On the Never Never

by Gnomey2001

Summary:

Coriolanus Snow thought life had one meaning. To win. To play the hand that life had dealt him so well, that no one ever realised the cards he'd been dealt. The cards that left him a penniless omega in a world where wealth and status meant everything. But in the wake of the 10th Hunger Games, when his fragile house of cards looks set to fall. Maybe he could find new meaning in it all.

Basically this is the plot of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes but it’s omegaverse and Snowjanus have been sleeping together for years.

Notes:

I really wanted a set up where Marcus became Coriolanus's tribute, but if he didn’t agree to the swap in cannon I wasn’t sure how to make it plausible... hence making him a more compliant(ish) omega. I haven’t actually written omegaverse before but what the hell!

Chapter 1

He was rare, so horribly rare that nobody once considered it an option for him. He was a beta male and that was that.

He had to be a beta male because if he wasn’t a beta male he was an alpha male and as it was very apparent he wasn’t, he had no choice, being a male anything else was not an option.

And that made it entirely plausible his cousin was a beta female too. A quirk. A proud history of alpha and omegas in the Snow family suddenly squashed under the betaness of their generation. Odd, but not impossible.

That way he and his cousin were safe. That way he and his cousin were not ripe for the picking. The fact that in the five years since she presented and the nearly three since he did, their entire reserve of money had been spent on suppressants, was worth it. Worth it to keep their loathsome designation hidden. For they were not in fact betas at all.

“After class?” The deep alpha tone of Sejanus purred in his ear. Warm with that eager nervousness he never quite managed to hide.

Coriolanus gave a tiny nod. Enough for the other to see, but no one else to notice.

They’d been doing this for years. The alpha in Sejanus desperate for physical intimacy, the man in Sejanus seemed to prefer it to be with a male. That was perfect for Coriolanus. A beta male was the best Sejanus was going to get, omega males did not exist, not in the Capitol, not anymore.

He breathed a sigh of relief once he was away from the watchful eyes of the Academy and made his own way to Plinth Manor. He couldn’t let anyone see him getting in the car with Sejanus.

He let himself inside, no one else appeared to be around so he made the  familiar way up to Sejanus’s room uninterrupted. Which suited him, anticipation thrumming through his veins too much to want any delays.

Sejanus was already laying back on his pillows, calm and sure in appearance, until Coriolanus spotted his fingers plucking restlessly at his quilt. He knew his tells too well.

Lube and a condom were already on his bedside cabinet. Signalling to Coriolanus he wanted anal today. Sometimes he settled just for a blow job.

No matter, Coriolanus didn’t mind. Sejanus always made sure he was satisfied too.

He stripped at the door and clambered up on the other’s large bed.

“How do you want me?” he asked, knowing the routine by now. Pick a position. Sejanus prepped him. A fast and efficient fuck. Thank yous and goodnight.

“Hmm doggy? Not done that in a while”

Coriolanus shrugged and flipped onto all fours. He wasn’t sure he even had a preference on position. Doggy worked for him he guessed.

Sejanus trailed lube up his ass crack and then started to finger some inside.

Once again, having to tune out the voice in his head, the one that hated the synthetic stuff going inside him when it knew if it wasn’t for the suppressants, he could easily be making his own in preparation to be mounted.

He glanced between his legs, seeing himself getting hard in response to the questing fingers, to the heavy breathing, to the deep woodsy aroma. It was almost pavlovian by now.

Once Sejanus had fit 4 fingers in and was pushing and pulling them in and out with ease, they were removed and Coriolanus felt the blunt head of Sejanus’s cock start pushing itself inside. He was huge, as he should be as an alpha.

Coriolanus could take it easily now though, had been taking it for years. Sejanus started a brutal pace, bouncing his hips against his ass with a driving force, enough for Coriolanus to have to brace himself against the headboard to stop being shoved face down on the bed. Although he had taken it that way before too.

Sejanus wound a hand in his hair then and pulled his head back with enough strength that Coriolanus couldn’t resist the movement, but not enough to properly cause pain.

“Want to see you” Sejanus gasped.

Coriolanus sighed internally. No matter how long they did this, Sejanus never got the message that all that lovey dovey stuff was not welcome.

One day Coriolanus knew he had to give this up and marry some woman. It was just the Capitol way. The only image he was allowed to have. Beta males married beta females. Simple as.

He couldn’t afford feelings for the boy because they could never be allowed to last.

He let himself take in the flushed and predatory face of the alpha for one more second and then forced his head back to face forward, bouncing his own hips back against the other to hurry things up.

Which it did. Sejanus stuttered and moaned and reached quickly under Coriolanus to finish him off with a few sharp tugs on his dick, Coriolanus spilt his small load into the other’s hand.

He guessed Sejanus had little experience of other betas to know the tiny amount of fluid his cock dribbled out, was not normal.

It only took a few more quivering thrusts before Sejanus emptied himself into the condom and pulled out.

He had to force the part of himself that longed for a knot to shut up as he hauled his jelly like limbs off the bed, wincing at how abruptly empty he was left. But he didn’t mind, he was used to it.

His omega preened at how gloriously satisfied he felt as he pulled his clothes back on. The part of him at his core that ached and ached to be filled had had its way. The other part that longed to be claimed and possessed simpered at him but he could ignore that, especially if he left quickly. Left the lingering warm woodsy scent of Sejanus behind.

He’d better hurry before he’d need to explain his absence away.

“See you in class” he called as he shut the door on the temptation behind. Not having missed the sad look on Sejanus’s face as he left. But it was better this way. This was the only way. For them at least.

Chapter 2

The next week the mentorship scheme was announced. If Coriolanus thought he was upset about getting the omega girl from 12, it was nothing compared to the burning upset he could smell coming off of Sejanus.

He’d got a male alpha from 2. Coriolanus could not understand what his problem was.

As “after class” was all but growled in his ear he knew he was probably about to find out.

“How do you want me?”

“Ride me”

Coriolanus couldn’t argue with that.

Sejanus was impatient and needy. His mouth all over his collar bones and neck as Coriolanus straddled him to be prepped.

He felt himself freezing every time Sejanus nosed over his scent gland. He shouldn’t be able to tell it was there, he shouldn’t have any reason to pay any attention to that spot behind his ear and yet a small part of him hoped the alpha would notice, would notice his need for a bite, his need to be claimed.

Sejanus slipped inside with a deep groan and immediately started thrusting his hips up. Coriolanus could only hang on for the ride. That spot inside him, that could drive him crazy, being pounded relentlessly.

“Coryo, Coryo” Sejanus was chanting his name in between the guttural sound of his ragged breathing “I want” he tugged his chin down to meet him and then all of a sudden their lips met.

Coriolanus felt himself go rigid. He was being kissed. They didn’t do this.

Sejanus mouthed at his lips insistently until he felt himself give in. He tasted good, too good. Warning sirens went off in his brain. The decadently rich taste of him could be addictive and he could not afford to take that plunge.

As he pulled his mouth away, Sejanus switched to kissing along his jaw, roughly nudging his head to the side to get behind his ear again.

Right over his supressed scent gland. With a shout, Coriolanus came, clenching hard on the other.

“Shit” Sejanus swore as he shoved himself backwards and yanked his cock free.

Coriolanus watched with wide eyes as Sejanus’s cock split the condom, attempting to form a knot as it swelled and he shot buckets of cum between them.

The alpha bent in half, looking pained as his orgasm wracked through him.

Coriolanus couldn’t help himself as he reached a hand forward to squeeze tightly at the head of the other’s swollen cock. The skin was so tense to the touch, more cum dribbled down the shaft as it twitched and twitched in his hand.

“Baby” Sejanus panted, leaning back on his forearms to watch as Coriolanus squeezed the last drops of cum out and his unsnared knot started to deflate.

Once it was finally done, Coriolanus glanced around the room, looking for somewhere to wipe his cum soaked hand.

Sejanus sheepishly watched him until he realised what the blond needed and reached across for a mass of tissues to help.

Once they were wiped down, Coriolanus thought about leaving. Just like he usually would, but something was up with Sejanus, if his kissing, attempt at knotting and disturbed scent were anything to go by.

“The mentor scheme upset you?” Coriolanus guessed.

“Well that or I’m close to rut” Sejanus chuckled without amusement. “Sorry I nearly popped a knot in you. Shit that could have really hurt” Sejanus offered him an apologetic look.

But Coriolanus couldn’t offer a look of forgiveness just yet, his insides clenching painfully on nothing as he thought about taking that knot, finally being filled all the way. But he couldn’t admit to that. As far as Sejanus was aware he only had room for a dick in his lower digestive tract, no extra cavities crying out to be touched and filled in too.

“It’s not your rut” Coriolanus shook his head, he couldn’t smell it on him.

“I know. I just can’t be Marcus’s mentor” he stated glumly.

“Why not? An alpha male, one of three in this reaping. Your odds are good” Coriolanus asked incredulously. His odds, by contrast, were nearly impossible.

“I knew him, back in  2. We were classmates” he admitted with dry detachment.

Coriolanus shrugged, not seeing what the big deal with that was.

“Shouldn’t that mean you want to help him all the more?”

“Help?” Sejanus spluttered “what help can we be?”

“That’s what we’re there for as mentors” Coriolanus explained but then his mood turned sour again “although you’re probably right, there’s nothing I can do to help my omega girl”

“Then swap with me” he implored.

He may have imagined it but he thought Sejanus added a hint of alpha command to his voice. But why would he do that to a beta? It would be pointless.

Coriolanus blinked away the befuddlement at the slight command, to think. Him take the male alpha? Improve his odds probably tenfold and he needed those odds. He needed that prize. The money could secure their suppressants for years.

“Are you sure?” he hedged, not wanting to hope too soon.

“Yes, yes” Sejanus enthusiastically nodded “be his mentor please”

“Okay” he nodded back, his heart hammering with renewed excitement and hope. The prize wasn’t totally lost.

Sejanus’s lips were on his again and this time, he went with it, the relief making him giddy and careless.

 

“My name’s Coriolanus Snow and I’ve been assigned as your mentor” he thrust his hand out at the lumbering bulk of alpha male, he believed to be Marcus.

“Marcus” the other gruffly introduced himself, ignoring his hand.

As he made to follow him and clamber into the cattle truck, a strong palm was shoved against his chest “stay” he was commanded and as the hidden omega he was, he obeyed.

Shit, he groused as he watched the truck clatter away without him. He didn’t think Marcus had truly guessed at his designation, it seemed more likely he was just one of those posturing alphas that used a command voice on everyone.

But he couldn’t help cursing his omega status then. How was he supposed to get close to his tribute and ensure his win if he cowed to everything he said?

 

“How’d it go?” Sejanus asked the next day.

Coriolanus shrugged dejectedly “they got carted off and I barely exchanged a word with him”

Sejanus offered him a sympathetic smile.

“Rumour has it, they’re being held at the zoo, you want to come with me later?”

Very rare was it for them to spend time outside of class together, not fucking, but he figured these were exceptional circumstances.

“Sure, we should take some food or something” he said, meaning that Sejanus should provide some food for them both to take down.

 

Through the lengthening shadows, they meandered around the old animal exhibits, finally spying the monkey house.

A camera crew was still there but not filming, there didn’t seem to be any activity in the cage to capture.

The crowds of public, they’d spotted on the newsreel, were nowhere in sight.

“Marcus” he called through the bars and sighed in relief when he ambled up to them “I’ve brought food”

But Marcus wasn’t looking at him anymore, his eyes zeroing in on his companion.

Two snarls rang out in an alpha timbre and he felt himself go still on instinct, barely allowing himself to breath.

As the cameras seemed to take notice, he forced himself into action, nudging Sejanus in the side urgently to get him to break the tense stand off before they got in any trouble.

“Come on” he urged his tribute “this might be one of the only chances we get to bring you stuff, eat something”

The 2 alphas prowled further away and he sighed in relief, rooting around in the picnic basket to bring out handfuls of food to shove through the bars.

Marcus grabbed for it greedily and began gorging himself.

This could be a problem in the arena, he realised. As he’d seen before. The caloric requirements for an alpha, especially a male alpha far exceeded other designations, he’d never met an alpha with a small appetite.

In the few years of the games that an alpha didn’t win, it had been because they had run out of energy. If the other tributes could draw out the fighting long enough, the alphas succumbed to hunger far quicker then the rest.

He’d need to think on his strategy for this. As Marcus seemed intent on devouring his food, Coriolanus brought his attention over to Sejanus who was tenderly handing morsels of food over to his omega girl. He felt a pang of jealousy and possessiveness strike him through the chest.

That was his alpha, no other omegas should have his attention, especially not sweet pretty little things like her.

It should have been him taking food from those hands.

He wanted to snarl too, rub his scent, such that it was in suppression, over the boy. Be claimed in front of the other omega so she would back off.

He fought down on his omega rage, it was just his animal side. Nothing good could ever come from listening to that irrational voice.

He forced his eyes away to see Marcus had finished eating and was glancing between him and Sejanus with a frown.

“Summin’ going on there?” he asked.

Coriolanus bristled at the presumptuousness of the question.

“Mind your own business” he scowled “and no of course not” he denied bitterly.

“Well just saying I’ve never seen a beta look at an alpha like that”

He levelled his best ‘leave it’ glare at his tribute “I don’t know what you are talking about”. He snatched up a handful more sandwiches and shoved them through the bars before turning to stomp off.

“I’ve never seen a beta act so defensive over an alpha either” he called after him and Coriolanus picked up his pace, scurrying away lest anyone else take notice of the incriminating words his tribute spilled.

 

As he neared the exit to the zoo he heard feet pounding up behind him.

“Hey wait up”

Coriolanus turned, although he needn’t have, he knew that voice. Sejanus was hurrying to join him.

“You alright?” he gently nudged his side “you took off so fast”

Coriolanus shrugged, acting blasé “yeah just got that assignment for Gaul to get back to". It wasn't a lie. Just a well timed escape.

She had asked for their submissions for ideas for the games and thanks to Marcus inhaling his earlier offerings, he was starting to formulate a plan.

“Oh yeah, great” Sejanus moaned sarcastically. His wonderfully broad shoulders slumping.

Coriolanus continued heading to the zoo exit but Sejanus reached for his arm to stop him “do you want to hang out for a bit first?”

Coriolanus knew what that was code for, his insides clenched painfully on nothing at the thought, the pain of being empty, almost as bad as a hunger pang in his stomach. He just ached to be filled so badly.

He licked his lips, thinking quickly. That assignment wouldn’t write itself, but he could spare 10 minutes.

And he really would love an opportunity to rinse any thoughts of that omega girl from this alpha’s  head.

He shoved at his firm chest, not actually capable of moving him but Sejanus got the hint, walking himself backwards into an old alcove, made for observing the exhibits from. Totally protected from the eyes of any passers by.

Sejanus’s back hit the wall and Coriolanus pounced, pressing up against him, smoothing a hand down his body to the front of his pants to palm at the already growing bulge.

“Yes” Sejanus hissed, bucking his hips up into the touch. He quickly licked his palm, getting it wet before he flattened his hand to slide inside, eagerly squeezing and pulling at the other’s foreboding girth.

Sejanus thrust his hips into the circle of his fist, he used his thumb to rub at the protruding ridge at the frenulum, right where he knew the knot would form.

“Baby yeah like that” Sejanus panted, falling slightly forward to cup the back of his head to bring him closer. He positioned him with his head resting over his shoulder, Sejanus’s nose buried behind his ear again. There was nothing there for him, why did he keep doing it? He was too nervous to ask though, it could lead to a very dangerous conversation about his betaness.

He threw his efforts into jerking the alpha off to within an inch of his life, squeezing and tugging with as much force as his delicate wrist would allow. Sejanus loved it rough, what alpha didn’t?

“Gonna’ yeah... yesss” Sejanus collapsed forwards, cum pooling out in torrents over his trapped hand and into his underwear.

As he gave a few final tugs to ease the last of the huge load of cum out, he felt the ridge had expanded a little, he ran a finger up and down it to try and ascertain what he was feeling.

“I swear I could’ve got a knot up then” Sejanus gasped out as he got his breath back.

Coriolanus groaned at the thought, his hole clenching and unclenching whilst his little omega dick twitched in his pants.

Sejanus saw his struggle and quickly switched their positions, dropping to his knees and bracketing him in against the wall. His hands came up to yank his zipper down and shimmy his garments below his butt cheeks. His little dick sprang straight up, looking swollen and pink.

Sejanus dove in, swallowing the lot with ease. He’d gotten his cock and both balls in his mouth before. Simply sucking his dick was an easy task for Sejanus. He expertly swirled his tongue around the head and added delightful pressure to the shaft.

Coriolanus felt his legs tremble in preparation for release but it was rare he could cum just from this and Sejanus knew that. As if on cue the alpha quickly added his thumb alongside his dick, there being plenty of room in his cavernous mouth.

Once wet, he removed the digit and moved his hand to cup the globes of his ass. It didn’t take a moment before he felt it, the moist press against his hole, he relaxed with ease and in it slipped. A groan of appreciation falling from his lips.

That was better. A strong suck of his dick, a deep press of his thumb inside and he shot his little teaspoon full onto the other’s tongue.

“Sweet” Sejanus licked it up, lapping at the head of his dick to catch the few last drops.

Any jealousy he’d felt from seeing him with the other omega was quashed. This alpha wanted him. Despite him not knowing he was an omega, despite his alluring scent being hidden, this alpha was his and his alone.

Sejanus hoisted his pants back up for him and zipped him back away whilst the omega tried to remember which way was up and which was down. Sex with this boy never got old. Never stopped being mind blowing. Whenever he had to think about a time when this would stop and they moved on, he couldn’t bear it, the painful sinking feeling in his chest almost crippling. He never wanted this to end. Even though he knew it must, just not yet, not today.

“I’d ask you back to mine for round two but I know you’d say no” Sejanus sighed.

Coriolanus nodded sadly. He had a proposal to write.

“See you in class” and Sejanus leaned in once more, a chaste kiss pressed to his lips.

What was going on? This was becoming a thing now and it really shouldn’t have been. Kissing was reserved for love and this was not love. Just mind blowing sex. That’s what he repeated to himself on the long walk back home. Again and again.

Chapter 3

He got his proposal ideas down without issue. Writing assignments was probably his strongest skill, though he wasn’t sure what use it would ever be outside the Academy. Still, it was an asset he’d take while he had it.

His argument was simple, mentors should provide strategic aid to their tributes, with viewers engaging by analysing those choices. A tribute’s behaviour could even be shaped if they knew a mentor was watching and rewarding certain actions. A fresh way to spark interest.

It wasn’t rock solid, but it was the only way he could think to help Marcus while also offering a reasonable plan for boosting viewership.

He shoved the essay aside with a sigh. The Games themselves left him cold. Nothing in his nature thrilled at the bloodsport. His instincts leaned the other way entirely, to preserve, to soothe, to nurture. All traits he was desperate to conceal, because they betrayed the truth of what he was. He'd never admit it but he sometimes thought that just starving the districts was enough punishment for the rebellion. He knew the pain of hunger was torturous in and of itself.

 

The next day, he sat waiting in the Academy foyer after dropping his essay off with Gaul. Taking some steadying breaths like he did after any interaction with that terrifying female alpha who he swore could see right through him.

He and the other mentors were awaiting the arrival of their tributes. Him with mounting trepidation. He’d thought Marcus had warmed to him slightly the evening before, but with that also came a worry. His tribute seemed very interested in what he had going on with Sejanus.

Just then something was dropped on the table in front of him. A banana, rare and delicious, his favourite. He glanced around to see Sejanus’s retreating back.

Sejanus never waited around to see the reaction to his kind gestures. It was just his nature, he didn’t do it for the praise.  He seemed almost embarrassed by his own thoughtfulness.

The odd fluttering sensation he got whenever the alpha did anything caring for him rising up in his stomach once more. He turned quickly back to his treasure.

Just as he’d polished off the last bite, the door was opened and the tributes were herded in in a line.

Marcus near the back, looking as disinterested as ever.

“Good morning” he greeted politely, wanting to start off on the right foot.

“Hey” Marcus grunted deeply as he took his seat opposite him.

“I’ve been strategizing ways to get help to you in the arena” he began but was quickly brought up short with shock as Marcus just laughed at him, looking borderline insane.  That was until he realised Coriolanus was still just sitting there, looking non plussed.

“Oh you were serious?”

“Yes very much so” Coriolanus informed him.

“What? You planning for a giant hovercraft to break in the arena and rescue us all? Cos that’s the only level of thinking that can help us now” he muttered sarcastically.

Coriolanus bristled at being made fun of but tried not to show his annoyance, he understood morbid humor was a natural coping mechanism to fear.

“Actually I’ve written a proposal for the idea that mentors are able to send gifts into the arena. Food, water, medicine, that kind of thing” he offered a smile, hoping the alpha would understand that this was a genuine attempt at helping him, but he found himself sucking his teeth in consternation as Marcus continued to guffaw.

“Like the powers at be would allow that ha” he smacked the table “would the gifts come wrapped too? With bows? Oh you crack me up little omega”

Coriolanus felt himself go rigid with shock. No one was allowed to call him that.

“Beta” he hissed in panic.

“Oh yeah right” Marcus rolled his eyes “does lover boy fall for that?”

Coriolanus gulped, eyes flitting over to where Sejanus was conversing with his tribute. They looked deep in conversation and he felt that snare of jealousy close around his throat again. Sejanus offered people the kind of attention that most of the Capitol reserved only for their mirror. And he wanted it on him.

Marcus’s snorting brought his focus back on him abruptly “Didn’t know I’d been cast in some Capitol romance drama. The oblivious alpha hunk, the hidden omega maiden, pining for a bond that could never be” he feigned a swoon.

“Just shut it” he hissed angrily.

“Yeah yeah, cool it blondie your secret’s safe with me” he mimed zipping his mouth up.

It didn’t do much to calm his nerves though. He’d spent years perfecting this lie. If this strange alpha guessed his hidden designation after two conversations, what was stopping anyone else? How long until the Capitol sniffed him out? They did not take kindly to liars.

 

He left the hall with relief, to make his way towards the lunch room, his nerves slightly soothed by seeing his all knowing tribute being herded around and cuffed up by peacekeepers. He may have had knowledge but Coriolanus still held all the power.

Before he made it more than a few steps out the room, there was suddenly a warm presence against his back.

“I need you” was urgently whispered in his ear in that familiar deep timbre, Sejanus’s scent burning stronger than ever. Participating in the games had him in a right tailspin it would appear.

He subtly nodded and turned to follow the alpha in the opposite direction to the other students.

The boy’s locker room. Well it’s not like they hadn’t made use of the locked doors down here before.

Not even a second after the latch of their chosen cubicle slid home, Sejanus was on him.

“Coryo” Sejanus panted against his neck as he fumbled with their clothes, messy kisses smeared around his chin and jaw.

His zipper was yanked down and his layers of clothing shoved just low enough for access before he was spun and pressed into the cubicle wall, his stiff little cock smushed up against the cool ceramic of the locker room tiles.

He heard another zipper undo behind him and craned round to see the tantalising sight of Sejanus ripping open a condom packet and hastily rolling it down his large organ.

“Shit” Sejanus groaned as he held the condom up, a large tear through the rubber “I was too impatient” he grit out in frustration.

“You have another?” Coriolanus asked hopefully, his hole already dilating in hungry anticipation to be filled.

Sejanus shook his head with a stony face.

“You just want a blow job?”  he asked, it wasn’t the same but it was something to sate the burning need he could feel in himself and see on the other.

“I want you” Sejanus moaned balling his hands into fists, his face screwing up in desperation.

Coriolanus bit his lip in indecision before his omega got the better of him. Turning around again he pressed against the alpha’s side “you can do it anyway” he murmured against the other’s neck, straining up on tiptoe to reach closer to his ear “You can’t actually get me pregnant remember”.

It wasn’t a total lie. He’d been on suppressants so long he’d not had a heat in years. Conceiving was a very unlikely occurrence anyway, especially if he made sure not to take a knot.

Sejanus’s eyes were wide open now, gazing at him with burning fire in the depths.

“You sure?” he licked his lips and Coriolanus gave one quick jerk of his head in response.

That was all it took, he was slammed face first back into the wall, biting kisses against his nape as Sejanus got three lubed up fingers into his hole. That boy worked fast.

With a deep press of the digits, a spine tingling  promise of what was about to come, they were removed and replaced by rock hard alpha dick.

“Yes” he shouted out as their bodies were joined once again.

Sejanus was desperate for it, his ragged grunts, his ferocious thrusting and his sharp canines right over where his scent gland would be. Where his scent gland was.

It probably took no more than a minute of intense pounding for his orgasm to be punched out of him. He shot cum against the wall but didn’t go soft, not even slightly, this intense hunger the other had provoked in him not so easily sated.

He was so wrapped up in his own release, he hadn’t noticed at first but Sejanus’s normally large erection was swelling even more so inside him. The size of it feeling frankly absurd as his own organs were shoved to the side to accommodate it, the pressure nearly overwhelming.

With a start he realised what was happening and his inner omega was jubilant. He was about to be knotted by an alpha.

“Please yes” he gasped out, this was the most exhilarating, pleasurable feeling he’d ever experienced and the build up of what he knew was about to happen, had him feeling as if he was about to cum all over again.

“Baby I.. I” Sejanus was holding his hips with a bruising tight grip, his thrusts becoming more and more shallow as his swelling knot prevented him from withdrawing properly and his teeth were so close to breaking skin against his nape.

“Oh god” Sejanus almost whimpered and that was it, a final press forward and Coriolanus felt it, the knot fully expanded and latched on. They were totally joint together.  

Coriolanus’s cock spurted another pitiful drop of cum.

The pressure in his abdomen was insane. As he tried to remember how to breath, he felt it, the deep rhythmic throbbing of the foreign organ inside him, the pulses and then the squirt of thick liquid as he was pumped full of the other’s cum. His virgin womb finally being filled.

“Coryo, Coryo” Sejanus panted behind him in wonder “am I not hurting you?”

Shit. His addled mind suddenly realised how doubly dangerous this was. Not only was he risking pregnancy, he was also risking discovery.

A beta male should not have space for a knot. This should be going basically up through his intestines and into his stomach and it would be agony, not bliss. Not that there wasn’t a small amount of pain. He wasn’t in heat and he’d supressed any hormones that would ease the entry to his womb but beyond that, was just bone deep satisfaction.

He glanced down his body, lifting his shirt to marvel at his usually totally flat tummy. It wasn’t anymore. He could quite clearly see the bump where Sejanus was inside him, every time he felt a spurt of semen he could see the bump tremble and stretch outwards. He pressed a hand to the area and gasped in pleasure at increasing the pressure in his guts even more.

“Coryo?” Sejanus asked again more insistently.

