her point across because the tall one snorts while the other finally stops growling. When everyone is finally being logical, she looks at the newcomers and asks who is there to audition.

AZAZAZ

Ok so maybe Zed is happy that they're getting out of Zombietown, but he would have done without the fire. What kind of fucking idiot starts a fire around zombies. Seabrook high isn't a football school, but it's a cheer school. Auditions for the team are held before school actually starts and he can't help but roll his eyes.

Plenty of zombies want to try out, but no one actually wants to cross the barrier. In the end, he suggests that they all go together, even if they're not trying out. Strength in numbers and all that. They're all on edge and of course that's when someone says something lewd to Izobel. He's known the girl all of his life. Izobel had a crush on Enzo since they all turned seven. He has liked her for at least as long. They've been bonded since they both presented. And while Izobel is a very calmed and logical person who rolls her eyes at the alpha, Enzo almost starts a fight. He'd stayed at the back of the group to watch out for them and he swears when he realizes he's too far to stop him.

That's when she shows up. She's not much taller than 5 foot, she's petite and lithe. His nose tells him she's a beta, his brain tells him she's insane for getting between two alphas. The human one steps back and Enzo looks confused enough to pause. Zed reaches them. He squeezes himself between the girl and his friend, a protective hand on her shoulder. She tenses under his touch but doesn't say anything to him. Instead she starts scolding the alpha, staring him down. Zed's eyebrows raise incredulously. Is she serious? Once she's done with the boy, the tiny blonde turns around and tears him a new one. Who is this girl?