1

A/N: the main character is a trans omega (ftm), do with that information what you will.

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He grabs his gym bag, small and black in color, heavier than he remembers. He doesn’t pay any mind as he clutches at the straps just a bit tighter, his fingertip reaching for the button nearby. With a tired yawn, he gets off at the next stop, the bus jerking when it comes to a sudden halt. He offers the beta driver a sleepy goodnight, not getting a response in return. The lack of response doesn’t bother him, and he shrugs it off as wind whips at his flushed face, rustling his hair.

His steps are sluggish as he walks the short distance to home, a cramped apartment with a tiny bed calling his name. He jams the key into the entrance of the complex, jiggling when he can’t unlock it on the first twist of a wrist. When it finally gives, he steps through, immediately squinting at the flickering lights overhead. He silently wishes they’d just decide whether they’ll give out or not, or at least have them fixed.

He sighs, another yawn escaping his chapped lips. He’s so tired he could fall asleep standing up and not wake up, yet he forces his body to move. His footsteps echoing through the hall as he makes a turn and finally comes to his apartment at the end. He wipes his soles on the small dirty welcome mat and opens his apartment. The door much easier to unlock than the one in the main entrance.

His apartment is cold, silent, with only the bare minimum. The walls white yet begging for a paint job. The kitchen is empty aside from a microwave and a fridge that’s almost always empty too. His stomach growls, but he chooses to ignore it.

Nothing really screams homey until he finally reaches his room. His nest is messy, the sheets rumpled and his blanket half on the bed and half on the wooden floor with pillows tucked here and there. He toes off his shoes and shoves them in the closet before he lets the bag fall. He stretches and moans when his back pops.

With a sharp breath, his fingers drag the zipper of his bag open. He frowns. The café uniform isn’t haphazardly folded as he remembers. In fact, his uniform isn’t there at all. He pulls out a gray tee and black jeans both scentless as if smothered in blockers, lips downturned at the foreign clothes that are not, in fact, his.

It takes him a belated minute to look down again and notice what else lies inside. His heart nearly stops at the sight, stuttering painfully inside his chest. His breath hitches and his fingers tremble as he reaches inside.

He pulls out the first wad of cash, cool brown eyes blown wide in surprise. He grabs the bag, clutches it tightly as he dumps everything on his bed.

Wads upon wads of cash spilling out, bundles held together by rubber bands. He swallows thickly, around the lump getting stuck inside his throat. One thought crossing his mind, what… the fuck?

He piles onto his bed and sits crisscross, sleep suddenly gone but the tension still bleeds into his shoulders. He takes the first bundle and decides to count it.

By the end he finishes, it’s nearly one in the morning and he’s counted over $70,000 in cash, on his bed, on his lap .

He struggles to find words, thoughts to string together. What is he supposed to do with so much money?

He bites his lip and stares at the calendar stuck on the wall beside his bed. He doesn’t have enough for rent this month, and last month he barely scraped by. The café doesn’t pay as much as he’d hoped, and he still needs to pay for his prescriptions. Not to mention food and don’t get him started on the 15 thousand debt of tuition for a degree he couldn’t finish.

He’s gone nearly three days without a proper meal and he’s starving now. He almost contemplates the idea that crawls its way into his mind before he stops himself. No. This isn’t his money. If anything, with this amount, it’s probably dirty money.

Still… he’s in desperate need. His rent is due tomorrow and it’s been days since he ran out of his suppressants, it’s only a matter of time before his secondary gender gets revealed and he’s fired. He can’t forget the bills sitting on the table either, laying mockingly just outside his room in the kitchen.

His hand digs through his curls and he tugs until tears well up in his eyes. He doesn’t know what to do. He needs the money, he really does. But this isn’t his, it’s… it’s…

He can’t sleep.

He stares at the teasing pile of cash before he shoves it back in the bag. He curls up in bed, pressing the heels of his hands to his stomach to stop the growling and hunger pangs. For a moment he closes his eyes. He needs to think, but his room feels suffocating.

Seconds tick by and he doesn’t even realize he’s fallen asleep until his alarm goes off at the ass crack of dawn.

He yawns, feeling worse and more exhausted than he’s felt before. His tense muscles ache and he glares at the cause of his exhaustion. The bag of money lays nonchalantly on the floor beside his bed. He frowns before scrubbing his face tiredly.

He trudges to his bathroom, wrinkling his nose. He brushes his teeth and tries, tries so hard to go back to routine. He digs through the pile of dirty clothes in the corner of his room until he finds a clean… ish uniform. He tugs the shirt over his head, his curls more tangled with his tossing and turning from last night. He should take a shower, he really should. But they cut off the heat last week and all that’s left is ice cold water and shivering nights.

So, instead he applies an extra layer of the blocker he’s already running low on.  He hopes it’s enough to mask the scent of omega.  The last thing he needs is to be fired for lying about being a beta, be fired for being an omega, a “liability”.

He bites his lip, it doesn’t matter anyways.  Without his suppressants his heat is about to strike and they’ll find out anyway.

With an exhale he hauls up his pants and buttons them. He wordlessly shoves the bag under his bed with his foot.

Out of sight. Out of mind.

And for the rest of the day he forgets.

He does.

Until he gets paid and the amount isn’t satisfying, isn’t nearly enough to cover all of his expenses.

He’s back to square one, slumping in his bed, still in his disgusting uniform with more stains than he can count. He buries his face in one of his softest pillows and stares at the small amount of money in the envelope with his name inked on it. He needs to pay rent, bills, food.

His stomach growls loudly, painfully, he really needs food.

With a decisive nod and a bite of his lip he drags the bag from under his bed. He’ll just take enough to take care of his most basic needs. He uses all his work money and completes the rent with the cash from the mysterious bag. He walks with guilt gnawing his chest to his landlord. Knocks. Pays. Leaves.

Then food. Something quick, something not expensive. Something unhealthy like McD’s.

He returns home with a bag of small fries and a burger. He makes it to his apartment and breathes in relief. It feels like he should be constantly looking over his shoulder.

Next he chooses to pay at least half of the debt over his head before it goes to collections and his credit is shot to the point that he’ll never recover, never survive.

Just 7.5.

It’s not that much… at least he tries to convince himself as such.

He’s on autopilot when he pays and tries to forget.  Tries to ease his racing heart and mind.  No one is following him back home.

No one is stalking him.

No one is looking at him.

He’s only doing what he must.

So when night comes and goes, he can’t help but feel happy. The weight of worry concerning how he was going to manage is now gone if only for a moment. The hunger is back, but when is it not?

He even smiles when his next shift starts and gets extra tips. Just an extra dollar or two, but it’s more than he has ever counted on before.

And with his guard down, he finds nothing wrong when he gets home after a quick stop at the pharmacy.  There’s nothing wrong when he crosses the threshold.

At least not until he stops at the kitchen.

Three men insouciantly waiting for him. One sitting leisurely at his table with the bag strewn at his feet and money piled at the top. He stops in his tracks, breath hitching in his throat at the sight of a gun resting beside the money.

The overwhelming stench of alpha , seeping into the walls of his apartment.

Of angry, furious , alpha.

“Welcome home, honey,” the man taunts, brow quirked.

He gulps and suddenly feels nauseous, knees beginning to tremble.

“Please don’t kill me,” he begs, voice breaking.

The man’s bark of laughter makes him flinch and tears well in his eyes. He’s dead. He’s so fucking dead.

“Who-Who are you?”

“Me?” The man asks, looking at the others as if in surprise, “Me? No, who are you ? Who do you think you are believing you can take what’s mine?”

He flinches.

“You see, this right here is mine. And as I was counting this here,” the man begins conversationally, “I realized that some of my money was gone, missing.”

The younger takes a terrified step back, making the two men standing tense in defense become even more rigid as if he were the one about to attack and not the other way around.

“See, I’m missing precisely $8,850 and I like my money exact,” the man says and any trace of amusement wipes from his face as he leans forward, his fingers curling around the handle of the sleek gun, “So I’m only going to ask this once. Where. Is. My. Money?”

And to make matters worse, the man’s lips curl over sharp canines as he tacks on the younger’s name, “Oliver.”

2

Oliver feels nauseated as he stares at the men in his kitchen, his heart thumping loudly inside his chest and blood rushing to his head, drowning out all coherent sound. He takes another staggering step back as the man pushes off the rickety chair, hand curling ’round the gun casually, as if by habit. Oliver gulps, breath hitching as he panics when he realizes it probably is by habit. How many people have been threatened by the end of that barrel?  How many have actually died?  His eyes bounce from man to man in his rapid panic, noticing how the two caging in the ringleader follow his every step back.  Awaiting his every order.

His mouth opens, lips forming words he can’t quite spit out. He raises his trembling hands up in surrender as tears well in his eyes, his bag of suppressants falling to his feet in his surprise and fear. 

His breathing is ragged with his growing panic and he scrunches his face as the first terrified tear rolls down his cheek, showing a weakness he cannot hide.

“Where. Is. My. Money?” The man demands, “Don’t make me repeat myself, Oliver .”

Oliver points at a drawer by the sink, lips quivering as he says in a small croaked voice, “envelope.”

The ringleader gives a nod of his head and one of the goons moves as if on autopilot. The beta yanks the drawer open by the rusted handle without a word. The sound grates his ears before it’s closed with a resounding slam that makes Oliver flinch.

The envelope is neatly deposited on the alpha’s hand, palm opened and waiting. Expectant. Oliver holds his breath as the man counts the money, his (admittedly) handsome face darkening.

The laugh that escapes his lips is one that promises pain, cold and harsh, “You think you can fuck with me?”

A small whine of fear crawls up the omega’s throat as he fights the urge to tilt his head and expose the most vulnerable place of his throat.

“There’s only $675. Where’s the rest?”

Oliver looks at the man with wide teary eyes, choking on air as he takes in a shuddering breath, “I-I don’t have it.”

The man’s quirked brow narrows, “I’m sorry, did you just say you don’t have it?”

Against his better judgment, Oliver nods.

A small insignificant incline of the man’s head sets the beta men to work as they begin trashing the place, searching for something they won’t find.

“Please, I-I’m sorry!” Oliver whimpers, eyes following the wild movements as his home is upturned and papers are scattered.

“ Sorry ?“ The man scoffs.

His steps are loud in Oliver’s ears as he approaches the younger and Oliver finds that he’s rooted to the floor, that he can’t move from where he stands.  He’s not sure if it’s from the Alpha’s angry pheromones or if he’s paralyzed from utter fear.  Regardless, he stops breathing and finds the man’s hand quickly wrapping around his throat without remorse.  The heel of his palm presses down and the pressure makes Oliver gasp for breath.  The scent glands near his throat become too sensitive as the rough skin presses against them without respite.

The tears he managed to hold back spill when the gun is raised, the end of the barrel pressed to his temple and making his tangled curls tickle his skin.

“Please don’t kill me,” Oliver begs, voice breaking.

“And why shouldn’t I?” The alpha asks with a tilt of his head, stepping closer and invading the younger’s personal space until his lips brush Oliver’s ear with a growl, “You stole my money.”

“I’m sorry,” Oliver whimpers, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know!”

“Didn’t know what? You find someone’s money and just spend it however the fuck you want?”

“No!” Oliver says, voice high pitched and loud even to his own ears.

Mortified, his hand responds on automatic as he slaps it over his mouth, as if that could take back his outburst.

“Then what did you do with my money?”

“I,” Oliver chokes, “I used it to pay my rent, my bills.”

The man pulls back, but the pressure of the gun against his head isn’t alleviated. His face flushes when those piercing eyes scrutinize him. He closes his eyes, breathing slowing down. His body is tense, but he’s resigned. He’s lived a good life… right?  He’s gotten so far.

Another tear slides down his cheek and before he realizes, the gun is lifted from its place. Oliver’s eyes flutter open and he feels as if his soul can return to his body. He collapses without a word, legs feeling like jelly and giving up on him completely, making him fall onto his knees with a heavy painful thud.

He looks up with brown doe eyes questioning, but he’s still faced with the end of the gun. The ringleader looks utterly disinterested as he points the loaded revolver to Oliver’s forehead obscured by unruly curls.

“You have three days,” the man begins, “three days to get my money.”

Oliver trembles. Three days? He just got paid, there’s no way he can get that money in such a short amount of time.

“I-”

“Three days,” the man interrupts with a glare, “or you pay with your life.”

The man could’ve easily forgiven the younger for stealing such a meager amount of money, but there’s nothing like teaching a thief a lesson for touching what’s his. Without another word, he clicks the safety on and tucks the gun in the back of his jeans simultaneously signaling the others to leave. One of them kicks a broken piece of a wooden chair toward the younger’s cowering frame, making him scamper away only for it to hit his calf.

But finally, finally , they leave, and Oliver’s left alone in his wrecked home. He looks around and it seems as if a tornado passed through, his heart clenching at the sight of destruction.  His entire home, his safe haven, is tainted.  It smells of angry alpha and strangers .

He drags his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around them, his hands clenching onto the fabric of his uniform and twisting in anguish. Three days, it’s not enough! It’s not enough time. He couldn’t even make enough for his rent.

And as the minutes tick and bleed into hours, he realizes he doesn’t have the strength to move. He curls up on the cold floor and falls asleep with tears running down his cheeks and snot making it hard to breathe. He clenches his fist tightly and forces himself to breathe, to calm down and stop the pending panic attack clawing at his chest. He should just resign himself, resign himself to his inevitable death that will no doubt be painful and done cold-heartedly.

He briefly wonders what they’ll do with his body before discarding those dark, dark thoughts from his clouded mind. Even knowing the outcome, he can’t help but try, but hold onto foolish hope. He has three days before… before he pays with his life for rent money of all things.

Yet when morning comes, he still doesn’t move.

He let’s the sunlight bathe his sore and tense body as he still lays motionless on the floor. He closes his puffy eyes and takes in a deep shuddering breath.

In and out.

In and out.

Three days.

He can do this. 

He can’t do this.

3

Somehow, Oliver finds the strength to move from his fetal position after hours of being on the floor and finds himself functioning on autopilot.  His omega takes over so he can pick up the jagged  pieces of his fractured mind clouded with fear. 

He does laundry in the sink, air dries his uniform in the midst of destruction and goes back to staring at the entrance of his apartment, half expecting the alpha to reappear and go back on his word, to just shoot him then and there instead of having him think about the next coming days.  Of expecting his death at every sharp turn of a corner when he can’t conjure the money like he was told.

No such thing happens but he still can’t find the will to move, to breathe properly.  He feels oddly… empty.  Like a shell of any ambitions he could’ve strived to live for.  He feels lackluster but there’s a sense of… relief?

If he dies… if he dies he doesn’t have to worry about rent or food or surviving .

His will to live has slipped through his fingers and he never realized just how feeble it was to begin with, how weak he truly is.

Oliver thinks about it, about the life he’s lived so far.  Thinks about how he was a disappointment to his parents for not only turning to be an omega, but being transgender and queer.  Being a disappointment for amounting to nothing.

And he truly has nothing to live for.

No one to come home to.  No alpha or omega or beta, no friends, no family (not anymore and not for the longest). 

He comes to the realization that he’s alone and no one… no one would miss him if he were to die.

His omega whines deep within his soul, urges him to move, to stop thinking.

Alpha will be mad, we need to move .

Oliver furrows his brow.

Alpha?

What alph-

His eyes widen.

Oh for fucks sake!

An alpha gives him the time of day by threating to kill him and his omega imprints on the man?

What in the twisted fuck is this?

His omega whines again and urges him up.

He stumbles on numb legs, pins and needles racing under his skin and making him shiver.

“There is no alpha,” he mutters under his breath, willing his stupid omega to realize the gravity of their situation.  That alpha was not theirs, that alpha wants to kill them!

Despite all the red flags, his omega uses it as enough motivation to get him moving again, to do as their [ not their ] alpha ordered.  

He puts on his stiff but clean uniform, grabs his keys, and heads for work, internally hoping he still has a job to return to.

He’s directed to the back, to the office where his manager is seemingly waiting, face scrunched in distaste when her eyes land on his shrunken form.

“Oliver,” she greets, voice clipped.

“Hey,” he croaks, throat scratchy from his tears and misuse.

“Nice of you to join us.”

Oliver swallows thickly, “sorry about that, an emergency came up and I-I couldn’t reach out and let you know, I’m so sor-”

His ramble is cut off as the woman leans into his personal space and sniffs .  Her nose scrunches up immediately and her eyes widen in realization, “you’re an omega.”

Oliver stares back at her with comically wide eyes.  He knew he forgot to do something.  He feels so stupid, how could he forget the most basic thing that keeps him safe?  How did he forget to wear blockers, to hide his traitorous scent?

“I can explain,” he begins, ready to rebut the truth even though he feels like iced water has just been poured over his head. 

 He looks at her with pleading eyes but the shake of her head makes him stop short.  He knows how this is going to end.

“I appreciate you coming in today as we are short staffed, but don’t come back.  Not tomorrow, not the day after.  You’re dismissed from the diner.”

He doesn’t know what possesses him but he speaks up, “that’s wrongfully terminating me.”

She quirks a brow, “You lied about your secondary gender.  You no call no showed yesterday.  You’re putting the patrons and everyone around you at risk by flaunting your omegan scent without proper blockers.  There are plenty of valid reasons behind your termination, be grateful we’ll even pay you for today.”

She waves him off as if she didn’t just further upend his entire world.  As if she didn’t just take the only source of income away from him.

He allows his legs to carry him out of the small office, barely flinching when the door is closed behind him with a loud slam.  He stares into space, not knowing what to do, unable to will his body to move and pretend everything is ok, to even breathe properly.

“Look what you did,” he whispers to himself.

His omega remains eerily quiet. He doesn’t move for another several long moments but when he finally does, he plasters on a smile that feels plastic and heads onto the floor to attend to rude and inconsiderate costumers.  A heavy feeling quickly settles in his chest and the pit of his stomach that has nothing to do with the fact he hasn’t eaten for two days.

It’s then that he belatedly realizes this is day two of the three the Alpha had given him.  He had zoned out for an entire day yesterday and then some, and now he’s just been  fired .

He feels choked with tears and he has to swallow past the lump in throat as he flickers his gaze to look at the costumers sitting in a booth in the far corner.  He would’ve missed them if he hadn’t heard the chime of the door and seen the blur of people pass by.

“Good morning,” he sniffs pathetically, “my name is Oliver and I-I’ll be taking care of you today, has anything caught your attention or would you like a couple more minutes?”

The man lowers down the menu and Oliver feels his breath stutter in his chest when he can finally see who it is.

“Hey Oliver,” the man drawls easily, body lax and completely at ease even as red eyes flash and narrow on his person, “what comes in the sampler?”

Oliver freezes, his body refusing to respond as those piercing eyes pin him in place.

A quirk of the man’s brow signifying his waning patience makes Oliver shudder and finally he manages a weak response, “The-The breakfast sampler?”

“Yes, what comes in it?”

Oliver swallows thickly, “Uh… I-It comes with eggs, bacon, sa-sausage, and yo-your choice of pancakes o-or waffles.”

The man hums, furrowing his brows in contemplation.

The silence stretches for a moment too long and Oliver finds himself asking, “What… What a-are you doing here?”

“Just trying to get some good food around here,” the man smiles, hand completely dropping the menu onto the table now and allowing Oliver to glimpse at the familiar gun.

Oliver wants to whimper, to cower and bare his throat to the man.

He doesn’t.

He has more restraint than that, or at least he hopes he does but his omega is proving that untrue.

And the flickering glint in the man’s eyes makes something hot inside him twist .

It sparks something he had lost two days ago.

It sets off his will to live .

“Please,” he whispers, completely unaware of where the strength to plead with the alpha comes from, “please, just… just give me some more time.”

I want to live , he begs internally, please let me live

But it falls on deaf ears, he realizes, when the alpha simply offers him another traitorous deadly smile and says, “I’d like a black coffee and a short stack.”

Oliver gapes at the men, at the alpha.

After a moment the alpha tacks on, “please.”

Oliver’s gaze flickers to the beta beside the man, different from the ones who trashed his home.

“They’re going to just watch,” the alpha motions to them, “so I’d appreciate it if you hurry up with my food. I’m in a rush, I hope you understand.”

Oliver nods as he scrambles to place the order, not wanting to infuriate the alpha any more than he’s already done.

But when he returns with the teeming plate of food and a refill for the alpha’s coffee, he finds the table barren of its occupants and more than enough money scattered on it to pay for the food.

4

A light breeze hits Oliver’s warm skin when he steps outside of the diner for the last time as an employee.  The sun has already hidden behind lines of trees and buildings, the breeze picking up and making him shiver where he stands.

In his hand he holds his last payment with something akin to resentment simmering below.  Slowly, he begins to count the money and tips he managed to make for the last time.  He discovers that it barely amounts to a hundred dollars.  There’s a churn of hopelessness that makes him want to gag as he thinks about what will happen when he can’t complete over $8,000 in the next couple of hours.

The realization that he only has a couple hours to live hits him hard.  His hands curl around the loose bills before he shoves them in his pocket. He needs to move.  He needs to go into hiding or something .  He doesn’t just want to wait around until that alpha finds him and kills him.

A shiver crawls up his spine at the mere thought of what awaits him.

Decidedly he heads for the nearest bus stop and gets on with no destination in mind.

Hours later and after two bus changes, Oliver finds himself in a small town worse than the one he left behind.

There are garbage piles littered everywhere.  The stench of rotting food clogs his sensitive nose and makes his eyes water.  The siding of houses and buildings alike are browning wrapped with broken and rusting fences filled with tetanus.  Sidewalks are cracked as tree roots poke under concrete and trip him when he’s not looking.

He wanders around aimlessly, hugging himself when beta men hanging around abandoned buildings whistle and jeer his way.

Not for the first time does he question why he chose to run, why he chose to live.

He bites his lip until he draws blood, the metallic taste coating his tongue. His eyes flicker from building to building until he settles on a motel.

He has enough for a night.  There’s a small comfort with the thought of a roof over his head though.

The chime of bells pursue Oliver as he approaches the front desk, an older woman behind the counter giving him a once over.  An old alpha stands behind her, eying him with just as much interest.  Only one words pops into his mind. Sleazy .

He wonders if they’ plot to harvest his organs once he turns around to leave and he reminds himself to block the door once he gets a room.

The process isn’t too arduous and within moments he has the key card in his hand.

He passes by a vending machine on his way to his room and he settles on some chips.  He lost his appetite days ago, he doesn’t think he can stomach anything other than the saltiness and cheesy crunch of cheetos.

Once in his room he secures the door with the flimsy locks and barricades himself with the nightstand.  Something that becomes easy, becomes routine and second nature as one might turns into two, then three, and so forth.

In the morning of his second day of hiding he manages to get blockers with his dwindling money at a nearby store. The patches irritate his skin in the worst ways possible, but he needs them if he thinks of securing a job. 

It’s with sheer luck that he finds a position in the confines of an elementary school as a night janitor.

He sleeps during the day, or tries to, and works late into the night.

The smell of pups clings to him and makes his omega ache  with want.

He reminds himself that he can’t.  He can never bring a pup into this world.  Not while he’s on the run.

Our alpha would’ve taken care of us , his omega huffs, strong alpha, good alpha .

“You mean the alpha that wants to kill us?” Oliver frowns as he sweeps one night.

His omega drops it at that, but the yearning doesn’t stop.  It never stops, not even when he sleeps.

The dreams… the dreams that should be nightmares haunt him.

Images of the alpha, of a man with short dark hair, stubble, and sharp features filters through his sleep addled mind. Images of dark luring eyes that flicker to luminescent red consume him. He feels the phantom touch of a calloused hand wrapping around his throat, feels claws pressing into his skin, into his scent glands teasingly .

And when he wakes up, without fail, he’s drenched in sweat, panting and breathing heavy with exasperation as slick pools in his briefs.

Not even three weeks later he finds himself aching in more ways than one, worse than before.

He wakes up groggy and confused, body aching and head heavy as if stuffed.

He tries to move but finds that he can’t.  He’s weighed down by shivers and need.

Without restraint he sinks back into sleep.

The sound of a loud knock on the door startles him the second time around and he fights his limbs, wills his body to finally move.

It’s a struggle but he somehow manages to stand on trembling legs, like a newborn fawn.

He approaches the door, swallowing thickly in an attempt to soothe his dry aching throat with no success.

The knocking starts up again, louder in his ears now that he’s closer, persistent and sounding almost urgent.  It makes the blooming headache grow, bursts of colors sprout when he has to close his eyes against the onslaught of sound.

With a whimper he opens the door, thankful that he stopped blocking the door with the nightstand days ago, unsure if he’d be able to move it if it were there now.

“Found you.”

Oliver flickers his dazed gaze up and he stares at the man before him dumbfounded.

The man pushes inside seconds after the door is opened.

The man’s hand immediately wraps around his jaw and pushes him further into the room.  Oliver can’t fight the horror as he feels slick pooling in his sweats.  His body is pliant, though, when he’s shoved against the nearest wall, door slamming shut with resounding finality behind the man, the alpha.

“Thought you could escape me?”

No , Oliver whines, no he could never escape him, he knew that the moment the alpha left the diner.

“Three weeks, Oliver. I’ve been hunting you down for three fucking weeks.”

Oliver can’t stop the whimper that falls from his lips.

His pupils dilate.

Alpha, alpha is here, alpha came!

“I’ve given you more than enough time,” the man growls, “so where is my money?”

And then the alpha is leaning in closer, so close that their breaths mingle and their noses brush together.  The alpha’s dangerous red eyes flutter when he draws in Oliver’s intoxicating scent.  The scent cloying and thickening, both Alpha and Omega scents mixing together causing Oliver’s breath to hitch and he can’t keep standing.  The only thing keeping him upright at that point is the alpha’s body flush against his.

“Omega,” the alpha rasps.

“A-Alpha,” Oliver breathes, “please.”

The alpha licks his lips ready to devour but Oliver grows impatient and before the Alpha can clear the fog of heat and slick and want, the omega pushes forward and crashes their lips into a sloppy kiss.

And he realizes with curious delight that the alpha tastes like strawberries and cigarettes.

5

It’s hot.

Oliver feels like he’s burning from the inside out, melting as the alpha kisses him senseless.

He feels like he can’t breathe, everything is too much and somehow not enough. He tries to tell the alpha that, tries to warn him.

The scent of fear mixing with the sweetness of his slick and heat is enough to give the alpha a warning.

“Shit,” the man growls in frustration, “so you’re in a heat drop?”

He should’ve noticed as soon as the door opened to reveal the pungent smell of desperation and need .

“Al-Alpha,” he whimpers, tears streaming down his cheeks, “alpha please, please, please !”

The alpha’s hold on curved hips tightens and Oliver can practically feel the bruises that are beginning to paint his skin. He salivates at the pain. He needs more.

“Silly omega,” the man growls, the sound deep and reverberating from within his chest.  It makes Oliver weak in the knees as slick soaks through his briefs and sweats, makes the cloth cling to his pussy and thighs uncomfortably.

“Fuck me,” he breathes weakly, “please alpha, fuck me.”

The alpha’s predatory smile promises both pain and pleasure alike.  It draws a whine of need from the omega’s prettily swollen lips which makes the alpha mad with want.

He tosses the omega easily onto the motel bed with a bounce, the makeshift nest makes the alpha rumble a pleased purr.  The sound is enough to make the omega preen at the approval.  By no means is it his best nest, but it’ll do so long as the alpha approves.

And the alpha must approve because moments later Oliver finds himself naked, red eyes ravaging him with a single stare.  The heat of the gaze makes him squirm where he lays.  He needs this man like he needs air and with little hesitation and any second guessing quickly withering away, Oliver parts his legs, the cool air of the room hitting his dripping  pussy.

If the alpha is surprised by what’s in between his legs and the soft mounds of his chest, he doesn’t show it.

In fact, he doesn’t seem to care because the flushed pink heat draws the alpha in like a beacon.  He crawls in between the omega’s thighs, not once tearing his eyes away from the glazed over ones of the omega brimmed and red rimmed with tears. Those tears are motivation for the alpha, enough that a sinful pink tongue darts out and delves into the shiny folds of the omega’s core, lapping at the slick like a man dying of thirst.

The sounds are obscene, the sight is pure filth.

But it’s not enough.

“Alpha,” Oliver hics, “alpha please, need you, need your knot, need you inside.”

The alpha pulls away from the omegas little click (clit/cock) with a wet pop.  He admires his work, bruises and hickies adorning pale trembling thighs and click pink and swollen and hard.

“Need my knot, you said?” The alpha rasps.

Oliver nods and fuck he begs oh just so prettily that it drives the alpha wild when a moaned, “please,” escapes those lips parted on a sharp gasp.

The alpha unclasps uncomfortable jeans and tugs down his black boxers before he lines his cock with the omega’s pussy.

He glides into the heat unrestrained. Smooth and deep until he bottoms out. Oliver’s back arches beautifully, taking it like the good bitch he is.

“You like that, don’t you?” The alpha huffs, enraptured by the flushed face revealing scattered freckles, lips open in a silent gasp at the full feeling.

Painfully slow, the alpha drags his cock back before slamming right in again.

“Oh god,” Oliver whimpers, babbling as the alpha sets a steady pace, “more, please, alpha, more.”

The alpha is only too happy to comply as he fucks the omega thoroughly, grunting when his knot begins to swell and catch on the well-fucked rim of his omega.  The omega’s breath catches in his throat.  The alpha’s eyes remain deep pools of blood red.  In the cloud of his heat mush brain the omega recognizes the alpha entering rut.

That makes something inside the omega loosen in endearment. The fact that the alpha syncs with his omega so perfectly makes him ache with want.

He wraps his arms loosely around the alpha’s broad shoulders, bringing their bodies impossibly closer with the gesture.  Moans and whimpers fill the room as their sweat soaked bodies glide in unison.  The sound of skin against skin, of squelching slick and pre-cum between them makes the omega dizzy.

Slowly, the bed creaking stops as the alpha’s knot swells to its fullest girth and finally locks within his needy body. 

“Such a cum slut,” the alpha puffs against his ear, “Come on my omega, cum on my knot my little bitch.”

Oliver moans, body tensing as he clenches around his alpha’s thick pulsing cock.

That’s enough to trigger the alpha’s own orgasm.  Canines elongate and the urge to bite, claim, and fuck into oblivion overtakes him.

The alpha’s jaws ache and he can’t find it in himself to hold back.

He tilts the omega’s head up, exposing that delicate column of neck until his mating gland is exposed and he bites .  Hard.

Copper quickly fills his mouth and coats his tongue, eyes blown and dilated with only a thin line of red visible.  The bite held intent, want.

But the omega is blinking wide hazy eyes up at him in surprise and confusion.

As the shock fades, something else overtakes him.

With a broken voice he accuses, “you didn’t bite me.”

The tears pooling in his brown doe eyes spill down plump cheeks in rivulets.

The alpha looks at his own hand poised over the omega’s gland in an attempt to cover what would bind them forever.  Embedded in his hand are deep teeth marks with small wells of blood smearing his skin.

“You didn’t,” the omega sobs, feeling a vice wrapping around his heart, “you didn’t bite me… w-why?”

The alpha’s heart aches at the heartbroken sight, but rather than comfort him, the man crushes the omega’s heart with no remorse, “because you’re not worthy to be my omega.”

The alpha presses closer, his knot burying deeper into the heat of the omega.  The omega wraps his legs around the alpha’s hips and without warning he flips them until he’s on top, looking down on the alpha, cock still firmly buried inside his pussy.

His hand scrambles around the bed until he finds what he’s looking for.

He wraps his fingers around the hefty handle of a gun, lost in their tussle to fuck.

He lowers it and points it in between the alpha’s eyes with intent.

But the alpha doesn’t shrivel, no, he pushes the omega, tempting him to do something they both know he won’t, “Yes Oliver ?”

Oliver shivers at the sound of his name, “you say I’m not worthy of your bite, of your claim.”

His hand begins to tremble and he knows he’s not capable of shooting this man.

“Next time,” he rasps as the alpha swivels his hips distractingly, large hands immediately cupping his own and easily disarming him, “next time I won’t hesitate.”

