Chapter Text
Jack was fucked.
The feeling wasn't a new one. But it had never felt this immediate before. Had never been accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps behind him, of taunts getting louder, clearer, to the point where he could hear their panting breaths in between the words, like he was only ever a few steps away from feeling hands on his neck.
He'd never actually felt like he was going to get caught before.
It was late enough that the streets were pretty much empty. He'd passed a woman scrolling through her phone next to a bar door, and another walking along with her face buried in her scarf, but he hadn't bothered to try to beg help from either of them. People knew to keep to their own business in this neighborhood, and Jack wasn't stupid enough to think they might be willing to stick their neck out for him.
Especially with the pack scent on the guys chasing him. No one was that stupid.
He rounded another corner, willing his legs to push just a little further, a little further. The burn was moving into that shaky numb feeling, where they might drop him at any moment, and his chest had long since echoed that screaming, piercing pain, cramping, lungs on fire.
He was pretty sure he was at his limit. Pretty sure. He couldn't really tell. He'd never pushed his body like this, but there was a thread of something tenuous, not tired, but brittle in his bones that made him think he was just going to . . . snap here soon. That whatever strings that were connecting all his limbs, moving them in the repetitive, terrible sprint he'd been holding for so long, were just going to cut and he was going to collapse into a boneless heap.
He'd had some vague idea of reaching Robin's office. Like somehow that would be a safe place for him, that he could get there and then everything would be fine. But he knew he wasn't going to make that, not even close.
He turned another corner, heard the footsteps behind him turn with him, hardly a heartbeat behind, and he knew he was fucked.
Really not how he had hoped this was going to end.
When he saw the high, ornate fence around the backside of one of the pretty office buildings, he didn't think it out, didn't worry about how sharp the wrought iron was at the top. He was smaller, faster, more nimble than the two Alphas behind him. He could make it.
He jumped from several steps away, getting his hands on the rough metal and yanking himself up, willing his legs to work, to push a little more, get him up and over. His arms shook but they held his weight, and he heaved himself to the top, wrapping his hand around one of the spade tips crowning the fence, swinging one leg up to leverage off the upper bar and swing himself higher, up, over. There was a brush of contact on his foot, a weight tugging at his shoe, before it was gone and he'd cleared the top, dropping over the other side.
His breath rushed out of him as he hit the ground, a low grunt and then painful silence as he struggled to get air back in. His heart was hammering in his ears, vision swimming, and his arms shook so badly he almost couldn't get an elbow under him to look back to the fence.
The two Alphas were still on the other side. One, the bigger one, blonde with sharp blue eyes, was staring up at the office building with a frown, catching his breath. The other one, the well-built dark-haired Alpha with the cruel smile, was staring at Jack, his breath hissing in through his teeth as he grinned.
"Stay, Omega," he growled, and Jack felt his limbs lock in place, felt the force of the command rush through him, holding him for a moment, before he could suck in another breath, work the feeling through his muscles.
The fact that he was so tired he could barely move actually helped, weirdly.
"Eric," the blonde one started, and the other glanced at him, briefly, before looking back to Jack.
"Stay," he commanded again, and Jack shuddered, a pathetic, thin whine whispering past his lips before he clamped his jaw shut and groaned, turning to get his other hand under him.
This shouldn't be so fucking hard. The guy's Voice wasn't even that strong he was just-
God, why now? Why when he could feel the heat curling higher and higher in his gut, when he could feel his thoughts running slow and sluggish through his head like oil?
It wouldn't be that much longer before the Alpha wouldn't even have to use his Voice to control him. He'd do whatever he wanted, just give it a few hours.
He'd only been off his suppressants for a few days. He thought he had more time.
But no. Of course not. Of course it was his fucking luck that he was going into Heat right when Phantom's guys were trying to get their hands on him.
Get up, he snapped to himself, shoving both hands under him and wrenching himself up, ignoring the nausea rolling through him. Get up.
