Perfect Balance

by Tsuki

Summary:

Dr. Cliff Creighton, at almost thirty, is an Alpha psychologist who is haunted by insecurity and determined to stay unmated until he is certain he's found the perfect match. His world is turned upside down when he's asked to help counsel a mysterious, troubled Omega.

Notes:

This story is a sequel of sorts to my college-pack story "Adjustment Period," which takes place in the same universe as trumpetcrumpet's "A Lucky Find." This story is set about seven years after the epilogue of "Adjustment Period," though I do intend that you can read this story on its own without the previous ones; while characters such as Tanner and Nathaniel are mentioned, and thus you may gain a different understanding of their relationships with Cliff through the other stories, most of the situations and characters here are either unique or explained all on their own. I'm excited to share with you the journey of this now-older-but-maybe-or-maybe-not-wiser Cliff. I hope you enjoy going on this journey with me!

CONTENT WARNING for this entire story: this story contains very explicit references to suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, depression, and emotional abuse that may be upsetting to some. Please take care of yourself and do not read if you think these topics will be triggering. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your home country. <3

Chapter 1: Misty Flip

Misty Flip, (n.) A front flip done in freestyle sports (such as skateboarding or inline skating) that is performed sideways or off axis. The skater may land backwards or frontwards, depending on the rotation amount.

 

Nathaniel was gasping under him, his head pressed back into the bedding, his pale white neck arched and exposed. No one could teach him a move like that, Cliff thought. It was pure Omegan submissive instinct and desire. “Please,” Nathaniel panted and groaned, “please, Alpha, don’t stop. I—I want you, Alpha. Let me make you happy, Alpha. Please, keep—oh god, please.” 

Cliff licked a path from the Omega’s collar bone to his jaw, and Nathaniel groaned louder. Cliff’s saliva had a slightly bitter tinge as his biology responded to Nathaniel’s position and pleas, his body readying to give a claiming bite. His mind, however, knew better. He couldn’t bite Nathaniel—the pale stretch of the Omega’s neck was already marked by a scarred over half-moon of puncture wounds. He was already claimed as someone else’s mate.

“What do you want me to do, Alpha?” Nathaniel practically begged in his ear. Even when pleading, his voice was breathy and soft. “I’ll do anything for you. I’ll make you happy. I’d go with you anywhere, Alpha. You know I’d lie for you—I’d say the mark is yours, Alpha. Just—love me, keep me, and please don’t stop— please, Alpha, I—”

Cliff silenced Nathaniel’s beautiful pleading with the firm press of his mouth. The kiss was open, desperate, and sweet. Nathaniel smelled and tasted like strawberries, Cliff thought.

Suddenly, the kiss turned rougher. Cliff felt a bite on his lip and a hand pulling almost painfully on his hair. He smelled freshly churned cream, bright with the slightest hint of vanilla. He pulled back to stare at the Omega beneath him, who was grinning back with sharp, hazel eyes.

“You want me to submit?” Tanner laughed. “Then make me, asshole. I’m not going to tilt my head and call you Alpha unless you make me. So, get to it.”

Cliff felt a growl growing in his throat, but Tanner just smirked at the Alpha’s frustration. The lean Omega ran his hands playfully along Cliff’s back and neck. Cliff grabbed Tanner’s hands and pressed them firmly against the mattress, trapping him there. Tanner chuckled in response and rolled his hips, teasing Cliff and trying to get him too riled up to be focused on Tanner’s lack of submission. It wasn’t going to work, Cliff vowed. He was going to win their little game—he always won in the end. Well, he mostly won.

“Please, Alpha,” Nathaniel was whispering.

“Oh, fuck you,” Tanner was laughing.

“I’ll do whatever you want, Alpha,” Nathaniel was gasping.

“You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to,” Tanner was taunting.

“Love me,” Nathaniel was pleading.

“Bite me,” Tanner was snapping.

And Cliff did. He felt his teeth sink into the Omega’s neck, felt the skin break, tasted blood and the bitter tang of claiming toxin mixed in his saliva. Underneath him, the Omega arched and screamed.

Cliff bolted up in bed with a gasp. He felt hot and soaked with sweat, and his pajama pants were tented by his erection, pre-cum soaking the fabric around the tip. Even though there weren’t actually any Omega hormones in the air, the dream apparently felt real enough to his body that Cliff felt the swell of a tight knot at the base of his cock, throbbing and painful.

He moaned and carefully peeled off his flannel pants, taking his erection in his hand and pumping desperately. He tried to focus on sensation and not on the lingering half-dream images and half-memories still swirling in his head. He used his right hand to pump faster as he used his left to press firmly against his knot, tightening his fingers as best he could to simulate the squeeze of an Omega’s lock. It was clumsy and imperfect, but it was enough. He rutted into his hands animalistically, trying to keep his mind blank. It almost worked—but at the last minute his mind summoned an unbidden image of an arched Omegan throat. Cliff wasn’t actually sure which of his dream partners the throat belonged to, but he tasted blood in his mouth as he came with a groan.

Fuck. What a shitty way to start his day. He had thought he was done with these dreams—after all, he hadn’t had them for several months—but apparently that had been wishful thinking. He sighed, loathing the idea of reporting this to Aubrey.

Cliff wiped himself off with Kleenex, then washed his hands and began the ritual of preparing his morning coffee. The process of grinding the beans, boiling the water to an ideal temperature, letting the mixture of coarse grinds and water steep, and then slowly pressing the plunger of his French press down was calming and centering. It was part of the reason he always made coffee at home rather than purchasing a cup at the café near his shared office. The ritual of making coffee took up time and space, just like cooking dinner did in the evening. Cliff appreciated the easy focus, the time to just think about the straightforward tasks of scooping, mixing, chopping, boiling, sautéing, and braising. It was simple… far simpler than the mysteries of either his own mind or other people’s.

This morning, he made a simple breakfast of an over-hard egg and whole wheat toast. On morning workout days, he’d also have added a protein shake, but today he had his clients all before lunch, so he wouldn’t get in a workout until the afternoon—likely after his appointment with Aubrey.

Cliff clicked on his scheduling app and sighed, scanning the calendar to confirm. Right, tomorrow was a visit with his mother. That was also something he’d want to process with Aubrey ahead of time. His mother hadn’t been listening to his last set boundary, kept subtly and not-so-subtly trying to matchmake Cliff with nearly any socially acceptable unclaimed Omega she heard about. He was running out of deflecting techniques. As he sipped his coffee, he hoped Audrey would have some useful feedback that afternoon.

.               .               .

“Have you thought about getting the hell over yourself and just accepting her offer?”

Cliff blinked for a moment. “What?”

Dr. Aubrey Parham sighed and shook her head. “You’re almost thirty, and you’ve been coming to me with the same worries for years, Cliff. You clearly want to be mated, but you’re so terrified of getting it wrong that you keep coming up with excuses. Just get out of your own damn way and let your mother introduce you to some Omegas. Or go to a mating house. Or sign up for a match service. I really don’t care which you choose, but this is getting ridiculous.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. “Do you suddenly talk to all of your clients like this?”

Aubrey snorted. “Of course not. But what’s the benefit of having a former student and current colleague as a client if I don’t get to say what I really think occasionally? God knows I’d like to have said something this blunt in the session before you.”

Cliff hummed. “Difficult case? Want to process it at all?”

Aubrey glared at Cliff, her dark brown eyes sharp and assessing. “Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to deflect to work as a safe topic. We’re staying firmly on the topic of you avoiding the commitment of a mate.”

“Lots of Alphas wait to mate,” Cliff replied flatly.

“Lots of Alphas aren’t having claiming dreams and waking up in a near rut like a teenager.”

Cliff winced. “I still have things to process, Aubrey. I need to make sure I understand what I want and am ready to be a good Alpha for my mate. Besides, you waited to find your mate until you were almost forty, didn’t you?”

Aubrey shook her head, her short silver hair shining slightly in the dim office light. “I was dealing with very complicated family trauma, as you well know. You’re just dealing with internalized insecurity, anxiety, and a generous heaping of father issues—relatively mundane, really.”

Cliff chuckled softly. “Gee, tell me what you actually think. Was the client before me that much of a nightmare?”

Aubrey snorted. “The worst,” she agreed. “That doesn’t make my points untrue. What are you afraid of? Really. Explain again—out loud—why you won’t even look for a mate.”

Cliff sighed. He knew that Aubrey didn’t necessarily need to hear it again personally, as she was well-aware of his years of struggle over his conflicting issues. She wanted him to explain it so that he heard it again, so that they could interrogate his internalized messages together and so Cliff could hear his insecurities aloud. This was naturally the problem with a trained therapist seeking therapy—Cliff could see Aubrey’s strategies from a mile away. Of course, sometimes those strategies were still useful.

“It’s a number of factors,” he began. “The first is that I like my life how it is. It’s not like I need a mate right now.”

“Right,” Aubrey snorted. “You don’t need a mate when you’re literally dreaming about it, when you live alone, and when have no friends other than colleagues left in the state. Do you want me to read over my notes to repeat back to you how many times you’ve mentioned that you’re the last member of your college pack friends to be un-mated?”

Ouch. Cliff glared at his colleague and therapist a moment before continuing. “Secondly, even if my life would benefit from an Omega mate, that doesn’t mean the Omega would benefit. You and I both know how often Alphas and Omegas who think they’re doing what’s best for each other actually end up hurting each other. It’s too large of a decision with too many significant consequences to take on lightly.”

“True,” Aubrey said flatly. “And you’re an Alpha who literally helps other Alphas realize when they’ve hurt their mate and how to atone. You have a doctorate in behavioral psychology. Don’t you think that any Omega would be lucky to end up with someone with that level of knowledge and ability to understand and care? You’re the last person who would be careless about your behavior.”

“But I might not realize my behavior is less than ideal, or we might both end up unhappy anyway. I still don’t know what the dreams mean really or what I even want from a mate, Aubrey! The fact that my subconscious is obsessed with two polar-opposite Omegas I met in college seems completely contradictory and more than a little fucked up.”

“Or,” Aubrey interjected, “maybe the fact that you made intense connections to two Omegas at a time of critical growth, a time when you were individuating yourself and shaping your values, makes sense. Maybe you don’t have to beat yourself up over having a bit of a hang-up on your very first important sexual and emotional experiences.”

Cliff felt the barest hint of a blush touch his cheeks. Perhaps Aubrey was right, but it felt like more than that.

Nathaniel had been the first Omega that Cliff had an ongoing sexual relationship with, and it had turned emotional and intense very quickly. Even though Nathaniel was already bonded and mated to Nick, Cliff’s friend and the leader of their small college-pack, Cliff and Nathaniel had fallen into an emotional and physical relationship that was far more intense than just usual pack-members. Nathaniel had been everything Cliff thought he wanted in a mate—sweet and submissive, beautiful and docile. It didn’t help that Nathaniel eagerly assured Cliff that he was the kind of Alpha that he would have chosen as a mate too, if he’d had a choice before he was claimed during his presentation heat and forcibly bitten by Nick.

As an older adult, Cliff now looked back with mortification on the college-era memories of Nathaniel arching his throat eagerly against Cliff’s mouth, of their late-night whispered confessions and illicit fantasies. Together, they spun imagined futures where Cliff would issue a challenge to Nick as Nathaniel’s mate and then Cliff and Nathaniel would run away together and live happily as mates. These were the vivid fantasies of idiot children, of course—it hadn’t happened that way at all. Instead, Nick had punched Cliff in the face for his trespasses and insubordination, grabbed him by the neck and drove him to the ground, forced him to submit and to yield. Cliff had only a vague, haunting memory of the look on Nathaniel’s face when Cliff fell. The Omega’s soft, beautiful expression of horror and worry had morphed into a look that was strangely serene, placid, and calm. Nathaniel had simply smiled at Nick, his victorious Alpha mate, and breathily congratulated him on his win, exposing his throat to let his Alpha scent him and mouth against his bite mark. After that, Cliff and Nathaniel barely spoke, and Nick moved himself and Nathaniel across the country—away from Cliff—within a year.

The following year, Cliff met Tanner. Tanner was also the bonded mate of a good friend, and Cliff did his best to keep his distance given the recent experience with Nathaniel and Nick. Sure, Cliff still fucked Tanner occasionally—it was his right as a pack Alpha with Tanner as the college pack’s Omega. It was also his pleasure to do so, as Tanner was slim, gorgeous, and physically very much Cliff’s type. Still, Cliff had vowed that he was not going to make the same mistake with Tanner that he had with Nathaniel—he was going to stay emotionally disconnected from this Omega and keep the relationship purely sexual, not at all friendly or emotive. It should have been easy—after all, Tanner was an absolute brat of an Omega sometimes, stubborn, rude, foul-mouthed, and obstinate. He was exactly the opposite kind of Omega that Cliff would have wanted to claim. Or so he thought. After a time, Cliff’s fondness for Tanner grew like wild ivy, and he found himself daydreaming about what his life would be like with such a non-traditional and wild-spirited mate. Throughout the year they lived in the pack together, Cliff found himself feeling more and more connected to Tanner, not just as an Omega but as a person. He found himself angry on Tanner’s behalf when Tanner ran head-first into the social and legal barriers for an Omega, found himself offering emotional support and comfort when Tanner was nervous, found himself wanting to take care of the spirited Omega and make his life sweeter and easier.

The dreams had started around this time. As had the increasingly chilly silences between Cliff and his father.

“It’s just…” Cliff sighed now and shook his head as if to clear away the memories, “I feel like I should know what I’m looking for in a mate, and I have no idea. Clearly, I found aspects of both Nathaniel and Tanner attractive, but if I found an Omega exactly like either of them, I don’t actually think we’d be compatible or happy.”

“Language check: you would never find an Omega ‘exactly’ like either of them,” Aubrey reminded Cliff, “because Omegas are people, not products.”

Cliff winced. He had asked Aubrey to specifically point out whenever he slipped into dehumanizing and demeaning language related to Omegas. Cliff’s father had done an amazing job of drilling traditional ideas about gender roles into Cliff, as well as the belief that Omegas belonged to their Alphas by right and by biological determination. One doctorate in behavioral psychology and years of therapy later, Cliff felt he had unlearned a great deal of those lessons… but he was still more likely to slip into them again when discussing a potential mate of his own.

That was what scared him the most—the idea that he wanted someone more traditional, wanted that perfect surrender, even while he felt like the old expectations of training newly presenting Omegas and forcing submission were both immoral and psychologically damaging to many. He wanted an Omega who was able to be a complicated, wild, and free person of their own, but he also had a completely contradictory craving for deference, sweetness, docility, and submission.

“I just… I just don’t think I’d make an Omega happy right now,” Cliff sighed. “Not if I don’t know what I want. As a responsible Alpha, I’d need to be confident and clear. If I’m stumbling around in the dark, I’m likely to hurt both of us. And I’m not willing to put myself in a position to cause harm, Aubrey.”

Aubrey gave Cliff one of her best empathetic half-smiles. She was so good at that, Cliff thought enviously. “I know you want things to be perfect, Cliff. You like to have all the answers and control everything. You like to know the exact temperature to steep your coffee, the best plan of action to help a client, and the perfect correct answer for what makes a good Alpha.” Aubrey just shook her head slowly. “Not all of those have exact or correct answers though. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.”

Cliff hated that idea and recoiled from it immediately. He didn’t need his gut or Alpha instincts—he needed reason, information, and answers. “I think our session time is about up,” Cliff stated flatly.

Aubrey snorted. “When I’m on this side of the table, that’s my line. I hope you know that you’re using an avoidance tactic.”

“Of course I am,” Cliff agreed. “It was either that or get into a battle of wills with the only other Alpha I’ve met who is as stubborn as me.”

Aubrey grinned. “And now you’re using flattery as both distraction and conflict avoidance. I’ll take it, though, since you’re right—both about my stubbornness and that our session time is ending.” Her expression softened again and she sighed, “But I do hope you’ll think about what you actually want before you casually brush off your mother again.”

Cliff grumbled an acquiescence under his breath. Aubrey was probably right, even if he hated to admit it. He still wasn’t ready to rush out to find a mate, but perhaps he should be at least somewhat sympathetic to both his mother and his various peers’ desires to see him coupled and happy. After all, it was true that he was the last Alpha in his circle living entirely alone and unmated. Perhaps it was worth considering that he was overreacting to his fears and insecurities slightly—only ever so slightly though.

As they closed their session, Cliff took out his cellphone to take it off of silent-mode and frowned. “I have five missed calls from Edward over the last hour,” he reported to Aubrey.

Aubrey removed her phone from her bag and raised an eyebrow. “I have one as well. Strange. I thought he was supposed to be on vacation for another week.”

Dr. Edward Wagner, a kind and unassuming middle-aged Beta, was the third psychologist in their office-share. Edward and Aubrey had been working together for almost a decade, sharing an office between themselves and a third doctor to off-set private practice costs. When that doctor had retired around two years ago, Aubrey had invited Cliff into the office share as well, after checking that it didn’t feel like a conflict of interest for them to shift occasionally between their roles of colleagues, officemates, and patient-and-client. Cliff had assured her it was fine and jumped at the chance—he respected both Aubrey and Edward as doctors, and the location and space of the homey office had been a near dream. It also worked out well since all three of them had drastically different schedules and specialties.

If Edward was trying to contact one of them so frantically, however, it wasn’t a great sign. “He is supposed to be vacationing,” Cliff agreed. “With this many missed calls, I’d normally assume it was about an emergency at the office, but we’re in the office and everything is fine.” Cliff frowned, “Client, you think?”

Aubrey nodded. “If you have more missed calls, it’s probably one outside of my specialty. Give him a call.”

Cliff nodded and stepped out of the office and into the adjoined waiting room. Edward picked up on the second ring. “Oh thank god,” he practically yelled. “I was trying to get ahold of you. Or Aubrey, if necessary, but mostly you.”

“I saw,” Cliff said into the phone. “What’s wrong, Ed? I thought you were supposed to be in Hawaii, getting away from it all with the wife and the kids.”

Ed groaned in agreement. “I was. But I got a call this morning—my one client is in the hospital again. Suicide attempt. I swear, Cliff, this kid is going to be the death of me if he keeps doing this. I seriously made him sign a pledge that he wouldn’t try anything like this when I was gone on vacation, but here we are anyway.”

Cliff frowned. “Sorry to hear. What do you need from me? Does the hospital require an evaluation before he’s transferred to a psych ward?”

“No, no ward and no out-patient programs,” Edward sighed into the phone. “Everything with him is supposed to be very private, very one-on-one. His mate insists on it.”

“Oh. Your client is an Omega,” Cliff said. It was a statement more than a question, but Edward responded with an affirmative grunt.

“It’s a complicated situation, Cliff. His parents oversee his care, but all the confidentiality wavers and release forms go through his mate. I haven’t been able to get his Alpha on the phone today, so I can’t give you much info professionally. If you’re able to go check in, though, the Omega’s parents will offer what information they can—his mother was especially relieved that I was trying to find someone to come by the hospital. I think what she really wanted was for me to fly back myself, but Martha would kill me.”

Cliff chuckled, “Definitely no need to piss off your wife, Ed. I’m happy to help but… you and I both know most Omegas don’t respond well to Alpha therapists. Are you sure there’s no one else you want to call?”

“It’s just temporary, just to make sure there’s someone checking in. I’ll be back in a week. But honestly—I’m not sure he’ll respond any worse to you than he does to me, and maybe your insights from supporting Alphas through bonding issues could help. To be frank, I’m kind of at a loss with this Omega. Anything you can do to support the family and the kid while I’m gone would be appreciated.”

Cliff hummed in agreement and took his small notepad from his pocket. Omega, mated, young, multiple suicide attempts, difficult, he jotted down. “Anything else you can tell me without breaking confidentiality?” he asked.

Ed gave him the name of the hospital and the ward where he should check in. “You’ll be meeting the Thompson family in the waiting room,” he added. “Like I said, his mother should give you a decent amount of information. I just can’t tell you much more because—”

“Right. His mate. I’ve got it,” Cliff agreed. The lack of Omegas’ rights over their own medical information made them tricky clients to take on. An Omega’s Alpha mate typically directed all medical choices and was the only one allowed to give any kind of medical release or waver. Cliff wondered absently why in this case the Omega’s parents were his main point of contact rather than the mate—most likely, he posited, the Alpha in question was a dumb college student who made an unwise claiming bite and had no idea how to proceed now that his Omega was depressed and acting out. College matings rarely worked out well; honestly, some of the only success stories Cliff knew about were his friends Jackson and Tanner, and Cliff was sure it was almost pure luck that those two were so suited for one another. Most of the time, though, college Alphas would bite the first Omega in heat they found without knowing a thing about their compatibility, and that was a recipe for disaster. Cliff had counseled many Alphas through that idiocy over the years, helping them relate to their mate, to learn about and set appropriate boundaries.

He didn’t usually interact with Omegas professionally, but if Edward thought he could be of help and needed Cliff to come to his aid, Cliff was contented to agree. “I’ll head right over there now,” Cliff assured his colleague. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Edward snorted. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll keep worrying, but I appreciate it. Thank you. Good luck dealing with, well, all of it. Just—yeah, good luck. I will definitely owe you one.”

The call disconnected without another word, and Cliff felt a creeping sense of unease as he considered why exactly Edward felt the need to wish him such emphatic good luck. After all, he was only dealing with a depressed and distressed young Omega—what could be so difficult about that?

  

Chapter 2: Berani

Summary:

Cliff is introduced to Matthew and leaves with as many questions and concerns as answers.

Notes:

I cannot stress enough that this chapter contains potentially triggering content in terms of explicit references to and details about attempted suicide, discussions of self-harm, and related material. Please take care of yourself. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your home country.

 

Berani, (n.) An aerial maneuver in freestyle sports (such as skateboarding, snowboarding, or inline skating) consisting of a front flip and a 180-degree turn (half twist).

 
Cliff did not mind hospitals as much as he knew some people did. His friend Jackson had told Cliff that, when Tanner became pregnant with their first child, the initial tour of the hospital’s OB ward gave the Omega a full panic attack, as Tanner hadn’t really been in a hospital since his mother died—he associated the place with death far more than life. Cliff didn’t have such memories or connections to hospitals, but the sterile air and sadly upholstered chairs in the waiting room still caused a bit of associatory unease.

In the waiting room corner, an Omega woman sat with near regal posture, her black hair cascading down her shoulders in soft waves. If her face and brown eyes hadn’t been tinged red from sporadic crying, Cliff was fairly sure she would have been shockingly pretty. If this was his contact, Mrs. Thompson, then she was much younger than Cliff thought she’d be—it was difficult to judge, but he estimated she was approximately in her mid-thirties. Something about her, though, slightly reminded Cliff of the presence of his own mother, who just now was starting to get streaks of grey in her icy blond hair but had retained her Omegan-heartbreaker good looks all throughout his childhood. It had been part of the reason his father gave for being so controlling—with such a stunning Omega, he had explained when Cliff was young, one had to always take precautions. Getting involved in a claim dispute or challenge was humiliating, an insult to an Alpha’s strength, virility, and authority. Thus, his mother had been given strict rules on where she could go and how long she could stay, her time and movements inventoried daily. Cliff wondered vaguely if this Omega’s mate had similar worries and took similar precautions.

He cleared his throat carefully as he approached her, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible as a strange Alpha. As she looked up, he gave her a soft smile. “Good afternoon, I’m Dr. Cliff Creighton. I’m a colleague of Dr. Edward Wagner. He asked me to stop by.”

“Yes,” her voice was breathy with relief, “thank you so much for coming.” She nodded her head in greeting but notably did not extend her hand, a clear sign that her mate was uncomfortable with unfamiliar smells on her. Noted. “Dr. Creighton, is it? I’m Elena Thompson. Please, have a seat and we can talk about Matthew.”

Cliff took the chair diagonal from her, close enough to talk in low voices but not so close that he might accidentally brush up against her. He saw a slight loosening of tension in her shoulders, a silent relief at his choice. Her ears sparkled with diamond-stud earrings, and her left wrist featured a matching tennis bracelet. Subtle, but high quality. Definitely a family of wealth, Cliff noted.

“You’re an Alpha,” she said softly. It wasn’t a question, but Cliff responded anyway.

“Yes, I know that it’s not often recommended that an Alpha be a part of an Omega’s psychological treatment, but Dr. Wagner seemed to think—”

Elena shook her head, “I think it’s an excellent choice. Perhaps Matthew will take you more seriously than he has Dr. Wagner. He’s been taught to respect Alpha authority.”

Cliff nodded slowly. “Speaking of which, Dr. Wagner mentioned that Matthew is mated. Is there a reason his Alpha isn’t here right now?”

Her mouth tightened slightly before she gave a small, polite smile. “His mate is a very busy man. I know he is concerned, but he cannot drop everything when Matthew acts out like this. After the last time, we agreed to take Matthew back into our care to try and get him sorted out. It was causing his Alpha undue stress to constantly be concerned about his mate’s safety.”

Cliff’s hands tightened on his chair slightly. “I’m sorry, I think I need to clarify. Matthew attempted to harm himself, and his mate’s response was to send him away?”

Elena’s soft smile became a little tighter. “Not ‘away.’ Merely to stay for a while with his parents who love him and could take the time to watch him.”

“An Omega could still take that as a rejection or punishment,” Cliff responded. “Emotionally. Whether or not that was the intention.”

“Perhaps,” Elena agreed softly, lowering her eyes in expected submission to an Alpha expert’s declaration. “However, I do ask that you be sympathetic to his Alpha. This is not the first or even the second time that Matthew has done something like this—whether trying to harm his body or vanishing for hours or even a full day without warning and coming back with strange excuses. He has been a very challenging and difficult Omega for his mate, despite all that we’ve taught him. As my Alpha and I were the ones to arrange the match with Mr. Hirst, we agree with him that some responsibility lies with us to help stabilize Matthew’s behavior. Having him stay with us for a while was the best solution for all. Sadly, though we thought we were properly monitoring our son, he found a way to act out again.” She gestured at the hospital waiting room. “Clearly.”

Cliff’s mind whirled slightly. This was an utter mess of a situation, he noted, trying to take in all the details. The name suddenly stuck out to him. “Did you say Mr. Hirst? Any connection to Insignify?”

“Yes,” Elena agreed. “Our Matthew’s mate is Dale Hirst, the second of the brothers. You understand now why he is so busy. It was a fortunate match for our son—Matthew was very lucky, so naturally the situation we have now is disappointing and confusing for us all.”

Shit. Well, that was a bit different than what Cliff had been expecting. He’d assumed a problematic bonding and absent Alpha would merely be because of a young and impulsive bite. But this had been a planned and arranged mating, and with a powerful and successful Alpha no less.

The Hirst brothers were fairly well-known, even to those outside of the tech-world, for founding Insignify, a popular data managing app that Cliff didn’t use but still heard about almost daily. From what he recalled, the three brothers were known for all managing different aspects of the business—one was a Beta tech genius who came up with the concept and coded the initial app, one was an Alpha finance wiz who courted large investments and oversaw taking the company public last year, and the other Alpha was the social media and marketing mastermind who arranged their various forms of publicity.

Cliff wasn’t entirely sure which of the two Alphas Dale Hirst was, but, regardless, such a high-profile Alpha was a different kind of challenge to navigate than a college-student out of his depths. That said, important Alpha or not, the fact that this Omega—Matthew, Cliff noted to himself again—kept trying to harm himself was a clear sign that something was wrong, and Cliff’s first instincts were that it was something about the bonding or mating dynamic.

Still, with Elena’s deferential tone about Matthew’s Alpha, Cliff was sure that any information on the bonding relationship would be more reliable coming from the mates themselves. He quickly considered what background information Matthew’s mother could more reliably give. “How long have Matthew and Mr. Hirst been mated?”

“Nearly two years. We approved the match about three years ago but waited six months after the agreement so they could get to know each other.”

Okay, so it wasn’t even a blind match. Cliff’s confusion was growing. “Anything during that period that gave you concern?”

“None at all,” Elena sighed wearily. “Matthew was very open to the match, and Mr. Hirst was a perfect gentleman. He was very affectionate and respectful, and he showered our Matthew with flowers and gifts. My Alpha and I were confident it would be a good pairing.”

“Had Matthew shown any signs of distress before the mating?”

She hesitated a moment, her deep brown eyes becoming momentarily unfocused. “Not in terms of these… drastic measures, no. Early in his teen years, he would occasionally disappear from his tutor’s watch, which I suppose could be viewed as very like his recent disappearances. But back then he was still essentially a child—I think he just wanted to run and play, to not be at home all the time. He was so delicate and clumsy though. He’d come home covered in scrapes and bruises. After he presented, I explained that it was his job as an Omega to take better care of his body than a Beta or an Alpha, and after a while it happened less, so I assumed it was no longer a problem—until it started happening again after he left to live with his mate. I’m not sure why he’s regressed to acting so childishly. He really should know better.”

“Can I ask about his presentation?” Cliff said. “Sometimes difficult presentations can cause distress and trauma reactions for an Omega later on. Did he present in school or out in public at all?”

Elena shook her head calmly. “No, there was nothing difficult about Matthew’s presentation. We suspected for some time that Matthew was going to present as an Omega, given his build in comparison to his older brother, so he’s been home tutored since he was twelve. When Matthew injured his knee falling down when he was thirteen—as I said, he has always been a clumsy child—we asked the doctors to do an MRI along with the x-ray. That allowed us to confirm our suspicions of Matthew’s latent womb and Omega ovule glands.” Cliff’s eyebrows raised. Most families couldn’t afford unnecessary medical procedures to check for signs of secondary sex before presentation, and most doctors would refuse to conduct them both out of the concern of excess radiation on a minor and the unreliability of early predictions. Elena smiled softly at Cliff’s reaction and assured, “It allowed us to be prepared. Thus, Matthew was safe at our home when he presented at sixteen.”

Cliff started slightly. “Sixteen? That’s awfully young for a male Omega.” He had heard of Omega males presenting as late as their early twenties—usually, it was only female Omegas who presented during their prime teen years. That was part of the reason hormone inducers slipped into drinks at college parties had a higher likelihood of targeting male Omegas, the ones who thought they were Betas and had escaped their female-peers’ fate.

Elena smiled softly. “The Omegas on my side of the family have all presented early, regardless of primary gender. I myself presented at fourteen. As I said, we were prepared. I had previously instructed Matthew on details like nest construction and how to obtain relief without harming his mating prospects, and my Alpha and I made sure he was properly locked in his room when he did indeed go into a presentation heat. There was no traumatic sexual experience—we made sure his future mate would be his primary bonding.”

Cliff blinked. It was a shockingly ideal situation for presentation if one’s goal was to prevent transition or adjustment stress. The Omega wasn’t displaced from any previous roles or life expectations, was prepared for biological changes, and was kept safe and in a familiar location. It was like something written in a textbook, it was so perfect—and yet this Omega was distressed, “acting out” as Elena put it, and trying to harm himself anyway. Cliff didn’t really know what to make of that, only that it made his theory about there being issues with the bonding and mate-relationship more likely.

“It sounds like you did everything you could to support your son and set him up for success with his presentation and mating,” Cliff said. “This must be very difficult for you that he’s in such distress, especially if you don’t understand why.”

Elena Thompson’s eyes began to water, and she brought a slightly shaking hand up to her throat. “Yes. Thank you. We really did try. I… I do not come from a family of means. My parents did not have the resources to help me through my own presentation, so they sent me to a mating house. I was a scared and innocent girl—the youngest Omega there—and I knew nothing about what to expect. It was very challenging. I was fortunate that my Alpha found me there. I have a very comfortable life now and two wonderful sons. But it was still hard, and I know of many at the house who were not so lucky. I was determined my baby’s happiness would not be left up to such chance.” She frowned, a single tear spilling over the levy of her eyelashes and running down her pale cheek. “And yet, here we are.”

Cliff wanted to reach out and squeeze her hand in comfort, but he knew he couldn’t. That would be crossing too many boundaries, would dangerously put his scent on her. Instead, he put all the comfort into his voice that he could and said, “It sounds like you love and care about your son a great deal and that you want what’s best for him.” She wiped her tear and nodded silently. “I can’t promise anything—especially since I’m just filling in for Dr. Wagner—but I’ll see what I do. Perhaps a different perspective to this dynamic will help. I’d like to go speak with Matthew now, if that’s all right.”

She nodded, composing herself and straightening her spine. “Thank you, yes. I appreciate it, Dr. Creighton. Matthew is in room 34. His throat might be a tad sore from,” she grimaced, “having his stomach pumped. But he can speak now, I assure you.” She gave him another respectful nod in closing, her hands still clasped in her lap, and Cliff nodded back in thanks.

He walked down the sterile hallway, past several beige doors and eerily bare walls until he found room 34, its door slightly open to allow for visitors. Cliff knocked politely to announce his presence before stepping into the hospital recovery room.

Immediately, his breath caught in his throat for two very different reasons.

The first reason was the smell—the smell of a distressed Omega was always challenging for an Alpha, but Cliff hadn’t quite been prepared for the strength of this one. The whole room smelled like it had been saturated in cider-vinegar, the sharp scent putrid and burning his nose.

The second reason was the boy himself. With the mother’s noteworthy beauty, Cliff had expected the boy to be attractive. But he hadn’t expected him to be either so small or so uniquely stunning. Intellectually, he knew that the younger an Omega presented, the tinier their stature tended to be. Omega males like Tanner, who had presented at close to nineteen, often appeared not that different than small-statured Betas. This boy, on the other hand, seemed nearly dwarfed in his hospital gown and surrounding bed, his limbs fragile looking in their delicate leanness and protruding angles. Judging only by his physique, it was hard to believe he was as old as twenty. His hair, though a shorter cut, was as jet-black as his mother’s and his skin just as porcelain pale. His eyes, on the other hand, differed from Elena’s greatly—while hers were a deep, rich brown, her son’s were such a shockingly light blue that they appeared nearly a deep grey, the shape of them rounded and almost too large for the Omega’s face, giving him a sort of elven appearance.

In an instant, Cliff understood why a notable Alpha like Dale Hirst had chosen this particular Omega. Even Nathaniel’s golden, angelic beauty in Cliff’s dreams seemed almost pedestrian in comparison. Matthew’s appearance was a work of art, strange and beautiful like no other Omega that Cliff had seen.

Cliff took a couple deep breaths in and out through his mouth and confirmed as best he could that his own scent was as even and neutral as it could be. For not the first time, Cliff was thankful that Alpha psychologists were required to pass a scent-suppression test for licensure. If he hadn’t been thoroughly trained, he was pretty sure his scent would be flooded with lust and instinctive desire, which wouldn’t be at all helpful either for establishing trust or keeping an Omega patient calm.

“Hello, Matthew,” Cliff said in a soft, even tone. “I’m Dr. Cliff Creighton, a colleague of Dr. Wagner. He asked me to check in on you. How are you feeling today?”

The Omega just blinked at him with his round, magnificent eyes. Then he casually shrugged one shoulder.

Cliff gestured at a chair positioned next to the hospital bed. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

The boy stared silently and then shrugged a shoulder again.

 “Thank you.” Cliff took a seat and gave a reassuring smile to the small Omega. Matthew just watched him in silence a few moments, then seemed to lose interest and directed his attention to the blinds over the hospital picture window. Interesting, Cliff thought. A clear rejection, but a passive one. The boy didn’t snap and scream at him—he just chose to ignore his presence. Perhaps he expected Cliff to get tired of sitting in the quiet and to leave, but Matthew didn’t know Cliff Creighton. Very, very few people were as stubborn as Cliff was.

They sat for several minutes in silence. As he waited patiently, Cliff drew his eyes over the Omega, searching for what visual clues he could. Upon closer inspection, the thinness of the boy did not look entirely like frailty—he had some tight wires of muscle on his arms, a subtle sign of strength. Cliff also saw scars, some old and some newer, along Matthew’s forearms and elbows. They didn’t look like intentional cut marks or usual signs of self-harm—they were more jagged, like scrapes from falling on asphalt. The right elbow in particular had signs of a pretty nasty-looking gash that was still healing. Cliff looked at it curiously, trying to imagine what situation had made the mark.

“He doesn’t beat me,” Matthew sighed. His voice was slightly raspy, likely from both lack of use and some irritation to his esophagus by the use of nasogastric tubing during the stomach pump. 

Cliff looked up with a slight start. “Pardon?”

Matthew gestured to the healing gash on his arm. “He doesn’t beat me. If that’s what you were thinking when you saw this. My mom would hate you to come to that conclusion. He doesn’t lay a finger on me. This is just from me—being clumsy.”

Cliff nodded. “Your mother mentioned you’ve been clumsy a lot in your life.”

Matthew gave a slight snort and then shrugged a single shoulder again. The silence returned for a moment, but Cliff was determined not to let it settle again. Matthew had initiated contact, so he clearly wanted to talk, wanted some sort of connection. Cliff’s eyes darted to the side table where a small music player and wireless headphones sat. That worked as an opener.

“What kind of music do you like?” Cliff asked.

Matthew followed Cliff’s glance to the music player a moment. The single shrug returned again. “Nothing you’d know.”

“You might be surprised,” Cliff replied. He decided to roll the dice and take a chance. “Bands from the forums? Music for Omega Moods?”

Matthew started, his grey eyes widening a moment. Success. “How the he—” He cut himself off quickly, his cheeks blooming with a fierce blush. Ah, he stopped himself from swearing in front of an Alpha. Interesting. Matthew took a quick breath and started again, “How do you even know about that board? You’re an Alpha.”

“I have Omega friends,” Cliff said honestly. Well, more like one good friend in Tanner and a few more distant acquaintances, but that sounded too complicated and not exactly as useful for creating a sense of ease and trust.

Matthew eyed him skeptically a moment and flatly muttered, “Really? Huh.” He hesitated a moment. “I still doubt you’d know. What kind of music do you like?”

Cliff smiled placidly. “I don’t have any specific bands I follow, but I enjoy listening to jazz when I’m at home.”

Matthew let out a loud snort. “No one really likes jazz,” he said. “People just say they like jazz to sound smart and cultured.”

Cliff gave an amused grin. “I’m sure there are some people out there who genuinely like jazz. About me, though, you may be right. I couldn’t actually tell you a thing about jazz music.”

Matthew’s lips twitched slightly, as if a smile was threatening to break loose for a moment before it lost the battle to his more blank expression of melancholy.

