Casket Boy part 1
Masterpost | Continue to part 2
Prologue
He had been here for more than six months when it finally became real for him : he had found his home.
He had decided to change his life, to give it the shape he had always desired when he was still only Jensen, son of Matlin Ackles. He had run with the money inherited from his godmother, invested a good chunk of it to buy his own land, a huge island to keep foreigners at bay, as far as possible from his family. He needed to be able to breathe, to be himself on his own terms. In his father's house, he could only be the heir, as well as his omega dad's pride and joy, the big brother who would one day preside over his whole family's destiny. He had no room to run his own life, no hope and no future that wasn't already written in stone.
Now, being Jensen Ackles, all on his own and responsible for each and every decision, gave him more room to mess it all up, but also a chance to make it by himself. He would not be a simple successor, he would be the creator of something new, something his.
Maybe he was not the best farmer out there, but he had learned so much already, he knew he could only get better and better. He loved his island too much to fail it. For the first time in his life, he felt truly accomplished as he came back home every night, tired in a way he hadn't known in his previous job. And he was free. Free to do what he wanted, free to think and enjoy and say no. He was not about to let go of this feeling for anyone. Not even for his younger brothers who hadn't managed to make him stay in the capital, as much as he loved them, for he was done with that part of his life.
And he was drawing again. His land was his favorite subject, the beauty of the scenery an inspiration unlike anything he had ever seen. His father had all but forbidden him to use his talent for anything else than stuffy family portraits Jensen could never be proud of, but here he had no order to listen to, no one to tell him that his style was too raw and his interests too perverted. He was drawing again, and he was enjoying every second of it.
He felt one with his island. He hadn't slept inside his bedroom for a while. Outside, on the balcony right over the garden, the smell of the reesius and the sound of the cicadas put him to sleep in a few minutes, lulling him through sweet dreams of the bright future opening for him.
This was his land. His to pamper, his to make it grow and fructify. His to love and to own. He knew that inheriting the family's estate would never have felt this way. He might have been born in his parents' bed, the one that should have become his after his father's death, but he had never felt like any of the old place belonged to him.
Here, Jensen was as much part of the land as it was part of him. He'd found his place.
Chapter 1
Three years later
"Ladies and gentlemen, I salute you. I'm alpha Roché," the man said, taking his hat off before he plunged for a bow, drawing volutes and curls in the air with the feather adorning his headgear.
His smile when he stood back up was as huge as any huckster's trying to sell you his trash.
"I don't think I was ever here before, because I'm sure I would remember all you sweet omegas. But I'm here at last today to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime, the adventure of this century that no one else but you can achieve."
Jared knew already which one of the other orphans gathered in the orphanage's classroom would be susceptible to that kind of talk : the romantics, the ones looking at alpha Roché with stars in their eyes because the man was charming and flattering.
"I'm here today," the alpha repeated, "to tell you about the brilliant project of our great sovereign. Have any of you heard of the Visnian Islands, more commonly known as 'the Islands' ?"
Most people shook their head, especially the younger ones. The name was familiar to Jared, but only because of the great continent of Visnia discovered less than a century ago by fearless explorers. He surmised those Islands were situated not far from it. Jared's interests lay in literature, not so much in geography.
Roché walked along the dais to the blackboard to hang a beautiful card of the region discussed. Above the roughly-drawn, huge shape of the Visnian continent, a smattering of dots - some small, some much bigger - spread over a large surface area, boundaries marked out by what looked like a never-ending barrier.
"As you can see, the Islands are numerous ; scientists have calculated that there might be up to five thousand of them. Since the King took possession of the land and water, he's encouraged colonization and, in this regard, sold some of the Islands and granted unlimited concession of the smallest ones to the poorer farmers who didn't have the money to buy the land. Now those alphas have settled, they're working hard, and all they need is a good omega to marry, to share their lives and help them by looking after their home while they take care of the fields, giving them children that will follow in their footsteps."
"Can't they find a mate out there ?" a very young omega boy wondered out loud. Very young, but already of mating age.
"The Islands were uninhabited before the settlers arrived. Only the continent was, and still is, populated by native tribes, who have very little business with our society. They do not speak our language and they keep their fertiles to themselves. Besides, no indigenous omega can come close to you and everything you'll be able to bring our courageous settlers."
Even bitterly taking note that there were some people in the world that this society's alphas thought were beneath their own omegas, Jared couldn't help but come back to the important point of Roché's address.
"You said marry ?"
The alpha stared at him for a few very uncomfortable seconds.
"Why yes, young man, I did say marry. The King is very aware that some of you might be wary of the possibility of abandonment in a strange land, far from everything and everyone they know, in case of a blank mating. So he gave orders to his Intendant to protect all omegas with a marriage. A real and true marriage, complete with contract and ceremony."
"Aren't there dangerous beasts in the wild land ?" a young girl asked with a half-excited, half-disgusted expression, the differences between mating and marrying obviously still very abstruse for her.
"Not at all, most of the Islands are safe. I don't want to lie to you, the first explorers did find some kind of big animals that they called dragons because it reminded them of the legends our grandparents still believed in, but they were much smaller, they didn't fly or throw fire, and the few Islands infested have been cleaned since then by the regiment of brave soldiers the King sent to ensure the settlers' safety. As I said, our good King is very much concerned with this adventure, and that's why, in his infinite kindness, he's decided to assign a dowry to each of you who will sign today to take a chance on the new land."
The alpha interrupted his speech for a minute to look every omega right in the eyes.
"I can see what you're thinking. You think that I'm telling you a pretty story, a fairytale, something too good to be true. But let the gods be my witness, I'm only telling the truth. I'm not talking about a piaster or two. No. Not at all ! I'm not talking either about ten or twenty piasters, not even about thirty or forty. No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about a fifty-piaster dowry on the day of your wedding to an alpha in the Islands, to help you settle and create a beautiful new family that, in turn, will help our King's magnificence to resonate and shine right until the antipodes."
Damn ! Fifty piasters was no laughing matter. Jared couldn't take alpha Roché seriously - all big words and perpetual moves - but he was just as stunned as the other omegas by this new development.
"And that's not the end of it. Our King is just as wise as he is kind. He realized you would need a lot of things that our strong alphas could never imagine so he asked his wife, our beautiful Queen, to fill a casket for each of you, boys and girls, full of all the articles you will need to settle down, as well as some clothes, including the traditional wedding costume omegas have worn since the age of time."
"But what if we don't find a suitable match ?" Jared insisted, "How will we come back ?"
"Our King will provide once again. This is all part of the safety measures he put in place for you : if you decide you don't want to live there, or you don't find a mate before the end of your one-year contract, you will be transported back to the mainland at the Crown's expense. As I told you, there's nothing to worry about."
Once again, Roché used a silent pause to let his words sink in.
