Chapter Text
“What do you mean you’re in ‘North’? Isn’t that an alpha dorm? Like for the predator species?”
“Yes!” Felix whispered frantically into his cell as he paced the worn carpet of the tiny dorm room. “What am I supposed to do?”
“That’s crazy! Like, how does a mix-up like that even happen? It could be dangerous!” Jisung, his best friend, exclaimed, always a bit over-dramatic.
“I know! That’s what I’m saying!” Felix ran his fingers through his blond hair just for something to do with his hands. Nerves always made his hands shaky. His fluffy cream and gray tail lashed back and forth behind him in agitation. “It’s because I’m a cat. This kind of shit always happens to me. I’m a ragdoll! A house cat! Just because we’re not common doesn’t mean we don’t exist! They just read ‘cat’ on the paperwork and immediately assume I’m a tiger or panther or lynx!”
“Well, I guess that explains why our request to room together was denied.” Jisung had been so excited that he and his bestie would be attending the same college. They had put in a request to be roommates. They were both devastated when their request was denied, citing that they would be in different buildings.
“Does it, though?! Because they have a copy of my medical forms that clearly state ‘OMEGA’ in big letters at the top! You can’t miss it!” His voice was continuing to rise as he got more keyed up.
“Ok, ok. Look, I’m sure it was an honest mistake. Shit happens. You just need to go talk to the RA and they’ll tell you how to get moved. It won’t be a big deal.”
The line went silent for a little too long.
“Lix? You still there?”
“…yeah…” came a muffled noise.
“Are you crying?! Ohmygod! Where is your dorm, I’m coming over. I’ll help you move your stuff out. It’s gonna be ok.”
“…no…’m not crying…” the cat sniffled, obviously lying. “It’s just…I’m scared, Ji…” He wiped his nose on his sweater sleeve and set his jaw to stop crying. Letting the predators smell his fear was the worst possible thing he could do right now. He had to stay calm. “I’m scared to go out there. I can hear them all in the hall. They’re shouting and whooping and throwing empty boxes around and… I don’t even know what else, but it sounds scary out there. I think I’d get crushed on accident, or worse…”
“Oh, hey!” Jisung’s voice from across the line was distant for a second, as though he’d pulled the phone away from his ear to greet someone. “Lix, my roommate is here. I’m gonna help him move his stuff in. But as soon as I’m done, I’m gonna come find you. Text me the room number and I’ll be there in 30. Did you pack scent blockers? Put some of those on and keep the door locked ‘til I get there.”
The line went dead. Felix took a shaky breath, trying to get his pheromones under control. Calm and peaceful. Calm and peaceful. If he said it enough times in his head, he could manifest it, right? Worth a shot.
As he tried to relax, he opened his largest duffle bag, digging around in it for his scent blocker patches. He hated to wear them. It made him feel all wrong to suppress his pheromones like that. But sometimes it was a necessity – like if he had to be out of the house during pre-heat. Or when you got yourself landed in an all-predator dorm with a bunch of sweaty, rowdy, noisy alphas who might come attack you at any second. No, stay calm. Alphas didn’t just attack for no reason. As long as he kept his cool, they would too. He’d hold out until Jisung could come help him move his belongings out of this hellhole.
Felix couldn’t find the scent blockers anywhere. He knew he’d packed them. At least, he thought he did. Probably. He didn’t have too much time to fret about it before the click of the door-lock turned his blood to ice. No. No, no, no. Not the roommate!
❀❀❀
Chan walked down the crowded hallway looking for his room number. His tail swished behind him, wagging in excitement. This was great. It looked like a frat house straight out of an American film. Guys hung out in the halls, surrounded by their boxes, half unpacked. Some were already drinking to celebrate their first day, some threw footballs back and forth down the long halls. Chan barely dodged one, grinning as it whizzed by his fluffy, gray ear.
