Doc snorted. “Yeah, I can imagine that.”
Ottis shook his head fondly. “Anyway, I was always trying to escape my brothers’ protectiveness. I wanted a chance to get to know an alpha before they butted in, because more often than not, my dates kept looking over my shoulder, at one of my brothers who would sneakily tag along to spy on us.”
“Oof,” Doc muttered. “Yeah, that would suck.”
“So when I was seventeen, I managed to get away from them for a bit. Knitting club at school. It was just omegas there so my brothers thought it was safe to leave me alone.”
Doc didn’t sound convinced. “And?”
“And the knitting club teacher was an alpha.”
Doc stiffened, his hands clenching into fists.
“Nothing happened when I was still seventeen,” Ottis hurried to reassure him. “The club started going on field trips. The teacher took us to hobby stores, wool farms, and yarn factories. It was amazing. And the teacher... He was close-ish to our age, I guess. Maybe ten years older. He started hitting on me.”
Doc drew slow, deep breaths. “Did he touch you?”
“After I turned eighteen.” Ottis scrunched up his mouth. “I mean, I told him when I turned eighteen. I was just... I was flattered, you know? It was so rare that my brothers left me unsupervised. Sevrian was older than them, so he was automatically cooler. I started hanging out with him after the field trips, and I started using scent suppressants so my brothers wouldn’t catch on to the fact that I was seeing my teacher.” Ottis shuddered. “I was young and stupid. I let him do a lot of things to me that I wasn’t sure about, because I thought he couldn’t be all that bad. But then he started to get rough, and I broke things off.”
Doc clenched his jaw, the movement visible even through his masks. “That’s... not great.”
“Well...”
Doc stiffened. “That’s not the end of it?”
“I dated a few more alphas, here and there. I got part-time jobs and met more people, but no one gave me the relationship I was hoping for. The kind of relationship my dads have. And... In between those alphas, I guess I got lonely. Sometimes Sevrian hit me up during those times, and I just... let him. He wasfamiliar. I knew what to expect, so I didn’t bother making myself prettier or better. I wasn’t trying to keep him.”
Doc sighed heavily, wrapping his arms around Ottis. “You’re perfect as you are. I’m sorry you went through all that.”
“That’s not all,” Ottis said, feeling Doc tense again. “The last time I let him touch me, he hurt me really badly. My leg.”
“Fuck,” Doc hissed.
“This was a few years ago. He hurt me in bed and I was trying to kick him out, but he wouldn’t budge. So I kicked him in the ribs, and he ripped open the entire back of my leg.” Ottis shuddered at the memory. “I went back to my pack. I didn’t really want to, because I knew what they would say. But it was a safe place for me to heal and recover. Until I heard that Sevrian was sniffing around these parts, looking for me again.
“This time, I left the state for a few years and kind of drifted. I hopped from one alpha to another, got pregnant, and had Marcie. Then another alpha hurt me really badly. Apparently they don’t like it when you punch them for pushing your boundaries.” Ottis rolled his eyes. It had sucked, though, hurting all over. “I finally came home so I could catch a break.”
Doc breathed out slowly, his hands trembling. His pulse pounded in Ottis’ ears.
Ottis sensed the alpha’s burning rage. But Doc didn’t move. He just stood there and kept breathing.
Ottis wasn’t afraid, somehow. Maybe it was because he knew Doc wouldn’t hurt him.
Eventually, Doc spoke. “Someday, I’d like you to list out the names of all these alphas, so I can crush them one by one.”
“Don’t,” Ottis said worriedly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Doc straightened his shoulders. “I’ve been around for a while. I know how to defend myself.”
“It still makes me worry.”
Doc looked into his eyes; it felt as though he was staring right into Ottis’ soul. “We’ll table that discussion. There’s a more pressing concern. You’ve just told me your past, but not what you’re worried about right now.”
Damn it. Ottis blew out a weary sigh. “It’s Sevrian. It’s always him. I left my pack this time around because I don’t want him making trouble there. But... But now that I’m here, I’m afraid he’s going to bringyoutrouble. I’m sorry. I should’ve mentioned it when you found me.”
Ottis shut up then, waiting for Doc to cast his judgment and throw him out.
Fingertips bumped into his side. Ottis jerked, looking down in surprise when Doc rubbed his back.
