The Alpha and his Omega

Meetings and happenstance

"Ma'am, if I might say, there is a high probability that the child will present as an omega, which would make it wise to take note of a few precautions first."

"Seriously? First I'm forced to take on my dear brother's child, and now you tell me he's an omega?" The well-dressed lady complained. "What did I do to deserve such a thing. It wasn't my fault that stupid bitch died. I told him it was a bad idea marrying her, but he insisted and now I'm forced to take care of this." She flung her hands up in exasperation.

Off to the side sat a teenage boy, hunched down trying to seem smaller, who looked to be in his mid to late teens. Hange could see the slight tremor in his body as his aunt shouted out all those horrible things. It wasn't his fault his father had neglected him for work only to pass away in a car accident, and a few years later suffer a similar fate with his mother. They were surprised that the youth hadn't uttered word during the whole proceeding, but then again those children who had just lost everything and ended up forced to live with distant relatives they had never met were often still coping with the loss and shock of losing their parents. It wasn't uncommon for them to be silent in the face of strangers, especially given how the aunt was reacting. Still, this was one of the more heart-wrenching cases, where the youth - Eren - who had not only just lost his parents and was being forced to, due to legalities, be a ward of his aunt, was also most likely an omega who hadn't presented yet. And having a medical background, which was partially why they were assigned as the lawyer on this, Hange knew full well it wouldn't bode well given how she was already reacting.

They had seen many omegas from similar situations end up abused or thrown out, due to the many job and living restrictions placed on them. Society was generally fairly progressive when it came to protections towards omega populations, but that didn't stop the negative stereotyping and discrimination of them being weaker and at the mercy of their biology more so than alphas or betas.

It was prohibited in the hiring process to discriminate based on whether one was an omega or not, but even then it happened. Statistically, there were fewer of them in management and other positions of power, which also meant a lower median salary, but it was hard to judge whether that was because they were an omega or simply because alphas generally had more ambition. More expensive health insurance for suppressants and the necessity to give them paid leave during their heats was another reason why many companies preferred to hire alphas or betas instead, if they had the same level of qualifications. Although the same laws applied when it came to alphas whose mates were in heat, alphas were generally more aggressive and successful in the business world, making them a valuable asset.

A similar case could be said when it came to housing arrangements. Some owners preferred it because they didn't want omegas going into heat, whether on or off suppressants, to be a bother to their other tenants. Some specifically insisted on seeing health certification and an insurance policy for suppressants before they were willing to lease an apartment to an omega. They weren't allowed to publicize that an apartment was for any particular group without a proper reason, but that didn't stop it from happening. Some had been brought to court and were found in violation of the law, but the backroom deals continued happening.

"We're not saying you have to take guardianship of your nephew, but his father was your brother."

They could see the scowl on her face at those words. Most people these days were accepting of omegas, but there were also a good number who were dead set in more conservative traditions of seeing omegas as weak and troublesome. Aside from their heats, it was crucial for them to have the necessary medications and protections to avoid unwanted pregnancies and other terrible things that could and had happened to some. Seeing a familiar dark-haired figure walk by, a sudden stroke of brilliance struck them.