Here it was 222 – his room. Easy number to remember. He dug out his key, trying to balance his stuff and unlock the door at the same time. The door opened and he was met with a blast of air conditioning. And a blast of pheromones. Omega pheromones. Distressed omega pheromones. Chan kicked the door shut behind him and dumped his many bags on the floor. Backed into the far corner of the room was a cat-hybrid. Hard to say what kind of cat. But it was easy to see he was not happy.
With his back to the corner he glared at Chan with wide, frightened blue eyes. His pretty tail was puffed up like a scared house cat. He showed his tiny fangs and hissed loudly when Chan moved. Why was he here? He definitely smelled of omega. Vanilla and panic and omega.
It was like the smell permeated into Chan’s very being and his inner alpha told him ‘protect him’ ‘calm him’ ‘claim him’. As though compelled, he bounded across the room in two leaps and pounced on the other boy.
Knocking him to the ground, Chan sat on him, leaning down so their faces were close as he sniffed the omega and got a good look at him. He was beautiful. Like magazine-cover beautiful. His scent was intoxicating, even when soured from fear and anger. Ignoring the yelling and hissing from the pinned boy, he immediately began scenting him – licking the sensitive spot on the side of his neck where he could taste the vanilla.
“Stop! Get off me! HSSSSSS! What are you d-? Ack! Don’t lick me you dumb dog! Let me up!”
Chan sat up straight again, leaving his slobber all over the cat’s neck. “I’m not a dog. I’m a wolf. See?” He wagged his tail harder, so it swayed side to side and showed the gray fur with the black tip.
“I don’t care what you are! Just get off me!” His yowls started to sound more like whines and his enormous eyes sparkled with tears he refused to shed.
Oh. This was not helping the stressed omega. Scenting usually helped. Chan wracked his brains for what else to do before coming to the conclusion that he should maybe just do what the omega asked and stop sitting on him.
As soon as Felix was free, he darted right back into the corner. Chan saw him glance at the bed, as though wondering if he could fit under the low frame but decided not to try.
The wolf sat cross legged a few feet away, oblivious to the fact that sitting between the cat and the door was only stressing him out more. The blue eyes darted up to the window.
“Don’t even think about it. We’re on the second floor. You’ll get hurt. Besides, why are you so afraid? It’s just me. I won’t hurt you.”
“Just you?!” he screeched. “I don’t know the first thing about you! Except that I’m locked in a room with you and you’re a predator and you’ve already attacked me once!”
“Attacked?” Chan looked genuinely confused. “I was trying to scent you to help you calm down and see that I’m friendly.” He thought for a minute and came to the wrong conclusion. “Ohhhh. I know. You’re my roommates boyfriend. You came here to try and see him, and then I scented you and now you’re afraid he’ll be mad you smell like me. I’m sorry… I didn’t think that you might be-“ He almost said ‘belong to another alpha’ but changed his wording so as not to offend. “-might already have an alpha. I’ll tell him it was my fault. I really am sorry.”
Felix smelled his sincerity as his woodsy pine scent mellowed from excited to dull and muted. He relaxed ever so slightly at the display of remorse. His tail gradually unpuffed, though it was still super fluffy even when not standing on end. He unpinned his ears but didn’t move from his defensive crouch. “Right! Exactly! I have an alpha! Uhhh…he…uh…he’ll be here soon to protect me! So you’d better stay away and not touch me again!” he bluffed.
He was a terrible liar. Chan chuffed in amusement. He was so cute. He’d let him pretend if it made him feel safer. “Ok. I’ll stay back. I’ll just put my stuff away over here. Will you at least tell me your name?”
“Felix.”
“Even his name is pretty,” he mumbled to himself.
The younger boy’s face flushed a little. “I heard that.”
“Good. I want you to know you’re pretty. You deserve to be told so.”
What a strange thing to say, Felix thought. He watched the wolf warily for the first few minutes as he moved about the other side of the room, unpacking and putting things in their places. Eventually, Felix moved to sit on the bed, as it was getting uncomfortable on the floor and the alpha hadn’t shown signs of making any more sudden attacks.
