The Scent of Love

Chapter 5

If Sean’s going to keep running into Beth at this bar, he’s really going to need to find another bar. Because this isn’t really working out for him. Not with her smelling like that. His semi-annual rut is coming up, which means a whole slew of uncomfortable encounters and emotions, followed by an entire twenty-four hours of wishing he had an Omega to f**k and almost invariably not having one. It would be much shorter if he had an Omega— sometimes as short as an hour, or so he’s heard— but the few times he tried, things got sticky and complicated, as often happened with Omegas in general. Not at all in line with his plan. 

Ah. Yes. His plan. Which pretty much dissolved before his eyes as soon as he started f*****g Beth on the regular. He tried to avoid  her, but since God apparently wanted to laugh at him, he got called into Hoop on the day  she was there, training, and then got scheduled there the same day she got called in to cover the normal costumer . 

Beth— she looks downright edible, tonite. Short grey skirt that bares her long, creamy legs, white blouse opened to bare most of her chest, with a loosened Slytherin tie, red hair down and curled at the ends. Those sky high, gunmetal grey death traps she sometimes wears, which do very little to increase her height. He’d love to pull her into a corner, cover them both up with his long trench coat, and mark his territory, over and over again. Except she’s not his territory— she’s an Omega he’s hooked up with a few times. His best bet is to look his fill, and keep his hands to himself, all things considered. She probably has enough to deal with, now that her suppressants have dropped.

Not to mention the slightly gross alpha trying to butter her up. 

Sean feels the surge of anger and responds to it by drinking half his beer in one take. The creep isn’t even attractive— there’s something wrong with his teeth, and his eyes keep roaming where they shouldn’t. He’s a wiry beanpole with a Black Panther SnapBack, a tee shirt, sweatpants that are uncomfortably loose on him. Sean feels the muscles in his back tense up one by one, like a giant cat preparing to strike—

“Yo.”

Sean’s eyes slide to the man beside him, a dark-skinned, handsome beta, in clothing that can barely be described as decent. Then his gaze slides immediately back to Beth, and her creep. “Hey, Ren.”

“Yo.” Ren’s tone is more insistent. “The new guy’s gettin’ cozy with your girl. What’s up?”

Sean takes another pull from his beer, hoping to cool down a little, maybe ward off  his rut a little longer. “None of my business.”

“None of your—“ Ren scowls at him, jerking his thumb pointedly at Beth. “That’s your chick! What d’you mean, none of your business?” Sean shrugs. “Hey, you need me to f**k up that—“ Ren drops the n word, and Sean’s eyebrow arches up. 

“I think I’ll survive if you don’t, but thanks.” It sounds chivalrous of him, but he doesn’t say it to protect the other alpha. He says it because he wants to be the one rip into the creep himself. 

Ren snorts. “Suit yourself.” Within seconds, the beta gets swept away by an even larger man, probably off to make himself some money for the night.

Sean tries valiantly to keep his eyes on any of the TVs in the bar, all sporting various games played by the patrons. He even tries turning his head, but there are too many people between him and any of the old fashioned, arcade-style consoles nearby, and his eyes inevitably move back to Beth, a few seats down the bar from him.

Mark your territory. 

Calm. He has to stay calm. He cannot go into rut here. 

The tiny, buxom bartender sidles up to him, all blonde hair and sharp smile. “Hey, big guy. You look tense.” 

“Hitting on me, Jenn?” He asks, flashing his teeth. “You know I’m not into alphas.” 

“Hmm. No.” She flicks her eyes to Beth and the creep. “But you don’t smell too pleased. I figured you could use a distraction.” 

Sean takes another long pull from his drink. He’s damn near done with it already, but in place of the usual buzz, he can only feel his anger mounting. “Tell me about the guy sizing up my Omega.” There’s a hint of Alpha push to his words, and Jenn’s grin shifts into something feline. 

