But where were they? I couldn’t see anyone, neither human, nor wolf. I padded out onto a large rock that overhung the slope. The mountain towered above me, canopy dark, the terrain steep, but it was still a long way to the bottom. I scanned the mountainside but could see no sign of life; just the howl of the wind as it wound its way up the valley, the fluttering of the leaves in thetreetops. In the distance, a dark speck soared in the sky. My ears flicked, the sensitive hairs ruffling in the breeze. Then, above the shushing of the unsettled leaves, and muffled as though far away, my ears caught the faint, soft whimpers of distress.
The powerful scent of the omega heat was doing strange things to my brain. Like an assault to my senses, the primeval urges were taking over, making it difficult to think clearly. I shook my head, sending the long black fur of my head flying, trying to clear the fog from my brain. I couldn’t think, only wanted todo. But where was the omega?
Human brain battled with animal instinct as I struggled to clear my head, and it took me several minutes to realize the only place the omega could be, was hidden below the rocky platform.
I shifted. I needed my human form for this. Crawling forward, the rough surface grazing my bare knees, I peered over the rocky ledge. There was no-one in sight, but I saw the entrance to a cave directly underneath, its dark maw secretive and ominous. A soft moan wound its way out to the open spaces.
Carefully, I eased myself around the rock, until I stood on the narrow ledge at the entrance to the cave. The scent was intense, washing over me in waves, its effect exacerbated by the heat of the sun reflecting off the rock. My cock had hardened and jutted out aggressively, my balls hung heavy. I was half-drugged by the intense pheromone bath enveloping me, my focus narrowing into startling clarity, like a hunting instinct. I had to get to the omega.
As I got closer, I heard the low moans that punctuated the whimpers. The sounds tugged at me, a sense of urgency prickling at my skin. But something was wrong. The scentseemed… overripe. This omega had been in heat for too long already.
Why were they trying to deal with this alone? It made no sense. Biologically, we alphas were made for this. We were slaves to the omega heats – they needed us to help the heat pass and our bodies had no way to refuse this service.
The need to act was visceral. I wanted to rush into the cave and put the omega out of its misery. I swayed slightly, battling for control of my impulses. I didn’t know this omega, I couldn’t just… assume. There must be a reason the omega had chosen to endure their heat alone here in the cave.
Dragging in a few deep breaths, my fists clenched and unclenched at my side, as I struggled for composure. Sweat prickled under my hairline. When I felt sufficiently in control of myself, I ducked my head under the cold stone of the entrance and into the cool atmosphere of the cave.
The scent of his heat hit me like a blast. It was heady, intoxicating…
And I froze.
The most beautiful omega I had ever seen lay curled up on a rough hessian mat on the ground by the wall. He was a young man, and he lay there with his eyes closed, panting heavily, pale chest heaving. Even in the semi-gloom of the cavern, I could see the pink flush of his skin, the places the sweat had darkened his blonde hair, and the tremors shaking that slight, perfect body.
“Hey,” I said softly.
He startled and his eyes flew open. I stifled a gasp. The suffering in those soft brown eyes was a blow to the solar plexis, and deeply unsettling. I’d never encountered an omega in heatbefore – this was all new to me. I’d never imagined such distress. I did, however, know that one of my responsibilities as an alpha was to reassure… so I couldn’t let him see my shock and uncertainty.
He shuddered and whimpered as another spasm shook his body.
“Let me help you,” I whispered, though there was no-one nearby to overhear.
He sat up, pulling his legs in tighter and flattening himself against the cave wall, shaking his head, clearly terrified. I could see how skinny he was now, the hollows prominent around his collarbone, his ribs sticking out down his side, his scrawny arms. His big bright eyes were stark in his face, dark shadows beneath them. I sighed. I thought he was beautiful.
But he was still silent, apart from the little whimpers that continued to fall from those soft pink lips. I licked my lips, momentarily distracted. It was hard to focus when his scent was having such a powerful effect on me. I tried a different approach. Speaking softly, I said, “Why aren’t you with your pack? You need an alpha to help you through this.”
He burst into tears.
My wolf growled protectively, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the cave floor, with the omega in my lap, holding him close to my chest. I couldn’t help my very prominent erection pressing into him, possibly even hurting him there was so little fat on him. I was aching, but I tried not to think about that, and concentrated on giving off a calm vibe instead. The omega sat rigidly in my lap, fearful, as I thought my reassuring thoughts and made soothing sounds, willing the alpha pheromones to do their job.
And after a while, he began to relax. He was burning up, almost uncomfortably hot against my body, his pale skin flushed, beads of sweat running down his back, his hair damp at his nape. Shifters typically ran hotter than regular humans, but this guy was almost self-combusting.
He needed help desperately, but I couldn’t rush this. He was clearly afraid. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he was afraid of me. Or was he afraid of any alpha? Another tremor ran through his slight form and he moaned.
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I can help you – if you let me.”
He lifted his head, blinking away the moisture glistening there, and stared at me, something I didn’t recognize in his eyes.
“Only if you want me to.” I groaned inwardly and prayed I had the strength to keep my word. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt an overwhelming need to take care of this omega, to protect him. In shifter terms, that really meant fucking him through his heat, but if he didn’t want that, I was going to have to exert iron self-control. “But even if you don’t, I won’t leave you until it’s over and I know you’re okay.”
Hope. I think it was hope I saw in his eyes. And a plea, toplease, please make this all right. He burst into tears again.
“Will you let me help you?” I asked, more calmly than I felt. My heart was pounding, from adrenaline, I suppose, and his proximity, and maybe some performance anxiety over what I had to do. Pressed up against my chest, skin to hot skin, he couldn’t fail to feel my thumping heart.
For a moment, he didn’t respond. Then he nodded.
I gently lifted his chin. “I need you to actually say it,” I told him, “I need clear consent.”
He looked up at me, eyes so wide they were almost black.
