Chapter Text
Sure, in hindsight she could see why she probably should have gotten a second opinion before quitting her suppressants cold turkey after twelve years of being on them.
But Natalie had always prided herself in having enough willpower to not surrender to the devil’s temptations. Besides, the whole designation thing was so stupid and conservative it went against everything Natalie stood for. They were not animals for fuck’s sake. She was a grown woman and able to control her impulses.
Granted, having been on suppressants ever since she presented back in junior year of high school, she really had no idea what her body’s natural state was like without the artificial hormones bouncing around her blood system to regulate her biological instincts.
But since three months ago when she decided to swear off dating, after her and Travis’ fifth and final break up, and promptly received a notification on her phone that she was due for a new prescription renewal – she decided to say fuck it and let her body be off all hormones for the first time in twelve years and adjust itself to its natural state.
While the whole reason for going on them in the first place was to prohibit any unwanted pregnancy and not suffer too bad during her heats, they had certainly been useful during her single years and those three years with Travis.
But at this point in her life — with no partner, mood swings that have her feeling like a crazy person and not a single limb in her body having the urge to explore the dating scene, she decides the bad outweighs the good so there’s not really a reason for her to continue taking them.
If the heats get bad enough she can just start taking them again, but she hasn’t been through one since that time she presented. And she remembers it being absolutely horrible, but then again, she’s been through a whole lot more pain since.
Omegas have lived for thousands of years without suppressants, surely she can too.
The change isn’t that noticeable during the first couple of days.
Nat figures it’s because she’s been on hormones for so many years it’s gonna take a while for it all to leave her system. The first week goes by smoothly, all according to what her research (Reddit users) has said are common effects: no drastic body changes and still no picking up on other scents.
She can still go to work as usual and people treat her the same as they always have and there’s not really an inkling of anyone paying attention to the biological changes her body is going through.
Her first heat is not due for another couple of weeks once all the hormones have successfully left her system so until then she just goes on with her life as usual.
She helps Van with the inventory at the record store, who doesn’t notice anything unusual about Nat, and even if she did Nat doubts she’d mention anything about it.
Betas aren’t as prone to identify Omegas as an Alpha would be, especially not one on suppressants. And still, Van’s been mated to Tai for so long she doubts either of them are even able to pick up a trace of another person’s scent anymore.
Lottie is the first one to pick up on it.
It happens on the one week mark since Nat took her last pill.
After the week swept by with no symptoms or any other noticeable difference, by the time the weekend rolls by Nat has nearly forgotten that she stopped taking the pills at all.
Nobody else, not even Jackie who’s got the nose of a bloodhound notices anything different when they all gather at Jackie and Shauna’s place for their monthly dinner with Lottie, Van and Tai.
Shauna’s cooking is the only thing Nat picks up when she enters the apartment which should be covering up Nat’s scent if she had any at all.
But when she enters the kitchen and makes her way through the group, greeting each one of them with a hug, Lottie suddenly goes completely stiff in her arm. As they pull away Nat notices her brown eyes widening and just the smallest twitch of her nose scrunching in a way that should barely be noticeably – save Nat who has a PhD in analyzing each one of Lottie Matthews micro expressions and a major in identifying the correlating emotion.
But Lottie doesn’t say anything so Nat lets it pass and their evening continues as usual.
Jackie places their plates and fills up their wine glasses to the brim as Shauna pours a portion size of spaghetti on each plate that would have Nat’s nonna nod in approval at the hospitality.
She hasn’t told any of them about her recent decision to go off her pills, only having told Jackie a month prior when she received the notice of prescription renewal, that she was considering doing it.
Jackie told her it might be a bad idea to go off both the suppressants and the birth control at the same time, considering the risk of going through heat and the need of an Alpha in the moment, could possibly have her act in a way that might have considerable consequences afterwards. Which was fair.
But Jackie had been mated to Shauna since high school and should not be in a position to give advice, as somebody who can’t control any of her impulses to save her life. Which is how Jackie and Shauna accidentally mated before having even explained how they felt for each other in the first place.
Lottie however, is not only the only other single person in their friend group, she’s also the only other Alpha out of the six of them. But not in the traditional way like Shauna is, who bares her teeth at anyone who even attempts to look at Jackie and scents her like a dog marking their territory, Lottie has very few of the toxic Alpha instincts.
