Being a genre and collection of tropes workshopped on the internet, the Omegaverse is … interesting. We think of it as this mash-up of ideas that can sometimes seem (or outright be) contradictory. That’s because, frankly, it is. When you look at any genre or trope idea across multiple works, especially from different authors, you’re going to find limitless contradictions. We’re not looking at a clean-cut (snickers) marketing genre. The Omegaverse and its core Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics is a workshop writing prompt. 

With that said, I’m going to peel back the cover and look at the ideas I brought into the relationships Alpha Mazeira and I crafted for Three Rivers Claimed. You’re going to see some differences between these ideas and what’s on the Pittsburgh Omegaverse splash page. That’s intentional. Alpha Mazeira and I each have our own ideas about what an Omegaverse should look like. Just as I’m threading together our back-and-forth story into Three Rivers Claimed, we threaded our ideas into something shared. 

Sex, Gender, and Wolf Hierarchies

A general staple of Omegaverse stories is that the Alpha, Beta, and Omega designations function as a secondary (or in some, I’d argue primary) sex trait. I think this works really well in stories that focus on same-sex pairings. But … what if you’re not writing same-sex stories – or you’re not only writing same-sex stories? When people say “Alpha/Omega pairings in het-Omegaverse are just gender-stereotypical male/female relationships,” I don’t disagree.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. As a writer and a feminist, I absolutely see the value in placing an Alpha/Omega dynamic on top of gender-stereotypical roles as a way to mask the elements that bother us so we can enjoy a fantasy. I think it’s why the male billionaire Dom is so popular, even if I personally find it unrealistic. I’m just saying, it’s not what I want to do with my Omegaverse stories all the time. 

Instead, I look at the Alpha/Beta/Omega hierarchy as something that intersects with sex and gender. It helps to muddy the water between nature and nurture so that we can play around with “irresistible drives” and have new ways to explore what consent means or experiment with dubious consent. 

So, what does that look like, exactly? 

The Alpha

Let’s start with the Alpha. In the Alpha/Beta/Omega hierarchy, the Alpha sits at the top … that’s arguable, but we’ll get into that later. Your average Alpha is Dominant, a natural leader, and ready to take charge in any situation, regardless of their gender. This is your average Alpha. Everyone is different, and in my ideas of Omegaverse, the Alpha/Beta/Omega hierarchy isn’t a wolf thing; it’s the human being placed over or within the wolf. And just like humans of all genders vary in how they express ideas of dominance and submission, our human-hybrid wolves are going to be the same. But … your typical Alpha is the leader, domineering, and they’re always just physically stronger than their Beta and Omega counterparts. 

Sex is going to alter this somewhat. Male and female bodies are built differently and are optimized for different things. Male bodies tend to be larger and have broader musculature than female bodies, for example. This holds for male Betas as well, so you could be forgiven for thinking that a female Alpha is weaker than a male Beta. She’s probably not going to forgive you, but objectively, it’s an understandable mistake. 

While we think of Alphas as being stronger than Betas and Omegas, it’s truer to say that they have higher physical prowess than Betas and Omegas. In most cases, a male Alpha is going to be the strongest wolf in the room. However, a female Alpha is going to have other properties that bring her up to the pinnacle of wolf fitness. For example, she will have dexterous, wiry muscles and quick reflexes. Her senses are more finely tuned as well. While all wolves have exceptional senses, a female wolf of any designation can distinguish sharper detail in colors, shapes, and senses. This trait is especially heightened in female Alphas. 

If you wanted to categorize male and female Alpha combatants, male Alphas tend to rely on physical size and strength to battle an opponent. Female Alphas, on the other hand, are natural scrappers. They’re quick and agile. Where a male Alpha will take hits and deliver them in kind, female Alphas are particularly adept at discerning an opponent’s moves and avoiding or parrying a hit. 

Breeding

We’re talking about Omegaverse, so obviously breeding is coming into it. Alphas of all genders are highly fertile creatures. In my Omegaverse stories, Alphas are typically the only ones who can breed with Omegas. How that breeding happens will depend on both the sex of the Alpha and the Alpha’s sexual preferences. Obviously, a heterosexual male Alpha is going to have the equipment necessary to impregnate a female Omega. This holds across the spectrum. A male Alpha can impregnate their Omega mate, regardless of that mate’s sex and gender, which we’ll cover in more detail when we talk about Omegas. They can also impregnate female Alphas and female Betas. What you’ll never find is an impregnated male Alpha. 