Jisung was taking forever and a half. Didn’t he say he’d come over in 30 minutes? It had been at least an hour. Over that hour, he began to slowly relax. He liked the way the wolf smelled. It was like a pine forest after a summer rain – sharp and fresh and a tiny bit musky.
Chan noticed the calming pheromones he was pumping out seemed to be working. Felix moved to the bed, then moved to lie on his stomach, and eventually started scrolling his phone instead of glaring at him. The way the tip of his tail twitched back and forth made Chan want to go bite it. He wanted to bite it sooo bad. But that was bad manners. Touching a hybrid’s tail was an intimate gesture, as the base of the tail was one of their most sensitive erogenous zones.
“So, are you planning to- ah… I mean is ‘your boyfriend’ planning to unpack his stuff soon? I’m not sure which desk ‘he’ would want.”
Felix cast about for another excuse but huffed in frustration and decided just to tell the truth. This guy didn’t seem too awful dangerous – he couldn’t be dangerous if he smelled so good. “Ugh. Fine! It’s me. I’m your roommate. But no, I will not be unpacking. Ever. Do you not see the problem here?” He gestured to himself, “omega”. He gestured all around, “alphas”.
“I mean, yeah I do think it’s a bit strange. But it’s also strange for a cat to be an omega. No offense. What kind are you?”
“It’s because I’m not a big cat like most of the others are. I’m an actual cat. Like a house cat. A ragdoll to be specific.” Felix stroked his pretty tail as though it was a point of pride for him. “House cats are omnivores,” he explained wearily as though he’d had to explain his second gender many times before. “We’re neither carnivores not herbivores. Neither all-predator nor all-prey. So we can be either sex. Both of my dads are ragdoll cats – one alpha and one omega.”
Chan thought on that for a minute. “Hmm. Ok, so it kind of makes sense then. They just didn’t look hard at your application. Just saw cat and tossed you in with the alphas.” He moved to sit on his bed, so they were on opposite sides of the room, but facing each other. “It’s alright, Felix. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable here. I’ll keep you safe. I promise not one single alpha will lay a finger on you in this dorm.” He crossed his heart with a claw-tipped finger.
Part of Felix wanted to believe him. It was probably just his omega that longed to be cared for and protected and pampered. He knew he should ignore it. Before he could really answer, the door burst open again.
A brown-haired boy with tufted ears and a tail that was bigger than he was tumbled in, nearly tripping. A large alpha followed him. Chan recognized the second as the hyena-RA who had given him his room key.
“Lixie! You’re alive!” the squirrel chirped, sitting next to him on his bed and hugging him tight as though he might have been in actual danger. “Sorry it took so long, I got the RA but he had to find the RD and ask him about you, but the problem is-“
The hyena interrupted Jisung. “As your little friend said,” he smiled condescendingly at the chatty squirrel-hybrid, “I spoke with the Resident Director about your…unique…situation.”
Felix didn’t like this guy one bit. His smile wasn’t right and his pheromones stunk. Felix’s omega was immediately bullied into submission by the commanding scent. Felix pinned his ears, but couldn’t talk. Words wouldn’t come out.
“Rather unique, as I said – a little kitten in a dorm for big predators. But I’m to convey the RD’s deepest apologies. You’ll have to stay. At least for now. All the rooms are filled.” He grinned maliciously at the two omegas on the bed who were now clinging to each other looking frightened. “But don’t worry. Lots of freshmen drop out in the first few weeks when they realize they can’t hack it. Mostly omegas,” he added with a derisive snort. “So I’m suuuure a spot in an omega dorm, where you belong, will open up soon.”
Chan had a lot of great qualities about him. Intelligence wasn’t exactly one of them. But reading body language and pheromones was. And he did not like this guy’s vibe one bit. “Alright, that’s enough out of you.” Chan stood, eye to eye with the hyena, challenging him. “You’ve said what you needed to say, so get out.”