Which Nat is eternally grateful for, because Lottie has every reason to behave accordingly.
She’s wealthy, beautiful and has a trail of broken hearts after her, belonging to an endless number of Omegas who have tried and failed to succeed in locking down one of the most eligible Alpha bachelors in the lesbian community of NYC.
She’s always been somewhat of a fascinating natural phenomenon to Nat, embodying the epitome of a nurturing Alpha in the way she’s always making sure the people around her are safe and pleased.
Other Alphas also seem to respect Lottie in a way that Nat can’t quite figure out why.
Even an Alpha like Shauna who’s the more pissy and territorial kind, always seems to falter in comparison to Lottie.
If it’s a personality thing, since Lottie has always been the team captain of her soccer team and naturally falls into a leadership position, or a biological Alpha thing that Omegas like Natalie can’t possibly understand, it’s sort of just an axiom of her existence.
Nat hasn’t really known a whole lot of Alphas in her life. It’s not really a conscious decision, more so the fact that Betas like Van and Tai were more common and most Alphas their age were already mated which meant they didn’t really have any interest in Natalie anyway.
Which is like one of the major reasons Nat doesn’t necessarily like Alphas. Because so many Alphas only respect Omegas if they fill a purpose for them.
She’s dated so many douchebags Alphas in her life, who only liked her because of her designation and refused to show her respect because her Omega status only filled one purpose for them.
The only reason she was with Travis for so long was because he was a Beta, and saw her as more than a baby maker machine. She would go even as far as saying that he respected her, which says a lot, considering he was a shitty boyfriend for the majority of their three year relationship.
So after their last breakup, Natalie had more or less given up on finding a decent partner, resorting to focus on herself and find joy in things other than romance. At least that was her intention.
Lottie had been single ever since she came into Nat’s life five years ago. And as far as Nat was aware, Lottie never paid much attention to what designation the other person had. The only thing Lottie’s flings had in common was that they were all female and pretty. And blonde.
Nat can’t really blame her. Because despite being a bit of a fuckboy, Lottie doesn’t boast her Alpha status in the way many other Alphas do. There’s just something about her steadiness and the way she holds herself, that Nat has always found intriguing about her.
Nat thinks being the only Matthews daughter and being forced to uphold a sense of honor since she was old enough to walk may have something to do with that.
Lottie came from a long line of upper class Alphas and was expected to become nothing less, whereas Nat grew up in a trailer park and figured her life would more or less turn out like her mom’s the day she presented as an Omega.
Get knocked up by some douchebag and pop out a couple of kids who will have to carry on the torch like a curse.
Moving to the city was Nat’s way of trying to prolong the curse as long as possible.
Meeting Travis was also a way to avoid the impending doom of her fate. They never even mated, not because they couldn’t, there’s plenty of Betas and Omegas who can live together just fine.
There was just something about Travis that never felt quite solid enough. He was too unreliable. She’d like to think it had nothing to do with his Beta status, but part of her doubts an Alpha would go about it the way she did.
At least the one Alpha she trusted would never treat her like that.
Lottie insists on walking Nat home like she always does after a night at Jackie and Shauna’s place. Partly because Lottie doesn’t like Natalie walking around at night on her own, and walking in the presence of someone who is built like a quarterback does make Nat feel safer.
And partly because it’s easier for Lottie to spend the night at Nat’s place a few blocks away than having to haul her ass back to Manhattan.
It’s something of a routine at this point, and Nat doesn’t even ask if she wants to spend the night, she assumes Lottie will.
After a few years of repetition it would almost be strange if she didn’t spend the night, save for the few occasions Lottie has had to get up early in the morning and would drop Nat off at her place before going back to her own.
It was never a big deal really.
Travis was not really the type to check in and make sure Nat had gotten home safe. Not that she really cared. If Travis was on her ass about her whereabouts all the time, Nat doubts she would have stayed with him for as long as she did.
Lottie taking extra precautions to make Nat is safe is different though. Mainly because Lottie is neither a man nor an obsessive Alpha. She’s her best friend and Nat knows she only has pure intentions.
