Chapter Text
“Hey,”
A knuckle wrapped her window and Rey looked up, surprised. She was sitting at the curb behind the wheel of her Ford Freestyle, waiting for some beta chick named Candy to come out. It had been five minutes and she was starting to get annoyed.
Now a tall man in a black t-shirt and jeans, with dark hair in a messy bun, behind his head was trying to get her to roll her window down. No fucking way. By his broad shoulders and muscular arms, he couldn’t be anything but an alpha.
“Sorry.” She had an UBER sign lit up in the passenger window, but she wasn’t a cab. People had to schedule and tell her their designation before she agreed to pick them up.
He didn’t leave. Instead, he reached into his back pocket. A second later, he smacked several hundred dollar bills against the window. “Please,” he begged. “It’s an emergency.”
The woman Rey was supposed to pick up was going to make her a whopping twenty dollars from the condominium where she lived to the airport. The night had been short rides and shitty tips.
Rey rolled the window down a crack.“Where to?” she asked.
“I need to get home. It’s ten minutes away. Miss…I’m a nice guy. My fiance, she’s in there,” He pointed at the building, “with another alpha. I don’t have my car keys or phone. I can’t go back inside.”
“Oh,” Rey said, looking at his flushed cheeks. Alphas were notorious for being possessive. If he’d caught his fiance cheating he was probably trying to keep his basic instinct to attack in check.
She looked at the clock on her stereo. It was seven at night, and she’d barely made enough to pay for gas. This was two weeks wages. Candy and her late ass could find another ride. She hit the unlock on the car door.
“Thank you,” he opened the door, throwing himself inside enough that the car shook. “Here.” He shoved the wad of hundreds toward her.
“It’s…” Rey felt a pang of guilt. Hating her moral compass, she sighed. “A hundred will be fine.”
“No. You deserve this.” Instead of handing it to her, he pushed it into the middle console. “You’re saving me from going to jail. 1776 Alderaan Drive.”
There had to be close to a thousand dollars there. The man was wearing a gold rolex watch. It wasn’t like she was taking advantage of the poor. Trying not to get excited, she put the car in drive and pulled away from the sidewalk. She never picked up men. At twenty-one, an undocumented omega, it was too dangerous.
“I’m Ben,” he said resting his head against the headrest, his eyes closed. The passing street lights lit up his face, illuminating the few moles scattered on his cheek and neck. He was breathing deeply. There was sweat on his brow.
“Rey,” she said, forgetting for a second that her license said, Kira.
Shit .
She bit her bottom lip. He was paying in cash and off the record, so it didn’t matter. Two red lights, and she heard him groan. It made her look back at him in the rearview mirror. He was rubbing his chest, his face contorted as if he were in pain.
“You okay?” she asked. “Ben?”
“I’ll be fine, just need to go home…sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said with a tight smile. “Few more minutes.”
It wasn’t a few more minutes. There was an accident on Tudor which redirected traffic and by that time her skin started to itch. She turned on the air conditioner. This was why she didn’t pick up alphas. Another mile stretched and he was shivering in the back, looking sicker and sicker.
He wasn’t the only one. That uncomfortable itch she had was progressing and, worse, her stomach was cramping.
Fuck .
When a rumble came from his chest, her blood ran cold.
Double fuck .
Two miles till his house. Maybe he could walk. Her stomach cramped again. Yes, he needed to get out—now.
“Ben,” she tried to keep her voice from sounding panicked. “You can keep the money. But I need you to get out at this next light.”
He stirred, raising his head, his eyes half-lidded. She started to put her blinker on and his lips curled back. “Drive.” His disapproval reverberated in that one word.
She gritted her teeth so she didn’t say: “Yes, alpha.” Obeying, she turned the blinker off and kept driving
He closed his eyes and seemed content.
Just an alpha being a dick. No big deal. Her throat was dry and she was shaking. He didn’t talk more or look at her, but the scent of his impending rut was starting to permeate the cab. Her tongue was getting thick and she felt the gland on her neck itching as it swelled.
