Wes

As Wes flew, he only spared a moment to wonder why his asthma wasn’t acting up. How, for the first time in his life, he felt like he could breathe.

If he wasn't fleeing for his life, Maybe Wes would have taken a moment to truly appreciate the feeling.

Instead, Wes was busy desperately seeking the glint of the heavy iron gates. If he could just fly over them before dawn, he would be safe. Wes knew the rules, had known them his whole life. If he tried to cross over the gates after dawn, he'd be tranquilized on sight like some rabid animal. 

So Wes split his gaze between the steadily rising sun and the landscape below him. 

As Wes flew over a raging waterfall, he spotted movement between the dense woods. Wes knew he didn’t have the time to get distracted, yet the voice in the back of his mind told him to be wary. To fear whatever creature was in the woods below him. 

Wes scanned the misty forest below him until his eyes caught on a slithering tail. 

What is that?

Wes let his eyes trail along with the never-ending scaled muscle until he met green, cruel eyes. 

An Alpha.

The voice screamed at him to find his own Alpha. To flee from the deadly creature.

Instead, the winged omega met the snake-like Alpha’s gaze head-on, only looking away once the Alpha was far behind him. The Alpha felt distinctively different from the other two Wes had met. The scaled creature felt more dangerous. 

More deadly.

Wes tried to shake the icy feeling of dread, but it only followed him as he continued his brisk flight through the woods.

Just minutes later, Wes spotted yet another movement -

No, it can’t be -

The third omega, the one they had left behind, was desperately waving his arms toward Wes.

The freckled omega, now donning delicate, curving antlers, had such relief in his honey eyes as he met Wes’ gaze.

Wes felt his heart clench as he remembered the terrifying, slithering Alpha encroaching slowly in the doe-like omega's direction. The young man wouldn't stand a chance of escaping the creature. 

Wes slowed his flight to a gentle glide, intent on warning the clueless omega of the approaching danger.

Just as he began his descent, Wes thought about the time it would cost to stop flying. 

He considered Milo's sacrifice, which allowed him this last chance of going home. 

Finally, Wes contemplated how long it would take the flying Alpha to catch up with him.  

Wes didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t afford to stop. 

Meeting the omega's eyes, Wes pushed down the cloying feeling of guilt and forced his face to go blank. Wes resolutely looked away from the omega he was abandoning and pushed himself to fly faster.

Wes refused to admit that he was damning the omega to this fate. 

He couldn't bear the agony of that thought. 

Wes could only promise himself that he would make all these sacrifices count for something. He would make it out before dawn. 

He had to.

Just as the sun had almost reached the far horizon, Wes spotted them. The tall metal gates were mere minutes away. 

Wes didn't dare look away from the cold gray gates as he approached them. The omega could see the beautiful, sprawling land just outside of the horrible gates.

Wes rapidly flew towards the only thing preventing him away from making it out of this mating run, a fleet of sharp rock formations.

As he soared, a sinking feeling in his gut forced Wes, for the first time, to glance behind himself.

In the deep orange sky, a dark-winged shape was rocketing through the pink clouds toward him. 

Wes refused to let it phase him, he just pushed himself harder. Flew between tall, jutting rocks towards the gates.

Sweat poured into his eyes, making them water in pain, but Wes refused to look away from the iron fence. Now less than a minute away. 

Like a sick sort of joke, Wes heard that awful voice wake up from a deep slumber.

No, no, not fucking now. 

The voice urged him to stop. To apologize to the Alpha and beg for forgiveness.

Wes refused to listen, fighting around his instincts, commanding him to stop flying. 

The voice grew louder in retaliation, like one of the many symphonies his parents had brought him to. 

Just as Wes went to sweep around a craggy boulder, the voice howled and Wes felt his muscles suddenly lock.

The omega was weightless for a brief second, gaze still locked on the gate just 30 seconds away, before he fell.

Paralyzed, Wes felt the swooping feeling of falling and air whistling in his ears before all he heard was the awful sound of bones snapping as he collided with the base of the boulder. 

Wes felt the delicate cartilage of his wings snap on impact.

Momentum rolled his broken body forward, tumbling down into the craggy terrain. 

With every impact on the rough ground, Wes discovered brand new agony before, finally, his body came to a rolling stop in front of the endless iron fence.

Dizzy with pain, Wes tried to rise but screamed out in agony as he shifted his broken body.

Desperately, Wes flapped his bloodied wings to move forward, but the crooked appendages only flapped feebly before the pain forced him to stop.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Wes screamed, rolling himself onto hands and knees, dragging himself inch by inch to the tall gates.

