Talon didn’t have school the next day, it was Saturday after all. He and Lillian had been messaging like friends who had known each other for years, joking around and sending endless giggling emojis. Talon had discovered after plenty gifs of the man that she’s a really big fan of Henry Beau, an Alpha with the voice of a god. Talon liked his music, but was not nearly as interested as she was, she was planning to head to his concert in October. Lillian usually responded back either right away or a few minutes after, save for times when she’d have something to do. Talon’s chest felt like it was swelling when she’d laugh at his jokes, or agree with something, and oddly enough, tell him to be quiet when he made an attempt at flirting. It was nice to know she would fluster when he’d make a comment about her being cute, to which she’d respond with a “I’m not cute! I’m scary and ferocious!”. Yeah, right. He rolled his eyes.

  All the while he was gliding around his apartment, picking up the socks by the couch, cleaning out the guest bath area, wiping down the counters and putting the sheets through the wash with some lavender scents. The lavender was used as a cover-up, so the entire apartment didn’t smell like his autumn pine cones and ginger scent, and it was also a great calming scent if she got overwhelmed. He had gone to Aobe Dextur, a store where you could find plenty of home items. Talon tended to kick out quite a bit of heat, so he didn’t have too many blankets, and the ones he did have weren’t Omegan quality. So, he decided to go out and buy some soft blankets for her, and maybe a little gift for her after this mess was over. If Talon hadn’t scared her away before his rut ended.

  They had decided that Lillian should come over at the end of the day to get things situated seeing as his scent got stronger every hour. He received some dirty looks from some people in the store because, like most Alphas, he doesn’t like to use scent blockers aside from the gel. The base of his dick where his knot would inflate was sore and irritated. He had walked around most of today with a boner, thank goodness for compression shorts, and managed through the day with only two freezing showers to calm the hormones and rising body temperature. He could already feel the tiredness in his muscles despite not having done anything yet.

  It was nearly 6:45, she would be here in fifteen minutes, still his heart. His hands were sweating sightly, and his scent got even more powerful, filling the room despite the windows being opened to air out his scent. The flat smelled so Alpha-y it made him sick to his stomach, or maybe it was the nervousness that made him nauseous. He busied himself with fluffing the couch pillows again and rearranging the fruit bowl for some reason. His eyes darted around the apartment, making sure everything was okay and presentable, what if she hated it? He pulled out his phone, no messages, he was about to call it off when he heard a small knock at the door.

  His heart plummeted into his stomach at mach speeds, his chest feeling empty and his mouth going dry. The door sounded again, another small rap on the door with a squeaked, “Talon? You here?” . He wanted to hide and change his sex to Beta, or die, anything less terrifying than this was an option. He pulled himself together and walked to the door, undoing the deadbolt and opening it.

  The purest little thing was standing on the other side, cheeks flushed and burning, big eyes sparkling, well-bitten lips, feet one in front of the other to show off curves in those skinny jeans. Her shirt was loose, it showed off the mouth-watering skin of her neck and her shoulders, the fabric hanging over the mounds on her chest leaving a tent over them as the fabric went to her stomach. She tugged a bit on the edge of that yellow Planter’s Peanuts T-shirt nervously while her other hand clutched to the olive-green strap of her messenger bag, little pastel flowers over the top. The strap dug into her chest, hugging her covered breasts, like she was actively trying to tease him. “Fuck, you’re so small.” Talon breathed, standing in the doorway, awestruck and awkward.

  She gave a shy smile, different from her excitable and talkative personality he had seen while texting. Talon shook his head a bit to clear it, stepping to the side with a ‘Come in’ gesture. She ducked her head and stepped in on her toes, ready to run, like she was stepping into the Lion’s Den. Maybe she was. Talon wasn’t one-hundred percent aware of what to do with the Omega, she seemed like she shrunk away with every shaky breath.