This was bad.
When she came to his street, the houses were spaced with immaculate lawns, and warnings that said neighborhood watch everywhere. His house was the last one at the end, a sign indicated it was a dead end. She shivered, promising herself that if she made it out of this without an altercation, she would never allow another alpha in her car again.
There were no lights on in his house, which was a two story brick manor with a large paved drive. It was next to a kiddie park, where she could see swings, a merry-go-round, and a slide. The standard white collar suburbs.
The car came to a rolling stop at his drive.
“Here.” She prayed he would just get out.
He opened his eyes and she saw the pupils were large, his nostrils flared. He leaned forward, looking more animal than man. A hand reached for her, and she stiffened, as his fingers brushed the hair off her shoulders to expose her neck, his thumb brushed the swollen gland.
His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. He knew.
He opened his mouth, no doubt with some alpha command, but she laid her hand on the horn, blaring it, startling him.
It wouldn’t work twice. She unlatched her seatbelt and spilled out of the car, hitting her knees on the pavement and scuffing the palms of her hand. She picked herself up just in time to hear him exit the vehicle. She tried to run toward the houses, but he stepped around the car, blocking her path, his expression daring her to try.
Run.
Alphas loved a chase.
Turning toward the only other exit, she headed toward the park. It was stupid, even she knew that, but doing nothing seemed worse. He didn’t charge after, giving her a head start.
There was no one in the park. Her heart knocked in her chest and she knew the lead was for show only. This was the ritual, the dance, and any omega stupid enough to try and live in society without the protection of a mate could at any given time be thrust into situations like this.
If she didn’t escape, if she didn’t get away, and he bit her, his claim would be valid.
But she wasn’t ready for her life to be over. To be a mated omega, to have pups, to be stuck at home at the whim of some domineering alpha who would demand her undivided attention. Right now, she was Kira Scully, a beta on forged papers that she’d paid two grand for. She had freedom and her own apartment. If he won, she’d be exposed and the government would find out she was Rey Niima, an unregistered omega.
Searching the ground for a hiding place, she saw a glimmer of hope. Someone had left a bike.
The two-speed bike had stickers all over it, mostly band names, some she recognized. Grabbing it off the ground, she climbed on. There wasn’t time to figure out if that was going to make her situation better or worse. He might still be able to catch her, but there was a paved trail and the bike would at least even the odds.
Pedaling as hard as she could, she heard a shout behind her. Adrenaline flooded her body and she pumped her legs like she was twelve. Ben was too far away for his voice to carry weight and control her. The trail took her into the forest, which wasn’t ideal, but the path started curving down, making her gain traction and distance.
This might just work.
It didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust to the dark. There was a moon tonight and it cast enough light that she could make out the trail and not run into a tree. The overwhelming need to survive kept her going, but as the distance grew, the urgency faded. She couldn’t hear him following.
Afraid to lose any gain, she didn’t slow. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she saw nothing. Another mile of biking and she decided that he must have given up. It could be that the cool air had given him enough clarity to go home.
She kept pedaling, feeling tentatively optimistic that she had just dodged the biggest bullet of her life. The fight or flight was wearing off, but other symptoms that had been masked reared their ugly heads. Her stomach cramped as slick started, and she was going to have to get home soon, before another unmated alpha caught her scent.
The night air felt good on her flushed skin. If this had been a full heat, she would want to nest, and would probably start making terrible chirping noises for a mate. The strong suppressants she had bought off a dealer kept any break-throughs at bay and, up until now, it had been four years since she’d gone into one.
The fact she could think was comforting. Her last heat, she’d been as feral as her passenger had been, begging through the locked bedroom door for relief as her guardian angel Maz had made sure she stayed off the government tracker and had kept her safe. She let go of one handlebar to touch her neck, the bump large and swollen. Dammit, she would have to hide till that went away, unless she wanted to advertise her status.
