Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Be quiet. Follow orders. Don't talk back. Be a soldier. 

Since she was five years old. That's all she's known. 

Be quiet. Follow orders. Don't talk back. Be a soldier. 

When she was supposed to start kindergarten, she stayed home and learned how to fight. How to run and hide and throw a punch. How to read and write and follow military strategies. How to stand straight and be professional and perfect. And eventually she learned how to hold and shoot a gun.

And how to kill people. 

Be quiet. Follow orders. Don't talk back. Be a soldier. 

That's what she did. She was his perfect soldier. Her father's. A General of the American Army. His mimic in every way. She was proud to be his daughter. She did everything he asked. He slapped her shoulder and told her how great of an Alpha she would be. Just like him. 

He used to smile at her when he said that. 

And then she presented. 

Maezie woke up early. Well before her 0500 wake up call. There was a cramp in her stomach and a sweet smell of citrus. Lemon maybe? Rolling over, the 15 year old clutches her stomach with a hiss of pain and her face rubs against the pillow, a fresh wave of definitely lemon hitting her. What is that? 

Before she can focus on the scent, she feels a jagged pain rip through her belly, and then what feels like blood seep down between her legs. Her eyes wide in fear and she lets out a terrified and pain filled scream. “Mother! Father! Help, please!” 

More and more hot knives dig deep into her, and Maezie cries, covering her mouth to muffle her weak noises. Her father would be so upset if he heard her crying but it hurts too much. 

Footsteps hurry down the hall towards her and the door bursts in, the light flicking on. “Maezie?!” Her mother. 

“What is this noise, soldier?” And her father. 

They both step in, Maezie reaching a weak hand out to them, crying from another wave of pain. “M-momma. It hurts. Help. Please!” 

Her parents both inhale sharply and then their eyes go wide. Her mother flicks her eyes to her father, face going pale, while his face reddens. 

He moves one heavy foot towards her. “You… presented.. as a filthy OMEGA?! How DARE YOU?!” He storms over and pushes his hand into her hair, ripping her up so she is dangling by the scalp at his eye level. Maezie screams and claws at his wrist. “You little bitch. All those years training you, WASTED! An Omega? Omega?! How- how dare you? Not even a Beta. Filthy creature!” 

“Daddy please!” Maezie sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks, scalp aching, stomach still tearing itself apart. 

“Don't fucking call me that, you little whore. I'm not your fucking daddy. I'm not your father anymore. From now fucking on call me General, like you're supposed to, vermin.” He throws her onto the bed and sneers. “And now I have to smell you slicking up my house like a slut. Don't leave this fucking room until you're done.” 

He turns and goes back to the door, stepping next to her mother who hasn't moved. “You gave birth to her, she's your problem. Don't let her leave this room and don't help her. Give her food and water once a day. If she dies, then she dies. If she survives then I guess we keep her. I'll not be shamed by having my useless Omega daughter go to the Academy to become some broodmare. I'll become a laughing stock.” With those words, Maezie watches her father leave without a backward glance. 

“Momma? What's… what's going on?” 

Her Beta mother swallows and clasps her hands together in front of her. “You've presented as an Omega, darling. Obviously this has greatly upset your father.” 

“An Omega?” Maezie whimpers. No. No. She was supposed to be an Alpha. She was going to be a soldier. A General like her father. 

“Yes. Your first heat is here, that's the pain you're feeling. I'll go grab your food and water. I suggest eating and drinking slowly. You heard your father.” 

Maezie panics, watching her mother turn to leave. “Wait, no! But it hurts! I… I need to go to the hospital. Or something! It feels like I'm bleeding, Momma, please!” 

Sighing, her mother turns and gives her a sad look. “... Darling I'm sorry. This is going to be horrible for you. You're going to go through a horrible amount of pain. You will scream yourself hoarse, you will feel things you've never felt before. Do things you probably have only done experimentally so far. And you are going to go through it alone. But…” she glances out the door and back at Maezie. “You're my little warrior. You can get through it. I know you can. Prove to your father how strong an Omega is.”

The door shuts behind her, and Maezie collapses fully onto her bed, mind going fuzzy from the pain. Show him how strong an Omega is? 

