Page 87 of Dream Mates (Into The Parallel Omegaverse #2)

Designations

Alpha: Larger, faster, and with better senses, they make up about a quarter of the population. Their barks and pheromones can influence people. Male alphas have knots, female alphas have locks. Their scent holds a distinctive note that marks them as alpha. Female alphas can carry children.

Beta: They make up over half of the population and are your average ordinary people. Like the other designations, they can have kids, join or form packs, and an alpha can bond with them.

Gamma: Medical designation for a specific type of ‘failed’ omegas.

While sometimes a genetic switch is thrown, halting development, most of the time it’s environmental.

Something is so dangerous in their environment that the body declares it unsafe to become an omega and halts a genetic process.

Gammas can have many omega traits, but it varies from person to person and is often proportional to how close they were to becoming an omega.

Gammas rarely respond to barks, pheromones, or danger the way omegas do.

Common causes of gammas are war, famine, extreme poverty, and asshole parents, and not as common as they used to be.

Delta: They have a lot of alpha characteristics–especially in regard to size, speed, and senses. They make excellent soldiers and security. They’re rarer than the ‘big three’ designations (alpha/beta/omega) but much more common than any of the rarer designations.

Digamma: Essentially, digammas are ‘failed’ alphas. Something is so dangerous in their environment that the body declares it unsafe to become an alpha and halts a genetic process. Exceedingly rare to the point where not much is known about them.

Zeta: Sometimes a genetic anomaly creates a designation that is a cross between an alpha and omega, some of them can even switch between the two. Like gammas, each zeta is a little different. Incredibly rare and coveted.

Kappa: The life of the party, they’re usually adrenaline junkies with poor decision-making skills. They’re an extremely rare designation because they’ve almost chaosed themselves out of existence.

Theta: Thetas tend to be misanthropic loners who like to amass wealth. While they do mate and form packs, they often aren’t with alphas as they don’t like to be told what to do. They wanted to be needed, but don’t like to be smothered. They’re closer to alphas than betas. A rare designation.

Iota : A rare designation, Iotas don’t have scents, they also can’t smell other scents and don’t respond to barks or pheromones.

This can be dangerous because they can’t catch the scent-cues other designations can.

Because they can’t be barked or influenced, some iotas think they’re better than other designations. They’re closer to betas genetically.

Omicron: Omicrons are charming and charismatic but are conceited and don’t think the rules apply to them.

They want to take over the world and fix it, and aren’t afraid to use violence, which has caused this designation, which is an alpha mutation, to be declared illegal.

While they often can pass as alphas, because of their size, strength, and speed, and they smell enough like an alpha, they lack knots/locks. Often, they test as alphas when young.

Rho: Medical designation for a feral alpha.

Sigma: Often loners with anger issues, they tend to commit crimes to punish people.

They don’t want to be part of the system and generally think it’s bullshit.

Even though it’s an extremely rare designation, and an alpha mutation, they’re illegal.

While they often can pass as alphas, because of their size, strength, and speed, and that they smell enough like an alpha, they lack knots/locks. Often, they test as alphas when young.

Tau: Medical designation referring to someone who lost their bonded scent match, also known as soulbroke and shadow.

Phi : A rare super-mutation of alpha and illegal.

While they can be a loner like sigmas, they can also be fun like kappas, and even charismatic like an omicron.

They can become violent and aggressive. Unlike the others, they can more easily hide among alphas, because males have a bulb that can pass as a slightly-deformed knot and their smell is often undistinguishable.

Commonly, they test as alphas when young and have the size/strength/speed of an alpha.

It is thought that Phis were created for battle long ago and something went horribly, terribly wrong.

Omega: One of the three main designations, omegas are usually smaller than the other designations and tend to be nurturers and caregivers.

They’re the most physically compatible with alphas, so they’re often sought after as mates, even though they make up less than ten percent of the population.

They can and do partner with other designations.

Omegas have the same rights as everyone else.

They have an extra element to their scent that marks them as such.

Omega males are very good at making children, though most omega males can’t carry them.