When they exit Shauna and Jackie’s apartment complex it’s nearly midnight and the temperature has dropped significantly since Nat’s arrival. It’s the end of September and the evenings are already getting a lot colder than just a couple of weeks ago.
When Nat left her apartment earlier in the day it was still nearly 80 degrees and by the time they leave together, the temperature must have dropped to at least 60, meaning Nat’s mini skirt and fish net long sleeve did a poor job at covering her from the wind.
“Are you okay?” Lottie asks, clearly noticing Nat’s stiff upper body as she’s trying her best to keep herself warm with her arms folded over her chest.
“I’m fine, “ Nat replies curtly, even though the wind is sending goose bumps all over her body and her nipples are nearly poking through the fabric of her bra with every gush of air coming her way.
Then as she stops in her tracks under a street light to dig through her purse to look for her cigarettes, she feels Lottie’s watchful eyes as she attempts to light the cigarette.
“Nat, you’re shivering. “ Lottie says, pointing her head in the direction of Nat’s hands, which are indeed, shivering.
Nat takes a drag from her cigarette with one hand and waves her off with the other.
“I’m fine, come on. “ Nat responds and picks up the pace again in the direction of her apartment complex. Lottie doesn’t join her immediately but jogs up to catch up with her a few moments later, this time holding the hoodie she was wearing in her hands urging it in Nat’s direction.
“Here. “ Lottie says.
Nat glances at the hoodie for a moment before meeting Lottie’s big eyes looking at her worriedly.
“Lot, seriously, I’m fine. “ Nat replies, even though the shiver down down her spite says the opposite. But Lottie just looks at her, raising her eyebrows accusingly as if she’s dealing with a child. And then because Nat likes to be a bitch she goes: “You’re being an Alpha right now. “
Lottie doesn’t falter. The insult brushes off her without a trace.
“And you’re being stubborn. Take the fucking hoodie. “
They end in a staring competition for a solid five seconds before Nat finally caves and huffs.
“Fine. “ she mumbles through the cigarette in her mouth and sends Lottie a final glare before she accepts the hoodie in defeat.
As their hands brush, Nat instantly feels Lottie’s body heat radiating from her skin.
She remembers that Alphas on average have a higher body temperature than Omegas do, and suddenly she doesn’t feel as bad for stealing Lottie’s hoodie.
The warmth comes immediately the second she slips the fabric over her head and the familiar trace of Lottie’s scent fills her nose pleasantly. If she was a bigger freak than she already was, she’d dig her face into the fabric and let herself drown in it.
But Lottie is watching her, clearly pleased at Nat’s sudden ease and the ends of her lips curl in amusement.
“Shut up. “ Nat huffs and picks up the pace of her strides so Lottie won’t have time to see the trace of warmth growing on Nat’s pale cheeks.
The hoodie pools at the middle of Nat’s thigh and around her wrists and she knows that Lottie is tall but god, she feels like she’s drowning in fabric.
When they get back to Nat’s place they take turns in the bathroom.
Nat goes first because she takes the longest. Lottie goes second and comes out tying her head into a loose bun at the back of her head while Nat hops into bed.
Nat listens absentmindedly as Lottie recalls how her day was after having lunch with her dad. Nat hums in response as she pretends to look through her phone, while her eyes glance back and forth between her Instagram feed and Lottie unbuttoning her jeans.
Now, Nat may have been on suppressant for the last twelve years of her life, but she’s not blind. Lottie is beautiful. From her long toned limbs, slender muscles from years of soccer and smooth skin all tan and glowing after the last couple of months out in the sun.
When her belt unbuckles and her jeans fall down to pool at her ankles, her white Calvin Klein boxers come into view and Nat notices the bulge peaking out under the fabric and she instantly tears her eyes away even though Lottie is completely oblivious to her staring.
As Lottie turns around to face the drawer where Nat keeps her stuff for when she stays over, she takes her shirt and bra off to expose miles of golden skin.
There’s still a tan line from her sports bra that becomes sharp in the faint glow of the bedside lamp. It’s probably from hours on end out on that soccer field with no shirt on.
Once Lottie has retrieved a sleep shirt and slipped it over her torso Nat looks away just in time for Lottie to turn around and crawl into bed with her.
