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A long-long time ago, so long that none today would know, the world looked very different. Where omegas today have rights and privileges like their alpha and beta counterparts, our story takes place at a time they did not. They were property. Pampered prizes to be traded for wealth and power, and for none was this more true than Lord Gavin Kamski. The youngest of two, and the only omega, he was prized as a true rarity. Male omegas were rare and especially valuable even then, so his father knew he could extend his power and influence if Gavin was married off to the right household.
There was much discussion on this topic, though none of it involved Gavin himself. As an omega, what right did he have to decide his own fate? That was a thing best left to his alpha father and brother. His brother, Elijah, loved him dearly, and would be satisfied with any match so long as Gavin was treated well. That he would be treated well went without saying. Despite their lack of rights, omegas were valued; treasured like jewels or works of art. They were to be pampered and displayed. A well-loved omega was a thing to inspire the deepest envy, and with a male omega, one would be the talk of all the land.
All was going to plan. Negotiations had been held, deals had been struck, and matches had been made. The only one unaware, of course, was Gavin himself. Where most omegas were demure and tempered, Gavin was different. Though physically an omega, there was something of the alpha in his disposition. He was adventurous, often following that rambunctious streak to his own folly. His downfall came in the form of a striking young alpha. Not just any alpha. The captain of his father’s guard. About his own age, this alpha was something of a prodigy, rising to captain within a few short years and taking on the responsibility of guarding Gavin himself. A most trusted position. A position that was betrayed.
You might have heard stories of love at first sight, and no tale is sadder than this one. Captain Richard Arcano was far below Gavin in rank and status. Though he knew their love could never be, love and the pull of one’s base instincts are not easily denied. After months of the captain’s continual refusal, Gavin called him in his most vulnerable hour, and he submitted. Such a love was never known; fiery but tempered, affectionate, and devoted like no other. For weeks, they hid their passion. Fleeting couplings in sheltered alcoves and hidden nooks, secret touches and exchanges in the gardens, until word finally reached Richard that an agreement had been reached with a neighbouring kingdom. Gavin would soon leave him.
Plans were made, and the couple fled. In the dead of night, they left the castle, fleeing to a village of little consequence. A place they were not known. It was there that Gavin was claimed, not by a wealthy alpha lord, but by a simple captain. The bite on his neck was unmistakable and could never be undone. He was forever marked and scented. All was well for a time, but the lovers were betrayed, for one other knew where they had fled. One who was trusted above all others to help them flee. With a weakness for drink, it took little persuasion for the old man to confess. In a rare outing, Lord Kamski himself came to see his son’s folly and his captain’s betrayal. His fury was great. Death was the only remedy, but he would not make it quick. He would bring down a curse so terrible that they would feel it for the remainder of their miserable lives.
Elijah, desperate to save his brother, pleaded with the seeress. This woman, kind and gentle by nature, had already forewarned Elijah of his father’s fury. He begged her to save his brother, for he loved him above all others, and though she could not prevent the curse from being spoken, she did intervene. With her own magic, she altered the curse to something less fatal, but equally cruel. It was daytime when the curse struck, and Gavin screamed and writhed before Richard’s horrified eyes.
His body twisted and transformed, contorting into such grotesque shapes that Nines swore death must follow. He shrank, getting smaller and smaller until he was no bigger than a chicken. Gorgeous brown and red feathers sprouted across his body. His eyes, once glittering green marbles cut with shades of blue and hazel, grew larger and darker. His nose and mouth hooked and lengthened, becoming hard and sharp. The feathers on his arms grew longer, the bones twisting painfully until they were wings. Talons sprang from his toes as his legs shrank, changing from pale and pink to tawny brown.
The king roared with fury as Gavin took flight, no longer a man and unable to comprehend the world around him. Arrows chased him as he fled, along with Richard’s deafening cry of grief. Swords were turned upon the kneeling figure, but not a single blow fell. The seeress, ever wise and ever present, suggested this curse was perhaps more fitting. They would be together forever, unable to see, unable to touch, until the grief slowly drove them mad. Together forever, forever apart. The lord sneered at that, but he had not heard the curse in full, for as with all dark magic, there was a way to break the curse.
“There will come a time, a day without a night and a night without a day, when the couple shall come face to face with their enchanter. Upon that day, before the clock strikes twelve, the lovers shall come together as they truly are. The curse will be broken, and return from whence it came.” Elijah alone heard the seeress’ warning, and fell into despair, for such a time would never come. When it was day, it could never be night; and when night fell, the day was done. He drove himself almost to madness, much to his father’s delight. Unwilling to lose his grip on his only heir, the lord imprisoned him. He must be guided, moulded into the perfect heir to rule his land, and never step outside of his control.
Richard fled, and soon met with Gavin, for even as a hawk, Gavin knew his love. Hunted for sport by the lord’s men, they lived on the run. By day, Gavin was a hawk, and by night, he would become himself again. By day, Richard was as human as he ever was, but by night, his body shrank and contorted into a fine black wolf. Like the hawk, the wolf knew its love and stayed at Gavin’s side, protecting him throughout those darkest hours. It was torture. They cried and begged, watching each other transform each day and night for the barest glimpse of the other. Their features were always marred and twisted into something grotesque and less than human, hands helplessly reaching, and then they were gone.