There's a low growl somewhere in her mind, as if it agrees. It's comforting. 

Chapter Text

We're done. 

No more orders. 

No more being good. Or weak. Or quiet. 

No more Alphas. 

It's time to fight back. Time to kill. Just like we were taught. 

Weeks of being broken and used by them. The Alpha's she was given too. 

Weeks of burning hate in her chest for them. Their whole kind. 

Hate for her father. Her mother. 

Hate for everything. 

The hate has made her strong. Kept her alive.

Maezie smiles, throwing her leg over Ratchet’s waist. And if we die tonight, then we die covered in their blood. Like a true wolf. 

The Alpha below her grins, thinking she is just as excited for this as he is. Well she is. Just not to ride his cock. She's excited to see him die. 

His fingers dig into her hips. Her nails rake across his chest. His cock slides inside of her, blood and cum letting him slide inside easily. Maezie can barely feel it, her insides numb from days of being used. Her body feels cold as she rides. 

But her teeth itch. Her Omega prowls. 

This disgusting dance continues until she feels him start to shudder. His shield falls and she lets out a small purr, leaning down for an innocent kiss. A very innocent one. No malice at all. It's hidden away, inside of her fangs. 

The Alpha accepts greedily, doesn't notice her hands holding his shoulders down. He groans and bucks up against her with the way she sucks on his tongue, pulling more of it into her mouth. His body tenses and she feels his cock about to empty itself. 

She won't let him do it again. Never again.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she hears something outside. But right now… all she can focus on is the taste of blood. 

Her fangs and teeth bite down and rip at his tongue. The flesh gives way and blood spurts from the wound in great waves, filling both of their mouths. Maezie rips her mouth back and slams him back onto the bed, holding down the Alpha as he screams. Screams that quickly turn to gurgles, his own blood choking him. It drips down her body as well, soaking her and the bed. 

The door bursts open. Ahh. Here it comes. She didn't even get to grab his gun like she wanted. But it's fine. She got to kill their Pack Alpha at least. Her eyes fall to the door and meet the cold steel of a gun barrel. 

But it doesn't go off. 

Past it she finds a mask. And eyes she's never seen before. They look… terrified. And in awe. 

Letting the tongue fall out of her mouth, Maezie stares at the Alpha standing in the door. He's tall. Very tall. And built. A proper Alpha, unlike the ones in this pack. Her Omega both hates and likes him. 

And then Ratchet struggles beneath her, trying to throw her off. Beg for help. Smacking at her weakly. 

Maezie snarls and digs her claws into his shoulders, holding him down with all her strength. “No. He isn't saving you.” Her Omega purrs in her mind and takes over, their eyes flashing. “Drown.” 

They forget about the Alpha in the door. He's blocking the pack. They can savor this. Thank you, whoever you are. 

They watch as Ratchet’s eyes tear up. Go wide with fear. Fear of her, of them. Fear of death. They feel his body fight it. For what feels like a lifetime, they feel him slowly die under them, drowning in his own blood. The light fades from his eyes. And they revel in it until his eyes are dark. 

For the first time in weeks, they take a deep breath and let it out. 

Free. 

She climbs off of the corpse. Body hers again. 

Free. 

And then there's a commotion. Gunfire. Her Omega takes full control and she's running. The gun is missing, but she finds a knife. The Alpha is returning fire, and there's a shout down the hall and the fire stops. 

Run.

She sprints. Past one of the Alphas bleeding. 

And past another Alpha. 

Her Omega almost falters getting past him. Her heart almost stops. 

A Great Beast, enormous. All black clothing, wearing the hood of a grim reaper. Dark and threatening aura spilling out of him. Terrifying. 

Hide.

Chapter Text

Musky mountain air drifts under the door. Her nose twitches and she and her Omega freeze. Very light footsteps approach. The scent gets stronger. It's an Alpha. “Sonne,” her breath catches. The voice is not nearly as deep as she expected. And it has a strange accent on it. “I am going to open the door. I am not one of your Alphas so I ask you not to bite me.”

