The winner takes it all

So close, yet so far

Chapter 2

A/N - Thank you to everyone who has read this story and voted up until now. This chapter takes place two years after the previous chapter.

Doctor Top slightly squirmed in his seat nervously, while quickly scanning the medical reports in his hand. His nerves were rattled, knowing that a lot of people did not like to be told their male child was an Omega. Most men wanted Alpha sons to carry on the family lineage. Doctor Top drew in a deep breath trying to calm himself and maintain a professional demeanour. The doctor eyed the father and son on the opposite side of his desk anxiously. 'Surely the father knows his son is an Omega' he thought to himself. The boy was small in stature and he was thin and delicate looking.
"Congratulations Mr Saengtham, your son is an Omega" Doctor Top announced with as much cheerfulness in his voice as he could muster. Doctor Top discreetly takes in a deep breath of relief when the intimidating looking Mr Saengtham broke out into a loving smile and pulled his son into his arms. "I knew my little treasure was a precious Omega, he is just like his mother in every way" Mr Saengtham boasted to Doctor Top while squeezing his son a little too tightly. "Dad please" Pete gasped in anguish. "I'm sixteen today, I'm not a little kid anymore" Pete groaned while trying desperately and unsuccessfully to wriggle out of his father's embrace.
"You will always be my little treasure" Mr Saengtham replied while still not relinquishing his hold on his son.
"Omegas are precious. There is absolutely no shame in being a male Omega, is there Doctor Top?" Mr Saengtham said in a dominant tone, daring the Doctor to disagree with him.
"That's right" Doctor Top hurriedly agreed. "Exactly, it just makes you even more special than you already are" said Mr Saengtham while smiling brightly at his son.
"Anyone can be an Alpha or a Beta, but Omegas have the power to carry new life into the world and in my opinion Omegas should be valued greatly instead of looked down upon. Isn't that right Doctor?" Mr Saengtham shot Doctor Top another intimidating look that dared the Doctor to defy him.
"Yes I agree wholeheartedly Mr Saengtham. The ability to carry and give birth to a child should be appreciated a lot more than it currently is. But remember Pete there are other countries in the world where Omegas can live a life with more freedom. You can go to University, travel and have a career. You can do whatever you want if you have your family to support you and your father seems to value you very much. Marriage and child birth does not have to be your only option in life" Doctor Top stated encouragingly.
"I would like to find my Alpha one day and have a family, but I enjoy studying and it would be a shame to get married straight away and not have a chance to have any life experience" Pete added thoughtfully.
"I have been thinking about this for some time now my son" Mr Saengtham said patting his son's shoulder reassuringly.
"We will discuss it more in the next few days" Mr Saengtham assures Pete softly. Doctor Top wrote out a prescription for scent blockers and heat suppressants, explaining the medication would help to keep Pete safe from predatory Alphas. He also advised Pete's father if Pete was unable to spend his heat with an Alpha then the company of an Omega would help him through.
"Thank you very much Doctor Top" Mr Saengtham said as he waiied to the the Doctor, while Pete did the same. Doctor Top returned the respectful gesture and added "If you have anymore questions or you need anything else please do call me".
"Thank you again Doctor" said Mr Saengtham as he exited the Doctor's office with Pete in tow. The father and son duo stopped off at the pharmacy on the way out to the car to collect the required medication.
The blazing sun's rays immediately hit Pete as he left the hospital building. The sunlight was intensely bright and he squinted his eyes to shield them a little from the blinding rays. He reached inside his pocket and put on the designer sunglasses his older brother Damrong had bought him for his birthday. The family had planned to give Pete his gifts later that evening at the small party that Pete's father had organised for him, but Damrong couldn't wait and had woken Pete up early to give him his gift.
"Dad are you really ok with me being an Omega? Society looks down on people like me, they say all we are good for is breeding and looking after children. I would like to go to Uni and have a job. I don't want to be a trophy husband who fills his empty days with endless shopping trips and waits for his Alpha to return home in the evening. I want to use my brain and be productive in some way" Pete's voice faltered as salty tears started to form in his eyes. As the tears slipped past the edge of his sunglasses, Mr Saengtham gently removed them from his son's eyes. "Hey, no tears on your birthday. You know that's against my rules" Mr Saengtham said soothingly. "Of course I am ok with it. You are my beautiful and intelligent boy. There are still some old fashioned laws in some countries across the world that restrict Omegas but not all countries are the same. Come and sit in the car and we can get out of the sun. Now don't you worry anymore about the future your old Dad has never let you down before has he?" Mr Saengtham coaxed his upset son and guided him to the waiting vehicle. The driver opened the door to the limousine and carefully closed it behind his boss. "Look at me son" Mr Saengtham spoke softly while simultaneously releasing soothing pheromones to calm his distressed child. He then lifted Pete's small, rounded chin with a strong finger so his son would look him in the eyes.
"I love all of my children equally. I have an Alpha, a Beta and an Omega as my sons and even if each of you were all Omega, I would still love you all just as much as I do now. There are some silly, old fashioned laws still in place and some idiotic people in our society who have sexist ideas about what each gender is capable of, but we know that's not true, don't we?" stated Mr Saengtham a little sternly, wiping Pete's tears with his pocket handkerchief.
