Chapter Text
Izuku was trembling as he heard the commotion going on outside his mother's hut. He was staying hidden, not risking anyone to see him, but he could tell what was happening: his tribe was getting attacked by another rival tribe.
Fights between tribes weren't rare. They lived in a barbaric era during which only the strongest survived. Some resources were precious and worth fighting for. More importantly, it was omegas who were the most sought-after. They were incredibly rare - most tribes only had one or two at the most - but were considered priceless. They had the highest fertility rates and the most luscious bodies. Alphas were ready to fight to the death to own one...
However, as priceless as omegas were, they weren't considered more than mere possessions. A prize to win and to keep. A hole to warm an alpha's knot, and a means to birth as many children as possible. A breeding tool, nothing more and nothing less.
In such a cruel world, Izuku had the misfortune to be born a male omega.
His mother had cried so much when she had realised it. She had made the decision to keep him hidden from the rest of the tribe, to protect him. He was forbidden to leave their hut or to show himself to anyone. He was to stay hidden forever, never to feel the rays of sunshine on his skin unless someone found out about him.
It was a miserable life, but it was better than to be owned by an alpha, to be forced to carry pups until he couldn't anymore and then thrown away when his body was too damaged to be used any further.
Izuku wasn't too sad. It was the only life he had ever known, after all, and he had his mother with him. She had to work during the day, but they spent every morning and evening together. His mother loved him very much. She protected him and cared for him as best as she could. She kept him safe by making sure no one in the tribe knew about his existence.
Their hut was a little isolated from the rest of the huts, but his mother had taken every precaution she could. She always kept fragrant herbs near the windows and door to hide Izuku's omega scent. And she had built a hidden place under the flooring of their hut, in which Izuku had to hide whenever someone visited them. Nobody had ever found out about it.
That was where he was hiding right now, as he listened to the sound of fighting going on outside the hut. His mother wasn't with him. Izuku was worried about her but he couldn't leave his hiding spot. He had to pray she had managed to get to safety when the rival tribe had attacked them.
Still, Izuku was terrified. People were getting killed out there. He could hear screams of pain and terror, the scent of blood and smoke reaching his nostrils. Fights between rival tribes were often massacres. There was no negotiation possible: the tribe that attacked took what they wanted and killed the people who tried to stop them.
Izuku's tribe had only gotten attacked once before, but his mother had told him the alphas of their tribe had managed to push the enemy away. It didn't look like they were this lucky this time.
Heart lurching inside his chest, Izuku flinched when the unmistakable sound of the door of his hut getting kicked open reached his ears. He covered his mouth with his hands, doing his best not to make a noise as people from the rival tribe invaded his home. From the sounds of their steps, there were two of them.
"It's empty," one of them said. "Let's see if there's anything of value."
Izuku didn't understand what they were saying. Every tribe had different dialects. Some words were the same but the language of this rival tribe was quite different from the language Izuku was used to. He could recognise a few words but not enough to make out a whole sentence.
"This place is a shithole," the second intruder said. Izuku could hear them kick at the few possessions he and his mother had. "Not even one piece of jewellery."
"Let's get out," the first intruder said, Izuku starting to relax at the sound of their footsteps heading out of the hut, when the second intruder stopped right before the door. "Wait," they made the first intruder stop as well. "I can smell something."
"What is it?"
Izuku was holding his breath. He didn't know why they had suddenly stopped but hoped it wasn't because they had noticed his presence. A carpet was covering the entrance of his hiding place beneath the flooring of the hut. Nobody had ever seen it. There was no way random people from the rival tribe would find it or smell him.
Unfortunately for him, one of the two intruders was an alpha. "I can smell an omega," they told their partner.
Izuku felt his whole body grow cold at the word. He didn't understand much of their language, but the word 'omega' was the same in both of their dialects. He immediately understood they had found out about his presence and felt panic swell inside him at the realisation.
"They're still here. I'm sure of it," the alpha said. "Where could they be hiding?"
They were back in the hut, probably looking for Izuku. His heart was beating so fast inside his chest that he was scared they could hear it. He prayed with all of his might that they wouldn't find him. His life would be over if they did. Everything his mother had done to keep him safe, to protect him from alphas, would be for nothing. Izuku couldn't let this happen.
But he had absolutely no way of getting out of this situation. He was trying to stay calm and keep breathing, but distressed pheromones were starting to ooze out of him. It only made things worse, his scent surely reaching the nose of the alpha who was looking for him...
"There you are."
His eyes widened in horror when his hiding spot was finally discovered. "No!" He screamed as someone grabbed his arm and pulled him out here. "Let me go!" He struggled with all he had, his nails scratching at the skin of his kidnapper. He knew he was weak as a young omega, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. He'd rather die than let them touch him.
However, one command from the alpha was enough to make him submit. "Down, omega." They used their alpha voice on him.