“Matthew,” Cliff tried again, “I know that I’m not Dr. Wagner and that we just met, but I want you to know that I’m here to listen. You can talk to me if you’d like to.”

“About what?” Matthew sighed, his voice weary with resignation.

“Anything you’d like. We can start with how you’re feeling right now.”

“Oh, peachy,” Matthew said dryly. “That’s why I chased a bunch of allergy medicine with a bottle of wine. Really, I’m just swell.”

“Do you want to talk about why you did that?” Cliff asked.

“No, not really,” Matthew replied.

“Why not?”

Matthew shrugged one shoulder again and let his eyes drift back to the hospital window and its blinds. “I’ve talked about it before. It didn’t make it better.”

“You talked about it with Dr. Wagner?” Matthew gave another non-committal half-shrug. “Well, I respect Dr. Wagner a great deal, and I’m sure he did the best he could. But I’m also not Dr. Wagner. Maybe I’ll understand or hear something or be able to do something to help. You’re not alone, Matthew. You’ve got a whole team of people with you.”

Matthew raised his eyebrows skeptically. “Who is this ‘team’ of people exactly?”

“Myself and Dr. Wagner,” Cliff started, “as well as your parents and your mate. We all are focused on supporting you and your happiness.”

At that, a humorless laugh erupted from Matthew’s pink lips. “My parents are focused on keeping me alive. That’s different than my happiness. And ‘alive’ is a short-term goal. They’ll switch focuses again as soon as I seem to be doing better.”

“And what would they switch to?” Cliff asked curiously.

“Wanting me to be a good Omega and a good mate. Trust me—that’s more the focus than whether or not I’m happy.”

“And what about your Alpha? Dale Hirst?” Cliff said calmly. “I notice you left him out of your assessment.”

The single shrug returned, but Cliff noticed a slight wince flicker across Matthew’s face. “His life would probably be easier if I didn’t even clear the ‘alive’ bar,” the Omega muttered. “I mean, I know he says all the right things. He checks in with my parents, sends me flowers, seems really concerned about me. But if I were dead, at least it’d be over, you know? He would get to be the grieving widower for a bit—with such a tragic story, maybe even stock prices would get a bump—and then he could find a better Omega.”

Cliff frowned. “You seem pretty convinced that you’re not a ‘good’ Omega. Do you want to tell me why you think that?” Matthew let out a brief, humorless laugh and gestured to the hospital bed he was in. “Besides that,” Cliff replied. “Outside of any attempts at self-harm. What makes you feel that way?”

The half-shrug returned as Matthew muttered, “I don’t make him happy. I can’t apparently. And I just get so tired and no one gets it and nothing changes.” Matthews hands clutched at his own shoulders and Cliff recognized the instinctive motion of Omegan self-protection, trying to shield and safeguard the core of his body. He’d seen Tanner do the same during times of severe panic. Matthews nails started to dig into his own skin roughly, and Cliff felt a jolt of alarm. Self-protection spiraling into self-harm and self-flagellation—that was a fast and dangerous slope.

“Omega,” Cliff said sharply, his Alpha tone coming out instinctively. The boy froze immediately. “Matthew,” Cliff then said more softly, trying to imbue his voice with both safety and comfort, “I’d like you to release your arms so that you don’t hurt yourself. Can you do that?”

The boy nodded slowly and carefully let go, placing his hands in his lap after a moment of consideration. Cliff saw the red half-moon impressions on the boy’s arms, but they weren’t too deep and would start fading soon. Cliff let out a small breath of relief.

“Thank you, Matthew,” he said softly. “You did a good job listening.”

Matthew’s body tensed slightly and for a moment there was a flicker in his scent, a brief hint of fresh sweetness that immediately was swallowed again by sour and vinegar.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Cliff suggested. “Let’s think of some things that make you happy. Can you do that for me?” The return of the one shoulder shrug. “How about your music? Does that make you happy?”

One shoulder shrugged again as Matthew muttered, “Sometimes.”

“Okay. What else?”

Matthew stared out the window blinds a moment before sighing, “Flying.”

“Flying?” Cliff confirmed. Matthew hesitated and nodded. “Like on an airplane?”

Matthew laughed quietly. His voice was wistful as he sighed, “I’ve never been on an airplane before.”

Cliff hesitated. He wasn’t sure what Matthew meant, but it felt like a thread to grasp onto. “Would you like to go on an airplane someday?”

Matthew blinked and seemed to think about it. “That sounds interesting,” he admitted.

Cliff smiled. “Maybe that’s a good goal then. Let’s get you well enough that you can take a trip on an airplane. Sound like a good plan?”

Matthew’s face returned to its melancholic mask, and he drew his knees to his chest. He once again shrugged one shoulder. “I think I’m pretty tired,” he muttered. “I’d like to be alone now.”

Cliff cursed to himself. Matthew was shutting down. Clearly, he had said the wrong thing or misinterpreted something. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do to turn that around right now. Matthew had talked to him and had opened up slightly—it was a good first step. The second was letting him know that he was there as support. Cliff took a business card out of his pocket and set it next to Matthew’s music player on the side table.

“That’s my number and email,” Cliff said softly. “You’re welcome to contact me if you need to talk. I have clients tomorrow morning, but I’ll be back in the afternoon before you’re discharged, okay?” Matthew blinked at him with his round, storm-grey eyes. He nodded but didn’t say anything. Cliff gave him the warmest, most encouraging smile that he could. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he affirmed again.

Matthew stayed silent, but—for another brief moment—Cliff smelled a hint of crispness and sugar.

.               .               .

Cliff sighed as he poured himself a glass of wine. He should be able to figure this out for himself, he thought. He was the expert after all. But… more and more he was starting to doubt some of the recommendations in the psychology field around Omegas. After all, if Matthew had such an ideal structure for both presentation and mating and was this unhappy, what could his books and articles really tell him? Cliff needed another source. He glanced at the clock again. The sun was starting to set in the autumn sky outside his window, but it was only afternoon in Seattle.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Cliff scrolled to the near-bottom of his phone’s contact list and hit the button for video call. He took a sip of his wine as he waited in anticipation, the ringing sound ongoing.

Finally, a loud click sounded and then, “Motherfudgebars! Cliff, I swear, if this isn’t important—!”

Cliff blinked at the screen. Tanner looked as handsome as ever, if slightly exhausted, as he tried to hold a large, squirming baby that clearly had other ideas about where he wanted to be. Tanner’s light-brown hair, now pulled up into a messy bun, was a bit longer than when last they’d talked, and there was a slight swell of breasts under his baggy shirt, as Tanner was still in the nursing phase with the twins, but otherwise he looked exactly like Cliff remembered him from college. Exactly as he sometimes appeared in Cliff’s dreams. Cliff gulped and forced a smile.

“Did I call at a bad time?” He asked as Tanner tried to bounce the squirming baby a bit, his image blurring slightly on the video call screen as the program tried to keep up with his quick movements.

“Um,” Tanner sighed, “yes and no. No worse than any other time except that I was putting these Gremlins down for a nap when they heard the video call sound. Jackson always calls on his way home, so they’re basically trained to think they’re going to see daddy soon if they hear that noise. Maybe I should change the ringer—I don’t know.” The large baby squirmed again, and Tanner quickly changed the angle of his hold. A small hand went wild and smacked him in the face, causing Tanner to flinch. “So, yeah, I was just getting them settled down, and now they’re all riled up again.”

Cliff winced in sympathy. “I’m sorry. I can call back another time if—”

“No, no,” Tanner said, “it’s a lost cause now anyway. Okay, you little monsters, you win. No naptime for you right now. Let me just get them settled in the playpen, Cliff.” Tanner disappeared from frame a moment and there was the sound of clattering toys, a squeak of some sort, affectionate sounds of Tanner’s voice as he got the twins settled. Tanner returned a moment later. “Okay, we’ve probably got a few minutes at any rate before I have to deal with some sort of meltdown.”

“You know,” Cliff teased, “the fact that you gave into them not wanting to nap is probably reinforcing bad habits. You’re going to create little you’s. If they turn out to be Omegas, you’ve created a whole new generation of brats.”

Tanner snorted but grinned affectionately. “Have you seen those giants? If those two don’t turn out to be Alphas, I’ll eat my hat. Well, I don’t have many hats, but I’ll eat something. Point is, they’re huge. Elizabeth was like half their weight at this age.”

“How’s the little angel doing?” Cliff asked.

Tanner beamed. “Really good! She’s at a friend’s house right now. Jacks is going to pick her up on his way home from work, which makes my life a little easier. She’s really loving kindergarten through. Already a number counting wiz.”

Cliff sighed, “I wouldn’t have doubted it for a second.”

Tanner smiled and then frowned down at something below the frame of the screen. “Damn, I have peanut butter on my shirt. How the fridge did I—well, I think that’s peanut butter, or at least I hope it’s peanut butter.”

“Fridge?” Cliff chuckled. “And motherfudgebars? Can I assume Jacks finally convinced you not to swear in front of the kids?” Tanner blushed hotly and muttered an affirmation. “You know, if you’d never gotten into the habit of that foul mouth in the first place—”

“Oh, make like that annoying cartoon shark,” Tanner snarked, “and bite me.” Cliff laughed, which caused Tanner’s smile to grow fonder. “So, why the surprise call? I feel like you usually wait for weekends when Jacks is home—any special occasion?”

Cliff sighed. “Actually, yes. I have a client that I’m a bit lost on, and I was hoping talking to you would give me some perspective.”

“Why would talking to—oh.” Tanner blinked and frowned, “An Omega?” Cliff nodded. “I thought you didn’t usually see Omegas.”

“I don’t,” Cliff agreed. “Filling in during an emergency for a colleague. So, I guess he’s not technically my client. But I’m still trying to understand him, and I think I’m missing some puzzle pieces. Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?”

“Not at all,” Tanner agreed. He glanced over at what Cliff assumed was the playpen area, making sure all was well before saying, “Go ahead.”

“Okay,” Cliff said, “do you remember the most difficult times after you presented? When you were depressed and angry all the time?”

“Yeah,” Tanner agreed with a grimace.  

Cliff hesitated and then bluntly asked, “At any point, did you ever consider suicide or self-harm?”

Tanner started. “Holy fuck, warn a guy a bit!” Then he blushed, his hand rushing to his mouth. He glanced over at the twins. “Okay, uh, that didn’t happen. Or it doesn’t count. Fu—um, fudgesicles. I’m sure it’s fine. They probably won’t pick up on it. It’s fine.” He frowned and shook his head, “No, Cliff, I never— actually, wait, let me actually think for a sec.” Tanner closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths. Off camera, there was a clatter of toys and a couple squeals and gurgles. Tanner opened his eyes and nodded slowly, “Okay, so, I didn’t get to the point where I actually considered hurting myself. But I think I probably got… close? A couple times, early on. And I can imagine how easy it would have been for me to feel like that was the best option if things were just a little bit different.”

“What kind of things?” Cliff asked as delicately as he could.

“All of you, honestly. Everyone one in our pack was kind and supportive, and then I figured out that Jackson was basically the sweetest person in the universe and wanted to be a good mate to me. I felt cared about and listened to. I think if everything else was the same but I didn’t have that, things would have seemed pretty hopeless.”

“Is that what made things better?” Cliff said. “Being supported and heard?”

“Yeah,” Tanner agreed. “Just having friends who honestly cared about me. That was really important.” Tanner sighed and frowned. “Does… does your kind-of client have anyone like that?” His pained expression suggested that he already guessed the answer.

“Not as far as I know,” Cliff admitted. “I think ‘hopeless’ just about describes how he’s feeling right now.”

Tanner sighed and nodded. “Well,” he half-smiled, “I’m glad he has you at least. You’re pretty great when you’re not being a total knot-head.”

Cliff blushed slightly and chuckled, “Thanks, Tanner. What a compliment.”

Tanner opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden shriek pierced the air, followed by two loud baby cries in chorus. Tanner groaned. “Well, that was nice while it lasted. I have to go console and mediate. Good luck, Cliff!” Tanner blew a quick kiss, which Cliff knew he meant in a friendly way but still made his chest clench slightly, and the call ended.

That night, Cliff wasn’t at all surprised when the dream returned—was even less surprised that it was dominated by Tanner’s teasing grin more than usual. In the morning, however, there would be a sinking feeling of guilt and dread that, right before the dream’s climactic bite, he had caught what might have been a shadowy glimpse of black hair and storm grey eyes.

 

Chapter 3: Indi Grab

Summary:

Sometimes flying and falling are the same thing; Cliff learns more about Matthew.

Notes:

Similar warnings to previous chapters; in this post, there are discussions about and some descriptions of Matthew's attempts at self-harm. Please take care of yourself if that sounds triggering.

 

Indi Grab, (n., inline variant) An aerial inline skating trick in which the performer reaches down with their left hand across the front of their legs to grab the right skate during a counterclockwise spin. This is also known as a reverse mute.

 
“And I’ll see you in two weeks,” Cliff said in closing. “Be sure to practice your communication exercises and let me know if things seem to improve.” His patient muttered a quick thanks and once again gave him a too-firm handshake—his Alpha patients almost all gave a nearly crushing handshake at the end of sessions, as if needing to reassert their capability and strength after sixty minutes of uncertainty and vulnerability. Cliff didn’t mind, really; he knew the work was difficult, especially when so many of his Alpha patients were having to reframe and reassess common ideas about strength and control in their therapy.

As the Alpha patient left his office, Cliff glanced at the clock. That had been his last session of the day, and it was nearly three in the afternoon. Now he just needed to grab a quick bite to eat—since his weekday patients were almost always scheduled over common lunch hours—and then stop at the hospital to see Matthew before the Omega was officially released back to his family at five. After that, he would hopefully be able to rush to the planned meeting with his mother and not be too abysmally late. Busy day.

Cliff pulled out his phone to turn the ringer back on and froze. Four missed calls from the same unknown number? A chill ran down his spine as he remembered leaving his card for Matthew. Had he missed the Omega wanting to open up, to talk?

Cursing quietly, Cliff hit the button to return the call. The phone barely completed a full ring before the call was answered. However, rather than the young Omega’s hoarse intonation, the voice on the other end was breathily female and more than a little frantic. “Oh, Dr. Creighton! Thank goodness.”

“Mrs. Thompson,” Cliff responded in recognition, “has something happened with Matthew?”

“Yes. He’s gone missing. Again.” She moaned, her voice tight with panic, “His brother brought him a change of clothes this morning, and then, before anyone knew it, Matthew snuck out of the hospital with no one apparently being the wiser. He’s not supposed to have been checked out for hours. The Alphas are very upset.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. The Alphas? He assumed that likely meant both Mr. Thompson and Dale Hirst. He couldn’t imagine it was pleasant for Elena Thompson being caught in the middle and having to manage two overprotective and potentially domineering Alphas, both her own mate and Matthew’s.

“Does anyone have any ideas of where he’d go?” Cliff asked. “You say he’s done this before—does he have any patterns or habits?”

A slight whimper of frustration escaped Elena’s mouth. Cliff felt his nerves immediately respond to the sound of an Omega in distress, his spine and shoulders tightening painfully. “No—or, at least, not that we know of,” she responded, her voice still tense. “He usually disappears only for a number of hours, but…” the strangled whine sounded over the phone receiver again. Cliff recognized how distressed an Omega might feel over her child—even one mated and essentially grown—in danger or missing. It would be agony for her, even without the pressure from the two Alphas. “I… I was calling you partially because I saw your card in Matthew’s room. I wasn’t sure if he confided at all in you—I know you just met, but Dr. Wagner always seemed to have a sense of these things. He even brought Matthew home once, but with him out of town...” There was another one of those horrible whining sounds. Cliff winced.

“I’m not sure where Matthew might be,” Cliff admitted, “but I’ll see what I can do. Don’t worry, Mrs. Thompson. If he’s usually only gone for a handful of hours, I’m sure we’ll get him back soon, safe and sound.”

Another whimper from Elena and a soft goodbye later, Cliff hung up the phone with a growl smothered deep in his throat, his own panic response perhaps not dissimilar from that of Matthew’s mother. While Elena Thompson’s description of the Omega’s history seemed to indicate that his disappearances were fairly common, the fact that he’d so recently made an attempt on his own life troubled Cliff immensely—it wasn’t unheard of for people in treatment to go missing with the intention of further self-harm. Cliff took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm himself, all the while cursing how little he’d learned about Matthew from their brief encounter. Matthew had mentioned that ‘flying’ made him happy, but Cliff had absolutely no idea what that might mean.

He punched Ed Wagner’s number in his cell, hoping that it wasn’t too early in the morning on Ed’s vacation. Edward answered with a groan, “Let me guess. Matthew’s gone again.”

Cliff blinked. “Good guess. He’s not supposed to be officially checked out until this evening, but his mother just called and said he’s missing. Honestly, I have no idea how he managed to sneak past a slew of attentive hospital workers.”

Ed grunted. “He has a lot of practice—his family basically keeps their house on lockdown constantly and he’s still managed to sneak out of his room over the years. This is old hat for him.”

Cliff hummed an acknowledgement and then sighed carefully, “His mother mentioned you brought Matthew home once. Care to share the secret on that one? I’m worried about his safety if he’s out alone right now.”

There was a shuffle of noise on the other end of the phone, and Cliff heard the muffle of an apology from Ed to his wife and then another few clatters as he clearly moved to another area for their conversation. “Look, Cliff, I… I understand being worried, but if I tell you what I know, I need you to go get him yourself and not pass on this information to his family or his Alpha. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that.”

Cliff frowned. “Doctor-patient confidentiality doesn’t apply to Omega patients. We’re required to report to their Alphas. If I’m directly asked—”

“We’re also required to take reasonable steps to avoid harming our patients,” Edward interrupted. “And there are judgements to be made when a patient’s safety is at risk. I truly believe there’s a likelihood that Matthew will self-harm more severely and more frequently if he loses this outlet. It’s not ideal, and I’ve been trying to work with him on safer coping skills that don’t have him disappearing on his family and his mate without warning, but until I can find one then this is where we’re at. I’m not asking you to lie—just be evasive if you need to. Non-specific. Can you promise me that, Cliff?”

Cliff sighed. This was tenuous legal ground at best, but the insistence in Edward’s voice was persuasive—Cliff believed that Ed was trying to truly look out for Matthew’s own good. “I can promise to do my best,” Cliff agreed with a sigh. “I won’t offer the information, and I’ll try to be vague if asked. That’s all I can do, though—I’m not risking my license for a runaway Omega, Ed.” Not even an achingly delicate and gorgeous one with haunting eyes that was already starting to creep into his dreams. Fuck.

“Good enough, I guess,” Ed grunted. “Check the park by the bus depot. That’s the most likely given recent circumstances, but if he’s not there then I’d check the little city park on Fulton—the one under the freeway.”

Cliff stiffened and felt himself baring his teeth as he growled into the phone, “Bus depot? Under the freeway? What the hell are you letting him do, Ed?”

The bus depot was notorious for sex worker congregation, including occasional widowed or abandoned Omegas without proper protection or support. Cliff had never gone there himself, but he’d counseled more than one straying Alpha to know the implications of that area. It was also notoriously dangerous, with missing persons—principally isolated Omegas—reported weekly.

“He’s a mated Omega,” Cliff continued, “and you’re not telling his mate that he spends time—”

“It’s nothing like that,” Edward sighed. “Look, if you find him, you’ll see when you get there. Just… be kind to him, Cliff. Please.”

Cliff bit back another growl, forcing out a muttered “Of course” instead and a quick greeting to Ed’s family before hanging up the phone. He stood in silence a moment, frowning. What the hell was the mate of a literal millionaire doing at a public park near the bus depot or under a freeway? Cliff felt his stomach clench in worry and another rumbling growl stick in his throat as he grabbed his keys and rushed out the door. Every cell in his body was telling him that he needed to find and protect the Omega. An image appeared unbidden in his mind of grabbing Matthew to him, of holding him tight and not letting him go, of shielding him, of comforting him.

Noting the reaction, Cliff completed a series of breathing exercises as got in his car and began to drive, after which his nervous tension lessened slightly and his head began to clear. He cursed to himself, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. This was partially why Alphas were a bad fit for an Omega’s treatment, he noted. He was already too invested in protecting the young man from both imaginary and non-imaginary evils. He needed to get his instincts under control, to stay distanced and professional.

He parked a block away from the park by the bus depot, keeping his eyes peeled as he walked. It was early in fall, the air still clinging to the memory of warmth as the trees began to inch their way toward shades of yellow and orange. School was back in session, so the park was fairly empty except for a few vagrants, a cluster of people near a hot dog stand at the side of the park, a pair of grandparently figures on a walk around the perimeter, and a small group of twenty-something Beta skateboarders who were rushing between the park’s north stairs and a small skating ramp near the south entrance. Cliff scanned the park cynically—it seemed rather unlikely that this empty, run-down park was the secret haven for the delicate little Omega in question.

Then, unexpectedly at the top of the park’s south skating ramp, Cliff caught the briefest glimpse of pale skin and black hair. His breath stuck in his throat a moment, and Cliff found himself walking closer to the ramp area, his eyes sharp and attentive.

There was Matthew, and he was flying—at least for a moment. Cliff watched as the small body spun above the ramp, turning in the air before disappearing behind the concrete slope again. Cliff walked a bit further and to the side, observing curiously but giving the Omega a wide berth of space. Cliff watched as Matthew, dressed simply in dark jeans and a loose tee, spun and twisted and moved effortlessly forwards and backwards around the small ramp area. On his feet were jet-black skates decorated with small streaks of silver.

Cliff observed with wide eyes as Matthew’s body launched up, his knees tucking in as he spun around. Cliff found himself holding his breath as the small Omega’s body turned and twisted in the air. He only allowed himself to breathe again as Matthew landed deftly and then skated backwards for a moment until he jumped again, shifting his weight and changing around his skating direction. His dark hair in the air reminded Cliff of raven’s wings, and the blond Alpha stood nearly entranced as Matthew skated, spun, and swirled around the ramp space. Each time, the Omega seemed to try and push himself further—at one point tucking his knees and grabbing one of his skates during a jump, then launching himself higher at the next pass to try and push himself into a further rotation, his body crunching into a small ball to spin faster. Each time, Cliff held his breath as Matthew launched into the air, each time only breathing out again as the boy’s wheels landed back on the concrete. It was like a sort of terrifying meditation or prayer as he watched Matthew continue to push himself faster and higher.

Finally, Matthew landed just a little bit wrong, his skates sliding out from under him and his body tumbling to the ground. Cliff felt for a second like he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him just by watching and he tensed, ready to run forward and check on the fragile Omega. However, Matthew didn’t seem distressed or hurt—instead, as the Omega slowly got up and brushed some dirt from his pants, he was smiling a bright, perfectly contented smile.

‘Flying’ made him happy, Cliff noted. Suddenly the statement made sense.

Cliff cleared his throat as he moved forward, alerting the small Omega to his presence. Matthew tensed and frowned in recognition, but Cliff did his best to keep his face calm and reassuring. “You’re very good at that,” he said warmly.

“Falling?” Matthew replied flatly. He was still on his guard, his smell lightly hinting of sharp vinegar, even in the wide-open park air.

Cliff shook his head. “It looked to me like you were flying.” He watched as Matthew’s shoulders lost some of their tension and the sharpness of the smell dissipated ever so slightly. “So, you Rollerblade?”

Matthew snorted immediately. “How ancient are you? That’s not what it’s called anymore.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. “It’s not? What do you call it then?”

“What I do specifically? Aggressive inline skating,” Matthew clarified, his lips pulling at the edges as if fighting off a smirk.

“Well, whatever it’s called, it’s very impressive. Although,” Cliff fought down the protective flare up in his scent, “I know there are a lot of people who would probably feel better if you wore some sort of safety gear. Like a helmet or something.”

Matthew shrugged a shoulder and then skated over to collect a small drawstring bag. He held it up, his normal shoes bulging inside the netted fabric. “No room for armor in here, only the skates. I work with what I can. I don’t fall all that often though. Not anymore.” He slipped the strings of the bag around his shoulders, so it slung like a small backpack, then frowned and looked up at Cliff with what seemed like storm clouds in his grey eyes. “So… are you here to take me back to the hospital?”

Cliff opened his mouth to answer, but his stomach gave an embarrassingly loud grumble before he could. Matthew bit his lip as if to fight down another grin as Cliff sighed, “Before anything else, I need some food. Have you eaten this afternoon either, Matthew?” The Omega slowly considered and shook his head. “Then first, I’m going to buy us both lunch. Then we’ll talk about getting you back to your family. Deal?”

Matthew hesitated a moment, then nodded—his eyes lowering in dutiful obedience. The logical part of Cliff cursed that Matthew’s lowered eyes were a sign that he saw him more as an Alpha to be obeyed than a possible safe-haven or confidant. On the other hand, the raw and instinctive part of Cliff practically sang, his gut clenching with pleasure at this Omega’s lovely, sweet, and immediate submission.

Fuck. He needed to get his instincts under control. Cliff took a few deep breaths again and centered himself. “Okay, I saw a hot dog stand over to the side of the park. Does that work for you?”

A pleased beam flashed on Matthew’s face as he looked up. “Oh, that sounds awesome. I’ve always wanted—” Then his gaze darkened and his eyes lowered again. “Um, I mean. I’m not supposed to have processed meat, Alpha. It’s one of my rules.”

Cliff sighed. Ah, one of those. He knew many Alphas who put their Omegas on strict diets, forbidding any foods deemed non-ideal for pregnancy, regardless of the Omega’s obstetric status. Cliff absently wondered if the food rules were established by Matthew’s parents or by Dale Hirst.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Alpha,’ Matthew. And I would imagine,” Cliff offered carefully, “that one of your rules was also not leaving the hospital without clear permission.” A new blush spread across Matthew’s pale skin, and he gave a small nod. “Well, then I think we can consider the rules a lost cause today, right? Let’s get you a hot dog.” Cliff paused and gave a conspiratorial smirk, “And maybe a soda too if you’re feeling especially rebellious.” He imagined that both sugary foods and caffeine were also on Matthew’s list of banned foods. The surprised half-yelp that escaped from the Omega’s lips was confirmation enough.

As they moved toward the food cart crowd, Cliff took out his phone and fired off a quick text to Elena Thompson: <<Found Matthew. He’s safe. Getting him some food and then having a quick session to process his actions. I’ll bring him back to the hospital as soon as we’re finished.>>

He hoped that covered his bases, both allowing the Omegan mother space to breathe a sigh of relief while also buying a bit of time. Next to him, Matthew alternated between skating backwards on the sidewalk and casually jumping on and off the park’s concrete planter boxes at a variety of creative angles. 

“Okay,” Cliff said as they approached the cart, “have you ever had a street-cart hot dog before?” Matthew shook his head, his grey eyes wide with anticipation. “Then the classic order here is one dog with onion relish and sauerkraut, then topped with spicy brown mustard. That sound okay, or do you want to order something else?”

“No, that sounds great, Al—I mean, Doctor.” Matthew hesitated slightly and said, “And, um, a Coke too?”

“And a Coke too,” Cliff agreed. He placed their order with the hot dog seller, trying not to be either too distracted or instinctively overprotective as Matthew continued to skate around the area, hopping on and off various levels of concrete and spinning in convoluted circles.

They found a park bench—which Matthew seemed compelled to jump on top of and skate across before sitting down—and tucked into their hot dogs and sodas. At his first bite, the pleasurable moan Matthew let out was practically pornographic, and Cliff had to take another moment to focus on breathing exercises again.

Cliff let them both eat in silence for a few minutes, waiting until Matthew was done with his food and just nursing his soda before asking, “So, what do you like about skating?”

Matthew took a sip of his Coke and seemed to think a moment before he sighed, “It gets me out of my head. I can just focus on the air, my body, and the tricks. When I manage to pull off a really good spin or jump or flip, I feel amazing. I just feel… free.”

“Is that why you left the hospital today?” Cliff asked. “You wanted to feel free?”

Matthew hesitated and nodded, his expression darkening and his eyes lowering again. “I guess. It’s just… it was the one chance I saw to get out and skate for a bit. After I do something like this—hurt myself or go when I’m not supposed to—everybody cracks down, and it’s harder for me to get away. Figured if I’m going to be on lockdown anyway because of the pills, may as well get a good skate in beforehand, you know?”

Cliff nodded slowly. “Dr. Wagner mentioned that you two are working on ‘safer’ coping skills?”

A small growl escaped Matthew’s throat and Cliff caught a brief glimpse of real anger on his face before the Omega’s expression turned submissive and passive again. “He… he thinks that there are things I can do to make myself happy that won’t involve me sneaking around to skate. He’s pretty sure that I can find ‘the right coping strategy’ and then can work on being happy ‘within the limitations of reality,’ as he puts it.”

“You seem skeptical,” Cliff observed.

“No freaking kidding,” Matthew half-snarled then immediately blushed an even deeper red and bowed his head once again.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” Cliff said. “Lowering your eyes and trying to censor yourself. I’m not just an Alpha you have to obey—I’m here to listen and to help you if I can.”

“We both know that’s not really true,” Matthew replied flatly. “You don’t work for me—you work for my parents and by proxy my Alpha.”

“Technically,” Cliff sighed, “I don’t work for anybody. It’s Dr. Wagner who I’m doing a favor for.”

Matthew blinked and seemed to think about that a moment. “Huh. Well, I guess that’s… technically true. And I suppose you already know what a crappy Omega I am, so it’s not like me being a little snarky is going to be all that shocking to you, even if you’re an Alpha. You’ve literally seen me at my worst in about three different ways by now.” A small chuckle escaped Matthew’s lips and the barest hint of a smile appeared again. “That’s kind of… weirdly comforting.”

“Good. I want you to feel comforted,” Cliff said. “But, for the record, I don’t think you’re a ‘crappy’ Omega. I think you’re a someone who is trying to find some sort of happiness while feeling very sad and confined.”

“I think a lot of folks would say that is being a crappy Omega,” Matthew replied flatly.

“Well, a lot of folks are wrong. Omegas are people, just like Betas and Alphas are. All people need care, support, and compassion—all people need at least a chance at happiness.” Cliff looked directly at Matthew as he said, “You’re not ‘crappy’ for wanting happiness, Matthew. Wanting to be happy is a completely normal desire.”

The Omega’s grey eyes became glassy a moment, but then he shook his head, looked to the side—more in evasion than submission this time—and took another careful sip of his soda. “Um, so, if you really want me to feel comfortable with you? Don’t call me ‘Matthew.’”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Only my parents and my Alpha call me that,” he grumbled with a slight flush. “I prefer ‘Matty,’ honestly.”

“Okay then. Matty.” Cliff smiled, “That’s a nice name.” The small smile graced the Omega’s lips again, and Cliff smelled a hint of sweetness and apple cider in the air. “Did you come up with it yourself or did someone start calling you that?”

“My brother called me ‘Matty’ when I was a child,” he responded. “And then my tutor called me by it, and I use a version of it on some of the message boards. I just really like it.” A slight breeze flowed across the park, catching some of Matty’s loose black hair, blowing it to the side and reminding Cliff of blackbird wings again. There was something about Matty—Cliff was surprised at how easily his mind made the switch, how the adorable name shortening seemed to fit the small Omega—that really did seem to belong in the air.

“I completely understand,” Cliff said, his voice perhaps a little more emphatic than conventional. When Matty looked at him questioningly, he explained, “I go by a shortened name too. My first name that you may have seen on my business card—Clifford—no one really uses that in my life. All my loved ones just call me ‘Cliff.’” Really, there was only one person that consistently still called him ‘Clifford,’ and Cliff tried to avoid talking to him as much as possible.

Matty hummed in affirmation, his mouth shaping the short name silently before saying, “It’s kind of cool that we have that in common. I think the name suits you, Doctor. The shorter version is very, um, sturdy.”

“Thank you, Matty.” He felt half-mesmerized as another happy blush bloomed across the Omega’s face. Then Cliff shook his head and sighed, “I do have one question about yours, though. Is there a reason you don’t ask your Alpha to call you by your preferred name? He is your mate after all. If you want—”

Matty shook his head emphatically, his eyes widening in panic. He interrupted in a breathy jumble, “No, that’s not… look… he already thinks… it’s just…” As if overwhelmed by his own thoughts, Matty froze and let out a small whimper. “Please,” he said softly, “um, I know it’s a lot to ask, but please don’t tell him I prefer to be called Matty. Please.”

“Why not?” Cliff responded with a frown. Cliff watched in mild horror as Matty’s arms once again crossed over his body protectively and his nails began to dig and scrape into his own skin, a muffled whimper sounding behind the Omega’s tightly pressed lips. “Omega,” Cliff said, hardening his voice slightly but not yet using his Alpha tone, “you don’t have to be scared. It’s just us here. But please, help me understand—why do you want this kept a secret from your Alpha?” Matty shook his head and shut his eyes, a single tear escaping to run down his cheek. His nails dug in deeper until Cliff could see angry red scrapes and marks forming on the Omega’s pale arms. “Omega,” he repeated, softer again but clear. “Matty.”

“Because he’ll take it away too!” A strangled sob choked out of Matty’s mouth and more tears began to pour down his pallid face. “That’s the punishment when I mess up—he takes away the things I like. And I mess up a lot—I’m a crappy Omega, remember? I know it sounds crazy because, I mean, I know a nickname isn’t exactly something you can take away. But I feel like he could find a way and right now he doesn’t know about it—he doesn’t have it. So, it’s safe. I just want to keep it safe—like my skates.”

Matty let out a strangled sob and pushed himself up and away from the table. Before Cliff could say anything, the Omega skated determinedly away, kicking his feet out wide to pick up speed. Cliff cursed under his breath, shoving the hot dog wrappers and nearly empty sodas into the trashcan a little harder than intended as he rushed to follow.

Of course, skates were faster than even a fairly large Alpha in dress shoes, and Cliff watched as Matty rushed determinedly toward the park entrance. However, instead of skating out of the park and fleeing the way Cliff expected, Matty turned toward the stairs and jumped, his shoulders square with his legs and his knees bent. He landed cleanly on the stair’s rail handlebar, his knees seeming to bend sideways as he slid down, his skates slickly perpendicular to the railing. Cliff found himself holding his breath once again as Matty reached the end of the stairs and jumped, tucking his knees to his chest and spinning once before landing solidly on the ground. Then he skated back toward Cliff, shaking a bit of tension out of his shoulders.

“I needed to get it out,” he explained as he rolled closer to where Cliff was standing. “If I don’t get it out through something like skating then…” Matty looked at his reddened arms and frowned.

“Then you scratch yourself or take allergy medication by the fistful?” Cliff sighed in recognition.

Matty frowned. “I mean, the allergy medicine wasn’t exactly a winning choice—my parents just did a good job of clearing out most everything else.”

Cliff found himself quietly grateful for that—with everything he’d seen and heard so far, he doubted Matty got a chance to skate out his feelings very often. He wondered how often the Omega felt overwhelmed and spiraled into this panic and depression and hopelessness, how many chances he’d taken to harm his body in large and small ways over the last few years.

More than ever, Cliff was convinced that the Alpha—Dale Hirst—was a significant source of at least the current problem. There was clearly behavior dynamics that needed to be addressed.

But not now. Right now, the Omega needed encouragement and praise, not further probing. Cliff gave Matty the kindliest smile he could and said, “You know, your mother told me that you were horribly clumsy. From what I just saw, though, you have just about perfect balance. That’s pretty amazing, Matty.”

Matty blushed and this time he couldn’t quite hold back the full, pleased smile from his face. “That was a simple Royale grind,” he laughed bashfully, “followed by just a tiny aerial spin. It’s not much.”

“I would land absolutely flat on my face if I tried that,” Cliff assured him. “I don’t think I could try even more basic maneuvers on those skates, let alone the rest of it. I really can’t imagine how many broken bones I’d have trying to do what I’ve seen you do today.”

Matty hummed, his eyes bright with pleasure and amusement. “Well, I’ve only had three—left wrist twice and my right knee once. But more practice means fewer injuries.” So would safety gear, Cliff guessed, his chest clenching protectively. Matty smirked at him now, giving Cliff a quick appraising glance up and down. “And I don’t know—I think you could pull off a pair of skates, Alpha. I mean, um, Doctor.” Another hot blush hit Matty’s cheeks, but this one didn’t come accompanied by any sour smell of cider vinegar. Instead, the smell was something warm and sweet and dangerous.

Cliff forced himself to cough to clear some of the scented air from his system and once again focused on locking down his reactions and scent. “I think I’ll leave the skating to you, Matty,” he said, hoping his voice sounded warm but not overly fond. Professional boundaries, he reminded himself.

Before their conversation could continue, Cliff’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He opened it to see a text reply from Elena: <<We have managed to check Matthew out of the hospital now and have gathered his things. When you are finished talking with him, please bring him to the following address.>>

A second text followed with an address and map link.

Cliff frowned. “Your mother says that you actually don’t need to return to the hospital,” he reported.

Matty frowned back in reply. “What about discharge?” Cliff read the text message aloud and watched as the color slightly drained from Matty’s face. “Dale—my Alpha is with them. He’s the only one…”

“…who could check you out of the hospital,” Cliff agreed. “Is the address his—I mean, is that the address of your home together?”

For a moment, Matty’s expression looked like he was biting back a sarcastic comment, but then he just shook his head while his face remained placidly mournful, almost blank. “No, it’s my parents’ house. He… he doesn’t have time to manage my disobedience right now. It’s an important time for the company, you know.” Even only hearing the Alpha’s words presumably parroted from Matty’s mouth, Cliff almost flinched. The disappointment and rejection being communicated was staggering, and such a statement would hit even harder for a bonded Omega mate.

“Well,” Cliff sighed, “at this point, we can only delay so long, Matty. I’ll talk to your family about setting up another time for us to talk before Dr. Wagner returns. For now, is there anything you want to discuss or process before we head over there?”

Matty hesitated, staring down at the ground a moment, and then shook his head. “No, but I need to get back to the depot first.”

Cliff’s every nerve felt like it tightened at once. “Why in the world do you need to go there?”

Matty nodded at his feet, still locked into his black and silver inline skates. “I need to store these. I keep them there, in the lockers.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows, his tension not lessening in the least. “Which means that you’d return to the depot alone again. Matty, do you have any idea what could happen to you in a place like that? It’s not safe. The only Omegas who typically go there on their own are selling themselves.”