  Talon sighed to himself, gently shutting the door behind him to avoid startling her. He walked over to where she was turned around, shaking slightly, and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her to face him. He put a gentle finger below her chin and lifted her head up. Her sage eyes stared up in nervousness... and another emotion he couldn’t make out. “Don’t be shy, Lillian.” He said, voice low and gentle. Talon’s scent wrapped around her, not overpowering, but comforting.

  She swallowed dryly, blinking up at him. “Yes, Talon.” She muttered.

  “Hey,” Talon said, removing his hand from under her chin. “Don’t be so nervous. You’re okay. You’re good.” She nodded, averting her eyes. “If you want to call it off that’s okay too, I will never force you to do this with me. But after it starts, you can’t go back.”

  Her eyes widened and she squeaked out a frantic, “No! I want to do this with you. I just haven’t done this in a while. And I'm naturally skittish. You’ll need to... be patient. I’ll come out after my Omega settles a bit.” she said, smiling to herself and scuffing her white converse on the hardwood.

  Talon smiled, he wasn’t sure whether he was happy or upset, she said she wanted this. “I... Erm... I’ll show you around, yeah?” He asked, beginning to walk towards his bedroom, the first room in the hallway. She peaked around him to get a glimpse of the room as he creaked the door open. “This is my room.” Talon stated lamely as he stood in the doorway. She looked at the bare slate walls and the queen-sized bed pressed against the far corner with thin black silk sheets and dark forest green cotton pillow covers. He really didn't have a lot of stuff, not even so much as a poster. A small dresser was at the foot of the bed with a few miscellaneous items like a comb, some hair gel, some blocking gel, and a small orange clay bowl that looked like it had been crafted by a young child in art class, half of it was lopsided. Inside held a pair of keys with a small piece of fabric with ‘TALON’ misshapen and hand-stitched onto the front and back.

  She found it endearing that Talon kept small crafts from his childhood, or something a family member had made for him, made him seem like a softer person. She walked to the dresser and brought the strap of her bag over her head, resting the bag on an empty surface before walking back to Talon where he stood quietly. Like he had wanted to say something, but the words had died in his mouth before he could speak. “Is something wrong?” She asked, her chest tightening in worry of making him upset.

  “N - No... I mean, maybe?” She shrunk further. “I mean no! You’re okay! I just, erm, I had set up the guest room for you to stay in...” Talon trailed off. “But you can stay here with me if you want! I just... gave options...” Talon scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

  “O - Oh... I’m sorry, Talon.” She said, her head tilted down. He gave her a questioning look, why was she sorry? “I - It just seems like a better idea for me to sleep with you.”

  Talon flushed just a touch and gave a light laugh. “Was that pun intended?” He asked, testing the water with a joke and trying to lighten the mood.

  She gave a grin, her demeanor shifting from submissive to smug along with the weight on her leg. She cocked a hip out, her blue jeans stretching around her handles. “So, you caught that? The answer is yes, it was very much intended.” She smiled brightly, shifting weight between her legs in a swaying motion, a typical gesture of playfulness.

  Talon’s lips quirked up into a smile, relieved that she wasn’t as afraid as she seemed. They still needed to get settled in though. “I’ll show you your space regardless, then we have a few things to discuss.” She nodded, following him absentmindedly down the small hallway, past a small closet he kept towels and extra toiletries in, and into the room he had prepared for her. “This is your space, for as long as you’d like it.”

  The room was similar to his, this time a singular window and a bed pressed to the edge of the room, only the dresser was smaller and was next to the headboard against the wall. The bed had faded blue comforter on, white sheets underneath, two white and blue blankets folded at the foot of the bed, and several black pillows scattered messily at the headboard and one white fluffy pillow, Talon realised had forgotten to take the tag off it. Over the window there were sheer white curtains and no blinds, the room was slate and bare like the other had been, saved for the bubble stickers that littered the edges of the walls. The apartment certainly had history; Talon wondered if he would get the chance to show her everything he wanted to. What a stupid thought.