Other Terms

Alpha-Blockers: A type of medication that dulls alpha senses and instincts. It’s most commonly prescribed to violent alphas, young alphas who aren’t in full control, and criminals. There’s a huge stigma around them, so many who should take them, don’t.

Awakened/Blossomed: When someone fully comes into their designation after puberty.

Bond Test: A government test used to detect an alpha-omega bond.

Designation: The term used to indicate someone’s specific genetic dynamic. The three main designations are alpha, beta, and omega. Other designations exist, including ones that are considered illegal.

Equalist: Someone who believes that designations should not be used/recognized so that everyone can be on equal terms.

Fundie/Fundamental: Someone who believed that packs are about population control and the stripping of rights by the government.

They think that every alpha has the right to their own omega, even though it’s statistically impossible.

They often keep to themselves and usually don’t take part in government services or programs or go to hospitals.

Heat: An omegas fertile cycle, which results in wanting sexual attention and satisfaction from their alphas and partners. Female omegas often have four to five heats a year; male omegas have two or three. Heats can last from a couple of days to a week.

Heat Spike: A quick rise in hormones, often right before a heat, which result in temporary heat-like symptoms.

Heat Suppressants: A type of medication some omegas take so that they don’t go into heat. Heat suppressants are completely legal, though prolonged use can have side effects.

Mate Bond: The connection that forms when certain designations bite another in a certain way where proteins are released into their bloodstream creating a chemical reaction. Some bonds, like alpha-omega, have legal implications. Not all designations can make or accept bonds.

Mega-push: A street drug that can ‘push’ betas with certain genetic markers over to being an omega and often used in human trafficking. A legal version is available but highly regulated.

Omega Center: Omega Centers offer services ranging from healthcare and pack matching, to education and housing.

Omegas don’t have to register with the Center, but once registered can use their free services, including having an advocate–an assigned social worker that guides them through the process and helps them understand all their options.

Oxotipoline/Eazy-E: A sedative commonly used in human trafficking. The designer version, Eazy-E, is sometimes used by sexual predators.

Prick-Test: A simple blood test used to test for the three main designations–alpha, beta, and omega. All children are tested in middle school. The test is mostly accurate, but not always. It doesn’t test for rare or illegal designations.

Scent-Blockers: A type of medication omegas take to blend in/function in society.

These range from light scent-blockers that simply dull an omega’s distinctive scent to heavy duty ones that lock down both omega scent and instincts, enabling them to hide as a beta.

All are completely legal, but can be hard for hidden omegas to get.

Prolonged use, especially of the heavy-duty blockers, can make them lose their effectiveness and/or cause health issues.

Scent-Match/Soulmate: That perfect match between two people–usually an alpha and omega.

They usually know it by smell. Scent-matches are rare and plenty of people have happy and long relationships without being scent-matches.

Sometimes scent-matches dream of each other, but that’s mostly in books and movies.

A scent match can be ‘lopsided’ when it is not alpha/omega, usually where one becomes an alpha/omega and the other stays a beta.

A ‘dead match’ occurs when a couple would have been a scent match if they had been an alpha and an omega but instead both stayed betas.

Shadow: A term for someone who has lost their bonded scent match, also called soulbroke. The medical term is Tau.

Spiral: Dangerous drop in omega hormones which can result in unconsciousness, irrational behavior, and/or hospitalization. Often a trauma response.

Textbook Gamma: A gamma that became a gamma due to external conditions such as famine, poverty, war, or asshole parents.

Trevadol: A commonly prescribed anti-depressant.

One side effect is that it can mess with the basic prick-test. This isn’t considered much of an issue because this drug is for adults, and once the prick-test is given in middle school it isn’t usually given again without reason.

Some hidden omegas take the drug solely as a precaution because of that specific side effect,

Ultra-Bullet: Super-fast train that can turn an hours-long drive into moments.

Un-Bonding: The chemical process of removing a mate bond. It’s governed by an extensive legal process to make sure that it is not abused.

Variant: A derogatory name for someone with an illegal designation.