Matty shrugged a shoulder and scowled. “What other kind of place has lockers that anyone, even me walking in from off the street, can use—where I can just go as an unsupervised Omega and people aren’t going to care that much?”

“They don’t care because you’re unsupervised,” Cliff explained, his voice just barely held back from an animalistic snarl. “You’re vulnerable. Omegas have gone missing and died around the bus depot, Matty.”

Matty rolled his eyes. “Some have gone missing because they’ve gotten on buses. People do run away, you know.”

“And some haven’t,” Cliff sighed. “You shouldn’t be going there alone.”

“It’s my only option!” Matty’s voice was halfway between a growl and a whine and his hands were practically shaking. “I can’t take them home. My Alpha threatened to take them away after I took a spill last year—I really cut up my hands and my knee. He thought I had the skates for running errands and going to the store, that I wasn’t paying attention and was just clumsy. He said if I couldn’t focus on where I was going and take care of myself, then…” He whimpered and crossed his arms over himself, stopping short of digging his nails at his skin again. “I can’t lose them. Somedays it all seems hopeless and stupid and awful, but if I don’t have any access to my skates then every day is going to feel that way.”

Cliff looked at the small Omega. “Matty… how many times have you gotten your skates from the depot?”

Matty hesitated and muttered, “Three times. Total. This is my third.”

“And you’ve been really lucky,” Cliff sighed. “I’m glad nothing has happened to you. But I can’t take you back there knowing the risk. There has to be a safer place for your skates.”

“There isn’t,” Matty insisted. “I’ve thought about it a lot.”

Cliff smothered another growl in his throat and wracked his brain for other ideas. In many ways, Matty was right. There weren’t safe places for Omegas to store things without their Alphas knowing—that was more by design than by accident. “I’ll come up with something,” Cliff vowed. “Or we’ll think of something. I don’t know right now, but there must be a better option that we’re not imagining. For now, why don’t you just put them in my car? I’ll take you to your family and—”

The noise that Matty made was primal and frantic. “I’m not taking them to him. I won’t.”

Cliff held up his hand in a calming gesture and tried to quiet his voice. “We won’t bring your skates inside, Matty. They’ll stay locked in my trunk.”

“No!” Matty pushed back slightly, his skates moving him instantly out of arm’s reach. “Nowhere near him. No excuse where he asks you to open your car or where he sees my bag. They can’t be there. No chances.” The young Omega’s storm-grey eyes flashed again and Cliff caught a hint of bared teeth as Matty declared, “You don’t have to help me—I can store them myself at the bus depot. If you try to stop me, I’ll skate away. I’m faster than you right now—you know you can’t catch me.”

“Matty,” Cliff said softly, “please listen. I’m just trying to keep you safe. Okay, so you don’t want your skates anywhere near your Alpha. What if…” Cliff hesitated a moment and then spit out reluctantly, “what if I held onto them for you until we come up with a better plan? We can drop them off at my office before we see your family. It would be a temporary solution, but I’d feel a lot better if you weren’t going to the depot on your own. I just want—I mean, my job is to help keep you alive and well. Can you help me with that?”

Matty hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. “You promise we’ll meet up soon? And… and I can call or text you about my skates?”

“About anything you need to,” Cliff agreed, “including your skates.”

Matty bit his lip and considered a moment, then nodded. “Okay, as long as they don’t come with us to my family—and you promise to keep them safe.”

“I will. I promise,” Cliff agreed.

Matty nodded again, and the two of them made their way to Cliff’s car in companiable silence, broken only occasionally by the clicking sound of Matty’s wheels as he spun and swirled along the sidewalks. When they arrived at Cliff’s black Mercedes, Matty raised an eyebrow. “How much do psychologists get paid exactly?” he joked.

“Not that much,” Cliff sighed in reply. “This is a hand-me-down.”

“Really? From who?”

“My father,” Cliff bit out. “He’s a surgeon—they make a lot more, in case you were wondering.”

“Oh.” Matty stared at him a moment, his eyes distant as if assessing something about Cliff. Then he half-shrugged and sat on the sidewalk’s edge to click open the locks on his skates and slip back on his running shoes. As he did so, Cliff checked the Maps app on his phone and sucked in a breath. One of the bridges was closed because of an accident and the afternoon traffic was getting denser—going back to his office would add a whole other hour to their drive, which would then require an explanation to the Thompsons and Dale Hirst. Not following through on his promise to Matty, however, wasn’t an option—he needed Matty’s trust, and Matty was terrified of allowing the items essential to his limited happiness anywhere near his mate.

Cliff cursed and checked the route options a few different ways, each one adding more and more time. Going all the way to the office wasn’t really an option. But on this side of the bridge was…

Cliff winced. So much for keeping things professional.

“Matty,” he sighed, “how would you feel about dropping your skates off at my apartment? It’s more on the way to seeing your family.”

The young Omega looked at Cliff with a strange, unreadable expression, then nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he said softly, “that would be fine.” He slipped the skates into the mesh bag and nodded. “I’m ready to go.”

“Okay,” Cliff agreed. “Me too.” He gave Matty a reassuring smile as he opened the car door, but as Matty slipped into the passenger seat, Cliff couldn’t hold back the sinking feeling that he’d just decided something that he could never again take back.

 

Notes:

Schedule note (June 2021) - A series of heatwaves have hit the United States and Canada over the past weeks. While this has been overall pretty awful, one upside is that I now have some interesting ideas and inspirations for a response to Valentina3110's one-shot request for Tanner and Jackson's first heat alone in Seattle. Expect that entry in "Lucky Moments" next week, followed by the next chapter of "Perfect Balance" the week after.

Chapter 4: Disaster Grind

Summary:

Cliff learns more about Matty and the Omega's relationship with his mate, Dale Hirst

Notes:

This is the last chapter with a major trigger warning for blunt discussions of Matty's attempts at suicide. Please do not read if you think these descriptions, references, or discussions would be triggering. Secondary trigger warning also for (potentially subtle, but still very present) emotionally abusive behavior both referenced and briefly depicted.

Also, 'The Problems' were an idea I had all the way back when I was first starting "Adjustment Period," so I'm happy to finally work them in to this story, even if their context became slightly more eerily "real" with some recent pop music news. It's always a bit disturbing when real life starts to resemble plot hooks in an alternate universe dystopia.

 

 

Disaster Grind, (n., inline skating variant) An aerial inline skating term describing when a skater jumps (sometimes also completing a grab), lands, and immediately transitions into a grind. Also sometimes called a Frontside or Frontside Disaster.

“Here we are,” Cliff sighed as he unlocked his apartment door. “You can place the skates wherever you feel the most comfortable—anywhere that you feel is the safest.”

Matty stepped in the hallway and glanced around curiously. “Honestly, as long as they’re secure here and not accessible to my Alpha or my parents, I don’t really care that much,” he muttered, his eyes still darting around the minimalist space.

“Then feel free to drop them wherever,” Cliff said, trying to sound casual. This was a giant breach of professionalism, but he was trying not to let his absolute panic and self-flagellation sour his scent and potentially upset Matty. He didn’t want the Omega to feel either like an inconvenience or like Cliff was unreliable support.

Matty wandered further into the apartment’s wide open living area and glanced around some more, chewing on his lip a moment. Then he walked over and tucked the skates beside Cliff’s simple, dark mid-century modern couch. Before Cliff could ask if Matty was ready to leave, the small Omega hopped onto the couch, his back flat on the cushions and his head thrown back over the furniture’s angular arm. “This is more comfortable than it looks,” he commented. “Hey, why do therapists in cartoons and stuff have patients on a couch? I’ve never been asked to lie on a couch.”

Cliff bit the sides of his tongue to smother a rather wretched whine and forced himself not to stare too avidly at the fact that the scent glands on the back of Matty’s neck were pressed firmly against the couch arm’s twill fabric, the scars from the Omega’s mating bite peeking out just slightly from the collar of his simple tee shirt. It was the latter detail that felt like a splash of cold water, allowing Cliff to take a careful breath and plaster a calm, professional smile on his face.

“It’s from the early history of psychoanalysis,” he explained as placidly as he could. “Newer forms of therapy have typically given up the couch. Back then, the idea was that the patient would be in a relaxed comfortable position, and then the psychoanalyst would sit out of the patient's eyesight to maintain distance, both literally and professionally.”

Matty chewed at his lip a moment. “Huh. Interesting,” he muttered, squirming slightly on the couch cushions. The motion caused the back of his neck to rub against the couch’s arm more. “I think talking about heavy things would be awkward if you couldn’t see the person listening. Not that you’re my actual therapist, but, um, I like the fact that I’ve been able to see your face today.”

Cliff coughed. Professional distance—this wasn’t just any gorgeous Omega in his den, rubbing on his things. It was a young man who needed emotional support and who had offered him his trust. Letting instincts take over was not an option. Cliff kept his voice calm as he asked, “Are you all set here? Ready to get going?”

Matty didn’t move a moment, staying frozen and staring blankly at the ceiling until he muttered, “Can… can we wait just a few moments? Like, have a glass of water or something?” Cliff saw Matty’s arms twitch, like he was holding back from crossing them over himself. Cliff could smell the twinge of Matty’s fearful anticipation, his dread at seeing his family and his Alpha.

Cliff sighed. This was a terrible idea. An awful idea. All his screaming instincts were clearly signaling that he shouldn’t have Matty in his apartment for even seconds, let alone longer. “Sure,” Cliff still found himself saying. “Let’s get a glass of water. I also have some chamomile tea if that seems calming.”

“Yeah?” Matty said, sitting up and thankfully getting his damn neck off of the couch fabric. “Tea sounds really nice, actually.”

Cliff nodded and walked past Matty, signaling for him to follow. The apartment was partially open concept, with just half of a wall barrier separating the living room from the kitchen area. Cliff didn’t own a dining table, but instead had two square barstools perched on either side of the kitchen island. Like all his furniture and fixtures, the kitchen was mainly made up of sleek, hard lines and understated modern simplicity.

Cliff started heating water in the glass kettle that sat next to his French Press and pulled out a tin of chamomile tea that Tanner had sent him last winter. Matty slid casually onto one of the two barstools and glanced around. “That’s a pretty hefty cast iron,” Matty observed, gesturing to the seasoned pan Cliff always left resting on a trivet next to his stove. “Do you cook?”

“I do,” Cliff admitted. “I find it calming after a long day. Like meditation, but I get to eat the outcome afterward.”

“Nice,” Matty half-sighed. “That’s another thing you can check off on the list of why I’m a crappy Omega, by the way. As many people can attest, I’m a very, very mediocre cook.”

“You can’t possibly be worse than an Omega I lived with several years ago,” Cliff chuckled. “She managed to completely burn a pot just trying to boil water for pasta.”

Matty’s scent went pure vinegar for a moment as the teakettle whistled its readiness. “You used to live with an Omega? Where, uh, is she now?”

“Living very happily with her mate,” Cliff replied evenly as he took down two mugs from a cabinet shelf. “It was back when I was younger and finishing my degree—I was living in a pack house.”

Matty’s eyes widened and the sharp smell dissipated quickly. “No kidding? I’ve heard about pack houses obviously, but I’ve never met someone who actually lived in a pack.” He hesitated a moment and chewed on his lip before asking, “Uh, so, is it true that people in a pack have a bunch of sex with each other all the time?”

Cliff fought down a hot blush and gave Matty a pointed look. “That’s not really appropriate information for us to discuss, Matty. Even if I’m only acting as your doctor temporarily, I think—”

“I’m not asking about you specifically!” Matty insisted with a small smile. “I’m just curious in general. Like, I’ve heard that people share Omegas and that sometimes even Alphas sleep with other Alphas in a pack house. I’m just wondering if the stories have any truth to them.” Matty leaned forward on this kitchen island, his grey eyes practically sparkling. Cliff thought about the similar curious look in Matty’s eyes when Cliff had mentioned airplanes. There was so much of the world that this Omega had likely been kept from in his family’s attempt to keep him safe and pure for his intended mate.

Cliff sighed and poured the hot water over the meshed tea bags. As the chamomile swirled, so did some of his memories. “Sometimes,” Cliff admitted, his voice only slightly tight and strained. “It’s not the case all the time, but Omegas in a pack house will often have a primary, bonded mate but still have relationships with the other Alphas.”

Matty wrinkled his nose slightly. “Doesn’t the mate Alpha get jealous?”

“Sometimes,” Cliff said. He actively did not think of the pain of Nick’s fist against his nose or the sound of lovely Nathaniel’s frightened gasp. “Usually, packs are made up of close relationships that can work through that kind of strain, but that’s one reason why pack living is rare, relatively speaking. It’s also why the packs that are most common occur earlier in an Alpha’s adult life, like during college. Nearly all of my friends from my college pack live with a singular bonded mate now.”

Matty hummed, and Cliff saw signs of a held-back smile. “You know, you didn’t answer the Alphas with Alphas part of my pack question.”

Cliff chuckled. “It happens, sure. But that’s not something I have, well, any intimate experience with.”

Matty’s eyes darkened slightly and Cliff smelled heady sweetness as the Omega’s lips twitched yet again. “I thought we weren’t discussing that kind of inappropriate personal information, Doctor.”

Cliff felt another blush heat his cheeks, and he pushed one of the mugs toward Matty. “Here—the tea is still hot, so be careful.” Matty murmured a thanks, barely keeping a full smirk from his face as he took the mug. If Cliff didn’t know better, he’d think the Omega was intentionally trying to rile him up and tease him. During their pack days, Tanner used to do that all the time—to goad Cliff into calling him a brat, to slyly antagonize him for a bit of fun until Cliff gave into his controlling Alpha instincts and pinned him down for a kiss. That seemed so in opposition to Matty’s previous lowered eyes and meek acquiescence… but then, so was Matty’s quiet rage and wild energy while skating. The dark-haired Omega was a mess of contradictions, and Cliff still didn’t quite know what to make of him.

Now that Matty was casually comfortable, though, it could be a time to glean some further evidence, Cliff considered. “Speaking of information about mating…” he began. Matty looked up with raised eyebrows. Cliff gave a soft, professional smile as he said, “Let’s talk a bit about your Alpha.”

The sour smell was back again, as were the lowered eyes. “What about him, Doctor?” Matty asked, his voice back to its somber flatness.

Cliff sighed. That was no good. “Matty, I’m just hoping to understand. You’ve shown fear about your Alpha, as well as just general unhappiness. Can we talk about that a bit?”

Matty frowned and shrugged one shoulder—so that was back too, Cliff noted. “There’s not much to say. It’s not really his fault, I guess. He had expectations for what his bonded Omega would be like, and he agreed to mate me with the understanding that I could be that.” Matty grimaced. “So, yeah, it’s not his fault that I’ve been a disappointment.”

‘It’s not my fault you’ve been such a pitiful Alpha, Clifford,’ a voice in Cliff’s head said drolly. His gut clenched in familiarity. He knew at least some of the frustration Matty might be feeling. “What are his expectations?” Cliff asked calmly, shoving the memory aside.

Matty blinked a moment and let out a small half-chuckle and half-whimper. “So, that’s kind of the problem—I don’t really know. Every time I think I manage to solve the puzzle and get a handle on it, I mess up again. I mean, I should be able to do this, right? My mom literally spent years teaching me how to be a ‘good Omega’ and part of that is knowing what your Alpha wants. But I have no idea why I’m so bad at this! I try to take care of housework, and then he gets mad that I moved things around. I don’t do the housework, and suddenly I’m lazy and need to be more productive. I try to be affectionate, but he gets pissed if I do it at the wrong time like when he’s thinking about work. Then I stay away and try not to bother him, and he calls me cruel and cold.” Matty let out a frustrated sound and buried his head in his hands.

“It sounds like you have been putting in a lot of effort to be a good mate,” Cliff said softly, “but that much of the feedback you’ve gotten has been criticism.”

Matty shrugged his shoulder again. “I mean, it makes sense that he wants me to be better. And I know it could be worse and that there are people out there who have Alphas who really abuse them. I’m lucky, I guess—my Alpha just wants me to try harder.” A small cry escaped Matty’s throat. “And, yeah, I really did try my best, for a while anyway. I didn’t even sneak out to go skate for months! But I got so frustrated that I couldn’t seem to do anything right. I was so tired and it’s, like, what’s the point? I’m clearly terrible if this is my best and it’s still so disappointing—so, I started sneaking out so I could fly, but I was distracted and I started falling more… which then made my Alpha upset because he thought I was clumsy. He was just really, really disturbed by the idea that I could fall and hurt my face or cause a miscarriage if I ended up pregnant during my next heat. So, one day he had my doctor put me on birth control until I could do a ‘better job’ protecting my body and said he was going to take away my skates.” Matty sawed at his lip with his teeth a moment and admitted, “Which then also became the day I first decided to down a bunch of pain meds from his medicine cabinet.”

“How long ago was that?” Cliff asked. He took a sip of his tea and kept his breathing slow and even, trying to emanate calm through his pheromones so that Matty would feel like he was in a safe place. 

“Almost a year ago,” Matty sighed. “After I did that, things did get weirdly better. For a bit, anyway. My Alpha apologized for not giving me enough care. He bought me flowers and held me at night and… it was okay. I thought maybe things would be fine. But just a couple months later it went back to how it was, but worse because now there was even more evidence that I couldn’t be trusted to take care of my body, right? My family’s always regulated my diet, but my Alpha became even stricter about it. I felt like every move I made was being watched and evaluated, and sneaking out to skate was becoming even harder—so, yeah, I hurt myself again. It seemed like the only option I could think of. But this time, I didn’t die or anything and it didn’t make things better. My Alpha was just furious.”

“Is that when he sent you back to live with your parents?” Cliff said.

Matty nodded. “I’ve been working with Dr. Wagner ever since, and I guess it seemed like I was getting better. They all made a plan for me to move back in with my Alpha last week while Dr. Wagner was in Hawaii… and you pretty much know the rest.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. “Your last attempt was right before you were supposed to move back?” Matty shrugged. “Let’s consider your motives, Matty. Do you feel that you were actively trying to die or that you were mainly hoping to avoid being with your Alpha?”

Matty flinched. “I… I don’t know. I guess I felt like either would be fine. It’s just, well, I don’t know what else to do and I’m so, so tired.”

“You’ve been feeling hopeless,” Cliff affirmed. Matty sighed and nodded. Cliff mirrored his sigh and set down his cup. “Matty, I want you to take three deep breaths and then drink some tea, okay? Can you do that?”

Matty blinked for a moment and then nodded. Cliff watched as the Omega closed his eyes and took his breaths, only the first one interrupted by an emotional catch in his throat. Then he opened his eyes and picked up his tea, taking a few deliberate sips before looking up again. Cliff nodded.

“Good job,” he said. Matty’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Now, I think I understand why Dr. Wagner wanted me to be the one to fill in for him despite it being unconventional for an Alpha to help with an Omega’s treatment.”

Matty gave Cliff a questioning frown. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

“One of my specialties has been in working with Alphas to communicate more positively with their mates. It sounds to me like a lot of this could be communication and feedback issues. Has Dr. Wagner ever tried to have a session with your Alpha?”

Matty shook his head slowly. “I mean, he gives him some updates about my progress, but I think that’s it.”

Cliff hummed and nodded. “It would be hard for Dr. Wagner to intervene as a Beta, plus he’s not really trained in that area. I’ll see if I can come up with some strategies and talk with Hirst.”

Matty blinked. “You’re… you’re going to talk to my Alpha. About how to communicate with me.”

“I’m going to try,” Cliff affirmed. “Many Alphas don’t even realize the messages being sent to their mates through their behavior. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to improve communication and understanding—I’ve seen clients at their wits end and in what seemed like hopeless mating situations, and then less than a year later they’re sending me thank you notes, happy updates, and baby announcements.”

Matty stared at Cliff skeptically. “You’ve never met Dale Hirst,” he said flatly. “He doesn’t take criticism well from what I’ve seen. It’s going to be useless, and you’re not going to be able to do anything.”

“Oh dear,” Cliff sighed. “You don’t realize it, but you just said the best thing to me.”

“What?”

“You told me I couldn’t do it,” Cliff replied with a smirk. “I’m an incredibly stubborn Alpha, Matty. You feel like it’s hopeless—that your life can’t get better and that I can’t help. Well, now I’m more determined than ever.” Cliff wanted to reach over and place his hand on Matty’s shoulder by the tender curve of his neck in reassurance, but he knew that he couldn’t. Instead, he kept his hands firmly on the table and smiled as warmly as he could at the Omega. “Let me add a little bit of hope into your hopelessness. I believe that your life can get better. There are solutions. Trust me.”

Matty stared at Cliff curiously for a moment, his scent fluctuating and oddly muddled. Then the small Omega sighed and drained the rest of the tea in his cup. “Okay,” Matty said. “I’m already trusting you with my skates, right? I guess I’ll trust you that maybe there’s a way my life can get better. Maybe.”

Cliff nodded. “Good. Now, let’s go face your family and your Alpha.”

.               .               .

“Do… do you mind if I put on my headphones and listen to music?” Matty asked. They were nearly across town by now, and according to Cliff’s dashboard GPS less than ten minutes away from the residential address of Matty’s family. “I think I need to calm down, and sometimes it helps.”

“That would be completely fine,” Cliff agreed, “or you’re welcome to use that cable over there to plug your player into the car. I don’t mind. In fact, I’m curious about what music you listen to.” Cliff grinned and added, “It’s clearly not jazz music.”

A strange laugh escaped from Matty’s lips, and he shook his head. “That’s okay. You won’t like it.”

“I don’t have to like it,” Cliff insisted. “You get to listen to it and enjoy it, and I get to have my curiosity slated.”

Matty gave him an uncertain look and then allowed himself a small smile. “I want it acknowledged that I warned you,” he said.

“So acknowledged,” Cliff agreed.

Matty shrugged and plugged in his hand-held music player, hesitating only momentarily before pressing play. The song opened with strings followed by a cacophony of guitar, bass, and drums that signaled a loud but fairly standard rock song, Cliff thought. Then the singer screamed out their opening notes and Cliff felt his whole body tense in discomfort, his hands gripping the steering wheel of the car painfully tight. The sound was practically agonizing, his nervous system immediately kicking into a futile protective mode.

“Is… is this band made up of Omegas?” Cliff managed to cough out through gritted teeth.

“Just the singer,” Matty said, giving both a sort of half-smile in triumph and half-wince in sympathy for the blond Alpha. “They’re called ‘The Problems.’ I think they’re incredible… but they intentionally make music that’s pretty much impossible for Alphas to listen to.”

“Interesting,” Cliff ground out.

“I can shut it off,” Matty offered.

“No,” Cliff said quickly. “No. I said you could listen to your music. So, please,” he winced as the singer hit another painful scream of a note, “go ahead and listen.”

Matty shook his head and grinned, “Wow, you weren’t kidding about being stubborn.” He swiped through his player a moment and then said, “Okay, um, this is a track where the bassist Beta guy sings mostly. It doesn’t have that ‘Omega in distress’ wail going on at all.”

The song changed and, even if Cliff didn’t necessarily care for the music style, Matty was right that at least this new one didn’t make his entire nervous system feel horrendously on fire. Cliff relaxed slightly and noticed out of the side of his vision Matty bobbing his head and mouthing along with the lyrics as the track played. Engrossed in the music, the dark-haired Omega was… well, adorable was the best word for it. This young man was such a strange mix and balance of qualities, Cliff thought. He was hauntingly striking when feeling somber, wildly breathtaking when skating, and sweetly cute when enjoying his music. He was compliant yet wild, playful yet angry, innocently sheltered yet wisely perceptive.

Cliff wondered what Dale Hirst saw when he looked at Matty—surely not the same things. After all, who could see all that and not want to hold on fiercely to the Omega, to keep him close like a treasure rather than brutally send him away?

“So, what do you think about the music?” Matty asked cautiously.

“I will admit to liking this second song better,” Cliff chuckled. “Where did you learn about this band? Message boards?”

Matty nodded. “Yeah, they’re pretty popular in online Omega groups. It’s super interesting—they just got preliminarily picked up by a label instead of just releasing their songs online, but there’s kind of been a thing with Kris—that’s the main singer—trying to get contract signing rights. He had an abusive Alpha that he ran away from a couple years ago I guess, and the court agreed to an emergency claim-transfer to one of the band’s Betas last year, but Kris said he doesn’t want that and instead wants full emancipation. It’s been wild. There’s actually a dedicated thread for any trial updates on the Music for Omega Moods board.” Matty sighed and slouched down further in his seat, “It seems pretty clear the court’s going to deny his request though.”

Cliff nodded. “I could see a judge being reluctant to grant it—it would open the floodgates to a lot of new requests. Not that,” Cliff added quickly, “those requests would be unwarranted.”

“Yeah,” Matty sighed dejectedly. “Anyway, I like their music a lot.”

“Can you tell me what you like about it?” Cliff asked. “Why it speaks to you?”

Matty raised an eyebrow and laughed slightly. “Is this you sneaking in a little more therapy before we get there?”

“I’m just trying to get to know you and understand, Matty,” Cliff insisted.

“Uh huh,” Matty smirked. “Well, obviously the story behind them is interesting. And I guess the fact that Kris sings about his frustrations about being an Omega is relatable. The screaming is, like, really cathartic. And… well…” Matty frowned and hesitated. “There’s something amazing about how unapologetic it all is. Like, Kris very bluntly calls himself a ‘bad’ Omega and the whole band has literally named themselves ‘problems.’ It’s crazy to think about.”

“You’ve been calling yourself a crappy Omega a lot today,” Cliff observed. “How is that different than this Kris person calling himself a ‘bad’ Omega?”

“Pride, I guess,” Matty said with a heavy sigh. “Kris sings like he’s proud of being a problem, like he thrives on not living up to the social expectations for Omegas.”

“And you want to feel proud about it too?” Cliff asked.

Matty shrugged. “Well, either that or not be such a disappointment, I guess. One or the other.” Before Cliff could ask any follow up questions, Matty shut off his player and pointed at a beautiful white Georgian building up on the road ahead. “We’re here. That’s my parent’s place.”

If Cliff hadn’t already been aware that Matty’s family was one of money, the walk up to the house would have made it abundantly clear. The stately townhome was embellished with stone columns and decorated arches, and the front door was secure in ornate yet sturdy iron. Each facet of the house indicated both expensive taste and security. Upon knocking, the door was answered by a young Alpha—maybe mid-twenties—with slightly disheveled hair and casual yet expensive clothes.

“Geeze, Matty,” the Alpha sighed. “Mom totally freaked out when you ran off again, and Dad and Dale are both super pissed. That was real stupid, man.”

Matty kept his eyes low and nodded. “I know, Leo.”

Ah, so this was Matty’s brother, the one who gave him the treasured nickname. Cliff turned to the man and said with a nod, “I’m Dr. Clifford Creighton. I’m filling in for Dr. Wagner while—”

Leo immediately waved his hand somewhat dismissively. “Right, right, vacation or whatever. Great, well, come in if you want. Though it may end up being a shitshow.”

He ushered Cliff and Matty through a marble front hallway, under another ornate arch separating the hall from the main living area, and into a sort of parlor room with both a sitting area and wet bar. Elena Thompson was sitting on a small settee off to one side while two large Alphas stood at the home bar, each with cut-crystal glasses in their hands filled with what looked like a few fingers of whiskey.

Leo cleared his throat as they entered the room. “The shrink brought him back,” he said nonchalantly. 

All at once, Cliff saw Elena Thompson’s shoulders relax while the eldest Alpha—presumably Matty’s father—tensed more considerably, likely the result of an unfamiliar Alpha in his den. The other Alpha at the bar turned and smiled, his grin full of bright, white teeth. “Oh, thank goodness,” the man said. He pushed himself away from the bar and smoothly walked over until he was standing directly in front of Matty. His grin stayed plastered to his face as he took the small Omega’s chin between two of his fingers and titled his head up. “Matthew, you have to know what you vanishing again did to me, to all of us. We’ve discussed behavior like this. I had to cancel all my meetings this afternoon, and your poor mother was worried sick. I hope you’re ready to apologize to us all for the trouble. Not to mention the poor doctor here—you’ve really inconvenienced him as well.”

“No need for an apology to me,” Cliff quickly interjected. “Helping patients during difficult emotional times is my job.” He gave his best cool, professional smile and extended his hand. “Dr. Cliff Creighton, by the way. I assume you’re Matthew’s mate, Mr. Hirst?”

Dale Hirst looked to be in his mid-to-late thirties with a head of thick, brown hair. He wore a well-made suitcoat over a button up, and Cliff caught the glint of an expensive-looking watch at the end of one sleeve. The well-dressed Alpha glanced at Cliff’s extended hand a moment before releasing Matty’s chin in order to shake it, giving another bright smile at the same time and clapping Cliff on the shoulder—a friendly gesture but one done a little too forcefully for comfort. An Alpha trying to subtly establish a sense of dominance and territory, Cliff noted.

“I am,” the Alpha replied smoothly, his voice deep but friendly. “Dale Hirst, and please call me Dale. Well, job or no job, we appreciate you helping out with Matthew here. Quite the handful, isn’t he?” Dale’s hand traveled back to the nape of Matty’s neck, where he gripped firmly. “Hopefully, he didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Not at all,” Cliff asserted. “I think we had a few very helpful conversations today, actually. I could stop by tomorrow if that’s convenient to continue some processing with Matthew, and I was also hoping that you and I could talk soon, have a bit of a check in.”

“I don’t think Matthew needs to waste any more of your time,” Dale smiled. “You’re not even getting paid for this, are you? I’m sure Matthew can manage to not act out again before Dr. Wagner returns. Isn’t that right, darling?” Cliff saw the fingers on Dale Hirst’s hand tighten slightly, gripping Matty’s nape even stronger.

“Yes, Alpha,” Matty agreed, his voice smooth and quiet.

Dale sighed and shook his head, his expression suddenly stained with disappointment. “I swear, doctor, you’d think he would just be the easiest, meekest little thing from his answer, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t guess at all what a difficulty he’s been.” Cliff watched as Matty’s gaze lowered further and his shoulders hunched.

Cliff found himself biting the sides of his tongue a moment before he could force himself to give a professional half-smile. “Well, I would still like to have a meeting with you as soon as you have availability.”

Dale gave a slight grunt before his bright smile returned. “Okay, well, you’ll have to set it up with my scheduling assistant—I’ll give you her name. This week is awfully busy though. There are some new key investors for Insightify who I need to accommodate in my schedule.” His eyes flickered down to Matty once again and he added, his voice tense, “I was supposed to host them at with a dinner at my place earlier this week, but I had to… change those plans.” Dale Hirst smile remained placidly on his face, but even Cliff couldn’t miss the implication: Matty’s attempts at self-harm and his delay in returning to Dale had caused a notable inconvenience. The small Omega had been expected to be back home again, to play the role of supportive mate and co-host for the dinner, to show these financiers a welcoming domestic portrait that would make them want to invest comfortably with the Hirst brothers and Insightify.

Cliff could almost imagine a version of that dinner—Matty would do his best to be attentive and submissive while Dale Hirst dominated the conversation. The investors would be in awe of Matty’s delicate slightness and the uniqueness of his beauty, and they would be charmed by Hirst’s intensity of focus and sociable personality. Matty would be the best, most ideal Omega he could possibly be, try to support Dale Hirst in every way he could—and, at the end of the night, the Alpha would surely still find something to criticize. Maybe Matty hadn’t offered a glass of wine to a guest fast enough, or maybe he’d been too quiet and withdrawn during part of a conversation, or maybe just the opposite and he’d been so friendly as to seem nearly flirtatious. Cliff could see all of it, and he understood in a visceral way Matty’s desire to escape.

Within just a few short moments, Cliff decided that he thoroughly disliked Dale Hirst.

But that didn’t truly matter, he admitted to himself. His job wasn’t to like Dale Hirst—it was to help Matty, and helping Matty meant talking to Hirst and trying to explain to him the effect of his communication. In Cliff’s experience, even the most abrupt and harsh Alphas didn’t actually want to do harm to their Omegas; they just didn’t know any other way and were trying to fulfill their roles as strong mates and leaders the best they could. Surely, even someone like Dale Hirst would want to alter his behavior a bit upon learning how it may be affecting his bonded mate, how it may be truly hurting his precious Omega.

“Well, any time we can find would be appreciated,” Cliff said. He then turned toward Matty’s larger family and said evenly, “I hope you all didn’t have too much of a scare, but I think we can agree that we’re all glad Matthew is safe. Please know that he and I discussed some difficult topics this afternoon, so this evening he would benefit from a bit of a break. I would recommend generally holding off on probing questions and being cautious about any,” he deliberately didn’t look at Dale Hirst’s smiling face, “criticism at this time.”

“Of course, Dr. Creighton,” Matty’s father replied, his voice gruff and heavy. “Thank you for your time and your input.” He made a gesture toward the door with the hand still clutching his whiskey, the dismissal subtle but clear.

Cliff glanced over to Elena, who gave him a very small nod of thanks. She hadn’t been given explicit permission to talk to the new Alpha in her mate’s den; assuming that Mr. Thompson was as traditional as his other habits indicated, small gestures were all Elena could give without breaching propriety. Fuck, Cliff thought to himself—he would never call his own father progressive, but even he wasn’t quite this strictly traditional about household control. Cliff nodded back to Elena as subtly as he could, then glanced over at Matty. Matty’s head remained obediently lowered, and Cliff felt a pang of regret that he couldn’t give the young man a reassuring word or even a smile with his head bowed like that. Instead, Cliff extended a professional goodbye to the Thompson family and Dale Hirst, and then left the way he came, his shoes echoing on the marble floors with each step he took in the direction of the front door.

As the iron gate closed behind him, Cliff felt a growing unease and an awareness that—with Dale Hirst’s firm dismissal and the imminent return of Ed Wagner—he might not ever see Matty again. 

Chapter 5: Mizu

Summary:

As things continue to move forward and he prepares to meet with Dale Hirst, Cliff worries about his own interactions with Matty.

Notes:

I'm going out of town for a bit, so you all get an early update! In fact, it's a triple-update week and a double-update day. At nearly the same time this chapter is being posted, a new entry in "Lucky Moments" has been added that tells a bit of Chapters 4 and 5 from Matty's perspective. I think that really helps fill in a few gaps/things that Cliff doesn't quite realize about the Omega and his situation, plus gives some subtle foreshadowing of a plot-point coming up soon. Also, Matty is just a lot of fun to write.

Trigger warnings in this chapter for implications of abusive behavior, and just a reminder to everyone that in the real/non-fictional world a relationship between a therapist and any form of patient is horribly unethical and should be reported. In this world, though, those crazy pheromones get to be the excuse for everything.

Lastly, a reminder that in this universe, as in many Omegaverse interpretations, scenting at the wrists and neck is incredibly intimate and associated with a sexual relationship. It would be highly inappropriate to scent someone or discuss their scent if one wasn't sleeping with them. Hope that helps make some of the significance of some parts of this chapter clear. Enjoy!

 

 

Mizu, (n., inline skating variant) Based on the word for "water" in Japanese, the mizu in inline skating terms is a style of grind in which the soul foot is locked to the object the skater is grinding and the back foot is perpendicular to the rail or curb.

 

“And then I said, ‘Darling, I am so sorry you felt excluded. Based on all the hard work and skill you put into our last event, I’ll be sure to include you next time we need centerpieces made up exclusively of wilted carnations. I promise.’” Lina Creighton smirked and took a sip of her wine.

Cliff chuckled warmly in response. “You know,” he said, “anyone who says the scariest creatures imaginable are Alphas in a territory dispute clearly hasn’t interacted with Omegas on charity fundraising boards.”

Lina laughed and nodded. “Truly,” she agreed. “The fighting is hidden and more delicate, but no less thrilling.”

Cliff smiled. His mother was such a subtle bitch, and he adored being able to see this side of her. He raised his wine glass in a toast gesture, and she raised hers back with a satisfied grin.

Their wine evenings had begun not long after Cliff graduated college, not long after he actively stopped trying to see his father. He knew part of it was his mother wanting an excuse to see him and make sure her only child was doing well—an instinct not unique to Omegas but certainly stronger—but he also wondered if the chosen activity of visiting over wine was a sort of near-rebellion against her previous restrictions.

Like many Omegas, Cliff’s mother had been forbidden to drink alcohol during her breeding years. Cliff’s memories from childhood always included his father relaxing with a gin and tonic at dinner while his mother placidly sipped on still, bottled water. Not very long into her thirties—when it became clear that she was past her breeding prime and that Dr. Arthur Creighton did not want to take a chance on more children, not given the slim genetic likelihood of a second child being another Alpha—that restriction had lessened and wine had become a more common staple in Lina’s glass. The suggestion for Cliff to join her for a monthly visit over a bottle of wine still felt strangely thrilling, almost like Cliff was her ally in a delayed insurrection against his father.

Cliff wondered vaguely if Matty would ever have those moments—how many years in the future, if at all, it would be before Dale Hirst relaxed and allowed Matty to have even such minor small pleasures.

“Darling,” Lina sighed, “you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what, mother?” Cliff asked coolly.

She waved her hand. “Looking and smelling so horribly depressed. It’s been happening all afternoon. What on earth is the matter?”

Cliff shook his head with a wince. “It’s nothing. I’ve been assisting with a case for a colleague, and I think today was my last time interacting with the patient. It was not very satisfying for closure. I’m just… worried.”

Lina made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Oh, my dear, dear Cliff. Always wanting to save everyone and everything. I’m sure you did what you could. That’s all you can do.” She paused for a small sip, her smile sadly nostalgic. “Do you remember when you found that injured squirrel and decided to bring it home? You wanted to save it, and you thought the home of a doctor would be perfect for nursing the wretched little creature back to health.”

Cliff chuckled and nodded. “And clearly it wasn’t so injured after all—because it immediately started running around the living room and knocking everything over, trying to get out.”

“It was a wild animal,” Lina agreed. “Cute and in need of rescue as it may have been, it wasn’t meant to be caged in a house. By the time we got it back outside, the porcelain vase had been broken, the end-table had claw marks on it, there were smears of blood on the floor, and you were crying because the ‘patient’ wouldn’t stay still to get looked at.”

“I remember father being angry about the vase,” Cliff muttered. “Did… did you get in trouble for that?”

