When teenagers reach their 18th birthday, their soul reveals their true identity to the outside world.
Alpha, Beta, or Omega.
It wasn't that big of a deal, anymore. Most people took suppressants and the ones who didn't were too popular for mainstream media to attack.
Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn have all turned out to be Betas, which are common nowadays. It's very unlikely to be an Alpha or Omega in these times, and no one knows why.
***
Harry doesn't know why he's so scared on New Year's Eve, but he's far too worried to participate in normal festivities.
***
As they celebrated Zayn's birthday, Harry just hummed along with his friends. He was still scared of what would happen.
***
Harry decided to do some research into Alphas and Omegas who didn't take suppressants. The results weren't too terrifying. Except one of them: the heat cycle.
"Omegas who choose not to take suppressants will undergo a monthly heat cycle that starts on their 18th birthday. The symptoms of the pre-cycle could range from a slight temperature elevation to something akin to cramping and becoming nauseous. Once the Omega is in full-blown heat, he or she will begin releasing distinct pheromones that will attract Alphas. He or she will also begin self-lubricating in preparation. The Omega will become paranoid and even dangerous if he or she is not satisfied by a knot from an Alpha-"
Harry slammed the laptop closed and shoved it off his bed with more force than he meant. But he was now completely horrified of the possibilities running through his mind.
What if he was an Omega? What if he was out in public when a heat wave hit him? He would never be able to stand up to an Alpha. He would be in-bred to submit!
He shook these thoughts violently from his head, opting to try to sleep instead.
***
Harry woke up with a slight headache, as he hadn't slept well the night beforehand. He stretched out his sleep-heavy limbs and rubbed his eyes into focus, before planting his feet on the cold wood of his floor and slowly walking out of his room.
He could smell his mother making him breakfast, bacon and eggs. He walked across the hall into the bathroom, and turned the faucet on. After splashing some cold water onto his face and relieving his bladder, he made his way downstairs.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" Gemma rushed over and hugged her younger brother.
All traces of sleep left Harry in an instant and his heart skidded to a stop. Was it really his birthday? Running over to grab his Mum's phone, he fumbled while trying to make it show the date.
January 31, 2012
"Gemma! There's no sense in scaring your brother," Anne came from in the kitchen wielding a wooden spoon. "How are you doing Harry?"
The question went unregistered in Harry's mind, as it was focused elsewhere.
Harry's stomach still hadn't unclenched itself and his headache hadn't let up either. Maybe he was freaking out, but he immediately expected the worst.
***
That night, the boys came over to be with him on his special day.
They were all in Harry's room laughing and playing cards as it neared 11:30. Harry tried his best to stay interested in what was happening in front of him, but he couldn't help looking at the clock every 5 seconds.
In less than half and hour, his entire life would be decided by something completely out of his control. And that was what scared him the most. He was helpless in the matter.
The boys all noticed the change from their curly haired friend, and stopped the game to see if he was okay.
"Hey, how about we play another game, yeah?" Louis suggested with a smile.
"M'not really up for games right now..." Harry trailed off, still staring at the clock.
11:47
"Hey mate, don't let it worry you too much! We all turned out all right," Niall laughed, but Harry wasn't in the mood for laughing either. The clock still captivated him.
11:53
"Harry, you know we'll be here for you no matter what happens," Liam squeezed his knee sympathetically.
11:59
"Guys I should probably tell you-" Zayn was cut off by the beeping of Harry's clock.
12:00