Oh yes, he’d asked a question. Being stuffed to the brim on a knot was actually very distracting.

“No don’t worry it doesn’t hurt”

Sejanus peered over his shoulder to stare at his face, looking as if he didn’t believe him.

“I promise” he stated sincerely “you know I can take a lot down there”

Sejanus huffed a laugh “yeah no kidding”

With a trembling gasp Sejanus’s body quivered and Coriolanus felt the pressure inside him decrease marginally. The knot was finally deflating. He tried not to be disappointed as Sejanus pulled back with a shudder and slid free.

If Coriolanus had thought the usual jarring emptiness after sex was painful, this was agony, he needed something back inside him, anything, he was clenching desperately on air.

“Ah ah” he winced as he turned round and bent double, a gush of cum sliding out of his over stretched hole.

“Oh shit I’m so sorry Coryo” Sejanus placed a supportive arm around his shoulders “does it really hurt?”

Coriolanus forced himself to straighten, trying to relax the grimace he could feel on his face “just a little more stretched than I’m used to” he grit out “I’ll be fine”

He hopped fully out of his Academy skirt and pants to save them becoming stained and eased around Sejanus to leave the cubicle.

He paused when Sejanus asked in confusion “Where’s the rest of the cum?” he was peering down at the streaks of it across his thighs “there should be a literal puddle of it”.

Coriolanus smiled contentedly and patted the bulge of his stomach, he knew where it was, he felt all sloshy inside with it. But Sejanus wasn’t supposed to know about that.

“I dunno” he shrugged as if totally disinterested, desperately trying to make him drop it. He squeezed passed the alpha to hobble to the showers to try and wash as much cum and alpha scent off him as possible before their arena tour.

Once relatively clean, he shoved his uniform back on to find Sejanus still standing by the cubicle, a look of utter confusion on his face.

Alarm bells rang. If Sejanus applied any hint of agile thinking to what had just occurred he was very much in trouble.

He forced a mask of complacency on his face “come on knot brain, we’ll be late for the transport”.

He tugged at the other’s arm to get him to move, praying the harsh reality the tour would provide would snap Sejanus out of his worryingly deep contemplation.

Chapter 4

During their arena tour, he kept glancing to Sejanus and his omega tribute as they made their way around, staring up at the domed roof silently. He couldn’t help but think Sejanus looked distracted, troublingly so.

Marcus was silent by his side too. But his eyes were busy, scoping out the stands, checking the distance between their marks and the arena centre, that’s where the all important weapons stash would be placed. Well at least it always had been in the past.

“You think you can climb these?” Marcus asked him as he  stood, head craned back as he looked up the vertical wall separating the arena floor from the stands.

“If you’re a good enough climber I suppose” he shrugged he thought he remembered one year someone had gotten up there somehow, maybe using a rope. He guessed Marcus probably never got to see much of the previous games with the lack of technology in the districts and the fact he may not have wanted to witness his own people’s children be slaughtered.

“No I know I could” he corrected him “I meant would I like get in trouble or some shit?”

“Oh right” he nodded in understanding “I doubt it, they just want entertaining after all” he stated bluntly.

Marcus met his eyes with an incredulous raise of his brows. Whoops maybe that had been a little too close to home for him. He meant to apologise for being so apathetic but before he could, a new look crossed this alpha’s face. He went very still and slowly leant in closer,  taking deep inhales.

Coriolanus felt him self freeze too. Was he smelling the sheer volume of the other alpha’s cum inside him? That would not be good if other people noticed that too.

He edged back and just as Marcus opened his mouth, probably to make that forbidden observation, the ground beneath them heaved.

The blast threw him hard against the stands. Dust smoke and flying stone filled his vision. The roar of it more pain than sound.

Through the haze he saw Marcus sprinting for the exit. Sprinting for escape.

Coriolanus started after him, it would be safer outside. But then he saw peacekeepers levelling guns at the exit, he might be allowed out but Marcus would not be allowed to follow.

He picked up his pace, pounding his feet around the edge of the arena, Marcus just in front, but the distance was widening.

“Marcus no!” he screamed across the din of the carnage “they’ll kill you”.

Marcus’s feet slowed, hesitation holding him back. Coriolanus finally caught up, meters from the turnstiles.

Gasping, he placed a withstraining hand on his tribute’s arm “you’ll never make it out there” he panted out heavily, breathing deeply through each word “You have a shot in the games, don’t waste it” he begged, meeting the crazed looking alpha who was still longingly flitting his gaze out at the arena exit, at his perceived chance of freedom.

“Don’t risk it” he pleaded one last time and Marcus’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

And Coriolanus breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

They followed the peacekeepers, who were herding those left standing out through the exit. The armed guards formed a perimeter around them as they waited for the others to appear.

He nervously looked around. He’d spied the bodies splayed out on the arena floor but his desperate dash to catch his tribute had meant he’d not had time to put names to those fallen faces.

Sejanus his mind rang out, he wasn’t out here amongst them yet. As the time ticked on and the number trickling out had slowed to nothing, his panic kicked in. His heart raced faster than when he’d been sprinting, his body broke out in a cold sweat. What if the worst had happened?

Then he spotted her, being escorted out of the exit, looking dazed. Sejanus’s tribute. The omega girl, what was her name?

“Lucy!” he tried, running over.

She turned to look at him with startled, curious eyes and then he saw it, she had blood all over her hands and although dusty looking, she did not look injured herself.

“Sejanus?” the name trembled from his lips and her face fell. She turned back behind her and he followed her gaze.

There was a pounding of feet and then three medics came running out of the smoke. A stretcher held between them and on it was his alpha.

Sejanus was covered in blood and tubes. An oxygen mask concealing his normally so expressive features.

Coriolanus felt the breath leave his body as he watched their hurried progress. Two medics slid the stretcher into the back of a waiting ambulance jumping up to follow and slamming the doors with a noise that echoed inside his hollow chest.

The third medic dashed for the cab, the engine starting thrummed through the air and with a squeal the ambulance took off. Sirens blaring and lights flashing, finally causing his eyes to drop the vision of their wounded casualty. Sejanus, who looked seconds away from death.

The ambulance was gone now and with it every semblance of control he ever thought he had over the feelings he had for its casualty.  

His legs went out beneath him before he even thought to fight the pull of gravity. The slightly dewy grass outside the arena making a damp but soft resting place for his stricken body, his mind’s only defence from the agony he felt, was the sweet draw of unconsciousness.

 

He awoke to a beeping noise. He shot his eyes open and peered around. A hospital bed. His befuddlement quickly morphed to understanding. The explosion. His escape and then Sejanus.

He heaved his body up to sit, forcing away the dizziness that accompanied rising too quickly.

“Ah my patient is back with us I see” a beta male doctor rounded his curtains to peer at him with curious eyes “how are we doing?”

“Fine” he gulped. Doctors unnerved him considerably. Some of that irrational instinct and some of that rational reasoning that they had a better chance than any of unpicking his hidden designation.

“Your beta status?” the doctor flicked open a file he was holding.

Coriolanus glanced around quickly, anxiety rising in his chest. He nodded for the doctor to go on.

“Has that ever been tested?”

“I don’t know” he stammered

“It’s just your bloods don’t quite look right. Your hormone levels are quite off for a beta male”

Coriolanus couldn’t speak, nerves preventing a single sound escaping him.

A test. A medical test would reveal everything. His repressed hormones, his illegal suppressants all of his lies. The deception would never be forgiven. Not from him, not from the Capitol.

The doctor flipped the file back closed “I’m arranging for more tests, just sit tight here and someone will be along shortly”

Coriolanus nodded stiffly.

“Oh what did you say your name was again? We can’t exactly keep calling you patient 375, can we”

He met the doctors smile with a quivering one of his own.

“Marcus Arcilla” he stated, sounding robotic and insincere. Fear, pain and confusion eliminating any ability he had to lie convincingly.

He needed out of here.

As soon as the doctor left him, the tubes and wires in his arms were ripped out and he was sprinting down the corridor.

RADIOLOGY

MATERNITY

NEUROLOGY

MAJOR INJURY

As that last one flashed by him, he ground to a halt. That sounded eerily promising.

He hurtled up the stairs in that direction. And stepped out into a strikingly white and clinical looking space. This ward was much more severe than where he’d been checked over.

Each bed had huge machines on either side, thick tubes and spindly webs of wires spilling out of them.

The setting causing him to shudder in distress. Disease and death gripped the place.

An occupied bed drew his attention, an unconscious body adorned entirely from cranium to ankle in plaster cast, lay there. Unmoving a part from a machine jerkingly rising and falling, air being shoved inside the mummified looking being. The only comfort he could take was the obvious shape beneath the bandages. That was a female. Not Sejanus.

He hurried on, feeling unnerved as he passed closely by the other patient.

There was a commotion up ahead. Medical staff were urgently moving around a bed, instructions being passed back and forth, equipment being opened and utilised in whatever life saving way they deemed necessary.

And sitting quietly to the side, were Mr and Mrs Plinth.

He’d found Sejanus.

Chapter 5

It was the day after Sejanus's 16^th Birthday party. Coriolanus had managed to leave his keys at the Plinth Manor and was faced with a long trek back in the dark to retrieve them, as he’d only realised once he was already on the Corso.

He could be excused his ditzy moment, he felt. He’d recently had his world sent of kilter by his very dramatic presentation as an omega.

His first and only heat before he’d started sharing Tigris’s suppressants, and by god had it put him through the wringer. So much unbearable pain, so much yearning for something he wasn’t even sure how to name, he just wanted so much it made him feel as if he was going mad. Tigris had helped him through it, a cool cloth on his brow, some toys he wasn’t even sure what to do with and plenty of scenting with her muted but still sweet honeysuckle smell.

Eventually his ‘flu’ had passed and he’d returned to classes, in some ways very much the same person. He still had secrets to hide and images to uphold but instead of it just being his wealth status it had been his wolf status too.

The biggest change had been from Sejanus. Well not from him per se, he’d always trailed at his heels like a loyal and clingy puppy. It was his reaction to that, that had changed. What had once filled him with annoyance and suffocation, turned to a sense of safety and a beautiful feeling of being seen by someone, seen and cared about.

Sejanus had had his own ‘flu’ the year before, presenting unusually early as an alpha and proudly parading his superiorly sized body around the Academy. As an unpresented teen, this had irked Coriolanus immensely but once he’d had his own designation bestowed upon him, all it did was light a fire in his insides. An unquenchable one.

That was why as he scoured the eerily darkened halls of the Plinth’s Manor, trailing through the discarded remnants of his friend’s party in search of his missing keys, what happened had happened.

“Who’s there?” an intimidating alpha voice called out.

Coriolanus paused and held his breath, but then realised he was basically asking to get attacked that way “it’s me” he hesitantly called back instead.

“Coryo?” the teen alpha sounded a lot less scary now.

“Yes”

“Shit I thought you were a burglar” there was a click and the lights suddenly blinded him “what are you still doing here, sneaking around in the dark?”

“I lost my keys” he shrugged apologetically.

Sejanus sighed and trailed his eyes wearily over the very large room covered in a very large mess.

“Can we look in the morning? I’m done in”

Coriolanus nervously shuffled his feet. Was it an invite to stay over?

“Come on my bed’s huge” Sejanus called as he wandered out into the hallway to the imposing staircase.

Coriolanus plodded after him, way too tired after walking from between there and the Corso, twice in one night, to argue or overthink it.

 

Sejanus was right. His bed was huge. But it really would have had to be as big as a football field to stop the inevitable.

About an hour after he’d nodded off he became aware of a very large weight pressed against his back.

Not only that but there was something very large and very hard pressing even more firmly into his backside.

The warm pine scent made his mouth water. It was pure Sejanus, but even richer, more decadent, the scent of arousal. Almost immediately after his first whiff he felt his little cock spring up for attention, blood pounding down to fill his cock up as well as down to his back passage, preparing to make slick but being stopped by the suppressants. That didn’t stop the deep throbbing he felt back there though, the need to be touched and stretched out.

Sejanus was groaning harshly, his hips jerking more insistently.

In what he could only describe as sleep addled insanity he wiggled his boxers down to his knees to press his bare ass back into Sejanus’s still clothed cock. It was better, but still not good enough. He wanted the real thing, he ached for it.

He flipped over and got his hands on Sejanus’s pyjama bottoms, planning to yank them down, but that’s when Sejanus woke up.

His eyes widened in alarm but as Coriolanus gave him a sultry smile of permission, his face split into an anticipatory grin too.

The alpha quickly accomplished what Coriolanus had set out to do and had his huge cock free from his pyjamas.

Coriolanus reached for it eagerly to run his hands over the appendage curiously. It was hot and the skin felt tight, he could feel the sheer volume of blood it took to make that thing as turgid as it was feeling. The flesh thrummed with it, pulsating with every beat of the alpha’s heart.

He didn’t know what he was doing but that wouldn’t let that stop him exploring the treasure trove of the alpha’s body. Running his delicate hands curiously over taut straining muscle, marvelling at the texture of his rougher, coarser skin. He was just so big and masculine, Coriolanus knew if he could, slick would be pouring out of his hole.

As if hearing his thoughts, Sejanus’s hands began their own exploration, running down his back, over his tiny waist and down to the fleshy globes of his ass. Squeezing and kneading at the flesh, an exploratory finger running up and down the crease, sending tingles across his skin when Sejanus’s thick digit grazed across his entrance.

“In me, please” he felt himself almost begging, his inner omega sneaking up to the surface.

“Oh” Sejanus exhaled heavily “are you sure?”

He pressed himself up alluringly against the alpha’s side, perking his ass up into the other’s hands and giving it the slightest wiggle. As temptingly as he could.

And it worked, the finger was quickly taken away and when it appeared next it was nice and moist and very eager to do as it’d been asked.

Coriolanus felt as if his body was going to shake apart as that single finger breached him, up to the knuckle and then Sejanus slowly pulled it back to press back in all the way. The finger inside felt phenomenal, the rest of his hand stuffed up tightly against his perineum felt exquisite and the smell of purest, lust crazed alpha smelt even more so.

The rest went in a bit of a blur. He remembered Sejanus tottering off and reappearing with lube and a condom.

He remembered mewling like a kitten as Sejanus worked him open on his hand and he remembered Sejanus shoving him face first into the mattress to rail him into the next week.

They hadn’t kissed, Sejanus had cum in a condom and he’d cum about 6 times onto the mattress but he didn’t think Sejanus noticed every time.

The next morning after they’d crashed in exhaustion, had a shower, found his keys and he’d been fed breakfast, Sejanus had walked him to the door, looking tentative.

“You wouldn’t want to do that with me again some time?” he’d asked, sounding so much younger and unsure of himself than he had in the dark of the night before.

Coriolanus should have given the repercussions more thought, but his treacherous little omega broke forth first “Sure I’d love to” he offered a sweet smile and set off down their driveway “see you in class” he called over his shoulder.

It wasn’t until he was away from the lust inducing pheromones that he paused to think if that had really been the best idea. He was trying to keep his designation a secret, surely that meant he should be keeping his body and his genitalia as much to himself as possible. But then again, it turned out getting fucked by an alpha was the best feeling on the planet and there was no way he wasn’t doing that again... and again.

It was a thing, beta males did have anal sex. Maybe not often with an alpha male but still not impossible. He could make it work.

And it had been working. He convinced himself of that constantly. It had worked right up until the moment this stupid, unconscious, seriously ill alpha had got himself blown up.

His desperate mind was ripped from his happy fantasies by a doctor approaching.

“My name’s Dr Klent, I work in neorology” the female beta greeted him.

He couldn’t summon up the words to answer so he went back to watching the rise and fall of Sejanus’s chest. Just as he had done for the past 24 hours.

“Well don’t mind me” she continued kindly “I’m just going to carry out a brain scan”

A large machine was wheeled in and she started moving things around on Sejanus’s body, tubes were disconnected and moved elsewhere, additional wires were added to the mass already connecting Sejanus to whatever things were keeping him alive.

There was a brief pause in the reassuring beeps of the equipment and he felt his heart stop with them. The doctor didn’t seem concerned though. Just shifting Sejanus’s equipment around as a mechanic would sort the parts of an engine.

The beeps started up again, but Coriolanus couldn’t quite bring himself to focus enough, after the panic, to figure the whole set up out. What good would it do? If he listened, observed, paid attention, got to learn this set up like he did for everything in life. Would it help? No. Would it allow him any control over the situation? No. So there was no point. He was just going to sit here until Sejanus woke up, or he died. That was all he could think to do.

It could have been a day later, it could have been a few minutes, the next thing he knew his cousin was slowly approaching him, a look of apprehension on the angular plains of her face.

“Hey Coryo” she came closer “we’ve been worried, maybe you need to come home now?”

He looked at her blearily. Yes home. He’d kind of forgotten that place existed. But then he wouldn’t be able to see Sejanus and something bad could happen.

“I don’t want to leave him alone” he croaked, his voice raspy from disuse and probably dehydration.

“I know” Tigris sighed with sympathy, reaching to wrap her arms around him in his chair, her familiar muted but still sweet honeysuckle smell offering a semblance of calming comfort from the turmoil he was in.

“I bumped into Mrs Plinth in the lobby, she’ll be up to sit with him in a minute” she informed him in a gentle tone.

Maybe he could go home. Just to sleep for a little bit and then he’d be right back.

Tigris had retreated now and was looking around the room a little nervously, he could tell she had something else to say.

“Is something wrong?”

“No no” she hurried to reassure him before taking a deep breath to continue “it’s just Dr Gaul called last night from the academy and she was wondering why you weren’t there for the broadcast?”

Broadcast. Oh no. The tributes were supposed to be interviewed before the start of the games.

The games.

He’d totally forgotten, but the arena was destroyed so surely...

“They’re not still happening?” He gasped out in disbelief “they cancelled the games right?” he panicked.

Tigris resolutely shook her head.

If the broadcast was last night the games would be starting today, maybe they already had. And if Marcus had done that interview without him, what in the world could he have said to the masses?

He jumped up, stomach churning and heart racing, fast and quivering.

He made for the door, before Tigris had to catch him around the middle as his sudden movement to uprightness had sent his head spinning.

This was not good, he needed to get to the Academy.

“When was the last time you ate anything?” she got an arm looped under his armpits to hold him steady “drank anything?” she continued.

To which he could only shrug helplessly.

“Look, we’ll go by the Corso so you can grab what you need and then get to the Academy, yeah?”

He nodded, that was probably the best plan, he couldn’t exactly participate as a mentor when he could barely hold his head up.

A slight change in the monotonous tone of the beep pattern that had been his constant companion the last day suddenly brought his attention back to the room’s immobile occupant.

Sejanus still lay there, his life still balancing on the brink. Could he really leave him? What if this was it? What if he didn’t make it through the next few days and he got back from the games to find him gone? He felt torn in two. He needed to see Marcus through to victory but he also needed these moments with the alpha, they could be his last.

But if Sejanus died, he needed the prize more than anything. The alpha was always able to help him out of any tricky financial situations, with a few subtle manipulations from himself. Without him he was entirely on his own. He needed that prize money more than ever.

With one last look at the one person who ever made him feel whole. He forced himself away. Shutting the pain, fear and sorrow away in a box. He couldn’t feel that right now, he had to focus on the games. With a heavy heart, he allowed Tigris to steer him out of the ward.

Chapter 6

Notes:

Out of all the times I’ve written the 10th games now, this is definitely the most graphic... for a reason, but please be warned, some of this is quite gross and violent.

 

He was the last one there Coriolanus noticed, as he took his seat. But the screens were still tribute free. The Capitol Emblem shining out at them instead.

He took a moment to compose himself, checking out the computer thingy he had at his desk, the same as everyone else.

On it were a list of items, things he figured he could send his tributes and at the top was a counter. His screen said 10.

He glanced across at Lyssie and Felix’s screens on each of his sides, theirs said the same. It appeared that his idea to send help to the tributes had been approved and he guessed the counter meant he was allowed to do so 10 times. He’d have to make sure when he did that he made it count.

“Hello” tap tap “This thing on?” Lucky Flickerman appeared out of the wings and took centre stage “students, mentors, faculty” he addressed the room “we are on in two. We all ready?”

He was met by a nervous silence, Coriolanus looked around at his closest class mates. A sea of unsure, teenagers who were almost comically out of their depths.

“All right then” Lucky continued “and it’s time, good luck, good luck, good luck” he hurried through the rows of mentors to address each before bounding back onto the stage.

With a click, Lucky appeared on the large monitor. They were live.

“Welcome to the tenth annual hunger games” he cheered exuberantly.

After introductions, the screen flickered to the arena. It looked like a war zone. Slabs of toppled concrete, piles of rubble. Some fresher looking blood stains. He gulped down a sudden surge of bile.

Then the camera panned in on the figures of the tributes. Standing stock still on their marks, fear rendering them immobile as statues.

He took a shaky breath through his nose, nausea clawing at the back of his throat and then the cannon fired.

The tributes were off in a flurry of movement. He struggled to make Marcus out in the fray.

Already tributes were down. The screens of his peers flickering out just as the life they represented had.

The bodies were thinning. Flickerman made some quip about them being out of shot of the cameras. As his eyes darted across the large screen he spotted what might be the culprit. Craters littered the walls and floors now, a violent consequence of the bombs. The missing tributes must have fled down there.

That only left six figures on the screen.

The sole alpha female, two beta males and the three alpha males. Marcus amongst them.

Circling around each other, each clutching their chosen weapon.

Marcus was wielding a club with precision, striking out at any attempts to get at him.

The female knocked another alpha’s axe aside and ran him through with her spear. The head of it poked through the alpha’s thick torso and she had to yank to get it back out. Before his body dropped, bits of blood and nameless slime splattered to the floor.

Coriolanus felt the blood drain from his face and his mouth was filled with sour saliva. He gulped and stared at the ground, forcing his eyes away and taking deep shaky breaths.

He tried to glance back, to check on Marcus but he couldn’t bring himself to look, he wasn’t normally so delicate over the sight of blood and gore but something about this was turning his stomach.

He concentrated on his breathing instead. He needed to get it together if he was going to be any help to Marcus.

Just then there was a squelch and a crunch and he stupidly glanced up to see Marcus’s club had connected with a beta male’s skull. Sour bile rose ominously in his stomach and he curled in on himself trying to keep it all together. Willing the rising sickness back down.

There were just 3 of them circling now. The other beta had grabbed a bow and some arrows and was up on some rubble, attempting to hit the others, but his aim was way off. It was obvious he’d never picked up a bow in his life.

An arrow whistled way above Marcus’s head as he faced the female. His club against her spear. She was jabbing at him with immense force and speed but she was just wasn’t able to connect as Marcus ducked and dived around her. On one particularly brutal thrust of her spear, she didn’t withdraw quickly enough and Marcus got a hit in. Her arm was quite clearly shattered by the impact and she dropped her weapon with an agonized scream. She dropped to her knees, clutching at the exposed bone in her upper arm.

As she fell, Marcus snatched up her discarded spear and drove it through her neck.

At the same time the other remaining male alpha, Coriolanus thought from 4, had managed to get close enough to the bow wielding beta and had swept his feet out from underneath him. He thudded to the ground, his face connecting with the concrete of the block of rubble with enough force to send blood spraying in all directions.

Coriolanus was actually gulping down vomit now. But if he looked away and Marcus lost. That was it. Game over for him. With no Sejanus and no Plinth Prize he was screwed. He had to do whatever he could to help and he couldn’t do that staring at the formica of the floor.

Marcus was left with just one other male alpha. The final duel. The tribute from 4 sprinted for him, his sword raised up high. Marcus turned and ran in the opposite direction but the other was gaining fast. He was much lighter on his feet than Marcus’s great bulk allowed.

Marcus was heading towards another slab of rubble, only just making it there on time before 4’s tribute lunged at him.

Marcus jumped up onto the slab, just avoiding the point of the sword by an inch, and leapt straight over the other alpha’s head. Before he could reposition to face him, Marcus had backhanded him across the head with his club and he thudded to the ground.

The arena was suddenly silent, the only sound his tribute’s, harsh laboured breathing and the steady drip of blood off his weapon.

Marcus hung his head, shoulders swaying slowly from left to right as he appeared to survey the massacre. He turned away and dropped himself down on a nearby lump of rubble. His bloodied club hanging limply from his right hand.

Coriolanus breathed a sigh of relief at the momentary break from the nauseating gore. He’d not fainted or thrown up his measly breakfast all over the floor and his tribute had survived the best looking fighters in the arena.

As the arena stilled, so did his stomach. Only then did he remember the tokens glowing at the top of his screen. He was an active participant after all. He clicked on a water bottle and waited. People did need to drink water to survive. Well, unless they were in a coma.

He shook his head rapidly to rid himself of the thought and watched as a whirring shape appeared on the big screen, heading for his tribute. Marcus’s head darted up at the noise. He stood to brace himself as it got closer. It was going very fast.

He dropped into a crouch, hands cupped in readiness in front of him. He dodged left and right and finally managed to clasp the bottle in his hands, the drone sailing on passed and crashing into the wall behind.

Marcus unscrewed the cap, made a cheers gesture up at the camera and chugged it down. Discarding the empty bottle with a smash of glass on the arena floor.

Now that all the fighters had been taken down by his tribute and the more timid were hiding in the arena walls. There was nothing really to watch. Marcus prowled around the arena floor, picking up what ever weapons were left lying around before swinging a few around in an assessing manner and then piling them all up in a stash. He settled himself on a larger bit of rubble, in front of his payload and looked content to wait it out like that.

As the hours crawled by, Coriolanus began to realise that this was even more boring than previous years. Normally the predictable bloodbath ran on uninterrupted until someone was left, but now with the hiding spots and promise of gifts to elongate the length of possible survival, it had just drawn out the boredom even longer.

He sent a bit more food and water throughout the day. The only one of his remaining classmates who could, as their tributes were nowhere to be seen.

As it got dark, Coriolanus headed home for the night, to wash off the cold sweat he’d been in all day, try and force some dinner down and attempt to sleep, but he was back before it even got light.

As the sun rose on the next day, Marcus was seen sitting with a bloodied pick axe poised between the two largest craters. At least 10 bodies lay by the gaps, their dented heads covered in blood. Marcus seemed to have found a very efficient strategy at seeing them off.

As the day dragged on, whenever another tribute popped up, driven by curiosity, desperation, maybe claustrophobia, Marcus lunged and dispensed with them. Rinse and repeat.

If it wasn’t for his ability to count the still lit screens, four. He’d have totally lost track of how many were left and he already had no clue who it was still down there.

The viewers in the capitol would have no hope. If there even was still anyone left watching this drivel, which he kind of doubted. This mentor scheme had evidently been a catastrophic failure.