  He stepped to the side, so her vision wasn’t being blocked by his shoulders, she peeked around and let out an excited squeak. “Blankets!” Talon watched in amusement as she shouted excitedly, hopping onto the bed with the blankets on all fours, collapsing and bringing one to her nose.

  Her nose twitched, her eyes shifting from excitement to confusion as she inhaled again. “Why doesn’t this smell like you? The room smells like lavender, but nothing like you.” She sounded almost disappointed.

  “I - I didn’t want you overwhelmed?” It sounded more like a question than anything, he thought she might appreciate not being surrounded by his scent everywhere she went, a safe space. “I thought you might be uncomfortable if my scent was everywhere.” He felt kind of stupid, of course she would want to have his scent everywhere, this was their den for the time being. It was probably stressing her Wolf out with the irrational fear that the scent belonged to someone else, even if she knew it wasn’t.

  She stood up, smoothing out her shirt and brushing her blonde hair out of her face, sauntering over to stand in front of the Alpha. Her eyes peered up and her chin tilted up slightly, a typical sign of comfort in an Alpha’s presence. “I like your scent. Other scents are making my Wolf restless.” Talon nodded, his body tense and on edge being so close to her. He wanted to reach out and hold her, she was only a foot away, so close he could smell her fragrance. His nails dug into his palms, ‘stay’ he told himself sternly. “I won’t shatter you know.” She said, leaning forward.

  Talon was speechless, his heart was thrumming in his chest, his breath stilled in his throat, caught like a game of cat and mouse. She moved closer. “I - I know,” He stuttered out stupidly. Since when had someone ever made him feel like this? Heart banging against his ribcage, his cheeks being kissed with red against the tan skin and his hands shaky. He was an Alpha for Wolf’s sakes.

  “I won’t break if you touch me, Talon. C’mere.” She mumbled the last part, turning her head to rest against his tense chest, soft cheek pressed to his heartbeat as her arms wrapped around his waist snuggly. Lillian could feel his lungs, stuttering and stopped as he continued to try to hold himself back. He still hadn’t warned her of the danger he was. Lillian muttered something softly, it took him a moment to realise that she had said, “Please.” .

  That seemed to snap him out of his trance. His trance of the Omega being so close, her small warming body pressed so perfectly into his frame, every inch of her skin being felt through his skin, like it was burning into his memory. He gripped her hips, his fingertips resting perfectly on her lower back. He lowered his head into her soft golden hair, inhaling her delicious scent.

  Something citrus-like. Familiar. Like he had known the scent his whole life, but now that it was in his nose it made him harden in his jeans and grooves of happiness sing through his bones.

  She could smell his arousal building up, the heat coming off his body and his scent coming off stronger. She pulled back, his fingers reluctantly leaving her hips. She looked almost dizzy, lips red, cheeks flushed, and eyes glossy. “Let’s head to the kitchen and get things situated.” She said, trying to hide her own arousal by biting her lip.

  Talon nodded, a bit dizzy himself, every moment he felt himself slipping. Talon walked to the kitchen with her, she ducked into his – their – room to grab something out of her bag. They met up in the kitchen, a small area cut into the wall in a way that cupboards lined the walls with granite countertops, a stove, and a tall silver fridge. A circular wooden table with carved legs sat off-centre, more out towards the sitting area by the door but still closer to the heart of the small kitchen. Four chairs belonging to the table sat around, one pulled out further than the other three.

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  Lillian went and slipped a paper onto the table and a yellow black-ink pen. It was a mating contract. Often, Alphas and Omegas will bring a contract to sign as a waiver of consent as well as a proof of absence if either or both parties are missing work or schooling, which can be presented for a pass. The contract must be signed before either party goes into heat or rut, to be sure of events taking place. Talon quickly picked up the pen as she sat down, signing his name on both sheets, she scooted closer to him as he handed the pen and contracts over to her. ‘Talon L. Keane’ was written in cursive on his lines, she looked at his last name. She tested it out on her lips. “Keene?” She asked, “What’s your middle name?”