Lina snorted and shook her head. “Oh goodness, no. Darling, it was obvious very early on that you were a headstrong and stubborn child—clearly a little Alpha. If I got in trouble every time you did something like that, your childhood would have been quite horrible indeed.” At Cliff’s questioning eyebrow raise, Line shook her head. “And it wasn’t. Your childhood was the most precious time in the world.”

Cliff nodded with a smirk at her glass. “Even more precious than now, when you can have wine?”

“Wine,” she smiled, “and more specifically wine with you, is running a very close second.” She hesitated a moment and cautiously said, “Speaking of time with little ones…”

Cliff groaned. “Mother, we talked about this.”

“I know,” Lina said adamantly, “but Alana’s cousin’s good friend just presented and his family is supposedly beside themselves. They live upstate, and apparently the choices for financially secure Alphas there are less than ideal—lots of farm owners and professors, but no one from good families. I think you’d be quite the catch. I wouldn’t bring it up, obviously, except that you mentioned your preferences and Alana says he’s a fairly handsome young man, even if he presented a bit late and is a smidge too tall and—”

“Mother,” Cliff half-sighed and half-growled, “you don’t need to find me a mate.”

“So you keep saying,” she exhaled, her lips pursed in a near pout. “But I get worried about you all alone in the city. You deserve someone who would take care of you and comfort you and—”

“And pop out grandbabies?” Cliff interrupted flatly. Lina gave a small shrug and covered the coy twitch of her lips with another sip of wine. “Mother, I don’t need someone to take care of me. I do perfectly fine on my own.”

His mind betraying his words, Cliff thought about his recurring dreams, and even had a brief flash of the possessive desire that ran through him when he saw Matty rubbing the back of his neck on Cliff’s twill couch. Maybe Aubrey had been right at their last session—maybe Cliff was protesting too much. His immediate attachment to and desire for Matty might actually be an important indicator, he realized. 

He sighed. “But… perhaps you’re right that I should keep an open mind. I’ll take a look at some matching apps next week.”

“Apps? Oh darling, what kind of Omegas do you think you’ll find on matching apps? Sub-par ones, surely. Let me talk to Alana and—”

“Lina, the boy made his wishes clear,” a deep voice boomed from the entryway. “Respect them. His decisions about his life are his own as an Alpha. Even if they’re idiotic ones.”

Lina practically leapt up from her seat and craned her neck, her head dropping sideways to her shoulder to expose the full plane of the side of her throat. The angle, as always, looked painful to Cliff. “Welcome home, Alpha,” she purred softly. “I did not expect you this early.”

Dr. Arthur Creighton grunted as he stepped forward, rubbing his left wrist over Lina’s bared throat. He nodded, allowing her to relax. “A surgery was rescheduled. I finished up some paperwork but then decided to return to the comfort of my home.” There was a clear emphasis on the word ‘my,’ his eyes momentarily darting toward Cliff. The implication was obvious—the fact that Cliff wanted to avoid him was less important than the home being Arthur’s personal territory. If the younger Alpha did not want to see the owner of the den, it was his responsibility to go ahead and leave and not Arthur’s responsibility to stay away.

“Father,” Cliff greeted coolly with a nod. He had refused to keep calling his father the more traditional ‘Alpha’ after college, something which Arthur paradoxically seemed annoyed by and respectful of simultaneously.

“Clifford,” Arthur Creighton muttered back. “I heard you were at the hospital yesterday. One of the nurses mentioned it to me and thought it was such an amusing coincidence that there were two Dr. Creighton’s in the building.” His mouth pressed into a thin line as he said, “I, of course, had to correct her that you weren’t a medical doctor—just a PhD.”

“Of course,” Cliff responded flatly. “You had to do that.”

Cliff choosing to go into the ‘soft sciences’ rather than continue to medical school had been a great disappointment to his father. As was almost everything Cliff did, honestly. The older Alpha thought Cliff wasn’t firm or aggressive enough with other Alphas, wasn’t aloof enough with Omegas, was too picky with his ‘preferences’ for male Omegas as potential mates. And, his worst sin of all, Cliff didn’t respect his father’s authority—not anymore, anyway.

During college, Cliff slowly and surely began to see his father’s traditionalism and treatment of his mother as what he truly felt it was: dehumanizing, controlling, and abusive. It didn’t matter to him that it was ‘the way things should be’ between Alphas and Omegas—it was still wrong, Cliff felt. This horrifying realization about his father and people like him had been what drove Cliff into his field specialty of helping Alphas with difficult mating scenarios. The fact that his entire career was essentially a rejection of his father’s way of relating to and controlling a mate had been the last insult and had soured their relationship irreparably.

Almost as a kind of mutiny against his father, Cliff grit his teeth and said, “Mother, I will be looking at some mate matching apps next week, but if you also would like to ask your friend Alana about the family’s contact information, I’ll happily accept it.” His smile was as sharp as a sword as he muttered, “After all, I trust you and value your maternal instincts.”

Arthur Creighton snorted and shook his head, recognizing the comment as more of a dig at Arthur’s beliefs than a true desire to meet this anonymous upstate Omega. Lina smiled regardless and nodded fondly at her boy. Surprising no one, Cliff muttered his goodbyes after that, pointedly giving them more to his mother, and exited the den before he had to exchange more words with his Alpha father.

On the drive home, Cliff found himself seething and gripping his steering wheel painfully tight. Each moment, his rage at his father grew, spilling over like a stormy river might rush over the resistance of a dam, eventually seeping into his growing dislike of Dale Hirst. How different were they really, he wondered. The way Hirst controlled Matty’s eating, the way he expected Matty’s immediate obedience, the way he wanted the Omega to be timid and ornamental—all those views were the ones that Cliff had grown up surrounded by. Any Omega would deserve better than that, Cliff thought, but Matty especially.

Cliff felt a chill run down his spine. Matty especially? Why had he thought that?

These feelings about Matty were getting out of hand, Cliff realized. Even within such a short time of meeting the Omega, Cliff found himself in potentially unethical waters. Cliff was quickly losing perspective and any sense of professional distance. He noted his ever-growing admiration and awe for Matty—for his beauty and his grace, his passion and his skill, his heart and his temper. And that didn’t even touch on the aching lust that Cliff had felt rush through him in the past few days over even the most mundane of the young man’s gestures and actions.

As he pulled into his apartment’s parking garage, Cliff sighed and buried his head in his hands a moment, leaning his forehead against the car’s steering wheel. Fuck. Matty deserved better support than Cliff’s growing fixation—the Omega was vulnerable, innocent, and in need of cool and objective support. He didn’t need Cliff unwantedly lusting after him, imagining their relationship as something it wasn’t. He should have been able to conduct himself better, should have been able to stay logical and distant and professional. Sure, he was an Alpha, but Cliff had prided himself on growing over the years, on being stronger than his instincts, of becoming more sensible and in control.

When Cliff arrived back at the entryway of his apartment, he pointedly didn’t look at the place Matty had lounged and rubbed his neck. Instead, Cliff went straight to the kitchen and cooked himself a simple dinner, all lean protein and vegetables that he barely tasted as he ate. Then he took a book he’d been reading from the side table and went to his bedroom—he would normally read on the twill couch, but he emphatically wasn’t even going to look at that piece of furniture right now. The arm likely still smelled of the Matty’s pheromones, sweet and enthralling and perilous. Tomorrow—well, tomorrow he’d check and see if the smell had dissipated; if not, he would go to the store and pick up a bottle of scent dispellers. But, for now—he wasn’t going to even look at the couch, let alone go and sit on it. Not even for a second. He wasn’t going to be that blatantly unprofessional, that pathetic of a slave to the basest of his Alpha instincts. No, he was going to lie in bed and read his book and then sleep until morning.

He wasn’t going to go to the couch.

He wasn’t.

It was barely more than an hour later that Cliff realized he hadn’t taken in a word of his book. His room felt too warm, and he was far too tense to sleep. Cursing, he set aside the book and stripped off his shirt and his sweatpants. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, stroking his cock idly to hardness. He tried to keep his mind blank, to just focus on the sensation of his hand over tender skin. Then he thought of his dreams, focusing on imagined Omega cries and the feel of a claiming bite on an anonymous throat. That didn’t quite do it either—he still felt agitated and restless.

After a few more minutes, he stilled his hand on the velvety skin of his hard-on and nearly whimpered.

Fuck. He was actually going to do it. How pathetic was he?

He shuffled back into the living room and stared at the twill couch a moment before he crumpled onto the side cushion and leaned forward, pressing his nose against the woven fabric of the arm. A desperate groan burst forth from his lips as sweet crispness twisted into his nose, his cock hardening to the point of it being nearly painful.

Cliff felt his teeth sharpen slightly and a forceful growl rumble in his throat as he tightened his grip on his erection and began to fuck his hand with abandon. He wished vaguely that he had grabbed lotion to make the slide of his hand feel more like the wet insides of an Omega—but lotion would have added a smell, and the only scent Cliff wanted anywhere near him was the fresh apple and honey deliciousness of Matty’s transferred pheromones.

As his hand moved faster, his brain kaleidoscoped small moments and details he’d somehow catalogued of the little Omega over their few encounters. The bright curiosity in his blue-grey eyes. The wind in his hair as he skated. The small bite of his lip after he offered a playful comment. The happy flush on his face after Cliff gave him even the smallest praise. The curve of his throat as he rubbed himself on Cliff’s couch, seemingly unknowing in his wanton scenting, of his leaving this intimate part behind to be coveted, to be savored, to be absolutely ached over.

The head of Cliff’s cock was leaking now and he felt his knot swelling, the Omegan scent in his nose enough to trigger his desire to breed, to claim, to capture, to protect, to keep. In his mind’s eye, Matty would beg for him, but not meekly—he’d be wild and passionate and untethered. He’d be free.

Cliff came with devastating intensity, cum splattering across the couch cushions and dripping down his hand. He groaned, his face still pressed against the woven fabric as he shuttered through his orgasm. He waited for the crushing guilt to follow, but somehow it didn’t. He was just tired.

Well, a combination of grossly sticky, a bit sad, and tired.

He stumbled into the kitchen and washed his hands at the sink, frowning in confusion when he went to grab the small towel that he usually kept draped over a cabinet handle and found it missing. He looked around a moment, not seeing the handtowel anywhere in the kitchen.

Well, that was odd.

He took a spare dishtowel from his linen drawer and dried his hands carefully, still slightly confused as to where his normal one was. Oh well, that—like many other things—would be a problem for tomorrow.

Cliff climbed back into bed and fell almost immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

.               .               .

In the cold light of morning, some of the guilt did indeed emerge, but so did Cliff’s sense of logic. Okay, yes, he’d clearly developed some intense and unprofessional feelings for Matty. The important thing would be to tackle the problem with care and not make any opportunities to be alone with the Omega or deepen the relationship with him. Thankfully, Ed would be back in just four days and resume his role as Matty’s therapist, and Cliff could keep his distance in the meantime.

He still felt an aching responsibility for Matty’s happiness that he couldn’t shake, but he’d channel that into finding the best way to talk with Dale Hirst. Maybe the man wasn’t as intractable as Cliff’s father, wasn’t so hopelessly stubborn and inflexible. Cliff vowed to do his absolute best to help Matty be as happy as he could be with his mate. That was his responsibility for Matty, nothing more.

And, after that responsibility was over—and after he processed everything with Aubrey to make sure that he wasn’t falling into a larger pattern of problematic behavior—then Cliff would explore the process of finding himself a mate. Someone sweet but also a little wild, someone gentle but also a little bratty and playful, someone who… someone who…

Cliff shook his head to clear away the unbidden images of Matty that immediately surfaced his head. Matty had a mate, he reminded himself. It was an important cultural maxim: an Alpha needed to respect another Alpha’s bond. Yes, even if that Alpha seemed like an asshole. Respecting an Alpha’s claim on an Omega, backing off upon acknowledging the presence of mating bites or scent markings, was an important part of keeping civilization running and society progressing. Alphas who consistently ignored bite marks and scents were predatory and dysfunctional creatures. They cared more about their base instincts than the greater good—and Cliff refused to let himself be that.

No, he was going to stay physically distant from Matty and do his best to not trample any boundaries. He was going to get through the rest of this week, process his reactions with Aubrey in therapy, and then move on.

Cliff was in the middle of making a protein shake just an hour later when he got the first text message:

<<Hey, it’s M.
Can you send me a picture of my skates?
It would make me feel better.
Having a rough morning and I just
want to see them safe and sound.>>

A second later, the next text came in.

<<Can’t call on this phone btw. Only text.
Disposable phone. Prepaid minutes are all used up
and obvs can’t ask my brother for more right now.>>

A moment later, a third.

<<I’m sorry if texting you is totally inappropriate.>>

Cliff hesitated. Well, he wasn’t seeing Matty in person, and he still had a responsibility to help keep the little Omega emotionally stable. A single picture wouldn’t hurt, and Matty clearly needed a bit more comfort in his life. Cliff could keep this interaction light and professional.

He took the skates out of their mesh bag and leaned them next to the couch. He captured them in a quick picture and sent it back to Matty in a text message. The reply came a moment later:     

<<Thank you. Seriously.>>

Cliff sighed and texted back:     

<<No problem. I’m sorry you’re having a rough morning.>>

It was only another moment before Matty replied.      

<<It’s okay. You made it better.>>

Cliff did his best to ignore the swell of warmth that ran through him and continued with him throughout his day.

Several hours later, he received another text:

<<I’m feeling stressed out. I don’t have my music
so don’t know what to do. Do you get stressed out?
What do YOU do if/when you feel stressed?>>

A blush heated Cliff’s face a moment as he thought of the obvious answer, the times he’d worked through tension and strain with a firm hand on his cock. Instead, he texted back the more professionally appropriate second answer that came to mind:

<< Exercise can help.
I like to go running sometimes.
In general, exercise increases endorphins
and decreases stress hormones.>>

Matty texted back promptly:     

<<Don’t have much space. Confined to my room.>>

Cliff grimaced, the instinct hitting strongly to go grab Matty, free him and take him out to breathe in fresh air. After a few curses and reminders to himself that Matty was not his Omega and that such thoughts were deeply problematic, Cliff texted back:

<<How about doing pushups and sit-ups?
Try to do five of each for me, Matty, and
text back when you’ve completed them.>>

A few minutes later, Matty responded:     

<<Done. Thanks. That helped a bit.
It’s not flying but at least it’s being in my body.>>

Cliff smiled and wrote a quick reply:    

<<Good work. I’m proud of you.>>

Matty didn’t text the rest of the day, and Cliff realized only too late that picking up the scent dispeller for the couch had completely slipped his mind.  

.               .               .

The next morning, it started again:   

<< Can you send me a picture of my skates?>>

Cliff arranged the skates in a slightly different position than the day before and sent Matty the picture.

The Omega sent him back a quick thanks and then didn’t text again until the evening. It was as he was eating dinner that Cliff received the non sequitur of a text message—

<<Remember when you suggested that
I could think about getting stable enough
to go on an airplane trip?>>

Cliff raised his eyebrows and replied simply:                              

<<I do.>>

Matty texted back almost immediately.

<<I’m trying to imagine that, really envision it.
Where would you go if you could go anywhere?>>

Cliff hesitated a moment—weighting how comforting versus distant to be—before finally responding.

<<Honestly, there are a few different places.
A relaxing beach sounds nice, like where Dr. Wagner is.
Or I have friends in Seattle who I would like to visit.
There are also several cities in both Latin America and Europe
that I’ve never been to and would like to see.>>

A few minutes later, Matty reflected:    

<<Those all sound really nice.
I think I’d want to go to another country.
Someplace with interesting buildings and beautiful scenery.
Some place I could go flying but also just enjoy
seeing a bunch of new places and things. Any ideas?>>

Cliff thought for a few moments and then opened his internet app. A few minutes of searching later, he took some screen-captures and sent a series of images to Matty with the text:

<<Barcelona, Spain.>>

It took Matty several minutes to take in the images of the architecture, the skating parks, the scenery, and the food before he replied.  

<<Yes. Just yes yes yes and yes.
I am officially imagining a trip to Barcelona.>>

An hour or so later, Cliff received another text that asked:   

<<I don’t speak Spanish. Do you speak Spanish?>>

Cliff cautiously replied:

<<Some. I took some foreign language classes in school.>>

After a few more minutes, Matty mused—

<<I wish I had taken language classes.
Homeschool was mostly about what my folks
thought would make me a good homemaker.
I can balance a checkbook, but who even does that anymore?
I think I would be lousy out in the world on my own.>>

Cliff cursed and hesitated. While not wholly likely, such phrasing could be construed as Matty implying intentions to run away, something that Cliff had a professional obligation to report to the Omega’s mated Alpha.

Thus, he really shouldn’t reply—and, if he did, should certainly not give a response that implied support for such a plan.

Cliff found himself replying anyway:

<<I don’t think that’s true. You’re smart and resourceful.>>

That was it. Cliff was officially an idiot. An idiot on the cusp of jeopardizing his license, his career, and possibly his sanity.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel warm as Matty texted back:     

<<Even if you’re lying, that’s sweet.>>

Cliff responded instinctively, his chest almost aching:

<<I don’t lie, Matty.>>

A few minutes passed again before Matty texted:

<<Oh yeah? Now I want to test that.
Tell me a secret.>>

Cliff’s breath caught in his throat for a moment. This was dangerous. This was horrifyingly, thrillingly, awfully dangerous. He typed his reply anyway.

<<A secret is that you are actually stronger,
more capable, and more amazing than you know.
You are absolutely dazzling, Matty.
And anyone who tries to smother that
or tell you that you’re anything less is wrong.>>

Matty didn’t respond. Not for hours. Not until Cliff was already in bed and the clock read that it was a little past midnight.

Then, the Omega’s reply simply read:

<<That’s a pretty good secret.>>

.               .               .

The next day, Cliff sent Matty a picture of his skates with a little sign that read “Good morning!” before the Omega even asked. Matty sent back a thank you in all-capitalized letters and a smiley face, which caused Cliff to feel remarkably warm all morning.

This was fine, Cliff thought to himself. It was going to be fine, at least. This wouldn’t last much longer.

That morning, Cliff was finally able to get a hold of Dale Hirst’s contact and set up a meeting for the following day with the Alpha businessman. The scheduling assistant was adamant that Cliff would only be able to take thirty minutes of the Alpha’s time, so Cliff was determined to make them count—he couldn’t save Matty from everything, but he could at least try to get through to Hirst.

Cliff had a full afternoon of clients scheduled and couldn’t check his phone again until nearly evening. When he did, there was just one simple message from Matty:    

<<Having a crappy day. I feel terrible.>>

Cliff frowned and texted back his apologies for not being able to respond sooner, casually asking if there was anything he could do to help. He scanned over the text message twice to check for anything that could be construed as unprofessional. After some worry and consideration, he decided that it was probably all right.

Matty responded a few minutes later:

<<No, you can’t really help.
Some of the crappiness is just body stuff,
but mostly it’s that I can see my future before me,
and it’s not airplanes or Spain or flying or anything.
It’s all awful and I can’t do anything to change it.>>

Cliff frowned. Matty was spiraling—Cliff could almost see the Omega grabbing at his arms and scratching thin lines into his skin. Cliff hesitated only momentarily before texting back; he didn’t want to get the Omega’s hopes up, but Matty clearly needed comfort. He wrote:

<<I have a meeting with your mate tomorrow.
I’ll do what I can to intervene and help
support more positive communication.
Perhaps the future won’t be as awful as you think.>>

Another few minutes passed before Matty replied again:   

<<Tomorrow? Good luck, I guess.>>

A few minutes later, another text from Matty arrived that was a bit longer.

<<Thanks for trying to help me. Seriously.
I don’t know if you‘ll really be able to,
but it’s really nice you’re trying.>>

Cliff felt his chest tighten. He wished he could gather the small Omega in his arms and hold him close to comfort him. In the place of that desire, Cliff focused his energy that evening on prepping documents about effective Alpha-Omega communication and condensing his best tips and strategies into short, quickly digestible points and handouts. If he only had a half-hour with Matty’s Alpha tomorrow, he had to be as effective as possible.

He went to bed feeling surprisingly calm about the meeting. He just needed to convey the importance of improving communication, needed to explain without making the other Alpha defensive that Hirst unintentionally had been harming Matty. Cliff knew that he had the skills, the materials, and the knowledge. He could do this—he just needed to genuinely be present and ready to work for the betterment of this mated relationship, to stay supportive and play the role of an impartial specialist.

Cliff’s phone buzzed just as he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

He frowned and checked the clock—past midnight again. He rubbed his bleary eyes and checked the notification, unsurprised to see that it was another late-night text from Matty. He’d have to put a stop to all of this soon, he thought. There was the meeting with Hirst tomorrow, and then Dr. Wagner would be back the following day. Both of those events served as a good stopping point; his contact with Matty needed to end while things were—at least as far as Matty knew—still relatively professional.

Matty’s late-night text simply read:

<<You shared a secret with me yesterday.>>

Cliff frowned in confusion at the statement.  A second later, a second text arrived:    

<<I guess I have a secret I should share too.>>

A picture followed. Cliff blinked, realizing that the image was his missing kitchen handtowel. Before Cliff could text back a perplexed question, Matty sent one more brief text:

<<Sorry I took it. Just so you know,
you smell really, really good.>>

Cliff’s stomach dropped. His mental image of Matty scenting the stolen towel—of breathing in Cliff’s scent, of finding it pleasing and needing to tell him—was utterly overwhelming. Cliff groaned and felt himself clutching at bed sheets as his breath sped up. He was panting and achingly hard in mere seconds.

Cliff didn’t text back a response that night. But it didn’t matter. Professionalism was officially fucked.

   

Chapter 6: Blindside

Summary:

Cliff goes to talk to Dale Hirst and makes a major decision.

Notes:

The usual trigger warnings in this chapter, both for minor references to Matty's self-harm and more significant references to abusive behavior and Dale Hirst being awful.

A lot of talking in this chapter, but it's definitely important talking. You can expect a little more... action in the next chapter. :D Hope you all enjoy the progression of where things are headed!

 

Blindside, (n., inline skating variant) A trick in which the skater turns away and does not look at the intended object while approaching a grind.

 

Cliff was exhausted and his body burned. All night long, he barely slept and felt in a near rut at the very thought of Matty—who had stolen his kitchen towel, who had admitted to smelling and appreciating Cliff’s personal scent. Throughout the evening, Cliff brought himself off a worrying number of times and still felt his blood throbbing hotly and his teeth sharpening at nearly every stray thought about the grey-eyed Omega.

He didn’t know what he could say to Matty—so he didn’t really say anything at all. His phone stayed silent after that last near-midnight text. 

In the early morning, Cliff got up as the sun was barely creeping above the horizon and did twice the length of his usual run, pushing his body until his muscles ached. As he made a bland recovery shake, he took a picture of Matty’s skates with his phone and sent the image to the small Omega. He did not attach a message with the picture, nor did Matty send one back. Cliff vaguely wondered if Matty felt as uncertain and uncomfortable about their relationship this morning as Cliff did.

He couldn’t focus on that, though—today, he had his meeting with Dale Hirst.

Cliff took a deep breath and centered himself. It was worth remembering that neither Matty’s late night text nor Cliff’s unprofessional reaction changed the facts at hand: Matty was a mated Omega, and he needed his Alpha mate to understand him and react to him in a more positive and supportive way. Cliff’s role was to help with that, regardless of his lust and growing feelings for the young man. Cliff might be a mess of exhaustion, confusion, and longing, but the ‘Dr. Clifford Creighton’ who had a scheduled meeting with Dale Hirst was going to be a professional.

As he arrived at the imposing glass and metal structure that was the Insightify building, Cliff completed another round of breathing exercises and made sure his scent was locked down and impeccable. This wasn’t about his own desires, he chided himself again. This was about helping Matty the best way he could.

Cliff introduced himself to the chic Beta girl at the front desk, who scanned her tablet and confirmed his appointment. She directed him to a seating area outside Dale Hirst’s office and coolly remarked that the Alpha would be right with him.

Cliff waited a few minutes.

Then a few minutes more.

Then a few minutes more than that.

As his teeth began to grind, the Beta girl received a brief phone call at her desk and she nodded. “Mr. Hirst will see you now,” she announced to Cliff. “You can enter his office.”

Dale Hirst’s office was a wide-open space, notably private and aggressively modern. One side of the office was made up of distressed, exposed brick, while the other side was a deep, marine blue interrupted by some sort of black and white abstract mural. His desk was an angular, metal contraption that had three sizable computer monitors perched on it at various angles, while another screen was mounted to one of the brick walls, stock-data ticking across in dashing waves and numbers.

Hirst was standing at his desk, still finishing up some sort of phone call it seemed. He held up a finger to Cliff, signaling for him to wait again, and smiled ruefully. “Absolutely,” Hirst chuckled into a wireless headset tucked in his ear. “I’ll be sure to have that set up. Yes. Yes. You too.” He smiled again as he clicked what Cliff assumed was the end-call button and shook his head. “Nice to see you, Doc! I hope you weren’t waiting long. You know how these things are.” He reached out and gripped Cliff’s hand in a semi-crushing grip once again.

“I suppose,” Cliff replied flatly. “Do I still have a half-hour of your time?”

Hirst glanced at a nearby clock, gestured toward the guest chair in front of his desk, and then gave a sort of half-nod, half-shrug. “Nearly—it’s a busy time for me this week, but we do what we have to for our mates, don’t we, Doc?” Cliff watched as Hirst’s nostrils flared ever so slightly, scenting the air. “Or have you not had the pleasure of realizing that, doctor? No little Omega of your own at home?”

Cliff carefully sat down and then gave his best non-committal half-smile. “Since we’re on limited time, it seems prudent to not waste it by discussing my personal life. I asked to see you to discuss your mating relationship with Matthew.”

Hirst snorted and shook his head. He did not sit in his own chair behind his desk, instead choosing to perch on the edge of his desk, allowing him to rather loom over Cliff as they talked. “Quite the handful, isn’t he?” Hirst said. “Absolutely gorgeous, but what a frustrating little nutcase. I swear, there should be some sort of fix-or-replace law with Omegas, just like there are with defective new car models. Don’t you think, doctor? Oh, but don’t tell me you’re here to convince me to medicate him—trust me, the doctors at the hospital already tried that speech. Truthfully, I don’t get the appeal. Drugged Omegas all have that dull, glassy look in their eyes and get that horrid metallic smell. Who finds that acceptably attractive? No, meds are out of the question, so if you’ve come here to make me that sell, you’ve wasted a trip.”

“No, Mr. Hirst,” Cliff replied flatly, blinking up at the other Alpha. “I’m not here to tell you to drug your mate.”

“Oh. Good.” Hirst snorted, “Then what did you want to speak about? Don’t tell me you had some sort of peek into Matthew’s psyche from just your two brief meetings, Doc—Dr. Wagner couldn’t manage any major insights in almost a year. If you’ve cracked the case already, I am seriously overpaying that Beta.”

“It’s not about ‘cracking the case,’” Cliff breathed. “And I do truly believe that Dr. Wagner is an excellent therapist. But perhaps my specialization does give me a different perspective. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but my area of focus professionally is effective interactions within mating, specifically how Alphas can improve communication and increase understanding between themselves and their Omegan mates. While I’ve only talked with Matthew briefly, there are some details that—”

“I’m sorry that you wasted your time here then,” Hirst interrupted. “Communication and understanding aren’t Matthew’s problems.”

Cliff paused and raised an eyebrow. “What would you say the problems are then?”

Hirst scoffed. “Honestly? His general stupidity and spoiled brattiness. Part of it is that he’s been so used to being handed everything. That’s what happens, I suppose, growing up as the baby of a wealthy family. My youngest brother Jed is a bit like that, but he was born an Alpha, so it’s really only a minor character flaw for him. But Matthew is an Omega and, most importantly, my mate. He needs to be broken of the defect. I’ve explained it to him—with clear communication, doctor—but the boy’s not that bright. That’s really the other major flaw of his, Doc. Those eyes of his are stunning, aren’t they—but sadly not much of worth is going on behind them.”

Cliff felt the wood under his fingers creak as his hands involuntarily clenched. He made sure to lock down on his scent tightly, biting the sides of his tongue for a moment to keep himself focused, to not let out any telltale signs of Alpha rage. No matter how warranted.

“Mr. Hirst,” Cliff said slowly and deliberately, “As I’m sure you realize, Matthew has been having intense emotional reactions, which then lead him to inflict harm on himself. I—”

“And I intend to break him of that,” Hirst replied flatly, his expression straining slightly. “He’s a stubborn little idiot, but he does learn with repetition. I make it clear that his outbursts are unacceptable and discipline accordingly. He’ll be taught, eventually.”

Cliff winced. “And how exactly do you ‘discipline accordingly,’ Mr. Hirst?”

There was a flash of irritation in Dale Hirst’s eyes, but his politic smile remained fixed on his face. “I promise it’s all within acceptable Omega training guidelines. Nothing physical, and nothing you need to be concerned about, doctor.”

Cliff frowned, noting, “Something doesn’t need to be physical to be abusive, Mr. Hirst. It’s possible that you’re unaware of the effects of—”

The low growl pierced the office air. “I hope you choose your next words very, very carefully, Dr. Creighton,” Dale Hirst said, his voice raspy and dark. Gone entirely was the plastered-on smile, though his lips were still pulled back enough to show teeth. “Accusing someone like me of abuse is a serious matter—slanderous, even. I’d hate to have to get my lawyers on the phone.”

Cliff narrowed his eyes, his shoulders tense, and stated carefully, “I’m not accusing you of anything, Mr. Hirst. All I’m saying is that perhaps the focus should be less on Matthew’s behavior and more on the emotions—and what causes those emotions—that then lead to his behavior. Rather than fighting your mate, I’m sure you’d agree that a more pleasant experience for all would be learning what’s at the core of Matthew’s unhappiness. Then it wouldn’t be about ‘breaking’ anyone—it would be about discovering what makes it so difficult for your mate to be both calm to himself and giving toward you, and thus addressing that aspect. Through listening and improving in areas of encouragement, support, and praise—rather than punishment—it’s often possible to erase problematic behavior all together and make a stronger bond between mates along the way.”

Dale Hirst was silent a moment before he scoffed, “That sounds like a lot of convoluted words that essentially just mean, ‘Give up and let the little brat of an Omega have whatever he wants.’”

The wood creaked more under Cliff’s clenched hands. “No,” he said carefully. “It’s not about giving up—it’s about changing strategies. Surely you care about your mate’s sense of security and happiness.”

“I care more about his behavior,” Hirst said flatly. “His obedience.”

“His behavior is more likely to change,” Cliff said through near gritted teeth, “through positive reinforcement and understanding rather than through punishment and restriction.”

Dale Hirst snorted. “That’s a fine opinion, I suppose, doctor. But in my household, I won’t have outbursts or a lack of respect for rules rewarded with coddling. Matthew knows he’s not allowed to harm his body or leave without permission, and he does it anyway. He time and time again purposefully defies me, revealing a lack of respect. He doesn’t get ‘positive reinforcement’ for that.” The calm, plastered smile returned, but Hirst’s eyes remained distant and cold. “As I told Dr. Wagner, therapy is a perfectly fine tool if it helps Matthew learn to handle his emotions in a more capable way—that will clearly help him be better as an Omega and my mate. But I draw the line at anyone expecting me to cater to his immaturity and disobedience. Now, is there anything else, doctor?”

Cliff’s whole body was tense and he felt a kind of roaring in his ears. Then he slowly and carefully stood up, an action that Dale Hirst mirrored. Cliff noted that he had about an inch of height on the other Alpha though seemingly similar muscle mass—they clearly both were Alphas with somewhat sedentary jobs who still took time for daily fitness. Cliff plastered a thin smile on his own face and extended his hand. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Hirst,” Cliff said as calmly as he could.

Hirst looked at Cliff’s extended hand a moment then reached to grasp it.

Before he could try another one of his crushing handshakes, Cliff yanked the other Alpha forward and bared his teeth in a full growl. “One more thing,” Cliff rasped, his teeth bared and sharp. “I want to let you know that your attitude about your mate is loathsome, not to mention damaging, and your behavior appalling. You and those like you give Alphas a bad name, and Matthew deserves so much better than you.” Cliff felt his throat tighten along with his grip on Hirst’s hand as he heard himself say, “Consider this an official challenge for Matthew’s bond.”

Dale Hirst’s eyes widened a moment and he let out a startled laugh. “Are you serious? You want to challenge me,” he gestured with his head at the desk behind him, “and all of my resources for that basket-case of an Omega? He’s pretty, I’ll grant you, but I’m not sure you have any idea what a broken, obstinate, slothful train wreck of a mate he is.” Hirst’s smile turned sharper, meaner. “Not that it matters what ideas you have, though—he’s mine. And I keep what’s mine, Doc. Whatever form of fight you choose, know I’ll entirely destroy you.”

Cliff returned the joyless smile. “We’ll see about that. I’d be happy to go the old-fashioned route if you want to contact seconds and witnesses and then beat each other to a pulp—but I think we’re both more civilized than that. I’ll be filing paperwork today and have my lawyer contact yours.” Cliff gripped Hirst’s hand as tightly as he could, feeling a horrifying kind of thrill as he saw the slight lines and strain of a grimace flicker across the Alpha’s face. “Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Hirst. I’ll see you in front of a judge shortly.”

.               .               .

Cliff drove home in a half-daze, his breath coming in fast pants as he processed what he had just done. Fuck. He’d just issued a challenge. Over Matty’s mate-bond. To millionaire Dale Hirst.

He was an absolute idiot. And yet… while Cliff dreaded the fight ahead, he didn’t regret making the challenge either. Some small, hopeful part of him imagined him being able to actually gather Matty in his arms, to touch and scent mark him, and to whisper assurances in his ear that it was going to be okay.

Unless… what if Matty hated him for this? Another controlling Alpha making decisions for him. Maybe—despite Dale Hirst’s horrifying philosophy and abusive control—Matty would still hate Cliff’s presumption and prefer to stay with the devil he knew. But surely the Omega didn’t find him completely distasteful; he wouldn’t have stolen his scent and written such a suggestive text message if that were the case. But that didn’t mean he wanted Cliff to mate him…

But Matty did wish for a better life, something with hope and a chance for happiness. And the small Omega was correct that his options for that were limited. Cliff hoped he would have the opportunity to talk to the Omega about that, to make him understand that he had no desire to exact the same kind of control Dale Hirst did, that he wanted Matty as free as he could be. Hell, if Cliff somehow won the challenge and Matty expressed that he didn’t want Cliff to touch him after that, Cliff would accept it. He hoped that wasn’t the case—that he hadn’t became so blindly enamored with saving this Omega that he ended up in a strained and sexless mating—but if that’s what Matty said he needed, Cliff would respect it.

Matty deserved a truly good Alpha. Cliff was going to be that Alpha for him. He swore it.

Back in his apartment, Cliff tore through his address book until he found the name of a lawyer that he had a vague professional relationship with. Despite his confident expression to Hirst, Cliff didn’t “have” a lawyer per se, and now he was going to need one. Thankfully, working in the specialization of troubled matings meant that sometimes there were tangential legal entanglements relating to claim challenges, neglect, or abuse. Mark Bright was an Alpha lawyer Cliff had crossed paths several times and had a decent, friendly acquaintanceship with.

Mark picked up on the third ring. “Cliffy,” he said warmly. “It’s been a while. What can I do you for?”

“Mark,” Cliff sighed back in greeting. “I was wondering if you had time to take on a case. A mating challenge, specifically.”

“Yeah, probably,” the lawyer agreed. “This for a client of yours?”

“For me actually,” Cliff sighed. “I just… I just issued a challenge in the middle of a man’s office today. I almost don’t know what came over me.”

Mark was silent a moment and then chuckled. “Wow, that’s not what I expected to hear. The Omega that special to you?”

“And the Alpha that awful,” Cliff agreed with a growl. “I’m just… I’m only half-sure on how to proceed. I got into a claim dispute fight once in college, but that was pretty casual and—”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Mark said. Cliff could hear the scratching sound of a ball point pen as Mark took down notes. “For the record, that’s the kind of thing you’re going to have to disclose. The fact that you’ve gotten into a claim dispute before, I mean. I’ve got a questionnaire for you to fill out and documents I’m going to need, not to mention my retainer so that you’re officially my client. I charge $300 an hour and need a minimum retainer of $6000 for a claim dispute. If for some crazy reason I don’t go through the retainer by the time the dispute is over, the amount left in your client-fund will be refunded. Okay?”

Cliff blinked. “Oh. Yes. Sure.”

“Great,” Mark said. “I’ve still got your email—I’ll send over the invoice, questionnaire, and documents needed right now. Okay, so, who’s the lucky Alpha we’re dragging into court.”

Cliff winced as he bit out, “Dale Hirst.”

The other side of the phone was silent a moment before Mark asked cautiously, “Dale Hirst of Insightify?”

“That would be the one,” Cliff agreed.

The phone was silent a moment longer before Mark said, “In that case, the retainer needs to be $12,000.” Cliff made a balking sound to which Mark quickly added, “I need the leeway and hours to play hardball out of the gate. And—just so you know, Cliff—I can’t guarantee outcomes. Hirst is bound to have a massive legal and PR team that’s going to be making a full-court press of a case to the judge to try and show that he’s God’s gift to Omegas and the most capable, stable Alpha mate that’s ever existed. Now, where’s the Omega mate in all this? Can I expect testimony and do I need to apply for emergency removal and isolation of the Omega before proceedings get underway?”

“I… I have no idea,” Cliff admitted. “He’s staying with his parents right now, not Hirst, so—”

“Good,” Mark agreed, scratching down more notes. “In that case, fill out that paperwork and get it back to me ASAP. Tonight, if at all possible. I’ll need to know what I’m working with when Hirst’s lawyers start coming for blood.”

“Okay,” Cliff sighed. “Thanks, Mark. I appreciate it.”

Mark chuckled. “I appreciate the call—not what I expected today. You always seemed so buttoned up and proper, Cliffy my guy. I have a feeling that this case will be, well, pretty interesting.”

They said their goodbyes, and Cliff then immediately checked his email to see the slew of attachment forms that Mark had sent his way. As he opened each one, his stomach sank a bit and he felt the blood slowly drain from his face.