"Not all people think that way and I believe that your generation will be the one to bring change for the better and one day Omegas will have equal rights across the whole world" Mr Saengtham reassured Pete while smiling sincerely. He pulled his son's delicate body into his powerful arms and gave Pete a protective hug. It broke his heart to see Pete so upset. His wife had been an Omega and was once a very capable woman. Pete's mother Arpa had been a strong willed and intelligent woman but because she had carried the label of 'Omega', she had been restricted in everything from which university she could attend to not being able to work after all the studying she had done. It had been a great waste of someone who had possessed such potential and Mr Saengtham did not want the same thing to happen to Pete. Pete took after his mother in so many ways and the thought of his son being forced to waste his intelligence and talents by not persuing his dreams made his blood boil with anger. He prayed every day that his son's fated mate would have a modern attitude and would value Pete for both his brain and his beautiful appearance. Mr Saengtham had already decided if Pete's fated mate did not meet with his expectations then he would never allow his son to lead a life of misery with a sexist stuck up Alpha. He may be a little older now, but he could still kick an arse or two if he had to.
"To the ice cream shop please Manit" Mr Saengtham instructed his driver.
"Right away sir" came the polite reply of the middle aged man who had given years of loyal service to the Saengtham family. When he was younger Manit had served as a bodyguard, but now he was a little older he had become the family chauffeur. He was still capable of defending the family if need be and kept up with his training religiously.
Pete sighed in satisfaction while happily pushing away the large and now empty bowl that had contained pineapple ice cream. "Thank you Dad" said Pete as he smiled radiantly at his father. Mr Saengtham smiled back fondly, 'Where do you put it all? You must have hollow legs' he thought to himself, while returning the smile his son had given him. Pete had a healthy appetite, but he never seemed to gain any weight. It was a great source of worry for the loving father and he began to wonder if Pete would ever grow to a healthy adult size. Doctor Top had reassured Mr Saengtham that Pete was healthy and some children take longer to grow into their adult bodies than others. He also explained that Omegas were smaller in stature than Alphas and Betas.
"Do you feel better now, my little treasure?" Mr Saengtham asked gently. "Dad please don't call me that in public" Pete whined while turning his head rapidly from side to side checking if anyone had heard, "It's so cringe". Mr Saengtham let out a hearty laugh, "shall we leave then, my little treasure" Mr Saengtham said, whispering the last few words with a teasing expression on his face.
"Yes please and thank you for the ice cream" Pete replied before bolting to the car. Mr Saengtham nodded to two young men in casual dress at the next table who quickly followed the teenager out to the car.
'I wish he wouldn't do that' Mr Saengtham muttered to himself while shaking his head. Although Mr Saengtham had been retired from the mafia lifestyle for approximately twenty years, every once in a while a threat was made against his family and he dealt with it quickly and mercilessly. No one would harm his sons while he was still breathing. He hired bodyguards for his family's protection, he also kept a discreet but watchful eye over his children's whereabouts and what kind of company they were keeping. The protective father quickly paid the bill and left the ice cream shop. He knew he could not leave Pete alone for long as he had noticed his young son had stared to secrete his distinctive scent of pineapples. It didn't affect Mr Saengtham as he and Pete are father and son but they needed to get home quickly so Pete could start taking his medication. Pete's scent was still faint and the teenage boy was oblivious to the danger that might soon arise. Mr Saengtham escorted Pete, who was still lingering in the car park basking in the sunshine, quickly to the car. He knew the scent his son was starting to give off would soon attract every Alpha within a one mile radius.
As Pete and his father were driven out of the car park by Manit, Vegas drove his black Lamborghini into the car park and parked up near the door of the ice cream shop. The very moment he and his younger brother Macau exited the car Vegas' senses were instantly alerted as he inhaled the faint but sweet smell of pineapple. He felt a sudden intoxicating sensation spreading through his bloodstream both towards his head and directly between his legs. A few seconds in and he was already sporting a semi. He breathed in deeply trying to inhale more of the addicting smell while also scanning the car park trying to locate the source of the beautiful scent. 'Omega', the hunter within him craved to be close to the owner of the tempting scent. The car park was empty of people and suddenly Macau's voice broke into his aroused mind, "Hia, are you ok? You look kinda out of it". Vegas shook his head to clear his mind, "Yes I am fine little bro. Let's find a table" he smiled. Vegas followed his nose to the exact table Pete and his father had just vacated moments ago and took a seat. Vegas looked around the busy ice cream shop urgently trying to find the person with the alluring pineapple scent.
"Do you smell pineapple Macau?" Vegas asked almost desperately.
"No Hia, but they do sell pineapple ice cream here. That's what I am going to get" answered Macau excitedly. Macau was unable to detect the scent and Vegas noticed that nobody else seemed to be affected in the same way he was. Vegas was like a swan swimming on a lake. He looked cool, calm and collected on the surface but no one knew just how much effort it took for him just to keep himself afloat. Just like the swan kicking his legs frantically below the calm waters of a lake, Vegas struggled every day trying his best to make his father happy, all the while struggling to maintain a cool and controlled façade on the surface. He juggled college, working in the mafia and finding time to spend with his little brother, who was his whole world, the happy moments spent with Macau were too few and far between. The pineapple scent still faintly lingered in the air and it had a paradoxical effect on him. On one hand the scent greatly aroused him and caused a rush of excitement to flow through his veins, but on the other hand it also calmed him and made him feel ... happy? The only person who made Vegas feel remotely happy was Macau, in his dark demoralising world Macau was his only source of light. The pineapple scent smelt like heaven and he knew he had to find the person whom the scent belonged to and make them his.            
Later that evening - Saegntham family mansion