The door begins to open slowly. Her hackles raise, and she brandishes the knife, ready to strike. The Alpha is slowly revealed and her Omega freezes inside of her. It's the beast. The giant they ran past.

Death.

He is crouched in front of the door, trying to make himself smaller. It's not working. Maezie hates him. How big he is. How small he makes her feel. How Alpha he is. She wants to attack him on principle alone, even if he doesn't seem to want to hurt her. “Go…” God damn it. Her voice is wrecked. She's crashing.

“I cannot. You have seen us. I must give you two choices.” His voice definitely doesn't match his size. But the mask flutters slightly along with the words, so maybe it really is him talking. Eventually the words register in her mind.

“Choices?” Her throat hurts to growl but she does it anyway. How dare this brute try and give her choices. Her Omega finally gets over her fear of him and growls along with her.

“Yes, Sonne, choices. Either I kill you, quick, painless, or you tell me where the tracker is in your body and I cut it out and you come with us.”

At least it isn't an order. Her Omega whispers.

But they both hate those choices. From one pack of cruel Alphas to another.

We don't know if they're cruel. They could be nice. Maezie stares at him. There's nothing besides his strong form she can tell about him. Except that he is trying to be small for her. And… his eyes. A strong blue. Cornflower blue. And they're kind. And there's something sweet in them.

“Red Two, how copy?”

Maezie startles, her fangs baring at the Alpha.

He answers into the com device on his shoulder and returns his gaze to her. “I need an answer, Sonne. Die or come with us. I will not let them hurt you, I swear it.”

She can't trust him. But those eyes… her Omega wants to trust him. She wants to trust the wolf she sees inside of them. But Maezie can't. “But you'll hurt me…” The knife begins to shake. Her adrenaline is running out.

“Only if you do not give me a choice. I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to rape you. I want to help. Bitte, Sonne, let me help.” He moves, and Maezie pushes herself into the wall, further away from him. The Alpha slows down, pushing his scent out slightly. More mountain dew. “We watched what they did to you and it sickened us. And then to find you killing one of the Alphas we came here to end, ahh, such a brave girl. Let me help you.”

Praise? For… killing another Alpha? She and her Omega look at each other dumbfounded. This man is crazy. Certified. Coo-coo for some goddamn cereal.

A scream echoes down the hall. “How do I know you won't do to me what he is doing?”

He shakes his…. Hood. “He is here to avenge his Omega who was hurt by this pack.”

Ugh. She's tired of Alphas being possessive. The knife drops. “Why, because they touched what's his?”

God she's tired. His comrade checks in again and for a moment she fades off, days of being awake getting to her.

“-use he loves her, and she told him what they did.” She focuses back on his odd voice. “And they deserved punishment for it. We are running out of time, Liebling. Tracker or death?”

They did deserve it. Ratchet. Bruiser. Squid. All of them deserved death and so much more. Maezie wishes she could watch what that Alpha was doing but she's so tired. Maybe she should just let this kind Alpha kill her. Give her the mercy her father should have given her when she presented.

Her Omega bites her neck. No. Get over it. We've survived so much. We are not dying here. Especially not now if this Alpha keeps his promise to protect us. And we know how to fight. Maybe we can get away.

Maezie stiffens her resolve.

Yeah. He's not that big. She can take him down.

“The tracker is in my thigh.”

Air escapes the Alpha as if he was holding it in. Maezie points to a spot on her thigh where her father installed the tracker years ago.

“I will have to cut it out of you. Can you handle it?”

She rolls her eyes and pushes some venom into her words. “After everything they've done to me, I can handle it.” There's no time to be weak. She grabs his gloves hand, ignoring the warmth seeping from him, and presses his fingers into the tracker.

He grunts and hands her the sheath of his knife. “Bite down.” Good idea. Don't need to break her teeth.

He's surprisingly gentle and he doesn't linger or grope her. The knife goes in with a quick press and then the chip is out. His broad palm presses gauze to the wound and holds it there while he pulls out a bandage.

Letting out a breath, Maezie spits out the sheath and holds back whines.

“Braves Mädchen. Du hast nicht geschrien. Ich bin sehr stolz.”

The words are calming and soothe the buzz in her head despite having no fucking Idea what they mean. “I don't know, owww, what you're saying.”