Izuku didn't understand what had been said, but his body did. It was as if all the fight had suddenly left him, his instincts urging him to submit. It was his first time receiving a command from an alpha and he immediately hated it. He hated how vulnerable he was to them, how a simple word was enough to make him obey.
"There you go," the alpha smirked at him.
Now that Izuku was all but immobilised, he had nothing else to do but take a look at the two intruders. The one holding him was obviously a male alpha, tall and imposing with broad shoulders. He had short black hair and slim, yellow eyes with a touch of gold. He looked as cruel as the smile on his lips, the way he looked at Izuku causing blind fear to take over him.
The second person was a male beta, shorter than the alpha but still quite impressive. He had messy brown hair and dark eyes, a curious look on his face as he stared at Izuku. "I can't believe we found an omega," he took a step closer as if to take a better look. "And a male one, at that."
"I would have preferred a female, but he'll do," the alpha grabbed Izuku's face. He traced the shape of Izuku's lips with his thumb, the touch so revolting Izuku would have bitten him if he could. "I always wanted to have an omega," his kidnapper grinned.
"The chief won't let you have him," the beta frowned at the words.
This made the alpha scowl. "He isn't here, right now." Izuku could hear the anger in his voice. "This omega is mine to claim," his grip on Izuku's face got tighter, making him wince at the harsh treatment. "He'll bear me several pups, all stronger than the others. Several alphas to make me proud. Maybe one or two omegas that I'll also claim for myself."
Izuku couldn't understand what he was saying, but he could smell the alpha's bloodlust and arousal in the air. It made him want to choke. It was his first time being so close to an alpha but he already wished he had never found out what it was like. His mother was right: alphas were cruel and terrifying. They didn't see him as anything more than a pretty toy to use and play with.
"What are you still doing here?" Someone interrupted them. Another intruder, since Izuku couldn't understand their language. "The attack is over. We're regrouping."
It was also a male alpha with a rather plain face and black, chin-length hair. He was tall and lean, a spear in his hand. The weapon reminded Izuku that all of these men had just massacred his tribe. Izuku wasn't close to anyone but his mother since he never left their hut, but it was still his tribe. He hoped most of them had survived.
Usually, only alphas got killed during an attack. It was because they paused the biggest threat to the rival tribe, so they couldn't be left alive in case they wanted to seek revenge in the future, but betas often got spared. Especially women and children.
Omegas, however, were reserved a far worse fate than alphas and betas...
"Hanta." The alpha holding Izuku all but spat the name of the new intruder. Izuku immediately understood that they didn't get along. Rivalry between alphas wasn't rare in tribes. Fights were regularly organised to know who the strongest was and thus to determine the hierarchy of the tribe. It kind of worked like a wolf pack.
"Akuto." The alpha named Hanta said back. His gaze looked dark as he glared at the other alpha, until surprise took over his features when his eyes landed on Izuku. "Is that an omega?"
"He's mine," Akuto growled in response. "I found him." He forced Izuku behind him, the rough action making Izuku stumble. The grip around his arm was getting painful. Izuku let out a whine as threatening pheromones began to ooze out of the two alphas.
"He's not yours," Hanta said between gritted teeth. "You know the rules. If we find an omega, we have to give them to the chief," he told Akuto, before adding with a raised eyebrow: "Unless you want to fight against Katsuki for the right to own him?"
Izuku didn't know what had just been said - he only caught the name Katsuki - but he understood that it didn't please Akuto when the alpha let out a deep growl at Hanta, his behaviour turning even more menacing. Hanta growled back at him, not backing down one bit.
"Akuto..." the beta, whose presence had almost been forgotten, looked quite worried.
There were a few moments during which Izuku feared the two alphas would start fighting right then and there. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Threatening pheromones were filling the hut, both alphas trying to prove their dominance to the other. Neither of them wanted to give in, their glares as intimidating as their scents.
Finally, after what felt like an hour but couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes, Akuto looked away with a displeased groan. "Here," he pushed Izuku toward the other alpha. Izuku hadn't expected it so the harsh push almost made him fall, but Hanta caught him before it could happen.
"Wise choice," the black-haired alpha told Akuto. He only got a snarl in response, before Akuto left the hut with a scowl on his face. The beta, whose name Izuku still hadn't caught, quickly followed behind him.
Izuku was left alone with Hanta. He was back in the grasp of another alpha, only the grip around his arm wasn't as painful as it had been with Akuto. Still tight, unless he would try to escape, but at least not bruising tight.
Still, it didn't change anything about Izuku's situation. He was terrified of what would happen to him now. After years of staying hidden, years of nobody but his mother knowing about his existence, he had gotten caught by a rival tribe. He could only tremble as he imagined what kind of terrible fate awaited him...
"Let's go," Hanta dragged him out of the hut. "Katsuki will be pleased to see you."