...then the unthinkable happens. The timid, terrified coyote seems to melt away and he grins at me bearing his teeth viciously, eyes glowing yellow. “Then I better kill him now before he wakes up.” He says and while I’m still frozen in shock he lunges for Master’s neck.

My eyes are closed and I slowly, slowly open one eye to see that the coyote stopped when I jumped over to block my Master’s neck with mine. 

“What are you doing?'” He asks irritably. That’s when I realized that I had used another newfound ability to predict what happened a second before it actually did. 

“Listen I would never let my Master hurt you, he’s different now, he’s trying. I’m not going to hurt you either! As long as you don’t try to hurt me or him!” I exclaim making the coyote’s ears go back in shock and fear. “I think the way you and your species are treated is horrible and I’m sorry. I’ll do what I can to make sure you’re treated better when you’re with me and him, so please don’t get yourself killed by doing something so reckless.” 

The coyote gets up, persona changed to his true character, harded by years of bitterness and rage, “Did you read my mind?” 

“N, no,” I lie awkwardly, “You were just acting weird and staring at him.” I stutter. He stares at me with cold, calculating yellow eyes. 

“You were trying to get one of my species in trouble weren’t you. But I wasn’t him.” 

I grit my teeth, “He deserved it, not you, he talked about eating me.” 

“That’s ridiculous.” The coyote snorts, “We only eat lesser species like bugs, snakes, and humans.” I flinch and being a bad liar can’t hide it, he narrows his eyes, “Oh you have to be kidding me,” He says slowly. I flinch when I see multiple flashes of the future. All of them are violent. All of them end with me getting eaten.

He starts to move forward. I push as much of my Omega pheremones and influence on him, trying to get in his head, make him think it was his own voice. 

"Don’t do something stupid over a meal. Especially when everything is about to get better." I try to convince voice shaking.

I see him recoil a little covering his nose, “Don’t try to use your pheromones on me.” He snarls, grabbing my arm dragging me out of the room. He slams me against the wall. I tremble bravely keeping my chin up and forcing eye contact. “What do you mean better?” He asks leaning closer to me. “Can you take back everything that has been done to me, everything that will still be done?” 

‘You don’t notice that I’m using pheromones,’ I think to him while saying, “Well now you have someone who’s on your side and agrees that the way you are treated is wrong. Unless you try to eat me, of course.” I chuckle nervously. He leans closer nose flaring and then starts relaxing, excruciatingly slowly. 

‘Even if dying seems better now, things getting better, being free again is worth it.’ I think towards him as hard as I can. 

“I said no pheromones,” he growls, tightening his claws on my shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t control it yet.” I whimper. 

He hesitates for a second longer, “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this...if you tell your Master afterwards I’m dead.” He stares at me, face inches from mine. I’m aware of the blood rushing in my ears and I let out a shuddering breath. As I breathe on him, something changes in his face, “I might as well do something worth dying for.” He reaches for my snout and I don’t need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. I let out a small mmph when he kisses me. 

I don’t really have time to decide whether I should allow myself to like it or not before melting as he breathes hot air into my mouth. His tongue touches mine tentatively and then I open my mouth further letting it in, ‘This is fine, I need him to trust me but I also don’t want to do anything I’m not comfortable with. Will Master be mad? Obviously, this all must be kept a secret. Oh crap he’ll be able to smell it…’

I yelp as he bites my tongue drawing blood. He pulls back licking his lips and I look away needing a second to breathe. I cover my face hiding the tears pricking at the corner of my eyes and my blushing snout. 

“I’ve always wanted to taste one of the Omegas.” The coyote says, then when I don’t move to look at him, “Don’t worry I won’t do any more.” 

I shiver softly, “You could have asked.” 

“You think his kind asked me before they-” He slams the wall beside my head, making me jump and look at him, one of the tears falling. “Nevermind, I was just sealing our deal.” He grabs my face, “Don’t get the wrong idea, I see you as food.” 

‘That’s not what you were thinking,’ I think to myself. He seems to see that I don’t believe him. 

“We’re off limits,” I say shakily, “You got your taste, now do you trust me?” 

He shakes his head no, “I agree that things will get better because I now have a way to black mail you but I want you to remember one thing. He grabs me by my neck. It’s just above the collar. I press against the wall in a panic but he barely tightens his fist, “We are Not Equals.” 

