My Sins

I stared at my bright red, harshly scrubbed skin in the mirror. My usual dull sweet scent had changed to a silky caramel smell. I had perfumed while eating breakfast this morning. I was an omega. My mom had been ecstatic, swinging me around in a hug while boasting about how she had always known I would be an omega. I felt hollowed out and quickly excused myself to freshen up for the day. Which really meant I was going to scrub my skin raw in the shower to try and scrap this imposter scent off of me.

I felt like I was drowning in sticky caramel. The smell was pumping out of me at an alarming rate. Why did I smell this strong? A sharp knock sounded from the door followed by my moms yell, "Honey, are you alright? Do you want to talk about it? I know you didn't want this to happen but it's not as bad as you make it out to be."

I watched my face twist up into a scowl in the mirror. How could she possibly know? She was a beta, she could fit in anywhere she wanted without being weighed down by the expectations that came with being an omega. An omega had to be sweet, submissive, loyal, and obey their partner or pack without a mind of their own. But they get looked at like spoiled brats who soak up money and demanded gifts and attention.

I sighed, maybe I was jumping to conclusions. I haven't actually met an omega before but I had heard gossip in town about omegas and the newest forming packs. They talked about omegas like they were cattle, easily scooped up and manipulated to satisfy others while expected to love unconditionally and criticized if they weren't the perfect omega.

I only realized I had completely ignored my mom until I heard her retreating steps walking down the stairs of the small cabin we lived in since I was born. My father or an arrogant alpha asshole as my mom calls him, got my mom pregnant and then left while knowing she was pregnant. I never saw a picture of him and since I look just like my mom with brown curly hair and hazel eyes, I don't have any clue as to what he looked like.

I pulled myself away from the mirror and trudged out of the bathroom to find my mom. She gave me a sad smile and handed me a cup of steaming tea. I blew on it quietly while my mom eyed me wondering how she should approach this topic. She cleared her throat as I kept staring at my tea. I glanced up to see a weary looking woman in place of my mom. I frowned, "what's wrong?"

"I want you to give me five minutes to talk and I want you to really listen to the entire thing." She responded. I nodded indicating for her to continue. "I know you never wanted to perfume and wanted your human gene to be dominate so you wouldn't have to deal with this life. But the reality is, you are an omega which isn't an awful thing. You just have to wait for the right pack or partner. Now, omegas usually end up in a pack because it's more comfortable for them. But, if you only want one partner I will support you either way. You obviously don't need to start looking for a pack right now. However, it's the law to contact The Omega Program within a week of your scent change."

I fumed, I only have a week to process this huge change and then get sent away. My mom continued aware of my frustration, "when you find the right people or person, they will cherish and love you. There will always be people who will talk about others behind their back. Don't listen to them or what they have to say about omegas. Most of the people who say those nasty things in town about omegas are just jealous."

"Jealous of what exactly!" I scoffed. My mom smiled, "Omegas are rare, this means many alphas and betas choose an omega over anyone else. An Omegas scent is also designed to pull an alpha in. Those betas in town are just jealous because they believe omegas are stealing a man away from them. Some alphas will try to get you to join their pack without knowing you just because you are an omega. You are a smart girl, I trust that you will use your judgement."

I had never thought about omegas like that. What if all those rude words used to describe omegas were the cause of jealousy and not the truth? I didn't want to be viewed as a gold digger or a spoiled omega. I slowly nodded along. My mom broke out into a bright smile, "also, please don't scrub your skin that hard again, an omega usually has a much stronger smell when they first perfume. It will soon become lighter and less suffocating."

I smiled slightly and sighed with relief after hearing this. Thanking my mom and making the trip back upstairs to have some alone time to process this. Maybe I could actually do this. Maybe going away would be good for me. I could make friends, see the world and learn more about being an omega. Which would be helpful because I know absolutely nothing about that.

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I grunted as I shoved my entire body weighted onto the pile of clothes while simultaneously trying to zip my suitcase up. I had two days left before I had to move out of my cozy home. After my mom contacted The Omega Program, they quickly replied, enthusiastic about a new student. I tried to convince them to let me take the classes remotely so I could stay at my house. They weren't too happy about that idea and our emails soon became a heated back and forth argument. Later, I gave in and they promised me a dorm all to myself and that I would be so swept up with school work and meeting new people that I wouldn't feel too homesick.

The Omega Program was very large and had multiple schools all over for omegas, I was being sent to one of their many schools in Russia. I was leaving Maine to fly all the way to Russia, I have never even been outside of the country before. All I knew about Russia was that it was deathly cold. I hate the cold. I hate having to wear seven layers just for my fingers to still freeze but my armpits to obnoxiously sweat.

I had started packing to get my mind off of moving away from the only home I've ever known. How could I possibly bring my whole closet, all my shoes, my skincare, hair products and all of my trinkets and knick knacks that I have collected throughout my entire life? There was no way I could bring everything but I didn't want to leave anything either? I had a strange attachment to non living objects.

On the plus side, I have started to get used to my scent. It smells less intense than it did on the first day. The thick caramel smell had lightened a lot and a hint of vanilla came through. My mom was also giving me space instead of crowding me which I appreciated. At the same time, I wanted to spent as much time as I could with her before I had to leave. I huffed a sigh before plopping down on my twin sized bed, deciding I did enough packing for the night I closed my eyes and let sleep carry me away.