That rips an amused laugh from the man beneath him, the alpha rumbling pleased at the challenge even as he tosses the unloaded gun to the side until it clatters on the floor.

“I can’t wait, omega.”

6

The scent of omega permeates the room, soaks the bedsheets and mixes thoroughly with alpha musk.

“Eat,” the alpha growls in growing exasperation.

The omega’s nose scrunches in distaste as he refuses to touch the food.  It makes his stomach revolt, the smell enough to make him want to vomit.  The alpha rolls his eyes at his antics.  He knows the omega is more sensitive to smell and taste during heat, but he needs the omega to eat.  He spoons the broth of  caldo de res and brings it to the omega’s pouting lips.

Reluctantly the omega parts his lips and the alpha can breathe easier now that the omega has something in his belly.  He only manages a handful of bites before their heat and rut take over and the alpha finds himself fucking the omega into oblivion over the table, food spilling and wasted.  By the time the fog lifts they’re smeared in come and slick and food.

“You reek omega, like rotting fruit.”

“You-You’re not any better,” the omega retorts with that cute scrunch of his nose back, and the alpha will admit he likes when this little omega talks back, “you stink like our burning ozone layer.”

It’s then that the alpha has enough sense to guide them toward the bathroom where he sets the shower.  They step into the cool cascade in hopes to calm the flames licking at their insides with desire, but it isn’t long before the alpha is on his knees in front of the omega.  Oliver looks down at the man in confusion, droplets of water and frustrated tears clinging to his dark lashes.  He watches mesmerized as the alpha’s tongue sticks out and licks the swollen lips of his pussy adding to the shiny slick glistening on the folds and gathering down his thighs.

He throws his head back in pure ecstasy.

“Alpha,” he whimpers breathlessly.

“Oro,” the alpha grunts.

Hazy eyes flicker down toward the man again, “Wha-What?”

A huff of laughter, “call me Oro.”

Oliver bites his lower lips, “ Oro, “ the name is foreign on his tongue, but it feels right.  It settles over him like a weighted blanket and makes him feel safe when he repeats it, “Oro.”

The sound of his name on the omega’s lips is enough to invigorate the alpha as he stands and wraps the omega in his arms, propping him against the shower wall.  Oliver goes willingly, their bodies melding into one again and again and again.

It’s only when the water is no longer warm, when fingers and toes are pruney, do they step out of the bathroom clean and fucked out.

Oro lays Oliver back against the mess of blankets that was once a nest.  Oro swipes the softest towel he can find across Oliver’s skin.  He swipes the cloth against freckled and bruised shoulders, drags the towel over sensitive puffy nipples and down a swollen belly full of cum.

It’s in the methodical silence of drying off that Oro offers something Oliver never thought of.

“Let’s make a deal,” he begins, taking advantage that the omega seems to be coherent longer in between the bursts of heat.

“Hm?”

“I need you to do something for me,” the alpha continues vaguely.

“Do something for you? What is it?”

The alpha sits beside the omega on the bed, back pressed against the headboard as his cock begins to fill and peak in interest.  Oliver takes it as invitation.  He crawls onto the alpha’s lap and without hesitation sinks onto the delectable knot.

“Like that, don’t you? Like hanging off my knot like a slut,” the alpha derides.

A small smile grows on Oliver’s lip, “just yours.”

The bark of amused laughter is worth the heat crawling up his bruised neck and onto his cheeks and ears.

“Filthy bitch,” the alpha snorts.

Oliver holds back the urge to agree, but Oro knows if the fluttering and squeeze of his cock inside the omega’s cunt is anything to go by.  Gods, this stupid omega and his degradation kink.

“Do as I say,” Oro finally says, “and how about I let you live?”

Oliver takes a moment to process the words through his muddled mind, “… What?”

His back straightens out, but Oro’s firm hands on his hips don’t let him escape.  Not that he wants to, but still.

“If you do as I say, I’ll clear your debt and let you live.”

“And if I don’t?” The omega retorts with a tilt of his head.

Despite being cock deep in the omega, the darkness that surrounds the alpha’s words do not falter, “Next time I won’t need a gun to finish the job.”

Oliver shivers at the clear promise, his words spit right back at him in the worst way possible.

This is it.

Oro is offering something he can’t refuse.

But he’s scared, terrified out of his mind.

This man is dangerous, getting further involved with him could get him killed . He knows this.  But there will be a next time, the promise is heavy in his words. Whether he heeds the alpha or not, his life will still be on the line.  The alpha will still have his life in his hands.

It causes a shiver to crawl up his spine and he’s not sure if the tingles running down his legs are also from fear or from the pleasure starting to overwhelm his senses again.

His omega shushes the thoughts running ramped and allows himself to sink into the blanket of warmth the alpha is still providing.

“Think about it omega,” the alpha whispers against his ear, breath tickling him and causing those pleasure-filled shivers again.

“Fuck me, alpha,” the omega growls, “and maybe I will.”

The nip to his lips is worth it.

But he knows that next time will decide who lives.

With that heaviness he wakes up on the fourth day of his pseudo-heat.

For once he’s clear headed without the looming feeling of his omega creeping up behind him.  With his omega in the recess of his mind he becomes painfully aware that he is alone with no alpha in sight.  An ache so profound begins to build in his chest and he rubs at the tender area in hopes to alleviate the phantom pain.

He looks around the room and anything that belonged to the alpha is gone with him, no trace of the man ever being there.

The only thing left behind is the lingering scent of rut, of lightening before the torrent. The scent of morning dew, of a meadow after freshly fallen rain.

He brings up his knees to his chest, wrinkling his nose when he feels a load of cum and slick slip from his pussy and pool under his naked ass.

The ache in his chest only grows as the room remains still, empty.

He closes his eyes and rests his head against his crossed arms.

He turns his head to the side and his glazed eyes land on his phone.

He furrows a brow, sure he had stashed the device in the night stand drawer.

He reaches for it and finds a message blinking back at him from an unknown number.

He reads and rereads the message.

Short and to the point and he knows exactly from who.

On it? An address.

His way out.

7

Oliver contemplates the message again a couple of days later.

He’s in a homey café with a small coffee and croissant in his hand as he stares at his phone, finally eating something other than Maruchan cup noodles and PB & J’s.

He left town without a word and skipped to the next one over, but he knows. No matter what he does or where he goes, the alpha will always know.

He looks at the screen for the nth time in the past half hour, eyes blurry from staring for so long. The words are beginning to merge together and it’s causing his head to hurt and pound the longer he holds onto the little taunting device.

He takes a sip of the warm coffee and wrinkles his nose. He doesn’t even like the caffeine, but he knows he needs it. The bread, though flakey and buttery, sits heavy in the pit of his stomach. It turns to ash on his tongue and he wonders if his omega is playing shit on him again, turning his insides with guilt at ignoring his alpha, of avoiding the inevitable.

Not our alpha , he reminds himself with gritted teeth, stupid omega, stupid instincts .

He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath.

He’s going up against an alpha who is dangerous, who has no doubt killed in cold blood before.

He’s seen it in his eyes.

An alpha who has an array of weapons at his disposal and can make people disappear with a snap of his fingers.

He… he has nothing to compete with that.

He has no protection from an alpha, from a pack. No family to fall back on.

He’s alone and struggling to live.

If he approaches the alpha now, if he complies , he’ll escape his clutches hopefully unscathed.

If he runs away, the alpha will only hunt him down and kill him.

Weighing his options, he sighs heavily and opens up Google maps again.

He types in the address, heart clenching when he sees it’s less than an hour away from where he currently sits.

If he takes the bus now he’ll be there by three just in time for… for what? To get his brains blown out?

No.

The alpha said he wouldn’t need a gun next time… whatever that means.

His right leg bounces restlessly before he gets up, he needs air, it feels like he’s suffocating the longer he sits still.

He leaves the coffee and croissant mainly untouched behind. The door chimes as it opens and closes with his departure. It feels like eyes, eyes everywhere, are on him but there’s no one in sight. Anyone milling around is minding their own business as he panics for no reason.

But he can’t help how his instincts are on high alert, he needs… he needs to see him, needs to seek out the alpha.

His feet carry him to the nearest bus stop.

Within twenty minutes he’s on public transportation, the very same bus that got him into trouble the first time around if he actually pays attention.

With every stop and turn Oliver feels the knot in his belly unravelling.

An odd feeling, a weird contrast.

The moving dot on his phone grows closer and closer until he has to get off and walk the rest of the way (home) .

His nose scrunches, where had that intrusive thought come from?

He’s not going home, he’s probably walking toward his execution if anything. That thought makes him nauseated and he needs a moment before he throws up due to nerves.

With a quick pause, his eyes scan his surroundings carefully, not quite sure what he’s looking at. Not quite sure what he’s supposed to expect.

It’s a normal street with normal people bustling about, heads down submerged in their phones with Starbucks in their hands.

So, why does it feel so wrong?

GPS motions for him to go around the corner onto a quiet side street and further down until an autoshop of sorts appears in his vision.

Except it’s more like a garage or a storage unit.

There are massive upward sliding doors painted with thick coats of white which is already chipping to reveal rusting metal. There are little windows placed a bit too high so he can’t even peer inside to see what awaits him. Looking to the left as he continues to inspect the place he finds a side door. One of those heavy ones he’d have trouble holding open, like the ones that probably have a bolt for extra protection.

His instincts tell him this is a bad idea. But he’s already here and he’s anything but a coward, stupid yes, but a coward no.

So, he detours to the side door with a quick shuffle and knocks on the door loudly. Still the sound feels like it won’t carry to the other side with how thick the door is, but there’s no doorbell and he tries again until his knuckles are pink and his curled hand is aching.

He bites his lip anxiously.

Maybe it’s too late?

His knuckles rap against the door again.

“Please,” he mumbles softly, “open the door, please.”

The door opens a crack, the silhouette of a burly man peering down at him pops in the sliver not allowing him to see further inside. The shadow is bathed in a disgusting orange light, like the light from a warm light bulb about to go out.

“Password,” comes the bored voice forcing Oliver to tune in.

“Password?” He parrots confused.

The man looks at him as if he’s dumb, ready to scare the omega away when a soft lilt comes right beside him, “Mariposa.”

Oliver jumps at the sound, turning to stare at a petite blonde woman that definitely wasn’t there before.

And he can’t help but inspect her in an analytical kind of way. She’s looks charming in her own way, he notes. She has a beauty mark on her right lower cheek and golden hair frames her pale face with waves of silk. She wears an army green bomber jacket and tight skinny jeans that hug her just right. He can’t get a scent of her, so she’s either a beta or wearing scent blockers.

He thanks whatever being is out there that he remembered his own blockers, discreetly hidden by the collar of his hoodie.

The door is shut in their face, the sound of several bolts and locks clicking fills the tense air between them, before long the door is yanked all the way open.

The massive man steps aside allowing them entry and the small woman pushes him forward, snapping him from the fear that momentarily gripped him.

He steps inside gingerly and the door is shut with a resounding finality behind them.

There’s people inside and he’s not quite sure what he expected, but an elaborate laundering system set up was not the first thing that came to mind.

“You made it,” a tall grey haired but balding man calls to them with an amused undertone.

The woman raises a brow at the man, not amused for a second.

Oliver thinks he recognizes him, but he’s not quite sure. For a fact it’s not Oro and his guts twist again. Why?

“He’s not here,” the woman breathes softly, as if in relief.

Oliver doesn’t like that, doesn’t like this one bit.

“Boss said I’d get a couple stragglers in the coming days, who would’ve thought it’d be today.”

“What else did the prick, I mean boss, say?”

“Watch it young lady,” the man cautions, “eyes and ears everywhere.”

She scoffs.

But people are starting to look their way and their disgust at her disrespect is obvious.

They let them know just how upset they are with the commentary when several reveal indiscreetly occupied holsters on their person’s.

“Let me rephrase that, guns everywhere. He’s done you a favor, the least you can do is pay him back.”

“He tricked me.”

Those words of anger… of… of bitter hatred slam into Oliver.

“Said he’d help, but next I know he’s knocking on my door looking for ‘his’ money with interest on top of it.”

The dark smile that overtakes the man’s features as he says, “We’re not a bank, love, you knew this,” causes Oliver to shiver.

Just as quickly, something hot begins to sizzle under his skin, a buzzing sound fills his ears, and forces him to look up. His breath hitches in his throat when he sees the man, the alpha, he’s been yearning for. Said man is glaring down at them with a phone against his ear and lips pressed in a thin line.

“-I hope you can drive.”

Oliver’s gaze flickers to the man again, brows furrowed in confusion.

“You want us to what?”

“No one is going to question a pair of sluts, I mean omegas , if they cross the border.”

“This is ridiculous! You want us to go to Canada and do what precisely?”

“Just bring back a package, we’ll handle the rest.”

“What does that even mea-”

“I gave you the instructions,” the man interrupts with a dismissive wave, “Now get out,, you know better than to ask stupid questions.”

They’re showed out the door and the image of the alpha is gone, the man’s back turned to them as the closing door separates them.

A couple of minutes tick by and finally Oliver feels like he can breathe.

“I have my license,” Oliver croaks unhelpfully, clearing his throat and starting again, “I can drive.”

He glances at the woman but all she does is glare right back at him.

8

Her name is Maddie, or so she says.

Oliver isn’t sure he believes her.  There’s no doubt in his mind she has a strong bond with whoever Maddie actually is, but it’s blatantly clear she is not her. 

“How’d you get here?” She asks, hands rubbing together for warmth.

He raises a brow as he catches the tail end of what she said, “bus.”

He needs to stop spacing out, but something is not right.  His omega feels off, as if he’s missing something and he won’t feel right ( safe ) until he has him.

“So, you have a license and claim to know how to drive but don’t have a car?”

Oliver shrugs, “too expensive to buy one and I wouldn’t have gas for it anyway.”

She looks at him with a sad sort of smile, “yeah.”

“You?” He can’t help but ask because they’re loitering, like she has no place (or car) to retreat to.

It’s confirmed seconds later, “License got suspended, was speeding on my way home at night and got pulled over.”

Silence stretches between them.

“We could take the bus to Niagara,” he offers at last.

“And what the hell would we do with the package?”

Package… right , Oliver sighs, “Nevermind.”

Maddie looks constipated as she thinks about how they’re going to pull this off.  He watches her eyes light up the longer she thinks about whatever is going on there.

“I have an idea,” she finally says, “just… just give me like two days.”

Oliver bites his lip.  Two days?

Would that be enough time?

Are they even on a limit?

Before he can voice his concerns, she’s already rambling on, “I’ll pick you up at the Starbucks around the corner at noon, sound good?”

It’s clear that she needs this to work.  They both do.

He nods, this may be their only shot, he’s just not sure he can trust her, “yeah, capeesh.”

She offers him that tight lipped smile again, the one full of pity and a smidge self-deprecation.

“Good,” she nods, tucking unruly hair behind an ear.  She turns on her heel and walks away with a plan in mind, a plan he’s not entirely privy to.  Her steps echo until they finally fade and Oliver is left to drown in his thoughts.

What the hell has he gotten himself into?

He stands in the middle of the lot a little lost, a little stupid.

On occasion he glances at the eerie building behind him, hoping for what?  He’s not really sure.

Eventually, though, he takes his leave when his legs start to feel numb and sore. Part of his hesitation is the fact that he’s not quite sure where he’s going.  He checked out of the motel indefinitely hours ago and he’s once again unemployed, has been for several days after not calling out for his stupid heat drop.

He has no where to go, not really.

It’s like a bucket of ice has pelted down on him followed by the shower of water a little too late.

He walks and walks, wondering around until his feet somehow carry him toward his old apartment complex.  Something familiar, someplace he’s grown to call home. 

He steps through the main entrance and he wonders if he should talk to his land-lord.  He’s been gone for over a month, he’s overdue on rent and bills that’s for sure.  What are the odds that he still has an apartment to come home to?

The lights overhead flicker and he sighs heavily, well that’s one thing that hasn’t changed.

The familiarity, though annoying, is welcoming.

He finally reaches his apartment and with no expectations, tries his key in the doorknob.  To his surprise the lock clicks and the door opens rather easily.

Everything is exactly as is.  A mess from his first brush with death.  The scent of alpha is faded to the point that he wouldn’t know there was ever an intruder had he not been there to experience the fear and wrath that is the devil incarnate, Oro .

But he knows and the shiver that causes goosebumps on his arms is enough of a trigger.

Sluggishly, he starts picking up strewn clothing, books, and turned over chairs, one of which is unsalvageable with a broken leg splintered inward.

The rest is easy.

His omega takes over and he cleans until the last thing he has to worry about is his nest.

The whine that crawls up his throat at the sight of his destroyed nest is one of pure devastation.  His nest is completely undone and though he knows the scent from those strangers is practically nonexistent now, the fact that he knows they were among his most intimate belongings causes him distress.  He wants to burn everything.  His omega is urging him to destroy and rebuild. 

New, he needs new bedding, new blankets and, albeit embarrassing, new stuffies.  He needs a new nest, needs to make the best nest.

He bites his lip.

“We can’t,” he whispers to himself, willing his omega to comprehend.

With a put upon sigh he gathers his nesting materials and puts them in a hamper.

“We don’t have a job now, we don’t have money to spend like that.”

He carries the load down to the laundry room where he shoves everything inside the shitty coin-operated washing machine, thankful he didn’t bump into anyone.

His omega whines pathetically.

“For now this will have to do,” he sighs, “just until we find something and figure the rest out.  One day at a time.”

His omega recedes into the back of his mind, but the lingering distress and anguish is ever present.

It remains long after his things are in the dryer and lingers even more when he finds himself back in his room rearranging his pathetic nest.

Even when he’s done and there’s not much left to do he can’t help but curl up in the middle of his bed.

There’s this screaming feeling that just suffocates him with wrong .  Everything feels wrong.  Just… wrong, wrong, wrong .

It doesn’t feel safe

anymore.

And that is so very terrifying.

The one place he’s associated with safety was broken into and destroyed.  He was forced to leave it all behind only to come back.

A tear trickles down his cheek followed by another and another in frustration.

He rests his forehead on his arms as he tries to fight the painfully growing exasperation, but it doesn’t work.

He needs air, he needs to breathe something that isn’t knock-off Downey.

Eventually he crawls out of his nest and the comfort of his bed.  He exchanges it for the hard seat of the chair out in the makeshift dining room.  He should have realized it was the same one his alpha occupied before giving the command to trash his home.  He doesn’t notice, but his omega calms just a bit.

His attention is immediately drawn to an envelop sitting on the table among others he plucked from the overstuffed mailbox downstairs.

The only reason it caught his attention is because it’s a mustard yellow, different from the others.

He reaches for it first and opens it just as hastily.

Inside lays an eviction notice.

He has less than thirty days to move out or come up with two month’s worth of rent and overcharge fees.

Something heavy immediately sinks to the pit of his stomach.  He thinks he’s going to throw up.

Fuck .

9

Oliver can say with clarity that he’s not at his best when in two days time he finds himself lingering in front of the Starbucks agreed to.  The pungent smell of coffee wafts over to him every time the doors open and fuck he really wants the caffeine, but each time he has to battle the urge to gag.  He knows why he’s so nauseated, but there’s nothing he can do.  With his omega being so off lately and the stress of his living situation literally crushing him, Oliver has lost his appetite completely.  It’s been two days and he hasn’t managed to eat anything.  He’s not hungry, at least that’s what he tells himself.

The blaring horn of a car startles him and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees Maddie pull up to the curb and park haphazardly.  She steps out of the driver’s side and twirls the keys around her index finger.

“Nice ride,” he comments, “thought your license was suspended.”

“It is,” she says, “which is why I’m not driving my car.”

“Oh?”

He hopes and prays that it isn’t a stolen vehicle.  There’s only so many crimes he’s willing to do before he just does the job (a kind way to say kills ) himself before Oro can.

She must read his expression like an open book because she rolls her eyes and admits, “it’s my ex’s car, told him some b.s. lie and well… here we are.  But as you’ve kindly reminded me, since my license is suspended, you need to drive across the border.”

Oliver looks surprised, him?

Well… he did volunteer and she’s providing their escape vehicle so it’s the least he can do.

“Hope you brought your license, bus boy.”

He snorts in amusement, but takes the keys that are tossed his way.

As they switch sides, he discreetly rubs his hands where the metal hit a little too hard.

Once inside the car, Oliver adjust the seat and mirrors.  The sound of the belt clicking in place and the engine roaring to life spurs him on.

“You got this kid,” Maddie cheers.

“It’s Oliver,” he reminds, “and I’m not a kid.”

She flushes pink, “right, Oliver. “

They pull out of the parking spot and Maddie puts in the aux, the sound of some dad rock blares through the speaker.  He immediately recognizes the words of Highway to Hell by ACDC at full blast.

Classic.

He hums along drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, but her nudging and pestering finally makes him sing along with her.

It feels nice.

It’s almost like they’ve known each other since forever and like they’re not about to do some shady shit across the border.  And why Canada of all places?

As the traffic approaches to a slow stop, a giant sign welcoming them to Canada blurs by, Oliver presses on the break easily.

They’re stopped at the entrance by a CBD officer and are asked for passports.

“State your business.”

He shares a look with Maddie.  What do they say? He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

But Massie answers for them both easily, “Shopping.”

The woman looks at them briefly before handing back their documents and waving them through with an approving nod.

The knot in Oliver’s chest dissolves as the border patrol disappears in the rearview mirror.

Maddie seems to be keeping an eye from the side mirror hanging from the passenger door.  She leans against the palm of her hand as her elbow rests on the armrest.

“How do you know Oro?” She asks at last.

Oliver winces, “I made a mistake.”

“Hm… don’t we all.”

“You?”

“I was desperate,” she shrugs.

“Desperate?”  Jealousy immediately coils inside him, desperate for what? For his kno-

“I needed the money to pay for a lawyer or else I was going to have my pup taken away,” she explains.

Oliver glances at her.  Truth, she’s telling the truth.

“My ex filed for custody once he realized his new bitch couldn’t give him a pup.”

His mouth hangs open in surprise but she continues bitterly, “Oro said he’d lend me the money and I could pay him back later.  I was foolish to trust in him.  Now I owe him twice as much as any damn lawyer I could’ve gotten.”

“I’m sorry,” he offers, because what the hell do you say in such a situation?

But she seems to understand.

“Let’s just get this shit done and over with, yeah? I have a pup to get home to.”

Before the silence gets unbearable, he wonders aloud, “How old?”

“She’s turning thirteen in September,” and there’s this smile overtaking her delicate features with how she talks about her pup, genuine like her pup is her entire world.

And with what they’re about to do, he believes it because Maddie is doing this for her pup, to keep her pup.

Which reminds him… he’s still not quite sure what the hell they’re about to do. The man stated they needed to get a package but even that was vague as fuck.

“Turn right here,” Maddie orders.

He obeys and with another sharp right the road starts to turn to gravel.

Up ahead is a factory with a loading dock, small and old.

Men are hanging about and a bad feeling makes Oliver’s hands a little sweaty.

He throws the car in park and heads turn their way at the kill of the engine.  Neither of them move.

“This is it,” Maddie says.

“Yeah,” he breathes nervously.

She nods to herself as if trying to gain encouragement, “If anything happens, open the glove compartment.  Now wait here.”

Oliver wants to stop her, tell her that he’s got it, but she’s already out the door and walking toward the group of men.

He rolls down the window and listens intently.  A loud whistle is carried by the wind, the kind that indicates a cat call, it makes his omega bristle when he hears the men sneer at her.  Not for being a woman, no, but because she’s omega .

“What the hell do you want?”

“ Your boss sent me here, said I had to pick some shit up for him.“

The man laughs cockily, “and what boss is that? I have no boss, see, all I see is a pretty little omega begging to be fu-”

He watches as the man approaches her and before Maddie can step away, he’s gripping at her arm tightly.

She screams, tells him off in colorful language but the men simply continue to laugh in their amusement.

“You came onto me, you little slut.”

Oliver’s hands tremble and he reaches for the glove compartment as told. Like hell he’s going to let them touch her like that .

Inside he finds a gun.

Oh…

Oh.

“Let go of me you piece of shit alpha!”

Oliver glances at the scene, of the man scenting her and touching her as she fights to break free.  His gaze falls back on the gun.  If he doesn’t do anything this could turn from bad to worse.  So without second guessing himself, he grabs the gun and struggles to open the door.

He’s running on adrenaline.

“She told you to let go of her!”  He shouts.

Another round of laughter, “’bout time you got outta there.  Look at you both, all pretty and ready to be fucked.”

“Fuck off,” Oliver snarls, his omega dangerously on edge, “We’re following orders, now give us what we came for and we won’t have any problems.”

“Problems!” The alpha growls, “you bitches are the ones that’re encroaching on my property, demanding shit like you have any authority.  Stupid bitches think I’ll play into your hands?  Oro wants shit he can come and get it himself, so what’re you gonna do omega ?”

Oliver raises the gun he had purposely hidden behind his back.  He aims it at the man without hesitation, but the trembling in his hand gives away weakness and they call his bluff.

“ Alpha ordered us to get the package,“ Oliver states, “so you’re gonna be good little subordinates and give it to us and let us go. “

Oh he let’s Maddie go alright, in favor of approaching Oliver, goading the omega on, “I dare you, you stupid bitch, see if you have the balls to shoot me you whimp.”

The recoil is hard and the sound echoes so loud that it leaves his ears ringing as birds croak and startle away.

He’s breathing heavy as he locks eyes with the disgusting alpha.  He hadn’t meant to pull the trigger.  He thought intimidation might work, but fuck… oh fuck .

They both look down and that’s when the alpha zeros in on his knee.

His bleeding throbbing knee with a bullet embedded in it.

Oliver had never seen an alpha faint so fast before now.

The other men, alphas and betas alike, scramble about as their leader falls.

Oliver takes a staggering step back, but Maddie is quick to grab the gun from his shaking hands.

“Package, now,” she demands, waving the gun around as if it were a toy.

Within minutes several boxes are shoved into the trunk of the car and Oliver finds himself in the driver’s seat again.

“Olive?” Maddie asks, concern bleeding into her words.

Oliver looks at her and he can’t keep going.

Several miles away from whatever the hell just happened, Oliver pulls over and swings open the door.

He stumbles out and lets the nausea win.

Maddie follows after him, wincing when the sound of retching reaches her ears.

She places a gentle hand on his lower back and coos at him, her omega chirping and soothing him as he pukes and sobs.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologizes softly, “I’m sorry I got us into that situation.”

He looks at her through teary eyes and sniffles, “there was no other way.”

“No, there wasn’t.”

“Hey, Maddie?”

“Yeah?  You feeling any better, kid?”

“I think…” he struggles to warn her, “I think I’m going to pass out now.”

10

Oliver wakes up in the backseat of the car still reeling with lingering nausea and completely disoriented.  His head hurts and his throat is sore and raw from the bile that burned its way up.  With a wrinkle of his nose he pushes himself up.  He sits for a moment, trying to think and not feel so numb.

“Are you feeling any better?”

Oliver flickers his gaze up to find Maddie staring with a raised brow, concern written on her face.

“Sorry,” he rasps weakly.

“Scared the crap out of me kid,” she huffs.

“Yeah… Sorry,” he repeats again.

With a sigh she reaches toward him and ruffles his hair.  He has the sense that he’s forgiven, for what? He’s not really sure.

“Ready?”

He nods, “just want to go home.”

He crawls onto the front seat and digs the key into the ignition to start up the engine.

He needs to close his eyes for a couple of seconds before he finally starts the drive back.

“You sure you’re okay now?”

Oliver sniffs, “I will be.”

She gives him the benefit of doubt and nods. The drive back is quiet between them, soft music playing in the background to fill the awkward space.

 It’s only when they’re reaching the border that Oliver feels his anxiety spike again.

“How was your trip?” The officer, a male beta this time, greets.

“It was good,” Maddie smiles charmingly from her side of the car.

The flashlight is pointed to them and then toward the backseat. 

“Did some shopping while visiting?”

But he’s looking at them questioningly, like he doesn’t buy it.

“Yes, we also went sight seeing.  Everything is in trunk,” Maddie waves, “if you’d like to take look.”

Oliver shoots her a panicked look.  Maddie can only shrug while the man is distracted.

“We’ll take you up on that offer, pull over onto that side over there.”

Oliver thinks he’s going to puke again, Maddie elbows him sharply when he gags as he shifts the car into park.

The officer pulls Oliver’s door open like a gentleman, “Please step out of the vehicle.”

They both obey and he can tell Maddie is finally starting to feel antsy.

“Please pop open the trunk.”

Oliver reaches for the trunk nervously, his finger slides under the handle where he feels for the button that opens the door.  It glides up easily. It’s then that a large German Shephard comes to view, wagging its tail as it passes by.

Maddie makes to pet him, but the officer stops her, “Not while on duty, please take a step back.”

Maddie nods, “so while off duty it’s okay?”

Oliver snorts at that.

The officer turns a bright red at the poor flirtatious comment.

“We’ll see.”

The furry canine walks around the car, sniffing curiously and poking its nose inside the car.

Another officer whistles impressed at the boxes shoved into the car.  

“You don’t mind if we open this right?”

Oliver is the one who waves him ahead in lieu of answer.

The officer slashes the tape with a pen and then another box and another, the silence is killing him and Oliver is really going to puke now.

The dog hasn’t alerted them to anything, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t harboring drugs or illegal weapons or… or something incriminating .  They should’ve checked the boxes before driving back, they should’ve-

Oliver’s eyes widen and so does Maddie’s when they peer at what’s inside the boxes.

“Getting some early Christmas shopping done eh?”

Maddie offers a small nod, agreeing rather numbly, “You know it, have to get an early start every year now.”

The beta officer nods handing back their papers, ““Alrighty, everything checks out, welcome back to America.”

And if an extra piece of paper is slipped among Maddie’s passport, no one comments on it.

“Holy shit,” Maddie curses once they’re back on the road.

“What just happened?” Oliver asks weakly.

“Holy. Shit.”

The rest of the drive back home doesn’t feel nearly as long as it did driving away.  But there’s more questions than answers hanging in the air between them.

Oliver drives in silence, the radio white noise in his head.  There’s a conflicting lightness and heaviness struggling inside him.  Relief wants to well inside but they still have to face his alpha and drop everything off.

“I sent him a message, he said he’ll be waiting.”

True to his word, the alpha is waiting for them at the parking lot.

“Welcome back,” Oro greets when they arrive.

Oliver stumbles after Maddie.

The blockers have worn off over the course of the day and he can faintly smell the other omega’s anger.

“What the fuck, Oro?”

Oro looks at her unamused, “you got my shit or no?”

“Of course we did,” she huffs, “what the fuck did you send us for anyway?”

Oro sidesteps her and looks at the car.

Oliver’s hands tremble, but he opens the trunk for the alpha to see.

Oro looks at the boxes appreciatively.  Oliver watches entranced as the alpha slashes the band on on of the wrapping paper rolls.  Fingers tease the edge of the paper before it’s pulled up and beneath the colorful and cheerful wrapping paper are bills upon bills printed on what should be the blank side.

Oh!

“Nice job, omega,” the alpha hums appreciatively.

Oliver feels his omega preen at the praise.

 “This will do quite nicely.”

With a wave, men flank the alpha and one by one each take a heavy box.

Oro closes the trunk with a loud thud and Maddie glares at the alpha for it.

Oro couldn’t give a shit.

“Well?” She asks in exasperation.

“Well what?” He retorts.

“Am I cleared?”

“You tell me, Anne , are you?”

Oliver looks at her in surprise.  Her name is Anne?

“Fuck you,” she spits.

She gets in the car in a hurry, coming dangerously close to hitting the alpha when she puts the car in reverse before leaving.

It was a warning.  A warning that the alpha will make sure she regrets making.

Oliver looks at the car as it disappears, wincing at the screening tires and the smell of burning rubber wrinkling his nose.

He turns back and finds alpha staring at him with furrowed brows.

Oliver feels his mouth go dry, legs feeling a little like jelly just by having the alpha so close after missing him for almost two weeks.

The alpha studies him, eyes roaming over his body in a way that makes the omega subconscious as he tugs on the worn-out jacket in an attempt to give his hands something to do.