“Don’t you think we should discuss safety procedures?” the RA asked with mock-concern.
“He won’t be needing any. I’ll be with him.”
The other alpha rolled his eyes. “Look, buddy. He doesn’t even want you. Can’t you tell? He’s scared of you, the big bad wolf. See how he’s shaking over there with his other little prey friend? Besides, you can’t be with him all the time.”
Chan gritted his teeth, growling low in his chest as he got up in his face. “Don’t call them prey.” He emphasized every word, eyes dangerous and fists clenched.
“Ugh, don’t tell me you’re one of ‘those’ alphas. Nobody minds calling us predators and we don’t mind being called it. So why are the prey suddenly butthurt about their title? It’s just the truth. They’re being dramatic. Acting like they’re ‘more than just their omega status’ and whatever. Bullshit. Stop acting like you care. They’re all just made to be fuc-“
The wolf’s punch landed hard. The hyena stumbled backwards, hand on his throbbing jaw. He started to raise his fist, but Chan tutted at him. “I don’t think you want to do that, Mr. Resident Assistant. Don’t you get to stay here for free since you’re an RA? I’d hate for you to have to pay like the rest of us. And I don’t think they appreciate their RA’s getting in fights.”
He snarled, knowing he was right. “Fine, smartass. But being RA gives me power too. I’ll report you to the RD. You’ll get kicked out and I’ll move in with your fluffy little fucktoy when your bed’s empty.”
The noise that ripped from Chan’s chest was enough to send the hyena scurrying for the door. He stopped with his hand on the door handle. “Alright, we’ll play by your rules then, big-bad-wolf. I won’t put any safety precautions in place. And he’d better not come crying to me when the other alphas get a hold of him.” Turning to Felix, he threatened, “better keep this door locked, kitten.” The door slammed behind him, rattling in its frame.
❀❀❀
Chan seethed for hours, pacing the room, all thoughts of unpacking forgotten. How dare someone talk to his omega like that. Wait…not his omega. Just an omega. Still. It didn’t matter if he belonged to him yet or not. Nobody should talk about omegas like that.
He’d done his best to keep his temper in check while Felix and his friend had been in the room. Of course, it was hard to miss the part where he hit the guy, but that couldn’t be helped. Felix had run off with his squirrel friend soon after. It was taking everything in his power not to run after him, track him by his scent, make sure he was ok. He was fine. He probably went to the omega dorm with his friend. His friend would keep him safe. There were safeguards in the omega dorms. Alphas had to check in and out at the front desk. It was fine. Felix was fine. But he meant what he’d said. He would protect Felix, if the omega stayed. And Chan really really hoped he would.
❀❀❀
Jisung was so freaking excited. College! Freshman year! His first time really away from home. He wasn’t nervous at all. Not him. No way. Ok fine, he was terrified. But also excited. He’d been counting on having his best friend as a roommate. They already did everything together, might as well live together too. But that dream had been shattered. They were stuck in different dorms. It would be fine though. Surely his roommate would be a totally normal-
His train of thought was broken as the door opened. Han turned around, bowing his head in greeting. When he looked up, he swore he had entered a cheesy k-drama for a moment. The sun shone in a halo around the gorgeous man who entered. A slight breeze ruffled his blue hair as birds chirped and angels sang. Orrrrr maybe it was just the overly-bright fluorescent lighting spilling in from the hall and someone’s phone alarm chirping. Either way, it didn’t matter. It was Hallmark movie-worthy to Han.
The stack of boxes he was carrying looked like it was going to tip over at any second, so Jisung stepped in to help. “Hey,” he tried to sound casual as he took some of his roommates boxes and put them on his unmade, plastic covered bed. The rusty bedframe creaked in protest at the weight. Han’s mind immediately went to how loud the beds here would be if you tried to fuck on them. He turned a little pink when he remembered he cut off mid-sentence to fantasize about a guy he’d met five seconds ago. “I mean, hey! I’m Han Jisung, your roommate, I presume.”