“Anyway, do you wanna watch a movie before we go to sleep?” Lottie asks as she settles into her usual left hand side of the bed, fluffing the pillows and lying on her side to face Nat.
She tucks her hands below her ear and looks so much like the caricature of a sleeping Disney princess that Nat can’t help but chuckle.
So much for a big bad Alpha.
“Sure. What do you wanna watch?”
The first thing Nat notices when she wakes up is that the room reeks. Not bad. Pleasant even, and somewhat familiar but turned up to such a degree it nearly stings her nose.
The second thing that she notices is that she can’t move – stuck in the position she is in because there’s a pair of solid arms holding her locked in place.
The third thing, is that Natalie can’t fucking breathe.
Because of the fourth thing.
Being that the source of thing one, is mouthing at her scent glands and whimpering in her ear like a wounded animal, which has Nat’s entire body shivering like a leaf and something curling in her stomach that she hasn’t felt in years.
Something has awakened Nat’s inner Omega, who has been sleeping and been kept well under wraps for the past twelve years. The physical instinct to protect and please the whimpering Alpha is so deeply rooted in her biology that Nat can barely think through the hazy mind Lottie’s pheromones are inflicting upon her.
It takes her a few more moments to realize that Lottie is fucking scenting her. In her sleep.
Her body is stuck in a fight or flight mode and while everything within her is screaming to stay in the safety of the Alpha’s arms, she’s still conscious enough to hear the voice of reason in the back of her head to remove herself from the situation.
”Lot, ” she croaks out, and her voice is far too fragile than she’d like to. Lottie doesn’t seem to hear her, still whimpering like a puppy and nibbling at Nat’s scent glands, which has Nat take a sharp breath through her nose to block out the curl in her stomach that’s leading further down the pit of her stomach.
“Lottie, wake up. “ Nat eventually manages to say through her foggy mind and finally she feels Lottie’s body start to stir. It takes a few more moments and then suddenly Lottie jolts awake, bolting away from Nat like she’s been burnt.
When Natalie finally turns around and looks at her Lottie’s pupils are blown wide, mouth open in a small ‘o’ shape, and because it’s so extremely rare for it to happen – Nat notices it. Lottie is blushing.
“I’m sorry. “ Lottie squeaks out before Nat has the chance to say anything.
If Lottie didn’t look so horrified and embarrassed, Nat would have laughed. But knowing that Lottie was unaware of her own actions prior, has Nat feeling kinda bad for her.
Lottie, who is the one Alpha who prides herself in being anything but one, suddenly being unable to control her instincts is so foreign to not only Nat, but to herself.
Their sudden physiological awareness of each other and their own selves, is so unusual to both of them because they have always prided themselves in being more than their designations.
It was rare for Omegas and Alphas to be as close as they are while still not romantically linked, but neither of them let that get in the way of their friendship.
While they had an additional layer to their friendship that Nat didn’t share with anyone else, nor did Lottie as far as Nat knew, they had never actually explored the potential of there being something more between them.
Not that Nat was opposed to the thought of it. More so the fact that they had been introduced to each other through their friend group and Nat has never been a fan of shitting where you eat.
And then Lottie started dating Laura Lee, and Nat was on and off with Travis for years.
But still, Nat and Lottie had always gravitated towards one another in a way that was different from their other friends. Lottie was the first person Nat had gotten to know who had a somewhat similar outlook on life as she did, despite them having polar opposite upbringings.
And despite Van selling her in as a “rich, hot Alpha”, Van still vouched for her as being a good person knowing that the two of them would get along.
And so far, Lottie being an Alpha and Nat being an Omega has never had any impact on their dynamic. Well until now at least.
“It’s fine. “ Nat tells her calmly, because Lottie looks like she’s one second away from bolting out of Nat’s apartment and never returning. Her cheeks are so rosy and Nat can even make out the faint tinge of red on her ears.
“I didn’t mean to.. “ Lottie trails off, shuffling further away from Nat under the covers and moving and repositioning the fabric over her lap until Nat realizes that.. Oh–
And then Nat’s own cheeks are heating up too.
“Don’t worry about it. “ Nat shrugs her off in a poor attempt at hiding how flushed she feels.
There’s an awkward moment for a few seconds and Nat can’t think of anything to fill the silence with, until Lottie clears her throat.