“You look good, omega,” the alpha says softly.

Oliver bites his lip, “Are we done?”

The omega almost hopes the alpha says no.

“Yeah,” the man nods, “we’re done.”

Oliver thinks he’s going to cry.  He’s not sure if its from the weight lifted off his chest, or the sadness taking over that this is it between the alpha and himself.

Regardless, he whispers a, “thank you,” which cracks in his throat toward the end as he walks away.

11

Oliver stares at the ceiling of his apartment, noticing little cracks from water damage running through the stained paint and making it curl and peel at the edges.  He’s laying on his bed, in the middle of his nest, drawing a blank.  It’s been almost a month since he last saw the alpha, almost five weeks since he spent his pseudo-heat with the man.  He feels like time is counting down for him, but this time it’s for an entirely different reason.  Oliver hasn’t found a job that can pay him enough to afford two months rent.  He’s still short six-hundred-fifty-seven dollars, not counting the bills that have piled up.  Electricity was already shut off and he’s been living in the dark for the past few days, but if he’s lucky, he has a day before his phone is disconnected.

He looks at it, his phone that is, for a brief moment.  He contemplates his options and the first one he arrives to is a mistake.  But he does it anyway.  He grabs his phone and dials the familiar numbers he’s tried to forget, but has memorized since middle school when he got his first flip-phone. The line rings and rings before the call drops. He tries again as his stomach churns with nerves.  He knows it’s late and he doesn’t have much expectations but this is one of his last resorts.

Allo?

Oliver feels a familiar burn in his nose and sting in his eyes at the soft sleepy voice, “ Hola mami (hi mom)“

There’s silence before the woman on the other side growls.

No juegues conmigo. Quien seas ahora, deja de llamarme porque

no soy

tu mamá (Don’t mess with me. Whoever you are now, stop calling because I am not your mom).

The line goes dead before he can protest and plead with her. The tears he had been holding back spill down his cheeks and he wants to chuck his phone against the wall in frustration.  But there’s one more person he can call.  The one person he thought he’d freed himself from.

It’s nearing 2 A. M. when Oliver grows the courage to actually dial the unsaved number. The first ring doesn’t even finish before there’s a gruff answer on the line.  And wow, what a contrast compared to the woman who birthed him.

What is it?

Oliver swallows thickly, but he can’t get the words out, the silence stretches for a little too long if the alpha’s threat to hang up is anything to go by.

“Can we meet?” Oliver finally spits out.

For a moment Oliver thinks the alpha already hung up on him, but there’s rustling on the other side that states otherwise.

Parking lot in 1 hour.

And finally the line goes dead.

Oliver sits in the dark for a long time, wondering if he really just did that.  If the alpha really just agreed to meet up with him.  He briefly wonders what the alpha is expecting from him.  What is he expecting from the alpha?

He crawls out of bed and throws on this well-worn hoodie with faded letters reminiscent of his high school’s name.  He doesn’t bother with anything else, simply slips on some shoes and grabs his keys.

The buses stopped running hours ago, so Oliver finds himself running to the parking lot just to get there on time.  He ignores the sharp pain in his side as he tries to breathe in the chilly air, the burning of his lungs reminding him that they’re in the cusp of autumn and winter.  Eventually he has to slow down to simply catch his breath, the pain only growing now that the small spurt of adrenaline has faded away.

In the distance, as he rounds the corner, he finds the familiar shape of the alpha clad in black slacks and a black button-up.  He looks… he looks handsome.  In the pale lighting of the moon, he’s breathtaking and ethereal.

The alpha turns at the sound of heavy breathing and echoing footsteps.  He looks Oliver up and down clearly unimpressed.  Oliver feels his cheeks flush, overwhelmed and underdressed for such a spontaneous meet up.

“What do you want, Oliver?”

Oliver is still slightly panting and he watches the alpha physically fight with himself not to approach.

“Just,” a sharp inhale, “sorry.”

The alpha waves the apology off, but the tap of his foot expresses his annoyance.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver stresses.

It’s clear he won’t let it go until the alpha takes his apology for what it’s worth.

“Why did you call me, omega?”

Oliver shivers and he takes a step closer, pausing only to remind himself to have some self-preservation.

“I need money,” he admits, still breathless.

The alpha looks at him before he huffs a laugh, “what? So, what the hell do you want me to do about that?”

“Oro,” Oliver frowns, not finding his situation funny, “I’m asking… I… I need a job.”

Oro finally sobers at that, “look here, stupid omega, I am not a manager at a fucking McDonald’s you can just apply for and expect-”

“I know,” the omega interrupts, regretting it almost immediately.

No one interrupts alpha.

The man walks right into Oliver’s space, grabs the omega’s cheeks with a calloused hand and forces the younger man to look up at him, “What makes you think I’ll take your charity case?”

“Isch’s not… I’m not a charity cay-sch,” Oliver slurs with how his cheeks are squished, “I’m shaying I will work for you.”

“Work for me?” The alpha looks at him incredulously.

“Yesh,” he nods, “I-I’ll do the odd job, pick up your packages or whatever, I’ll do anything , I juss… I really need thi-sh.”

He hates how his voice cracks and how he begins to sniffle all pathetic-like, “I’m going to lose my home if I don’t do something .”

With the admission out in the open, the alpha sighs before letting the omega’s face go.

Oliver rubs at his cheeks already damp with tears.

He watches as the alpha pulls something from his back pocket, heart leaping when he thinks its a gun only to discover an envelope.

“This is for you,” the alpha says.

Oliver takes it with a confused tilt of his head.  He opens it once his curiosity wins over and finds a heft wad of money inside.  His eyes quickly shoot up to look at the man in surprise.

“It’s a cut from the last job you did,” the alpha explains, “it was more than enough to cover your debt and then some.  And yes, it’s clean.”

Oliver’s shiny lips part on a breathy thank you, but the alpha stops him as his eyes flicker red and narrow.

“Think of this as an advancement.  You want a job?  I’ll give you a job,” the alpha relents, “and you will do as I say , do you understand omega?”

The underlying alpha command draws a whimper from Oliver, “ yes .“

12

Oliver manages to pay everything on time.  He has heat for the upcoming winter and the electricity is back on too.  He can see the exasperation on his landlord’s face when he hands in the money and then some.  He apologizes profusely, knowing that the man’s dislike has probably only grown more toward him.

“Just… don’t let it happen again Morales,” the man sighs all long-suffering, “next time there will be no notice and I’ll put out all your shit on the curb.”

It’s as good as he’s going to get from the man and he promises he won’t fall behind on rent again.  The man waves him off and Oliver leaves the office a little lighter and relieved.

Finally he say with certainty that home is starting to feel like home.  He doesn’t change his nest no matter the underlaying urge to throw everything out still prickling under his skin.  But he finally feels safe within the confines of it and that is enough for him.

And for once he has money that can go toward expenses like essentials and most importantly food .  He’s grocery shopping when his thoughts wander to the alpha.  It’s been a week and the man has yet to reach out, he wonders if the alpha forgot, but he highly doubts it.  No, his alpha keeps his promises.

Oliver hums as he throws in some Lindt chocolate into the basket hanging from the bend of his elbow, (the red kind only though) along with some spicy chips.  Just so he doesn’t feel guilty now , he throws in some fruits and veggies he knows will spoil later .  He’ll deal with that guilt when it hits then.

He pays at the register before heading back home, wondering if he should buy a new winter coat when he shivers at the pick up of the  wind which rustles his overgrown hair.  He really needs a haircut, there’s a struggle inside that causes a war at the thought.

On one hand he’d love to enjoy long hair again, do those cool Viking braids and buns on his unruly waves.  But the dysphoric part of himself whispers in his mind that he’ll be seen as less than a man for having long hair which is stupid and he knows.  It doesn’t make him feel any better though.

It’s with this turmoil inside that he finds himself thoroughly distracted that he almost misses the splatter underneath his feet once he reaches his apartment building.  He only notices because he slips on a little pool of red and he barely catches himself with a bag-laden hand extended against the wall.

His eyes widen as he looks down the hall, heart jumping to his throat when the dark specks continue and grow .

He continues, almost entranced, following the splatters that lead to his apartment of all places.

He feels nauseated when he sees red covering the door knob, a hand print painted onto the wood of the door where someone pushed inside.

The bags nearly slip from his hold and he looks down the hall back and forth.  He places several bags hanging from his left arm down, trying to avoid the mess of red at his feet, hoping that he did.

He uses his thigh to lower the sleeve over his left hand before using it to cover the bloodied doorknob and twist.

Unsurprisingly, the door is unlocked.

He’s cautious when he steps inside, everything is dark except for the light seeping out from under his bedroom door.  He chucks off his jacket and takes off his shoes at the entrance in hopes that his socks will muffle his steps.

As quiet as possible he places the rest of his grocery bags on the table, digging around to find a glass jar of raspberry jam before approaching  his room.  The shift of the weight causes one of the floorboards to creak and he pauses mid stride with bated breath, jar firmly in hand poised as a weapon.

After a couple of tense seconds pass by and nothing happens, he takes another step and then another until he reaches the door.  He finds that same bloody print on the woodgrain and he carefully pushes inside.  He furrows his brows in confusion when he doesn’t find anything or anyone in the vicinity.  But the stench of alpha fills his nose and the closer he gets to his bed, the easier it is to see his nest soaked in red.

“Jesus,” he whispers in alarm.

Just as he’s about to turn around, something wraps around his wrist, squeezes tight enough that his hand reflexively lets go of the jar until it shatters when it falls.  He stumbles back and he yelps when a shard of glass digs into his foot, but the knife pressed against his throat is what stops him from pulling away.

It presses against his skin, heavy labored breathing tickling his ear.

“Omega,” the person slurs in pain and vulnerability.

Oliver is paralyzed in fear, but something else kicks in, instinct , “I need you to drop the knife.”

The alpha doesn’t move, but Oliver can feel the weight slowly slump against him, “You smell like him, y’know? You smell like alpha.”

Oliver tries to lift his free hand, the knife only presses harder into his skin, “don’t fuckin’ move.”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Oliver promises.

“Why do you smell like alpha?” And the way he repeats it so confused and so utterly exhausted makes Oliver ache.

“Please,” Oliver pleads. “let me help you.”

The knife finally clatters to the floor and Oliver turns just in time to catch the alpha in his arms.  He grunts with the sudden weight, and whimpers when he falls back onto his foot, the shard digging deeper into his skin.

“Omega,” the alpha whimpers.

Oliver huffs as he adjusts the alpha and carefully guides him onto his bed. The alpha falls into his nest and Oliver tries to locate the source of the bleeding, finding the man’s shirt completely soaked in blood.

“Fuck,” he curses when he sees the gunshot in the man’s abdomen

“Am I gonna die?” comes the soft voice filled with so much fear.

Oliver flicks his eyes to the alpha’s pale face and fuck, “ how old are you? “

“Twenty-one, what’s it to you?” The young alpha answers defensively.

Lie , his omega detects, the alpha doesn’t look over the age of eighteen at best.

Oliver rubs at the patch on his neck, peeling it from his skin before allowing his omegan scent to fill the space, the scent of safe, comfort, concern wrapping the room.

It draws another whimper from the alpha, eyes growing hazy and unfocused.  Oliver hesitantly reaches out his hands.  He grabs onto a tee shirt before crumbling up and pressing it into the alpha’s wound.  The young man hisses and tries to buck away forcing Oliver to do something he never thought capable.

“ Stop ,“ he growls, he gives the alpha a command .

It does the trick though as the alpha’s wriggling stops and he falls limp.  For a moment Oliver thinks the man is dead and he panics before the rational side of his mind urges him to check for a pulse.

It’s there, faint and weakly fluttering under his fingertips, but most importantly it’s still there .

He holds pressure for what feels like forever, but is probably ten steady minutes before he pulls the balled up shirt back.  It’s soaked with blood and it’s hard to see past all the red.

He grabs the knife from the floor and slashes the alpha’s shirt only to discover with great relief that the bleeding has nearly slowed to a complete stop.

He grabs another shirt and tears it into a long strip which he somehow manages to wrap and tie tightly around the man’s waist to keep pressure.

With trembling bloodied hands he searches for his phone.  He manages to lock it after several failed attempt of getting his fingerprint clean.  Finally, after inputting his passcode and with some struggling he hastily dials the alpha’s number.

What do you want now, Oli-

“What the fuck, Oro?”

The hell you talking about?

“Why is there a  kid in my home bleeding out?” He whispers into the receiver harshly.

You said you wanted a job, so what the fuck seems to be the problem?

“This isn’t… that is not what I meant.”

Tough shit, I’m hanging up now.

Oliver whimpers, “Oro!”

That sound is enough to make the alpha pause.

“Oro, I don’t know what to do.  He’s… Oro, it’s bad.  He’s lost so much blood… what do I do? What do you want me to do?”

Silence and then…

Stupid cocky piece of shit got himself into this situation.  Heads up, he’s hiding from the cops.  You can keep ’em or turn ’em in, better yet, you can let him die for all I care.

And with that the call goes dead.  Oliver feels cold all over.

He looks around at the mess in his room.  The glass and sticky jam on his floor, the blood, the stench of fear and pain mixed with the poor attempt of his own calming pheromones.  He vaguely remembers the sharp ache in his foot and the sting on his neck where the blade pressed a bit too deeply.  He tosses his phone to the side in frustrated resentment.

He leans down and through the slick of blood and fruit preserve he somehow grabs hold of the glass embedded in his skin and yanks it out with a hiss.

He falls on his ass and stares at the floor, eyes tracing the grains on the wood as he tries to count to ten.  He thumps his head against the bed behind him and closes his eyes against the onslaught of tears.

Jesus fuck. What has he gotten himself into?

13

Oliver can’t align his priorities.

As far as he knows, no one from his building has stepped out and encountered the streaks of blood leading to his apartment.  He’s sure that the moment someone does, he will have an army of officers at his door which is less than ideal when harboring a fugitive.  He fears that if he takes even an hour to clean up the mess, though, the kid in his bed will die without medical intervention.

Even if he manages to get the alpha to a hospital first, if officers sniff in his direction and so much as give him a command, he knows he will spill everything and there goes his al- no there goes his own freedom .  He’s sure the alpha will drag him down.

So, with those thoughts, Oliver makes the selfish decision to clean the blood first.  He grabs an old towel he tears into pieces and soaks them in diluted bleach.  He scrubs at the flecks already drying and snorts in derisive amusement when he reaches his foot print where he slipped.  God he’s so fucking stupid .

With the ever-present urge to gag, he cleans until the water has turned pink like Starbursts and he knows he can’t salvage the rags, cleans until all the prints (even those on the doors) are gone.

His nest is a whole other matter, it’s unsalvageable.  No amount of cold water and hydrogen peroxide can get those stains out so he debates on burning them like his omega wanted to do weeks ago. But right now he needs to move the alpha, needs to get him to a hospital.

With bated breath he watches the young alpha intently, only relaxing when he sees the tell-tale signs of the man’s chest rising and falling with each drag of air into his lungs.  The bed dips with his weight as he checks him over, frowning when he sees sweat collect on the alpha’s brow and shivers wracking his body.

“You’re burning up,” he whispers mostly to himself in worry.

Carefully, he unravels the makeshift bandage, drawing a hiss from dry lips and causing red eyes to immediately flutter open, sharpened teeth snap his way in defense, but Oliver doesn’t flinch.

He lowers his voice and calmly orders, “Stay.”

It’s not a command, but the alpha obeys nonetheless as he relaxes which surprises the omega.

He re-wraps the makeshift bandage, a whine of hurt falling from the kid pathetically and unbidden.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, the omega in him cooing in comfort, “We need to get you to the hospital.”

The alpha licks his lips then, a protest on his tongue, “they’re looking for me.”

“They’ll find you,” Oliver agrees, “but dead or alive is up to you.”

The alpha blinks at him blearily, weighing his options before nodding.

Getting the alpha up from the bed is a struggle, the first few steps that follow even harder as they stumble.

Oliver checks his phone for directions, cursing when the nearest hospital is close to forty minutes away walking.

They make it work.

The omega guides the agonizing alpha, stopping multiple times on the way for him to catch his breath and simply breathe through the pulsing hot pain radiating from the gunshot.  It’s in a moment like this, that the omega finds himself bearing more and more of the alpha’s weight, and makes Oliver think they won’t make it.

He glances at the alpha’s abdomen covered by a black shirt.  The clothes already fit tight on the alpha due to their obvious differences, but it’s starting to cling to him in a way that Oliver just knows means he’s bleeding again.

Oliver almost sobs in relief when the hospital parking lot comes into view. The alpha carefully pushes the omega away, no longer using him as a crutch but wraps his hand around a small wrist tightly and Oliver stops at the sticky wet feeling. Oliver knows what it is. Blood.  He can sniff it in the air like a hound with how pungent it’s become.

“You smell like him,” the young alpha says and he’s looking at him so intently that it draws a shiver from the omega.

Oliver hadn’t thought anything about it the first few times the alpha had mentioned it because it’s not possible. The alpha’s scent should have faded from his skin weeks ago.  He tells him as such, but that only garners a grunt of disbelief.

“Whatever omega,” and he rolls his eyes just to spite him.

Oliver would have expected the alpha to, at the very least, be grateful. Instead he’s then shoved away with a menacing growl.

“I got it from here.   You can leave now.”

Oliver hovers, but it’s the alpha now who gives the command, “ Leave .“

He tries to ignore the command, tries to fight his baser instincts which urge him to obey.  But he stands his ground, hoping that if he doesn’t move, then his body won’t follow the order. The alpha is impressed before another growl slips by in irritation. 

“You need help,” Oliver begins softly.

“You’ve helped enough.”

The alpha’s canines are elongated and Oliver feels a tremor of fear.

“Omega.”

“Oliver,” he pauses, “my name is Oliver.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” the alpha falters and Oliver wants to reach out to steady him, but the Alpha hasn’t released the command which is starting to make Oliver feel lightheaded.

The alpha takes a step closer and reaches out to brush his thumb just under Oliver’s nose, pulling away at the smear of blood.  The repercussions of an omega attempting to disobey a direct order.

“ Go home and don’t look back. “

This time Oliver takes a staggering step back before his omega forces him to leave, heart hammering in his chest when several feet away he hears someone scream for help.

He doesn’t look back.

14

Oliver wants to sob in relief when he gets home.  His head is pounding with a migraine and his limbs feel all funny and weird.  He’s managed to staunch the blood from his nose, but he still feels woozy.  The lights only make everything hurt worse and the nausea is barely at bay.

He reaches home a little numb, a little unsure of himself.  Once inside the safety of his apartment, he locks the door and simply… exists. Just for a moment.

He stands for a little too long in the foyer before beginning to strip until he’s completely naked.  He pads barefoot toward the bathroom, the blood on his soles dry and crusted.  He doesn’t care about the sting, instead he leaves his clothes strewn about, and starts the shower.  He steps into the waterfall before it’s warm and lets the water run over his head and down his freckled body.  The water turns pink before it swirl down the drain.  He stares at it entranced before his scrubbing his skin raw .

He doesn’t even know he’s crying until droplets of what he thinks is water drip over his lips and he tastes salt.

He doesn’t sob, doesn’t scream.  He doesn’t really make a sound aside from his labored breathing, just trying to catch a break.

He steps out only after all the warmth is gone and he’s left shivering and sniffling.

He’s dripping wet when he goes back into the living room, hair clinging to his forehead and beads of water trickling down his skin.  He stands naked and unabashed when red eyes snap to his at the sound of his entry.

“Omega.”

Oliver blinks slowly, teeth chattering from the cold seeping into his bones, not entirely registering who’s standing before him.  Soon, though, he finds himself enveloped in warmth as a jacket is draped over his trembling shoulders.

He looks up finally recognizing who he’s looking at.

“Oro,” he croaks weakly.

The omega slumps forward into the alpha’s arms eyes slipping closed as his breathing evens, a sense of safety washing over him.

The alpha frowns at the omega in his arms before picking him up and carefully placing him on the couch.  His steps sound entirely too loud in the small space of the apartment.  He reaches what he knows is the bedroom door and pushes it open.

The smell of blood assaults his senses and he stares at the disgusting scene before him, a growl threatening to rip from deep within his chest.

He grabs his phone without hesitation.

Sir?

“I need someone to clean up this shit.  Then I need an update on that stupid brat.”

Yes, sir.

He hangs up, but the irritation is still rolling off of him in waves.

Men come and go, carrying a bloodied mattress away and bags filled with red stained bedsheets and blankets.  He’ll make everything gets disposed of accordingly.  It’s his job as alpha and in his best interest to protect his stupid omega.

“Replace everything,” Oro orders his closest subordinate.

An hour later and the efficiency of his men is almost enough to quell the anger inside.

There’s a new bedframe and mattress in his omega’s room in record time.  His men know better than to touch the new nesting material in case they leave behind their unwanted scents.  He dismisses them with a wave of a hand and contemplates the mess of pillows and blankets now on the bed.

He’s never had an omega, never cared for one and doesn’t want to start now.  But his alpha has other ideas.  With some exasperation he begins fixing and rearranging until there’s a semblance of a nest starting to take form from what was once a mess.

He purposely rubs the scent glands on his wrists against the softest fabrics, allowing his scent to saturate and provide comfort when he’s gone.

It’s as he’s finishing up that he finds the omega in the doorway, staring at him curiously.

“You’re mad,” the omega whispers hoarsely.

“I’m impressed,” the alpha corrects, “you had so many options in your favor and you still risked it and saved him.”

Oliver bites his lip and the alpha has never found himself so distracted before, wanting to reach out and free that plump lip before having a taste.

He breaks away from those thoughts, “So, why did you?”

A hard swallow and, “because he’s just a kid.  I… I don’t know how he got looped into you and your business but no one deserves to die.”

“Even if he killed someone?” The alpha questions.

Oliver stares wide-eyed at the man, breath hitching in his throat.

“Even if he shot a cop first?”

And Oro is stunned when Oliver finally finds that words to respond, “A life does not replace a life, it’s stupid, unless… you know… they’re serial, then it’s just prevention.”

Oro allows a small smile to twitch on his lips, “right, little omega.”

Oliver flushes at that and his eyes dart to his bed.  It’s new and the nest isn’t perfect but he bets it smells like the man before him.

“Is that my payment?” He wonders.

“Compensation of sorts,” An envelop manifests upon the alpha’s hand and he hands it to Oliver, “This is your payment.”

The omega doesn’t open it, but he knows its just as heavy (if not more) than the first one.

Oliver frowns as he stares down, past his hands and to the floor, “You told me to let him die.”

Glistening black dress shoes come into his view as they stop in front of him.  He shivers when a blanket is thrown over the jacket on his shoulders and flutters until his entire naked body is covered from view.

“I wanted to see what you would do.”

Did I pass? “Why?”

“’cause I need to know if I can truly trust an omega, a sub-gender ruled by pheromones and sex like a slut.”

Oliver bristles at the insult, his scent souring which only draws amusement from the alpha.

“Can’t say I’m disappointed.”

“What now?”

The alpha reaches a hand and cups the omega’s cheek before guiding him closer.  Oliver is tense, unsure of what to do.

“Let me just try something.”

And lips meet upon lips, making the omega melt and cling to the alpha as whimpers fall in between.  The envelope slips from his hold and thuds on the floor, Oliver can’t find it in himself to care.  It’s just money.  This… this right here is everything.

When they part, the alpha is breathing harshly, Oliver’s face is buried in the alpha’s chest as he tries to calm his rapid heart.

“You’re a menace.”

Oliver doesn’t think that’s true, but he hums in agreement and wraps his arms around the alpha’s waist.

He wants to ask him to stay.

No words need to be exchanged as Oliver pushes the alpha toward their nest.  The alpha doesn’t fight him as they tumble onto the sheets, the omega right on top of the alpha.

“What do you want, Oliver?” The alpha asks huskily.

“You,” he answers breathlessly, to be yours .

The alpha watches as the naked omega fumbles with his jeans before sliding them down just enough to expose his filling cock.

With a lick of his lips, Oliver wriggles on the alpha’s lap before lifting his hips and sinking onto his knot.

The alpha’s hands rub over thick thighs before sliding up to rest on curved hips. He smiles, watching pleased as his little omega works for his knot.

“Such a good bitch,” he praises.

The flush on Oliver’s skin spreads, “You’re spoiling me,” he gasps.

The alpha takes the opportunity to slip completely free from the omega’s warmth earning him a whine at the loss.  He then presses Oliver against the blankets and slides right inside like coming home, deeper, harder.

“If you want to be spoiled, come with me.”

Oliver’s eyes are glazed over as the alpha hits that spot just below his navel, warm fingers coming to rub and press against his click until its all swollen and aching.

“Alpha,” he chokes out.

Oro smiles, wide and mean, as he continues the torture.

“

Come

my little omega.“

Oliver’s back arches in pleasure and his toes curl at the tingling sensation as he squeezes around the alpha’s cock like a vice.

The alpha curls a hand just above his knot to stop himself from locking inside the omega, he has better things to do than be tied to Oliver for the next couple hours.  He finds some sick joy out of watching the omega sob when he realizes the alpha didn’t knot him.

“Alpha?” He sniffles pathetically.

Oro leans down and licks a stray tear from the omega’s cheek, “Be my personal cock-warmer and maybe I’ll spoil you rotten.”

Oliver wants that.  He really, really does.

“Okay.”

15

Oliver wakes up in his bedroom a little dazed, the smell of happy omega and alpha clinging to the very walls of his home and sinking into his bones makes him and everything around fuzzy.  The alpha isn’t there, but he’s not too torn about it.  Instead of contemplating what-ifs, he sits up only to wince at the feel of something very much still buried inside him.  With a confused frown he rubs his fingers down the lips of his pussy until he probes at his entrance to find a toy, a plug?

Oh .

His phone buzzes right beside him and he blindly reaches for it with his not so sticky hand, a yawn tearing through him and making his eyes watery prevents him from seeing the text right away.

He reads the message after scrubbing his face from lingering sleep, heart skipping a beat when he sees Oro’s name at the top.

There’s a car waiting outside for you .

He’s in the midst of thinking about what to reply when a knock on his apartment door startles him and he looks around wildly before slipping on some sweats over bruised hips and throwing on the alpha’s jacket for warmth.

He opens the door hastily to find a large beta man impatiently waiting, tapping his foot in what he thinks is irritation.

“H-Hi,” he stammers.

“We are late.  Alpha Oro does not appreciate being kept waiting.”

“I… Yeah totally get it, but I need to shower and uh get dressed,” Oliver states.

The beta wrinkles his nose as he gives the small omega a once over, “make it quick.”

Oliver doesn’t move from his spot, should he offer the beta to come in?

No, that’s weird.

And he has a feeling Oro will be pissed.

The beta seems to be thinking the same as he waves in the general direction of outside, “Outside, red Tesla.”

The man walks away with heavy footsteps and only after he’s gone does Oliver close the door.  He heads for the bathroom and grabs a washcloth.  He doesn’t feel like showering, but he needs to get rid of the feeling of sweat and sex off of his skin.  He wets the cloth in warm water and squirts some lavender body wash on it before rubbing down his body from the grime and dry cum and slick.

He wrings the cloth until it’s free of suds and bubbles and passes it over his thighs and arms one last time. He bites his lip as he hesitates over the plug currently clenched within the walls of his core.  He debates on taking it out.  No.  His alpha did it for a reason, he trusts his alpha.

Stupid , he thinks to himself, his omega is so stupid.

He heads back to his room and gets black basket ball shorts, knee high socks, and a white tee.  he slips into some warm ugg slippers and dons the alpha’s jacket.

He grabs his keys and locks his apartment up before heading outside.  True to his word the beta is waiting for him in a red Tesla.  His breath hitches in surprise as a particular step causes the plug to jostle and press just right.

He needs to take a moment to squeeze his thighs together and breathe through the rush of oxytocin in his system.  He gets his breathing under control enough to walk toward the car again.  

The man jumps out and hurries around to open the back door for him.  Oliver smiles gratefully before dipping inside and buckling up.

He feels like the drive shouldn’t have been as long as it was.  But he can tell the beta is trying to throw Oliver off, trying to confuse him so he can’t retrace his steps.  He briefly wonders if he isn’t being kidnapped and that thought it quickly tossed out the window when they arrive.

The house is massive, breathtakingly beautiful in the extremely nice part of town.

There’s a gate which parts as the car draws nearer and he can see several men tracking the car’s movement.

Eventually, they come to a stop and Oliver finds himself being ushered inside through the garage.

His eyes linger on rows of expensive new cars in different shiny colors.  He’s almost jealous.  Almost.

They walk through a maze of halls before arriving at what he thinks is a study.

“Out.”

Oliver looks up to see Oro sitting behind a cherry oak desk covered in papers.  Not once has the alpha looked up, not until the door closes one last time behind Oliver. Until they’re alone.

“You came.”

“Didn’t think I had a choice,” the omega quips.

The alpha smiles, “you didn’t.”

Oliver can’t help but appreciate how good Oro looks with a smile on his face. He should smile more.

He doesn’t move until the alpha motions for him, “Come here.”

The omega walks to the alpha, sidestepping the desk until he’s standing before the man with nothing in between them.

Oro looks too overdressed as he relaxes against the leather-bound chair.  He looks breathtaking.

“I have a treat for you,” the man says, motioning to the omega.

Oliver sinks to his knees before his alpha as the man unbuckles his dress pants to reveal his flaccid cock.  The omega feels himself twitch in interest because even flaccid, Oro still looks huge, still looks like he fits perfectly inside of him.

“Do you think you can be a good bitch and keep your alpha warm?”

The answer is immediate, “yes.”

Oliver doesn’t think he thought through what it meant to be Oro’s personal cock-sleeve.  He finds that out when the alpha parts his lips and rests his cock inside the heat of his mouth.  Oliver closes his eyes and breathes in the musk of his alpha.  He sinks further, his omega preening in content.  He’s safe.  In between his alpha’s legs and encased by him, he’s safe.

The alpha runs his fingers through soft unruly hair and Oliver falls deeper into a false sense of complacency.

The alpha grabs hold of something, hand loose around it as it comes to rest on his left thigh.  Oliver looks at it questioningly before the alpha presses a little button on it.  He jolts at the sensation of a vibrator pressed right against his G-spot.  The shock draws a whimper from the back of his throat as his breathing picks up.  It goes like this for twenty long torturous minutes until a knock on the door makes Oliver want to pull away even as he writhes in pleasure at the intensity.

“Don’t move,” the alpha warns softly, hand tangling further into his hair and dragging him back onto his knot.

“Come in.”

The doors open and Oliver tenses at the sound of someone walking inside.

“What a surprise.”

“Took us hellava long time to get here, Oro, so yes I’d say it’s a surprise.”

“And why’s that?”

“That stupid bitch you sent shot me.”

Oliver’s breath hitches in panic, he recognizes that voice.

Oro pets the omega hidden under his desk, reassuring him.

This is his territory.

“I’m sure he had reason.”

“This is the issue-”

“What is exactly?” Oro demands lowly.

“You trusting stupid bitches to do your dirty work.  Talk is, you’re showing weakness.”

“At least my bitches do as I say. Better yet?  They actually get the fucking job done.  You also spreading shit and dirtying my name, don’t think I don’t know that Rolph.  You’re luckily I didn’t just shoot you myself.”

“I don’t need you.”

Oro barks a laugh, “Bitch, if I had a penny every time some wannabe asshole said that I’d be rich ten times over.  You forget I made you.  I created the name you have now.  You are nothing without me.  I give you business, you fuck with me and I fuck up your whole life.”

“With all due respect, Oro, fuck you.  You think you’re some big shot when in reality you’re this close to your downfall and I want nothing to do with it.  You can’t revoke your business with me ’cause I refuse to do business with you.  I’m cutting ties.  Oh, and if you’re gonna shoot me?  Make sure it’s to my face.”

The door slams closed and Oliver whines low in his throat.  The alpha yanks at his hair and pulls him off of his cock.

He looks down at Oliver, at his hazy eyes gaining recognition, of his swollen lips all wet with spit and pre-cum.  Rosy blush high on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver croaks, throat scratchy, “I didn’t mean to start a fight between your supplier.”

