Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spring Term

Elliott existed in everyone’s peripheral. Neither rude nor withdrawn, he somehow managed to perfectly balance attendance with distance. Easy-going but not easily-led. A cardboard cut-out of a perfect person. Now his scent coated River’s neck from jaw to collar bone.

×

The lecture had begun with an overview of the group projects that would be assigned that day.

Luckily, River knew all the people she had been grouped with. Granted, she made an effort to get to know everyone she came into contact with, and it helped a lot in these situations. River was the only non-dominant at the table. As an omega, people expected her to be shy and timid. It kept people at bay, afraid to approach her and make her uncomfortable, or be seen as the arsehole bothering a poor, weak, defenceless omega. But River was no such thing.

Sat around a high table, on stools that River had to climb up, her group chatted with her cheerfully.

“You and the girls are going to that glow-in-the-dark bowling place on Friday, right?”

The girls were the dominants’ girlfriends. A gaggle of girls that made up one of River’s closest friend groups. All betas, but of the submissive variety. Their boyfriends were also all betas, and all dominant.

River nodded and smiled. “They’re going, I’m undecided.”

“River missing a social event?” Ilex teased.

“Are you sick?” Rowan added.

Sky shook his head. “Leave her alone. She’s probably just booked up three months in advance.”

“Six, actually,” River replied primly. “But that’s not the reason I’m on the fence.” She sighed. “It’s in a bit of a… dodgy area.”

The boys’ faces fell into frowns simultaneously. The girls hadn’t told them, then.

“They’re all scent marked, though,” River added hurriedly. “So I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

River was the only member of the friend group without a partner. Without a scent to protect her from creeps on the street. She was already a walking target as an omega, to go into an area that was known to be dangerous seemed really really stupid. But she hated turning down an invitation.

“You’re worried to go without a scent mark on you?” guessed Rowan.

River shrugged sheepishly. “It might seem silly, but-”

“Not at all,” said Sky. “It’s better to be overcautious, especially since you’re, um-” He flushed a little around the ears.

River smiled. “I know.” An omega, delicate and defenceless. She bit back a sigh. She didn’t think she was Wonder Woman or anything, but she liked to think her friends knew her well enough by now to not baby her. Physical strength and size were not in her favour, but she was smart-ish and could make a friend of anyone, and that had seen her into adulthood just fine.

Omegas and alphas were the rarest secondary genders, and she and Alpha Elliott were the only ones in their Art History class. Perhaps, if she had chosen the British Modernism module instead of Italian Renaissance, they both would have each been a drop in a sea of betas. Did it make a noticeable difference to not be the only non-beta in the room? No, but at least she could tell herself she wasn’t alone when one of them made an accidentally ignorant comment. Being a novelty was difficult at first in any environment, and River did her best to use it to unlock even more friendships. Elliott did not take the same strategy. They had never spoken beyond sparse small talk. That was okay… alphas were a little intimidating…

That was exactly one of the ignorant stereotypes that a beta would repeat. River allowed herself some grace - she was an omega, she was allowed to be nervous of alphas. And anyway, she never said such things out loud…

Rowan’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Maybe we should come along, just in case.”

“Oh, please don’t worry,” River assured them, forcing an easy smile. “I wouldn’t want to put you out.” She knew they had plans to watch the football together that night. “Either I go or I don’t, but that’s on me.”

Ilex grumbled quietly and the others looked similarly uneasy.

“This is a bit embarrassing, but I have been looking into alternatives.” She would never have admitted it if they didn’t seem so concerned.

The boys all stared at her, not a single inkling behind their eyes, urging her to continue. Their printouts lay ignored around their half-open laptops.

“You know those seedy perfume ads?” she laughed awkwardly. “They claim to have the same effect as a dominant beta or alpha’s scent. It’s probably a scam, and insanely overpriced, but it did catch my attention.”

There was a silent pause at their table, the rest of the room bubbled with mumbled conversations.

“How overpriced are we talking?” Sky asked.

“Dude!” Ilex rocked back on his stool to give his friend an incredulous look. “Why are you encouraging this?” As though River was spitballing the possibility of taking secondary-gender-altering drugs. It was just the smell, not any physical change, that she wanted. A stinky cloud of protection from the world, just for one night.

“I’m just curious!” Sky’s voice had risen too loud under the scrutiny. River pretended not to see the tables around them taking notice of their conversation. She didn’t want the world finding out she was so pathetically single that she was genuinely considering buying the scent of a stranger to wear. “How much could I get for my sweat?”

Rowan shook his head. “How would you squeeze enough out to even fill a bottle?”

“Turn my fan off for a night. Wring the sheet out in the morning.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Mate, it’s not even March yet.” Ilex looked almost more concerned than queasy. “How are you always burning up?”

“Probably a side effect from all the protein powder he snorts.”

Sky didn’t deny it. River caught him glancing down at his biceps with a glint of pride in his eyes. He was certainly big for a beta. The boys’ words rolled over him in the trance of his own gigantism.

“Another one? Aren’t his farts bad enough?”

Sky snapped out of his stupour to scold Ilex. “Hey, don’t talk about farts in front of an omega.”

“Sorry, River.”

River waved him off. It was silly, the things that betas thought would offend an omega. Potty language was a common one, along with mentions of violence or suffering. Omegas were supposed to be fragile, even in their ears.

“Let’s see these stink sellers, then.”

River hesitated. They hadn’t gotten much done on their project, and time was running out… They could always meet up for a study session over the weekend…

River pulled herself up onto her knees, teetering on her stool to display her phone screen in the centre of the table, searching for the saved tab of scents for sale. The website looked shady as anything, with a blocky design and clashing colours claiming the best deals to be found anywhere online.

Rowan whistled one long, quiet note.

“Yeah, it’s definitely not in my budget,” River admitted.

“The price-per-spray is probably reasonable when you think of the safety benefits and that…” Ilex offered. “But for a whole bottle? Insane.”

Sky was counting on his fingers while Rowan scrolled the offerings. “It’d still cost you a tenner to cover all the important parts - and that’s for a dominant beta scent, not the alpha deluxe!”

“I’d let you borrow my scent for free if I didn’t have, you know, Willow.”

“Thanks, Ilex.” It was an intimate thing to offer, and she wondered if he only felt able to say the words aloud because he had Willow.

“I’d charge you a pound per day,” Sky teased. “My stench is premium.”

“What a steal!” River laughed. “If only I could find someone else as generous as y-”

The heat of a body had drawn in close to her back, and the scent of an alpha slammed into her. When had he gotten so close? Why had he gotten so close?

Her head turned a degree and was caught between huge hands. The table was still, the boys stupified, River locked in an alpha’s grip. And more potent than the grip was the light layer of natural oils and sweat that coated it. River’s skin took to the scent like a sponge to water, drinking in every touch as the hands rounded her jaw, impossibly gentle for their size, dragged down her throat, cupped her collarbones and pressed warmth into the thin skin of her chest. The touch was both sensual and methodical. An intimate exploration and a meticulous coating.

His throat took the newly opened space beneath her ear, layering his pheromones with a tender nuzzle. It seemed impossible that she could know such a thing… but she felt the restraint of him resisting the urge to rub at her with his jaw harder. Holding back the territorial aggression.

The hands lifted at the shudder of the first breath River had managed to take since inhaling the alpha’s scent. Her wrists were taken from their balance upon the work table and rubbed by thick thumbs, working the claim into her skin thoroughly. It was a small mercy when her armpits weren’t massaged as well. Instead, the hands retreated and so did his bony jaw, no longer prodding into her throat.

She didn’t attempt to crane her neck again, she knew there was only one alpha in the room. And of all the alphas she’d ever met, no matter how briefly, she was most shocked that this one would mark her with his scent. She was shaking, her heart thudding like it wanted to escape. She stared straight ahead, over Rowan’s shoulder.

“First taste is free.” The voice in her ear was low, breath brushing the shell. River shivered. He was curled over her, close enough to touch, but not. Why did it matter? She reeked of him. Why hold back now? “After that, I charge the deluxe prices.” There was humour in his tone, but he could very well have been serious.

River forced herself to turn. She had to say something, or do something, or maybe both. Elliott was hunched over her, eyes the blue of royal crests watching her from above, but only for a moment. Once River had found the courage to spin on her shins and face the alpha whose scent she now sported, the very same alpha dipped back and slipped away between the tables. His expression held nothing, the perfect mask it always was.

The class was over, and only their table had not stood to leave. If anyone else had witnessed the scent marking, they had nothing to say about it. Elliott disappeared out the door amongst the crowd.

River’s knees fell open and she dropped to her seat. The boys packed her things for her and walked her out until she shooed them to their next classes. She had a free hour. And she was fine. She needed a hot drink to calm her nerves. But she was fine. They didn’t need to worry. She was fine.

With uncertain mumblings, they finally left her to get her thoughts together. River staggered away, swallowed up in the fog of an alpha’s scent.

Chapter Text

She had gotten what she wanted, hadn’t she?

Earlier that day River had been contemplating taking out a small loan to afford a perfume of protection. The online sellers didn’t offer a sample, but River had managed to secure one for free.

A cloud of scent that clung to her, all around, and registered in her brain, innately, as alpha. It was unique, too, not just any alpha. There were hints of sage and mint that claimed the scent as Elliott's. That claimed her as Elliott's. The thought brought a flush of heat to her cheeks, chest and belly.

The difference was noticeable immediately in those around her. In the coffee shop she loitered in between lectures, the personal space she was afforded by every non-submissive in the establishment was doubled. Some avoided eye contact; all avoided physical contact like their lives depended on it. If the scent were real, maybe it did. Alphas were naturally the largest people in any room, and had a territorial tendency that sane betas didn't mess with. Not that Elliott would be rushing to defend her honour if he smelled another dominant on her. She had the protection of his scent, but it was an empty threat that permeated her pores. That was all she needed - all she had been browsing for: a skin-deep layer of defense.

The dominant beta on the till smiled nervously at her when she tapped her card. River smiled back, tucking a curl behind her ear, and let the people part for her as she approached the end counter to collect her order.

Rosebud tea tucked between her hands, she basked in the peace of a whole table to herself outside the shop. The best spot to enjoy the slow oncoming of spring. The air was briskly cold and energising, and the sun was shining its best through the clouds. There was no season as perfect as spring, not to River, at least.

In the calm of the scene around her, her mind quickly slipped back to him.

Elliott. She didn’t know his family name, although it was rumoured they were rich or royal or both. What reason did he have to do it? He didn’t actually need the money. River didn’t have to be able to identify designer brands specifically to know his clothes were of a much higher quality than his fellow students. Sweaters that felt soft and warming just to look at, crisp shirts underneath that River wondered if a maid pressed for him, and perfectly tailored trousers. Quiet wealth sewn onto a quiet young man.

River had never spoken to him beyond polite small talk. Very brief. Yet, when his throat had been pressed against hers, she could feel their heartbeats pulsing against each other. It was the most intimate gesture River had ever received. And he was almost a stranger. Coated in a stranger’s scent, how shameful! She could hear her mother’s horrified voice in her head. It wasn’t her fault, though, he had acted fully of his own choosing. Really, she should be offended. Maybe even report him for touching her inappropriately.

But she had gotten what she wanted, hadn’t she?

She thought of the girls, of the bowling night, and let herself smile. It would be fun to hang out with everyone, and she hadn’t gone to a bowling alley since she was a kid - when whole-class birthday parties were still the norm. And she would be safe. Wrapped in the protective scent of a dominant - an alpha, no less - she didn’t need to be as suspicious despite the sketchy area. She probably would still be… that was just common sense. She nodded at her wobbly reflection in her tea cup. Better safe than sorry.

The sun warmed her cheeks, but the chilly air was quick to remind her that spring wasn’t officially arriving for another fortnight. River pulled her chunky cardigan tighter around her. She was so ready for the flowers to bloom and the sky to clear and-

“River! How are you, darling?”

River snapped her face from being nose-deep in her tea-cup to blinking at a familiar face, fighting to put a name to it.

“Heather!” she recalled, just in the nick of time. Member of the Afternoon Tea Society, of which River was only really an honorary member these days. In first year she had been more heavily involved, now she paid her year’s membership and attended the few events she could fit into her schedule. Heather was vice-president, though, and always trying to bribe River to give the society more of her time.

Heather was already approaching so fast that River didn’t have time to warn her. “Goodness, that’s quite a scent you’re carrying!” she announced loudly, drawing the eyes of all nearby patrons.

It was no longer the sun warming River’s face.

“Keep this seat free for me, I need a mocha before I hear all about this new partner of yours!”

“It’s not-”

She was gone. Disintegrated into the bustle of the coffee shop. River sipped her tea nervously, searching for an easy way to explain her predicament. A pot of petals and buds was all that remained when Heather slid in beside her.

“Tell. Me. Everything,” she demanded.

“It was an accident.”

Heather snorted. “Some alpha accidentally covered you in their scent? River, it’s coming off you in waves.”

“I’m just hot!”

“You’re wearing a summer dress with a cardigan,” Heather replied, deadpan. “In winter.”

“Spring is on its way!” River argued. She would rather get in a pointless bickering match than try to explain her embarrassing predicament with Elliott.

“I would be out here in a snow suit if it wasn’t so difficult to pee in,” Heather admitted with a shiver. She sipped on her mocha, dramatically warming herself and sighing afterwards. “Back to the most important issue at hand - who is this alpha?”

River shrugged. “Just a guy in one of my classes.”

“And you’re what? Dating?”

“No.”

“Having a fling?”

“No.”

“Friends with benefits?”

“We’re not even friends.”

“Oh my god, did he force himself on you?”

“No!”

Heather dropped back against her seat. “I’m lost.”

“Me too,” River admitted.

She felt the scrutiny pressing in on her as Heather bounced her brows while taking a loud slurp of her drink.

“It was just a misunderstanding, but it will fade soon,” River said as sternly as her voice would allow. Hoping Heather took the hint of finality. “I’m much more interested in what you’ve been up to. I have to get going for my next class in-” she checked her phone, “-fifteen minutes, but fill me in with everything you can until then.”

Heather grinned. “Mission accepted!”

×

Returning to campus, River felt like a stranger. The heavy scent of alpha caused stumbles in passers-by, brought cautious glances from those that didn’t know her, and sly smiles from those that did. She had expected the scent of a dominant to ward people away, not draw their interest inwards. She wasn’t prepared for the attention. She hurried her steps, arriving to her final class of the day flushed and sweating - bringing about a new wave of strength to the scent mark clinging to her.

There was no opportunity to chit-chat, the lecture starting as she dropped her butt into a seat, so those fascinated by her new perfume slipped notes from all directions for the entire duration of the introduction.

Who's the lucky alpha? xoxo JJ

When were you going to tell me you were seeing someone?? - Honeysuckle

Girl, you stink. Love that for you. Catch up over coffee soon? Em x

More and more of the same sentiments. River tucked them into her notes folder and refused to write back. She didn't know how to address it, what the story should be. The truth was too embarrassing. She needed to concentrate, her tutor was definitely saying lots of interesting things, if only she could ignore the eyes on her, the scraps of paper invading her fold-out desk...

The moment they were dismissed, River bolted, trailing scraps in her wake.

Two of the girls were waiting for her outside. The worry scrunching their faces told her that their partners had already given them the forewarning about River’s new odour.

Willow was Ilex’s girlfriend, and a fellow member of the Hedgehog Housing Group that River volunteered with. They did not have any activities that evening. Beside her, Savannah (Rowan’s girlfriend) stood with her hands on her hips. River occasionally helped out with costume and prop making for the Cosplay Society, of which Savannah was a member, but she hadn’t been informed of any projects in the works for her to lend her paintbrush to.

“Hey,” River croaked. She felt like a child, about to be scolded by her mothers. The rest of the class were invading at her back. "Can we talk about this somewhere private?"

"Of course."

They walked in a line to an unlocked study room, keeping watch for following eavesdroppers, and brought the blind down on the door behind them.

“The boys told you what happened, I take it?”

“Oh, River,” Willow gasped. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I told them I was fine. Everything is fine.”

"How can you be?" Savannah asked, her voice soft and her eyes pitiful. "An omega getting scented on by some alpha she barely knows! It's disgraceful! And what could someone in your position do?" She was riling herself up, preaching to River and a sorrowful-looking Willow. "We should be protecting the vulnerable members of our society! I'm so disappointed in the boys-"

“I was asking for it-”

“Don’t you say that!” Savannah was trembling. “It doesn’t matter what you were wearing or how-”

“No, I mean that literally, Savannah.”

Savannah froze, a finger in the air. “What? You asked him to scent mark on you?”

“Not exactly.” The good deed of the boys keeping her perfume browsing to themselves would have to be tossed away, unfortunately. Along with River’s dignity. “We were just joking about those scent perfumes in those weird adverts.” Willow and Savannah pulled faces of disgust and River nodded along with them. “It led to how much the guys would charge for their stink, and I said something about finding someone and getting a good deal.” She sighed. “Elliott gave me what I asked for - he scent marked me for free.”

"Still!" Savannah huffed. "He should have explicitly asked for your consent!"

"Sure, but if the offer was phrased nicely I probably would have taken it, so it's a non-isssue." She wasn't sure that was entirely true, but she also felt like she hadn't had a moment to breathe and process the day's events since the infamous scent marking occurred. Everyone else wanted to dig into her feelings before she could. Even her relaxing tea time had been interrupted.

Maybe in the morning she would be angry at him. Maybe she would feel violated.

For now, she could only focus on bowling and the chance to be a part of the group that was going. It was easier than dissecting power dynamics and her difficult relationship with them as an omega.

"If you change your mind, though, if you decide he didn't give you enough time to consider or enough warning, we'll be right by your side to report him."

"Thank you, I do appreciate it, I just need to settle into my new stink, I think."

The girls laughed awkwardly. They weren't convinced by her assurances, just as their boyfriends hadn't been.

"It's really something, River," Willow said with a head shake. "Alpha scent marking is way more intense than I thought."

Savannah crinkled her face up. "Yeah, it's like your body is telling our noses to fuck off."

They laughed again, the tension finally melting.

"It's going to take some getting used to, but in a week it will have faded," River said, hoping she was right. She didn't actually know much about scent-marking beyond the basics, but Daria had been in dire need of Sky's scent when he went away on a family holiday and her mark from him began to fade. The girls had joked that it was an addiction.

"Fine, but remember, we're always ready to leap into action, unlike those useless boys," Savannah grumbled.

"They were taken by surprise," River offered in their defence. "They're good guys."

"Well, we've told them they need to be much more protective of you in the future," said Willow. River fought off a groan, being babied for being an omega was the last thing she wanted. "Although, Elliott's scent has probably got you covered for the meantime."

"That was a terrible pun and I'm leaving," River teased. She didn't want them to see how desperate she was to get home, to curl up in bed and press her face into her pillows and replace Elliott's scent with her own. She needed a moment of nose normalcy. As extroverted as she was, it had been a strange day, and her social battery had been punctured by Elliott's scent and its effect on everyone in a ten-metre radius.

They walked her out and offered to keep her company all the way home, which she refused with gratitude, and said goodbye.

On the walk out of the centre of town where campus sat, she checked her phone and found she had been added to yet another group chat.

culture of curation project

Every word of the chat name was punctuated by an emoji, and River smiled at the one that must be her: a flower. Sky had to be the cloud, Rowan the tree, and Ilex the wave (he liked to surf on his school breaks, and there were no Christmas wreath emojis). Their group assignment was a project on the culture of curation in their chosen time period, they had chosen their time period... and gotten little else done in class.

Instead of a discussion of their topic and how they were going to divide the work, the chat was filled with apologetic messages - possibly typed under the noses of very angry girlfriends.

River wrote a quick response, reminding them once again that she was fine. She added that they hadn't done anything wrong and that she just needed them to not treat her any differently. She wasn't just talking about the scent, she didn't want them acting like bodyguards because the girls were panicked about an omega getting touched by an alpha.

She closed the chat, turned her music up a little, and hurried home. Her housemates called out greetings that she returned but didn't stop to chat. In her room she flung her bag to the floor, locked the door, and collapsed.

Tomorrow, Thursday, she promised herself a mental health day, she needed to hide under her bed for at least twenty-four hours. She began drafting her profuse apology to the fencing club for not being able to help them make up numbers for their friendly competition the next afternoon. River didn't fence, but she also never said no to a friendly favour. Plus, they had promised her that she would be shown how to not injure herself or others beforehand. Her message was nine lines long and extremely apologetic, and they would still probably assume she'd chickened out... She frowned at her phone. She really would never let them down if she didn't have a good reason. Maybe just a half day for mental health would be enough?

She would decide tomorrow. One night wasn't going to get them an alternate, she had already left it far too late. The message remained a draft.

Chapter Text

The smell of alpha was spread across her sheets through the night, leaving an obscene scent scene by daylight. Anyone who entered her room would assume a night of passion had ensued. River felt a throb between her legs at the mere possibility of anyone thinking she and Elliott would… She shook her head against her pillows. New thoughts, please. Somehow, sharing the scent with her bedding hadn’t dimmed it on her own skin. Scent-marking, properly, on another person, affected their very glands, she remembered as she laid in a tangle of duvet. Secondary school biology that her brain had tossed aside when none of her crushes had gotten beyond the awkward dating stage. Her body would continue to hold Elliott’s unique scent profile until it ran its course - time would fade it only, no matter how much she scrubbed or sweated. At least this meant she wouldn’t lose it before bowling…

She peeled herself free of her blankets and plodded out to the shared bathroom on her floor to get washed up. Body aching from rolling around all night, and head sore from lack of sleep, she could only hope a shower would sort her out in time for her day to begin.

A mental health morning was the most she could spare, she decided as she brushed her teeth. Instead of working through her feelings of being doused in eau d'Elliott, she'd spent all night tossing and turning in worry about the fencing club. They only needed an hour of her time, she couldn't let them down. 

All she skipped was a single lecture in the end. Disrupting her sleep with guilt over what she would and wouldn’t bail out of only meant she spent her self-care time napping in between a face mask and some sketching. She tried not to let it feel like a waste.

She had a bundle of daffodils that had yet to open, they sat stubbornly in a thin glass vase atop her dresser. She drew them from a slew of angles and hoped to have more than buds to put to paper by the end of the week. Flowers were her favourite to paint, and she always made sure to have a bouquet in her room - even if it was just a couple of plucked stems gifted to her by the bee-keeping society. They had the most incredible smelling lavender.

Folding away her sketches, River gave the room a quick gloss-over with her eyes to check anything she might have forgotten to pack in her tote. Satisfied at the state of her cluttered space, she left for her afternoon lectures.

After all that fuss, the fencing competition had been postponed to Monday. River confirmed by text that she could make the updated date and time as she walked into the theatre. She needed to bring her focus back to the room if she was going to ignore the stares and note-passing for another two hours.

×

Post-lecture, River hurried to the baking society’s monthly bake-off. She had been asked to be part of the judging group by a classmate in her first year and had devoured more cake than she had fingers on a monthly basis ever since. They wanted as many judges as possible to make the competition fair, since none of them were experts, more taste-testers.

River mingled amongst her fellow paper plate carriers, exclaiming at every bite how good the treats were. The crowd of nibbling judges didn’t gather as closely to her this time, the protective scent of Elliott forcing them back. She didn’t feel any offence at their distance, and it didn’t stop her making new friends. She chatted happily with betas of both divisions, only closing her mouth to chew.

She ranked a victoria sponge cupcake with thick fresh cream first on her judging sheet, and a slightly dry shortbread last. After everyone handed in their sheets, and the winners were announced, River headed home for the evening with new names on the tip of her tongue.

×

Friday finally arrived the next morning, the day that her stinky situation had been set in motion for.

Bowling with the girls was the only extracurricular in her planner for the day, but she still had to get her classes out of the way. Two back-to-back morning sessions were separated by a short walk with a member of the art society in which she got roped into agreeing to a Pinot’n’painting night in a couple of weeks.

She had lunch at home: a sandwich and carrot sticks, while scurrying about her room trying to choose the best clothes to wear to a bowling alley. Poking clutter with her toe, she managed to make the room look slightly better - if a little more crumb-covered - by the time she was ready to leave.

A t-shirt painted with a variety of cacti completed her outfit for the afternoon, it hung loose over blue jeans that Savannah had embroidered with leaves for her (cosplay-creation skills were surprisingly transferable). She tied a portion of her hair up and let a selection of curly strands fall around her face, a dab of lip gloss threatened to catch them if the wind blew too hard.

She hopped down the stairs and out the door with her tote bag slapping her hip and took herself to the bus stop.

A half-hour ride later, and she was in a very different part of town. Not that any part of a uni town was without its faults… but the industrial estate that she alighted at set off alarm bells as soon as the bus doors shut behind her.

It was... rough. That was the only word for it. Broken bottles, cigarette butts, and half-melted plastic littered the pavement. River kept to the bare concrete with her trainers, knowing the flimsy rubber soles would not protect her feet from tetanus. The GPS on her phone claimed it was only a twelve minute walk from the bus stop, already it felt like too long with eyes on her from around corners or under railings. The watchers were dominants, no alphas, but more than capable of overpowering her, and showing far too much interest. She tried to keep her map-checking to a minimum to reduce the amount of time she spent looking down or holding her phone out. She didn't want her or the device snatched.

They leered, some whistled, and one called a dirty joke across the street - something about omega's slick that got a laugh out of those near him. It was hard not to rush, to stay calm and appear unbothered. Her heart was pounding painfully, a cold feeling leaking through the middle of her chest. They didn't come close, they wouldn't dare, no matter what they were inebriated with, she told herself. For all intents and purposes, she was an alpha's mate. She was safe. Her breaths still got trapped in her throat, a stuttering reminder that her alpha wasn't here to defend his claim.

She was safe. She smelt of Elliott. She was an alpha mate.

The route directed her to turn into an alleyway pried between two tall, cement buildings, and River hesitated, scanning the map for alternate entrances. Black bin bags were stacked against the walls, and tall figures crouched by them, whispering amongst themselves. It was dark, and it stank of urine, and the figures suddenly stopped talking, taking stock of her hesitating at one end.

Breathe. Step. Keep breathing. Keep stepping forward. River wanted to stride with purpose and confidence, but it was more of a wheezy shuffle. They watched her, licking their lips between mumbled words. She was sweating in places she didn't know she could sweat, and restraining shivers at the same time. Fear pulsed through her, faster and faster as she passed a pair of men. Dominant betas. Scarred and haggard. One bared his teeth at her, he didn't have many. The other was excited, chuckling softly at nothing in particular. Would they be able to smell her scent mark over the pee stink? Maybe they wouldn't realise until it was too late, for either them or her. River forced her gaze ahead, she was halfway. Breathe and step, that was all she had to do. Anything else was out of her control.

A rustle of plastic behind her sped her steps. Then a growling, gurgling laugh that echoed through the alley. Footsteps followed sluggishly. River hurried, so did the feet behind her.

Panting noises at her back brought bile to her throat and it took everything she had to keep her body facing forwards. Don't turn and look, he's probably touching himself in a puddle of his own piss. Don't give them any attention, because you don't want attention. The heavy breathing drew closer and River whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as she braced for a grab.

A thwack and a yelp sounded from behind and River lurched out the other end of the alleyway without care for who had hurt themselves and how. Out of their line of sight, and out of the enclosed space, her sense of security rushed back into her. She had made it to the other side, and a neon sign at the back of a half-filled car park announced she had arrived before her phone could.

The gaggle of girls at the entrance of the bowling alley was the most beautiful sight River had ever laid her eyes on. She ran the home stretch like there was prize money waiting for her and they enveloped her in a group hug on arrival. They hurried inside the double doors into darkness to get started.

Chapter Text

The glowing paint and stickers slapped over random surfaces wasn’t enough to give River a clear view of anything but the lanes. They were lit up with stripes to indicate where to fling the ball, and the pins shone neon green at the end. River didn't expect to knock many down, but maybe that was for the best - she needed all the light she could get.

In the murky darkness around her, small groups of people mingled and chattered over drum and bass tracks blaring through speakers hanging from the walls. With her sight and hearing distorted, her sense of smell kicked into overdrive. Stale nachos, sweaty bodies, overpowering perfume, alcohol mixed with other alcohol, feet transferring from shoe to shoe, so much beta scent swirling in the air.

Unable to pinpoint her own scent in the chaos, she pulled her focus into Elliott’s. She ducked her nose into her collar, breathing him in. Strong, steady, alpha scent filled her nose. A palate cleanser. Her shoulders unclenched where she didn't realise she had been bunching them. It wasn’t ideal, but she needed to ground herself before she started to panic. She untucked her chin and tried to appear calm.

There may be a lot of false stereotypes about omegas, but scent sensory overload was completely real, and she couldn’t make a scene in front of her friends. The mysteries and myths surrounding omegas made it difficult enough for people to feel comfortable approaching, River didn’t need the additional repellent of seeming volatile.

Her name was shouted into her ear. It was her turn to bowl. She tilted her chin to her chest and sucked in one more soothing breath before jumping up with a wide grin and pretending to be excited to push a ball that weighed more than her down a children’s ramp. 

Daria had lined it up for her already. River used both hands to heft the smallest available bowling ball from the line-up and clutch it to her chest. Groups from other lanes were peering over, not needing to smell her to know what she was. Submissives cooed at her, dominants smirked and winked at her. River tried not to let her embarrassment show.

The ball rolled smoothly, and slowly, and she got four pins down. Her friends celebrated like she'd won a world championship. Second bowl and she got two more, same reaction.

Willow went next and got the same cheers and high-fives for getting only one pin down. River relaxed a little knowing it wasn't omega pity that had made them rally round her like that. She joined in, clapping congratulations for every throw.

As the rounds went on, the scent overload only got worse. Her eyes couldn't adjust to the dark room, the shadows bumping into each other around their booth. Her ears couldn't distinguish much amongst the music and the shouting and drinks being dropped and clanked.

She sunk her nose down more and more, spending more time submerged in Elliott's scent every time she let herself take a break within it. Not addictive, but necessary. When she forced her head up for too long, she started to feel sick.

They had run out of drinks, and it was her round. She gestured this to the group and backed out of their booth as Savannah earned their first strike. The girls jumped up and down together with high-pitched screams. River smiled weakly and turned away to find the bar. She felt dizzy, and unwell, all too many sensations crawling over her skin. Too much of everything all around.

A tight grip took her elbow. Unbreakable. Unshakeable. She was manoeuvred through the weakly glowing room and the pounding noise by a hand she had only before felt on her throat. EMERGENCY EXIT glowed ahead, and the door was booted open, with River yanked through by the arm. Elliott let it fall closed behind them with a slam and released River to slump back against the brick outer wall of the bowling alley. In her dazed state, she might have accidentally... ogled him.

Permanently clean-shaven, neatly combed hair, and a spotless sweater made up Elliott’s signature style. Today, he’d ditched the sweater. His arms were all the more inviting for it - lines of muscle egging her on to bury her face into the bulge of his biceps. The things those arms could do sent a chain of clenching sensations from her belly to her toes. She should have been scared. Alphas were oversized and prone to territorial aggression, and naturally gifted predators, and-

“Breathe,” Elliott ordered.

“I’m fine,” River gasped.

“I’m not. It fucking stinks in there.”

River gulped the fresh, cold air. It was hard not to look like a fish out of water, but she felt so much better already. The sickly feeling retreated back down her throat.

Once the nausea had dissipated almost completely, giggles overtook her.

Elliott watched her with a strange look on his face. “What’s funny?”

“I never imagined you to be the type to cuss,” River laughed quietly.

“Oh?” He drew in closer, shielding her against the wall. His scent was familiar instead of threatening, like an alpha's should be. “Tell me what you imagined.” A husky drawl that tickled at her.

“I don’t know.” River shrugged, still smiling, still awash with the security that his presence pressed on her. Logically, it was very stupid to be feeling this safe so close to an alpha. The scent was soothing, though. For a few days, it had been hers. “I always thought you were kinda… classy.”

A laugh barked out of him. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you money doesn’t buy class?”

“You have nice manners when you’re not scent marking strangers," River offered.

“How would a stranger know that I have nice manners?”

“You don’t cause trouble,” she corrected herself. Maybe it wasn’t good manners, maybe it was just a lack of bad ones. He kept to himself, he didn't bother anyone. Not until her.

This delighted him for some reason. And his smile delighted River. It was bright, gleaming, and boyish; maybe he wasn’t quite so mature and sophisticated after all. She flushed and dropped her gaze.

“What?” he chuckled.

“Nothing." She brought her eyes back up. They were strangers sharing a scent, nothing more. And all the fuss of the scent mark had been so she could join her friends at bowling, so she needed to return to them and make the most of it. Even if the environment made her want to chuck. "I should get back inside before they notice I ran off.”

“Get a few more breaths before you do.” His voice had become a growl again, rough and domineering. “You think I don’t know scent overload when I see it?”

“I-” River bit her lips back into her mouth and looked away, shamed.

“It happens." He flicked her chin with one finger, drawing her gaze back up to him. An alpha, touching her so casually. "It’s dark and loud in there and when your other senses are knocked out, your nose will kick into overdrive.”

“Y-yeah.” River shrugged, pulling her head down again and hoping he couldn’t see her lips wobbling. “Thanks.” She was mortified. Most didn’t know enough about omegas to be familiar with scent sensory overload, let alone be able to recognise it in someone. In the dark. Under pounding music and squealing chatter.

“Okay,” she breathed. “I’m good now.”

He didn’t budge from his place propped in front of the door. His cobalt eyes watched her, holding her in place for a little longer.

“Don’t walk through that alley on your way home,” he said, kicking off from the wall and freeing her from his stare.

River hurried through the gap. “What alley?”

“The one you arrived from.”

She pressed her shoulder into the door and tried to ignore the strange reaction in her stomach at the knowledge that she had been watched.

Elliott didn’t follow her inside.

×

Daria came last. Willow won. Savannah and River took second and third places respectively.

They shared a meal in the restaurant tacked onto the side of the building to celebrate Willow's win, and then gathered around their phones outside to work out how they were all getting home. The girls revealed a different walkway to get back to the main road that allowed River to avoid the alleyway, and they separated for their different bus stops.

She could feel eyes on her from the shadows again as she headed back towards the bus stop. A longer route to go all the way round, but worth it to avoid ending up in a bin bag. No one approached, every watcher did just that: watched. It was silly that she hoped a deep blue pair were among them, but the fantasy made her feel a little better.

Sat safely contained within the bus, the thought suddenly occurred that Elliott hadn’t made any excuse for being at the bowling alley at the same time as her. It was a Friday, a busy time for the lanes, but it didn’t seem his scene.

River rolled her eyes to the window and watched world go by. It was none of her business what a stranger was getting up to in his free time.

Chapter Text

Saturday and Sunday were a blur of society meetings and club events where River had to focus all of her energy on avoiding the same few questions about her new scent, and the new partner that was expected to come along with it.

In pockets of time between lending herself to anyone who had asked her for help that weekend, she squeezed in a few pages of required reading. Finishing the chapters she was supposed to have read by Monday kept her up into the early hours of the deadline day.

Come morning, the reasonable hours, she had overslept.

She still had plenty of time to make it to her afternoon lecture, so she dressed in a white top with pleated ruffles over the chest, a chunky cream and blue cardigan, and blue jeans decorated with floral patches, then packed a tote bag with her laptop, sketchpad, pencils, a water bottle, and her phone, and headed out to draw the campus greenery.

She was alone in wanting to enjoy the crisp almost-spring air, everyone else was hurrying with their jackets tucked tight. There was frost on the grass and a sparkle to the leaves that she couldn't capture with just pencil and paper, but she tried. She had to try as hard as the plants were, straining to grow and bloom. She had so much adoration for the sprouts that cracked into the cold first. After the long, dark winter she needed to see spring's arrival as soon as possible. Summer was nice, autumn lovely, but River and winter did not get along. She didn't want to be trapped indoors, she didn't like the trees stripped, and if there was one thing worse than being wet - it was being wet and cold.

The chill of winter was still present, and when her fingers were fumbling with numbness, she packed away her pencils and headed inside for her lecture.

×

Their professor was late, bustling in with arms full of a laptop, a ring of keys, and a stack of papers. River hesitated, letting the rush of students file in before her.

“Didn’t take you for a truant.”

River jumped and spun, hands jerking to her chest like a scandalised lady of a bygone era. Her senses hadn’t caught the approach of an alpha - something her body was supposed to instinctively warn her of - because his scent had become hers, indistinguishable.

Leaning against the wall a few feet behind her, Elliott looked utterly at ease. A tight black tee stretched over his arms and chest just enough to be a silent brag, hinting at a single flex bursting the seams. Not a bad thing for those with eyes, River could confess inside her head. Gold winked at her from a thin chain around his neck, and she would bet all her brass jewellery it was real. Fitted black trousers, a black belt and black and white trainers sealed his monochrome look. River suddenly felt far too colourful in her flower patches and fluffy two-toned cardigan.

Elliott watched her with a dull expression, but intense blue eyes, darker in shade than River had ever seen on another person. They searched her for something, scanning her face, sliding over her body. River blinked back, knowing she didn’t have nearly the same power in her stare.

He finally cracked a smirk. “You’ll wear my scent but you won’t answer me?” he murmured, looming in just a little, just enough to still look amicable. His voice was deep, a slight huskiness giving his words a threatening edge.

River had never wished to shrink before, she was already small enough, but the urge to scurry away like a mouse overtook her.

“Um-” She swallowed. Her mouth was so dry it could have crackled. “I missed what you said,” she admitted with an awkward laugh. “You surprised me!” She threw a hand out, pretending to smack him. The attempt at a teasing tone fell flat, but hopefully only Elliott noticed. Passers-by could still think they were a happy couple having a pleasant conversation between classes, exactly as their scents suggested.

“You didn’t make it to this morning’s lecture,” he said, as though she wasn’t aware. “And you missed Thursday, too.” He tutted at her, but there was a teasing gleam in his eye.

“You noticed?” Two words that fell out of her mouth without any pre-approval from her brain.

His laugh was more like a single huff of air. “Don’t get the wrong idea.” He looked away, over her head and down the corridor. “You’re wearing my scent, I’d be stupid not to keep an eye out.”

“You think I’d date someone while I have your scent mark?” It was her turn to huff.

He dropped his eyes to her again. “I think you’re a weak little omega that can’t say no.”

River’s mouth popped open, but before she could gather herself to disagree Elliott had stalked away. She watched his wide back weave through crowds of betas a foot shorter than him. Who was a truant now?

And, more importantly, how dare he call her little? And weak? River pressed her lips together, suppressing her frustration as best she could. Of course, people thought those things about omegas but they didn’t outright say them to their faces. She had been wrong about him. Elliott wasn’t gentlemanly and classy, he was rude and arrogant. She squeezed the strap of her tote bag tight and pushed off from the wall.

Sliding into a seat at the back of the lecture theatre, she realised that this wasn’t even a module she shared with the alpha. He had no reason to be lurking about, waiting to scare and insult her. She scowled at her laptop as she jabbed in her login. The scent would fade, and everything would return to normal soon enough. She'd had her fun at bowling, and that was all she wanted.

Her focus needed to be on her education for the next few hours. Then, it was competition time.

×

Fencing went about as well as River had anticipated.

She was only asked to participate in the foil matches, and she wondered, swishing it around, if it was because it appeared much lighter than the sabre and épée. Yet another omega stereotype: that they were all incapable of lifting heavy things. River was, but she didn’t like that the club captain, Reed, would assume that because of her being an omega. She didn’t complain, he had other things to be worrying about with the other clubs filing into the hall.

The protective gear was loose, but River consoled herself that the matches would be over quickly. She was only there to make numbers, and the only instructions she had been given were to jab forwards and duck to the sides. Her opponent had to hit her straight for points. She wasn’t expected to earn any.

Her first opponent, a dominant beta, was visibly startled at the sight of an omega stepping onto the piste, and gave their coach an uncertain look before pulling on their mask. River followed their lead and took a wobbly version of the stance that she had been shown fifteen minutes before.

The coach of a third club acted as referee and signalled them to begin.

Her opponent was hesitant to fight aggressively, which was fine - running down the clock with less prodding for River couldn’t be a bad thing - but still took the first point. River was jerky and unco-ordinated, but not nervous. She wasn’t there to be good, no one was expecting her to win, she just had to participate. There was plenty that she took part in that she had no skill for, sometimes not even any interest in, she just enjoyed the social side and being able to help her friends.

Another point to her opponent. And another. And the timer rang out.

River pulled her mask off and grinned. Her opponent did the same, pink-cheeked. When they stepped forward to shake hands, the beta ducked back as though River were taking another jab.

“Don’t want to get my scent on you,” they choked out.

River was suddenly pink-cheeked, too. “Ah, of course.” A handshake wouldn’t transfer much, it was perfectly acceptable for there to be small points of physical contact between submissives and dominants. It was Elliott’s scent that scared the fencer out of touching her directly.

River had almost forgotten about the alpha fog following her about. The fencing club had been gracious enough to not say anything about it when she arrived.

They shook their gloved hands instead.

Her second and third matches mirrored the first, and she was all too glad to pull her mask off for the final time. She watched the rest of the team compete from the fold-out chairs lining the room and let a submissive beta from another school chatter to her about strategies she was never going to use.

River’s uni won first place. Her position on the table was dead last. She smiled at the leader board.

The three teams staggered to the changing rooms, cheering or jeering, and she slipped into a stall to change into daisy-embroidered shorts and cream sweater. She was glad she’d packed the lighter option for after the matches - she’d gotten surprisingly sweaty for a participant that barely moved.