"So, who will sign on for the biggest adventure of their life ? Who will be a proud and fiery omega, ready to bring the virtues and grandeurs of our society right to the other side of the planet and create tomorrow's society ?"
Jared guessed only one orphan here would have the guts to try, and this was Katie. It was tempting, to be honest, this idea to go on such a big adventure and live something new, something different. But it also meant leaving everything behind, and going out there with the professed aim to marry felt a bit too much like selling himself to the best buyer.
He had guessed right. Katie stood up and walked to the alpha to sign her contract, her head held high under the stares.
In the commotion her decision had induced, Jared moved back silently and left the room.
"I'm disappointed in you."
Jared turned to find Katie standing on the threshold of his classroom. The kids had just left, running to get their afternoon snack after a long hour of orthography and grammar. Jared would have liked a few minutes of calm and silence after giving all his attention to teaching bored and noisy children, but it seemed now wasn't the time.
"What did I do ?"
"The problem is not what you did, but what you didn't."
"So what should I have done that makes you so angry ?"
"You know perfectly what I mean, Jared, don't play stupid ! I told the recruiter there would be at least two of us signing up, and you let me down."
"So you were the one responsible for his visit. I can't say that I am very surprised."
They were not the closest of friends, but they liked each other enough. Furthermore, having been raised together, there was not much left that one didn't know about the other. Katie was foolhardy, ready to take on the world, and decided to leave the orphanage as soon as an opportunity would come to her. Jared didn't know how she had met alpha Roché, but it was clear Katie had found in him the way to achieve her goal.
"This is really the opportunity of a lifetime, Jared, don't you see it ?"
"I already have a life, Katie, a job and a house."
"But they're not yours, and that's not what you wish for your future. I know you !" Katie continued with passion in her voice, getting closer to Jared. "You always look so proper, and so collected, because you're doing your best to act and look like Padre Jim, but inside you're a romantic, and you need love and adventure just like your body needs air and sunshine."
"I think you're talking about yourself, not me."
"I'm talking about the both of us, that's why I was so sure you would sign up. We're different in so many things, but not in this. Come on, Jared ! Don't tell me you've already given up on your life ?"
"I'm not giving up, I'm being smart. What would I do if I went there and came back one year later still alone ? My job would be gone, as would my house. I would have nothing left but my eyes to cry and my body to sell on Dyonis Street. Is that the future you wish for me ?"
Katie rolled her eyes.
"Don't be so melodramatic ! You heard alpha Roché, the settlers need omegas, there's not enough of us out there, so for once we'll be the goods that everyone wants. We will be the ones choosing our mates, not the other way around. Think of that ! You always set the bar so high, it's your chance to decide who is good enough for you. You're assured to find someone and never to come back here."
A small voice rose from behind Katie.
"O-master Jared ?"
Both adults turned to look at the little boy standing where Katie had appeared a few minutes before.
"What can I do for you, Nico ?" Jared said gently to reassure the child that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Padre Jim asked if you can come, Madre Annie had to go lie down 'cause she's sick and there's no one to watch us and he says we can't stay alone."
"Alright. Go back and tell Padre Jim that I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay."
The boy left running while Jared got up and began to tidy his desk in a hurry.
"Don't run, Nico."
Katie raised her voice to be heard, but her sigh told Jared that the kid hadn't really listened. Katie was good at math, but her teaching skills suffered from her lack of patience. The children always responded better to Jared, especially during his literature classes.
"And you," she continued, pointing a finger to Jared, "don't think that this discussion is over."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Jared muttered under his breath.
Katie tried to corner him on more than one occasion in the next few days, but Jared's lucky star - and their numerous occupations all day long - protected him. He had nothing to add to their conversation.
Which didn't mean he wasn't interested. His recent nights had been filled with fantasies of this new world, populated with so many unmated alphas that omegas only had to show up to get at least ten suitors. Something in him yearned to leave, throw caution through the window for once, try his luck and make wonderful memories that would last him a lifetime, whether he found his mate or not.
Padre Jim would miss him if he left, of course, but there were so many orphaned omegas ready to take his place. Some of the kids would probably miss him too, but they were not his, and if he had a chance to get the family he had always dreamed of…
He had let his chance pass anyway, so there was no use in fretting about it now. He'd better go and sleep soon, because tomorrow would prove to be just as full and tiring a day as any other, no matter what foolish dreams a flamboyant alpha had planted in his mind.
Wednesday mornings were one of Jared's favorite times of the week, as it was his turn to go to the market in search for food. The vegetable garden and the orchard in the orphanage's backyard didn't suffice to feed children and constantly hungry teenagers, nor did the henhouse.
Jared enjoyed wandering through the stalls, taking his time to choose good produce that most orphans would appreciate. Jared himself was well-known and liked by the vendors, who had first seen him as a child for the most part, so he often got quality treats to bring back home. There was never enough for everyone, which meant he had to make a choice and disappoint some of the kids, but he tried to be as fair as possible, week after week.
He didn't make it to the market on this particular Wednesday before he was cornered by a man he recognized instantly : alpha Roché. It was impossible not to feel like prey flushed out of its hiding place by a hunter on the prowl.
"Hello, sweet omega !" the alpha exclaimed, playing once more with his hat to salute Jared. "Here we meet again. I guess it's destiny's will, don't you think ?"
A destiny named Katie, for sure ! Jared tried in vain to keep a smile out of his face. The alpha was outrageous, and very much harmless, even though he had obviously sensed Jared's interest in his proposition a few days ago.
"I've been wondering how a sweet little thing like you could still be unmated…"
"Little ?!" Jared couldn't help replying, drawing himself to his full height.
"Alright, not so little. But this only proves my point. All the good alphas here are already taken. Like me." This was added with a satisfied smile that only had Jared more amused. "Someone like you needs a real alpha, not one of the still-unmated clowns stalking our fair city."
The man came to stand right in front of Jared, invading his personal space, his index finger tapping Jared's chest to punctuate each and every "you" of his speech.
"You need to see for yourself that I'm not lying. There's no challenge for you here, or you would have given life to ten kids already by your age. No, you need more, and you'll only find it in a much rougher place, with alphas who know who they are and what it means to take a mate. To mate you."
Perhaps he was right, Jared thought. Maybe what he needed was someone more assertive, who wasn't afraid of working hard, far from the comfort and the security of the city. But how could he reconcile this with his deeper need for liberty, his unwillingness to submit ? All the alphas who had suggested that he mate with them had received a gentle but explicit no. None of them had really tried to make him change his mind either.
"You know," alpha Roché called his attention back, "the usual term for a sojourn in the Islands is one year. But I'm at liberty, if I think it will help, to reduce that time to six months. So, would it help you to make a decision ?"
"How much do you make for each omega you're recruiting ?" Jared wondered instead of answering.
"Enough for a living, as long as they're not all as difficult to convince as you are," Roché replied with a smile, "which is amusing, as I consider you to be one of the best equipped to go out there."