She realized the trail was looping her back to where she’d come from. Not wanting to ride straight out into the open, she hit the brakes, stopping.
A twig snapped and her heart leaped in her throat.
The forest made it hard to tell if it came from behind or in front of her, but it sounded close. The hairs on her neck rose. If she could make it to her car, she’d be okay.
The forest was quiet, but her gut told her he was there.
She bolted.
The forest exploded beside her. Ben was there, coming out of the brush like a bear, an arm reaching for her. He missed, one large hand whished by her shoulder, letting her feel the wind of it.
Her tire hit the soft grass, slowing her down, enough that he closed the distance. This time, when he reached for her, he managed to smack the back wheel of her bike, making it wobble, and she over-corrected.
The ground came rushing at her. She smacked the earth with barely time to brace for impact. Ben loomed over her, his form splitting in half as he struggled to pin her.
“Get away,” she screamed. Her lip was busted open and bleeding, with the taste of blood in her mouth. She shoved the bike at him.
He grabbed it by the frame, throwing it like it weighed nothing. It soared and crashed several feet away. The spokes twirled, the rim bent. With nothing between them now, she scrambled away as he followed. She twisted her body, her twice-bruised knees protesting as she tried to get back on her feet. This time, he wasn’t going to let her run.
His hand shot out, grabbing her pant leg, dragging her toward him.
“Ben,” she screamed. “Ben, please…you’re not thinking right.”
The scent of him was strong. It tickled the back of her throat like pepper. His fingers started pawing at her jeans trying to get them down.
Instead of fighting to stay in her clothes, she kicked her feet out of her jeans, using the opportunity while he was holding on to her pants to flee.
She managed to make it as far as the swingset when he caught her.
He tried to drag her to the ground, but she grabbed the chain link of the swing, holding on and screaming at the top of her lungs for help.
His arms circled her waist, his body hot against hers, as he tried to pry her off.
Her fingers slipped, losing grip as they struggled. She kicked him in the gut and it loosened his hold enough she managed to make it halfway over the seat of the swing. He recovered, and one of his large hands pushed on her back, pinning her.
The swing creaked, the metal frame shaking for a second as she kicked her legs, but the position gave her no traction and he held her easy. She expected him to lift her off the seat. Instead, she heard the sound of a belt buckle and realized he was going to take her there.
“Don’t,” was all she got out before he ripped her underwear off and pressed, hard and ready, between her wet folds. The slick had started and it made the brutal thrust less painful, but it took her breath away, and for a second she stopped screaming.
Ben started to fuck her, but then realized he could use the swing momentum to thrust in and out with ease. The ground swayed under her, her hair a mess over her head, and her fingertips skimmed the dirt below her.
He was grunting, a growling noise that made her wish she couldn’t hear him. He’d be more himself after he had her a few times. The frame kept rattling, lifting up off the ground during some of his more energetic thrust. It was starting to feel good. She did her best to fight the physical effect, but soon her screams were quieted down to whimpers.
She was getting close to climaxing when she heard the sirens.
From her peripheral vision. she could see the blues and reds of the lights coming her way.
Ben’s thrusts were becoming erratic. Having never been knotted, she only knew that it would increase her chance of pregnancy if he did.
“Help,” she screamed, hearing the sirens blaring. “I’m over here.”
Ben did a hard thrust, and she came unexpectedly, her calls for help stuttering into a surprised ‘oh’ and then she felt a large amount of pressure behind her pelvic bone.
The knot puffed, making her shudder with another orgasm. She felt warmth as he came, but the knot kept most from trickling out, doubling her odds for pregnancy.
People's voices were floating her way, and she heard someone call for a medic. She sagged, hanging her head, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes.
“Please get him off me,” she pleaded.
Ben growled, and she heard a discussion, as flashlights kept hitting them, and waving away.
“She’s lucid,” a woman’s voice said. “Probably should sedate.”