Unlike a traditional, old-fashioned format of a challenge where the strongest Alpha who drew the most blood won the day, a court challenge required the challenging Alpha to show that he was the better caretaker for the Omega and more deserving of the bond. The argument required deeply personal evidence. Not only would he have to disclose his sexual history and the embarrassing challenge that he’d attempted in college, but also his family history, in depth reports on his finances, not to mention potentially damning information from his therapy sessions…

It was all incredibly invasive. Also, it would put much of this deeply personal information in a potentially publicly accessible record, regardless of whether he won the challenge case. If he lost, especially in a case that had the potential to be so public, he would have a hard time finding another mate from anywhere but the lowest quality mating houses—likely no “good families” or matching services would want to touch him, not after the humiliation and public lack of respect for another Alpha’s claim, especially one so powerful as Dale Hirst.

But all that didn’t matter, not really—he had to try to win the challenge, he decided. To free Matty and claim him as his mate.

Sighing, Cliff took out his phone and blinked, realizing that he’d just missed a text from the Omega in question. The tone of the text felt nearly frantic.

<<Uh, what happened at your meeting with Dale?!
There’s a LOT of yelling in the living room right now.
Not totally sure, but I think I heard your name.>>
 

Cliff blushed and typed back:

<<I’m afraid the meeting didn’t go as planned.>>

Matty’s response was almost instantaneous.

<<No kidding from the sounds of it. What happened?>>

Cliff considered how to best summarize the meeting and the challenge, but, before Cliff had quite finished how to phrase his response to the Omega, Matty sent three texts in flurried succession.

<<Wait – WHAT?! You challenged Dale???>>

<<For real???>>

<<Like in this actual reality for real???>>

Cliff winced, wondering vaguely what Matty overheard, and replied.

<<It seemed clear he was incapable of changing.
I want happiness for you, Matty.
I’m sorry if I made the wrong call instinctively.
I haven’t filed the paperwork yet, so if
you want me to talk to my lawyer again
and not continue the process, I will.>>

It was only a moment later that Matty texted back:

<<File the paperwork. Please.>>

Cliff let out a sigh of relief and texted back a quick affirmative message, a pledge to do his best to get Matty legally out of his mate-bond, and a wish for Matty to stay safe. After that, Matty didn’t respond again. Despite the brevity of the exchange, Cliff felt warmer.

Cliff spent the rest of the evening filling out various forms, nearly falling asleep at his kitchen table in the process. He also sent a quick note to Aubrey, warning her that he needed to talk and that he was going to stop by during a break in her office appointments the next day.

That night, Cliff’s dreams were strange and twisted—so similar to the mating dreams from before—but, every time he looked down at the Omega beneath him, he felt like he was drowning in the beauty of hair like a raven’s wing and storm-grey eyes.

.               .               .

“What’s so urgent that you needed to see me in between appointments on a Saturday?” Aubrey asked directly. “Is this about the rent increase? It shouldn’t impact us too much and—”

“No,” Cliff interrupted. “It’s not that. This is… a warning and professional courtesy, as your colleague but mainly as your patient.” Cliff took a deep breath and said quickly, “In the next few days, you’ll probably be getting a subpoena.”

Aubrey’s dark eyebrows shot up under her salt-and-pepper bangs. “A subpoena? What the hell for?”

“Because I just made a mating challenge, and I’m required to disclose that I’m in therapy and have talked to you about concerns over BBDD.”

After his attractions to both Nathaniel and Tanner in college, Cliff had worried, perhaps excessively, that he had Bonding Boundary Disregardance Disorder—more commonly shortened as BBDD— a deviant Alpha social behavior. Alphas with BBDD refused to recognize the mating marks or boundaries of another Alpha. His sessions with Aubrey over the years had mostly helped him put those fears to rest; after all, BDDD needed to be constant and cause a significant life disturbance for it to meet any kind of diagnosis, and Cliff had interacted with many Omegas since then that he didn’t have any worrying sense of possessiveness or covetousness over.

Well, not until Matty.

Sadly, the challenge hearing would definitely find Cliff’s past attraction to mated Omegas and his fears over BBDD relevant, and he had no doubt Hirst’s lawyers would want Aubrey’s direct notes for use in their court case.

Aubrey blinked a moment and let out a half-laugh of shock. “A mating challenge?! Cliff, it’s been less than a week since our last session—what in the hell! One minute I can barely convince you to even think about finding a mate, and now you’re challenging another Alpha for one? What in the world happened in the last few days, Cliff?”

Cliff sighed. “It’s a bit complicated to explain, but—”

“Aubrey!” A panting voice called from the hallway before a slim, flush-faced Beta man burst into the office. “We really need to talk about Cliff! Oh, you’re here too. Well, I guess that’s two birds with one stone then.” Ed Wagner gritted his teeth, marching furiously over to where the blond Alpha sat and, with hands perched on his hips, stared down at Cliff with a piercing glare. “Since you’re here, I can ask directly: what the fuck is wrong with you?! I just got home an hour ago and do you know how many angry messages I had by the time I got off the plane that were all about you? I asked you to check in on my patient and help give him some stability while I was gone, not to go and upend his life before I even get home! I didn’t send you to see Matthew so you could have a meet-cute and fantasize about getting your knot wet, you know. The boy needed support and security.”

“He’s not going to get security or have the chance for real emotional support with the mate he has,” Cliff snapped back. “Dale Hirst is a terrible Alpha. He’s maybe not abusive under the letter of the law, but you have to know that he’s awful to Matty and that things weren’t going to get better.”

Ed flinched a moment. “That… that’s not really the point, Cliff. Our job is to be support our clients, give them tools, and listen. You can’t just insert yourselves into their lives and try to fix everything yourself!”

“First of all,” Cliff growled, “Matty isn’t my client. Secondly, do you really feel that listening and giving ‘tools’ was working for Matty? Really? He was going to die in that house, Ed. You know that.”

Ed ground his teeth and bit out, “We were working on coping skills. I’m not saying there weren’t problems but—”

“Ed,” Aubrey interrupted, her eyes sharp and piercing, “when things are less heated, I’m sure Cliff will apologize for the trouble he’s caused you. But for now, I have an important question for you.” She waited patiently until the two men were looking at her, then pointedly focused her attention on her Beta colleague. “Do you think this man, Dale Hirst, was a good mate to your client? Is Cliff’s assessment that your client’s health was potentially at risk in the relationship accurate, from your perspective?” Aubrey’s voice was cool and commanding. She wasn’t as physically imposing as many male Alphas, but over the years the control in her voice was one of the most intimidating things Cliff had ever heard.

Ed blushed and hesitated slightly. “I… Look, privacy of the office here, Hirst is an asshole. Probably diagnosable with a couple personality disorders, and just overall an entitled prick who likes to throw his weight around. No, of course he wasn’t a good mate. And yes, Matthew was suffering. I’d like to believe that the skills we were working on to manage his emotions were helping but,” he sighed and shook his head, “sure, it’s possible it wouldn’t have been enough. If Matthew were a Beta, I would have had very different advice and questions I’d ask, but I obviously couldn’t legally or ethically suggest anything to separate a bonded Omega from his mate. That’s just not okay on any level, and it’s something all therapists need to accept in order to take on an Omegan client.”

“But,” Aubrey added, “as Cliff has noted, he didn’t take on this client. The client is yours. You simply asked him to check in on the boy.” Her lips quirked slightly and her gaze became sharper. “Which is very interesting. You wanted Cliff to be the one to cover for you—the colleague who is an unmated Alpha specializing in problematic matings. Not the colleague who is happily mated and has worked extensively with managing intense emotional reactions through trauma counseling.”

Ed looked increasingly uncomfortable. “I… I didn’t really think about the unmated part, honestly. I just thought maybe he’d have better ideas than I did about Hirst.”

Aubrey nodded. “You didn’t think about sending Cliff into that situation because you’re a Beta. You didn’t really have a sense of how much it would claw at his instincts to see an Omega in that much distress, to want to protect him and not be able to. But you did know that Cliff would be invested—perhaps you even wanted him to confront Dale Hirst. Is that correct, Ed?”

“Well, not like this,” Ed grumbled. “But yeah, I thought maybe a bit of Alpha growling would get through to Hirst more than I could. You’re right, I didn’t think about how it might affect Cliff as an unmated Alpha specifically.” Edward glanced over at Cliff and muttered a quick, “Sorry,” under his breath.

“I apologize for putting you in an awkward position too,” Cliff grumbled. “But it’s not just that Matty was in distress. I know that’s a part of it, but it’s also that he’s sweet and wild and smart and—”

“And objectively attractive?” Aubrey asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.

Cliff scowled and didn’t answer. Dale Hirst was the kind of Alpha who seemed to solely value Matty’s physical beauty at the expense of all else—Cliff vowed that he wasn’t going to be that reductive.

“Definitely,” Ed agreed with a sigh. “I’m not even remotely attracted to male Omegas, but I get the appeal with Matthew. He’s stunning.”

Cliff glared at Ed as if he had personally betrayed him with that comment, and felt a possessive growl growing in his throat.

“Okay,” Aubrey announced loudly, “I think this part of the conversation is over for now. I need to talk to Cliff alone for a bit, Alpha-to-Alpha. Ed, I’m sorry you’re dealing with the fallout. Cliff owes you some very nice wine, at the very least.”

Cliff and Ed exchanged awkward, almost sheepish glances at one another and both nodded. Edward grumbled something about needing another vacation already and shuffled his way out of the office, back to his family and presumably more angry phone calls from Dale Hirst and the Thompsons.

As the door closed, Aubrey sighed and looked at Cliff again. Her expression softened to something almost motherly. “I’m proud of you, Cliff.”

Cliff half-scoffed and shook his head. “Proud of me for falling back into the same patterns again? Of falling for a mated Omega for the third time in my life? God, Hirst’s lawyers are going to eat this up—I could see a very sound argument that I do have BBDD and thus am an unfit mate.”

“That argument is only sound if you completely misinterpret the facts,” Aubrey sighed. “You’re not disordered, Cliff. You’re someone who cares incredibly deeply about people. That’s all.”

Cliff frowned. “What do you mean? How could three different instances of ignoring someone’s mating signs and being drawn to them anyway not be concerning?”

Aubrey smiled and shook her head. “Cliff, I’m going to say something and it’s going to seem obvious for a second, but I want you to sit with it. Okay?” Cliff nodded. “Omegas are not property. They’re people. Just human beings who we meet and interact with, who we can grow feelings for and care about in a number of complicated ways.” Cliff opened his mouth automatically to say that of course he knew that, but something in Aubrey’s eyes caused him to close his mouth again and just listen. “Because Omegas are not property,” she continued, “no one owns them. There may be laws and limitations that try to imply otherwise but ignore those for a moment. Just think of the core truth: Omegas are people.”

Cliff nodded slowly.

“Alright, now,” Aubrey continued, “let’s go back and think of your history. When you were in college, you met a young man—a person—who seemed deeply unhappy in a relationship, and you two formed an intense bond. He became your first real romantic connection, and you wanted to save him from his circumstances and comfort him. Ultimately you couldn’t, but that didn’t erase the feelings and connection you had. You still carried feelings for him for a while after.” Aubrey crooked her head. “Does that sound disordered to you?”

Cliff shook his head. He hadn’t quite thought of his relationship with Nathaniel in quite those terms. “I suppose not when you put it that way. But that’s in isolation and—”

“And later,” Aubrey sighed, “you met another young man who was deeply unhappy for other reasons, someone who you subtly helped and comforted through a difficult time, even as you tried to keep your distance to avoid your own hurts. As you got to know him, though, your fondness grew and that distance wasn’t so easy. Still, both because the young man was satisfied in his mated romantic partnership and his romantic partner was your friend, you were careful about your boundaries, respected their relationship, communicated clearly with both of them, and never pursued anything more than a pack-mate relationship and friendship. Does that sound disordered to you?”

Cliff frowned. That… that was true. He was very careful when he realized he was developing feelings for Tanner. He considered both Tanner and Jackson dear friends, and he had vowed never to do anything to trample on their relationship. Just because he had developed a sort of intense crush on Tanner, he’d never for a second considered challenging Jacks. Besides the respect that Cliff had for Jackson, Tanner was crazy about his Alpha mate and honestly would likely have tried to kick Cliff’s ass if he’d even hinted at trying to steal Tanner away from him.

Taking in Cliff’s expression, Aubrey smiled, “And now, there’s a deeply unhappy young man you want to help again. Whom you’ve developed feelings for, whom you feel you can comfort and be there for—someone you want to protect and save. You’re not an Alpha with BBDD, Cliff. You’re a hopeless white knight, clearly—I’m sure that’s also why you are in a helping profession. But what looks like ‘disorder’ is just you seeing these young men as people, ones who are worthy of care and value, rather than just as someone else’s property.” Her lips quirked a little and she smirked, “Which, truth be told, I’m sure would horrify your father and many Alphas like him.”

A laugh worked its way past Cliff’s lips, and he shook his head ruefully. “Thank you, Aubrey. I… I honestly don’t know what to say except, well, thank you.”

She smiled warmly. “My pleasure. And I’ll also have you know that a similar sentiment can be found in my notes, and if needed I’ll say the same on the stand. I’m also happy to write a character letter if your lawyer suggests it.” She paused thoughtfully. “I would consider asking your friends Jackson and Tanner for one too—a good opinion from them would also go far to counter a BBDD narrative if Hirst’s team tries to go that route.”

Cliff nodded. “I’d considered the same. I haven’t gotten that far yet—I just filled out the first set of documents, but there are so many more to go. God, this whole process is going to be a nightmare.”

Aubrey smirked. “You really can’t do anything the easy way, can you? You know, it’s not too late to give up and just go to a mating house to find a mate.” Aubrey’s smile grew wider as Cliff fully growled at her. “I thought as much. Well, I hope to God you win, Cliff. That Omega couldn’t get a much better Alpha than you.” Cliff blushed and muttered his thanks again. On his way out of the office, rather than the collegial handshake that he and Aubrey usually exchanged, the female Alpha pulled him into a tight, warm hug and gave him a firm, encouraging pat on the back. “Fight like hell, Cliff,” she said. “Seriously. At the end of this, I hope you and that Omega get the chance to cherish the hell out of each other.”

A kind of weight felt lifted from Cliff’s shoulders—he felt strangely unburdened and more determined than ever to do his best to win Matty. When he arrived home, he made himself a second cup of coffee and went straight back to collecting the information and documents needed to effectively make his challenge fight in court. By the time he sent yet another round of information and attachments to Mark in an email, the sun was getting lower in the sky and Cliff felt the tell-tale signs of hunger as dinner time approached.

He absently considered splurging on take-out when he heard a rapid knocking on his front door.

Cliff frowned at the sound, his whole body tensing. Images of Insightify-hired goons, businessmen holding threatening legal summons, or even an angry Mr. Thompson flashed through his head, and he approached the door with tight, nervous caution.

As he opened the door, he found himself looking down at the figure in the entryway, who stood almost a full foot shorter than Cliff himself. Despite it being only moderately chilly out in early autumn, the figure was bundled in a thick coat and scarf, a snow cap pulled low on their head, covering almost all their dark hair. A strange smell of mint, like astringent mouthwash, floated through the air, hiding any other potential smells that would emanate from the figure. Clearly, the whole ensemble was an attempt at hiding, a sort of disguise. However, Cliff would recognize the bright shine of those grey eyes anywhere.

Standing on his doorstep—with a nervous posture and a soft, relieved smile—was Matty.

 

 

Chapter 7: Switch Stance

Summary:

Cliff deals with the aftermath of Matty showing up at his apartment.

Notes:

Usual/minor trigger warnings for references to abusive behavior (Dale is still the worst), but less than usual in this one.

Lots talk in this chapter about this universe's fictional legal standards, as well as some references to the prequel to this story, "Adjustment Period." Those who read that story may remember that the Omega protagonist, Tanner, was working on an app to help other Omegas track their heat cycles. What a small world these characters apparently live in! There are also some references to Matty's POV story in "Lucky Moments," as this is basically the chapter where Cliff finally learns what those who read that story already know: Matty has an active, vivid imagination. (Note: this chapter should still make complete sense without reading those; there are just fun Easter-eggs present if you did!)

Also, in case anyone is reading this story without previously reading my others, this is the first chapter that makes it clear that male Omegas in this A/B/O world are essentially intersex. Lastly, I hope everyone finds long discussions about boundaries and consent hot. That's what Omegaverse is usually known for... right? ;D

 

Switch Stance, (n.) Switch or switch stance refers to riding the opposite direction than usual in freestyle sports (such as skateboarding, snowboarding, or inline skating). In inline skating terms, switch stance refers to switching from a frontside to a backside, or vise-versa, during a grind. Essentially, the skater completes a 180-turn while sliding.

 

Cliff blinked at the vision of the small Omega in his entryway. “Matty,” Cliff breathed in near awe. “What… What are you doing here?”

Matty bit his lip and then sort of buried his shy smile in the edge of his large winter scarf. The young man looked like he had practically dressed for an artic tundra rather than the only mildly cool autumn weather. “Disappearing on everyone again, obviously,” Matty mumbled into the scarf’s thick fabric. “Can I come in?”

Cliff silently stepped to the side, frowning at the intense scent of alcohol and mint. Disguising his scent was a fair idea if Matty’s mother was close and actively searching for him—Omegas had incredibly sensitive senses of smell, and parents especially knew their children’s scents better than anyone—but Cliff didn’t quite understand why Matty would still be wearing such a strong-smelling concealment all the way to the door of Cliff’s apartment.

Matty practically shrieked as he saw his inline skates sitting next to Cliff’s couch, running over to them, sweeping the skates up into his arms, and swinging them around in a circle a moment like a child might with a favorite doll. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for holding onto these,” Matty sighed, giving the skates another squeeze before returning them to their spot next to the couch. “It’s so good to see them safe in person.” He frowned a moment, as if having a fearful revelation, and slowly turned to Cliff. “Um, so… if you win the whole bond challenge and get a claim-transfer for me…”

“You’ll absolutely be able to go skating. Without having to sneak around,” Cliff said reassuringly. “Though, we’d have to have a bit of a talk about protective gear. I’m still not thrilled about you doing some of those tricks without at least a helmet and kneepads.”

Matty bit his lip and gave a happy hum of a sigh, “I could live with that.” His eyes darted around the apartment, his smile growing with each moment. “Would I live here with you? I actually really love your place. It’s simple, but stylish. I’ve been thinking about it a lot the last few days.”

“I mean, uh, yes, I suppose you would.” Cliff shook his head, “We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, Matty. Why are you here? Did something happen? Did Hirst do something to you?”

Matty winced. “Not exactly. It’s more, um, I’m running away from what he would do—or be doing soon. Your mate-bond challenge has kind of crazy timing, I guess.”

Cliff frowned in confusion and concern. “What do you mean?”

Matty looked down at the floor a moment as he removed his winter hat, then his scarf, and then began to peel off his heavy pea-coat, revealing a plain tee and jeans underneath. As each piece dropped to the floor, the minty scent became a little less concentrated and Cliff began to smell Matty’s sugary apple sweetness. Oh, actually, the smell seemed sweeter than it had before. Profoundly, intensely sweet.

Cliff’s eyes widened. “Oh,” he gasped. “You’re going into heat.”

“On the way,” the Omega affirmed with a strangely solemn sigh. “I’d say we’re at the few hours from the start point.”

“Did you,” Cliff wanted to bury his head in his hand in frustration, “come here on public transit in that state?”

Matty shrugged a shoulder and pointed at the pile of clothes near his feet. “Why do you think I went with the winter-wonderland look? I didn’t have access to anything like scent-reducing spray, so soaking my hat and scarf in mouthwash and covering all possible scent-points with heavy cloth seemed like the best strategy.”

“Matty,” Cliff half-growled, “that was incredibly dangerous. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if some less than savory group of Alphas had scented you or you’d gone into heat on the subway?”

Matty scowled and shrugged a shoulder. “Do you know what it would have been like if I hadn’t taken that chance? If I’d stayed behind and let Dale come collect me tomorrow morning?”

Cliff opened his mouth to continue to argue and then paused, frowning. “Tomorrow? But if you’re only hours away now, you should have been sent to your mate already.”

Matty rolled his eyes and sighed. “He and my parents go off the estimate data from my doctor, which is always wrong. Not that anyone listens to me when I tell them that. I actually found an app that was made by two Omegas and posted online for free, and it’s way more accurate. According to the tracking on that, I have what’s known as a ‘waxing and waning’ cycle, which varies in length every other rotation. How dumb is it that two Omegas on their own figured out that there are multiple ranges and kinds of cycles and ‘expert’ Alphas seem to have no freaking clue?”

Cliff blinked at the familiar description and terminology. “Oh,” he marveled, “I actually think I know one of the Omegas who worked on that app.”

Matty’s widened a moment. “Really? That’s… wow. Huh.” Matty opened his mouth as if to ask a follow-up question, but then winced and tugged at his tee shirt collar agitatedly. “Okay, I’ll ask you more about that later, but not now. I’m starting to get uncomfortable and it’s a bit… distracting.” He breathed in and out a few times before continuing, “Anyway, I overheard my dad coordinating on the phone and then was told to pack my things and get ready for my Alpha to collect me in the morning. I figured it was better to take my chances and head here than spend my heat…” Matty winced and shook his head. “I just really, really didn’t want to be with him for this one. And, um, I figured if you’re challenging Dale for me then you must like me, right? Enough to want to be with me through my heat?”

Cliff breathed through his mouth, trying not to be completely overwhelmed by the heady, sweet scent emanating from the small Omega. He had been expecting months of court battles before he’d even be able to see Matty in person again—now, here the Omega was, able to be held and touched and on the very edge of going into heat. Cliff felt like he wanted to launch forward and tear the young man’s clothes off, throw him over his shoulder and take him to the bedroom without further conversation. Fighting that instinct with logic was proving to be near paralyzing.

Matty frowned at Cliff’s silence, his eyes growing wider and anxious. “Uh, you do actually like me like that and are okay that I’m here, right? Please tell me you’re not going to take me back to him like this!”

That statement and the sharp tang of Matty’s fear started Cliff out of his frozen revery. “Of course I like you Matty. Immensely,” he said softly, putting as much reassurance into his voice as possible. “And no, I’m not going to take you back to him.” His stomach clenched at the very idea of allowing the Omega anywhere near Dale Hirst again if he could prevent it. Cliff stepped forward until he was in front of the small Omega. He looked down at Matty’s disheveled dark hair and bright, nervous eyes and felt himself ache in desire. “I’m just trying not to let hormones take over right now. We should take care of some things logically before we,” he swallowed, “don’t really have the capability to do so. How lucid are you feeling right now? Are you okay to talk and make decisions?”

Matty nodded. “I mean, I’m really itchy and hot, but it’s not extremely bad at the moment. I actually don’t get too out of my mind during heats, just so you know.”

“Okay,” Cliff affirmed. “That’s good to hear, but I still want to take care of what we can now. Important conversations are just not a great idea in the middle of a heat.” Matty shrugged and nodded, lightly mumbling an agreement. “Okay, now, did you leave any indication with your family about where you were going?”

Matty shook his head. “I left a note on my brother’s desk that said I was going somewhere safe where I wouldn’t be forced to spend another heat with Dale Hirst.” Matty took a small, ancient-looking cell phone out of his pocket. “I also took a picture of the note, in case your lawyer can use it.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows. “Matty, that’s brilliant. I’m really proud of you.” A flush bloomed on Matty’s cheeks and the sweet apple smell intensified. Most of the cells in Cliff’s body were screaming at him to grab Matty, to stop conversing and get around to more physical endeavors. Cliff pinched himself on the hand to try to keep his head clear. “Speaking of lawyers, I should probably call mine. I have no idea how you being here right now could affect the bond challenge.”

Matty chewed at his lip and nodded, squirming and fidgeting slightly as he said, “Okay. That makes sense. Can I, um, get some water while you do that? Like, a giant glass of water?”

They went to the kitchen where Cliff filled two large glasses of water and handed them both to Matty as he dialed Mark Bright. Thankfully, despite the weekend dinner hour, the Alpha lawyer answered.

“Cliffy, if this is about the case, I probably won’t be able to make any moves until Monday. You just need to be patient.”

“Mark,” Cliff said in somewhat of a rush, “there’s a bit of an update on my end and I needed to check in with you.” Cliff took a deep breath and continued, “Matty’s here. He just showed up on my doorstep. His heat is starting and he didn’t want to spend it with Hirst. I have no idea how this affects the case or if there’s something specific I need to do about his mate or his family, so I wanted to check in and—”

“Woah, breathe. Slow down.” Mark chuckled a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you flustered before, Mr. Cool Cucumber. This case really is turning out to be fascinating for me.” Cliff felt a blush heat his cheeks and he winced at his anxious feelings and reaction. He was an Alpha, he reminded himself. He was supposed to be in control, in charge and powerful in times of crisis. Then again… if Omegas were ‘just people,’ as Aubrey had reminded him, perhaps Alphas were too. That was a somewhat comforting thought.

“Okay,” Mark continued, “is Matthew, or ‘Matty,’ okay if we put this on speaker phone? I have some questions for him.”

Cliff reiterated the question and Matty nodded, his second glass of water already practically empty. Cliff hit the button for speaker and told Mark to go ahead.

“Hi there,” the Alpha lawyer said cheerfully. “Can I confirm that I’m speaking with one Matthew Thompson Hirst?”

Matty winced and said, “Yeah. That’s me.”

“Great,” Mark continued cheerfully. “Now, did I hear correctly that you’re going into heat?” Matty muttered an affirmation and Mark continued, “With that in mind, do you feel like you are in a safe location, Matthew? By the way, this is a personal assessment—not what others would say is safe, but what you would say is safe.”

Matty looked up and his grey-blue eyes locked on Cliff’s face as he said, “Yeah. I feel it’s safe.”

“Okay, thank you.” There was the sound of Mark scribbling down something and then he said, “Matthew, can you explain to me why you weren’t with your mate when your heat symptoms started?”

Matty explained the situation with the doctor’s estimation and the app’s again, as well as quickly telling Mark about the note he’d left and the image of the note on his phone. While he did so, Cliff refilled both glasses of water.

“Great,” Mark said agreeably. “That’s real great. Now, to your knowledge, does Dale Hirst have current knowledge of your whereabouts?”

“No,” Matty said. “I didn’t tell anyone that I know where the doctor’s apartment is, so I can’t imagine they’d think to look for me here.” Matty smiled and mouthed a quick thank you for the water, gulping down more from one of the large glasses.

Mark made an affirming sound and then said, “And, in your own words, why did you leave your home? After all, even if your heat was starting faster than the Alphas expected, why not tell your parents that you needed to be picked up by your mate for your heat earlier?”

A small growl escaped Matty’s throat, and he set the glass down rapidly on the kitchen counter with a hand that shook slightly with his intense emotion. “Because it was going to be so, so awful.”

“Can you explain what you mean by that?” Mark asked calmly.

Matty frowned and bit at his lip a bit as he said, “You see, um, Dale has different punishments he uses for my disobediences. Over the past couple days, he’s either been giving me either constant disapproval and criticism or the silent treatment. Mainly, he’s been refusing to touch or acknowledge me at all unless there’s company around. He’s done that before and it’s…” Something broke slightly in Matty’s voice and he shuddered. “It’s excruciating. I couldn’t go through a heat with him right now. I couldn’t. If I didn’t have Dr. Creighton’s place as an option, I probably would have done something worse.”

Cliff’s breath caught in his throat, and he paled slightly. He wanted to reach over and comfort Matty—and suddenly realized that there was no real reason not to anymore. Carefully, Cliff placed his hand palm up next to Matty’s on the kitchen counter, open and offering. The Omega blinked at it a moment, then grasped the hand with his own and squeezed tightly. Cliff gave a soft squeeze back, then began to slowly rub his thumb along the inside of Matty’s wrist in comforting strokes. He felt the small Omega relax ever so slightly.

“Thank you for your openness, Matthew,” Mark said in reply. “Now, in your recent history, would you describe Mr. Hirst’s behavior during your heats as caring and attentive?”

Matty blinked a moment. “I’m… I’m not sure what constitutes ‘attentive,’ but ‘caring’ is not really a word I’d use to describe Dale, no. And definitely not during my heats.” 

Mark muttered another affirmation and there were more scratching sounds. “Okay, I have just about enough here to file an emergency motion. An Alpha leaving his Omega alone at the start of a heat is absolutely on the probable neglect chart, as is an Omega not trusting their mate to take care of them during a heat. Hirst may try and argue lack of knowledge with the medical information discrepancy, but what the court uses to evaluate an Alpha’s care is how any reasonable Alpha would have behaved in similar circumstances, and I'd say most people would argue that cutting it anywhere near that close isn’t ‘reasonable’ and shows at least potential neglectful behavior. Now, Matthew, you mentioned having phone of your own?”

Matty blinked and said, “Well, I have a phone I can text on but not call. It’s like one of those pre-paid things that are used as ‘burner’ phones in the movies, and I ran out of call minutes a while ago.”

“That’s fine,” Mark said. “I need you to do two things for me. Get my number from Cliff there and first send me a text that says something like ‘This is me contacting you.’ Then, text me the picture of the note you wrote to your brother. With those, I’ll be able to plausibly say that Matthew contacted me independently—unconnected to your phone number, Cliff—and I’ll be able to attach the note as evidence. Dale Hirst is going to be furious, but with all this evidence he won’t be able to make a good case for ‘unwilling abduction,’ and I should be able to keep his legal team busy until Matthew is out of heat.” Mark chuckled and added, “So leave all the worry and messy fights with Hirst’s team with me for now. You crazy kids go have fun.”

Cliff flushed as he muttered out his thanks to Mark, still staring awkwardly at the blank phone screen for a few seconds after the call ended.

There was another moment of silence, then Matty let out a chuckle. Then a larger laugh. He shook his head as a single tear escaped from one eye and he continued to giggle almost hysterically. “Oh. My. God,” he gasped. “This is really happening—I never actually thought…” Matty’s sporadic laughter trailed off, but a look of frantic wonderment stayed on his face as he breathed, “I just figured that my life was how it was always going to be, as long as I lived, however long I could stand it. Everyone kept telling me that everything was my fault, that I was just a bad Omega and a bad mate, and I guess I believed it, but now you and that lawyer seem to think it’s at least kind of Dale’s fault and you’re okay with me skating and I’m here and you’re here and—” Matty trailed off in a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob.

“I am here. And I’ve got you, Matty,” Cliff breathed. He kept rubbing small circles on the Omega’s wrist as he brought his other hand up to cup Matty’s face, his fingers brushing away the tear streak.

“And you’ll fight to keep me?” Matty confirmed, his eyes glassy and bright.

“Desperately,” Cliff admitted. He pressed his fingers into Matty’s hair and trailed his hand down his neck, pressing softly on his scent glands for comfort. A soft half-sigh, half-moan escaped from the Omega’s lips at the touch. “With you here in front of me now, I’m honestly not sure I’d be able to give you up.”

Matty made a deeper keening noise and said, “Good. Now, will you just kiss me already?”

Cliff smiled softly and leaned down, his lips brushing against Matty's. They kissed gently at first, soft and sweet, but then the Matty groaned low in his throat and opened his mouth in invitation. At that, the kissing increased in intensity, and Cliff soon felt his veins throbbing, his fingers tightening on Matty's wrist and neck as the Omega gasped against him.

They both seemed to want to pull each other ever closer, as if they could somehow melt together this way. Matty moaned into Cliff’s mouth, his breath quickening to near pants as the blond Alpha shifted to wrap his arms more fully around the smaller Omega. When they finally took a break for air, Matty’s heady, fruity scent filled the kitchen in a way that made Cliff’s head spin.

Matty blinked curiously at his surroundings, as if his brain had to take a moment to catch up with the rest of him, and he sighed dreamily, “Shoot, the counters really are totally too tall.”

Cliff shook his own head to try and clear it a bit, the oncoming fog of Matty’s heat already becoming somewhat difficult to think through. “I’m sorry, what about the counters?”

Matty hummed. “To have sex on top of. It was a fantasy I thought up a few days ago—you taking me on the countertop in your kitchen—but it’ll have to stay imaginary I guess.”

Cliff raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been fantasizing about me?”

Matty grinned wolfishly and pulled Cliff down for another slow, agonizing kiss. “Constantly,” he sighed against his mouth. “Pretty much non-stop since the park.”

Cliff groaned and kissed back harder. They gasped into each other, tongues sliding and hands fisting into each other’s hair. The passion became hot and desperate, arms winding to pull each other closer again until they were clinging to one another as tightly as shipwrecked sailors to pieces of wooden flotsam, as if letting go would ruin their chances for survival.

Soon, Matty made a keening noise and began to roll his hips, and Cliff heard a clattering sound as his elbow hit one of the empty pint glasses and tipped it over on the countertop. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter, but the noise of glass on granite did bring him back to his surroundings.

“Matty,” Cliff breathed, “we need to stop a moment.”

The Omega let out a painful sounding wine and breathily asked, “Why?”

Cliff stepped back several feet, positioning himself on the other side of the kitchen island and slightly further away from Matty’s increasingly delicious scent. “There’s a few things we should do and discuss before your heat comes on fully.”

Matty squirmed and half-whimpered. “The countdown on that is speeding up, I think,” he groaned. “Hurry, please?”

Cliff took a shuttering breath and nodded. “Okay, first, you need to send those texts. Then we need to plan a few more things for your heat while we can.”

Cliff cursed to himself quietly. They were so crunched for time—when Cliff lived with his pack in college, he and the other three Alphas would take days to get ready for a pack Omega’s heat, dividing the work, checking and re-checking various planning lists, and gathering supplies. This was not at all his ideal timeline to prepare.

Matty nodded and used only slightly shaking hands to send the text messages to Mark’s number, which Cliff read off to him as calmly as he could, his own blood throbbing distractingly. As Matty sent the messages, Cliff made a quick scan of his kitchen cabinets.

“Okay,” Cliff sighed after his inspection, “I have some chicken broth and also ingredients to make some smoothies, but that’s about it in terms of foods advised for a heat cycle. In past heats, what did you like to have for breaks and nourishment?”

Matty blinked a moment. “Um, nothing really. Lots of water, obviously. For my past three, I’ve pretty much just done water and some juice. I couldn’t keep anything else down—the foods Dale bought were too rich and made me nauseous.”

Cliff frowned. In his experience, just water and juices weren’t nearly enough calories for an Omega in heat. “You said the last three—what about before?”

Matty hummed and gave a small shrug. “Those were before Dale, when I was confined to my room and just trying to get through it alone. I guess one thing is that, because I read online that spicy things burned through heats faster, I started asking my mom to give me soup with just a ton of Sriracha in it.” Matty grinned nostalgically. “I actually really liked it. Not sure it made the heat any shorter though—certainly didn’t feel like it. But it was tasty. I’d basically go through a full bottle of hot sauce during a heat cycle.”

Cliff smiled sympathetically and nodded. “Well, believe it or not, I don’t own any hot sauces, but how about I order a variety of light, spicy soups and we’ll see what you can handle? There’s a pan-Asian fusion restaurant nearby that I can get delivery from—they may even be able to give us extra hot sauce on the side.”

Matty shrugged. “Okay, that sounds fine. I’ve seriously gotten by with mainly water though, so no need to—”

“No,” Cliff said firmly. “You need more than that to get through a heat healthily. I wouldn’t be surprised if you dropped weight after your last few heats if you had a routine of only water and juice.”

“Well,” Matty frowned, “yeah, a bit. But that’s pretty normal, I think.”

Cliff shook his head. “Common, perhaps, but not healthy. Between soups, broth, and smoothies, we should be in a healthy range if you can keep most of it down over the next couple days. I wish I had popsicles, but… oh, wait.” Cliff rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a few disposable paper cups and some plastic spoons from previous take-out orders. “We can make some with these—I can freeze some fruit smoothies into popsicles overnight so you’ll have them tomorrow. Okay, yes, this will work.”

Matty raised his eyebrows and smirked. “You’re, um, a bit of a planner, aren’t you?”

“You can say ‘control freak,’” Cliff grinned. “I won’t be offended.” Matty smiled back in response, but then immediately started fidgeting with his shirt collar again. “Okay, let me put in an order for those soups and then we’ll finish this up,” Cliff said with a slight laugh. “I’ll try to keep this brief—promise.” Matty nodded and fidgeted more as Cliff put in an order for enough soup options to possibly feed a small army. “Let’s relocate to the main room,” Cliff said after he finished the order. “There’s a fan in there at least.”

As soon as Matty saw the twill couch again, he broke into a sly smile and slid onto the cushions, rubbing himself on them like a cat for a moment.

Cliff raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the movement. “Matty,” he sighed with sudden realization, “did you scent-mark the couch arm last time you were here intentionally?”

Matty let out a half-laugh. “Maybe? Just a little.”

“Why?” Cliff asked with a small sigh.

Matty shrugged. “I don’t know—you were interesting and paid attention to me. I was sad and anxious wanted to see what you’d do.” Matty huffed and quirked his lips, “Which, at the time, was absolutely nothing. You know, your control over yourself is impressive, but also pretty maddening. Are you uncomfortable at all right now? You don’t look it.”

“Incredibly, massively uncomfortable,” Cliff admitted with a bit of a wince. “It’s taking most of my concentration not to rush over and rip you out of those clothes right now, honestly.”

“That seems like a bad use of concentration,” Matty muttered. “Seriously, rip away.”

Cliff sighed and shook his head. “I still need to do a last check in while we’re relatively lucid, before we get carried away.” Cliff took a couple of breaths in and out of his mouth and said, “Okay, boundaries. What do you not like during your heat?”

Matty frowned. “What? Nothing. It’s fine. Now, let’s get started—”

“Matty,” Cliff said through gritted teeth, his body wanting urgently to listen to the small Omega and surge forward despite his resolve, “try to think about it and not just dismiss the question. Every Omega is different, and what feels good and safe for one person’s body might not for another’s. If you find scent-gland touching during a heat too controlling, or feel like penile stimulation would be too much, or don’t want me to knot you this heat—anything like that—I’d like to know before we start.”

Matty blinked at Cliff in blank confusion. “You… you wouldn’t knot me?”

“If you didn’t want me to,” Cliff said. “This is your heat, Matty. Let me know what your boundaries are, and I’ll listen. I just need to know.”

