Unexpected 1/4
Title: Unexpected.
Description: AU. NC-17. Alpha!Jensen and Omega!Jared. This is a part of the Christmas Tree 'verse, set in the au world of the Wolf Pass Pack. Jared is in his last trimester of pregnancy with Jensen's pup and he's starting to deal with his past. When the past comes crashing into his present in the form of his previous alpha, it has unexpected consequences. Jared's prime instinct is to protect their pup, but at what cost? Jensen is faced with the possibility of losing his mate, his pup, and his entire Pack. This time-stamp takes us through to their first Christmas as a family.
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, knotting, a/b/o dynamics, references to previous underage, description and aftermath of past sexual and emotional abuse, mpreg, birth, post-partum depression, violence, gore, death of a minor character (not pup!), angst, schmoop
Pairings: Jensen/Jared, Chad/Milo, Katie/Steve, JDM/Kim Rhodes
Beta: Thank you to the marvellous sylsdarkplace for making this better. All mistakes remain my own. I tinkered with a lot while posting.
Length: ~18K words, complete in four parts.
Disclaimer: This is fiction, pure fantasy folks. Nobody here belongs to me and they’re not likely to get in my van for candy a side of beef any time soon
Banners: Thank you to meus_venator much for my updated story banners which I love so much ((hugs))
{Part 1}{ Part 2} { Part 3} { Part 4}
It was late Summer. In Wolf Pass the sun shone and the air was humid and hot. On the bottom slope of the mountain the leaves of the deciduous trees had started to yellow at the edges and the conifers seemed somehow still and tired. The air conditioning kept this office cool and fresh but Jared was sweating. He dug his fingers into the soft cushion of the sofa and his knuckles turned white with tension. The first words of the session were always difficult to find. “I had a different nightmare,” he finally stuttered.
Jared’s counselor, Lauren Tom, shifted in her chair and waited for him to continue. Jared looked at the floor and bit his lip, unable to continue.
“A nightmare or a memory, Jared?” she asked.
“Memory,” Jared blushed red and whispered at the floor. He fought his own instinct to stay quiet because this memory would burn and scrape as he spewed its venom.
“This is a safe space, Jared. Will you tell me about it?”
Jared rubbed at his pronounced bump. It felt wrong talking about it, as if their unborn pup might somehow suffer from the acrid aftermath of the terrible things he had done. “I’m scared,” he said, and his hands were trembling, “Because, I’m going to be a father and no pup should have such shame from a parent. Jensen shouldn’t have to worry that anyone could see me and know what I did.”
“Will it go away if you keep it a secret, Jared?”
“No,” admitted Jared.
“How old were you, Jared?”
Jared sighed and rubbed at his eyes. This was so hard to do. “Sixteen,” he said, “Sometimes, I still got rebellious.”
“When you tell me about it, I’d like you to remember how young you were and how vulnerable. You were a child. I want you to remember that none of it was your fault, Jared.”
“I should have tried harder, I should have said no.”
“We’ve discussed this Jared. We both know that you were not in a position to refuse alpha Pileggi anything. You did what you had to, to survive, and nobody blames you for that. You’re here, you succeeded. You should be proud of that.”
Jared nodded and seemed to gain some comfort from the words but he looked tearful as he spoke, “It’s still out there, though, and anyone could see it and know it’s me.”
“What is out there, Jared? Start at the beginning.”
So many awful images flashed through his mind and he wasn’t sure where the start was or how he could express himself. “There were cameras,” Jared stated.
“Go on.” His counselor waited for him to continue.
Jared remembered to breathe deep. The sudden bite of heartburn made him gasp as he exhaled, but it grounded him too. It was nothing like the pain he felt, back then, when he was a frightened, pathetic, prisoner. “He used to play cards. Poker mainly, but he wasn’t very good at it. Sometimes men would come to the house, real men, not werewolves. He had me dress in tight jeans, without a shirt, and I would serve drinks and snacks and clean their mess. The first few times weren’t so bad but the way they looked at me was horrible and they would grab my ass and put their hands between my legs to feel me up. They all laughed at me and Pileggi boasted about me being sixteen and how it was legal for him to do anything to me, because I was his omega bitch.” Jared looked down at his hands, “I didn’t know anything about wolves. I thought it was true.”
“But now you know he was lying?”
“Yeah, but it’s not like anyone can do anything about it, so it’s almost true.” Jared was angry.
“We’ll come to that later, Jared, but it is okay to be angry about it.” Lauren waited patiently for Jared to resume.
“One time he had a poker party and I had cheeked him the day before. He had used the cane on my feet and it hurt,” Jared’s voice cracked, “It hurt so much I could barely stand, so he made me crawl, and it was so much worse. They joked about me being in the right place to suck them off and he boasted that he was training me to be a great cock-sucker and how young and pretty I was with my lips around a big dick.” Jared’s face flamed red with his shame and he no longer hid the tears that fell. “He had me practise every day.” Jared fell silent. He felt like he would tear apart. He was being consumed from the inside and he knew that holding it in would threaten the good life he had with Jensen.