Wes crawled through sharp gravel and tall wispy grass until, finally, his hands met the bars of the iron gate.

Choking out a relieved sob, Wes gratefully tipped his bleeding forehead against the cool bars.

He had made it- he was going home.

With a relieved laugh, Wes pushed against the heavy gates.

Only to feel them catch.

Confused, Wes gave them another push, yet they wouldn't budge. 

Raising himself on a sprained leg, Wes used the new position to shove harder at the unyielding gates.

Ramming his delicate shoulder against the thick metal bars. 

Wes just kept pushing with everything he had until a harsh gleam reflecting off the metal forced him to cover his eyes.

No, no, no…

Wes craned his head behind him, noting numbly that the golden sun sat just above the horizon.

It was dawn.

He was too late.

Wes wasn't sure how long he sat before the metal gates, white-knuckling the heavy metal bars, before he heard a heavy body land behind him and the rustle of wings.

The voices were blessedly silent.

As Wes turned toward the noise, he looked up at the tall Alpha. Wes hated to admit that, outside of the mating run, he would have found the larger man attractive. 

Would have described the tall, sleek man as precisely his type.

Wes imagined himself in another universe meeting the man, maybe at one of his parents' outrageous galas. Would have seen the older man from a distance and shyly asked him for a dance. Could have climbed down the trellis for midnight romps while Wes' family slept. Nervously invited him to meet his mother and father. Started a family. 

But now, Wes only saw a man that had caused him such unimaginable pain.

Had uprooted his entire life just by existing.

Looking the Alpha up and down, the omega couldn't hide his wince as he spotted dark bruises scattered along tan arms. The creature's hawk-like wings were oozing blood in places. 

Milo had really done a number on the man, huh?

Wes felt his gut twist at the thought of the other omega. 

Milo, who had surrendered himself to give Wes a chance to escape. 

And for what?

Wes had failed Milo. He had failed himself. Wes had nothing more to lose.

Meeting the Alpha's cool gaze, Wes let out a shaky breath.

“Congratulations,” Wes knew he sounded tired and shrill, "you caught me." Wes gestured to himself. Broken and battered. 

The Alpha remained silent, though his sharp eyes flashed in warning. 

“Why so quiet?” Wes demanded. “Shouldn’t you be thrilled about kidnapping your new omega? Huh?” 

The Alpha continued to silently study Wes, as if he were an insect under a microscope.

The lack of response made Wes snap.

"What? You got nothing to say now that we're here?" Wes spat the words, refusing to be ignored by the large man.

“You don’t talk to your Alpha that way.” The Alpha’s words were cold and businesslike. As if the wild-looking man was stating a simple fact.

Wes sputtered out an incredulous laugh. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

“You're just in pain and acting out. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” The Alphas patronizing words made Wes bristle.

Noticing Wes's reaction to the comment, the Alpha seemed to consider something before meeting the omega's gaze once more.

“Just let me help you,” the Alpha pushed, gentling his voice minutely. "Let me at least help your wings.”

The Alpha braved a step toward the omega.

“I remember when I first got my wings, they’re sensitive, right? You must be in a lot of pain, poor thing.” 

The shift in attitude threw Wes for a loop.

Taking advantage of the omega's confusion, the Alpha bent swiftly. The man tilted his head to meet the frigid gaze of the omega still huddling against the gate. 

The omega noted that the warmth of the Alpha’s voice didn’t match the coldness in his eyes.

Against his better judgment, when the Alpha reached a broad hand toward him, the omega didn’t flinch.

The rough hand moved behind him to his broken wings. 

Wes watched nervously, unsure if this was some sort of trick.

Mechanically, the Alpha felt the cartilage of the wings. Running his calloused fingers through downy soft feathers. Pausing whenever he felt something broken or bent. 

Wes doubted that the Alpha’s brutal-looking wings were as baby soft as his. It made him prickle with annoyance at the unfairness of it all. 

Wes gasped out a sudden sharp moan as the Alpha's probing fingers finally reached that sensitive spot of his inner wing. Unlike when Milo had touched that area, Wes felt himself leaning into the Alpha's touch. 

“That’s your oil gland. It helps with preening your wings.” The Alpha said in a matter-of-fact voice. 

The Alpha stroked the sensitive area again, making Wes shiver.

The inner voice gushed in joy at holding the Alpha's attention. Against all reason, Wes felt an odd warmth bloom in his chest.

In response, a hesitant trilling sound pushed itself from his throat.

