Why the “Alpha Wolf Myth” Works in Omegaverse

I’ve brought up the debunked wolf study a few times in articles here because, frankly, I have a bone to pick. Look, I get that it can be annoying if you know literally anything about wolves to hear someone go “I write common wolf tropes into my fiction.” I understand. That said, I am going to argue that the Alpha wolf myth that got thoroughly debunked by the scientists that first started and continued it is perfect for Omegaverse fiction. And it’s not accidental.

It’s Not Purposeful Either…

So, what do I mean? I can’t say exactly what people were thinking as the ideas of the Omegaverse began to solidify in the minds of internet fans and authors. All I can do is look at the general tropes that we draw from today when we create our own worlds and notice some things. What I notice more than anything is … if the reason the original wolf studies led to the idea of the Alpha wolf vying for dominance was because the wolves were in captivity … well … What do you think a wolf in a human body is?

A Wolf in Man’s Clothing

Omegaverse stories vary in whether or not the characters shapeshift. In the Pittsburgh Omegaverse, they definitely shapeshift. That’s a big part of the setting and tension between characters. I’ve read stories where shapeshifting isn’t a thing at all. The characters have the Alpha, Beta, and Omega designations and they have something like a twin-soul inside them that guides their instincts. The Alphas have knots that form during sex. But they don’t turn into wolves or hybrid-wolf forms.

If we consider, then, that most, if not all, Omegaverse stories involve humans containing some aspect of the Wolf withing them, isn’t that captivity? Isn’t that a human confining a wolf, influencing the wolves?

We know that the flaw in the original wolf study was that they were studying captive wolves. So, we know that captive wolves, when having to interact with wolves that aren’t part of their natural packs will display aggressive behavior. It’s a response to human intervention. And humans aren’t wolves. In fact, in some Omegaverse stories, you have wolf-human shifters and normal humans with no wolf at all. And these wolf-human shifters still have to interact in the human world, whether openly or in secret.

The Alpha Wolf Myth in the Pittsburgh Omegaverse

I weave this interpretation of how a wolf-human combination would work into the Three Rivers Claimed series that I’m writing with Alpha Mazeira. In this alternate-universe Pittsburgh, the wolf-human hybrid existence hasn’t always been the state of wolves. There was something else before. So, with this encroachment of man upon the wolf, there’s going to be some … changes to wolf nature.

Wolves have instinct of the natural pack-family, but they also have the hierarchical drives of humans. So, an individual Alpha looking for a mate is going to focus on creating a family and continuing the family lineage. This instinctual focus on the family unit is why not every Alpha tries to take over a territorial Pack. It’s also why not every Alpha tries to carve out their own territory beyond just their family unit.

If, however, an Alpha’s family lineage is the center of a larger territorial Pack, finding that mate and ensuring the lineage takes on a whole new scope of responsibility. An Alpha Heir who can’t ensure the continuation of their family lineage is one who can’t guarantee the Pack’s line of succession.

Succession crises aren’t the only reason a Pack Alpha might find themselves challenged, but it is a reason. It’s why Alphas typically place such a high priority on finding a suitable Omega mate. It’s also why in cities like Pittsburgh, which still have a governing Elder Council, the seasonal rites still hold prominence.

If you control the seasonal rite, you control which Alphas get to choose which Omegas.

Packs Under Pressure

With this kind of pressure placed on young Alphas to find mates, and the stifling control that can be placed on what mates they can select, you can understand the territorial aggression that arises. That aggression also fuels ambition. Even when a Pack Alpha secures their legacy and assures Pack succession, they can still find themselves challenged.

A young Alpha might decide they don’t like the direction Pack leadership has gone. Maybe they feel the Pack is too beholden to the Elder Council. Maybe an Alpha sees injustice with the way Betas or Omegas are treated and wants to be the change.

Or maybe a retiring Alpha decides that maybe he still has some ambitions after all…