“So how do cameras fit into this?” his counselor encouraged him.
“He lost a lot of money. One of the men said he would have a blow job from the omega whore, in place of payment. They thought it was hilarious,” Jared closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, “They all made him the same offer. He said it was brilliant. He had me swallow them all down, one after the other, and after the last one I puked on the floor, so he made me clean it up and then whipped me for it. They all watched and laughed.” Jared’s eyes glazed over as he spoke. He let his emotions detach, as if he were an onlooker into his own life.
Lauren noticed the change in him but didn’t fight to bring him back. She recognized Jared’s own defense mechanisms and would discuss it after he had managed to tell the story. She ‘hmmed’ a gentle prompt.
“When they left he was so turned on by it, he couldn’t stop telling me what a good time he’d had. He bent me over the table and fucked me without lube and I was screaming for him to stop but he wouldn’t. It hurt so bad and there was so much blood I thought I was going to die. He washed me out with salt water and antiseptic and I passed out. When I came-to I was in my room and they left me there for days. Even Meg didn’t touch me.
After that, whenever he had a poker game, he’d make me strip and kneel under the table to suck cock while they played. Course it wasn’t long before he lost to some player and a blow job wasn’t enough. I don’t know who he was but he was some big shot, and he was connected. Pileggi was terrified of him. The man asked to spank me and they had me bend over his lap while he smacked my ass so hard. His hands were huge and heavy and it stung and he just kept going until he pushed me on the floor and jerked off in my hair. He told Pileggi that I was beautiful like that and he could make good money with me in flicks. Pileggi only had to guarantee my obedience and keep the fuck out of the way.”
Jared stared into the distance, every part of him trembled, “They dressed me up in a skirt and garter and put make up on me. They wanted me pretty. The lights were really hot and they were so bright they hurt my eyes,” he commented, “I wanted to say no, but I didn’t know how. I knew they’d do it anyway and then he’d punish me as well. I wanted him to be pleased with me, just once. He was my alpha and I wanted to please him so much. I was always a disappointment. There were so many and they did ….” He paused, his chin wobbled and his lips quivered, he sniffed and rubbed his eyes.
“Do you want to take a break, Jared?”
Jared shook his head, he didn’t think the shame could get any worse than this. He needed to finish. “No. Not much more to say.”
“What did they do to you?”
“The first time it was a …, they called it a gang bang and I lost count of how many. They said I was a real good slut. That it looked good on film, how slick I got, how much I’d wanted it.” Jared was crying, in huge gulping sobs now and his whole body shook, “I didn’t think I did, but I’m an omega and everyone knows it is what we’re for. Everyone can see that I didn’t fight. They gave him a roll of money. He was happy with me. He wasn’t often pleased with me and I liked that. It made me think it wasn’t so bad. I wanted him to be pleased with me again.”
His counselor moved quickly to place a blanket around Jared’s shoulders and crouch by him. She held his hand. “We’ve discussed this,” she said, “You didn’t consent. It was normal to crave approval. I need you to name what they did to you, because it wasn’t your fault, you were a child and you couldn’t have stopped them. This way you survived.”
Jared shook his head. The word was so hard to say.
“You’ve done well today and you can move on. Whatever pictures they took, you don’t look anything like that boy any more. You’re not that boy any more, are you? You’re tall and strong with a wonderful mate and a good pack. You’ve got a future and respect. No decent person is going to blame you for any of it. They are going to be disgusted and horrified by the people who did that to a child. Give it the proper word and put the blame where it belongs, Jared.”
Jared was inconsolable. He looked up at her with watery, red eyes, “They raped me,” he blurted out eventually, and he curled small, in the chair he was sitting in.
“They raped you and that was their crime, their fault and it is reasonable for you to want them to be punished. How do you feel about that?”
Jared frowned, “Dirty and helpless,” he said.
“Uh-huh. Do you think this memory returned now, because of all the police and legal involvement? You are attending court for the sentencing of the care worker this week, aren’t you?”
Jared blew his nose into a tissue and his chest continued to heave with little sobs, “Yeah.”
“You’re almost full term right?” Lauren looked at his bump. “Do you think it’s wise to go?”
“It doesn’t ever go away. I want to see that part over with. I want to enjoy my family.”
“Good reasons.” The counselor looked impressed, “If it’s any help, I think you’re doing the right thing and I know that you are strong enough to face it.
They spent time exploring Jared’s feelings and ways he might cope. Jared’s tears gradually dried but he was pale and exhausted. “Can Jensen ...” he pleaded with her.
