The ABO Serum

(Part 9) What The Heart Wants

Letting the alphas back out into the community was not a decision Daryl could make alone. Personally, it made him extremely nervous. But the county health officer, the CDC rep, the mayor, and city council all had things to say about keeping otherwise healthy people quarantined. Three months after the first wave of alphas completed transitioning, they were all released.

Daryl's primary concern came from the Weisman's story. When Richard got pregnant, they decided to marry immediately in a civil ceremony and have a big fancy wedding in San Francisco after the town opened back up. Brad took his omega's last name to make Richard's family happy. Richard had control of the family assets, but his mother worried about him passing on the family name. Whatever. But their happiness now was not his concern.

His concern came from the fact that Brad, as a transitioning alpha, smelled his omega before the omega was exposed to the serum or transitioning, and he attacked the omega which caused the transition to take place. In this case, the omega was more than willing, but what if he hadn't been?

In later meetings between alphas and their unaffected pre-transition partners, the few that already had long term relationships made diverse decisions. Some transitioned to stay together. Some broke up. None had the same strong reaction as Brad, indicating their partner was a reciprocal mate. None of the ones who chose to transition to stay together turned out to be omegas. One turned out to be another alpha. One pair had already split since transitioning. If these mixed results came from couples who already had strong long-term relationships, what would happen when the alphas got out and mixed with the general population?

"Reciprocal" was the official term they were now using for alpha/omega pairs whose strong preference for each other's pheromones would set off a downward spiral of physical symptoms if they stayed apart. People were starting to call them "fated mates" and while Daryl preferred the more scientific "reciprocal pair" he had to admit the former would sell better.

Dr. Blitzer warned Daryl that a few of the alphas were looking forward to getting out to increase their chances of finding their "fated mate." They believed their mates wouldn't care if they couldn't help assaulting them because they would feel the reciprocal pull. But not everyone was happy to follow their biology, as Lex discovered. And no one could predict how a sexual assault trial would unravel between members of the new sub-sexes.

Among the alphas in the first wave of quarantine was a lawyer friend of Carey's, Lance Rosenfeld, who'd been in for coffee on that fateful day the serum was unleashed. GenLife had their own business attorneys, but Lance was a criminal defense attorney. He'd had long conversations with Daryl about what it would mean to a jury to hear how physically incapable of restraint alphas and omegas could become. Lance wondered how to protect alphas from themselves.

He didn't have an omega to worry about yet, so Daryl forgave him for his shortsightedness. The omegas were so much more vulnerable they still couldn't foresee a release date. They needed viable suppressants and birth control available before their freedom could be returned. Even then...well, GenLife would have to release them eventually whether they could completely assure them of safety or not.

However things played out here, the already fiery arguments about consent going on in society at large were about to get gasoline poured on them.

In the end, the first criminal charge filed against an alpha was not about consent. In his first week out of alpha quarantine and back at work, Nicholas Crenshaw, 38-year-old admissions counselor at the college, met Braedon Wilson, newly 18 years old high school senior and wrestling star, and knew he was an omega. He didn't feel it intensely, like a reciprocal pair, but not every alpha would find that happiness. He could still have an omega to meet his physical needs and he wanted one.

Braedon knew the man across the desk from him in the college admissions office was an alpha because the secretary mentioned his recent return to work after quarantine, and the older man's flirting was obvious. Braedon's coach, Mr. Beauregard, told the team about his experience becoming an omega, and about having an alpha mate he didn't get to choose. Rather than dissuade Braedon, he felt even more desire to transition because he might find a mate who could never leave him.

Unlike his coach, he would accept this mate wholeheartedly. It was lonely being the only gay guy in his class. His parents were supportive on the surface, but he could tell they were disappointed in him for what they believed was a choice, and that put an emotional wall up between them. While the town was becoming more accepting of homosexuality in general since GenLife built their lab here and brought a large number of new residents, a disproportionate percentage homosexual, there wasn't much of a change in the demographics of the local high school. Braedon wanted more. He wanted to transition, and this alpha was his way to do it.

The meeting was productive, as Braedon discussed college level wrestling requirements and potential majors with Nicholas. That Nicholas expected. What he didn't expect was how responsive the boy was to his flirting. He actually flirted back. Since it was his last appointment of the day, he invited the boy to join him for dinner. Braedon sat next to him instead of across and as the meal wound down, put his hand on Nicholas' thigh and massaged it provocatively.

Nicholas leaned over and whispered, "do you know what you're doing?"

Braedon nodded. He didn't know much except what he gleaned from the internet about what came after, but he wanted it, so he pretended. "I want you to take me back to your place and fuck me," he whispered back.

So, that's what Nicholas did. He had the kind of aggressive sex he'd been dreaming of for over four months in isolation, with an awkward innocent boy half his age. It was awful, and he regretted it when he knotted in the poor kid's tight pre-transition asshole and he cried in pain for the next hour until he fell asleep, but it didn't stop him attacking again when he caught Braedon trying to sneak out in the morning.

This was bad. He could see blood on the sheets from the damage he'd done. He'd gone too far. If the boy complained to anyone he'd be out of a job. An admissions counselor sleeping with a prospective student? It didn't matter that he was of legal age, it looked bad for the school and they wouldn't tolerate it.

Moreover, he'd spread the ABO disease. The boy would have to complete the transition now. As soon as he reported to GenLife for follow up treatment they'd want to know who did it. Then, they'd question their decision to release the alphas.

It would be better for him to take care of the boy quietly here. He had to lock Braedon in to keep him from telling. It was only coincidental that his alpha instinct claimed ownership of the boy now and felt elated by this decision. If his semen could spread the disease, maybe it could also serve as follow up treatment? Yeah, locking the boy up in his basement was the only reasonable course of action now.