“He’s only been here a few times,” she tells him, unaffected by the command. “Pretty gross for an alpha. Hangs around Beth anytime she comes here. She reported him at work awhile back, and got him fired.” 

A ringing starts up in Sean’s ears. “Any way to scare him off?” 

“Not sure.” Jenn leans in, putting her lips near his ear, as though to whisper a secret. “Her scent is stronger today. I think she changed suppressants recently. It probably drew him in.”

Things might get weird, Beth said, last time they texted. Suppressants are changing.

Sean nearly sees red, and puts his hand on Jenn’s waist to center his mind. Anyone watching them would think she was propositioning him. “She mentioned the suppressants to me.” And the thought of her going into heat had made him so hard so fast, he’d gotten a nose bleed, like a teenager. “Do you think he’s a significant threat?”

“He’ll probably slip something into her drink the second she looks away,” Jenn says evenly. “I can switch their drinks when he’s not looking.” 

It’s tempting. Extremely tempting. “I’ll go talk to her.” 

Jenn hums, and strokes his arm in a way that looks flirtatious to the outside eye, but mainly serves to ground him a little. “Try not to shed blood, stud.” Before she leaves, she slips something beside his glass— a key. “In case things get too… heated, with your Omega.” 

Sean nods and pockets the key. Jenn and Tara, the owners— both alpha women— had the forethought to hide a room away in the back for alphas going into rut. Mostly they used it to keep it together and work during their own ruts, but they’d been known to shepherd drunk, grabby alphas into it until the bouncers or the cops came, or hide an Omega patron going into heat, until they could get her to safety. 

He lifts his glass and tips it in silent toast to Jenn, then downs what little is left, before sauntering over to Beth and the alpha oozing his god awful scent all over her. Except, when he reaches them, he can only smell her. Worse than ever. It has the same effect it always does— he’s almost embarrassingly hard, glad for the black trench-coat he can use to hide his lower half. 

He’s on a dangerous edge. If only he had more beer in front of him to diffuse her scent. She has her back to him, angled slightly away from the guy trying to talk to her. What little he can see of her face has a cross between disgust and exhaustion on it. 

“Hey, Beth.” 

The other alpha turns to him and narrows his eyes. It’s a clear, instant challenge. Sean ignores him. 

Beth, however, turns— and it’s then that he notices the panic on her face, the slight tremor to her hands. Her smile is just shy of wild, when she realizes who he is. “Sean!” She’s in his arms instantly, nuzzling her face into his chest lightly, and inhaling. He swallows, a wave of her scent hitting him as he hugs her back. “It’s good to see you. How are you?” 

What a difficult question, Sean thinks, both soothed by her scent and amped further up by it. Wild, all of this. “I’m good.” His eyes flick to the alpha glaring at him behind her head. “I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been looking for a Mario Kart partner.” 

She laughs, taking his hand, but the sound is empty and a little hysterical. “What, so you can hand me my ass again?” She leaves her drink behind and starts to lead him away, through the crowd, past the many loud arcane games. Sean’s thoughts barreled toward inappropriate, imagining dragging her out of here, taking her home with him. “I’ll have you know, I’ve been practicing, and I can confidently say I’m just as terrible as you remember. Probably worse.” 

He chuckles, letting her guide him, before dropping his voice to a murmur. “You good?” 

Her smile vanishes. “Thanks for rescuing me from Chris. I don’t know why he won’t leave me alone.” 

“You smell different.” You smell delicious, he means. Exquisite. Fuckable. 

“Yeah, thanks to my f*****g suppressants. You smell—“ her step falters. She turns and frowns at him, looking him over. “Are you okay? Your scent is…” 

Dangerously close to rut is what it is. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Are you—”

“Beth!”

Sean feels his haunches go up instantly at the other voice. He turns with a scowl to the other Alpha. Beth turns to glare at him, too, her hand tightening around Sean’s. “What, Chris?” 

Chris stops to glower up at Sean, then tries to soften his expression toward her, with little success. “We should really—”

“No, Chris,” she says, exasperated. “Please leave me alone. I’ve already told you over and over. Go away.” 