Weaving through the chatting competitors back out in the hall, she searched for someone to take her used uniform off her hands. She had done her best to fold it, but the padded lining wasn’t easy to crease, and it had turned into more of a bundle in her arms.

“We’re just working out who’s driving who for dinner,” Reed, the captain of River’s university club, told her as he collected the sweaty material. “Would you be comfortable in a car that has a dominant? We haven’t got enough subs to fill one car.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I was just going to head home.”

A round of complaints sprung up from the team.

“You have to come, River, you’re practically the guest of honour,” Reed chuckled. “We literally couldn’t have competed without you taking that slot.”

A deep voice called out, “Careful, man, her alpha might not like you getting too pushy.”

River’s red face returned.

Reed's matched. “Oh, sorry, do you need to ask for p-”

“I can go where I like!” River yelped.

Fencers from all three schools were staring at her, concern creasing their features. They looked to Reed, suspicious, calculating how likely it was that he would be hassling an omega.

“Th-thank you for your concern, Reed,” River added, as loudly as her suddenly-dry throat would allow. “I’m perfectly comfortable to ride in a car with a dominant but it’s very considerate of you to check.”

The spectators relaxed, reassured that the omega wasn’t being bothered by a dominant.

“Okay," Reed croaked. "Let’s head out then.”

Chapter Text

They took over half the tables in a pub across town known for its student-friendly prices and the captains and coaches got sharing platters in for the fencers to pick from, plus a round of beverages. River sipped at an Amaretto and cola through a straw that was far too long for her glass. She was wedged between Reed and the submissive beta that had been talking tactics to her earlier. Although the captain was making absolutely sure not to touch her. He was more subtle than most, but River could still tell. The scent of Elliott had made him overly conscious of her. 

“You’re brave for an omega.”

Reed winced into his beer. Beside him, a dominant beta was leaning around to speak to her, clearly tipsy.

River drained her own glass before retorting, “If volunteering to get pretend-stabbed is so brave, how come you couldn’t find a beta to take the spot?”

The beta chuckled without a good answer for her. She grinned back, victorious in yet another social interaction that could have been uncomfortable. It was her super power: the approachable omega.

“I can see how you bagged an alpha, you look sweet but you got a little kick to you, huh?”

And there he went, making it uncomfortable again. River wanted to tell him that she doesn’t kick, she bites, but even with a couple of drinks in her she knew that could easily be taken the wrong way by a dominant that wanted to find flirtations in her words.

"And is that what you look for in fencers?" she asked, pushing the topic back to common ground. She didn't want to use Elliott's tactic to get him to back off. She didn't want to lose out on a friend. She didn't want to be left out for being an omega.

"Anyone can learn!" Reed announced, jumping his face forward between them.

The beta groaned beside him. "Here he goes with the sales pitch. They should be paying him a commission for how hard he works to get people in the club."

River laughed. "Go on then, Reed, give me the full spiel." There was no way she had time to join anything else full-time, but she let him and the beta argue over what made fencing fun. The submissive beside her piped up occasionally with her own anecdotes and tips, and River nodded along with all of them as though genuinely considering the proposition.

A couple of rounds later, it was time to slip away. River thanked the team for having her and attempted to make a swift exit from the bench she had been balanced on, but Reed followed her out.

“Wait, River, I’ve arranged a ride for you," he said. The cold air shocked him, he was in only a t-shirt and shorts after the competition. A laugh caught in his throat and he wrapped his arms around himself.

River giggled, too, clutching her cardigan tight. “You didn’t need to do that-”

“Don’t worry, it’s none of those idiots,” Reed assured her, there was a nervous tinge to his voice.

River smiled, letting her relief show. “Yeah, I do prefer my chauffeurs to be sober.”

The rumble of an engine approaching drew Reed’s gaze from her to the road beside them. A car rolled to a stop at River’s back. She turned to see an imposing figure rising from the open driver door. Elliott. River snapped her face back to Reed, but he was giving Elliott a handshake that turned into a one-armed hug.

“Appreciate you looking out, man,” Elliott said warmly.

Reed was pleased with the praise. “Always.”

“Still not signing up for swashbuckling.”

Reed laughed and clapped him on the back. “One day!” He walked backwards towards the door of the pub. “Catch you later, River.”

River waved. “See ya.” When she turned back to the car, Elliott was on the opposite side, holding the passenger door open. She hesitated and he nodded to the interior, as though she was too dumb to know what he was waiting for.

“I want an apology,” she called to him, keeping her feet planted on the pavement. “Please.”

He pushed the door to and strode around the front of the car, it was sleek and black and definitely not an old banger like most students with cars drove.

“For what?” He was incredulous.

Well, River was incredulous at having to remind him. “You called me little and weak!”

He stepped up the curb, closing the space between them. Without it, he towered over her. “You are little.” She staggered back a step, seeking breathing room. He followed. “And if you don’t get your little butt in the car, I’ll have to show you how weak you are, too.”

River swallowed. Her eyes stung, the hurt of the original insult smacking her a second time, and it upset her even more that he had managed to make her feel this way. Why did she care what some alpha thought of her? She stood still. “Apologise, or I’ll scream,” she whispered, followed by a sniff.

His face split into a feral smile. He dropped to a crouch to coo into her ear, “Save the screams for the bedroom, petal.” The pet name stroked the back of her neck, a tingle of two syllables.

“Eugh!” River spun away and didn’t get two full steps from him before she was snatched up at the waist and carried like a plant pot to the passenger side of the car. She sucked in an enormous breath, ready for the heavens to hear her-

The car door slammed and locked in her face. She deflated.

Elliott glided into his seat and switched the engine on. “What’s your address?”

“Is it safe to give that information to a dominant?” River asked, petulant.

His smile turned dark. The overhead light gave him a villainous vibe that both unsettled River and unfortunately turned her on. Just a bit. It definitely wasn’t noticeable, though. He practically purred, “Is it safe to let me choose the destination instead?”

River gave him the door number and post code and buckled her belt with as much attitude as could be shown without much room in the leather interior. Elliott snapped his in with less fuss and the car pulled away smoothly. His phone dictated the route, showing only ten minutes till arrival at River’s house share. By bus, she wouldn’t have been home for forty minutes.

“How much have you had to drink?” Elliott chuckled, interrupting her daydreams of life with a car to dart about with. “Fireball got you feisty?”

“How much have you had to drink?” she mimicked childishly.

He glanced over at her, his eyes surprisingly soft. Maybe it was the street light glow, or the liquor filter. “I don’t drink.” His gaze returned to the road and his smile turned sly. “Anymore.”

River slumped in her seat, uninterested in hearing tales of past drinking glories. He didn’t offer any without her asking, so they sat in silence as he drove for a while.

“I didn’t know you fenced.” The words pierced the heavy air - thick with his scent.

River cleared her throat. “We’re strangers, remember?” Throwing back his own words from the bowling alley.

“Is that what we are?” he mused.

We’re not mates, her brain answered immediately. “I-”

“Here you are, safe and sound.” The car stopped, and she could see her front door out the passenger window.

“That was so fast.” She was embarrassed by the wonderment in her own voice. Those two… maybe three… drinks must have been doubles…

“Are you accusing me of speeding?” Before she could deny it, he added, “with an omega in the car?”

River rolled her eyes. “Thanks f-” She snatched at the door handle by her, but it remained locked. Turning back to Elliott, she gave him a wary look.

“Give me your phone.”

“If you wanted petrol money, you could just ask,” River grumbled. “You don’t need to rob me.”

“Keep your coppers and give me your phone.”

She handed it over and watched him call himself. His phone, clipped to the dashboard, lit up with River’s number over a lock screen with two young women posing in long dresses, one on each of Elliott’s arms. They were beautiful, full of elegance and charm. And visibly submissive.

Her phone was offered back to her. “Next time you’re stuck, message me yourself.”

River pouted despite saving his number to her contacts. “I wasn’t stuck, I was planning to take the bus,” she said sulkily.

Elliott’s head rocked back, eyes disbelieving. “While wearing my scent?”

An awkward laugh bubbled out of River, she genuinely couldn’t tell if he was joking. “Please be serious.”

“Next time, message me.” Blunt, firm, eyes unwavering. He was serious.

The door unlocked and she grabbed the handle before he could change his mind. “Thanks for the lift, but I won’t be needing another.” She could make do with the bus and her two feet. If she could survive the winter on public transport, she could make it work the rest of the year.

She shut the door on his scoff of a laugh and hurried up the path to home. Cold and jittery and riddled with unwanted attraction to a rude alpha.

Chapter Text

Back in the classroom, Elliott had slipped right back into his dignified-if-aloof persona when River entered for her afternoon class. The boys were waiting for her with a stool reserved and she relished the opportunity to breeze right past the alpha without a second look. He looked, though. River could feel his eyes on her from door to desk.

It tickled her skin; it remembered him.

Too bad. She and the boys had a project to work on and it was currently well behind schedule. The greetings and small talk were rushed along by Ilex, who must have had the same concerns. Everyone was well, no major life updates, the girls were their standard selves.

Their professor bustled about, pretending not to assist but asking leading questions and poking holes in points he didn’t see the point of. By the time he scooted past their table they at least had enough on paper to appear like they hadn’t spent almost a week doing nothing.

“Mmm, and where exactly are you citing this from?” he asked, tapping at Sky’s screen. “Hmm. I’ve not seen another academic try to stretch an entire essay out of that statement…” he hinted to Rowan. “Have you nothing more recent to pull from?” he grumbled in Ilex’s ear, watching him search for a printout to explain a quotation he planned to use.

When he reached River he stumbled back half a step and nodded without comment, a little flustered behind his glasses, and hurried to another table. The boys attempted to hide their sighs.

“So, our project is garbage,” Sky summarised under his breath.

“That’s not what he said,” River said soothingly. “And anyway, we’re in the earliest stage, so the fact that he didn’t totally rip it to shreds shows we’re on the right track for this point in the process.”

Ilex sunk his face into his hands. “We need a study night in the diary asap.”

“That’ll all depend on when little miss socialite is free,” Rowan teased.

River rolled her eyes and dug her diary out of her tote bag. It was decorated with dried flowers she had pressed herself, and the pages were scruffy and dog-eared.

“I’ve got coffee with some friends after this class, but could squeeze some time into the evening,” she mumbled as she slid her index finger along the days’ events laid out in a variety of ink colours. “Tomorrow I have a morning lecture.” She sighed. “Then I’m going to the gym with the rowing club…” The boys tittered and she could see them shaking their heads in her peripheral. River was not a member of the rowing club. “I’ve got pieces to finish painting and I’d planned to work on them after that.” She flipped to the next pair of pages: Thursday and Friday. “Assigned reading in the library Thursday morning… maybe we could double that up… Then afternoon lectures and an Art Society meeting.” She perked, tapping at the almost-empty Friday page. “No classes this Friday, and nothing to do during the day.” She had a house party to go to in the night.

“Friday?” Rowan offered to the table.

“Friday’s good with me,” Sky answered. Ilex nodded, too. No one retrieved planners or diaries. River scribbled the plan in and put hers back.

They continued to plug away at the project until the last quarter-hour of class when Rowan murmured into the centre of the table, “He’s staring.”

“Who?” River whispered back.

“Your scenter,” Rowan grunted, prompting the other two guys to peek behind them in the direction of Elliott’s group.

River’s cheeks burned, and she took a minute to compose herself before turning, too.

Elliott didn’t flinch, blatantly observing her from his table as though she were a creature in a tank that amused him. His group didn’t bother to try and steal his attention back. River tilted her head, and earned a smirk that felt dirty, not that she could explain why. Call it a scent sense…

“It’s fine,” she told her friends. She swivelled back to their work. “Don’t worry.”

They raised no more complaints, and she was grateful for it. It wasn’t like she had any control over the alpha and what he did. There was nothing she could do if they didn’t like the way he was behaving.

Divvying up the work to be done between now and their study day, it was impossible not to notice that River was handed the lightest load. They refused to re-distribute, and she had a sad feeling in her chest that they still felt guilty at having watched her get scent-marked. Without being able to disway them, she decided to try and feel grateful that she would have more time for everything else on her plate.

Speaking of her full plate - she had to get to a coffee shop on the other side of campus and meet Emerald and Honeysuckle. River packed her bag and power-walked from the room the moment they were dismissed, well-ahead of the student surge.

As she hurried through the building, she tried to prepare herself for the inescapable topic that would be on the tip of her friends’ tongues this afternoon: her new scent. She’d had this coffee catch-up in the diary for a while, but there was no way they wouldn’t use it to grill her on all-things-alpha. Emerald and Honeysuckle were both in her fine art class, and she was pretty sure she’d received notes from them in their last lecture together - the kind with nosey questions. They were also both in the choir, and not above using any excuse for an attempt to coerce River into joining.

She sighed out her nerves and pushed one of the double doors to the outside world, re-filling her lungs with fresh, crisp air.

A handful of steps from the exit, large feet crunched over the light frost on the path behind her. River didn’t peek over her shoulder, if she couldn’t smell their unique scent, she knew exactly who it was.

“Now that you’re in your right - sober - mind,” Elliott began, swooping in at her side and falling into step with her, “I need to know how you’ve been describing our arrangement to people.”

“Good afternoon to you too,” River said.

Elliott grinned, but didn’t allow her to sidetrack from the question. He was unfortunately very handsome, and the smile worsened that fact.

“I’ve mostly been avoiding it,” River admitted. “Or saying that it was an accident.”

Elliott laughed under his breath. “Great. You’re feeding them prime rumour fodder.”

“I am not! I was trying to be vague for both of our sakes.”

“And when you decide you want more?”

River scoffed. “I’ve had quite enough of you, Elliott.”

Elliott slowed, smiling still. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.”

“And you hardly deserve it after calling me little and weak.”

“You’re more than welcome to show me how big and strong you are.”

River rolled her eyes and sped up. Elliott followed.

“Well? I’m waiting, petal.” Again with the nickname that felt like a caress.

“What do you want me to tell people, then?” She forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. “What have you been telling people?”

“I’ve been telling them to mind their damn business.”

“Okay, well I’m not doing that.”

“I figured.” He chuckled like she was predictable. Like he knew her too well.

“It will fade soon,” she assured herself. “I can wait it out and then no one will care anymore.”

“Sure.” There was a glint in his eyes that told her she did not want to know what he was thinking. But at least with that final word he stopped following, although she could feel his eyes on her back all the way to the next turn.

×

“Alpha Elliott,” Honeysuckle cooed over her coffee. “And where did you meet that fine man?”

Emerald giggled at her side, sprinkling brown sugar over her cinnamon latte.

“Art History,” River answered. There was no meet-cute story to tell, they shared a class, he smothered her in his scent, happily ever after.

“Ugh, I should have done the combined option like you,” Emerald whined. “Maybe there’s still time for a swap?”

Honeysuckle swiped her shoulder playfully. “Em!”

“What?”

“You can’t change your degree because of one hot alpha.”

“He’s the only hot alpha!”

They laughed together, clinking their cups in solidarity to Elliott’s hotness.

“If only I’d known,” Emerald sighed. “All this time I assumed tall, dark and handsome was stalking across campus to study Law or something serious like that.”

“Medicine,” Honeysuckle tacked on. “Or politics.”

“Art is serious too!” River bleated.

Honeysuckle rolled her eyes. “We know, we wouldn’t be spending a small fortune on fine art degrees if we didn’t take it seriously.”

“Knowing he’s into art is even better,” Emerald said dreamily, completely ignoring River’s indignation. “Do you think he likes music too?”

River wanted to sink her face into her hands. “I can see exactly where your mind is wandering, Em, and I can assure you he is not interested in joining the choir.” She sipped her hibiscus tea and willed the time to pass quicker. She usually enjoyed a catch-up with them, but she was tired of talking about Elliott. Not because he didn’t fascinate her, too, but because it irked her to see them salivate over him.

Emerald giggled. “Maybe I just want to serenade him.”

“Okay, you’re going too far now,” Honeysuckle scolded over the rim of her cup. She sucked carefully at the rim of the steaming hot Americano. “That’s her mate.”

“Sorry, River, I’m only being silly.”

“It’s fine.” River smiled. It wasn’t. “But I wouldn’t say we’re mates… just…” She laughed awkwardly. “It’s complicated.”

The women nodded, nursing their drinks with thoughtful expressions.

“Well, I hope it works out.”

“Thanks, Honeysuckle.”

“I hope it works out but if it doesn’t that he decides to transfer to our major.”

Honeysuckle groaned. “Girl, if you don’t get laid and stop acting like a fool-”

“So, how is the choir going?” River asked, her smile tight.

“Oh, don’t get me started!” Emerald laughed.

She had no idea how much River wanted her to start on any topic that wasn’t her desire for the alpha whose scent coated her throat. Anything. Talk for hours in tangent after tangent about anything but him.

“In short: it’s a mess.” Honeysuckle shook her head. “The sheet music got misprinted for the show we’re doing with the local retirement choirs.”

“So we all have slightly different versions,” Emerald added.

“And then that guy who swears up and down he is a tenor-”

Emerald scoffed. “He’s not.”

“-is trying to steal this solo part out from under this shy kid who’s actually really good.”

“But he’s a submissive beta!”

“And Mr Not A Tenor is a dominant beta.” Honeysuckle gave up on trying to skim the top layer of her coffee and put it to the table to let it cool properly. “So it’s becoming more a battle of social positioning than good vocals.”

“Oh!” Emerald hurriedly slurped at her cup between excited outbursts. “And tell her about that new rule they made up.”

Honeysuckle explained the bulldozing of a new choir master at a school they often collaborated with and his ad-libbed rules. Then a tale of a terrible voice crack mid-performance. And River listened and nodded and let them run through every remotely interesting thing they could think of until their cups were empty and the sun was setting. The Elliott topic did not return, thankfully, and they walked her back to her house share chattering about their personal painting projects.

That was top of River’s list for tomorrow. Art. That thing she was supposed to be immersing herself in for three years. She would prioritise her painting… after the gym and her lectures, that was. She flopped onto her bed and sighed, another full day on the horizon.

Chapter Text

River woke on the week-a-versary of her new scent… with Elliott’s presence clinging to her just as strongly as the six days prior. Encompassing, possessive and feeling more and more permanent with each passing day.

She pried herself from her covers. They had become an Elliott cocoon. As soon as she lost the scent, she needed to get them washed on a hot cycle, or risk an uncomfortable lingering within the alpha’s mark. It needed to be a quick, clean break. She snorted in her effort to hold back a laugh - it wasn’t a break up! They weren’t mates. She wasn’t claimed. It was all an act on both their parts. The smoother they could abandon their roles, the better.

Hopping into a soft, cotton jumpsuit, she avoided stepping on any of the sketch pads and canvases that littered her floor. She would clean them up when she spent the evening working on her personal projects, honest. First she had lectures, then a gym session with the rowing club…

She packed two bags: a tote to leave with her to the lecture theatre and a backpack to take to the gym afterwards. River wasn’t anything close to a gym rat, although she did find herself accidentally trying a whole roster of sports through favours and invitations she was too polite to turn down. She hoped her plain t-shirt and shorts would be fine for whatever torture Sierra had planned for them. She was definitely the ‘bad cop’ of the co-captain duo that lead the rowing club. Hawk was a teddy bear in comparison to her. He had warned River not to worry about trying to keep up with Sierra’s regime. They hadn’t asked her to join them to kill her - his words - but to hang out… and maybe catch the eye of potential recruits who were already experienced in working out.

“Having an omega will draw the eye,” he’d said with an inviting smile. “They don’t have to know you’re not a real member.”

“I’m not any kind of member,” she had reminded him.

“I don’t think anyone on the team would disagree with bestowing an honorary membership on you.”

“As long as I’m not paying a yearly fee on that, I’ll accept.”

He’d laughed.

Now both bags were leant against the front door. It was sheeting with rain outside and the likelihood of it stopping any time today was not worth checking on the weather forecast. River snatched up her brolly, slung on the backpack, tucked the tote under her armpit, and hobbled downstairs.

Luckily she checked her emails before stepping outside: both her morning lectures had been cancelled. River sighed as she trekked back up to the first floor. She pulled off her waterproof coat, dumped her bags, and resigned herself to a morning of clearing her messy workshop of a bedroom.

×

It looked… better? River tilted her head in the same manner she would when examining a piece of her art that looked a little off. It wasn’t entirely clear if she had actually made the mess worse, as the more she put away, the more stuff she pulled out in the name of ‘organising it properly.’

She’d run out of time so it would have to do until tonight. The gym awaited, and also, possibly, pain and suffering at the hands of Sierra. River tried not to think about that part as she stepped out into the downpour.

×

The building was half brick, and half window, exposing those inside growing and flexing their muscles. River wasn’t a member of any gym, but Hawk had sent her a day pass. She scanned it, dripping raindrops from her curls, and was waved through by an immaculately groomed woman at the front desk.

In the changing rooms she peeled off her soggy clothes and attempted to scrape her hair back into a high ponytail. She didn’t have quite enough length to look like the activewear models plastered on the walls.  Instead, it looked like she had an enormous paintbrush pinned to the top of her head. She twirled, looking herself over, and smiled. It would do. Time to warm up.

She took to the last treadmill in the line-up, far from anyone else in the cardio section, and worked up from a walk to a jog. The burn of movement, inside and out, had her breaths juddering every time her feet hit the sliding plastic. Why did cardio always feel so immediately awful? Then, she began to sweat. And the spread of her scent came with it.

She wouldn’t have noticed it herself - it’s her scent after all. She was nose blind to it. But she could hear the sniffs of curious noses, heard the pauses in the clanks of weights moving up and down, feel the attention on her infecting further and further out. An alpha mate filling the rubber-lined room with their alpha’s scent.

After ten minutes she hopped down and did a few stretches she could remember from hanging out with other clubs. Pulling her arms over her head, touching her toes and tucking her knees up one at a time.

A sniff alerted her to Sierra’s arrival at her back. “Something you forgot to mention, River?”

“Oh.” River turned. The dominant beta was watching her with hands on hips and feet planted wide. “Hey, Sierra.” They stepped away from the treadmills together. “Yeah, it’s new.” River snagged her water bottle from the floor and let the co-captain lead her. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologise.” Sierra moved to clap her on the back, and hesitated. River’s top was short-sleeved, but there would be no skinship if she had gone through with the friendly touch. There was no scent marking to be scared of… “I’m happy for you.” Sierra dropped her hand and adjusted the hem of her shorts with it instead. “And happy to see you! Thanks for coming.”

“Nothing to thank me for.” Happy to be invited - to be included.

“The team are mostly here - the ones that are late will get burpees - and I’ve got a whole section set up upstairs for us.”

“Sounds fun!”

Sierra grinned. She had a wicked smile - all predator. “I can guarantee you’re the only person here today who thinks that.” She took the first step up the stairs.

River smiled back. She wasn’t worried, no one expected an omega to be amazingly athletic. She only had to try.

The team waved to River when the pair got close enough. Noses crinkled, but they kept their comments to themselves. Hawk was there, soaked to the bone. Someone hadn’t thought to wear a spare set of clothes on the way here…

“Hey, River!” He ran his fingers through dripping hair.

“Hey, Hawk!” River offered him a handful of paper towel from the dispenser at the wall. “How was the swim here?”

He laughed, scrubbed his face, and laughed again. “Can’t say it warmed me up.”

Sierra gave him a weary look. “Come on, we’ve got a reason we’re here. Your vanity can wait till after your shower.”

They were set to work on a circuit that Sierra had formed in a half circle around the rowing machines. Free weights, yoga mats, and skipping ropes were the options for those not sat. After a generous demonstration, River was put on team rowing to start. She pulled at the cord in steady strokes, trying to keep her back straight.

“Is this really what it feels like on the water?” she asked the woman next to her. A dominant beta jerking her body back and forth at a dizzying tempo.

Despite her intense effort, she laughed. “No, but it’s the right muscles.”

Their three minutes was up, and they were expected to move on to the next station. River’s was the next rowing machine along. As she lowered her butt into the seat, a chemical-smelling tissue dropped into view.

“Careful - dominant sweat,” a woman behind her warned. A submissive looking out for another.

River accepted the wipe and rubbed down any areas she might touch before she did. Some dominant beta’s scent wasn’t going to overpower Elliott’s… but it might leave something on her and that would be exactly the ‘rumour fodder’ he was talking about before. No need to rock the boat.

“What’s it like?”

River glanced to her other side. Another dominant beta was watching her expectantly. Sierra announced the next round was starting in three… two… one…

The beta started rowing. “Having an alpha for a mate, I mean.”

River was slower off the starting block, pulling on the handle with slightly less enthusiasm. “I… don’t have anything to compare.” Technically it was the truth.

“Think you could convince your mate to join the club?”

“Imagine what an alpha could do for the team,” sighed a submissive beta squatting to re-tie his laces. He was supposed to be doing jump presses. Sierra gave him a hard look that could be easily translated as: hurry up.

Which part to deny first? That they were mates or that River had any sway over Elliott’s choices. She slowed her pulls. “Um-”

“Of course she could convince them, her mate’s an alpha,” argued the dominant beta holding a plank with a pink, scrunched face. “They’re the biggest softies when it comes to their subs.”

The first woman she had been beside added, “And omegas make every dom a softie.” She was now performing careful arm raises with a weight in each hand.

“Exactly. Double damage.” The beta rowing next to her turned with a cheeky grin. “That mate of yours better keep the credit card locked in a vault!”

A few others chuckled. Sierra was scanning the group with a sadistic gleam in her eye - a warning no one was noticing.

“That mate of hers can afford to let her run wild with the plastic,” grunted the man in the plank.

“You know them?”

“I can take an educated guess, given there’s only one alpha I’ve ever seen on campus and he drives a car worth more than my degree.”

River refused to confirm nor deny, instead, she started rowing again.

“If you can gossip, you’re not working hard enough!” Sierra barked.

River stared at the wall ahead and waited for the conversation to divert. Something else had to be more interesting than Elliott. What about rowing? They liked rowing! Why couldn’t they talk about rowing?

The round ended and River was given a skipping rope. Next she had back-to-back arm exercises that the others did with weights. Hawk said bodyweight was enough, since River might not be used to the movements. River smiled her gratitude - she was already running out of steam.

There were no break rounds. Although the group stilled in unison as River was planking. She lifted her head, but all she could see was calves and sneakers. They had all turned in one direction and held their breaths, just for a few moments, then they returned to their exercises.

“What’s wrong?” River gasped. Her elbows and ankles were on the brink of giving way.

“Uh.” Hawk, strangely lost for words.

“Your mate just came up the stairs,” the submissive beta whispered.

River collapsed to the mat. “What?” She pressed her palms to the spongy material and lifted her chest to search the space.

“He’s over on one of the benches.” Sierra nodded to a separate section. “You didn’t know he was coming?”

“No,” River murmured. She swivelled on her shorts. At the opposite end of the floor was a padded bench, and around it Elliott had gathered a handful of weights. A handful to him - a wheelbarrow-ful to River. In a compression top that left nothing to the imagination, and double-layered shorts, Elliott lowered himself to the seat. Everything about him uniform and monochromatic as always. Even his tiny towel and water bottle matched his outfit - all black. River caught a flash of colourful tattoos just above his knees, but couldn’t tell what they were. The rest of him was free of marking - a blank canvas of taut skin over thick muscle.

“Alphas can be quite protective,” Sierra offered, excusing a mate’s odd behaviour politely. Her tone turned sharp again. “Everyone keep your butts moving! I didn’t say you could stop!”

River was assigned sit-ups next. She rolled up and down with her back towards Elliott’s end of the floor. She didn’t know what to make of his arrival. Would she be expected to say something? Could she get away with pretending he wasn’t even there?

“He’s making me nervous,” hissed the dominant beta doing back rows. They were braced on the ground beside her with a lone dumbbell.

Their team mate toe-touching beside them whispered, “We’re not doing anything wrong,”

Another mumbled inside the orb of their spinning skipping rope, “I feel guilty just being near her.”

River sighed, finishing a sit-up and remaining up. “He’s not going to hurt you,” she said, refusing to mute her voice like everyone else. It wasn’t a dirty secret.

They had the grace to look sheepish. One grumbled, “That’s not what his face is saying.”

River turned her head ever-so-slowly, as though she were taking a long, relaxed look around the floor. Elliott was taking no such measures to hide his stare. And they were right, his gaze was intense. He curled an enormous weight, keeping his eyes on River, but hers couldn’t keep from dropping to the bulge of his arm. When she was able to drag them back up, he smirked. Show-off.

River huffed and turned back to the centre of the circuit circle.

The rope-skipper stumbled.

“Okay, I think it’s time for a break and weigh-ins.” Everyone dropped their task immediately. “River, you don’t need to be weighed, so would you like to… um-” Hawk gave a tiny nod in Elliott’s direction.

“Oh. Sure, I’ll have a word with him.” She turned to the group to offer an apology as well. They all assured her it was nothing, and they were fine. They were eager to be out of his eye line, though.

Hawk and Sierra led them away to be weighed. River stalked the straight line to Elliott.

Chapter Text

“Please stop scaring my friends.”

Elliott raised a dark brow. He looked infuriatingly pleased with himself. “I was only admiring how big and strong you are.” She hated how sultry his insults managed to sound.

“I don’t find that funny.”

He gave her a long look. It felt like her insides were being stirred with a big spoon. “You’re actually very strong for your size.” His mouth quirked at the corner. “I was genuinely impressed watching you.”

River squirmed on the spot in front of him. “Oh.”

He hefted up his weights, letting them lower with a slow, dragging flex. “Good form, too.”

She felt the need to push the compliment away. To lower herself beneath his praise. “I’m a lot slower than everyone else.”

Elliott shrugged, his expression gentle. “Better to do it right than do it fast.” Another curl of the dumbbells. “You’ll be the fittest on the team eventually.”

“I’m not on the team.”

“You will be when you’re lifting more than them.” Elliott winked. He swapped the pair in his hands for a heavier set. When he bent forward for the trade, he kept his eyes up on River. It was devilish, a sinner peeking up during prayer.

“I’m actually not in the rowing club,” River admitted. Her voice shook a little.

A huff of a laugh. “So, you just crashed their gym session for fun? Or does this help with the fencing?”

“I’m not a member of the fencing club, either.”

“Just a fitness freak, then?” His eyes seemed to eat her up for a moment, dragging from top to toe. “Or really determined to not be little and weak?” He made another advancement to bigger, more intimidating dumbbells. He also changed the rotation of the movement he was performing with them, targeting new muscles.

River rolled her eyes. “You’ve certainly proven how big and strong you are,” she mumbled.

Elliott chuckled. Once again, he lifted the weights with ease and control. “I’m sure some personal training could be arranged if you really want to bulk up.” He ran his tongue over his teeth and cut his eyes to somewhere just behind her for a millisecond. “I promise I shout less than that coach.”

River shook her head, unable to fight off a smile. Sierra was… a lot to handle. Luckily River got special treatment from the tough team leader - there were some omega privileges she was willing to accept.

“For the record, I think your size suits you just fine.”

In desperate avoidance of the heat rolling off of her, burning as he sized her up with inappropriate appreciation in his gaze, she threw out a joking question. “And how much would this personal training set me back?”

“Come here,” he murmured, letting the weights lower to the ground either side of him. “Let’s discuss terms.”

The end of the bench stuck out from between his legs and he broke his stare to glance down at the edge, then back to River, inviting her to take a seat. Across his thighs were two paintings inked to him permanently. On his right: Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. On his left: The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai. Each was contained to a rectangle just above the knee, tattooed in their original styles as mini replicas that would follow wherever his legs would take him.

River hesitated. Elliott grabbed her arm and pulled it across her body, turning her one-eighty and guiding her down to straddle the bench between his knees. It was a tight fit, and he had plenty of room to shuffle back and loosen it. He didn’t. He flicked the one thick curl that was her ponytail. Now slick with sweat instead of rain. “This is cute.”

“I thought we were discussing personal training,” she said over her shoulder.

He hunched over her, gripping the corners of the bench by her knees, and took a long inhale through his nose. “You’re right,” he said on the exhale. “It’s most important that we set a clear goal in mind. Let’s do our best to focus.” On the last word his bottom lip bumped the tip of her ear. A mild shiver shook her against his chest. The warmth pulsing off from it almost triggered another. She wasn’t cold, he wasn’t cold, so why did her skin tingle like it was? “What do you want to be able to do with your body?” His voice had gotten so quiet, a murmur of a dirty secret. “What do you want me to do to it?”

“Um.” River closed her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. “I don’t know.”

“Is stamina an issue for you?” Elliott purred. His lean became heavier, squishing her bare thighs between his forearms and the bench. He dropped his chin to her shoulder. “What about core strength?” Her core clenched at the question. She could only hope he didn’t notice the flex of her tummy. “Or… are you just looking for someone to burn some energy with?”

River’s eyes opened.  “St-stop it.”

His weight shifted back, releasing the pressure from her thighs. “Was I hurting you?” The words rushed out of him.

River scoffed. “I’m not that delicate.” She attempted to wriggle free and he pressed down on her again, keeping her seated. Lips brushed her neck.

The rowing club returned up the stairs in a flurry of chatter and laughter and took their spots around the circle of equipment. Eyes drifted over to River, then flicked away.

“I need to get back,” River mumbled.

Elliott relaxed his posture. “Sure, petal.”

She hopped up, stumbling over the bench, to return to them.

Sierra watched her approach with a coy smile. “You good?”

River nodded.

“He good?”

River let out a quiet, shaky laugh. “Yeah. No need to worry.”

“I’ll try to keep the doms from wetting themselves, then.”

River returned to her station with a grin. She was one exercise away from returning to the rowing machine.

“Remember what was next?” Hawk asked, dropping to a squat beside her mat.

“Haven’t got a guess,” River admitted. Everyone else had already begun and Sierra had announced the start of the timer.

“Overhead press.” Hawk handed her a pair of weights with the number one printed on the ends. “Kneel on one leg like this.” He demonstrated with one knee up and one knee down. “Then, one at a time, you press them up straight.”

“Weren’t you doing this with kettle bells earlier?”

“Yeah, but they start a lot heavier.” He stood with a grunt. “Better to learn how to do it before you start upping the weight.”

“Understood.” River took her first attempt. It wasn’t so hard. After two reps the urge to look back over her shoulder, just across the room, to Elliott was already prickling along her skin. Maybe that was his stare. Not her fault at all. Her body was simply succumbing to its scenter…

Those dark blue eyes were burning into her. His body moved, but his gaze held steady. He had one foot hooked over the bench, the other brought forward in a lunge. The weights in his hands were thicker than River’s head. With every drop, his shorts strained against the muscles of his thighs. From afar his tattoos looked like blue-toned bar codes. A wink, and River forced her face forward again.

Press and press and press. Next round. She took extra care to wipe down the rowing machine, overacting on her fear of picking up another dominant’s scent. Row and row and row. Her back to the alpha, but his presence impossible to ignore. Next round. Another rowing machine. Again with the wipe down. Maybe she bent a little far in reaching to clean the handles. Maybe she liked the feeling of her alpha’s eyes on her butt. Maybe it prickled at her in the exact same way as when his hands had been on her. Next round. Back to the floor. Round after round passed and River managed to keep herself from peeking at Elliott… too often.

Sierra’s timer rang. “And that’s the final round!” Everyone flopped to the ground where they were.

“Good work, everyone!” Hawk hollered from a puddle of his own sweat. “Showers then smoothies?”

“You go.” Sierra began collecting weights. “I’ll clean up.”

The team was hit with a bolt of energy, scrabbling up and hurrying away to get clean.

“Let me help,” River offered. She snagged some wipes and started on her own mat. “I can’t stay for smoothies.”

“That’s a shame.” Sierra risked a look at Elliott. “I can understand why you’d want to get going.”

“I’ve got painting to do.”

“Uh huh.”

River lined up the rolls of mats against a wall. “Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun.”

“You’re always welcome, River.” Sierra tied the final skipping rope in a knot on itself.  “And you know, if you ever feel like getting out on the water…”

“Thanks. One day I’ll have to give it a go.”

“We can keep that hunky mate of yours on standby for mouth to mouth.”

River almost squeaked in embarrassment.

“Oh, River, you’ve gone so pink,” Sierra laughed. “Go ruin his workout with your cuteness.”

Without a clue how to argue against that, River obeyed. She walked away, grumbling something like a ‘see you later’, face burning and palms sweating. Elliott stared her down with such intensity that she forgot how to walk like a normal person. By the time she reached him, she felt like Bambi.

“Need loving arms to fall into?” It was almost a sneer.

River froze. “I was going to say goodbye,” she huffed. “Seemed like the polite thing to d-”

“How’re you getting home?” Elliott lined up his assortment of weights by his feet and stood. “The rain won’t be stopping.” He wiped the bench and tidied away the equipment around it.

“Same way I got here - walking.” River shuffled backwards. “And I’d better get going. I’ve got painting-”

“Come on.” Elliott re-racked the last of his dumbbells. “I’ll drive you.” He snagged up his bottle and towel.

River backed up to the top of the stairs. “I don’t need a lift.”

He took her elbow in his hand, shocking her with the touch, and pinned her to his side. “We’ve already been seen together and I’m supposed to let an omega wearing my scent walk out in the rain?” He walked her down the stairs. “Got anything to collect from the lockers?”

“Y-yeah.”

“In you go.” He pushed her into the changing rooms, and was leant against the wall outside when she returned, bag on her back. She didn’t change - Elliott seemed to be in a hurry.

They strode through the turnstiles. Elliott kept a few fingers in the small of River’s back, guiding her to the doors. Rain was splashing against the glass, warning against exit.

“See that black splotch over there?” Elliott tapped at the view of the car park. “That’s where we need to get to.”

River blew out a nervous breath. “Run on the count of three?”

“You don’t want to be carried?”

She gave him a dark look.

“On three.”

They burst through the door and River ran as hard as her feet could hit the ground. Elliott kept pace without raising his knees. He had the car unlocked well before they had reached the doors. Despite the downpour, he jogged ahead to open the passenger side for her. River shook her head, and was smacked in the ear by her soaked ponytail, at the needless chivalry. She jumped inside.

Elliott slid in, shut the door and turned the car on immediately to get the heat running.

River brought her hands up to the air blasting on her side and sighed. “I can admit this is better than walking.”

Plugging his seatbelt, Elliott stilled, his fingers still wrapped around it. His nose twitched.

“What’s wrong?”

He lifted his head and looked out his window, then the wind shield, like an animal scoping its cage.

“Elliott?”

“Fuck,” he whispered.

“What?”

“I fucked up.”

“How?”

“I’ve trapped myself in a car with a sweaty omega. One that I’ve marked.” He threw an arm back, scrabbled around behind them and yanked a pile of black material through the seats to the front. “Put this on.”

“Why?”

“Because we can’t open the windows and I need air.” He cranked the AC to full and Arctic air hit River’s soggy body. “Put it on or freeze.”

She hurried to pull on the item she’d been given - a huge hoodie. It wasn’t warm but at least it was dry. She wriggled her head through the hole and rolled the sleeves up a little. Elliott’s scent had been rubbed all over the inside. She snapped her seat belt over the top as Elliott pulled out of the gym car park.

“You can still smell my scent?” River couldn’t anymore. Elliott’s scent had smothered hers entirely.

Through gritted teeth he answered, “Of course I can.” He drove carefully in spite of his obvious discomfort, taking them through the town centre, wind shield wipers working overtime.

“Can other people?”

“No one on this campus.”

“It’s an alpha thing?”

“Mm.”

“Are you okay?”

“Mmhm.”

“Maybe you should try breathing through your mouth.”

“And taste you instead?” he snapped.

River’s own breath rushed into her mouth in shock. “Is that so awful?”

Elliott groaned through his bottom lip snagged between his teeth. “Stop provoking me. I’m not known for my self-control.”

“Provoking you?”

He shifted his hips back, knees widening a little, and swallowed. “Unless you want an all-over fresh coating, stop.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing that’s so terrible,” River mumbled through chattering teeth.

He changed gears with more aggression than was necessary. “Stop pouting. Stop sitting like a cherub. Stop speaking with your soft voice. Stop smelling so damn good.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t.”

Elliott swung into the open space outside River’s house share and let out a tense exhale. River snapped the handle out and jumped free of the blizzard-like interior. Outside wasn’t much better. The rain was pelting through icy wind and it almost knocked River back into the car. She yanked her hood up over her head. It would last her to the house. If she didn’t slip over on the path there.

Inside in five seconds flat. She slammed her back against the front door, shutting out the storm. Her hood slid over her eyes, far too big for her head. Because it wasn’t hers. River jolted. She’d stolen Elliott’s clothes. She spun on sopping, slippery trainers and threw the door back open.

Elliott’s sleek black car was gone.

Chapter Text

Clean. Dry. Stinking of Elliott. Ready to cover herself in paint.

River dragged out a semi-circle of half-finished pieces onto the floor around her, cross-legged in mismatched pjs, and wielded her paintbrushes like weapons. She dipped and dabbed. She added petals and folded leaves. She filled card and canvas with slow, sometimes-certain strokes.

Eventually, the abandoned projects were complete and scattered around the room to dry in high places, and she could start something new. Not new as in a deviation from her aesthetic or preferred medium, but a fresh canvas. River flicked through her sketch book for a jumping off point.