Not only was it a totally unfair way to determine the Plinth prize winner, it had also put the mentors in harms way unnecessarily. All at the expense of Sejanus. And it hadn’t even worked. The games were still dull as darning socks.

How dare Gaul and her machinations, her desperation for attention and revenge have done this to him.

He felt himself shake with outrage. He hoped her precious games were cancelled, have her humiliated, make her see that she can’t just go around callously manipulating other people’s lives without consequence.

He imagined her, sitting now, high and mighty in her lab. Viewing the carnage of her creation. Smirking at the violence she, once again, had orchestrated.

As if to annunciate his point, another tribute popped up then, only to be brutally struck down with a hammer blow from Marcus.

Pollo’s screen blinked out and he stood, looking almost relieved that he could finally leave.

Three left. Coriolanus supressed another yawn and used his second last token to send his tribute some more water. Surely the misery would be over soon. He felt as if he’d been stuck at this desk for years. It had only been two days. Good god but he was sooooo bored.

His other classmates floated away as the sun set once more. He figured he’d leave in a little bit.

The room was dark when he was woken with a sudden jolt. There was a scuffling noise coming from the large monitor speakers.

He peered into the gloom of the screen. What was he seeing? Dark shapes shifted around and gruff harsh noises filled the empty auditorium through the speakers.

It sounded like a struggle.

As the seconds ticked on, his tense breathing got worse. What was happening?

Maybe fortunately, maybe not, at that moment a cloud must have shifted, allowing the moonshine through and the screen was abruptly illuminated.

His tribute appeared, trapped under a net. Desperately thrashing around to escape the others. A male and female beta were holding the net tight to prevent his escape.

Coriolanus felt powerless. All it would take was one of those tributes to grab a weapon and Marcus would be killed. He couldn’t fight back, pinned down as he was.

All Coriolanus had was a token. One left. He could send food or water or medicine. None of which could help. But then again. All Marcus needed was a weapon. Something to fight back with and pretty much anything could be used as a weapon if you were desperate enough.

He clicked water. And waited whilst his breaths became more ragged and his empty stomach rolled.

The drone finally whirred into view. Straight at his tribute. There was no hope of him catching its bounty properly, not through a net, but he hoped something would get to him.

The thing crashed to the ground, water splashed out along with shards of glass.

Marcus scrambled across the floor, under his net, for it. The captors reacted, but not quickly enough.

As the boy lunged to grab him, Marcus thrust up with the jagged top of the smashed bottle.

Cutting through the rope and right into the other’s throat. Blood sprayed out everywhere and the tribute stumbled back, clutching and clawing at the glass embedded in his neck but it only took a minute for him to crumple to his knees and then land face first on the ground.

Clemmie’s unattended screen went black.

The other tribute retreated backwards, fear etched on her face as Marcus rose up, using the hole his bottle had sliced in the net to get his hands into the tear and rip the whole thing in two. Like the thing was made of flimsy lace.

The terrified looking girl staggered backwards, unable to take her eyes off the advancing alpha.

She brandished a sword in front of her, but it was entirely pointless. As Marcus reached her, he knocked the beta’s weapon bearing arm to the side, with that one swipe the sword clattered to the ground and the alpha went straight for her neck.

Raising her inches from the floor with his bare hands, he twisted and dropped the beta, flopping to the ground like a spineless fish.

Vipsania’s screen flickered out.

And that was it. Marcus stood as the lone victor. He didn’t look proud. Or afraid. He just surveyed the scene with weary detachment.

Coriolanus couldn’t quite feel triumphant either. If he’d have won the Plinth prize two weeks ago through his own academic achievement, he would have been jubilant.

But right now he just felt hollow. Traumatised and sickened by the total waste he had just witnessed. What had any of that even accomplished?

Other than about 10 minutes, maximum, of actual gripping entertainment. The rest of the nearly three days had been almost painful in their tedium. What could anyone have taken away from that? No one would have even seen the finale. It was 3 in the morning. He grimaced away the ill feeling that settled over him.

The monitor feed had cut off now. Marcus gone from their screen.

With limbs shaking from exhaustion, he pushed himself up from his desk.

“You did it Coryo” a voice congratulated from the entry to the auditorium.

He glanced up and tried to force a smile at his cousin but all he felt were his facial muscles twitching uncooperatively.

“Shit, are you okay?” Tigris hurried towards him,  peering at his face “you’re really pale” she stated with concern.

He frowned, in all honesty he felt absolutely dreadful.

Tigris looped an arm around him “come on let’s get you home”

As they were slowly making their way down the academy steps, Tigris took a deep breath and paused, giving him a quizzical look.

“Did you forget your suppressant?” her tone was casual but the way she stared at him certainly wasn’t.

He shook his head. He may have been a bit distracted recently but he knew he’d taken it the other night.

“That’s odd” she said shrugging, but continued to help his weary body down the steps.

Chapter 7

The next day, after a few hours of fitful sleep, Coriolanus still felt horrible. He couldn’t even stomach his coffee, which was normally a requirement for him to get going in the morning.

He figured he’d have to get to the Academy at some point though, everybody else would have just woken up to the news of Marcus’s victory, which meant he would be collecting his Plinth prize.

It was normally handed out by Strabo, but he guessed that probably wouldn’t be the case due to present circumstances. He promptly shook his head to rid himself of that thought and hurried out the apartment.

He could have sworn he heard Tigris calling after him on the way out but he didn’t want to linger anywhere too long, in case his thoughts got the better of him again.

The games had provided a welcome distraction from the turmoil he felt about the situation at the hospital, but now reality was still waiting for him and he really did not want to face the pain that would slap him with.

He distractedly hopped on board a trolley, just feeling too weak and sickly to attempt the walk that day. Honestly he wasn’t one to succumb to illness but the past couple of days he just had not felt right. It must have been all the stress.

He was so lost in thought, he barely noticed another trolley user getting unnervingly close, until he was suddenly assaulted by a face full of petrichor alpha scent, cloying up his nostrils, a deep, resonating growl being emitted his way.

He froze and slowly darted his eyes sideways to see an older male alpha eyeing him up with hungry eyes.

He gulped and looked away. He was on suppressants, there was no reason for a male alpha to growl at him, other than at some perceived offence or territorial misdemeanour. Maybe he’d inadvertently sat in his seat.  There was just no way it was because he thought he was a ripe little omega. Impossible.

But as the trolley clattered on to its next stop, the alpha was not letting up. Leaning even closer into his seat with a deep rumbling sounding out of his chest.

Coriolanus’s omega whimpered. This was not an alpha they liked. It must have been his omega instinct because it certainly wasn’t him who reached for the bell, several stops too early and scuttled off the vehicle.

A decently long walk was the last thing he wanted but that alpha had made him feel all kinds of awful, so here he was trudging along the sidewalk the rest of the way to the Academy.

He was absolutely exhausted by the time he was back up the steps and into the Academy foyer. Without even glancing around he plopped himself into an alcove to have a rest and try and compose himself before he’d have to face other people.

“Aaaah Coryo!” He glanced up to see Clemmie and Arachne hurrying over to him.

“You did it!” Clemmie squealed and dived in to give him a hug.

“Always have to be the best don’t we?” Arachne sneered “honestly some would think you were an alpha with your insistence on winning everything”

He gave a terse smile in her direction, not possessing the energy to snark back at her.

She furrowed her brows calculatingly “but from the smell of you, it’s an omega you’ve been keeping company with. Anyone I know?”

“No” he stated, not caring his response bypassed blunt and went straight to rude.

“Really do have alpha aspiration don’t you” she said, turning away abruptly “come on Clem”

Clemmie squeezed his shoulder and made to follow “I’m pleased for you Coryo” she smiled and he returned it.

“Oh and congrats on the girlfriend” she giggled before hurrying after Arachne.

Girlfriend? Company with an omega? Were they smelling Tigris on him? Those girls were just two betas, they didn’t even have strong noses for that kind of thing.

He leant against the wall of his alcove, too strung out to give it much thought.

He should have been sharing in their jubilation for his win. He’d done it. Guaranteed himself a spot at the University and enough money for years of suppressants for him and Tigris. Instead he just wanted to curl in a ball and never emerge, hide from the world and the painful empty hole in his chest. The one that was crying out for something. Or maybe someone.

“Do you want to congratulate me first or should I congratulate you?” a gruff alpha voice asked. Not the one he really wanted to hear though.

He offered his victorious tribute a shaky smile.

“Or fuck that cos you look terrible” Marcus dropped down next to him in the alcove, squidging him up against the stone wall, “What’s up? You not happy about your win?”

Coriolanus shrugged. Happy, no. Relieved, yes.

“I...” he fought to summon up a word to describe it.

“Feeling a bit empty?”

“Yes” Coriolanus admitted on an exhale “how did you...”

Marcus shrugged, cutting him off “I feel the same. Everyone’s praising me, congratulating me on my ‘victory’” he bunny eared the last word “but I’m a murderer plain and simple. I don’t deserve praise. If I’d done what I did in any other situation, I’d be hanged for acts of criminal insanity”.

Coriolanus felt himself nod in agreement, "Don’t feel guilty though, you were forced to do all that”. For once, he allowed his natural omega empathy to carry in his words. 

“Oh I know" Marcus brushed aside quickly. "None of it's my fault. I just feel angry at the bastards responsible”

“Yeah me too” Coriolanus sighed without really thinking the implications through of admitting that.

“What?” the alpha spluttered.

“The mentorship scheme” he tried to explain “it was supposed to rejuvenate the games, reignite people’s interest in them, and all we’ve managed to achieve is....”

“Turning them into a giant human whack a mole?”

Coriolanus snorted despite himself “which sounds quite entertaining in theory” he chuckled drily.

“If it hadn’t gone on for three days” Marcus finished “Keep that up, the games will be cancelled in no time” he stated, sounding optimistic.

“Here’s hoping” Coriolanus agreed again. Finding his conversation with the district boy, strangely freeing. He didn’t have to watch his tongue for once in his life.

“Really you’re not in support of them?” Marcus asked in surprise.

“Ambivalent really” he rolled his eyes “but I would just love to see the look on Gaul’s face if her precious games are cancelled”

“Not a fan?” the alpha asked raising his brows curiously.

“That bitch got Sejanus blown up" he grit out, wincing at finally letting the name out.

“We were told that was rebels”

“Oh no” Coriolanus corrected the misunderstanding “I meant it was her mentorship scheme that had us in the arena in the first place” then he paused to think “but now that you say it” could Gaul have had something to do with it? He shrugged, that line of thought was far too draining.

“How is your alpha anyway?” Marcus changed the subject to an even more unwelcome one.

He could barely look at him as he answered "I don’t know”.

Just then he spotted the distinctly low to the ground figure of his loathsome Dean heading over and scooted to the edge of the alcove to stand up.

“Well I’d go see him soon little omega, cos your scent is all kinds of messed up” with that Marcus wandered out of the foyer.

Coriolanus felt his shoulders slump, he just couldn’t though.

Dean Highbottom approached him then, to begrudgingly congratulate him, make a snide remark about cheating by swapping tributes and inform him he had to head to the hall to be presented his prize by Dr Gaul.

He sighed wearily. Not that total lunatic again. She was mentally exhausting on a good day, today he really did not want to face her. He did want that prize though.

“My sincerest congratulations Mr Snow” she extended a latex adorned hand towards him, sounding anything but sincere “how interesting you and your Victor are turning out to be”

He shook her hand as quickly as he could get away with and grabbed his certificate.

“I’m looking forward to seeing more of you at the University” she sing songed the last word in that deranged way she had of feigning childish excitement.

It only filled him with dread. Now he had the prize, he had the spot at the top University which meant he was supposed to be studying under this unnerving alpha directly. He felt a strong surge of dread rise up as he descended the steps from the stage, which was only made worse as her next words were broadcast to the student body.

“Now I do hope you will join me in celebrating Mr Snow’s achievement at a Celebratory Banquet, here tonight”

He attempted to scuttle out the room. Maybe if she saw him leave he could later claim he never heard about the party to explain his planned absence, but her next words cut that plan to shreds immediately.

“The Capitol will be watching. 7 PM sharp”

And he knew that was directed solely at his retreating back.

He hurried away through the milling students. The alphas amongst his classmates giving him some bizarre looks that unsettled him deeply.

Not knowing where his feet were taking him, before he was crunching his way up the gravel of the Plinth’s driveway.

As he let himself in and crept towards the alpha’s bedroom he tried to tell himself this was a reasonable thing to be doing. He was craving something and if that thing was inaccessible to him right now, this was the next best alternative.

The smell hit him in the gut. Sejanus’s aroma pouring from every surface. Not the injured, bitter tinged scent from the hospital, but the warming comfort that Sejanus had offered before the incident.

Memories of the countless times Sejanus had taken him in this room played across his mind. The dresser he'd been hoisted up on, the wall mirror he'd been pressed face first against. The fur rug his knees knew the texture of better than anything else. 

All things he'd taken for granted at the time, until now, when it was too late. When this was all he had left. 

Before he knew it, he was nose deep in his closet, inhaling deeply as if he’d not had access to breathable air for days. Precisely five to be exact, but he wouldn't allow himself to count.

He gathered up armfuls of whatever he could carry off the clothes rails, shaking as much as he could to dislodge the hangers, they were too rigid and hard for his purpose and of course didn’t carry the all important smell and dumped his haul on Sejanus’s bed.

With care, he began piling up the pillows to form a perimeter around the outside of the bed and then started arranging the clothing items inside the area. Working his way methodically to the centre.

Once he had himself surrounded, he stopped to assess. Something was missing. His alpha, obviously but something else. He carefully disentangled himself from the pile and sniffed harder. He needed more, the scent was still too muted. Those clothes had been washed.

His eyes snapped to the laundry hamper. Bingo. He ran to it and dragged it across the room towards the bed.

He climbed back up and reached down to haul up the basket. Which was quite a struggle. Either he needed to take some supplements or Sejanus had a very large amount of dirty laundry because he was feeling unusually weak.

He dumped out the hamper’s contents and arranged them in the centre of the bed. The smell much closer to the real thing now.

As he lay himself down in the middle of his creation, tearing his own clothes off to ensure, as he writhed around, the other’s scent covered as much of him as possible, he finally felt better than he had for days.

He lay, basking in the comfort of whatever it was this was. Something his omega had been posturing for him to do anyway. He finally felt the ache in his chest subsiding, what he hadn’t counted on was an ache elsewhere.

He usually met with Sejanus so often, he never found himself in this predicament but as he rolled to his front, he became aware his cock pulsed with blood and his hole clenched around nothing, aching to be filled.

“Eurgh” he groaned into the blankets, just great,  without his alpha, he had no way of finding relief himself. Regret taking him, that he'd ever allowed this situation in the first place. To be at the mercy of someone else for anything, was the last place he wanted to be, especially for something as personal as the needs of his own body.

He reached a hand obstinately between his legs, trying to stuff as many fingers up there as would fit. Anything to stop the throbbing pain, but they didn’t reach anywhere near where he needed them. He tried tugging on his cock but that remained as unsatisfying as always.

His omega gnawed at him for Sejanus. The rich, heady aroma of his skin, large hands, maneuvering him, running over his body. The only one that could sate the deep ache of emptiness, he felt inside.

“Ah” he cried in frustration but then froze as he heard a door click open and voices coming from downstairs.

The reality of what exactly he was doing, crashed into his mind. He was nesting. Nesting in a bed of an injured alpha who he’d been secretly shagging and his parents, who were under the impression he was distinctly beta, were only a staircase away.

He snatched up his clothes and shoved them back on, resolutely ignoring the persistent hardness in his pants. He was shimmying down the drain pipe outside the window before he could even think about tidying away the incriminating nest.

Oh well, he figured as he landed back on the ground. They’d have no idea who was behind it.

He raced up the driveway before giving one furtive glance over his shoulder right before he was out the gate. The sight of Strabo giving him an abrupt wave from the doorway was something he knew would haunt him until his dying day. Shit. If Strabo saw the nest now, he was in huge trouble.

The damage was done though. Too late to fix his hare-brained mistake, all he could do was trudge wearily away.

He was supposed to be back at the Academy for the banquet soon but he really wasn’t sure he could face it. Being away from the soothing scent he’d spent the best part of an afternoon immersed in, was bringing back his nausea. He felt bone wearily exhausted and he must have sweated so much he felt damp everywhere, especially between his thighs which was not making for a pleasant walking experience at all.

He forced himself home to grab his dressiest shirt and quickly made himself look moderately more presentable. There was not much to be done now about the dark hollows under his eyes or the sallow look of his complexion.

He grabbed a trolley and squeezed in between two omega females at the back, to prevent anymore alpha domineering. Safety in numbers and all. And he was soon facing the foreboding doors of the Academy once more.

 

He attempted his best dazzling small talk with his classmates. Stayed away from any faculty members and gingerly made his way to the buffet.

He was hungry, he was sure of it, it was just he couldn’t think of anything that he wanted to actually eat.

He let his nose guide him as he approached. Something smelt wonderfully sour and sharp. Perfect to cut through the bubbling sickness he was experiencing.

He let his eyes scan the row of plates until they zeroed in on a leafy green salad arrangement. But that’s not what had attracted his appetite. No, it was the tiny slithers of glistening white oniony looking things dotted around the outside of the plate.

He glanced from left to right but no one was paying the salad any attention. Everyone heaping their plates up with the meat and cheese options. Obviously, as it was a gathering of mostly teenagers.

So, thankfully, he was left unobserved as he fished all the crunchy little onion pieces out of the salad and onto his plate.

He crunched them down happily. His stomach growling in gratitude at finally having something in it that didn’t make him immediately want to throw it back up. His legs still aching from the modicum of walking he’d done that day, he went to find somewhere to sit.

He was sprawled outside the party hall, slumped  on a bench with just a few onions left on his plate when he was interrupted from his musings about how underrated the bitter vegetable was, by his old tribute.  

“Hey, Omega, what is happening with you?” Marcus dropped down by his side, sniffing curiously and gaze flitting across his face.

Coriolanus shrugged, something was wrong but he felt so befuddled by everything he was experiencing, he was dammed if he could explain it. "I just don’t know, I don’t feel good” he answered eventually.

“I know I always could tell about” Marcus gestured at him with his chin “but I’m thinking other people are starting to notice as well”

Coriolanus nodded glumly. All the alphas he’d encountered recently had given him a speculative look. Tigris thought he’d skipped a dose of suppressants and his beta classmates thought he had an omega girlfriend. People had started to notice something was amiss and the most terrifying part of that was, he didn’t know how. He was still on suppressants and they had never failed him before.

“I mean shit” Marcus went on through his turmoil “your eyes are glassy, your scent is like” Marcus took an unsteady breath and his eyebrows shot up “and by god you even look softer somehow”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me” Coriolanus felt his lip trembling. This was it. His long hidden, hard fought for designation was going to be exposed and short of disappearing off the face of the earth, there was nothing he could do about it. His worst nightmare was playing out before his eyes.

“I think we should get you out of here” Marcus decided and took him by the arm to get him up.

He went with him, darting fearful eyes around the Academy hallways. He could hear voices from the party not too far away, he needed to leave. He was going to be exposed at any moment.

“Anywhere you want to go?” Marcus hurriedly asked as they clattered down the steps out onto the street.

He looked up at the alpha with what he feared were tears in his eyes.

“You want to see him right now?” Marcus queried.

But Coriolanus shook his head rapidly. That would not do him any good. Not when he already felt close to losing it.

“Home?” Marcus asked instead.

But he couldn’t worry Tigris like this and Grandma’am would just be full of unhelpful questions and snide remarks about his tribute.

“Come on, they’ve put me up in a hotel” Marcus decided instead “It’s not the most glamorous but I guess it’ll do”

Coriolanus felt himself sag with relief and gratitude. The haven of an inconsequential, unknown hotel room sounded like just what he needed. With no connection to the rest of the drama that was unfolding in his life. It sounded perfect.

He gladly tagged along as the alpha led him down the street.

Chapter 8

Notes:

Warning for completely platonic, non sexual fisting... I swear that's a thing in omegaverse...

He felt hot as they walked. Hot and uncomfortable, he started roughly tugging at his shirt collar to loosen it until Marcus rounded on him to hiss.

“You’re gonna have every alpha on the block round here if you keep that up”

He reluctantly left his shirt alone but that didn’t stop the urge to claw his own skin off.

“Come on, in here” Marcus thankfully directed him up the steps of the next building and into a hotel lobby.

The alpha’s worn leather scent filled the room. Surprisingly his omega didn’t recoil too much, they trusted this alpha apparently.

Without waiting for an invitation, he parked himself comfortably at the edge of the spacious bed. Marcus was right. It wasn’t glamorous but it was a large room with decent looking furniture. It was surprisingly generous of the Capitol to provide Marcus with.

Marcus was busy closing the curtains to block out the harsh street lighting and turning the side lamp on to bathe the room in a soft orange glow.

Coriolanus felt himself getting sleepy. If only he could get away from the roughness of his suit, he’d be able to relax. The coarse material was rubbing uncomfortably against his overheated, sensitive skin. Making him feel distracted and irritable.

He furtively tried to loosen his shirt a bit and pull the material of his pants away from his thighs.

He realised his attempt at being sneaky had been a complete failure when he heard Marcus laughing at him. He glanced over sheepishly at the sound.

“Go on you’ve not got anything I haven’t seen before” Marcus gave permission with a snicker.

He hastily tore off his clothes to leave himself just in his boxers. His rose petal scent hitting him full in the face then. He felt disgusting, all sticky and ripe.

“Okay, I take it back. You have got things I haven’t seen before”

Coriolanus glanced up to see he was being eyed up in an assessing manner.

“What do you mean?” he mumbled, as he crawled over to snuggle against an inviting looking pillow.

“Your body is so weirdly delicate, looks like you could be snapped in two”

“That your attempt at flirting?” Coriolanus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Eww no” Marcus grimaced and kicked off his shoes, flopping next to him on the pillow “you sure your Sejanus didn’t know you were omega? I mean come on”

He shrugged wearily “yeah no one ever questioned it before now”

Marcus shook his head in disbelief.

“You know there aren’t any male omegas left in the capitol right?” he tried to explain his ability to hide so easily.

“for real?”

He hummed in affirmative.

“shit I’d heard the rumors but... how did that even happen?”

Coriolanus sighed. Too tired for a history... and biology lesson.

“Capitol frowns upon same primary sex relationships so”

He started to explain but Marcus interrupted to show he already got it.

“and they’re the ones that tend to birth male omegas” he answered with an understanding nod “but not impossible, your father male alpha, mother female omega right?”

Coriolanus agreed.

“Yet you’re still here” Marcus continued.

The omega frowned then. Was he just a complete freak of nature? Or was something else at play there?

“Maybe the rest are hiding behind suppressants like you?” Marcus mused.

“Are there still people like me in the districts then?” he wondered.

“Male omegas? Yeah they’re rare but there” he answered with a playful smirk.

Coriolanus couldn’t summon up the energy to laugh though, he let out a loud yawn and curled up tighter in a ball.

“Get some rest then” Marcus sighed and Coriolanus gladly obeyed.

 

He awoke feeling even hotter than before. Burning up. He was soaked in sweat and as he shifted around uncomfortably he realised something else, there was something other than sweat dampening his skin. Between his legs he felt moist and sticky. In horror he reached down and withdrew a shaky hand back to inspect.

His fingers were coated in a slimy, viscous substance. The scent of sweet, sweet roses nearly burning his nostrils. It had to be slick. He was producing slick.

“Oh no no no” he panicked out loud, tearing off his underwear to try and wipe away the worst of it, but it wasn’t letting up.

He clambered, as silently as he could off the bed, planning to sneak to the bathroom and wash it off when he was stopped in his tracks by a deep spasm in his abdomen.

He folded over double, wrapping his arms around himself to stop the pain.

He bit his lip to desperately try and keep his sounds of distress in, but more cramps punched down low in his guts and he couldn’t help a desperate whimper breaking through.

“aaah” he cried out, praying Marcus was a heavy sleeper. But no chance. As soon as his cry was out, his roommate was sitting up and blinking around the darkness.

“What?” Marcus groggily mumbled.

“I think I’m in heat” he gasped out as he folded to the floor.

“No no, you can’t be. Look” Marcus pointed at his crotch as proof “I’d be fighting the urge to jump you if you were. This is something else”

“Help me” he stuttered out, not having the mental capacity to follow along with Marcus’s reasoning.

Marcus got him back up onto the bed and went to turn the sidelight on.

Coriolanus glanced down his body, his skin was flushed pink all over, his little cock stiff against his stomach and an alarmingly dark shade. His  thighs glistening with the slick his body had now deemed it necessary to produce.

“You sure this isn’t heat?” he gasped out again. The ache deep in his core, certainly felt familiar.

“No” Marcus shook his head glancing down at him sympathetically “think this is just you coming off suppressants”

“But I’m still on them” he grit back at the other.

“Well they’ve definitely stopped working. You are an omega now” Marcus stated bluntly.

Coriolanus curled in on himself, the fact his worst nightmare was playing out in front of him, only a small part of the agony. The rest of the pain coming from deep inside where he felt deep spasms racking from up where he knew his womb to be, down all the way to his clenching hole.

“Make it stop” he pleaded, his voice cracking on a sob.

“Have you got any toys?” Marcus asked hopefully.

“Of course I fucking haven’t you utter imbecile”

“Right” Marcus looked around the room nervously “maybe I should just run and try and find something” he hedged.

Coriolanus’s omega screamed at him. He could not be left alone. They were vulnerable.

“No no” he dragged himself upright “please just do something” he begged.

Marcus took a very deep breath, looking as if he was steeling himself before he gently pushed the omega to lie back down and climbed up onto the bed between his legs.

His omega gave a pitiful attempt at pining for a different alpha before Coriolanus let the relief of this alpha’s next words wash over him.

“We’re going to try my fingers okay?”

He nodded with enthusiasm. Anything, he just needed something inside to fill the aching void his body had decided to create.

He lay back with his legs spread, waiting. His hole was already open, stretched like when Sejanus had left him thoroughly fucked. Presenting itself as it was supposed to, as a male omega.

The first touch of Marcus’s fingers jolted him. He didn’t feel the same as his alpha’s fingers. Rougher, longer but narrower. His nails were sharp. Sejanus kept his short so he didn’t damage him when they did this.

He forced the thoughts away. He couldn’t take the mental torture they brought when his body was providing enough physical torture as it was.

“How’s that?” Marcus asked as he sank two fingers in.

It was nothing to him. He could barely feel it.

“More oh more just please” he moaned, he needed a lot more if he was going to feel any better. He snatched at the alpha’s wrist and desperately pushed the digits deeper.

Marcus went with it for a way and Coriolanus began to sigh in relief as he felt a brief stretch before the alpha pulled back.