Female Alphas can do either the impregnating or becoming pregnant, depending on their sexual orientation and their partner. A heterosexual female Alpha can get pregnant from a male Alpha, Beta, or Omega. For female Alphas who have mates of other genders, it’s going to depend. If she has a Beta partner, it will depend on that partner’s sex assigned at birth. If she has an Omega partner, it will depend on that Omega’s gender. 

The Beta

Betas make up the bulk of Wolf society. In my ideal Omegaverse, Betas make up about two-thirds to three-fourths of the population while Alphas and Omegas split the one-fourth to one-third figure. How large the Beta population is depends on how rare I want Alphas and Omegas to be in the overall wolf population. 

Betas are the backbone of society. They’re your average worker and average citizen. Betas are not devoid of wolf instinct. They’re just as driven by instinct as their Alpha and Omega counterparts. Betas can be possessive, but they’re not considered to be a Dominant designation. If we wanted to compare Betas to BDSM dynamics, the Beta would usually be your super-submissive. That is to say, they’re the kind of submissive that will be submissive to any partner, Alpha or Omega. 

This is, in my ideal Omegaverse, largely socialized into them. In my ideal Omegaverse, where the Alpha/Beta/Omega designation is due to human influence on the wolf species, the Beta isn’t just your default person – it’s what a wolf naturally is. In actuality, a Beta can be as Dominant or as submissive as they need to be, depending on their relationship and role. And … we’ll come back to those implications later. 

As far as physical prowess, Betas are exceptionally diverse. They (almost) never eclipse an Alpha counterpart. You will find some beefy male Betas, but your typical Beta leans more towards average and above-average physicality. Betas tend instead to be more mental, with higher average intelligence and reasoning compared to Alpha or Omega counterparts. Alphas and Omegas will have standouts that can outshine a Beta mentally, but on average, Betas tend to outperform everyone else when it comes to mental challenges.

Breeding

In the Three Rivers Claimed universe, Betas are sterile. In my ideal Omegaverse, sterility is a thing that can affect the Beta population at large. Basically, if sterility is a plot element of a world, it strikes the Betas; Alphas and Omegas never have natural sterility. This can have some interesting implications that I’ll get into later. 

When it comes to who can impregnate and bear offspring, Betas are sex-locked. That is to say, for a Beta, their sex assigned at birth, not their gender, determines if they impregnate or bear children. A transgender woman who is a Beta will not be able to get pregnant, no matter how many times her male Alpha mate knots her. 

The Omega

In my ideal Omegaverse, the Omega is the softer of the designations. They’re usually, but not always, submissive. Depending on the specifics of the setting, Omegas may be cherished equals of Alphas or little more than property for Packs to trade and breed. Omegas are very much defined by their ability to breed with Alphas, which means that any power and status they have in a setting is always precariously held. 

In my settings, there’s always something unique about the existence of Omegas in general. In the Three Rivers Claimed universe, Omegas have ties to the Fae and possess some amount of Glamour and magic. That tie can dwindle when they mate with an Alpha, but it’s there and an important part of who and what they are. Omegas are very much a marker that points to the Alpha/Beta/Omega designations being something outside of natural wolf physiology and socialization. 

Omegas of any gender tend to be smaller than their Alpha and Beta counterparts. They usually excel in social situations and have high emotional intelligence. While on average Betas are usually the most intelligent of wolves, Omegas, even when not exceeding Betas mentally, can and do compete with them in most mental categories. 

Because of the focus on Omega breeding, Omegas tend to excel in the domestic sphere. This does extend into the political arena, where Omegas become the center of Pack politics. In larger Packs, an Omega Luna is unmatched in their abilities as a peacemaker and as the rational, calm voice in the room. Omegas are famous for their ability to calm almost any raging Alpha. 

Breeding

In my ideal Omegaverse setting, the idea that only Alphas can successfully breed with Omegas is true with an asterisk. Alpha mates are the ideal companion for Omegas, for reasons I’ll get into shortly. They can breed with Betas, provided their Beta mate is sexually compatible for breeding. They can also breed with other Omegas, something that is highly frowned upon for very obvious reasons. 