The hard-working sprouts pushing through frost took her fancy: a nice challenge to show the delicate sparkle around spring green shoots. She had one small canvas left of the multi-pack her parents had bought her for Christmas. She peeled away the plastic wrap with reverence, trying not to think of where she would need to find the money for more. The art hub had supplies that could be used by those that had assignments that required it. But it was more the conduits: the pastels, the paints, the pencils. They rarely had spare canvases to go around. You’d be lucky to salvage a large piece of un-doodled card.

River traced grey lines in pencil first, mimicking her live sketches. She wanted no focal point, the whole piece would be a battlefield of spring versus winter. Small-but-mighty plants versus the seemingly endless cold and dark.

“For the record, I think your size suits you just fine.”

River’s brush froze. For a moment, winter won. Then the shame hit, warming her cheeks uncomfortably. It was a throw-away comment. He probably hadn’t even meant it. She returned to her work, pushing Elliott from her mind.

The layers of grey, shimmering space were a pristine shield defending against the tiny shoots. It was coming along beautifully.

She was on a roll.

Inspired.

Recounting every hushed word Elliott had spoken as they shared a bench like it was a song on repeat.

Whatever got the creative juices flowing was not to be worried about in the moment. What mattered was that this piece might just be the best she’d ever painted.

×

Clubbing wasn’t River’s preferred scene, she liked to dance amongst friends, or have the opportunity to make new ones. In a dark club with the music pounding, everything was down to body language. And her being an omega spoke volumes on behalf of her body.

But Ember, the housemate she shared the second floor bathroom with, had begged her every half hour until her newly-painted piece had dried. It was her clothes River would be trussed up in - apparently the venue they wanted to get into had a dress code. When River had gone out clubbing before, jeans and a crop top had sufficed - she definitely hadn’t had to wear heels. She dressed up for parties where she knew she was safe, where she knew her friends would be there to coo over her outfit and she could do the same back.

“This place is bougie, River, even the dominants have to wear proper shoes,” Ember giggled as she held up dresses in front of her, eye-balling which would fit best. “We’re only getting in because Pep’s passed her probation in the restaurant they have upstairs.”

“We’re not eating there, are we?” River had a budget that would cover two soft drinks in the club and a chicken nugget meal for the way home.

“Hell no!” Ember laughed. “We’re not getting in the restaurant unless we find sugar daddies on the dance floor.”

River breathed out a soft sigh of relief and accepted the silky handful she was offered.

“This has a wrap-around waist tie so we can cinch it and make it look more your size.”

“Thanks, Ember. Give me five minutes.”

River skipped back across the hall to Ember’s room in a swath of pink shiny material. The dress hung a little lower than it was probably intended to on a beta, settling just above her knees even when Ember adjusted the sparkly criss-crossing straps that were all she had to cover her back. She had been expecting the waist tie to be a giant bow of some kind, but it was more like a glitzy necklace that threaded through slits at River’s waist and then dangled over her butt, bouncing against her with every step. Ember pulled it taught and threaded it back over itself again for both security and aesthetic.

They would be heading out in a group made up of all the submissives sharing their house: three beta girls and two beta boys and River. They passed around a bottle of rum, adding to the sweetness with cola to mix. Ember topped up everyone’s cans with the last of the rum before tossing it in the recycling. They drained the final drops as their cab arrived and everyone suddenly became less ready to go than they had been thirty seconds earlier.

Bundled into car, for which River owed two pounds to someone for booking, the dashboard clock caught her eye. This was the time she had been planning to be in bed by. Her name was called and she leaned in for a photo. She didn’t have lectures until the afternoon, but in the morning she’d planned to go to the library to catch up on her required reading. The car rocked on a turn and the submissives giggled, clinging to each other dramatically. Their driver, a submissive as requested on the app, apologised and they all assured him it was fine. They were having fun. River needed to do the same, there was no point worrying about the next day, it was going to come either way.

×

Their names were on a list. River’s name had never been on a list for a club - she’d never even been to a club that had a queue! Luckily, the all-powerful list dictated that they didn’t need to queue. Pepper had saved River’s feet a lot of pain. The heels strapped up to her ankles were already causing twinges in the balls of her feet.

The inside was dark and moody with VIP booths ringing the dance floor and multiple bars spaced around the far edges of the room. The material that lined the seats and stools didn’t look easy to clean, it was velvet-like. Lights glowed from the floor like an airplane, leading River and her group to the almost-full floor ahead of a DJ booth blasting bouncy, hip-shaking songs. In the centre of the dance floor was a black, metal staircase reaching upwards in a spiral. River could guess it lead to the highly exclusive restaurant that Pepper worked in. When a couple descended, it drew the eyes of all those gathered around the bottom, dancing, but keeping their attention on those that arrived from above.

One of her housemates grabbed her hand and pulled her to the edge of the writhing crowd. The energy was infectious, her heart pounded and her instincts became frantic. Fun, and intense. Their small group danced their way further and further into the floor, with River ringed by the others.  Even with her alpha scent, they kept her omega-ness in mind. Dominants tried to make eye contact with her, asking the unspoken question, “Where’s your alpha?”

River ignored them. She twirled her dress and held hands with her friends and danced until she was too thirsty to swing her hips anymore. They squeezed their way to the nearest bar as a group. River ordered a lemonade, and was gifted a shot from the bartender alongside it. A fellow submissive, cheering her on with a wink and a nod. River accepted it with a giggle. Down in one, and then her lemonade to chase. She sipped on it all the way back to the dance floor and carefully kept it from being smacked by flinging hands and overexcited hair swishes.

When all that remained was half-melted ice cubes clinking in time with her bopping, River sourced a ledge to leave her glass and returned to the centre of her housemates. As she was approaching them, she glanced up at the staircase, as though someone had called her name.

Oh, there’s my alpha.

With each step, Elliott folded his sleeves back on themselves, rolling them to just beneath his elbows. The top button of his shirt was open, the bottom remained tucked into tailored black trousers. They fit him perfectly, accentuating his long, strong legs.

River found her rhythm again, swaying to the music as she observed him. He reached the midway platform, like a balcony overlooking the peasants below. A slow turn, taking in the chaotic flailing and grinding. He found her. River tilted her head, letting herself smile. He rested his elbows on the railing and watched her dance, his expression unreadable so far above.

A bump against her back. A dominant beta too stupid, or too drunk, to read the scent mark emanating from her very pores closed in on her from behind. She jerked back, enveloping herself back into her friend group, already mobilising to guard her. The beta was easily shaken off, stumbling away to rub himself against someone or something else.

Ember rubbed her arm, shouting some kind of reassurance in her ear, or maybe an offer to go home? River’s concentration was taken with the act of searching the platform for Elliott. Gone. Disappointment flooded her. A second wave hit: shame. Why should she be disappointed that some alpha wasn’t watching her dance anymore? That he was no longer locked onto her and only her?

Another bump. This time a large hand curled over her waist, holding her in place. Her friends gave her coy smiles instead of worried words, turning away. More of her own scent clouded the area. They suddenly had a lot more room. The frenzied feeling fell away.

Elliott turned her slowly, drawing her in close. She was burning hot from the dancing, the body heat all around, the drinks. Elliott’s touch was cool, not that he adventured far. He kept his touch to the dress, stingy with his scent tonight. Stroking the shimmering strings that patterned her bare back, but never grazing her skin. River clutched his shirt in return, resting her face on his chest. She was a little taller today, thanks to the twigs she was balanced on. It didn’t quite even them out, but it felt nice to be able to hear his heart thump on her cheek. It was faster than his face would suggest. She smiled, shut her eyes, and let him guide their dance.

The song wasn’t slow, but it was a perfect background noise to sensual acts. The singer listed off suggestions like someone was taking notes for their next orgy. River hadn’t done anything. In the song or otherwise. If this enormous man had a seat, however, River would be climbing into his lap, throwing her hips in a circle-

Her eyes snapped open. That was definitely the alcohol talking.

Elliot rolled her against him with the leverage of two handfuls of pink, silky material. One at her neck and one at her behind. His knee slid between her legs, offering a perch to be ground on. River accepted, letting her weight rest on his thigh. The pressure of it against her underwear was satisfying in a way she had never felt before. He was so thick and filling and firm. The grip on her dress tightened and she was rocked up, higher, the toes of her shoes left the ground momentarily and the drag of his trousers against her thin knickers pulsed through her. She felt swollen. Every movement against her lips catching her with sparks. Up, down. Her thigh muscles twitched either side of his. She agreed, she wanted more. Up, down. Her slick had breached her panties. He’d have a wet patch on his trousers. For some reason, that turned her on more. Up, down. She was sliding freely along him now. Something was buzzing between her legs, pulsing. Up, down. The DJ kept the volume high, thankfully, since River was whining into Elliott’s shirt like it was soundproof. Up, and he bounced her in tiny thrusts, keeping her at the top, feet dangling, fuelling the rushing sensation running up her body. She was so close. She fisted more of his shirt, the urge to do something overcoming her. She kicked her feet. She shifted her hips. She screamed brokenly.

She… she came in the middle of a packed club dance floor.

Elliott held her steady until she’d finished squirming in orgasmic bliss. Then, without a word, he lowered her to trembling heels and she rode his leg down to the knee, leaving behind a trail of slick that caught the flashing lights. He kept a hand on her dress and used it to dance her off the floor, manoeuvring her with hips swaying from side to side. The doors were ahead. To leave. River turned to question him but he had already caught the attention of a man dressed in all black with an ear piece nearby. Security, maybe? This man called another, a submissive beta, and Elliott shook both their hands. Afterwards, they both shoved those hands in their pockets quickly.

“Hello, Miss River.” The submissive offered his hand and River shook it, too. “My name is Linden and I will be driving you home now.”

River looked to Elliott. They probably thought she was checking her alpha for permission, it annoyed her a little . She wanted to correct them. “I’ve had two drinks,” she hissed up at him.

He bent to speak in her ear. “And we’re both covered in your slick.” River’s skin burned. Not in the sensual way it had earlier.  “I’m leaving, too. But I can’t be in the same car as you.”

River nodded. She had no argument to that.

Linden was waiting with a polite smile glued on. River walked to him and was led through a freezing back corridor that circled the side of the building. In a covered parking garage, he opened the back door to a silver car and she took the seat, thanking him. Whether he could tell she had too much on her mind to make chit chat, or he just didn’t want to get involved in the seemingly tangled love life of an alpha and omega, was unclear, but he put the radio on to a classical station and drove silently to the address Elliott must have given him. From the outside looking in, it must appear that they were feuding. Or the alpha has someone else he would like to visit before the night is over…

River withheld a sigh. She needed to let her friends know she had left. Pulling her phone from her tiny bag tucked under her skirt, she tapped out a long message thanking them for a fun night. After it was sent, she turned the screen over in her hands a few times.

She should offer to pay for Elliott’s dry cleaning. Omega slick was a nightmare to get out of fabric… Could she afford that? Could she even bear to offer? The humiliation of admitting to her body’s omega… abilities… might just finish her off for the night. She decided not to send him a text while tipsy, she’d only embarrass herself further.

She wanted to be out of her dress, she wanted another shower, she wanted to stroke calm the places he had sent into feverish pulsing.

“Is this correct, Miss River?”

“Hmm?” River sat up. She was home. “Yes. Thank you, Linden.”

Chapter Text

Day eight. The scent of alpha was still unnervingly strong. It wasn’t as though last night’s… unspeakable incident… had added to the potency of the mark - he hadn’t touched her skin. River slammed her face back into her pillow. Coming without a single, actual, touch.

For a moment, it had felt completely normal- natural. In the roll of their bodies a deep primal urge was reciprocated. Except, was it? River came and left an omega snail trail to prove it all over his trousers. Elliott didn’t. And River had no idea what that meant. Actually, she did have ideas, she just didn’t like any of them as reasonable options.

If he just wasn’t as attracted to her as she was to him? Mortifying. If he was expecting her to do more than ride him with her face in his shirt? Possibly even more mortifying. If he was taking pity on a virtuous omega? River would rather die than be seen with him again. Or by him.

What on earth were you even supposed to say to someone after you got off on their knee?

She groaned and the pillow didn’t reply.  It judged in silence. For having an orgasm in public or for not being at the library already like she’d planned… was to be decoded. She swivelled her cheeks to peek at the time on her phone: ten. She’d wanted to be at the library and nose-deep in her required reading by nine.

She forced herself upright, bringing the disapproving pillow with her in a limp cuddle, and sighed. There was still time, and she needed to be dressed and out the door for afternoon lectures eventually, she might as well make the most of the extra time.

A speedy shower and a knee-length buttercup-printed dress, cropped cream cardigan, white sandals, and wrinkly tote bag later, River was ready to head out.

The library was an easy, breezy, walk away. Inside it wasn’t too busy, with plenty of tables and cubicles open for use. River slid into one and arranged two enormous tomes in front of her with her water bottle on the side. She checked her phone: more than enough time to get though all the necessary chapters.

“River, darling!”

River jolted in her seat.

“Hi Heather,” she whispered. Others were giving them hard looks over the dividers.

Heather dropped her volume. “Oh, yes, sorry!” She twinkled her fingers at a man who hadn’t looked away quickly enough. “I’m just passing through and I thought I recognised…”

Fifteen minutes later, Heather had bustled away and River slumped in her chair. She really needed to get stuck in-

Pepper popped out from behind a bookcase. “Hey River! I thought I heard your voice. How’d you like Glacier?”

River perked up to answer. It would be rude not to thank her for including her name on the club list…

After ten minutes of gratitudes and polite compliments on Glacier’s music, atmosphere, interior design, Pepper took her leave, walking backwards out of the building with hushed promises of another night out soon.

River waved until she was out of sight.

She still had time. As long as she cracked on without any further distractions-

A head dipped into her cubby with a coy smile: Emerald.

“Hi Em,” River greeted, barely keeping her exasperation from her voice. “I really-”

“You will not believe what that choir master has done now!”

Apparently River’s belief wasn’t conditional to her hearing this new piece of gossip, because Emerald launched into the story without pause for breath. River nodded and hummed her along, hoping that any moment it would end. She had so much reading to catch up on…

Please, she wanted to say, I came here for peace and quiet to read, not to chat!

“Move along, this isn’t a café.” Elliott slid into the cubby beside her, dropping a luxurious leather satchel to the desk. The mere sight of him set River’s senses on edge. Anticipation tickling her all over.

Emerald giggled, only an undercurrent of awkward nerves to the sound. “You’re right, I should get going. See you, River.” She eyed Elliott all over. “Elliott, right?”

Elliott nodded, to his laptop rather than Emerald.

“Bye, Em,” River hinted quietly.

Emerald skipped off, unperturbed. Once she was out of earshot, River murmured her thanks.

“I sent her on her way for my sake, not yours.” Elliott finished arranging the tiny desk space with his things and placed the satchel beneath. “I’m here to study.”

“So am I!”

“Then why couldn’t you get rid of her?”

“That’s rude,” River mumbled.

“Being direct and being rude aren’t the same thing.”

“They are if you’re not big enough that taking offence could have consequences.”

“Talk of consequences coming from an omega is…” He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth for a moment and smirked down at his text-filled screen. “Hilarious.”

Ah, one of River’s least favourite omega stereotypes: that omegas get special treatment everywhere they go and that this offers them some kind of advantage in life.  Omegas can do what they like and no one would bat an eye because they’re just a weak, little omega.

“You of all people should know that the clichés betas believe are bullshit.”

“True.” He watched her for moment, as though weighing up whether to continue. He turned back to the laptop. “The reason you don’t face consequences isn’t your secondary gender. It’s because you refuse to toe anything close to a confrontation.” He let out a sigh filled with mirth, keeping his gaze on the screen. “God forbid you don’t fall at the feet of anyone who approaches you.”

River pouted. “You will never convince me there’s anything wrong with being nice for the sake of being nice.”

He finally broke his staring contest with his laptop to give her an odd look. Curious? Humorous? Disbelieving? “Let’s agree to disagree and get on with our studies, then.”

A flush of heat ran through her. She was going to start her reading, but if she argued it out with him she was proving the point he had so subtly made. She locked her eyes on the text in front of her and began to read.

Ten pages in, she smelt the approach of a submissive beta from behind.

“She’s got a deadline.” Smooth yet icy, Elliott’s words passed over the top of her head. He barely turned in his seat to address the approaching interrupter.

“Oh, sorry!” The voice was JJ’s, a guy in her fine art class. River peeked over her shoulder and JJ mouthed ‘I’ll text you!’

River smiled and nodded and returned to her book.

Every now and then, another person would approach. And every time Elliott would rebuff them with incredible efficiency.

In spite of his firm tone, she could tell they were all still eager to be agreeable with him. No one was offended by his dismissal. No one argued or complained. No one lingered. It must be so easy to be an alpha - everyone wanted to like them, to be in their vicinity. Not like omegas, too dainty and delicate - why take the risk of being near them? River worked so hard to be approachable, easy to like, and Elliott made none at all and betas took to him without any concern. She didn’t begrudge him being introverted, it was just so unfair that she couldn’t get the same treatment.

After reading in silence, side-by-side, for an hour, River cracked.

“How do you keep turning up everywhere I go?”

Elliott took his time facing her. “I told you already, I have to keep an eye on anyone wearing my scent.” He sighed, sliding to his side on the hard wooden chair as though it were a chaise. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

She slumped back and folded her arms over her chest. “And how many subs have you scent marked?”

“Are you jealous?” The excitement in his eyes made her nervous.

River scoffed. “No! I’m just curious how often you do this scent-and-stalk routine.”

“How many doms have scent marked on you?”

She turned away, burning from brow to collarbone.

“Oh?” Elliott chuckled. “A lot, then.”

River shook her head at her book. Not a single scent but her own had crossed her throat before Elliott’s.

“No alphas, though.”

River jerked her gaze back up to him. How could he tell that?

“Tuesday. You said the scent would fade soon, but it’s only been a week,” he explained with a smirk. “Dominant betas can stretch out a week at most from one scent mark, but you’ve got a little longer before mine even starts fading.”

“How much longer?”

“My record is ten days, full strength.”

“And then?”

“Then another week, at least, of the slow breakdown of my mark.”

Almost three weeks off one rub-down. River was doomed. She folded her cardigan around her tighter.

“Angling for another hoodie?”

River laughed awkwardly. “And take up even more space in the washing machine? I’ve got my own clothes to fit in!” Yesterday’s stolen article was still sitting at the bottom of her laundry basket - soaked.

“Are any of those clothes appropriate for winter?” Elliott asked, a teasing lilt to his tone.

“It’s spring.”

“In a month, sure.”

“It’s getting warmer and brighter every day.”

“I see, so because the temperature has moved from one degree to two degrees, you think you can walk around half-dressed?”

River rolled her eyes. He hadn’t been complaining about how little she was wearing last night. “Everything that needs to be covered is covered.”

He took a long time studying her now, checking all the areas he deemed needing of cover. His eyes lingered between her legs before flicking back up to meet hers. “But is it warm?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

A passing student coughed, “Get a room!” He and his friend hurried away and out the front doors, laughing.

“I- I didn’t mean that in- in a dirty way-”

Elliott tapped her open book. “Back to work.”

×

After her afternoon lecture, River still had an Art Society meeting to attend. She flopped onto one of the benches just inside the doors to the theatre building.

She had no reason to feel so drained. A ten o’clock start was nothing to boast about. She’d spent a couple of hours reading in the library… and avoiding conversation with everyone and their mother. Then Elliott had departed for a reason he didn’t share, and River had walked to class.

In the absence of a logical reason, she decided to blame Elliott. Something about being in his presence and trying to act like she wasn’t humming with suspense at what he would do next exhausted her. It had to be his fault. She thought she’d had him pegged as the quiet, classy alpha in the corner, now she was struggling to put him in a box. He kept himself in his shell for the most part, but he could also be very forward and… flirtatious?

Was it flirting if he didn’t take her seriously? Or was it just teasing? Should she be rejecting the behaviour?

She didn’t want to.

River choked on her own spit and sat up properly to cough herself clear again. That wasn’t a thought she had expected to reach her consciousness. Even admitting to herself that maybe… she liked his looks, his purred words, his steady and careful touches, was painfully embarrassing.

He had scent-marked her on a silly whim that they’d shared. He didn’t want her. He was playing along for the duration of the mark and that was it. Keeping his hands to the barrier of the dress last night had told her exactly that. In a few days the scent would be fading and Elliott would lose interest. Until then... there was nothing wrong with enjoying his playful pretend interest. She was young, and at university, this was the time to have fun!

She hopped back onto her feet, invigorated, and decided to take the longer, scenic walk to the meeting. Maybe she could gather more inspiration for her next painting…

×

“They want us to work for free,” Rowan summarised. His frown was almost fearsome.

The Art Society president corrected him, “They will provide food and drinks and you’re welcome to use photos of the project for your portfolios.”

“I don’t have a portfolio,” Sky complained. He was on the Art History course, so he didn’t need to show any of his own art. A shame, because River felt he had a real eye for anatomical sketching. “And I don’t eat cake.”

The president sighed. “Well, anyone that does want to join in, please let me know.”

“And that was the last item on the agenda,” the society secretary added. “Thanks for coming everyone.”

The group partly-dispersed, with some lingering to sign up for the mural painting project and others hanging back to complain about the audacity of expecting broke uni students to work for free. The mural was for a local café, and would take a whole day to complete. Luckily, River had checked her diary and she was free. It wasn’t planned until after the Easter break due to the cold weather, so it was far enough out that she actually had some availability. She joined the line to sign herself up and got a thorough thanks from the president and secretary.

As she approached the door to leave, Rowan and Sky swooped into her sides.

“You shouldn’t let them take advantage of your good nature like that, River,” Rowan scolded.

Sky grumbled, “Yeah, you can’t be working for coffee and cookies.”

“It’ll be a fun day to make friends!”

The boys groaned in unison and yanked open the doors ahead of her. River trotted through and they caught back up with her immediately.

“You have more than enough friends,” Sky laughed.

“Too many!” Rowan huffed. “You need to de-clutter your diary.”

River grinned. There was no chance of that happening. “Maybe I’ll manage to change your minds by next term.”

“And maybe pigs will fly.” Rowan nodded down the dark street. “More importantly - you going straight home from here?”

“Yep.”

“Then we’ll walk you.”

River beamed up at them. “Thanks.”

“Now stop it with that cute shit, you’re not going to convince us,” Rowan grumbled.

River laughed and let them lead her back to her front door.

Chapter Text

“I don’t think I understand this assignment anymore…”

“Ilex,” River said gently. “Struggling to find a reference doesn’t mean you need to give up entirely.”

“What if I really want to?”

“No,” Rowan grunted. “We’re suffering together here. No one gets to quit.”

Their study session had followed a cyclical pattern for most of the day: they made an ounce of progress, someone got stuck on something, River reassured them or Rowan gave them a kick up the arse, rinse and repeat. Whatever there was to be said about their methods, words were getting put down on paper and that’s all they needed.

By lunchtime, their brains were fried.

“Text me your orders and transfer me your money,” Sky demanded, standing up with an exaggerated stretch.

They had agreed on a local sandwich place - take-out so they could keep their hold on their table in the student study zone: the ground floor of one of the blocky buildings spread out about campus. It was in hot demand at this point in the term.

Sky had the biggest arms, therefore he could carry the most sandwiches. River, Rowan and Ilex kept their butts on the benches either side of their table strewn with laptops and printouts.

“So, anything new with your scenter?” Rowan attempted to sound casual, but there was a nervous look in his eyes. He was keeping quiet watch of the area around them. Awaiting Elliott’s magic appearing act.

“Not really.” We ground against each other on a dance floor till I came on him.

“Oh, yeah?” Liar.

“Yeah, same as before.” River shrugged. “Waiting out the fade.”

“Alpha stink lasts ages,” Ilex commented. “Or, so I’ve heard.”

Rowan nodded. “What’re you on now? Ten days at least?”

“Nine.”

“Not that you’re counting.” He gave her a strange look, as though he weren’t sure what to make of her, or maybe her situation.

”It’s been an interesting experience,” River offered, diplomatic as she could be. “And I’ve learned a lot.” She arranged her papers into perfect rectangles in front of her, dropping her eyes from their interest.

“But?”

“But I’m ready to be rid of it now.” Not ready to be rid of the alpha that supplied it, perhaps. But ready to be treated like a normal omega again. If there was any such thing.

“Ouch,” Ilex laughed awkwardly. “I’d be real hurt if someone said they were sick of my scent.”

River rolled her eyes. “Willow loves you.”

The boys shared a mischievous look and leant in over the table top. Ilex whispered, “Maybe Elliott loves you.”

“He doesn’t know me,” she whispered back.

“It’s hard not to know you, River, you make a friend out of passing birds.”

“I just-” She cleared her throat, overcome with a need to explain herself, but also desperate not to let the words out. Not to admit that she wasn’t as confident as she appeared. “I feel like if I don’t make the effort with others, they won’t make it with me.”

“Why would you think that?”

She gave them a dull look. “You know why.”

Ilex blasted her with his best cheeky grin.“I would have still been your friend, even if you hadn’t forced me.” The teasing fell flat, and Rowan winced.

“You wouldn’t have approached me first, and you know it.”

“I- The thing is-”

“No one wants to be the dominant hassling an omega,” Rowan blurted. “It feels like the safe thing to do is… you know-”

“Handle these things with care,” Ilex supplied.

“Yeah. Don’t come in too intense or eager.”

“We’re intimidating.”

“Yeah.”

“Not intentionally.”

“No,” Rowan echoed.

“And maybe… the safest solution of all… sometimes…”

“Is to avoid the problem completely,” River finished for them.

Rowan’s eyes rounded, sad. “You’re not a problem, River,” he said, soft and sore. River shrugged instead of replying.

“I just want omegas to feel at ease around me,” said Ilex, “but I don’t know how to approach without overthinking everything.” He slumped forwards, chin in hands. “What if I’m too close or I’m too loud?”

“Should I shake their hand or is that unwanted touch and sweat scent?” Rowan added. “Is it rude to not shake their hand?”

River sighed, tucking her curls behind her ears. “You know you could just ask me these questions, right?”

“You’re different.”

“Yeah, River, you take no prisoners. You’re not scared of us or even an alpha.”

“I’m still an omega.”

“Then… what is the answer?”

River took a deep breath. “Approach, but leave an arm’s length distance - your arm’s length, so they know you’re not going to touch them if they don’t know you. Talk at the volume you would with a submissive beta. Don’t touch them in any way that will cause skin-on-skin if you’re not friends. It’s not rude to not shake their hands, it shows you’re considerate. Anything else?”

Rowan was still scrawling her answers down on a scrap piece of paper but Ilex had more to ask. “What if there’s two of us and one of them, won’t that seem threatening if we approach out of nowhere?”

“Then split up, have one come over and one hang back. Explain what you’re doing. Don’t be creepy.”

Ilex nodded. “Got it.” Rowan did, he had filled the paper with scribbles.

Sky returned with the sandwiches, and the boys discussed what they had learned between enormous mouthfuls. River listened to them, nibbling, and hoping it would mean more dominant friends for lonely omegas.

×

In preparation for the party River pulled free a cream miniskirt from her barely-closable wardrobe. It sat firmly in the category of clothes she wouldn’t wear to anything but a house party - events that were at least partially invite-only and she knew the invitees. Everyone was a friend or a friend-of-a-friend. Despite her best efforts to assimilate, she was still an omega. And an omega in a short skirt could guarantee unwanted interest from dominants. It wasn’t fair, but it wasn’t safe to pretend things were anything else. The skirt was embroidered with tiny flowers spread sparsely around the material, and it fit like a glove, the hem resting just beneath the crease where River’s thighs met her butt. She tucked a thin white tee into it, added a gold-coloured necklace with a daisy charm, plus some matching bracelets, and slipped her feet into strappy heels that almost brought her to the height of a submissive beta.

She shared an uber with her housemates, who she had invited, and they got to Hawk’s building fashionably late. It had once been some kind of workshop or small factory, converted into a bunch of open-plan flats, when they got inside, they found all the doors welcoming in partyers.

“River!” Hawk called over pounding music and jumping bodies. River didn’t have to squeeze to reach him, her scent brushed back anyone in her way. The dominants gave her wary, sometimes accusatory, looks. “You made it!”

“Wouldn’t miss it!” River shouted.

“Let’s get you a drink!” Hawk nodded towards a kitchen through one of the doors. “We all put our collections together for a sick bar.”

It was a pretty impressive display of bottles, all opened and some a little crusty-looking. She accepted a shot and Hawk poured himself one to match. On the count of three they downed them and performed a synchronised gag.

“Okay, let’s switch to something sweet,” Hawk gurgled. He snatched a bottle of Sourz from the line-up and mixed it with lemonade in two plastic cups. “Cheers!”

They bumped cups and sipped. Much easier on the throat.

“River!”

They turned in unison to watch JJ wriggle his way through dancing bodies.

“Hey JJ!”

“What’re you drinking?”

Hawk offered his cup with a cocky grin. “Have a taste.”

JJ looked him up and down pointedly, smirked, and accepted the drink. When he swallowed the cupful in one go, Hawk bit his lip on a chuckle.

“How do you two know each other?” River asked.

Hawk retrieved the Sourz bottle and emptied it into what once was his cup. “We don’t, but please feel free to introduce us.”

River laughed. “JJ, this is Hawk, and this is his party.” Well, his and all of his neighbours within the building’s.

“Hi Hawk.” The eyes JJ gave Hawk over the rim of the cup as he took a neat nip of the Sourz should have come with a warning. Something above PG13, at least. “Nice party. I came with Cypress.”

“Ah, the loudest complainer the rowing club has ever had the misfortune of listening to.”

JJ’s brows bounced. “You row, too?”

River answered for him. “He’s co-captain of the club.”

“Ooh, a man with authority.”

Hawk laughed loudly and River slipped away, uninterested in watching her friends devour each other with their eyes, and soon their mouths.

Her new drink went down far too easy, but Sierra appeared at her side with a bottle of vodka to tip in a couple of shots worth and she shook her head in faux disapproval. They danced together, without any skin contact, of course, until Marigold shimmied in close with the clear intention of getting the dominant beta’s attention.

River yelled over the music, “Sierra, this is Mari, take care of her while I go to the bathroom.”

Sierra’s grin was all white teeth and pointed canines and Mari fluttered under the intensity of it. River left them to wrap themselves around each other.

“Have a mini!” was yelled into her ear on her way to the corridor.

“Huh?” She turned, and a small bottle of gin was pressed into her palm.

Beck, a submissive beta that she had met through the Art Society, was swigging from a tiny plastic fireball bottle. He waved it at River as though to cheers.

“Later,” she promised. “I need to slow down!”

He laughed and bumbled away, leaving her holding the mini gin. When another friend attempted to hand her a shot, she palmed it off on them and kept walking.

She stumbled into a bathroom, possibly Hawk’s, and locked the door behind her. She didn’t actually need to go, she just needed a moment to breathe, the alcohol was already meddling with her to a point that she struggled to keep her head still long enough to assess her appearance in the grubby mirror.

She took a few breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, and patted a bit of cold water on her forehead and cheeks. She was fine, she just needed to take it easy. Dance off the effects of her drinks so far…

Sliding out of the bathroom, she was halted by an enormous dominant hanging around outside. She jerked back, but not before he could comment, just loud enough to be heard over the rabble, “That’s some powerful alpha armour you got.”

River shrugged, stumbling a little, and hurried back to the group of people shuffling and grinding to the music. Familiar faces welcomed her, and another cup appeared in her hand. She sipped at it slowly, carefully, and bopped to the beat.

Her thoughts were swimming in the goop that her brain had become after an hour… or maybe more? She’d politely turned away a lot of gifted drinks, and accepted a couple - she needed to drink something. Dancing was drying her out. Beck was back, he spun her and swayed them together. She needed the help, her body was barely co-operating with staying upright. She stumbled and felt a flash of panic in her stomach. Sick? No. But the realisation that she’d had far too much.

She tried to excuse herself, babbling something against the side of Beck’s sweaty head. He didn’t understand her, but when she pulled away he let her go with a glassy-eyed grin.

Back in the bathroom she hid. It stank now. Others also hadn’t handled their drink well. She put the lid down on the toilet seat and tried to pull herself together. Her hands and feet were shaking. She wanted to go home, she wanted to curl up somewhere she knew she was safe. She was scared.

River pulled her phone from her pocket. She stared at the screen until someone rattled the door handle.

“Shit.” She hit dial.

Chapter Text

The line rang once.

“Hello?”

“I-I’m sorry,” River bleated. “I’ve drunk too much and I-” A whimper slipped out. “I want to go home.”

The puff of a cushion releasing weight and the jangle of keys. “Share your location, I’m on my way.”

“O-okay.”

“And stay on the call with me.”

River nodded to herself. She pulled the phone away from her ear to share her live location and then put it back in place.

“Still with me?” The question was punctuated by the rev of an engine.

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

“Do you feel sick?”

“No. Just… panicky.”

“Okay, I’m two minutes away.”

“’kay.”

“Are you inside?”

“Yeah.” She stood. “But I-”

“I’ll come in and get you.” Someone honked. “Stay where you are if you’re comfortable.”

“I’m… I’m hiding in the bathroom,” she admitted.

“That’s okay.”

River sniffed. Despite the understanding words, she still felt silly.

“I’m parked.” The slam of a car door. “I can smell you.”

Those four words flushed her hot for some reason. Of course he could smell her, everyone could.

There was a knock at the bathroom door, and the distant yelp of a disgruntled partier accusing line-pushing. “It’s me.”

River jumped up and unlocked the door. When she opened it, Elliott blocked anything else from view. He held his hand out, and River took it. She was clammy and shaky but he didn’t retract his fingers in disgust. He pulled her into his side and dropped a dark jacket over her shoulders. It acted as a cape of protection as they exited the party. His claim was staked, visually and through scent.

Crisp, cold air clapped into her as they passed through the front door and her chest rattled a little with her enthusiasm for a deep breath.

“Easy,” Elliott murmured. He tucked the jacket tighter around her.

“S-sorry.”

His car had mounted the curb right outside the building, and a few drunken stragglers were assessing it with comments about horse power and wrapping. River didn’t know what it meant. As long as a car had four wheels and brakes that worked, it was good enough for her.

Elliott unlocked it and the onlookers jerked back, pretending to be interested in the brickwork, or maybe taking a leak up against it. He walked River to the passenger side and opened the door for her, even offering his hand as leverage to lower herself into the seat. She swivelled the jacket to her front and cuddled it like a blanket while Elliott buckled her seatbelt for her. Bent over her, his neck inches from her mouth, she wondered what he’d do if she bit him. If she slathered her scent all over him with her tongue. If-

He pulled back and shut the passenger door.

She clapped her cheeks with her hands. When Elliott joined her in the car, she was squishing them between her palms, distracted by their squidginess. He paused, belt half-pulled across him to stare at her.

River dropped her hands. “Sorry. Trying to wake myself up a bit.”

“If you want to nap in here, you can.” Elliott clicked his belt in and settled in his seat. “You’re safe.” He turned the key in the ignition and tapped at a selection of buttons on the console, including, thankfully, the seat warmers. River snuggled down and let her eyes close, amazed at how much more drunk you could feel when you took time to just… stop.

“Thanks,” she slurred.

“Mm.”

The car moved under her, easing off the pavement slowly. His driving was smooth, and River was almost rocked to sleep with each turn and pause. But then a thought popped into her head, a question, and within her alcohol-soaked brain, she couldn’t find a reason not to ask it. She cracked her eyes back open.

“How come I never see you at parties?”

Elliott’s tongue pressed against his cheek through a smirk. For a moment she wasn’t sure if he was even going to answer.

“Wh-”

“You’re an alpha and you’re hot so you must get invited to loads,” River babbled. Her mouth was loose under the influence of liquor. That much she was aware of. How to reverse this effect… not so much.

Elliott choked on air and his hands adjusted themselves unnecessarily on the wheel. “Is that right?”

“No.”

“You don’t think I’m hot?” He grinned past the wind shield. “Because I’m definitely an alpha.”

River’s mouth fell open while her brain worked in slow-mo to find something to say that wouldn’t humiliate her further.

“Before you lie, remember that omegas aren’t the only ones with sensitive noses.” He looked pointedly at her crotch before returning his attention to the road.

“I meant- getting invited to parties. Lots. Do you?”

“I’m well-practiced in refusals,” he answered, cryptic.

“You like clubbing instead?”

He huffed a laugh at the lights ahead. They turned red and he slowed to a halt, his face aglow. “No.”

“I saw you.” She rolled to her side in the seat, pressing her cheek to the leather back. The jacket slid off her shoulder a little. He caught the movement with his cobalt eyes. “At Glacier.”

He corrected, “I was dining, not dancing.”

“You danced with me.”

“I should charge you extra for that.”

“How much?”

“What?”

Her blink was slow as she tried to remember her question in order to repeat it. “How much would you actually charge for your scent mark?”

“Depends who was asking for it.” The lights changed and he returned his focus to driving.

“Me,” River whined, drawing out the ‘ee’ sound for too long.

Elliott sighed. “For you, petal, a ninety-nine percent discount.”

River giggled. “Really?”

“Yep, just a hundred pounds and not a penny more.”

River gasped, then fell back against her seat giggling again.

He swung the wheel and she let the hard turn slide her back towards him. She would happily roll back and forth on the warm seat all night. Safe in his scent.

“I’m glad you called me.”

His words sobered her a little. “I’m glad you don’t drink,” she mumbled in reply.

“Is that why?”

“Why?”

“You called me, instead of someone else.”

River shrugged, shimmying herself further under the jacket. A yawn slipped out and she covered it with her forearm. The arm stayed there, laid over her face, and suddenly the light it was blocking wasn’t stinging her eyes so much. She let them droop closed.

“Hey, stop that.”

River laughed quietly against her arm.

The car slowed to a halt, and this time the engine was silenced.

“I’m home?” she grumbled.

“Yeah.”

River groaned into her arm and rolled back onto her side, back to Elliott, jacket curled tight around her. She just needed to rest her eyes a bit more. Just five more minutes…

Elliott didn’t argue. He didn’t force her awake. He didn’t throw her out of his car.

Her seat lowered, almost flat. Maybe another five… Just to be sure she was well enough to be at home alone…

The engine came back on, and so did the seat warmer, but the handbrake wasn’t lifted. River sighed happily and drifted to sleep.

×

River jolted awake and got slapped in the face by the seat belt still stretched over her.

“Ugh!” She shoved it away and clutched her head, eyes squeezed shut. It couldn’t have been the flimsy plastic that had caused the eye-watering headache radiating from inside. No, that was all alcohol.

The seat belt didn’t fling back and hit her again. Confused, she peeled open her eyes to find an enormous hand holding it back from her. Almost like a slingshot readying.

“You know, there’s an easier way to get rid of this.” Elliott pressed the buckle button and let it retract back into his hand. When he opened his palm it zoomed over River’s head back to the holster.

River groaned and let her eyes shut again. She felt like a corpse warmed up in a microwave. She was a zombie craving water instead of brains. She was nothing but a giant heart and skin, since its beat was all she could feel throughout her entire body.

“What time is it?” she grumbled. Her voice was gruff, dehydration scratching each word.

“Three.”

“Morning or afternoon?”

Elliott chuckled. “Open your eyes.”

“I did it once already,” she argued.

“And was it light or dark outside?”

“Can’t remember,” she moaned.

Her seat rose, curling her upright.

“It’s three in the morning.” The car fell silent. “Time for bed.”

“You go ahead, I’m comfy here.”

The driver-side door opened and shut and River peeked out, surprised that she’d won that battle so easily. Then her door opened.

She gasped, clutching the jacket laid over her. “It’s cold!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be out in a three-inch skirt in winter.” Elliott scooped her under the armpits and lifted her from the car.

River pouted. “It’s spring.”

She was plopped back onto her own feet, although she staggered a little as she adjusted to balancing on her heels again. She refused to hand back the jacket when Elliott stretched a hand out for it. He raised a brow and snatched it in one aggressive swipe. River whimpered, startled at the show of strength. Then he held it out, open, for her to wear it properly. River slid her arms in and watched him drag the zip up to her chin. He plucked out the curls caught in the collar with careful flicks of his fingers. River tucked her fingers inside of the sleeves.

“You got your keys?”

River nodded.

“Want me to walk you to the door?”

River hesitated. She had asked enough of Elliott tonight. She shook her head.

“Okay, off you go.”

River tottered for a moment. “Thank you,” she whispered. If she were tall enough that it wouldn’t be awkward, she would have kissed his cheek. Instead, she gave him a sleepy smile and trudged away.

It took a few attempts to get the front door open, because she was still a bit tipsy or she was slowly freezing to death couldn’t be clearly deduced. When she turned to close it behind her, Elliott was watching from his car.

Chapter Text

River did not have time to be this hungover. She was young, she wasn’t even supposed to get hangovers! Mixing that many different alcohol types probably hadn’t helped… and the lack of water she’d taken in for the last twelve hours could be entirely responsible for her skull-splitting headache. She rubbed her face into the sheet under her, buried beneath her duvet, basking in darkness.

She needed to get up. Her alarm had gone off twice. She poked her face out and huffed and puffed until her eyes had adjusted to the mild light in the room. It was nine-ish. She shuffled her way up onto her knees, keeping her blankets over her shoulders. On her bedside table was a stale cup of water, she gulped it down desperately and sighed. There was no time for this. She could feel sorry for herself once she got to the cosplay club’s reserved room. A whole morning of mindless painting, that would fix her.