“I seriously don’t have any,” Matty grumbled. “All of those things you listed are fine. Knotting is like the best part of sex during a heat, and gland touching is nice too. It’s all good, really. No boundaries needed.”

“Matty, think really carefully about this—anything that makes you feel uncomfortable during a heat, anything at all? I want this to be a positive experience for you.”

Matty half-growled and half-whined in response. “No, really there’s—” The Omega trailed off for a second, frowning. “Well, actually… um, this isn’t exactly what you mean, I think.” He hesitated slightly and then muttered, “I… I don’t like being left alone. I mean, I know you sometimes need a break for like the bathroom and food and things, but… can you try not to leave me, like, really isolated? I get sad and nervous if I’m on my own for very long during a heat.”

Cliff felt his chest tighten. He couldn’t imagine anyone prying him away from Matty once they got started, and couldn’t think how anyone could really leave the Omega all on his own. “Yes,” he agreed seriously. “Thank you, Matty. I can promise to stay by your side and not leave you alone for any significant time during your heat.”

“Really?” Matty said softly. He shuddered slightly, as if recalling some haunting memories.

“Really,” Cliff agreed. “How about what you do like? You mentioned enjoying knotting and gland touching. How about oral sex during a heat?”

Matty shrugged. “I mean, it’s not bad. Like I said, I usually stay pretty lucid, so I can give okay blowjobs even when—”

Cliff chuckled and shook his head. “I meant for you, Matty. How do you feel about oral sex being performed on you during a heat? Does it feel good or is it too overstimulating?”

Matty stared at him blankly again. “I… um… I don’t know.” Matty squirmed again on the couch, his cheeks flushing slightly. “I’ve never had that. Dale never… I mean, it’s my job as an Omega to please my Alpha, so there’d be no need for him to…”

Cliff felt a fresh wave of rage at Dale Hirst, and the thin thread holding together his restraint suddenly frayed and snapped. Cliff felt himself moving toward the couch, scooping Matty up by the waist. Matty gasped and wrapped his arms firmly around Cliff’s neck and hooked his legs around the Alpha’s waist, holding on tightly as Cliff gathered Matty in close again and kissed him fiercely. The Omega groaned and tried to grind desperately against the core of Cliff’s body.

“Matty,” Cliff gasped, “I want you to listen to me about one thing.” He waited until the Omega’s blue-grey eyes re-focused on him before continuing, “This heat isn’t about my pleasure. It’s about yours. If there’s something you don’t like, tell me. If there’s something you really like, let me know in whatever way you can so I can do it more. Now,” he gave Matty a small nip at the edge of his collarbone, the small Omega gasping and rolling his hips again at the sensation of teeth so close to the vulnerable plane of his throat, “I think we’re done talking.”

“Finally,” Matty whined and then leaned to capture the Alpha’s mouth with his again. Cliff walked them as carefully as he could—with Matty still clinging to his body like a spider-monkey—to the bedroom. Their mouths panted into each other as Cliff laid Matty down on top of his bed, the sheets still crumpled from the previous night’s fitful sleep. Matty rubbed his growing heat scent into the sheets instinctively and then leaned over to smell Cliff’s pillow, giving a small groan of delight at what he found. “Did you… think of me in this bed?” he purred.

“Several times,” Cliff admitted hoarsely. “Here—and on the couch.”

Matty’s grey eyes practically sparkled. “Mmmm. I’m happy to hear I wasn’t the only one imagining this, Alpha.” Matty paused with a frown and muttered, “Um, wait, is it okay if I call you ‘Alpha’? I don’t want to call you ‘doctor’ in this situation.”

Cliff chuckled as he slid off Matty’s socks and shoes, pausing to give a small bite on the tender flesh of his ankle, relishing in the Omega’s low moan in response. “You can call me ‘Alpha,’ or just ‘Cliff.’ I’m fine with either—use whatever feels right.”

Matty sighed and nodded, lifting his hips off the bed to help Cliff slide his jeans off with greater ease. Then he hurriedly pulled his own tee over his head, leaving him bare except for his underwear.  “Then, Alpha,” Matty moaned as he leaned back on the bed, “please take me, fuck me, knot me, anything, everything. Just please, no more talking.”

Cliff grinned as he nipped and kissed his way up Matty’s legs, pausing to nose at Matty’s underwear and mouth at the erection pressing against the cloth there. Matty’s gasp was high-pitched and desperate in response. “No more talking,” Cliff agreed. “But you’ll have to be a bit patient about that knotting. We have something we need to remedy first.”

Cliff hooked his fingers in the waistband of Matty’s underwear and carefully peeled them down so that Matty’s dripping opening and swollen erection were both exposed. Like most male Omegas, Matty wasn’t very largely endowed, his presentation assuring his erection’s medical uselessness as Omegan ejaculate was watery and incapable of impregnating anyone.

Its usefulness for pleasure, though, was another story altogether.

Cliff gave another light bite on the inside of Matty’s thigh and then licked a messy path from the base of his seam, up and over the Omega’s small testicles, and then up and around the underside of his prick. As Cliff sucked the soft head into his mouth, Matty wailed and fisted the bed sheets beneath him. Cliff hummed in pleasure and bobbed his head on the small Omega’s cock for a bit. After Matty’s groans became frantic and breathy, Cliff let the erection fall from his lips with an audible pop, instead grasping it in his fist as he dipped his head lower to tongue at Matty’s wet seam. Cliff moved his hand steadfastly on Matty’s prick as he pressed his mouth against the Omega’s wet opening, tonguing and licking enthusiastically until he was rewarded with Matty’s increasingly loud cries and a honeyed rush of slick against his lips. Cliff continued to pump his hand up and down Matty’s erection and to brush his thumb over the sensitive head as he licked Omega’s seam, occasionally continuing further up to tongue over the soft skin of his balls. Then Cliff returned to sucking on the head of Matty’s erection as he carefully pressed a finger into the warm wetness of the Omega’s seam, curving the angle slightly to press the pad of his finger against the sensitive nerves he knew were waiting there. Matty’s gorgeous, feral cry filled Cliff’s ears at the same time the watery saltiness of Omegan ejaculate filled his mouth and more slick rushed over his hand. He swallowed as Matty’s thighs trembled around him, the Omega’s seam throbbing and twitching in search of a knot to lock down on.

“Alpha,” Matty whined. Then he begged again, his voice hoarse and wrecked, “Cliff, oh my oh my God, please.”

Cliff smiled and wiped his mouth before shedding his own clothes. He blanketed Matty’s body with his, flesh on flesh as he pressed the smaller Omega’s hands against the mattress and kissed him deeply, letting Matty taste his own fluids on Cliff’s lips. The Omega gasped and groaned against him, still half-trembling through the aftershocks of his orgasms as the Alpha carefully spread his legs and pressed in.

As heat and wetness enveloped his cock, Cliff rocked his hips, stimulating Matty’s sensitive inner walls and urging another shattering cry from the small Omega. Cliff moved with increasingly firm thrusts as Matty’s sweet honey and apple scent clouded everything and urged him faster. Soon, he was clutching the tender skin of Matty’s hips in an almost bruising grip and slamming into the small Omega at a near punishing speed. Not that Matty seemed to mind—his head pushed back into the sheets of the bed and his throat beautifully exposed, he bucked his hips to meet Cliff’s thrusts and let out a relentless, beautiful arrangement of wails and encouragements.  

As Cliff felt his knot start to swell with blood and press against Matty’s soaked and sweltering seam, he kissed Matty firmly again and slid his right hand under the Omega’s arched neck. He pressed his fingers tightly against the Omega’s scent glands at the same time his knot pressed past the barrier and slotted home. Matty cried and spasmed, his body torn between the boneless calm communicated from the point on his neck and the frenzied stimulation of the nerve endings inside his seam. The result was the Omega gasping and trembling pitifully as his cunt locked and spasmed on Cliff’s knot, further thin ejaculate leaking from Matty’s exhausted penis. Cliff groaned into Matty’s mouth and came hard, semen flooding the Omega behind the swollen knot locked firmly inside.

The two of them panted with fatigue without speaking for a while until finally Matty let out a half-laugh of a groan. “Tell me again,” Matty said. “You’ll fight to keep me?”

“Desperately,” Cliff repeated, kissing the soft skin of Matty’s throat and nuzzling him below the ear as he relished in the tight spasms around his knot.

"Good," Matty breathed. He ran his fingers through Cliff’s hair and nudged the Alpha’s face softly until Cliff looked up to find himself the intense focus of Matty’s cloudy, reverent gaze. "Because I’m honestly not sure now if I’d be able to give you up either."

 

Chapter 8: Fast Slide

Summary:

Cliff and Matty continue to experience Matty's heat together

Notes:

Whew, this chapter is a little longer than standard, and I have officially made up for this being a "slow burn" A/B/O story with all the heat sex in this chapter (as well as more feels and angst). Lots of tags added for this one, and please note that (as Cliff is a delightful control freak sometimes) there are some dom/sub elements, but with full consent.

Also, Matty is going to describe his strategy for going through heats before he was mated. While this is based on real and common experiences that some people have had growing up, I would love to give advice to anyone reading this story: please do not stick any objects in your body that are not made to actually go there. Improvised sex toys can be dangerous, and are often not at all hygienic. Please be safe out there, and enjoy!

Fast Slide, (n.) In inline skating terms, this type of slide occurs when a skater completes a grind (like a frontside), but only uses the front foot. It is a difficult slide to balance and hold.

 

Matty came three more times as Cliff knotted him before the food delivery arrived, after which they mutually decided it was a fair time for a break. Matty smelled fully sugar-sweet now and was glistening with sweat, his heat fully on its course. Cliff filled pint glasses with ice water, and they languidly sampled the soup varieties for dinner, talking lazily while they leaned against kitchen counters clad only in their underwear. Matty rejected the sweet-and-sour soup almost immediately but seemed pleased by both the Korean soft-tofu stew and the light broth of the won-ton soup—though he left all the various solid ingredients in the container for Cliff to munch on. The mood was calm, and the two of them kept smiling softly at each other as they drank and ate, each passing moment feeling relaxed and satisfied.

After the last few days, it felt surreal.

Soon, Matty began to get uncomfortable again, and—after Cliff was confident that the Omega had consumed a fair number of calories and glasses of water—they found themselves back on the twill couch, Cliff fucking into Matty with smooth, firm thrusts as their bodies pressed against the woven cushions. Watching Matty gasp and toss his head against the fabric, Cliff was sure his couch would never smell like anything except Matty’s apple sweetness ever again.

As Cliff’s knot locked once more into Matty’s tight seam, they both groaned into each other’s mouths and came, shuddering through their orgasms and clinging to each other’s sweat slick torsos.

“Oh my god,” Matty half-laughed after he caught his breath again, “I really have been doing heats wrong for years.” He gasped as he slowly rolled his hips to feel the Alpha’s knot pull and slide inside him. “They’ve been something I dreaded, like I had to grit my teeth and power through while my body did this horrible thing, and everything was painful and uncomfortable.” The Omega gave a happy sigh as he rubbed his face against Cliff’s throat. “I didn’t really know it could feel like this.”

Cliff kissed the top of Matty’s head and half-nuzzled against his hair. “I’m glad this feels different. Though I should warn you,” he winced slightly as he shifted his weight on the couch cushion and felt his knot slowly start to diminish, “I may not be able to go another round for a while.”

Once again, Cliff cursed the lack of pre-planning time—even though pack-living was less common these days, lingering primal biology kept Omegas’ heats at a pace more ideal for multiple Alphas. Thus, most Alpha-Omega couples who went through heats with just each other supplemented with toys and various other modern assistances. But Cliff didn’t have any of that—just a nearly-thirty-year-old body that was reminding him that this angle on the couch was a terrible idea.

Matty chuckled slightly. “I’m patient,” he sighed, giving the blond Alpha a little nip of a bite below his ear. “I went through eight entire heats without even a toy to keep me company—I can deal with a bit of downtime.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows and looked down at Matty in wonder. “Without even… that’s not medically recommended. How did you manage?”

Matty bit his lip and gave a half-shrug. Cliff was starting to recognize the look as Matty’s unique blend of authentic bashfulness and intentional coquettish flirtation.

“Ingenuity. My parents were against anything that could jeopardize my ‘marriage prospects,’ so knotting toys weren’t an option. Really, I was encouraged just to use my hand to get through them. But after the first two—which were seriously, insanely horrible—I started subtly picking things up when I went out with my brother to the store, stuff I could hide in my room to help later.” Matty chuckled and mused, “Leo had no idea why I needed that new hairbrush with an extra-long handle, or the collector’s tube of holiday Chapstick, or that very, very specific bottle of iced tea.” Matty rolled his hips slightly, causing Cliff to groan in response as he began to lightly fuck into Matty again. The knot was small enough now that he could feel the slide of semen and slick as he moved, and Matty trembled slightly as he continued, voice rasping in Cliff’s ear. “The iced tea bottle was probably my favorite—it was glass with the neck really tapered at the top, but then it flared more at the base and almost pressed in enough to feel like a knot. Didn’t quite get there, but it was the closest I got for a while.”

“Hopefully I’m not coming in second to an iced tea bottle,” Cliff chuckled as he slammed his hips forward a little harder.

Matty’s gasp turned into a half-cry. “N-no,” he choaked out. “Trust me, this is way better.”

“Happy to hear it,” Cliff said, moving his hips more and feeling Matty’s lingering jolts and shudders. After a few more moments, Cliff’s knot finally began to slip free and Matty whimpered. “It’s okay, Matty,” the Alpha purred, nuzzling Matty’s face slightly and giving him a soft kiss on the side of his head. “We’ll get you that knot again as soon as I can manage. You’re doing very well, baby. You’re so good.”

Cliff felt a slight tension in Matty’s shoulders, the Omega freezing for only a moment. “I think I need some more water,” he said quickly. Then he smiled at Cliff and gave him a quick kiss, and the strange tension was gone.

.               .               .

Cliff awoke with a start to the sound of clattering and something heavy dropping in the kitchen. He groaned and blinked at the sunlight streaming through the edge of his bedroom curtains.

It looked to be late in the morning, but Cliff was pretty sure he’d barely slept. The heat now fully in motion, Matty had been too uncomfortable to sleep much, and Cliff felt like his promise to not leave Matty alone at least tangentially applied to not completely crashing before the squirming and panting Omega. For hours, Cliff had alternated between sucking and worshipping Matty’s thin cock, fingering and fucking Matty’s eager seam with his hand, and finally getting enough strength and blood flow back to knot the eager Omega.

Throughout the night, Cliff noticed the same pattern of light tension in Matty following moments of praise, but it was likely just because the Omega was so unused to positive feedback—and the tension seemed to lessen the moment Cliff kissed him again or they shifted to another zealous sexual act. Before they both fell asleep, Cliff had swallowed Matty down hard, milking the small Omega’s erection within the hollows of his mouth until Matty was spent and gasping, and then eaten out Matty’s ass while fucking nearly his whole hand into the Omega’s swollen cunt. That had tired Matty out enough that Cliff had barely had enough time to wipe them both down with a damp washcloth and place a spare towel on the ever-growing wet spot before they both fell into a heavy sleep.

A heavy sleep that was now being broken by loud kitchen noises.

Taking a quick note of the empty spot where Matty once had been sleeping, Cliff threw on a pair of workout shorts and shuffled out of the bedroom, bleary eyes searching in the direction of the noise. Sure enough, Matty was tinkering with the stove, the heavy cast iron pan moved to the range while an array of ingredients lay on the counter alongside a mixing bowl that Matty had clearly found in the cabinet.

“Matty,” Cliff frowned. “What are you doing?”

“I—I was going to make you eggs, Alpha,” Matty said with an attempt at a smile that looked rather pained. His skin was beaded with sweat and his underwear—an expensive specialty kind that was meant to absorb reasonable amounts of Omegan slick, Cliff realized—were soaked through, wetness now starting to paint the insides of Matty’s thighs. The Omega’s hands were shaking slightly as he reached for an egg.

“Matty,” Cliff said firmly, “you shouldn’t be doing this during your heat.”

“It’s fine,” Matty assured through nearly clenched teeth. “You need your strength, and protein will help. I’ll do this for you, Alpha. You’ll see, I’ll—”

“Matty, stop.” Cliff was careful to only use the smallest command trill in his vocal cords. Omegas were especially sensitive to Alpha commands during a heat cycle, and too strong of a command could sound like anger and thus cause an Omega distress. Matty froze and looked up with a frown. Cliff tried to give his best reassuring smile in response and calmly said, “I’d really prefer you not stress your body right now. Here, let me get you some water.” Cliff filled another pint glass and handed it to Matty. When the Omega hesitated, he added a firm, “I’d like you to drink this, Matty. Then I’ll get you a second glass if you want it, but I’d like you to at least drink this one before anything else.”

Matty nodded shakily and took only moments to drain the pint.

“Okay,” Cliff said, “good. That’s very good, Matty. Now, do you want to tell me why you felt like you should make me eggs this morning in the middle of your heat.”

A soft whimper escaped Matty’s mouth and he whispered, “I… I wanted to do something to make you happy.”

“And you decided you’d do that by making me eggs?” Cliff asked. Matty gave a half-shrug, his eyes on the ground. Cliff frowned. He’d hoped that Matty had moved past that behavior with him, had trusted him more. Apparently not. “Matty,” he said carefully, “what would really make me happy is having you comfortable and safe during your heat. You don’t need to cook anything—if you need any food and want something cooked, please just ask me.”

“No,” Matty grumbled, “that’s not… I didn’t need anything. I was making it for you.”

“Right,” Cliff agreed cautiously, “and that’s a sweet instinct, Matty, but I already told you: this heat isn’t about pleasing me—it’s about you. Now, did you want eggs this morning?”

A grimace flickered over Matty’s face and Cliff recognized the slight gag in his throat of evident nausea. “No, I don’t. But you need more calories, Alpha, and I—”

“And I can take care of that on my own,” Cliff said calmly. “We have leftovers from last night, or I could have a smoothie with protein powder, or make some eggs for myself if I really wanted them. But you’re the one whose body is in overdrive and going through stress right now. I should be taking care of you right now, Matty, not the other way around.”

Matty whimpered and his entire body trembled as his eyes watered.

“Matty,” Cliff said with a frown, “talk to me. You’re having what looks like a fear reaction. What is it that you’re afraid of?”

Matty crossed his arms over his body protectively, causing Cliff to keep a close eye on the Omega’s thin fingers and sharp nails. They weren’t biting into his skin… yet. “You could,” Matty finally gasped, “still change your mind. You could decide I’m too lazy and that you want to call off the challenge. I know that I’ve said I’m a crappy Omega—I just realized this morning that you might not really have really thought about that. You might make me go back. I… I wanted to show you that I wouldn’t be a complete waste. I’m not a great cook, but I can do eggs okay. I was going to make you coffee too, but I didn’t see a coffee maker I recognized.” Matty’s eyes became wetter and he gasped out, “Please don’t be mad at me, Alpha. Please still keep the challenge. I’ll be the best I can! I’ll try!”

Cliff like his heart was twisting in his chest. He gathered Matty into his arms in a light hug and pressed softly on the Omega’s neck. Matty stayed tense in his arms, his fear and anxiety clearly more powerful than his biological response to Cliff’s comfort attempt. The Alpha sighed and stepped back a bit, keeping one hand lightly on the side of Matty’s neck. “Matty, I promised I would fight to keep you. Nothing is going to change that. There’s nothing you can do ‘wrong’ during this heat—you don’t have to do anything for me or be at all perfect.  I promise.”

Matty looked at his feet and frowned. “Dale said a lot of nice things before we were mated,” he muttered. “But he got mad and began to act like he could barely stand me once he had me to himself. What… what if that happens again?”

Cliff winced. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Matty. I promise you I won’t do anything like that. I’m not Dale Hirst.”

“I know,” Matty muttered. “But… but I’ve been so bad at knowing what he wanted from me. What if I do the same with you? I don’t know if I could stand you rejecting me and ignoring me like he did! I don’t think I can go through it all again!”

Cliff breathed out, his head aching as Matty’s smell vacillated wildly from the sharp acid of his stress to the syrupy sweetness of his heat and back again. “To start with, you don’t have to guess with me, Matty. I will tell you directly if there’s something specific that would please me or something that would be important to me. Mainly, I just want you to be safe, healthy, and happy.” A thought shot through Cliff and he smiled softly. “Matty, you’ve had rules your whole life, right? Rules from your Alpha father and then rules from Dale Hirst?” Matty nodded slowly. “Would it help if I gave a couple clear rules for our relationship? Something to give parameters?”

Matty seemed to hesitate a moment and then slowly nodded again, though Cliff could smell the slightest tinge of fear in Matty’s scent.

“Okay,” Cliff said softly. “Rule 1—during sexual acts and arousal, you’re welcome to call me whatever you want. I’m not going to police your instincts or anything you say in a state of desire. But when we’re having a non-sexual conversation, like we are right now in the kitchen, I’d like you to just call me ‘Cliff,’ not Alpha. If we become close enough to give each other pet names or the like, that’s fine too, but no ‘Alpha’ title outside of either sex or its lead-up. Can you agree to that for me, Matty?”

Matty gave a confused frown but then nodded slowly. “Yes… Cliff. I can do that.”

Cliff smiled and moved the hand on Matty’s neck so it was making soft, petting motions. “Very good,” he purred. “Thank you for listening, Matty. Okay, this next rule is going to be a temporary one, but I think it will feel important as we’re getting more familiar. Rule 2—if you want to do something for me, specifically to make me happy, I’d like you to ask me first.”

Matty started slightly in surprise. “What?”

Cliff nodded at the pan. “For example, making eggs. You said you didn’t want them yourself—you just were making them to make me happy. That would be a situation where I’d like you to ask first: ‘Cliff, would it make you happy if I made you some eggs right now?’ or something similar. This gives me the chance to clearly communicate, and then you’ll know right away. You won’t have to guess.”

Matty seemed to think about this a moment. “You… you want me to ask permission before doing nice things for you?”

“Only if your only goal is to make me happy,” Cliff clarified. “If you personally want something for yourself or to do something that you personally would enjoy, you do not have to ask permission. Well, unless it could be dangerous or harmful to you. If you think I’d worry about your safety, I’d like you to ask for my input. However, if it’s not, then you can just go ahead without asking permission—so, if you wanted to make the eggs or make coffee for yourself, you could do that without asking. Does that make sense, Matty?”

The Omega blinked wide, grey eyes and nodded.

“Fantastic,” Cliff sighed. “That’s it—those are the only two rules.”

Matty started. “Seriously? That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Cliff affirmed again.

“What… what about food I should eat? Or what I should touch or not touch in your home? Or what I should wear?”

Cliff shook his head. “See Rule 2—if you want something for yourself or to do something that you personally would enjoy, then, unless it could be dangerous, you do not have to ask permission.”

A darkness flickered over Matty’s face and he scrunched up his nose. “You’re lying. You have to be.”

“No, Matty,” Cliff assured. “I don’t lie—these really are the only rules.” Matty bristled, causing Cliff to frown. “You trusted me earlier with both your skates and your feelings. Why can’t you trust this?”

“You say you don’t lie,” Matty said through gritted teeth, “but you’ve been lying basically since I got here.”

Cliff felt like his head was spinning. He tilted his head and scrunched his forehead in confusion. “What do you mean? When have I ever lied to you?”

“You keep… you keep calling me ‘good,’” Matty growled slightly. He teared up again, the act giving his eyes the look of reflective ponds on a stormy day. “I know it’s just a small thing and that it’s something you’re supposed to say to an Omega during sex, but it is a lie, and it really makes me wonder what else you could lie about!”

Cliff was silent a moment and then gave a heavy sigh. “Ah. I see we have a bit of a conflict in our perspectives.” Cliff gave Matty another soft squeeze on his neck and said, “Matty, that’s not lying. I’m not lying to you. I think you’re very good—you’re a good Omega.”

Matty let out a soft hiccup of a sob. “I’m… I’m not though. And you know I’m not.”

“I know of no such thing,” Cliff said firmly. “I know that you’ve been told you’re a bad Omega—mostly by people I would consider both cruel and wrong. But that’s not true, Matty—you’re wonderful. You’re a good Omega.” Cliff put the smallest trill of a command in the last phrase, infusing it with his Alpha will. Cliff watched as the command tone shot through Matty like a small electric shock. His eyes widened and his spine straightened, but he still had a clear look of doubt on his face. “Shall I prove it to you?” Cliff asked, his voice deepening slightly.

Matty frowned in confusion but then nodded slowly. “If you think you can, Al—I mean, Cliff.”

Cliff smiled. “Very good, Matty. See, you’re already listening to the rules. That’s something a good Omega would do. You’re proving my point for me.” Matty blushed hotly, his eyes flickering toward the ground and then back up again with curiosity. “Now, as we’ve just established, a good Omega listens to their Alpha, right? They follow instructions. Can we agree on that?”

Matty nodded again.

“Okay,” Cliff purred, “then I’m going to give you a few instructions, and you’re going to follow them. Because you’re a very good Omega.” He saw Matty practically tremble at the suggestion, his cheeks flushing and his scent becoming more consistently sweet with pleasure and heat. “Okay, come here and face the countertop, then place your hands on the counter.”

Matty immediately did as he was told, making Cliff’s blood sing and his cock stiffen immediately.

Cliff slightly shifted Matty’s position so that Matty’s weight was being taken mostly on his arms, his feet positioned in almost a tiptoe as he leaned forward. “Okay, can you stay like this a few moments, Matty?”

Matty nodded and then voiced in more clear agreement, “Yes, Cliff.”

Cliff licked his lips and said, “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to eat you out again, and you’re going to keep yourself in that position while I do that. If your arms begin to hurt or you feel like you’re going to fall out of this position, you’re going to tell me before you do so. Can you do that for me, Matty?”

Matty whimpered and Cliff could smell the heady, thick scent of his heat arousal again. “Yes… Alpha,” Matty said carefully.

Cliff groaned and slid down Matty’s damp underwear. “Oh, look at you already following the rules so well. Yes, this is a time you can call me whatever you want, Matty. Good job. You’re such a good Omega—you listen so well.”

Matty trembled terribly in response.

Cliff carefully slid to his knees and spread Matty open with his hands before licking a path from his wet seam to the tight pucker of his ass. He repeated the motion again, and Matty’s voice hitched in a needy cry. Then Cliff plunged into the wetness of Matty’s seam and began to move his head enthusiastically, fucking his tongue in and out until slick was pouring out of Matty and dripping down Cliff’s chin.

The Omega trembled and shrieked, but he kept himself in position, his arms shaking only ever so slightly. Cliff continued his maneuverings until Matty was sobbing and his trembling wasn’t limited to just his arms. “Alpha—Cliff!” Matty finally gasped out, “I’m… I’m going to fall soon.”

Cliff stopped with a hum of acknowledgement and pulled Matty away from the counter, immediately scooping the small Omega up in his arms and carrying him out of the kitchen. “Good work, Matty,” he murmured. “Such a good Omega—you deserve a reward. Do you want that reward to be my knot, baby?” The noise that Matty made was a desperate affirmation. “Okay, then on the couch or the bed?”

“Couch, please,” Matty groaned frantically. “Couch is closer.”

“A very good choice for a very good Omega,” Cliff purred.

He began to position Matty and himself on the couch when the Omega sputtered, “Wait!” Cliff froze and backed away slightly. Matty flushed in nervous response and shook his head. “I… um… can I just… can I ride you, Alpha?”

Cliff raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. “Now, this is interesting. Let’s check Rule 2 again—do you want to ride me because you think it’ll please me or because it’s something you personally want to do?”

Matty licked his lips and smiled softly. “I personally want to ride you. I think it’ll feel good.”

Cliff hummed and nodded. “Then you don’t have to ask permission—rephrase it so you’re just telling me what you want.”

Matty blinked twice as he processed Cliff’s words and then grinned wider, moving to push Cliff lightly back onto the couch. “Alpha,” he crooned as he gently pressed his hand on the Alpha’s bare chest, “I want to ride you. I want to climb on top of you and feel you inside me and have you knot me from below.”

The groan that burst free from Cliff’s lips was equal parts desperate and animalistic. He nodded, and soon the small Omega was positioned above him, lowering himself down slowly as he used his hand to help guide the dripping head of Cliff’s erection into himself. Cliff gasped as he was sheathed in Matty’s wet, burning heat, and the Omega threw his head back and let out a gorgeous cry as Cliff’s cock hit an especially sensitive part inside of him. Then Matty began to roll his hips and bob up and down with abandon. 

As Matty moved faster, Cliff murmured frantic praise, finally just repeating, “You’re so good, baby” over and over as Matty gasped and cried and squeezed around him. It didn’t take long for Cliff’s knot to swell, and he nuzzled Matty’s neck and licked the bare skin above Hirst’s bond mark before grasping the Omega’s slim hips and pressing him down, feeling only the slightest resistance before the fiery heat enveloped his knot and the tight spasm of Matty’s lock gripped him firmly. Matty groaned against him and Cliff’s vision went white as he jerked his hips and came hard, his sperm flooding the Omega perched on top of him.

They panted against each other in silence for a few moments before Cliff gave Matty another soft kiss on his neck and murmured, “You did so well and listened so beautifully, Matty. Do you believe me now? You really are a good Omega, baby.”

Matty hummed and seemed to consider. His scent was sweet and calm, but his face still flickered with a hint of skepticism. “I’ll admit that I was good this time,” Matty muttered. “But… but what about next time? What if I mess up?”

“Messing up is totally normal,” Cliff assured him. “There are going to be times, potentially many, when I’ll mess up as an Alpha too. Making a mistake isn’t going to make me care about you less.”

Matty frowned at him. “I… I want to believe you. I really do.”

Cliff sighed with resignation, “But you don’t.” Matty shook his head carefully. Cliff nodded and gave Matty a soft, nearly chaste kiss. “Okay, it’s important to note that you don’t know me that well. I think you might need some character evidence, just like what I need to submit to the court for the mating challenge.” Cliff made a few quick decisions before nodding slowly. “Okay, Matty, here’s the plan—after this knot goes down, we’re going to get a little cleaned up, then I’m going to get you one of the smoothie popsicles and make a protein shake for myself. And then I’m going to do something incredibly ill-advised and idiotic. Sound good?”

Matty let out a slight laugh in surprise and looked at Cliff questioningly for a moment. Then he shrugged. “Sure,” he smiled, “I guess that sounds okay. I’m intrigued.”

Cliff took a significant amount of time brushing his teeth and rinsing with mouthwash a few times before he was satisfied that he could kiss Matty thoroughly without his mouth being absolutely disgusting after a full night’s sleep and their various enthusiastic activities. Matty seemed pleased with the choice of cool water during their brief shower, though the chilly temperature did little to flag heat arousal, and immediately after Cliff found himself fucking Matty—hair still damp and smelling deliciously like his soap—wildly on the bed before either of them had even remotely finished toweling off.

Oh well. At least they were mildly cleaner.

They were comfortably silent again while Cliff put away the clutter of what he assumed were intended to be omelet ingredients and instead got out the hefty plastic tub of protein powder and other smoothie ingredients. He briefly considered the French press but decided he didn’t need the dehydration of coffee and that he was only going to get so lucid with the headiness of Matty’s heat pheromones constantly wafting around him anyway.

He handed Matty another giant glass of water and a fruit smoothie popsicle and finished making his own small bucket of calories before he sighed and began to explain. “Okay,” he started carefully, “first of all, I want you to know the common wisdom that I’m ignoring. The basic, fairly obvious recommendation is that—even if an Alpha has had previous sexual relationships with other Omegas—that’s not discussed with a potential or current Omegan mate partner. And it is especially not brought up during their heat, when emotions and hormones are both running high.” Cliff winced and sighed, “I’m about to ignore that in a very big way, okay?”

Matty pulled his mouth off of his homemade popsicle with an obscene suction sound that went straight to Cliff’s tired cock. “I mean, on one hand that recommendation makes sense for most people. But we’re not exactly typical. I mean, you know I’ve been with another Alpha.” Matty made a loose gesture at the knitted circular scar of his mate mark.

“Exactly,” Cliff agreed. “And… and I think this will help a bit with building trust. Are you okay to wear at least a shirt for a short period of time?”

Matty glanced down at the sweat that was already starting to gather on his feverish skin. “Emphasis on short?” Cliff nodded. “Then sure. Please don’t ask me to wear pants through.”

Cliff chuckled and nodded. He handed Matty one of his own, clean workout shirts and couldn’t help a rush of possessive pride at how Matty looked in his clothes, the way the shirt fell all the way to his thin hips. Cliff slipped on his own clothes for some amount of modesty but knew the mess of his hair was going to clearly give away what he had been up to on the video call—his ‘sex hair’ was going to be completely familiar and recognizable. Oh well.

Cliff picked up his phone and angled it carefully to mostly just frame their heads and shoulders before hitting the button for a video call. The familiar tone rang and rang before the screen flickered to life and a sleepy Omega holding a cup of tea answered with a flat grumble. “In Seattle, it’s nine in the morning on a Sunday. Which is way too early to call, Cliff. What the fu—Oh. Um. Hi.” Tanner blinked hazel eyes at the image of Matty snuggled up next to Cliff. Then Tanner’s gaze flickered back to Cliff’s face and he raised his eyebrows meaningfully. Cliff cleared his throat.

“Good morning, Tanner. Um, sorry for calling you so early. It’s fairly important, but I’m really sorry if I woke the little ones.”

Tanner shook his head, eyes still sharp like he was calculating scientific data. “No, Elizabeth is going to be doing novice soccer, so Jacks just took her and the twins to the park for the introductory parent meeting. This,” he pointed meaningfully to his fluffy bathrobe and tea, “is my relaxing lazy time.” His eyes flashed and the corner of his mouth tugged slightly as he said, “You look like you’ve had a more active morning.”

Cliff smirked immediately. Tanner was sharp and always struck at the point quickly. “Tanner,” Cliff said calmly, “this is Matty. Matty, this is Tanner—oh, remember I mentioned that friend, one of the Omegas who created your tracking app? This is him.”

Matty’s eyes widened slightly and he fidgeted anxiously. “Oh. Wow. Um. Hi. Thanks so much. That app of yours is amazing and it kind of saved my life. Like recently. Really, really recently.”

“You’re welcome,” Tanner chuckled, his eyes still sharp with calculation and caution. “It’s very nice to meet you, Matty.” He glanced back at Cliff with a look that screamed loudly: ‘Seriously, what the fuck!’

Cliff sighed and gave a placid smile—the kind that Tanner usually became furious with and said was his ‘therapist’ smile. “I’ll be calling back later this week to talk to you and Jacks more thoroughly. I… I’m making a challenge for Matty’s bond here, and I’ll need some character statements, if you’re willing.”

Tanner’s eyes widened. “Oh. Sure, absolutely we can do that. We’d be happy to.” Tanner then gave a sharp, toothy grin and said through the gritted smile, “After we talk later and you give me so much more context, of course.”

“Of course,” Cliff agreed. “That’s not why I’m calling right now though. Well, not exactly, anyway.” At Tanner’s raised eyebrows, Cliff continued, “I suppose it is a character statement, but not to the court—to Matty.” Cliff turned to look at the Omega snuggled next to him and said warmly, “For the record, Tanner here is the brattiest Omega that I’ve ever met in my life.”

“Oh, fuck right off,” Tanner growled. Matty jolted in surprise, but Cliff just chuckled.

“See what I mean?” The blond Alpha grinned. Tanner rolled his eyes dramatically in response. “And, just so it’s clear, Tanner and I lived in a pack house together in college. Tanner was a pack Omega at the time, and we did have a sexual relationship.”

A look of surprise at Cliff’s bluntness flickered across Tanner’s face, but Matty just nodded calmly.

Cliff breathed out and turned back to the phone, “Now, Tanner, in the time that you knew me, did I ever retaliate against a lack of following instructions or lack of submission by withholding affection or ignoring you?”

A glint of awareness broke in Tanner’s eyes, and he snorted gamely in response. “Oh, fuck no,” he said. “In fact, not following instructions was basically a sure way to rile you up. That’s how I got the best attention. Hey, kid—you really want to see Cliff flustered? Wait until he gives you an order in bed and just flatly tell him ‘No’ to his face. It’s hilarious.”

Cliff flushed and winced. “I didn’t call you so that you could give Matty encouragement to be bratty. I was just asking—”

“See, that was your first mistake,” Tanner chirped as he took a sip of tea. “You wanted me to say what you wanted. You should have known better than that.”

Cliff chuckled and shook his head. “Matty,” he sighed to the young man next to him, “as you can see, Tanner does not fit the stereotype of a submissive, obedient Omega. And he and I are still good friends to this day.” Cliff let a slight smirk come to life on his lips as he cheekily added, “Despite his attitude.”

Tanner snorted, “Despite your attitude, you mean. Asshole.”

Cliff laughed louder, and Matty just blinked with wide eyes. “So,” Matty muttered, “he didn’t get angry with you for not listening?”

Tanner smiled sweetly at the other Omega and shook his head. “No, he didn’t get angry. He sometimes got frustrated, but that’s not the same thing. For example, I sometimes get frustrated with my mate—like about how he never, ever folds the kids’ clothes the way I show him. And he sometimes gets frustrated with me, though I can’t at all think of why.” Tanner grinned with just a glint of self-aware shame and winked at Matty. Matty gave a small chuckle in response. “But we can express those frustrations in a calm way. Um, mostly.” Tanner half-winced and admitted, “My mate Jacks is better at being calm when he’s frustrated than I am. But the point is, we care about each other and would never do anything to intentionally hurt each other. Cliff is like that too—that’s why he’s such a good friend and why we both care about him so much. He always wants to help people, not hurt them. I can’t see him ever intentionally withholding affection or doing something to purposefully hurt you, Matty.” Cliff blushed at the acclaim and mouthed a quick ‘thank you,’ to which Tanner nodded slightly with a grin.

Matty let out a slightly shaky breath, “Um, thanks. That’s really, really helpful to know.”

“You’re very welcome,” Tanner cheerily replied. “Now, you two get back to what you were doing earlier, and I’m going to go take a relaxing bath before the little wild ones get home.” Tanner’s grin turned sharper again as he added, “And I am expecting another phone call from you, Cliff. Soon.”

“Will do,” Cliff sighed. “Promise. Give Jacks and the kids my best.”