“Careful, you’ll have my whole hand” he teased but the words ignited something in him. His cock gave a pitiful twitch and he just knew that was what it would take.

He eyed up Marcus’s meaty looking fist. That might just do it, might actually make him feel full.

“Yes please”  he sighed out, sounding in bliss at the thought.

“My hand?” Marcus spluttered “you want my whole hand?”

“Yes” he wriggled his hips around, sinking the fingers he already had inside even deeper causing him to groan in slight relief.

“Okay” Marcus agreed “just stop me if it hurts”

Coriolanus nodded, even though he knew he wouldn’t. He’d been knotted on a huge alpha dick before and that was whilst he was still incapable of producing slick. He knew he could take a fist. Even a big alpha fist.

Marcus slowly inched each finger inside until all 4 were accommodated. Coriolanus gave a hasty nod to continue and then felt the thumb pop in too.

He gasped out. The stretch so satisfying, it just needed to go a little deeper.

He planted his feet flat on the bed and began to drop his weight onto the alpha’s hand.

“Woah woah” Marcus warned but there was no way he was stopping.

He sank down, feeling more of the alpha’s hand and then his wrist slip inside until finally he felt it reach that special spot. Shoved up tightly at the neck of his womb. Right where a knot would latch. Not as satisfying as the real thing but at least finally he was stuffed full. Right to the brim, like he needed. As if to prove that, his cock gave a tiny spurt of cum.

“Aaah” he sighed out, feeling his face fall slack and his body go limp. Finally he was getting some relief.

He felt Marcus shifting his arm around and he immediately reached between his legs to stop him withdrawing it.

“Can't you just keep it up there longer?” he pleaded, throwing his head back as more cum dribbled out his cock.

“I’m going to lose the circulation in my hand with how tight you’re squeezing me” Marcus sounded as if he was only half joking. But actually he was in a way glad that this alpha was not Sejanus. He’d have probably refused to give him what he needed here. Too gentle, too hesitant to hurt him.

He shifted his hips around to enjoy the stretch more.

“Once you’re done, I’m definitely going to have to find you some toys” he continued but Coriolanus wrinkled his nose. The toys Tigris had found him for his first heat had poked him in all the wrong places and barely reached half as high as would cause any sort of satisfaction.

“Don’t like toys” he mumbled, hoping he’d drop it.

“You know what” Marcus nodded to himself “I bet you had female omega toys didn’t you? If there are no male omegas around here”

“There’s a difference?” he panted out after another orgasm left him breathless.

“Well yeah” Marcus pointed out as if it was obvious “their anatomy is not exactly the same as yours”

Coriolanus tried to block out that repulsive image.

“With a male omega look” he felt Marcus press his fist up and it formed a bulge in the centre of his stomach “got to get all the way up here to feel good. Male omega toys are much bigger” he concluded for him.

Coriolanus tried to absorb that over the delicious feel of Marcus’s fist pressing against his insides. It did make sense if he tried to think about it.

“They’ve done studies actually to show male alphas that are attracted to male omegas have longer dicks so they  can reach where they need to” Marcus went on with his science lesson.

“Sejanus has a huge cock” was all the omega was capable of taking away from it.

“Yeah I bet” Marcus looked slightly ill “thanks for that” he muttered.

Coriolanus’s treacherous little omega seemed very close to the surface as he glanced curiously at the other alpha. Wondering which category he fell into.

Marcus chuckled as he realised what the omega must be thinking “what can I say” he admitted “I just really wish that omega girl from 12 hadn’t died” he sighed sadly.

A strange thing that had filtered past his ears over the party buffet but not really registered, made itself known in his consciousness.

“Did you hear the weirdest thing actually?” Coriolanus asked.

Marcus raised his eyebrows expectantly “You know nobody here tells me anything”

“Oh yeah right” his foggy brain slowly caught up “anyway, they never found her body”

“The omega girl. Your alpha’s tribute?”

He hummed in response.

“Must have been buried or eaten by a wild animal or another tribute maybe” Coriolanus grimaced in disgust “cos there’s no trace of her” he recounted what the other students had been gossiping about.

“Does that mean I still win?” Marcus asked with a chuckle, which shook his whole arm.

Coriolanus whimpered and glanced down.

“Phew” he sighed with relief, noticing his cock was happily nestled down against his small testicles once again.

“You done now?”

Coriolanus nodded. Now that the pain and desperate need to be filled had abated, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed about his predicament. Letting a district alpha, who was basically a near stranger, do that to him. What was he thinking?

He stifled a sob as the pressure finally gave way and Marcus eased his hand out, placing his other hand on his hip to steady him.

He turned his face away to hide the wince he knew was there from being left so suddenly empty.

“So guess you’ll need a plug and some toys” Marcus chuckled as he immediately noticed what was wrong.

“Just shut up a second okay” Coriolanus felt he could really do with a moment to regain his composure.

“Sure take as long as you need. I know being omega can be a little overwhelming” Marcus disappeared in the bathroom for a minute and came back wiping his hand on a towel and carrying another, he offered it to him but Coriolanus was too drained to take it.

With a sigh, Marcus set about wiping him down. Starting with the sweat on his upper body and ending with the slick coating his legs.

Coriolanus hummed his appreciation as Marcus finished and then joint him at the top of the bed again.

Coriolanus curling back up and feeling his eyes begin to drift again before something occurred to him.

“How are you such an expert on omega ways anyway? You’re not bonded”

“I have an omega sister” Marcus answered, sounding more serious than he’d ever heard him. “That’s probably how my name was picked for the games, I’d bought so much tesserae  to get suppressants for her”  he gently knocked his knee against his side. Coriolanus guessed this information wasn’t shared often.

He found his interest piqued, despite his fatigue “you use suppressants in the districts too?”

“Unless you want to have lines of hungry alphas at your doors you do. Life as an un-bonded omega” he shuddered “well you would know” he finished sadly.

Coriolanus sighed. He was now about to experience that life. What the hell was he supposed to do now he’d somehow become immune to the suppressants?

Marcus sniffed suddenly and he realised he was sending out distressed signals.

“Hey it’s okay” Marcus soothed “I’ll stick around as long as I can. Keep you safe, yeah?”  he made sure to catch his eye as he spoke.

Coriolanus nodded. But didn’t feel much better. How long  would the district boy realistically be allowed to stay in the capitol?

And other than Sejanus there was not an alpha alive who he would give any serious thought to bonding with. Then again, for all he knew Sejanus would never be around again to bond with anyway.

The depths of despair that those thoughts dredged up, were temporarily abated as he felt Marcus tucking the covers up under his chin.

“I’ve got you” he whispered and Coriolanus nodded off, feeling safe, although he wasn’t sure how long that would last.

Chapter 9

He allowed himself a week. That’s how long his actual presentation as an omega had taken.

Cooped up in the apartment, Tigris fussing around, trying to make him eat, trying to figure out what was wrong. Probably terrified her own suppressants would fail but she never worried him overtly with those thoughts.

And then three years after the real deal, he reintroduced himself back into the world as an omega. What else was he supposed to do? Hide in his apartment for the rest of his life? He’d finally given up on taking his suppressants. They were obviously a waste of money now and he’d kind of hoped they were to be blamed for his continual sickness.

He was wrong about that. He’d spent most mornings retching over the toilet these days. Tigris tried to help but all she could really do was keep Grandma’am off his case. If he wasn’t so scared to head back to the hospital he could probably do with seeing a doctor about it. But every time he even thought about approaching that dreaded building he was filled with so much fear and anxiety he couldn’t go through with it.

His first day back in public, he’d had to use some of his prize money to hire a private driver to take him to the University for an introductory tour. Not daring to use the trolley since his actual designation had come out.

He headed up the steps with resignation, just knowing the dangerous level of fuss that was about to be directed his way. He knew the rumors were already out. His classmates would just be itching to confirm them for themselves.

“Oh Coryo!”was screeched immediately upon his arrival, Lyssie raced up to him “and we thought it was an omega girlfriend the other week” she scoffed.

“Ha haa” he agreed flatly “imagine that”.

“And it was just you. How are you?” she asked with sympathy.

“It was rough” he drew his mind back to three years ago to what he’d been through in his actual heat to force genuine emotions to the surface “but I’m feeling better now”.

“Bless you” she squeezed his arm before she was pushed aside by Livia and Arachne barging up to them.

“Knew being a beta wouldn’t be interesting enough for you” Livia sneered.

“Just live for the attention don’t we?” Arachne added snottily.

“Well I didn’t exactly ask for it” he tried to smile politely but he would put money on it being a grimace.

“Leave over guys” Lyssie interjected “first heats are hard” she laid a hand soothingly on his arm, standing a little too close for comfort.

Coriolanus rolled his eyes. So these were the reactions he was going to get from now on. Either disdain or weird possessiveness. Just great.

He excused himself quickly, already regretting not taking Marcus’s offer up to accompany him.

 

They were welcomed in by the University Dean then and led around the different faculty buildings. Various professors greeted them as they went and then lastly they were led into the Science laboratories.

He may have been being dramatic but he could have sworn he could smell her acid scent before he even entered the room.

“Ah future students. Brimming with potential” Dr Gaul smiled predatorily across their heads and he felt himself ducking behind the nearest tall shoulders of an alpha student.

As the rest of them looked around, talking amongst themselves he tried to skirt around the edge of the room towards the exit.

“The rumor mill was correct once again Mr Snow”

He froze at the words, feeling his jaw clench with nerves as he turned to face her.

“Isn’t it always?” he conceded.

“How remarkable” she stated ponderously as she stepped ever closer “that you were going through your first pre-heat whilst managing to mentor in the hunger games. And mentor victoriously at that”.

He gulped, not liking where this was going.

“Never would have believed that was even possible. Quite impossible in fact”.

He tried to speak. Tried to scramble together an explanation to save himself. But all he found his mouth doing was gaping like a fish, uselessly opening and closing. He’d always felt she might have known about his designation and this basically confirmed his suspicions.

“But then again, so little is known about male omegas maybe they are capable of the impossible”

“Mmhmm” he nodded his head hastily to agree. Not daring to think why she was offering him such an easy way out.

“I’m very excited to see what else you’re capable of when you study with me next year”

He felt the blood drain from his face. He hadn’t even picked his classes yet and he certainly had not been planning to take hers. The thought of studying with her personally for three years made his stomach churn. But if she knew even a little of his lies. He couldn’t afford to defy her.

“Yes I’m looking forward to it doctor” he shakily smiled and tried to casually make his way out of the room. He knew for any observant eyes it would look like what it was though, a very hasty retreat.

 

The tour concluded with a buffet spread in the gymnasium. He helped himself to salty dry crackers, their intended dips looking slimy and unappealing and headed to sit on one of the benches around the hall.

“Hello Coriolanus”

He glanced up to be greeted by the Ring twins suddenly flanking him on the bench. The alpha Ring twins.

“Hello Didi, Pollo” he gulped. Their bitter lemon scent really putting him off his crackers.

“How are you both?” he offered politely.

“That’s of no matter” Pollo leered at him.

“How you are is what we’re interested in” Diana finished.

He placed his plate down on the ground, not caring for its contents anymore and wiped his suddenly damp hands on his pant legs.

“A male omega. Now that’s not something you find every day” Pollo was eyeing him up like some coveted prize..

“Especially unbonded” Diana sing songed happily.

He rubbed nervously at his scent gland, it suddenly feeling very exposed.

“So what do you think?” Pollo asked abruptly.

As he tried to figure out the question, he startled as a hand was sharply slapped against his knee. His eyes nervously tracked it up, towards the owner’s face, but then he startled again as the female alpha’s hand landed on his other leg. Higher up this time.

“To what?” his voice barely more than a breath of air with how little he dared move.

“Well you can have Diana for in public and I’ll have you in private” Pollo squeezed his knee in a hard grasp and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

The audacity of these alphas sent his mind reeling with impotent rage. They’d been planning this one out. And now it sounded like a done deal. Just because of his designation he was supposed to just give himself away to their whims? Like his opinion on that little set up was totally inconsequential. He always knew he hated his designation and actually living as it validated his loathing.

He jumped up with a huff.

“Do I get any say in this?” he stuttered. Fear at challenging an alpha taking away the usual edge he could command in his voice.

“As much say as any omega gets” Diana sneered.

So that basically meant none. He promptly turned away from their smug faces and headed for the exit.

“You’ll be hearing from us” was called after him, sending a shiver down his spine.

If he remained unbonded much longer there was an ever increasing risk of having his freedom ripped away from him very forcefully.

He had six weeks of the summer until University started. Just six weeks to come up with a plan. But as he jumped in the car with a sigh and rode the long way back to the Corso, his mind was still coming up blank.

 

He trudged up the stairs to his apartment wearily. Maybe he should just take his prize money and hibernate in his room for the rest of his life. Never have to encounter an alpha ever again.

He fumbled in his bag for his keys, not looking up until he was met by another alpha scent. He sniffed with dread. Not another wooing suitor, but was brought up short by the mild familiarity in the smell.

Bergamot. He looked up.

“Coriolanus” Strabo Plinth greeted.

Coriolanus felt the breath leave him. There could only be one reason he was here.

Strabo surveyed him with heavy eyes, his hands twisting the brim of his hat, no one fumbled like that with good news. No words needed to be spoken.

The room tilted and he clutched at his chest, struggling to stay upright, struggling to breath. The floorboards hit his knees before he noticed he’d fallen.

Something was holding him up, stopping the rest of his body joining them on the floor.

He waited, praying the soft oblivion of unconscious would greet him soon, but it didn’t come.

He took gasping breaths as he was maneuvered around and somehow found himself sitting up against the wall. Knees up in front of him.

His vision was swirling and his chest felt unbearably tight. He knew he’d have to hear it eventually.

But just for now he wanted to remain in a world of denial,  a world where the only person who could make him whole, still existed.

He rested his face against his knees, the material of his pants growing damp immediately from his tears.

There was the click of a door but he couldn’t find the strength to look up.

“What’s going on?” he heard his cousin ask.

“Lord if I know, some omega thing” Strabo answered.

“Se... Sej... Sejanus” he sobbed to the floor.

“Oh my god no” Tigris dropped next to him and he felt her arms wrap around him.

“What!” Strabo exhaled “I never said that”.

“What?” Coriolanus repeated in question, finally glancing up, his vision still swimming with tears “he’s not... not dead?”

Relief hit him like a tidal wave.

“Not last time I checked” Strabo answered with a look of incredulity “maybe we can go inside to talk about it” he hinted.

Tigris helped pull him to his feet. He wiped away his tears and gave himself a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure. That might have been a slight overreaction.

As he led the alpha inside, he couldn’t help rolling his eyes though. The audacity of some alphas, inviting himself in to their apartment like that. So entitled.

Once they were settled in the living room and Tigris had hurried off to prepare some tea, Strabo cleared his throat to speak.

“I do need to speak to you about my son though” he paused, looking at him almost nervously, as if expecting another panic attack.

“Has he woken up?” Coriolanus asked hopefully but already suspected not. Sejanus would be here if he was awake, he knew it.

“No” he confirmed “his brain scans were steadily improving but lately they’ve plateaued. His mother and I are visiting as often as we can and doing anything we can think of to reach him. Music he likes, poignant stories, familiar scents”

Strabo gave him a knowing look.

Ah yes, the unfortunate nesting incident. Strabo was probably totally aware of the nature of their relationship now.

“You want me to visit him?” he knew the question, it hadn’t even needed to be spoken.

“I’m fairly confident it will help Sejanus”.

Coriolanus nodded. He did want to see him. He’d just been too scared to face whatever condition he found him in. He could prepare for this though. It would just be the same as before.

“I’ll do it”.

Strabo blinked in surprise. He’d probably been about to pull out the cheque book but Coriolanus just didn’t have the mental fortitude to bargain right now. A more lucid him would have squirmed at the missed opportunity.

“Here’s the tea” Tigris called as she clattered in with a tray.

“Actually I do apologise Ms Snow, we’ll have to get going now”

“Oh” Tigris plonked the tray down and gave him a worried look “Coryo is that a good idea? I think you need to rest”

“I’m fine thank you” he lied. He wasn’t fine. He’d never been so far from fine in his life. But his constant state of not fineness was becoming second nature now. He’d manage.

He followed Strabo out the door, but was stopped by Tigris shoving something into his hand. He glanced down, it was a granola bar.

“Eat something” she pleaded “you were really sick this morning”

He nodded, but stuffed it into his pocket once she’d left. He’d think about it later. He did not want to risk throwing up on either of the Plinth alphas.

Strabo held the car door for him but as he ducked inside Strabo held him back with a question.

"You’re sick?”

He took his seat with a sigh “No, just some omega thing” he explained wearily.

“Good” Strabo stated as he took the seat next to him “the hospital” he instructed the driver coolly before turning back to him “Sejanus can’t get sick” he warned. No care lost on him. Oh well, Coriolanus probably wouldn’t have found it comforting. There was only one Plinth he truly wanted to care for him.

Coriolanus nodded “don’t worry. I don’t think whatever’s wrong with me is catching”.

He stared out the window as the buildings raced by, trying to steel himself to see his alpha. See his alpha for the first time as his true self.

Strabo led him to a different ward this time. Not in major injury but neurology. He breathed a sigh of relief. The other ward had been the stuff of nightmares.

He entered the room, keeping his gaze elevated. Just observing the layout at first, in preparation.

A lot of the machines from before had gone now. Just one looked as if it was monitoring, if the noises and readouts were anything to go by.

He held his breath and finally looked down. The mass of tubes and wires had gone. Which should have been a relief but now he could see him properly. He didn’t even look asleep, as he’d like to imagine him. He was so still he looked dead.

“Go on then” Strabo gestured with his head at his son impatiently.

Coriolanus hesitantly stepped closer and reached a trembling hand out, it hovered over the too pale skin of his alpha’s cheek, but he couldn’t close the distance. His hand formed a fist and he dropped it by his side.

Strabo was staring intently at whatever was on the screen of the monitoring machine.

“You’ll actually have to speak, he can’t see you” he informed him drily.

Coriolanus gulped and leant closer, laying his head next to Sejanus’s on his pillow, his mouth centimetres from his ear.

“It’s me” he whispered “Coryo”.

He waited a beat in silence and then startled at Strabo’s loud voice.

“Ah-ha” he sounded triumphant at whatever he’d seen “well keep going” he hurriedly instructed.

But Coriolanus couldn’t. Hot tears were burning at his eyes,  his breathing felt ragged and his lips were quivering too much to form words.

“Oh for godsake come on” Strabo sighed “whatever you said, his brain activity picked up. Keep going”

He shakily picked his head up to stand.

“Could you” his voice trembled “just wait outside?” he asked, knowing he was seconds away from another melt down and preferring not to have a witness this time.

“Fine” Strabo huffed, he turned to deftly input something into the monitor “I’ll just get my reading afterwards then” he informed him sulkily.

Coriolanus felt a sigh of relief fall from his lips as he was finally left alone.

He hopped up to sit by his alpha, this time allowing himself to touch his face. He was cool and dry. It was so wrong. Whenever he’d had his hands on his skin before it was always burning hot and damp with exertion, deep in the throes of passion. The tears were falling in earnest now. His chest felt squeezed in a vice.

With desperate need burning a hole through him, he lay down, wrapping himself around the alpha, burying his nose in his neck to take in lungfuls of his scent. It was still Sejanus but not quite right. Muted and sanitised, like artificial pine, not a rich forest.

“Please Sej” he whimpered against his ear, hot wetness falling against his face “please wake up, I need you”.

His words pretty much trailed off into incoherent sobs then. He grasped at his hand. Lacing their fingers, but Sejanus was supposed to squeeze back. He always squeezed back. This time his fingers stayed limp. He buried himself against the other’s chest, the beat of the heart beneath, too slow. He let the weight of grief lull him into unconsciousness.

 

“His brain scan is the best it’s been in days. Whatever omega magic you’re working on the boy keep it up”.

Was what greeted his ears as he sat up and blinked around.

His omega was purring happily at him, placated by the mere presence of its alpha. His rational mind not sated though. Sejanus still smelled wrong and other than some blips on a graph, he wouldn’t even be aware of the rose petal stink he’d apparently decided to fill the hospital room with.

“I can see why my son was so keen on you” Strabo stated, eyeing him sharply “his alpha must have sensed what you would become”.

Coriolanus bristled at the insinuation. Why did people think his being an omega gave them free agency to talk about him on such a personal level?

He hopped down off the bed. He hadn’t really had his fill of his alpha but he certainly had of his father.

“You’ll come back soon?’

Coriolanus nodded hesitantly and chewed at his lip. He felt strung out and raw. He wasn’t sure he could face much more of this. How was he supposed to strategize a way to survive omega life when he was rendered this weak?

“Every second day maybe?” Strabo suggested.

Then again the sickness, the restless energy, the gaping emptiness he felt inside had finally abated some. His omega marginally soothed from being near their alpha.

“Okay” he finally agreed.

“I’ll send my driver. Do you require a lift back now?”

Coriolanus shook his head, already making for the door. He did not want to spend anymore time with the room’s conscious member of the Plinth family.

Chapter 10

Notes:

Trigger warning for mentions of abortion.

"Oh god, you smell wrung out. What the hell happened?”

Coriolanus felt his face fall. He’d been looking forward to seeing his old tribute, trusting he wouldn’t fuss or treat him like glass as everybody else seemed to lately.

He rolled his eyes in deflection “nice to see you too”.

“Sorry” Marcus shrugged unapologetically as he stood aside to let Coriolanus into his hotel room “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to”.

Coriolanus dropped heavily into the window seat. Should he talk about it? His nearly daily despair at the hospital, his dread that his summer was being eaten up and he would soon start University as an unbonded omega. The fact he’d felt ill everyday for at least a month now.

Instead he trailed his eyes around the hotel room until they landed curiously on a paper bag on the alpha’s nightstand.

Marcus noticed where he was looking and chuckled. “Or instead of talking through your problems I could just distract you with presents”

Coriolanus felt his face light up. He loved gifts. That was such a painfully omega trait, he thought, embarrassed even as he reached eagerly inside the bag.

He came out with two quite large rubbery things.

One was what he could only describe as an enormous penis shaped object. He wiggled it around in front of his face and it wobbled with the movement.

Marcus snorted at his antics “You trying to cast spells with it?”

Coriolanus gave up on that one and dropped it back into the bag. He knew what that was at least.

He then examined the second object. It was bulbous at one end, narrow at the other, like a giant tear drop. He spun it around to see it from all different angles but his mind still couldn’t drum up a name for it.

“Do I get a clue?” he wondered.

Marcus smiled “it’s a plug. For after the deed’s done” he explained.

Coriolanus felt his eyebrows shoot up as he visualised his meaning. Oh that could be hot. Walking around with a whole load of Sejanus’s cum stuck up there.

Marcus wrinkled his nose. “Alright” he wafted the air in front of his face “no need to stink up the room”

The omega smiled sheepishly as he dropped it back in the bag too. He could see how that would be useful to stop the ache left after getting fucked... and keeping himself stretched, could ease the way for round two.

“And let’s go for a walk” Marcus stated hurriedly as he all but ran for the door.

Coriolanus trudged after him, not forgetting to open the window first to attempt to remove the alarmingly powerful scent of roses he’d covered the room in.

“Thanks for the presents” he mumbled behind the alpha. If he had just humiliated himself all over again he at least shouldn’t be ungracious about it.

After their walk he bid goodbye to Marcus and waited for the regular arrival of the Plinth’s driver.

 

Sejanus was apparently steadily improving, but he didn’t see it. Day after day he lay there. Scent muted, body unmoving.

Same as today. Coriolanus shrugged off his jacket and climbed up to lay next to the alpha, resting his head against his strong neck.

He sometimes spoke, he sometimes tried scenting, not that that was much fun with an unresponsive participant.

Today he was just tired. He felt so painfully empty and alone. On suppressants he could ignore his base desires for intimacy and connection. But now his omega was unleashed, he craved everything about this alpha.

And now he realised he was either about to stink up the hospital room or drift off for a nap. To save anymore embarrassment he settled for option two.

As always, his visit ended with Mr Plinth’s arrival, who was standing tutting at the scan results.

Coriolanus peered over his alpha’s form to cautiously look at him.

“Have you tried interacting with him at all today?” Strabo asked sternly.

He shook his head. “Sorry I was tired” he tried to excuse himself.

“There’s no point you being here if you don’t do anything to make him aware you are”.

Coriolanus rolled his eyes as he wriggled back into his jacket. Trying to recall if Strabo had always spoken down to him like a child or if that was one more fun new thing about being omega.

“I’ll try harder next time” he stated flatly. Taking his C- without grace. Maybe he’d bring in a book of poetry to recite, really aim for that A+, or maybe knock knock jokes would do it.

He trudged out the door without bothering to say goodbye. Secure in the knowledge their transactional relationship had superseded the requirement for niceties now.

 

As he knocked on the familiar hotel room door a week later he was for once met by the distressed scent of the alpha and not his own.

“Marcus?” he asked as he took in his old tribute looking worried.

“I’ve been given my marching orders” he admitted glumly.

Coriolanus gulped. His one safety net in this whole mess was being taken from him.

Marcus could read his reaction immediately. His scent souring too.

“I’m sorry” Marcus sighed “nothing I can do”

Coriolanus crumpled at the foot of the bed.

He started University in a week. He’d kind of hoped he could bring Marcus along a few times to show any other alpha’s he wasn’t alone. But now he would be starting unbonded and alone.

“Maybe you should defer” Marcus hesitantly suggested.

“Until what though?” he shrugged helplessly “nothing’s going to change, whether I start now or in six months”

Marcus sat by his side, giving his knee a reassuring pat.

“You’ll be okay” he soothed “you’re a strong one”

He thunked against the alpha’s side in an awkward hug.

He didn’t feel strong. He felt weak and vulnerable and alone.

With Marcus leaving, the only sentient person who cared about him at all was Tigris. And although she tried her absolute best to help him, she was omega too. She had her own struggles to contend with. At least for now, her suppression seemed to be sticking though.

“I’ll miss you omega” Marcus admitted.

“Yeah” Coriolanus nodded, he would too.

“Sherbet?” Marcus offered after a while.

Coriolanus nodded and silently accepted the sour stick of candy. The obsession with confectionery seemed to be a very district 2 thing. As long as no one offered him a gum drop he could keep it together though.

 

He headed to meet the driver with a heavy heart. His one place of safety was gone. And damn it, he’d forgotten his poetry book again. Strabo would not be pleased.

He spent his last week before classes visiting Sejanus everyday. He tried talking more, he even tried singing, before he felt too ridiculous and gave up, even then, the test results remained the same.

Maybe it didn’t matter that he wouldn’t have time to visit so much once University started. Sejanus seemed oblivious to his presence anyway.