She struggled up and out of yesterday’s clothes - including Elliott’s jacket. More giant laundry to do… She wasn’t in the mood to look cute and flowery today, all she wanted was to hide in a fluffy shell. Thick jogging pants and a matching oversized hoodie fit her cosy hopes perfectly.

All supplies would be provided by the cosplay club, so she stuffed her half-charged phone and keyring set into her pockets and bumbled downstairs for a gallon of water to keep her alive enough to reach her destination.

She was gulping her second glass, head bent over the sink, when Ember sauntered in. The submissive froze a few feet into the room.

“River? You okay?”

“Hmm?” River swallowed and put the cup to one side, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “Yeah, sorry.” She laughed awkwardly. “I’m hanging.”

“You came in pretty late.”

“Sorry, I hope you weren’t disturbed.”

“No, just kinda worried about you.”

“Worried?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged and looked away. “You left the party without saying anything to anyone. Then when we get back we see your alpha’s car outside. And now…” She nodded at her. “This.”

“This?”

“Your scent mark.”

River sniffed experimentally. The fade had begun. “Oh.”

“If you wanna talk, you know I’m always here for you.”

“Yeah. No. It’s fine.” She cleared her throat, no longer dry from the hangover. “I’ve got to go, actually, meeting some people.”

Ember watched her flee with sad eyes.

Shit, she probably looked like a complete wreck. She hadn’t been dumped. She was just hungover. But she didn’t have time to press the issue, she had a long walk to power through and all the water she’d slurped down was already sloshing in her stomach. If she opened her mouth again too soon she’d throw it back up.

×

Every sniff had River on edge. She’d arrived at the cosplay club’s rented out space slightly late, but it wasn’t her tardiness that turned every head at her arrival. The pity in their faces was unbearable.

She assured them she was fine and they said, “Of course you are!” with the tone of a mother assuring her child she really did believe there was a monster under the bed as they claimed. She told them that she was just hungover and they shared quick looks of concern between themselves. No one believed her, and she soon realised there was no point attempting to plead her case.

She picked a quiet spot to sit on the floor and paint the costume pieces she had been assigned. It was monotonous work, but it was better than needing to think. Or trying to argue.

The whispers were all around. They thought they were being kind, she supposed. Attempting to hide reality from her. She could still hear bits and pieces, though.

“-got into a fight at the party-”

“-came to drag her out-”

“-car almost hit them outside-”

“-doing shots with dominants-”

It was all bullshit. She wasn’t some off-the-rails party girl. And her alpha mate hadn’t had to drag her out in a jealous rage. As if any dominant would get that close to her carrying an alpha’s scent.

She finished the items she’d agreed to paint and didn’t offer her services for any extra. Leaving was more important to her than being helpful. She needed to be somewhere that she wasn’t treated like she was a bomb about to go off at any moment.

Savannah followed her out the door and they walked in silence until they were free of curious ears.

“Rowan told me you were looking forward to the scent mark fading,” she said. “But you look terrible.”

“I’m hungover,” River groaned.

“Did you leave with him last night?”

“He gave me a lift. He wasn’t at the party he just came to pick me up.” River sighed. “I’d had a lot to drink and I wanted to get home quickly and safely. And I did.”

“He didn’t take advantage?”

River was severely losing her patience. “He’s an alpha,” she said sharply. “He doesn’t need an omega to be drunk as a skunk if he wanted to take advantage.” Savannah’s horrified expression cooled her off a little. Good. You should be horrified at the reality of being an omega in a big, scary world. “And no, he didn’t.”

“I’m glad.”

“Look, I know you’re just looking out for me, but I really am fine. I need a nap and some vitamin juice and maybe a box of chicken nuggets.”

“Okay. Well, I’m glad you got what you wanted, then.”

“Thanks.” She hated that she sounded bitter. She wasn’t. She was just tired and thirsty and sore in the skull.

Savannah left her side to return to the cosplay club. River kept walking, she had another obligation to attend before she could retire for the day.

×

Her afternoon activity was volunteering with the elderly as part of the afternoon tea society. Heather was staggered at the fading scent River arrived with.

“Oh, darling!”

“I’m just hungover.”

“Then… maybe it would be best for you to go home and get some rest.” She gave her a look with raised brows as though sharing a very obvious secret. “Take some time for you.”

As the other volunteers in the hall caught a whiff, they did their best to pretend they weren’t staring at her while they laid out doilies and filled tea pots.

“I’m fine.” River attempted to enter again.

Heather stepped into her path. “River, we have enough volunteers today. Please, just let your heart settle before trying to throw yourself back in the deep end.”

“I’m not heartbroken,” River hissed.

“Of course not, darling. That alpha is the one who will be beside himself!”

“Heather!”

“Take the afternoon off.” Heather took her by the shoulders and turned her, walking her out. “Do some self-care. A bath bomb or something.” They were out on the street now. “Eat lots of ice-cream and maybe let out a few tears.” She gave her a stiff hug. “Come back when you’re ready.”

River had lost the will to argue that she was perfectly ready to let old people talk to her about their horrid grandchildren and serve tea and finger sandwiches. She nodded wearily.

“I’ll message you.”

“Please do, darling.”

×

“Just a hundred pounds and not a penny more.”

She had her safety money. A wad of cash under her mattress for emergencies. One hundred pounds for a little more time, to avoid the humiliation of every person she came into contact with assuming she’d been ditched by some alpha.

River curled in on herself. She was back in bed, hydrated, and snacking on a bag of crisps bigger than her head. The salt would help with her electrolytes or something… probably… maybe…

She sighed.

Another twelve days and it would be the end of term. If she got another ten off Elliott, she could spend her break letting his scent wear off in the privacy of her own home. Answering to no one. Back for the summer term fresh with only her own scent for people to comment on.

She understood now why submissives took to hiding away after a break-up. She had always thought it so dramatic, to stay inside as though you were in mourning. Turns out, there was a practical reason. Everyone and their mother could smell the disintegration of a scent mark, and it wasn’t the low-key event River had believed it to be. All day she’d been walking around with what was effectively a sandwich board declaring herself newly single, but still stinking of the dominant who had once had her.

And why did they assume she had been broken up with? She could very well have told her alpha mate to go kick rocks. Omegas could take charge, too. She wasn’t a trophy mate just because she was an omega. Not that she wouldn’t look great on his arm.

River bit the tip of her finger, missing the crisp entirely.

Who cared what they looked like together?

She did.

River shoved more crisps in her mouth, gnashing them like she was angry at the potatoes that made them. She cared. She hated the way they had all looked at her today, the assumptions, the pity, the invasive concern. She hated all of it.

Just a bit more time. It would line up perfectly. She had no plans for her break, only heading back home. She could sleep the weeks away while Elliott’s stink broke down and washed off. A detox, almost, she could turn her bedroom into a spa. She didn’t need to be the talk of the town.

She grabbed her phone with salt-encrusted fingers.

Are you free tomorrow? Was wondering if we could discuss top-up terms?

He sent her an address and a time. A coffee shop a few roads away from campus. She sent him back a thumbs up and a smiley face emoji.

Chapter Text

“Have you been here before?”

Polite small talk in the queue, how gentlemanly. As if they weren’t soon going to be bartering over his natural scent.

Elliott towered over her from the side, drawing appreciative eyes from all around. He sported lighter colours today: cream sweater and a white shirt with the top buttons undone. A hint of glitter hid in the crevice: a gold necklace of some kind. His dark hair was more brown than black in the morning light streaming in through the coffee house’s many windows, it was brushed back, but the strands still fell into perfect position to frame his face.

River dragged her eyes forward, like him. “No, I usually hang out at the Cedar Café.” She added in a hushed tone, “it’s a bit more student-budget friendly.” She could tell simply from the décor that she did not have a student loan that could afford this place regularly. All the signs boasted fair trade beans and organic leaves and milk from cows that had personal dressing rooms. At Cedar Café the signs asked students not to put their feet on the seats. Even the others in the queue added to the high-end appearance of the place: designer handbags, logo’d shoes and heavy coats that all looked like they were on their first wear. River and her colourful, embroidered jeans did not fit in.

Elliott quirked a brow. “You don’t need to worry about that here.”

River started. “I don’t need you to pay for me!” she hissed.

He finally broke his staring contest with the decorative bags of coffee beans to look at her. His face was full of offence. “I’m not offering, I’m telling you that I’m paying.” He pressed his hand into her lower back and shuffled her forwards along with the people in front. “You’re wearing my scent, I can’t have people seeing you pay for yourself. Have some respect for my reputation.”

Him and this damn reputa-

The line shifted again and suddenly they were at the front. “What can I get you?” asked a submissive barista with her hair tied back in a low ponytail.

River frowned, feeling scolded. “I’ll have a tap water, please.”

“One americano and one herbal tea, please.”

River flashed her eyes at him.

“Which tea?”

Elliott glanced down at River but she simply scowled back at him. “Whichever you recommend,” he answered, silky smooth.

The barista smiled and locked her eyes on her hands, fiddling with paper cups.

“To have in, please,” Elliott added.

She dropped the cups and pushed them away. “Oh, of course. That will be eleven pounds and eighty pence, please.”

River almost fainted. Eleven pounds on two drinks. That was eleven pot noodles. Four pots of chamomile from her preferred café - with change left over. Elliott tapped his card and sent her to find them a quiet table. River did so only because she didn’t want to stand awkwardly at the counter waiting for their drinks while trying not to repeat the price out loud.

She found a tucked-away booth and slid in. The yummy mummies and business women all gave the spot a wide berth once she was in it. Her fading scent probably implied this was about to be a very emotional let’s-get-back-together talk. Good, River thought, stay away so you don’t hear the humiliating thing I’m about to ask for.

Elliott placed the drinks in the centre of the table and took the opposite side.

“So, you want more?” His victorious grin almost sent her back out the front door.

River pouted into her tea. It smelled of lavender and honey and was served in a delicate tea cup with wild flowers printed around the rim. Delightful. “The fade sucks.”

“Yeah, well, what goes up must come down at some point.” He dragged the enormous inky blue mug that held his coffee towards him.

River raised a brow. “Having your scent isn’t as much of a high as you seem to think it is.”

“And yet, here you are looking for an extension.” He took a short sip, but his eyes remained on River. The mug didn’t exactly match them, but it was close enough that it mesmerised her for a moment.

“I just don’t want to deal with the… low.”

Elliott chuckled. “Shit, you sound like an addict.”

“It’s not me, it’s everyone else!” she argued. “They’re acting like a scent fade is a terminal diagnosis or something. They think I’m in bits, that my life is over, that I’m heartbroken.”

“As you should be, I’m a catch.”

River gave him a hard look, he returned a smirk over his coffee.

“One more coating will take me to the end of the term,” she reasoned, hating how desperate she sounded, “then I can let it fade out at home where no one will treat me like a victim of love just because I used to smell like you.”

“A good plan,” he cooed, his eyes half-lidded for a moment. He was enjoying this far too much. “But I have some rules.”

“There were no rules before!”

“It was the heat of the moment, petal. You asked and I answered.” He took another drink from his mug. “I’ve been far too lenient with you.”

Lenient? He’d been at her back every moment since putting his mark on her! She hadn’t known a day’s peace! Sure, he’d helped her out a few times, too…

River sighed. “Fine, what are the rules?”

“Going forward, you will play your part.”

“My part?”

“I can’t have an omega wearing my scent and pretending not to know me. Every time you refuse to call me your mate you plant the idea in people’s heads that I am going around scent marking anyone I see. That I force myself on vulnerable little omegas-”

“And your reputation…” River droned.

“Yes.” He turned stern, serious, it wasn’t as nice to look at. “One of us has one, and I won’t let it be tainted over our silly game.”

“I have a reputation, too!”

“Sure, for being a pushover.” River’s mouth fell open, but before she could use it to argue, Elliott continued, “If you want my scent a second time then you will act as an alpha mate.”

“I don’t know how to be an alpha mate.”

“When we’re not together, act as you would normally unless someone asks about me. You tell them I’m your mate, that you’re very happy and hope we one day get married and have lots of babies.”

River scoffed.

“And when we are together, you follow my lead. I take your hand? You don’t pull it away. I put my arm around you? You hug me. I give the cues, you obey them.”

Obeying a dominant mate… squeezed something inside of her in an embarrassingly good way. She’d never had a mate, but her heartbeat pulsed between her legs, assuring her it would feel really good to submit to them. And an alpha to boot? Top of the dominant chain? Her thighs twitched together.

Maybe it was a bad idea to start her mating escapades with someone so far from her in the spectrum… she didn’t have the experience to stay in control if she needed to. But that wasn’t what obedience to your dominant mate was about, was it?

She broke eye-contact, pretending to scan the room. She needed to think, to not be swayed by submissive urges. This was serious stuff - it had already affected her life in so many ways with just the scent alone. A bit of hand-holding wasn’t so sinister, though… River considered his words for a minute or so, taking occasional sips of her tea to stretch out more time before she had to answer. The flavour was lovely, soothing, filling her with warmth and ease.

“Then, unfortunately, in order to make this believable, you will need to pretend to be attracted to me,” she reminded him. They both had to act for the crowd. She would not be an omega desperately hanging off his arm, making a fool of herself alone.

Far too fast he replied, “You are literally born to be attractive to me.”

River blinked. “P-pardon?”

Elliott gave her a disbelieving look, sighed, and said, “Omega bodies are built to be bred, because you’re fertile as fuck. And alpha bodies are built to breed for the same reason.”

“You think you were born to fuck?” River giggled, checking their surroundings with quick glances. No one had noticed the weird turn their conversation had taken.

Elliott’s look turned stern again. A strict teacher driving home important information. “I think no one has explained some very vital bio to you.” His eyes seemed to darken. Now they matched the mug. River would love to paint the pair. “Everything about you is meant to protect you or get you pregnant.”

River rolled her eyes. Mostly so she didn’t have to look at him anymore. “If my body is supposed to protect me, I don’t think I would have stopped getting taller at thirteen.”

“It’s not to scare away predators, petal, it’s to appeal to them.” Elliott cupped his hands and held them up as though framing her within them. “Cuteness keeps you alive - like baby animals, being cute ensures their parents care for them.” He winked through the gap and dropped his hands. “It’s a defence mechanism and omegas have it.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“That’s all you’re keeping from that little science lesson?”

River laughed. “That, and you want to get me pregnant,” she joked. She hoped he would get all flustered in his denial. Elliott the unshakable alpha - rattled!

“So, we’re finally on the same page, then.” His voice had turned husky, almost threatening.

“You’re supposed to deny it.”

Elliott scanned her body. Too slow. Too lingering. “It’s biology.”

“Back to business talk, please,” River squeaked. Her heart was pounding against her throat, her fingertips, the parts that weren’t to be talked about at the table…

“Business?” Elliott chuckled.

“Well, I’ll be paying you!”

“Oh, yeah? How much?”

River frowned. “One hundred pounds, like you said in the car.”

He sucked a breath in through his teeth and shook his head, feigning disappointment. “Sorry, petal, that discount was one-night-only, you should have claimed it then.”

Suddenly, she felt incredibly stupid. He was playing with her, always had been. She should have seen this coming.

“And since I’m pretty sure you haven’t got ten grand lying around… it looks like I’ll have to help you out.”

“I’m not putting your scent on a payment plan,” River snapped in a whisper.

“I’m not interested in money.”

“Because you have it.”

Elliott shrugged.

“Then, what do you want?”

“A favour.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” River grumbled.

“Any time, any place, any reason. If I come to you and ask for something, you do it.”

River groaned through clenched teeth. “I really don’t like the sound of that. What kind of something?”

“It could be anything.” This delighted him to say. He was enjoying toying with her. Maybe this was a very bad idea…

“Fine.” It was ten days. Just ten days.

“Then, we have a deal.” He put out his hand and River shook it. With one long drink, he emptied his mug. “Before we do this, you need to tell me now if there’s anyone that might get in the way, or out this little charade.”

“No one.” River hurried to finish her tea.

“You’re sure?” He stilled completely, staring her down. “If a secret boyfriend crawls out of the woodwork next week and makes a fool out of me there will be hell to pay.”

“I’m sure.” She slid out from her seat. “And what about you?”

He followed her out. “That’s my business, not yours.”

River scowled.

He took her hand, swallowing hers up in his massive one, and they walked out of the coffee house.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Somewhere private."

Chapter Text

“How far away are we going?” They had driven far from campus and the outer city was passing by just as quickly.

Elliott cut his eyes across to her. “You got somewhere you need to be?”

“Being taken to an undisclosed location is how submissives get murdered,” she grumbled.

“We’re going to a hotel.”

River jolted.

“Relax, we’re not staying overnight.” He smirked at the road ahead. “That’ll cost you a lot more.”

It was hard to laugh when she’d just had a mild heart attack.

“You need a new mark. I need space to work. And privacy.”

“Will it be like last time?”

He hesitated. “You want it to last as long as possible, right?” He adjusted his singular grip on the steering wheel, an excitable flash hitting his face. “Get your money’s worth?”

“I want it to reach the end of term,” she answered carefully. What was he suggesting?

He nodded and swung them into the circular drop-off zone outside a tall, glittering building with gold lettering along the edge and flags bursting from the ground floor windows. There was a long awning with men in burgundy suits hovering beneath, greeting cars that pulled up and gesturing into the building along a carpet that matched their uniforms.

Elliott drew up at the entrance and handed his keys out the window to one of the men. Another hurried around to open River’s door for her, but halted when Elliott jumped out first and shot him a quick look.

God forbid an alpha not open his own mate’s door. River rolled her eyes, but waited for him to finish strutting around the front of the car and let her out. Playing her part, just like they’d agreed.

The door opened, and a large hand was offered to her, palm up. River placed hers in it and stepped out of the car as gracefully as she could. Yet another fancy location she didn’t fit into, the least she could do was try to act elegant if she didn’t look it. Her thick cardigan hung off her, a little misshapen from a few lazy washing machine incidents (who had time to read every tag before they started the cycle?) and her jeans had been covered in flowery embroidery by a dear friend. Her trainers she had painted with tiny forget-me-nots in her first year, although some had flaked off now. Her caramel curls were mostly untamed. And her tote bag was too wrinkled to decipher the print.

River loved her personal style, but she wasn’t blind to the glitz that the other hotel guests exhibited.

Elliott could blend anywhere, in his neutral tones or all-black monochrome. Simple jewellery. Dark hair swept back, not too short to be severe but not too long to appear lax. He walked with enough confidence for them both, and River let him lead them inside. They glided to the front desk and a man in a crisp shirt with golden buttons and cuff links asked how he could be of service.

River let Elliott do the speaking. She would also be letting him do the paying. Her student loan was barely enough to cover her house share rent, it did not stretch to hotel rooms. Especially not ones that had porters darting about the reception wearing white gloves.

“And how long will you be staying us?”

Elliott retrieved his wallet from his pocket with one hand, keeping the other with River, pinned close. “A night.”

There was a suspicious glint in the man’s eye. “Just one?”

Elliott leant in close over the counter, lowering his voice till it was gravelly and tickled something along the back of River’s neck. “I’m sure you’re not so ignorant as to be unaware that my mate’s scent is fading. I need to mark her, and then I need to be back in a board room by lunch to listen to minuscule percentage differences and pointless acronyms.” He slapped a card to the counter. There was a flash of recognition on the man’s face. “Now, if you don’t want my business-”

“I do apologise, sir, I meant no offence. Please allow me to process that for you now.” He slid the card towards himself and tapped at his keyboard hurriedly. “For my lack of tact, please allow me to offer you our superior suite for the price of a standard.”

Elliott stared at him for a moment, unimpressed. “Money is no object.”

“Of course! Then our royal suite - best in the building - at the price of the imperial, and a complimentary-”

“I am in a hurry,” Elliott reiterated, curt. “Offer my mate the extras once I’m gone.”

The man had snapped to attention, cheeks pink. He nodded at his screen. “Of course. I need only a name for the room and you are free to- um-”

“Elliott Constance.”

The man nodded again, keeping his eyes to his work.

“Your key card, sir. And the royal suite sits on the tenth floor, I hope you- your mate- enjoys it.” He finally looked at River. “Please do let us know if there’s anything we can provide you with.”

River smiled politely and bobbed her head.

Elliott thanked him, although it was short and sharp, and took the folded card that contained their room key. A porter directed them to a corridor of lifts and called one for them. Elliott slipped him something as they entered, murmuring that they needed no further following. The porter nodded, turning away and hovering outside the lifts, awaiting the next guests to assist.

As soon as the doors closed, Elliott shook his head at them. “If we were looking for a seedy spot to hook up, why would we turn up to a five-star hotel?” he grumbled angrily.

River turned on her heel, taking in the ornate stylings and mirrors so clean they could trick you into walking through them. A lot off effort for a people-carrying box. “I guess we look young and stupid,” she said, finding herself facing forward again.

Elliott looked down at her. They cracked grins.

“Do you really have to leave by lunch?” she asked, rocking back and forth onto her tip-toes.

“I do.” Elliott ran a hand through his hair. He looked genuinely troubled at the prospect of whatever he had to get away to. “But feel free to enjoy the room.”

“I’ll make good use of the room service,” she teased.

“Go ahead, the charge for the room is already enough to get me some attention.”

Attention? River gasped. “Did you steal that credit card?”

Elliott stared at her. Then, he howled with laughter.

“It’s not funny!” She pulled at his arm but he didn’t budge. “What do you mean attention? Like the police?”

He managed to restrain himself. Then another little chuckle slipped out. “No, petal, the accountant is always watching.”

“Wh-”

The lift doors wooshed open and Elliott stepped out. River followed. She was expecting long corridors filled with doors, but instead there was only a small lobby-like area that had chairs and tables and a stocked coffee bar, with a single door ahead. The royal suite.

Elliott tapped the card and pushed the door open for River to enter first. She hesitated. He didn’t nudge her or press her to enter.

A shaky breath she hoped he didn’t hear, and she walked in.

The royal suite was as big as the floor she lived on in her house share. In just the entrance hall, she already felt swallowed up. She continued into the main area that housed a bed in the centre, big enough for ten Rivers to squeeze in.

She dropped her tote bag to a beautifully upholstered armchair and did a slow sweep of the room. Stunning. The prints were ostentatious without bright colour, the textures soft and varied between plush carpet and thick silk curtains, and the apartment-sized suite had been filled with enough furniture that she could rotate both her seating position and her seat itself every hour.

Clunk. The door closing seemed to fill the space like a shout. River stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets, awkward now that Elliott was approaching. She knew what he was going to do, but she also… had the funny buzzing feeling at the back of her neck that she didn’t.

“Cold feet?”

“No,” she answered too quickly. She untied her shoes and hopped onto the bed, feigning calm.

“Cold anything else?”

“No?” The room was perfectly warm.

“Then take your clothes off.”

“Excuse me?” River croaked.

“Last time, I gave you a mark to your pulse points.” He brought her wrist to his mouth and nuzzled it. His lips were surprisingly soft against her skin. “This time you need glands, too.”

“Wh-what glands?”

A soft shove and Elliott knocked her backwards. Flat to the bed. “Apocrine.”

“Pardon?”

“Here.” He grabbed the soft part of her upper arms and lifted them. “And here.” He took her thighs and pried them apart. River squeaked, wriggling to close them. “And technically here, although they’re for milk, not scent.” He flicked River’s nipples lightly and she snatched her arms over them. Curled up into a ball, she fell to her side.

“My limit is the pits,” she grumbled.

He chuckled. “If you change your mind, just make one of those sweet omega whining sounds.”

River flushed hot and buried her face in the bedding.

The bed dipped behind her, and Elliott sighed. “I’m on a time limit here, petal.”

River sat up. He was right. They needed to get on with it. The sooner it was over, the sooner she didn’t have to deal with people treating her like a charity case. She threw off her cardigan.

“The jeans have to go, too.”

“What?” she hissed.

“Pulse points,” he reminded her. “Knee backs. Socks, too. Your ankle has one.”

River huffed, falling to her back and fiddling with buttons and then her zipper. As soon as they were undone, Elliott yanked them off. River’s knees immediately curled up to her tummy. With her feet in the air, Elliott took the opportunity to steal her socks as well.

As she stared at the ceiling, she heard him taking off his shoes and sweater. Then, he took her ankles in his hands and pulled her to the edge of the bed. He didn’t let them go, instead massaging his fingers along the bony parts at the sides. It felt nice.

Already his scent was wafting down towards her in fresh waves. She shut her eyes, and tried to ignore the simple and plain fact that Elliott could see her underwear. Nothing fancy, just plain white panties. Maybe that was worse than if she had a cute lacy thong on…

A thumb and forefinger slid down each of her calves, bowing her legs, tucking her feet into his sides. It tingled. Over her knees his fingers trailed, then under they swiped, layering his scent into the cups. With a firm stroke of his thumbs, her hips were lifted from the bed for a breath.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “You’re lighter than you look.”

River cracked an eye open and scrunched her mouth.

He paused and smiled coyly. “And sorry for commenting on your weight.”

River let her eyes shut again.

Content with the coating on her knee backs, he pressed them open until they reached the bedding, her toes touching each other. A breath stuttered out of her at the slow slide of his hands up her inner thighs. An inch from her panty-line, they stopped.

“You sure you don’t want the edges marked?”

“The edges?” River squeaked, peeking at him.

Elliott mapped out the triangle of River’s panties, hovering just above her. “The bikini line, it’s another scent gland area.” He looked up at her through his lashes with a smirk. “Last chance to accept the full works.”

River pressed her lips and shrugged. “If you think it’s necessary.”

His hands skipped past. “It’s not my choice to make.” They rubbed under the hem of her top, into her tummy - the soft, squishy bit just above her panty-line. The difference in heat between her skin and his hands was shocking; she was a human radiator. Her belly tightened under his touch, his pheromones soaking into the delicate skin. He kneaded her, and her body flexed back against him. Far too eager for his touch.

They drifted up and to the sides and River jerked away, giggling. It tickled, the fingertips creeping towards her underarms. It wasn’t her fault she had to be physically restrained by an oversized alpha for him to get knuckle-deep in her pit. Elliott fought off a chuckle, mouth twitching, as he wrestled her back into position. River wriggled and giggled, and her warm pits were stroked into stinking of Elliott.

Hands retracted from her top. Elliott took her wrists and pulled her up to seated.

“Didn’t you forget-”

He slid in behind her, tucking River between his legs.

“I don’t need coaching,” Elliott huffed into the side of her neck.

“Sorry,” River whispered.

The lips at her neck opened, sucking at the skin. River stuttered in a surprised breath, shaking against his hold. His scent was everywhere, inescapable. His mouth was trailing wet to the crease of her neck and shoulder. His throat nuzzled against hers.

Omega scent, already weakened, was overpowered.

River’s breaths had become shallow. She panted in Elliott’s lap and he huffed and puffed back against her skin. His hands stroked her collarbones, climbed her neck, stilled her, then turned her face into his.

Forehead to forehead. That wasn’t a pulse point. Lips on lips. Neither was that.

The kiss was so sudden, River could believe she’d imagined it and the shock on Elliott’s face afterwards. He turned her head to face the opposite end of the suite again and scooted back from her on the bed. The only sound in the room was the desperate attempt to get air. From both of them.

She heard him slide off the bed. River didn’t follow his lead. She rolled onto her front, resting her face on folded hands atop the blankets. Heels to butt. Working on steady breaths.

In a floor length, gilded mirror across the room Elliott smoothed his clothes, finger-combed his hair, and wiped at his mouth with a tissue.

River watched him from the bed, dishevelled, and aching for his hands to return to her. She felt like a housewife watching her husband leave for work, wishing she could drag him back to bed.

“Where is it you’re going?” she asked timidly.

He folded his collar pristine, pressing it down firm. “A board room.”

“I thought that was a lie.”

He gave her a curious look. “Why would I lie?”

River shrugged. “You’re a student, what do you need to go to a board room for?”

“Fetish.”

River jolted. “Really?”

“No,” Elliott scoffed.

“Then, what is the reason?”

“Meetings.”

“What meetings?”

“Are you concerned that someone is going to question you on what I do with my time?”

River shuffled to the edge of the bed and dangled her feet. “I’m just curious.”

He watched her for a moment, hands in his pockets.

“I don’t think we have the time, petal,” he said finally. He strode over to plant a peck to her temple and doubled back towards the door, calling over his shoulder, “Enjoy the room.”

“I-”

The door shut with a soft click. He was gone.

Chapter Text

River scrabbled across the bed for the phone.

“Front desk, this is Lark speaking, how can I help?”

“H-hello, my mate just left our room and I was hoping you could catch him before he leaves the hotel?”

“I can try my best, madam.”

“He’s an alpha - dark brown hair and a cream sweater.”

The voice at the other end made a soft ‘uuuh’ sound, and River could imagine them scanning the room. “Oh, yes! I think I see him!”

“Can you please just pass on the message that his mate hopes his meetings go well?”

“Of course, madam.”

The line went quiet, so River dropped the phone to the receiver.

A moment later, it rang.

Before she could say a word, Elliott’s voice reached her. “You’re going to make me late, petal.”

“I’m just playing my part,” River retorted.

He hummed and it crackled down the line with a vibrato that tingled along her skin. “There is something I forgot to ask, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Am I picking you up for our morning lecture from here or from home?”

River looked around the grand suite. Why waste the opportunity? “Here.”

She could practically hear his smirk on the other end of the call. “I’ll see you in the morning, petal.”

“See you later.”

River dropped the phone, ending the call, and smushed her face into a pristine perky pillow with a squeal.

The kiss. Calm, cool and collected Elliott had kissed her like it came naturally to him. The surprise in his face when he pulled away was so damn satisfying. Afraid, maybe, that River might realise that she held some power over him too?

She had learned more than she’d let on in her first ten days of being marked. If there was one demographic that people seemed to pity more than omegas, it was alphas mated to them. The general consensus was that she should have Elliott wrapped around her pinky. And until that kiss she’d had no confidence in these magical omega abilities. Okay, maybe it wasn’t magic.

“It’s biology.”

His own words.

All she knew was that under the playful pretending, there was at least a small part of Elliott that wanted her. Enough to kiss her for no good reason.

River took a deep breath into the crisp white pillowcase. Lavender, how lovely. Back to the topic at hand - she was getting ahead of herself. She had made peace with the idea of enjoying Elliott’s affections, fake or otherwise. But only for the duration of the scent. And then he kissed her. So really, this was his own fault.

She rolled back and forth in the giant bed, each lap getting lazier and more lethargic as she ran out of steam. The energy buzzing inside of her forced to dissipate. Pulling a pillow from the headboard, she hugged it, struggling to get her arms all the way around. She didn’t want to guess at how expensive pillows this plump would be. She sighed into it.

What would have happened if he’d stayed? Would they have kissed again? If they were an alpha mate couple in public, what were they behind closed doors?

It had all seemed so clear, the boundary line crisp in the dirt between them and then he’d kissed her. It was so sudden, a snatch at her mouth from his. Not possessive, but desperate.

She giggled against the pillow. Maybe she was romanticising it just a little… but it was definitely gentle instead of forceful. A quick slip in his self-control. And if she hadn’t been so shocked she would have kissed him back and embarrassed herself. At least he was good at feigning disinterest. River had already humped his leg like she was in heat. She squeezed the pillow closer, blushing at her own thoughts. Actually, she didn’t know what it felt like to be in heat. Her first hadn’t arrived yet. It wasn’t unusual, some doctors called it the ‘final stage’ of puberty. There were even articles about omegas that didn’t get their first until they were twenty-five!

Considering the possibility of an impending heat brought her mind back to the little science lesson that Elliott had offered her in the café. There was so much that wasn’t taught in the standard sex education classes in school. Anything that was alpha or omega-specific wasn’t brought up for fear of singling anyone out. But now she felt… a little ignorant.

Elliott was so confident in his secondary gender. River… wasn’t. She scowled up at the ceiling, partly blocked by the pillow. It was hard to be a confident omega when people would pigeon-hole you anyway.

The phone rang again. River threw herself over the pillow, upending into a scorpion shape. Still, she stretched for the phone on the bedside table, slamming it to her face as soon as she caught it.

“Y-yes?” Her throat was thick suddenly.

“Mrs Constance?”

“Uh-” River looked around for help, and was reminded again that she was all alone in the suite. “N-no. We’re not-”

“I do apologise, madam.” It wasn’t Lark. Some other employee. “And I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

“Um. No, not at all.”

“I’m calling to offer you a complimentary treatment in our spa, a gift from our front of house manager.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Please attend the basement floor whenever suits your schedule and take a choice of any treatment on the menu.”

“Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“You’re most welcome. Is there anything else we can offer you to improve your stay?”

“Is- Is there any chance I could get a toothbrush and toothpaste? I wasn’t expecting to stay the night but-”

“Of course! A basket of essentials will be delivered to your door, madam.”

“Thank you.”

“And will you be taking dinner in our restaurant tonight? We guarantee the finest of dining experiences.”

“Um, no. Thank you. My mate had to leave for work and will be collecting me in the morning so I’m by myself and-” Oh god, she was rambling. “I don’t think he would want me to- well, actually I wouldn’t want to eat alone- without him. Sorry.”

“I understand completely, madam. The fine dining will be brought to your suite.”

River let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” For some reason, she had expected an irritated reaction, either to her refusal to visit the restaurant or to her rambling.

After asking after dietary requirements and reiterating that River could call for anything she might need, they said goodbye and River fell back to the bed.

It was barely the middle of the day, so with nothing else to do to kill time, she decided to visit the spa.

Putting clothes back on over her newly topped-up scent felt… uncomfortable? The material suddenly rough and scratchy. Or maybe her skin had become sensitive to any texture that wasn’t Elliott’s lips. She gave her body a shake like they’d done in the yoga society once, a full-body wobble to dispel any off-feelings.

It… didn’t really work. But she took the room key from the slot and left anyway. She had a complimentary spa treatment to enjoy!

Technically, she had everything complimentary to enjoy, courtesy of Elliott, she thought as she stepped into the lift. The lobby area was squashed out of sight by the closing doors, reminding her to come back and try the coffee machine later.

×

In tiny font alongside the treatment list were pound signs and numbers that were in the triple digits… River blinked. Two hundred and seventy-five pounds for a massage. What would she be massaged with, gold bars? These prices made the alpha perfumes seem cheap. They should try offering dominant services - glove-less - and watch the millions roll in.

All of the spa staff were submissive, as was expected unless you really were in search of a happy ending… not that River was in any position to judge. She was paying an alpha for his scent and had cum on his leg. A small group hovered behind a marble desk, eager to be given something to do by a customer. They awaited River’s decision with a close-to nervous disposition.

The description of the most expensive massage promised body and hair oils, and steam and background music of raindrops. It did sound nice. But also, she had steam and oils in her shower, and when it rained, there was her background music.

“We highly recommend the Raindrops on Roses treatment.” One of the staff members had sidled up to her.

I bet you do, it costs half my rent, River thought. She looked up at them and smiled politely.

They leant in to whisper conspiratorially, “Our front of house manager said you can have any treatment, or a combo if you want to try all the facilities we have.”

River whispered back, “That almost makes the choice harder. What would you go with?”

“I would do the Raindrops on Roses and combine it with the Empower Hour.” They ticked off on their fingers. “That way you get a massage, hair treatment, steam treatment, aromatherapy, body scrub, milk bath and facial.” They were buzzing with excitement as though they really were going to be on the receiving end.

River didn’t hesitate. For the rest of the day and night, she was the mate of a disgustingly rich alpha. It was her part to play. “Let’s do it.”

×

A dainty silicone wristband was tied to her with a tag that would allow access to the non-treatment areas of the spa. She had decided to explore for a bit before her ‘Empower Hour.’ Then she would take a break for some food before returning for the massage and hair treatment accompanied by rain. Technically, she was supposed to have both in one go if she was combining them, but no one gave her any push-back when she said she needed lunch. Everyone was… almost scarily agreeable to River. She was supposed to be the one that said ‘yes’ and ‘of course’ and ‘no problem.’

They had lent her a bathing suit and terry cloth top and shorts to wear, along with a pair of white flip flops and a robe. She asked for a locker to store her original clothes, but the staff insisted on laundering them and delivering them back to her suite. They didn’t need to ask which she was staying in, which might have explained the overzealous attempts to appease her.

She didn’t argue - how could you, with a team of submissives almost-whispering their dedication to make your day a little easier? Everything about the place was quiet, gentle, tranquil, and the staff attempted to upkeep that in their own manners, too. River couldn’t refuse in the same soft-spoken way, so she let them pander to her.

She raised the wristband to a frosted glass door and it slid open for her, revealing the relaxation zone. A central pool was surrounded by doors to themed rooms and River treated herself to a tour of every one. Fire held a sauna, Ice had chips in a giant bowl and cold baths to dip into, Flora was filled with steam scented like a botanical garden, Sand offered gritty scrubs to test, Salt had beds to lay inside salt-encrusted tunnels, and Sky had thick fog and simulated rain falling from the ceiling like a giant shower.

It was near-empty, the hotel guests probably packing up to leave at the end of the week. A submissive or two swanned past her with towels tied around them, and they smiled as though she were one of them. River smiled back every time.

In the pool, she bobbed about in the shallow end until her treatment was due. It wasn’t chlorine-stinking like the pools she’d been in before, and nothing gross floated past her. The tiles of the bottom made up a white and inky-blue geometric pattern. River hopped along it on her tip toes, amusing herself with an eye on the clock.

The time came and she returned to the front desk. A small lady with a soothing smile awaited her and led her to a private room. Her back and limbs were scrubbed and washed and it tingled really nicely. She wondered, briefly, if it might have some effect on the intensity of Elliott’s scent, but after the scrub had been washed off there was no question it was still deeply ingrained into her skin.

She flipped to her back and let the nice lady prod at her face, lather foam, dollop syrupy oils, and smooth cool creams over her skin.

“Omegas always look youthful,” the lady cooed.

River wasn’t sure what to respond, so she tried to smile under the layer of serums.

“That’s how you bagged an alpha mate, I suppose.”

River’s smile fell.

The lady made a short, choked sound. “I didn’t mean to be inappropriate.”

River raised her hand from the sheet covering her and flapped it, batting the concern away. The treatment continued.

Clean of salt residue, and blackheads, River was offered a selection of special scented milks to fill a giant granite tub. She chose lavender and chamomile.

It was weirdly warm and silky as she sunk in. A twenty minute timer was set for her to soak and River let herself sink, eyes shut, twinkly music bouncing off the walls. She wondered, while trying to empty her thoughts, if it might turn to a cheese bath if she thrashed around too much. She smiled to herself and kicked her feet carefully, just enough to make gentle waves rather than cottage cheese.

All too soon the time was up and River was sluiced down with more warm water and oils to ensure she really didn’t end up cheesy. She dressed back in the top and shorts, assured she would be given a fresh swimsuit when she returned from lunch, and toddled back to the elevators.

“Oh, madam, only this one goes to the tenth floor,” a young man offered helpfully, pressing the button to the central doors.

River thanked him, feeling a little guilty that she had no cash to slip him for his efforts.

×

A trolley of covered silver dishes awaited River when she returned from the spa. It was resting outside the suite door, in the small lobby area, and a folded piece of card by the handle offered a service in which a staff member would walk the trolley into the room and serve the dishes on the table for her if she dialled a special code into the suite phone.

River hauled it in herself, bunching up all the muscles she had just soothed.

It was a buffet of cold food options with small bottles of fruit juice and a pitcher of ice cold water. Two menus were tucked in amongst the plates, informing her of all the dishes and additionally advising on the dinner selection that would be arriving later.

She picked at the plates from all over the suite, testing out all the seats. The view wasn’t great, mostly other buildings and roads. The beauty was contained to inside the hotel, it seemed. When she had pushed her stomach a little way past full, she waddled back out, clutching it, to brew a coffee.

There was a professional machine and a pod machine. River decided to stick with what she knew, and probably couldn’t fuck up, and used a pod. A mini fridge of milks offered her all kinds of flavours, she chose hazelnut and sprinkled some chocolate powder over the top.

Clean. Fed. Caffeinated. River headed back for round two.

×

The head and body massage felt incredible, especially when they ran their fingers over her scalp, filling her curls with rosemary oil.

Of course, Elliott’s hands felt better. But she tried not to think of that, her body would betray her with an aroused scent… or worse, slick sliding from between her legs and onto the fluffy towels between her and the table.

After an hour of bliss, she was left to snooze in the room for as long as she liked with water droplets running down a feature wall and rose-scented steam billowing around her. River took a nap. How long for? Who knows! She felt good, she smelt good, she slept good.

Chapter Text

Of all the Mondays River had woken to in her life, this had to be one of the loveliest. The only struggle she had was convincing her body to leave the wonderfully warm bed with its plump pillows and soft sheets all lightly coated in a lavender scent. Every effort had been taken to ensure whoever slept in this suite got their full forty winks. Even the pajamas she had been provided were luxuriously silky and came with a matching eye mask.

It was such a shame to leave. She had a morning lecture, though, and a ride to get there with the alpha whose scent she wore… River forced herself out from under the duvet.

She took full advantage of the enormous bathtub, filling it with bubbles and salts and soaking until she was on the brink of lateness. Her clothes had been laid out for her after they were laundered yesterday evening. She pulled them on slowly, feeling a little dazed from all the little luxuries that had melted her brain in the last twenty-four hours. Even though the clock was ticking, it was so hard to feel stressed when she had been treated to massages and fine dining and a bed that practically hugged her back.

As she patted through her bag a final time, triple-checking she had collected all of her things, there was a knock at the door. She opened it tentatively, and was met with a wall of alpha.