A few quick goodbyes and nice-to-meet-you’s later, the call ended. Matty blinked at the blank phone screen a moment before he muttered, “Huh. Well, I guess I could be considered a good Omega if he’s part of your standard.”

Cliff shook his head. “Actually, I’d consider Tanner a ‘good Omega’ too. He’s not obedient, but he’s a wonderful friend and parent, plus a very passionate advocate for other Omegas. Despite his antagonistic streak and foul mouth, he has a strong nurturing instinct, and he cares deeply about his community, his mate, and his children. Tanner and Jacks are some of the best people I know, regardless of presentation.”

“Oh. Okay then.” Matty said, his voice slightly hollow with wonder, “So… um, I guess there’s more than one way to be ‘good,’ even when you’re trying to be a ‘good’ Omega?”

Cliff nodded and gave Matty a soft kiss on the side of his head. “I’d say so,” he agreed.

A knowing glint flickered in Matty’s eyes and his look of confused wonder transformed into a small, playful smirk. “But,” he murmured, deliberately half-lowering his eyes, “you do prefer your Omegas to be obedient during sex, right?”

Cliff felt a blush heat his cheeks. “I—I’ll admit to that being a preference,” he agreed with only a slight studder to betray his caution. “But it wouldn’t be a problem if instead you want—”

“That’s good,” Matty interrupted. He sighed and rolled his hips lightly against Cliff. “I really like obeying you like that. Really.” Cliff groaned and pulled Matty into a deep, impassioned kiss. After a moment, the Omega squirmed and gasped into his mouth, “Can I take this shirt off now?”

“Rule 2,” Cliff replied with a slight smile. “It’s something you want, right? No need to ask.”

Matty rolled his eyes and then pulled the shirt over his head, making a bit of a show of throwing it on the ground. Cliff noticed the feverish flush of Matty’s cheeks again and the stickiness of his skin, the sweat having been trapped against him by the workout shirt.

“You say that you like obeying me during sex?” Cliff clarified. Matty nodded again eagerly. “I’m thrilled to hear that, baby. Now, the problem is that I’m not sure I’m ready to go again just yet. You said you were very patient during your heat though…” Cliff gave Matty a suggestive, heated smile and asked, “How would you feel about playing a game to test that patience?”

Matty raised his eyebrows and squirmed slightly. “What do you have in mind?”

Cliff nodded toward the bedroom and began to shed his own clothes as he said to Matty, “Lay down in the center of the bed on your back.” The Omega nodded and followed instructions as Cliff slid next to him on the mattress. “Okay, now place your arms above your head.” Matty did as instructed and quietly looked at Cliff, waiting for the next direction. “Now, I want you to keep your hands there so you can’t touch yourself or touch me. I’ll be here with you—I won’t leave you alone, Matty. I’m going to touch you a few places lightly, but not your genitals, okay? I want you to really feel the heat and pressure build and see how long you can stand waiting. But, when you feel like you can’t take it anymore, let me know, and I’ll give you relief. How does that sound?”

Matty shifted slightly on the bed. “You’ll stay right here? And I can stop the waiting at any time?”

Cliff nodded. “It’ll be completely in your control to tell me when you need to stop, Matty. I’ll be right here.”

Matty bit his lip and nodded. “Okay, then. Let’s see how I do.”

Cliff grinned as Matty relaxed and tipped his head back, eyes closing as he breathed heavily. Cliff began to lightly trace patterns on the Omega’s hips, then the soft sides of his stomach, then the space near his collar bone. Matty sighed in pleasure, squirming slightly but otherwise staying still, his arms still pressed to the mattress above his head. Sweat beaded, and the Omega’s breathing stayed rapid—but he didn’t ask to stop.

After a few minutes, Cliff began tracing light touches along Matty’s legs, dipping his fingers softly behind his knees and down his calves. Matty bit his lip and squirmed, a groan escaping his lips. Cliff watched as more slick began to gather and run down the Omega’s thighs.

“Do you want to stop?” Cliff asked softly. “Remember, you can end this at any time.”

Matty shook his head furiously. “No, I can last longer,” he moaned. He kept his hands pressed above his head.

A few more minutes passed and more sweat began to trickle down Matty’s neck and collect at his brow. He was fully writhing on the bed, his opening twitching and his hips starting to roll, searching aimlessly for stimulation. All the while, Matty kept his hands in their instructed position on the bed.

“You can stop at any time,” Cliff reminded. “Say the word and I’ll help you.”

“Just… just a little longer,” Matty panted, his voice raw with need. “I… I can wait just a bit more.”  

Cliff bit back a groan. He had been hard for several minutes, and he knew Matty must be able to smell his arousal. What had started as a waiting challenge for Matty was slowly becoming one for Cliff as well. Noting to himself that he was perhaps cheating ever so slightly, Cliff placed one hand above Matty’s groin, approximately where his womb nestled, and pressed lightly. Matty jolted and gasped, slick leaking out of his opening. That spot often acted as a stimulant during an Omega’s heat—Tanner had always hated having that spot touched, but it had made Nathaniel practically scream and beg. Matty seemed to have a slightly more mitigated reaction, but he still arched his back and his breath hitched as he shuddered.

“Cliff,” he whimpered, his throat sounding strained. “Alpha!”

“Do you want to stop, Matty?” Cliff asked, his own voice gravelly with desire. “Do you want me to fuck you, to bring you relief?”

Matty seemed to want to deny it for a moment, to keep up the challenge for even longer, but finally he let out a strangled moan. “Yes, please! Hurry and fuck me, Alpha.”

Cliff leaned down and captured Matty’s mouth in a deep, open mouthed kiss, feeling the pressure of his desperate pants and groans. The aching Alpha reached his hand lower and ran his fingers up and down the incredible wetness of Matty’s seam, reveling in the beautiful sounds the Omega made in response. Then he carefully positioned himself over Matty and pressed in.

Cliff heard himself groan in time with Matty, and the two of them began to move together, Matty rolling his hips in time to meet Cliff’s thrusts.  It took a few moments of moving and gasping into each other for Cliff to notice that Matty’s hands were still pressed above his head.

“You don’t have to keep your hands there anymore,” Cliff said through panting breaths.

Matty hummed and blinked up at Cliff for a moment before replying, “Rule 2, Alpha—remember? If I want to do something and it’s not dangerous, I don’t need permission.” Matty’s grey eyes flashed almost silver as he grinned coquettishly, “I want to keep them there, so I will.”

The sound that flew from Cliff’s mouth was aching, hungry, and tortured. Oh, this brilliant, lovely, amazing little Omega. How had Dale Hirst not treasured every tiny part of him—every iota, particle, and molecule? Cliff crushed his mouth against Matty’s again and accelerated his thrusts, and soon the Omega’s cries became louder against him as he worked to match the speed and intensity.

“You’re amazing,” Cliff gasped between kisses. “You’re not just good—you’re glorious, Matty. So glorious.”

Matty practically sobbed in response and threw his head back, exposing his gorgeous throat. If the pale skin there had been bare, Cliff would have bitten down and broken skin, his dream claiming made reality. If the bite mark there—clearly visible now in tight, circular scars—were his own, Cliff would have mouthed it to remind Matty of his care and possession. Instead, it was Dale Hirst’s—so Cliff ignored it the best he could and sucked a bruise onto the pale skin below Matty’s ear, allowing himself just the slightest pressure of teeth. He felt Matty shudder through his orgasm, slick welling around Cliff’s throbbing cock at the base where a knot had started to swell.

“Please!” Matty gasped, “You feel so good, Alpha. Don’t stop. Give me your knot. Claim me. Keep me. Don’t let go of me.”

“I will,” Cliff moaned against his neck. “I will, Matty.”

His knot slotted in, and it felt near earth-shattering, something beyond mere physical pleasure, as Cliff placed his hands on top of Matty’s and stared into his eyes as the Omega became filled with his seed. Matty gazed back, trembling and groaning with the intensity. Cliff briefly wondered if he was physically trapping the small Omega too much with his hands on Matty’s thin wrists, his body pressing firmly down on the mattress, and his knot locked into the Omega’s tight internal grip. But Matty just hooked his legs around Cliff and pulled him in even closer as he shook and shuddered through the pulses of his orgasm.

“Glorious,” Cliff said again. “You’re so glorious, Matty.”

Cliff released the Omega’s wrists, and Matty grinned in response, finally moving his arms to twine around the Alpha’s shoulders. “You are too, you know,” Matty sighed. “Absolutely glorious.”

They kissed again, exhaling into each other as their pace slowly moved from frantic passion to exhausted calm. As they held each other tightly, the sun dipped lower in the sky, and they both fell into a half-doze of pleasant contentment. They still had at least one more day of Matty’s heat—at least one more day before they’d have to plan what to do next.

But, for now, they felt like they had nothing to worry about at all.

  

  

Chapter 9: Acid Grind

Summary:

Things escalate quicker than Cliff imagined in the fight for Matty's bond.

Notes:

We're almost at the end, folks! Just one more wrap-up chapter to go after this. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and will be curious to know what you all think about how the events transpire. Enjoy!

 

Acid Grind, (n.) In inline skating terms, a grind in which the front or leading foot is in the opposite position from the traditional perpendicular position.

 

On the third day of Matty’s heat, the last sound that Cliff expected to be woken by was a loud pounding on his front door. He woke up with a groan and blinked over at Matty next to him.

The small Omega’s eyes were wide, and he was huddling anxiously against the headboard, blanket pulled up to his chin. He was shaking.

“What—” Cliff scented the air as he listened to the loud pounding. It took a moment but he caught the familiar smell of a furious Alpha. He glanced over at Matty questioningly—Omegas were usually more precise with smells, especially when it came to family or mates. “Do you know who I should expect at the door?”

Matty shuddered and nodded. “I definitely smell Dale,” he half-whimpered. “He’s fuming. He’s come to get me.”

“The hell he has,” Cliff grumbled. “Matty, I want you to stay in here and lock the bedroom door. Don’t come out while he’s here no matter what. Can you do that for me?” Matty just stared wide eyed at the bedroom door, his gaze unfocused as he listened to the pounding coming from the entryway beyond. “Matty?” Cliff asked again. “Are you listening to me?”

Matty finally gulped and nodded slowly.

“Okay.” Cliff pulled on a pair of workout shorts and a tee. Everything smelled like Matty’s overly sweet scent, but he didn’t care—this was his den, and Matty was in heat and under his protection. Cliff didn’t give a damn what Dale Hirst wanted or if the courts had somehow rejected the emergency appeal—there was no way he was giving up Matty to Dale while the Omega was still in the throes of his heat.

As Cliff got closer to the door, he could now actually make out three distinct Alpha scents—one raging and fiery, one cooler and sharp, and the last more caustic with worry and concern.

Dale Hirst was growling at the door, the side of his fist pounding on the relatively thin apartment wood. “Doctor, you open up this door right now!” he bellowed, clearly catching Cliff’s scent about the same time Cliff could make out his. “You have something of mine, and you need to give it back to me.”

“I need to do no such thing,” Cliff said firmly, trying to keep his voice authoritative but calm. “My attorney filed an emergency motion, and I haven’t heard anything about it being rejected. Plus, Matty came to me on his own and asked me to take care of him. He’s in no condition to go anywhere, and he doesn’t want to go with you. So, you can either come back with a court order, or—”

“If we have to do that,” a new voice chimed in, “there will be far more serious consequences, Mr. Creighton. I highly recommend you let us in to talk before you get yourself in over your head.”

“It’s doctor,” Cliff snapped in correction. “And who the hell am I talking to?”

“Jed Hirst,” the voice replied flatly. “I’m Dale’s brother and media representative. And I think you’re going to want to talk to me. I’m here to make the broader situation clear to you before the legal situation moves further—I’m also here with Leo, Matthew’s brother, to guarantee that Dale won’t physically harm you during this conversation. Agreed?”

“No,” Cliff snapped in reply. “Not agreed. If you think I’m letting three Alphas in this space while there’s an Omega—and a disputed one at that—in heat, then you’re insane.”

“That’s also why Leo is here,” Jed replied firmly. “He’ll make sure no one—no one—touches Matthew for the duration of our discussion.”

“Um,” Cliff heard Leo mutter from further back in the hall, “some of the neighbors are looking at us. I think we woke up some people.”

Jed muttered something under his breath in frustration and then said louder, “Doctor Creighton, if this little scene makes it onto social media because you left us out in the hallway, I promise you that things will be infinitely worse. Let us in. To talk. And please be assured that none of us are leaving until you do.”

Cliff cursed. He didn’t much care for the rest of Jed Hirst’s threats or Dale Hirst’s aggression, but there was no way Matty could go through the last day of his heat with his toxic mate lurking in the hallway. Cliff wished he’d thought to grab his phone to call Mark Bright, but he’d left it in the bedroom with Matty and in no way wanted to open that door again. Hopefully the Omega was enough in his right mind that, at the smell of Dale Hirst becoming clearer, he’d not only keep the latch locked but also do something to further barricade the bedroom door.

Against perhaps his better judgement but not knowing what else to do, Cliff unlocked the front door and opened it.

Dale Hirst burst in almost instantly, his teeth bared and his eyes reddened. Unlike the smooth and sharply dressed Alpha Cliff had met twice now, this version was rumpled and ragged. He looked near feral with anger.

Jed Hirst followed next, his eyes sharp and calculating. He was a slightly smaller Alpha than both Cliff and Dale but clothed neatly in an expensive designer shirt and jeans and with an air of cool control. He held some sort of computer tablet and kept his eyes darting back and forth assessingly between his raging elder brother and Cliff.

Leo looked painfully young next to these two other Alphas, his eyes wide and his scent nervous. He honestly looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. Cliff couldn’t blame him.

“Make whatever you have to say quick,” Cliff growled as he shut the door behind them. “And then I want you out of my den space.”

“You have my mate!” Dale Hirst growled back. “If you think I’m just going to stand for—”

“We’re here,” Jed interrupted quickly, “to see if we can handle this civilly and outside of a formal challenge structure.”

“Civilly?” Cliff repeated, skepticism clear in his dry voice. “Your brother hardly looks ‘civil’ right now. Plus, with you and Leo here, you have enough witnesses for a traditional challenge fight. Or are you going to tell me that’s just a coincidence?” Cliff quickly took stock of his own body. He was exhausted after the last two days with Matty, and—while his protein shakes and soup leftovers had been enough to keep him going during Matty’s eager pleas to be taken and knotted—he didn’t think he was in the best shape to fight an angry Alpha. That said, Dale Hirst didn’t look quite at his best either.

“If that’s necessary, yes, we are prepared, but we’d prefer not to take that route. And please do not misunderstand my brother. He is distraught. Clearly.” Jed said with thinly pursed lips, “You would be too if your mate went missing right before the start of his heat and fled to someone else’s den. My brother cares for Matthew and—”

“And he’s mine!” Dale growled. “You have no right to him, you piece of garbage shrink. I should tear out your throat and then take him in front of you as you bleed out!”

“Woah!” Leo shouted, his own teeth now sharpening as he bared them at Dale. “What the hell, man! That’s not in the slightest what I signed up for. You both said we were just coming here to talk!”

“We are,” Jed sighed. “Again, my brother is distressed and understandably upset. You can’t take his comments seriously right now.”

“The fuck I can’t,” Cliff snapped in reply. “That was a threat against me and against Matty, who is under my protection. Trust me, I’m taking it seriously.”

Cliff barely caught the flicker of surprise on Leo’s face at Cliff’s words. Oh, that was right—no one else but Leo called Matthew “Matty” outside of his Omegan friends on the internet. Cliff hadn’t thought to shift his language this time, not given the situation.

Jed sighed and flickered an annoyed look at his fuming brother. “What we came here to do,” he said slowly and deliberately, “is make it clear that you do not want to take this fight to court. Once someone catches wind of my brother’s name in the records, the press will have a field day. No one will benefit from that. It won’t just be us who is hounded and scrutinized, Dr. Creighton. It’ll be you and your family as well.”

“I’m sure my father will be suitably disappointed,” Cliff scoffed. “But that’s nothing new. I have nothing to hide, Mr. Hirst. I think you’re more concerned with how your brother will appear in the media.”

Jed gave a sly, half-smirk and shook his head. “Oh, I’m certain that there is something to dig up in your past, something that would be awful to have leaked. A foolish relationship from your youth, an indiscretion here or there that could make your psychology practice awkward now. The press might not find them easily, but a leak somehow getting to them… well, it could make your life quite difficult, doctor.”

Cliff felt his fingernails dig into his palm as his fists clenched. “And your proposed solution, Mr. Hirst?”

Jed gave the same faux-friendly smile that Cliff had seen on the elder-brother Hirst more than once now. “We’re proposing that you drop your challenge—surely knowing all this, that damaged little brat of an Omega isn’t worth the hassle or the potential harm to your reputation. And you’ll be compensated greatly for making the wiser decision. Agree to call your lawyer and cease the challenge claim, and my brother has agreed to make you a very handsome payment indeed.”

 “I’d still prefer to tear out your eyes and severe your spine for touching my property,” Dale Hirst practically spat, his gaze still red with anger. “But my brother’s correct—return him to me without a fight, and I’ll make you a rich man, doctor. Richer than you deserve for the insult you’ve given me.”

“We all just want to handle this matter quietly,” Jed continued. “There’s no need for lengthy court battles and intrusive media coverage, is there?”

“I want nothing from you, and I’m not handing Matty over,” Cliff snapped. “I don’t care what comes out or what you threaten me with—he doesn’t deserve your neglect and your cruelty. I’ve promised to fight for him, to care for him and protect him—the way you were supposed to as his mate, Hirst.” Cliff straightened his spine and glared at the Alphas. “I refuse to withdraw my challenge. Now, should we take this outside or—”

A sharp screeching and hollering sound pierced the air, causing all four Alphas to wince and flinch, the younger Alphas of Jed and Leo grabbing their ears immediately in reaction.

It took Cliff a moment to place the sound—it was the band that Matty had played for him in the car. The Problems. The sound of a shrieking, screaming, distressed-sounding Omega was powerful even over a tiny speaker, enough at least to shock four Alphas into a moment of silence. Cliff turned toward the sound with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

There stood Matty in the bedroom doorway, his face twisted into a pained and furious grimace as he panted through his discomfort and held Cliff’s phone in the air. When he saw he had all four Alphas’ attention, he tapped a button to turn off the song and glared at Dale Hirst. “I’m not going anywhere,” he declared firmly, his voice only slightly strained from both fear and his aching heat.

Dale Hirst growled in response and, before anyone could think to intervene, barked out a loud, “Omega, as my mate, come here!”

It was a powerful Alpha command, full of authority and rage. Cliff felt his own body clench slightly in response, the influence palpable even to him. To an Alpha’s Omegan bond, especially in the throes of his heat, the impact of such a command would almost certainly feel overwhelming.

Predictably, Matty whimpered and cried out, his feet taking two steps forward. Cliff saw Leo’s eyes flicker and the young man hesitated, looking for a moment like he wanted to take a step toward Matty himself and intervene. He didn’t though, his eyes darting worryingly back toward the Hirsts.

However, Matty gritted his teeth and, after another step, grabbed at the side of a bookshelf in Cliff’s living area, grunting slightly as he tightly held on. The bookshelf wobbled—the sleek edges were made more for decorative appeal than sturdiness—but it stayed upright as Matty shook against it, clinging to the smooth side and planting his feet firmly.

“No!” he cried out, his legs trembling. “I won’t go. And if you make me, you won’t like the consequences—it’s going to make both your life and your brothers’ lives so, so much harder!”

Jed raised an eyebrow. “Brother, calm down,” he said firmly to Dale, who seemed to hear him only partially as he kept his eyes locked firmly on the trembling Omega. “What do you mean, Matthew?”

Matty took a few trembling gasps before looking up with sharp, silver-flashing eyes. “I mean that I’m done even attempting to be a good Omega—it’s going to be a fight at every turn. I’m not going to smile and make nice at investors, or cook a goddamn thing, or touch Dale without attempting to scratch his fucking eyes out. You’re all going to have to drug me, or tie me up, or do the kinds of things that are on the books as seriously fucking abusive to get me to stop fighting, and that’s still not going to get Dale what he wants.”

“We’ll see about that,” Dale Hirst sneered, his growl dangerous and low in his throat.

Matty glared at him and shook his head, looking confident despite his horribly trembling legs. “Maybe we will,” Matty agreed. “Just know that I’m going to make your life an absolute hell if you try and take me. But,” he pointedly looked at Jed now, “there’s a really easy way out of this that makes Dale look like a freaking saint and avoids all of this mess.”

Jed raised his eyebrows and quirked his head. “Really? What way is that?”

Matty nodded over at Cliff. “He’s a psychologist. I’ve been hospitalized more than once for self-harm. Dale signs over my mate bond to Dr. Creighton willingly and without a fight, and then you get to do a bunch of media spin where Dale is the poor, self-sacrificing Alpha who realized he couldn’t give this sad, damaged Omega the care he really needed. You get to say he was such a ‘good guy’ that he gave up his bonded mate to someone else so that the broken little Omega could get more intensive, life-long care and live a better life. He gets to play the sympathy card for a bit, maybe throw fundraisers for a couple mental health charities, and thus Insightify and the Hirsts all come out of this with positive press. As opposed to what will inevitably happen with a messy bond challenge, in court or not.”

Jed looked reflective as flicker of cautious interest in the idea moved across his face. “That’s presuming the good doctor here goes along with that narrative.”

“You can’t seriously be considering—” Dale snarled. Jed glared at his brother and held up a finger, essentially commanding him to wait a moment before continuing his rant. Surprisingly, it worked—despite the Alpha’s size and age, the simultaneous poise and current irritation of Jed seemed to cause a capitulation in Dale.

Matty gave a small half-shrug, as much as he could manage while still clinging desperately to the bookshelf. “I’m sure you and your team have worked up NDAs before, so that’s something you can work out with Cliff’s lawyer, who, by the way,” Matty held up Cliff’s phone in one slightly unsteady hand and waved it at the Alphas, “I called several minutes ago. He should be here any second now. It sounded like he was pretty pissed you turned up here before waiting for the court ruling.”

Jed flinched and Dale ground his teeth. Cliff wanted nothing more than to rush over to Matty and kiss him senseless.

“It sounds like we have a few things to consider,” Jed sighed. “I think it’s fair that we leave you for now and—”

“What?!” Dale snapped at his brother. “He’s mine! You expect me to just leave him here with another Alpha?”

“I expect you to realize that there are more important things than your pride,” Jed said in return, his voice flat but crackling with tension. “The Omega is right—just physically taking him back wouldn’t be the end of this, and we need to consider the consequences on the whole company.”

Dale turned his reddened eyes on Matty and barked, “I should grab you by your scrawny throat and—”

“And do nothing,” a voice declared firmly from the front doorway. Mark Bright scrambled into the crowded apartment, the top buttons of his shirt still unfastened and his hair rather disheveled. He held up a slightly crumpled printed paper in his right hand. “Based on the documents I submitted with our emergency petition, the judge handed down a temporary order this morning. This states here that Dale Hirst is not allowed current legal guardianship of Matthew until a full bond-challenge hearing is concluded—and all visitations between Matthew and Hirst need his parents to supervise until the bond ruling is made. The judge also stated that Matthew should remain in the location where he feels secure and safe until the end of his heat, and then he needs to return to his parents within 24 hours, until the bond challenge is complete.”

“Let me see that,” Jed Hirst sighed. He took the paper from Mark’s hand and perused it a moment before nodding. “Dale, we’re leaving.”

“Are you seriously—”

“Now!” Jed snarled before Dale could protest further. “I think you’ve made enough of a mess of things for one day. And you say I’m the spoiled one in the family—the nightmare you’ve created here, I swear.” He cursed under his breath a few times and handed the paper back to Mark. “My brother’s lawyers will be in touch. Matthew here made an intriguing suggestion that we may be following up on soon—we advise that no statements be made to the media while we’re deciding how to proceed. It’ll make things much smoother later. Is that understood?”

Mark showed his teeth in a near-impression of a smile. “You’re in no position to make demands. I could absolutely bring a lawsuit against both of you for—”

“We won’t make any statements to the press,” Cliff interrupted. “And if you sign Matty over to me without a fight, per his suggestion, I’ll sign any NDA you place in front of me and stay quiet about what a terrible mate and Alpha Dale has been.”

Dale growled loudly at the same time Mark snapped, “That statement is non-binding. I want that noted.”

Jed sighed and nodded. “We’ll be in touch.” As he grabbed his brother by the shirt and started toward to the door, he glanced at Leo. “Are you coming?”

Leo shook his head slowly. “I’ll find my own way home,” he said flatly.

A knowing look flickered across Jed’s face—he’d lost the PR campaign inside just this small apartment; if the full story went to the media, surely it would be even more devastating. Cliff had a warm realization that Jed would likely do everything in his power to convince Dale Hirst to follow Matty’s plan—to surrender the bond to Cliff without a fight. The possibility seemed almost unreal.

Matty waited until both Hirsts had fully exited the apartment before he shakily stepped away from the bookcase. The moment he did, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Cliff was there within the span of a breath, scooping Matty’s shaking form into his arms. The Omega was soaked with sweat and whimpering softly—a full crash after he’d spent so much energy standing up against his Alpha mate and that powerful vocal command. From what Cliff had read about such efforts, the taxation likely had been extraordinary, and Matty’s nerves would still be throbbing and sending waves of pain through his body.

“I’ve got you,” Cliff said, nuzzling Matty’s sweat damp hair and giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. “You were amazing, Matty. So strong, so smart, and so, so good, baby.”

Matty made a small noise that, though barely audible, sounded both exhausted and happy. His eyes were closed, but he reached and grabbed blindly at Cliff’s tee shirt, snuggling his body as close as possible against the Alpha’s chest.

“You call him ‘Matty,’” Leo noted.

Cliff nodded and looked over at the young Alpha. “He asked me to call him that. He said you gave him the nickname.”

Leo nodded slowly. “Yeah. Huh. That’s… Look, um, my perspective on some things have really changed this morning. Matty seems like he wants to stay with you and like he trusts you.” The Omega in Cliff’s arms made a sleepy sound of affirmation and snuggled against Cliff’s chest harder. “My dad’s really hardheaded, and I don’t know how much something I say will affect him. But I’ll put a bug in his ear about what happened here this morning. I think he needs to know, and hopefully it’ll mean that he won’t actively side with Dale if things do end up going to court.”

Cliff raised his eyebrows and then nodded. “Thank you, Leo. Matty and I really appreciate that.”

A small blush heated Leo’s cheeks and he muttered, “Seems like the least I can do. I was so impressed by that guy and his success—I guess I didn’t realize what an asshole he was being to my brother.”

“It’s always the ones who seem that successful who turn out to be immature fuckheads,” Mark muttered. “Don’t you forget it, kid.”

“Mark,” Cliff sighed as he pet Matty’s hair and lightly rocked him in his arms, “can you help get Leo home and follow up with the Hirst legal team?”

“Absolutely,” Mark agreed with a nod.

“Great. Then both of you Alphas—get the hell out of my den. I have an Omega to tend to.” Mark chuckled and nodded while Leo, young thing that he was, blushed a bit darker.

After locking all the doors again, Cliff scooped Matty into a carry and took him back to the bedroom, where he carefully wrapped him tightly in the sheets and blankets that smelled of their heat sex and snuggled close to him. He whispered soft praises and ran his fingers up and down Matty’s neck, doing everything he could to make sure the Omega—his Omega, damn it—felt safe, secure, and like the bed was his very own nest.

After a few minutes, the trembling of Matty’s body stopped, and he fell into a heavy sleep. Cliff dozed next to him off and on, making sure to snuggle and whisper tender and encouraging words every time he woke. The sun was low in the sky by the time Matty blinked open his blue-grey eyes again.

“Oh wow,” he breathed, his voice slightly hoarse. “Did I sleep through most of the last day of my heat? I didn’t even know that was possible.”

Cliff smiled and kissed the back of Matty’s neck softly. “It makes sense,” he assured him. “You had a crash. You used some pretty significant energy resisting your biological response to Hirst’s command, and the body can only keep up that level of energy expenditure so long, especially when you’re already worn down from your heat.” Cliff brushed his fingers through Matty’s hair and smiled at him. “You were so amazing, Matty. If I wasn’t already desperate for your bond, now I’d be positively hopeless.”

Matty blushed and chuckled slightly. “Technically, I was a crappy Omega today. I ignored your order to stay in the bedroom.”

“That you did,” Cliff agreed. “And yet, with that, you may very well have saved us both because of your quick thinking. That’s a good Omega—no, actually a fantastic, amazing, glorious Omega—if I’ve ever heard of one.”

Matty smiled widely. “I want to kiss you,” he stated with a glint of heated silver in his eyes. “I want it, so I’m not asking.”

Cliff nodded and leaned down, letting Matty hungrily capture him in a desperate kiss. The little Omega bit at his lip and tongued at the roof of his mouth, his hands grasping at Cliff to pull him closer as he began to roll his hips.

“Do you need food or any water?” Cliff asked with a quick gulp of air, pulling back slightly as he looked down questioningly at the panting Omega.

“Food and water later,” Matty insisted, his breath speeding up even more as he pulled at Cliff’s shirt. “Need you first.”

Cliff nodded and happily acquiesced, letting Matty strip him of his clothes before doing the same for the desperate Omega. Cliff licked at the salt taste of Matty’s neck and mouthed his jawline hungrily as Matty arched and wrapped his legs around Cliff’s waist.

“Alpha,” Matty whined, bucking urgently. “I need you. Please.”

“Do you want to play the game again? See how long you can wait?” Cliff teased, his smirk pressing against the sweet dampness of Matty’s skin.

The Omega practically growled in frustration. “No waiting, no games—please, Cliff!”

After the stress and terror of the day, hearing his name in Matty’s desperate pitch caused Cliff to practically melt. He kissed Matty deeply as he pressed the head of his erection against Matty’s opening and slowly slid inside. Matty groaned into his mouth and started to roll his hips to take Cliff in deeper, but the Alpha placed his hands firmly on Matty’s hips, pressing him still against the mattress.

“I’ve got you,” Cliff insisted, punctuating his statement with another deep kiss. “Let me take care of you, Matty.”

Taking the cue, Matty went near-boneless, lying back against the mattress and letting Cliff push his knees up and outward more, spreading him wide open as the Alpha sank deep inside of him. Cliff began to move slowly then, each thrust into Matty gentle but deep and deliberate. Soon, the Omega was clawing at the sheets and gasping with each movement, his expression beginning to show his increasing exasperation at the achingly slow pace.

“Cliff! Please!” Matty practically howled in frustration.

“What do you want, Matty?” Cliff moaned hotly against his ear, “Tell me.”

“I want you to really, really fuck me,” the Omega whined. “Hard. I want to feel you days after this heat is over.”

The words were like an electric current down Cliff’s spine and through his cock. He kissed Matty, rough and deep, and thrust his hips faster and harder as the Omega gasped and writhed beneath him. The pace became wild and savage, and the noises that wrenched from both of their mouths rose to match. Cliff growled against Matty’s skin as the Omega keened and cried out, his fingers practically clawing at Cliff’s shoulders.

As Cliff felt his knot begin to swell, he reached down. He’d barely grazed his fingers along Matty’s erection before the Omega was shuttering and spattering thin cum across Cliff’s rolling abdomen and the blond Alpha groaned into Matty’s mouth again. Then he gave another firm push and slotted his knot inside Matty’s waiting cavern. As the tight, warm press of Matty’s lock gripped him, Cliff panted and shuddered, coming hard. Matty cried out in mirrored response, dipping his head back as Cliff’s hot semen filled him again.

Cliff mouthed Matty’s neck and felt the Omega gasp and shudder. “I wish you could bite me there. Right now,” Matty sulked.

“I will soon,” Cliff assured. He locked eyes with Matty and firmly said, without breaking eye contact, “We’re almost there, baby. I promise. I won’t be letting you go.”

“Good,” Matty sighed. “Me neither.”

Cliff smiled. “I noticed—you fought so hard today. You were so brave and strong.” Cliff frowned a moment in realization. “And using my phone was very smart, though… I really thought I had it locked.”

“Oh, you did,” Matty yawned. “But if you think I didn’t look when you were unlocking it last time to call Mark and memorize your passcode immediately, then you’ve clearly never been an Omega without reliable phone access.”

Cliff chuckled and shook his head. “You are so extraordinary.” Matty blushed again and buried his face in the pillows. Cliff was going to have to work on that—he would have to keep complimenting the little Omega until he stopped being bashful and distrustful of praise. Cliff was going to make it his mission to spoil this beautiful boy and positively swell his ego. “And also, when this bond thing is settled, you’re getting your own computer and phone.”

Matty looked up from the pillow and blinked a few times. “You mean it?”

“I do,” Cliff agreed. “And you can use that computer to help plan all the plane trips we can take. Sandy beaches, exciting cities, foreign lands—the sky is literally the limit, baby.”

Matty’s eyes watered slightly and he sniffed, blinking his eyes rapidly as if to will away incoming tears. “If this is a dream,” he sighed, “then I don’t want to wake up.”

At that, Matty’s stomach growled loudly.

Cliff laughed and shook his head. “I think that’s your body reminding you that you’re not dreaming.” He kissed Matty on the side of his head as his knot slipped free again.  “Time for another round of soup and popsicles?”

Matty nodded. “Food and water now, and then I think we should play another game.”

“Oh?” Cliff grinned. “What game would that be?”

Matty smirked and lowered his eyes coquettishly. “The game where we see how many orgasms we can tally together before the 24 hours are up and I have to go back to my family.”

Cliff groaned and felt another wave of amazement and heat coursing through his body. “I think we can make that happen,” he agreed. “Most certainly.” As Matty grinned and scrambled out of bed, Cliff found himself dreamily wondering what on earth he ever could have done to deserve such an incredible Omega—such an incredible person—in his life.

 

 

Chapter 10: Late Trick

Summary:

Cliff officially becomes Matty's guardian

Notes:

Okay, I lied. This story isn't over. I was going to post this one essentially as the last chapter and then separately post an epilogue one-shot in the 'Lucky Moments' collection, but I realized as I was writing that the epilogue story needed to be here to truly close the arc. So one more update will be here before this story is truly over!

Enjoy the almost-ending, including some more fun fake biology/science, and thanks for reading, everyone!

 

 

Late Trick, (n.) In inline skating terms, a trick, typically a spinning trick, that is completed at the last second before landing.

 

Cliff almost couldn’t believe it. The papers in his hands—the approval for Matty’s bond transfer and the completed re-registration paperwork—felt like a dream. He traced his finger over the state seal on the finalized registration page and shook his head in near disbelief.

It had been nearly two weeks since the end of Matty’s heat, and thankfully neither Cliff nor Matty had needed to directly interact with Dale Hirst. After intense negotiations between Mark and the Hirst legal team, the result was that the millionaire Alpha had finally—perhaps both because of a lack of further provocation from Cliff as well as the other Hirst brothers’ insistent haranguing—acquiesced to Matty’s plan. Dale Hirst had officially and willingly surrendered Matty’s bond to Cliff on the grounds that the psychologist would be ‘a more appropriate caretaker’ for the ‘troubled’ Omega.

And now it was over. The re-registration was complete and official.

Cliff let out a shaky breath of relief and smiled. Mark Bright had been worth every penny—though, despite the bond challenge not going to trial, it had still cost quite a few of those pennies. Mark had cheerily informed Cliff that he was charging double for the emergency ruling proposal, as well as the resulting before-breakfast-trip to Cliff’s apartment to yell at two hot-headed millionaire Alphas about court rulings. Cliff couldn’t really argue with him about that.

Mark had also arranged the whole transfer schedule for him, and today was the day that Cliff was going to pick up Matty from his parents’ home. Matty was going to be in Cliff’s den soon, not as a guest but as a mate. Just the thought was incredible.

As Cliff pulled up to the Thompson’s home, the iron bars on the front door seemed both more interestingly decorative and less ominous than before. His mood was light yet determined—he would allow nothing to ruin today. Nothing, after all, would change the result that he was Matty’s guardian by bond transfer and court approval. And soon, he and Matty would be mates.

Elena Thompson opened the door, her blue eyes lowered in humble greeting. “Doctor,” she said softly. “We’ve been expecting you. Matthew is gathering his things.”

“Thank you,” Cliff replied as he stepped in the door. “Mrs. Thompson, it’s good to see you again.” Her eyes flickered up a second, her mouth pressed itself tight in an expression Cliff couldn’t quite read. He wondered if the Omegan mother was furious at him for challenging the mating that she and her husband had so carefully planned for their son. He wondered if she thought him a predatory Alpha, someone who saw a young Omega in distress and tried to just take him, regardless of the consequences.

Cliff sighed and kept his voice soft. “I hope you know that I admire your son and will care for him with all my heart. I’ll protect him and cherish him, and I won’t abandon him or send him back to you the way that Hirst did. As Matthew’s mother, please know that you can count on me. I swear it.”

Elena brought a slightly shaking hand to her lips and slowly nodded. “I don’t doubt it, doctor,” she said softly. “Over the past few days, Matthew has told me how pleased he is with this bond transfer. He also admires you, and he trusts you and your word.”

Cliff frowned. “Oh. Good. It’s just… you don’t seem very pleased with my being here.”

Elena Thompson winced and shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s simply,” her voice broke and her eyes became faintly glassy as she said, “a parent wants nothing more than to protect one’s children. My Alpha and I tried to do that with Matthew—we tried to teach him, care for him, and find him a proper mate so that he would be safe, secure, and happy. And we failed.” She swallowed and her voice tightened as she added, “It is devastating.”

Cliff once again wished he could take this Omega’s hand or give her a comforting hug, as she clearly seemed to need one. Instead, he said, “You didn’t fail. Dale Hirst wasn’t a kind mate, but you raised an amazing son who is so smart and good. You know, he came up with the solution for his own bond transfer, and he’s definitely charmed me to my core.” Cliff smiled warmly, “And I promise to be by his side and keep him safe, secure,” he paused and said emphatically, “and happy.”

Elena let out a trembling breath and nodded, her pressed lips softening to a slight smile. “Thank you,” she said gently before her spine straightened and she returned to her expected calm, domestic role, “My Alpha is waiting to talk to you in the study, doctor. Matthew will meet you there after he finishes packing the last of his things.”