"I said stay, Omega," the one - Eric - said, grin still clear in his voice, and Jack heard the fence rattle, but he didn't look back.
"Fuck you," he spat, speaking to the payment under him before he got his legs under him. They felt dead, like he was walking on mannequin legs, and that was probably concerning, but they held his weight, and then they burned, so that was probably fine.
The fence wrapped around either side of the building, probably around to the front, but something made Jack go to the simple service door at the back first, yank it open, surprised it was unlocked even as he slammed it shut behind him, cutting off the noise from the fence as the Alphas presumably started climbing.
There was a stairwell directly to the right of the back door, and Jack slipped into it without thought, his legs shaking at the sight of the stairs, but he was climbing them before he'd thought it through, searching for some sanctuary he couldn't even name.
Maybe if he could get somewhere far enough above them, far enough away, and hide, they'd give up.
Or if he did get caught, at least it'd be private.
He didn't know how long he climbed. It took a long time before he heard the stairwell door open below him, heard the shout that said they knew he was here, so at least he had a good lead. But he knew it wasn't going to be enough. He needed to be faster. Get . . . somewhere.
He shoved through a door at the top of the stairwell, stumbling into a brightly lit hallway and blinking around, panting, every breath burning through him. He could see a well-lit room that might have been a breakroom to one end. The other ended in a sharp turn, disappearing farther into the building, and Jack turned towards it, trying to run, but barely managing a fast walk as his feet stumbled under him.
The turn led to more doors, offices, and another room with a light at the very end, and Jack struggled to it, even without knowing what salvation might lay there. The large, heavy door was unlocked, yielding with a simple shove, and Jack stumbled inside, having to catch himself on the door handle before he swung it shut, and heaved himself hard back against it.
The feeling of safety washed over him so suddenly it winded him. His knees jerked, almost dropped him, and he whimpered, closing his eyes and banging his head back against the door, struggling to stay on his feet.
And then he caught the scent on his tongue, the one permeating thick through the room, and he jerked up again, heart in his throat.
There was an Alpha in the room with him. A man in a crisp, tailored suit, an expensive watch, sitting behind a desk that probably cost more than his car and just-
Looking at him.
He hadn't gotten up when Jack had apparently crashed into his office, and he didn't look inclined to get up now. A collection of papers lay spread out over his desk, a pen held loosely in one hand, and his face was still tilted down just slightly towards them, like he hadn't even lifted his face to look at Jack when he came in.
Something about that pulled a thrum up through his spine. Made him look at him closer, made him take in the dark, messy hair, dark eyes, carefully groomed stubble, and the scent of him, warm and rich in the room. He was- wow. Yeah. If he had to be caught by an Alpha, he'd pick this one.
Ah. That'd be the heat talking.
The sound of voices through the door brought him out of whatever strange reverie he'd slipped into, the adrenaline buzzing fresh under his skin, and his breath hitched up into a short, panicked staccato.
He was trapped in a room with an unknown Alpha, with two well-known and dangerous Alphas outside, and nowhere else to go.
He was well and truly fucked.
"I-" he started, soft, his voice cracking, not knowing what he was going to say, but never getting a chance anyway. The voices were suddenly too close, and Jack snapped his mouth shut, frozen, like he thought if he stayed still and quiet enough, they would just go away.
It was stupid, but what else was he supposed to do?
The knock was surprising. He'd figured the pair would just . . . burst into the room, the way he had. He'd even dug his heels into the nice carpet, like he thought that was somehow going to stop them. But the knock was curt, sharp, and he could feel it along his back as his breath caught in his throat.
The Alpha at the desk hadn't looked away from him. His face turned up properly at the knock, but his eyes stayed on Jack's, considering, head tilting ever so slightly to the side, and Jack's heart was in his throat as the desperation suddenly set in once more.
The knock came again, and the Alpha stood, unhurried, setting the pen down and buttoning his suit jacket with a practiced motion.
When he stepped around the desk, towards Jack, towards the door, that desperation turned to panic in the Omega's throat.
