Born to an affluent family, Son Seungwan had everything people wished for, except for the freedom to choose her own partner. She often wondered if things would have been different if she was a beta instead of an omega. Being an omega would mean that she would be traded off like a trophy to another alpha, and she hated that. All her family had taught her was to be subservient to her alpha, because it was in their blood to obey.

Son Seungwan despised the system. 

Yet there she was, seated stiffly across her to-be in-laws with a forced smile. Seungwan felt her father's gaze on her and a tight squeeze of her arm by her mother. She knew it wasn't to comfort her, it was to warn her. To make sure that she behaved like a Son, to make sure she doesn't ruin their plans, to make sure she remembered what an omega was supposed to do. 

"You must be Seungwan, I have heard so much good things about you." The woman smiled apologetically. "There has been an emergency at the company so Seulgi couldn't make it here. I hope that this wouldn't affect our plans, Mr Son."

"Of course not Mrs Kang, the engagement ceremony will proceed as planned." Mr. Son held up his glass of wine, offering a toast to the Kang family. 

Seungwan froze in dread. Nobody cared to tell her about whatever plans they had involving her. Son Seungwan had always known this day would come, she was an omega after all. She spent years convincing herself that it would be fine, that she could be happy with whoever her family arranged for her. But she wasn't. She might not have been thinking because she had just gone against whatever she had been taught.

"But I already have my alpha." She blurted out. Ignoring the horrified looks from her mother and the woman across, she repeated again with more determination, "My alpha is waiting for me at home." 

Son Seungwan, in fact, had no alpha waiting for her at home. Seungwan had been single all her life, busying herself with academics just so she wouldn't think about marriage or anything related. She had once envisioned a happily ever after with someone she loved, it didn't matter what identity the other had, as long as they loved each other. But as she grew older, she realized that it couldn't happen. Not when she was a Son. 

Her words hung in the air, causing the air to grow cold. Her mother's grip tightened on her arm, her expression turned into a mixture of shock and panic. Mr. Son's face hardened, his eyes narrowing at his daughter.

"What did you just say?" he demanded, his voice laced with authority.

Seungwan took a deep breath, summoning all the courage she had left. "I said that I already have someone waiting for me at home. I can't go through with this engagement."

The tension in the room escalated. Seungwan could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on her. She knew she was defying everything her family stood for, but she couldn't bear the thought of being trapped in a loveless marriage, forced to submit to an alpha she didn't choose.

Her mother leaned in closer, her voice laced with a plea. "Seungwan, don't be foolish. You know your duty as an omega. This engagement is for the good of the family, and you have to obey. Otherwise..."

Seungwan stood up, her body shaking with both fear and determination. "My alpha is waiting for me at home now. I need to take my leave."

With those words, Seungwan bowed and walked away, leaving behind the stunned and outraged faces of her family and future in-laws. She didn't know where she was headed or what the future held, but she knew that she had taken the first step toward claiming her own destiny. As she stepped out into the night, a sense of liberation washed over her. It was the first time she stood up for herself and she was exhilarated. 

The exhilaration went away only to be replaced by dread the next day. Seungwan stared at the alarming number of missed calls from her mother, and a single call from her father. She let out a frustrated groan as memories of the day before hit her like a truck. Son Seungwan was screwed. So screwed.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, was she really ready to face her parents yet? Well, she didn't really have a choice, did she? 

Taking a deep breath, Seungwan called her father as she braced herself for the incoming confrontation. 

"Son Seungwan, where were your manners yesterday?" her father's voice echoed through the phone, a mixture of disappointment and anger evident in his tone.

 
She attempted to calm herself as she took another deep breath. "Father, I understand that my actions might have seemed disrespectful, but I had to be honest about my feelings."

"Do you realize the position you've put us in? The embarrassment you've caused the family?"

Seungwan clenched her jaw, trying to hold onto her resolve. "I'm sorry father, but I can't marry someone I don't love. I can't live like that when I have someone waiting for me at home when my alpha is waiting for me to go home."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Seungwan could almost hear her father's thoughts racing. Finally, he spoke, his voice slightly softer. "Seungwan, we've always tried to provide the best for you. Your mother and I have taught you to put our family's reputation on top of everything else. Do you think your feelings are more important than that?"

"It's not just about my feelings, Father. It's about my life, my happiness. I'm sorry for what happened yesterday, but I don't regret my actions," she replied earnestly.

There was a long silence, so long that she feared her father had hung up. Then she heard a sigh. "Very well, Seungwan. If you're so intent on pursuing this, bring the alpha of yours to the family dinner next month."

 "N-next month?" Seungwan's voice wavered as she echoed her father's words. 

"Is there a problem here?"

Seungwan's thoughts were racing. She had hoped to have more time to consider the situation and come up with a plausible scenario, but suddenly the stakes were higher. She came this far, she had no way back now. "Okay, Father. I'll make sure to set everything up."

"I hope that alpha is worth it, Seungwan. I need to go now," her father replied, and the call ended.

Where was she going to find an alpha now? She only had three weeks before the family dinner.
 

P.S. Really slow updates for this again. I love me a rebellious Wendy x uptight Irene!

Thanks for reading up till here:)