  He laughed at her mispronunciation, in an endearing way. “My middle name is Lucas. My last name is pronounced Keane, Kee - ah – neh.” She nodded, prettily writing her name down on her lines, ‘Lillian E. Rosaleen’ . Talon decided to ask her the same question in return. “Rosaleen? That’s your last name?” She nodded. “What’s the ‘E’ for?”

  “Emily.” She said simply. Talon nodded, placing both sheets in his hand and tapping them into the table to straighten them.

  “You have a cute name.” He said, to which she flushed slightly and stood up, leaving the papers on the table. “Where are you going?” He asked, moving to get up as well.

  “What are your dinner ideas? For tonight and throughout the week.” Talon brought a hand up to his chin and thought for a moment. This must have been the thing he forgot about, though it wasn’t a big deal, he could just find something and throw it together.

  “I honestly hadn’t thought about that. I usually just eat energy bars and what-not. But I always have items in the fridge to make things, my mate Oliver is over with his Omega a lot.” Talon itched to start a conversation on the topic of a warning. He needed to tell her what she was getting into before it was too late to leave, and Talon could only hold onto himself for a little while longer.

  “Well, I’m not eating granola bars during this, so what do you say I make something for tonight and the rest of the week?” He wanted to protest and settle on making something for her since she was helping him through rut, but before he could open his mouth, she quirked up again. “I can tell you want to talk about something, and I overheard part of your conversation with your friend the other day in The Fox. But I tend to get nervous and need something to do whilst we talk about the conditions. So, can I make dinner?”

  Talon would do anything to keep her content, so he nodded. “I’ll bring these to the spare room – your room - and leave them on the dresser.” She nodded. “The vegetables are in the fridge; meat is in the freezer.” He walked into the room, the blankets he bought her in slight disarray from where she had dived onto them.

  He was still hard from when she hugged him, hormones be damned. Talon went to go take a seat on the bed, pressing a palm roughly to his trousers to relieve some of the pressure. He was still wearing compression shorts, but his length was swelling and pressing desperately against them. He hissed when he pressed against it, it was sensitive and hard, aching. He moved his palm up and down the length as it was kept confined in the shorts, that seemed to relieve some of the pain, but he wouldn’t dare touch it any more than he had. There was still a chance that he could slip into his rut early, seeing as there was an Omega in his kitchen he was meant to breed . He didn’t like thinking of her like that, but also couldn’t help the thought. The entire reason of her being over here with Talon was so he could fuck her into the mattress for three days straight.

  He got up, his legs tingling from the arousal, his hips involuntarily jerking forward into the dresser as he moved to set the papers on top. Talon gasped loudly, bending over slightly from the aggressive stimulation, he chose to blame it on his restless Wolf. “Thanks, Wolfy. Banging my dick into solid wood is a great idea.” He rolled his eyes, walking out of the room to head back to the kitchen to see his - the - Omega.

  She had out a pot, cutting board, some carrots, celery, potatoes, an onion, a few spices and seasonings, and a nice cut of steak. Lillian on the other hand, was standing on her tiptoes trying to reach something at the top of one of the cupboards. Her hands pushed on the edge of the countertop with an arched back trying to reach what Talon noticed was a jar labelled ‘corn starch’ and a box of pepper, curves all out on display. He walked up to the unsuspecting Omega, a hand on her hip to steady her as she lowered down so he could reach up, flat-footed, and pull them both down. He immediately took his burning hand off her side. He pushed the items into her palms and smiled, “Thank you, Talon.” She said, face heating up from the proximity.

  ‘It’s just the pheromones’ he sternly told his Wolf, ‘Be gentle with her’ . She set herself and floated around the kitchen, chopping things and measuring them all in the blink of an eye. Talon leaned against the counter of the kitchenette, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously, unsure of how to even start the conversation. She noticed his hesitance as he shifted his weight from leg-to-leg, looking anywhere but at her. She pulled out an apron with a bunch of cartoon-y dogs and threw it over her head, tying the back strings and walking up to him.