"Please," he whispered, sudden, sharp, and the man paused, cocking his head again. Standing, he was big. Not quite looming, but larger than Jack had expected, and Jack's mouth was a little dry in a way he didn't expect.
It wasn't like he was a thirsty guy, but he was feeling pretty parched right then.
The Alpha resumed his unhurried journey to the door, to Jack, and the Omega swallowed, stayed with his back against the door, couldn't tell if he was trying to keep it closed or just . . . something.
When the man reached out to take Jack by the chin, he didn't flinch. He stayed right there, looking at him, swallowing, managing another, softer, "Please."
Which, of course, seemed to please the Alpha, and oh, wow, that smile did something dark and interesting to the mush his brain was turning into.
He put pressure on his chin, and Jack went with the motion, let the stranger lead him by his jaw, until his back was against the wall instead of the door. The hand lingered there for a moment, and Jack couldn't tell if he wanted to lean into it or bite it.
The door opened inward, towards where the Alpha had put Jack, and the Omega realized with a jolt that the door protected him here, gave him a little cacoon of safety that made something confusing uncurl in his chest.
"Dark," a voice said, and Jack was pretty sure it was the Eric guy.
"Winslow," the Alpha - Dark - answered in a smooth voice, and oh, that too.
"Seems like you've got a late-night visitor." Eric's voice was amused, low, playful, and it was close, like he'd stepped as far into the doorway as he could, and it was only Dark's hand on the door that was stopping him from walking in.
"Do I?" Dark asked back, and there was amusement in his voice too, but it seemed . . . different. "What would you know of visitors to my building, Phanpup?"
The stress on "my" was quiet, soft, but dangerous, and it did that oily thing to Jack's thoughts again.
"Eric," the other guy cautioned, like at the fence, but Eric brushed right past it.
"He's not yours," he said, a little more forceful than before. "We know he's not one of yours, he just happened to stumble his way in here. And if you wanna just hand him over to us, we'll get him and us both out of your hair. How's that?"
Silence hung for a long moment, and Jack could only see part of Dark's face, but he could see the smile there, the amusement in his face, the way his mouth moved just slightly with a short breath of laughter.
"I think," the Alpha said, and he leaned forward just a little, out of Jack's line of sight, voicing pitching into something with just a hint of growl, just a taste of heat to it. "You should go back to your master, little dog. You'll find nothing of yours here."
"You're not-"
"And Winslow?" Dark cut across him, and Jack wasn't surprised when the other Alpha fell silent. There was something truly . . . dangerous to that voice now. "If I find you on my territory without an invitation again, I will make a truly creative example out of you."
There was no answer for a few painful heartbeats. Just the quiet sound of Jack's still-ragged breaths, and the tick of the ornate little clock on Dark's desk.
And the scent of Eric's rage. There was that too.
When no answer seemed forthcoming, Dark leaned back again, just enough for Jack to see him, and he was smiling that same quiet, amused smile.
"Considering you found your way in, I do trust you can find your way out," he said in an even, almost polite tone. "I'll be sure to check that you don't need any . . . assistance . . . soon."
"Thank you," someone said, and Jack was sure it was the blonde guy this time. "We know the way."
For a moment there was silence. And then a soft come on and footsteps fading down the hall, and Jack felt weak all over again.
They were gone.
Holy shit, this guy just made Phantom's guys leave.
"Who are you?" Jack asked in a soft, raw voice as Dark closed the door. The Alpha looked at him again, aiming that faintly amused smile at him now, and Jack swallowed, pressing harder against the wall, like he could disappear into it.
It would be a lot easier if the whole mush-brain thing would stop getting so distracted by the veins in the Alpha's hands. He adjusted his tie and it was like Jack had been waiting his whole life to see that in person.
"You have gotten yourself into some trouble, haven't you, little lamb?"
Jack swallowed, lips thinning down on something between fear and anticipation. He was acutely aware of how trapped he was right then. Trapped in a room with this strange Alpha, tasting his heat creeping up his spine, loyal dogs just outside, wanting their teeth in him, and no idea what his temporary savior would ask for in return.