That seemed like the best idea she’d heard. When they approached, Ben growled.
“It’s okay,” a woman’s voice said. “Let’s get you both off that swing. Don’t you want to bring her to a nest?” the woman cooed toward Ben.
Rey raised her head and saw a blanket in the woman’s arm. The officer put it down a foot away from them. She was handed more, and started lining the ground in a circle.
“No,” Rey felt panic start to set in. “I don’t want to nest.”
“Made a nice bed for you dear,” the woman said, patting it. “Going to get you out of that swing so you can lay down.”
Ben shifted his hips, making Rey gasp as a smaller climax hit her. She arched her back, reflexive, and chirped. The officer stepped back, giving them space. The opposite of what she needed. Ben’s hands were around her waist, lifting her finally off the swing, but no one was intervening.
It was surreal that people stood by while he crouched down, half carrying her in a weird crawl toward the blankets. He was making a rumbling sound in his chest, trying to sooth her. When he got her to the blankets, he quickly covered her, hiding her from sight.
When she tried to fight, his arms snaked around her and he rolled her on her stomach, trapping her under him, so he could start fucking her again. His mouth found her neck, licking the swollen gland.
“No, no, sedate him…please. It’s too much,” Rey screamed.
“This is cruel.” The woman said. “She’s not in a full heat.”
“Can you get close enough?” a male voice asked.
Rey saw boots coming closer. A blue gloved hand with a needle. The woman talked in a calm voice to Ben, keeping him distracted from biting her.
“Oh thank God,” Rey sobbed. “Thank you—”
The woman jabbed the needle into Rey’s arm.
“Wait,” Rey tried to protest, but things were getting dark fast.
“Sleep, you poor thing. You’ll go into a full heat next time.”
Next time? Rey tried to scream, but the darkness swallowed her up.
When she woke, there were blue gloves once more in her peripheral view. An IV was in the crook of her arm, and a bag of saline hung over her head. When she tried to move, she couldn’t. Heavy straps were on her wrists, keeping her in place on the hospital gurney.
“She’s awake.” A woman said, and Rey saw the owner of the blue gloves was a nurse with steel gray hair in teal scrubs. “You’ve had quite the event.” She smiled. “It’s going to be okay now.”
“Why am I tied down?” Rey’s tongue was dry and it came out a raspy whisper.
“Standard precautions,” the woman said, clucking her tongue. “Your mate requested it, for safety.”
“Mate?” Rey struggled against the bonds.
“That will be all,” Ben’s voice from across the room. “Thank you, but I’ll talk to her now.”
The nurse nodded. “You’re a lucky girl. He’s been so attentive to you.”
“Don’t go,” Rey begged, but the nurse was already gone.
“Hey, beautiful.” Ben’s face was above her. His black hair was still messy, but his eyes were clear, and she couldn’t smell anything on him but his aftershave. “You took such a long sleep, I was getting worried.”
“Stay away.” She struggled to make herself smaller as he loomed closer.
“Shh…don’t be scared. Not good if you're pregnant.” He cooed. “I’ve been advised, if you're not, to let you go in a full heat soon.”
“I don’t want pups…please let me go.”
He sighed, his large hands on the bed rail. “Almost settled for a stuck up cheating rich beta like Bazine. Didn’t think there were any good omegas left. Registered ones are always so protected and want lots of wooing.”
“I’m not interested…”
“Legal stuff has been handled. Though I suppose they’ll investigate how you’ve managed to live this long without registering. So dangerous, little one.” He tsked. “It could have been someone else, someone who wasn’t a nice guy who bit you.”
“You bit me?”
“Lower your voice,” he said, sharply. “The bites clean. It should heal in a few days.”
“You fucking bastard,” Rey screamed.
“Quiet omega.”
Rey hushed, feeling the command in her bones.