He bid goodbye to Tigris, to Grandma’am, to his old life with dread and hopped into his hired car. Trepidation following him along the streets of the Capitol.

He dragged his suitcase behind him, following the map he’d been given to his dorm room. Scanning his keycard and opening the front door to be greeted with an aggressively sweet punch of air on entry. He felt as if he’d stumbled into a perfume testing factory.

He dropped his case in front of room 7, as he’d been told was his and headed further along the corridor to where the source of the aroma appeared to be.

As he rounded the doorway he was greeted by a group of delicate feminine faces. All omegas.

Of course, he thought as he entered the room. He was assigned the omega dorms and of course they were all girls. He tried not to flinch at the stark reminder of just what he was perceived as now.

“Hi Coryo” Vipsania Sickle called sweetly.

He shrugged as he moved forward to greet the one familiar face. Maybe this could be a good thing. At least he’d be safe from alphas here.

They ordered pizza that night and he managed to eat a good amount without getting nauseous. He could only hope that kept up. The lack of food he could keep down recently was exhausting him.

 

He went to bed relatively at ease. That was until he remembered he was supposed to be meeting with Dr Gaul the next day. He wondered if he could call that missed favor in with Strabo now and get a way out of her classes.

He rolled over. Trying to get comfortable. But he felt all hot and restless, his mind gnawing at him for something he didn’t want to grant it the decency of thinking about but as slick pooled at his entrance, he just couldn’t ignore it any more.

He sighed in frustration. His body was not getting the message he didn’t have an alpha around to sate him whenever he wanted, not as he had done for the last three years.

He’d only ever come close to losing Sejanus once before in that time.

It was during a field trip to district 1, nights forced apart by shared dorms and too many watchful eyes. The alpha had become jealous over his closeness to Lyssie. He couldn’t blame him, he’d played up their relationship on purpose, hoping it would help sure up his status as beta.

The absurdity of that arrangement could have been humorous, as if a beta female and male omega could want more than friendship, Coriolanus didn’t even want to consider the bedroom dynamics of that pairing. He'd shuddered at the thought.

But when Sejanus confronted him, he couldn’t exactly share that amusement with him.

Sejanus had threatened to expose their relationship. But Coriolanus couldn’t let that happen. A male beta and male alpha? It shone a spotlight he couldn’t afford, it would take just one person to question it and he knew rumors would spread like wildfire. 'What if Coriolanus isn’t beta?' He could hear it before it was even said.

"So what?” Sejanus had shot back at his protest “I don’t care what people think, I just want them to know you’re taken, that they can’t have you”.

Coriolanus could not afford the risk though .

“If you tell people about us” Coriolanus had threatened back, voice turning to ice “I will deny it and we will be over. I won’t look at you again”.

Even if it would have eaten him up to do so. He could not have let anyone know.

Sejanus had visibly deflated. “I just want people to know you’re mine”.

“I’m not yours” he'd answered back too quickly.

“Then what are we?” Sejanus’s voice had shaken and with it so had the omega's resolve, but he’d stood firm. He had no choice, he could not risk exposure.

“An alpha and beta male... it's not the Capitol way, we can’t have kids” Coriolanus had said more softly this time.

“Its stupid” Sejanus had scoffed “what if you were omega? You'd be allowed with me then?"

Coriolanus had felt himself freeze. The conversation skirting just too close to comfort. What ifs were dangerous. But not if he made it totally ridiculous.

“Or if you were female” he’d joked back, adding a laugh he’d perfected in its lightness.

But Sejanus hadn't laughed, he'd looked stunned. Like the joke had opened up a door instead of closing it.

“You really like me that much?” Sejanus had stuttered, something like hope flickering.

And before Coriolanus could catch up with where the conversation had headed, his thoughts were derailed by the look of hunger on the alpha’s face.

Coriolanus hadn’t known what answer to give to save him. All he’d known was he couldn’t let their arrangement be over, so he'd attacked with the only weapon he had left in his arsenal. Himself.

He’d dived at the other. Attacking his jaw and chest with his mouth. Almost grazing lips in a kiss but just in time, turning to nip at an ear, nuzzle down the column of his throat.

“Take me” he’d begged and Sejanus had, with more desperation that Coriolanus had thought possible. Bruising his hips with how hard he’d fucked him that night.

And with that memory almost viscerally etched across his body, he lost the battle with his libido,  fumbling in his nightstand to grasp the large rubber object Marcus had gifted him.

It looked too ridiculously large to even fit inside but he felt so painfully empty that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

As he pressed its tip against himself, he squeezed his eyes shut tight, letting imagination run away with him. How Sejanus would growl and groan as he fucked him, never seeming to tire of having the omegas body beneath his, hands pawing at him in his desperate need to claim.

With those thoughts he got the toy inside, finding a rhythm as he forced his body wide to accept the intrusion just as Sejanus would do with his cock.

His own throbbed and ached against his belly so he pulled the toy out and thrust in again, impaling himself over and over, imaging it was not the thick base of the toy against his perineum but his alpha’s pelvis pressed up tightly, shoving deeply inside, breeding him.

Nestling the toy as deep as it would reach he flipped onto his front, arching his back as he came. Letting his omega free, he could almost feel teeth in his nape and thick spurts of cum filling his insides with warmth, making him swell and bloat.

He glanced down his cum streaked belly to see that, sure enough, the toy was so big there was an indent straining against his abdomen. He pressed against it, his cock trying to stir but without the real thing he just felt tired by it, not turned on.

He wrenched the toy free, wincing at the abrupt emptiness, his hole gaping almost as much as when Sejanus had truly fucked him that whole night.

He spared a glance at the plug Marcus had gifted him but without his alpha to help him figure it out, it held no interest.

Instead he curled up in a ball, even back then, the thought of losing what he shared with Sejanus had been painful but he would have done it to protect his secret. But now, the thought of never having the alpha back, made him want to claw out his own insides to stop the burning ache. Back then he would have simply missed a good shag... now he felt like he was missing half of his self.

He couldn’t bear this weakness anymore, the endless wanting. He wanted control back or at least the illusion of having some choice in the matter. He fell asleep, once again, cursing what his designation had made of him.

 

He entered the labs the next morning with grim resignation. Coming to stand almost at attention before the spot she indicated. He braced anxiously for a lecture, a thought experiment, an assignment, whatever passed as ‘study’ under Dr Gaul.

After a beat too long, he risked a glance up. She was staring at him, nose wrinkled in distaste.

“How disappointing” she muttered, cold eyes pinning him.

“Erm… what is, Professor?”  He stuttered, immediately on edge.

“This” She gestured to his midsection, lip curling. “I did not agree to take on this”.

“What?” The word tumbled out, useless. He felt as though he’d been dropped into a conversation already half finished, all the crucial context missing.

“A pregnant omega is not what I was informed I’d be tutoring”.

“Erm” he stammered “that’s not... you don’t mean?” she wasn’t talking about him. She couldn’t have been. He rather pointlessly glanced around the rest of the lab, as if a pregnant person might stumble out between the benches to take the accusation off him.

“Sickness? Fatigue? Sensitivity to smell? Pathetic longing for your alpha?” she listed his symptoms as well as if she’d witnessed them herself.

She leaned in close, inspecting, as if he were under her microscope.

He had been sick. He was tired. He couldn’t stand most people’s scents. And that other thing? He’d been anxiously trying not to name that.

But Gaul did, with scalpel sharp precision, and now the words were carved into him.

Shit, pregnant. It must have been when Sejanus had knotted him. But how? His suppressants had still been working then. But it had to be then. He hadn’t been with any other. And that was why his suppressants had failed. His pregnancy hormones too much to be supressed.

Volumnia watched the dawning horror play out across his face.

“Am I to take it your tribute is the father?”

“What? No” his denial hit him sharp and panicked. Him and Marcus? Just no.

She arched a brow.

“Sejanus” he blurted, too quickly. For someone so observant, she’d really got that wrong.

Her mouth twisted. “And how would that work?”

His catastrophic error hit him all at once. Sejanus had been unconscious in hospital before he ever ‘presented’. By admitting it, he’d all but confirmed he’d been an omega long before the Games.

“You need to get your timings straight Mr Snow” she tutted “unless of course you’re willing to admit to committing acts of gross indecency” her laugh was a sharp nasty thing.

Right. He couldn’t claim Sejanus was the father. That would mean he either lied about when he presented or like she alluded to, he’d been up to some nefarious somnophiliac deeds in the hospital. That really only left Marcus.

“So Marcus is the father” she pressed again.

His stomach clenched. Every part of him revolted at the idea, but it was cleaner than the alternative. Easier to be branded a careless whore than a liar or a deviant. Even as his omega screamed in disgust, he reluctantly nodded.

“Someone really should have told you” she added flatly.

“Told me what?” he asked his throat going dry.

“Suppressants are not contraceptives”.

He balked, icy dread sinking through him. She knew. Every missing piece of his sick puzzle, she’d slotted them neatly together.

“I wouldn’t know” he stammered, scrabbling for a defence. “They’re illegal”.

“Too right they are” Her eyes glittered with disdain “Can’t have the Capitol’s precious breeding stock being tampered with”.

Coriolanus felt himself draw back as her acid scent burnt at his nostrils. Anger. He felt his omega recoil, whimpering.

“You are dismissed” she sneered at him.

So his punishment was freedom? He could have laughed but of course there was a catch.

“Classes will resume when you’ve taken care of the problem” she offered with a sly grin.

“Taken care?” his voice cracked.

“You can’t be thinking of keeping it?”

His omega was already sharpening its pitchfork at the suggestion of harming the pup, but his rational mind took note. He was already an unbonded omega. Barely any funds, precarious living arrangements. The other father, in a coma. How could he have a baby? He was 18.

He shook his head at the ground, unable to speak. Treacherous moisture behind his eyes.

The hypocrisy of the order burning even more. Chastising him for squandering capitol breeding stock whilst also demanding an abortion, but he guessed the sanctity of the Capitol breeding stock only mattered until you were serving another purpose for her.

“I’d get a move on. Impatience doesn’t suit me” she warned.

He headed back to his dormroom, his heart as heavy as lead.

 

And that’s where he remained. The weeks passed with his omega dormmates bringing him food, caring for him where they could but he couldn’t tell them what was wrong.

Without classes to go to, his world shrunk to four walls and the ticking of Gaul’s deadline.

He knew what he needed to do. But whenever he picked up the phone to call the hospital, his omega screamed at him to stop and he’d put it back down.

It was also fear of the hospital itself that froze his hand. How could he go there? When he knew someone else was present there, oblivious to it all.

He hadn’t visited Sejanus since Gaul’s revelation. How could he when it was his pup he carried? When it was his pup he planned on ‘taking care of’.

Sejanus wouldn’t want that. Sejanus would love this pup. But Sejanus wasn’t there and maybe never would be.

He picked up the phone and with shaking fingers dialled the number Gaul had provided him with.

“Capitol City hospital, how can I help?” a cheery  voice greeted him.

“Hello” he gulped. He couldn’t do this. But this wasn’t agreeing to go through with it. Just making an appointment. That was all. “I need an appoint...”

There was an urgent knock on his door. Taking a huge breath of relief he hung up the call and dived for the door. It was rude to keep people waiting.

“Mr Plinth” he stammered, feeling his eyes go wide.

“Coriolanus” he sighed, sounding almost bored as he bypassed an invitation and strolled into his room.

That was until he took a deep breath and the tedium visibly dropped from his face.

Coriolanus chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek as he waited for Strabo’s verdict.

It was obvious what thought train he was currently travelling on as he stared perplexed at his midsection, where Coriolanus knew there was a small but noticeable, to the observant, bump.

Strabo cleared his throat almost awkwardly before meeting his eyes. “I would put money on that being my son’s”

Coriolanus nodded.

“Am I to take it this is the reason you’ve been skipping your scheduled visits as well?”

He nodded again.

“I can see how your erm” he coughed  “predicament could cause difficulties but I am struggling to see why it prevents seeing my son. Surely it should be more reason to”.

Coriolanus hung his head in shame. He was failing his pup and his alpha. He was the worst omega ever. Which was stupid because he didn’t even want to be one.

“I just can’t” he admitted, screwing his face up to prevent the sobs that threatened him from breaking out.

“Why not?” Strabo’s patience sounded as if it was stretching thin.

“He might wake up, he might find out. He might not wake up. He might wake up when it’s too late” tears were falling freely as he upended the contents of his torturous dilemma at the feet of the unsuspecting alpha.

For one unbearable moment he pictured Sejanus awake and smiling, cradling their pup with all the unshakable devotion Coryo knew he’d give. But the image tore at him because Sejanus might never wake up, and the pup might never be.

“Too late for what?” Strabo demanded, steel leaking into his voice and scent.

“I can’t keep it” he sobbed.

Through his watery vision he was sure he saw a flash of something unnerving cross Strabo’s face.

“What can I do to change your mind?”

Coriolanus knew that tone, Strabo was already mentally cashing cheques.

“It’s not just about money” he tried to explain before this became some soulless bartering for a baby’s life “although I do always need that” he muttered. “I’m just scared to be a father so young, scared how I’ll take care of it when I can barely take care of myself”.

He crumpled into his desk chair. Finally speaking his mental torture out loud, draining him.

“None of these are obstacles” Strabo sniffed, unimpressed at his wallowing “not when my fortune and influence is taken into account”.

Coriolanus sat back up from his desk, blinking away tears. Hope blossoming in his chest, feeling so foreign there he was almost breathless with it.

“So” Strabo continued decisively “You look after yourself and the baby”.

Coriolanus nodded.

“Stick to your regular visits to my son”

Coriolanus nodded again, guilt jabbing at him.

“And I will take care of the rest” Strabo concluded curtly.

“Th... thank you” his voice shook. Finally realising he wasn’t totally alone in this.

“It is nothing” Strabo dismissed with a wave of his hand “This grandchild might be my only heir after all”.

Coriolanus felt bile churn in his stomach. Of course the thoughtfulness wasn’t for him. It was for his pup. But that didn’t sting too badly. He was already aware of Strabo’s ambivalence to him. It was the insinuation that had him crippled with despair. His only heir. Because his other heir might not make it.

He stared at the ground. Willing the pain in his chest to ease off. He already knew Sejanus was in a bad way. The reminder had just poked the hurt already buried deep.

“Oh I see you do actually love my son” surprise laced his tone.

Coriolanus offered him a cold glare as answer.

"Well then,” Strabo said, attempting a softer tone “with the capitol’s advancements in medicine, anything is possible”.

Coriolanus could have rolled his eyes at the alpha’s pathetic attempt at comforting him but they were too filled with tears to attempt it.

Chapter 11

Coriolanus smoothed his shirt over his bump with a sigh. You’d have to be blind to miss it now. His body taking on the likeness of a snake that had choked down an antelope.

Oh well, he gave up trying to make himself look less ridiculous, Mr Plinth would be there soon and as he was only too aware, the person he was going to visit would not care about his appearance, wouldn’t even be cognisant of his appearance.

He perched at the side of Sejanus’s sick bed. Half bored at the monotonous familiarity of it and half frantic that there was no change. No one would say it, but if felt like time was running out. When would it be said that it was too late? That the time Sejanus had to regain consciousness was gone.

He pressed a hand to his bump. He knew he wasn’t the most maternal person on the planet but the relief he felt, knowing he’d not had to say goodbye to the little life he had in there, was insurmountable.

“Whoa” he gasped as he could have been sure he felt a minute fluttering inside.

He froze. Maybe he’d just imagined it. But there it was again, a faint flutter. A tiny bird beating its wings against the inside of his ribs. His breath hitched and he pressed his hand down harder, to keep the sensation.

“Little guy” he giggled down at his abdomen. A strange joy bubbling up, probably from his omega.

He wasn’t going to be alone anymore. Not for a while at least.

He was brought out of his internal conversation with his little companion when a noise drew his attention.

Not a new noise but a change in noise.

The machine's droning, repetitive bleeping was becoming erratic, speeding up and slowing down with no hint of its usual pattern.

"Oh my god" Coriolanus hopped up.

Sejanus wasn’t still anymore. His limbs were twitching, just slightly, his fingers clenching, unclenching. His neck twisting from side to side.

As Coriolanus threw his eyes frantically over his form. They settled on his face. His face where two, startled, wary eyes were staring back up at him.

Before he could think, before his brain could catch up with the jarring change in front of him, Sejanus was thrashing around, ripping off chords and yanking out tubes.

There was nothing Coriolanus could do against the flailing limbs of the alpha.

“Sejanus!” he called as he attempted to lay a hand on the crazed looking alpha, trying to stop him doing any damage.

“Omega” was growled at him and he got the feeling Sejanus wasn’t recognising him properly.

Before he could work out much more than that, he was flat on the mattress, totally covered by the growling alpha. Sejanus’s nostrils were flaring, his pupil’s blown wide. Driven by pure alpha instinct.

“Sejanus Sejanus calm down it’s me, Coriolanus” he forced his unsteady voice into his most patient and soothing. Baring his neck to show he was no threat.

Sejanus’s eyebrows furrowed and he leant down to deeply sniff at his neck “Coryo?” Sejanus looked beyond confused and then as his eyes tracked further down to take the slight swell of his belly in,  the snarling startled up again ten times more loudly

“It’s yours you great knot head” he could only shout over the sound.

Sejanus cut off mid growl and cocked his head in question “Yes the pup is yours” Coriolanus nodded and Sejanus’s face lit up with joyful pride.

Coriolanus rolled his eyes at the typical, paternal alpha response.

But then, seeing the look on the other’s face he suddenly felt a pang of guilt over even considering getting rid of the pup. He’d nearly robbed him of this moment. Of the light that was now in his eyes.  And he was so glad Strabo had prevented that. This alpha would love their pup so much.

Lost in a fantastical daze, he didn’t notice what Sejanus was up to until he felt his pants being yanked off him.

With an undignified yelp he grabbed for the waist to cover himself back up.

“Sejanus what do you think you’re playing at?” he scolded, going bright red at how easily anyone could walk in their room and see what had been going on.

But that didn’t seem to deter the alpha, Sejanus pounced on him, pinning him to the mattress and nosing eagerly at his scent gland, licking and nibbling away.

Coriolanus felt himself falling into compliancy, Sejanus was letting out a rich heady aroma and he could finally smell his own rose petal sweetness rising to meet it.

Wetness pooled between his legs and he wanted to let go, feel the alpha’s strength and virility pour out of him and into his own body and most of all, he wanted his mating bite. He wanted to be claimed. He bared his neck and titled his hips up, giving the alpha access to anything he wanted.

But then through the cloying haze of their scents, his rational mind slapped him in the face. Sejanus’s breathing was too heavy for just simple arousal, his body was moving too cautiously as if avoiding pain. And his scent, although hugely aroused, was also tinged with the bitterness of sickness. Sejanus had been hurt.

He held his breath to fight the pheromones and pushed the other off him. Leaving Sejanus to huff back onto the mattress and he was able to scoot off the side and right himself.

“Coryo?” Sejanus groaned and reached for him but didn’t get too far, the exhaustion weighing on his body, evident in every heavy move he made.

“I’m going to get a doctor to check you over okay?” Coriolanus soothed and quickly gave his outfit a quick adjustment so he didn’t look quite as much like he’d just been mauled by a horny wolf. Even though he had.

A whimper drew his attention as he made for the door.

He turned back to see his alpha looking terrified. Curled up on his bed, eyes darting around the room in fright and confusion.

“Hey” he rushed back over and reached for him gently. Cradling his face and stroking his hair “it’s okay” he soothed.

Sejanus’s breaths slowed down marginally and he leant forward slowly towards his lips once again.

The kiss was the most tender, sweetest, most full of longing they’d ever shared. When they’d been together before, it had been pure lust, but that had been before. Everything had changed now, although if he admitted it, maybe nothing really had. He loved this alpha.

“Coryo” Sejanus sighed and he knew he was now being addressed by the man and not just the alpha.

He smiled shakily back in response.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Sejanus looked so confused, lost and anxious.

“There was a bombing, you were hurt.” Coriolanus tried not to be too blunt, it was just he’d been traumatised by it too. Talking about it felt like sticking a knife in a festering wound.

“In the arena?”

Coriolanus gave a jerky nod.

“The games?”

“Marcus won” he said it without emotion. He still wasn’t sure about his feelings towards his victory.... relief? Yes. Grief? Yes. Anger? Yes, but he didn’t really know why. Victorious? Not even slightly.

Sejanus was smiling at him. He guessed in congratulations. But he couldn’t return it and then the alpha's smile faded into a look of sadness which he immediately guessed the reason for.

“Sorry about your tribute".

“I don’t think I could have saved her even if I had been there” Sejanus sighed, sounding weighed down with weariness “I wish I could have said goodbye though”.

“She knew you cared about her”.

Coriolanus didn’t think mentioning that weird gossip he’d overheard about his omega tribute would help. It was just wild speculation anyway.

“What...” Sejanus hesitated, eyes running over him but always returning to his stomach “happened to you?” he finally finished.

“I presented” he said with a shrug. Maybe the lies could stay hidden, Sejanus didn’t need to become complicit too.

But Sejanus’s face immediately fell.

“How can that be mine then?” he asked forlornly “you were still unpresented when we last had sex”.

Ah. He always underestimated his alpha’s intelligence.

“I actually....” before he could launch into a more truthful explanation, a doctor pushed open the door and on seeing the scene, rushed forwards to tend to his, finally conscious, patient.

 

All Coriolanus could do was wait as he watched Sejanus wearily answer questions and go through tests.

“The patient should rest” the Doctor informed him with no chance of refusal.

He begrudgingly kissed Sejanus and was ushered from the door. Feeling awful that Sejanus still thought he'd been with another alpha.

He fretted all night about the situation until he finally felt it was early enough to rush back to the hospital, to see him and get it all straightened out.

Which is why his heart sank on entering the room, to see Ma Plinth already there, fussing about her son.

“Sejanus has been discharged” she beamed.

“Oh and congratulations” she rushed forward to stroke at his small bump and he tried his very best not to take a large step backwards.

His eyes fell on Sejanus instead who was sitting up, regarding the exchange sadly.

“I can’t wait to be a Grandma” she chuckled “you’re going to be spoilt rotten by your nana” she addressed his bump directly.

Sejanus looked close to tears so he sidestepped his mother and went to sit close by his side. He took up his large hand in his, finally getting a squeeze back and leant close to his ear.

“I presented when I was 15” he finally whispered the words he had been desperate to share “I’ve been on suppressants since”.

Sejanus pulled back to stare at him, hope brimming behind his eyes until his face split into a blinding smile and he was engulfed in his huge arms.

Sejanus’s scent exploded around him, finally fresh and bright, not polluted with disease.

He couldn’t help it. Rose blossomed too, his sweet notes mixing in with the deep aroma of the alpha.

Guided by instinct his nose fell into the crook of Sejanus’s neck, taking huge breaths of pure alpha. He felt a tickle as Sejanus responded in kind, his face twisting to be buried against his scent gland.

It was an exquisite mix of comforting, arousing, beautiful fulfilment.

His omega wanted to combust on the spot.

A bashful sounding throat clearing, made him swivel his head, marginally, there was no way he was giving up the scent completely.

“I’ll leave you boys to it” Ma Plinth was bustling for the door, cheeks tinged pink.

“So you’ve been omega the whole time” Sejanus purred against him.

He hummed his agreement back.

The rich, deep timbre of his alpha’s voice only heightening his enjoyment.

“Ah Son”.

Coriolanus jolted as they were interrupted once more. Strabo striding into the room and purposefully ignoring  the fact he’d walked in on their intimate reunion.

“Your mother was indeed not hallucinating”.

Reluctantly Coriolanus pulled away from the rather embarrassing position he was in, but he didn’t get far as Sejanus refused to let him budge. Tucking him tightly against his side.

“Shouldn’t you be packing up? Time to get home” Strabo informed them tersely.

“Good to see you too father” Sejanus answered, rolling his eyes.

Strabo paused as he finally bothered to look at his son for more than a few seconds.

“Well quite” he nodded before he looked between the two occupants on the bed. Still wrapped in each other’s arms, "I do expect a bonding to be completed as soon as possible after the birth” he stated.

Coriolanus reeled with shock. His son had just woken up from a serious, near death injury and Strabo was already plotting bonds and contracts, like his son’s life whittled down to a business transaction.

He was so lost in indignation he didn’t notice his omega seizing his tongue.

“Why not sooner?” he asked, Like right now? He nearly added, but thankfully he’d wrestled those last words back down.

The room went silent. His cheeks burned at how desperate he sounded. His omega clawed at his insides, hungry for a bite, howling for its bond.

“We don’t want to risk the pup” Strabo said sternly.

Sejanus’s arm tightening around him gave away his own quiet agreement.

Coriolanus scowled. It was easy for the alphas to decide when he could be bonded, they didn’t have to live with being a pregnant, male omega on the daily. Without a mark, a claim, or protection. He was sure if they got to experience even a single minute of that existence they’d beg for a bite mark too.

“Cheer up Coryo, Ma will organise a huge ceremonial party for the bonding” Sejanus smiled down at him.

“Oh yay” Coriolanus deadpanned “I do so love to party”.

Sejanus rolled his eyes fondly “you’re bound to get a shit ton of presents as well”.

“Ooooh" he reconsidered, at least there was always that to look forward to.

Chapter 12

“All taken care of” Strabo declared as he threw the car door open.

The words were almost impossible to believe and yet they rang out in the back of the Plinth’s estate car.

“She just agreed, just like that?” Coriolanus gawped, mind reeling in shock.

Dr Gaul had allowed him to un-enroll from the University. Let him free from her clutches?

“Well after a few erm” he coughed awkwardly “details were worked out”.

“Pa?” Sejanus pressed, impatient for the small print.

“Fine” Strabo huffed as he finally sank down into the front seat. “She wanted, for whatever godforsaken reason, a new detention block. Way out in the sticks. Holding cells, guards quarters, testing facilities. Yadda yadda”.

“Pa” Sejanus said slowly “you do realise whatever she wants all that for... it can’t exactly be for a good purpose”.

Strabo shrugged, entirely unmoved.

“Did she say what purpose?” Coriolanus hedged, half blasé because this was his freedom ticket, half alarmed because that set up did not sound like good news.

“Lord if I know, lord if I care” Strabo sighed, deliberately turning to stare out the window. A not so subtle hint the conversation was over.

“Just keep it hush hush, if you know what’s good for you” he tacked on as an afterthought.

“Guess I’d better pack then”, Coriolanus slid out the car, nerves prickling in the back of his mind that Gaul might swoop down  from her laboratory at any moment to reel him back under her tutelage.

“Lead the way” Sejanus called confidently as he strode towards the building that had had Coriolanus cowering. There was only a slight hesitance in Sejanus’s steps, left over caution from his long muscle disuse. But you had to be paying very careful attention to spot it.