“Of course Jensen can come back in, if that’s what you want. You’ve done well. Give me a moment to fetch him.” She smiled at him, “It would be good for you to talk to Jensen about this memory and probably Sheriff Hodge. It could be important information for the police, but don’t worry if it doesn’t happen straight away. It was a big deal for you.”
Jensen was by his side in a moment, his warm muscular arms around him and his scent strong and comforting. One hand carded through his hair and his lips kissed his cheek gently, “Hey, hey. You’re safe now.” He placed a hand on his mate’s heart and Jared could feel Jensen’s steady pulse in the thumb that rubbed a soothing circle. His own heart slowed to match the beat.
The counselor glanced at her clock, “So, Jensen, you’ll be going with Jared to support him this week?”
“Yeah. Of course. Sheriff Hodge, some of the Alpha Council and Milo will be there too.”
“Good. How do you feel about the chances of getting justice? I know that Jared is rightfully hurt and angry that his old pack walked away from this.”
Jensen could see the suffering in his mate and every molecule of him was screaming for action, for revenge, for death. Even if he didn’t know the specifics of this session, he’d heard enough over the months. He’d learned to bite back on his anger because it didn’t help Jared. The first time, Lauren and Jared had told him a little about the session together. One little word, ‘rape’, and Jensen had lost it. He had raged and punched walls and Jared had been terrified of him, shrinking back into the safety of the couch and away from his touch. It had taken days for Jared to become confident around him once more. It wouldn’t happen again, but inside he seethed and boiled. Later, he would run with Christian, and their wolves would hunt and wrestle until he no longer shook with anger. “I’m angry about the law, but Pileggi has been ostracized He won’t be getting another job or any position of respect in the wolf community. We’re working to change things, so it’s being channeled y’know and there are old pack laws too, ones that haven’t been used in years, the Alpha Council are looking at invoking them in certain cases.” He rubbed Jared’s back, and Jared looked up at him with puffy and curious eyes.
Lauren seemed satisfied with the response. She spun back and forth on her chair and grinned. Jensen saw her sneak a look at her clock again. Her mood seemed to lighten. “So, are you excited about seeing this pup?”
Jensen palmed his face, “Yes, and so is everyone else. Ma and Pa are ready to visit, and school friends organized a baby shower for Jared.” He rolled his eyes in mock horror, “Wolves don’t usually do that stuff. We have the pack doing little things throughout the pregnancy, so it was a first for me. I mean, honestly! Do all girls squeal and aww like that at these things?”
Lauren adopted a faux-serious expression, “Yup,” she said, “It’s the law for us girls.”
Jared giggled, “Sandy was real excited. When she first met me, I was the only wolf she’d ever known, and she didn’t know that male omega Weres could get pregnant. She thought I was joking with her for weeks. She’s a wolf ally now,” he explained.
“Well, I’ve learned a lot too.” Jared’s counselor admitted, “I’m glad you chose to work with me.”
Jensen nodded acknowledgement. He had considered a number of highly-qualified Were psychiatrists and counselors, but none had seemed quite right for Jared. When a colleague at the hospital had suggested Lauren, a human with experience in treating the after-effects of child abuse, he had been skeptical but he was glad he had taken the chance on her. Jared was comfortable with her and he was gradually opening up and dealing with his past.
“Do you have a name yet, or is it a secret?”
“We thought Kaylee,” enthused Jared. He scratched at the back of his neck, a little embarrassed, “We both like Firefly, and Kaylee is always happy,” he explained. Jensen squeezed his hand encouragingly.
“Good choice.” She swung back on her chair. “Are you still booked in for a caesarean, Jared?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to stay as wolf for the last few weeks. Shifting this late can be dangerous for baby. It’s easier for me to stay human, and since she’s still quite little, they think her lungs may need some help.”
“It’s unusual for a wolf, but not unheard of. We thought it was best for her,” added Jensen. He didn’t feel like explaining the worries the vet had about Jared’s inability to hear the psychic wolf voice which was an important link between a wolf parent and their wolf pup.
Lauren nodded. “Well, Jared, I shall come and see you in the hospital after Kaylee is born, to check how you’re feeling, and then we’ll talk properly when you’re all settled. Okay, daddy? You have my emergency number, any problems, baby blues, whatever, ring me.” She looked pointedly at Jensen and Jensen gave a mock salute, “Yes, Ma’am.”
***
The care worker was sentenced on the first Tuesday of September and, on that morning, both Jensen and Jared were relieved that the hottest Summer weather had passed. Jared fussed as he dressed. “I can’t do up the button,” he moaned, “And I’m waddling like a duck.”
“C’mere. Let me do it.” Jensen’s deft fingers threaded the button through the loop of his pants waist band, and he let his hand rest over Jared’s bump for a moment before he held the sleeve of his jacket to help him put it on, and straightened his tie. He turned him around to look in the mirror. “Not a duck, silly. See, you’re perfect.”