Cliff nodded and gave Elena one more soft look before he walked further into the den, into the familiar room where Cliff had first met both Dale Hirst and Matthew’s father. This time, the older Alpha was alone, though a similar cut-glass tumbler was sitting in front of him on the polished wood table of the study. Thompson stood as he saw Cliff enter the room and straightened his shoulders. The man was shorter than Cliff, but still had a solid frame and authoritative presence. He held out his hand, which Cliff took without showing hesitation. This meeting was an important time to show both openness and respect, Cliff knew.

“Dr. Creighton,” the older Alpha grumbled in greeting. “Can I call you Clifford?”

“I’d prefer Cliff,” he replied with a careful smile. “Thank you for welcoming me into your den, Mr. Thompson. I swear to show myself worthy of your trust.”

The humble formality of the greeting seemed to soften something in Thompson, and he nodded. “Can I get you a drink, Cliff? Whiskey? Gin and tonic?”

“Nothing for me, thanks.” The slight raise in Thompson’s eyebrows seemed to invite a reasoning for rejecting the hospitable offer. Since pointing out that it was still morning seemed rude, Cliff said simply, “I am taking Matthew over to the health center for an appointment right after this. I need to keep my head about me.”

Thompson gave a nod, clearly satisfied by the answer. “Very responsible, getting into what needs to be done without delay. I admire that. Often the sign of a good Alpha.”

“Thank you,” Cliff said. “I do try to be. I know this whole scenario must have been very stressful to you, but please know—”

Thompson waved his hand dismissively. “Dale Hirst was a prick. Matthew still should have listened to him more as his mate and made better choices as an Omega, but I understand that the two of them weren’t a good match.”

Cliff found himself bristling slightly as he said, “I think Matthew did the very best he could have. He was in a very challenging situation.”

Thompson looked at Cliff assessingly and gave a slight snort. “Do you? I suppose that’s why Matthew is so happy with this bond transfer. You’re going to let him walk all over you, aren’t you?”

Cliff could hear the edge of paternal Alpha disapproval, so like the tone of his own father. In his younger days, he may have defensively snapped back a denial, but now Cliff just gave a chuckle and a half-shrug. “It’s a distinct possibility,” he conceded. Thompson shook his head but didn’t seem truly upset by the admittance. Instead, he gave a rueful smirk and took a sip of his drink.  

There was a cacophony of sneakers on wooden steps before Matty appeared in the doorway, his cheeks flushed from clearly rushing down the house stairs. He grinned wildly a moment at seeing Cliff, then schooled his features and lowered his eyes slightly. “My things are ready, Alpha,” he said with an almost comical tone of forced deference. Cliff could still hear traces of excitement in his voice and his lips seemed barely to be keeping a beaming smile off his face.

Cliff wasn’t quite sure which Alpha it was that Matty was addressing, but he nodded anyway and said, “Are you sure you have everything you need? Nothing you’re leaving behind that you’ll want in your new home?”

“I have everything, Alpha,” Matty insisted. His voice gained the slightest edge to it, a mild annoyance at his statement being questioned. Cliff could practically see the embers of Matty’s fiery personality flickering under his schooled obedience, and it made the blond Alpha want to scoop the dark-haired Omega up and kiss him silly.

Instead, Cliff encouraged Matty to take his time saying his goodbyes, and shook Mr. Thompson’s hand again firmly, promising to contact him soon to coordinate a dinner and visit before much time passed. “I’m sure Matthew will be thrilled to get away from us for a while,” the Alpha father snorted. “But yes, contact us as soon as you’d like and take care.”

A few minutes later, Matty and Cliff were out the front door and heading to Cliff’s car with Matty’s few packed bags in tow. “It’s so good to see you,” Matty groaned, less restrained now that his family was nowhere near. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“I feel the same,” Cliff said. “The last few days of waiting have been torture.”

Matty bit his lip coquettishly and asked, “Then why are we going to the doctor’s office instead of straight to your den and that amazing bed of yours?”

Cliff’s cock immediately seemed to ask the same question. “Because,” Cliff said nearly through gritted teeth, “transferring your medical records and getting you set in their office, as well as doing a bonding consultation, is important to get out of the way… and, once we’re back home, I doubt either of us will want to leave for the rest of the weekend.”

“That’s sounds right,” Matty agreed with a smirk. “I plan to barely let you catch your breath for the next few days.”

As they arrived at his black Mercedes, Cliff put his arms around Matty, bringing his mouth close to his ear as he pressed him lightly against the car. “So, you have some plans, little Omega?”

Matty shuddered in response, but replied in a surprisingly confident voice, “Several, actually. For the past week, I’ve been thinking about today’s reunion. Relentlessly. In vivid detail.”

Cliff wanted to groan and say screw the appointment, to just take Matty home immediately and knot him until the Omega was gasping and begging like he was back in heat. But no—he knew how frustrating for an office a last-minute cancellation was and this really was important to do soon.

“Get in the car, you delightful incubus,” Cliff half-growled. Matty gave another full body shudder and then chuckled, clearly pleased at how quickly and easily he was able to rile Cliff up.

As they passed through the city streets back toward Cliff’s neighborhood, the Alpha clarified again, “You really don’t mind switching medical providers? I know you said it’s fine, but I want to stress that we’re headed to my normal general practitioner. Dr. Khan is a very nice man, but he’s not as specialized in Omegan hormones as the doctors you’ve been seeing, and his waiting room is going to be full of both Alphas and Betas too.”

“Cliff,” Matty sighed, “I’m sure. Besides the fact that I want nothing in my life associated with Dale— especially my medical care—the doctors he picked out were really traditional and patronizing. I don’t think any of them made eye-contact with me even once.”

Cliff winced. He sadly knew the type. “You may find the opposite problem with Dr. Khan. He’s extremely friendly and loves to chat with patients.” Cliff carefully pulled into a parking spot midway between his apartment and Dr. Khan’s office, a comfortable neighborhood walk in either direction. “I thought we’d stop here and travel the rest of the way on foot,” Cliff said. “There’s something for you in the back.”

Matty’s eyes went wide in anticipation and then let out a joyful squeal upon seeing the mesh bag that carried his in-line skates. Cliff watched fondly as Matty slipped off his sneakers and clicked the straps tight on his skates, his mouth wide in a jubilant grin. Cliff couldn’t help but smile in kind as Matty skated in wide circles as they made their way to the doctor’s office, the Omega occasionally speeding up to hop on and off ledges or jump small sets of stairs or grind the edge of an empty bench or planter. Matty was skating backwards when they arrived at the office, his face flushed with both energy and pleasure.

“You still need a helmet,” Cliff sighed as Matty switched back into his shoes. The Omega gave a slight roll of his eyes but muttered an acquiescence.

They weren’t in Dr. Khan’s waiting room long at all before their names were called and a sweet Beta nurse went through the usual procedures of taking Matty’s height and weight, checking blood pressure, and confirming some of the medical history in the transferred paperwork.

“My Lord, my Lord,” Dr. Khan laughed warmly as he entered the room and took the chart paperwork from the Beta nurse, “I am overjoyed to meet the Omega who snagged Creighton’s heart. Matthew, is it? So nice to meet you, and aren’t you absolutely darling. Let’s get you both all set so that you can get on with your new life.” The doctor chattered idly as he went through his list of tests, pressing lightly on Matty’s abdomen and asking about any pains. As he checked Matty’s lymph nodes and scent glands for inflammation, he noted that the transferred paperwork showed that Matty’s last gynecological exam had been fairly recent. “I don’t see the need to do another today unless you’d like me to,” Dr. Khan said, his eyes flickering from Matty to Cliff in implied question.

“I don’t think there’s a need,” Cliff agreed. “Unless there’s anything new you’ve been bothered by or feeling lately, Matty.”

The Omega shook his head. “No, everything feels normal.”

“Great, great,” Dr. Khan nodded as he scribbled down a few notes. “And you have another month left on your birth-control shot as well. Are you two planning on continuing with contraception?”

“For a bit at least,” Cliff agreed. “We want some time both to travel and settle into the bond before adding in any new factors.”

Dr. Khan nodded. “Ah, travel. That sounds nice. Prahla and I haven’t been able to get away for years. Five children! The time and money that takes! Yes, see the world while you can.” He made another note in the paperwork and then set aside the chart, a more serious look coming over his face. “Now, let’s talk about the bonding. Matthew, do you mind if I touch your bite mark?”

Looking a little stunned at being asked directly, Matty shook his head and then shifted his head slightly to expose the plane of his throat. It wasn’t as fully submissive as the posture an Omega would traditionally show a mate, but still open and appropriately docile. Dr. Khan put on a pair of latex gloves and carefully examined and probed at the mark, making thoughtful humming noises as he did so. Cliff was surprised at how much he bristled at seeing the doctor touching Matty’s bare throat—his nerves hummed and a part of him wanted to grab his Omega and drag him back to his den where no other Alpha could touch him, even one as cheery and non-threatening as Dr. Khan. Thankfully, the doctor stepped back after just a few moments and pulled off his gloves.

“Well, the bonding mark Matty has from his former mate is definitely a completed puncture. The bond would have taken fully when the bite was made.”

“What does that mean?” Cliff asked with a frown.

“What it usually means with a bond transfer,” Dr. Khan said with a sympathetic sigh. “You have Matthew’s legal guardianship and whatever emotional bond you both have, but the physical bond is a bit more challenging. Matthew’s bodily systems already recognize another Alpha as their proper mate—some of those systems may take to a second bite, but many won’t. And the immune system will fight against another bite, so be prepared for Matthew having rather prominent flu symptoms about twenty-four hours after your bite is made. While waiting until a heat to make a claiming bite is always recommended, it’s essential if you want any biological benefits to a second bite.”

“Are those biological benefits significant?” Cliff asked calmly. “Is there even any point in putting Matty’s body through this? We have the legal bond, so if it would be better that I don’t bite him—”

Matty’s eyes became wide and a small whimper escaped his mouth. Dr. Khan chuckled and pointed at the small Omega. “As you see, your mate might have some objections about avoiding it. Claiming bites are incredible bonding experiences for Alpha-Omega pairs, and even a lessened biological response still has benefits. If you two plan to have children, even a minimized bond will make many pregnancy symptoms easier and allow for a more stable, secure feeling. While it is a bit difficult for a bond-transferred Omega right after a second bonding bite, studies have shown that the benefits vastly outweigh that difficulty.”

Cliff nodded. “Any medical considerations about placement? Any potential reactions if the bites are near each other?”

Dr. Khan shook his head. “No, some people actually prefer to layer the bites to disguise the look of the first one, though there are also laser treatments to lessen the appearance of the first bite if you’d prefer. Others may choose to make the second bite on the opposite side of the neck to make a clear distinction and separation, but there’s no clear medical reasoning for either choice. Well, one study showed some evidence that a bite on the opposite side may have had a greater success in overwriting some of the original bite’s biological responses, but it was a negligible amount and later studies weren’t able to recreate the outcome.”

“Okay,” Cliff said. “We’ll follow up with you as it gets closer, Dr. Khan.”

Another heat—almost three months from now. He supposed that gave them plenty of time for him and Matty to discuss options and for Cliff to do more research. In the end, he wanted desperately to claim the beautiful Omega in everyway he could, but he also didn’t want to hurt Matty or put him through any difficulty that he didn’t need to experience. 

They made an appointment for the next month for Matty’s next contraceptive shot, and Dr. Khan gave another hearty round of well-wishes for them both before Matty and Cliff made their way back toward Cliff’s apartment.

Matty looked a little more thoughtful as he skated back from the doctor’s, his eyes continuously darting over to Cliff. “Everything okay?” Cliff asked.

Matty winced. “I guess. I just… I thought that you could just bite me and it would be like a reset. The idea that parts of my body are holding onto biology from Dale, that he’s always going to be inside me and some parts of me are literally going to still keep reacting like he’s my mate—I just hate that.”

“I know, baby,” Cliff sighed. He looked around a moment, gauging the traffic and area of the street. “Not sure this is the best place for it, but need to skate it out?”

Matty started slightly, as if shocked that Cliff remembered the phrasing. Then he smiled slightly and flicked his eyes around as well. “Actually… yeah. I think that would make me feel better. Wait here a sec?”

Cliff nodded, and then Matty was off like a lightning bolt. He skated forwards and backwards at top speed, causing Cliff to hold his breath slightly as the Omega wove between two parked cars and jumped backwards— seemingly not looking at all—onto the sidewalk. Matty jumped over several steps near a nearby bank entrance and then spun the other direction and did a small grind on an adjacent handrail, landing on the street again and skating back toward Cliff.  

“Feel better?” Cliff asked. He personally didn’t after watching all of that—Cliff quietly vowed to get Matty a helmet and some knee and wrist guards as soon as possible. Somehow, knowing that Matty was his now made his protective-Alpha streak run even deeper.

Matty nodded. “Take me home now?” he panted, his cheeks flushed pink.

Cliff didn’t need to be asked twice.

 

.               .               .

 

Their mouths were on each other almost as soon as they were in the door, Matty lifted and pressed tightly against the hallway wall with his arms wound around Cliff’s neck. Matty was light enough that Cliff could hold him there with ease, the Omega’s legs on either side of his waist. Matty groaned and whimpered, trying to roll his hips against Cliff, but the frustrated young man soon realized that the angle didn’t quite allow it.

“Alpha,” he whined and whimpered slightly.

Cliff pulled back slowly, his tongue sliding against Matty’s neck. “What do you want, baby?”

Matty hummed and ran his fingers through Cliff’s blond hair a moment before saying, “It’s not my heat anymore, so you don’t have the excuse that you need to only take care of my pleasure.” He paused to pull Cliff’s hair slightly as he placed his lips against the edge of Cliff’s ear. “Let me suck you, Alpha. I’ve been thinking of how you’d taste.”

The air seemed to leave Cliff’s body all at once. He carefully lowered Matty to the floor and barely managed a nod before the Omega was sinking to his knees and using thin, pale fingers to undo his pants and pull Cliff’s cock free of his underwear. Matty made a pleased noise as he ran his fingers softly down the length and around the circumference of Cliff’s erection, the tips of his fingers barely teasing the sensitive, velvety skin. Then Matty leaned in and ran his tongue along the underside and sucked the wide head of Cliff’s cock into his mouth. He hummed in satisfaction, fisting the base as he bobbed his head, licking and sucking what he could. As Matty slowly sunk down, trying to take more, he gagged slightly with the cock only half in his mouth. He pulled back, his eyes watering and his lips reddened and wet.

“I imagined myself doing better than that,” Matty sighed, his red lips quirked into a self-conscious smirk. “You’re quite large, Alpha. I’m not, um, used to this much.”

Cliff groaned and ran his fingers down the side of Matty’s throat. “You’re absolutely wonderful, baby. Now, stand up.”

Matty frowned but followed instructions. “I can keep going,” he protested slightly. “I’ll be able to take more with practice.”

“Some other time,” Cliff said, capturing Matty’s mouth with his own in a desperate kiss. “You’re not the only one who has been thinking of today, and I won’t forgive myself if I finish without knotting you.” Matty gasped in delight and nodded.

After they shed their clothes and stumbled into the bedroom, Cliff immediately slid between Matty’s legs and thoroughly returned the favor, taking the Omega’s slim cock into his mouth and licking and sucking enthusiastically as he fingered the dripping seam below. It took only moments for Matty to tremble and cry out, “Cliff!” His voice was strained and broken as he fisted his hand in Cliff’s blond hair and came hard down the Alpha’s throat. Matty was still gasping through the effects of his orgasm when Cliff slid back up his body and captured his mouth again, allowing Matty to taste the brine of his own cum as Cliff pressed into his wet and waiting seam.

The next few minutes were hot and electric, both of them grasping each other’s bodies and fucking their hips up against the other. Every thrust seemed to take Cliff deeper inside Matty, and both Alpha and Omega moaned and cried out louder with each motion until finally the crescendo was reached and Cliff’s knot pressed into Matty’s eager lock and they both shuddered and came intensely, Cliff’s breath hot and fast against Matty’s neck as he filled Matty with his seed, and Matty’s trembling inner walls and tight lock firmly massaging Cliff’s spilling cock through his orgasm.

They both lay there panting for a while, Cliff nuzzling Matty’s throat as he stayed firmly locked in place inside the Omega. Matty sighed with satisfaction and traced light patterns with his fingers across Cliff’s neck and back as they lay quietly together.

“It still feels surreal,” Matty finally sighed. “I have this insane worry that, if I fall asleep today, I’m going to wake up and find out this has all been a dream. That I’m stuck at Dale’s or in my parent’s house again, and you’re just some amazing fantasy that I’ve created.”

“You’d have to have an incredibly powerful imagination,” Cliff chuckled as he kissed the soft hair at Matty’s temple. “But I’m sure it’ll feel more and more real with each day. We have the rest of our lives to get used to this.”

Matty hummed and nodded slowly. “I think it’ll feel even more real when you bite me. I hate that you can’t do that yet.”

“Me too,” Cliff agreed. “But the next few months will go by quickly. And, even without the bite, we’re still mates.” Cliff rolled his hips slightly and felt the knot locked inside Matty slide and shift. The Omega gasped and his hands tightened on Cliff’s shoulders. “You feel that?” the Alpha sighed. “You’ve got me locked tight. I’m yours, Matty. You have me.”

Brightness flickered in Matty’s cloud grey eyes a moment, and then he brought his mouth to the meeting of Cliff’s shoulder and throat—and bit down. The bite felt surprisingly hard, even if Omegas didn’t have the sharpness of teeth that would allow an easy skin break, and Cliff gasped audibly. Then Matty began to kiss and suck, methodically turning the mark into a conspicuous hickey. “Mine,” the Omega agreed with a hum. “Now we’re both claimed in some way.”

“Glorious,” Cliff sighed. He kissed Matty deeply again. His heart felt almost like it hurt, like it was so full to bursting. While he hadn’t bitten Matty yet, he still felt like they were bonded, somehow claimed in a way beyond the physicality. However, it didn’t feel like the ownership and imbalance—an Alpha claiming an Omega and keeping them like property—that he’d feared. Instead, it was harmony and balance. He had his Omegan mate. And Matty had him in kind. “Absolutely glorious,” he repeated again.

Matty smiled and blushed. They snuggled close as Cliff’s knot slowly diminished, finally allowing them to separate from each other’s embraces if they wanted to. Despite that, neither of them moved for a long while.  

  

Chapter 11: Epilogue

Summary:

Three months later, it's Matty's next heat.

Notes:

This is it! The end of 'Perfect Balance' and the final chapter of Cliff and Matty's story. Sorry for the long delay on this one; I went on a trip and expected to have more time and internet access than I did. However, I'm happy with this ending now and hope you enjoy it too! To be fair... it's basically just a chance for more sappiness and even more heat-smut in a story that had a slow-burn and a long walk to the first real sex scene, HA.

If you want to see more in this universe, know that there will be a 2-part story about Brad added to 'Lucky Moments' soon, as well as a mini-series about Tanner and Jacks added to the main series as well. If those interest you, please subscribe to the 'Lucky A/B/O Omegaverse' series as a whole. Thanks for coming with me on this journey! I've so enjoyed playing with these characters and flushing out this universe.

 

Three months later…
 

In the city of Barcelona during the Christmas season, one may encounter innumerable sights and sounds. One might admire the lights and decorations along Plaça de Sant Jaume and Portal de l’Angel. One might see the hustle and bustle of the holiday markets or hear Christmas music played with a hint of flamenco flair. But if, during the two weeks before Christmas last year, one ventured to the city’s various train stations, walked along the Museum of Modern Art’s famous steps, or sauntered across the Skate Park De La Mar, one might have also seen a strange and beautiful Omega with dark hair hidden mostly under a jet-black helmet. In the crisp and cool air, the loose collar of his shirt would likely have shown just the hint of a swirling tattoo on one side of his neck, the designs similar in shape and style to the swirls on a pair of dark inline skates that adorned his feet. The Omega would be smiling widely as he jumped, skated, and spun, looking entirely in his element. If one watched carefully enough, one might have seen the beaming Omega frequently giving excited and heated glances at his companion, a tall and calm-looking blond Alpha who couldn’t help but smile in response every time the Omega looked back at him. It wouldn’t be the most important detail of the Spanish Christmas season, but—if one had managed to see it—it would have warmed the heart.

.               .               .

Cliff couldn’t stop smiling, so much that his cheeks hurt. He felt a jolt of pleasure at every happy gasp Matty made upon seeing surreal Gaudi architecture, at his pleased groan at his first tastes of fresh paella, and at his satisfied smirks when landing complicated jumps and tricks in the smooth Barcelona streets. Cliff had a feeling he looked like a bit of an idiot as he grinned—as both Matty’s father and his own would have observed, this beautiful Omega had Cliff wrapped around his little finger. And Cliff wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Matty’s face was flushed pink as he hopped over the beautifully tiled Spanish steps and skated over to Cliff again. “Is it about time?” Cliff asked, taking note of the flush.

Matty gave a half-shrug and a sheepish grin. “Honestly? I’m not sure. I’m hot and exhausted, but that could be from skating. Can you check?”

Cliff nodded and leaned his head down as Matty bared his pale throat. Immediately, Cliff smelled the overly sweet smell of fresh apples and sugar. “You’re close,” Cliff agreed with a sigh. “We should head back to the hotel and get you away from crowds before it gets any stronger. I’ll send the concierge a message. Supposedly, it’ll take just an hour for them to set up the room and our delivery.”

“Great,” Matty breathed with a satisfied smile. “We’ll head back slowly. Goodbye soon to the streets of Barcelona, and hello to the bedroom!” The look Matty gave Cliff wasn’t so much coy as hungry, the Omega’s blue-grey eyes flashing brightly in anticipation of his heat.

They’d decided last month to coincide this trip with the cycle of Matty’s next heat—it acted as a celebration of their bonding, the first heat spent together officially as mates. It also would be the first heat when Cliff could physically claim Matty and likely have it take in some manner, the fluids transferred through Cliff’s bite able to transform Matty’s very biology and connect them in a new way. It had almost been difficult to plan what else they wanted to see and do in this beautiful, foreign city when this long-awaited aspect of their bonding was so present in both their minds.

Cliff let the hotel know their situation before they ambled back toward their lodgings, taking winding side streets and pausing for Matty to try yet another skate off of this or that piece of architecture or tempting set of stairs. It was almost the full hour by the time they arrived back, and the concierge informed them that the room set-up was ready and a Beta representative would be up shortly with the food delivery and instructions.

The Alpha and Omega pair made out furiously in the elevator on the way up to their suite, the anticipation of Matty’s full heat already affecting them both. “Do we really have to wait for a stupid representative?” Matty groaned. “One of these days, I’d like to have the start of a heat where you don’t make me wait.”

Cliff chuckled and gave Matty the lightest promise of a bite on the pale, open side of his neck. He felt Matty shudder immediately in response. “This won’t take long,” Cliff promised. “And then it’ll be just the two of us. No interruptions.”

Matty muttered some sort of affirmation against Cliff’s shirt and rolled his hips against his Alpha. Now it was Cliff’s turn to shudder. He hoped the hotel representative was discrete enough to at least pretend not to notice the raging hard-on now straining against his khakis.

Opening their hotel room door moments later, both Matty and Cliff stopped in their tracks and gasped. Where the hotel suite had once had two sitting chairs and a side table by the wide, glass window overlooking the Barcelona skyline, there was now a carefully arranged king-sized mattress with an assortment of pillows on all sides.

“Oh wow,” Matty laughed. “That’s so much better than I thought it would be. We can see the city from the nest!”

“We are pleased you like the arrangement,” a voice said in softly accented English from behind them. Cliff turned to see a tall, dark-haired woman in a smart black dress carrying a large insulated-bag and a leather folder. “I can explain our set-up and the food for you, and then I won’t take up more of your time. I’m sure you’ll want to be alone shortly.”

Cliff nodded and stepped aside to let her in. He was pleased to note that, in her capacity as hotel liaison for the heat-cycle-accommodation-package, she clearly knew to wear no perfume. In fact, Cliff noted she may have been wearing scent blockers to stop intrusions of her scent all together—even for a usually mild-smelling Beta, her scent was abnormally non-descript.

The woman entered the room and set the insulated bag on the side table near the suite’s small kitchenette. Then she turned and gestured to the arrangement of the mattress and pillows. “As you see, the nest has been prepared for you. As policy, all hotel workers who arranged the nest wore scent blockers and gloves, so you can be assured of little to no scent transfer. The sheets and pillows from your last few nights’ stay are still on your suite’s bed, so you may retreat there for your own scents or bring them to here for the nest if you prefer. We like to give guests options.” She patted the bag and gestured to the kitchenette. “I’ll be placing the food in the guest fridge. We have several chilled soups for you: gazpacho, salmorejo, sopa fría de melon, and sopa fría de tomate y naranja. There is also some cured jamon for topping and for the Alpha a side of bread and eggs for each day. Most people find this amount of food plenty, but please feel free to call us if you’d prefer more of any dish or side, or if one of these is not to your taste. However, we have had excellent responses to this menu for our heat-cycle guests. ¡Buen provecho!” She smiled professionally as she placed the containers of soup in the small fridge and then turned to Cliff with a slight bow of her head. “Señor Creighton, the add-ons you ordered are in the gift box next to the nest. Is there anything else you need before I leave?”

“No, thank you,” Cliff said warmly. “Please give our compliments to your team.”

The Beta woman nodded. “You can always call the front desk if you need; we can do a no-contact delivery outside of your room so to not corrupt the smell of your nest area. We hope you enjoy this part of your stay with us. ¡Buenas noches!” The woman gave another bow of her head and exited the suite, making a clear show of placing the ‘Por Favor, No Molestar’ sign on their door as she left.

Matty sighed and stared at the room another moment. “This is seriously amazing. I don’t think I’ve had a heat set-up this luxurious before.” He smirked at Cliff. “And you wanted to spend the money on laser treatment.”

Cliff rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say that I wanted to—just that I would have gladly paid for it if you felt you needed a fresh start. Expensive or not, if you had wanted Hirst’s mark as erased as it could be, I would have supported you.”

Matty shrugged and smiled. “I like my solution better, personally. And then we had money for a swanky vacation.”

Cliff smiled and lightly traced with his finger an edge of black ink at the bottom of Matty’s neck. That decision had indeed been all Matty’s—the Omega had coyly asked again one day, “So, just to clarify, I don’t need to ask your permission if I want to do something, as long as it’s not dangerous? Like, even if you might not like it?” Cliff had warmly affirmed that to be the case. That evening, when Cliff returned home from work, he was momentarily terrified to see a giant strip of gauze and plastic wrap on Matty’s neck. Before he could frantically demand information on what had happened though, Matty had grinned and peeled the bandage free to show a swirl of raven’s wings and paisleys, clearly designed to match what Matty had lovingly inked on his skates. In the heart of the design, covering the spot where the prominent teeth marks had been, was a similarly designed flower. “It’s a lotus,” Matty explained. “Symbolizing new beginnings.”

Cliff grinned and kissed the top of Matty’s head. An Omega with a tattoo would hardly be what many traditional Alphas would consider a ‘good Omega.’ But Cliff loved it and told Matty so often.

Now, Matty pulled uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt, exposing more of the tattoo as sweat started to gleam on his skin. He was beginning to slide from the stages of pre-heat slowly and nebulously to his full heat cycle. “Naked time?” Matty moaned as he began to squirm.

“I think that sounds excellent,” Cliff agreed with a chuckle. They kissed languidly as they undressed each other, rubbing their hands over naked skin and blending their scents of arousal. After a few moments, Matty glanced at the nest and nodded to it before temptingly sliding onto the soft bedding. He immediately rubbed himself on the sheets and grabbed some of the pillows to him, arching his back and marking the nest with the scent of his heat. Cliff couldn’t hold back a groan. “Fuck,” he said as he watched Matty writhe. “Okay, this is a promise: never again will you go through a heat cycle without a nest. You look amazing, baby. Like you were made to be there, ready and waiting for your Alpha to fuck you.”

Matty raised his eyebrows and arched his back again, his legs spreading slightly in invitation. “Hopefully I won’t be waiting long.”

Cliff shook his head with a smile and climbed into the hotel nest to join his mate. They wrapped around each other, bodies pressed close as they kissed and moved, starting slow and then increasing in both pace and excitement.

“You’re not biting me until tomorrow?” Matty sighed against Cliff’s mouth. Cliff moaned an affirmation. The doctor had given that recommendation, and Cliff was determined to follow it—to fully wait for the peak of Matty’s heat to give him his claiming mark. “In that case,” Matty said, giving Cliff a slight bite on his lip. “I’m on top this time.” Matty rolled his whole body, tugging on Cliff’s arm to signal that he should turn with the momentum. The small Omega didn’t have enough body weight to flip his Alpha without the help, but Cliff smiled and acquiesced to his lovely, demanding Omega. Soon, Matty was straddling him from above and kissing him passionately, taking charge and setting the pace.

Over the past few months, Cliff had been surprised and pleased to learn that Matty had distinct moods when it came to sex. Sometimes, he wanted to be meek and passive, lowering his eyes and exposing his throat, calling Cliff ‘Alpha,’ and softly and sweetly begging to be taken. Other times, Matty was a firecracker and wanted to take control, to bluntly demand his pleasure and play the role of the ‘bad’ Omega who didn’t care what his Alpha wanted. Both moods were equally arousing to Cliff, even more because Matty was truly always both distillations at once—sweet and passionate, trained and wild, obedient and free. A perfect balance.

Now, Cliff gasped as Matty’s wild mood took primacy, and the Omega ran his fingernails down Cliff’s chest and rolled his hips to let his slicked entrance rub against Cliff’s aching erection. “I want you, Alpha,” Matty moaned into Cliff’s ear as he shifted again. “Are you ready for me to have you?”

“Always,” Cliff breathed. Any further words caught in his throat as Matty grasped Cliff’s cock and guided it into his warm and waiting opening. They both sighed with pleasure as Matty sunk down, taking Cliff inside of him in one smooth motion before the Omega began to rock enthusiastically, moving up and down to fuck himself on Cliff’s erection.

As always, Cliff could only take so much of his own passivity and, after a few minutes, he grabbed Matty’s ass firmly and began to decisively thrust up into the eager Omega. Matty gasped and groaned and cried in response, and soon Cliff’s knot swelled and pushed in as well, hitting all of the waiting, throbbing nerve endings inside Matty’s seam. At the same moment, Cliff moved his right hand to Matty’s own reddened erection and began to stroke it steadily. Matty shuddered and surrendered with a scream to his twofold orgasm, his watery semen spilling onto Cliff’s chest as a rush of slick coated the base of the Alpha’s knot. The look on Matty’s face and the squeeze around his knot were all at once too much, and soon Cliff was groaning through his own orgasm, ejaculate pouring into the locked Omega on top of him.

“God, I love you,” Cliff sighed.

The Omega froze for a moment and then looked down at Cliff with a questioning frown. “You… did I hear that correctly? I’m not heat feverish yet, am I?”

Cliff chuckled and raised his hand up to brush a damp strand of black hair away from Matty’s forehead. “I doubt it. I just said, ‘I love you.’”

Matty blinked a few times before cautiously saying, “That’s… I’ve been taught that’s a Beta thing. Alphas and Omegas don’t usually say that to each other. We say we belong to each other or that we’re bonded to each other. We’re mated. We’re claimed. We’re a pair.”

Cliff nodded. He had worked through similar messages from his upbringing in therapy with Aubrey. “We’re all those things too,” Cliff agreed. “But I have it on pretty good authority that love is a ‘person-thing,’ and Betas don’t have exclusive rights to an emotion that’s just about caring and connection.” Cliff smiled and paused. “You don’t have to say it back if it feels weird to you, but I wanted to let you know. I love you, Matty.”

Matty swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they looked as glassy and deep as placid lakes at night. “I… I love you too, Cliff.”

.               .               .

The rest of the early evening of Matty’s heat was equally passionate, frantic, and wild. Cliff brought Matty off several times with his mouth and his hands before finally revealing the add-ons he’d purchased, the ones that were waiting in the black gift-box. The vibrating anal plug and matching Omega-sized cock ring were new, sanitized, and ready for use, and soon Matty was trembling and screaming as they worked on him, and Cliff found himself transfixed as he ran his fingers lightly up and down Matty’s slit as the vibrating toys pulsed on both sides, slick pouring out of the desperate Omega. “I could have gotten a toy for your cunt, one with a knot,” Cliff purred as he pressed his fingers in and hooked them to lightly stimulate Matty’s throbbing nerves. “But I was selfish—I wanted it to be me and only me who gave you pleasure there. Is that horrible of me, Matty?”

“No, oh—no, Cliff. I need—I need you. Only—only you. I need you to fuck me, please!” Matty tried to grind down on Cliff’s hand, but instead only managed to rub the end of the plug against the mattress, pushing it harder against his prostate. Matty cried out and trembled even more. “Alpha! Please!”

Cliff gave Matty a deep kiss and took pity on the lovely Omega. He slipped the silicone ring up the Omega’s shaft carefully, letting it pulse against the tip of his cock until Matty gasped and threw his head back, ejaculating again, this time only lightly. Cliff removed the ring and clicked it off. “I’m going to keep the plug in,” Cliff breathed hotly against Matty’s ear, “but do you want the vibrations on or off?”

“Off,” Matty gasped, digging his fingers into Cliff’s shoulders desperately. “I don’t think I can take you fucking my seam with this thing still on.”

Cliff hummed in acquiescence and kissed Matty’s temple. “These toys are ours to take home with us, baby. We can always play around more in the future.”

Matty groaned and nodded, then sighed with relief as Cliff clicked the vibrations of the plug off. Before he had time to acclimate though, Cliff pressed his aching erection in and began to thrust deep into Matty’s dripping cunt. The Omega cried out and tried to meet each of Cliff’s thrusts in kind, but every motion pressed against the anal plug and soon the Omega was wordlessly gasping and near boneless from the intense stimulation. By the time Cliff pushed his knot into Matty, the Omega seemed like he was too overwhelmed to even moan anymore and instead just clung to Cliff and trembled, silently open-mouthed, through his orgasm.

As they both came down from their climaxes, Cliff slowly eased the plug out of Matty and set it carefully on a nearby towel before cuddling his mate even closer to him, rocking gently as his knot began to gradually deflate. “How are you doing, Matty?” Cliff whispered.

The Omega blinked for a few moments as if it took him a little longer than usual to process the words. Then he smiled and breathed out, “Fantastic.” He rolled his hips back against Cliff, the fire of his heat still warming his face and his eyes. “Never better even. I think maybe a food and water break soon though? Oh, hmm, I want to try the salmorejo. That one sounded interesting.”

Cliff chuckled with a slight sense of relief and nodded. “We can do that,” he agreed. “Whatever you want. Always.”

.               .               .

The next day was a different energy altogether—intense, languid, and gentle. They laced their hands together, kissed softly and deeply, moved against each other with slow passion as their anticipation crackled in the air. “You’re trembling,” Cliff noted at one point. “Are you scared, Matty?”

The Omega shook his head and stared at Cliff intently. “Just excited,” he said, his voice likewise shaking slightly. “I’ve been waiting for this for months.”

Cliff felt similarly—except it wasn’t just months. It was years. Years of vivid dreams, of waking up in sweat and panic, of worries he’d never find the right mate. And here was Matty, solid and real in his arms. Cliff leaned in and kissed him deeply, trying to share even a fraction of the emotions that were swelling in his chest. Matty wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in closer, matching the kiss as if he were trying to do the same. After years of confusion, loneliness, and discontent, they’d found each other.

“Are you ready?” Cliff asked.

“Beyond ready, Alpha,” Matty replied.

Cliff shifted their bodies into the position they’d planned—over the past month, they’d tried out different placements for the bite using love marks and hickeys and finally found the alignment they both liked. The bite was going to be higher up on Matty’s throat than Hirst’s mark had been and on the opposite side. Now, Cliff licked that spot, thoroughly wetting it in anticipation. Already, Matty gave a small cry of eagerness and began to tremble again as he pressed himself against Cliff’s body.

Cliff moved himself slowly and carefully into Matty, savoring the slide and wet heat around his cock. Matty groaned and dipped his head to give Cliff even better access to his throat as he moved his hips and gave gasping encouragements to the Alpha. They moved together tenderly, each rocking thrust an intension and a promise. Cliff moved from licking the spot on Matty’s throat to mouthing it, and soon they were both moving faster, gasping, pulling each other closer, moving toward a precipice that would plunge them into something new. Matty’s gasps became cries as Cliff’s became groans and his hips snapped forward as his knot began to swell and then Matty was grabbing a fistful of Cliff’s hair and pulling at the same time he arched his pale neck and said, “Please, Cliff!”

Cliff’s knot pressed past the slick resistance of Matty’s seam at the same time he lined up his teeth against the clean stretch of Matty’s throat and bit down, his teeth puncturing the white plain of flesh. Blood and bitterness filled his mouth, and Matty pulled on his hair even harder as he cried out. The cry didn’t sound like one of pain though—instead, it was a sound of immense pleasure and relief.   

Cliff pulled back, releasing the bite. He continued to fuck his way through an intense, seemingly eternal orgasm, tonguing the bite mark as he reached down to stroke Matty’s erection. To his surprise, his fingers found none there all—instead just the sticky, thin residue of Omegan ejaculate. Matty chuckled lightly in reply and kissed Cliff’s shoulder. “I came when you bit me,” Matty sighed. “God, that was intense.”

Cliff nodded and smiled. “It was. How are you feeling?”

Matty grinned. “Satisfied. I’m sure it’ll feel sore in a bit, and I’m not looking forward to those immune responses tomorrow—but right now? It’s perfect.”

Cliff hummed in agreement. Later, he’d paint the bite with first-aid ointment and cover it with gauze. Even later, he’d wonder if the hotel was going to charge them extra for getting blood on the nest, and he’d see if he could get at lease some of the stain out with some mini-bar club soda. Tomorrow, he’d hold Matty and coax him through fever and nausea as the Omega’s immune system fought against the second bite and the bite toxin fought to take hold. Tomorrow, he’d whisper ‘I love you, I love you’ over and over again and give Matty praise until the aching, feverish Omega believed every syllable.

But for now, Matty was right. It was all perfect. Cliff kissed his mate, and they held each other close, satisfied that they were bonded and no longer alone.

 

END of ‘Perfect Balance’

 

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of 'Lucky Lives' Omegaverse