Oro’s harsh features soften just a smidge, “bitch been looking for a reason to end it.  He’s lucky I didn’t kill him where he stood.”

Oro helps the Omega up from underneath the desk.  He’s tempted to fuck him right over his desk, thighs spread for him knowing that his pussy is already soaking and open.

He can’t.  Not yet at least.

So, he asks as a distraction, “Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Turn right and head downstairs, kitchen’s in the back,” a pause, “make yourself useful.”

Oliver holds his tongue, but nods.

The vibrator is set on it’s lowest setting before he walks out.

“Think you can handle it?”

Oliver smiles, “yeah.”

With a wave he’s dismissed.

He follows the alpha’s orders, breathing heavily as the vibrator persists.  He’s so close.  But not yet, not until his alpha says so.

There’s a loud commotion the further he makes it down the spiral staircase.  His brows furrow and his heart aches when he hears a scream.  Without thinking he grabs a colorful vase and keeps it out of view, just in case.

He forgets all about his alpha at the next high pitched cry. 

Wait. 

He knows that voice.

He rushes the rest of the way and to his horror he finds Maddie, no - Annie, he reminds himself - brought to her knees with a split lip and a quickly swelling eye.

“Let me go you bastard!”

Another punch and Oliver growls, “ Stop! “

Red eyes flash to him as they take notice.

So, it is him.

It’s the man he shot in Canada. Rudolph, was it? Sue him, he was distracted.

The alpha tosses Anne to the side like a ragdoll, purposely stepping on and crushing her fingers as he limps toward Oliver.

Oliver wants nothing more than to be beside Annie, to make sure she’s ok.

The alpha seems to notice his concern and retracts his thought process.  He’ll make Oliver hurt through her.  With a cruel smile he gathers her hair in his hand again.  It’s like in slow motion the way he slams the omega’s head against the marble floor.

Oliver sees red.  He runs to the alpha and smashes the vase right over his head.  It shatters and causes the man to stumble back in surprise, effectively releasing Annie from his clutch.

It isn’t enough to stop the man as he punches Oliver who doesn’t have the reflex to dodge.

The fist lands right against Oliver’s left cheek.

Fuck.

The shouting and growling is loud enough to draw the whole house to the main room.

The beta man that drove him yanks Oliver behind until he’s away from the angry alpha.

 “He was off limits,” he informs with a growl, “and you just dug your own grave.”

The alpha, Ralph, doesn’t seem to give a shit as he scoffs in disbelief.

Oro walks in then and the smile is wiped off clean from the arrogant alpha’s stupid face when the scent of pure anger permeates the entire house.

Oliver licks at the blood spilling over his lip from his nose.  It’s Oro’s turn to see red.

Yeah, he fucked up big time.

16

“Hey there Maddie,” she slurs, eyes unfocused.

“I’m not Maddie, you’re Maddie,” Oliver pauses, “shit no, you’re Annie, I-I’m sorry I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“It’s ok honey,” and she smiles like she’s proud or something and it makes his heartache, “you’re doing great.”

“I’m not,” he croaks, “I’m really, really not.”

He feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks up with a small sniff.  Oro cups his uninjured cheek, turning him this way and that, frowning when he finds the blooming bruise and the drying blood from his nose. 

“Colt will take you to the hospital,” Oro begins, thumb caressing Oliver’s cheek tenderly, “go home, Oliver.”

Oliver wants to protest but the alpha is already turning away.  He feels his heart lurch as the loss of contact, but he feels Anne grow limp and he tries hard not to panic when she doesn’t respond.  She’s like a doll and blood seeps through her hair and clumps up.  He searches for the wound and when he finds it, he tries to apply pressure?  How are head injuries treated?

The beta, Colt, leans down before scooping Anne up effortlessly.

Oliver follows him silently, trying to breathe through the pain in his face.

He finds that the drive to the hospital is ten minutes at best.  No questions are asked when they walk through the entrance.  How many times has this happened before?

“- a couple of stitches are in place, have to come out in approximately two weeks.”

He nods along to whatever the doctor is saying.

“-you can use ibuprofen for the concussion and lots of rest.”

“Ibuprofen,” he whispers to himself, “got it.”

“-wake her every couple hours just to make sure things haven’t worsened.”

“Okay.”

“Would you like me to check you over?”

Oliver pauses before reaching a hand to his swollen cheek, “no, I’m ok.”

“Any fuzziness or major headaches you should come right away, you may have a concussion as well.”

“I’m fine,” he reassures, “thank you, though.”

The doctor doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t push.  If someone refuses medical treatment it’s not like they can intervene unless absolutely necessary.  Oliver is thankful when the staff finally leaves.

By the time Anne wakes up, they’re free to go.  She’s sluggish and isn’t her chipper self.  It’s odd and Oliver doesn’t like the silence as they walk outside hand in hand.  Colt is, thankfully, waiting for them outside and he drives them to Oliver’s apartment.

“I need to call my sister,” Anne sighs against his shoulder, “she’s watching my pup, need to tell her… I don’t want to impose but… I can’t let her see me like this.”

“You can stay at my place,” Oliver assures, “it might be a bit cramped, but it’s just me.  I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Thank you, Oli.”

They’re dropped off a few blocks away without so much as a goodbye.  Fine by him.  He’s tired anyway.

Once inside Oliver gives his phone to Anne (hers long ago dead) and heads to the bathroom to take the toy out and try to clean up just a little.  He then heads to the kitchen to make some tea or something.  It’s all just an excuse to give Anne some privacy.  His face is a little numb from the cold but he can feel muscle spasms which make him cringe where he got punched.

He takes out the milk and honey only to wrinkle his nose when he sniffs his tea incredulously.  He checks the expiration date on the milk bottle and frowns a little.  It’s still good, but it smells so awful.

He dumps the tea in the sink before he throws up.  He didn’t want it anyway.

“Hey,” Anne pads over to him.

He looks up a little too fast toward her and has to reach out to the counter before he topples over.  The nausea is back.

“Not a concussion?”

He lies through his teeth, “I’m ok.”

“Oliver…”

After a few deep breaths and only when the world stops spinning off its axis, does he look at her.

She bites her lip, “nauseous?”

“Dizzy too.”

“You smell like him. Like Oro.”

“I… Yeah, I know.”

“How long?”

“On and off… I don’t know,” he shrugs.

“Oliver, are you pregnant?”

The empty cup he had been holding by the handle finally clatters into the sink as it slips from his hold in surprise.

“What?” He laughs incredulously, “No.”

Anne raises a brow entirely unimpressed.

“ No ,“ he insists, “it’s not possible.”

“Really?”

“I… it was a heat drop, not a normal heat.  And I’ve been on testosterone and heat suppressants for years .”

“You and I both know a heat only increases fertility and is not necessarily needed for conception, and those are not contraceptives.”

And then the realization, “oh no.”

“Oliver?”

Followed by panic.

He doesn’t know the man.  All he knows is that this man wanted to kill him and is a criminal  because everything they’ve done so far is illegal .  They haven’t even had a proper conversation if it doesn’t involve ending tangled up in the bedsheets.  What they have is purely physical.  He can’t have a baby.  Can’t have his baby.

“Oh no, I can’t… nope… he’s going to kill me.”

“He likes you.”

He shoots her a glare.

“Just saying.  If he wanted you dead, he probably already would have done it by now.  But the way he looks at you… I don’t know, Oliver.”

“He can’t know,” Oliver whispers, “please don’t tell him. Anyway, it’s not like… not like it’s confirmed or anything.”

“I won’t, but maybe you should.  After you’ve confirmed it, you should tell him.  Maybe he’ll stop putting you in danger.”

“That’s not… he’s not. I can’t.”

“Breathe, Oliver,” she approaches him slowly, with her hands up as if he’ll attack her.

“Pregnancy test,” he chokes out.

“Okay,” she agrees, “do you need me to-”

“No,” he shakes his head quickly, clasping his hand over his mouth when that aggravates the nausea, “no, I’ll be right back.”

He doesn’t take long to rush to the corner store and buy a cheap pregnancy test.  The cashier gives him a pitying glance when he sees how nervous Oliver is and the omega wants to snarl at the kid.  He should mind his own fucking business, thank you very much.  He startles himself at how aggressive he’s become.

He snatches the bag and rushes back home, closing his jacket (his alpha’s jacket) over his chest for warmth.  Back home he beelines for the bathroom, missing Anne’s amused expression.

He walks back out a minute later with the little stick in his hand which he puts on the coffee table over a wad of crumpled-up toilet paper.

He collapses onto the rug right by Annie’s feet.

“Is this even accurate?” He wonders.

Annie has the box in her hands, “Says 99.9% accurate, whatever that means.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, “you have a concussion and you’re probably tired and-”

“You’re my friend,” she smiles easily, tossing the box aside, “I’m here for you.”

He thinks he’s going to cry.  After being alone for so long he finally has a friend .

The timer goes off and he holds his breath.

“You gotta breathe, kid.  Don’t pass out yet.”

He nods and with a trembling hand, he reaches for the test.

“Well?”

His eyes are wide, “Yeah… he’s going to kill me.”

17

Two days.

Annie stays with him for two days before the swelling goes down enough that she can cover the bruising with some makeup.  She hugs him tightly and whispers soft encouragements before she goes home to her pup.

Her pup, soon he’s going to have his own pup… fuck.

He closes his eyes against the onslaught of tears as a shaky hand cups his belly.

Holy shit he’s going to be a dad.

He grabs a hoodie from his bed and tosses it over his sleep rumpled Venom graphic tee.  He slips on some shoes and heads out with his keys tightly gripped in his hand.  He’s a ball of anxiety all the way to the nearest planned parenthood.

One look at him and he’s carefully pulled aside by one of the nurses once he’s registered.

The room is small and he shivers when he’s asked to take off his outer layers.

He can’t help but think that his alpha should be there with him.

“Oliver right? I’m Dr. Patel, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you doc,” he mumbles.

She looks at him, studies him carefully, “what brings you in today?”

“I’m pregnant,” he blurts out.

She takes his outburst well.

“I mean,” he retracts, “I think I am? I took a test and it was positive.”

“Okay,” she smiles kindly, “we can run some labs and an ultrasound to confirm.”

“Please… that would be… it’d be great.”

“Now, Oliver,” a pause, “I just want to make sure that you’re safe.  That you both are.”

His brows furrow in confusion before he remembers the dark bluish bruise on his cheek.  he subconsciously reaches to touch it with his fingertips.

“He didn’t,” Oliver assures, “my alpha protected me as best he could. It wasn’t him.”

It’s not a lie, though not exactly the truth either.

A moment later and she believes him well enough because he finds himself on the bed ready for his first ultrasound and god this has to be an uncomfortable experience.

But all he can hear is a loud whooshing sound.

“That’s your pup’s heartbeat,” she beams.

“Oh,” he breathes in awe.

And he’s more dumbstruck when she turns around the screen and he sees… something.

His confusion is palpable as she laughs at his expression, “this right here is your baby.”

She motions to the different parts, to the darkness surrounding his baby, and explains how everything is good, perfect even.

“Slightly small, but overall right on track,” Dr. Patel says, “congratulations, Oliver, you’re about ten weeks pregnant with a healthy baby.”

He inhales sharply, “ten weeks.”

He’s been carrying a whole new life for nearly ten weeks, just over two months.

“Two more weeks and you’re in your second trimester.  Take it easy and no more picking fights.”

He nods a little numbly and once he’s dressed, he can’t help but ask for pictures that they already have printed for him.  He stares at the proof of his baby’s existence in his hands.  The picture grows blurry as tears spill and decorate the black and grey.  He’s so overwhelmed and yet so very happy .

He’s walking home without really seeing where he’s going when he bumps into someone.

He stumbles back and he panics when he thinks he’s about to fall back only for a strong arm to wrap around his waist and steady him.

“Oro?”

“Finally noticed me,” the alpha snorts.

Oliver flushes pink and he discretely tucks away the proof of their baby inside his pocket as he straightens out.

“Sorry.”

“What were you reading so intently? You almost walked straight into traffic without paying attention.”

Oliver caught surprised as he looks around and yes, he was about to do something so reckless and stupid.

He swallows thickly, should he lie?  No, the alpha will know.  But he can’t tell the truth.  This alpha does not seem like the family type.  If anything, he’d probably tell him to get rid of his baby.

“Forget it,” the man sighs, “I’m bored.”

“Oh?”

“Go out with me?”

“Out with you?”

“For lunch,” the alpha nods.

Oliver wants to say no.  But his stomach grumbles and he realizes he hasn’t eaten in hours and he’s suddenly hungry.

“O-Okay.”

They walk toward a small diner, a little hole in the wall not too far away.

They’re seated and given menus as soon as the door chimes.

“Two coffees,” Oro orders once they’re situated.

“Actually,” Oliver pipes up, “can I have apple juice, please?”

Their server nods before hurrying to retrieve their drinks.

“Apple juice?”

“Coffee gives me heartburn,” the omega shrugs, “so I’m trying to cut back.”

“Heartburn,” the alpha contemplates, “and here I pegged you for an OJ fan.”

Oliver flushes under the intense stare from the man.  Silence grows between them and Oliver doesn’t know what they’re doing.  It’s not awkward per se but… but it’s close.

“What are we doing, Oro?” 

What are we?

“Having lunch?” As if it was all self-explanatory.

“Is there a job?”

The alpha rolls his eyes, “Is it a crime to want to get to know my sex slave a little better?”

A clearing of a throat and Oliver burns bright in embarrassment when their server places down their drinks in front of them.

“Are we ready to order or do you need more time?”  She asks ever professional.

“The usual,” Oro answers without so much as glancing at the menu and handing it back to the woman.

Oliver’s eyes scan the options quickly before settling on pancakes.

She writes it down and walks away, giving them a semblance of privacy again.

“If you wanted sex, you didn’t have to-”

“I know.”

“Then why are we-”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t run away.”

Oliver snaps his mouth shut.

“You tend to run and hide when shit gets tough.”

Oliver looks down at the tabletop, his hand resting on his stomach in contemplation.  It’s a subconscious gesture he finds himself doing more and more frequently, especially now that it’s official he’s carrying a pup.  He’s not going to lie that his first reaction wasn’t to run.  He wanted to run, run far away from the alpha and make sure he never knows of their pup.  So, no, the alpha is not wrong.

The food is placed down in front of them shortly after and Oliver stares at the alpha’s plate from across the way.

His thoughts momentarily stop because it looks good . It smells delicious.  He thinks he’s going to cry if he doesn’t get to sink his teeth into the steak before him.

The alpha cuts the meat in half before putting the bigger of the two slices onto the omega’s pancakes as if reading his mind.  The omega chirps contently, such a good alpha taking care of him.  Of them. 

He slathers a bite of steak and pancake stabbed through his fork with syrup before shoving it into his mouth.  He moans at the taste and the sounds seem to do something to the alpha.

“Was it him?”

Oliver swallows around the food and stares at his alpha confused.

“Was it that bitch of an alpha that made you think of leaving?”

Of leaving me , goes unsaid.

Oliver doesn’t know whether to lie.  Because no, it wasn’t Randall the alpha (or whatever).  It was Oro himself.  His reaction to the news that he’s going to be a father.  His reaction to Oliver carrying their pup.

“No,” he settles on.

He’s immediately called out, “You’re shit at lying, did you know that?  You’ve lied to me before, and you’ve told me the truth as well.  Your truths outweigh your lies, it’s probably why you’re still alive.”

The omega feels a bone-deep chill at that.

“Just like you lie, you’re easy to read,” the alpha continues, “and you’re hiding something from me.”

“I’m not,” he breathes.

“Right now I have a gun aimed at you from under the table.  It doesn’t matter what you tell me now, because I will find out regardless.”

Oliver stares in shock at the man before him.  Is he really?  Is he… oh God.

He pushes away the plate of food.  His nose burning with tears, “I think… I think I’m going to be sick.”

“This is a warning, but you already knew that.”

“Please,” he chokes, “please let me go.”

“I would,” Oro says, “if you actually wanted me to let you go.  As it stands, you don’t.  You can never push me away no matter how much you beg and try.”

“You’re right.”

“Out of the both of us, you’re the one that’s stupid.”

“I know.”

“You lost all self-preservation when you fell in love with me.”

Oliver tenses, a tear spilling down his bruised cheek, “I’m not.”

The alpha doesn’t believe him, he doesn’t believe himself.

“I… I don’t love you, but there are moments where you show you care and I can see myself starting to.”

A snort  “I’m still trying to decide if you’re stupidity outweighs mine, then.”

Oliver didn’t comment, fearful that if he agrees he’ll be shot on the spot.

“I’m obsessed with you,” the alpha sighs all frustrated, “for some inexplicable reason my alpha trusts you.  I trust you.”

Oliver hears the safety click on and the alpha visibly adjusts to put the gun away.  He wants to sob in relief once it’s out of sight.

“I killed him, that alpha who touched you - hurt you.”

Oliver closes his eyes tightly.

“I ripped him limb from limb until he begged for mercy.  And even then I still put a bullet through his head.  I killed for you, Oliver.”

There’s a thrill at the thought of his alpha killing for him, protecting him in the only way he knows how.  And yet he is so utterly terrified of this man.

“You’re my downfall, Oliver.  I’ll keep you safe until I don’t need you anymore.  Then I’ll follow through with my promise and get rid of you.”

Happy new years!

# 18

Things change.

Oliver isn't sure what, but he notices a tenderness in Oro as days pass. 

He finds himself spending more time at the main house, in Oro's den, in his 
bed. 
He's woken up to soft kisses and slow morning sex.  Oro teases him with gentle caresses that make his skin tingle and his body tremble in anticipation.

The man is all power and rough edges as they fuck slowly, as he thrusts more deeply and moves his hips all sensually.  It makes Oliver's heart race.  It makes Oliver's thighs shake and back arch as he breathlessly meets every thrust.

He's dizzy with want.

Voice lost in his begging as his breathing hitches with a harsh thrust here and there.

Tears spring to his eyes and he chokes on a moan, he can't express the big emotion evoked in him when Oro kisses them away from his flushed cheeks.

Everything changes, but Oliver isn't sure if it's for the better.

"I need to go home," he says eventually.

Oro is laying flush against his body, ear pressed to his chest listening to his slowing heartbeat.  Oliver traces his fingers over a random tattoo on the alpha's shoulder, surprised at all the little details the alpha usually hides behind dark clothing.  His favorite, though, has to be the poppy tattoo wrapping around his throat in intricate swirls of linework.  The omega can't help but think that this is where he'd always love to be.  Pressed tightly against his alpha, cocooned in the safety of his arms and tracing those tempting tattoos.

The alpha grunts softly in acknowledgement but makes no effort to move.

Oliver's thoughts drift to his apartment.  While he knows he should go back, he almost doesn't want to.

It's lonely there and their combined scents is no doubt faded by now.

The thought makes him hurt in ways he can't explain.

"Stop stinking up my den," the alpha grumbles.

Oliver bites his lip and sheepishly apologizes, "sorry."

With a deep breath the alpha carefully gets up, slowly slipping out from the mess of slick and cum.

Oliver makes to move, but is stopped by the man as he's pulled by his calves toward him.  An '
eep
' of surprise escapes from the omega and soon the alpha delves down in between the omega's thighs, licking up their spend with his tongue.  A whimper follows the obscene sounds and his eyes roll to the back of his head as his thighs shake.  That tongue swirls around his sensitive click, lips soon wrapping around the small growth and 
sucking
.

A gasp and a whimper is the only warning.  His thighs close around the alpha's head, drawing him closer and soon... so close.

Two fingers tease the folds before slipping inside his pussy, the squelch loud enough to be heard but his mind is elsewhere as the alpha tortures him.

"Come, my little omega." 

 A bite to the supple flesh and Oliver tenses as he orgasms 
again 
when the man's thumb rubs his click tenderly.

He's lost track of how many that is, all he knows is that he doesn't want to move.  

He's panting, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath.

His legs splay open, allowing the alpha to pull back.  His body grows heavy and his eyes flutter closed.  The alpha slumps against him again and all he can manage is a sleepy sigh from kiss swollen lips.

He wants this to last forever.

He wants to continue seeing this side of the alpha he's never experienced before.

He wants... he wants the impossible with this man.

With this startling realization, Oliver wakes up alone in his own nest, in his apartment.

He looks around dazed and confused, sure that he was with his alpha moments ago in his den.

"Good, you're awake."

Oliver looks at his alpha in surprise.

Ok, so, not entirely a dream.

But he's no sure how they got here.  Not that it matters when he's distracted by the man.  He's dressed in black slacks again, but with a baby blue button down hiding that tattoo he loves so much.  

He has papers in his hand and Oliver panics for a second.

Is it the ultrasound?

Does he know?

Sharp eyes flicker toward him at the sound of labored breathing and a squeak escapes him when he realizes that no, Oro hasn't snooped through his stuff.  It's just paperwork he usually deals with.

"The fuck happened?  You stink of distress."

He doesn't add the 
again
, but it's implied.

"You scared me," Oliver answers, hand over his chest.

The alpha takes his response for what it is, "go shower and get dressed.  We have some shit to do."

Oliver frowns and mouths the words
, shit to do?

Oro would lie if he said he didn't find Oliver's confusion endearing, the way he tilts his head just so and furrows his brows every time he tries to think.

"We have a job."

With those simple words Oliver tenses.  Reluctantly he climbs out of bed, limping toward the bathroom covered in hickies and bruises.  Fuck, his hips hurt.  A smack to his ass makes Oliver yelp, he rubs the sore cheek before glaring at the alpha who looks entirely too intrigued in the slight jiggle.

"You're going to break me," he huffs.

The alpha smiles, "I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

Oliver heads for the shower only after expressing his displeasure with a roll of his eyes.

He's almost sad the alpha doesn't join him, but they'd never leave if he did and they both know this.

Once dry, he dresses in jeans and a hoodie, he forgoes a t-shirt though he regrets it when his sensitive nipples rub against the rough inside of the sweater.

It's too late change when the alpha grows exasperated and tugs him along by the hand only after making sure he's wearing blockers, something Oliver has forgone now that he's constantly in the alpha's scent.

Oliver finds himself peering out the window, alternating between trying to figure out where they're going and Candy Crush.  Neither holds his attention for long and he finds himself hungry.  Genuinely starving.

A bright yellow "M" blurs by and Oliver sits up straighter, immediately looking at his alpha.

The man is tapping away at his phone, distracted by whatever conversation is going on there.

Oliver deflates in his seat.

"I can hear you, you know?"

Biting his lip, Oliver lies, "I'm ok."

His stomach gurgles a little and the alpha sighs, "Colt?"

Just his name is enough for the beta to turn around and head to the fast food restaurant.

"Chicken nuggets," Oliver breathes all excitedly

"Make it two."

Colt nods and orders over the drive thru.

Oliver makes grabby hands at the bag and he salivates at the strong smell of warm French fries.  He eats those first.  He only pauses when he notices Oro eat a nugget.  The alpha starts with the outside first, biting the nugget around the edge until his tongue can easily peel back the top and bottom of the golden crust.  Then there's a naked pale chicken-whatever which he plops in his mouth after dunking it in spicy buffalo.

"Psychopath," Oliver whispers in slight horror.

Colt snorts and Oro glares at them both, "and how do you eat yours?"

"Like a normal person," Oliver states matter-of-factly and proceeds to eat a nugget in three bites just to prove a point.

"Right," Oro smiles, "and I'm the Psychopath."

Oliver splutters, but before long they come to a stop.

Oro pops a mint and gives one to Oliver, the omega takes it only because he'll feel nauseous otherwise.

They step out of the car and Oliver stares at the house, which is not a house.

It looks more like the shell of an abandoned building.

Oliver doesn't have a good feeling about this.

"Do you trust me?"

Oliver looks at his alpha.  He wants to say no, he wants to go home and curl up in the safety of their nest.

"Yes."

But he can't.

This is his alpha.

This is a man who has killed and will continue to do so and yet has a level of trust in Oliver that the omega can't comprehend.

The man draws closer until a hand is placed on Oliver's hip.

"I need you to behave."

Behave?

Why is he being treated like a child?

What the hell is going on?

Oliver bristles when something wraps around his neck.  He stares at his alpha in shock when the clasp clicks.

"You," Oliver feels hurt, "you collared me."

"To keep you safe," the alpha explains, not at all remorseful for what he just did.

Collaring an omega, making him seem as if he's a true sex slave based only on his sub-gender.  Why?  How did they come to this?

"Trust me."

And how can he not?

Men with machine guns appear at the entrance and Oliver wants to scream at his alpha.  What kind of job are they doing?

Oliver doesn't have time to think as he's yanked forward and they walk inside, eyes following their every move.

He feels like he's walking to his death.  And yet the hand slipped inside his squeezes tightly and Oliver can only cling to his alpha for dear life.

# 19

The humiliation of being collared does not compare to the humiliation of having to sit at Oro's feet like a dog.

They're led to what can pass as a meeting room or a dining room if it were a proper home.  Oro takes a seat at one end of the table, Colt on his right-hand side.  The alpha tugs at his collar and Oliver sits at his feet on the dusty and grimy floor.  He tries to catch the alpha's eyes, but one look from the beta and he lowers his gaze.  That would be a sign of disrespect.  He thought they were done with this way of thinking.

A heavy hand lands on his head and he peers up at the alpha as he soothingly rubs through his unruly hair and massages his scalp.  He closes his eyes and leans against the man's thigh.

Not a moment later an older man arrives, striding in all pompous with two omegas at his side.  Oliver watches him take a seat at the head of the table on the opposite side.

He's older, with fine lines and crow feet.  His hands are decorated with thick and heavy rings trying to distract from the blatant liver spots scattered about like dark craters.  Oliver cringes when the man smiles and a golden tooth shines through.  He turns his head and pretends he's anywhere else but in this humiliating situation.

"I must say, after all these years you've finally found yourself a bitch."

Oro smiles pleasantly at the man, "We're not here to discuss that right now.  I'd like to know where we stand."

"Right," the man drawls, "business first, as always."

"When am I getting my shipment, old man?"

"Oh come on, Oro, don't be like that."

"Now old man, don't try my patience."

"You'll get it on the fourteenth, at the port, happy?  Now, please introduce me to the beauty mouthing at your cock."

The sound of a chair scraping back and footsteps approaching make Oliver's heart rate pick up.

Oro's hand is replaced by a stranger's.  His head is yanked back and he's forced to look at the old fart.  There's a thick jagged scar on the left side of his jaw and Oliver can't help but stare.  That seems to be a wrong move as the man growls.  A pocket knife is within his grasp and Oliver flinches when it comes slashing toward him.

The only thing it does, however, rips across his hoodie, revealing his slightly swollen chest and pudgy belly.

A loud whistle of appreciation rings through, "you sure know how to pick 'em."

Oro hasn't moved, but despite the heavy scent blockers, Oliver can just make out the scent of burning ozone.  The scent of lightning, of anger.

"Don't."

"Don't?  It's just a bitch.  Hey, tell me, how is he?  Is he nice and wet for you?  A nice easy fuck?"

"He's mine," Oro snarls.

The man laughs, "If he's yours, then why haven't you claimed him?"

Then he turns to Oliver, properly addressing him for the first time, "how about it, little omega?  Why don't you come here and I'll show you how a true alpha fucks their omega.  I'll make sure to keep you stuffed, full to the brim."

And he makes to touch Oliver again.  Oliver reacts on instinct.  This man is a threat.  With a snap of his jaw, he clamps around the man's hand, teeth sinking in as a low threatening growl spills forth like the blood coating his tongue.

The man shouts in anger and guns are quickly pointed their way,

"Stand down," Oro orders.

That order is not for Oliver, he knows.  Tension grows thick and Oliver sinks his teeth further, ready to bite off the piece of flesh completely.

"I call the shots here," his alpha states calmly.

And soon enough other men who were originally not present before, appear.  Oliver recognizes some from the house, realizing that they're on their side.  Each has a gun trained on the ones currently threatening to kill Oliver and Oro.

"Stand. Down. Doyle."

Doyle, the disgusting excuse of a man, nods quickly and his men lower their weapons.  Oro's pack, however, does not.

"Omega," Oro calls.

Oliver opens his mouth, just enough for the man to slip his oozing hand free.

Oliver spits out the blood, trying hard not to throw up.

Oro looks at him proudly, though, and he knows it was worth it.

The alpha's lips meet his and he melts.

The collar is removed easily right after.

"I got what I wanted," Oro tells Doyle, "it was a pleasure doing business with you."

Doyle grasps onto Oliver's bicep, trying to pull him away from Oro.

"It's not over."

Oro's smug face forms into one of wrath.

"This bitch needs to be put down, 
that 
will be 
my 
pleasure."

The knife is dangerously close and Oliver's scream isn't loud enough.

The sound of a gun going off and the clattering of metal rings through the omega's ears.

He collapses onto the floor on his ass, scooting away and staring wide-eyed at the man's wrist shattered, obliterated, by a bullet.

"You were warned once.  Do not make me repeat myself."

In Oro's hand is a golden gun, trigger pulled back and slowly springing forward.

He approaches Oliver, kneels before him, and coos at him.

Oliver sinks into his waiting arms and breathes him in, desperately wishing they weren't wearing blockers.

"I've got you," the alpha whispers against his ear, "you're safe."

# 20

Oliver isn't sure what happens after their unpleasant encounter with Doyle.  All he knows is that Oro has disappeared for the past two weeks, leaving him alone in his apartment, aching and lonely.  There's no job, not even a muttering squeak from the pack.  He would've hoped to feel some relief at being left alone as he figures out what to do with his pregnancy.  Instead he feels inexplicably rejected.  The silence is driving him crazy at twelve weeks pregnant, feeling useless and unworthy of his alpha.

With a soft sigh he looks at his belly in the mirror, trying to occupy his mind and hoping to see if there's a difference, a change.  He doesn't think there is much of one.  He looks like he just finished a party-sized Dorito bag. The nausea is finally in the recess of his mind though.  For the most part at least.

He lowers his shirt and pats his tummy lovingly.  He dresses warmly before heading for the store, needing a sweet and tangy fix.  God he needs to get off the internet, it's only fueling his cravings.

At the little convenience store in the corner of his block he beelines for the freezer.  He pulls out a small tub of 
talenti 
mango ice cream and searches for fruit roll ups.  His mouth practically salivates when he finds the tajin and chamoy next.

He pays at the register and heads back home with the bag swinging back and forth in his grasp.

Just as he opens the door to leave the store, he accidentally pushes it against someone, making them stumble forward.  Oliver grimaces as he steps outside.  The man waves him off when he tries to apologize for not paying attention.  Oliver thinks nothing of it, except the man then begins to follow him.

"Can I help you?" Oliver turns around.

He's really not in the mood.  He's been cranky since his alpha has become MIA and he wants nothing more than to go home and eat his snacks in peace.

"Sorry, I'm just looking for an Oliver Morales."

Oliver pauses, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Something doesn't sit right about this man.

The man approaches him and Oliver is immediately on high alert.  The man makes sure the omega can see his hands at all times though.

"Do you happen to know an alpha that goes by the name of Oro."

The knot of alarm in Oliver's belly twists into dread.  Something on his face must give him away because the man gets this face of 
eureka
.

"You know him, don't you?"

"I'm not sure I know who you're talking about," Oliver lies, attempting to side-step the strange man.

Said man doesn't attempt to physically stop him.  No, his words are enough.

"He's a dangerous man.  I hope you're aware."

He gets no response from Oliver.  The omega has to bite his tongue in order not to retort.

"He's a killer."

"Who are you?"  He turns around and demands.

"My name is Henry Ford.  Agent Henry Ford."

A shiver travels down Oliver's back, 
a

gent
?  He wouldn't have guessed it with how pedestrian he's dressed.  What is this man playing at?

"Now that I have your attention, I'm hoping you can give me a moment of your time."

"Prove it."

The man smiles at him kindly and complies easily.  He pulls out his wallet and shows the omega his badge.  His very official looking badge followed by a candid photo of Oro.