This was the heartfelt comment Jared had been waiting for. No bluster and bragging, an honest opinion that finished convincing him.
Eight to nine orphans out of ten were omegas. And out of those eight, at least five had been abandoned at birth for being another mouth who would need to be fed, but would not contribute to the household's prosperity. A basic family could only afford to raise one or two omegas who would serve the rest of their relatives before their mating, the moment they would become productive too by making children.
It was very probable that Jared had been born in such a family, another omega that his parents couldn't afford, given up to the padres to bring him up. At least his parents hadn't drowned him right after his birth, or left him in a place where he was sure to die.
Jared couldn't say that he was happy with his life, yet he felt content. He had a job, a roof over his head and food on his plate every day, a protector who had been kind of a father to him, and Jared knew that he was useful to the orphaned children that he tried to shower with as much love as he was capable of feeling. Not everyone could show so much for twenty years of a life that had begun under such unfavorable auspices.
Yet he couldn't seem to get his most fervent desire : someone to love, and a family, to replace the one that had thrown him away. Many alphas thought he was too tall, the men especially, and didn't even look at him twice. Others thought he was too this, or not enough that. And sadly, the ones who had believed Jared could be the one for them hadn't even registered on his own worth scale.
Because Jared knew what he didn't want : a mating without love and respect. He needed to find his true alpha, the one made for him and him alone, and this marvelous specimen was nowhere to be found on this continent ; maybe he had migrated to a new world, as alpha Roché had suggested, in search of a more exciting way of life and his true omega.
There were so many things to hate about being an omega, too many options to choose from : the dependency, the childlike state their society imposed on them, the physical weakness, the wretched biology that made them slaves to their needs as much as to the alphas' cocks.
Jared had been warned very young not to touch himself or let any alpha do it. He had learned that the more an omega's genitalia were stimulated, the bigger the risk that, depending on the case, the vagina or rectum would slick. Because in the end, an omega's ultimate goal would always be to mate, and their body could be tricked into thinking any alpha would be okay. Jared had seen some of those omegas who had settled for what was called a blank alpha, most of the time older men and women who had gotten tired of waiting for their true mate and given up, but also many of his former orphan friends who had accepted the first offer to escape their miserable condition. They lived a joyless life next to a companion who might abandon them someday with their children, if they ever met their own true, virgin omega mate, whereas the chance for an already blank-mated - already used - omega to be chosen by their true mate, should they meet them later, were slim to null, especially if there were children involved.
Even the law was against them, as a blank alpha owed nothing to his blank mate if they separated. Not even their children were due anything if the alpha refused to sustain them once they'd created a new family. It was the government's way to encourage true mating, to keep omegas chaste and pure until they met their chosen one. At the same time, any omega still unmated after 25 was frowned upon, encouraged to go out more to find their mate and accept the first proposition. It was always considered an omega's fault if they weren't mated by the end of their teenage years, either because they were too demanding or not attractive enough.
But it would not be the same out there in the Visnian Islands. The omegas would get to marry their chosen alphas, not only mate them, and while a marriage contract was breakable, the alphas would have to provide for any children born during the union and pay reparations to their outcast mates. That was probably one of the best reasons for the omegas to sign on the dotted line. Protection for themselves and their progeny.
Convincing Padre Jim of the soundness of his decision proved more difficult.
"Are you sure this is the right choice, Jared ? I know you feel your life here is stifling and that you won't find your mate in this city, but you cannot imagine the dangers out there."
For some reason, the older man had always treated him like his own child and there was no mistaking the real worry shadowing his wrinkled face.
"I'm sure, Padre. You're right, there's nothing for me here, and even if I don't find what I'm looking for in the Islands either, I'll be there only six months. I have to try. I won't forgive myself if I don't take this chance."
"Is this about the kind of alpha you think you'll meet there ? Do you think they'll be much different than the ones who want to court you here ?"
"Maybe, in part at least. But this is also about what I can do out there. You know teaching has never been a vocation for me, and I'm not made to sew and cook all my life either. I can do those things, but I want more."
"I'm afraid this will be your downfall, Jared. Promise me at least that you'll take care of yourself, and that you'll stay with the other omegas. You know how alphas can sometimes lose their minds. I guess it can only be worse in a godforsaken camp where there are ten to twenty alphas vying for one omega's attention."
"Don't forget the betas. I'm sure there'll be some of them assigned to our protection if need be."
Padre Jim closed his eyes for a short moment, probably praying to receive the understanding Jared needed right now.
"Very well," he accepted. "If you're all set on doing this, at least leave with my benediction and the assurance that, should you ever want to come back, your place here will never be called into question. This is, and will always be, your home."
The ship was called New Islands and she was a beauty. Her captain was a tall, haughty alpha answering to the name of Mark Pellegrino, sieur of Castle Pitwitt. His crew called him One-Leg.
The nickname's origin became evident as soon as the man walked up to the omega contingent. Even hidden behind a pair of matching boots and long breeches, the captain's limp immediately gave away the fact that his right leg was no more, probably replaced by a wooden stump.
Maybe that was the reason why the man gave them some lip, or maybe he was just another insufferable alpha convinced of his natural superiority, because he was strong and the gods had given him a knot.
"I will tolerate no indecent behavior on my ship !" One-Leg greeted them. "You omegas will live in the armory for the duration of the crossing, and you are not allowed to get on the main deck, or any other deck for that matter, unless one of my beta officers is with you. Now you're going to sign the register so that your recruiter can get paid, then we'll get a move on. I know it's contrary to your nature but please hurry, I want to catch that wind so we need to be gone as soon as possible."
Well, the guy was a jerk and he didn't try to hide it. Jared couldn't say the obligation to avoid him during the trip, trapped below-deck inside the ship, would leave him heartbroken.
Jared caught sight of the three men and a woman standing next to a table on the other side of the deck. The mentioned register sat there under the watchful eyes of a fifth man, a notary going by his clothes. The five alphas were all waiting for the omegas to get into a line to sign the book, one after the other, next to their name and the one of their recruiter. Jared shared a smile with alpha Roché when his turn came, ready to have a few words with him, but Pellegrino kept on rushing them all until the last omega had appended his signature and the ink had barely dried in the cold, damp air of this grey afternoon.
"This is where I say my goodbyes," Roché announced, drawing into the air once again the volutes he loved to create with his hat feather. "Sweet omegas, I bid you all a pleasant trip and a loving marriage, and wish not to see you ever again on this shore. Adios !"
After more volutes and a few complicated footsteps heralding his good mood, the alpha turned heels and promptly walked down the ship's ramp, joined by the three other recruiters, whose goodbyes had been a lot more subdued, following the notary with the register safely tucked under his arm. Considering the number of times Jared had seen Roché's name written in the accounting book, this was, money-wise, a very good day for the alpha.
The captain didn't lose time gathering the omegas once again to get them all to their deck, muttering to himself about the damn fools' slowness and inefficiency. Many an omega spared a hard glance to him before descending into the dark space they were going to inhabit for the next two months.
