Page 1 of First (After the End #1)

Excerpt from The Alpha and the Omega: Historiographical and Sociological Considerations

Written by: Author Unknown

Alphas and Omegas are the building blocks of life on Earth.

The beginning and the end of the DNA strands that encode society.

Upon meeting a new individual, we notice their designation first, whether through scent and pheromones, physical appearance, or other identifiers.

(For instance, there is evidence of old cultures in which Omegas were required to wear garb that denoted their status.

See Hollingsworth’s treatise for a more thorough exploration of the topic.) Determining a person’s designation will lead to assumptions about their life, preferences, and future.

A common misconception is that Omegas were created for the rest, refreshment, and pleasure of Alphas.

In my opinion, this is highly reductive.

The Alpha temperament is aggressive and dominant; therefore, in today’s highly militarized society, Alphas tend to occupy positions of command.

These traits are complemented by the Omega nature, which is contemplative and peacekeeping and effectively knits people together.

Communities are fastened by Omegas but protected by Alphas.

Does that mean Omegas are inferior? This is a matter of constant debate, one unlikely to be settled anytime soon.

Where one falls on the debate is often informed by their view on a controversial and not widely accepted notion: it did not use to be this way.

Ancient Terran societies were technology rich and well-documented, but most records were lost in the Great Natural Catastrophes and then again in the Artificial Intelligence Disruption.

Therefore, historians have been unable to agree that several millennia ago, all humans were Betas, that the neurochemical variations that produce other designations did not take place, and that the rhythm of life was not dictated by the ebbs and flows of mating cycles, such as the ruts of Alphas and the heats of Omegas.

This is a radical notion, and even those who advocate for the Default Beta Hypothesis do not have conclusive evidence for it.

Some (see Hollingsworth, again) argue that it was caused by a random genetic mutation that affects development at the embryonic stage (although the Alpha/Beta/Omega trimorphism only appears once a person reaches their late teens, following the process of presentation).

Others (see Anand) believe that when scientists locked themselves in laboratories to find a cure for the diseases decimating the dwindling population, they created a microorganism that changed the entire organic makeup of the species.

Regardless of their origins, designations tend to be constant: Betas of all genders are sexually neutral; Omegas of all genders can be identified by their scenting glands and are highly fertile; Alphas respond to Omegas both hormonally and anatomically.

Betas and Alphas each make up a little over forty percent of the population, with the remaining fifteen percent being Omegas.

Given the relative scarcity of the latter, it’s not surprising that Beta/Omega pairings are fairly rare and that many Alphas raise objections to them.