  “You said you wanted to discuss things with me? Before it starts?” Talon nodded and swallowed dryly, eyes on the floor. “Hey, I’m not going to walk out if you’re into something you think is weird, if that’s what you’re worried about. Let’s go over our limits first, okay? Then we can ease into whatever it is you want to say. Give you some time to find the right wording or something.” She smiled and walked back to the cutting board.

  “That sounds alright. Yeah.” He said, happier that she wasn’t being overly pushy. As entertaining as independent Omegas are, he was glad to not have to fight with her on anything. She seemed very pliant and good at peacekeeping.

  “I can go first. Please don’t knot my mouth or my bum. I want to be able to breath and the other thing just hurts.” She said, chopping up the vegetables and boiling the water.

  “Sounds good, I wouldn’t want to knot your bum anyway.” She nodded from her place at the counter. “It sounds kind of dumb, but you’re going to have to work with me on everything if you can and try to be submissive. I don’t think my Wolf will handle defiance well...”

  She chuckled lowly as she scraped some onions into the pot with a sniffle. “I’m sure you’ll find I’m one of the most submissive Omegas you’ll meet this side of London.” She laughed.

  “Okay... and... erm... I guess there's one more thing I should tell you, er - warn you – about... Unless you have anything you want to say first...” He trailed off, fidgeting with his fingers, he was a right mess.

  “I guess I should just let you know that I...” She stopped cutting up the potatoes, swallowing dryly and nervously pushing them around on the cutting board. “I haven’t done this in a long time... Take a knot that is. Or sleep with anyone... It’s - It’s been a couple years. So... erm... I guess you’ll have to work with me too?”

  Talon bobbed his head, thinking how amazing she was going to feel. Omegas who haven’t slept with anyone in time are known to produce more slick and be tighter, no matter what size toy (if any) they use when they’re in heat. He could feel the excitement bubble up, she was going to be so wet and tight and – stop . He told himself firmly – stop that right now . It was then Talon realised he had been silent for around ten seconds. “When was your last heat?” As she stopped cutting again, he began to panic. “I’m sorry if that’s too personal! Sorry I asked! I don’t want to pull you into one if things get too heated. Shit. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”

  “Five weeks.” She said, slowly resuming cutting. “For me they come every three months or so.” She said, sliding the chunks in with the onions.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question; I was raised better than that.” Talon said, rubbing his face. Idiot, Idiot, stupid knotheaded Alpha.

  “It’s okay. If I’m not ready to tell you when my last heat was, then I’m certainly not ready to be bred by you or take your knot.” She said simply, Talon swallowed harshly – why did she sound so hot? “In a few hours we are tightly bonding on a physical level performing one of the most intimate activities between an Alpha and Omega. I’ll try to be more open if you will.” She said, setting down the knife and walking up to Talon, who peeked out through a hand. “C’mere.” She said, arms open for the second time that hour.

  Talon stepped into them, covering her body with his own and hugging her tightly. It felt nice. Slow. Like he didn’t need to be so nervous. Why was he nervous again? “I - I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m - I’m scared.” He mumbled, stuttering.

  “I’ll tell you what I think your deal is, and you can tell me if I’m right.” She said as he pulled back, trying to drop his arms to his sides. “No, Talon. Hold onto me. Look at me, please?”

  He did as he was told, looking down into her ivy eyes, full of concern. “I - Okay. I’ll hold you. I’ll - I will. Hold you. Yeah. I will.” He could feel himself slipping, his compression shorts straining as his mind continued to cloud.

  She chuckled, holding onto his waist as his hands held onto her hips, liking the dips in her back, perfect love handles. “Yeah, you’ll hold me. I think you had a bad experience a while ago, probably with a mate or something, and now you believe that you’re a bad Alpha. Close enough?”