They were lucky enough not to be under the waterline, yet not even a tiny porthole let the sun filter in. Their only source of lighting happened to be a few candles protected behind thick glass as soon as the hatch above them was shut. Clearly, One-Leg didn't want them to disturb his crew while the galleon made its way out of the harbor.
Often at night, Jared couldn't help thinking of the kids he was leaving behind, of Padre Jim and all the staff at the orphanage. The only family he had ever known. The last memories he was carrying away with him were festive. They had celebrated the solstice and the New Year in a small but joyful way a few days prior to his departure, and Jared wondered where he would be next year, who would share with him the important milestones of the calendar from now on.
He tried to turn over, but the swaying stopped him. The hammock was such a strange device to sleep in, and far too short for him of course. Jared's legs had either to stay bent all night long, and his knees were killing him after a short while, or to hang out, which destabilized his hanging bed and often led to kicking someone else. More than fifty omegas in such a confined place inevitably had the hammocks hung close to each other. Privacy was nonexistent around here.
Nights were long on the ship, and the day awfully longer. The omegas didn't have much to do, especially after all the candles had burned out and the crew had once again forgotten to bring more. Many, including Jared, had taken to passing the time with naps, but then the nights seemed to stretch even more as sleep eluded them. No room meant no movement or activity, which meant no tiredness. Which led to frayed tempers, aggravated by the impossibility to get away from others.
All in all, this trip had turned out to be a nightmare in the making. Jared didn't feel any patience anymore. Katie's chatter was headache-inducing at best, and often a reason to start a fight. Fortunately, few omegas had been seasick, and all of those had managed to get used to the pitching and tossing rather quickly. The smell in the armory had been totally insufferable on the first few days because of this, but it was now just a matter of not being able to wash properly. Thanks to the gods for small mercies.
One-Leg had authorized groups of five omegas to get on the upper deck in rotation, and this twice a day. Therefore, approximately once every five days, all fifty omegas enjoyed the sun in turn - or icy rain and cold wind, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and no one complained because of this wondrous, half-hour-long feeling of freedom. It was also the occasion to wash at last, hidden behind a sail that revealed a bit too much at times with the help of the sun. Most omegas took offense at the whistling and the obscene propositions shouted by the alpha members of the crew, especially the ones climbing on top of the mast to try and get a good look at the naked omegas during their ablutions.
It was made very clear that those same crew members, men and women hardened by a tough job, thought of the omegas as whores trying to leave their turbulent pasts behind and begin anew in a place where no one would know about it. They kept offering to make the trip more fun, to enjoy life one last time before they had to play the virgins they hadn't been for a very long time.
It was all rather depressing, and Jared could only hope this wasn't a sample of the life awaiting them in the Islands.
It was always easy to talk a beta into doing what you wanted as long as you presented it in a rational way, and Barnes, the ship's officer in charge of the omegas on board, proved just as susceptible as any other beta Jared had encountered before. It took less than two weeks to make him see that the contingent needed a few minutes outside their deck regularly, that the time spent out of their cage to wash every five days just wasn't enough, and that fresh air would be needed all the more as they'd be getting closer to their destination, where the temperatures rose higher all year long.
Barnes couldn't let them out every night, but it was not particularly complicated to find times when One-Leg was sound asleep in his cabin and the best part of the crew down on their own deck. Sailors at night were less annoying, more restrained. Maybe they felt nostalgic for their own mates back at home, or maybe they were afraid of waking up their impatient and unforgiving captain, but none of them said anything about the ten or so omegas roaming the main deck, breathing greedily.
On nights the moon shone, big enough to illuminate everything, Jared found himself fascinated by the sea. It was at its most impressive while the wind was down and the gently moving water gave an impression of stillness. The light exuding from the celestial body played at drawing straight lines on its surface. The only sound came from the ship, squeaking in time with its slow swaying. Jared felt at peace anew, forgetting doubts and fears in the calm surrounding him.
Even Katie let him enjoy these moments alone, which explained why Jared finally found himself confronted one night with a very awake, and very drunk, Captain Pellegrino.
"Hello, pretty boy," Pellegrino whispered in his ear, strong breath reeking of liquor wafting to Jared's nose, before he plastered his whole body against Jared's back.
Drunkenness made One-Leg a lot more sufferable. And a lot more amorous. What he lost in haughtiness was replaced by wandering hands that liked to take residence on Jared's ass and refused to leave.
The captain was tall, one of the tallest alphas Jared had known in his life, almost as tall as him, and it only added to the feeling of being paralyzed by the too-intimate touch. He knew he didn't have the power to break free, that Pellegrino could take him there and then if he wished.
The other omegas saved him, that time and the next two, as Jared felt once again the captain invading his space and trying to take possession of his body.
Then came their fourth encounter. It began in the same fashion, but this time no one was there to help him.
That night was not one of those calm and silent moments Jared enjoyed so much ; on the contrary, the wind had risen and the ship was picking up speed after two days of near immobilization. Jared couldn't feel bad about the change of weather, if only because it meant that the trip would last not much longer than predicted. But he was the only omega who enjoyed the rougher sea. The other ones had long decided to get back to their shelter, to avoid the sea spray and any risk of being thrown overboard.
One-Leg had probably suffered from boredom too, alcohol his way of dealing with the long, idle hours. He looked exhilarated as the wind filled the sails and pushed his ship along, pitching against the sheer force of the element. He looked feverish too, crazy with desire after too many days spent with his own hands, and Jared felt his heart sink when the captain dragged him towards his cabin, his screams for help lost in the howling wind.
The cabin was small and filled to the brim, each plane covered with books and maps. Pellegrino brushed everything from the table before he pushed Jared to lie down on it.
The position was worse than trying to fit in a hammock. Jared's head and legs hung at each end of the table, but the captain's tight grip on his torso prevented him from moving away. Then Pellegrino managed to tie his wrists and ankles to the legs of the table, and Jared couldn't even hope to get away anymore.
One-Leg stood back up, a filthy grin on his face, and looked at Jared, all trussed up, while his laboring breath got back under control.
"I watch you all the time," he said, his hands coming to Jared's shirt to slide it along his torso up to his shoulders. "I authorized the nightly promenades to be able to touch you. What ? You thought your pretty dimples would be enough to sway one of my officers ? I watch you while you're washing, all naked like your fellow omegas, but you're the only one I see. And I dream that I keep you on board, that I keep you constantly naked, for my amusement and that of my crew, that we all get to swat your virgin omega's ass before we take you, all in turn. Me first, of course, because I'm the captain, and I'm the only one you really want."
"You're delusional !" Jared cried, jerking to try and escape the alpha's touch as much as testing the ropes. "I don't want you or anyone here, let go of me !"