“You uh, you smell different. “ Lottie says as she repositions herself against the bed frame, barely sparing a glance in Nat’s direction.
“Oh. Like bad?” Nat asks, because what are you supposed to say to that after you’ve been sweating all night and most likely stink?
“No!” Lottie says a little too quickly, which catches Nat by surprise because the tinge of red on Lottie’s cheeks is growing deeper. “Definitely not bad. Just.. different. “
“Oh. “ Nat hums as she tries to decode what Lottie is implying, and because her mind is still a little foggy from pheromones and she’s technically just woken up, so it takes a while for her to connect the dots and then: “Oh.”
“Yeah. “ Lottie answers as she moves a strand of hair behind her ear and fidgets with a loose thread of the comforter nervously.
“I uh.. “ Nat starts, awkwardly picking with her hands. “I got off my suppressants last week. “
“Oh. “ Lottie says. And when Nat looks up at her face again she looks more collected and like her usual self, all embarrassment having been washed away and replaced by a look of curiosity and concern. “Why?”
Nat shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess since I’m not dating anyone I won’t have to worry about getting pregnant and like, the side effects were just not worth it I guess. “
Lottie listens intently, nodding along as Nat recounts her reasoning only stopping to ask questions.
“What about when you go into heat? Do you have a mate or are you just gonna..?”
“Yeah, no. “ Nat shrugs. “I think I’ll just suffer through it I guess. I mean, I know it’s been a while since I’ve had one but it can’t be that bad. “
Nat sees Lottie’s pupils dilate and the familiar concerned line grows between her brows. The look she’s giving her almost makes Nat second guess her decision.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?“ Lottie asks. Coming from an Alpha it should sound like judgement but coming from Lottie, it’s only laced with concern.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m not due for another few weeks anyway because it needs to get out of my system first and all that. “ Nat says, moving her hands animatedly as she explains.
“Okay. “ Lottie says, nodding slowly. “But you’ll let me know if you need anything?”
Nat nods. “Yeah, sure. “
“Even if it’s just like.. An Alpha's presence. “ Lottie says and the flush that washes over her cheeks this time has Natalie smirking.
“Okay, Lottie. “ Nat says, nudging Lottie’s shoulder teasingly and decides it’s finally time to get out of bed. “You know anyone?”
The look on Lottie’s face as her jaw drops has Nat nearly doubling over with laughter. In return Lottie smacks a pillow right in Nat’s face.
“Alright, alright. “ Nat grins as she picks up a pair of sweatpants from the Lottie drawer and tosses it to the bed. “Now get dressed, Alpha. A girl’s gotta eat. “
Nat pretends she doesn’t notice the blush on Lottie’s cheeks but smiles to herself in amusement as she exits the bedroom.
It’s during the third week without suppressants that Nat starts to notice a change. Not in herself, more so how people around her behave. Sure, she’s used to people hitting on her but the way they approach her now is vastly different.
For starters, she can tell most of them are Alphas because she can pick up scents again, not everywhere or everyone but some of the ones whose pheromones dial up around her. Secondly, on more than one occasion she has caught other Omegas giving her the stink eye in public, especially when she’s being approached by an Alpha.
When she gets to the bar to meet up Shauna, Van and Lottie quite a few heads turn the moment she enters the room. She thinks it not only has to do with her Omega status, as much as it does that she’s clearly unmated. The suppressants were able to hide both of it.
As she slips into the booth beside Lottie, Shauna is the first one to point it out.
“You stink. “ Shauna says after taking a large gulp of her beer and settles it down on the table with a smack.
“Thanks, Shauna. “ Nat responds blankly, sarcasm dripping from her words and rolls her eyes before she flags down the bartender.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Shauna asks, furrowing her eyebrows. Van’s eyes bounce between them back and forth without a clue as to what’s going on, as she has yet to pick up the distinct smell that only Alphas seem to take notice of so far.
“Jesus, Shauna. Can you at least try to be a little more tactful?” Lottie sighs under her breath to which Shauna only rolls her eyes in response.
“I got off my suppressants. “ Nat says, more to Van than anyone who looks completely puzzled.
“Yeah, no shit. I mean why?” Shauna conquers.