 

Coriolanus made short work of pulling out his large rucksack and ramming in the few possessions he actually wanted to keep.

“Coryo?”

He turned curiously and then snorted at the sight of Sejanus standing there wobbling his humongous knotting toy around in front of his face, "What is this absolutely enormous penis doing in your room?”

“Don’t call yourself that Sejanus” Coriolanus shot back with a smirk, then ducked as the toy was launched directly at his head a moment later.

He couldn’t help laughing though. Ever since Sejanus had woken up. He’d felt a levity he’d never felt before.

Sure he was an exposed, pregnant omega. Sure he still barely had any decent wealth. Especially since he was now officially a University drop out with no career prospects.

But he had Sejanus back. And he knew if he allowed himself to release the hard fought for image he held of what his life should entail. He could find a new one in the rubble of the old. A new life with this alpha and the little one he carried inside.

They finished packing in silence and trudged back to the waiting car.

Coriolanus gave the towering university one last shuddering look, praying he’d never have to set foot inside again. Before they sped off to Plinth Manor.

Freedom. For now.

Strabo had insisted he would be their guest for the remainder of his pregnancy and Coriolanus couldn’t think up a single rebuttal against that plan.

A recuperating Sejanus on tap. No bills to pay and all the pickled vegetables, on salted crackers with a side of sweet chilli sauce and peanut butter he could eat.

Why Sejanus gagged every time he joined him for a meal he didn’t know.

 

That night he curled up in Sejanus’s bed, and revelled in the quite frankly alarming scent they seemed to produce when left alone together. A heady perfume of rose bushes in an evergreen wood. The fug of it could almost make him forget the shadow of Gaul’s tower, looming in the back of his mind.

 “You know” Sejanus sighed as his hand trailed up and down his side “a lot makes sense now I know you were an omega all along”.

“Like?” Coriolanus narrowed his eyes, preparing to take offence at the faintest misstep.

“Like, how you have such a plush ass but not an inch of fat on you elsewhere”

Coriolanus harrumphed but couldn’t exactly disagree with his observation.

“And your tiny cock” Sejanus added with a teasing grin.

“Do you mind?” Coriolanus spluttered indignantly “it is perfectly proportionate”.

“Hey, calm down” Sejanus soothed as his hand slid lower “you know I love it. I did always figure you were a very lucky beta to prefer men though”.

“Why?” Coriolanus couldn’t think of anything more unlucky. To be viewed as a freak in the Capitol's cruel eyes.

“No girl’s gonna be satisfied with you fucking them”.

He grimaced in distaste at the very thought but relaxed when Sejanus pulled him closer.

“And thankfully as an omega that’s something that would never appeal to you anyway” Sejanus said fondly, his mouth brushing his hair.

“So are you that glad I’m not a beta?” insecurity niggled at him that Sejanus hadn’t been satisfied with him before this.

“My alpha never cared you were beta. Still got a constant nag to, pin him, bite him, breed him”

Coriolanus’s relief cracked into a chuckle.

“Your alpha knew that wouldn’t have been possible, right?”

“Yeah” Sejanus laughed softly “he was never the sharpest tool in the box. But he’s always been obsessed with you.”

Coriolanus smirked, the words melting something inside him. Here, appearances meant next to nothing. Here, only their feelings mattered. He couldn’t convince himself that would work on the outside but alone with this alpha, it was a start.

Then he stifled a yawn. Growing a human life was exhausting enough, let alone the emotional upheaval life was throwing at him.

He settled down to sleep against Sejanus’s chest, feeling more content than he could ever remember.

 

He awoke in the dark. Held tightly against a firm, warm chest. The deepest, richest scent of virile alpha cloying the air around him. Making his head spin.

As he shifted around uncomfortably, he felt the telling wetness against his upper thighs, slick pooling out of him.

“Alpha” he sighed breathily, and got an answering deep rumble from behind him.

He felt his already stiff cock give a pitiful twitch. Begging for attention, his hole giving an answering throb.

“Please” he sighed, rutting back into the hard body behind him. And felt tingles shoot down his spine, especially when something very hot and hard nudged insistently between his legs.

“Yes” he panted as he was pushed flat, prepared to be mounted.

He arched his back, tilted his hips and bared his throat, as instinct dictated.

But then Coriolanus froze as he heard a sharp, pained intake of breath. Beneath the arousal he caught a bitter tang of strain in Sejanus’s scent.

Oh right. Sejanus was on strict orders to take things easy. Sex was definitely off the table.

With a frustrated groan he flipped over. Removing his backside from temptations way.

Sejanus growled and made to manhandle him back round but Coriolanus held firm. Pressing on his chest and murmuring ‘no’ until the message seemed to sink in.

“You’re hurt remember” Coriolanus sighed, shuffling his hips around to try and rid himself of the ache. It had been months and he just felt so painfully empty all the time.

“This hurts more” Sejanus moaned, hand pressing hard against his engorged looking dick “you must be suffering too right?”

Coriolanus rolled his eyes “d’uh, can’t you smell me?”

Sejanus groaned again “don’t even mention it please".

They fell into silence then. Both wrestling their inner wolves into submission, but it was obvious as they both restlessly tossed around, neither of them could get back to sleep.

“Coryo?”

“Sejanus?”

“Maybe I could just... you know, put it in you?”

Coriolanus shot him a look of disbelief, “Don’t you dare try ‘just the tip’, on me again. I am not that stupid”.

“No, I meant like, just slide in, not move... I know I’d cum in less than a minute and it’d help you out too...”

“Hmmm” Coriolanus thoughtfully mused. It was just supposed to be no fucking. Not no penetration. Sejanus’s plan certainly sounded better than nothing and he did just love taking advantage of a loop hole.

“Go on then” he pressed his hips back with relief as Sejanus grabbed him and pushed immediately inside.

“Oh fuck” they gasped together, clinging to the dizzy rush of connection. Their scents mingled, heavy and intoxicating.

Sejanus stilled when he was entirely engulfed, his hips trembling with restraint.

Coriolanus began clenching and unclenching his muscles around the hot intrusion inside him, feeling burning pleasure thrum through every inch of him.

“Talk about you only lasting a minute” he teased as he felt his cock twitching and cum already dribbling out the head.

“Wow just wow” Sejanus groaned, sneaking in a tiny thrust, as if Coriolanus wouldn’t notice.

“Did I not feel good before?” Coriolanus asked in a small voice, unsettled by how awestruck Sejanus seemed.

“Course” Sejanus scoffed “you were tight as a fucking vice. But this? This is something else”.

Coriolanus couldn’t work out if he felt praised or insulted. Almost feeling jealous of his old beta self.

He managed one more orgasm before sleep called for him again. Having one last self congratulatory thought over outsmarting their doctor on a technicality.

 

“So I was thinking teal or lavender?” Ma Plinth said, eyes gleaming with excitement over the breakfast table.

“For what?” Coriolanus asked, only to freeze when all eyes were suddenly on him, expectantly awaiting an answer.

“The table settings, do keep up” she said exasperatedly.

“Oh right” Coriolanus tried to picture it, a grand banquet for him and Sejanus. Tables adorned with silver place ware and platters of lavish food, enough to feed half the districts... and then napkins. What color were they supposed to be? His mind unhelpfully drew a blank.

“Erm”

“I was thinking deep pink, like rose petals” Sejanus jumped in smoothly.

“Aww” Ma looked proudly at her son “how romantic”.

“What about pine forest green then?” Coriolanus countered, guessing the game.

“Oh no, not the look we’re going for” Ma tutted, as if he’d suggested decorating with barbed wire.

Coriolanus rolled his eyes as Sejanus smirked at him.

“Fine, pink, whatever” Coriolanus huffed and went back to his breakfast.

He could not get on board with their enthusiasm over this whole bonding party thing. The only reason he was going through with it was for his bite.

So he could go about life without other alphas sizing up his worth like some breedable slab of meat.

Once he had his mark the whole lot of them could bury themselves alive in pink napkins, for all he cared.

 

Later that day they were due a joint doctors check up. Sejanus to see how he was improving after being in a coma for three months and him for entering his second trimester.

“So Mr Plinth, have you been taking things easy?” the doctor asked once they’d taken their seats in his office.

“Yes” Sejanus answered too quickly in a bizarrely squeaky voice.

Coriolanus shook his head in embarrassment. What was that? He’d been able to lie more convincingly as a kindergarten.

“Really?” the doctor raised his brows suspiciously at them and Sejanus turned pink.

“Yes, plenty of bedrest” Coriolanus answered for him.

“Right. And you, Mr Snow, how are our symptoms?”

“Erm well I’ve pretty much stopped being sick. My back hurts and it would be really useful if you could take my alpha off bedrest some time soon”

“Yes well backache and high libido are well documented symptoms. Has the sickness been very bad?”

“I’d bet the sickness was caused more by his onion based diet than anything doc” Sejanus muttered with a shudder.

“Cravings are very common during pregnancy” the doctor said mildly.

“Thank you doctor” Coriolanus smirked, smug at his culinary choices being vindicated.

“And this is the only alpha you have been sexually active with during the pregnancy?

“Yes” Sejanus stated confidentiality.

“Erm....” Coriolanus interrupted nervously, could it be medically relevant?

“I was helped along a bit by another alpha... but it was an emergency”

“What who!?” Sejanus spluttered in shock.

“Marcus” he admitted in a mumble, "You see I was going through some kind of heat like thing” Coriolanus hurried to explain.

“Ah yes early pregnancy can mimic heat symptoms” the doctor nodded, unfazed.

“So you let him fuck you!?” Sejanus demanded.

“Oh no” Coriolanus hastened to clarify “just fisted me a little bit... in a purely platonic way”.

“Platonic!” Sejanus nearly screeched and Coriolanus felt his omega wilt, wanting to drop to his knees and beg forgiveness.

Sejanus must have smelt his distress as his gaze immediately softened “I don’t blame you Coryo, he was obviously taking advantage of a vulnerable omega”.

Coriolanus crossed his arms obstinately, bristling at the insinuation he was that weak and stupid “it really wasn’t like that”.

“Maybe” the doctor cut in drily  “we should move onto your scan, hmm?” attempting to prevent a full blown domestic.

Coriolanus hopped up onto the examination table and lifted his shirt up as directed.

The doctor began spreading a cool jelly across his midsection. Apologising when some accidently smeared on his top.

“Oh don’t worry it’s not mine” Coriolanus smiled smugly across at the garment’s actual owner. He’d given up on his own clothes, the fit being far too snug lately.

“I couldn’t see the details of your other scans on the system, where were they taken Mr Snow?”

“Erm well... I haven’t had any” Coriolanus admitted, already prepared for the reprimand.

“Better late than never” he tutted in response.

Silence fell across the room as the doctor worked with his scanning device, eyes flitting between his probe and the monitor.

“So I suppose” he finally concluded “If this is your first scan, you are unaware this is a multiple pregnancy".

“Huh?” Coriolanus gawped.

“How many?” Sejanus croaked, looking dumbfounded.

“Twins” the doctor informed them “two healthy looking twins”.

There was a beat of silence. This new advancement being digested.

“Typical” Sejanus said with an eyeroll but Coriolanus found himself to shocked to work out what he could possibly mean.

Chapter 13

The weeks as the Plinth’s guest passed as rapidly as his stomach grew.

Settling into an easy, pleasantly domestic routine.

He spent his time, lazing around the Manor and visiting his cousin. Or she visited them if Grandma’am was having a good enough day to be left.

Strabo had bought the penthouse outright, in fact he’d bought the entire building on the Corso to rent out the apartments. But he  refused any rent from Tigris as they were ‘family.’

Coriolanus had rolled his eyes at that, Strabo was meant to be considered a shrewd business man.

Oh well, he wasn’t complaining. Not having to worry about forking out for their rent and taxes made his Plinth prize money a lot more likely to last.

Tigris was thrilled she would be an Aunt, Grandma’am in contrast, seemed in complete denial about the whole pregnancy, omega thing. In fact she didn’t really seem with it at all recently. Which was worrying him more than he’d admit.

Evenings were the hardest. Spent trying to keep Sejanus at arms length. Really he was. It was just, when they tried to have normal, perfunctory sex  like they’d perfected the act of, before all this, it just turned into a heated battle not to mate with each other.

The pull of his pregnancy hormones becoming too insistent to ignore.

Like tonight as he sat leaking torrents of slick down his alpha’s face, drowning him in the stuff.

Sejanus’s hungry tongue licking desperately inside him as if to sate some unquenchable thirst.

The satisfaction Coriolanus felt at that fact, almost indecent. His mind playing back the many times, Sejanus had gone down on him before.

Sejanus had always seemed to enjoy it but Coriolanus could never relax enough to do so. The dryness he knew was there, feeling too wrong when his alpha should have been getting mouthfuls of slick instead. His omega shrieking at him that he was the most unappealing omega ever to be totally dry for his alpha.

Not like now. As Sejanus wrung yet another orgasm from him with his tongue.

His hips stuttered and his precarious perch upon his alpha’s face was threatened as he lost his balance with the force of his climax.

Sejanus noticed and immediately wrapped an arm around his hips to keep him upright.

“More” Sejanus moaned, licking his lips.

“Empty” Coriolanus rasped in response. Already scooting his hips back to hover over Sejanus’s huge, straining cock.

It didn’t take much persuasion to feel it pressing hotly against his rim, with a breathless drop of his weight, he took it in, eager and slick.

“Yes, yes” Coriolanus chanted as Sejanus immediately held him around his waist and hauled him up and down on his cock.

He was heavier now, of course, but Sejanus still had no trouble manoeuvring him around on his cock.

As another orgasm trembled through him,  Coriolanus felt that pull. To take in more of the alpha’s scent, to nose at his scent gland and fill himself with the musk of it.

He stretched over Sejanus’s chest. Taking care not to put weight on his swollen belly, to drag his nose up and down the alpha’s neck.

The scent there doing indescribable things to him and his omega.

As he trailed his tongue in circles around the area, he felt Sejanus’s hips stutter. Ever so gently he bit down on the gland.

“Yes! Please yes” Sejanus called desperately.

His omega commanding every action, he put more force into it, pressing his teeth hard into flesh until he felt it give way.

The reaction was immediate. Purely animalistic.

Sejanus growled and flipped him, pinning him against the mattress but, thankfully keeping his weight off his midsection.

He sank his teeth deep into Coriolanus’s bared throat. Powerful and claiming. Almost immediately his hips faltered, his cock swelled, trying to knot in vain. The omega’s womb was blocked off, the knot failed to latch and cum exploded everywhere, pooling out his sensitive hole in wave after wave.

Coriolanus's omega burst forth with joy, near screaming in ecstasy as the mating was complete.

And this was exactly why he’d been trying to keep away from his alpha.

Mrs Plinth would be livid.

Sejanus pulled out, a fresh torrent of cum spilled with him. And blinked around in a daze. They both sat looking stunned as they came to terms with what they’d just done to each other. Slowly their eyes met and they both let out a startled snort at their wrecked appearances.

Whilst Coriolanus felt a strange tingle at his neck. Like tiny needles were stitching something into his skin.

Sejanus did not look as if he was experiencing the same.

As he pulled his hand back from his neck, it was covered in blood.

“Shit” Coriolanus gasped in alarm “why are you bleeding?”

“I don’t know if you know this Coryo” Sejanus asked with a slightly pained chuckle “but alphas aren’t supposed to bare a mark. That’s just you guys”

“Oh” Coriolanus nodded. Thinking about it, he’d ever seen a mark on an alpha’s neck. Just the slightly sweeter note to their scent that claimed they were bonded.

“So what did I do?” Coriolanus asked sheepishly.

“Just bit me really. My scent gland’s too deep to easily get at, so if this forms a lasting mark I guess you bit me deep.”

Coriolanus grabbed up a cup of water from the nightstand to rinse his mouth, just realising how metallic it tasted from the blood.

“Does it hurt a lot?” he asked guiltily, once he was done.

“Nah” Sejanus shrugged.

After he’d finished wiping up the blood he went to examine it in the mirror.

Whilst Coriolanus now sported a delicate silver crescent, the perfect imprint of Sejanus’s canines, curved into his neck.

Sejanus had what looked like an angry red explosion. The edges jagged and pointy.

“Whoops” Coriolanus offered him an apologetic smile in the mirror.

“Don’t say sorry” Sejanus said, surprised fondness in his voice “I kind of like it. Why should you be the only one with a mark?”

“What! You hope it sticks?” Coriolanus asked.

“Why not? It’ll certainly scar whatever so at least I’ll have something” he sounded mischievous, almost pleased over the idea of his imperfect claim.

Sejanus quickly changed the cum soaked bed linen and they settled down to get some sleep.

“We’ll have to apologise to your mother in the morning” Coriolanus sighed.

“For the noise?” Sejanus guessed.

“Shit” he hadn’t thought of that “for that too but I meant for ruining her bonding party plans.”

“Oh don’t mind that. She’s just over the moon that I’ve found love, she won’t mind about all that material stuff in the end”

“Found love... You love me?” Coriolanus’s mind reeled in a mix of sweet happiness and something more bitter he couldn't bring himself to dwell on.

Sejanus’s confession came so simply it knocked the breath out of him. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you.”

Coriolanus blinked  back tears. He’d been horrible to Sejanus back then. Cold, indecisive.

“I know it wasn’t the same for you” Sejanus went on.

“It’s just, I couldn’t..  I couldn’t allow it” Coriolanus stammered.

“I suspected as much, so you did always plan to leave me?” Sejanus asked dejectedly.

“It’s the capitol way. I planned to remain beta, so I needed a beta wife and you'd need a female omega” he explained. Those were the only acceptable rules.

“But you’d be miserable... I’d be miserable.” Sejanus said with a frown.

“Better that than ostracised. What was your plan then, if you’d wanted us to stay together?”

“Take you away to the districts, they’re less judgemental about an alpha and beta male being together”

“That would have been enough for you?” Coriolanus asked incredulously.

Sejanus’s hand found his.

“Yes” he answered slowly, as if explaining to a simpleton “I love you.”

 

Once they finally roused late the next morning, they headed down to breakfast, both sporting rather sheepish expressions.

“Ah there you are” Strabo frowned over his news paper at them “your mother thought you were giving birth from the racket you two were making. But I see you were merely taking chunks out of each other”

“Yes Pa” Sejanus mumbled cheeks going pink as they took their seats around the table “we... completed the bond.”

“You did what?” Tigris’s voice greeted them in a screech as she came careening into the dining room.

“Oh my god!” she squealed, skidding to a halt in front of the pair. Her eyes darted between their necks.

“Why does yours look like an angry wound?” she asked as she grabbed Sejanus’s chin to inspect the mark.

“Omega don’t have sharp  teeth like an alpha” Strabo informed them drily, face hidden behind his paper once again “I suppose he just gnawed away till he broke flesh."

“Something like that” Sejanus shrugged “I was a bit distracted at the time”.

“Aww your marks look like the sun and the moon” Tigris sighed dreamily.

“How poetic” Strabo muttered, dripping sarcasm “Sejanus make sure that doesn’t get infected. It would be a ghastly sight”.

“What’s infected?” Ma Plinth queried with concern as she joined them.

“We bonded Ma” Sejanus explained with an apologetic smile.

“Oh how marvellous” she crooned clasping her hands together, then suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth.

Coriolanus braced to be scolded for ruining the party and for the quiet relief of killing off the endless napkin debates.

Instead Ma gasped “We’ll just have to bring the date forward a month or so!”

And Coriolanus felt his heart sink. That was not what she was supposed to say.

“Oh I’ll have to ring the printers immediately” she exclaimed and bustled out the room.

“Excellent Sejanus” Strabo tutted, folding his paper at last “now look what you’ve done”.

 

He, Sejanus and Tigris went for a walk in the crisp, wintery air, strolling slowly through the city as that was the only pace he could manage with his huge stomach.

They’d just rounded onto the Plinth’s Street when their casual topic of conversation took a more worrisome turn.

“You know the family back in 2 are gonna be shocked I’m a father at 19” Sejanus chuckled “that’s young, even for district standards.”

“Aww do you think they’ll get to meet the pups?” Tigris asked politely before frowning when she noticed Coriolanus had gone stock still and was staring blankly at the sidewalk.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought about that issue before.

“What’s the matter?” Sejanus ran back, concern etched across his face.

“It’s just... there might be a small problem with that actually” he confessed in a thin voice. The horror show of his last conversation with Gaul playing back in his mind.

“Yeah?” Sejanus prompted gently.  

“Well if I presented when I say I did, how can you be the father? You were in a coma.”

Sejanus’s smile vanished as the implication sank in.

Before anyone could say more, there was a crunch of gravel as Strabo came striding across the driveway towards them.

“Gaul thinks I need to tell everyone Marcus is the father” Coriolanus blurted out.

“Absolutely not”

Coriolanus looked up in question as he wasn’t entirely sure which alpha that had come from.

“Just the timing doesn’t work” Coriolanus sighed again wearily.

“Nope” Sejanus shook his head firmly “we are not claiming that.”

“The rest of the Capitol won’t be astute enough to question it” Strabo said briskly “If anyone askes we’ll say you were already in preheat. No one knows enough about male omegas to dispute it”.

“So how does Gaul?” Tigris asked, brow furrowed in thought  “She may be a doctor but where would she get her knowledge that what Coryo’s claiming is impossible?”

“A very good question” Strabo agreed, shaking his head in agitation, "she cannot stand the thought of a Plinth, Snow alliance, that conniving bi..." he cut himself off abruptly with a decisive snap of his fingers.

“Sejanus is the father” he declared as he walked briskly over to his parked car “just leave Gaul to me”. He called before slamming the car door.

Chapter 14

“Coryo, what on earth are you doing?” Sejanus called up to him.

Coriolanus dunked his sponge back into his bucket of soapy water “have you seen the state of your window frames recently? He gave a vigorous scrub before huffing “filthy!”

Strabo came wandering by then and stopped dead at the sight of Coriolanus balancing precariously on the arm of the couch,  scrubbing furiously at the window frames.

“What’s he doing?” Strabo asked his son.

“Er... I think this might be nesting” Sejanus hedged.

Coriolanus slowly turned to peer at the impeccably made bed behind him “I am not”.

He’d resisted the urge to upend the contents of anyone’s laundry hamper for at least three days, thank you very much.

“Oh for goodness sake, Coriolanus get down” Strabo gestured furiously “we have avoxes for that!”

“Leave him be” Ma Plinth tutted as she passed by their room “sometimes it’s nice to get to clean in your own home” she called pointedly back at her husband.

“Thank you” Coriolanus muttered under his breath. At least someone understood. How anyone could live with their window frames that dusty, he did not know.

 

Later, exhausted by his cleaning spree, Coriolanus collapsed onto the bed. Trying in vain to get comfortable. But his back hurt, his hips hurt and his swollen belly was making even taking a normal sized breath of air impossible.

He flopped against the pillows, feeling thoroughly done with being pregnant.

He looked down his body at his giant ball of a stomach with his two skinny legs sticking out beneath. Looking like an upside down hoppity hop, he thought dismally.

Naturally that was when Sejanus walked in, peeling off his sweaty vest from his work out.

Looking like a Greek god. He wanted to climb him like a tree. But he couldn’t, because of his giant belly. This sucked.

“Oh wow Coryo” Sejanus exclaimed, wafting the air beneath his nose “are you alright? You’re stinking up the place.”

And now not only was he hideously ugly he also stank too. Without a moment to consider he might not have been being completely rational, he burst into tears.

“Oh shit” Sejanus blurted and ran to wrap his omega in a hug  “I didn’t mean it like that, you know I love your smell and you? Always”  He soothed. Remembering too late that Coriolanus had been quite emotional the last few days.

Coriolanus eventually managed to settle, although it had taken far too much scenting to get him there.  He did have to wonder what was wrong with him, their official bonding ceremony was only two days away. He really could do with the random bursts of tears stopping by then.

 

Unfortunately on the day itself. He did not feel better. He felt considerably worse.

He was tired, achey and really really did not want to be in a room full of capitol elite.

He couldn’t exactly tell anyone that though.

He just about got through breakfast with a grimace. Claiming nerves as the reason for his lost appetite and then staggered back to their room to dress.

He was left gasping as pain shot up and down his spine as he attempted to squeeze into his suit.

He’d just got the last button of his shirt stretched closed over his stomach when Sejanus came to check on him.

“You sure you’re okay sweetie?”

The sight of his alpha in his beautiful navy suit nearly took his breath away,  what little he had anyway. He couldn’t ruin the day now, not when everyone had gone to so much effort.

“Sure just hard work squeezing into this thing” he explained breathlessly.

“Okay... if you’re sure” Sejanus frowned, looking him up and down worriedly “you look lovely by the way.”

Coriolanus rolled his eyes. He looked like a pale blue powder pouf, and they both knew it.

He shakily followed his alpha down the stairs, ready to make their entrance into the Manor ballroom. His back cramping horribly on the descent.

He was starting to get a sneaking suspicion what those pains might mean, but he really didn’t want to cause a scene. He could have been wrong, he wasn’t actually due for another three weeks.

As they approached he could hear the chatter of excited voices behind the door.

He took some steady breathes to steel himself for their entrance when a crippling pain wracked through his body and with a gasp a huge splash of wetness fell down his legs.

Sejanus spun with an almost comically huge look of shock on his face.

“Coryo!?”

Coriolanus's eyes went wide as he looked from the puddle he was standing in up to his alpha’s face guiltily.

“Coryo did you know?”

“I might have suspected” he admitted sheepishly.

“You absolute idiotic moron” Sejanus groaned, gripping his shoulders to steer him away.

“Sejanus don’t speak to your omega like that!” Strabo barked as he strode down the corridor towards them “now come along, you’re leaving your guests waiting” he instructed before he paused and sniffed “why does it smell so.... oh.”

His eyes dropped to the puddle.

“Coryo’s in labour and didn’t think to tell anyone” Sejanus hissed urgently.

“Oh you imbecile” Strabo muttered at the stunned omega.

“My sentiments exactly” Sejanus sighed.

“Right” Strabo clapped his hands, taking charge “I’ll handle the guests, you get him back upstairs”.

Without another word, Sejanus scooped him up into his arms and made for the staircase as Strabo threw open the ballroom doors with a booming announcement.

“Ow” Coriolanus winced quietly as another gripping pain rippled across his abdomen.

 

Ma and Tigris fluttered uselessly around him, wiping at him with flannels and offering him ice of all things.

Sejanus was pacing holes in the carpet and Coriolanus was thrashing around on the bed, wishing death would take him.

“Owwww” he howled again. This was the absolute worst thing in the fucking world and it was all Sejanus’s fault. If he’d just kept his idiotically proportioned knot in his pants, this wouldn’t be happening.

