Chapter Text
Jackson was quieter in the mornings. The clatter of the mechanic's wrench and the low chatter of early risers heading to their posts created a soft hum of life, steady and predictable. You kept your eyes on the ground, your steps slow and measured as you carried a basket of supplies from the storeroom in the house you shared with Seth to his bar. He’d insisted you handle the errand yourself, claiming it was “good for appearances.” It wasn’t freedom, not really. He would know if you lingered, if you so much as exchanged a glance with anyone along the way.
And so you didn’t.
You’d long since learned to walk unnoticed, keeping your head down and your scent muted as best you could. Seth had taught you that—years ago, when he’d found you wandering, frightened and alone. When he’d claimed you.
A flash of movement near the gates caught your eye as you turned the corner, and instinctively, you paused. New arrivals. Rare these days, and rarer still that they carried the weight of presence like this pair did.
The man was broad-shouldered, and moved like someone accustomed to danger. His weathered face was half-hidden beneath a scruffy beard, but it was his eyes that struck you. Dark, sharp, and so guarded they felt like walls you could never scale. The girl beside him was younger, lean and wiry, with a feral sort of energy. She clutched a battered backpack like a lifeline and scanned her surroundings with wide, wary eyes.
“Joel and Ellie,” someone murmured nearby. The names didn’t mean anything to you, but the way the crowd shifted—parting slightly as they passed—said plenty.
Your grip tightened on the basket. For just a moment, your gaze lingered on the man, drawn to something in him you couldn’t name. He didn’t look your way, but you caught the faintest tilt of his head, the way his nostrils flared slightly, as if catching a scent he couldn’t quite place.
You dropped your eyes quickly and hurried toward the bar.
Seth was already waiting when you arrived to the back of the bar. His heavy frame filled the doorway, arms crossed and expression impatient. He stepped aside to let you in, his eyes scanning the street behind you before he closed the door.
“Took you long enough,” he muttered, grabbing the basket from your hands. “You didn’t stop, did you?”
“No,” you said softly, careful to keep your tone even. He hated when you sounded defiant.
Seth grunted, setting the basket on the table. He moved closer, his hand curling around your wrist. “There's some new people in town - an Alpha.”
You froze. He could always tell when you’d noticed another Alpha, no matter how much you tried to hide it. His possessiveness, always simmering just beneath the surface, flared.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled. “You’re mine. Always will be. Got it?”
“I know,” you whispered. The bond—his claim on you—flared faintly at the words, as if it approved of your submission. The sensation made your stomach turn.
Later that day, you found yourself at the edge of Jackson’s community garden, situated near the bar, gathering herbs for the stew you'd be making later while Seth spoke with Maria. The Alpha female stood with her arms crossed, her gaze sharp as she addressed Seth about supply management. Her mate, Tommy, lingered nearby, offering occasional input but deferring to Maria’s authority. Tommy was a Beta, a rare pairing with an Alpha, which made their connection all the more striking. The contrast between them—Maria’s commanding presence and Tommy’s quieter confidence—felt almost foreign to you. Seth had never let you be anything but beneath him.
From the corner of your eye, you saw Joel again, this time speaking with Ellie near the edge of the community garden. She gestured animatedly, her voice too low for you to hear, while Joel’s expression softened just enough to hint at amusement. Despite the faint curve of his lips, his body remained coiled with tension, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as though expecting trouble at any moment. The quiet way he listened to Ellie—patient but vigilant—held your attention longer than you intended.
You turned back to your task, but your thoughts lingered. What would it be like, you wondered, to be around an Alpha like that? One who didn’t seem to take his strength as a license to dominate, who carried himself with quiet control instead of bluster.
You felt a pang of longing so sharp it almost startled you.
That night, you barely had time to brace yourself when Seth pulled you into his arms, his scent thick and overwhelming with the onset of his rut. The heat radiating off him was suffocating, his movements erratic as need took over, and his grip bruising as he pushed you down onto the bed.
“Mine,” he growled, over and over, the words guttural and animalistic, searing into your skin like a brand. His hands roamed roughly, claiming every inch of you with possessive force, the bond between you flaring with every touch. When he pressed his fingers between your thighs, his impatience grew. You flinched involuntarily, the ache of his rough movements impossible to ignore, and he muttered a low curse under his breath.
“You’re too tight,” he complained, his tone irritated as he worked his fingers inside you, rough and impatient. “Why you gotta make me work for it.”
Your body tensed in protest, but you didn’t mean to—you never did. The bond between you flared painfully, its enforced connection tightening like a chain. As you squeezed your eyes shut, flashes of memory intruded, unbidden.
You hadn’t always been here. You hadn’t always been his. Years ago, when Seth had found you, you’d been alone and scared, scavenging near the edges of the forest outside Jackson. He’d been out hunting. You remembered the first sight of him, his Alpha scent overwhelming in the cold air. At first, you’d thought he was a savior, someone who might help. But the moment he’d caught your scent, the hunger in his eyes had told you otherwise.
He’d taken you that same day, right there in the clearing where he’d found you. His scent had overwhelmed you, making it impossible to think clearly as he pushed you to the ground. There had been no words, no warning, just the crushing weight of him pinning you down and the searing pain as he marked you. The bond snapped into place like a trap, tying you to someone you hadn’t chosen, leaving no escape.
The memory burned, a bitter taste in the back of your throat as his rut-driven hands roamed with unrelenting aggression. His pheromones thickened the air, stifling and inescapable, as his impatience boiled over. Without warning, he adjusted his position, his movements becoming primal and erratic. The swelling of his knot pressed insistently, each thrust more forceful as his knot was forced inside you, binding you together. Pain flared as his growls deepened, blaming you for his frustration, while the bond tightened suffocatingly around your psyche.
You closed your eyes again, willing yourself away from both past and present. And for the first time, your thoughts didn’t scatter into fear or numbness. Instead, they settled on dark eyes, a steady presence, and the faint echo of a voice you’d only heard once.
Joel.
The bond’s hold on you pulsed insistently, dragging you back to reality. But the longing remained, a fragile ember you cradled in the quiet corners of your mind. Your body, bound by the bond and his relentless pheromones, responded enough to ease his impatience. With a final shudder, Seth’s knot swelled fully, locking you in place before he collapsed on top of you. The weight of him pressed down suffocatingly as his rut subsided, leaving you trapped in the lingering ache of forced submission.
For the first time in years, you allowed yourself to imagine a different life—a different Alpha.