I watch the Coyote walk away, touching my neck and collar, “We’ll see about that,” I murmur.

“Syl?” My Master's voice comes from the bedroom.

‘Crap.’ I think. I pop my head in, “Yes?”

“Syl…” My Master murmurs asleep and then snuggles deeper into the blankets. Letting out another quivering breath I go to the downstairs bathroom and draw a bath. I need to get the coyote’s scent off me. I’m still in the tub when I hear a knock at the door.

“W, who is it?” I croak, sick to my stomach, I need to tell Master what happened. But as soon as he found out that I didn’t ask again then..!

“Syl?” An unfamiliar voice asks and frightened I grab the towel just in case they come in.

“W, who is it?” I ask again warily.

“Syl do you not recognize my voice?” The door opens and I gasp awake bursting above the water. Shivering from the cold I grip the sides of the tub, sopping wet, water dripping out of my nose, and emotionally distressed I let out a dry sob and then try to dry myself. I just need my Master right now, I’m sure he’ll understand.

‘But you liked it.’

I shake my head, ‘I just need my Master.’ I wrap the towel around myself and crack open the door, squinting from the light. It’s quiet. I hurry to the stairs and then the bedroom, the door is closed. Which means he closed it. Opening the door I stare into the bedroom for a long moment then feeling my lip curl up in dismay realize I wasn’t seeing things. He really was gone.

‘Why didn’t he check on me? Or did he?' I grab my head and then see a set of clothes laid out. I change into them quickly and then search the rest of the house, sniffing the air, only to stop when I realize that just washing the coyote off of me wouldn’t have been enough. All the smells of yesterday probably assaulted my Master's nose as soon as he woke up. Feeling sick with stress and anxiety I go to the door, hesitating.

“Where did he go?” Sniffing the air I struggle to pick up which scent is his latest one. I crack the door and sniff, it’s much easier now  but there are a lot more scents as well.

‘Ok, wolf side of me, now would be a good time to take over.’ My heart beat gets louder in reply and my senses sharpen. I sniff again and then hurry after my Master’s scent. I get led straight down the road like when I got lost. My heart is racing so hard that it hurts and fear threatens to choke me when another familiar scent overlays with his. The coyote’s.

I start running, farther than I had ever gone that day and even more. The wind is in my fur but the thrill is not there like before, I don’t want anyone to die. I should have been there when my Master woke up, he even called out to me.

‘I don’t know what I was thinking yesterday but I only did what I could as an Omega.’ The nice houses stop at a wall. I walk through the open archway and see a labyrinth of leaning dilapidated houses. I sniff again and then smell hundreds of coyotes. This must be where they live. I panic and stumble into the labyrinth blinded by too many senses onsetting me at one. Eventually I have to curl up on myself and force myself to take a break. Master could literally be tearing him apart right now. I have to hurry.

“What’s this?” A coyote sneers appearing out of the shadows, ‘I guess not all of them are white.’ I think as two more muddy brown appear out of the alley way as well. One more is still in the shadows smoking something. I briefly see a scar when he relights it.

“That’s some pretty fur.” Muddy #3 acknowledges, too close to me. I cower away, senses way too messed up right now to deal with this.

“Maybe we should skin him and sell it.” Muddy #2 chuckles.

“Look he’s about to cry.” Muddy #3 mocks reaching for me. They are all laughing.

“Don’t touch him.” The coyote in the shadows says, and they all freeze.

“But.” Muddy #2 starts to protest.

“He’s an Omega.” The coyote says calmly and all the coyotes snarl backing away into the alley.

Once we are alone the coyote asks, “Whatcha doing here kid?”

“I’m trying to stop my Master from killing someone.” I blurt out desperate and almost crying. The coyote laughs, smoke blows out of the shadows, I wrinkle my nose.

“The heck did you do to get one of us killed?”

“I didn’t do anything-” I stop myself, I am in his territory and their species thought very little of mine, “We kissed,” I say lowering my head. I expected laughter just not so...calm.

“Oh, he’s definitely dead.” A long puff that lit up his scar later, “Or horribly mutated. But your Master wouldn’t have come here, he’d have your lover sent for.”