The Alpha lets out a very quick chuckle. “I told you I am proud of you. Let me grab you something to wear, I will be right back. Do not move.”

His radio crackles as he closes the door, leaving her to herself and her Omega again. They both linger in pain and with his scent. The Omega takes over and huffs it in a bit more, using it to ignore the taste of blood lingering in their mouth. Underneath the mountain air is… honey. And flowers? An odd scent for an Alpha. But she likes it.

Minutes later, she recognizes his soft feet again and his gentle knock on the door. Clothes are handed over, “Change quickly but stay here until I come for you, Sonne. I will return, I swear it on my wolf.” There's a small crinkle around his eyes and then he leaves her alone again.

Shirt, pants, socks and even boots. What a surprise, he thought ahead. Dressing quickly, Maezie glances out the door briefly and considers making a run for it. Should she try? Would she be able to make it? The voice on the radio was a female. So there's at least three of them. How far could she make it? Her heart sinks. On a military base with murderers after her and dozens of other American packs who would rut her in a heartbeat.

Maezie sits back down. Conserve your energy.

She dozes very lightly, her Omega on high alert for her. Steps approach and she blinks awake, tensing until she hears a now familiar voice, “Sonne, it is I. Time to go.”

Stepping out, she's greeted with three other masked people. The other big Alpha, the one here for revenge. Another slightly smaller Alpha who is looking at the behemoth with a tilt to his head. And what smells like a Beta woman who is laying into the giant.

“She's a liability!”

Maezie’s lip curls at that. She hasn't been a liability since she was seven fucking years old. “My father trained me.” They all turn to her. “I am good with knives and guns, I am fast and strong.” She tries not to linger on the pain. “And he punished me for raising me this way. I don't want to be near him ever again. I will cooperate with anything you ask.” She looks at the big Alpha, the one who watched her kill Ratchet. “You killed my captors, my torturers. I’m in your debt.”

“And how do we know you won't attack us, Omega?” The Beta is not happy. Is she in charge? The Omega wants to know.

“My name is Maezie. And if you don't hurt me, I won't hurt you.”

The big Alpha chuffs. “Bring her.”

She runs along with them. The boots don't fit very well but she keeps up. She scales the wall, ignoring her broken bones, the wounds, the blood. She runs through the woods with them until they get to their stashed vehicles and then they get to their safe house.

The Beta, Roze, takes her to the shower, Maezie immediately strips down and steps into the water before it can even get hot. She rinses her mouth and scrubs her body over and over until she feels clean for the first time in a month.

Clean clothes -including panties!!- wait for her on the counter when she comes out. Clean and dressed she goes back into the common area where they first came in. The behemoth is there and he's already looking at her.

“Sonne! Welcome, I hope you feel better. Come sit, let me start working on your wounds.” He pats a medkit on the table.

Maezie raises an eyebrow. “How about I do my own wounds? I've known first aid since I was six years old.”

Are his shoulders… dropping with disappointment? Weirdo. She takes the medkit and begins cleaning and bandaging her various wounds. The Alpha makes a shocked noise when she just pulls down her pants to work on the cut on her leg where her tracker was, plus several other scars. But when she pulls the shirt off to get to everything else, he chokes and rushes out of the room. Maezie giggles. Maybe she won't mind this as much as she thought she would.

Food. So much of it. A sandwich and fries and pop! And when she finishes her sandwich the giant gives her the rest of his. Normally she would think about an Alpha trying to give her something. But she's too hungry. And she isn't going to miss out on food that's being freely given.

“You were prepared to die.” The smaller Alpha says it but it sounds like a question.

Maezie nods. “Yep. Go out fighting. Like a fucking Valkyrie. Honorable death and all that.” That was the plan. She wasn't going to stay there and be their fuck toy any longer.

“You were terrifying. Didn't expect to find a bloody Omega killing my number one target.” Her Omega preens at the compliment.

“Yeah, well, I'm not sorry.” Don't show how much that simple bit of praise gets to you. “The big guy said you were killing them cause they hurt your Omega?”

“Yes.”

“Chatterbox. Gonna give me more Mr. Brick Wall?”