"I've been searching for Oro for years, there's been a rise of crime in this neighborhood and I've traced his steps to here.  I'm not sure if you've noticed a black car that seems to always be parked outside your apartment complex.  We've already spoken to your neighbors, I simply wanted to know if you've seen him, if you've noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

Through nerves Oliver doesn't know how, but he manages to deflect the man, "I'm sorry, I haven't.  I also don't know any alpha by that name."

The agent doesn't seem convinced and Oliver feels trapped, cornered.

"Oliver," the agent begins, tone turning serious, "I don't want to scare you, but if you see anything it is crucial you notify the authorities."

"Why?" He can't help but ask, "Why is that man so dangerous?"

"He's the head alpha of a dangerous pack full of corrupt beta and alpha alike dealing with illegal transport of weapons, money laundering, and not to mention a major drug distributor."

Everything Oliver already knew.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out," he promises, fingers crossed behind his back.

"Please do," Agent Ford nods, "I don't want the past to repeat itself."

Oliver waits.

Hooked and reeled.

"Oro is a killer, you see.  He kills and disposes of those that no longer serve a purpose, of those that get in his way.  He's a sociopath incapable of human emotion."

Oliver wants to refute that.  The alpha though mean has also shown him tenderness, kindness, and dare he say, moments of love and devotion in the darkness of the nights spent tangled with each other.

"It's the only explanation for killing his family."

Oliver's eyes widen in surprise, breath hitching at the new information.

"At the age of sixteen Oro shot and killed both his parents, has been on the run ever since, living a life of crime.  We think he even went so far as to sell his younger sister into human trafficking."

Oliver thinks he's going to be sick.

"He's not an alpha, much less a man, you'd like to cross paths with."

"Why... why did he do it?"

"We don't know," Agent Ford answers honestly, "but we know he got a sick pleasure out of it.  Left a note on the nightstand confessing in detail that he did it and 
how
 he did it."

Oliver gulps, "I..."

"Just watch your back."

And the agent goes so far as to pat his shoulder as if that will give the omega comfort.

"If you see or hear anything, all you have to do is give me a call."

The man deposits his business card into Oliver's hand.

"Stay safe kiddo, would hate for something to happen to you."

And that sounds like such a threat that it leaves Oliver at a loss for words.  Just like that, the man leaves him alone in the street with an overload of information.

His alpha did something horrible... something he didn't think he was capable of.

Killing a stranger or a threat is one thing... but turning on your family?

Oliver makes his way home.  He dumps his bag of goodies on the table, completely forgetting he even bought ice cream as he sinks to the floor and proceeds to have a panic attack.

Because all he got from that encounter is that he's next.

If Oro is truly incapable of feeling love or shred of human emotion then Oliver and their baby are so screwed.  Because as it stands, a pregnant omega is 
useless
.

He unclenches his clammy hand and stares at the taunting card.

He can't breathe.

# 21

Oliver has a bag packed and shoved deep into his closet, just in case.  He needs to be smart about this, needs to make sure he doesn't leave anything behind and yet leave everything that could be traced back to him.  He can't make the same mistake twice, Oro will not take kindly if he finds him this time around.

A knock startles him and Oliver drops the little onesie he had finally convinced himself to buy.  The sage green cloth falls crumpled on his nest as he stands to answer the door.

He can't help how his heart leaps in his chest in excitement when he finds Oro standing on the other side.  He looks... rugged.  His 5 o'clock shadow has turned into a prickly stubble.  His shoulders are tensed and Oliver swears he almost didn't recognize the man with the hood of his jacket up.

"Alpha," he breathes in awe.

Oro doesn't move and Oliver frowns.  It almost looks like he's grimacing in pain, "are you okay?"

"You busy?" The man finally asks, brushing off his omega's concern.

"N-No."

Oro motions with his head, "Let's go."

"I- yeah, okay, I just need-"

"Now."

"Okay, okay!"

Oliver locks up his apartment and follows his alpha outside.  He is surprised when the man heads for the driver's seat of a green Honda civic, not at all like the fancy new cars he's seen he knows the man owns.  

Oliver ducks into the passenger's seat and tugs on the seatbelt without a word.  He wonders if he knows about the FBI.

The drive isn't as winding and complicated, but that's how he knows they're not going to the main house. He feels eyes on him and Oliver's gaze flickers to meet the man's in curiosity.

"You look good," the alpha comments with a confused scrunch of his face.

And he does. His face is fuller with a constant flush on his cheeks, a healthy glow.

"Thank you?"

Oliver is already used to the man's little grunts of appreciation and acknowledgment.  Enough to know that the sound the alpha makes resonates with, "no problem."

Soon enough they arrive at a local park that Oliver used to visit rather frequently when he first moved to the little town.

There's no explanation as to why they are there, but Oliver stumbles after the man when he gets out and slams the door shut.

Oliver tries to keep pace with his alpha as they approach an oak tree which he's sure provides the coolest shade in the summer with how big and wide its bare branches are.

The sound of small running feet catches Oliver off guard as a little boy runs toward them.  He wants to stop him in fear as he runs directly to Oro.  He's not sure what the alpha will do to a little boy, but if what that agent said is true-

His fears dissolve when the little boy wraps his small arms around Oro's legs and cries out, "Daddy!"

Oliver's breath hitches and he watches in awe as his alpha picks up the small pup and carries him on his hip easily.

This isn't the first time, he realizes.

"Oro?"

"The pack seems to trust you to an extent, I'm still trying to figure out why. But you've wiggled your entire life into mine and my pack of misfits.  You literally opened your doors to my pack without being offered a choice and you've rolled with it.  You've done what I've asked and you've proven yourself.  So, for once, I'll show you my weakness."

Oliver is stunned, his eyes sting with tears that he tries to wipe away when wide eyes peer his way.

"Oliver, this is Manuel," Oro introduces, "my pup."

The little boy buries his face in the alpha's neck timidly, but still waves at Oliver.

"H-Hi," his voice cracks a little, "I'm Oliver."

Oro adjusts the weight of the pup and he finally comes out of his hiding place, "hi, Ol-ver."

"Hey baby," he coos, his omega immediately claiming the little pup as his even though he's aware he shouldn't. His arms ache to hold him, but he doesn't reach for him.  Doesn't think he can or has the right to.

He doesn't get much of a choice when the small pup lets go of his alpha sire and reaches out for the omega.  Oliver immediately takes the pup into his arms, bringing him close to his chest.  The pup doesn't know what he's doing, but Oliver feels a rush of emotion when he starts scenting him subconsciously.

"You smell like daddy," the little boy giggles.

Oliver flushes at that, but his smile doesn't falter.

"How old are you?"

"I'm this many," the little boy says, holding up three fingers.

"He just turned four," Oro corrects.

"You're so big now," Oliver smiles.

"The biggest, right daddy?"

The alpha smiles at his son fondly, "Why don't you go and play?"

The little boy wiggles until Oliver places him down on the ground.  He takes off again, little feet running toward the slides.

"So you have a son?"

"Yes."

"Why... So, why haven't you-"

"Left the life of crime?"

Oliver nods, but he's entranced by the pup climbing the ladder and sliding down the spiral with a squeal.

The alpha steps close, his hand reaching out and thumb brushing away a stray tear, forcing the omega to look at him, "Because this is who I am.  I am a killer, a monster.  There is no going back once there's bloodshed."

"What about his other... parent?

"His birth giver?"

"Yeah..."

"Bitch is still around."

Oliver grimaces.  Always so crass.

He stares at the man and bites him lip.

"Spit it out, omega."

"Would you consider leaving this life behind now?"

"What you're really asking is if I will stop for you, right?"

"No," Oliver shakes his head, "Not... Not just for me, for your pups too."

"If I didn't leave for him or his mother before, what makes you think you'd change anything?  That you would be any different?"

Oliver feels bold, "Why not?"

"Listen here, omega," and he's gripping the omega's jaw painfully tight, "you've gotten this illusion that you're important, that you have a say in what I do.  I'll let you know now that the day I die, will be the day I start listening to an omega. You are nothing in the grand scheme and I won't simply stop because you want me to. It doesn't work like that."

"Then what... what would I have to do to be free again?"

The alpha looks at him in surprise which quickly morphs into a simmering rage, "The only way you'll ever get away from this life, away from me, is through a casket, understand?"

Oliver stares into the alpha's eyes.  He thinks he understands.

"You want to know something else?"

The omega doesn't respond.

"If you hadn't turned back, if you had just left, I would've let you go.  But it's too late for that now.  You're mine, Oliver."

The kiss they share is bittersweet.

# 22

Oliver makes the conscious decision to seek out the alpha next.  He calls him a few days later, expecting to receive radio silence.  Surprised to find the alpha at his door the next hour.  In the depths of his being, he had hoped the man would not answer, would ignore him, or disappear again.

Oliver opens and closes the door to his alpha for the last time.

He finds the man looking at him expectantly, but all he can focus on is the cut on the man's brow.  Without restraint, he reaches forward and lets his fingers trace around the inflamed skin.  He wants to kiss it, to make the hurt go away.  Oliver does it because he can.  He feels the man's hands rest against his waist, holding him just so as he steps up on his tippy toes.  His lips brush against the healing gash before he pulls back and kisses the man on the lips.  The alpha lets him.

He tugs on the alpha's hand and they head outside.  He drags them past the car waiting for them.  They won't need to drive where they're going.  He can feel the alpha's apprehension, but not once does he let go of his hand.

His hand is heavy and overall warm, fingertips a little cold, but they make a nice contrast against his own.  All the way to their destination Oliver is trying to decide if this is the right thing to do.  His gaze occasionally flickers to the gun tucked away in the alpha's holster, thinks about how that gun was pointed at him countless times.  He wonders how many times the alpha actually wanted to pull the trigger, how many times he's come close to killing him.

This is the best he could do.

He'll be safe.

They 
will be safe, him and his baby.

Right?

Oliver walks towards a building in the slightly nicer part of town, in the direction he knows leads to the alpha's house.  It's a newer building, one that has condos already listed for sale as construction finishes.  He can see the alpha look at the building appreciatively as their steps echo in the silence.  

He had mentioned the want to move to the alpha once. He knows that alpha wouldn't object, especially if he were involved in the process.  For a moment Oliver pretends... he pretends that this is what an alpha and omega pair do.  They look for a new home as their little family expands and he fights the urge to touch his belly.

The alpha comments on how it's a decent place, a good location even.  To Oliver, it's all just white noise.

They stop at the end of the hall and Oliver pauses in front of one of the doors, his hand on the doorknob.  If he opens this door there is no going back.

 The alpha gets exasperated when the omega hesitates and he decides to open the door for both of them.  Oliver's belly twists with guilt and immediate regret.  This was a mistake.

He follows Oro inside, intent on pulling him back, on dragging him away.

But it's too late.

There's a little unsteady red dot painted on Oro's chest.

The alpha is looking down at it before he's turning to the man lying in wait.

Oliver closes his eyes as tears threaten to fill and spill from his eyes when realization dawns on his alpha.

The man curses, turning to the omega in accusation.

His eyes flutter open and he looks at the man pleadingly.  Oliver is destroyed.  When he meets the alpha's eyes there is an accusation and reflected in them?  His betrayal.

"Oro," he breathes quietly, pleadingly.

"Oro, or can I call you by your name, Carlos Abaya?" Agent Ford asks smugly across the room.

Oro snarls, "All these years and this is how you catch me? With underhanded tricks?"

"He came to me willingly."

Oliver bites his lip, "Wait please."

"You... You tricked me," Oro spits.

Oliver's heart aches, it weighs heavy in his chest.  No apology can ever make this right.

Agent Ford begins, "I drove a hard bargain-"

"Oh yeah?  What'd he offer you?" Oro demands, his eyes trained on the omega, "
ANSWER ME DAMNIT
!"

Oliver flinches, "safety.  He promised... he said I would be protected and I wouldn't be in trouble when he caught you."

Oro looks at him in disbelief, "Why would you? After everything?"

"I had to," Oliver says, voice breaking, "I 
had to
."

Enraged, Oro takes out his gun and points it at Oliver.

Ford whips out his own and trains it on Oro, "Put it down Abaya.  We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Oliver shrinks in on himself.

If Oro pulls the trigger, then the sniper won't hesitate to kill him.

Oliver loses all his self-preservation at the thought of losing Oro like that.

It's one thing knowing that the man he loves is behind bars, it's another if the man is six feet under.

Oliver does the stupid thing to fight the alpha for the gun.  In the background, he hears Ford order the sniper to stand down as they struggle.

"You stupid bitch!" Oro shouts.

"I'm sorry!" Oliver screams back, vision blurred by tears, "I-"

The sound of the gun going off fills the space between them.

The tears the omega had been holding back fall like shooting stars, painting the constellations on his cheeks with salty rivers of shock and regret.

"Oro," he whimpers.

The alpha stumbles back, trying to get away from the omega as fast as possible.

Oliver's eyes immediately fall to the wine red spreading across the alpha's chest.

"No," he breathes in shock, "no, no, no!"

He rushes to the alpha as the man collapses to his knees.

Oliver presses his hands against the wound, gun clattering to the floor and kicked out of the way.

"Oro," he cries out.

He lays the alpha back, desperately trying to apply pressure to the wound that won't stop bleeding.

Oliver's hands are stained, soaked, in red.

And still, Oro reaches a trembling hand to wipe away the stupid tears on the omega's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he sobs, "I didn't... I'm sorry, you can't die."

"You were my downfall."

"You can't," Oliver says firmly, "you can't die."

Agent Ford decides to speak up then, "it's better that it happened this way."

Oliver turns to the man in shock before screaming hoarsely, "SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up!"

He cups the alpha's cheek, spreading the red, but he needs the man to look at him, "don't close your eyes."

Oro's focus is growing hazy, but he manages a weak, "Why?"

Oliver buries his face in the man's neck, breathing him in, willing his heart to continue beating, "you can't die, alpha.  Please... please.

And blood splutters from the man's lips, color draining from his skin and hands shaking as he goes into shock.

"Oro, alpha," he whispers softly through sniffles.

He grabs the man's hand and presses it against his belly, a distinct roundness starting to form as their pup grows.

He feels the man's fingers flex against his skin.

"I'm pregnant," he admits low enough for only the two of them, "So, you can't... you can't die.  You can't leave us.  Not me, not Manny, not our pup."

All the words he wanted to tell him.

All the pathetic excuses he wanted to provide the alpha.

All the apologies die in his throat when his alpha finally grows limp, his hand tenderly cupping their unborn pup falls.

The scream that escapes Oliver's lip is blood-curdling, one of pain and agony.

Of an omega who's lost their alpha, their mate.

# 23

Oliver doesn't know where the blood ends nor begins.  All he knows is that it's everywhere and his alpha isn't responding and suddenly he can't breathe.  
He 

can't

 breathe
.  There's a sharp pain surrounding his lower back and belly and his alpha is 
gone
.  No matter how hard he shakes him, no matter how brokenly he begs for him to wake up, to open his eyes, his alpha doesn't respond.

He tries to fight against the hands that reach for him, those cursed hands that try to pry him away from his alpha.  He lashes out and bites the hand wrapping a little too close to his bare mating gland.  No one... no one should touch him there but his alpha.

"Stop," a low growl orders, the agent physically pulling the omega away from the body, "it was better this way, Morales.  Abaya was going to die either way, by your hand or mine. Now back away from him and go before the police get here."

Oliver pauses, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it?  The only way to keep you out of jail for being his accomplice and doing his dirty work was to kill him so he wouldn't talk, so he wouldn't throw you under the bus as revenge.  Someone would've pulled the trigger whether it was you, or me."

"That... that wasn't what we agreed," Oliver rasps.

"It was implied, now leave omega, before they get here and your tangled further into this mess.  I'm giving you a way out, there won't be a second chance.  Mark my words, you will be next once they figure out he had an omega confidant."

Oliver is consumed by anger, "I wasn't... no, you tricked me."

"I did what I had to do, just as you did."

"Don't compare me to you.  I never wanted to hurt him, I wanted to keep him away, never... never this."

"It's too late for regret.  You've help me greatly, but my appreciation ends here.  If you don't leave I will turn you in myself."

Oliver stares in disbelief.  He wants... he wants to kill this man.  He wants to rip him apart and make him hurt like he's hurting.  He wants-

"

Go.

"

He can't.  He can't go against the command no matter how much he tries to fight it.

Oliver hunches forward.  His breathing is labored and something doesn't feel right.

He swallows back the words of hate and he stumbles back, back away from the river of blood, from his alpha's body.

His steps are unsteady as he walks through the halls.

He feels dizzy, so much so that he needs to stop just to throw up.  His head is pounding and his belly cramps again.  He frowns, trembling hand cupping the slight swell.

"I can't lose you too," he croaks, "you're all I have left."

Somehow he makes it outside.

Numb, he walks through the streets, earning stares and gasps of horror when people notice the blood drying on his skin, on his clothes.

He walks until his legs tremble with effort, his feet hurt from the distance.

The immediate response he gets from the front desk when he steps through the ER would be comical in any other situation.  As it stands, he can't feel anything other than pain, fear, and anger.

"Sir? Sir?"

He looks up, eyes glazed and unfocused on the kind woman trying to gain his attention.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Oliver grabs her hand, startling her before understanding dawns on her when he presses it against his stomach.

"I-I'm thirteen weeks," he begins, "I-It hurts."

"Ok," she coos, "you're okay, can you tell me your name?"

Oliver looks at her without really 
seeing
 her.  He slumps forward, a sob tearing through him.

She kneels right beside him and all Oliver can see is the ghost of Oro, the memory of when his alpha did the same with eyes full of concern.

"He's gone," he admits aloud, to her, to himself.

She looks at his pale face, at the distraught in the tears that continue to fall.  Did they ever stop?

"Sir?"

"My alpha is... he's 
gone
."

He can see the way her face morphs into pity.

He doesn't need pity.

He needs someone to blame him.

He needs someone to see him for who he is.  For the cruel and horrible person he is for killing the man he lo-

"It's okay.  You can let go now."

Oliver nods dumbly and everything goes blissfully dark.

When he wakes up it's to the steady sound of a heart monitor right beside him.  His eyes flutter against the harsh light as his nose twitches at the inherently clinical smell surrounding him.  He grimaces when he tries to open his eyes, he feels sensitive against the sound and light engulfing him.  He feels dizzy and like the world has come crashing down around him.

He completely jerks awake when he feels something wrapped around his belly move just so.

He sits up a little too quickly that he has to close his eyes and breath deeply just so he doesn't puke.  He thought he was passed this.

Slowly.

Ever so slowly, he allows his senses to return to him.

Dazed he allows his eyes to flutter open to look around to discover that yes, he's been admitted to a hospital.  The blankets are rough but warm against his skin, though his main concern is the band wrapped around his waist.

He turns to his bedside and looks at a second monitor and he can guess that it's for his pup.

He leans against the pillow and allows darkness to drag him down again.

For now they're safe.

# 24

The next time Oliver resurfaces from the darkness that forces him to relive his worst nightmare, he's cleared to go home.  At fourteen weeks his pup is growing healthy and its little heart is beating strongly.  He wishes he would've declined, though, wishes he would've said something so he could stay just so he wouldn't have to return to his lonesome apartment.

However, he signs the release forms and gets into the uber waiting to take him home without complaint.

He unlocks the door as soon as he gets to his apartment and steps into the warmth.  He frowns when he finds that his home has been well lived-in in the past week he was admitted at the hospital.  His heart races in anticipation only to fall in dismay when he finds who broke into his home, 
again
.

The young alpha looks at him from his spot on the couch nonchalantly.

Oliver does think he can deal with this, not today.

He places his keys in the bowl in the entrance and takes off his shoes.  He's slow, deliberate, partly due to fatigue and partly from a sense of detachment.

At least the kid isn't bleeding out again.

"Can I help you?" He finally asks.

The alpha looks at him, scrutinizes him in ways he doesn't like.  He feels apprehensive and overall on edge.

"Long time no see, Oliver."

"Can I help you?" The omega repeats, allowing the exhaustion to seep through.

"I didn't introduce myself the last time we met."

"Considering you were bleeding out all over my home, I think you were justified to an extent."

"Right... thank you, by the way."

"I didn't have a choice."

"I think you had too many.  You can call me Boa."

"Boa," Oliver repeats, a name unlike any he's heard before.

"Don't wear it out, Oliver Morales."

Oliver grimaces at his full name, "is there a reason you broke into my home, again?"

The alpha nods as he stands.  There a brief grimace on his face and Oliver refrains from asking.  He can't.  He doesn't want to know.  He's just tired.

"I'm not here from my own will."

Good to know, 
he barely stops himself from rolling his eyes.

"I was sent to bring you to the main house."

Oliver looks at the kid alpha in poorly concealed surprise, "why?"

Boa looks like he's debating how to answer, before settling on whatever he says next, "The alpha is gone."

The lack of shock should be a give away, but the alpha continues regardless, "he gave specific instructions should he disappear or die, the latest revision included... you."

Oliver tries not to feel dread at that because what the hell does that even mean?

"Alpha Oro ordered us to bring you to the main house."

"
Why
?"

Boa looks at him funny, like he's daft.  As if he should know the answer already.  Like what he just asked was plain stupid.

"To keep you safe."

Oliver expects many things, but Boa's response isn't at the top.  He suddenly feels choked up.  That's not... it's not fair.

A sniffle escapes him, but Boa doesn't offer comfort.  Instead he looks at him all critical.

Still, "Why? Why would he?"

It's rhetorical, the alpha must pick up on it because he lets Oliver fall apart.

"I can't," he finally settles on.

"I don't think you have much of a choice," Boa states.

"No, you don't understand.  How can you understand?"

The alpha frowns, "understand 
what
?"

"That I killed him!  I killed Oro! I killed my alpha!  I can't go, I don't deserve this."

It's unfair.

Even after death Oro still follows him, still protects him.

"I know," Boa whispers softly, not unkind though.

Oliver reels back.

"They don't.  The pack, I mean.  But I know."

"H-How?"

"Because you have a reason."

And the young alpha pulls up the cloth Oliver hadn't paid any mind to.  He reveals the smallest onesie Oliver had laid eyes on, the one that made his pregnancy seem 
real
.

He chokes on his breath, heart racing as a sob spills forth.

"I won't tell the pack, but I'm not letting you stay here.  If people find out you're carrying our alpha's pup, then you're going to have a constant target on your back.  If anything happens to either you or your pup, then killing the alpha would've been for nothing."

Oliver still tries to fight him though, "I can't."

"The pack can and will protect you.  Whether they find out you killed Oro or not."

"Why?"

"Because you're pack."

The omega's breath hitches in surprise.

"Do 
you
 understand now?"

He nods, but doesn't move.

A long suffering sigh escapes the teen before he approaches Oliver.  He grabs the omega's wrist and carefully places the baby's clothes in his hand.

"Hurry up and pack, omega.  We don't have all day."

That snaps Oliver into motion.

He heads into his room and digs through his closet to pull out the bag he had packed long ago.

The alpha is impressed.

Without question he grabs the heavy bag despite Oliver's protest.

"Shut it, omega.  Let me do this.  It'll probably be the only help you'll get from me."

Oliver relents and follows the alpha out quietly.

The drive to the main house is straight forward this time around.

He recognizes the streets until the very end.

Oliver thinks he should be scared that they're not attempting to confuse him.  Does it mean that he'll get killed and that's why they don't care if he learns the way?

"If they kill you, it'd be after the pup is born."

Oliver jolts at that.  How did he...

"As it stands though, everyone kind of likes you.  Just don't be a bitch and you'll live."

He can't help but snarl at the alpha.  He won't take that shit from a kid, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Boa grins at him, "no, but I kiss yours."

Oliver scrunches up his face, "rude."

"Yeah, yeah."

Soon enough they pull into the garage and park along the rows of cars. Oliver steps out, feeling nervous butterflies in his stomach.

Boa takes the bag from the trunk and he's led inside.

Disappointment replaces the feeling of anxious wings when he's led to a guestroom. His heart aches as his gaze lingers down the hall, yearning to go to his alpha's den instead.

"Be grateful," Boa reminds, "do you really think you deserve to sleep in his room, his bed, after you betrayed him?"

"I thought you understood."

"Oro thought you understood as well."

That hurts more than words can describe.

When he's finally left alone, he allows himself to grieve, to cry and curse into his pillow.

He doesn't eat.

He's lost his appetite long ago so it's nothing new when he refuses to go down for dinner.

But when night falls, he sneaks out of his room with the pretext of seeking out something to drink.

He doesn't make it far. His feet carry him to his alpha's room without his consent, not that he puts up much of a fight anyway.  

His hand hovers over the door knob and he twists it before he can regret slipping inside his alpha's den.

The room is dark, cool.

Immediately he crawls into the warmth of the bed and drowns in his alpha's scent.

He drowns in the what ifs and agonizes in regret.

# 25

Oliver wakes up disoriented on his first night in the main house.  He looks around the bed, frowning when he doesn't immediately recognize where he is.  The smell of alpha fills his nose and all Oliver wants is to bury himself deep again.  He doesn't want to face the world, doesn't think he can.

So, he lays sprawled out on the bed until the pressure against his bladder becomes too much and he's forced to leave the warmth and comfort.

He goes through the motions.  He washes his hands and brushes his teeth before padding back to the room.  He finds Colt at the entrance, not daring to step further inside the omega's den.

"Good morning," he greets sheepishly.

Colt looks at him, assesses him with a critical eye making Oliver feel naked and exposed.

"You're pregnant," the beta states.

The omega nods, there's no point in denying it, "yeah."

Colt sighs before simply walking out.  Oliver isn't sure how to feel about that interaction, so instead he slips back into the blankets and burrows inside.

An hour later and someone knocks on the door.

Oliver doesn't move, doesn't respond.

He doesn't feel like doing anything other than exist.

A young beta he's seen around cracks open the door to peer inside.  Once he spots the blanket burrito he steps in with a tray of food.

The smell doesn't make the omega nauseous, but he wants it gone.  He doesn't want to eat, he doesn't want anything.

The beta reluctantly leaves when he's shood, but still leaves a small mandarin behind.

Oliver doesn't touch it.

The days seem to blur by in a haze.  Sometimes he eats, mostly not.  He can't force himself to enjoy his food when it tastes like ash and as a result, his appetite is shot.  Sometimes, though, he manages to leave the den and seek out the comfort of the pack.  They're not touchy-feely, but the rambunctious noise fills the empty void in his chest temporarily.

On a particular Sunday, Oliver decides he needs to move.

He needs to walk around and just leave the house for a moment.  However, he's keenly aware that he's always being watched.  He can't exactly sneak out, so he doesn't try.  He dresses warmly and heads downstairs.  No one stops him when he simply walks out the front door and along the pathway.

He gets in the Uber waiting just outside the gates.  

The young woman has great taste in music as they drive and Oliver allows himself to close his eyes, just for a moment.

When the car pulls up to a stop, Oliver thanks the driver and waves her off.

His steps are heavy on the grass, crisp and frozen with droplets of dew.  The crunch is oddly satisfying  under his weight.

How long has it been since he last came here? Almost three weeks since his release from the hospital? Maybe over a month since his hands were stained red with his alpha's blood...  He's lost count, all he knows is that he's a little over fourth months now.

He stops thinking about his mistakes and regret when he spots the one person he was searching for, the one he should've come to see after he lost his alpha.

"Ol-ver!"

Oliver smiles at the little boy running at the speed of light toward him.

He tries not to lose his balance when the little body slams against his legs, small arms wrapping around his knees.

"Hey, baby," he coos.

He crouches down to pick up the pup and place him on his hip like he saw his sire do.

Manny immediately buries his face in the crook of the omega's neck and scents him.

"Daddy has'n come," the little boy mumbles against his skin, "have you seen daddy?"

Oliver feels choked up on that and tries not to cry in front of the little boy.  But his scent must have soured because the pup coos and desperately tries to soothe him.

"I don't know where daddy is," he lies, "but daddy sent me so I can watch over you and we can play."

"Ok... Ol-ver?"

"Yes love?"

"Daddy said I should tell him everything that happens, like when I'm sad or scared.  Can I tell you too?"

"Of course!"

The pup looks at his hands as his little fingers twiddle nervously and Oliver's heart breaks when the pup admits quietly, "Mommy is getting mean again."

"What do you mean pup?"

"Says daddy got sick of me and left, says she should give me away."

Oliver bristles at that.

"Aunty Serefina says she won't do it, though."

"Aunty?"

The little boy nods enthusiastically, wiggling in Oliver's arms until the omega puts him down.

"Yeah, aunty Serefina.  She says she's my aunty, but I can't tell mommy that or she'll get mad and I won't get to see her again.  But you're not mommy, so I can tell you... I think."

Oliver looks at the pup amused, but his interest is piqued. The pup grabs his hand and starts tugging him along.

Bypassing the swings, Oliver finds a young woman sitting on the park bench looking at her phone.

"Aunty Fina!"

The woman looks up and stares at Oliver in surprise.

She stands abruptly and tugs the pup away from from the omega.  Oliver growls threateningly at the woman, how dare she take his pup away?

Oliver catches him self and he tries to calm his omega, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

The woman, Serefina, stares at him cautiously before nodding.  She relaxes bit by bit until Manny breaks free and takes Oliver's side.

"Aunty, this is Ol-ver."

"Oliver," he corrects gently, turning to the woman, "nice to um meet you."

"You're... you were here with Oro a couple weeks ago."

The omega nods, "you saw."

"I see everything... Do you know... are you a part of..." She can't finish her thoughts, he can tell she's afraid of revealing too much.

He thinks he understands though, "I'm living at the pack house right now." 

"So you know where Oro is and what's going on?  He's missed out on seeing his pup for the past month and he's never... he's always there but suddenly it's as if he's dropped off of the face of the Earth."

"I-"

How can he tell her that Oro won't be coming back?

That his pup won't ever see his daddy again?

How can he tell her that he's the reason Oro is gone.

It must be something in the way he looks at her, tries to convey the words that sit too heavily on him and suffocate him because there's a look of dawning on her face.

She takes a shuddering breath and sits back down on the bench.

Oliver takes the open space beside her, putting the pup on his lap, and allows the silence to stretch between them as she processes the little he's given.

"Who are you to my brother?"

Oliver is caught of guard.

When Manny called her aunt he had thought it was out of endearment, maybe a beta or omega working for Oro trying to look out for his pup.  He didn't think she was his aunt quite literally.

Oliver can't help but touch his belly out of habit, it's starting to become more noticeable as the days pass.  His pup has an aunt... will get to know more about their sire even though he's gone.

Serefina catches the movement.

"His?"

"Yes," Oliver nods.

A pause.

"He's really gone isn't he?"

The omega feels the word slip out like the tears already filling his eyes, "yes."

# 26

Oliver makes the effort to visit Manny every Sunday.  He makes small talk with Serefina and learns little things about her, about his pup, and occasionally about Oro too.  It's refreshing.  His favorite part, though? Is getting to play with Manny, getting to push him on the swings and teach him how to use the monkey bars.  His absolute favorite is hearing his squeals of laughter, his giggles of joy. 

It's in moments like these that he spots Boa leaning against the oak tree where Oro first introduced him to their pup.  It's been like this every week, every time he heads out.  Someone from the house is always volunteering to follow him, to protect him from afar.  It would be endearing if they weren't so overbearing and obvious about it.

So, when he's nearing six months, Oliver makes the bold move to shake the current beta following him around.  He can't move as fast with the pup, but he picks a densely packed street and tries to lose him in the crowd.  Oliver is proud when, somehow, it works.

Oliver pats his belly with a small smile, receiving a gentle kick in return.  He huffs a small breath of amusement before making his way to his OB/GYN not too far off.  He's excited to see his little one again, to see how much they've grown.  He knows for a fact his pup will start running out of room, the heartburn and kicks to the rib is enough to let him know as such.

He's brought back after goring through the routine vitals.  He heaves himself onto the bed and lays back. The pup is grainy, surrounded in those deep black and grey swirls.  But the outline of the baby is more defined.  When he looks at the screen, he can clearly see his baby stretching and yawning.  He startles when a moment later he feels a hiccup. He looks at his belly covered in goop and wishes he could pat it lovingly when it seems the pup startles themself.