He had a guess though.
"Come here," Dark said, and Jack lurched forward, shoving himself off the wall while he had the strength for it, not looking away from the Alpha's amused expression. He didn't even notice Dark leading him into the chair before it hit the back of his knees, and the weight of his exhaustion suddenly hit him.
He collapsed in a truly ungraceful manner, his arms splaying out awkwardly over the arms of the chair as the air left him all at once. He could feel the burn in his thighs again, the rawness of his throat, the way he was shaking softly, and he couldn't quite catch his breath, each mouthful of air catching and shaky.
A water bottle was pressed into his hands, and he grabbed it, fumbling with the cap, jerking it up to his mouth, only for a hand to catch his wrist, stopping him.
"Slowly," Dark said, low and firm, and Jack shuddered.
He sipped the water, slowly, and the approving sound the Alpha made made everything a little mushier.
"Thank you," Jack gasped when he had enough breath back, his voice a little less raw now that the water was doing its work.
"Ah," Dark said dryly. "He does have manners."
Jack didn't duck his head, the way a young scolded Omega might, but he did let his eyes shift down to Dark's feet, a quieter submission.
"I'm- sorry," he said, stilted. "I was a little preoccupied with the whole- you know-"
"Hm," Dark hummed, amusement thick in the sound, and some part of Jack bristled even as he went a little weak.
"Look, I was kind of running for my life-"
"Yes," Dark agreed. He'd stepped up next to Jack, watching him with that same expression when Jack risked a quick glance up to his face.
And then the Alpha's broad hand came down over the back of his neck, gentle but firm, putting a steady pressure there, and suddenly every thought beyond "oh" was wiped right out of Jack's mind.
Submission pressure on his nape had always been enough to make him a little breathless, a little foggy. He was unprepared for how it would wind him here, on the razor's edge of his heat, with this Alpha's hand on him.
"And you ran right to me."
Dark came around to stand in front of him, hand still cupping his neck, thumb and fingers applying that same pressure. It was easy to turn Jack's face up to him like that, and Jack couldn't think to put up any resistance.
"How is it, that you knew to do that?" Dark asked, on the edge of casual, still smiling. His fingers played a thrumming little melody along Jack's neck. "I'm sure I've never met you, and yet, here you are, in my office, smelling sweet and wanting and conveniently needing?"
Jack worked over the words slowly, rolling them around in his liquid mind, tasting them until he picked up on the hint of danger and the hint of want.
"I just wanted to be safe," he said, slowly, putting the words together as he spoke. "This . . . smelled . . . safe."
Dark considered him for a long time. The pressure didn't release along those points on his neck, and Jack felt strangely . . . fine with that. He was fine with just . . . sitting here. Looking at this Alpha. Waiting for him to come to whatever decision he was mulling over.
He'd never really considered himself particularly complacent, but he was feeling pretty close to it now.
"What's your name, little lamb," Dark asked finally. The pressure stayed in his nape, a little stronger now, and Jack slumped into it, letting the warm liquid of his mind lap around the edges of his concern.
"Jack," he said slowly.
"Full name, pet."
"Jack McLoughlin," he corrected. Then thought again. "Séan, actually. But I . . . prefer Jack."
"And why were Phantom's dogs after you tonight, Jack?"
"Money." The words came easily to his mouth. He was still looking directly at Dark, holding his gaze, and something around the sharp distant edges of concern told him he wasn't right to do that, but Dark didn't look annoyed by it, so. "I made a . . . deal I shouldn't have."
"Mm," Dark hummed, his other hand coming up under Jack's chin and holding him there. Like he was even thinking about looking away. "Do you know who I am?"
"No," Jack said slowly. "Someone dangerous apparently."
Dark laughed at that. It was a rich, lovely sound, and Jack wanted to hear it again, something tugging against the warm pool of submission and making his lips curl up in a smile of his own.