She swears she sees a twitch of a smile under his mask. “You're plucky.”

“I'm ignoring how tired and in pain I am with sarcasm.” The giant makes an oddly cute noise and grabs her some painkillers. Maezie takes them slowly, surprised, but genuinely thankful. “Thanks big guy.”

She swears she hears a small purr but maybe she's crazy. “You all one pack?”

“No.” Damn, this guy's Omega has her work cut out for her.

“Nein. He has his own pack, he called us for some secretive business. You will be coming back with us after we leave this place.”

Maezie almost starts to growl, but the Beta cuts her off, her voice dull, but there's an edge to it. “Will she?”

“Ja. She will be safe with us until she decides what she wants.”

That's different. “I get a say?”

“Of course, Sonne. We are not captors. We saved you and will help find you a place in the world.”

“I know what place you want her.” Roze mumbles. Maezie kind of agrees.

There's a loud slap, the brick wall slapping his hands on his thighs. “Deal with whatever is happening here on your own. I'm going to sleep. Wheels up in four hours.”

Maezie watches him leave with an eyebrow raised. Then shrugs. “Got anything sweet?”

They drop Ghost off and begin their long flight back to… wherever. She doesn't have the clearance to know just yet Konig, the behemoth, tells her.

He properly introduces the other two. Roze, his Beta, and Horangi, his Alpha. The only bonded mates he has. Apparently he runs a decently sized pack but the others are not bonded to him, which Maezie finds to be normal. Guess it's not normal for packs outside of America.

They all work for a private military company. Konig refuses to tell her much yet until they reach home, just because there are certain documents she must sign to ensure her secrecy. Whatever. She wants to meet everyone else before she decides if she even wants to stay. She doesn't say it out loud though. Konig seems very keen on her staying.

She'll probably have to disappoint him though. She refuses to belong to another Alpha again.

Chapter Text

By the time they land wherever they're going, Maezie is at the point of breaking. She refuses to sleep on the plane. Konig insists what must be dozens of times and she always bites back at him that she can't trust them which is mostly correct. In truth though, sleeping on planes is something she's never been good at. Too many unknown factors.

So, when wheels touch ground, Maezie is grumpy and hisses every time Konig grabs her elbow to help steady her steps. The Alpha is not deterred. If anything, he seems to find her hissing adorable and hushes her sweetly, helping her first to the car with its insanely dark windows, and then out of it once they reach the complex.

In normal circumstances Maezie would have tried to remember where they were going or what the outside looks like. But she's running off steam right now.

Horangi and Roze are not happy with Konig and his attentiveness. Maezie can smell the faint -not so faint for Roze- scents of anger coming from them. And a small whiff of concern from Horangi. But their Pack Alpha ignores them the whole time.

Inside the complex, Konig steers her down many criss-crossy corridors. Maezie wishes her brain could actually pick up their pattern but fuck, she's so tired.

They come to an office and he knocks lightly and a light voice calls out to them. Konig ushers her in with a hand on the small of her back, Maezie growling at the contact.

Inside is another Alpha, of course, but he smiles at them with a curious tilt to his head. “Konig… I didn't think this little… vacation of yours was a matchmaking endeavor? But congratulations!”

Konig blusters. Roze huffs. Horangi says nothing.

And Maezie snarls, her eyes flashing bright. “I'm not his fucking Omega! I'm not his wife or his fuck buddy or his pet! And I'm not here to be that for any of you!”

“Sonne, hush, he didn't mean-”

“Shut your mouth, alpha.” Maezie almost spits at him in her anger. “I'm on the verge of crashing out and going feral on all of you so I want it known. I'm not raising tail for anyone here and if anyone fucking touches me I will cut their dicks off or their hands off and feed them to them!”

The room is quiet except for her harsh panting. Maezie’s body trembles, her hands jittering, knees about to give out. Her fangs hurt, and her head is throbbing.

“I… I can't do it again. I'm not becoming… I won't. Not again. I'm not weak. I was raised to fight. And I will kill anyone who gets in my way.” Her eyes turn to the Alpha behind the desk who has steepled his fingers together, face much more serious. “If you're the one in charge, then give me a decision now. If I can't stay without opening my legs to your pack, then send me away.” Her eyes flutter. “Or kill me. But I demand to go out fighting.”