“Good morning, petal.” A fitted white tee under a black jacket, but over dark jeans, was Elliott’s simple style of the day. He didn’t need flashy, he was the attraction.

“Morning.” She fussed at her curls, tucking them and re-tucking them behind her ears. She hadn’t expected him to come up and collect her. He didn’t step back, unbothered by her closeness. “How were your meetings?”

This question lit his face up with amusement, but she couldn’t tell if he was pleased that she remembered to ask or laughing at her for obsessing over his boardroom boredom. He took her tote bag from her, slinging it over his shoulder and offering his other hand. River dropped hers into it and let him use it to lead her out of the suite.

A fresh trolley of breakfast foods had been pushed to one side and they snagged a pastry each on their way past. River bare-handed and Elliott using a napkin like a pair of tongs.

Elliott pressed the call button with a knuckle. “It was as dull as I expected.”

The lift arrived and they stepped into it.

“Why can’t they send you the information in an email then?” River asked. She probably sounded silly and petulant - but why waste time with presentations for something that could be put in a single document?

“I ask myself that very question every torturous time,” Elliott answered on a sigh. He twiddled River’s fingers in his own like she were a small toy to fiddle with while he arranged his thoughts. “Something about in-person collaboration…” The doors slid open and they were back in the lobby. “I’d much rather hear how your stay was, my mate.”

River tripped over the metal rails that the elevator doors ran through. They were playing pretend, out in the open for the passing hotel guests and staff. Still, being called ‘my mate’ was… an enormous jump from ‘petal.’ River had never been anyone’s mate.

Elliott didn’t allow her to fall, catching his elbow in her armpit and half-dragging her forwards. He leant down to chuckle in her ear, “Did that startle you, petal?”

River recovered quickly, righting herself and cooing back, “I’m only half-awake, my mate, be careful with me.”

Elliott looked away, but his grin was proud. River was taking to her role like it was going to win her an Oscar, if she did say so herself.

At check-out they were almost interrogated on the quality of their stay. If there was one thing the submissive man at the desk was going to get out of his shift it was their full and thorough review. River assured him that everything was perfect, couldn’t possibly be improved upon, and that she and her mate really must be leaving now. She was certain the only reason Elliott hadn’t become curt with him was because he had a mouth full of pastry that he needed to finish before both hands were required on the wheel.

A valet brought his car to the front of the hotel and Elliott dusted off his hands with the napkin before he opened the door for River. He swapped the crumb-y tissue for a note in his pocket and handed it to the valet discreetly while River buckled herself in. Her croissant flaked over her and the seat but Elliott made no complaint as he slid in beside her.

She tried to eat quickly as he drove and minimise the spillage but she still looked like something that could be put out to feed the birds once she was finished. Elliott continued to pretend he didn’t notice the mess she was making of his very nice car and instead asked after her spa day.

River happily shared her wonderful experience to his nods and smirks.

×

“I didn’t think to pack my laptop or notebook,” River whispered. They had taken seats side-by-side in the centre of the lecture theatre and it felt like everyone had noticed her renewed scent and her new handheld accessory. Elliott hadn’t let her hand go until they were slotted into their chairs and he was pulling his laptop free from his own bag.

“I’m sure I can find it in my heart to lend you my notes,” he whispered back.

“Thanks.”

He gave her a look as though she had forgotten something, a reminder in his raised brows. She couldn’t force herself to call him her mate. In front of strangers acting was easy. They knew these people, they would be their classmates for the rest of the year and the next! And… they were already looking up at them, looking away and gossiping, then looking back again. A constant rotation of too much interest.

She stared back at Elliott, feeling herself heat and redden and even start to tremble.

“Relax,” he ordered on a murmur. One hand adjusted his laptop screen and the other typed in his password. “Focus on the lecture.”

River wanted to huff at him but she was afraid to cause a scene; the class had started. She decided to relax - not because an alpha had told her to but because it was all she could do with no means to take notes herself.

It was rather nice, she could admit, getting to sit back and watch the professor lecturing like it was a movie. Although her eyes were drawn regularly to Elliott’s screen, peeking at his meticulous notes. His typing was both soft and speedy, shortening the points made into easy-to-understand phrases and jumping-off points. When he caught her looking, he would throw in a bolded message.

Early Christian Art - Western Christian Imagery of Christ

1. Christ in Glory >> trans. Maiestas Domini

Central composition with Petal, put your eyes forward unless you want me to do it for you.

A little shudder struck between River’s legs. She glanced away again, nodding at the lecturer to show she was engaged.

Early Christian Art - Imagery of Roman Emperor My mate needs to give the professor her attention before she gets a public display of mine.

The images that were conjured by River’s imagination would not fit the theme of the lecture whatsoever. She could only hope her eyes weren’t glazing over as her mind filled with steam at the thought of utterly shameful PDA in a uni lecture…

Byzantine Art - Imagery of Christ Pantocrator & Deesis

Half-length vs full-length when As pretty as your reflection is in my screen, I do want this degree.

River flushed, jerked back, and squashed herself up in her seat away from Elliott’s, shrouding herself in her chunky cardigan. It smelled amazing from the hotel laundry service. Peeking just above the top button, she kept her eyes on the lecture ahead. No more sneaking glances at Elliott’s work. She was here to learn.

×

Elliott walked her down the steps of the theatre at the end of the lecture, ushering her in his gentle and borderline overbearing way. River clutched his hand and tried not to make eye contact with anyone she knew. Most offered a wide berth anyway for fear of alpha offending. Sky lingered by the front row with Ilex. Rowan had a dodgy stomach (that wasn’t how he phrased it in their group chat but River was too ladylike to repeat such expressions) but would be receiving a report as soon as they’d left the room, River was certain.

Elliott walked them clear of the building. “What would you like for lunch?”

“Oh, I have another lecture this afternoon-”

“I know, that’s why we should get lunch now.”

River frowned up at him. “How could you know that? It’s not an Art History lecture, it’s Fine Art.” As in, nothing to do with Elliott’s schedule.

“Every other Monday morning we have the same lecture together,” Elliott said, speaking to the grey sky. He was still pulling her hand along, back in the direction of his parked car. “And most Mondays you and your friends have the same conversation where they complain that you aren’t free when they are because you are doing the dual degree and they are not.” That was mostly true, only Rowan was a dual-art student like River.

“Well, I can’t say I’ve paid you the same attention.”

An uncharacteristic laugh burst from Elliott. Not a quiet chuckle or a restrained huff. A real crack of laughter. It tickled her.

“What?” she giggled.

“Nothing.” Elliott smiled at her. “You just surprised me.” He took River’s other hand and smushed them together between his own. “Now, let’s go get lunch before you lose these.”

While she wouldn’t admit it, Elliott’s warm hands felt nice wrapped around hers. Of course, confessing to being cold meant that she might have to defend spring’s arrival again. So instead she let herself be taken out to a nice hot meal. It was the easiest thing for everyone involved, really.

Chapter Text

Lunch was a quick sit-down in a sweet-smelling independent café for sandwiches stacked with thickly-sliced bread and wrapped in brown paper. It all felt very homely in its rustic aesthetic, and River cosied up in the corner while Elliott handled everything. It was a nice feeling. Warm. Easy.

They were out of time not long after the last bite, and River shimmied out, thanking Elliott for lunch and promising to see him soon, when… he followed her.

“It’s fine art,” River reminded him as they stepped out into the cold again.

“I know.” Elliott stole her hand.

“Are you walking back to your car?”

“I’m walking my mate to her lecture.” He returned a tepid smile to a passing dominant. “And then I’ll pick her up from it when she’s done.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

He didn’t answer, instead leaning forward to snatch one of the double doors back into the university and pulling it open ahead of them. River walked through first.

The other fine art students were waiting outside the lecture hall. Elliott halted River just as she reached them.

“I’ll be here when you’re done.” He spoke a little louder, subtly wanting to be heard. Then, he let go of her hand to take her face between his palms and kissed the crown of her head. River stared up at him, unable to school her face from wide eyes and pink cheeks. Elliott wasn’t looking back at her, he was looking over her, giving the crowd a hard look. Warning off the dominants, she realised.

“Okaythankyouseeyoulaterbyebye,” River babbled.

Elliott stepped back, keeping his eyes ahead at those behind her for an extra few seconds, and turned to leave. Thankfully, their professor arrived to open the door and welcome them all to class just as he did. River avoided eye contact with anyone as she filed inside.

Yet again, she had no means to take notes, and Rowan was sick so she couldn’t ask him for help. She knew others in the class, she was friendly with everyone, but after Elliott’s mortifying display of dominance outside she couldn’t bring herself to pester anyone. The heat needed to cool off first.

She listened a lot. She learned a bit. She left the moment the professor finished speaking.

Elliott was leant against the wall opposite the theatre entrance. He was frowning at his phone. Before River could get a step closer, he sniffed and looked up.

“I’m sorry I forgot to tell you earlier, but I have volunteering with the Hedgehog Housing Group now.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go.”

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t need a lift.”

“Well, you’re getting one.”

“Elliott!” she reasoned with a hiss.

“River!” he mimicked with a grin. All for show. Playing out the bickering loved-up couple for the audience emerging from the class. And god, did it suit him.

His phone was put away and replaced with her hand again. River could have dug her feet or flailed or shouted at him. She let his hand guide her outside.

“I really don’t need any help to get there. It’s not even dark yet!”

“Will it be dark when you need picking up?”

River sighed and dropped into the passenger seat. Elliott shut the door for her.

When he was settled in his own seat, River said, “I don’t need picking up.”

Elliott ignored her. “What’s the address?”

River gave the community centre’s name. There was no reasoning with this man. Alphas and their stubborn ways. She crossed her arms over her chest and sulked while he pulled free of the parking space.

“You don’t want to be seen with me?” The words weren’t said with any particular emotion. No hurt or horror.

River dropped her arms. “That’s not it! I just don’t like that you don’t listen when I say no.”

“You don’t practice saying ‘no’ enough, petal.”

“What’s that supposed to be mean?”

“You should have said you didn’t want the ride, not that you didn’t need it.”

“It’s not that I don’t want it, it’s that I don’t want to put you out.”

Elliott squeezed the wheel with his hands and pinched his lips between his teeth for a moment. “River, it’s up to me if I put myself out.” He swung them into a tight space right outside the community centre. “So, stop worrying about other people and learn how to say ‘no’ for when you’re being put out.”

River popped the door open before he could jump out and do it for her. “Sure. See you around.” She shut it on his response and hurried up to the doors of the community centre. Fortunately, he didn’t follow.

“The boys told us you turned up to your lecture with a fresh scent mark this morning.”

River had only made it through the first set of doors. She kept walking to the next. “Good afternoon to you too, Willow.”

“What happened to your grand plan of being rid of Alpha Elliott?”

River shrugged. She really didn’t want to defend her choices as she walked through a hall filled with cardboard boxes and loo rolls. People bustled about with tins of cat food and clipboards of petitions and River attempted to blend in as she found something to do with herself.

Willow kept to her back like a bad smell. “Do you like him?”

I’m an alpha mate. I want to get married to my alpha and have lots of babies. That was her line, but somehow she wanted so much more to gush about being kissed on the lips for the first time. Not here, though, too many eyes and ears.

“He’s my mate,” she said, as though that answered the question.

“For real?”

River nodded, shy. She fiddled with a pile of straw.

“Oh, River, that’s great!”

River couldn’t bring herself to say the rest of Elliott’s script, so she shrugged again with an awkward smile.

“Can I tell the girls?” She was already withdrawing her phone in a slow, over-dramatic pull from her pocket.

“Honestly, that might save me some stress, so go ahead.”

Willow skipped on the spot, tapping away at the screen. “And the boys?”

“Sure.”

Willow squealed.

“Okay, okay, there’s hedgehogs that need housing!” River plucked a box and some supplies to kit it out with and hurried away to find a space to build. Anything to be out from under the spotlight that was Willow’s desperation for details.

Ninety minutes - and plenty of hard hedgehog-helping work - later,  and the group was dismissed. River didn’t linger to help with pack-up, she had promised the running club she would help them paint signs.

Back out in the cold she bumped straight into a barrier of her own scent.

“Finished?” Elliott asked.

River lingered against his chest for a little longer than she should have - he was so warm. “Um, no. I need to get to the running club to help paint signs.”

“Athletics track?”

A nervous laugh escaped her. She couldn’t read Elliott’s tone at all.  “That’s the one.”

“Come on, then.”

The Hedgehog Housing Group were spawning at her back.

“Thank you,” she said. This time, she took his hand.

It was dark now, even though it wasn’t even five yet, and River’s cardigan was really not pulling its fluffy weight in keeping her warm. Her jeans were turning stiff too, even as she scurried along at her top speed.

When they reached the end of the path, Elliott redirected them.

“I had to move spaces.” Once they were walking in the right direction again, he pulled his hand free. “I’ve got a spare hoodie in the car but wear this for now.” He dropped his jacket from his shoulders and slipped it over River’s.

“Th-thank you.”

“You need a proper coat.”

“Spring is comi-”

“No.” Elliott opened the car door for her. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow. I’m not going to be known as the alpha that let his mate freeze to death.”

River swung her legs into the car and the door closed. When Elliott joined her, she said, “I haven’t got time for anything extra tomorrow.”

Elliott started the engine. “What’s the schedule for tomorrow?”

River listed off her lectures, society meetings and volunteer work for the next day and Elliott drove.

“I’ll pick you up at eight, then.”

River’s mouth opened to argue. Then, she wondered whether she even wanted to. No, she liked being looked after. Even if it was only temporary. Warm and easy, that was the feeling that followed her when she let Elliott chaperone her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wriggling deeper into the heated seat and the sandalwood-smelling jacket. What she would give to take another nap here instead of spending hours painting signs…

“Here you are.”

River sighed.

“You don’t have to help everyone who asks, petal.”

“I like to.”

“That’s not what it sounds like.”

“I’m just… tired.”

“Then cancel.”

“I can’t.”

“River.”

“Elliott.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

She hopped out of the car. “I’m keeping this for a little longer,” she called behind her before shutting the door. She ran to the track before Elliott could call after her and demand his jacket back.

×

Once again, a sleek, black car awaited her when she had finished her support for the running club. One of the doms, Begonia, refused to let her walk from the building alone, even with all the flood lighting around the tracks. River pointed to Elliott’s car as they approached.

“That’s my mate.”

As if on cue, Elliott appeared, ready to welcome her back onto warm leather.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Begonia.”

“Elliott.” He shook her hand. “Thanks for walking her.”

“Can’t be too careful.” She didn’t bother to say ‘with omegas’ out loud, but they all heard it.

River climbed inside. “Thanks, Begonia, I’ll see you later.”

Begonia nodded and stepped back to let Elliott close the door. As they pulled away, she waved, walking backwards to offer her bodyguard services to some other helpless submissive.

“Finished?” Elliott asked. She knew he didn’t just mean the painting, he was asking if the day was done. If she had anywhere else she needed to be.

“Finished,” River sighed happily, slouching into the toasty seat. All she had left to do today was rest up ready to do it all again tomorrow. Oh, and respond to the dozens of messages from her friends having a mass meltdown over her new, official, mate.

Chapter Text

River woke to her phone buzzing. A message from her parents. She sat up, groggy, and tried to force her eyes to focus on the smaller text of the actual message contents.

She blinked.

Well, shit.

×

Elliott was expectedly prompt, pulled up outside her front door and waiting when River bounded outside. She had made an effort to dress extra warmly today so that he couldn’t make any more complaints about looking like a neglectful mate. She also had a bundle of fresh laundry to hand back to him.

“Sorry it took so long, I had to wait for my slot with the tumble dryer.”

Elliott balanced the folded items on the back seat. “I wouldn’t have minded if you needed to borrow them a little longer, given your habit of heading out half-dressed.”

River pouted. “I actually tried to cover up today,” she mumbled. Her cream skirt was long and knitted, her boots chunky with extra thick socks, and she had layered a pastel pink woolly jumper over a top and a vest. What more could Elliott ask for?

“Yes, you’ve done a terribly good job of it, too.” He started the car and pulled off from the edge of the pavement.

“What does that mean?”

He glanced over and a wink flashed at her. “There’s less of you to look at.”

River choked on air and changed the subject immediately. “So, my parents are coming to visit this weekend.”

It was Elliott’s turn to be caught out. He kept his eyes ahead, but River caught the swallow flexing his throat.

“I hope you’re not expecting me to meet them.”

“No,” she said, too blunt and too quick. “Of course not. I just… wanted to warn you.”

His smirk returned. “I think I can manage to stay away for two whole days, petal.”

“Well, only Saturday.” River wriggled in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs. “You’re welcome to bother me on Sunday.”

Elliott chuckled. “You like it when I bother you?”

“I like it when you play nice.”

He bit his lip and rocked his head from side to side. “That’s an interesting way of putting it.”

River wanted to question his odd words, but they had already arrived at her first activity of the day and the art society members gathered in the car park had all taken notice. Elliott took a space right by the crowd.

“Better get going, they’re looking pretty eager for your grand entrance,” Elliott teased. He bent two fingers off the steering wheel at them in a nonchalant wave. A few onlookers had the grace to look away, embarrassed by their own staring.

“You could come, too, if you wanted.”

“Not my thing, petal.”

River frowned. “You don’t involve yourself in anything.”

“It’s for the best.”

All of his answers were too short and cryptic. It was beginning to frustrate her. Why was she always kept in the dark? Why did Elliott keep himself in the dark?

Audience be damned, she decided to press him for once. “Why? You’re actually quite good at being sociable.”

A surprised laugh burst from him. “Quite good?”

“You know, for an introvert.”

Elliott’s incredulity almost stretched his face into cruelty. She wasn’t sure why, but River got a sense that he was on the brink of being… mean. “River, darling, I am not an introvert.”

“Then why don’t you get involved in anything - or anyone - outside of class?” In fact, he seemed to work hard at avoiding all social interaction that could find him outside of the lecture halls.

He went to speak, froze, and fell back against his chair. “That’s a topic for another day, petal.” Everything had flat-lined, returning to factory settings, bland. “Now, go and wow them with your new scent mark.”

River obliged begrudgingly, unbuckling her belt and slinging her tote bag over her shoulder. “It’s not exactly n-”

Elliott caught her chin and pulled her back, stealing a quick kiss and then stepping out of the car. By the time he opened her door for her, she had almost recovered from the shock. Elliott hunched over her, leaning into the car, and she hoped for a moment he intended to do it again.

“Don’t look so horrified, people can see you,” he hissed. Then, much louder, he asked, “Do you need help with your things, my mate?”

River stumbled free of the door frame. “Um, no.” She righted herself and brushed a curl out of her eyes. “I’m fine- just- still half-asleep.” She laughed, it sounded forced. Elliott winced down at her, his back was to the society members. River’s was not, she needed to put on a brave face. Or a happy one. Anything but the dazed emotion she was feeling from her second kiss ever.

“Well, if you decide you’re not up to this after all then I’ll be waiting for your call.” He adjusted her jumper collar and hiked the straps of her bag up her shoulder. “Have fun.”

River nodded. Pink as her outfit, she stepped away from him and walked to the group waiting for her, feeling like she was approaching the noose. They were all so expectant.

“Morning, everyone!” River called.

A chorus of greetings echoed back to her and the committee took the chance to begin explaining the excursion ahead of them.

Rowan and Sky sidled in to her sides, eyes ahead, nodding along with the instructions being given.

“Why haven’t you been responding to our messages?” Rowan mumbled.

“I had a lot on yesterday, I’m sorry.”

Sky had to bend a little to effectively whisper into her ear, “And Alpha Elliott?”

“He’s been generously chauffeuring me to all my lectures and meetings.”

“I meant, he’s really your mate now?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened to wanting to be rid of him?”

“He… showed his true colours.”

“At the party?”

River couldn’t pretend to be paying attention to the speech up front anymore, her eyes snapped up to Rowan, shocked. “What?” she breathed.

“There were rumours-” He paused when the treasurer caught him in a dark look. As soon as he was out from under the incriminating lens, he continued, “-that you two got into a fight at Hawk’s party.”

“Not true,” River muttered. “He came to pick me up because I asked him to. I drank too much and wanted to go home.”

“You could have asked us.”

River hummed. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t thought to phone a friend that night. Maybe because she hated the thought of being a burden on them. But with Elliott? He made it so easy to rely on him, he took it personally if she didn’t.

The boys didn’t push the topic any further, not even when they were dismissed to explore the sculpture garden with their sketchpads and cameras. River knew there would be more questions in the future… they were probably still just trying to process the idea of ‘River the alpha mate.’

To be fair to them, so was River.

×

The sun had long since set when Elliott pulled up outside River’s house share for the final stop of the day.

“Thanks for the lifts again today!” Driving saved so much time between all her commitments - and Elliott was a hell of a lot more reliable than the bus.

“Same again tomorrow?” He was only half-joking, the other half, the weary half, made her a little nervous.

“You can bow out at any time, you know?”

His mild smile became contemplative, and he stared at her instead of answering.

River unbuckled, but didn’t touch the door handle. “What is it?”

“Do you know that you can bow out at any time?”

“I like being a part of it all.” A part of everyone else.

Elliott tilted his head. “Don’t you ever get tired of running around like a blue-arsed fly for other people?”

“No.”

“Have you ever thought of at least… slowing down?”

River laughed. “I’ve only got twenty-four hours a day - it’s not enough!”

“Exactly.” He slumped back, resting his temple against the headrest. There was a softness in his stare that River liked far too much. “Maybe you’re stretching too much out of that time.”

“I disagree.”

He sighed. Not frustrated, almost like he should have known better to even ask. Like he knew her too well. He was good at that act.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early.”

×

“Change of plans for today,” River said as she took her pre-warmed seat.

“There’s physically not a minute left for you to fill,” Elliott said, dropping the handbrake.

River laughed off the comment and dropped her tote bag between her feet. “I’m running out of supplies for painting and I have some pieces I need to finish before the end of term.”

“You were going to work on them tonight,” Elliott remembered. He took a hard turn with the softest of wheel manoeuvres and River swayed with the force.

She nodded. “The university studio has communal supplies, I’ll need to use theirs until my next student loan comes in.”

The car slowed on the approach of yellow lights, halting just before they turned red. “Do you need to book or can you turn up when you like?”

“It’s a free-for-all.”

Elliott grimaced.

“It’s not as messy as it sounds,” River laughed. The prim and proper and perfectly-put-together Elliott might not fit in amongst the chaos of colour, but at least there was plenty of newspaper about if he wanted to protect his trousers from the sometimes-sticky plastic chairs. “I’ll take my unfinished bits there tonight and hopefully make some progress.”

“What are you painting?”

“Still lifes, mostly.”

“Can I see them?”

“If you help me get them to the studio.”

He nodded at the dispersing traffic ahead. After a pause he asked, “Can I watch you paint?”

“If you want, it’s not very exciting.” Neither was her art style, or her preferred subject matter. In the words of the great Miranda Priestly, ‘florals, in spring? Groundbreaking.’ But River liked painting flowers, and she loved spring because that’s when the flowers came back. She had long since realised there was no joy in posing as some serious artist and painting topics she didn’t care for. “I spend more time ‘umm’ing and ‘aah’ing than putting paint to paper usually.”

A small smile, pointed at the road, but it was enough to stir something in River’s belly. She looked away, searching through the window for something interesting to focus on, too.

“It’s a deal, then,” he said. “I’ll drive you and the paintings, and you’ll paint live for me.”

River smiled at the empty trees smoothly flying past, shy all of a sudden. “Deal,” she murmured.

Chapter Text

They laid out separate work stations in the surprisingly empty studio space. Elliott had his laptop and a textbook with an army of highlighters and mechanical pencils. River had half-used tubes of oils, a permanently-stained palette, and an easel that was far too big for any of her current projects. He sat atop one of the low tables, hunched a little. She stood between it and her easel. Thinking. Plotting. Despairing over how to continue.

There was faint tapping to begin with, the occasional drag of a pen over text, but as soon as River stopped dithering and started adding brushes of colour to her painting, all movement from Elliott ceased. River pretended not to notice. Ignored the burn of his gaze on her back.

She had said he could watch, but she thought it would be more of a parallel-project arrangement. He did his work, she did hers, and maybe he would look up from his studying every once in a while to see how she was getting on. His studying had completely halted, and she felt the pressure on her bony wrist to stroke her art into something perfect.

She heard the shift of his movement rather than saw it when he slipped off the table and took the space at her back. A shiver passed along her skin at the brush of his breath.

“You can use the supplies, too,” she murmured.

“My degree includes no practical work for a reason - I’m no artist.”

She peered over her shoulder with a raised brow. “Have you tried?”

He chuckled. “I’m more of a voyeur.” The scent they shared became heavy and heady. Elliott tucked his chin down, a slight bow to her level. Yet, he was still so far. “But I do wonder what it would be like to be an exhibitionist.” He added, with a sly grin, “Like you.”

River scoffed at his strange word choice.

“Am I wrong?”

“About me being… an exhibitionist?”

“Mmm.” The hum bristled the tiny curls gathered at the nape of River’s neck. She trembled and dropped her eyes. “Or are you actually a bit of a prude?”

River gasped, spinning to size him up. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Turn everything… dirty?”

Slow, sultry, savouring the lack of space between them, Elliott purred, “Whatever ulterior motive you’re finding in my words is all your own projection, petal.” He bumped her brush away with the side of his palm, narrowly avoiding an accidental blot on his chest. “I only wish to learn the way of the artist.”

River rolled her eyes. “You know plenty about art. Your grades are perfect and the professors make it very clear to the rest of us who is on track for a first.” She stepped back and held the periwinkle-blue-coated brush out to him. “Let’s see what your books have taught you.”

His grin turned shy, but he accepted the tool.

“Please don’t hate me for ruining this,” he whispered.

In a seemingly random spot he added a dab of paint, winced, and looked to River for immediate support. She had a second brush on standby, and it only took a few choice drags to turn the blob into a fat-petalled flower. It was much larger than the others in the piece, but she could enlarge them all more easily than she could reduce Elliott’s behemoth bloom.

“You’re a natural,” she cooed under her breath.

Elliott stumbled back from her, cackling with laughter. “You liar.”

River giggled. “I’ve seen worse!”

“Really?”

“I used to volunteer at a nursery-”

“A nursery?” he stuttered. “For children or for plants?”

“Some of those toddlers were prodigies!”

He bowed over the nearest table, head in hands.

“You’ve only touched the canvas once,” River reasoned. “Come and have another go.”

“Isn’t this part of your practical assignment?”

“Art is all about being able to explain it, rather than what it looks like,” River said with a wink and a twirl of the brush between her fingers.

“So as long as you claim that blue clover is actually symbolic commentary on ostracisation and inner beauty, your grade won’t be affected?”

River laughed. “You did not just compare my painting to the Ugly Duckling!” She took both brushes and laid them in the easel’s slim trench.

“My blob is the Ugly Duckling, the rest is beautiful.”

The compliment burned her face more than it should have. Instead of thanking him, she deflected. “Well, I think all ducklings are cute.”

“Oh god, you’re not in some ‘duckling appreciation society’ too, are you?”

River feigned some very hard thinking. “I don’t think we have that at this uni.”

“You would know,” Elliott scoffed.

River gasped. “So, we should found it!”

“There is no way-”

“Pleasepleaseplease-”

“Counter offer.”

River drew in close, it pulled her neck muscles to look directly up at him, but she couldn’t drag herself away again. She was magnetised to him. “Yes?”

“We don’t found a time-consuming society that actually offers very little real impact on the lives of ducklings-”

River pouted.

“-instead, to close this discussion for good, I will make a donation to a charity of your choice that…” His serious expression quirked, a laugh on the brink of bursting out. Fuck, he was so hot. “Offers support for ducklings - even the ugly ones.”

“Hmm…” River mimed mulling over his offer.

Arms curled around her waist, pulling her in just a little tighter. “It would be a very generous donation.” Deep, rumbling, ever-so-persuasive.

Her eyes fell half-lidded. Because he was too tall, not because the flirtatious fog around them had her barriers lowering.  “How generous?”

Elliott dipped his head, curling over her, almost nose-to-nose-

A cleared throat startled River out of his embrace.

“Are you guys using this section?” An awkward pause. A dominant hovered with one foot in the room. “For, like, art?”

“Y-yes, sorry-”

“Just recreating Klimt,” Elliott joked. He stepped back, his touch falling away from her, and retreated to his study zone.

Unsteady on her feet for a moment without her alpha scaffolding, River swayed ahead of her canvas.

“Just- ah- need some stuff,” the dominant mumbled, keeping her eyes to the floor as she walked the channel between alpha and omega. She collected brushes and paints and a palette and wedged herself into the furthest point in the room from them. Slipping headphones over her ears, she locked her concentration on her own easel.

River attempted to do the same while the remnants of their burst bubble settled over her.

×

Friday morning was the first of the week that River didn’t have Elliott’s car waiting outside the house. Not yet, anyway. First class was cancelled. Second wasn’t for hours. And she had told him she wanted to sleep in…

Instead, she was awake and the almost-kiss of the art studio had infected her brain. Worst symptom: inability to stop thinking about it. River shoved her face into a pillow and groaned, then giggled, then groaned again. She might be in trouble with this scent deal.

Her phone beeped, and she didn’t have to worry about it for a few seconds at least.

It was Elliott. Worry was back.

I want a slot in your schedule.

River sent back a question mark.

You’ve run around all week for others. I want a turn.

River replied: A turn at what? You need someone to clean your car or paint a mural in your room?

I want a period of time that’s mine to use. What have you got available?

River snatched her diary from the bedside table and answered: I don’t have anything in the diary after 7 tonight?

Done. I’ll drop you off after your volunteering so you can change and pick you back up at 7.30.

River scratched her curls before typing back: Change? What should I wear?

Something nice.

That doesn’t mean anything! River argued. I think all my clothes are nice.

Something you’d wear to a nice dinner.

Dinner? It was time to squish her face in a pillow again. A nice dinner, at that. What was he thinking? That people might see them out? Were these the lengths he would go to for his reputation? A fake date night?

She messaged back an affirmative and ran to her wardrobe to work out what was appropriate for a nice dinner. If she couldn’t find anything, she would have to beg her housemates to let her raid their closets. She couldn’t embarrass Elliott, that was her end of the deal - appear as an alpha mate.

Ember found her in a pile of short skirts - apparently nothing she owned was longer than twelve inches unless it was jeans.

“Uh, your mate is waiting for you outside.”

“Shit!” River staggered free of the heap, snatching her bag and phone - the screen screamed multiple missed calls and a message from Elliott that he had arrived. She pulled on the trainers nearest the door and finger-combed her hair as she ran down the path. It was too late for ringlet teasing.

She leapt into the car and scrabbled for her belt until a steady hand halted her, held out either to stop her or touch up her chest. “I’m sorry, I-”

“Petal,” Elliott stage-whispered. “Is this what you’re wearing to class?” His hand retracted.

River glanced down. “Oh my god,” she breathed. She had never gotten dressed. “No. This is-” Her pjs. Her frilly, daffodil yellow, pjs. Also not longer than twelve inches. “I got distracted-”

“If you want to get to your lecture on time, and without a bite mark, go and change.” He forced his hands and eyes to the wheel, pained-looking. “Now, please.”

“Okay,” River squeaked, tripping back out into the chilly air.

Chapter Text

After her fashion faux-pas that morning, River could not afford to look anything but perfect for dinner with Elliott tonight.

“If you want to get to your lecture on time, and without a bite mark, go and change.”

The way her insides had been clenching and pulsating all day, every time his voice crept back into her mind. During her lecture, throughout volunteering, and the entire car journey home. If her body was demanding one thing from her, it was that she look fine as hell tonight. Just in case that offer of a bite came back.

A dress was secured from an enormous closet collaboration of the submissives of the house share. There were disagreements, voting rounds, but eventually they all agreed on Linnet’s eighteenth birthday dress. She wore it to dinner with her family and friends that day and hadn’t unzipped it once in the two years since, she told them over and over when pleading the case of the garment.

It was supposed to be calf-length, but on River it reached the floor. Sage layers of tulle popped out from her hips slightly and the sleeves were extra poofy where they had to be pushed up a little. The underlying bodice and skirt were silky, and offered a nice shape - if a little loose. Speckles of flowers floated over the tulle - that was River’s favourite part. The deep neckline was Ember’s.

“I don’t have… what Linnet has,” River mumbled, adjusting the opening and attempting to flatten it against her chest.

“Back pain?” Linnet laughed.

River smiled, sheepish. “We should all be happy with what we’ve got right?” She sighed.

“And you’ve got cuteness by the bucket-load, babe!” Ember wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squished their cheeks together.

Didn’t Elliott mention something about omega cuteness? To protect her, of course, nothing more than that… except maybe get her pregnant. River blushed and fanned herself with a piece of the skirt. ”It’s, um, it’s a lot of material.”

“You have to carry it with confidence,” advised Bramble. He was folding away his rejected wardrobe. “Don’t let it swallow you up.”

“Sexy alpha mates, on the other hand,” Ember teased. “Let them eat you however they like.”

Linnet, Bramble and the others cackled. River’s blush deepened. She couldn’t admit how badly she wanted Elliott to take a bite…

“Does that red face mean you’re going back to his afterwards?”

“No! I-” River fumbled over her tongue. “I don’t know. We didn’t talk about after.”

A wave of assurance came at her from submissives all around the room.

“Don’t feel pressured to!”

“It’s about when you feel comfortable.”

“Yeah, you guys have only been together a few weeks.”

“Just enjoy dinner.”

“And when you’re ready, serve yourself as dessert.”

“Oh, I have the best playsuit for that!” Ember exclaimed.

“Is it pink and ruffly?” Bramble guessed.

“Of course!”

Pink ruffles did get River an orgasm on the dance floor back at Glacier… maybe Ember’s fashion tactics were legit…

“Thanks, guys.” She twirled in the dress and pulled herself up a little straighter. As long as she didn’t slouch, the sizing issue wasn’t too noticeable. “You’re the best!”

“We know.” Linnet and Ember high-fived.

“Now sit down and let me tame your hair,” Bramble ordered, producing a bag of torturous tools.

“Ooh, while you have her trapped I can put some make-up on her!” Ember squealed.

River sat and allowed her friends to work their magic to turn her into a perfect alpha mate. By appearance, that was. This night was probably all for show anyway.

×

The submissives had been right about going glam - this restaurant was more than what River would call nice. There was a chandelier for goodness’ sake.

They were tucked into a secluded corner with heavy drapery hiding them from most of the room. River appreciated the blockade - a lot of eyes had followed their entrance: an omega hanging from the elbow of her sharply-dressed alpha, both far too young to afford an appetiser in a place like this.

Elliott had prepared her chair for her, of course, and River had actually managed to slide in very gracefully. He’d looked so pleased with her she’d almost wriggled under his smile.

Now, sat opposite her, his face had fallen back to neutral setting. His elbows were braced against the arms of his seat, the muscles bunched above the bend. He had handed in his suit jacket at the cloak room, along with River’s shawl, and now his dark shirt was all that stood between River and that wall of a chest. Only the very top button was undone, barely a tease of what was beneath. A thin gold chain, tight to his throat, could barely be seen through the gap; only the bright overhead lights of the restaurant brought attention to it. That, and River’s desperate attempts to see down his shirt. The man was too damn tall… even sitting down…

Elliott glanced up at her, so quick and so sudden and over so fast, and back to his menu. River clutched her own, balanced on the table edge, and realised she had been utterly silent since she sat down.

A nervous energy filled her. What should she say? Where should she look? What should she choose to eat? Were there rules to these social situations - like the fancy knives for cheese?

“I had some serious trouble finding a duckling charity that wasn’t just using the little birds as a mascot,” Elliott drawled from behind his menu.

He remembered.

River softened into her seat with a smile. “Well, looks like we’re founding our society after all.”

Elliott glanced up from the booklet, his gaze piercing beneath thick brows, his chin still tilted down towards the cocktail selection, looking up at her despite the height difference. “I’d rather found the charity - better tax exemptions.”

River scoffed.

An amused hum in response.

“What?”

“They have duck confit.”

River gasped. “Don’t you dare!” she hissed.

He chuckled, but there was a warning flash in his eyes. Behave yourself, it ordered her. “I would never.” He flicked a page across, backtracking through the specials. “The langoustine already caught my eye.”

“I don’t know what that is,” River admitted on a whisper.

“It’s technically lobster,” he whispered back. “But it looks like prawns.”

“Ah.”

“Have you chosen your starter?”

“Um-” River fussed with the menu. “There’s so much choice.”

“Shall we share the assiette de charcuterie?”

“That’s picky bits, right?”

Elliott’s surprised laugh included a very-almost-suppressed snort. “Yes, petal.” He rolled his lips for a moment before repeating under his breath, “Picky bits.”

“Perfect!” River giggled.  “And then for my main I’ll have the swordfish.” She’d never eaten it before but it couldn’t be that different to cod.

“Good choice.”

River keened under the praise. Then caught herself and was hit with the heat of shame. Her face flushed too hot and she restrained herself from fanning it with the menu. It was perfectly normal for an alpha’s mate to enjoy their approval, it was all part of the power dynamics, she assured herself. She was an omega, she was submissive, and he was her mate… technically.

Elliott graciously didn’t comment on her blush, instead motioning to the waiter that they were ready to order and then relaying their choices over his shoulder. River sipped her sparkling water and pretended that she wasn’t fighting an internal battle between mortification and debauchery. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to play into her role? Up until he complimented her she had been following the playbook perfectly.

Elliott took the menu from her hands to give it back and River was clicked back into the current moment.

“Are you warm enough?” Elliott asked once the waiter had departed.

River nodded, carefully placing her glass back on the table.

“My jacket is but a room away,” he assured her with a wink.

“Thanks.”

“Everything okay?”

“Sorry.” She gripped the arms of her chair and leant forward again, murmuring, “I’ve never been on a real date like this before.”

“No need to apologise,” he said softly. “You don’t need experience, you just need to talk.”

River smiled at the table cloth. “I can do that.”

He reached across and tipped her chin back up. “Good, then tell me about your plans for your parents’ visit tomorrow.” His gaze was so affectionate, like a caress in a look. When he let go of her face, it still felt like he had her in the palm of his hand, just from the hold his eyes had on her.

“Well, it’s not very exciting…” She told him what they were going to do, where her parents would be staying, how they would journey to town, and suddenly the time was passing much faster.

A wooden platter of delicately folded meats, layered bread slices, cubed cheese, and skewered olives halved the table between them. River could have cleared the lot in one sitting at home in her pjs, but this was only the first course and she was a classy alpha’s mate so she would not stuff olives in her mouth by the handful.

“Please.” Elliott gestured for her to take first choice.

River hesitated. Then, she smiled up at him with all the innocence she could find to feign. “I’d like bread and prosciutto, please.” It was time to see just how far an alpha would go to pander to an omega mate.

The waiter’s steps slowed in his retreat, watching, but pretending to be surveying the general area.

Elliott’s mouth quirked. “Of course, my mate.” He plucked a piece of bread from the selection and buttered it with a reverent intensity. He chose the prosciutto strip with the least fat and let it drape over the butter with generous folds. “Cheese?”

River shook her head. She would have cheese next, no need to rush through all her options.

“Then, say ‘aah.’”

The bread stretched over the table towards her, startling her only for a second before she tilted forward, too. She parted her lips, and kept her eyes on Elliott. His were doing a three-beat bounce between her eyes, her mouth, and her dress. Crunch. River broke the bite off and sat back to enjoy it, lightly covering her mouth with her fingertips. It tasted incredible. Her homemade ham sandwiches couldn’t look in this delicacy’s direction.

River nodded at Elliott, an encouragement to take his own taste. Elliott’s brow raised and that half-grin returned. She could read him like a book for what may be the first and last time ever: he thought she was bold. He bit off a portion and chewed with the remainder held out to her still. When River dropped her bottom lip, a subtle signal to feed her the rest, he practically placed it on her tongue, thumbing her chin on the retreat. River’s jaw rolled on auto-pilot, chewing without thought. Her brain’s full processing power was being used to study Elliott’s every move.

He dusted off his hands. “Very nice. If we keep going with this pace we might make it to dessert sometime tomorrow morning.”

River adjusted herself in her seat with a quiet giggle. Her dress was sliding open a little, showing off more than she’d like to. “Then, feel free to put mine on my plate next time.” She adjusted the shoulders of the sage material, pulling them back into place flush against her.

“How generous of you, my mate.”

“I’m always thinking of you, alpha.”

It was his turn to still. Perhaps she had put a little too much breathy potency in her words.

“And I you, petal.” He took another slice of bread and began buttering it. “So, do eat up or you’ll worry me to an early grave.”

River laughed lightly, but something trembled deep in her chest that didn’t let her do so easily. A slight stutter of nerves, of inexperience. She could do this.

They picked from the platter, keeping to their own sides of the table, and River did most of the talking.

When the main courses arrived, she decided it was his turn.

“What about your family?”

“What about them?” Said so bluntly that it stilled River’s fork.

“Do they come to visit?” she asked, almost tentative in her approach of the subject. He obviously didn’t want to share, but she’d started on the topic now. It was his turn to talk.

“No.”

“Are they nearby?”

“No.”

“Do you visit them?”

“Not if I can help it.”

River poked at the fillet on her plate. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She fed herself a flaky bite to buy time to find something else to say.

“Don’t be.” He looked contemplative, separating his shrimp. “I’m the one that made things difficult.”