Whether an Omega impregnates or bears children depends on their sex, sexual orientation, and their partner. A homosexual male Omega can bear children for a male partner just as a homosexual female Omega can bear children for her female Alpha partner. What a female Omega can never do is impregnate a partner. 

Interesting Implications

So, as you can guess, adding Alpha, Beta, and Omega dynamics into a socially recognized and propagated mix has some implications for worldbuilding. The first of these implications comes down to: who is in control of this world? 

No Seriously, Who Rules the World? 

In my ideal Omegaverse, control of society is nuanced. Alphas generally rule their Packs, with their Luna (usually but not always an Omega) at their side. Pack Alphas usually have a council of some kind who help control a Pack, especially if they cover a lot of territory and incorporate a lot of wolf families. Alphas and Betas make the Pack council. Where Pack territories meet, there’s usually some kind of intra-Pack Council that controls the wider area. 

That’s where things can get … interesting. In my ideal world, Betas almost universally control the Intra-Pack Council. This is especially true in worlds where Betas are sterile. The Packs become the place for wolf breeding, and the larger world politics are left to those who sit outside of breeding urges. This has a societal advantage, since an Omega’s heat cycle isn’t going to impact wider politics. It can, however, have some control implications, depending on how dark the world is. 

The other implication of “actual Beta control” comes into play with the Pack councils. In a world where Betas have a lot of control over society, if they make up all or a sizable portion of a Pack council, then that means they’re going to have some amount of control of the Pack and possibly over the Pack Alpha as well. 

Breeding Implications

Alpha/Beta/Omega hierarchies also suggest implications for breeding outcomes. What do you get when you breed certain types of wolves? Here’s the breakdown for my ideal Omegaverse:

• Alpha & Omega: This always yields Alphas and Omegas, regardless of the genders of Alphas and Omegas. That said, some rare families may lean one way or another. For example, in Three Rivers Claimed, the Hartleys only produce Alphas. 
• Alpha & Alpha: Female Alphas, when mated with male Alphas, always bear Beta children. 
• Beta & Anything: Betas, when paired with other Betas, Alphas, or Omegas, will always produce Beta offspring. In rare circumstances, when Alpha and Omega populations are very low, Beta + Beta pairings can bear Alpha or Omega offspring.
• Omega & Omega: Omega/Omega pairings are almost always prohibited and are rumored to be sterile pairings. However, in the rare circumstances that they’re allowed to happen or otherwise endure, they yield Omega offspring. 

Alphas end up being the rarest mating outcome, since Alpha/Omega pairings are the only way to guarantee Alpha offspring, making Omegas very important to have and to control. If you include the prohibition on Omega/Omega pairings, that means that Omega populations are kept artificially low. 

When Beta sterility is tossed in, that means that your wolf populations are small overall and that your population split no longer favors Betas. As generations continue, Betas would make up a smaller and smaller portion of the population. As long as Alpha/Alpha pairings continue, they would not leave the population entirely, but they would become a very small portion of it. 

This begs an interesting question. In a society where Betas make up the majority of society and serve as the backbone, but Betas are sterile … where do Betas come from? Logically, you could say that Omegas are fertile enough to overcome Beta sterility in Beta/Omega pairings. You could encourage your female Alphas to mate with other Alphas instead of Omegas to ensure a population of Betas. 

Or you could ask the question … what makes Betas sterile?

The Pittsburgh Omegaverse

Three Rivers Claimed is coming October 1, 2026. You’ll be able to see how I blended these ideas with Alpha Mazeira’s Omegaverse philosophy. We’ll be releasing Kimber’s story one day at a time, and one day at a time. Three Rivers Claimed culminates on Samhain, when you’ll learn who Kimber chooses, who claims her, and how that will shape Pittsburgh. 

You can follow the story with each daily release, or wait for each book collection of 6 days, which will start with Magnolia Borne, release date October 6th. 

Subscribe to stay updated on the book. If you become a Patron on Patreon, then you’ll get sneak peeks into the series, early release of the first few days, and full release of the first novel, Magnolia Borne, when it’s released in October.