Konig makes a distressed noise behind her. “Aksel, I am sorry, I should have-”

“Silence.” Aksel rubs at his jaw, holding his scent in tight. “I really wish you would have warned me you were bringing an American Omega here without explaining anything to anyone, Konig.”

“She was a … surprise.”

“What is your name, Omega?”

“Maezie.”

His eyebrows raise. “Not even a ‘sir’ tacked on there?”

Her lip twitches, showing off her fangs. “You're not my superior.”

He grins, eyes flashing. “Not yet. I like you, Maezie. To answer your question: No, you don't have to have sexual relations with anyone here to stay. If you stay however, I expect you to work. We don't keep civilians. You'd be an employee. You'd sign a contract, prove yourself, do jobs, missions depending on how good you are. You look fit, strong, so you could be a valuable asset. But you also look exhausted and malnourished. And I'm not having you sign anything until you do a full physical and psych eval.”

He stands, moving around the desk to offer a hand for her to shake. “For now, welcome to Kortac. If anyone bothers you, you have my full permission to beat their ass. They should know better.”

Maezie stares at the offered hand for a few moments before taking it. “Thank you. I'd really like to prove myself now. But I think I'm going to pass out.”

Two sets of hands grab her arms, steadying her as her knees begin to buckle. “Verdamnt, Sonne. You should have slept on the plane!”

“I don't like planes…” She mumbles, trying to stay on her feet. “And don't yell at me.”

“You didn't sleep on the plane?” Aksel asks. “How long have you been awake?”

Maezie shrugs, her head lolling from the movement. “Ehhhhhh~ few days? Few cat naps in between getting fucked. Little doze in the closet. Tiny nap before we got on the plane.”

Roze finally has the decency to look concerned. “That's… not good.”

“The room next to mine is empty.” Horangi speaks up. “I'll go gather sheets and a blanket for it.”

He ignores Konig’s sputtering “But… but the room next to mine!” and continues out the door.

Maezie grumbles, pushing away from Aksel. “I don't want to sleep near any Alphas!”

“My room is right next to Horangi’s,” Roze adds. “He is not going to bother you, I promise. And if someone else does, I'm right there.”

Grumbling, Maezie waves off both Alphas and braces against the wall. “Yeah, comforting. Whatever. Can I sleep now?”

“Of course, we can continue this conversation after you've slept. Roze, take her to the room please. Konig, sit.”

The deep part of her that hates everything right now loves the way Konig's shoulders drop down in defeat, his head hanging low. Stupid Alpha. Getting in trouble with his superior.

Roze goes to grab her arm, and Maezie slaps her hand away. “I don't need your help.” Up off the wall, she stumbles to an almost upright position. “Lead the way.”

“You don't have to be a bitch about it.” Roze says, leading her out the door.

“Takes a bitch to know a bitch.” Maezie mumbles, using all her strength to stay upright. It takes an ungodly number of minutes and hallways to get to her new room, her Omega's legs just as shaky as hers by the time they get there.

Horangi is inside, fitting a pillowcase onto a pillow. He looks up and nods at the bed and then to a door with a small bathroom. “These are for your personal use. My room is next door, knock when you wake up.”

“Yeah yeah. Thanks.” Please get out. Please get out. She wants to pass out and can't with the door open.

He nods, getting the undercurrent of her thoughts. As he passes, he comments softly. “The door has a lock. No one will come in without your permission.” And closes it behind him.

The lock twists with a finality that makes Maezie breathe easy. She then grabs the chair from the desk and shoves it under the doorknob. She doesn't think she could move the desk right now.

Then she turns and falls face first onto the bed and passes out in seconds.

A little while later, a large shadow stands outside the door for a very long time.

Chapter Text

Roze pushes the door open into Horangi’s room, looking around for him. “Horangi, has the Omega come out yet?” She calls out.

“You can knock, you know, Roze.” Emerging from his small bathroom, Horangi scrubs a towel over his hair.

“That's boring.”