It was pointless, One-Leg was too far gone, and he showed it by ignoring Jared's words and sliding the omega's breeches and undergarment along his hips and legs, baring him entirely in one violent movement.
"You don't get to talk to me like that, omega," he menaced at the same time, words slurred but still frightening. "Watch your mouth !"
One-Leg's admonition was enhanced by the rapid and stinging succession of swats to Jared's bottom, left half-hanging off the table by the shortness of the furniture.
Nausea was seizing Jared. He had kept himself pure all these years, and he was about to be raped by a vile alpha who didn't even want him to keep him, fantasizing about sharing his body with his whole crew to enjoy the spectacle of Jared's degradation. An alpha who enjoyed hitting him.
He had never been one to accept orders and once again his rebellious streak showed. His reaction to the slapping was a mix of demands to be untied and cries of pain as more swats landed on his naked butt. But it chased the nausea away, replaced by outrage. With his eyes, he searched frantically around the room for a knife, anything to cut the ropes and escape before the man began to really touch him.
There was no weapon he could see, but Jared realized suddenly that the ship's rolling motion was a force he could use. The screws holding the table to the floor were nearly unbolted. Jared just had to wait for One-Leg to stand up by his side to take him down with him.
He managed to move his feet enough to kick Pellegrino's shin, encouraging him to move where Jared couldn't reach him. Then, at the next deep swaying of the ship in the right direction, Jared used his weight to throw the table against the alpha, bringing him down in his fall. One-Leg's body cushioned him. Jared hadn't really had time to think about that in his panic to get free, but the table propelled by his weight could have meant some bad bruises to himself, maybe even a broken bone or a deep cut into his arm or leg. Fortunately, the only thing broken was the table itself, and Jared was able to untie himself quickly and easily before he put his clothes back on with a disgusted shudder. The captain hadn't even touched him, but he felt the need to wash anyway, although he knew already that he would have a hard time doing it from now on, for fear of the holes in the deck that could hide unwanted eyes watching him.
One-Leg was down for the count, snoring loudly. Jared didn't lose time to make sure he was comfy, he rather liked the idea of the alpha waking up in the morning with an aching back and a bump on the head. He made his way out of the cabin, shutting the door behind him. Walking as quickly as he dared and clutching the rail to stay upright, Jared threw the ropes in the stormy sea then slid quietly through the hatch of the omega deck to get to the safety of his contingent.
He found Katie all awake and waiting for him. He didn't want to talk about it but knew that his fears probably showed on his face, easily readable to someone as clever as his friend, even in the low lighting of the only candle left burning.
Jared blew on the flame before he led Katie to their respective hammocks. Tomorrow would come soon enough to remember this frightful night, when he had almost lost all his chances at happiness. Soon enough to hear Katie mock him again, as gently as she meant it, about the captain's crush on him.
But it would never be soon enough to go on the deck again at night.
Jared would always remember the crossing of the ocean as the two most terrible months of his life. Sixty-three days of dank air, rancid food, and often-bored, sometimes bickering omegas all by themselves. A lewd crew best forgotten. One foul-mouthed captain with no qualms about using for his pleasure the omegas he despised so much.
Never again, Jared promised himself as he prepared to finally set foot on the land that would be his home from now on. He was here to find a good husband and create a new life. He wouldn't go back and fall prey to everything he had escaped.
He was the last to come out of the ship. One-Leg had chatted him up, obviously trying to separate him from his fellow omegas and get in his breeches one last time. The guy was so far from Jared's type it was laughable, especially after their fortunately forgotten encounter a few weeks before - the captain had probably imagined that it was all an alcohol-induced dream - but still he had tried to get away pleasantly despite the wandering hands, to ensure that the man wouldn't make it his mission to spread damning gossip about Jared right upon his arrival in the Islands.
As soon as Jared walked the first few steps on his new land, the fragrances of the varied and alien flora filled his sense of smell with delight. It was sweet and heady, a striking contrast to the pervasive smell of thousands of souls gathered in Tethreya, the mainland capital he had left two months earlier. On board the ship, living secluded behind closed doors with fifty or so other omegas had all but erased any scent not coming from the bodies. Even the sea, that they were not allowed to see much of anyway, didn't register anymore.
The view was not all that great compared to the smell. Jared supposed that every port in the world looked about the same as this one, busy and a bit scary to someone who had never travelled before. Still, his first look at Ismia was disappointing. He had hoped for a glorious panorama to greet him, something exotic and seductive. He had hoped to feel at home.
The resounding laugh of Jeannie, one of the omegas who had crossed the sea with him, drew his attention to the wagons leaving the port for a destination unknown to Jared - probably the omegas' living quarters. He swore under his breath and called out to make them stop and wait for him, beginning to run in a futile attempt to catch the wagons. He didn't want to wander alone in a foreign city, didn't even know where he was supposed to go, and all his meager possessions were leaving with the omega contingent. But the carts turned around the corner and disappeared from view, hidden behind many huge boxes piled more or less closely to form a labyrinth of streets.
Jared kept on running as long as he could, even though he didn't see or hear the wagons anymore, until he came violently to a halt as his body bumped into another one.
It was an alpha's scent so Jared began to apologize by rote, not putting any thought in it. He hadn't really watched where he was going anyway, looking everywhere for his fellow omegas, and…
Everything around him ceased to exist as the new scent took precedence over the whole world.
He had never smelled anything similar, but he knew what it was. It could only mean one thing : he had found his true alpha. Here, two minutes after setting foot on the new land he had travelled to in the hope of finding love at last, he had come face to face with his mate.
"Sorry, man," his alpha said with a smile. "I was so happy to get my things at last, the ship was three days late ! I didn't even see you."
Before Jared stood the most gorgeous man he had ever seen : smaller than him in height, but tall anyway, and built for strength and agility ; green, kind and laughing eyes, harmonious features, full lips Jared couldn't wait one more second to kiss.
This man was his. His to love and sustain, his to be loved and protected by, his to kiss.
Jared crowded the alpha against the nearest crate and covered his mouth with his lips. It was his first kiss, but he wasn't even afraid of messing up, because his true alpha would love everything about him, and he would teach him what he wanted Jared to know.
His first lesson came with the tongue pushing into his mouth to reach his own and rub against it, with the hands covering his ass and stroking.
Jared felt dizzy, his pheromones in such a twisted fury that he was able to smell them even through the haze of his alpha's own chemical response. His shirt was already sliding down his arms when he realized he had taken to disrobe himself. He just couldn't wait, he had to feel his alpha's hands on him, everywhere.
"I'm Jared," he managed to whisper between two heated kisses. "I want you."
"Jensen," his alpha replied in a breath, and Jared repeated the unfamiliar and beautiful name again and again in his head. The more he learned about this man, the more he loved him, down to that kind of detail.
He loved his scent to distraction, loved his taste with a passion, loved the feel of his hands closing around his cock to get him harder than ever.