And then Dark released him, and Jack made a single soft, lost sound, before reality came seeping in again, and he had to look away, a weird mix of shame and something else crawling up his spine.
"That wasn't . . . very nice," Jack said after a moment, instead of saying what he thought, which was 'oh, so you're an asshole.'
"No," Dark agreed easily, that amusement still there as he walked around his desk to sit in the bigger chair behind it, opposite Jack. "You'll find that people like me don't live very long being nice."
The urge to curl his lip back over his teeth was there, and Jack pressed his lips as tightly together as he could manage, acutely aware of the fact that he didn't know this man, didn't know what he was capable of, or what he would do.
He was pretty sure Dark could see it though, if the little chuckle sound was anything to go by.
"I am not very nice, no," Dark said casually, crossing one leg over the other and leaning into his chair like it was a throne. "But I think you'll find that I can be . . . kind."
Which, wow, if that didn't sound like a trap.
"Okay," Jack said, careful, suspicious. "What sort of kind?"
"I've sent Phantom's dog away for you. I expect they won't dare bother you here again, and even should they take that monumentally stupid option, they will regret it deeply." Dark paused, looking at him meaningfully, and Jack swallowed.
"And what's that gonna cost me?"
"I haven't decided yet," Dark said mildly. "You have put me in an . . . interesting position."
The Alpha paused, looking over him slowly, thoroughly. It didn't even feel like rank appreciation, just an . . . inspection. Like he was categorizing what he saw, deciding what to do with it.
It made Jack feel strangely naked.
"Phantom and I have something of an accord," Dark mused after a moment. "He'll be loathed to know his men set foot on my land without his permission. Nor will he be happy that I have taken an interest in something he wants."
It was dawning on Jack that this guy, this random man whose office he'd decided to burst into, wasn't just some pretty Alpha with a nice jaw. Dangerous, yeah, he'd gotten that quickly. But he was talking about Phantom like they were on the same level. And if that was the case . . .
What were the fucking odds Jack would manage to indebt himself to two dangerous, powerful men?
"But he won't push for now," Dark continued. "He'll need to reassess before he tries to get his hands on you again."
Somehow that didn't make Jack feel any better. His legs ached sharply, the muscles still twitching occasionally, and he could still feel the rawness in his chest, the ghost of the exhaustion and primal fear that had clawed its way through him.
He didn't want to run like that again. Maybe if he got out of here quick enough, he could get on a plane to . . . somewhere. Somewhere far away, where Phantom couldn't find him. Or maybe where it just wasn't worth it for Phantom to go through the trouble to retrieve him.
Fat fucking chance with his luck, but he was running out of options quickly.
Dark adjusted one of the papers on his desk, a curl to his lips as he made a low, considering sound.
"How close is your heat?" he asked, and Jack sucked in a startled breath, coughing sharply as he choked on it.
"Jesus," the Omega managed when he'd caught his breath. He ran a hand roughly over his face, looking anywhere but the Alpha's infuriatingly smug face as he bit back the urge to just- leave. "Close, alright? You can smell that, I don't know why you need me to tell you."
"I want to know hours or days, pet."
"Fuck-" he cut himself off before he could the 'off', and left it as a curse instead. "Hours. Maybe hour singular, I don't know."
Dark hummed again. And then he leaned forward in his chair, and Jack forced himself to look at him again, to look him in the eye and try not to glare as that face seemed to bloom with . . . something.
"I'm going to give you two options, Jack," the Alpha said, smiling. "And you're going to think before you answer me."
"Okay," Jack said when Dark paused, like he was waiting to see if he was listening.
"There is a safe room here," Dark told him, and Jack raise an eyebrow. "An airtight room that locks from the inside. It can be stocked with whatever supplies you may need, and you would be free to use it through your heat, and for a short time afterward, to make whatever arrangements you might need, in safety. No one would bother you.