Seeming to ignore or not notice the awkward pause, he smiled and replied, “great to meet you! I’m Lee Minho.” His smile was the cutest thing Jisung had ever seen. His front teeth protruded ever so slightly, complimenting the tall, white rabbit ears that stuck out from his fluffy blue hair.
“Oooh, you’re a bunny!” He clapped his hands once in excitement. “Is that the right thing to say? Bunny? Bunny rabbit? Just rabbit? Hare?”
Minho chuckled and his nose twitched a little when he smiled again. “Doesn’t matter to me. Call me whatever you like. But I will caution you that most of my breed prefer just rabbit.”
“Ok, good to know. Thanks! So, erm…is your hair naturally white, then? To match the ears? That’s why the dye took so well, isn’t it.”
Minho got the idea that this cute, chubby-cheeked squirrel was a big talker. He was more of a listener himself, so maybe they’d make good roommates. Only time would tell. “Yeah, it’s white. But that’s boring, so I usually dye it,” he said a little distractedly. In truth, he was only barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch the boy’s tail. He’d never met a squirrel hybrid. His bushy brown tail looked impossibly soft, and it was bigger than his whole torso. The super-fine fur seemed fluffier than it should be, gravity wise. He started to reach out a hand, then snatched it back and pretended he’d been going to scratch his head.
Jisung reached his own hand out to remove Minho’s from his head. “Don’t be shy. You can touch it if you want. I mean just the fur obviously. I don’t mean anything weird by it. Oh, jeez, I’ll shut up now.” He’d moved the older boy’s hand to his tail.
Minho was right, from up close the hairs still seemed to defy gravity, lighter than feathers. It was like petting air, or a barely-there cloud. He liked it. He could pet it all day. But he wouldn’t, obviously. Plus, it was already a little weird to be touching another dude’s tail. One he’d just met, at that. He mustered his self-control and pulled his hand away. Quickly looking for a topic to change the subject before it got weird, he tried, “Question. Why are there girls and boys living in this dorm? I kind of assumed we’d be separated by gender.”
“Well, we’re separated by secondary gender. That’s what’s more important. It keeps the omegas safer to have us all together. Besides, nobody cares about that old fashioned boy/girl stuff anymore.”
“Uhh, right.” One of his tall ears drooped slightly at the tip.
Jisung had no idea what that meant. He was no expert in rabbit body language. Shrugging it off, he offered to help the older boy get unpacked. “My parents dropped me off early this morning, so I’ve got my own stuff all sorted. I hope you don’t mind I chose the bunk on the right.” He chewed his bottom lip nervously. Honestly, he hadn’t really thought about what his roommate might want. He’d chosen the better one for himself and now he was feeling a little guilty about the selfish choice.
“It’s fine. I would have chosen this one anyway. It’s closer to the window, and I like to see outside.”
Han wasn’t entirely sure if he was telling the truth or lying to make him feel better. “Well…ok then…but I’m happy to move if you ch-“
“Jisung, it really is fine.” He flashed his million-watt smile again. “No need to fret like that.” It was endearing that he cared so much, but the way his tufted ears drooped made Minho want to cheer him up. He wasn’t quite sure why. Empathy wasn’t usually his strong suit. “I’d love your help unpacking. And then we can grab a pizza? Wha’d’ya say? I heard the pizza place on campus is actually pretty good.”
“Yes!” Han perked right back up at the mention of pizza. He was pretty hungry now that he stopped to think about it.
It didn’t take long to get the bunny settled in, as he hadn’t really brought much stuff at all. “I took the bus here, so I had to travel light,” was his excuse.