The doctor smiles before turning to him a little pitiful.  The loss of his alpha has been documented, he knows.  It was the deciding moment when he was categorized as high risk without his alpha and the pup's sire to bond with.  So it's no surprise when she comments on his weight, on how he needs to eat more.  His baby is on the smaller side, but otherwise is healthy and that's all he cares about.

He tells her he'll try, like he's been trying since the moment his alpha died.

"That's all I ask for," she smiles at him.

Oliver nods, his eyes landing on the papers in her hands.

"Here you go," she finally gives him the printouts, "Are you sure you don't want to know the sex?"

Maybe it's the fear that something can still go horribly wrong, or maybe it's the guilt telling he doesn't deserve to know like his alpha never got the chance, regardless he declines again.

Oliver instead takes the ultrasound and stares at it reverently.  The doctor pats his shoulder before leaving to tend to other patients. He schedules an appointment on his way out and leaves gratefully.

The weather is finally starting to turn a bit nicer, the days a little bit brighter.  By the beginning of summer he should be able to hold his pup in his arms.  There's an excitement thrumming under his skin at the thought.

With a soft smile Oliver makes his way to the main street, intent on finding his current bodyguard so they can go home.  He clutches onto the ultrasound picture tightly.

Unfortunately, he doesn't get far.

Just as he's about to cross the street he feels someone behind him, a little too close for comfort.

Warm air tickles his ear and causes a shiver to crawl along his back, "Don't move."

Oliver tenses the moment he feels something sharp digging into his lower back.

He's warned again, "Don't."

But Oliver can't be bothered.  He needs to see.  He needs to place a face to that achingly familiar voice.  He turns around, eyes widening when they land on the man.

The man who has dark stubble on his cheeks and jaw.  The first few buttons on his grey shirt are undone and Oliver would recognize him anywhere, would recognize the poppies inked on his skin anywhere.

Still, it feels like he can't breathe.

The man scrutinizes him, his eyes narrowed to a harsh glare as they trace Oliver's features, trying to capture the moment of surprise but not fear.

And then they land on the obvious roundness of the omega's belly.

"You're really pregnant."

Oliver bites his lip, worried that the alpha will press the knife a little to hard where it rests on the underside of the swell.  The alpha seems to catch where the knife rests as well before he pulls back to cover it with a sheath and pocket it.

Only when it's out of sight does Oliver nod breathless, "Yes."

The alpha takes a step back, breathing heavily as he scrubs his face in frustration.

"I didn't lie," the omega frowns after a moment.

Had the alpha really not known?  Did the alpha die believing he would lie?

No. He didn't die, did he?

The glare settles back on him at that and Oliver bites his tongue.  The man wraps his hand around Oliver's neck, fingers curling and thumb rubbing against the omega's bare mating gland. Oliver can see the man's internal struggle, can see the man fight against the urge to strangle him.

He whispers softly, relaxing in his hold, "I'm so sorry."

"Fucking hell," the alpha curses, "what the hell am I going to do with you?"

# 27

The omega bites his lip. He wants to reach out, he wants to touch the alpha, to make sure he's real. He has a feeling his advances won't be appreciated though. So, he settles for curling his hands into loose fists on his lap.

He needs to say it, just once, needs to make sure, "Oro?"

The alpha turns to look at him and Oliver's heart skips a beat.

"Don't call my name," the alpha says, "don't even think it."

Oliver winces.  Compliant he falls silent and turns to the window.  The houses and trees and light all pass in a dizzying blur and Oliver closes his eyes so he doesn't have to see.  He already knows the way back home.

His face scrunches into a grimace again and he rubs at the spot his pup is assaulting, trying to breathe through the sharp pain caused by the little kicks.  He feels someone watching him and he gazes at Oro's face.  The alpha is curious and his hand clenches and unclenches as if he wants to touch.

Oro looks up and finds the omega staring at him blatantly.  With a sigh he states, "we'll talk when we get there, just know your fate is already decided."

Oliver nods, "you're going to kill me... right?"

Oro doesn't reply, yet that seems to be answer enough.

Once they get to the pack house Oliver doesn't get a chance to speak with the man.  He's dismissed the moment they step inside and Oro is welcomed back with open arms by his pack.  The alpha is immediately led to his study, Colt giving him a breakdown on everything that's happened since he died... or disappeared.  Oliver isn't sure he knows what happened to his alpha, all he knows is that now he's back and angry.

Finding himself shunned, Oliver makes his way to his bedroom.  He forgets that it was once his alpha's den and the alpha is unamused when he finds the omega napping in his bed, buried in a nest that wasn't completely there before.

Oliver is roused by the scent of an angry alpha and he sits up in bed, breathing heavily with the effort.  He looks around and he finds the man sitting at the foot attempting to reign in his furious pheromones and failing.  A small sound falls from the omega's lips, drawing the attention of bright red eyes.

The alpha looks... exhausted for lack of a better word.  He looks rundown and tired.

"Maybe I wouldn't feel as angry and betrayed if you hadn't gone to that shitface of a man.  Maybe if you had killed me in my sleep with your own means and intentions I would've let it slide and wouldn't have revolted from hell.  Maybe, just fucking maybe, I wouldn't feel like throttling you right now if you hadn't betrayed me like that.  But right now, all I want is your literal heart in my hand."

Oliver bites his lip, trying to fight the urge of running away.

He tries to ignore the fear and the pitiful tears building up.  He doesn't deserve to cry.  He dug his own grave.

"Is the pup mine?"

Oliver feels affronted at that though, "of course!  Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that you betrayed me! All I could come up with is that the pup wasn't mine, that you were scared-"

"I was!  I 
am
 scared.  I know I should've told you, but I thought... I thought you'd toss me aside, you'd kill me for being useless.  You threatened to kill me so many times I was scared this would be the last straw."

Oro clarifies, "so you did it for the pup."

A nod.

"Ok," the alpha concedes, "then I'll let you have the pup.  I'll allow you to give birth to the pup and once it's born I'll kill you.  Sounds fair, right?"

Oliver stares at the alpha, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

"Can I-"

"There's no negotiation.  This is your punishment.  I think it's fitting.  I'll do exactly what you were afraid of, but at least your pup will live."

"What will you do with them, with our pup?"

"Your pup," the alpha corrects, "you made that abundantly clear.  As for the pup, I'll make sure it lives.  I'll provide for it, that's all."

"That wasn't my intention," Oliver argues.

"I don't care.  Now grab your shit and get out of my room.  You're going to be in the room across.  I'm going to keep tight reigns on you, omega.  I will suffocate you and make sure you never think about betraying me again before I can kill you."

The omega shivers in fear, he doesn't move.

"GET OUT!"

He has no choice.

He struggles to stand from the bed in order to comply.  The alpha offers no help when he fails and has to try again.  The embarrassment of appearing weak makes his face burn red and his chest feel tight.  He feels anger brewing at himself.  He feels so fucking stupid and so ridiculously useless.  Finally he manages to stand, hand pressing against his lower back at a twinge of pain.

With a huff he walks to the door, his gait slow as he waddles out.

The click of the door behind him is as loud as if the door were slammed in his face.

He stands for a long moment, trying to stop the burning of tears.

He only allows one to fall before he wipes it away.

"You brought this upon yourself," he whispers to himself frustrated, "so stop crying."

He heads to what is now his room, the scent that wafts toward him is stale with the film of dust covering every surface.  His omega looks around displeased, immediately missing the smell of his alpha just across the hall.

He doesn't deserve to miss the man, to ache for him and want only him.

Instead he focuses on cleaning, of wiping away the cobwebs and dust before trying to get his nest just right.

It's never right.

If the alpha listens to the omega struggling, the omega doesn't know.

Nor does he know how the alpha has to fight with himself when the omega gives up and begins crying softly.

# 28

Oliver is twenty-six weeks pregnant when the alpha goes into rut.

He's not notified right away, but he senses the tension when he makes it downstairs for breakfast.

By now everyone knows what he did and most sneer at him while others pretend he doesn't exist.  Living in a house like that after being treated like pack for so long is heartbreaking and painful.  The only people who don't completely shun him are Boa and Colt.  Boa because he owes Oliver his life and Colt because he was assigned to watch over the omega.  More like to make sure he didn't run away.

Regardless, he makes to sit between the two when he notices that the food made has been divided evenly among the pack and the plate usually reserved for him is missing.  So they've purposely excluded him... again.

He moves to the fridge to look for something to make.  Just when he thinks he can stomach something, the baby makes their protest known.  Nothing seems quite as appetizing as what the pack is eating.  His stomach grumbles but he decides to give up with a sigh when the thought of eggs makes him nauseous.  He can't be bothered to eat and he knows he's regressing and falling into depression again.  He can't fight it, so before he can give everyone the pleasure of seeing him so defeated, he walks out.

Boa is the one that follows him when he trudges toward his room.

"Oliver."

Oliver doesn't stop, he really tries to ignore him.

"Goddamnit, stop, Oliver!"

But the young alpha is persistent and Oliver can't, "Leave me alone."

"Oliver," the alpha groans, "for fuck's sake, Oro is in rut."

That makes the omega falter, his steps slowing to a stop before he reaches his door.  His eyes linger on his alpha's den right across, hand tempted to reach out.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Aren't you going to help him?  If his pregnant omega takes care of him, his rut will be cut short."

Oliver scrunches his face, "he doesn't want me. Just call some other omega or beta."

"You don't want that," Boa states firmly.

"How do you know what I want?"

"Because you love him."

"I do not."

"You do if you kept his baby."

"That's not... Boa that's not how it works."

"Isn't it though?"

The stubborn alpha approaches him and slips a key into his hand.  Oliver stares at it in contemplation.

"He needs you."

"He's going to kill me. Did you know? So why are you asking this of me?"

"Because you 
love 
him."

"But he doesn't love me back. He made it clear."

"Just... think about it," and Boa has the audacity to leave him with the decision heavy in the palm of his hand.

He tries to ignore it, tries not to think about the alpha agonizing on the other side of the door.

His will only lasts a couple hours before he gives in.

Oliver is in a hoodie and sweats when he pads across the hall to his alpha's room.  He tries the doorknob but it's truly locked.  With a slight tremor in his hand, he sticks the key and twists.  He pushes the wooden slab open before stepping inside. Straight away he's engulfed in the smell of alpha, wrapped in the pheromone's of a strong mate.

His eyes seek out the man among the darkness created by the blackout curtains.  Eventually he finds red eyes staring at him from the doorway of the ensuite bathroom. The only thing he can focus on is the pink raised scar on the man's chest highlighted by a sliver of sun.

"Alpha?" He gasps.

A low growl resounds in the room, "Omega."

The alpha takes a step, then another and another, until they're a breath away.

"Do you know how hard I've tried to stop myself from breaking down the stupid doors to hunt you down?"

Oliver whimpers, "I'm here now."

"You shouldn't be."

"Alpha."

"I... Fuck-"

"You won't hurt me.  You won't hurt us," the omega promises.

That soothes something in the alpha as he pulls the pregnant omega into his arms.  It's then he decides the omega is too overdressed.

Oliver shimmies out of his sweatpants and whimpers when he's pressed against the closed door, this time locked from the inside by the alpha himself.

He feels slick slip from his pussy.  His breath hitches when the alpha buries himself inside without warning.  The gasp that falls from his lips is quickly followed by a moan as he rakes his nails against the alpha's back.

His eyes are closed, lip parted, and head thrown back as the alpha sets a brutal pace.

The man mouths at his gland, mouths at the spot with the promise of a bite he doesn't deserve.  Oliver whines low in his throat, door knob digging into his lower back and ripping a small yelp before the alpha moves them away.

He lays Oliver on the bed, in their nest.  Oliver doesn't have the time to be surprised that the alpha even kept the arrangement before he's being fucked again.

"Alpha," he cries out breathlessly.

Grunts and growls of effort fill the room as the air grows warm and stagnant between them.  The alpha slips his hand under the omega's hoodie, intent on pushing it up or ripping it off, he hasn't decided yet.

The omega protests, shying away at the touch, but not getting much of a choice when Oro grins mischievously. He tears the offending clothing off until he can see the omega completely naked and debauched.

"Stop," Oliver begs, "don't look."

But Oro doesn't listen.  Instead he cups the swell of the pup, admiring his work with pride.  He did this, he pupped his omega.

"Let me knot you, omega."

Oliver is biting his lower lip in that way that makes the alpha want to steal his breath away.  So he does, because he can.  He presses his lips against the omega's in a harsh kiss and only breaks away when he feels the pup kick in between them.

Oliver pulls away, pushes the alpha until the man complies and slips free of the warmth.  He wants to growl at the omega, how dare he fight him-

But he doesn't have time to do so as he watches the omega get on his hands and knees and 
presents 
for him

His pussy is beautifully displayed, all pink and glistening, begging to be filled and fucked and filled over and over again.

"O-Okay alpha, you can knot me."

Oro doesn't move.

Oliver looks at the man over his shoulder, tears clinging to his lashes with red and swollen lips.  He wiggles his pert little ass and that's enough invitation for the alpha to finally glide right in.

The pace he sets is fast and mean, causing the omega to sob as his hands cling to the sheets in desperation.  The alpha reaches around, intent on making his omega orgasm when the omega gasps and quickly stops him, fingers wrapped around the alpha's wrist.

"What're you doing?" He growls into his ear.

"Don't," he whimpers, "please don't.  I don't wanna cum. Don't deserve to cum, alpha."

Oro snarls.  Such a stupid little omega.

"You don't deserve to cum on your alpha's knot?  Is that what you think?"

Oliver nods, tightening around the girth fucking in his cunt without mercy.

"You still don't understand, do you?"

A small noise of confusion falls between moans.

"I own you, Oliver.  I decide whether you live and die.  I decide what you do and don't deserve."

Oro breaks free from the omega's weak hold and reaches down to his little click.  He rubs and plays with it until it's swollen, until the omega is crying heaving sobs of pleasure.

"I decide whether you cum or not. And when I say to cum, I expect you to.  Understand?"

A broken whimper, a stolen gasp.

Oro strokes him more firmly, "

Understand

?"

"Yes!"

"Good boy," the alpha smiles, "now cum for me."

Oliver tenses, panting as his hips meet the alpha's thrusts as best he can.  He feels the alpha's knot swell until finally the man can't pull out.  Carefully, the alpha rests them on their sides, hand falling onto the omega's rounded belly trying to feel for the pup.  The little one stretches lazily in the confines of their omega parent before slowing to a stop.  Oliver smiles softly, breathing slowing.

"They're sleeping," he comments sleepily.

"Hm."

"I missed you."

The alpha rasps against his shoulder, "This doesn't change anything."

"Yeah... I know."

# 29

Oro's rut only lasts two days.  Oliver wakes before the alpha and wraps a sheet around his body before limping out of the room.  He tries not to make much noise, and internally celebrates when he makes it to the door without alerting the man.

He misses the way red eyes linger after him when he's gone though.

Oliver almost doesn't want to join the pack for dinner when it grows dark, but he hasn't eaten in over two days and he thinks he'll throw up if he doesn't eat.  He thought he was done and over with the nausea, but morning sickness isn't truly confined to the morning nor to the first trimester.  It sucks.

He makes his way to the dining room with a hand against his lower back, rubbing soothingly in hopes that the ache will go away.  He stops at the entrance of the room, surprised when he finds not only the pack but Oro as well.

He makes to sit beside Boa, but again finds no set up.  He bites his lip, wondering if he should scrounge the kitchen for a snack instead.  That's when he hears the scrape of a chair and sees Oro stand from his seat.

Oliver pauses, eyeing the alpha as the man pulls the chair and offers it to him with a look of disinterest.

"Now or never, omega."

Oliver nods and waddles toward the head of the table.  He's surprised when the alpha pushes him in.

"I won't tolerate any bullying in this pack.  You're all grown as fuck and I would expect you to know the value of a pregnant omega in a pack.  If Oliver eats, we all eat.  If he doesn't, then neither do we.  Do I make myself clear?"

Oliver's heart races at the statement, and it aches when the pack agrees in unison.

"Eat," the alpha orders.

Oliver feels tears well in his eyes and he doesn't fight the alpha on this.  He's absolutely ravenous and he digs into the warm food without complaint.  It's a subconscious thing he does when he turns around to offer a bite to his alpha.  The man eyes him wearily before accepting and it makes the omega croon and chirp in delight at the trust.

He knows it's all a show though.  He can't bring his hopes up or else he'll only hurt himself in the end.  Oro is not a forgiving person, he knows that first hand.

When they finish and the plates are cleared, Oliver excuses himself with the intention of going back to his room.  He feels Oro hovering and he doesn't know if it was the rut or the lingering pheromones that's made the alpha act kind toward him.

He contemplates this until they reach their respective rooms, but the alpha doesn't let the omega go just yet.

He pulls the omega by the hand, and drags him into their den.

Oliver stumbles and the alpha has to slow down to make sure the silly omega doesn't hurt himself or the pup.

"I'm okay," Oliver reassures as soon as he catches his footing.

The alpha simply huffs before dragging him toward their nest.  A small smile makes Oliver's lips twitch as he flops on his back onto the bed.  He splays out like a starfish, breathing deeply and closing his eyes.

"Why am I here again?" He asks quietly.

"I haven't slept as well as when you're with me.  My alpha is restless if I don't see you, I constantly think you're plotting something behind my back and I'm always on high alert.  But if I keep you close, I know exactly where you are and what you're doing."

Oliver sighs, "I'm not though.  I've accepted my fate.  You've decided how this ends, I just want to make sure our pup is born safely."

The alpha doesn't comment on that.  Instead he joins the omega in bed and curls around the younger man.  Oliver is more than content to become the little spoon again.  He won't lie that sleeping with the alpha and hearing his heartbeating again is the only way he can fall asleep now.  So, he turns around and rests his ear against the man's chest and breathes deeply and evenly.

Oliver splays his hand over the alpha's chest and he traces a thoughtless pattern against the black Henley the man has taken to wear.  He remembers what hides beneath the cotton, knows by the way his fingers sometimes catch the raised scar.  He lays a kiss on the spot, fighting the memories of red blood spilling forth.  He wants to apologize when the alpha tenses at the touch of his lips and he knows he can't.

The sound of a buzz makes Oliver frown.  Oro doesn't move, but Oliver can feel his phone vibrating in the pocket of his sweats.  With a soft sigh he struggles to sit up and dig around until he finds his phone.  He blinks all bleary against the bright screen after being being dark for the past half hour.  He doesn't even bother to catch the blur of the caller ID.  If it's a scam he'll just hang up.

Except it isn't.

His frown deepens when he hears a little voice in the background.  He thinks someone butt dialed him but even when he does check the screen, the number is unknown to him.

Oro watches his closely but something in Oliver urges him not to hang up.

The only person he could think of would be Manny.

He gave the little boy his number after making sure he could dial it in case of an emergency.

He wishes he were wrong, hoped that it wasn't his pup calling.

Except it is.

The tiny voice comes closer to the receiver and Oliver feels dread when in a hushed voice the pup says:

> Ol-ver 's me, Manny.

"I hear you," Oliver says, breath hitching when the silence drags, "baby?"

> Ol-ver... Ol-ver I'm scared.

Oliver is just about to reassure his pup when he hears the little boy struggle before a scream is ripped out from him.

Oliver is up on his feet in an instant.  Oro growls when the omega starts looking for shoes and steals a hoodie from the man's closet.

"Pup?  Answer me, what's going on?" He demands.

But there's no answer and Oliver thinks he's going to cry from the terror.  It's enough to make him realize he completely forgot about his alpha.

The man grabs his attention by blocking the exit, "Where are you going?"

Oliver growls.  He needs the man to step aside, he needs to get to his pup.

"Let me go," he struggles against the solid build of the alpha.

"Answer me..  Where do you think you're going?" The alpha demands, "what the fuck is going on?"

Oliver snarls, trying to shove his way out, "let me go, 
alpha
."

Oro grows impatient and then the phone call cuts off and Oliver's chest hurts, his gut twists in that way where there's a sensation that something terrible is about to happen.  Oliver stares at the cellphone in his hand, hyperventilating at the thought that their pup is in danger, "our pup needs us, Oro."

Oro loses his composure at that, "what?"

He rips the phone from the omega's hand and pulls up the call history.  He finds the received call and pales when he recognizes the number right away.

"How did you get this number?  Who called you? 
Answer me, Oliver
."

"Manny," he explains hurriedly, "he-he called me, I need to see him, need to know he's safe, please.  So, if you know how to get to him take me there, if not then let me go and I'll figure it out!"

"Oliver."

Oliver huffs in frustration, "I gave it to him! I've been seeing him every Sunday since you've been gone.  I... he had it in case anything ever happened.  He has a list of numbers Serefina made and they added mine to it, I swear Oro-"

That's how the alpha knows Oliver isn't lying, not about this.

Oro grabs the omega's hand and pulls him along as they rush to the garage.  Oro makes a few phone calls before they even reach the first car in sight.

"Oliver, shit, omega."

Oliver looks at his alpha, chest heaving for breath.

"I need you to calm down, need you to breathe, omega."

"I'll only calm down when I know my pup is okay."

Oro curses softly, starting the car and tearing away from the garage with the omega strapped in the passenger seat.  So, many questions bounce in his head but all he feels is the panic Oliver can't hide as well.

They reach the house in record time, Oliver is out of the car before it even comes to a stop and the alpha wants to scold the omega for being reckless.

Oliver winces when a hand wraps around his biceps and stops him from barging inside the rundown house.

"Let me go Oro, our pup-"

"Think about the pup you're carrying as well.  Don't do anything stupid, I'll get Mann-"

The sound of a gun going of and the flicker of a bright light cuts the alpha off.

Oliver stares wide eyed in horror before he's pulling away from his alpha and hurrying toward the house.  He can't lose their pup too, he can't-

The omega stares in shock when he pushes the door open and finds a young woman in the living room pressed against a wall and holding her side as blood coats her lips like lipstick and a bruise colors her right eye.

The man holding the gun is startled and quickly points the weapon at the new arrival.

Oliver's vision is obscured and he jolts when the sound of a gun is fired right next to his head.  His ears start ringing loudly at the boom and he wants to pull away from the alpha to see.

"Oro," he whimpers.

The alpha finally uncovers the omega's eyes and allows him to witness the mess just as the body flops to the floor.

"How did you know?" The petite woman calls from her spot on the floor, "Why are you here?"

"Where is he?" Oro asks.

The woman, an omega, Oliver discovers, sneers at the alpha before spitting blood at them. Oro gently pushes Oliver away, approaching the woman and pulls her head back from the strands of her hair.

"Tell me you stupid bitch, what did you get my pup into?"

The sound of banging draws Oliver's attention and he leaves his alpha to go investigate.  The sound grows louder when he approaches a child's room.  He nearly slips on the cracked phone by the little bed before the pounding returns.

"Closet," he whispers to himself, 
it's coming from the closet.

He moves the chair shoved under the door knob and pulls it open.  The pup barrels out with tears running down his chubby cheeks and a whimper on his lips.  Oliver kneels before the little one, opening his arms for the pup who immediately falls in his embrace sobbing, "
papi
!"

"I got you baby, you're okay, you're safe," Oliver assures, heart clenching at the pup's cry.

"Manuel?" 

The pup sniffs and looks up at his alpha father with the sound of his name, "daddy?"

Oro helps Oliver up from his spot, the omega grunting with the effort before picking up their four-year-old. Oro wants to protest, his omega should not be lifting heavy things, but is caught off guard when something is smashed over his back. Oliver shouts in surprise, horror and fear reflected in his eyes when shards of ceramic scatter everywhere.

Oro, though, only feels anger.

He turns around to face the stupid asshole who thought they could knock him out to discover the injured omega.

"I should've killed you the moment I had a chance," he growls.

"You can't take him away from me, he's my son."

"You lost that privilege the moment you placed him in danger, the moment you stopped caring for him and his well-being.  Don't think I don't know what you do with all the child support I provide.  I've given you everything to live a comfortable life with him and yet you waste it on stupid shit."

The woman makes to protest.

"Look at him!" Oro roars, gripping her face and forcing her to look at the terrified pup.

"He's fucking malnourished, he's no where near the weight and height he should be at his age.  You stopped taking care of him even before I wasn't able to give you your fucking checks.  If it weren't for Serefina 
MY
 son would've been starved to death by a pathetic excuse of a mother.  He's afraid of you, probably despises you for how you've mistreated him."

Manny buries his little face in Oliver's neck, the omega trying to soothe their pup with his scent. The woman catches the movement and turns hateful eyes toward Oliver.

"He's not your son," she spits out, reaching a clawed hand and slashing at him.

Oliver bristles, taking a step back.  For all intents and purposes Manny is 
theirs
.

"No.  You got it all twisted Maricella," Oro growls, "Manny is not your pawn anymore.  But don't worry.  I won't kill you yet.  I want you to see how a true omega takes care of their pups.  You'll have to live the rest of your life knowing that Manny will be safe with me and Oliver, will be loved and cared for while you rot in this miserable hell 
alone
."

Oro shoves her aside until she stumbles and falls.

Oro then wraps an arm around Oliver and their pup, hand resting on his omega's lower back.

"Burn in hell, Oro!"

"I'll see you there, bitch."

# 30

As soon as they get to the pack house Oliver checks Manny over.  His blood boils when he sees all the bruising littered on the little boy's body.  He wants to kill whoever hurt his pup.  

Manny whimpers and coos at him, soothing the rage-filled omega with his small reassuring chirps.  Oliver calms marginally as he hugs the pup again and whispers promises of safety. The pup nuzzles against Oliver's chest with a sigh, sinking in the security the omega provides and quickly falling asleep curled awkwardly around the omega's pregnant belly.

A hand lands on the head of curls and Oliver looks at the alpha.

"When did you bond with my pup?"

Oliver bites his lip, sheepishly admitting, "my omega claimed him as our pup the moment we met."

The alpha hides his surprise well if there even is any.

"I didn't mean to," the omega explains, "I think it was triggered by the pregnancy but... I wouldn't change this for anything."

The sincerity makes the alpha puff its chest with a growl of approval reverberating from within.  He cuts it off before it can reach sensitive ears.

"You saved him," he sighs.

Oliver looks at the pup tenderly, "you did, Oro.  I wish... I wish I hadn't waited until something bad happened before taking him away.  But I couldn't just- I-"

"I know," the alpha assures, "I know."

Oliver nods, reclining against the cushion against his lower back, wincing when the pup in his womb shifts and stretches.  Manny startles at the sudden kick before curling around their little sibling tighter, small hand rubbing the spot.

"He knows," Oro notes.

"He's aware, it's instinct."

"So you haven't told him?"

"No... my concern was trying to fill the void of their alpha parent rather than try to explain to him that he's going to be an older brother.  He's smart though and he's already so protective of the pup."

The alpha hums.

Finally the man decides to sit beside the omega, carefully taking Manny onto his lap despite both omega and pup protests.

"You look like shit. You need to rest.  Manny is my pup, I can look after him."

The omega frowns, "I can-"

"Oliver."

"He's mine too."

"He's not, though."

Oliver bites his lip, with a sigh he tries to stand up, but only manages to do so with the alpha's help and guidance.  The omega shrugs the alpha off once he has his balance and makes to go back to his room feeling hurt.

He undresses, feeling disgusting in the stained clothes.  He winces when he pulls off the sweater from his body and stares at the shard of ceramic embedded in his forearm.

"Fuck," he curses softly.

He pads quietly to the bathroom just outside his bedroom, trying to ignore the droplets of blood spilling on the floor with each new movement reopening the cut.  Once inside he turns on the faucet and lets the water run.  He runs his fingers along the jagged edge before taking a deep breath and yanking it out.

The broken pieces clatters to the sink as the water turns pink.

"Jesus!"

He reaches for a hand towel and presses it to the rivulets of blood.

A knock on the door scares him and he looks around in a panic deciding on what to do with the smeared blood all over the counter. He decides there's not much he 
can 
do.

He opens the door sheepishly and pauses when he doesn't see anyone immediately.  That is... until he looks down.

It's only been an hour but Manny has decided that's entirely too long away from his omega parent.

"Papi?"

"
Estoy bien
 (I'm okay)," Oliver assures.

The pup is looking at him with round eyes brimming with tears as he stares at the omega's arm.

"I promise," he smiles, he removes the towel to show the pup the blood has nearly stopped, "just a little cut, like a paper cut."

"Paper cuts hurt, too, papi.  I'll get daddy so he can kiss your booboo.  Daddy kisses my booboos and they feel better!"

Oliver tries to stop the pup only for the little one to find his alpha daddy standing right behind him.  The little pup running into his legs accidently is the only way Oliver realizes the man is even there.  His eyes widen as he meets the man's stare full of concern.

"Why didn't you tell me you got hurt?"

"I didn't know," Oliver answers, "I think it was the adrenaline, I didn't feel anything until I was changing and the thing got caught on the sweater."

Aside from the cut caused by the stray shard of ceramic, Oliver is fine.  Oro still looks him over, making sure neither him nor the unborn pup are majorly hurt.

He digs through the bathrooms cabinet, pulling away a first aid kit.  He makes the omega sit on the closed lid of the toilet and starts cleaning the drying blood around the wound gently.  His strokes are methodical and careful until the omega is all cleaned up.

"I can-"

"Shut up."

Oliver snaps his mouth shut and stares.  The alpha gets some aquaphor and slathers the slash generously before wrapping his forearm in a bandage with gauze.  Oliver tests his mobility once the alpha is done.

"Not too tight?"

The omega shakes his head, "it's perfect."

The alpha nods, putting everything away and helping the omega up again.

This time, they don't split ways.  The alpha carries the pup with one arm, and with his free hand he tugs the omega into his den.  Oliver knows better than to protest.

The alpha places the sleepy pup back in bed before helping Oliver finish changing.  Oliver gets flustered when the ruined shirt is carefully brought over his head. The alpha admires the sight of the omega, his belly round and chest puffy and swelling for their pup.  Eventually he tears his eyes away and gives the omega one of his shirts.  The clothes, despite being pregnant, still engulf the omega.  Oliver shimmies out of his sweats and changes his boxers with some of the alpha's, allowing the elastic band to rest just under the swell of his baby bump.

For all intents and purposes the omega looks good, cozy and safe.

"Thank you," he whispers, eyes lingering on the pup laying limp and drowsy in bed.

Oro nods and helps him slide right next to the sleepy pup.  Like a magnet, Manny cuddles against Oliver, rubbing his little nose on Oliver's sensitive chest before soft snores escape him in puffs of air.

Oro drinks in the image of the omega with both his pups.

Oliver wishes things were different when he catches the alpha's eye.

# 31

Having Manny has lifted something off of Oliver's shoulders he hadn't realized was weighing him down now that he knows for certain the pup is safe.  He makes sure that his pup always has something to munch on, whether it be baby carrots or gummy bears.  He also makes sure the little boy gets three meals a day and day by day he watches the pup radiate pure happiness and joy as he 
grows.  
He gains a healthy weight and sprouts like a weed to the point that they need to buy him new clothes.  And as the days blur by their bond as omega parent and pup grows too.  They're inseparable and Oliver finds himself sleeping with him and the alpha every night.

But something within Oliver isn't settled.

The urge to nest and provide consumes him until he can't ignore it.  He asks Boa the exact address for the house, but only gets a side-eye response.  Oliver promises not to do anything rash, states he just needs to buy things and would like them delivered.  They reach a compromise.  Oliver can do his online shopping and Boa will pick them up instead.  It works and soon enough the bed and dresser in his old room are replaced by boxes and cans of paint.

It's not that Olive is hiding what he's doing, but more like no one pays attention to him anymore.  Manny is usually by his side, tottering around and asking questions.  The omega dresses the pup in a sage green shirt with a printed t-rex on the front and overalls.  Oliver wears nearly the same with the exception of a striped shirt rather than a solid graphic.  If he had to say so himself, they're both adorable.

Quietly they sneak across the room and into the nursery.  Oliver opens the windows to the room and pops open a can of paint.

"Is this okay, Manny?"

"
Si papi
, I love 
amarillo
 (yes daddy, I love yellow)!"

"A-ma-ri-yo," Oliver sounds out, smiling when the pup giggles as he tickles his belly.

"Stop it papi, tickles!"