It was soon Jared's turn to find himself back against a row of boxes. He was entirely naked now, but it didn't feel that strange while his mate's body covered his with warmth and abandon. Jensen had just taken his shirt off, but his breeches were open to reveal his own big alpha cock, knot already appearing to Jared's very interested eyes. He had never seen one, never touched, never wanted to. And now he craved it.
Jared mirrored Jensen's touch to his balls, rolling them into one hand while the other was stubbornly wrapped around Jensen's neck to keep him as close as possible. He whined when Jensen's mouth began to slide down, bringing his lips to Jared's Adam's apple, sucking briefly on it, like a repetition before the fiercer move he used seconds later on Jared's right nipple.
Jared gasped aloud, his face contorting in unexpected bliss. Such pleasure should have been impossible, yet Jensen proved to him it could be done again, almost on command, with the surprised nips on his other nipple eliciting a new gasp.
He couldn't seem to open his eyes, as much as he wished to look at Jensen taking his cock in his mouth, pleasure skyrocketing like those fireworks he had admired on New Year's Eve. Jared was ready to burst, again like the fireworks showering the gaping crowd with silver and gold sparks, and he didn't know if he could, didn't know how to ask. He didn't care that much in the end, he wanted his mate's mouth on his dick and balls forever.
Jensen's fingers resumed their tour of Jared's hips, finding their way to his ass to palm each cheek. They stayed there for a while, stroking so gently that Jared almost missed the progressive, minute downhill drift towards his hole, the invasion of his crack.
It was the slick already running down his thighs that got his attention, and then the feeling of Jensen's fingers entering his body, sliding inside so smoothly that it felt like they were going home on a path travelled many times, though Jared was a complete virgin. Even slicking was a very rare occurrence for him. It was the definite confirmation that this alpha was his mate, the one destined to unlock any inhibition and fear he may feel, the one who would possess Jared in every way, his body first and his love foremost.
He wanted to taste Jensen, to bring his scent inside of him. Copying his mate's earlier moves, he fell to his knees and bent to take the alpha's cock in his mouth. It felt even bigger that way, his lips unable to cover the whole knot. The shiver that went through Jared at the thought of that huge thing forcing his rim and then pounding his canal was part fear and part eagerness. He couldn't wait to give everything to his alpha.
The taste was bitter and sweet at the same time, unlike anything he could think of. He knew he would soon be addicted, and that he would do this for his mate as often as asked of him, enjoying every second of the act. But maybe he would rather feel it fill his ass.
He was about to discover the answer to that question. Jensen reared back, getting out of Jared's mouth with a loud pop, but Jared didn't have time to regret the loss as he was turned over and disposed to present his ass to his alpha.
An incredible feeling of rightness washed over him. The position should have felt humiliating, legs spread wide and ass in the air to allow complete access for the mating, but it was in fact the evidence of his trust and love in his alpha, the prelude to their shared life.
Jared moaned when he felt Jensen's tongue lapping at his hole, getting his most intimate scent, marrying his saliva with the slick of his mate. Jensen had a very wicked tongue, nimble and naughty, but also strong enough to pierce Jared's rim and get inside his body. One finger joined it in the next few moments, then a second, twisting and turning and pushing, finding a place inside Jared that had him roaring with pleasure.
"Take me !" Jared shouted. "Mate me !"
The tongue retreated, and then the fingers, and Jared knew it was only a matter of seconds before his lover would enter him to mate them forever.
But then nothing happened. Jensen wasn't touching him anymore.
"Why are you stopping ?" Jared cried, the need to be taken so overwhelming.
A terrible thought went then through his mind. He turned enough to see Jensen, and the lost expression in his mate's eyes had him fearing the truth even more.
"Are you blank-mated already ?"
"What ? No !" Jensen replied with a look of absolute horror on his face, probably worse than the one Jared could feel on his own face, as if the idea of cheating was as terrible for this alpha as killing small children. "I'm not mated, Jared, but I can't mate with you anyway."
The despair Jared felt at those words must have reflected in his eyes, in the tears falling down, because Jensen's hand attempted to reach for him again before the alpha thought better of it.
"I'm sorry," he added, honest remorse so thick in his voice it was almost tangible. "I have to go."
Clutching his shirt and his still open breeches, Jensen moved away this time, far from Jared, scent and sound of his still-erratic breathing disappearing behind the pile of crates forming the nearest turn where Jensen had first appeared.
Jared's arms gave up and he let his face fall into his hands to try and control the tears running from his eyes in time with the wretched feeling of abandon. It couldn't be possible, Jensen was probably sick or something, he would come back soon and mate him, bring him again this incredible pleasure Jared was already addicted to, the pleasure he wanted to feel for the rest of his life.
Jared didn't know how much time had passed like that, still crying so hard, when he felt hands on his ass again. But the scent was all wrong, and the fact that two more hands settled on his back to keep him bent made the threat all the more evident.
"Hello, omega, seems like you need a bit of help here."
Jared somehow recognized the voice of one of the sailors on board the New Islands, one who had seen the omegas washing naked more than once from his point of view in the crow's-nest. Jared had always been vigilant to never stay alone near him, but here he was, body still thrumming because of the incomplete mating, his pheromones pushing him to give himself and open up for the taking.
He felt as close to nausea as he had on board when Pellegrino had tried to have him, but he just couldn't move and fight. Something in him rooted him to the spot, something that made him open up his mouth when the second sailor presented him with his dick while the first one was actively licking at his hole. Something that made him push his ass against the intruder's mouth because the sensation wasn't half as gratifying as with Jensen and he needed more.
Maybe it was the memory of his mate that had Jared finding the force to fight eventually. He tried to spit the dick out of his mouth, but had to bite to be freed, which earned him a violent slap on both cheeks. His hair was pulled to keep him in place, and to try to stop his yelling a hand closed around his neck. By then, the sailor behind him had three digits inside his ass, obviously readying Jared for more.
And then nothing.
For the second time, everything stopped as someone was about to take him. But this time, the alpha had been forced to let him go by the return of his mate, and Jared saw everything from the corner of his eye as the other sailor's grip on him had slipped a bit, undecided if he should go and help his friend or keep the omega ready for more.
Jared didn't give him a choice. He used the alpha's distraction to bring his skull up hard into the man's jaw. It hurt him almost as much as it did the other guy, but it gave him the opportunity to hit him again, with his fist this time. It was not enough to knock an alpha out, but it would buy Jensen time to finish with the other one and come to Jared's aid.
Jared watched as Jensen, having dispatched the first sailor as an avenging angel full of righteous fury, went to trade blows with the second one, pummeling his face and torso with his bloody fists. Jared was pretty sure that even without his help Jensen would have always beaten the two men, such was the rage he displayed while defending Jared.
The omega jumped into Jensen's arms when it was all over. He didn't have many tears left but he felt the shock of the last minutes settle over him, cutting his legs. It seemed only Jensen's support was able to keep him standing up. The soothing strokes of his hands against Jared's back. The whispers telling him how sorry he was for letting all this go as far as it did.