As Nat explains her reasoning Shauna just looks at her like she’s an idiot, and Van nods along which is pretty much the reaction she was expecting from both of them.
“So now you’re pretty much just a shooting target with no bullet proof vest on?” Shauna questions.
Nat shrugs. “Sure, I guess that’s one way to look at it. “
“I think you’ll be fine. “ Lottie says, shaking her head and placing a soothing hand over Nat’s. “Omegas have lived through thousands of years without suppressants and been just fine. “
“Thank you! That's what I said. “ Nat says, clasping her hands and nodding in approval.
Once the pool tables finally clear out, they rush to claim one of them and pair up in two teams.
It doesn’t take long until a group of guys claim the empty pool table beside them and
subsequently take notice of Nat.
One guy in particular, an Alpha who introduces himself as Joey, starts chatting her up between rounds, and doesn’t bother to spare a glance at any of the other girls, only targeting her.
At first she thinks he’s just being nice, but as the minutes pass and Nat wants to get back to her friends she finds herself glued to the spot.
She’s not sure why, but she can’t bring herself to leave. Not that the guy is particularly interesting, more that she doesn’t have the will to turn him down and she can’t tell why her body won’t let her leave.
But then Lottie is back by her side, and it knocks the fucking wind out of Natalie because suddenly there’s an unmistakable whiff of territorial Alpha that has Nat nearly sinking down to her knees in response.
The moment Lottie approaches them, Natalie notices the exact moment Joey falters and his face drops like he’s been slapped in the face.
He visibly shrinks under the scrutiny of Lottie’s hard glare.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t know. “ Joey apologizes profusely and scrambles on his feet to get away.
If Nat wasn’t so utterly flabbergasted at the effect Lottie had on Nat herself, she would have found the exchange nearly comical. Instead she’s left gaping in confusion.
Not only is Nat in shock at seeing Lottie claim her Alpha status in a way Nat was completely unaware was even possible for her – but there is a heat in the pit of her stomach building like a wildfire and Nat realizes that her inner Omega is turned on by it.
“Okay, now what the fuck just happened?” Nat calls out, eyes flicking like ping pong balls between all of her friends.
Lottie shrugs her shoulders, stepping away, dialing down her pheromones as she approaches the pool table again like nothing had happened. “He was scenting you. “
Nat blinks.
“No, he wasn’t? ” She sputters out, because she likes to think she would be aware enough to notice if an Alpha was trying to manipulate her like that.
“He was actually. “ Shauna mumbles, before she smashes the final 8-ball.
Nat huffs.
When Nat comes home later that same night she lies awake for hours, tossing and turning and desperately trying to get it out of her head but she always comes back to that same moment.
She decides it’s the hormones that have her body acting up in a way it hasn’t before.
Because since when has she ever been affected by anything Lottie does?
Sure, she had always found her objectively beautiful, but she wasn’t attracted to her. She couldn’t be. They were friends for god’s sake.
One major selling point of their friendship was to prove to the world that Alphas and Omegas could be friends without their stupid hormones getting in the way.
And Nat is far too stubborn to let anyone tell her differently. She refuses to prove the conservative knuckleheads right.
But the more she thinks about it, the more she tries to find an excuse than if she was attracted to Lottie, it would be because she’s attracted to her other attributes. That she’s smart, funny, beautiful, and caring. Not just because she’s an Alpha.
With that logic it’s less scary. It makes sense even, Nat tells herself. Because who wouldn’t be attracted to Lottie?
Surely, it’s just her body mistaking her emotions for Lottie as something else because the hormones are acting up. It’s not because Lottie is an Alpha.
A protective Alpha.
Sure, maybe a bit possessive if she really thinks about it. But that’s just the way Lottie is.
She likes to care for people, which Natalie doesn’t hate. And she’s really pretty and always smells nice which Natalie definitely doesn’t hate.
And she’s strong and tall which is really nice because she can take care of… people.
And sure, she can probably pin Nat down if she really wanted to. And yeah, she’d take care of Nat and provide and put Nat’s comfort before her own.
She’d probably be gentle with her, because she always is, And take her sweet time with Nat, because she always prolongs things she enjoys as long as she can.
She’d probably talk her through it, and listen to what Nat needed and how she needed it. She would drag her tongue along Nat’s neck, nibble and tease her glands until she would have Nat gasping and whimpering under her.