I struggle to my feet, “I followed his scent here, to this place at least.” I murmur, “Has anyone been sent for recently?” The coyote pauses, I see his shadowy form looking at me.

“Special one aren’t you?” He murmurs. “Did you enjoy it?”

I assume he was talking about the kiss, “Does it matter?”

“So you did, is that why you are trying to save him, don’t tell me that you actually like him?” He flashes an extra sharp tooth at me.

I wrap my arms around myself, “No I just promised…”

“Ah, too bad, your Master will make you watch what they do to coyote’s who touch their Omegas,” he leans his mutilated snout into the light. “It’s not pretty, but I’ve been ready to die for a while so if you want you can give me a kiss too.” He chuckles and leans down until he’s laying on his stomach, calmly smoking to my horrified expression.

His whole face is gone. Just two holes exist where his eyes were. I swallow a scream and make a strangled noise instead, his ear shreds flap, “Go home kid. If your Master is here you won’t want to see what he’ll do.” I steady myself and approach the mutilated snout.

“I’m sorry.” I murmur.

He huffs. “Apologies mean less than nothing to me now.”

“What about a healing shot?” I ask.

“It won’t grow back my eyes and I’d have to get my face ripped off again for it to heal fully, it doesn’t work on scars.” He takes a puff and offers me the alien drug.

“N, no thanks,” I stutter.

“Besides, what good is a pretty face with no eyes to see it.” He rolls onto his back, “If you want to butter me up and get my help then you can get me some more of these.” He twirls the smoke in his hand.

“I don’t know where to get those.”

“Call it a favor due, I’ll help you now and get the payment later.”

“Ok then,” I say, “help me find my Master and the coyote and it’s a deal.” He grins and holds out his hand. His hands look clean enough, I take it carefully and he shakes firmly, hand warm to the touch.

“It’s a deal,” He repeats so deeply it seems to reverberate. ‘Did I just make a deal with an alien version of the devil?’ “No time to ponder life decisions, this way!” The coyote stands up on the dumpster and offers his hand again. When I take it this time he drags me up with him and then we’re scrambling over rooftops. Deeper into the coyote slums. ‘I can’t believe I’m trusting him so completely, I almost fall to my death twice. Each time he catches me with a slightly unhinged chuckle of ‘whoops’ or ‘careful’. Why is the blind guy better at balancing than me?’ I think to myself.

And then he stops, ears twitching, and mouth open slightly. “Be completely silent now, they are right in front of us, we’re just out of ear shot.” He says lowly. I nod and then just squeeze his hand in acknowledgment. We creep forward slowly and look over the edge. My Master has the coyote backed up against a house, blocking him with one arm, talking low. I go to jump forward but the black and grey coyote stops me. He’s staring intently at the scene he couldn’t see. Then he puts a finger to his lips and nods for me to watch. I turn back and see the coyote’s tail is lashing and he isn’t pretending to be scared at all.

Snarling and pointing, demanding something. I flinch when my Master moves but he steps back crouching because the coyote is literally half his height. The conversation continues and the coyote calms down, looking away, swishing his tail slowly. He says something that the coyote next to me starts at, ‘he must have better hearing,’ I think, straining my ears. The whole time my Master talks calmly and not once does he touch the coyote, then he turns to leave. I gawk surprised. My heart is racing. Is he going to suddenly turn back and slice his neck or something?! But no he continues to walk away until I’m worried I might lose him.

The coyote grabs my wrist and stays where he is.

Finally after an agonizing moment of silence he whispers, “You really are a special kid.” He turns to me, “For the favor you owe me, I want my eyes back.”

I start, “what?!” My exclamation makes the white coyote look up.

He bares his teeth, “You!” He curses. Jumping onto the rooftop he aims his anger at the blind coyote, “Why didn’t you help me, everybody ran off like cowards as soon as he showed up! You’re not coyotes, you’re weasels!”

“I did help,” the coyote growls and gestures to me, “He was coming to save you, a damsel in distress.” I flush and look anywhere but the fuming coyote.

“What are you doing here really?” He asks me, sitting heavily. I watch him run a hand through his hair.

“I was worried,” I start, “When I woke up, my Master was gone, I thought he smelled you on me and I feared the worst.”

“That was the plan, how else was I supposed to black mail him? But my “pack”,” he spits, “didn’t have my back.”

I just kind of shrug apologetically.