“Hmm. No she hasn't. I don't think she has even moved from the bed.”

The door shuts behind her and Roze flops into his desk chair. “It's been hours. She missed lunch and dinner. What if she wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to run?”

“Then I will hear her and stop her. You know I sleep very lightly. And Konig will be sniffing around again, I am sure.”

The Beta growls. “What's his fucking problem? We have a great pack and suddenly he sees one Omega and he can't fucking leave her alone? He's been looking at her like he's in love!” Her hands get tossed up into the air in anger. “And his wolf! Goddamn loud beast, whining and purring for her.”

Horangi slips a shirt on and gives her a look. “You sound jealous.”

Roze gives him the most offended look she can muster. “How dare you. First of all, I'm not romantically interested in Konig so I can't be jealous. Second of all, I'm not jealous of some pretty little Omega that bares her fangs at everything that moves.”

Horangi lets out a small chuff. “Pretty?”

“Don't start. I'm not in the mood.”

“Roze. Konig has been with several Omegas. Before me. Before us. After us. This one is different. His wolf has never purred for an Omega before.” He sighs softly, reclining on his bed. “This one is different. He truly wants her.”

“But.” She chews on her nails. “I joined this pack because I felt like I was family with you. With you two. My wolf settled in place for the first time in my life, Hong-jin. The others here… they're nice. My wolf tolerates them. Could tolerate them if our bond solidifies. But this girl… this Omega. I don't know.”

“Come here, Roze.” He pats the bed next to him. The Beta hesitates before joining him, curling up lightly against his side. “You are our rock, Roze. Our calm in our wild sea. Konig may be enamored but he will not just mate her without consulting us. But I ask that you keep an open mind about her.”

“Why should I have to? She's a liability. Not just a civilian. An Omega, the daughter of an American General that we took.”

“No one knows she is here. And if she is a fighter like she said then she is not a liability. Please Roze. I think she… could be good for Konig. For the pack.”

Roze growls. “The pack? Me and you?”

“Yes.” He pets her hair softly. “You are not interested in either myself or Konig. But you… seemed interested in her. I saw you looking at her in the basement.”

Heat spreads over her face, and she hides it in his stomach. “I… I'll admit she's pretty-” “You already did.”- “BUT I won't accept her. I don't… I love what we have, Hong-jin. I don't want to lose our pack.”

They settle together, breathing, for just a bit. “I understand. But I don't think we would be lost. We may simply just grow. All I ask is that you not interfere with Konig's pursuit. He is very interested. And I think she will be a very difficult challenge for him without you holding him back.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. But if she hurts him, I reserve the right to tear her throat out.”

“Protective Beta.” Nimble fingers scratch the back of her ear the way she likes, making her groan softly. "Are you staying in here for the night?”

“Just for a bit longer?”

“That is fine with me.”

Roze sighs and cuddles a little closer, seeking comfort from him. “Hong-jin?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want her too?”

“Hmm. I do not know yet. My wolf sneezed at her. It could be good or bad.”

“Ugh.”

“Hush.”

If it was possible, she would have slept for the rest of her life. Her bladder disagreed however. Maezie comes to life with a weak groan, her stomach cramping with the need to pee. She falls out of the bed, checking the chair is still under the door, and then bolts into the tiny bathroom, fumbling with the pants before relieving herself.

Burden relieved, Maezie stumbles into the shower and steams herself alive like a crab. Cooked alive, she comes out awake and feeling human once again. Snooping through the dresser, there are a few pairs of pants and shirts, and men's boxers, which she pulls on. They smell clean and neutral thankfully and are baggy but thanks to her height aren't too bad on her.

Dressed, Maezie realizes she has no idea what time it is. The one window leading outside just shows a dark cloudy sky. So… nighttime. No idea how late.

She could go back to sleep. Her head is fuzzy enough for it.

But her Omega and her stomach growl in defiance.

So… go talk to Horangi… possibly wake him up. Joy. Let's piss off an Alpha in the middle of the night.

Chair moved, she unlocks the door and sneaks a peak outside. The hallway is littered with various scents, but the smell of mountain musk and honey is the strongest. Did Konig come to check on her?