River swallowed. “Will it get better?”

He looked up. “Yeah, I’m working on it.”

River smiled. Elliott matched it.

“Back to you again,” he said, brushing the moment off with a flutter of his fork. “Outside of your parents - big family?”

“Big outer family,” River answered. “Lots of cousins, no siblings.” She speared a piece of asparagus. “And you?”

He liked this question much better. “Two sisters.” His wistful expression mellowed. “My outer family are… a bit formal, so I don’t count them.”

River gasped. “I always wanted sisters!” she admitted. “Older or younger?”

“Younger.”

“Submissive or dominant?”

“Submissive.”

“Is it hard being the only dominant?”

His smile grew, crinkling his eyes and flashing his pearly white teeth. “Only when they ask for the impossible.”

River giggled. “That’s sweet. Do they visit?”

The smile disintegrated. “That’s complicated.”

“Oh.”

“They message me plenty, though.” He cocked a brow. “So stop looking at me like that.”

“Sorry.” She plugged her mouth with food.

“What are you doing Sunday?”

River had to think for a moment. Good thing she had plenty to chew - the fillet was rather dry. “I’ve got a new desk being delivered!” she announced.

“Is that how you prefer to paint?”

River tilted her head. “No, I like sitting on the floor to paint.”

“Of course.” He smiled. It was gentle, almost comforting.

River swallowed. “How do you prefer to paint?”

His volume dropped. “Leaning over a pretty omega wearing my scent.” Husky, maybe even hungry. Not the food kind.

River faltered, flushed, and focused on the fish.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

River giggled nervously. “You haven’t put me off my dinner, so there’s no cause for concern,” she said, over-acting with her cutlery, pretending this alpha didn’t have the formula for flustering her down to an exact science.

“Good.” His smile returned. “Eat up.”

Chapter Text

As they glided back through the tables post-espressos, arm-in-arm, a man in a navy suit jumped up out of his seat and into their path.

“If it isn’t Alpha Elliott Constance! I thought that was you in the corner.”

“Beta Basil,” Elliott greeted with a cool smile. “Always a pleasure.” They shook hands and Elliott stepped to the side to reveal River hovering behind him. “Allow me to introduce my mate, Omega River Catlin.”

The man lit up even more at the introduction. If he got any more excited he’d begin glowing. “Please, call me Hadley!” he gushed. He clasped his hands to his chest to keep from reaching out to River, instead offering her a bow of the head. “And how exciting it is to meet your mate. Will she be summering with you at the estate?”

“I hope so.” Elliott chuckled, adding, “First, I should get her family’s approval.”

Hadley joined in, as though that was something people actually did - getting their partner’s parents’ agreement to allow them to take a holiday together.

“Have you a moment to meet the gentlemen I’m dining with?”

Elliott put on a very convincing look of regret. “I’m sorry, Beta Basil, I have kept my mate out late enough.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Hadley reared back, sucking in to let them past. “Another time.”

“My uncle would be honoured to make the arrangement,” Elliott offered over his shoulder

“I shall have my secretary call him, then. You have a good evening.”

They nodded and smiled politely before turning away. River threw in a little finger wave, too.

They collected their things from the cloak room and Elliott drove them back to River’s house share as though on auto-pilot. It was… disappointing. As always, he opened her door and out she stepped. This time, he followed her to the front door. River glanced up at him, curious, as she dug for her keys.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “You did a wonderful job of keeping up appearances.”

And yet it had all felt far too real.

“Gotta hold up my end of the deal,” she said with a shrug.

“You’re good at it.”

River paused her search. “Yeah? You too.”

Elliott laughed quietly. “I’ve had more practice.”

“With other mates?” She regretted asking the question immediately. There was no way she would get an answer she liked from that.

“I meant practice at pretending for the crowd.” He leant down towards her. “But if you need more practice in mating, I’m only ever a call away.”

River couldn’t breathe. She didn’t want to. Elliott was so close but he could be even closer if she just held on-

He closed the gap and crushed his lips against hers, knocking her back into the still-locked door. Squeezed between the two, River mewled into the kiss. His hands clutched her dress like he was trying to make it fit her-  or tear it off her. Hers were clinging to his shirt collar, pinching the points so that even if he pulled back, she would go with him. A tongue breached her mouth. It was gentle and coaxing, albeit all too big to be trying to fit in there. River tentatively stretched hers to meet it, and the warm slide drew a moan from her. She was vaguely aware of her shawl tumbling down her back, but far more interested in how hard Elliott was breathing against her. How intensely he was pulling her in and tasting her. The cold wasn’t touching her; Elliott was.

And then, he wasn’t.

She whined softly, at the back of her throat, a noise she had never made for anyone. An omega instinct that had never been activated. And she caught the expansion of Elliott’s pupils in response, even with only the dim door light. He was panting and still hunched over her. But no touching, not anywhere. When he dropped to one knee River prayed it was to pick her up and carry her back to the car. He gathered her shawl and stood, wrapping it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she croaked.

“Good night,” he said, and walked back down the path to his car. Untroubled, unhurried and full of decorum. River could not say the same for herself.

She got her key in the lock after a number of trembling tries. Thankfully, everyone was either out partying or tucked up in bed, so there was no fanfare at her return. She needed a minute to process everything.

It all felt so real. Too real.

Buried in her blankets, an unsettled sensation filled her. Like she was getting too relaxed in a dangerous environment. Like she was falling for a trap.

×

Her parents were early and River was a mess. So was her bedroom.

As she was piling up sheets of sketches atop scuffed canvases, the front door bell rang. Running to beat any of her house mates, she cleared the stairs in seconds.

When she threw the door open, her parents jerked back a little. At the aggressive opening, or the scent that flew out with it, River wasn’t sure.

“Hi!” she said. Too peppy. Calm down. “How was the drive?” She leaned over the threshold for a group hug and was squeezed tightly between them. They smelled so… different to her now.

“Let your dad talk traffic later,” her mother said, quiet yet stern. “First, I think there’s something you need to tell us.”

“Yeah,” River croaked. “Want to come up to my room for a bit?”

“Is there anywhere to sit?” her dad asked, knowing there wasn’t.

Her mum nudged him and shook her head. “We can sit on the bed like last time, come on.”

×

River’s mum crossed her legs and draped her hands over her knees. “So, it’s just casual dating?” she clarified.

“Yeah.”

“Do you… think it will become serious?”

River shrugged.

“Do you want it to?”

“Not sure yet.” If she could have a night like the last every day, River would agree to becoming ‘serious’ in a heartbeat. But the issue wasn’t what she wanted. She could want and want and it wouldn’t matter if Elliott was only interested in playing pretend.

Her mum gave her a knowing look. “Well, a scent mark is a big leap. It’s not meant for casual encounters.”

“I know.” River sighed. “It’s just… complicated.”

“Why?” The question shot out of her mother like a bullet, and it struck River right in the mouth. For a few seconds she was unable to form a word.

Eventually she whispered, “I think maybe I shouldn’t like him as much as I do.”

Her mum laughed. “He’s marked you, I’d hope you like him!”

“You think he doesn’t like you as much?” her dad guessed.

River shrugged again. “I think… he’s hard to read.”

“And you don’t want to go all-in if he doesn’t feel the same,” her mum summarised.

River nodded. “Sometimes he lets himself slip- that sounds weird, but it’s like he surprises himself.” Her cheeks warmed. “And me.”

“It sounds like you’re being careful.” Her dad’s expression was sombre. “That’s good. Can’t be too wary of dominants these days - but especially an alpha.”

“He’s a good guy.”

Her dad grumbled to himself and returned his judgemental eyes to the most clutter-filled corners of the room.

Her mum smacked his shoulder. “We’re very happy for you,” she said to River. “This is what this time in your life is for: meeting people, learning about yourself, having fun!”

“It’s early days,” River assured them. “Let’s not get too excited.”

“You’re wearing his scent,” her dad mumbled at the wall.

Her mum talked over him, “As long as you’re happy, we’ll be happy for you. Now, if that’s all you have to share, I think we should go for a nice brunch - somewhere with big windows and bigger plants!”

River smiled, relieved, and said, “I know just the place.”

×

After a relaxed day walking around town, stopping for coffees and cakes, and showing off all her best paintings, River left her parents at their B&B to retire for the night.

She would have done dinner with them as well, but she had been signed up for Pinot’n’painting night with the art society long before her parents announced they were visiting.

On arrival, she was handed a cheap bottle of red, a glass, and a palette with a brush tucked into it.

JJ and Beck had already set up in front of two easels facing each other. They beckoned River over with sloshing glasses.

“About time!” Beck called. “We saved you a spot.” He slapped the stool beside them.

River laughed and took the space, setting up her easel with care and attention.

“Never mind that, get your glass filled first!” JJ scolded her with a wink.

The pair held theirs out to meet River’s as she poured, clinking each other without spill, somehow.

“I take it you two aren’t too worried about your subject, then?”

“I’m still hoping a nude model will be provided,” JJ mumbled into the rim of his glass.

Beck snorted and shook his head. “I think I’ll be keeping it abstract tonight.”

“When you’re drunk that’s realism!”

The three of them laughed.

The organisers of the event popped round with paint tubes to offer dollops on palettes, and a few stragglers arrived late, but otherwise they were left to drink and dab as they pleased. No nude models arrived, although JJ leaned all the way round his easel with every latecomer to check.

River decided to start with a wash of light purple. Even she didn’t know what she was going to do with it, but it seemed like a fun colour to base from.

“How’s your handsome alpha?” JJ cooed.

River volleyed the question back to him, “How’s Hawk?”

A surprised splash of pink hit his neck. “Did he say something?”

“No,” River answered, drawing out the ‘o’ sound as she drew a slow circle on her canvas. She hadn’t heard from the rowing club’s co-captain since his party. “Just curious.”

“He’s good.”

“How good?” Beck teased.

“The best I’ve ever had,” JJ admitted on a breathy laugh.

Beck whistled. “Damn. How long till he marks you?”

There were hints of Hawk’s scent on him already, but not a mark, just remnants of other physical contact.

JJ shrugged, a coy smile directed at his artwork. “It’s been, like, two dates and three fucks.”

“Well, if you wanna lock it down you’re gonna need to do it before the end of term.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” JJ sniffed. “And there’s no reason to rush things.”

“Yeah, but some dominants string subs along for the sex with no intention of making it serious.”

“Hawk isn’t like that.”

River would agree with him, but it didn’t feel like her place to voice it. She hadn’t had that kind of experience with him, but Hawk had always been a gentleman to her and the submissives of the rowing club.

Beck sighed. “That’s what my sister thought, and she spent a year on the arm of some guy who kept promising he was going to put his mark on her - until it turned out he had another girlfriend he was also refusing to scent mark. He knew if one met the other, they’d smell him!”

“It’s not that serious yet, Beck!” JJ jabbed at his canvas anxiously. “Don’t stress me out.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Beck turned his knowing smile on River instead. “How long did Alpha Elliott wait to mark you, River?”

“Oh, um, he was pretty quick with it.”

The boys ‘mmm’d in unison.

“That tracks for an alpha,” Beck offered insightfully.

“Well, cheers to you two,” JJ said, holding out his glass.

Beck and River clinked theirs to his and the trio took a simultaneous sip. Halfway through her first glass and River was already starting to get a little warm.

She could tell when the wine was turning the others tipsy in the sudden directions their conversations would take. Usually a dirty dive.

“I’m so desperate to know,” JJ whispered, wobbly on his stool but still taking the risk to lean in towards River’s easel.

“Know what?” she asked.

“Do they look like the pictures in the biology books?”

“Does what-”

“Knots.”

“Not what?”

“No!” JJ laughed through his nose, just about restraining a full-on snort. “Alpha knots,” he whispered.

Beck gasped, letting them know their conversation was not as secretive as JJ seemed to think. River’s mouth was open, and she couldn’t find the button in her brain that would close it.

“JJ! That’s so rude,” Beck scolded. But his eyes were lit up with excitement, he desperately wanted to hear the answer, too.

“W-we haven’t…” River was beyond wine warm now. Her face burned.

Beck gasped softly. “He marked you and you haven’t even slept together?”

“That’s not that weird!” JJ exclaimed. “I know people who are waiting till marriage.”

“Are you guys?” Beck nodded at River when she didn’t answer right away.

“No.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend her play-mate and their relationship milestones, but it was suddenly highly important she not seem inexperienced. “We’ve done other stuff.”

“Wow.”

“What other stuff?” JJ giggled.

River poked her painting with red blobs. Ruining it, but at least it let her look nonchalant. “That’s private.”

The boys ‘ooooh’d, grinning at each other around their canvases.

“What about your love life, Beck?” River asked, full of mock innocence.

“Yeah!” JJ laughed. “Love to dish out the advice but where’s the sharing?”

“Well…” Beck squirmed under their interest. “There might be someone…”

River let him take the floor, and the attention, with a silent sigh of relief.

×

For the first time all week, River was getting herself home without a ride from Elliott. How liberating! How important for her to prove her independence! She didn’t need an alpha to cart her about, she had gotten around perfectly well before him. It was simply a convenience. The warmth more than anything. River shivered. She had the remainder of her wine bottle tucked into her armpit and the very stupid consideration that sipping a little more might keep her from freezing passed through her mind.

A taxi. She needed to call a taxi.

It didn’t mean she couldn’t hack the walk. It was just too cold and she was too tipsy. She repeated her reasoning to herself as she stared at the licence plate on her screen, waiting for headlights to arrive on the road.

Chapter Text

SOS River texted.

Her phone flew into a frenzy immediately, ringing and buzzing so violently she almost fumbled it to the floor.

“H-hello?”

“Are you safe?” Elliott somehow managed to turn three words into one with how fast he spoke.

“Yes. Sorry. I was- I’m fine.”

“Where are you? Is someone there?”

“N-no. Oh god, I’m so embarrassed now.” She covered her face with her free hand even though he couldn’t see her. “I was just being silly. I wasn’t expecting you to respond so quick and my next message was going to be about my new desk.”

“Your desk?” He still sounded suspicious.

“It’s IKEA,” she explained.

Baffled, he replied, “I’m very pleased for you?”

“It means I have to build it myself.”

“Why would you buy a desk that you have to put together yourself? Would you buy a bed in pieces, too?”

“I would if it was half the price.”

“Congratulations on your saving,” he said dully. “Did you message me just to boast about your bargain?”

“No.” River sighed, wishing she had never contacted him in the first place. “I… I’ve been trying to build it for the last hour and either something is wrong with these instructions-”

“Or something is wrong with you?”

River gasped. “How could you suggest that?”

He rushed to appease her. “I’m sorry, pet-”

“I’ll forgive you if you come and help me.”

There was a pause in which River couldn’t breathe.

“Help?” he scoffed. “Or do all the work for you?”

“Whichever suits your fancy,” she said quickly, before he could change his mind. “I’m not fussy.”

He chuckled down the line. “Fine. I’m on my way.”

“Thank you.”

The call dropped and River flopped back onto her bed. Maybe that had been a terrible idea, but at least the slabs that were to make up her desk would finally be off her floor. There were tiny wood chip things everywhere too.

Not fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.

“You stopped to get me flowers?” River asked instead of saying ‘hello.’ She had opened the door to an alpha in all black, carrying a multi-coloured bouquet wrapped in brown paper.

“Your house mates can’t see me coming inside empty-handed,” he reasoned.

River accepted the bright bunch with a disbelieving hum. She needed both hands for it. “Right this way.”

They didn’t bump into any of her house mates traversing the single set of stairs to River’s room, but she hoped that didn’t mean she had to give them back. It was a stunning spray of lilac roses, white lilies, blue hydrangeas, yellow antirrhinum and pink peonies. Green foliage was peppered all throughout the blooms, stressing the seam of the wrapping.

She kicked her door open for him, but he caught it and ushered her in first as though he were the one inviting her round. At her back, he was scanning every spot like a security camera, taking in all of her junk.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” River said as she searched for a container for the flowers. Her usual vase was taken with some pink chrysanthemums she’d gotten for three pounds with her bread and milk.

“You already have flowers.” He sounded genuinely disappointed.

River smiled, perhaps a little coy, and tipped her water bottle into the tall pot she had deposited Elliott’s offering into. It was a tight fit, and dribbles of water leaked free without the room to slide in with all the stems. “I always have fresh flowers.”

“How does a student afford to always have fresh flowers?”

“They’re grocery store flowers,” River answered petulantly. She did also get an unsteady supply from friends in various societies. The beekeepers had the most fabulous wild flowers.

“Still.”

She bit back a snotty remark reminding him of his incredibly wealthy family. There may be a hungover tinge to her thoughts that she shouldn’t be sharing with the world. It made her a little grumpy. At least he was aware enough to know a lot of students living off their loans couldn’t budget in fresh flowers every week.

“And I don’t spend any money on alcohol,” she added.

Elliott circled the disaster zone that was River’s unbuilt desk with a light tread. “We both know you drink.”

“Not intentionally.”

He paused, raising his serious stare from the screws to River. “That sounds concerning.”

“I just… I’m very social, so even though I don’t always go places with the intention of drinking, I get offered a lot of alcohol.” River shrugged, hugging herself awkwardly. “Even if I say no to ninety-percent of the offers, I end up drinking myself into dance mode.”

“Dance mode?”

“That’s what I call my drunk self. Dance mode River likes to shake some ass.”

Elliot snorted, then froze, squinting.

“Stop picturing it,” River demanded. “Anyway, that’s what happened that night when I called you.”

“You went into dance mode?”

“I drank too much even though I turned down most of the drinks I was offered. Then I panicked.”

“Uh huh.” Elliott plucked the Pinot Noir bottle that was sat by her wardrobe. “I didn’t take you for a wine drinker.” He assessed how much was left before putting it back. “You seem the cocktail type.”

“I am, but it was a paint and sip night with the art society last night.” Who was she to turn down free wine? Well… not exactly free when the cost was taken out of her membership…

“I’ve heard that’s how the greats got their best work done,” Elliott quipped.

“Then why didn’t you come?”

“I’m not a member of the art society.”

“But you’re taking Art History.”

“It’s not a requirement.”

“What are you involved with, then? Outside of lectures.”

“I’m not a member of anything.”

“Why?”

Elliott sunk to the floor beside the spread of flat pack furniture pieces and sighed. “Am I here to build a desk or play twenty questions?”

River joined him, handing over the instruction booklet. She hadn’t managed to get a single screw in any of the square pieces of board. “We need to pass the time somehow.”

“Then I want to go first.” Elliott collected three-sectioned screws in his palm and laid them beside the designated holes.

River watched him with her hands braced on her knees. “Fine.”

His first question came out of the gate like a racehorse. “How and when did you get home from ‘paint’n’sip?’” His long fingers turned the screws in painstaking twists, careful not to split the cheap, thin wood.

“I got a cab around ten. Not too late.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

River deflected flawlessly. “Surely that counts as a third question?”

“Fine.” Elliott slotted chunky toothpick-looking pieces into the edges of the boards. Over and over.

River had a hundred questions in her brain, but picking the right one to come out of her mouth was suddenly so difficult. She didn’t want to start too hot. After watching him work for a bit, she managed to sputter out, “Y-your tattoos.”

“That’s not a question.” He didn’t look up from the plinths he was pushing together. Next he secured them with plastic plugs.

River scooched closer across the floor now that some of the mess had been hoovered up by his nimble fingers. “Tell me about them.”

He smirked. “You’ve seen my thigh pieces - Starry Night and The Wave. I’ve got one more, but it’s a bit better hidden.”

Her curiously whispered, “Can I see it?” halted the screwdriver. River had gotten it out of a cracker last Christmas and it was the only tool she owned unless you counted the Allen key that had come with the desk kit.

Elliott dropped the tiny tool and yanked the hem of his shirt up on one side, exposing half a rippling abdomen and the black outline of a headless statue etched over his ribs. It was no bigger than River’s hand but the detail in the line-work was incredible. River couldn’t paint that carefully.

“Did they hurt?” River’s fingers stretched out instinctively, grazing hot skin for a moment before she caught herself and snatched them back.

“Nike did.” Elliott dropped his shirt. “And that’s three questions for you. My turn again.” He finished locking the final plug with the comically small screwdriver and put the finished pieces to one side - he now had to complete the same task a second time and supposedly combine the two into… a box? River liked to think she had a fine imagination but right now her desk looked like planks and pointy bits and the end result was not forming in her mind’s eye.

He glanced up, dark blue eyes expectant.

River jolted. “G-go ahead,” she said.

“Same question. Why didn’t you call me?”

River forced her gaze away, scrutinising the scruffy wallpaper. “Because I didn’t need to.”

“But-”

“My turn! Who’s your favourite artist?”

“You. My turn.”

River choked on her gasp. “That’s not true! You’re lying to get another turn quicker.”

“You don’t know that.” The desk was temporarily abandoned. He leant in towards her and River was lured into a dangerous balancing act over the surface speared with screws.

“I do too!” she argued. “You’ve got three artists’ work permanently inked onto you-”

“You want me to get a tattoo of yours?” He grinned. “Bold.”

River stammered and faltered before she could squeak out, “No, I don’t.” She fell back onto her butt. “And that’s your question gone.”

He chuckled and took himself back to work, shaking his head. “You’re ruthless.”

She shook hers, too. “You need a firm hand.”

“Tell me more,” he said huskily.

River would not be deterred from getting answers out of him no matter how hot his deep voice was! No matter what the vibrato did to her tummy! No matter how weak she felt at the sight of his teeth snagging his lips as he secured the last few screws. “You tell me more about the submissives that came before me.”

“Your ancestors?”

River gave him a hard look. “Who else have you scent marked?”

His grin had only gotten wider. “No one.” He pulled at his lip again and River fought the urge to crawl over the tetanus trap that was her half-built desk to feel it for herself.

“You’re lying.” Why did she sound breathless?

“I’m not.” He tapped the end of the screwdriver against the tips of each of his fingers absentmindedly. His smile had turned nostalgic. “I’ve messed around with my fair share, had some fun, but never intentionally marked anyone.”

“Intentionally?”

“It’s easy to leave your scent on a submissive.” He poked at the soft, squishy side of her forearm. The feel of his finger burned. “Every bump leaves a little behind.”

River thought to JJ and the faint smell of Hawk’s touch that followed him, even unmarked. “I guess.”

“Now I get to ask two.” More planks were pressed together - it did look like it was becoming a box! Was that how it was supposed to look? River didn’t have the gall to take the instructions back from him to check.

“Go ahead,” she said, and peered down her nose at the work-in-progress.

“Why didn’t you ask one of your hundreds of friends to help you with this?”

River retreated again. She needed to work out the answer for herself before she could share it. “I’m… not sure. I don’t like to ask for favours, I like to be the one to help.”

He smiled into the box his arm had been swallowed by. He was fiddling with something deep inside.  “I’ve noticed.”

“But I find it easy to rely on you.” That would have been a good thought to hesitate on, maybe take a second to process, but it was too late now. “Even when I don’t want to rely on anyone.”

He looked up. All dark hair and glittering eyes and sharp smirk. “In that case, call me instead of a cab next time.”

A warm flush filled her, root to tip. “No promises.”

An eye roll, but he let it go. “For my next question…” He made a sound of consideration in the back of his throat as he pressed together another two pieces of flat pack. It was the sexiest grunt she’d ever heard. “What’s it like to be an omega?”

A surprised giggle bubbled out of her. “What?”

“What’s it like?” The boards had become a pile of boxes - drawers! He propped up the tower and felt beneath for where to fit the wheels. “Describe it to me.” He looked distracted, but when she didn’t answer immediately, he called her name softly.

Somehow she managed to contain her body’s reaction, the almost hiccup-like jolt that struck her in response to his call. “Everything is slightly too big, including the people,” she replied. Dragging herself even closer, she pretended to scan the instructions for a bit. He let the silence sit, awaiting whatever else she had to say. “And no matter how hard you try, you’ll probably still be infantilised.”

He nodded with a tight-lipped frown. The wheels were secure.

“What’s it like being an alpha?”

“Just that in reverse,” he said. He tested the tower of drawers that would form the support for one half of the desk, rolling it back and forth between them. Assiduous, even under interrogation. “Everything’s too small and they all expect you to be the leader.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Would you have really bought one of those perfumes?”

River blinked, surprised at the sudden change in topic. “I-I don’t know, but less of the judgement please.”

Elliott chuckled. “I’m just curious.” He pushed the drawers away and dragged the desk top and folded legs to him.

“Probably not,” River admitted. “Couldn’t afford it. Would you ever sell your scent as a perfume?”

“Probably not.” He winked at her in a flash of a glance up from his craftsmanship. “Don’t need the money.”

“Then why sell it to me?”

He faltered, mouth quirking. “You got me there.”

River grinned.

“And that’s all the pieces built, let’s put them together.” He stood, taking the wide rectangle top with him and balanced it atop the drawers and the legs. Once it was lined up perfectly, he ducked underneath to secure it with the last handful of bolts. Now it rolled as one piece when he pushed it.

“It’s perfect!” River whispered.

Elliott, down on one knee, watched her coo over her lovely new desk with a curious smile.

Chapter Text

A fresh week dawned, and Elliott’s scent remained steadfast on River’s skin. Every day he collected her from her home, chauffeured her between lectures and clubs and volunteer projects, carted her to cafes for lunches or coffees, and escorted her back to her front door. And every day she wondered when the fade would hit.

Wednesday was the tenth day, but she woke smelling the same as the prior nine. Thursday, no change. Friday, their routine was undisturbed, because so was her scent mark. The final day of lectures for the spring term finished utterly uneventfully.

In the drive home, Elliott asked, “What are your plans for this weekend? Packing?”

Their spring break technically began tomorrow, but River hadn’t even begun preparing to go home. The train prices were extortionate for the first three days, so she had booked her train for Tuesday, which left her plenty of time to enjoy the end of term parties without worrying about her empty suitcase. She had made her choices from her selection of invites carefully, and regretfully-yet-politely declined the rest.

“The captain of the swimming club is hosting a house party tomorrow night.” She hesitated, looking out the window at nothing. “You should come.”

“Not my scene.”

River pouted at her hands in her lap. “I knew you’d say that.”

Elliott chuckled. “What about Sunday? Then will you pack?” He took a sharp turn carefully, letting the wheel slide under his fingers.

“Why are you so worried about my luggage?”

He shrugged at the car ahead. They were sat at a red light. “Just wondered if you might need help with it.”

“I’m only taking a little suitcase, maybe even just a backpack.” At the disappointed downturn of his mouth she added, “But folding socks can get fiddly. Maybe some support would be helpful.”

His smile popped back up. “I’ll see you Sunday, then.”

“And what about the Art Society’s get-together afterwards?” A chill afternoon of hot drinks and sweet treats and hanging out in the society’s club room. And the after-party that the boys would be holding with too much beer and not enough nachos.

The light switched to green and they pulled away again. “I can drive you.”

“You won’t come?”

Elliott shook his head.

“Some mate you are, leaving me all alone.” She was only half joking. Another deeper and less-easily-admitted part of her was hurt. She had played the perfect alpha mate when he had wanted her on his arm.

He pulled onto her road and smoothly rolled to a stop right outside the house. “You know that if you need me-”

“I don’t need an alpha to protect me, I want-” She snapped her lips tight. Uncertain even herself as to what was about to come out. He shut the car off and looked at her, annoyingly amused. “Sorry, that wasn’t-”

“No, go on.” His smirk irked her. “Tell me what you want.”

“You’re teasing me.”

“You like it.”

River turned away, sulking. “No, I don’t.”

“Petal,” he cooed.

River snatched open the door. “See you Sunday.” She heard his soft sigh just before she pushed it closed behind her.

Why did she care if he came with her? Why did it matter if he was seen at her side? Why did it hurt her feelings to be rejected from something that wasn’t… hers ? Why couldn’t she clear her head of these stupid questions and do something with her evening?

River took an early night and tossed and turned until three-thirty-five. What happened at three-thirty-five, you may ask? A shift. A sudden transition. A switch flip from pungent to past-due. The fade began. River was stilled by the scent of it.

That was that, then. Was how she wished she felt. To be free of the feeling of loss that settled on her chest. She rolled to her front but the sensation stayed.

Maybe by morning it wouldn’t be such a tender, gaping hole.

×

The emptiness hadn’t dimmed when she pried herself from bed. And the worst was yet to come. The reaction of every person she came into contact with would rub salt deeper and deeper into the wound.

She couldn’t hide forever, it was already lunchtime. Soon her house mates would send out a search party.

Party. River groaned. She had the swim club’s party tonight and she’d told so many people she was going... Maybe, just this once, she could make an exception to her personal creed of refusing to let people down…

“Absolutely not,” Bramble huffed when she suggested such to him. “You can’t wallow at home, that’s the worst thing to do after getting dumped.”

“I didn’t get dumped,” River repeated. “It was a mutual split.” They hadn’t discussed their cover story for this stage in the scent mark deal, but River doubted Elliott wanted a public break-up with speculation and rumour running across the campus. Better to keep things low-key.

Ember waved a mug of tea at the pair. “Bramble’s right. You need to get back on the horse as soon as possible or you’ll end up alone forever.”

“Ember!” River gasped. The three of them were sat around the kitchen table, eating three completely different meals, and in three stages of dress. Ember was already dolled up, Bramble was in his jeans and a tee, and River hadn’t changed out of her pjs yet.

“She’s right.” Bramble shrugged. “You need to get back out there and look hot when you do.”

“There’s going to be students from other unis there tonight, it’s the perfect opportunity to meet some new people.”

River did love meeting new people…

“And maybe one of them will decide to cover that fade for you,” Ember added with a wink.

Bramble gave her a scolding about moving too fast and dominants preying on submissives and the benefits of abstinence and… River zoned out, she wasn’t the one getting the lecture.

What did she have to lose by attending the party? Some people find out that she and Elliott aren’t together anymore? It’s not exactly the setting to sit and have an emotional chat - and if someone tries to drag her off to a quiet room to talk feelings she can just dance away like a socially awkward jellyfish. Come the summer term, everyone will notice she’s no longer alpha-scented anyway. She should at least try and have fun.

And if she gets uncomfortable and decides she wants to head home early and hide she can just call-

No, she didn’t have an alpha mate to call anymore.

A taxi. She could call a taxi.

“River? Are you listening?”

“Hm?”

“Outfit. Tonight. You?” Ember said, punctuating each word with a bob of her sharply-shaped eyebrows.

“I’ve got it covered.”

“Good.” She looked her over. “But not too covered, okay?”

×

Another house party, another miniskirt that never saw the light of day. River donned the denim and pushed through the daisy-shaped buttons, admiring the curves that the thick, tight material gave her. Her off-the-shoulder blouse was covered in a loud, floral print of pink and green shades that Ember offered to lend her matching shoes for. The pink wedge heels were a little large, but she only had to balance on them and bounce her heels against the tops to dance.

It was an outfit she would usually reserve for more closed-circle house parties, but her housemates had insisted that looking shapely and bare was the assignment tonight. Their whistles when she tottered down the stairs stamped her report card with an A plus.

River giggled and joined the herd climbing into the back of the cab. A night dancing with her friends would do her good. After that, it was only two days until she would be home - her real home - and basking in the pity of her parents while she waited for her body to break down the last of Elliott’s pheromones.

Oh, how she couldn’t wait to hear her dad tell her he’d told her so.

Chapter Text

The ‘house’ that the swim team had described was not visible in the same scale as the mansion that their taxi slowed to a stop in front of.

“You definitely got the right address?” Linnet hissed. Still, she was climbing free of the back seat - near-missing half the toes in there with her spiky heels. The driver slid back the hatch on one side for them.

Before River could double check the message, the double doors in the centre of the enormous white building banged open and a couple stumbled out with their faces latched together.

“Yep,” Bramble confirmed with a dry chuckle. “Let’s go.”

For a few seconds after they had unloaded themselves from the car, the submissives simply stood before the enormous and almost-spotless home ahead. Music could be caught in the air, faint. The atmosphere was oddly calm.

“Are we early?” Ember asked with a hitched brow.

“Well, it’s cold and dark as fuck out here so I’m going in either way,” Bramble grumbled. The others made quiet sounds of agreement.

The lights were on in seemingly every room, and shadows wriggled on the curtains, but the same could be said for any other house on the road. They were all three times the size of River’s family home and ringed with immaculate lawns lit up with tiny glowing markers to warn you where to walk. Bramble gave the double doors a shove and the volume smacked them back half a step. Music was blasting through the open-plan ground floor, students laughed and shouted at each other in swarms, videogames were screeching from a TV that took up half a wall, and drinking games filled the crowd around a long dining table with celebrations and boos.

Bramble kicked the doors shut behind them. “Let’s get fucked!”

River and her house mates laughed, winding their way to the bar set-up. She opted for a soft drink, better to play it safe until she had toured the party a little. There were plenty of people to bump into before she could even consider getting messy.

Her house mates had no such concerns, they took a line of shots first (to the delight of the nearby dominants that cheered them on), then poured themselves generous concoctions.

“River!” was called into her ear.

She jerked back to see who was at her shoulder. Sierra’s wide grin faltered, and Mari, hanging from her elbow, straightened. The sudden stiffness felt unnatural amongst the pounding music.

“Hey!” River shouted back, forcing her own smile. She was fine. She was having fun. She knew exactly what was going through their heads right now and it totally didn’t bother her. “You two still-”

“Yeah!” Sierra glanced down at the woman on her arm awkwardly. “We’ve got you to thank, right?”

River laughed, stressing the sound to be heard over the speakers spread around the floor. “I think you have your dance moves to thank.”

“Oooh!” Mari reached for River’s hand, connecting them as a three. “Let’s dance!”

Please. Let’s act like nothing’s changed. “Yesss!” And please ignore how weird I’m being, too, while I’m making requests.

Mari backed up, pulling them by the hand, and River flicked her hips from side to side as she followed to a space with the furniture shoved back for an almost-circular dance floor. Sierra kept her touch, and her scent, to herself, but they danced like a pod with Mari in the centre - the buffer. The heels River had borrowed from Ember weren’t offering her much movement aside from bopping up and down, but her friends acted like she was giving the performance of her life. Drunk goggles were as powerful as rose-tinted glasses. River didn’t let herself wonder how much they’d had so far, she was loosening up under their influence. Was she getting tipsy by osmosis or something?

Pepper and Ember shimmied up to her back and pretended to use River’s legs as stripper poles until she almost toppled over - from both laughter and the precarious nature of her heels. They each caught a hand and twirled her back and forth, kicking aside the shoes when they slipped off her feet mid-twirl.

Giggling and panting and sweating, River took a moment, interlocking Ember and Pepper’s hands together instead of with hers so they could keep dancing, to take in how much fun she was having. Fuck a scent fade! As long as she had her friends, she was fine. It wasn’t even a real break-up, why was she feeling so crappy that morning? Turns out all she needed was a sugary drink, a tight outfit, and a group of submissives (plus Sierra) to pep her back up.

She climbed atop her heels and scooted back into their circle to dance some more - it was clearly doing her good.

×

“That’s some lazy alpha you’ve got for a mate.”

River blinked down at the plastic cup she was refilling with some pink, fizzy stuff. A tentative sniff told her there was an alpha at her back, one she had missed approaching in the mass of scents, known and not. This was a definite not . She took her time screwing the cap back on the bottle, let herself breathe twice, took a sip, and turned to face the alpha behind her.

He was tall, of course, and square-jawed with what he probably thought was a trendy beard. His clothes were gaudy, like a frat boy from a movie. He looked down at her, beer rim balancing against his bottom lip, as though he wanted to bite her. River said nothing in response to his opinion on her alpha mate. It was none of his business.

“I don’t mean to be rude.” The care and concern in the crinkle of his eyes felt fake, and River could feel the ‘but’ incoming. “But why would your alpha let your scent fade?”

She considered striding away and not answering at all, but apparently he had his own theories - and was very happy to share them with her.

“Either you two aren’t getting enough action, or you’ve broken up. And I know you’re too pretty for an alpha to keep their hands off after marking you.”

River raised her non-cup-holding hand, a gesture of ‘back off, please’ and started shuffling away. “Look, that’s flattering but-”

“Come on, you must have a type to go for alphas.”

“I-”

“Don’t you want to make them jealous? A cute little thing like you getting dumped is insane.”

“No-” She hit a warm wall.

“Petal,” Elliott called down to her, extra loud to be heard over the music… and to ensure the other alpha heard, she was certain. “There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere. Did you miss me?”

River had no idea what he was talking about, but she spun to hide her face in his shirt and nodded. Safe spot secured. Long fingers drew her chin back up immediately, forcing her eyes to his and stroking at the soft spots under her jaw. River’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened and before she could accuse Elliott of starting another scent mark, that open, unsuspecting mouth was full of his tongue and her eyes had fallen closed again. His kisses had that effect on her - tranquilising. His hands trailed her throat, down to her shoulders, ringing her arms with his fingers and sliding his scent down them until her wrists were trapped in his hands like cuffs. Pleasant tingles followed, her skin lapping up his scent obediently, eagerly, desperately. Back up top, slow and steady, his tongue lapped at hers. It was so warm and wet and forceful. She could just melt on it and let him lick her clean. If her heels were just a little higher she would have risked hitching her leg up over his hip. Instead, he lifted her clean out of the soles and twisted into the wall behind, pressing her into it like a vise. His knee wedged between her thighs that could barely open with how tight her skirt was. And if the buttons burst, so be it. Let him get even deeper, let him reach the parts of her that were throbbing. His back leg lowered, and his lips went with it, revealing the room to River once again. The party, the students, the music, the lights, the-

He sucked circles of skin down her chin, her collar bones, into the front of her top, skimmed her covered stomach, mouthed the strip of skin between blouse and skirt, then took his kisses to the inside of her thigh, her knee, her calf, her ankle and finally, he dragged a wet run of his lips over the top of her foot. Looking up at her through his lashes, bent almost to the ground, his gaze was reverent. An alpha on his knees and the omega doused in his scent mark balanced on the one between her legs.

The room around them was irrelevant. River’s entire body was glowing with heat, awash with arousal at all of a minute’s worth of touch. The scent coming off of her had to be borderline fumes. Horny omega fog spritzed with the scent mark of an alpha mate. Her lips were sore, her feet bare and dangling, and her hands braced to the wall behind to keep her balance on Elliott’s leg, sweaty palms flat to the paint. Her slick had almost reached him, dripping down her inner thighs. And if he wanted to pry her open and have her there, mere steps from the dance floor, she would submit to him completely.

Elliott rose in a single fluid move, letting her slide off his knee, and caging her in to the wall again. His pupils were blown wide, his breaths coming out in pants, and his tongue darted back and forth over his lips. Taking a second taste of every area they had brushed. For a moment, he simply hid her from the rest of the room, blocking any onlookers with his fists and forearms stabilising him above her. River keened under his protection, a deep-rooted, mortifying part of her ever so pleased to be under the care of a strong, possessive alpha. She could tell when she glanced up at him that this was not helping whatever he was battling internally. She glanced down and found out for herself. With a blush, she covered her eyes.

Elliott gathered himself with a steeling breath. Sucking back in his own scent that had been freshly coated all over her. River peeked through her fingers.

“I’ve just got back from the US,” he called over his shoulder. “Longest we’ve ever been apart.”

“My bad, I was just concerned for her,” the other alpha assured him. River froze, stunned that he had stayed to watch the entire display. “An omega with a fresh scent fade-”

“Thanks for looking out.” The finality of Elliott’s tone, almost a growl, drove the alpha away into the crowds. River watched the creep’s back disappear through the gap under Elliott’s armpit. About time!

“Thank you for looking out,” River shouted.

Hooked down close enough to speak directly into her ear, Elliott replied, “Let’s step outside.”

“No dancing?”

He drew back, just a little, and shook his head with a smirk.

“I need my shoes back first!”

Elliott swooped down, collecting the pink heels and laying them out in front of River’s bare feet and then offering a hand to use to step into them. River dipped her toes under the bands daintily, bringing herself up a few extra inches. Elliott rose, keeping her hand and using it to direct her back to the front doors. River kept her eyes to the ground, eager to avoid locking looks with anyone she knew.

The quiet that struck as soon as they stepped outside, and the front doors shut behind them, was stunning. River pulled on her ear with her free hand, adjusting to the shock.

“The soundproofing is crazy,” she mumbled.

Elliott hummed his agreement and stepped down to the path.

River hung back, pulling on his fingers. “How do you know I want to leave?” she asked indignantly.

“You smell like sex.” His grin was so stupidly proud.

River choked on any response she could have offered, and hurried forward to the street.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Elliott assured her. “I just wouldn’t want my mate hanging around all those other dominants like that.”

“You don’t have a mate.”

“Ouch.”

“We-”

“Let’s discuss this in the car.”

River nodded. It made sense, but she didn’t appreciate being interrupted. She may have sulked a little on the walk to his car, hidden on the driveway of a neighbouring mansion. He opened her door, she slid inside, it was like nothing had changed.

Except of course it had. He had scent marked her a third time, and they had agreed on allowing it to fade over the spring holiday - the one that had just started.

“I’m willing to accept a second I.O.U for my performance back there.”

River blinked. “What?”

Elliott had sat, buckled up, and started the engine all while River had been lost in the haze of her own thoughts. “Another favour for my scent,” he said, and lifted the handbrake, letting them roll off the drive. “Although we both know you’ll do anything for anyone that asks, so why bother keeping count?” He reached across for her seat belt and plugged it in for her with one hand, using the other to turn them onto the street. They had a slight tremor that ran to the fingertips.