She would hold Nat in place, keeping her steady as she’d let her knot sink inside until it finally popped, keeping them locked in place and joined at the seams. And she would finish inside just as her teeth would sink into Natalie’s glands, marking her, claiming her.
Nat chokes out Lottie’s name as she comes on her own fingers.
If Lottie notices anything different about her when they meet up the following week at Mari’s place for her 27th, she doesn’t mention it.
And sure, Lottie may be an Alpha, but Nat is fairly certain she’s not a mind reader.
So Nat goes on about her life as usual, and pretends she didn’t have the most mind blowing orgasm of her life to the thought of her best friend.
It’s probably the hormones anyway. (She ignores the part that no one on Reddit had mentioned anything about sudden extreme attraction to your best friend.)
Mari lets her in and leads her into the living room where most of their friends are already gathered. Jackie and Shauna are curled up in a corner where Jackie is talking animatedly with her hands to some Beta from Mari’s work and Shauna is sitting with a scowl on her face and a possessive hand on her partner’s knee.
Nat scrunches her nose. She can smell Shauna’s pheromones all the way across the room.
“And she says I reek. “ Nat mumbles to herself before she heads into the kitchen to pour herself a drink. She grabs a bottle of gin and some lemon slices and pours it into a highball glass before filling up the rest with tonic.
She assumes Lottie’s in the bathroom, because she’s nowhere to be found so she sits down by Mari and lets her yap on about some guy she’s been seeing. She’s only half listening to Mari’s monologue and the second Lottie enters the room Nat’s attention span goes out like a light.
Because not only is Lottie coming out from Mari’s bedroom, she’s also in tow with an Omega.
The nausea washes over Nat so quickly she thinks she might actually hurl for a second. She tears her eyes away from the pair and looks down at her drink instead.
While the emotion is sudden and takes her off guard, Nat identifies it soon enough. The jealousy rushes through her veins like poison and she almost feels physically sick by the intensity of it.
Nat has seen Lottie with plenty of girls before.
She doesn’t know why she’s suddenly so affected by it. All she knows is that her body is screaming to get Lottie away from that Omega. That Lottie is hers.
When Lottie finally plops down next to her, Nat is so far deep in her thoughts she barely notices her until she waves her hand in front of her face.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Huh?” Nat blinks and shakes her head to clear her mind. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. “
“You look a little pale. “ Lottie says, lowering her voice so no one else can hear them over the sound of Donna Summer blasting through the room. Her brown eyes dart around all over Nat’s face searching for any trace of evidence to the reason for her state.
“Do you wanna get some air?” Lottie asks, voice laced with concern.
Nat is about to tell her no, that she’s fine, but she catches the eye of the other Omega across the room on her way to approach them and changes her mind at the last second.
“Yeah, sure. “
Lottie leads her through the room until they get to Mari’s bedroom door and Natalie remembers that it’s the only passage to the balcony
If she wasn’t still filled with pent up jealousy she would be horrified at the speed at which she jumped to conclusions earlier.
Once they step outside and the fresh air hits her she can finally clear her thoughts. Lottie fishes out a cigarette from her back pocket and offers one to Nat. Lottie lights it for her before she rests her elbow on the railing and tilts her body to face Nat.
“How has your day been?” Lottie asks casually. Nat nods and takes a long drag from the cigarette.
“It was alright. I had a day off so I’ve mostly just been watching reruns of Gilmore Girls. “ Nat answers honestly to which Lottie lights up in a grin.
“Yeah? Which season?”
Natalie is about to go into a fully detailed recap when suddenly a sharp violent noise that sounds like a gunshot travels through the street below them.
She doesn’t register the cigarette falling from her finger tips, or how her body instinctively falls back to the wall behind her.
All she hears is the gunshot. And all she sees in blood.
And she’s back in the trailer park.
Her body is shaking so violently and her vision is blurry. And then her knees buckle and she doesn’t have time to catch herself before she collapses.
All she sees is red. It feels like she’s under water.
“Nat. " The voice is distorted.
“Nat. “
She can’t hear it through the water.
“Natalie. “
Then she hears it inside her head. How did it get in there?
“You’re okay. “
There’s something solid placed on her chest.