“Doctor’s here” Strabo announced from the hallway as he ushered the man in before hastily slamming the door shut with himself, safely, on the other side.

“Finally” Coriolanus grit out, back arching as he felt as if he would split down the middle.

“I see we’re not bearing the pain especially well” the doctor tutted patronisingly.

“You try squeezing a bowling ball out of your body” Coriolanus snapped “no sorry, two bowling balls” he corrected with wild eyes.

“Alright Mr Snow, let’s get you some pain relief”

 

Things quietened down after Coriolanus was dosed up to the eyeballs.

“Now just let us know as soon as you feel the urge to push” the doctor instructed sternly “That is when I will make the incision”.

Coriolanus eyed the scalpel up warily. Suddenly not trusting the doctor very much.

“Sejanus” he hissed across the room.

“Yes baby?” Sejanus was at his side in an instant.

“You overpower him and I’ll make a run for it, okay?” Coriolanus smirked at his ingenious plan.

“Huh?” Sejanus blinked “oh right. Doc said some of those drugs make you a bit loopy” he patted his hand soothingly  “Sure thing baby, great idea. You just rest first, build up your strength for the escape”.

Coriolanus nodded solemnly.

“He plotting my demise?” the doctor called over from where he was setting out his instruments.

“Yeah” Sejanus answered wryly.

“Would not be the first time” the doctor sighed, with a roll of his eyes.

“Ow Ow ow” Coriolanus suddenly gasped, face contorting.

“Ah! it is time” the doctor declared, wheeling over his tray of gleaming implements.

 

“Baby number one” the doctor said a few moments later, gently easing a squirming bundle out of the gaping wound in his stomach “a girl” he announced  as he passed her to a waiting Ma Plinth.

Coriolanus barely had time to process before his body seized again.

“Baby two” the doctor reached in and eased out another squirming pup “a boy”. He handed that one to a beaming Tigris.

For a beat there was silence, until two shrill cries pierced the air.

“Healthy lungs” the doctor noted from where he was now sewing Coriolanus back up.

Sejanus, his eyes shining, took the cleaned Baby girl from his mother and brought her over.

“Our daughter” Sejanus sighed proudly.

“Tigerlily” Coriolanus decided.

“little Lily” Sejanus crooned, utterly besotted.

Tigris brought over the boy.

“Leopold” Coriolanus declared with a nod.

“Leo” Sejanus beamed across at his son.

“Very feline” Tigris said approvingly.

 

Once the doctor was finished with his stitches he began examining Coriolanus’s chest. Much to his consternation.

“Hmm not an inch of mammary development. These pups will need to be bottle fed”

“Woohoo” Coriolanus cheered, very relieved he wouldn’t have two hungry pups chomping at his chest for hours on end.

He shot Sejanus a withering glare when he spotted him staring almost wistfully at his flat chest.

 

The first week of life with their new babies passed in a blur of bottles, diapers and desperately trying to sneak in a wink of sleep.

It wasn’t until another week had passed that they finally managed to get both babies down at the same time.

For a long moment they just stared at each other, hardly daring to believe it.

“So” Sejanus asked at last “what do you feel like doing?”

Coriolanus eyed up their bed longingly.

“Yup me too” Sejanus agreed without further discussion before they dived under the covers.

Sejanus snagged the TV remote and flicked on whatever daytime rubbish was being aired.

 

They dozed in and out of consciousness contentedly letting the afternoon roll on, until Sejanus startled and sat up hastily.

He fumbled for the remote and cranked the volume.

Disturbed by the sudden movement, Coriolanus sleepily sat up too, rubbing at his eyes.

He blearily blinked at the sight on screen, his old tribute standing on some sort stage.

“You call me a Victor, huh? Call this a Celebration?

“This is not a celebration. It is a funeral. A funeral for 23 innocent children, who’s lives were ripped from them for no good reason.

Dead. Not because they were enemies, but because they were made to be. For entertainment. For punishment. For the supposed crimes committed a decade ago.

And I am not a victor. I am just a man who killed to stay alive in a place built to make killing seem... noble.

But there was nothing noble about it.

They say I’m a hero now. A survivor. That I should be grateful.

But if surviving makes you a hero, what does that make the ones who didn’t?

Does that make them weak? Unworthy? Less human?

Because I don’t think that’s true.

I am not here because I was the best.

I am here because I was the last."

His eyes drilled directly into the camera.

"Remember the ones who never came home.

Not just this year. Every year

We’re told that is the price of peace.

But who decided that price?

Are you willing to pay?”

Peacekeepers mobbed the stage then, grabbing Marcus under the arms and hauling off the stage.

Sejanus turned to look at him with horror filled eyes.

“And I will not mentor a tribute from this district or any district in the 11^th games” He shouted as he was dragged off stage.

Then the broadcast cut to black.

A heavy silence filled the bedroom.

 Before Sejanus threw his hands up in despair “Oh that absolute idiot!”

Coriolanus narrowed his eyes at the alpha, “Hang on, don’t you agree with him?”

Sejanus’s jaw clenched, “That’s... beside the point”.

Ever since he’d admitted to Marcus helping him out that time, his ex-tribute didn’t appear to be his alpha’s favourite person anymore.

Faintly they heard the telephone ringing in the hall.

And they waited with baited breath.

Torturous minutes later, Ma Plinth stuck her head around the door, with a worried look on her face.

“That was Dr Gaul” she said.

Coriolanus felt the colour drain from his face.

“She requests your presence to discuss your tribute’s behavior.”

Across the room, one of the babies gurgled softly, reminding him what was at stake.

“I guess I’m going to the Citadel” Coriolanus whispered, gulping down nerves.

“Coryo... no” Sejanus sighed heavy with dread.

“Gaul doesn’t give choices when she ‘requests’ something” Coriolanus stated bleakly.

He slid off the bed, went to stroke the pups across their downy heads, leaning down for a shaky breath of their milky scent for courage and headed out the door.

Sejanus was right, Marcus was an absolute idiot.

Chapter 15

His stomach churned as  he slowly climbed the steps of the Citadel. He was still tender and sore from birth. Exhausted and frayed from sleepless nights. If he was honest, still wrung out from his alpha’s coma, his suppressants failing and being forced to mentor in the hunger games on top of it all.

He hadn’t felt less prepared for a meeting with Dr Gaul in his life.

“Mr Snow,” she peered across her desk like a hawk considering a mouse, “I am grateful you are here. We have a problem.”

“Marcus” he managed, uselessly.

“Indeed” her lips twisted. “His poisonous vitriol cannot be allowed to spread. We are mere weeks away from preparations for the next games.”

“I understand, but... what do you think I can do?”

“You will stop him, silence the dangerous rhetoric and convince him to mentor, show he is one of ours now.”

“I... I don’t” he faltered. Marcus wouldn’t listen to him. He would already be aware of the risks yet he gave the speech anyway. What could he possibly say to change that?

“You will shut him down,” it wasn’t even spoken in a command voice but somehow he knew he had to obey, “or I will” she finished coldly.

She rose and slid her way over to some heavy black curtains. Running a velvet chord through her fingers until she gave it an abrupt tug and the curtains split.

Coriolanus recoiled immediately, vicious snarls cut the air as hulking black shapes roamed restlessly around their cage.

“Carrion hounds” she purred.

His throat clicked as he swallowed.

“A way to silence even the loudest voices” she added with a leer.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Coriolanus stuttered as he backed away, desperately trying not to sprint out of the room.

“Marcus best behave, lest he wind up in his...” 

Her pause felt heavy with expectation.

“Grave.” Coriolanus felt he had no choice but to reply, voice thick with dread.

Her smile said she approved.

The chilling words haunted him as he hurried back down the steps and away from the great tower. Echoing around his head long after the gates of the Citadel shut behind him.

 

Coriolanus had just stepped through the front door when Strabo surged at him, “You went alone!”

The flash of canines was enough to turn his bones to liquid. He had never seen the man so terrifying.

His omega shrivelled against the inside of his skull, making his knees heavy with the pull to drop and beg forgiveness.

“I can take care of myself,” he tried to sound defensive, but his voice came out embarrassingly wobbly.

“Next time you take one of us” Strabo snapped, “or you are not going.”

Coriolanus fought the instinctive nod of compliance but then Strabo’s eyes flashed and he sensed a command  coming.

“Yes yes of course Mr Plinth, I won’t go alone,” he hastened to agree before the choice was taken from him.

Strabo studied him a long time but finally relented with a sigh.

“That woman is dangerous,” he warned in a low voice before he turned sharply and left the room.

 

“Oh thank god you’re alright” Sejanus ran to him then, bundling him into his arms and breathing against his neck deeply, “Pa chewed me a new one for not going with you.”

“I know,” Coriolanus clung back, taking equally huge breaths of his alpha’s neck, “but we have the pups to think of now.”

Sejanus gave him a helpless shrug.

After he’d filled them in on what Gaul wanted. The plan was made. They’d have to go to 2. To at least try and convince Marcus to give up the rebel life and live quietly as a victor.

And once he flat out refused to do that? Then they’d have to rethink it.  But they at least had to try the easy option first.

 

“The library,” Sejanus gestured at a squat cement block of a building “butchers, candy store.”

Coriolanus followed his hand to a faded pink storefront, guessing this was the supplier of Sejanus’s signature gumdrops.

“So this where you planned to bring me, had I stayed a beta?” Coriolanus asked, raising his brows speculatively at the alpha.

“Yes” Sejanus nodded without hesitating. “I’d have got us an apartment, maybe near the training campus so you wouldn’t have to walk so far to study”.

Sejanus gave his arm an easy pat and continued. Failing to notice the stricken expression that crossed Coriolanus’s face.

That uncomfortable squeeze closed in around his chest. Even back then, when he’d been determined to keep things casual, Sejanus had been thinking of him, planning a future for them. Utterly devoted. Coriolanus didn’t know what to do with that.

“Alright, this is the address Marcus gave,” Sejanus said at last, beckoning towards a door up ahead.

Coriolanus stepped forwards and rapped on it.

“Blondie!” Marcus greeted excitedly, “a bonded blondie” he smiled as he noticed the state of his neck “best come in”.

Coriolanus let himself passed into a small but homely looking apartment. Turning back to take in Sejanus edging passed the other alpha, giving him a very wide berth.

Marcus didn’t exactly look warmed by his presence either.

They ended up on a ragged old couch while Marcus took a creaky desk chair. Handing them both warm, stale beer.

Marcus whistled lowly when he took in Sejanus’s neck.

“Got your own mark there too,” he shook his head “for an alpha to bare its neck... wow. Nearly as rare as an alpha getting fucked.”

The two alpha’s eyes locked for a tense minute.

Coriolanus hardly dared breathe.

Until Marcus broke into a  laugh and Sejanus slowly unclenched his rigid posture.

“Careful,” he laughed back “don’t be giving him any ideas”.

“Eww” Coriolanus muttered, wrinkling his nose at the thought but then relaxed as it became apparent the alphas weren’t about to start ripping each other to shreds.

“No pups then?” Marcus asked belatedly, typical alpha.

“No, they’re with his mother and my cousin” Coriolanus explained. Trying hard not dwell on the fact his little ones were so far away.  They hadn’t thought bringing the twins would be safe or helpful.

“I’ve got someone here who’ll be sad about that,” Marcus sighed.

“Who?” Sejanus sat up straighter, nostrils flaring, his face shifting rapidly to shock.

“Can we trust you?” Marcus asked, his usual playfulness gone. Voice deadly serious now.

“Of course,” Coriolanus nodded at once. He’d left his pups and his home to come here. To try and save him. Of course they could be trusted.

“There’s someone else who wants to say hi.”

Before she even appeared, Sejanus was on his feet, evidently recognising her smell.

“Lucy Gray!”

“The one and only,” she laughed as she twirled across the room to embrace her ex-mentor.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Sejanus accused.

“Well last time I saw you honey you didn’t look far off yourself” she teased. Then with a pat to Coriolanus’s knee, she added  “and you certainly look a trifle different”.

Coriolanus could only gawp, mind reeling.

“But how...” Coriolanus trailed off. Those rumours, her missing body, it had always seemed impossible.

“Well those bombs sure did a number on that arena”. She explained with a grin. “More craters than the moon and some of them just happened to lead straight into the sewers. Sewers led to the street. Streets that led out of the Capitol and the rest is history.”

“But they monitor your vitals” Sejanus stammered looking flummoxed “they’d have known...”

“Not when dearest old Clove took it upon herself to hack a nasty great chunk outa my arm with her spear,” she held her heavily scarred wrist up, “tracker fell right out”.

They sat in stunned silence.

“As far as the game makers were concerned. I was a goner”. Her voice lost its playful lilt and sounded weary, heavy with the toll her tale had taken on her.

“When you were actually just... gone.” Coriolanus finished in shock.

“Now I’m hidin’ out here”. She cast her hands around the room. No longer seeming quite so shabby when it’s role as a refuge was taken into account.

“You better be careful,” Sejanus warned with a concerned frown.

“It’s my middle name” Lucy Gray quipped and broke the sombre mood.

They caught up on each other’s lives a while longer, until Marcus put his beer mug down with a purposeful jolt.

“I know why you’ve come,” he said “and my answer is, not a chance. I’m not cowing down to them. I won’t mentor. I won’t stop speaking my mind.”

Coriolanus felt his stomach drop. “That’s a death sentence”.

Marcus leant forwards, eyes burning. “If we all shut up and take it. That’s the real death sentence on generations of children. Someone has to stand up now.”

Coriolanus felt his mouth go dry. He’d heard noble words before, from Sejanus, from other dreamers who thought change could come from speeches and sacrifice. None of them understood Gaul. None of them had seen the hounds waiting behind her smile.

“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?” he tried, one last time. Desperate to save him. Although already knowing the answer.

“I’m no puppet,” Marcus shook his head slowly, “even for you.”

Coriolanus glanced quickly at his alpha, unnerved Marcus would hint so brazenly at their closeness. Sejanus didn’t seem troubled by it though.

“Gaul will come for you,” Coriolanus warned. The echo of the hound’s snarls never having truly left his mind.

Marcus gave him a half smile.

“Don’t be scared little omega. I won’t go down without a fight. There’s more of us than you know. One day we’ll be ready and make things right again”.

“Even if you don’t live to see it?” he pressed, horror taking his voice away.

“I’d rather die doing what’s right than sit here in complacency. So run back to Gaul and tell her doggy won’t play ball,” he laughed drily.

“It might not just be you she threatens,” Coriolanus muttered glumly. His mind flicking to Sejanus next to him and their pups waiting at home. All within her reach.

“Then join us. Get away from the Capitol,” Marcus urged.

He almost laughed at the absurdity. “There is no away from the Capitol.”

“There is” Lucy Gray cut in, her voice insistent “I’m living proof of it. They’re getting me out soon.  Where I can be safe. Bring your family too”.

The thought pulled at something deep in him. A life beyond Gaul’s reach. His pups free. Sejanus safe.  But where? How long before she found them? No one could truly outrun her.

“I don’t want to give up without a fight either” Coriolanus admitted. Hiding out and letting everyone else take the rap. His chest felt tight with fear but also defiance.

“I won’t hide either” Sejanus said firmly, lacing his fingers through Coriolanus’s. Despite feeling soothed by his presence it also unnerved him. With Sejanus by his side, he was under her spotlight too.

The silence that followed settled heavily on them all. The weight of impossible choices.

“Just... give me until the reaping.” Coriolanus decided, voice cracking with nerves, “I’ll go back to the Capitol, claim to Gaul, you listened. Can you give me that?”

“I will not mentor” Marcus stated firmly.

“Then declare that at the reaping.”

Marcus’s gaze sharpened until he gave a certain nod, “fine”.

It was settled. With the finality of one of Strabo’s business deals, yet this one signed in blood.

They said goodbye and started the journey home.

Sejanus kept shooting him questioning glances the entire trip back. Obviously wanting to know the plan he’d alluded to having. But the truth was, beyond lying to Gaul to buy them more time. He had nothing. No plan. Only clawing dread in his heart and the feeling the clock was already ticking.

 

“So” Sejanus began once they were back home late that night, “you and Marcus?”

Coriolanus froze from where he was changing into his pyjamas. After the two alphas had managed not to tear each other limb from limb that day, he’d hoped, perhaps naively, that Sejanus had moved on.

“What about us?” he asked, feigning disinterest.

“You seem pretty tight.”

“So do you and Lucy Gray” Coriolanus shot back, old jealousy from before the games rearing its head.

“The difference,” Sejanus said dryly, “is that I’ve never stuffed parts of my anatomy into parts of hers.”

Coriolanus huffed, exasperated, tired of being dragged back to the unfortunate events of ‘that’ night.

“Honestly ‘Janus, I thought you understood? I was in so much pain, I thought I was in heat, he was just helping me”.

Sejanus’s shoulders sank and Coriolanus hid a triumphant smirk, it was so easy to worm his way out of Sejanus’s bad books.

“I know baby, I don’t blame you.”

Coriolanus let himself enjoy the win, until later, when instead of feeling Sejanus’s cock slide into him, he felt only his fingers. Persistent and probing. And Coriolanus realised very quickly that Sejanus had not, in fact, gotten over it.

His stomach tightened, guilt or anticipation, he couldn’t tell.

“Sej, Sejanus?” he panted, blinking sweat from his eyes.

“Baby?” Sejanus glanced back up at him from between his thighs, innocently “you don’t want my fingers?” He pressed in deliberately, deep, brushing that place that made Coriolanus shiver.

“Feels great” Coriolanus sighed “but what exactly do you get out of this?”

“I want to see you open for me”  Sejanus murmured, his voice gone almost reverent “see your body yield”.

The words curled hotly through Coriolanus’s chest. He gave a shaky laugh “you’ve seen me take a lot already”.

“I have” Sejanus admitted, as he pushed another finger in, everything inside but his thumb “but this would be something else”.

Sejanus held his unoccupied hand up, marvelling at the size of it “a whole hand?” he asked incredulously.

“Wrist too” Coriolanus smirked. Loving how he’d reduced Sejanus into a salivating mess at his words for once. Knowing that no tiny female omega could give Sejanus anything like this.

 Sejanus pressed in deeper then and the smirk was wiped off his face. The bumps of Sejanus’s knuckles pressing into every sensitive spot inside him.

“More,” he gasped, grinding down.

Obediently, Sejanus withdrew his fingers, then pushed back in with all five.

“Bear down,” he instructed.

Coriolanus did and the whole hand slid inside with a wet, obscene pop. Slick poured down Sejanus’s wrist as Coriolanus stretched wide to accept the intrusion.

“So full…” Coriolanus sighed, bliss-drunk, sinking into the pillows and letting the delicious ache swallow him whole.

Once he had adjusted, Sejanus began opening and closing his fist, slow and deliberate, spreading, then closing, stretching Coriolanus to shaking, breathless limits.

Curious, Coriolanus lifted his head to look, and gasped. He could see the movement under the skin of his lower abdomen, shadows rippling where Sejanus’s hand moved inside him.

His cock twitched violently.

“Yes, yes..  more, Sejanus,” he exhaled as Sejanus curled his fist again, pushing deeper. Coriolanus came with a shout, cum dripping down his shaft and pooling messily at the base.

“You had enough?” Sejanus asked once he stopped shaking, though his own voice had a strained edge.

Coriolanus shook his head weakly. “You can go deeper,” he purred, clenching around him in demonstration.

Torturously slow, Sejanus pushed. Coriolanus swore he felt his insides part for him. Everything inside yielding instinctively to the alpha.

The deeper he got, the more primal he felt. His omega singing with happiness that they were being touched where no one else had ever been.

Marcus had not dared push this far. Sejanus was at the entrance to his womb now, nudging against it, his entire forearm nearly gone.

Coriolanus’s head snapped back on a silent scream, his cock leaking nonstop.

Sejanus’s free hand bypassed his shaft entirely to press lower, massaging his pubic bone, sending shocks of pleasure ripping through him. Coriolanus’s vision blurred. He hovered at the edge of unconsciousness, drowning in sensation.

And Sejanus, sweet, composed Sejanus, was whimpering.

When Coriolanus finally heard him over his own panting, he pushed up and inched back, sliding slowly off Sejanus’s arm.

When the fingertips slipped free, he looked between his legs and blinked. Instead of his hole clenching shut, it remained wide open, trembling, gaping obscenely.

Sejanus dove between his thighs without warning.

“So open for me,” he sighed against him before licking deep, desperate.

He held Coriolanus apart with two fingers so his tongue could drive impossibly far inside.

“In me now,” Coriolanus begged, sounding feral.

Sejanus growled, flipped him like nothing, and slammed in.

“Yes!” Coriolanus groaned, already teetering on release.

It took seconds for Sejanus to tense and spill inside him, triggering Coriolanus’s own orgasm again.

He collapsed, boneless, certain they were done, until he felt fingers spreading him again.

A startled yelp tore out of him as a tongue pushed inside, sucking hungrily, drinking everything that had just filled him.

Only after a long, indulgent time did Sejanus finally stop, leaving a soft kiss on his ruined hole before flopping down beside him.

“Satisfied now?” Coriolanus asked drowsily, with no real edge.

“When you look like that down there?” Sejanus breathed, almost awed. “Never.”

Coriolanus rolled his eyes, but snuggled closer, warmth softening his body. People said omegas were ruled by their hormones.

In their case, he thought tiredly as he drifted off, that wasn’t necessarily true.

 

“Look!” Coriolanus cried excitedly a few weeks later, “she’s going to roll over.”

“Roll? Babies don’t roll,” Sejanus snorted.

“Yes they do” he argued back “what, you think they just lie there for a year and then suddenly stand up and walk?”

“No they crawl and then they walk.”

“Nope. They roll, bum shuffle, crawl, cruise and then walk.”

“What the hell is a cruise supposed to look like?”

“Erm” Coriolanus faltered, the extent of his knowledge exhausted. “I don’t know. It was in that book your mom got us.”

“Like I have time for reading,” Sejanus scoffed “not now we’ve got these two.”

“I don’t recall you sparing much time for books before fatherhood either, Mr Plinth.”

That voice. Coriolanus felt his blood run cold. She was here. In their home. In the same room as his pups.

“Mr Snow a moment of your time,” Dr Gaul said, gliding into the room.

Coriolanus nodded numbly and rose up from his position on the floor.

“No no,” she raised a talon like hand. “Stay. I’m sure your alpha will be courteous enough to allow us some privacy”.

Coriolanus met Sejanus’s worried eyes with his own and gave a tight nod.

Sejanus reluctantly sloped from the room, eyes dark with worry as Dr Gaul lowered herself into an armchair as if claiming a throne.

“Success?” She asked, not wasting  breath on pleasantries.

“Marcus has agreed to stop the speeches,” he informed her. For now, he added silently.

“And to mentor?” She pressed.

“He said he would,” the outright lie came harder but he got it out, voice steady.

“Good” she clapped her hands abruptly and stood, “now I will see you in my laboratory, bright and early on Monday”.

“What?” the steadiness was gone from his voice with the shock.

“As you are no longer a human incubator” she sneered down at him, “your studies must not be delayed further”.

Tigerlily gurgled and kicked her feet. Oblivious to the shadow looming over her. Coriolanus instinctively knelt closer to her.

“Fascinating,” Gaul mused coolly, gliding closer, “what a male alpha and omega can produce. I wonder...  Will they be unnatural abominations also?” her voice twisted, in the mockery of a coo.

She leaned closer, her eyes glittering.

“Only time will tell. Unless of course I could be permitted to check them early?”

“Check?” Panic rose up, burning in his chest. Once again he felt left behind in  their conversation.

“A scrape. Of bone marrow.” She said lightly, her long, spindly fingers miming a cutting and twisting motion.

 “The only way to glimpse designation before presentation. Only a slight risk of permanent paralysis. An even slighter one of death”.

Coriolanus shot up, bodily blocking the pups from view. His scent turned to bitter ash as his omega let out a curdling scream to protect them.

“I’ll be in Monday morning.” The words tumbled from his lips.

Her smile was razor thin. Victorious.

“I’ll look forward to it.” she swept from the room without a backward glance.

He pressed a hand to his chest, against his hammering heart as he turned to check on the pups. He would do anything to keep her away from them.

 

Strabo didn’t like it, Sejanus didn’t like it. Hell, he really didn’t like it but still, first thing Monday morning he slipped into his wretched University uniform and into the Plinth’s car.

“Capitol University,” he told the driver in a flat voice.

His feet felt like lead as he crossed the marbled  corridors. This place held no fond memories for him.

“Snow?”

Coriolanus turned, disinterest, mild dislike, apathy for the man who stood two foot below him.

“Dean Highbottom,” he greeted, not bothering with a smile.

“I heard the pups had arrived,” the Dean said, his voice as stiff as his expression.

Coriolanus gave a curt nod.

“Bonded too. Things have worked out well for you... considering.”

Considering fate had dealt him the most loathsome designation possible.

The words weren’t congratulatory, he sounded almost... jealous. Ridiculous for a male beta, unless.

The thought struck him sharply. An unattached, childless, fragile looking man. A beta, at least on paper.

What Coriolanus himself had planned to be.  But wasn’t. So what if Highbottom wasn’t either?

“Does Gaul know?” the question burst forth before he could catch it.

His Dean didn’t even blink, just a mild twitch of his lips betrayed any emotion at all.

“She suspects,” he sighed “as I’m sure she did you”.

Coriolanus inclined his head, a bitter recognition passing between them. Maybe Marcus had been right. Maybe there were more male omegas out there, just hiding behind suppressants, as he had been.

He made to walk away, not wanting to be late for Gaul.

“Watch your back,” Highbottom’s voice followed him, making his steps falter. “Gaul is up to something.  She doesn’t tolerate male omegas, especially not ones who have lied to her.”

“She tolerates you,” he turned back to counter.

“I fulfil a purpose.” Highbottom responded unflinchingly, “remain useful if you wish to see your 19^th birthday.”

For a moment, neither spoke. Eyes lingering upon each others, something intense flickering behind the smaller man’s that Coriolanus couldn’t begin to name. Then Coriolanus gave the smallest nod of agreement. That was the reason he was here after all.

Notes:

In my defence, this is probably the only way I can see Sejanus getting over his jealousy... that or challenging Marcus to a disastrous fight...

Chapter 16

A zookeeper. That was what he was in all but name. Feeding, cleaning, tending to her demonic creations. This wasn’t study. It was control. She set him to the menial tasks, she deemed beneath her. Yet trusted no other to perform.

The terrifying creatures, he flinched at every scrape of claws, every flap of a wing, his skin crawling. And she sat day by day, lording herself over him. She wasn’t scared of them. And that was supposed to make her superior, untouchable somehow.