“I didn’t ask for it!” River huffed.

“And yet, I so generously swooped in to save you.”

“I can’t believe you!” All the warmth that had gathered in her body from arousal was being re-assigned to anger. “Is that what you were waiting for? An opportunity to scent me?” She huffed again. “How long had you been there?”

“A while,” he admitted.

“I thought it wasn’t your scene.”

“I was enjoying your ‘dance mode.’”

River watched him for a moment. It was the longest he’d ever gone keeping his eyes purely on the road ahead. “Why were you there?” she asked quietly.

“You invited me.”

“I’m not your mate.”

“I know.”

“It’s all a transaction to you.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“For the first two times, sure.”

The silence that fell was as choking as their scents. River refused to break it, refused to be the one to admit that maybe she had fallen for the trap.

“I’m sorry.”

That was that, then. He was sorry. Not eager to have her as his mate. Not really.

River dragged her fingers through her curls and sighed. “It’s going to be a close call getting rid of this by the new term.” Her voice thinned at the thought. She almost wheezed, “If I have to come back to school with another fade I’ll be so upset with you.”

“Then I can just give you anoth-”

“No,” she croaked. “It has to stop somewhere. I don’t want people treating me like I’m a tragic ex-alpha-mate when I was never someone’s mate.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to be someone’s mate.” He still hadn’t looked at her.

River shrugged. “It comes with its perks.” She sniffed. Why did it hurt? Why did she want his desire so desperately? “Weird alphas don’t come up to you at parties and get all pushy.”

“I’m not sure if you’re talking about me or him.” He smiled sheepishly, it was charming, but it was directed at the car in front.

“Both.”

“Maybe we should pick this back up tomorrow over some light packing. It’s late, you’ve probably had a drink…”

River wasn’t tired and she wasn’t drunk. But she wasn’t going to beg Elliott to make her his mate, so if he wasn’t going to offer, there was no reason to continue the conversation.

“Sure.” The car slowed outside her house. “See you tomorrow.”

He hesitated before repeating the words back, and in the pause River felt a shiver of apprehension, as though he were about to touch her, or was holding himself back from it. A twitch in his hands, a tension in his shoulders, an urge being suppressed.

River climbed out of the car, ignoring the slick patch she left on his luxurious leather seat.

Chapter Text

Despite getting home late, and not getting a wink the night before, River still tossed and turned until Sunday’s sun rose. She felt… off.

Of course, she was hurt that the alpha she had all but confessed to had shown zero interest in making their pretend play real, and she was mortified that she had gone through the act of a fake break-up only to have arrived home with a new scent mark, and she was dreading her third scent fade and the fresh wash of complicated feelings that would come with it.

But none of that accounted for why her stomach felt so strange. A stirring, unsettled sensation. A fluttering. Nothing, really. And yet she knew it wasn’t quite her regular digestion.

“I think I’m coming down a with a tummy bug, best we just forget about packing.”

Elliott was silent at the other end of the line for a few moments. “Are you angry with me for scent marking you?”

River sighed. “No.” Angry was not the word. Unfortunately, heartbroken felt more accurate. And then that feeling came paired with feeling like an idiot for falling for the character he played for his reputation. “I really do feel off.”

“Does it hurt? Did you drink a lot last night?”

“I didn’t drink at all, just fizzy drinks.” She really shouldn’t be so defensive of her drinking habits, but with him it felt relevant. “And it doesn’t hurt, it just feels… not right.”

“Hmm, you should probably make an appointment - I can drive you-”

“No,” she groaned. “I just need to go to bed and sleep it off.”

“If you’re sure.” He didn’t sound sure. “But let me know how you feel in the morning.”

“Mmm.” River touched her forehead. She was warm. “G’night.”

Elliott chuckled. “Night, petal.”

She hung up first.

×

When she woke Monday morning, River was alone in the house. Her phone was full of farewell messages, and a few handwritten notes had been slid under her door. Everyone had decided to share their opinion on her public reunion with Elliott, which was mostly positive. Bramble’s post-it apologised for coming into her room without permission, but he wanted to make sure she was still alive. He was glad she was, but Elliott was still on his bad boy list now. Everyone had departed for home or the home of their mates. By now, some might even already be back in their childhood bedrooms or cradled in the arms of their partner.

And there was River, scented and without anyone to hold her. She pouted at the ceiling.

Something was still weird in her belly. She traced a hand along it under her pj top and jolted back at the warmth radiating from it. Tender, soft, she poked along the skin like playdough. She had just woken up, that explained the higher temperature, and a little padding wasn’t so unusual when you had an alpha treating you to coffee and cake every day. Reassured, for now, she sat up on her elbows. There was packing to do!

×

River wasn’t halfway through her packing and she still felt… off. There was no rush, her train was booked for tomorrow. She could afford the occasional lie down, although when she did, she was filled with an excited feeling, as though she secretly had plenty of energy, just not for packing. And she was still too warm.

It wasn’t like there was a lot to do, but it had taken her hours to get this far. She had to choose the right few items to take home that could be mix-and-matched over the long break. Her backpack had only underpants in it - but she was very close to making a decision between two pairs of almost identical blue jeans!

River sunk to the floor, hit with another wave of that not-quite-exhaustion. Lethargy, maybe? She hoped she wasn’t really sick. Her parents loved having her back home for a bit. It wouldn’t be fair to return if she could infect them with some gross bug. On her hands and knees, she rested her forehead against cool jeans.

Was she feverish? How could she tell? Who owned a thermometer in a uni house?

A squeeze, deep in her guts, knocked the air out of her chest. She fell to her side, clutching the bottom of her stomach, eyes and mouth wide, panting. That wasn’t the squeeze of ‘oh god, we’ve eaten something bad, get it out!’ That was the squeeze of ‘ please put something in.’ Arousal was tightening between her legs, pulsing inward. An invitation for another to join her heat.

River gasped. Heat . Her first heat. Now. On her bedroom floor. Scent marked by an alpha that had no intention of mating with her.

“No!” she breathed. Horror pinned her to the ground until she noticed the legs of her pj shorts were leaking. Her slick was releasing like honey off a dipper.

Scrabbling back up onto her bed, she searched the covers for her phone. She didn’t know what to do, how this worked, how to get to the other side safely. She stared at her contacts list, friends from all corners of campus scrolling past but not one she could bear to burden with this. None of them were omegas, they would be as clueless as she was.

She tapped dial and Elliott answered immediately. Before she could even begin to explain, she burst into tears.

“R-River?”

“I’msorryIdon’tknowwhattodoand-”

“What’s wrong? Where are you?”

She drew in a deep, disgusting sniff. “I’m at home and I got my first heat!” she bleated. “And I don’t know what to do.”

Silence.

“Elliott?” she whispered.

“Petal.” His voice was strangely strained. “I am the worst person you could have called for help with this.”

“It’s okay, I don’t know anything about heats either-”

“No. Because I can’t-” He sighed. “Trust me that I could only make this situation worse.”

“What do I do?” she whined. She didn’t need his griping, she needed help!

It sounded like he choked on his own breath before he could answer. “Wh-What stage are you in? How do you feel?”

“Hot.”

“Right, anything else?”

“Um…”

“Horny?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Like, really horny? ‘Jump anyone that walks through the door’ horny?”

A blush climbed her neck. She blamed the heat. “No, so don’t go getting your shoes on.”

His chuckle was dark. “Actually, I am.”

River swallowed. He definitely heard it.

“There are some things that might help. I’ll go to the pharmacy and leave the bag hanging by your window.” There was a tree in the back garden that almost encroached into River’s bedroom when it wasn’t trimmed back properly. How he would get it up there, River hadn’t a clue. “Just stay calm, you’re going to be fine.”

Strangely, after he said it, it felt like fact. “O-okay, thank you.” Elliott was on the case. She was going to be fine.

“Drink lots of water, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll text you when the bag is ready.”

“Thank you.” She hung up and flopped back to bed.

The thought of him on his way, even if not to enter the house, soothed the desperate clawing of her insides for now. Her mate, fake or otherwise, was coming.

×

“Everything okay? I’ve not even gotten home yet.”

“You left a shirt in the bag,” River said. In amongst relaxation pills and cooling liquids, bottled water, energy bars, and wet wipes, a t-shirt had been buried. It was worn, River’s nose could tell, and her womb was going feral in response.

Elliott’s voice got a little quieter on the other end of the line. “Yeah, that’s for later.”

“Later?”

“You’ve got my scent mark, so your heat is going to be urging you to… seek me out to mate you.”

“Th-that part I understand, yes.” If she weren’t so stressed she’d take offence.

“It’s going to make the process a lot easier if you masturbate.” Stated so matter-of-factly you’d think they were taking part in a sex ed class.

River opened her mouth, nothing came out. Elliott gave her a few seconds to try, but she couldn’t make even a squeak.

“The shirt has my scent, so you can try to trick your heat into thinking it’s me. I don’t know if it works every time but I’ve heard it helps with the intensity at least. Nothing worse for an omega than to be in heat without their mate.”

“Wh-what do I do with it?” River asked, dropping her voice low as if there were anyone around to hear her.

“Put it over a pillow and ride it.”

River almost hung up.

“Are you still there?”

“Unfortunately,” she squeaked.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, petal, it’s natural.” His voice was so soft and sweet, she wished it were really in her ear. “And you’re going to get through this just fine. If you get scared, you can call me.”

But you won’t come.

“Okay.” She blew out a nervous breath until it turned into a hum. “Okay, I can do this.” I don’t have a choice.

“I can only pass on what I’ve learned from friends but I’ve heard it’s best to take the meds early if you’re passing your heat without… help.”

“Thanks… for your help.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s my fault.”

“Scent marking doesn’t trigger heats.” She knew that much at least.

“No, but by marking you and then not fucking you through it I’ve made the experience ten times worse for you.” He sighed. River was still processing how hot he sounded saying the words ‘fucking you,’ and her body was having a hard time moving past it. “And it’s your first.” Through the unclear crackle of the line, it seemed he was speaking into his hand. He groaned. The gravel of it scraped over her skin pleasantly. “I’m sorry. Really.”

“It’s okay. Really.” She coughed awkwardly. “Okay, I need to go because your voice is making me feel weird.” Weird as in her private parts were oozing extra hard every time he spoke. Even when it was a simple apology.

“Sorry.” He just couldn’t help himself - and neither could River, her insides squeezed again and released another drip. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

She put the phone to one side and emptied the plastic bag onto her bed. This would be her safe space for however long this heat lasted. Hopefully just a few hours - it was her first time after all! A whole day was the max she’d heard of, but that might just be a myth. Like the submissive that got two knots stuck inside them at the same time. Definitely just a high school horror story passed around the student body.

River squirmed. She wanted a knot. She froze.

“No, I do not,” she whispered.

Best take the tablets, she was already losing her damn mind.

She read the packaging in a frenzy, checking she was allowed to take everything Elliott had purchased at the same time. As soon as her stomach was filled with water and medication, she got to work building a nest to house herself and her supplies. With her duvet and blankets she created a donut-like shape with a lone pillow in the centre. She tossed Elliott’s shirt at it, pretending she had yet to decide to use it. She wasn’t that deep in the slick hole yet, she still had some shame.

She lined the inside of her nest with the food and water. The gel wasn’t necessary so far, but she unboxed it for easy access if she did reach a point where she felt she was boiling alive. Beside it, the wet wipes. River sighed. If she had a mate, there would be no need for any of this. One screw and her hormones would halt their raging. Of course, there was the consequence of pregnancy.

River knew logically that she did not, under any circumstances, wish to become pregnant. River’s body, however, shuddered at the mere thought. Before the slick streaking down her leg could reach the floor, River climbed into the protection of her nest.

Chapter Text

The shirt stared at her. River stared back. It was black, stretchy, and stinking of Elliott. Gymwear? The flashing vision of Elliott curling weights sent a flutter to her core. His muscles strained against the fabric. He was so strong. If he just grabbed her, pinned her arms, forced her down and took her-

River jolted, her knees knocking together. Shocks of pleasure pulsed in time with her heartbeat through her vulva. Did… did she just almost cum from the thought of Elliott?

“What the fuck?” she breathed. Peeking down between her legs, she found her pj shorts soaked. There was little point even still wearing them. Stripping felt like the penultimate step to giving into it, though.

The ultimate being the shirt.

She couldn’t do it. It was so embarrassing. And somehow she just knew that Elliott would know she’d done it. He would see it in her face, she was sure, the decision she made.

But her skin was getting uncomfortably hot. She leant back against the duvet ring and blew out a long breath. This was normal, and she had to get on with it. Her body would get hotter and hotter and eventually, the pjs would have to come off. Bringing her face level again, she carefully pried off the shorts, wincing at the sticky slick that kept them connected to her until they reached her ankles. All the way back up to her thighs she was flushed pink. Her clit had become so thick and engorged she could see it without her compact. When she held still, it twitched with her pulse. It ached . Not painfully, but longingly.

River pointed her face away. Her hand crept down. It was natural and normal to stimulate yourself during your heat, it was all part of the hormonal- The lightest touch and she cringed away. Wrong. It felt so wrong. She wanted her mate. She needed her mate. Her body would accept nothing less. She groaned softly and dropped her hand at her side. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

She squinted at the shirt. Maybe there was one substitution it would take to.

The longer she hesitated, the more stifling the warmth became. Her breaths were shaking. Now. Do it. How would he know? River crawled to the centre of her nest. The shirt rested atop a pillow like an altar. A gift from a gracious mate.

She dressed the pillow like it was a doll, carefully filing the torso of the top until it became plump, and climbed atop it, taking the riding Elliott had suggested literally. Her initial instinct was to press her face into the sweat-stained material, but the relief that his scent offered pressed to her vulva was undeniable. Like an ice pack against a burn. It recognised her mate’s pheromones and let them soothe her sensitive skin.

Forehead to the mattress, toes braced in the sheets, she rolled her body back like a wave. It felt… fine. Pleasure sort-of simmered where she rubbed herself against it. Like a promise of ecstasy to come, if only she could work out the right way to take it. She rocked more, bringing her hips back and forth in long strokes that almost satisfied. The heat built, burning through muscle and fat in outward pulses.

Her back curved, forcing her upright. She wasn’t going to get what she needed like this. Rolling the pillow as if it was on a spit, she searched for the right spot. Something more. Turning slowly, slowly. Seam met clit and River convulsed. On its side, the pillow offered a short sleeve to grip like a saddle horn. She grabbed it and the sweat of her palm was mingled with Elliott’s. River mewled, letting the vision of Elliott wearing her sweat take her stitching humping to the edge. Her hips stuttered. Elliott taking her over the weight bench. River cried out and kicked her feet at the bed. Elliott fucking her till they were soaked in each other’s sweat and slick. River scrunched her face and curled her toes. Elliott-

She came. And again. And again. Riding the pillow’s thin ridge until her clit was throbbing. More. No matter how intense the sensations became, her body knew it needed more. It needed… Elliott. Thought wasn’t enough. The scent alone wasn’t satisfying her anymore. It had her teetering on the edge of orgasm, but she’d already tricked herself this way too many times. She needed him.

Her phone watched her from atop the wall of her nest. He had said River could call him if she got scared. Was she scared? River’s thighs flexed either side of the sodden pillow and a soft whimper left her. Scared to be without him, she reasoned.

Through sweaty fingers, she managed to call him. One hand clutching her sleeve handle and one pressing the screen to her damp face.

“Hello?”

“Elliott,” she cried. Only her voice was dry and raspy and his name came out more like a gasp.

“Petal,” he cooed. “Take water.” The order knocked her still, her eyes falling out of focus for a moment along with the shiver that ran over her. Obedient, well-behaved omegas got knots. Where she got that thought from, she wasn’t sure, but she uncapped a bottle and drank half. “Good girl.”

River dropped the other half over the bed. Her clit was pulsating, a two-beat tempo repeating ‘good girl good girl good girl.’ “I-”

“Are you using the shirt?”

“Yes,” River whispered.

“Right now?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked and her eyes closed. With his voice so close she could pretend he was there.

He pulled the phone away, but she still heard the muted, “ Fuck ,” he grunted.

River crammed the pillow up between her legs again, finding the seam and grinding down onto it. A moan flew out of her mouth, tailing off into a squeak.

“Y-you’re doing so well,” Elliott murmured. A hard breath. He almost sounded pained. “Keep going, petal.”

The praise sunk straight to her clit, throbbing and burning and if he called her a good girl just one more time she was going to-

“Good girl, you’re m-”

Her squeal silenced him. She panted, humping the edge, wringing out every last moment of her orgasm as he listened. “Hah- Ah- Hah- Haaah! ”

When she flopped to her side, finally falling quiet, he chuckled. Shame flooded her like the spilt water all over her bed sheets.

“Petal-”

“I-I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I shouldn’t have- I-”

“It’s okay.” His voice was shaking ever so slightly. “It’s the heat.” No, his breaths were quivering. “Totally normal.”

“I’m going to hang up but if I call again, if it gets like that again, please don’t pick up.”

“There’s no way I’m agreeing to that.”

She whined.

“And noises like that are not helping your case.”

“Sorry,” she sighed.

“Eat something. Try and nap. Conserve your energy while it’s in a less intense stage.”

“Okay.”

“And call me if you need me.”

“Bye.”

She cut the call before he could respond. Her brain felt too vulnerable to him, there was no way she could argue against her alpha mate like this. She did follow his advice, though. An energy bar, some more sips of water, a doze in the cool patch left by the puddle.

All too soon, the intensity began to mount again. The heat ramping up. The tingles along her skin turning to sparks and prickles. River rolled to her knees with a sigh. Time to climb aboard again.

Thighs squeezed, she moulded the plush shape upward, sealing it tighter against her. The pillow had lost her body heat as she rested and the feeling of it against her smouldering core was so good. River threw her hips forward and back, opting for a lighter pressure. It didn’t work for long. The cravings pressured her, urged her, demanded that she thrust more, harder, faster. Coming. She was coming. Bed creaks let her know how off-beat she was. Good thing she was born submissive, she would make a terrible top.

She slipped back, her own slick sending her sliding to the corner piece. It was almost dry, and rough against her, she pushed her hands down into the centre of the pillow, driving the corner up higher and grinding down onto it, soaking it, filling her folds with it.

Inside. She needed something inside of her. She’d never experienced it, but her body told her she needed it. A craving that she could almost sob for knowing she could do nothing about. The still-sweat-patch-riddled-phone stared at her. She could do something. Beg him to come, her womb screamed. Whine and cry and make him.

No. Once was enough. Too much even.

Her fingertips clawed grooves into the pillow. Too soft. She needed something firm to satisfy her. Forceful, dominating, alph- Oh shit, she was coming again.

As soon as the quakes tailed off, the phone was dragged back into her duvet arena. It wasn’t a conscious choice. It simply found its way to her-

“Petal?”

“I’m so tired,” she whimpered.

“I’m sorry-”

“It won’t stop!”

Patient, gentle, he replied, “It will, petal, I promise.”

“I need- To make it stop I-”

“I know. I know what your body is telling you that you need and I’m sorry. I can’t-”

River burst into tears, burying her face into the wall of her nest.

“Don’t cry, petal.”

The loneliness pierced her insides. Her womb finally crumbling in understanding that her mate was not with her. That she would not get her knot. That-

“Get back on the pillow.” His voice was so stern it actually stopped the spiral. Halting everything inside of her with his dominant presence. “Now.”

River scrabbled up, sniffling. She wedged the soggy pillow between her thighs. “I-I am.”

“Now ride it for me.”

“Elliott-”

“Are you riding it?”

River rocked her hips in tiny thrusts. “Y-yeah.”

“Good girl.”

“I-”

“Ride it harder.”

“Yes,” she croaked.

“Can you hear me?”

What a strange question. “Yes?”

“Can you smell me?”

His scent was everywhere. “Yes.”

“Close your eyes.” She obeyed. “Can you see me?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Can you feel me?”

River choked on her answer. She was coming again, thighs twitching, hips jerking, and a wet, satisfying slide of her mate’s clothing against her. It was him. He was there. A rush of joy flooded her.

River slumped backwards, falling off her mount and dropping the phone on her face.

“Petal!”

“M’okay.”

“Are… are you finished?”

“I think so.” She was wrung out, top to bottom. But the fizzing urge to keep chasing orgasms had dissipated. She had made it to the end.

Elliott’s sigh of relief confused her in her blissful state. “Then all you need to do now is rest, okay?”

“Mmm.”

“Call me when you wake up.”

River didn’t remember hanging up the call, or even responding to Elliott’s final demand. When she woke up, hours later, the device was out of charge.

×

Please can we agree to never speak of it again.

If that’s what you want, petal.

Please.

Of course. What time is your train? I’ll drive you.

No, thank you.

River put her phone aside. Whatever he responded with, she didn’t want to read it. She needed to be at the train station in two hours and all she’d accomplished for the morning was a shower and bundling all of her bedding into the washing machine. She had the windows cast open, flooding fresh air into her bedroom, washing away the fog that her heat had brought. Soon, there would be no evidence left of what had happened yesterday.

She thought of Elliott’s top spinning amongst her duvet. A decision for when she came back for the summer term. If he asked for it to be returned, she’d find a way to get it to him, but her primary mission had to be a clean break.

She’d played her part. So had he. She’d gotten her heart tangled up in the game. He’d made it clear he hadn’t. He’d treated her well. She was grateful, but it only made her want him more. There didn’t need to be hard feelings. They needed to let it go.

She folded her own clothes as tightly as she could to slot them into her bag and get the most for her space. Next came her current sketchpad and an extra pair of shoes. The washer and dryer finished with a tinkling, beeping song.

River zipped her backpack and checked the live bus timetable. Delayed. She sighed. Better leave now for her best chance.

×

River’s dad, parked in the station car park in the car he’d been driving since she was in primary school, was the water of her oasis. She threw herself at the passenger window, scaring the newspaper out of his hands.

“The door’s unlocked you daft girl!” he called through it.

River giggled and let herself inside. “I’m so happy to be back!” Tossing her backpack into the seats behind, she let out a long sigh.

“Long journey?”

“Long two weeks.”

“Your mum’s making a pasta bake.” He reversed out of his space. “Plenty of time picking out the courgettes for you to tell use all about it.”

Even the slimy courgettes from her mum’s garden couldn’t ruin River’s relief - she was home . Her uni life was almost a figment of her imagination here. Her detox could finally, quietly, begin.

Chapter Text

Summer Term

River didn’t know why it was called the Summer Term when it started in Spring, and by the time her second year of university was up, the Summer Solstice wouldn’t have even happened yet. It made no sense! But who was she to question it? She was just happy to be back. Being home was nice at first, but she quickly longed for the freedom of her house share, of her room with a lock, and the lack of eyes and ears out to catch her out after curfew.

Maybe, alone in her room, she could admit that she’d missed Elliott, too. In the weeks away she’d lost his scent completely. The memory of that kiss at the party had remained though, with the perfect clarity of a movie replaying in her mind before bed every night. The kiss after their date, up against her front door. The way his knee had felt between her legs at Glacier. The sexy rasp down the phone as she rode his scent. Okay, that last one came with a side of shame so she tried not to dwell on it as much as the kisses and knee-grinding.

She had refused to discuss him with her parents outside of admitting they had broken up right as the term ended and that she was eager to be rid of his stink. They had been very generous with their pity gifts, though, assuming she was overcoming a horrid time in her young life. Who was River to turn down new paints and canvases and an eggshell blue apron that could hold more brushes than her hands?

Elliott had messaged throughout the break. River responded only to keep from seeming rude… or causing him to call the police.

Had she gotten home safely? Yes.

Was she feeling one-hundred-percent again? Yes.

Had the scent fade begun? Not yet.

Was she enjoying her break? Yes.

Had the scent fade begun? Still not yet.

Was she giving short answers because she was upset with him? No.

Had the scent fade begun? Yes.

Now, back in her house share, unloading her straining backpack, she could officially say she was scent-free. She drew in a deep breath. Yep, that was one-hundred-percent omega right there - and she was proud of it!

She had her first class tomorrow morning - Art History - and while Elliott would be forced back into her vicinity, she would also have the shelter of the boys . They and their girlfriends had been pre-warned via text about the break-up. There was… uncertainty within the group. So far, she’d been scent marked for what was almost a dare, then again for what her friends believed was a budding relationship, and then publicly at a party after a mild break-up. With the back and forth and ups and downs, she didn’t blame them for being tentative in accepting the newest news.

This time, it was for good. If her heart had hurt that much at the end of a fake relationship – how much more would it hurt if she let him worm his way in again? Not that he wanted anything more than cute omega arm candy. And that’s fine. It was what she agreed to. But the agreement was over, and she had a year and a bit left to finish her degree in peace.

x

Messy sketches of chrysanthemums were printed in inky blue on River’s two-piece outfit: a tank-style crop top and paperbag shorts. Paired with chunky trainers, a blue bow pulling up her loose curls, and a couple of silver-coloured bangles, she was ready to go.

Outside her house share, there was no car waiting. As there shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t help but notice his absence. River took off walking to campus on her own two, perfectly capable, feet.

The day was bright and beautiful – those weeks away had given the landscape around the university a chance to thaw. Birds twittered high above her. Colour seeped through clouds and around pavement.

If only she had time to stop and sketch…

“Why are you not wearing a jacket?”

River jumped out of her admittedly chilly skin.

The scent that had been hers until nail-bitingly recently wafted out of an open car window. Elliott cruised beside her. His cable-knit jumper sleeves only covered his shoulders and a bit of bicep, the rest flexed free, calling River to stare and drool. Blue eyes were noticeably not even glancing at the road ahead.

“I-” Words should have come out, but her natural reaction wasn’t appropriate. They weren’t bound together any more, she didn’t get to treat him as her mate. She swallowed her teasing, flirtatious response. “I’m fine.”

A car drew up behind Elliott’s and honked to move him along. He waved for them to go around, but once they did, they halted, rolling their own window down.

“Are you okay?” a dominant shouted to River. “That guy bothering you?”

River skipped forward a little to answer, and to peek inside. Surprisingly, no one she knew. A dominant woman was at the wheel, with a sub at her side and another in the back.

“It’s okay, I know him!”

The woman driving sniffed through the open window. “Alpha?” She was not pleased at the prospect.

“Yeah,” River said on a wheezy, awkward breath.

“Let us give you a lift, just in case. You’re going to the uni, right?”

While it probably wasn’t fair to let them assume Elliott was being a nuisance because of his secondary gender… travelling the rest of the way with them would end the interaction with him immediately and without fuss.

“Thanks.” River grabbed the back handle. “That would be great.”

The sub in the back shuffled their bag and coat across to make room and River hopped inside. Door closed, seat belt clicked, the dominant driver shot off.

“An alpha?” the sub beside her cooed, hinting for a story.

“Ah- He’s… my ex.”

Gasps filled the car.

“What did he want?” came from the passenger seat.

River rubbed at her arm. “Asking why I’m not wearing a jacket.”

“Oh, that’s such a weak excuse to talk to you!” the sub in front squealed.

“So obvious,” the other sub agreed. “He just wanted any reason to get your attention.”

River laughed awkwardly. “Maybe. I’m River, by the way.”

“Clover.” Clover put her hand back for a fist bump.

The girl beside her smiled. “I’m Rose, and our chauffeur is Aurora.”

Aurora nodded into the rear view mirror. River returned it.

“So… you gonna take him back?”

“He isn’t going to ask,” River replied. She had learned that the hard way.

“He obviously wants you, though, if he’s blocking traffic to check on you.”

River grumbled, “He’s probably just bored without someone to play with.” It was a game. It was over. She was fine with that. “He’ll find someone else.”

Clover sighed. “He’s obsessed with you.” She flipped down the sun shade and re-applied her lip gloss in the mirror.

“She’s right,” Rose concurred, she cut her eyes to River. “Omegas are too pretty, it melts dominant brains.”

River scrunched down in her seat, suddenly more than warm enough.

“No comment,” Aurora said, swinging the wheel into a car park to the side of one of the campus’ squat buildings. “Are you gonna be okay from here?”

“Yeah, this is perfect!” As soon as the car was stationary, River hopped out. “Thanks so much!”

“No problem.”

The subs called out to her, encouraging her not to give in to her alpha’s wants, not even if he begged – play hard to get!

River waved as she walked away, pink and giggling. Little did they know she had her first lecture with that alpha. And there would be no begging from either side.

“Are you not cold?” Rowan asked the moment she stepped through the glass double doors and into the crowd awaiting entrance to their class.

River folded her arms. “Good morning to you too!”

The boys were together, like a package deal, you could never have just one on their own.

“Sorry. Morning. Cold. You?”

River sighed. “I’m fine. I’m enjoying this lovely spring day!”

Sky scratched his head. “Isn’t there rain forecast for this afternoon?”

“It’s England, there’s always rain on the forecast,” Ilex grumbled.

A head above the rest caught River’s eye. Elliott nodded her over. River hesitated. He cocked a brow at her and she blushed. How mortifying. And now she was blushing more because she was embarrassed for having done it in the first place. How did she end the cycle? Dumping her head in a bowl of ice water?

“You okay?” Rowan asked.

“Yeah.” She looked over their shoulders again and the boys turned.

“You don’t have to talk to him,” Sky told her. “Just ignore him.”

“Let me just see what he wants, I’m sure it will be fine.”

She slipped away amidst grumbles from the boys , and squeezed her way to the other side of the student cloud hovering outside their classroom door.

“You’ve been avoiding me like the plague.” Elliott stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched over her with a grin. “And I have favours to cash in.”

“Send a request in writing,” River huffed.

Elliott laughed quietly. “Cold!”

“Aside from those favours, we’re just students taking a class together,” she reminded him. “Not that you’re a bad classmate.”

He chuckled. “How sweet of you.”

River shrugged. She’d said her piece. Of course, there was more on the inside – the burning, screaming question of why he didn’t want her as his mate for real. She’d done a great job as a pretender, he’d said so himself!

He looked away. “I’ll keep to my own lane, then.”

“Thanks.”

The boys were watching them like her personal guard, unblinking, when she turned away and jogged back to them.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just being amicable.”

Rowan nodded, Sky puffed his chest behind them, and Ilex patted River’s clothed shoulder in awkward solidarity.

“Guys, please, can we just go back to how it was pre-Elliott?”

“Okay.”

A tense silence.

“Unclench,” River laughed, patting her cheeks in a weak attempt to turn off the blush beacon.

Sky let out the long breath that had been enhancing his size and the others laughed with her.

By the end of class, they had more important things to worry about than Elliott. Another E word – exams. How kind of their professor to put their personal lives into perspective...

Chapter Text

For a week, he was simply polite. He crossed no boundaries. Almost as though he had taken up a new acting role as ‘pleasant university student.’ He played the part well. By the tenth day, River could fully relax. Her life as she had known it was back to normal with the addition of a new outer circle friend. One that never attempted to step closer than that.

Across the library, he studied like a statue, moving only to click or turn a page. His wide back flexed in those few movements, drawing River’s eyes. She dragged them back. It wasn’t fair to stare. It also wasn’t fair of Elliott to wear such a tight t-shirt, though, so River counted them even.

The scent of dominant approached, familiar but River couldn’t put a name to her nose. Into the seat beside her they slid, and River no longer had to guess.

“I’d almost forgotten what your own scent smelled like,” Cypress whispered.

River broke her stuttered staring from Elliott’s back and gave him a polite smile. “Me too.”

“So, how’s the single life treating you?” He didn’t pull out any books or a laptop. River fiddled with her own and hoped he would notice she was actually here for a reason.

“Fine. How’s the rowing club?”

“Not as fun when you’re not training with us.”

“I’d hardly call what I do ‘training,’” River laughed quietly. Mostly she hung out and chatted.

“We love having you with us, that’s what matters.” There was a shift, a heaviness in his words suddenly that didn’t match River’s light conversation. “I’d love to see more of you outside of the club.”

River blinked up at him. “ Oh .”

Cypress bit his lip. “Oh?”

“Sorry, I just- I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

“Really? I figured you get this a lot.”

“N-no. People don’t really see me that way, I think.”

His laugh was too loud for the library, drawing looks that had River hiding her face in her cubby. “Sorry,” he muttered. “But you’re so wrong. Loads of dominants would kill for an omega girlfriend. They’re just scared to hit on one and look like a creep preying on someone who can’t stand up for themselves.”

River straightened in her seat. “I can stand up for myself.”

“Yeah. You’re different. Friendly.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be different.” I’m proud to be an omega. And I’m proud of all the other omegas.

“I didn’t mean anything mean by it.”

“Then what do you mean?”

He leant in, grinning like they were sharing a private joke. “I’m trying to ask you out – let me?”

“Why now?”

“Because.” He glanced at Elliott, and tried hard to bring his eyes back and pretend he didn’t.

“Because Elliott did it first, now it’s open season?”

“No!” A couple tucked between bookshelves gave him a look and he lowered his voice again. “You just- you’re single now.”

River frowned. “Maybe I’m not.” You didn’t have to be scent marked to be seeing someone.

He gave her a dull look. “Well, I know you’re not with him any more.” He jabbed a thumb in Elliott’s direction. “And good riddance. A rich kid taking an art degree just reeks of a money-laundering career.”

“Elliott really loves art.” She didn’t know why she said it. Or why it came out so fast and so defensive.

Cypress hunched around the cubby divider. “See? You’re so sweet. That omega nature-”

“I’m not looking to get into another relationship right now.” She did it! It was scary and tummy turning but she did it!

“O-okay.” Finally, he drew back. “Sure. I can respect that. Maybe some other time?”

“Maybe.”

He nodded. “I’ll let you get on, then.” Sliding his chair out, never having opened a book, he rose to leave. “See you at practice sometime?”

River smiled. “I’ll ask Hawk and Sierra.” And I’ll also tell them you hit on me. Just because I can stand up for myself, doesn’t mean I should have to stand up alone.

Cypress nodded and loped away. River scrunched herself into her cubby. She continued studying, well, forcing her eyes along words, until it wouldn’t seem like she was running away from that awkward conversation. Even though he had his back to them, she knew Elliott would have heard bits and pieces. Good. River had handled it well and was not intimidated at the prospect of dominants wanting her… she could tell them ‘no’ just fine. She didn’t need an alpha to do it for her.

After an hour, she packed up meticulously, never wanting to seem like she was in a rush, and left with her head held high. The jittery feeling in her chest would fade soon.

x

Walking between a Fine Art lecture and the studio was a longer journey than she remembered. A lot of steps on feet that had experienced the luxury of a car for the second half of the spring term. She had enough time, though, and a lovely scenic route. The buds on the trees were half-unfurled, not quite ready to wake to the world. In the shade it was chilly, but basking in the sunlight that hit River’s skin out in the open was glorious. Who needed a jacket?

Today she was stomping about in her favourite embroidered jeans and a tight white tee. Without Elliott to take her to fancy cafes every day it probably wouldn’t stay tight for long…

Fast steps were approaching from behind. River sidled to one side to let the speedster overtake her. She was in no rush. Sniff. Was tha-

“I need to borrow your scent.” Elliott overshot trying to walk in line with her, legs too long to match River’s stride, and his sudden appearance turned into a staggering into her side.

River frowned, hip-bumping him away. “That’s my line.”

“Quickly.”

“What?” River slowed to a stop, peering up at him uncertainly. “Are you serious?”

He took her hands and scrubbed his jaw with them, the stubble scraped at her palms. “Yep.”

“What are you doing?” River gasped. It wasn’t a scent mark, more a mild scent swap. Her hands for his face. Submissives couldn’t scent mark, but they could leave a little behind. Faint. Enough to tell others they’d touched the dominant.

“Warding off a crazy bitch.”

River stammered, “You’re going to make me an enemy!” If some submissive wanted his attention, it was on him to deal with that! Didn’t he always preach that River needed to learn to turn people down? She had learned and now Elliott had lost the skill!

“You’ll never meet her.” He nuzzled into the creases her knuckles bent from.

“You don’t know that!” River squirmed on the spot, her arms hostage. “What if she recognises my scent out in public and throws something at me?”

“Don’t go anywhere with loose bricks.”

“I was implying a shoe or a pen- a brick?! How crazy is she?”

“Very.” He finally released her. “So consider both your favours paid off, you deserve it.”

“I- Uh-” River babbled at his wide back hurrying away, stretching a hand out in a plea for him to come back. “but-”

Gone.

She sniffed her palms and snatched her face back to check no one had seen her do that. The coast was clear, not another soul in sight. That didn’t mean she would do it again. She was supposed to be free of this lovely smell. Clean of it. Detoxed.

River sighed. She had projects to work on. Maybe if she covered her hands in PVC and then peeled it off, it might make the lingering scent of Elliott less pungent. Although it was her scent on him that was the real risk here. River had never had to deal with a hostile submissive, and her time with the javelin club hadn’t adequately prepared her for dealing with projectiles. She should tell the boys and their girlfriends… but then they would be angry with Elliott...

If she saw anything strange, she would tell them. No need to worry anyone over nothing. She had projects to paint, and a way to walk to the studio still… plenty to do with herself that wasn’t tattling to her friends.

x

No hide nor hair of Elliott appeared as River plodded back home with a bag full of half-finished card canvases. Lots of florals, of course. The occasional grass plain or still-life of fruit, but mostly flowers. Had it been incredibly distracting to paint with the scent of her ex-fake-mate? A little. Had she still made some progress, enough to feel satisfied? Yep!

She smiled to herself and turned onto the main road leading back to her house share. Maybe she would dab a little more on her bedroom floor with a nice herbal tea…

A shiny car with the top down flew past her. Then reared back. River gave the edge of the pavement a wide berth, uninterested in getting hit by some crazy student driver. A dominant man was driving, alone, and he was staring at her over black sunglasses.

“You smell like Elliott Constance,” he announced, as though sharing an interesting fact. There could only be a remnant of Elliott’s earlier touch left on her, it unsettled her that he could notice from such a distance. Only on her palms. That she had scrubbed since. Alpha scents really were something else.

“Sorry, do I know you?” And, more importantly, are you going to launch a brick at my head? He was a dominant, but you couldn’t be too cautious.

His smile was arrogant. “I’m an old friend of Elliott’s, just here to visit for the weekend.” He looked her up and down. “I guess there’s a lot he needs to catch me up on.”

“Oh.” River shuffled on the spot. Her bag was suddenly ten times heavier. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nicer to meet you.” He wasn’t kidding. He looked positively giddy. “Do me a favour, though? Don’t tell Elliott I’m here, I’m planning to surprise him.”

“Sure.” Of course, she would message him as soon as she was out of sight.

“Thanks.” He gave her a long once-over again over the top of his sunglasses and winked before pushing them back up and driving away.

Elliott responded with a bland thanks to her tip off… and it annoyed her.

Please don’t get me involved in anything dodgy. That guy seemed a bit unhinged.

He is. Don’t worry. You won’t see him again.

River wanted to ask how he could be sure, but it was obvious Elliott wasn’t in the mood to chat. No pleasantries, no pet names, nothing. She supposed she deserved that, she’d given him the cold virtual shoulder over the spring break.

Okay. Thanks.

He sent back a thumbs up emoji. Like her dad would. River groaned. Why did it irk her so much that he wasn’t treating her like his mate? She wasn’t. And he was never going to ask her to be. If she let herself be toyed with, she would never be able to let this craving for his affections shrivel up and crumble away. Maybe, once she was over him, she could consider… not Cypress, but someone else?

The rev of an engine drew her gaze up from the ground. The open-top car was coming back, and this time there was someone in the passenger seat.

“That’s her,” the driver called. “Just a little thing, isn’t she?” He slowed to let his companion get a good look at River.

There was a female submissive beside him, dressed in cream and soft brown tones. She sneered over her door at her. “Let me give you some advice, sprout. Alphas are a handful, not everyone is built to manage them. And that alpha, well, he’s more than most.” She laughed as though River couldn’t possibly relate. “You haven’t seen him in his natural habitat.” She shared a knowing grin with the dominant behind the wheel. “Here, he’s playing at being a good boy. Out in the wild, you wouldn’t last a minute with him.” She turned away, bracing her elbow on the top of the door and letting River know she was done with her. As the driver put his foot down, she added, speaking to the road ahead, “Save yourself the trouble and walk away before you get hurt.”

River stood, fixed and fascinated at what she had just experienced. She was so close to her front door but she couldn’t move. Was it worth updating Elliott? Was that the submissive girl? Was she now safe since she obviously wasn’t perceived as a threat? What an odd pair…

After a few minutes of staring blankly ahead, lost in her own inner monologue and replays, Ember stepped into her eye line to ask if she was okay. River said she was. She thought she was. That was good enough.

Ember gave her a strange look. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Another day, another stranger hassling her over Elliott.

“Look, I’m sorry but I think there’s some mistake – Elliott and I aren’t together any more.”

“I know,” the man, Heath or Hedge or something, said. “That’s the problem.”

River sighed and kept her feet moving. She had been signed up to help hand out water cups for the long distance runners and if she didn’t meet her own PB she was going to be late. “A problem for who?”

The man continued to weave in front of her as though trying to halt her without touching her. “For Elliott.”

“Then he knows how to contact me and tell me so.” But he won’t, because he’s got no interest in having her as his real mate.

“I’m telling you! You’re the best thing to happen to him since he started university-”

River halted and watched the guy stumble. “Who are you again?”

“I’m his room mate.”

“Huh, I always figured he was rich enough to have his own place.”

Hedgehog, or whoever he was, turned sheepish. “Well, his parents pay for it,” he admitted.