What on Earth was that? 

“What the hell was that?” Wes voiced his thoughts.

“That was your trill. It just means you're happy.” Wes couldn’t breathe as the Alpha steadily met his eyes.

“You can be happy with me.” The Alpha was just a hair's breadth away from the omega. 

 “And you'll be even happier when we have children.”

Wes felt as if he had been doused with ice-cold water. The warmth in his chest extinguished.

“That's what all omega’s want, to start a family. Don't worry, we'll have ours soon.” The Alpha said offhandedly, as if commenting on the weather.

The Alpha's statement made Wes snap.

“I am a person, damn it! You don’t get to decide that for me,” Wes said, outraged. 

Puffing up his narrow chest, Wes met the Alpha head-on.

A blatant challenge to the powerful man.

“I am giving you one chance to submit, omega. And then you will apologize for your disrespect.” The Alpha looked frustrated now. His handsome face scrunched in exasperation. 

The voices started spouting their bullshit again, but this time, Wes ignored them. Refused to allow them to control him anymore. 

“I will never submit to you, or any Alpha.” Wes’ voice matched the conviction of the Alpha. 

The Alpha just looked confused at Wes’ tenacity. As if he had expected the pale omega to present his neck in apology before eagerly bending over to get bred full of pups.

“This is your last chance to apologize.” The Alpha’s collected voice was strained. 

Obviously, this was not how the Alpha had expected this meeting to play out. 

Did the Alpha seriously expect Wes to be thankful to the man that had hunted him down like a damn animal? 

“I don't know what kind of sick fantasy you're living in,” whispered Wes, “but I will never apologize to you.” Wes finished the statement, poking a thin finger into the Alpha’s broad chest. 

The Alpha stared at Wes as if he were an anomaly. Like he was confused about how to handle the surly omega. 

Wes swore he saw a flash of guilt in the Alpha’s otherwise cold eyes before two broad hands gripped the omega's bony shoulders. Immobilizing him. 

“What the fuck?” Wes tried to wrench himself free, but the Alpha’s hold was unbreakable. 

Wes felt warm breath hesitate against his pungent neck gland before twin points of pain erupted from the sensitive area.

No! This was not happening.

Wes fell slack into the Alpha’s grip. 

The shock of what had just happened paralyzed him.

Wes had heard accounts of mating marks between Alpha and Omega. Even with the discrimination against Alpha and omega genders, society still discussed the mating mark with the utmost respect.

It was believed to be the most intimate of claims. 

The joining of two souls. 

The marks were supposed to be given between two partners, out of reverence for each other. To show their loyalty and love towards each other.

And Wes had just had his mark forced upon him, in an empty field, by a man whose name he didn’t even know. 

Wes felt numb as he was picked up by powerful arms and flown into the bright sky. 

Wes felt so wrong. Like there were ants crawling under his skin.

 Even the voices felt betrayed by their Alpha. Violated in the worst way.

The Alpha flew to a higher level of the bordered territory, surrounded by towering mountains and thick pines. They eventually descended to a rocky cave, shielded from the elements. Ducking inside, the Alpha unceremoniously dropped the injured omega into a massive pile of dried leaves and soft grass. 

Was this some sort of nest? 

Sputtering, the omega sunk into the softness, still reeling from the traumatic bite. Wes desperately wanted to be held. Wanted comfort and security, even if it was from the same Alpha who had just given him this unimaginable pain. 

When Wes glanced up to the hovering Alpha, the man quickly glanced away from the omega’s betrayed gaze. The Alpha’s once-proud wings were clenched tight to his body as if the creature was making himself smaller.

“I'm gonna make sure the area is secure. When I get back, I expect an apology.” The Alpha’s words lacked their earlier anger. Instead, they just sounded tired. Empty. 

Without a backward glance, the Alpha stalked off outside the cave. 

Wes knew he looked a mess. Blonde hair matted with blood and grime. Clothes torn and bloody. And an open bite wound slowly congealing on his neck.

Looking around, Wes didn’t see any water or supplies. No way to tend to his injuries. 

What the fuck am I going to do?

Wes let his hand gently flutter to the fresh bite, wincing in pain from the harsh sting. The omega knew he should feel broken and beaten. Should just roll over to this bully of an Alpha. That’s what his parents would have told him to do. What society would expect of him.

Yet Wes only felt his spine fill with steel. 

 As Wes watched the Alpha’s tall frame take flight into the bright morning sky, he made a promise to himself.

Mate or not, he would not submit to this Alpha.