He frowned. “You’re stressed.” He brushed her cheek with his knuckles and then his hand moved down her gown, lifting the material up. “I’m going to fix that. My mother already consulted with a specialist. She was worried, with you being so independent, that you’d be defective.”
“I’m not defective…I just want to live by myself.”
“You’ll have your own nest room. I’ll have to scent the blankets when we get home.”
“I’m not going home with you!”
His fingers brushed her slit and she hissed, unable to move away. “This will help.”
“Don’t touch me.” She tried to close her legs, but it didn’t help much. “Nurs–”
“Rey,” he growled, and when she bit her lip, feeling tears sting her eyes, his expression softened. “Omegas need this constantly. After this, we can see about discharge.”
The words discharge gave her hope. “I’m calm. See.” She smiled, relaxing.
He tutted affectionately. His thumb started circling her clit. “You’ve been given too much control. Not good for omegas. The doctor told me your urine tox came back with a dangerous drug that is caustic to your reproductive health.”
She tried to ignore the sensation he was creating. “It’s not dangerous. My suppressant was working fine…” He slipped two fingers inside her, pumping shallow, and she arched up into his palm. “You can take meds for your ruts…it’s the same thing.”
“Mm…but alphas have to work,” He corrected, and added pressure, smiling when she made a small noise in the back of her throat. “Medication isn’t perfect, as you can tell. Finding another alpha in rut over my ex-fiance, caused a breakthrough, and then being so close to an unmated omega.” He gave her a peck on her forehead. “Well, it was the perfect storm, and now I have you.”
Her climax was coming and instead of answering she was forced to accept it. She bucked into his hand as he let her ride through it. There were people on the other side of the curtain, and no one was going to stop him. It was the terrifying future she’d tried so hard to avoid.
The pleasure receded, and she closed her eyes, panting, feeling like she just wanted to go to sleep. He stroked her hair, adjusting her gown to cover her, her inner thighs sticky, and she felt slick start trickling down.
Her cheeks blushed. It was obscene and, worse, he noticed. “Perfectly natural.” He left the side of her bed and she saw the curtains move as he poked his head out and spoke to someone.
The nurse came back. “I have your discharge papers and some feminine products.”
“Thank you,” Rey said. “I’ll behave. Please take these restraints off.”
The nurse looked at Ben and not her. “The sedative is perfectly safe if she’s pregnant. If she’s not, chances are she’ll go into a heat quickly, and be advised it might be painful as her body isn’t used to it. There’s some massage techniques you can watch on the website we gave you. It should help.”
“Can I read the papers? Rey asked, drawing both their gazes for a moment. “Please?”
The nurse didn’t smile. Instead, she looked back at Ben with sympathy. “There’s a support group for alphas in your situation. It might help. I don’t envy you these next few weeks.”
“We’ll be fine.” He took something from the nurse and Rey saw it was a pair of disposable underwear. “I’ll get her dressed.”
It was as if she was invisible. She knew this was how it was going to be if she was ever caught, but experiencing it was a surreal reality. The nurse drew out a vial and then a needle and syringe.
“Wait.” Rey knew it was for her. “Please don’t sedate me. I won’t run away. I—” But the nurse was already moving to her IV line and Rey watched, tears trekking down her cheeks, as the nurse started injecting the drug into the line.
“You will,” Ben said, but he didn’t sound angry. “I’ll have to use soft restraints. Snoke has advised the first month you’ll be a danger to me and yourself. It’s for your own good.”
“Snoke?” The drug was taking effect quickly.
“Specialist. You’ll meet him tomorrow.” Ben said, and started working the restraints off. “His methods are controversial, but my mother said he hasn’t had a single failed case.”
The nurse unhooked the IV and Ben put the bed rail down. She could barely lift her head. He helped her sit up and she felt numb as he dressed her in a loose gray sweater and matching jogging pants. When it was done, he lifted her, opting to carry instead of the wheelchair.
The nurse beamed as Rey started to fade out.
“Aren’t you lucky, not too many nice guys left.”