In love we rise

Perhaps, he should have thought about this more. No, he should have definitely thought about this more. If he had, he would not be here now, running through the back alleys of Asra, trying to hide from the group of angry alphas hot on his trail. Yeah, maybe antagonizing the big, hulking man had been a bad idea. Maybe insulting him was a terrible idea, but as bad ideas go, spitting at him and kicking his knee in had certainly been the worst. But, what could he have done? The alpha and his friends had been leering at him the entire time he had been at the store. And once he had stepped out, they had instantly cornered him. Of course, Elio was Elio, belligerent and hard-headed. Independent to a fault, and instead of shouting for help from the old beta in the store, he had decided to take things into his own hands. And that’s how he found himself here, running at break-neck speeds and weaving through the narrow, winding streets the best he could. The packet of oranges in his hands swayed dangerously, hitting his ribs with every turn and sway, and the bag on his back slowing him down with the weight of the heavy equipment. His breath came in short bursts and he could feel his sweat dripping down his back, making his white t-shirt stick to his skin uncomfortably. He skidded across a rampart, almost falling down on his way, as he chanced a glance over his shoulder. He could see the alpha and his cronies rounding the corner, thundering down the street. Cursing under his breath, Elio pushed forward with a desperate burst of speed. He was almost at the main street. Just one more block and he would be safe, surrounded by more people. At least he hoped. His legs burned and he could feel his hands shake with the rush of adrenaline coursing through his system. But, his mind swirled, the panic slowly rearing its head and wrapping itself slowly but surely around his heart, cloudy and vitriolic, making it hard to breathe. He could still hear the echoes of the alpha client from this morning flirting with him shamelessly, as his beta mate, stood to the side, with her head bowed and hands clenched. The encounter had already left him with a prickle under his skin, which had only got worse when his father had called to inform him that his mother had been taken to the hospital after she had collapsed in the middle of the living room. And now this! This day could not get worse. “God f*****g damnit!” he cursed under his breath as he rounded a corner, swinging his hands out to catch the lightpost as he used his momentum to propel him to the right, and tripping over a pile of garbage bags that he had not seen in his haste. He shot out his arm to break his fall, rolling over to his left to as the shock zinged up his spine like an electric wire during a thunderstorm. For a moment, the noise became dim and there were white spots in his vision. In a daze, he could see the oranges rolling away from him across the street, in all directions, and felt a pang of regret. They had been for his mother. He had been on his way to meet her at the hospital and had stopped at the store to pick up her favourite fruit. f**k! It was all the alpha’s fault. With a jolt, he shot a look behind him. The alpha and his cronies had stopped at the end of the street and were sneering at him. He needed to get out of here, and soon. He looked up in search of something, anything that would save him. There! He could finally see the main street at the end of the lane. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the big, brutish man lumber towards him. His heart thudded and with a mighty heave, he pulled himself up, ignoring his throbbing hands, and ran. Ran for his life. He could hear the alpha shout behind him, calling out to him to stop, but, without so much as a glance backwards, Elio pelted full force towards the wall of people milling around on the main road, going about their lives, oblivious to his predicament. Hundred meters. Fifty. Twenty. He could almost taste freedom, when suddenly he was jerked back. The alpha had caught up to him, and was pulling him back with the strap of his bag, making Elio choke on his putrid raw fish smell. No, no, no, this could not be happening. Not when he was almost there. Elio pulled with all of his might, but the alpha was strong, his grip unforgiving, and in that moment Elio felt panic and dread claw its way to his throat. In a last ditch attempt to break free, he pulled his bag, even as he was being dragged back. The strap dug into his shoulder, twisting his arm in a painful angle. Elio dug his heels into the ground, and hunched his shoulders, grappling with the side of the wall. Ou of patience the alpha heaved him back with a grunt. Elio felt the jerk under his navel and knew that getting caught would be the worst thing that could ever happen to him, and thus, in a split second’s decision, he twisted his body away from the alpha, and slipped right out of the bag straps, his body catapulted forward, twisting his ankle. Behind him, he heard the alpha fall down with a thud, the momentum and inertia, causing him to lose his balance. There was an accompanying thud, and c***k and Elio cringed. His camera and two of his lenses had been in the bag. Some of his most prized possessions. But, there was no time to go back and retrieve them. He could already hear the hollers of the alpha’s friends as they ran down the street to help the alpha up. Elio hobbled forward as fast as he could on his injured foot, and the next thing he knew, he was on the sidewalk of the main street. “Excuse me!” Someone said, as they bumped against him from the right. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he stepped to the right and started pushing determinedly through the crowd of people, even as his hyperawareness made him choke on the myriad of smells and pheromones emitted by the throng of oblivious shoppers. He brushed past hurriedly, mumbling ‘sorry’, ‘sorry’, ‘sorry’, as he went, uncaring when he bumped into someone or stepped on someone’s toes (“Hey, watch it!”). A furtive glance behind him, let him know that the alpha and his group were still stalking behind him.   “f**k, f**k, f**k!” he cursed under his breath, feeling the telltale sting of tears in his eyes. He ducked his head down and walked faster, the smell of distressed omega making people look at him, some with concern and some with disdain. The only way to get out of this, was to think fast, Elio realized. There was no way he could outrun the alpha, especially not with a limp. Gritting his teeth, he took a deep fortifying breath. Alphas had a tendency to underestimate omegas. No, the society underestimated omegas. Including omegas themselves. He remembered that time when he was seven. He had been climbing the jungle gym, hanging by the rails overhead, when an omega woman had come rushing to him and ordered him to come down. Apparently, it was too dangerous for an omega. ‘What if you got hurt?’ she had said indignantly. The other parents had all nodded in unison. Their opinions distinctly not in his favour. That day, he had been unable to say anything. But, that was then, and this was now. And today he had to stand up for himself, and get himself out of this mess.   He glanced around furtively, hoping to see a way out, when from the corner of his eyes, he saw a shiny, black car stop by the curb, about fifty steps in front of him. As he watched, the door opened and a man stepped out, in his black suit and equally as black shoes, shiny enough that Elio could have seen his own reflection in it, had he wished to. He was clearly good looking, with his sandy brown hair and easy smile. He came out of the car, and looked back, casually dropping down into a grand bow with a flourish. It was obviously ironic. ‘It had to be,’ thought Elio, even as his brow arched. He could smell the man, even from a distance of about twenty steps away. It was a comforting smell. Like wood and moss. ‘He smells nice,’ Elio wondered idly, as he looked at the man again, and as he focused in on him, another set of smells became evident. All of a sudden he was engulfed by the most wonderful scent he had ever smelt. Fire and musk. It was like a punch to the gut, as the breath was shocked out of his lungs, leaving him light-headed. A little woozy. He could feel his heart rate pick up again. Yet there was something about that smell that made him feel safe. He could feel his heart rate stabilizing and breathing became easier. It wrapped around his senses, a fuzzy feeling growing in his heart. Elio walked towards the smell, drawn in surely and completely. Another man was coming out of the car. He was tall and broad shouldered, and wore a perfectly fitted grey pinstriped suit. There was an air of confidence and conviction about him, which was evident in the way he buttoned up his jacket with a casual flick of his hands, an economy of movements that belied the power that seemed to be oozing off of him, despite the lazy smirk that bloomed on his face at his friend’s antics. Like he was used to getting his way. Like he was used to people groveling for his attention. An alpha for sure. The man suddenly looked to his right, his gaze zeroing in on Elio, like a moth to a flame. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed, making Elio feel pinned under that gaze, and for a second he stopped short, his pursuers far out of his mind. There was something about this alpha. Elio couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but there was a feeling of nostalgia that slowly bloomed in his heart, making a lump form in his throat. It could have been an eternity that they looked at each other, Elio couldn’t tell. Just that, for the first time in his life, he wanted to bare his neck and submit to someone else. Yet the moment was broken when the alpha’s friend tapped him on the shoulder, and called out his name. The alpha looked at his friend and gave a curt nod, walking towards the building in front of him. Elio stood rooted to the spot, surprised by the severity of his own reaction, even as the alpha walked in through the swinging doors, throwing one last unreadable look over his shoulder. “Angelo,” Elio breathed out, his lips forming around the name, testing it out. A giddiness overcame him, as he felt his face heat up, colouring the tips of his ears red. He was abruptly brought out of his reverie, when the raw fish smell of the alpha that had been following him suddenly invaded his senses, seeming far too close for comfort. His breath hitched and he looked behind him. The alpha and his cronies were nearly upon him. He realized that he had nearly forgotten about the predicament that he was in, in the presence of the alpha with the fire and musk smell. Looking around desperately, he made a split second decision. Before he could second-guess himself, his feet were already moving, and the next thing he knew, he had followed behind the alpha, and was walking in through the swinging double doors of the building in front of him.