"Ok, ok," Oliver stops, "Are you going to help me baby?"

"Of course!"

Oliver gives the little one a brush and he shows him how to dip it in the paint before applying it to the wall without getting any on the floor.  Oliver thinks about adding carpet, or a rug, so his feet aren't always so cold.  Manny starts giggling uncontrollably and Oliver looks over to discover paint dripping onto the pup's sock-clad feet despite the lesson mere moments ago.  Oliver snorts in amusement before scolding him gently and painting his button nose.  The squeal of joy is worth the mess they make.

The door opens after a while and Oliver accidentally knocks over the paint can already half gone.  He curses softly, hoping his pup doesn't hear and earning an amused look from Oro.  It's then the alpha notices the paints and boxes and he frowns.

"What are you doing?"

Oliver flushes bright, hand curling around his belly by habit.

Oro glares at the brush in the omega's hand and he reaches out to snatch it from his hold.

"You shouldn't be exposing yourself to these fumes, not while you're pregnant."

"I'm okay," Oliver assures, "I opened the windows and the paint says it's non-toxic."

"If you wanted to redecorate all you had to do was tell me."

Oliver wants to explain that he didn't think the alpha would like that considering the room is a nursery for their pups.  The alpha finally takes a look at all of the boxes, looks at the pictures printed on some.  Oliver doesn't have to explain when Manny pulls the alpha and starts chatting about everything he and Oliver plan to add to the room.  He says papi got them bunk beds and a crib, but the crib is for the baby, but the baby will only use it when they're a bit older because when they're tiny they cry a lot.  But he doesn't cry a lot anymore, or so he tell his alpha dad.

Oro listens raptly and Oliver smiles at the sight when Manny then forces Oro to open a new paint can so they can finish and papi can rest.  Oliver insists on helping, but Oro growls softly.  The omega points out that there's nowhere to sit and if he sits on the floor he won't be able to get up now at seven and a half months pregnant.  He'd rather help paint than go away.

Oro looks around at the different boxes until he finds a rocking chair.  Again, Oliver flushes.  In all honesty he bought it thinking about the alpha, hoping he will bond with their pup once it's born.  He doesn't express as much, he's content pretending he's okay with leaving his pups behind.

The alpha sets out to build the chair then.  It takes close to thirty minutes which Oliver uses to continue painting much to the alpha's dismay.  Once it's built, though, the older man makes the omega rest.  Oliver only complies because Manny insists when he starts feeling fatigued and short of breath.

Half the room is painted when it starts growing dark and Oliver finds himself yawning.  Manny curls in Oliver's lap and rests his tiny hand against the omega's on his distended tummy.  A kick from the unborn pup causes a sharp inhale of amazement to fall from the pup and Oliver smiles despite the discomfort.

Oro stares at the pair from his spot before he starts cleaning up.  Oro plans on having the room painted overnight so he can build the crib and beds the following morning, get it done and over with so the omega doesn't have to.

When he finishes cleaning up Manny is drowsing against Oliver's chest, saliva making the pup's chin shiny and Oliver's shirt wet.

"You're matching."

"Manny picked it out, said he wanted to dress like papi."

"Papi, huh."

"I... yes... sorry.  I don't- I didn't mean to replace his other parent, but-"

"Save it.  He's happy and safe, that's all I care about.  Just don't get any illusions from this."

"I know."

Oro looks at the omega for a moment longer before offering to help him up, "let's wash up and go to bed."

Oliver finds himself leaning heavily against the alpha before the man takes the toddler into his arms.  Even then he finds his balance, his gait is slow and he has to use the wall for support.  Oro frowns.

"Let me put him down, don't push yourself."

Oliver nods, trying to breathe deeply.

The alpha returns within a minute, just as the omega winces and rubs his swollen middle.

"Hey, hey, breathe."

"I'm okay," Oliver grimaces, voice tight, "Braxton hicks."

"What?"

"False contractions," the omega explains.

There's a horror the alpha hides well at that as he guides the omega into their den and helps him undress. Manny is waiting sleepily on top of the bed already naked, small clothes strewn around the room.

"I can washup in the bathroom outside, you and Manny should use the ensuite."

"You barely made it from across the hall, what makes you think you'll manage to use the bathroom down the hall?"

"I'm feeling better," Oliver promises.

"Just wait your turn, wash up after us, I won't take long."

Oliver snorts, "you haven't bathed with Manny then.  He likes his bubbles."

"Bubbles!"

Oro sighs, "no buddy, just a quick shower, okay?"

The little boy stomps his left foot before running to the bathroom petulantly.  The alpha shoots the omega a glare and all Oliver can do is muffle his amusement.

When Oro steps back out nearly an hour later drenched from head to toe with remaining suds on his person, he finds the omega fast asleep snoring soundly in their bed.

# 32

Oliver is trying to sleeping when he feels a sharp pain under his belly.  He groans sleepily and holds his breath until it passes.  Once it lets up the omega sighs and flutters his eyes open.

Oro isn't beside him, not that Oliver expected him to be.  Ever since the nursery was finished, Manny has taken to sleeping there most nights.  Oliver noticed that Oro started to go out more on the night it was just him and the omega until eventually the alpha just doesn't sleep with him anymore.

Oliver stretches out his hand and runs his palm over what used to be the alpha's side of the bed.  He doesn't get a chance to be melancholic as the door opens abruptly to reveal Manny rubbing his eyes and yawning while his other hand holds a stuffed dragon.

"Papi!"

"
Buenos dias
 (good morning), baby," Oliver smiles.

The little boy struggles to climb onto the bed but manages without any he'll.  The first thing he does is kiss Oliver's round belly before slobbering another kiss onto the omega's cheek.  Oliver returns the favor with peppered kisses on the toddler's cheeks and nose.

"How did you sleep?"

"Good papi, you were right, Mish kept the bad guys away 
again
."

Oliver smiles, taking the dragon dubbed Mish and thanking it profusely for taking care of his pup's dreams.  The pup giggles, taking his stuffy back and cuddling it before complaining that he's hungry.  That's the omega's cue to get up.

As he approaches his due date Oliver finds it harder to do much of anything.  He can't sleep as well as he used, his back is always hurting, and getting up from any position is a struggle without any help.

Since the alpha has been gone more than usual, Oliver has figured it out, refusing to be a burden to any other pack member.

"Hold on Manny, go brush your teeth and your hands while I change."

Manny looks like he's about to argue and Oliver doesn't think he can deal with an argumentative pup this early in the morning.  He already knows it's not going to be a good day.  His lower back 
aches 
sharply, a pain that began the night before and hasn't completely gone away.  Manny though, looks like he rethinks what he's about to say before nodding and rushing to the ensuite bathroom to do as told.  Oliver breathes in relief before changing into a white t-shirt and mint green sweats.  He struggles with his socks, only managing to put one on and giving up when Manny reappears and starts tugging him out the room.  So, he heads out with only one sock.

"What do you want to eat, baby?"

"Pancakes! Wait no... waffles!"

Oliver smiles, following the messy bed head down the stairs.

At the bottom, just before turning into the kitchen, he sees a familiar blonde.

"Annie!"

The woman turns around at the call of her name and stares at Oliver boggled.

"Olive!"

Oliver grins, attempting to hug the other omega and finding that it's awkward with his heavy belly.

"Dude!"

"I know," he sighs contently.

"You look good."

"Thank you."

Betas and alphas usually guarding the house pause to see the interaction.  Annie tells them to scram until only one person remains.  She has a feeling they won't be completely alone, Oliver knows why.

"What happened?"

The pregnant omega grimaces, "I messed up."

"I... I figured."

"It's okay," he shrugs.

Annie takes a moment to study him before she decides, that no, her friend is not okay.

"He didn't forgive you."

"I shot the man, I don't expect him to forgive me."

"I... ok wow that part I didn't know.  I thought you simply notified the authorities and ran away, happily ever after.  I heard Oro had been fatally shot though.  News travels fast in the underground, imagine my surprise when I get a call from the devil himself."

"I don't know what happened after I shot him.  He hasn't said anything, I don't expect him to tell me anything either.  I did tell the authorities but that agent was corrupt, said he was going to kill Oro regardless."

"Oh fuck."

"If Oro didn't kill that bastard, I will."

"And how will you do that six feet under?"

Oliver shivers at the new voice behind him.  No wonder Annie lost all the color in her face.  And the woman turns to look at Oliver in confusion at that. Oliver begs her not to comment.  She takes the hint.

"Oro, long time no see. To what do I owe this pleasure."

Oro takes a moment before accepting the change of topic, "my office."

Annie rolls her eyes.  She turns to give Oliver a tight hug, promising to find him on her way out, before following the alpha.

It's then that Manny peers out over Oliver's legs before looking at his papi and begging for food.

Oliver ruffles his head and complies, biting back a comment as to why the pup hid.

He finishes the last waffle when the pain returns and Oliver has to pause.  He has his hands on the counter as he leans forward with gravity.  The pain starts to radiate from his belly and back to his thighs and hips.  It leaves him breathless and with tears in his eyes as he gasps.

"Papi?"

"I'm ok," Oliver croaks weakly, "sorry for scaring you, baby."

Manny looks at his omega parent suspiciously before returning to eat his waffle with his hands.

Oliver frowns and rubs his belly, sighing when he feels a slight shift from the pup, but not much else.  He chalks it up to the baby sleeping.

Once the plates are in the dishwasher an hour later, Oliver hurries Manny upstairs for a bath.

"Daddy says he's going to take me to the park, are you going to go papi?"

Oliver is running the water and allowing the tub to fill up before he turns to the pup, "I don't know baby, I'll have to see."

He hasn't gone out since Oro came back.  He doesn't mind the house arrest, there's always something to do with a four year old pup even though seeing Annie makes him realize how lonely he's been.

"Uh papi?"

Oliver grimaces when he straightens out and feels something wet spreading between his thighs.

"Did you have an accident?"

"Yes, pup, I did."

Since the baby has grown he finds that he has become more incontinent and has little accidents from time to time.  Manny is an understanding pup and tells him to change without embarrassing him.  He doesn't know what he would do if he lost control of his bladder in front of a pack member or worse... Oro.  He'd be mortified even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

"Don't go in the water yet, pup, let me change real quick, ok?"

"Ok papi."

Oliver leaves the door open and makes sure the pup is sitting on the toilet lid to keep him in sight at all times.

Quickly, or as quickly as he can, Oliver changes his boxers and sweats.  He returns to the bathroom and begins bathing the pup.

He tries to cut bath time short as the pain persists and grows while he kneels before the tub, but still finds that forty-five minutes have passed by.

By the time Manny is dry and changed, be makes the pup go to his room to play while Oliver cleans up to do laundry.

Oro walks in a few minutes later presumably to change when Oliver debates on how to get the hamper to the laundry room downstairs.  Oliver winces as the pain returns tenfold and he leans against the dresser close by, knocking over a lamp which shatters at his feet.  He muffles his scream in his forearm as tears gather in his eyes.

"The fuck happened?"

Oliver can't seem to find the words as the alpha re-enters the room from the bathroom.

"Oliver?"

A broken whimper and then...

Oliver looks down in horror as he feels something wet.

"Oh," he gasps breathlessly.

Oro approaches the omega fast, wrapping an arm around him before he collapses, "Jesus, did your water just break?"

"I-I think so."

"How long have you been in labor?"

Oliver doesn't get a chance to reply when another 
contraction 
grips him tight.

"Breathe, omega, come on.  If you hold your breath you're going to pass out."

"It-It hurts," Oliver gasps.

Oro curses before he grabs his phone and orders Colt to watch Manny.  Oliver wants to protest.  The pup had been so happy to spend the day at the park with Oro after a week of not seeing the man.  Oro growls at him to shut up.

"I'm calling the doctor."

Oliver bites his lip and nods.

"How long?" The alpha asks again.

"I-I'm not sure, I thought they were false contractions, maybe since last night?"

The alpha relays the message to the doctor on the line.

"Ok, understood."

The man hangs up and sighs heavily, "says they probably were Braxton whatever, just shitty timing your water broke.  Any more contraction?"

Oliver squeezes the man's hand tightly as answer.

"He says to call him when they're five to three minutes apart, they're what? Ten? Seven, now?"

"I don't know," Oliver admits.

"What do you want to do right now?"

"Bath, I want a bath please."

"Sit, I'll start that for you.  Keep track of the contractions."

Oliver leaves his shirt on, Oro doesn't question him as he guides him to the bath.

They have to stop once when Oliver feels another contraction.  He doesn't think this is normal.  They're too fast, too strong.

"Oro?" He whimpers.

"I know," the alpha growls.

Somehow they make it to the bathtub full of hot water.  Oliver sinks in and breathes a little easier when the tension seeps from his muscles.  Oro kneels beside the omega as the younger man closes his eyes.

"How long since you last slept?"

"Last week," the omega confesses.

"Stupid omega, you need to take care of yourself."

Oliver wants to ask him, what does it matter?  Isn't he going to die anyway?

They stay in the bathroom for an hour when the contractions are three minutes apart.  Oro negotiates with the doctor to pay them a house visit.  The man agrees but only after he gets out of the hospital.  Oliver doesn't think he has the time, but he doesn't let his alpha know.

A knock on their bedroom door has Oro on high alert.  Oliver keens quietly, not wanting his alpha out of sight, but the man goes nonetheless.

He hears a woman's voice. Oliver can't quite make out the words.

He gasps when he experiences the worst pain yet.  His hands grip the lip of the tub and his knuckles turn white.  He's completely overwhelmed with the urge to push.

He opens his scrunched up eyes and panics when he sees the water turn pink, "O-Oro!"

The pain doesn't let up and he sobs as he fights against it.

Oro appears hurried, eyes landing on the writhing omega.

"Oh shit."

Oliver whimpers, "I need to push?"

Oro's eyes widen in shock.

It's Annie that takes over, "Okay, kid, seems like your pup wants to meet you today."

The woman ties up her hair and sits beside the omega, outside the bath.

"Annie?" The omega whines.

She snaps at the alpha, "Earth to Oro, I'm going to need your help here alpha."

Oro shakes his head out of it and approaches quickly.

"Get undressed, join him in the water."

Oliver's protest dies in his throat as he leans forward, water splashing about when he closes his legs in pain.

He feels a body dip inside the bath with him, arms wrapping around his middle and rubbing soothingly circles into his skin under the shirt clinging to his body.

"Oli?  Oliver?"

"Ye-Yes?"

"Good boy.  I need to check how dilated you are, okay?"

Oliver gulps, "okay."

Oliver tenses when Annie checks, a look of concentration on her face.

"Breathe," Oro reminds against his ear.

Oliver sinks against the man and closes his eyes.

"I want to see my pup."

"Almost kid," Annie assures, "you're eight centimeters already."

Oliver shakes his head before turning to his alpha, "I want to see Manny.'

Oro stares at his omega's flushed face.  He finds that he can't deny him this.

The pup is brought by Boa, the little one quickly kicking the young alpha in an attempt to escape his arms.

With little feet he runs toward his parents until he's right beside them.  Oliver is finally lulled into a sense of sleep.

"Daddy?"

"It's okay, papi is just resting."

"The baby's hurting him?"

"Just a little," Oliver mumbles reassuringly, "I wanted to see my big boy."

Manny smiles, giggling when the omega reaches out to tickle him and make his worries go away.  He's still too little to have any worries.

"I'm going to meet the baby today?"

Oliver nods, feeling safe in his alpha's arms.  He has to turn his face to bite his lip when another contraction hits though.  Oro feels the omega tense in pain.

"Visit time is over, pup, but I'll make sure to get you as soon as they're born."

"Even if I'm sleeping?"

"Of course, bud."

With that promise Manny reluctantly leaves, the omega appeased now that he knows his oldest is well-taken care of.

Once the door is closed Oliver begins crying in earnest.  With the next contraction he pushes.  Annie scolds him but he's not listening, the pressure is too much to simply ignore now.

Annie dips her hand in the water again and is surprised with what she finds.

"Oliver keep your legs open," she orders.

When it seems like Oliver can't, Oro wraps his hands around the omega's supple thighs and splays them open.  Oliver curses and cries and sobs as he pushes, each scream tearing the alpha's heart.

"Good, Oli!  You're doing so good!"

Oliver nods, feeling lightheaded when he stops, "I can't."

The alpha hears the fatigue and exhaustion in his omega's broken voice.  Softly he coos in his ear, "You can, come on, Oliver."

Annie smiles at the interaction as it invigorates Oliver to push and push until finally the head is out.

"Almost there," Annie grins in excitement, "here."

Annie takes Oliver's hand and guides it in between his legs.  The omega cries when be feels his pup's little head, a sharp intake of breath and he pushes again.

"That's one shoulder, now easy on the other."

Oliver swallows his sobs, the alpha soothing his cries when he's told not to push.

Annie guides the pup out the rest of the way and Oro stares transfixed as the omega pulls out a pup from the water.  Its small and tiny and a little ugly, but still Oro's heart twists when there's not an immediate cry.

"Oro?" Oliver rasps in panic.

Oro watches Annie clean the pup and suction the newborn's airway before finally, 
finally, 
a sharp cry joins Oliver.

"Congrats Oli, you have a baby girl!"

And then Oliver is holding the pup in his arms and all Oro can do is stare in awe at both the man and their 
daughter
.

# 33

Oliver stares at the pup in his arms completely awestruck.  His heart is too full of love to express what he feels at the moment.  He's so enraptured that he doesn't hear the door close behind Annie when she leaves to give them privacy.

His baby girl has no trouble latching on as soon as the omega completely undresses. Her little lips wrap around Oliver's nipple and suckles with her eyes still swollen closed.  She's all wrinkly and warm and theirs.

Thats when the moment is shattered.  When he remembers who he's sharing it with.  He tenses and tries to shy away but the alpha simply rumbles a soft croon from his chest and releases calming pheromones.  Oliver sinks against the alpha with a sigh.  He resigned himself to his fate, there's no point backing out now.

He exposes his throat to the alpha and closes his eyes.

"Can you do it quick and painless? I-I know I don't have a right to negotiate how you're going to kill me, but I-"

"Please shut up."

Oliver closes his mouth and inhales sharply. He doesn't point out that the alpha has been saying that to him since forever.  If he really wants him to shut up then maybe he should- he stops his train of thought.  Brain short-circuiting when the alpha caresses his neck rather than tearing it.  The man rests his hand over the pup next, he cups her little rump in extra support.

"Oro?"

The alpha rests his chin on the omega's shoulder and stares at the tiny pup suckling contently, safely in their omega parent's arms.

"I'm not..." and his voice cracks because similar to Oliver, he's fallen so deeply in love with their pup... with 
him
.

"Alpha?" Oliver sniffles.

"I'm not going to kill the father of my pups."

The omega feels flabbergasted, his heart swelling at the admission and he can't stop the tears that make his eyes all red and spill down his ruddy cheeks.  He's at a loss for words, a sob slipping past chapped lips in utter relief. The alpha coos at him, hand reaching up to wipe away those useless tears.  There's no reason to cry anymore.

"You've protected my pups, both of them despite only carrying one.  You saved Manny and you've given me a daughter.  I can't... even if I wanted to, I 
can't
.  I tried putting distance between us, I tried everything and still I ended right beside you. I've lived and 
died 
for you."

"I'm sorry," Oliver whispers, so painfully sincere it hurts the alpha, "I didn't want to hurt you like I did, but I was scared.  I'm still scared, for me and my pups."

"I know."

"And that man tricked me.  He made me leave you, said he would've killed you anyway and I've never wanted bloodshed more.  In that moment I wanted that man to hurt, to suffer and 
die
."

"Oliver-"

"I'm really sorry, alpha."

Oro turns the omega's face and he kisses him soundly.  The angle is awkward and not right, but the sentiment is there.

"I haven't forgiven you just yet," the alpha admits when he pulls away, "But I 
can't
 lose you.  Just remember next time you think you can get away from me, I'll just make sure you never walk again."

"Okay," Oliver agrees, "sounds fair."

Oro snorts but kisses the omega again.

Once that's settled, Oro helps the Omega deliver the afterbirth and twenty minutes after he cuts the cord.  The plug is removed from the drain and Oliver is gently carried by the alpha away from the bathroom and into their bedroom.  They're both just as pruny as their daughter from being in the water for so long and Oliver shivers from the cold.

Oro helps his omega change into clean dry clothes before finding clothes for their pup.  Oliver burps her in the meantime and reluctantly hands her to her alpha dad.  Oro holds her nervously.  The last time he held a pup this small was four years ago and she's so 
tiny 
and 
fragile.

"It's okay alpha, you've got her."

Oro's gaze flickers to Oliver's, the omega patiently waiting on bed lounging on a mountain of pillows.

"She's so small."

"She's safe," Oliver assures, "perfect."

"Damn right she's perfect."

Oro somehow manages to change the wriggling pup before she starts wailing.  The alpha coos at her and soothes her until her cries quiet down into soft sniffles.  She puts a small hand against her lips and Oliver stares enamored.

"You just ate, silly girl," he smiles, pulling her hand away.

For being so small, for being just born, she is stronger than she looks as she waves her little hand out of her dad's hold and sticks it back in her mouth.  Oliver lays on his side and stares at the alpha watching over their pup in amusement and endearment.

"Will you tell me?" He asks at last.

Oro briefly looks at the omega.

"About what happened with the agent?  About... you."

Oro sighs, "I will.  But not tonight.  You just gave birth and you're exhausted.  I'll tell you though, everything, I promise."

Oliver nods contently and settles down.  He doesn't tear his eyes away from the pup or the man he loves.

"Go to sleep, Oliver, I'll watch over her."

The omega smiles, burying his face in the blankets, "okay."

With a deep breath he closes his eyes and then... "I love you, Oro."

Oro pauses.  He stares at the omega in surprise before reaching out and combing his fingers through curly hair.

"How?" He wonders, "how can you love a monster like me?"

He doesn't get an answer aside from a soft breath of a snore.  Oro didn't expect one, still his heart aches.  He kisses the omega's forehead and then their newborn's little nose.

He lived and died for this omega and he knows he'll do it again.

Resigned and aware no one will hear him, will 
know
, he admits to himself, to the omega and their pup, "I love you too, Oliver.  More than you'll ever know."

# 34

Oliver wakes up to the sight of a bassinet at his bedside.  He's unsurprised, unlike the first time he saw it, and carefully peers over the edge to spy on his pup.  She's still sleeping soundly, swaddled tightly with a cap on her head of hair keeping her tiny ears warm.  He reaches out a finger and traces her round rosy cheek tenderly.  She turns her face, searching his touch as she savors her lips.  He huffs a small breath of amusement before pulling his hand away.

"We need a name for her."

Oliver looks at the alpha and nods.  It's been three days and their pup still doesn't have a name.  He never thought he'd make it this far so he never bothered to think of one, trusting his alpha to come up with something.  But now they both share the responsibility of naming her and it feels like such a heavy weight.  What if she hates it? What if, when she grows up, she is no longer she?  He's lived through that and he hated every second of it the moment he understood who he was as a person.

A name, though beautiful and meaningful, can be weaponized.  He doesn't want that, not for her, not for anyone.

"She can change it when she's older if it no longer fits," Oro reasons, sensing his hesitation.

"I know," he sighs. "but that process is such a pain."

He knows, he's lived through it.

"Or we can settle on something neutral for now."

Oliver smiles at that, "Okay... I'd really like that."

There's a brief pause before Oliver finally asks something that has been bugging him, "hey Oro?"

"Hm? Did you think of something already?"

"No, not yet. Just wondering... did you know I was pregnant before I even told you?"

Oro snorts, "yes."

"But you still doubted me... did I not smell like you?"

The alpha looks at him in contemplation.  Oro said some hurtful things to him, the alpha is 
aware
.  He never thought the omega would still be bothered by it, but he supposes an explanation is in order.  At least for that mistrust he put on his omega.  How could he ever doubt him when it came to their pup?

The alpha begins, "There was a beta woman once and she smelled entirely like me, like too much for someone who has no true scent of their own.  She claimed she was pregnant with my pup to dodge a bullet. Thought she could double cross me and then use a pregnancy as a way out.  I had arranged for a doctor's appointment to confirm the pregnancy.  She met me at a bar and said she had a miscarriage."

"Oh."

"She was never really pregnant. I figured that out the hard way, so I can't very well trust my senses, can I?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I made sure she would never be able to pull that shit off again."

"You killed her?"

"Worse," Oro admits, "I let her live, but I ripped out her womb."

Oliver shivers, staring wide-eyed at the man in slight horror.

"I do tend to keep my promises, Oliver."

"I know." And he does. He never once doubted the man.

"Yet you seem to be the exception.  The moment I figured out you were truly pregnant I kept waiting for you to use it against me.  It wouldn't have been the first time. I saw the ultrasounds, by the way, and I did the math.  I knew the pup was mine and still you kept shut until you went behind my back."

Oliver is speechless and overwhelmingly surprised.

"You are the only person I haven't learned how to predict yet.  You infuriate and challenge me.  You bring out both the worst and best parts of me."

The omega flushes, unsure if he should take it as a praise or not.

The alpha cups his cheek and brings him close for a kiss, "think about what you mean to me, Oliver."

Oliver nods, getting a shy and flustered before he clears his throat, "I think I know what I want to name our daughter."

"Tell me."

"Verlee.  She's my truth."

"Ver," Oro smiles, "I like it."

Oliver beams and then their moment is shattered by little feet running inside.  Oliver opens his arms for the little body crawling toward him only for the pup to be detained and assaulted with tickles by his father.

"Daddy!" Manny squeals.

"You have to be careful, pup," the alpha chastises.

"But papi doesn't have the baby!"

"He's still recovering, pup, so you still need to be careful.  Remember what the doctor said."

Manny sighs, flopping down before carefully cuddling against Oliver under the watchful eye of the alpha.

"Hi papi," he coos.

"Hey baby," Oliver smiles, "I love you."

"Love you too papi... and you too daddy," Manny giggles.

"Yeah, back at you pup."

Oliver rolls his eyes at the alpha before pulling him into their little puppy pile until a soft cry draws their attention.  Oro stops the omega from moving.  He picks up the baby and coos at her before handing her off.

"Hi there, Verlee," Oliver soothes.

"Verlee?"

"Yeah, Manny, that's the pup's name."

"Verlee," the toddler repeats experimentally, "Ver."

Oliver looks at him with his breath held in anticipation.

"I like it!" The young pup grins.

"There you go, Manny approved."

Oliver feels light, lighter than he's ever felt since his world flipped upside-down.

"Thank you."

It's so full of meaning and Oro isn't sure if it's really meant for him, but Manny answers for the both of them anyway.

"You're welcome, papi!"

# 35

The omega wakes up on his own six weeks later.  No sniffling or cooing from the bassinet, no hyperactive toddler banging on the door, no noise whatsoever.  He blinks the sleep away blearily and looks to his side to find Oro snoring softly.  He's resting shirtless on his front with his hand tucked under his pillow.  Oliver admires him for a second before deciding he needs to stretch, and maybe take it upon himself to make breakfast for the pack.

He slips out of bed and grabs his alpha's hoodie to toss over his marvel graphic t-shirt.  He pulls on some sweats and heads outside, quietly closing the door behind him. His steps are muffled by mismatched socks as he makes his way through the halls.  Just as he reaches the kitchen he peers out of the window and his curiosity is piqued.

The door in the kitchen leads to a big stretch of greenery.  The sun is barely peaking over the edge of the trees and it looks a little gloomy if he's being honest.  When he pushes the door open he's assaulted by a gust of wind that makes him shiver despite the warm summer air already making him feel humid and sticky.

He debates on going back inside for shoes, but decides to screw it as he steps onto the wet grass in socks.  He grimaces for a moment before quickly adjusting to the feeling if wet socks.

His attention immediately falls to several guns on display on a bench.  Across the yard are targets with multiple bullet holes from previous practice.  

He's watched the pack come out and shoot a couple of rounds with beers in their hands.  He never dared approach them when their relationship was rocky at best and he was still carrying Verlee.  But now there's no one around and really wants to give it a try.

They always make it seem so effortless, so cool, when they pick up a gun and simply shoot.  He thinks it's simple enough so he goes for the first cool looking one he sees.  There's a tube in the barrel and he briefly wonders what it is.  A silencer maybe.

With some hesitation, he steps up the mark and aims at the target.  He clicks off the safety and that's when his hand starts to tremble. Memories of the loud booming as he shot his alpha flash in his minds' eye.  He feels his breath hitch and without meaning to, he pulls the trigger.

The recoil is harsh and he would've stumbled back if it weren't for a hard body pressed behind his back.

A sleep voice coos against his ear, "wrong gun for a novice."

Oliver flushes pink, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

The man huffs, "so what if you did?"

"Sorry, alpha," the omega repeats sheepishly.

The alpha rolls his eyes, letting go of the omega's middle to search through the guns.  He picks up a revolver and pops it open to load it. Without a word he hands it to Oliver.

Oliver clicks the safety of the gun in his hand and trades it with his alpha's.

"Try that, tell me how it feels."

Oliver nods.  He takes a deep breath,, aims, and fires.

The recoil isn't as bad and he feels steadier with the new weight.  He winces when he completely misses the target though.

"Your aim is shit."

"Thanks," Oliver says drily, "I didn't notice."

The alpha laughs before stepping behind him and adjusting his posture.

Oliver feels all warm as their bodies press tightly together.

The alpha holds his arm and together they aim and fire.

This time the bullet marks the outer circle, Oliver feels pride swell in his chest.

"Better," the alpha comments.

Oliver's gratitude is more genuine when he says, "Thank you."

A beat of silence passes before a curious, "So," the alpha drags, "practicing to kill me or...?"

"Too messy," the omega replies, "I'll think of another way."

Oro raises a brow unamused.

"You'll be the first to know when I figure it out," he promises.

Oro snorts, squishing the omega's cheek with his index and thumb, "cheeky little shit."

Oliver's smile is wide and he clicks the safety of the gun before putting it down and hugging the alpha.  He presses a kiss against the man's lips and buries his face in his neck.  The alpha scents him liberally, covering him in that scent of rain and electricity.

"You're shivering," he notes.

"I feel fine," the omega sighs.

"What are you doing out here, anyway? Just for shits and giggles?"

"Yeah... I saw the guys practice before and I wanted to try... but I was scared because of the baby.  Now that there was no one around I felt confident enough to give it a hand."

"What if you got hurt?"

"You're here, aren't you?"

"Stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, come make breakfast with me?"

"Who do I look like?"

"Like my alpha," Oliver smiles and then he's tugging the alpha by the hand, "Come on."

"Only going so you don't burn my house down."

Oliver gasps offended, "I would never."

Oro rolls his eyes again, "you know what, let's just go back to bed, I'll order Colt to make something."

"I feel-"

"I know, I know," the alpha interrupts, "if it makes you feel any better, Colt doesn't know how to cook for shit either so he'll probably just order out anyway."

Oliver muffles his laughter.

"That alright with you?"

"Yeah," he nods, wiping a tear of amusement away, "sounds great."

"Good."

# 36

The omega grows curious as he clambers on top of the alpha.  The man is, for all intents and purposes, sleeping.  Or so it appears.  Oliver can't help but swivel his hips, trying to get comfortable on his alpha, as he admires his handsome face.  It's been over six weeks and they've been cleared to... fool around.  For some reason, Oliver has found himself shy whenever the man tries to initiate something.

For once, he finds himself aching enough to want to try again.  His lips touch the alpha's and he whimpers when it's returned with just as much fervor. Red eyes open wide, peer into his, into his very soul.

"Oliver?"

Oliver flushes bright before pressing another kiss to the man's lips to stop any other question from escaping.  The room is filled with panting, with whimpers and soft moans.

"You have to be quiet," the alpha warns, gaze flickering to the bassinet beside their bed.

Oliver nods, eager to please.

Oro gives the omega a small smirk before flipping them until Oliver is the one pressed against the mattress.  Oliver muffles a gasp of surprise before he opens his legs so the alpha settles in the grove his thighs make.  The alpha is gentle.  He works Oliver's dicklet until it's nice and swollen, plump and red and achingly hard.  Oliver's eyes brim with tears and he tries to warn the man that he's closed.