“What do you like on your pizza?” Jisung asked as he flopped down on his stomach on the uncomfortable twin-size bed. His feet kicked up and swung in the air as he looked through the menu on the online ordering screen. It was freaking adorable.
“Ummm…just get whatever you like. I’m not too picky.”
“But tell me what you like! It’s also like a get-to-know-you type question, right?”
Minho grimaced. “Alright then. Go ahead and call me a weirdo, everyone does. I like pineapple on my pizza.”
Jisung gasped dramatically and rolled over to sit up, squishing his tail underneath him in the process. “What? Me too!”
The rabbit wanted to tell him not to ruin his perfect fur like that, but it fluffed back up to perfection immediately.
“That’s crazy! It’s like fate brought us together to be the perfect pineapple pair of roommates. Ok, that sounded less dumb in my head.” Han laughed at himself.
“Right. Whatever you say. Don’t get too wild with the pineapple, now. I saw a guy once had a burger with pineapple in it. Didn’t seem too pleased. Can’t say I blame him. Pineapple on pizza is good, but a burger is too far.”
“Agreed.” Han replied with a soft laugh.
❀❀❀
Late in the evening, most of the students had already arrived and the halls were quiet and empty. A boy wearing a bucket hat peeked around the corner of the stairwell into the second-floor hallway. No one hanging around. Good. He pulled his two enormous suitcases up to his door and knocked quietly before going in. The boy on one of the beds sat up as he entered, his floppy ears perking up in interest at the newcomer.
“Hey, there. Need any help with your bags?” Obviously a dog hybrid, his silky golden-brown tail thumped softly against the bedsheets, just barely wagging.
“Uh, no. Thanks, though. I managed to cram everything into just these two.”
“That’s impressive,” the puppy said with a slight eyebrow raise. “I’m Kim Seungmin, by the way.”
The other boy nodded his head in greeting but didn’t offer his own name. Exhausted from dragging them up the stairs, he sat down on the rickety bed to rest a minute before unpacking.
“You got in pretty late, hm? Are you from far away?” Seungmin wasn’t usually a chatty person, but he couldn’t help but be curious of this mysterious stranger who’d be living with him. Late, quiet entrance, ears and tail covered, not forthcoming with his name - he couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“Yeah, kind of. I guess,” the stranger said.
“You’re all dark and mysterious aren’t you? Can I at least get your name?”
“Oh, right! Sorry! I’m so tired, I didn’t realize I’m being rude. It’s Hyunjin.” He didn’t offer a surname, and Seungmin didn’t press him on it.
“Well, Hyunjin, let me know if you change your mind and want help unpacking. I’m just reading over the syllabus for my statistics class, so anything’s more fun than that.”
“Thanks.” Hyunjin got to work unpacking while the puppy alternated between reading his laptop and glancing at his roommate.
Elegant was the best way to describe him, sharp, delicate features and a slender frame. Seungmin was dying to know what kind of animal he was. Was it rude to ask? Surely it was. He kept his mouth shut. But why was he trying to hide it anyway? Seemed suspicious. To his surprise, Hyunjin was the one to bring up the general topic.
“A dog, then? What kind, if you don’t mind me asking? You are an omega, right?” His eyes scanned the room as though there would be a sign somewhere indicating that he was in the correct dorm.
“Dog is a strong word,” he joked, “everyone just says I’m a puppy. I’m a golden retriever, so I could hardly be mistaken for an alpha if I tried.”
Hyunjin let out a shaky laugh, like he actually had been worried about it. “Yeah, sorry, right.”
“Since you asked me first, what kind of hybrid are you?” Seungmin already had a feeling he was going to dodge the question. He was correct.
“Uhhh…bit of a mix, really. This and that, you know how it is,” the boy in the hat gestured vaguely with one hand while grabbing a hanger with the other.