Her Omega tries to huff in the scent but Maezie shuts her down. NO.

Stepping into the hall, she approaches Horangi's door and waits a few seconds before she lightly knocks on it.

Within seconds the door opens and the Alpha stands there, a small medical mask covering his mouth, but otherwise he's in sleepwear. “Maezie.”

“Umm. Hi. Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Yes. You're awake. How do you feel?”

“Umm, rested. Could sleep more but I'm kind of starving?” Fuck she feels awkward. “Sorry for waking you up. I can just… go back to my room until breakfast.”

He waves her off and slips on some slippers. “It's ok. You missed multiple meals. Come, I'll show you the kitchen.”

She moves out of his way. “Thanks.” They walk down a few halls, and Maezie begins mapping out the location. Two rights, a left, a right, a few doors and a right. Not bad. Lots of doors that look like rooms before they get to rooms that look like offices and then kitchen doors.

“The kitchen is communal but we have staff that comes in and makes the main meals. In between you can come in and grab snacks. If you want anything for yourself, you buy it yourself and label it or stash it in your room.”

Yeah, cause she's just going to be able to buy her own food. “Ok.”

“The fridge and pantry are well stocked with essentials. Anything not labeled is free game. Take anything labeled, you incur that person’s wrath. The kitchen is monitored with cameras.” He points to a few tucked into the corners.

“Good to know. Is it ok to be in here this late?”

“We don't restrict hours. If you're hungry, you're hungry.”

“Mhmm. And how many other unclaimed Omegas are walking around in the middle of the night?”

Horangi sighs and opens the fridge. “That's between you and Aksel to discuss. I am too tired.”

That answers her question. “Good to know.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Anything.”

“Allergies?”

Maezie pauses. “You care?”

He freezes while refiling through it but doesn't turn around. His voice however, is much darker. “You insult me. I am not an American Alpha. I don't want to hurt or poison you. If I did, I would not have let my Pack Alpha bring you home. I would have left you there to be raped for the rest of your life.”

Maezie feels her anger cool for the first time since escaping and a wave of regret pools in her belly. “I'm- I'm sorry. I don't mean to insult you. Just…”

“I understand. But you need to understand that you come from a horrible place with horrible people. That does not make the rest of us horrible. Now. Allergies?”

“... Pineapple.”

“Good. Sit.”

She does. She doesn't consider it an order even if it sounds like it. She does it out of respect for him this time. Horangi works through the kitchen, making her a very large, protein filled sandwich. And then hands her a bag of chips and tells her to eat as much as she wants. The whole sandwich is eaten in minutes and almost the entire bag of chips.

A bottle of cold water is passed over as well. “You can bring this back to your room.”

“Thanks.” She takes a swig and sighs happily. Another day of good food. She shouldn't be this happy just because of a full belly but she is.

“Hmm.” She looks up at him and he's staring at her.

“What?”

“Your scent isn't as sour as I thought.”

Her scent. Maezie sniffs and winces. She's been perfuming the whole time she's been eating. Tart lemon tinted in crisp sugar crystals. “Umm, yeah. Sorry.”

“Apologies aren't needed. Need anything else?”

“Nope. Don't want to keep you up any longer.”

“Good. Come.”

Her Omega narrows her eyes slightly as they follow him. Is he purposely using dog commands or is he just being short? She isn't certain.

Whatever. He was still nice. And they did insult him on accident.

You insulted him.

Sue her. He's an Alpha. What is she supposed to do? Just trust him on the fly?

Back at the bedrooms, Hornagi gives her a nod and waits for her to go into her room. “Am I being locked away?”

His eyes roll so hard he almost falls over. “If you want to wander around and run into someone in the middle of the night, feel free. The whole building is monitored. Goodnight.”

He turns and closes his door and locks it.

Maezie stands in the hall for a few seconds before letting out a bark of laughter that leaves her coughing. “Guess not.” She goes into her room and sets the chair back up. The bed is rumpled where she had face planted earlier. This time she actually crawls under the blanket and gets comfy. Guess Horangi isn't that bad.

In his room, Horangi pulls his mask down and breathes in his own scent. His Alpha purrs quietly and licks its lips. Damnit.