  Talon nodded, releasing a shaky breath. “When I went into rut the first time an Omegan friend offered to help me out. But...” His eyes glossed over, gripping her tighter. Lillian released some calming pheromones. “But I was too aggressive. I hurt him. I couldn’t hold back. He double-dosed me on Alpha Quell and called 999.”

  She nodded, so she had been right. Lillian had taken a few Dynamic Psychology classes, paying more attention during the time they spent on Alphas. “So now you have PTSD from what had happened?” Talon nodded.

  His eyes shot open as a cramp gripped him, doubling over as it lurched through him. “A - Ahh...” He whined, his hand immediately reaching down to press a palm to the front of his trousers. “P - Please. Get the Alph -” Another hit rocked his body, the hormones heating up his body significantly. “Fuck. Alpha Quell! Grab it immediately!” Talon gritted through his teeth.

  Lillian ran over to the cupboard, looking frantically. “What’s the bottle look like?” she asked, pushing things around.

  “White bottle, blue lid no – Ah! - Label,” He held his dick through his clothing, squeezing around it as the hormones finally settled into his body. Lillian found the bottle, hands shaking as she unscrewed the lid and shook out one small blue capsule, grabbing the glass of water she poured earlier and handed it to him. The worst of it was over, the pain subsiding as a shaking hand went to take the water glass. He took the pill and set the glass down, carding a hair through his sandy blond locks.

  Lillian’s fight to keep her eyes averted from his trousers was fruitless, looking down at the small bulge. “Are you wearing those Alpha compression shorts everyone’s raving about?” she asked, looking back into his eyes.

  “Y - Yeah. Around my rut I do so I’m not greeting people with a third leg.” He joked, trying to pull his shirt over it, to no avail. “Too sensitive though. Hurts quite a bit.”

  “What happened anyway? I’ve never seen something or read anything about that. Why did you take the Alpha Quell?” she asked.

  “I take the Alpha Quell to calm my hormones, so I don’t go Feral. As for the immense pain, that comes as my body floods with the final rush of hormones my body needs before my rut. Shouldn’t be long before the floodgates open.” He explained. “They call it pre-rut. Don’t you Omegas go into pre-heat or something?”

  Lillian nodded, walking back to go finish cutting up the vegetables. “Our hormones usually increase at a steady rate until our heat hits. Like a water balloon. Fills with water until it’s too big, and pops. The only time we get anything like that is when we get Over-Heat. But we rarely have to take Omega Quell aside from that.”

  “O’s also don’t go on anger rampages fighting their own dynamic and desperately trying to mate the opposite.” Talon said, shaking his head.

  “That's fair,” she said as she threw her head back to laugh. “And about our conversation earlier, you’re worried about hurting me, aren’t you?” Talon grabbed the bottle of Alpha Quell off the counter.

  “Yes. The last thing I would want is to hurt anyone.” Talon walked over to her, pivoting her body to face him. “But if at any time I get too much, dose me up with two of these,” he said, putting the bottle of Alpha Quell down on the counter in front of her. “And fucking run. Call 999 or a friend to come get you. Lock yourself in the spare room if you have to.”

  She whimpered, he realised that he was holding her in a tight grip. He let go, soothing himself best he could whilst waiting for the Quell to kick in. “Talon, I’m an Omega for Wolf’s sake. You are biologically programmed to protect me.”

  “I was then too, and I still left bruises.” He said, shoulders slumping.

  “It was your first time, your first rut, your first experience with being an Alpha. It’s not unheard of to not be able to control your Wolf.” She soothed, rubbing up and down his arm.

  “You and Oliver...” He mumbled, they had both said the same thing.

  “But if things get bad, I’ll do as you say. But I think we’ll be okay. Is there anything else we should talk about?” she asked, tilting her head to the side adorably.

  “Not that I know of. I guess I should just thank you for doing this for me.” Talon replied sheepishly.

  “Not for you.” She reminded. “With you, Talon. We’re in this together now.”

  ‘Forever?’ he wondered. He tilted his head up and laughed huskily, then returned his eyes to hers. “Yeah, we’re in this together now.”