It was meant to break him. Guarantee his submission and unwavering loyalty.  And it did terrify him. Every last, unimaginable beast in her arsenal unnerved him more. But fear of the  unknown was worse. Here at least, he could see what she kept hidden in her lair. Her inner most sanctum.

There could be no nasty surprises from her now. She seemed to have forgotten, knowledge was power.

As he sat, flinging fish heads into the flesh eating eel tank, nauseated by their slithering bodies. He held that thought close. He now knew these creatures nearly as well as their creator.

“They won’t bite the hand that feeds them” that’s what she’d said as he’d been instructed to get closer. To drop their raw, dripping meal straight into their razor lined mouths, his fingers centimetres away from replacing their intended food.

At last he packed away the rancid bucket. Eager to escape. Bang on 5pm. He didn’t want to miss the pup’s bedtime, not again.

He already missed them so much already.

“Motherhood doesn’t suit you” Gaul sneered from across the room, as if sensing his thoughts.

“It wasn’t exactly something I’d planned” he conceded, anything to avoid a long drawn out debate with the woman.

“This is where you belong” she declared, as she thrust her hands out to encompass her grand laboratory “surrounded by other unnatural beings”.

“You consider male omegas unnatural?” he asked, trying to sound casual but he was curious. She’d alluded to this  before.

“Of course” she scoffed “freaks to your designation”

Coriolanus couldn’t even feel insulted. He’d often felt the same. His conditioning running too deeply.

“So omega should be female, what about alpha?” he asked, knowing what her hypocritical answer would be.

 But then her expression soured, as dark as thunder.

“Male” she spat the word with contempt.

Coriolanus blinked, taken aback. An alpha female, disgusted at her own designation. She considered herself a freak too.

“That is why I am dedicating my life to understanding this. How these abominations come to be”

Coriolanus frowned. From what he could see she was dedicating her life to creating mutant animals to terrorize people with.

“Oh you think this is it do you?” she scoffed “this is but a fraction of what I’m working on. You couldn’t even begin to imagine the scope”.

“You have other labs?” he asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

She tapped her nose conspiratorially “imagine this” she gestured to her cages “but five times the size. Not animal freaks but something more... intelligent”.

His blood chilled. She had a human lab too. And it wasn’t hard to guess what type of human ‘freaks’ she was talking about.

“Impressive” he managed, forcing the grin she expected, before he excused himself to run home.

For once he didn’t dash straight for the nursery. Just paused long enough to cast a longing glance at the door, before storming to Strabo’s study.

“Coriolanus” he greeted, looking a little surprised from behind his desk.

“The testing facilities, Gaul had you  build” he panted, still out of breath from racing to get here “where are they?”

Strabo frowned at him before shaking his head “That is need to know only”

“I need to know” Coriolanus said, voice firm and deadly serious.

For a long moment Strabo simply stared, then he sighed before pulling out a worn briefcase.

He unclicked it and rummaged through its contents  before pulling out a single piece of paper.

He reached across his desk with it before pausing.

“You sure about this?” he asked, his nerves evident in his expression.

Coriolanus nodded sharply and took the offered plans.

He quickly scanned the document. The border of 2 and 5. District 2... He knew just the person to share this information with.

 

Coriolanus went to class the next day with the same hollow nerves he’d felt on the first. Somehow feeling as if Gaul would know what he did.

But no, she was still her usual unnerving, bordering on insane self.

Skulking in the corner with her beloved hounds. The only one of her creations she kept to herself. Refusing to let Coriolanus interact with them at all.

The very sight of them made his stomach clench, but told him exactly where he needed to look. What she guarded most dearly, was what he needed to know about most.

As he went about his chores. A practiced look of boredom on his face. He watched. He listened. She spoke to them a lot. He learnt her tone, the rhythm of her commands, the reward and retreat of her training. Language, consistency, association. He copied it all when he could.

Whenever he was left alone. Even for a minute. It was an unsolicited invitation. He crept to their cages, fed them, let his scent bleed into their space. Standing that close to their panting mouths, his heart would be in his throat every time. Terrified of them, but more terrified still that Gaul would return too soon and catch him. See what he was up to.

Time was bleeding away. The 11^th Games starting in a month. The reaping two weeks away. His time was running out. He knew Marcus would make his refusal to mentor public. There was no stopping that so he needed to act first.

As Gaul prepared to give a live television broadcast about her plans for the upcoming games. In a panic that it would set Marcus off early, he did the one thing he could think of.

He sabotaged it.

She’d wanted to showcase her ravens. Monstrous black birds with human like eyes. Made to scour the city from the air, spotting rebellious activity and alerting the peacekeepers. A powerful surveillance tool, to deter any tampering with the games like the previous year.

He set the ravens free. Their cage was due to be attached to a waiting airship. He purposefully didn’t attach the hook correctly. The cage came lose in the air and smashed to the ground, jarring open and releasing the birds.

Of course they loyally returned, but too late to be televised and not before spreading terror amongst the Capitol citizens. Hoards of them had swooped on the unsuspecting city dwellers. With no instructions given, the birds had caused chaos.

 

Gaul was incandescent with rage.  

“I’m sorry Dr Gaul” he’d grovelled “I’d struggled with the  hook’s attachment for too long and I didn’t want to bother you to check it. And we were running late for the interview. I’m so sorry." he'd pleaded. Praying that his assumed uselessness for being a male omega would save him.

Her anger died quicker than he would have thought but was replaced by something so much more worrisome, speculation.

Her eye’s flashed and Coriolanus recoiled in terror. She was about to issue an alpha command. And he would be helpless to resist.

“Tell me” she intoned, her chest rumbling in the deepest most binding chord of authority he’d ever heard, rendering him powerless against it “what is your plan here?”

He felt the command seize him. Words rose in his throat he could not refuse. He had to obey. He was trapped by his designation. But authority was a precise instrument, it demanded specificity. Hers was not tight enough.

He'd had many plans in his life.  He’d had a birthing plan once. Not that he could convince her with that.

But he did have a plan he could share. He was making it up right now. He really loved exploiting a loop hole.

“You were right, Marcus works for the rebels. We’re lulling him into a false sense of security” he answered, totally composed. “He trusts me from being his mentor and the fact I’m an omega and he trusts Sejanus because they’re both from 2."

“Go on” she smiled viciously. A shark scenting blood.

“We’re learning the other rebels identities, who their leaders are and how they operate across districts. He’s telling us more by the day. We just need more time” he explained.

“Why have you not fed anything back to me. What have you learned?” her brow arched, not convinced.

“We can’t say yet, because we know you’ll act on it and that’ll give us away. We’re so close to knowing it all we just need a few more days of his trust.”

“And that is everything?” she leaned in close, eyes flitting between his as if sniffing out a lie. But they both knew he couldn't lie. Not if it was a command.

“To do with that plan? Yes” he nodded. Allowing himself a fleeting second of relief before her face turned shrewd once more.

“Is there another?” she snapped.

The ‘yes’ was on the tip of his tongue. Obey! His omega was forcing into every cell of his body. He would obey, just not so overtly.

“There have been other iterations” he got out between clenched teeth. It was not a lie.

She considered him with a long measured look, the kind that chilled him to the core.

“I want my information Snow,” she finally stepped back from his space and he felt the command release him “tick-tock” she smiled nastily.

 

He left the lab with the taste of iron in his mouth. This was it. His mind raced. They either had to give Marcus up to Gaul. Or flee with them.

Neither option was bearable. Betray Marcus's trust so catastrophically, meaning death for not just him but Lucy Gray and everyone else associated with them. Or live in fear, hiding away for the rest of their lives.

But maybe, as he walked he thought, just maybe, there was a third option. To take Gaul down. But how?

 

“I had to tell Gaul, Marcus is a rebel,” he blurted to Strabo the second he got home.

His eyes went wide.

“He’s a dead man.”

Coriolanus felt his insides shrivel “we have a few days. She thinks we’re learning something useful from him.”

“Right,” Strabo nodded slowly “long enough for him to hide. Well done.”

“No” Coriolanus cut him off “he won’t go into hiding. We need to do something about Gaul first.”

Strabo shot him a look so incredulous it made him question his very existence.

“And what, pray tell, do you think we can do against Gaul?”

Coriolanus crumpled under the weight of it. Strabo was the most powerful person he knew, next to Gaul. And even he thought it was hopeless.

But then Strabo sighed, rubbing at his temples. “Right, it’ll be risky. But we need to discredit her. Undermine her. Take away her strongest asset, the games themselves.”

Coriolanus felt hope surge in his chest. Finally a plan.

“Yes we need to stop the eleventh games” He agreed.

“Not too hasty” Strabo warned, “I’ve got some lobbying to do. Someone has to fund these spectacles, after all. If I can stir up discontent amongst the investors, show the games are encouraging district dissent. It could work. But we’re weeks away, we may already be too late.”

“I can help” Coriolanus offered, “I’m closer to her than nearly anyone.”

Strabo eyed him keenly.

“The birds earlier, that was you?”

Coriolanus nodded.

“Genius,”  Strabo clapped his hands, eyes gleaming. “Gaul, the mad scientist gone too far. Endangering Capitol lives with her creations,” he spanned his hands apart as if framing a headline.

“If her mutts are that dangerous,” Coriolanus added quickly “maybe her games are too. Too barbaric, stirring rebellion rather than crushing it?”

“Yes, yes” Strabo eagerly nodded, “I’ll sell that too.”

Coriolanus felt some of the tension release from his chest. Something like hope stirring. Finally a plan was in place. A path forwards.

“Coryo!” a pained voice rang through the house, then closer “omega.”

Sejanus stumbled around the office door frame, face shining with sweat, looking forlornly across at him.

Then the smell hit them.

“Oh excellent timing Sejanus,” Strabo groaned, rolling his eyes, “we really do not have time for your rut right now."

But it was too late.

Coriolanus was already feeling hot and bothered. The sight of his alpha’s glassy, hungry eyes. The powerful, virile scent he was sending his way.

Coriolanus’s knees buckled and Sejanus was already there to catch him.

He barely had chance to catch the sight of Strabo burying his face in his palms in despair, before he was swept from the room.

Across the landing and behind their locked bedroom door in an instant. Outside world all but forgotten.

 

Sejanus slammed the door shut with his foot, locking it with a fumbling hand before pressing Coriolanus back against the wall. His scent rolled out thick and heavy, pine forest drenched in a storm, drowning Coriolanus’s senses until all he could do was cling to him.

“Sej” It was meant to be a plea, a warning, something rational. But it broke apart on his tongue as teeth grazed his throat, hot breath dragging over his scent gland. His knees buckled again.

And Sejanus pressed closer, taking both their weight.

“Mine,” Sejanus rasped, voice raw, roughened by rut. His hand slid beneath Coriolanus’s shirt, burning everywhere it touched “I need, can’t stop...”

Coriolanus’s hands clutched at him. “We don’t have time, we don’t have...”. The protests shrivelled under the molten pull of instinct. His body quaked with answering need, his insides aching for Sejanus’s claim.

“Don’t stop” Coriolanus gasped, tilting his head back to bare his throat in submission. Giving in. His body was already betraying him, slick spilling out, his thighs trembling, need clawing through his overwrought body. Heat rose sharp and suffocating, demanding he be taken.

The alpha growled deep in his chest, a sound more animal than man, and lifted Coriolanus effortlessly. His back hit the door, legs wrapping tight around Sejanus’s waist. The friction of his hard, engorged length grinding against him made Coriolanus keen, nails digging into broad shoulders.

Every thrust of Sejanus’s hips was frantic, rut-drunk, but beneath the savagery there was devotion. Each bite was followed by a soothing lick, each harsh grind softened by whispered words against his skin.

“Coryo. Love you. Need you”.

The heat of those words cut through the haze, grounding Coriolanus even as his body was wracked with instinct. He arched into him, head falling back as pleasure shot through him “I’m yours, take me”.

Their scents tangled, rose and pine blooming thick in the air, marking every surface of the room with the proof of their bond.

“You smell so sweet”  Sejanus rasped against his mouth as he shoved his hands under the waistband of his pants.

The thought of Strabo across the house, Gaul’s machinations, Marcus and his rebels balancing on a knife edge. The plan they had just begun to form, all melted to nothing besides the pull of the fevered alpha, the flare of their bond.

Sejanus’s hips snapped forward with reckless hunger, grinding hard enough to make the door rattle. Coriolanus clung to him helplessly, every nerve set alight. Slick spread warm and wet between them, soaking through cloth, and Sejanus growled low in his throat, scent flaring as though the very smell of it was enough to undo him.

“Please” Coriolanus gasped, shame and need tangled, but it didn’t matter, he was begging before he even knew what he wanted. “Inside, me need you inside”.

That was all it took. Sejanus tore at his clothes with shaking hands, baring pale skin to the air, before fumbling his own trousers down just far enough, to release himself throbbing with need. The moment his cock pressed against Coriolanus’s entrance, slick eased the way, and the omega’s body arched, clenching down tight on him in demand.

Sejanus drove into him with a groan that rumbled through both their chests. Coriolanus cried out, back slamming against the door as his body stretched to take him. The burn gave way quickly to overwhelming fullness, the only thing anchoring him in the dense fug of pheromones.

“Too much?” Sejanus panted, voice ragged, though his hips were already grinding forward, rut overriding restraint.

“No... more” Coriolanus gasped, nails dragging down his back, tearing at him to stay close, to go harder. “Never stop”

That broke the last thread of control. Sejanus fucked into him with a brutal rhythm, each thrust slamming him higher against the wood. Coriolanus’s head thudded with every snap of their hips together, pleasure spiking sharp and relentless. His slick gushed, dripping down his thighs, coating Sejanus’s cock until the wet slap of their bodies filled the room.

Their words gave way to pure sound, his omega's desperate cries, the alpha’s feral growls, broken only by bitten-off gasps of “mine” and “yours”. The bond pulled tighter and tighter until there was no air left in his lungs, no thought left in his skull, only rut and heat crashing together.

Then Sejanus bit him, hard over his gland. Reclaiming him. Coriolanus screamed, his climax tearing through him so violently he nearly blacked out. His body spasmed around Sejanus’s cock, milking him, dragging him over the edge.

Sejanus roared against his neck, slamming deep, knot swelling thick at the base and locking them together. Hot, heavy release flooded into Coriolanus, filling him until it spilled out around the knot, slick and cum mixing in a mess that dripped down his thighs.

He shook, overstimulated, but Sejanus couldn’t stop. He rocked them through the lock, chasing more, rut driving him until Coriolanus was whimpering, twitching, every nerve fried.

“Too much,” Coriolanus sobbed, though his arms stayed wrapped tight, clinging, unwilling to let go. “Sej.. please”

That plea cut through. The alpha slowed, still trembling with the force of rut, and pressed his forehead to Coriolanus. He kissed him, clumsily and breathless, but achingly gentle after the frenzy.

“You’re mine,” Sejanus whispered hoarsely, knot still locked, bodies shaking and tangled in sweat. “Always mine”.

“I’m yours” Coriolanus breathed back on pure instinct, voice slurred with exhaustion.

Minutes merged into hours. Being taken again and again. Sejanus’s knot barely deflating before he was hard inside him once more. Ready to pound yet another orgasm out of him, fill him to the brim with his cum.

Finally the second night, Sejanus collapsed, sated and rapidly falling into sleep.

Coriolanus couldn’t rest though. His mind still stuck between the pull of the rapidly escalating disaster that awaiting at the brink of the next games and the pull of this. The alpha that meant everything to him.

What good was everything though? When if he failed, he would have nothing?

He sighed sadly. His mind dredging up a happier memory, when things had seemed so much simpler. His pregnancy hormones had worked wonders at smoothing out his worries, when he’d been entangled with his alpha then he’d felt untouchable.

Sejanus’s large palms tenderly caressing his swollen belly, murmuring sweet nothings to the growing pups, to him.

He ran his hands over his once again flat tummy wistfully. Almost missing that time, despite the toll it had taken on his body, he’d been the most content he ever had been.

His omega finding more harmony than it could when his womb was empty. Not like now, not when Gaul had sent their world’s spinning. And he was scared they’d never get it back, that nothing would be the same now.

He tried to get some rest while he could. Knowing either Sejanus would be up soon, needing him or if not he’d he to be off to Gaul to be at her mercy all day.

But he could not relax. He smoothed a hand lazily down his torso, curiously dragging a finger between his legs.

He gasped when it connected with his hole. Still so soft and open from being split in two on Sejanus’s knot all weekend.

“Ah” he sighed, pressing against the tender spot. The ache inflaming something deep inside him. He pressed harder until his fingers slipped inside. Not deep enough to be satisfying but enough to tease at him.

His cock stirred against his belly and more slick leaked out against his questing fingers.

“Omega?” Sejanus rumbled softly.

“Empty” Coriolanus whined.

And that was all it took for Sejanus to roll on top of him and slip easily back inside. Coriolanus cried out, equal parts pain, surrender, and relief.

Sejanus threw his legs up over his shoulders effortlessly to hammer himself home. Hard, desperate and claiming.

“Gonna’ breed you” he huffed out raggedly between frantic thrusts.

“Yes do please” Coriolanus’s omega pleaded in ecstasy, clenching down hard to seal the forming knot deep inside him.

“Fill you with my pups” Sejanus grit out as his knot expanded and Coriolanus was once again rendered immobile on the end of it.

As he felt the torrents of cum, pulsing into his womb. He was only a little disappointed when he remembered he was on contraception and evidently Sejanus had totally forgotten that fact, or was at least wishing it wasn’t the case.

Chapter 17

That Monday he dragged himself back to class. His body still thrummed, sore and satisfied from Sejanus’s rut. But his mind was weighed down with stress.  

Sejanus had protested his leaving that morning, dotting his chest and neck with possessive bites as if to tether him there. Coriolanus had rolled his eyes at the neediness, though truthfully he understood it. After a heat, he wouldn’t have wanted to let his alpha out of sight either.

But the timing grated. He could have spent the weekend strategizing with Strabo, or finally stealing moments with the pups. Instead, his hours had been consumed in bed, legs spread wide, while Sejanus whined for more. And now, instead of gratitude, he’d been left with sulking.

He sighed, shaking the thought off. The truth was, he was jealous. Sejanus had been the one to stay home with their pups, his sweet, innocent, perfect babies, while he trudged here to tend frightful monstrosities.

“Snow?”

The voice cut across the corridor. Coriolanus turned distractedly. Dean Highbottom stood watching him, brows drawn.

Coriolanus managed a polite smile. He saw the Dean differently now. Less an adversary, more fellow victim of Gaul’s games.

“Are you all right?” Highbottom asked, lowering his voice.

“Gaul’s on to me,” Coriolanus admitted, his throat dry, somehow knowing Casca would understand.

“On to what?”

“I let the ravens out. On purpose.”

Highbottom’s eyes narrowed “Why?”

“To spread doubt about her. To bring her down,” he murmured, glancing up and down the corridor nervously.

The Dean’s frown deepened, then he tugged Coriolanus into an empty classroom.

“This is a cause I could get behind,” he mused, stroking his chin. “What do you need from me?”

Coriolanus hesitated. He wished Strabo were here to plot politics with, but something else pressed forward in his mind.

“There’s a facility. For male omegas. Gaul’s running it. I’ve already got someone looking for it.”

“I knew it,” Highbottom said darkly, his voice edged with vindication. “I knew she was behind their disappearance. This talk of them being bred out? No. I knew that wasn’t possible.”

“You don’t think they’re just hiding, like us?” Coriolanus asked carefully.

The Dean’s expression sharpened. “I’ve seen the black-market suppressant figures. Genetically, male omegas should make up nine percent of the population. Not even half that number’s accounted for in suppressant sales, and that doesn’t factor in female omegas using them.”

Coriolanus flinched. Tigris.

“So where are they?” he asked quietly.

Highbottom gave him a long, knowing look. “Where do you think?”

The room felt suddenly smaller, the weight of the Dean’s confirmation pressing down on him. Gaul had them all. If Marcus found that lab… it would be vast.

Then, to Coriolanus’s surprise, Highbottom’s grim features broke into a slow, wicked smile. 

“You have someone searching for this place? Then the Capitol needs to be primed for the answer.”

“The answer?” Coriolanus asked.

“No,” Highbottom corrected, his eyes glittering. “The question.”

“What question?”

The Dean leaned in close, voice ringing with righteous finality.

“Where are all the male omegas?”

 

Coriolanus slogged through his chores that day,  ticking them off one by one. Feeding. Cleaning. Observing. But his mind was elsewhere. On Strabo, who at this very moment would be courting investors with whispers of discontent. On Highbottom, who was no doubt sharpening his words into a speech that could cut the Capitol to the bone. On Marcus, risking his life to find the truth hidden along District 5.

At least Gaul seemed distracted, her focus wrapped in preparations for the upcoming Games.

And yet, when Coriolanus caught the gleam of the Carrion hounds’ eyes from across their enclosure, a chill crawled down his spine. Distracted or not, Gaul always saw more than she let on.

 

“Have you seen the news?” a much more coherent Sejanus greeted him a few days later. Back to himself.

He thrust a newspaper into his hands before he could answer.

‘Foul Play Behind Omega Disappearance’

His eyes scanned the article. A synopsis of the Dean’s damning speech. Baby boys disappearing from hospitals, teenage boys of presentation age, dying of the flu in droves. And the cold hard fact, no statistician could argue. Since the war, not a single recorded male omega in Capitol census figures. A designation that could occur in any family, gone without explanation. Something, or someone, was tampering with nature.

If Marcus came through with proof, the captives themselves. If they could link it to Gaul. It would be over for her. Nobody could support such barbarism. Not against Capitol citizens, not against pups.

 

He used his lunch break to find Casca’s office. But no one answered his knock.

As he turned away from the door, he felt the blood drain from his face. Gaul was behind him.

“What business do you have here?”

His heart thundered so loudly he could hardly hear his own voice. “I.... I had a question for the Dean. About his speech”.

She scoffed. “I think the Dean has asked enough questions himself.”

“Yes probably," he mumbled at the floor.

“Lunchtime’s over,” she said curtly, sweeping past. Then, with a smirk tossed over her shoulder, added. “Oh, and amend the meat order for next week. My hounds won’t need feeding for a while.”

Coriolanus felt bile rise, stinging his throat. She’d fed them Casca. As stark a reminder as any of what fate befell those who defied her.

 

That afternoon, his chores blurred around him as his memory replayed his last conversation with Casca.

“Your father knew,” he had told him bitterly. “He even helped me through my first heat.”

The words had stunned him. His father? With Casca?

“Not like that,” the Dean had said, catching his expression. “He only wanted your mother.” His voice had softened, almost wistful.

Coriolanus hadn’t known what to say. Casca had looked at him then, old sadness written into every line of his face.

“Then he ignored me. Left me to suffer, like I should be grateful for his silence. My best friend. And then he submitted my essay behind my back”.

Coriolanus had only managed a sad smile before leaving.

That was the last time.

Now he was gone, torn apart, erased, just another casualty of Gaul’s quiet war against male omegas. Soon she would write his disappearance into the record as though he had never existed. Coriolanus could see it now, a tragic overdose, simple and easy.

And he knew, with sick certainty, that Gaul was saving him for last.

 

He got home to the shrill ring of the telephone. His first instinct was to ignore it, it wasn’t even technically his home, though he’d been living here for months. But no one else seemed inclined to answer, so with a sigh, he slouched over and lifted the receiver.

“Plinth residence,” he said wearily.

“Blondie!” Marcus’s exuberant voice crackled down the line. “How’s my favorite little omega doing?”

Coriolanus rolled his eyes at the familiar teasing.

“Terrible, as always,” he replied flatly, and truthfully. These days anyway.

“Well, I might just have something to cheer you up”.

Coriolanus drummed his fingers impatiently against the receiver, already doubting it.

“They’re out. We got ’em.”

He paused “Who?”

“Six hundred male omegas. At least. Chained up like dogs, treated like animals.”

“Shit.” The word escaped him in a breath, his jaw slack. Six hundred lives stolen, reduced to nothing, living in terror, just because one woman couldn’t stomach their existence.

“Exactly. We’ve got them hidden in 2 now, working on identification. But some are so young, just pups…” Marcus trailed off, voice rough.

Coriolanus’s throat closed. The ‘scrape’ Gaul had threatened his pups with, that was how she knew to take those pups. She’d tested them. A test that held only a ‘slight’ risk of death. He pressed his hand against the wall, steadying himself, forcing down the sick tide of fury.

“When this hits the headlines, it’ll be her undoing,” he said fiercely.

“Hmm.” Marcus didn’t sound convinced.

Alarm prickled down his spine. “What is it?”

“There’s nothing tying it back to her. We searched every inch. Not a scrap of evidence.”

A frustrated hiss escaped before he could stop it. Always Gaul, too careful, too clever.

Then the front door opened. Strabo stepped inside, shaking the drizzle off his coat.

Coriolanus’s gaze locked onto him, a sharp, desperate kind of hope sparking in his chest. Strabo could prove a link, if he felt inclined to share it.

“Leave that to me,” he told Marcus, and hung up.

Ma and Sejanus materialised from down the stairs then  just as Strabo turned to them, his face lit with triumph.

“News will be announced tomorrow,” he declared grandly.

“What news dear?” Ma asked, greeting him with a kiss.

“The Games are no more.”

Coriolanus balked. Strabo had done it?

“Major investor got cold feet. They simply cannot afford it. President’s hands are tied. Even my great wealth,” he coughed exaggeratedly. “Cannot bail them out”

Coriolanus shared a look with Sejanus. This was it. Gaul was toppled from her throne at last. And yet his stomach churned, he knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

He needed to act fast. Before her revenge got to them first.

He excused himself to bed, claiming tiredness to explain away his pallor.

He kissed Sejanus good night and waited. Listening to Sejanus’s even breathing.

Once the familiar, comforting snores filled the bedroom. He slipped away.

He scrawled a note to Tigris. Giving his love, his farewell and his plea for her to look after his pups.

Then he steeled himself for the hardest goodbye of all.

The nursery smelled like home. Like everything safe and warm. Which it should do. Which was why he was leaving.

He took a long moment to drink them in. Already so much bigger than the little bundles he’d held after their birth.

They gurgled softly in their sleep. Tigerlily’s soft dark curls framing her delicate doll like face.

Leo’s lighter mop sticking out around his head, looking like the mane of the animal he was named after.

He silently approached to take one huge gulp of their scent. Enough to carry with him across the Capitol.

Then tore himself away before his resolve could crumble.

As he approached the front door he spotted it.

A small black piece of card on the ground.

He bent to pick it up but almost dropped it again in horror.

The blood red lettering.  Spelling one word.

Midnight

He’d been summoned.

The clock was already past a quarter. His pulse spiked as he shoved the note in his pocket and hurried out the door.

No time to second guess it.