Just as his lips open on a moan, he feels a finger probe the folds of his cunt before it presses  inside- glides smoothly with the slick building up. The squelch is obscene when Oro decides to add a second digit.  The rhythm is slow with purpose.  Oro moves his fingers in such a way that they brush against the roof of the warm slick walls, pressing against the rough G-spot that makes Oliver's thighs quiver.

"Alpha," he gasps.

"Hm?"

"Mo-More," Oliver whimpers, begs.

His cheeks have this permanent flush as sweat builds on his brow.  Oro loves the look of the omega under him, writhing and moaning and begging with tears clinging to his dark lashes.

He pulls out his fingers, using the slick as lube before gliding inside the omega in one swift motion, so deep until he's pressed inside the younger man to the hilt.

Oliver tenses.  He can never get used to the man.  To the delicious length and girth that fills him just right.  His thighs squeeze around the man's hips, nails dragging across the expanse of his alpha's back, leaving pink welts in their wake.

The alpha is cruel.

Too cruel.

He looks at his omega, rubs his hands along the length of his flanks, up and down, hands briefly pausing on the omega's chest, calloused thumbs rubbing swollen pecs, around budding nipples.  Oliver shivers, feels himself tighten around the alpha's heavy cock as he continues his torture.

"Alpha, please."

"So beautiful," the man praises, "handsome, gorgeous."

"Please move," Oliver hiccups on a soft sob of desperation.

The alpha doesn't move.

Instead, his left-hand trails back down, and just below the omega's navel, he pressed down.  Oliver's eyes widen in surprise at the sensation, at the sensitivity as his back arches.

"O-Oh!"

Oro smirks, coming down and nosing at his neck, lips closing on a bare patch of skin before sucking and bruising and biting until it's blooming pinks and purples.

Oliver's walls flutter around Oro, clenching tightly when the man finally moves his hips.

The omega orgasms embarrassingly fast, the alpha's lips drowning his sobs of pleasure.

The alpha isn't far behind.

The darkness of their room is filled with their racing heart, with their soft pants of exertion.

Bodies sweaty and flushed and sticky.

The alpha doesn't move.

The omega hooks his ankles behind the alpha's hips, dragging him closer... deeper.

"Stay with me?"

The alpha smiles kindly, tongue flicking out to taste a stray tear on the omega's cheek, "always."

# 37

Oliver is in the living room, watching over Manny as he colors random pages of a pixar coloring book.  Verlee is on a pillowy mat, doing tummy time.  At three months old Oliver is impressed with her strength as she lifts her head up all wobbly before laying down flat and gurgling in contentment. She coos softly, soon after she's shoving her little hand in her mouth to suckle.  Oliver smiles at her, picking her up and feeding her.

Oro walks in on that picture-perfect family, eyes lingering on his omega before he has to walk away to attend to some business. Oliver frowns when the man doesn't head toward his office. There's a door he's never paid any attention to that his alpha opens before disappearing down a flight of stairs with Colt right behind.  Oliver grows curious.  Hs gaze flicks up to Boa who is strolling toward the kitchen and the younger boy shakes his head.

The trauma is not worth it.

Oliver raises a brow but stays seated until his butt grows numb and Verlee is fed, burped and cleaned.  An hour goes by and there's no sign of his alpha coming back. Not until lunch time rolls around and by then he's grown hungry and Manny is impatient. Oro finds them each with a pout on their lips and he can't help but smile endearingly at them.  Oliver huffs as he stands, intent on stealing a kiss from the man, but stopping when he notices his hands.

Oro's knuckles are bruised and red, raw with caked blood.  He stares transfixed, heart lodged in his throat as he takes the man's hand in his own for inspection.  Oro doesn't pull back like he expected.  There is nothing to hide, Oliver knows.  Still, he can't voice his suspicion nor his concern.  He doesn't need to, the alpha already knows.

He states calmly, "It's business."

Oliver nods mutely, thumb rubbing the edge of the opened skin tenderly.

"You're not disgusted?"

"Nothing you do now can turn me away."

"I killed him," Oro admits, "wrapped my hands around his throat before squeezing his last breath."

Another nod and a shaky shuddering breath fills the omega, "why?"

"He deserved it."

"Okay... I believe you."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Oliver assures, small pained smile on his lips.

Oro frowns, he pulls his hand away from Oliver's loose hold and buries his fingers in the omega's hair, tugging him close until their lips crash in a bruising kiss.  Until Oliver can taste blood.

"Why?" He pulls back, breathless and serious.

Oliver's smile turns more genuine, "Because I trust you."

The alpha sighs, a smile threatening to escape, "you really shouldn't."

"I know that, but I can't stop this," and he's guiding Oro's palm to his chest, right where his heart skips a beat with how close they are.

"You're ridiculous," Oro notes.

Oliver grins before saying, "No, I'm hungry, now hurry up. Manny and I want McD's."

The alpha's bark of laughter fills the void, fills any hesitation or regret.  It's enough that Oliver can go back to pretending they're a normal family, or as normal as can be.

Oliver picks up Verlee and grabs Manny's hand.  He looks back at the alpha, brow raised expectantly.  Oro takes the time to appreciate his little family before he joins them, hand at the small of the omega's back, guiding him out to the garage.

Oro is the one to personally drive them and Oliver is all giddy when he straps on both of their pups in the back and slips into the passenger seat.

The drive is short and the omega pretends not to judge the alpha when they're eating nuggets again.

"Wait," Oliver says mid handful of fries.

Oro's hand is hovering over the gearshift as he judges Oliver for speaking with his mouth full.

"I want a McFlurry."

The alpha looks at him in surprise and mild disgust.  Oliver doesn't take the silence well.

"Pretty please?"

And Oro finds that he can't say no as those brown eyes swim with pathetic tears and behind him a little voice also demands a McFlurry.

The alpha nods at last, "okay, alright, but don't talk with your mouth full or you're going to choke."

Oliver grins, celebrating internally and nodding along with the alpha's demands.

Another loop through the drive thru and Oro's heart lodges in his throat when Oliver dips a nugget into the oreo goop of ice cream.  He stares even more transfixed when Oliver opens a little container of Buffalo sauce and dribbles it like caramel on top.

The alpha doesn't say anything.

Not until they're home the next morning and Oliver is rushing to the bathroom to heave whatever is in his stomach.

He doesn't even voice his concern until later in the day when Oliver is feeding their daughter, swaying his hips as he paces the nursery and almost 
faints
 with Verlee still in his arms.

He puts a stop to it then.  He can't pretend he's blind to what is going on.  He can't continue letting Oliver ignore what's going on with him, 
inside
 of him.

Later that night he takes the omega into their bathroom and hands him a box.

Oliver's eyes flicker to the man.

His laugh is a bit derisive with disbelief and the thought that he may be... oh... oh his alpha is serious.

"You really think so?" He asks, voice small and wavering.

"You didn't experience this with her?"

Her being their daughter.

Oliver bites his lip, "No, I did.  It's just... she's only three months and I'm still feeding her and how..."

"You know the how."

"I-" Oliver flushes, "I meant how am I supposed to handle everything?"

"Nobody is expecting you to handle anything.  I'm here... the pack is here, you have an entire village, and then some, to help. You're not alone, Oliver... not this time around."

Oliver feels his nose twitch with that familiar burning sensation.  He sniffles and nods.  He takes the box while shooing the man to wait outside.  He follows the instructions, and waits to call the alpha back inside until the timer goes off.  He doesn't check.  He's too scared to check.

He opens the door and the alpha peers inside cautiously.

"I ca-can't."

The alpha pulls the omega into a tight hug and reminds him, "you're not alone."

With some resolve, Oliver flips the test over and he really shouldn't be as surprised as he feels when...

"Positve."

Beside the little bold "pregnant" are the words "3-4 weeks."

Oh shit.

Oliver stares wide eyed, gaze going back and forth to his alpha, "I'm pregnant!"

Oro smiles, "you're pregnant."

And he kisses Oliver like he's his entire world.

# 38

Oliver is close to seven weeks when Oro notices something about the omega. He looks more fatigued and overwhelmed with their pups, and internally Oro feels guilt. Guilt swells in his chest despite his omega's reassurances and small smiles. Guilt spills forth like an overflowing fountain when his omega curls up in their bed in utter exhaustion as he not only takes care of their children, but also grows another pup within. It's this guilt which Oro tries to remedy. For as much of a monster he knows he is, he also has his weakness- Oliver.

With this weighing heavy on his mind, Oro glances over to Colt. The stoic man looks at him, posture straightening once he catches the alpha's eye. He waits, lips pressed tightly, expectantly, awaiting any order or command.

"Clear my schedule," Oro says, "Cancel any meetings. I won't be available. Don't call me unless someone is dying."

Colt nods and heads out, phone already in hand in expert efficiency.

Oro yawns when he's finally alone. He stretches, mouth opening wide until his right ear pops and his head hurts from the pressure. He feels his lower back pop in several places and his right triceps twinge. His eyes water and then he slumps, sagging in brief relief before pushing back from his desk.

He locks his computer, shuts it off, and leaves his office.

He goes in search of his omega and is completely unsurprised when he finds him in the nursery with Manny and Ver.

Their baby girl is on her back and he catches her babbling before rolling over onto her tummy. Oliver gasps in surprise, he praises their little girl as Manny claps his doll and transformer together because he refuses to put them down for even a second.

Oliver snorts, "come here, it's my turn to be Bo Peep."

Manny shakes his head, "I wanna be Bo Peep, papi. You can be Bumble bee."

With a grin, the omega relents and grabs the proffered toy.

"What about daddy?"

Oliver jolts in surprise, a smile gracing his chapped lips when he spots him leaning against the doorframe.

Oro smiles back.

He walks inside the room and plops down beside Verlee and Oliver. He presses a kiss to his omega's lips before turning to their oldest pup.

"Daddy can be uhh... this car!"

"Mater?" Oro questions, brow raised.

Oliver's little snort of laughter is worth it when Manny nods, "uh huh!"

Oro takes the toy car and places it in Verlee's grabby hand before dragging his son onto his lap and tickling his sides, "such disrespect. From my own pup, how is this possible!"

The giggles piercing the air fills him with warmth and he finally stops when Manny threatens to pee on him from overstimulation. Oro lets him go and the pup hurries back to his corner of piled toys, just far enough that daddy won't attack him again with tickles.

"Don't you have work?" Oliver wonders, smile ever present.

"Took the day off," the alpha answers.

A small hum and then their eyes lock for a brief moment. Oro takes the opportunity to ask Oliver out then and there.

"What?"

"Let's go out, just you and me."

"And a handful of guards," Oliver reminds.

"They can wait outside."

The omega stifles his laugh, "What a cruel and unusual punishment for them."

"What you call punishment, I call another Tuesday night."

"Okay, okay. Stop trying to woo me."

"Is it working?"

"Only if you tell me what brought this on."

Oro makes an expression as if contemplating. Oliver pokes him with his foot just as a small cry of discomfort comes from their daughter. With a sigh, Oliver makes to pick her up only for the alpha to swoop her into his arms first.

The alpha bounces her over until they walk to the changing table where Oro quickly and efficiently takes her out of her soiled diaper and wraps her in a new one.

"I'm in the mood." The alpha finally admits after a stretch of silence.

"To have sex?" Oliver asks.

"What is sex?" Manny wonders.

"A grown up hug."

Manny looks between his parents before shrugging and going back to his toys.

"And no, not just to have sex."

"Good, cause you could just ask."

"Oliver," Oro sighs exasperated.

"Yes, alpha?"

"I felt in the mood to be 
nice
," and the way he says it is like it physically hurts him makes Oliver's insides twist with something like amusement.

Oliver just smiles, "who would've thought."

"Hm, yes, who."

The omega would never admit it, but he appreciates the effort the alpha is putting.

"What about the kids?"

"Boa can babysit."

"You're telling me you trust Boa to babysit our pups?"

"When you put it that way you make me want to regret my decision."

"No, no, he's great with them. I'm just saying, when we get back Manny is going to be bouncing off the walls."

"I'll deal with the aftermath," Oro vows just as he finishes dressing their girl up again.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Oliver's lips set into a tender curve, "okay, let's go out."

Oro wipes his hands on the front of his pants after handing Oliver the pup. The alpha hadn't even realized he was nervous, of what? He's not entirely sure.

"Go get dressed, I'll watch the kids."

Oliver nods and he stands up while dusting himself off, Verlee back on the floor and cooing.

The omega doesn't take long, but he feels weird, unsure of how to dress.

Oro barely notices his insecurity when the omega comes back not even forty minutes later.  He looks stunning, breathtaking as always.  Even if he's just wearing sweats and a tee.  Oliver feels his cheeks heat with the intensity of the alpha's stare.

"Under dressed?"

Oro shakes his head, "You look handsome."

The alpha makes good on his promise.

They head to a new restaurant in the city, Cuzin's, where they're promptly seated at a table for two. 

Oliver doesn’t miss the black car parked right in front and two familiar betas not too far from their table.

Despite the caution, Oliver doesn't feel suffocated.

Like this, he feels safe.  Protected and cared for.  Not only by his alpha, but by what he considers his pack as well.

"Oro?"

"Hm?"

"I-" He doesn't get to finish his thought.

Their server arrives to take their order.  Her perfume is too strong, so much so, that it makes Oliver's nose twitch and his throat burn.  What makes the omega dizzy with barely concealed rage is the way she leans on his alpha, hand on his shoulder.  And the man has the audacity to carry her conversation as if he doesn't have a pregnant omega in front of him.

Oliver gives her his order tersely and pushes himself from the table, fist clenched at his side as he looks for the bathroom after a mumbled, "excuse me."

Oro frowns and decides to follow him.

They reach the bathroom and Oliver beelines for the last stall where he slams the door until it bounces open again, upbothered to actually lock it as he leans over the bowl and heaves.

"Oliver?"

A groaned and gurgled, "go away," is aimed at the man.

Oro kneels right behind ignoring the omega's wishes.

His hands reach out to rest on Oliver's waist, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into his back as he chokes on his tears.

"I've got you," Oro whispers softly.

Oliver sniffles pitifully when he leans back and burrows his blotchy face in his alpha's chest.

"I hate you," the omega mutters.

Oro feels a pang in his chest.  His arms wrap around the omega's body and he holds him tightly.  All he says, without anger or resentment, is, "I know."

A/N: Some things I'd like to address that I never thought I'd have to, but will because I think Oro is trying to be 
better 
and deserves the benefit of the doubt.  The POV switched to Oliver towards the end and it has to be kept in mind that he is pregnant and 
hormonal
 as well as 
insecure
 as aforementioned in this chapter.  The fact that Oro continued a conversation does not mean he was 
flirting. 
He was just answering the questions from the server.  If he had been flirting it would be explicit that he got touchy-feely with the server.  He has no reason to accept any advances when he knows he has an omega.  So, when Oliver states he hates him.  Oro accepts it because in his mind, Oliver is referring to the previous things he's done in the past and the fact that he got him knocked up again.

# 39

They don't talk.

There's no angry shouting, no argument.  In fact, there are no sounds aside from their soft breathing.  Occasionally Oliver shifts in his seat, the seatbelt pulling him snuggly just so and disrupting the growing silence.  He doesn't break it.  He feels like he's fractured enough between them with words that shouldn't have been said, shouldn't have escaped even with how angry and jealous he felt.  

He closes his eyes against the onslaught of fresh tears, nose burning and feeling like he wants to sneeze.

He startles when a hand wraps closed around his laying limply against his thigh.  His gaze flickers up to the alpha, a sniff making his throat ache.

Still, they don't break this suffocating and tenacious silence.

There's so much to say.

So much to express.

But right now everything is so fragile.

One wrong thing and they could fall apart. Such a precarious thing they still have.

So, while he wants to stare at his mate's profile, he chooses to focus on the blurring buildings, the trees and parked cars whirring by as they drive home. He feels the build of hunger, realizing that they didn't even get to enjoy their dinner.  Oliver sinks into his seat further, trying to make himself small with the guilt of ruining their evening.

He looks up when a bright yellow 'M' comes into view.  He bites his lip when the car turns into the parking lot before wrapping around and reaching the drive-thru.  He holds his breath as the alpha orders for the both of them.

Oliver grabs the bag once it's offered to him.  He holds it tight, fists crinkling the brown paper bag but refusing to open it despite the wonderful smell of fries wafting to him. 

He doesn't open the bag out of stubbornness, instead it's out of the unsurety making him question if he 
can
.  He doesn't know what the alpha is thinking. 

Eventually, they pull away and a couple minutes later they find themselves at a park, the sunset making everything glow a warm orange despite the settling chill.  Oliver doesn't move.

The driver's door opens before quickly being shut after the alpha steps out.  Oliver waits with bated breath, looking up when the alpha opens his door.  Oro avoids his gaze as he leans over him and unbuckles the seatbelt, hand casually brushing against his swelling belly.  It makes Oliver's heart ache and skip a beat.  And then the man is offering his hand. 

Biting his lip, Oliver takes the helpful hand carefully guiding him out of the car. He stumbles just so, but his alpha is there to steady him. And they lock eyes on each other.  

Oliver suddenly feels stupid. 

"I'm sorry."

They blink owlishly at each as their apologies sync together.

A dusting of pink covers Oliver's cheek, the alpha clearing his throat and looking rather sheepishly.

"I'm sorry for over-reacting," Oliver pushes through, "I know you wouldn't... I know that you're it for me.  I just worry that you'll realize that maybe I'm not... I'm not 
strong enough
 to stand beside you."

"You're ridiculous," Oro huffs, "you're stronger than you give yourself credit.  You've faced the barrel of my gun more times than I can count, you've plotted my death-"

Oliver grimaces at that.

But the alpha continues, "you nearly succeeded and I'm so proud of you for that.  You've made me realized my flaws and I'm the one who is afraid you'll realize that I don't 
deserve
 you, that you're too good for someone as broken and cruel as me."

Oliver looks into the alpha's eyes and leans up to press a chaste kiss onto his lips.  The alpha's hand, poised against his waist, tightens.  A reassurance that he's still there, that they're still there.  
Together
.

"Maybe we should seek therapy," Oliver whispers.

Oro snorts in amusement, but not unkindly, "whatever it takes to keep you by my side."

The omega smiles at that, "I-"

The words get stuck in his throat.

He realizes he doesn't have to finish the sentiment.

Oro already knows, "me too."

I love you
.

# 40

Happy endings don't exist.

Oliver learns this the hard way.

One second he's in the arms of his alpha, lips parted on a soft, "
I love you
."

The next he finds himself groaning awake and aching in the worst ways possible.  He comes to the earth-shattering and heart-breaking realization that he's not home, he's not in the safety of his alpha's arms or surrounded by their pack.

He still doesn't know what woke him up.  

Maybe it's the cries of fear and anguish from his pup right across from him.  Maybe it's the ache in his arms from being tied back, or perhaps it's the longing of not having Oro next to him, protecting them.

His head is pounding something fierce. There's a lingering sweet smell tickling his nose and making his tongue feel heavy in his mouth, throat dry and clicking as he swallows.  It's dark and it takes his eyes time to adjust.  He feels dizzy as the floor rocks beneath them and he wishes he could reach out and make sure his pup is okay.

"Papi!"

Oliver breathes softly, "it's okay, Manny."

It's not okay.

Not when the door above their heads opens and a burly man appear.

The stairs creek under his weight as he saunters down.

Oliver's eyes ache with the bright light that suddenly turns on.

The first thing that Oliver notices is the rancid smell of fish and saltwater of the man.  It makes his nose crinkle in disgust.

Manny's shrill cry makes Oliver's heart stutter when the man smacks the pup to silence him. His omega growls in anger and he diverts the man's attention himself.  

Oliver loses track of time when the beating begins.

Manny becomes a fast learner though. He muffles his cries so as not to set off the man.

In between moments of respite and stale bread Oliver grows tired and weak.  He gives his pup his share of food, making sure he eats even as his own stomach growls and cramps.

Time becomes meaningless.

"Manny?" He rasps.

"Papi?"

"Do you remember how you got here?"

Through the renewed darkness after the fifth time of torture, he can see his pup shake his head, long hair greasy and flopping this way and that with the jerky movement.

Oliver wants to reach out and comfort, but his wrists are rubbed raw as plastic ties dig into his skin, shoulders popping uncomfortably from the constant tensions of his arms pulled back.

He only allows himself to cry silently when he croons and the pup falls into uneasy sleep.  His belly hurts and he tries to curl into himself.  He feels sticky with sweat and grime.

When the door opens again for the nth time, he winces and shies away.  He curls into himself, expecting the pain and hurt of kicks and punches, of a hammer smashing his bare toes again, feet already covered in flakes of dried blood from previous attempts.

He vaguely hears shouts, angry growling and guns going off.

He looks up, tears rolling down his cheeks and leaving behind salt trails.

"Oliver?"

A whimper escapes his dry throat, "Oro?"

Hands roam over his broken and bruised body. He sobs when the zip ties are cut and his arms hang limply at his side.  He can't move, but he still flinches when those heavenly hands cup his cheeks.  He licks at his busted lip, tasting salt and copper.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver, my omega, my love."

Oliver's broken and heavy breaths hitch in his throat.

"Daddy?"

Oro turns red eyes and finds their pup huddled in the opposite side of the dingy room.

The sound that escapes the alpha makes Oliver sob.  He failed.  He failed his alpha, his pup.  He couldn't protect him, he couldn't fight back.  He's a blubbering mess, begging Oro for forgiveness. 

The alpha hushes him and coos as he feels the man pick him up carefully.

Someone else grabs Manny, and although the pup panics, he hides his fearful cries afraid that it's the boogeyman coming to take him away.

The alpha releases his pheromones to calm both pup and omega.

Manny slumps into blissful unawareness once he realizes that they're safe.  That his alpha father has finally rescued them.

The bright sunlight hurts his eyes, but Oliver refuses to pass out despite his own relief.

There's a deep need to see the sun, to feel the breeze of freedom on his skin.

He looks up at his alpha, his jaw set into a tight lock as he grits in unrestrained anger.  Oliver wishes he could reach up and touch his cheek, beard grown past its usual trimmed neatness. Dark shadows marring underneath alpha red eyes relaying the sleepless nights searching for his omega, his mate and soul.

Oliver doesn't cower when he sees the burly man approach them, trying to catch his alpha unguarded from behind.

No.

Oliver takes his alpha's gun tucked in its holster on his hip.

With trembling hands he aims it at the man.  With no hesitation he fires.

Oro stands still in the middle of the wreckage caused by a manic alpha in search of his family, his pack.

He turns his head just in time to see the man slump with a bullet in between his brows.

Oro presses a kiss to Oliver's temple, "it's over, baby."

A sob leaves Oliver's dry cracked lips as the gun slips from his hand and clatters onto the deck of the boat.

He looks down the length of his body, he can't even wiggle his toes from how broken they are.  His legs useless and his eyes landing on a patch of dried red blood in between his thighs.

His cries are anguished.

The darkness, this time, is bliss.

There is no such thing as a happy ending.

# 41

When Oliver is released from the hospital he spends his time with Verlee.

It was only a week of hell, but it was enough to break him.

He gives into the need to see her, touch her, and make sure she's okay as he coddles her in order to forget about the pup he once carried. Manny doesn't leave his side for a second, too traumatized and scared of the world outside their little bubble.

Oliver doesn't remember much of how he was kidnapped.

When he finds the strength to leave the nursery, he hears snippets in the halls.

He learns that while the mated pair were distracted by each other's presence in the park, Oro had been shot before something blunt had knocked him out. It was clearly premeditated when another person had used chloroform against Oliver to rip him away from his alpha.

It was a direct attack on them, against them.

It was meant to teach Oliver a lesson for getting Rando killed. For biting that one alpha.  The small sects ganging up together to destroy Oro, to burn down their pack and wreck the alpha until he went feral and had to be put down.

It had backfired spectacularly when Oro did in fact go on a rampage and kill everyone on that boat upon discovering Oliver's location.

As Oliver walks to the kitchen, Verlee in his arms and Manny clutching to his sweats, he pauses at the sight in the living room.

Oro is talking with the FBI agent Oliver had conspired with.  His heart stutters in his chest, wondering what the hell is going on.

He approaches cautiously, coming to stand beside his alpha.  The men don't react as he sidles beside his mate, the alpha wrapping an arm around him and their pup.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Carlos."

"Thank you for helping me get rid of that filth."

"Anytime, alpha."

The agent looks at Oliver and gives him a nod before leaving.

Oro turns to his omega and smooths away the crinkle in his brow with his thumb.  There's so much Oliver wants to ask, wants to 
know
.

But he's tired.

"Ready when you are," the alpha whispers.

Oliver nods.  He disappears into the kitchen and returns with daisies and lilies.

When they arrive, the room is sterile and Oliver's heart aches.  He places the brightly colored daisies next to the bedside where Boa sleeps.  Oliver refuses to believe the young alpha will never wake up, not after trying his damnest to protect his and Oro's pups.  So, he chooses to believe the younger man is only sleeping because he 
will
 wake up.

Maybe not now.

Maybe not ever.

But Oliver won't let him slip.

Their last and final stop is the cemetery.

Oliver thinks this isn't the happy ending he'd imagined.

He's still profoundly hurt, wounded and empty in ways he's not sure he'll ever recover from.

But Carlos' hand slips into his and he thinks he wouldn't have it any other way.

This is not a happy ending, not by a long shot.

But it's the right path to one.

He lets a tear slip when Manny places the white lilies in front of the headstone.

He can feel Carlos press a kiss to his forehead and then to Verlee's still cradled in his aching arms.

"I love you, through hell and back."

He chokes on his tears, "
Always
."

Fin
.

# Heart of Gold

The gunshot is loud and it feels as if it reverberates from the walls and rattles his bones into his core. It's the quick succession after the first that makes his blood run cold, the pure hatred behind each bang. It sounds like fireworks, it's overkill.

The silence after doesn't last long and yet it was more deafening than the sobs that fill the air.  The sixteen year old peers over the door frame, eyes skimming over the red of the bedsheets and landing on a slumped figure at the foot of the bed.  His heart aches and head pounds in confusion.  He's not sure what he's looking at.

No.

That's a lie.

He knows exactly what just happened.

"Why'd you do it?" He asks.

The person tenses before taking the gun and aiming it at him.  He raises a brow unamused.  Something tells him the courage is gone, the heat of the moment already passed in a flurry of gunpowder induced thunder and lightening.

"Don't move."

The voice is tight, high-pitched and feminine.  It's a voice he'd recognize anywhere.

"I asked why'd you do it?"

"I overheard them talking about me," she sniffs pathetically.

"So you killed them?"

She clarifies bitterly, "I overheard them talking about how they were going to 
sell 
me for being an 
omega
."

"You could've run away."

"Dad wouldn't have let me go, he would've found me."

"Give me the gun."

The girl shakes her head, standing up on shaky legs and stepping back with caution.

"Ser," he calls, hand extended, "Give. Me. The. Gun."

Each word is punctuated with a step closer.  Her hands tremble and for a second he's worried she'll actually shoot him.  He's a foot away when he manages to disarm her.  Her sobs are heartbreaking as she breaks down, eyes widening in shock at the realization of what she just did.  She stares at her hands and he can hear the guilt slowly overwhelming her.

He holds her stare as he takes the gun, aims it at the man's head lolled to the side and shoots him right in between the eyes for good measure. The sound startles her and she stares in shock.

"Grab your bag and go."

"What?"

"I know you packed something just in case.  So grab your shit and go."

"What about-"

"My prints are on the weapon," he shrugs, "I'll take the fall."

"But
 I
 killed them," she protests.

"Yes, to escape their greed and the gilded cage they set up.  If you stay here, you will end up caged anyway."

"I don't want you to get in trouble, though."

"I'm the oldest.  I can handle it.  Now leave and don't look back."

She hesitates a second too long.

"Today, you have to go right 
now
."

He pushes her toward the  door, holds her hand to drag her when she barely budges.  Even when he shoves the bag hidden under her bed into her arms she refuses to leave.  He looks at her desperately, willing her to leave already.  Instead she grips his hand tugs him along with her until they're at the back door.

"Come with me," she begs.

In the background he hears sirens.

"Ser."

"Carlos."

Carlos gives her a withering glare before heading back to the kitchen, ripping a paper towel from the roll and scribbling a half-assed confession with a pen.  He leaves it on the table and meets his sister outside.

"We have to split up."

"Okay... promise you'll find me?"

"Promise."

"I love you, Carlos."

"Love you too, Ser."

Carlos watches her run in the opposite direction.  He stands for a moment too long when a man sneaks behind him.  He hears the click before the voice.

"Put the gun down slowly and put your hands behind your back."

Carlos obeys, moving carefully to comply.

"I'm office Henry Ford and you're coming with me."

A derisive laugh escapes Carlos, "Don't look behind you."

He hears the thud of a body and he turns around to see the man incapacitated. Behind him a person he thought was simply a family friend.  Turns out, his sister wasn't the only eavesdropping on their parents.  And their parents weren't the only ones with connections.

"You called?" A man drawls.

Carlos nods, "I want to make a deal, Doyle."

He learns the hard way what it means to work with the devil.

The physical abuse he can deal with, the beatings don't hurt as much when the skin is repeatedly assaulted and starts losing feeling. What he can't stand is the touching, the words and praises that mean nothing. He spits at them, hates them with such ardor but never bites back. He bids his time, but time drags on.

Carlos is brought to his knees at the age of seventeen without remorse. The beta man tugs his head back as he lowers his pants and pries his lips open. Carlos vows then to make the man hurt, to make him pay for the humiliation as the underground pack looks on. He fights the urge to bite and gag, instead he closes his eyes and thinks of his sister far away and safe.

At the age of nineteen Carlos starts to note his worth. He is an alpha, he can command. He has become the reason why Doyle operates so efficiently. So, he begins to plot his revenge. The whispers spread fast like wildfire and before he knows it he has the pack on his side, answering to his every beck and call. Still, he sits and waits.

At twenty-three, Carlos meets Maricella. She is beautiful and breathtaking. At the time, he thinks she's too innocent to be in the underground. He learns more about the illegal trafficking of omegas and works to dismantle it. He uses Maricella as his in. They're together for a year dancing around in a tentative courtship. He should have realized something was wrong sooner when she desperately wanted him to claim her, to bond her.

He never wanted that commitment. It meant weakness and he was so close to his goal that he didn't want to be clouded. He was right to think something was up. He should've expected there to be a catch, but just before completely ruining the trafficking ring and destroying Doyle, he finds himself locked up in a room just at the cusp of her heat. He discovers it was all a ploy.

She begs for her life, convinces him that she carries his pup and tries to put a leash around his neck in that way. He eviscerates all omegas from his growing pack, then, but lets her live. She sobs and asks for pity, admitting that Doyle vowed to kill her if she didn't succeed. By then Carlos is no longer Carlos.

Why be a diamond he can eventually shatter into tiny crystals when he can be gold that is malleable and just as valuable, if not more.

He becomes Oro and knocking Doyle down is a satisfaction all on its own.

"I made you," Doyle screams.

Oro snorts, "Then you made a monster. You dug your own grave, now lie in it like a good bitch."

His pup is born when he's twenty-five and the pack all bows to him. He makes sure his pup has everything he'll ever need, but cuts off Maricella completely.

At twenty-seven he finds his sister. He hugs her tight and scents her, forming a bond with his long-lost sister and introducing her to his pack. She agrees to work from the sidelines and promises to keep him updated on Manny. Through her he meets a beta woman. The woman is feisty and fed up with her dull life as a housewife looking for any form of excitement. It's an affair, an arrangement he enjoys, until she thinks she can trample over him when her sister gets involved with his business.

He promises to kill her, doesn't give two shits if she has pups waiting for her at home. She tells him she's pregnant and he's been down that road before.

The so-called pregnancy ends in a miscarriage before Oro can confirm it with one of the pack's doctor's. Oro never believed her from the beginning and he scars her to make sure she can never use her womb as a way out again. Her sister hates his guts, until after years of paying him back and working with him she starts to see who he really is.

He has a golden heart, or so that's what people say. Not because he's necessarily good, but because like metal he's cold. He can bend but not break. He's, for all intents and purposes, heartless.

He is hell on Earth.