The puppy couldn’t help a small snort of laughter. He was bewildered. “Well, duh. Everybody’s a mix. I’m sure your sixth-grade science class wasn’t all that different from mine. Alphas and omegas, large predator animals and small cutesy animals, all that jazz. Like my mom is a dog, my dad is a lion. I came out a puppy, my sister came out a lion. Even though we’re almost always mixed species, one presents at the forefront. Basic anatomy.”
Back turned under the guise of digging in his suitcase, Hyunjin grumbled about not needing a science lesson.
“Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be then, dark and mysterious Hyunjin.” Seungmin tried to catch a whiff of his pheromones to see if they held any clues, but he was getting nothing. Nada. No scent at all, even with his strong canine nose.
Seungmin was a terribly light sleeper, so when Hyunjin left the room super early in the morning to head to the communal showers, Seungmin woke up. He hopped out of bed to take his chance. It was an invasion of privacy, obviously, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. And Seungmin was nothing if not stubborn. He snuck to Hyunjin’s bed, still warm and buried his face in the pillow. Nothing. The duvet? Nothing. What the actual fuck? He had to be using scent blockers of some sort. Why was he showering at 5am anyway? Seungmin was a light sleeper and hoped his roommate didn’t make a habit of waking up this early.
An ear-splitting scream rang through the hallways, as loud as if it had been in his own room. A boy with deer antlers ran from the bathrooms, hair dripping, towel barely clutched around his waist. “HELP!” he shouted again. “ALPHA! IT’S AN ALPHA!”
❀❀❀
Changbin lazily patrolled around the outdoor walkway. Every now and then, he shone his flashlight around, but mostly he daydreamed about coffee and tried to stay awake. It was 5am already. One hour left on his shift, he was so close. Changbin was a bear hybrid, an alpha. He had dropped out of school full time last year after some family and financial hardships. But he wasn’t about to lay down and give up. He got a job as a full-time security officer here on campus and took a few classes as a part-time student. Was it going to take forever to finish college this way? Yes. But he was determined to make it happen.
It was an exhausting job. 11pm-6am, every weekday he patrolled the East dormitory to keep the omegas dwelling there safe. The school had been extremely meticulous in choosing candidates for these security jobs. After all, they were letting an alpha in, as a way to keep other alphas out. Weird concept, but it worked. He was required to wear scent blockers on the job so as not to disturb or frighten the residents. And the worst part about the job was that he had to wear a muzzle while on duty.
He totally understood why it was necessary. The guards wore scent blockers, but the omegas didn’t. If a student went into heat unexpectedly and was bitten by the alpha supposedly protecting them- well, it wouldn’t be good. So he wore the tight, itchy uncomfortable contraption without complaint. Even though the leather straps dug into his skin and the cage made it impossible to drink coffee to help himself stay awake.
The pay was amazing, though. Enough to pay for his two classes, his dorm room and even send a little extra home to his family each month. So he pushed through the exhaustion.
This night was like any other. Quiet, peaceful, not a thing out of place. It was the first day for the general population to move in, but some of the athletes and summer students had been living in the dorm prior, so this wasn’t Changbin’s first night on the job by far.
Crickets chirped, a fountain burbled, the occasional car rumbled by, a hair-raising scream rang from inside the building. Wait, what?! Changbin raced to the closest entrance, fumbling as he scanned his badge to get in. What was going on? And why did he have to be outside when it happened? Just his luck.
Charging through the hallways and taking steps two at a time, he was at the scene within seconds. Students were gathered in their doorways, most hiding with the door only slightly cracked so they could hear. Some bolder ones stood out in the middle of the halls trying to get a look at the commotion.
“Out of the way! Out of the way!” Changbin found the boy who’d screamed, collapsed in the arms of a friend, eyes wide and scent sour with fear. “Tell me what happened? Is there an intruder?”
The deer nodded and stammered, “I-I-In the sh-showers…a…a…it’s an alpha! It m-must have come to…to attack me!” The frightened boy burst into tears.