Chris’s face mutates. He opens his mouth, obviously to protest, but before he can, Sean pushes himself between the two of them. He can feel his chest expand, his shoulders tense. Behind him, he feels Beth grab the back of his shirt. 

Protect your Omega. Mark her. 

“I believe she’s told you to leave her alone,” he says lowly. There’s more of that Alpha push to his voice, and he feels Beth’s hand tighten on his shirt. 

Chris squares up. “Listen, buddy—“

“Alright, boys, break it up.”

Sean’s eyes go down to Jenn, who wedges herself between him and Chris, and puts a hand on Sean’s chest. He allows her to still him, but his eyes are still locked with Chris’s

Behind Chris, the bouncer, Nick, appears as though from thin air, and puts a hand on the smaller Alpha’s shoulder.  The man is ripped, yet another Alpha, and heavily tattooed and bearded. The kind of body-builder type that could snap the wiry, malnourished prick Chris in half. Something Sean would love to watch, if he couldn’t do it himself.

“I’ll see you out,” Nick rumbles, his voice deep and rich.

Chris’s eyes never leave Sean’s until he gets yanked around a corner toward the exit. Sean can feel himself vibrating at a low level, hyper aware of his Omega and how many people are around them and the quickest route to the back room. 

Mark her. Soothe her. Ease her fear.

It’s too much. The alpha voice in Sean’s head takes over, swamping his brain. His hand lands on the nape of Beth’s neck, right above her mating gland. She tenses visibly— for a moment, he’s afraid he’s hurt her, but his rational brain is buried under the heat of his rut and her sweet, potent scent. He looks down at her, hoping for a reassuring expression, but all he feels is hunger, raw and consuming. She meets his eyes, lips parted as though to speak—

The expression falls away from her face as their eyes meet. Her pupils dilate so fast her eyes almost go black. Sean watches her breath hitch, and then her shoulders relax. Her scent spikes instantly, going straight to his groin. “Sean.” 

With his hand still on her nape, he guides her toward the bar, around it. Back the way they came from, almost across the bar, he hears a glass shatter, and senses rather than sees the crowd turn, as one, toward the sound. It gives them a sliver of a moment of privacy to slip behind the bar and into the break room. 

“Sean.” Her voice is thin, more like a breath. Sean can barely see through the haze of lust, his rut full blown at this point, the alpha side of him in full command. He barely registers himself sliding the key into the door to the hidden room and pulling it open for them. 

Beth’s back meets the door in a matter of seconds, her legs already around his waist. Sean dives for her neck, needing to taste her, to touch her— anything to take off the edge. His c**k is straining in his pants, but her skirt is deliciously short, and whatever she’s wearing underneath is barely a barrier. “I need you, Omega.”

“Shh. I’m here.” Her hands cover the glands at his neck, stroking them. The effect is instantaneous, and more soothing even than the feeling of her wet heat pressed against his straining erection. He stills, though he can still feel the low level vibration of his rut down to his very bones. 

“Let me,” he starts, barely calm enough to push aside the fabric keeping her from him. 

They both groan when he sinks a finger into her. She parts on him like water, her body responding to his scent as much as his body responds to hers. He pushes another finger into her and revels in the catch in her breath. She’s pliant and drenched and perfect. 

“Please,” He murmurs, pulling his fingers from her. Beth nods. 

He’s barely functional enough to undo his fly, and his c**k springs from it, aching and leaking and angry, against her folds. Her lips are soft against his, even though he kisses her harshly. Sean barely has to shift his hips to find her entrance, and then— god. God. She fits him like a glove. Like a second skin. 

It’s not even relief that washes over him— just a desperate, consuming need to move. His Omega clings to his shoulders, her legs tight around his waist. She’s already fluttering around him. 

“I’ll see you through your heats,” he growls against her throat, starting up a punishing rhythm with his hips. Beth gasps as her little nails dig into his skin. “Say it. Say you’ll call me if you have a heat.” 