"Understand that it will not come free of charge. At some point in the future, I will call on you to repay your debts, through whatever skills or usefulness I can find in you. And I will not offer you protection beyond this. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Jack said quietly, some bright light sparking his chest.
That was a much better offer than he'd expected Dark to give him.
"The other option," Dark said, and his eyes seemed to get darker, harder to look away from. "Is that you come with me, and I protect you directly."
And Jack wasn't stupid. He heard what he was actually offering. Spend your heat with me, let me fuck you, and I'll keep you safe. And the worst part was, it wasn't an . . . unappealing offer.
"For how long?" Jack asked carefully, crossing his legs in a mimicry of Dark, fighting the urge to squeeze them together to help relieve the slow heat building there.
"For however long you'd like me to protect you," Dark said easily. "I would insist that you stay through your heat, but in the end, I won't stop you should you choose to leave."
No, Jack thought. We both know what would happen if I left.
But it wasn't . . . it wasn't . . . there were worse people to-
He was considering it. He hadn't spent his heat with an Alpha since he was in high school, and the idea left his mouth a little dry, his stomach a little warm and his chest a little tight, and, yeah, he was uncomfortable, he didn't know this man, and this could be a terrible idea, but really.
Having this Alpha offering his protection?
He was tempted. He was really, really tempted.
"What happens if I leave you?" Jack asked slowly, trying to find the important questions he knew he needed to ask through the liquid heat running through him. "After option two? Will you still . . . need me to-"
"No," Dark said simply. "Your debt is paid when you come with me. And, should you choose to leave before your heat is done, I don't expect you'll be of much use to me anyway."
"And while I'm with you . . . what will you expect out of me?"
"Everything," Dark said, and something about the way he said it made the air catch in Jack's throat. "As long as you're with me, you're mine, in whatever way I choose."
The word 'whore' came to mind, but Jack was too winded to linger on it.
"And you'll just- what, let me go if I want? At any point?"
"Yes," Dark said pleasantly, turning his head. "I don't think you'll be in a rush to leave."
Jack huffed a laugh. "I can't tell if that's arrogance or a threat."
"Experience," Dark corrected, and Jack laughed again, and ran his hand through his hair harshly.
That was- jesus, okay, he was actually- actually considering this, which was probably a terrible idea. He hadn't spent his heat with an Alpha in years, hadn't even gone through a proper heat in almost a year now, and he knew that meant it was going to be intense, he was gonna get a little stupid and out of his mind, and that thought should have had him heading for the safe room right away, because he didn't want some smug, strange Alpha getting to lord that over him.
And yet, at the same time . . . what did it matter? He didn't know him. It wasn't like it was going to change his opinion of him, they'd literally only just met, and it wasn't like he needed to worry about-
Well, shit, anything. What Dark was offering sounded a lot like something he wouldn't have to think through. Just do whatever was asked of him, and he would be safe.
And oh, that safety was enticing. The idea of an Alpha, a powerful Alpha, offering him protection fed that small instinctual part of his brain that made his mouth water when he looked at him, the dumb animal part that usually sat somewhere between horny and hungry and made him think stupid, stupid things.
Indulging that wasn't something he usually got to do. He couldn't afford to, not when people were playing games with his life, and he had to be smart and savvy and not think with his hindbrain first.
But here . . . maybe . . . maybe-
"You can protect me?" Jack asked, and he made it a point to ask the question properly, to duck his head just slightly, pitch his chin up, look at the Alpha.
And ask him to prove it.
He could see the way it worked too. Could see Dark sit up just slightly higher in his seat, see his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare, because not even big, dangerous Alphas could escape from instinct, and an Omega asking an Alpha to prove himself was the basest, simplest primal contract.
"Nothing can touch you while you're with me," Dark promised, heavy and sure. "I take exquisite care of my things."
And Jack believed him.
"Okay," he said softly, and then again, louder, as he slumped further into the chair. "Okay."
And Dark smiled a smile that showed off sharp teeth and sharper intentions, and Jack shuddered and wondered what he'd gotten himself into.