Changbin couldn’t smell an alpha nearby, but if they were trying to sneak in and attack someone, maybe they’d used pheromone blockers. It just didn’t quite make sense that someone would be crazy enough to try and break in the first night, and that Changbin wouldn’t have noticed. Odds seemed low, so it was probably all a misunderstanding. “Did the alpha run out after you? Did anyone else see this person?”
Various heads shook no.
“He’s still i-in there!” the boy in the towel cried.
“Alright, well everybody back to your rooms. You’ll be safer in there if there actually is a predator in the building. Go on.” Changbin’s stern words sent most of the omegas scurrying back into their rooms. But one remained, standing stock still a few feet away. His floppy ears perked up in alert.
“Uh…sir? I think it might be my roommate in there… And…umm…I don’t think he’s dangerous. So please, don’t hurt him.” The puppy twisted his tail in his hands in concern.
The guard nodded curtly. “Alright. Go back to your room.” When the dog didn’t move, he gave a slight glare. Just a teeny tiny bit of a glare. Not enough to frighten or cause any sort of psychological harm. Changbin was known to have an unnaturally intense glare that could put even some alphas into submission.
The omega gasped, taking off for his room and slamming the door.
With a heavy sigh, the bear opened the door to the communal bathroom. He had no idea what he’d find but he didn’t really expect a threat. The only sound was the dripping of faucets and creaking of pipes in the ancient building. “Hello,” he called out.
Silence.
“If anyone’s in here, you’d better come on out.” He pushed open each toilet stall, finding them empty. Moving to the shower area, he heard a small hiccup echo in the tiled space. Jackpot. Changbin threw open the curtain of the divided shower.
A sopping wet, naked boy sat on the floor of the shower, knees tucked up to his chest and face in his arms, making himself as small as possible. His saturated tail lay limply in a puddle. White tail, black tip, black and gray rosettes. A quick glance at the small, rounded ears confirmed his theory. Snow leopard. Definitely an alpha.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the bear mumbled under his breath, “that guy wasn’t lying.”
Another hiccupping sob came from the pitiful man trembling on the ground.
“Hey,” Changbin kept his tone sharp but not unkind. “Explain yourself.”
The alleged-alpha stayed quiet and did nothing to defend himself.
“Ok, c’mon. I’m trying to make this easy for you. Most guards would have thrown you out on your ass by now.” Grabbing a small hand towel from the nearby sink, he tossed it at the man to cover up with. “Sorry, that’s all I got. Now get up.”
The leopard spoke quietly from his spot on the shower floor. “I knew this was a mistake… I’m a mistake… I never should have come here… Just let me pack my stuff and I’ll leave.” He began peeling clear, nearly-invisible scent patches off of himself. Neck, wrists, thighs.
“What do you mean pack? Do you live here? In East?” Changbin took a step closer and crouched down a bit to see if he could smell the pheromones that should now be detectable. Omega. His face must have shown his shock. The smell was just barely there, only the faintest hint of tangerine. He must be taking one hell of a suppressant.
“Go ahead. Make fun of me. The big scary leopard who’s an…o-mega.” The boy’s voice broke at the end.
Changbin sat on the shower floor, knee to knee with him, grimacing slightly at his now-damp pants. “No one is here to shame you. I just need to figure out what’s happening so I can keep everyone safe. You don’t seem like a threat, so why don’t you dry off and we’ll talk somewhere warmer.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the snow leopard spat, misery suddenly morphing into hot anger. “You’ve all made it very clear I’m not welcome here.” He stood, covering himself with the tiny towel as best he could and ran back to his room.
The guard sat on the wet floor for almost a full minute processing before he got up. What on earth had just happened? It did seem like the boy was an omega, so he was no threat. He could let him go back to his room. How strange, though. For a snow-leopard hybrid to be an omega. It was pretty much unheard of. No wonder the poor guy was defensive and upset. Changbin trudged back downstairs to his little security office to get dry pants and make his report. Looked like he wouldn’t be getting off work on time after all.