Even though he was hugely pregnant Jared looked surprisingly tall and elegant. With the muscles he had developed, his healthy lifestyle and his natural good looks there was a maturity and power to his appearance. Jensen had commissioned the suit with a long jacket specifically for Jared’s court appearances, to encourage and emphasize his mate’s new confidence and status. Jared was Pack Beta and his Pack respected him. He was determined to show that he could no longer be intimidated by his abusers. Jared might be an omega, but he was nobody’s bitch.
Jensen stepped back for a moment, to admire the view and then he hugged his mate and kissed his cheek. “Oh, wow, Kaylee sure has a kick. Feels like she’s trying to get out alien-style.”
“If she carries on like this, she might succeed.”
“Not long now, l’il Kaylee. I promise chocolate if you behave for Jared today,” Jensen patted Jared’s bump.
“Chocolate, Jensen? You can’t …”
“Hey! Did I give a timescale?” Jensen gave a cheeky grin and it raised a dimpled smile from his mate. “Deep breath. Ready to go?”
“I want this over with.” Jared grasped Jensen’s hand and they laced their fingers together.
They sat in the gallery and Jared was surrounded by friends and supporters. Alpha Jeff Morgan and Sheriff Hodge sat behind him, Jensen and Milo flanked him. The court room was hot and crowded. The barest currents of air from movement of doors and people, slid over his skin, raising the fine hairs on his arms. The scent of dozens of werewolves and humans mixed with the smell of carpets and polish, perfume and city fume. Jared could hear the drone of traffic outside, shoes tapping, people breathing, the rattle of keys and loose change in pockets. It was all so loud and crowding. He wanted to run and it took every ounce of willpower and Jensen’s strong alpha presence to keep him grounded and in place. Over it all, he heard the judge say “three years,” and it wasn’t enough but it was what was expected. The laws the care worker had broken weren’t considered major.
Jared barely even recognized the man. It had been a lifetime ago when he sold a young omega’s innocence to a rogue pack and Jared had been grieving and raging with unexpected hormones and emotion. He had barely glanced at the man who handed him to Pilleggi so readily. Now the man stood for the court, weaselly and pathetic; just a middle-man who crawled to the judge with fake remorse. Jared nodded his acknowledgement, Jensen squeezed his hand and Jeff Morgan patted his back. There was a sudden rush of air as doors opened for the man to be led away. The throaty growls of a dozen werewolves followed him and Jared was pleased to see his look of terror at the number of Weres who glared at him with open threat. At least one of his other victims was being comforted and restrained by Morgan Pack omegas. Breeze circulated as doors slammed behind the sentenced man and for a moment Jared thought he identified a familiar trace of alpha scent that mingled with it. His throat constricted and there didn’t seem to be enough air in the room. His vision blurred.
Jensen bit back on the growl that formed in his throat as the prisoner was led away. Natural instinct would have the man’s throat ripped out, but Were culture had been civilized for over a hundred years now. He didn’t like this justice, but he did have to accept that it was legal and proper. They had just stood to leave when Jensen saw Jared sniff the air and noted the color drain from his face. He was there to catch him and let him slide down against him to his seat, and holy fuck, when did Jared fill out with muscle to become that solid and heavy? Not that Jensen would ever mention it, because, pregnant omega + the faintest whisper of weight = bloody claw marks, on a delicate part of an alpha’s anatomy. Jared was his mate though, and he was prepared for this, had expected some reaction, and was armed with a bottle of cool water, tissues and headache pills. The court room cleared around them while he let Jared lean into him and Milo fussed.
Jared opened one hazy eye, “What happened? Kaylee?”
“Everything’s okay. You fainted. Just stay, rest.” reassured Jensen. He let his mate sip the water as he gradually came around.
“You caught me,” murmured Jared.
Jensen crouched to look into his eyes and stroke his cheek. “Of course. Always.”
There was a sudden sick feeling in Jared’s stomach as he remembered what had shocked him, he sniffed the air cautiously, but he could detect nothing among the thick confused scents in the room. “I thought,” he started, then stopped and shook his head, “I’m silly,”
“What? Tell me.” Jensen asked gently, with a hint of command.
“I thought he was here, Pileggi I mean. Just for a moment I thought I smelled him. Told you it was silly.”
Jensen hugged his mate to his chest and kissed the top of his head, “Not silly at all.”
He caught Alpha Morgan’s movement and looked up to see Aldis already walking fast after the crowd, “Might be nothing but we’ll check it out,” promised Jeff, “Jensen, take him back to the hotel. We’ll meet for dinner if Jared is feeling better.”
The crowd was dispersed by the time Jeff and Aldis reached the street and there was no sign of Pileggi. Jared apologized and blamed the incident on stress.
Part 2