I'm not sure if it's romantic, but it does make sure the omega doesn't end up getting raped if the omega goes into heat in front of someone who isn't the alpha.
So it's like a safety mechanism, I guess. It gives the alpha and the omega piece of mind, if they've chosen to be together. If not, well it's not like the bite is permanent, if the omega rejects the alpha eventually it goes away.
Off topic, Betas seem to be the ones who are really screwed. Sure they don't get controlled by their instincts like alphas or omegas, but if they're with an omega if the omega goes into heat in front of someone else (especially an alpha) they get raped. If they're with an alpha and an omega goes in heat in front of the alpha odds are the alpha won't be able to control himself so they get raped. It seems really risky because it's not about love or will, it's about being taken over by instincts which is horrible. No handy bite mark to protect anyone there.
I agree with you, especially about betas, although omegas still really get the worst deal in my opinion. I mean what if an omega loves a beta, or two omegas fall in love -- I would LOVE to read that... but still (as you say), none of that is in any way romantic.
Also, as far as I understand it, yeah the omega's pheromones won't affect other alphas if the omega's been bitten -- but that doesn't actually prevent anyone from raping them. It just means that the omega's body will reject others and make the omega feel physically sick if anyone but "their" bitey alpha has sex with them. The bite stops other alphas from "marking" them, and stops the omega pheromones from sending other alphas into involuntary raping frenzies, but that's the extent of it. Not really entirely safe, given how omegas are viewed by society （￣へ￣）
I think I get why omegas are hated, not their fault, but its like a raping time bomb that can go off at any point. Betas seem like they can control themselves, but alphas just go crazy. Even if the bite isn't perfect it must be a relief for some omegas.
Honestly the omega universe seems like a horrible world to live in. That's why mangas like this where it's adorable and fluffy are so nice to read. Some of these omega universe mangas are just depressing.
The depressing nature of the omegaverse makes me wonder if it was always, when first thought up, intended that way or did it just evolve that way. I'm confused by why there are some 'women' vs. the obvious omegas, betas and alphas. Why would they evolve if there were still a type of women to be found?
That's exactly why I find the male pregnancy aspect so unnecessary in omegaverse -- as well as being something I dislike intensely. It seems like it's basically just a way of making ukes (as almost every single omega is) even more like women. When mpreg makes its unwelcome appearance, the story stops feeling like BL at all, for me. The depressing, discriminatory social structure could be SO interesting, but the mpreg nonsense just makes it feel ridiculously heteronormative, and the whole setting ends up feeling like an excuse to be extra rapey.
I think it depends on the omegaverse rules of that specific story. There are omegaverse stories where the bite basically alleviates all future heats from the omega and won't set off any pheromones to other alphas/betas. Some omegaverse mangas don't even utilize the whole caste system control thing.
Anyway, the genders in omegaverse work differently from our world. Beta/omega/alpha are separate genders alongside male and female. It's not "mpreg" it's just "pregnancy".
List of omegas that aren't the stereotypical effeminate men you don't seem to like (effeminate can be subjective to one's own definition, for this I'm going for 'doesn't look slender or girly like a woman, doesn't act stereotypically feminine, not like there's anything wrong about being effeminate or being a woman, if men want to be like this then let them ffs it's their choice not ours):
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/omae_no_koi_wa_ore_no_mono/
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/megumi_and_tsugumi/
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/katsubou_animajemera/
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/love_shuttle/
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/yukyu_omega/
Omegas topping Alphas:
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/sutenaide_my_hero/
http://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/boku_no_high_spec_kareshi_sama/
I really don't get why people think the omega being bitten is romantic. At all. It doesn't mean anything for the alpha, it has no effect on them. It's just something that controls the omega so they only go into heat for the alpha who bites them. If an alpha they hate bites them, or an alpha who doesn't give a shit about them, it basically just ruins their ability to have a normal happy sex life with anyone else, even another alpha. That is not romantic, it is completely f*cked up. So it's more romantic that these two have actually chosen to be together, without any biting.