“You’re okay. “
The blood and the water washes away, one molecule at a time until it’s all vanished.
Until there’s nothing but lightness, brightness and safety.
“I’ve got you. “
Natalie blinks.
She’s slowly brought back to reality until she’s conscious enough to become aware of her surroundings.
She can’t recall how she ended up on the ground but she’s sitting on Mari’s balcony.
And Lottie’s sitting in front of her with her hand on Nat’s chest and she’s got a look in her eyes.
“Good. Keep breathing. “
But Lottie’s mouth is not moving so how come Natalie can hear her voice?
She follows Lottie’s breathing pattern until it evens out.
“Just like that. “
Natalie listens to the steady sound of Lottie’s voice in her head until she’s finally able to breathe on her own. She sees Lottie’s lips curl into a pleased smile.
“There you go. “ Lottie says softly, and this time her mouth moves and Natalie can hear her normally again.
Nat blinks as her thoughts and questions start to come back to her.
“How did you do that?” Nat breathes out, the dryness in her throat affecting the rasp of her tone.
“Do what?” Lottie asks quietly as she slowly retrieves her hand from where it’s resting on the middle Nat’s chest.
“You.. were in my head. “ Nat mumbles, because saying it out loud sounds so ridiculous she’s not even sure if she made it all up.
“Oh. “ Lottie hums and chews on her bottom lip as if she’s contemplating her answer. “Um, I think it’s an Alpha thing. I didn’t even know I was doing it. “
“It’s an Alpha thing to just.. pop into people’s heads like that?” Natalie nearly sputters out.
Lottie scrunches her eyebrows, shaking her head as if she’s searching for words. “No, it’s more like.. If an Omega’s in danger, we can.. remove the noise that’s hurting them. It’s more like an instinct. I wasn’t even aware I was doing it. “
“Oh, I didn’t know you could do that. “ Nat says quietly.
“Um, no it’s uh. “ Lottie stumbles over her words and Nat doesn’t know why Lottie is suddenly so flustered when Nat is the one who nearly had a panic attack. “It’s usually only possible if you’re.. mated to each other. “
“Oh. “
“Yeah, oh. “
For the first time in their five years of friendship, Lottie is hesitant to join Nat after walking her home from the party.
The streetlight outside of Nat’s apartment complex casts a shadow of Lottie towering over her and she looks so pretty Nat can’t help but gravitate towards her.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. “ Lottie says, as she leans her shoulder onto the streetlight and stuffs her hands inside of her denim jacket, carefully avoiding Nat’s searching eyes.
“Why not?” Nat asks as her hands reach out to fidget with the button of Lottie’s jacket just below her chest. They’ve always been physical, but something in her is just begging to be near Lottie.
“I mean.. You were pretty shaken up before. I figured you could use some sleep. “ Lottie says quietly as her eyes drop down to watch Nat’s fingers fidget with her jacket. Nat can feel her body heat radiating off of her even if she’s not even touching her.
“Yeah.. I guess. I just.. “ Nat shrugs, pursing her lips as she tries to tie together a string of words that sound the least pathetic. “I’d like you to stay. Like before, out there on the balcony I felt.. safe. “
Something in Lottie’s posture shifts visibly.
She stands upright completely and her chest puffs out, and she’s just so big in comparison to Nat, despite her 4 inch heels.
“Yeah?” Lottie says, chin tilted up proudly in a way that might have been comical because it was just so Alpha, if it wasn’t for how needy Nat already felt in her presence.
“Yeah. “ Nat nods slowly before finally tilting her torso forward until she tips and leans her head into Lottie’s chest in a poor attempt at hiding her blush while simultaneously dying to get a whiff of her.
“Okay. “ Lottie says then, arms automatically wrapping around Nat’s small frame to engulf her in a warm embrace before she guides them inside.
Their routine goes on as per usual.
Nat goes to the bathroom as Lottie gets them a glass of water each and gets the bed ready by removing all the pillows so Nat can climb right in when she’s done in the bathroom.
Once Lottie emerges from the bathroom Nat has nearly fallen asleep.
She barely notices Lottie climbing into bed and planting a soft kiss on her shoulder before the lights go out.
All she knows is that she’s in the safety of her Alph–Lottie.