But then the noise of other voices broke the enchantment, and Jared had no other choice than to put his clothes back on in a hurry and follow Jensen.
They walked at a sedate pace for a while. Jensen led him by the hand, gently coaxing him to go on every time his feet slowed down. Jared knew Jensen was taking him to the place the omegas were staying at, but the thought of separating from his alpha made him feel nauseous again. And his mind seemed broken, ruminating the same thoughts over and over again.
He had never heard of an alpha refusing their virgin true mate. What was so wrong about him that Jensen could send him away, that he was able to ignore the pull of the mating when Jared had offered himself less than ten seconds after their meeting ?!
"Why ? Why don't you want me ?" he forced himself to ask, needing to know what kind of resistance he had to fight. If he had the slightest chance to change his alpha's mind. "Is it because I'm too tall ?"
Jensen rubbed the nape of his neck with his right hand, seemingly lost for the right answer.
"Man, it's not you I don't want. And you're perfect physically, the most beautiful person I've ever seen. I… I just don't want anyone. And most of all, I won't inflict myself on anyone else."
That didn't make any sense to Jared. They were made for each other, and if Jensen didn't want him, then it meant that Jared would be alone for the rest of his life. Just like Jensen. He had to believe that he could change the alpha's mind because this feeling of belonging he had never experienced before was too encompassing, too marvelous, to let it go away.
"Will I see you again ?"
"I don't know if it's a good idea, Jared. I live on my own island anyway, I don't come to Ismia every day."
"Please, don't… don't cut me out, it's too painful."
They shared a long look that had Jared shivering again with desire, his body and mind nowhere near the calm and peace he was used to.
"Alright, I'll try to participate in a few balls and picnics, but I can't tell you when. I have to work, and crops do not wait."
"I understand but… Thanks, Jensen."
This was not exactly what he had dreamed of, but it would have to do. Asking for more would only alienate him and lower Jensen's good will.
Jared felt the tension back in his mate when he leaned in to kiss his cheek, but the alpha didn't push him away. He also waited for Jared to be safely inside the palace before turning back to his own life, without the omega he should have taken home tonight for the rest of their entwined lives.
Masterpost | Continue to part 2
Prologue
He had been here for more than six months when it finally became real for him : he had found his home.
He had decided to change his life, to give it the shape he had always desired when he was still only Jensen, son of Matlin Ackles. He had run with the money inherited from his godmother, invested a good chunk of it to buy his own land, a huge island to keep foreigners at bay, as far as possible from his family. He needed to be able to breathe, to be himself on his own terms. In his father's house, he could only be the heir, as well as his omega dad's pride and joy, the big brother who would one day preside over his whole family's destiny. He had no room to run his own life, no hope and no future that wasn't already written in stone.
Now, being Jensen Ackles, all on his own and responsible for each and every decision, gave him more room to mess it all up, but also a chance to make it by himself. He would not be a simple successor, he would be the creator of something new, something his.
Maybe he was not the best farmer out there, but he had learned so much already, he knew he could only get better and better. He loved his island too much to fail it. For the first time in his life, he felt truly accomplished as he came back home every night, tired in a way he hadn't known in his previous job. And he was free. Free to do what he wanted, free to think and enjoy and say no. He was not about to let go of this feeling for anyone. Not even for his younger brothers who hadn't managed to make him stay in the capital, as much as he loved them, for he was done with that part of his life.
And he was drawing again. His land was his favorite subject, the beauty of the scenery an inspiration unlike anything he had ever seen. His father had all but forbidden him to use his talent for anything else than stuffy family portraits Jensen could never be proud of, but here he had no order to listen to, no one to tell him that his style was too raw and his interests too perverted. He was drawing again, and he was enjoying every second of it.
He felt one with his island. He hadn't slept inside his bedroom for a while. Outside, on the balcony right over the garden, the smell of the reesius and the sound of the cicadas put him to sleep in a few minutes, lulling him through sweet dreams of the bright future opening for him.
This was his land. His to pamper, his to make it grow and fructify. His to love and to own. He knew that inheriting the family's estate would never have felt this way. He might have been born in his parents' bed, the one that should have become his after his father's death, but he had never felt like any of the old place belonged to him.
Here, Jensen was as much part of the land as it was part of him. He'd found his place.
Chapter 1
Three years later
"Ladies and gentlemen, I salute you. I'm alpha Roché," the man said, taking his hat off before he plunged for a bow, drawing volutes and curls in the air with the feather adorning his headgear.
His smile when he stood back up was as huge as any huckster's trying to sell you his trash.
"I don't think I was ever here before, because I'm sure I would remember all you sweet omegas. But I'm here at last today to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime, the adventure of this century that no one else but you can achieve."
Jared knew already which one of the other orphans gathered in the orphanage's classroom would be susceptible to that kind of talk : the romantics, the ones looking at alpha Roché with stars in their eyes because the man was charming and flattering.
"I'm here today," the alpha repeated, "to tell you about the brilliant project of our great sovereign. Have any of you heard of the Visnian Islands, more commonly known as 'the Islands' ?"
Most people shook their head, especially the younger ones. The name was familiar to Jared, but only because of the great continent of Visnia discovered less than a century ago by fearless explorers. He surmised those Islands were situated not far from it. Jared's interests lay in literature, not so much in geography.
Roché walked along the dais to the blackboard to hang a beautiful card of the region discussed. Above the roughly-drawn, huge shape of the Visnian continent, a smattering of dots - some small, some much bigger - spread over a large surface area, boundaries marked out by what looked like a never-ending barrier.
"As you can see, the Islands are numerous ; scientists have calculated that there might be up to five thousand of them. Since the King took possession of the land and water, he's encouraged colonization and, in this regard, sold some of the Islands and granted unlimited concession of the smallest ones to the poorer farmers who didn't have the money to buy the land. Now those alphas have settled, they're working hard, and all they need is a good omega to marry, to share their lives and help them by looking after their home while they take care of the fields, giving them children that will follow in their footsteps."
"Can't they find a mate out there ?" a very young omega boy wondered out loud. Very young, but already of mating age.
"The Islands were uninhabited before the settlers arrived. Only the continent was, and still is, populated by native tribes, who have very little business with our society. They do not speak our language and they keep their fertiles to themselves. Besides, no indigenous omega can come close to you and everything you'll be able to bring our courageous settlers."
Even bitterly taking note that there were some people in the world that this society's alphas thought were beneath their own omegas, Jared couldn't help but come back to the important point of Roché's address.
"You said marry ?"
The alpha stared at him for a few very uncomfortable seconds.
"Why yes, young man, I did say marry. The King is very aware that some of you might be wary of the possibility of abandonment in a strange land, far from everything and everyone they know, in case of a blank mating. So he gave orders to his Intendant to protect all omegas with a marriage. A real and true marriage, complete with contract and ceremony."