“Yes, Alpha.”

Sean’s brain reroutes entirely. She has never called him Alpha. The word slams through him, so real, so right, his vision begins to spot. He growls into her skin as he feels her pulsing around him, just as he starts to pop his knot. It’s wild, and frantic, and— and—

Beth sweeps her tongue over his neck gland, and he comes with a roar. 

The aftermath is eerily quiet. Only their harsh breathing in the small room, their scents mixed in a thick cloud around them. Sean has never felt his rut end so quickly, even on suppressants and blockers together. 

He pulls back slowly, still locked inside her, and watches her face. Her lips are swollen, almost bruised, her face flushed. Her eyes are mostly closed, long, thick lashes fluttering over her cheeks. 

They’ve got close to twenty minutes before he’ll be pliant enough to pull out. The aroma of her arousal still seeps into him, driving him to move without thinking. One hand cups under her ass to keep her upright, and the other he brings between them, pressing the heel of his palm against her c**t. 

Beth bucks, exactly once, and whimpers. Sean keeps his hand there, rubbing slow circles against her as her breathing speeds up again. He can feel her fluttering around him again already. 

“f**k, you feel so good.” He doesn’t mean to praise her; the words just fall out of his mouth, and he lets them. 

“Alpha.” Hearing her say that does things to him. Makes him want things, makes him want her, in a way he has no right to. 

“I love being inside you,” he tells her. Her head falls back against the wall, her hips rolling against his hand. His knot is still swollen and throbbing inside her wet heat, the tightness breathtaking. He watches his hand for a moment, watches the way his coat wraps around them both, like a shield from the outside world. From anyone else who might want to take her from him. 

“Sean,” Beth moans, leaning forward to kiss his collarbone. So tender, after that rush of passion. She’s so tight, he can barely breathe.

“Can you come for me?” He murmurs it against the crown of her head, already knowing the answer. 

“I— oh—“ 

Sean feels it happen, the way her spine tenses and her walls begin to pulse around him. It takes everything in him not to start thrusting, to f**k her through his knot and double their time here, in this cramped back room. 

“f**k, I love how you feel when you come around me.” He presses her back against the wall and leans away, wanting to see her face. “One more?” He begs. Beth just blinks at him, and he doubles his efforts, already feeling her tighten. Amazing, his little Omega, how her body itself yearns to please him. Tears roll down her cheeks, and he leans forward to kiss them, lapping up the salty liquid as it trails down her skin. “Just one more, Omega. God, you feel amazing.” 

Moments later, she’s keening against him, her nails digging into his back so hard he can feel it through his clothes. Sean groans, even as his knot goes down enough for him to slide out of her. 

He leans back again, tracing over the trails left by her tears with the same hand he just used to get her off. She looks up at him, dazed, her lips parted. This was nice. This was exquisite. He would kill to have her like this always, his knot buried inside her, bite marks all over her neck, on all of her glands—

Reality slams back into him like an oncoming train. Judging from Beth’s sudden, horrified expression, and the way she goes rigid in his arms, the same thing happens to her. 

Sean carefully sets Beth back on her feet, straightening her out before he fixes himself. “I’m—” sorry didn’t seem to cover the regret slowly creeping into his chest. He’d just f****d her in a closet. In public. Like a f*****g barbarian. 

“Can we…” she won’t look at him, her eyes down at the floor. “Can we not talk about this?” 

“Yeah,” Sean says. His chest feels tight. The words feel wrong coming from his mouth. “Yeah, let’s— let’s just pretend that didn’t…”

“Yeah.”

He nods at her, and she nods back. “You should—“ He gestures toward the door— “uh. Go first. Probably.”

Beth nods. Her eyes lower to his lips for a split second—

And then she’s gone. Nothing left but their mixed scents. 

Sean rubs his hands over his face. This is… bad. Really, really bad. 

Fuck.