“So you get to live there for free?” River squinted her suspicion at him. “What is it you do for Elliott – his laundry or something?”

“I… keep an eye on him.”

River’s disgust twisted her face. “Ew, so you spy on him?”

“No! I’m his friend! I just… I try to keep him out of trouble.”

Folding her arms over her chest, River asked. “Do you tell his parents what he does?”

“No. Never. They just think I’m a good influence on him. I try to be.” He emphasised, “Because I’m his friend.”

“He’s never mentioned you.”

“Well, like I said, I’m Heath,” he said with a shrug and a sad smile.

“And what is it you want from me?”

“I… I wanted to see if there was any chance… that you’d be interested in dating him.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“Look, I get that the game is over. And I know you’ve already turned him down-”

“He never asked!” River snapped. “Even when I made it clear I wasn’t interested in playing pretend any more, he just kept trying to prolong it.” He doesn’t want the real thing.

“Because he likes y-”

“Because it’s just a game to him.” She was seething. How dare either of them imply that she was the one who should have made a move. Firstly, she was a submissive – an omega, no less! Secondly, Elliott was the one with the experience in these things. Thirdly… she was an omega, dammit! It wasn’t her role to be the dominant member of the relationship.

Heath pleaded, “He wants more.”

“He should have said so himself,” River huffed. “Frankly, sending you on his behalf is embarrassing.”

“He didn’t send me. I found you because I’m worried about him.”

She hated how instantly her attention was stolen. “Worried about what?”

“About him slipping back into old habits,” Heath said cryptically. “Look, if he had asked you out, for real, what would you have said?”

River’s cheeks burned red-hot. “I would have said yes,” she mumbled. Without a shadow of a doubt.

“Then… would you come with me to see him? I think you’re the only one he’ll listen to right now.”

For barely more than a heartbeat, she hesitated. “Where is he?”

“I have a few ideas. It’s who he’s with I know for sure.”

“There was a guy,” River remembered, “with an open top car, he said he was an old friend of Elliott’s.”

“There’s a few of them. They’ve decided to ambush him after a year of no contact, try to get their old Elliott back.” Heath went to grab River’s upper arms, but froze halfway like a lego figure. “Elliott doesn’t like the old Elliott, but they know how to get to him and… I think with you rejecting him-”

“I didn’t-”

“He feels like you did.”

“He’s full of shit,” River snipped.

Heath sighed wearily. “Please come with me.”

“Fine. But this isn’t me agreeing to anything more than that.”

x

The running club weren’t angry with her for cancelling, which was one small win. The two losses they’d sustained so far were two locations Heath had confidently driven them to, only for there to be no sight of Elliott or his old friends.

It was getting late, and they were already running low on ideas.

“There’s this club on the outskirts of town. It’s not as nice as the kind of places he would go back home, but maybe he wanted to keep out of the local area…”

River shrugged. She had surprisingly little knowledge of the local hotspots – she just paid her share of ubers and went where her friends were going. “Worth a shot. But why would he want to avoid the locals?”

Heath glanced at her, wary. “How much has he told you… about his family?”

“You’re in no position to be questioning me,” River huffed. “Just tell me.” Maybe she would make a fine dominant after all. There was something very meek about Heath, even if he was a dominant, that let her feel strong enough to push back. There also… maybe, possibly, might have also been the Elliott influence between them. Heath wasn’t going to do anything to her, not unless he had the balls to face Elliott for it, and they both knew it. It was odd, and strangely empowering. Even without his presence, that tiny hint of his scent on her hands was kind-of protecting her.

“The one who is actually spying on him is his uncle – Elliott calls him the accountant.” Heath adjusted his hands on the wheel. “He is a real accountant,” he added. “But he pretty much just watches over their family’s money.”

“Watches over it?” River repeated.

“Yeah, you know, investments and… overspending heirs.”

“So they spy on Elliott because he used to flash the cash too much?”

Heath chuckled quietly. “I’d put that bottom on the list of concerns.”

“What’s number one?”

“He’s a PR nightmare.” Heath cleared his throat. “Sorry, that’s not fair. He was.”

“And what changed?”

“I don’t know the details of that part. It was all kinda hush-hush. The aristocracy don’t want people knowing they have a rebel in the midst, you know?” River did not know, but she let him keep talking. “But I guess there was an intervention of some kind. And then he was shipped off to uni. I came with him, cause I was the only one that wouldn’t egg him on. Not that he really needs anyone to, Elliott doesn’t know how to do anything in halves.”

“And while he’s been here, you’ve been holding the reins?”

A harsh laugh burst out of him. “Hell no, I can’t stop him doing anything. I just… I wanted to try and help him.” He grimaced out the window. “Even though I know he doesn’t really listen to me. But… he hasn’t needed the help.” The way he peeked over at her, as though offering her the credit, irked River.

“He only met me properly last term,” she rebutted. “I was not his reason for behaving himself.”

“No, he managed the first year and a half by himself,” Heath conceded. “But I could tell something had happened that day he scent marked you. He didn’t have to tell me. It was like he’d been going about his day-to-day for eighteen months on robotic auto-pilot and suddenly he was himself again. Except, he wasn’t using partying and alcohol and drugs to be that version.”

River didn’t know what to say to that, so she stayed quiet.

Heath filled the silence with an awkward admission. “I actually tried to warn him off you at the beginning.”

“Why?”

“It made me nervous that you had so much power over his emotions. I was convinced he was going to get hurt. When he gets a new ‘distraction’ it always turns into an obsession. He promised me it was only until the scent faded, that it was all a game. Then he marked you again, and he said it was just ten more days. And then that party that I told him not to go to.” He sighed and shook his head. “Hopeless. I knew then it was a lost cause.”

“I was actually mad at him for marking me that night,” River said quietly. “Instead of asking me to be his mate for real, he just put his scent on me like sticking another coin in an arcade machine.”

Heath slowed, they were approaching the turning into a car park ringed with the kind of clubs, shops and entertainment that was open twenty-four hours. “I don’t know why he didn’t.”

“Maybe he liked the idea of me more than the reality.” He was an alpha. If he wanted her, he was more than capable of saying so. Directly.

“No way. You’ve gotten deep under his skin.” He pulled the handbrake up. “Even his driving was better. He used to tear about like a maniac with that sports car of his.”

River frowned. Elliott had always been a careful driver when she was his passenger. Incredibly so. The sound of honking came back to her, for a moment, in the background of her call to him that night at the party. He’d gotten there quicker than blue lights, and his end of the call had suggested there may have been a reason he managed to.

“We’ll see,” River grumbled.

Heath popped the handle of his door, but hesitated before hopping out. “By the way, what’s your name?”

River blinked incredulously. “I got so deep under his skin that I made him a better driver but he never told you my name?”

“Hey!” Heath threw his hands up. “He didn’t tell you mine. Don’t take it personally.”

“I’m River,” River said with a sigh. “And I’m coming too this time.” She clicked her belt out.

x

The club wasn’t as seedy as River had been expecting from the outside. It was also no Glacier. Less footfall, with small groups taking up private booths rather than mingling together in the centre. The atmosphere was more… sensual.

River swallowed and let Heath hunt their alpha with that hyper-sensitive nose of his. How he’d located her based off a smudge of Elliott’s scent on her palms was incredible. Maybe she didn’t realise how potent it was… it was too familiar to her. Normal, almost.

The sides of the booths were too tall for River to peek over like Heath did, and upholstered in velvet. Above, chandeliers filled the building with fake flickering lights as though they had candles in them. Music was being pumped out of speakers, but onto the dance floor away from the VIP areas. She could still hear herself think, which had never happened before in a club.

“There!” Heath yelped. He surged forward and slung himself over the top of a booth, calling out to Elliott.

River followed but opted for the opening, striding between the dividers. A half-circle of low seats faced her with a reflective table in the centre covered in bottles, glasses and cash. There were only four people in the booth: one alpha, one dominant, two submissives.

River’s alpha was slouched in the middle, and one of the submissives was trying to climb him like a tree. The same one from the car, River realised, wriggling all over him in a failing attempt to get his attention With a sniff, his dazed gaze found her. He perked, as though waking from a daydream, and shoved the submissive girl out of his lap. The others booed him and slew jokes and insults at him, but he didn’t seem to hear them. His dark blue eyes flashed with the flickers of the lights, locked on to River.

Heath bustled past her and got his own round of teasing from the group. “Elliott, what are you doing?”

Elliott ignored him. He mouthed ‘petal.’ Or maybe he said it, but too quietly for River’s ears to pick up. She was frozen in the entrance still. The submissive from the car was watching her with a pitying grin. Curious as to what her next move would be. Even now, she thought Elliott was too much for River to handle.

River barged around the table and straddled him. She may not have the lap-dancing skills of that submissive girl, but she knew the effect her body had on Elliott’s. She’d seen the bulges when they’d kissed, felt the desperation in his grip on her, been devoured by him. Elliott may not be alpha enough to admit his romantic feelings, but his body had given him up plenty of times when it came to the sexual ones.

He grabbed her straining hips over her clothes and River leant in close, all but pressing her lips to the shell of his ear. “Take me back to yours.” Choose me over her. Walk away from them.

“I-” Elliott swallowed. “I’ve been drinking.”

River pinched her lips and looked away. “I thought you didn’t drink,” she whispered.

For a moment, he might not have heard her. River glanced back to him and found his mouth was open, but no response was coming. He looked as disappointed as she felt in him. It didn’t make her feel any better about his decision. He had had plenty of time to learn from his mistakes. Was this all it took to repeat them? She jumped free of his lap and stormed out, ignoring the giggled gossiping from Elliott’s friends and snatching Heath’s hand on the way.

They had come to try and help him. They wanted the best for him. They cared about him.

She burst through the front doors, still yanking him along behind her. If he decided to stop in his tracks, she would ping back like a bouncy paddle ball, but he didn’t. His dominant scent was already leeching into her skin, mingling with Elliott’s. River didn’t care.

The doors swung open again, a few seconds after they made it to the car park, and Elliott was giving chase.

“I’ll call a cab,” he gasped. His balance was off, even when he braced his hands on his knees. “Petal, please, I’ll get you home.”

“I’m going home with Heath,”

Heath bent down to hiss in her ear, “Why are you trying to get me killed? What did I do to you?”

“What? You don’t want an omega girlfriend?” River batted her eyelashes in faux innocence.

Heath flushed pink. It actually suited him quite nicely.

“He has no right do anything to you,” she said, giving Elliott a cold look. “When he doesn’t want me as his mate.”

“Petal,” Elliott slurred. “That’s n-”

“Let’s go,” River ordered, pulling Heath to the car. He unlocked it obediently, looking troubled.

Despite not being invited, Elliott let himself into the backseat and strapped in stroppily. “I’m coming t-”

“You,” River snarled over her shoulder, “will explain yourself.”

Heath turned on the engine and locked the doors, keeping his eyes anywhere but on River. Elliott shrivelled under her anger, looking like he wanted to do the same.

“Okay,” he mumbled. “I guess that’s fair...”

Chapter Text

“Have you taken any drugs?” River blurted.

“No,” Elliott answered. River caught Heath checking him in the rear view mirror, but Elliott’s face was set. Not a hint of deception or humour. “Just some drinks.”

River kept her own face forward, watching the road markers pass beneath the hood of Heath’s car. “Why?”

“Because I’m an adult?”

Heath winced.

“You know what I meant,” River snapped, swinging around to look at him again. “You don’t drink.”

Elliott sulked out the window. “I can if I want to.” A big baby. No, a big brat .

“Or if your friends talk you into it?” River shook her head and looked to Heath for back-up. “They say jump and you say how high?” Heath kept his attention to driving this time.

“No,” Elliott grumbled.

“Then what happened?”

“I wanted to have some fun.”

River laughed without humour. “Was that fun?” Being crawled on by a submissive he didn’t want in a dark room filled with drunks that didn’t care about him. River liked a night out with her friends, but that wasn’t what they’d walked in on. It was desperation. Chasing a high that just wasn’t there.

“No.”

“We’re here,” Heath murmured, pulling up to an underground parking garage, blocked by a gate. He drew down his window and leant out to tap a pass card to the security pod. A green light flashed and the barrier raised. “Let’s take this conversation inside.”

So far, it hadn’t been much of a conversation – more an interrogation from River’s end. She was so irrationally upset with Elliott. That he would blow all his progress and making a better man of himself on… that sad scene.

She nodded, and Heath swerved into a numbered parking spot.

x

“Can I get you a drink?” Elliott’s vision was fighting to hold onto River’s face. How many had he had? For the most part, he was doing a good job of not acting like he was totally pissed, but staring down at her in his apartment entranceway, she could see he wasn’t all there.

“Get yourself some water,” River grumbled and kicked off her shoes.

Elliott loped off. Heath smirked at his back.

“What are you smiling at?” River asked him irritably.

Heath chuckled. “I knew you could put him straight.”

“I’m not done yet!”

“Good.” He walked ahead, leading her into the enormous open-plan living area. A bright white kitchen took up one corner, and sofas and lounge chairs circled the centre into a social pit. Windows lined two walls, exposing the city’s nightlife. They were high up enough that you couldn’t decipher people clearly, only the light that came from their activities. Heath sunk into the sofa facing away from where Elliott was clattering about the kitchen counters.“Let’s get comfortable, then.”

River joined him on the other side. “This place is insane,” she whispered.

Heath dropped his head back and chuckled quietly. “This is nothing.”

Elliott returned with a pair of glasses filled with water. One for himself, one for River. If Heath felt put-out, he didn’t say so. Elliott took the lounger on River’s other side and let his glassy eyes wander for a bit.

“Elliott,” River murmured, forcing him back into the room.

“Petal.”

“You still haven’t explained what you were doing at that club.” She looked to her lap. “I know you didn’t want to be there. Not really.”

“I wanted to have some fun and they… they just arrived at the perfect time to convince me,” he admitted. “My guard was down. I’d lost my motivation for behaving myself.”

River peeked back up. She thought of what Heath had told her. How he had so much as blamed her! “Because of me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you say something​?” And since when did he have difficulty saying anything?

“Because you told me you wanted to just be classmates.”

“Because you marked me and then you didn’t ask me to be your mate!”

“Because you’re an omega!”

River gasped. Genuine, piercing hurt struck her right in the chest. “You don’t want to be my mate because I’m an omega ?”

“No!” Elliott kicked upright in the chair. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured to agree to be my mate because you’re an omega and I’m an alpha.”

“There’s a power imbalance,” Heath agreed quietly.

“Elliott, get up,” River demanded. Elliott stood. “Sit down.” He sat, and smiled. “Wipe that smile off your face and ask me out.”

The smile struggled. Every time he tried to force it down, it bounced back up. “River, be my mate, please?”

River sighed. She looked to Heath. “I don’t know.” Her own smile fought through. “Has he suffered enough?”

Heath snorted. “Not even close.” He stole a sip from Elliott’s glass. “But it’ll be way easier to make him pay for his misdeeds if you’re his mate.”

“Very wise.” River looked back to Elliott, whose hopeful eyes almost cracked her act. “I accept.” Elliott launched himself across the tiny gap between their seats. “W-wait! Waitwaitwait!” River stuck her hands feet up in the air like an overturned beetle and Elliott’s weight (not all of it, obviously, or things would snap, crackle and pop) rested against her playfully, like a kid about to play ‘aeroplane.’ “I want the story – all of it.”

“The story?” Elliott tilted his head, and his smirk almost knocked River’s knees open.

“This thing with your family, and the bad boy reputation, everything. I want to know who you really are and what you used to be.”

Elliott wobbled against her braced legs. He glanced to Heath, a silent question they could all read: what did you tell her? Heath pretended to find something stuck to the rug and hid his face under the coffee table. Elliott returned his royal blue eyes to River. “Okay. Like I said in the car, it’s only fair.”

“Then get to it, Mother Goose.”

Elliott retreated by all of half a step. “She’s my mate, I get to sit next to her,” he said to Heath, shooing him from his seat.

“Don’t be rude!” River scolded quietly.

Elliott plopped into the dip Heath left behind. “Sorry.”

Heath took the next armchair along, nonplussed.

“What do you know already?” Elliott reached out to pet her, stroking her knee, playing with the closures of her clothes. Maybe he was too drunk for interrogation...

River swallowed. She had waited long enough. “Assume I know nothing.”

“Well, I’m Elliott Constance.” He sighed and slumped his cheek into the sofa cushion. His hands stayed on River. “And the Constance family, in certain circles, are kind-of a big deal.” Heath scoffed behind his fist, which Elliott pointedly ignored. “They own a bunch of businesses, have some thin blood relation to nobility… typical aristocrats, really.”

There was nothing typical about aristocracy to River, but she stayed quiet.

“And I guess money and some very mild fame was somehow a huge inconvenience in my teenage mind. I thought I had it tough.” He chuckled darkly. “Complete bullshit, but I think I just couldn’t admit I had it good. So I started rebelling in stupid ways and put myself on the rumour-runners’ radar.” He rolled his eyes and let them close for a moment too long, as though about to fall asleep. River was about to flick his nose when he started. “Just… stupid shit. I thought I deserved to do whatever I wanted. And I chased fun, or what I thought was fun, as far as the credit card would take me.”

“And then when the card ran out?” River cued him.

Elliott laughed. “It didn’t. But my parents finally lost their patience with my antics. They’d tried all kinds of tactics to punish me, get through to me, make a gentleman out of me. This time they really put the fear of god in me.” He didn’t elaborate any further on that. “They sent me off to uni and I’ve been on the straight and narrow ever since. No fun, no nonsense, no getting my picture in the local paper for being a drunk and disorderly trust fund baby.”

“You’re allowed to have fun – in moderation,” River said softly.

“I couldn’t trust myself to do anything in moderation.” He shook his head, almost nuzzling the upholstery. “But then I heard you talking about those stupid perfumes and I just… I thought if I was going to allow myself something I wanted it to be you.”

“Scent marking me didn’t make me your mate.”

“No,” he agreed. “But taking the chance to shove myself into your life was enough. I spent my first year and a half of university stripped of any kind of risk or reward. You were a little treat.” He hummed through a smile. Something sobered him suddenly, a thought crossing his mind. “I need to make it to the end of my degree without any fuck ups or I won’t be allowed to stay here and study art.”

“What’s wrong with studying art?”

Elliott pinched her pouting lip. “My family don’t mind me having hobbies and interests as long as I take my place in the family business. They don’t see art as a career – at least not for me. I have to take a masters in business when I finish here, somewhere nearer home, but the deal was if I could keep my head down then I could study art first. I think if I’d crossed even a pinky toe any more over the line my parents would have enrolled me in finance under the watch of a handler.” He peeked at Heath, who gave him an exasperated expression in return. “My degree is an olive branch from both ends: I get to pursue my passion for three years and they get an heir that doesn’t act like a spoiled brat.”

“I don’t know about your end of that bargain,” River teased.

Heath folded his arms and nodded his agreement. Luckily for him, Elliott didn’t notice. Instead, he laughed. “Let me rephrase that: doesn’t publicly act like a spoiled brat.”

River slumped a little. “I had you so wrong.”

Elliott frowned. “I’ve changed, petal, I swe-”

“No, I mean- I thought you were this introvert struggling to come out of his shell!”

Heath almost did a spit take with Elliott’s water.

“The struggle is there,” Elliott admitted. “But it’s trying to hold myself back inside my shell that’s the difficult part. I climbed into it deliberately and now I have this friends-with-the-five-thousand omega trying to drag me out.” He smiled at her like he had just complimented instead of criticised her.

“That must be lonely, though.”

“It was.” That dreamy smile warmed her, he looked at her like she had performed some amazing feat for him. “But then, I could never keep up the way you do, you’re a level of social that even my teenage self couldn’t keep up with.”

“It… does get overwhelming sometimes.” She pulled her feet up under her. It felt safer to make confessions when you were all scrunched up, River found. “A lot of the time, actually.” Being a part of it all was great on paper, until she had to keep up with all of her commitments only to never be anyone’s best friend. She was a friend to all, and everyone was a friend to her, but when it came to those scary life moments… it was Elliott she had run to.

“Maybe if you tried turning people down once in a while-”

“I turned Cypress down!”

Elliott’s adoring smile finally fell. He growled, “Yeah, and I owe him punch in the face for that.”

“Elliott,” Heath groaned.

“He asked me out because you took too long to, that’s not his fault,” River reminded him. “And I turned him down all by myself!”

“I’m proud of you, petal.”

“No congratulatory kiss?”

“Heath, look away.”

“I’m gone.” He huffed and puffed out of the armchair and hurried out of the room.

River blushed, covering her face until he was completely gone.

“I can’t kiss you through your hand,” Elliott said quietly. He had already crawled over her side of the sofa, caging her in beneath him.

River inched her fingers down, peeking up at him nervously. They had kissed before, but this was their first time as real mates. Clutching her own chin, she watched him glide down to her so smoothly she could almost be fooled into thinking he was sober. Then his nose bumped hers and she smiled, maybe the signs were still there.

His mouth found hers with perfectly targeted precision, though. Laser-focused. A kiss that triggered her aroused omega scent to push free from her pores like a fog machine. Pushy, greedy, commanding. A typical alpha taking what they wanted. And River liked being what Elliott wanted. She melted under liquor-tinged licks of his tongue between her lips. Her knees softened in their bend, allowing him to sink between them. Closer. Fuse them together and fill her with his heat, his strength, that addictive scent. Retreating from the pillows, his hands slid over her shoulders, fast-approaching her bare neck.

“Wait,” River gasped, breaking the kiss.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes searched her face, then the position of his hands, then lower.

“I don’t want you to mark me.”

“Oh.” He reared back. “I thought-”

“We’ve done everything in the wrong order. I want a reset.” This time, he didn’t get to have the picture-perfect mate poised at his side. It was the real River or nothing. And real River wanted a real relationship, start to finish.

“A reset?”

“We start from the beginning.” She was so breathless it was embarrassing. “You’re going to take me on dates and court me, and then I’ll tell you when I’m ready for a scent mark.”

“But you’re still my mate?” His eyes flashed. “Mine?”

River stammered her way through an affirmative.

“Okay. Dinner? Tonight?”

“You’re tipsy,” River reminded him gently. While the desperate rush was flattering, they should begin with their best sober foot forward.

“Tomorrow morning?” he suggested. “Brunch?”

River giggled, relenting. “Sure. Brunch it is.” Her first real date. “I should get going and let you sober up.”

“Heath will drive you home.”

“I don’t want to inconvenience hi-”

Heath reappeared as though out from behind a potted plant. “Glad to. Gotta keep myself in your good books for future Elliott-wrangling.”

With a laugh, River peeled herself from the sofa – and Elliott. “I’ll take that deal.” She dipped a quick kiss to Elliot’s forehead. “Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He slumped into the sofa as though he would be spending the night there. “Love you. Bye.”

River’s limbs froze. Her mouth fell open. Her eyes darted to Heath.

The dominant ran, but didn’t make it back out to the entranceway before his cackles began. River followed him in a slow shuffle, pink to her roots, hoping by the time they reached the car he would have found the grace to let the moment pass.

Chapter Text

“You look good for a hungover alpha,” River mused as she ducked under Elliott’s arm into the car. Disgustingly good. It wasn’t fair. His black shirt was short sleeved and unbuttoned to a depth beyond River had ever seen him do before. She wasn’t complaining. It wasn’t just the gold coin pendant winking at her in the spring sun. His trousers were black too, and tucked neatly with a leather belt. This well-dressed, always presentable, alpha was her mate. And they were going on their first date. River suppressed a giggle.

“And you look bite-able as always.” He shut the door before she could splutter up at him. When he joined her on the opposite side, she had almost composed herself. “Do you like sourdough?”

River made an odd choked noise. “Y-you can’t just say you want to bite me and then switch the conversation to bread!”

“Sorry. I want to bite you. I want to know if you like biting bread. Seemed like a seamless transition to me.”

River laughed. “Yes, I like sourdough.” She clicked her belt in and Elliott lifted the handbrake.

“Good, cause this place is famous for it.”

“What do you like on yours?” There was so much about him she didn’t know. The little silly things specifically.

“Don’t be disgusted by me,” he pleaded with a guilty smile.

River giggled nervously. “Oh no.”

“I like marmalade or apricot jam-”

“That’s not that weird.”

“-with halloumi.”

“You are a heathen.”

Elliott slowed to a sensible halt ahead of yellow lights. “Cheese and fruit are meant to be paired!” he argued.

“Brie and grapes?” River swung round in her seat, far too much of an overreaction for their silly debate. But he liked it. He grinned at her from the corners of his eyes. “Sure. Apricots and halloumi?”

“You’ll change your mind when you taste it.”

“Oh? You think because you’re an alpha you get to order for me?” As a strong, independent omega, River outwardly opposed an alpha taking control in such a way… deep down inside, there was a flutter at the thought.

He pulled away at the first flash of green, knocking her back into a safer sitting position. “No, I think you’ll be generous enough to humour me in taking a bite off my plate.”

“Hmmm.”

“What with that forgiving omega nature of yours,” he added.

River gasped, full of offence. A beat of tense silence. They gave into their laughter at the same moment.

x

The brunch spot was decorated with half a million trinkets, throw blankets over love-seats, fringe on every lampshade, and not a single colour left out of the palette. It was quiet and cosy and not at all the aesthetic of Elliott’s monochrome outfits or his shiny, open-plan apartment. River loved it.

The eggs florentine was chosen the moment River’s eyes found it on the menu, but she continued to pretend perusing… building up courage.

“So…” Nonchalant. One word in and she was doing great! She lowered her menu and caught Elliott’s gaze over the top. “When you told me you loved me yesterday…”

Elliott’s eyes bulged for a moment.

“You weren’t drunk enough to have forgotten,” River stated, shutting down any means of escape.

“You think Heath would have let me forget even if I was?” he chuckled nervously. He folded his own menu and put it aside. “No, I remember it perfectly.”

River kept her menu clutched in her hands. A shield. “Did you mean it?”

“Of course I did,” he breathed.

River replied primly, “Good.” She hid her face behind the menu again. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. Too focused on all of the negative outcomes this conversation could have had. What she would have done if he said he hadn’t meant it. What she would have said. How she would protect her heart.

“River?” he called through the card barrier. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way.”

River bit her lip. “I do,” she mumbled.

“Pardon?” He pressed down into the top of her menu with a single finger, revealing River’s flush.

“I said I do.” She released the menu in favour of cooling her cheeks with her palms. It fell between them. “I’ve just never said it to anyone before.” She’d never felt it about anyone before, even.

Elliott dropped his chin to his fist and smiled expectantly across the table at her. River looked away, willing the waitress to return.

“You wear a lot of blue and white for someone who looks so pretty in pink,” Elliott cooed.

And now she was red. River wriggled down in her seat, peeking through her fingers.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?”

River shot back up. “N-no! We’re ready to order.” She smiled meekly at the dominant and they pulled their notepad from their apron. “I’ll have the eggs florentine, please.”

“Nothing to drink?”

“Um-” In her fluster, she’d skipped that whole section of the menu. Her eyes flicked to Elliott instinctively.

“There’s a green tea with elderflower,” he suggested.

River looked back to the waitress. “Th-that, please.”

“Great choice.” They smiled at their notepad as they wrote it down. “And for you?”

“Full English, please.” Elliott handed their menus over. “Extra sourdough with a side of halloumi, and a black coffee.”

“Sure thing. I’ll be back in a bit with your drinks.”

Thanks.” Elliott smiled down at River. “Now, where were we?” He cupped his face. “Oh, that’s right, you had something to say for the first time!”

“I’m not saying it here,” River whispered.

“Why not?” he whispered back.

“I don’t want to. And you can’t make me.”

“Fine. I would never want to pressure a fragile omega into anything she didn’t want to do.”

River rolled her eyes. “You alphas and your impatience,” she teased.

A buzzing broke the tension between them. Elliott checked his phone. Then, he locked his attention into it.

“Something wrong?”

“A message from the accountant,” he murmured. He scoffed to himself. “I should have known those idiots wouldn’t let me run back into hiding so easily.”

“Your old friends?”

“Mmm. They’ve told on me.” He chuckled darkly. “And added some interesting details.” He looked up. “Apparently, we’ve eloped!”

“Excuse me?”

“My uncle has been informed,” he read off from the screen, “that I have been partaking in an illicit affair with an omega of questionable class. And that last night I was seen drinking in a club before running away with that same omega to get secretly married.” He peeked up at her, his grin salacious. “She’s only interested in my money, of course.”

River’s jaw was halfway to the floor. “I can’t tell if you’re joking,” she wheezed.

“Don’t worry, he knew it sounded wild – even for me – that’s why he messaged to fact check.” He began typing out a response. “No secret marriage, but keep next spring free, just in case.”

“Elliott!” River gasped.

“I’ve got a black coffee and a green tea?” Had the waitress materialised out of nowhere or had River been too scandalised to notice their approach?

River started. “Oh, yes.” She accepted the tea cup carefully. “Thank you.”

“Thanks.” Elliott took his coffee mug in one hand, and kept tapping away at his phone with the other.

“What are you telling him?” River whined, leaning forward across the table to snoop.

“That I’m dating a nice, sensible omega that Heath approves of,” he answered, smiling down at his phone as he hit ‘send.’

“And if I decide I want to tattle on you, how do I get the accountant’s number?”

“Ask Heath,” Elliott answered coolly. “He’s your number two fan.”

River wasn’t going to fall into the bait of asking who was number one. “He seems like a good friend,” she said, and took a sip of her tea.

“He is,” Elliott agreed. “I don’t know why he’s put up with me all this time.” He sighed and put his coffee down. “God knows he’s never gained anything from trying to help me.”

“I’m sure you can make it up to him now that you’ve turned a new leaf.”

“You’re right, maybe I’ll buy him a nice car…”

River gave him a dull look. “I meant being there for him like he’s been for you.”

“That too.” He traced the rim of his mug with his finger. “So, how are you enjoying our honeymoon so far?”

River laughed. “I’d prefer to be on a beach.” Laid out on a lounger with only the essential parts covered – for Elliott, that was – River would be wearing one of those outfits fashioned from the same material as beach towels.

“I can make that happen.” He cocked a brow and the corner of his mouth. “If we were on a beach, would you find it in your heart to say that thing you’ve never said before?”

River bit her lip. “Leave it alone,” she mumbled.

“Sorry, petal.” He put his hands up and sat back. “Whenever you’re ready is fine.”

“Thank y-.”

Their table was all of a sudden filled with plates and tiny pots of sauces. River hurriedly rearranged her cutlery like a game of tetris to make room. Not enough for Elliott, though, as he asked, “Could we get some marmalade as well?”

“Of course!” The waitress bustled away and River gave him her best disappointed pursed lips.

Elliott laughed. “I told you, it’s the best combination.” He pushed the extra plate of sourdough to the centre of the table. “Help yourself.”

River plucked a piece to balance on the edge of her own meal and dug in.

The marmalade arrived, and River gave Elliott a dirty look over her eggs. He chuckled and began layering his oddity.

“Say ‘aah.’” A carefully cut section was held out to her.

River hesitated. Elliott pleaded with his oceanic eyes. River opened her mouth and let him lay the piece on her tongue. She chewed and chewed and…

“Okay. It’s not awful.”

A childish celebration came from the seat opposite her and River had to clutch her mouth so as not to lose her bite laughing at him. She shook her head, maybe she was biting off more than she could chew with this man as her mate...

Elliott slouched back in his chair. “It might be a good thing you don’t love it – I’m starving,” he said, tucking in to his plates proper.

River was intimidated by the portion size of her own choice – restaurants rarely accounted for smaller omega bodies, and that was coming from an omega who could put a lot of food away compared to how much capacity her stomach should have. Glancing at the other end of the spectrum, she wondered how an alpha with a normal family could afford to keep themselves full.

“Mine is lovely,” she said, a little shyly.

Elliott paused his cutlery to smile at her. “Good. Eat lots.”

River giggled, but obeyed.

x

She fought hard. The eggs overwhelmed her. River lowered her knife and fork in defeat, and blew out a long breath. She was on her second tea, and Elliott had already cleared his second plate with the extra sourdough and halloumi. He didn’t look even slightly strained, not a bit of bloating in sight.

“Excuse me,” River said, slipping from her seat. “I need to pop to the bathroom.”

“Going to climb out the window?” he joked. “Remember, if you don’t come back – I know where you live!”

Laughing, River shook her head.

The tiles that covered the walls and floor of the bathroom were painted with pink swirls, and the lighting fixtures were gaudy pink crystal chandeliers. River adored every square inch! She went about her business, humming to herself, and washed her hands with iris-scented soap. As she dried them, a pair approached her. They were both submissive, and they appeared concerned.

“Hello?” River said awkwardly. The drier was a little weak, so she rubbed the last of the wetness from her hands on her jeans.

“Hi!” the first one greeted, full of trembling energy. “We just wanted to check you were okay?”

“Me?”

The other one said, “Yeah, we noticed you were here with an alpha.”

“He’s my mate,” River declared timidly. Her pride was still overpowered by her self-consciousness at being a truly taken woman.

“We just wanted to make sure he wasn’t putting any pressure on you.”

River frowned. “Pressure?”

“There are resources out there for subs – especially omegas – who get trapped in relationships they’re too scared to leave.”

The first one jumped back in. “Omegas are so submissive and alphas are so dominant-”

“I’m not being abused,” River blurted. “I mean, that’s very good of you to check.” She smiled weakly. “But I’m in a very happy relationship.”

“Oh, that’s good!”

“What a relief!”

River attempted to scoot back towards the door. “Thank you, though.”

“Subs have to look out for each other.”

“Yeah. Can we still show you this website? The more subs know about it, the more it might help.”

River paused. “Sure.”

x

“Everything okay in there?”

“Mmhm.” River approached awkwardly, unsure where to begin explaining why she had been MIA for fifteen minutes. She didn’t want her date jumping to his own conclusions!

Elliott tilted his head. “You sure?” He began to rise out of his seat. “Did something happen?”

“Sit down and I’ll tell you,” River hissed.

Elliott dropped back into the chair and leant in, eager for the story.

“A pair of subs approached me in the bathroom,” she whispered.

“What? Trying to sell you something?”

River scoffed. “No! They were worried you might be…”

Elliot frowned.

“… that you might be mistreating me.”

“Oh.” Elliott sat back. “Is that how you feel?”

“What? No!”

“You can tell me, petal, I’d want to know if you weren’t happy.” His sincerity was positively painful.

“Elliott!” River gasped softly. “I love the way you treat me. You’re gentle and careful but you don’t infantilise me, you’re respectful but you still make me feel like you want me-”

“I do,” Elliott interrupted.

River’s mouth twitched with an embarrassed smile. “I’m very happy to have you as my mate. Those subs were just being cautious. They saw an alpha and an omega together and made an assumption.”

“That’s not fair,” Elliott grumbled.

River smiled sadly. “There was no harm in it. And they showed me this site with all these resources that I can pass on to my friends if they’re ever in that kind of situation.” She pulled her phone out and presented him the page, scrolling with one finger to accentuate all the links and files. “See?”

“Handy,” he admitted. “Send me the link so I can give it to my sisters.” His eyes flashed. “Not that they should need anyone but me to sort out any mate troubles they have.”

River nodded, forwarding on the links there and then. “Tell me more about them,” she pleaded and put her phone down..

Elliott’s mood lifted immediately. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything! I don’t even know their names.” She offered a coy smile. “What kind of wife wouldn’t know that?”

Elliott’s pupils dilated just enough to catch River’s notice. He cleared his throat. Respectful restraint, while his body made it more than clear what he wanted. The scent encroached upon her side of the table, wafts of want . River, the blushing bride, hid her face in her tea cup until they had both cooled off enough to continue a normal, date-appropriate conversation.

Chapter Text

Curving, careful lines with a brush thicker than River’s palm were her current duty for the mural. It was nice to have a repetitive task, all to herself, to offer her some time to think. She could let her mind wander over anything and everything, but it mostly just circled Elliott.

She had learned all kinds of things on their date. The least exciting being his strange toast proclivities, the most being the basic biographies of his sisters. Rosa and Crocosmia – according to Elliott she would cry if you didn’t call her Mia instead. They were in secondary school, not that much younger than Elliott, and from what River could tell they had him wrapped around their pinkies.

A drip of paint ran from River’s wrist to her elbow before she noticed it and wiped herself with a rag.

There had been no mention of when he would next see them, but River hoped she would get to tag along and be introduced. His sisters were clearly his highest priority out of all the family and friends River knew of so far, she wanted them to like her. Even being presented to them by Elliott would be a show of how serious he was about their relationship.

The ladder beneath her wobbled slightly and she called down to Hawk to pay more attention to holding it than staring at JJ’s butt. In Hawk’s defence, his newly scent-marked mate was wearing quite possibly the tiniest denim shorts to ever exist and bending over to dab his sponge in paint trays far more often than was needed. River couldn’t scold him for wasting paint when hers kept dribbling off her brush and down her hands while she was lost in Elliott-themed daydreams.

Hawk apologised and wrapped his thick arms tighter around the ladder, pressing his cheek into the metal to hide his sheepish expression. River’s seat secured again, she let her mind wander back to those delicious daydreams. The blockbuster was the kiss after he drove her home from the brunch place. On her doorstep, his hands pressed respectfully into the door either side of her, his lips keeping to hers. His wide frame had blocked out the sun, but she hadn’t noticed once her eyes had glazed and closed instinctively under his insistent tongue.

Too soon, Elliott had pushed back off the door, putting a step of space between them. “Okay, I need to go walk this off,” he had grunted.

River had glanced down and giggled. A lump had looked back at her, betraying Elliott’s desire.

“Thank you,” she’d whispered. “I know it’s hard for an alpha not to scent mark their mate, even more than it is for dominants.”

“Anything to make you happy, petal,” he’d promised.

“Smile!”

River startled, clamping her thighs to the ladder top. Below, a young girl was pointing her phone up at her. River smiled until she was satisfied with her shots and turned to take pictures of the other Art Society members helping with the mural. River was fairly certain she was the cafe owner’s daughter. Or some kind of relation. She’d been hovering around each time the owner brought them out free drinks and pastries – their payment. A lot of the society members hadn’t shown up because of it. River didn’t blame them. To her, it was a fun day with friends and the chance to gain experience painting on a massive scale… but next time she might turn the opportunity down. Or ask Elliott for help in getting out of it. She dabbed her brush with more black paint, smiling to herself. Look who couldn’t say ‘no’ now!

The last outline she could reach from the top rung of the ladder only needed one more careful coat before she could climb down. Before she did, River leant back a little to get some perspective on the piece. It filled the entire side wall of the cafe with coffee cups that each had unique, detailed latte art inside the rims: dogs chasing tails, a family holding hands, a flower chain, and plenty more that had yet to be filled in.

“Incoming,” she called down to Hawk, who readied himself for the shakes and rattles of her descent.

Back on the ground, safe and sound, River handed off her supplies. She needed a break and the refreshments were calling her name.

As she milled around waiting for her tea to cool in its double layer of cardboard cups, and nibbled on a madeleine, she noticed the owner flicking though his phone with it held out to a few members of the society.

“Most of the photos she took were blurry,” the owner chuckled. “But I’ll post the good ones on our accounts.” He hesitated. “I’ll ask my son to do it…”

“Have him send them to me, too,” the chairman said. “We’d love some stuff to share and promote the society.”

They continued appraising the pictures and River turned away to check her own phone.

At least let me take you to dinner then. was the message waiting for her. Sent two hours ago.

You won’t cook for me? River teased. He didn’t have to be good, he just needed to roll his sleeves up and make a mess while she watched...

Despite her delayed response, Elliott replied immediately. I love you, but I think having you in my home, alone, is a test of will that will ruin my night.

We wouldn’t be alone! Heath would be there.

I don’t think Heath would be willing to suffer the consequences.

Invite him out to dinner with us.

Why?

River sipped her tea with a scowl before answering. Let him wait if he was going to ask silly questions. Because he’s a good friend of yours, you should treat him well.

I treat him to free room and board every day?

River managed not to gasp aloud. He must be joking. Okay. Me and Heath will go out and you can stay home.

I’ll put a lock on his credit card.

I’ll treat us to something from the saver menu. Before he could argue, she sent another message and shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jean shorts. I have to get back to work on the mural. Tell Heath to dress fancy for me.

She slurped her last bit of tea and chucked the cup in the bin. “Okay, where should I jump in?” she asked, stretching her arms above her head.

X

A shiny black car pulled up to the cafe as they were cleaning up their work area.

“You said you were walking home,” JJ said with his hip against the not-quite-dry brick.

River rolled her eyes and cut them to him. “That was the plan.” She sighed. “Impatient alphas.”

Elliott was already out and approaching, drawing the attention of the majority of the society. Before River could question him, he explained, “You stopped answering your phone and I got worried.”

River shook her head with an exasperated smile. This mate of hers was far too good at excuses, it should worry her, really.“I guess I’m off, then!” she called to her fellow volunteers. They waved, called out gratitudes for her time, and went back to their clean-up.

“You must be hungry after all that hard work,” Elliott hinted as he swung the steering wheel to peel out of the parking spot.

“I am! I hope Heath is, too.” She hadn’t actually invited him yet. Too caught up in painting. She shot him a quick text explaining. He replied immediately asking if she was trying to get him killed. Again. “Do you think he’d prefer burgers or-”

“There’s a new Thai place in the city centre,” Elliott suggested. If he was trying to be nonchalant, he wasn’t doing a very good job. Even the act of checking his mirrors felt stilted.