"Aren't there dangerous beasts in the wild land ?" a young girl asked with a half-excited, half-disgusted expression, the differences between mating and marrying obviously still very abstruse for her.
"Not at all, most of the Islands are safe. I don't want to lie to you, the first explorers did find some kind of big animals that they called dragons because it reminded them of the legends our grandparents still believed in, but they were much smaller, they didn't fly or throw fire, and the few Islands infested have been cleaned since then by the regiment of brave soldiers the King sent to ensure the settlers' safety. As I said, our good King is very much concerned with this adventure, and that's why, in his infinite kindness, he's decided to assign a dowry to each of you who will sign today to take a chance on the new land."
The alpha interrupted his speech for a minute to look every omega right in the eyes.
"I can see what you're thinking. You think that I'm telling you a pretty story, a fairytale, something too good to be true. But let the gods be my witness, I'm only telling the truth. I'm not talking about a piaster or two. No. Not at all ! I'm not talking either about ten or twenty piasters, not even about thirty or forty. No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about a fifty-piaster dowry on the day of your wedding to an alpha in the Islands, to help you settle and create a beautiful new family that, in turn, will help our King's magnificence to resonate and shine right until the antipodes."
Damn ! Fifty piasters was no laughing matter. Jared couldn't take alpha Roché seriously - all big words and perpetual moves - but he was just as stunned as the other omegas by this new development.
"And that's not the end of it. Our King is just as wise as he is kind. He realized you would need a lot of things that our strong alphas could never imagine so he asked his wife, our beautiful Queen, to fill a casket for each of you, boys and girls, full of all the articles you will need to settle down, as well as some clothes, including the traditional wedding costume omegas have worn since the age of time."
"But what if we don't find a suitable match ?" Jared insisted, "How will we come back ?"
"Our King will provide once again. This is all part of the safety measures he put in place for you : if you decide you don't want to live there, or you don't find a mate before the end of your one-year contract, you will be transported back to the mainland at the Crown's expense. As I told you, there's nothing to worry about."
Once again, Roché used a silent pause to let his words sink in.
"So, who will sign on for the biggest adventure of their life ? Who will be a proud and fiery omega, ready to bring the virtues and grandeurs of our society right to the other side of the planet and create tomorrow's society ?"
Jared guessed only one orphan here would have the guts to try, and this was Katie. It was tempting, to be honest, this idea to go on such a big adventure and live something new, something different. But it also meant leaving everything behind, and going out there with the professed aim to marry felt a bit too much like selling himself to the best buyer.
He had guessed right. Katie stood up and walked to the alpha to sign her contract, her head held high under the stares.
In the commotion her decision had induced, Jared moved back silently and left the room.
"I'm disappointed in you."
Jared turned to find Katie standing on the threshold of his classroom. The kids had just left, running to get their afternoon snack after a long hour of orthography and grammar. Jared would have liked a few minutes of calm and silence after giving all his attention to teaching bored and noisy children, but it seemed now wasn't the time.
"What did I do ?"
"The problem is not what you did, but what you didn't."
"So what should I have done that makes you so angry ?"
"You know perfectly what I mean, Jared, don't play stupid ! I told the recruiter there would be at least two of us signing up, and you let me down."
"So you were the one responsible for his visit. I can't say that I am very surprised."
They were not the closest of friends, but they liked each other enough. Furthermore, having been raised together, there was not much left that one didn't know about the other. Katie was foolhardy, ready to take on the world, and decided to leave the orphanage as soon as an opportunity would come to her. Jared didn't know how she had met alpha Roché, but it was clear Katie had found in him the way to achieve her goal.
"This is really the opportunity of a lifetime, Jared, don't you see it ?"
"I already have a life, Katie, a job and a house."
"But they're not yours, and that's not what you wish for your future. I know you !" Katie continued with passion in her voice, getting closer to Jared. "You always look so proper, and so collected, because you're doing your best to act and look like Padre Jim, but inside you're a romantic, and you need love and adventure just like your body needs air and sunshine."
"I think you're talking about yourself, not me."
"I'm talking about the both of us, that's why I was so sure you would sign up. We're different in so many things, but not in this. Come on, Jared ! Don't tell me you've already given up on your life ?"
"I'm not giving up, I'm being smart. What would I do if I went there and came back one year later still alone ? My job would be gone, as would my house. I would have nothing left but my eyes to cry and my body to sell on Dyonis Street. Is that the future you wish for me ?"
Katie rolled her eyes.
"Don't be so melodramatic ! You heard alpha Roché, the settlers need omegas, there's not enough of us out there, so for once we'll be the goods that everyone wants. We will be the ones choosing our mates, not the other way around. Think of that ! You always set the bar so high, it's your chance to decide who is good enough for you. You're assured to find someone and never to come back here."
A small voice rose from behind Katie.
"O-master Jared ?"
Both adults turned to look at the little boy standing where Katie had appeared a few minutes before.
"What can I do for you, Nico ?" Jared said gently to reassure the child that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Padre Jim asked if you can come, Madre Annie had to go lie down 'cause she's sick and there's no one to watch us and he says we can't stay alone."
"Alright. Go back and tell Padre Jim that I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay."
The boy left running while Jared got up and began to tidy his desk in a hurry.
"Don't run, Nico."
Katie raised her voice to be heard, but her sigh told Jared that the kid hadn't really listened. Katie was good at math, but her teaching skills suffered from her lack of patience. The children always responded better to Jared, especially during his literature classes.
"And you," she continued, pointing a finger to Jared, "don't think that this discussion is over."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Jared muttered under his breath.
Katie tried to corner him on more than one occasion in the next few days, but Jared's lucky star - and their numerous occupations all day long - protected him. He had nothing to add to their conversation.
Which didn't mean he wasn't interested. His recent nights had been filled with fantasies of this new world, populated with so many unmated alphas that omegas only had to show up to get at least ten suitors. Something in him yearned to leave, throw caution through the window for once, try his luck and make wonderful memories that would last him a lifetime, whether he found his mate or not.
Padre Jim would miss him if he left, of course, but there were so many orphaned omegas ready to take his place. Some of the kids would probably miss him too, but they were not his, and if he had a chance to get the family he had always dreamed of…
He had let his chance pass anyway, so there was no use in fretting about it now. He'd better go and sleep soon, because tomorrow would prove to be just as full and tiring a day as any other, no matter what foolish dreams a flamboyant alpha had planted in his mind.
Wednesday mornings were one of Jared's favorite times of the week, as it was his turn to go to the market in search for food. The vegetable garden and the orchard in the orphanage's backyard didn't suffice to feed children and constantly hungry teenagers, nor did the henhouse.
Jared enjoyed wandering through the stalls, taking his time to choose good produce that most orphans would appreciate. Jared himself was well-known and liked by the vendors, who had first seen him as a child for the most part, so he often got quality treats to bring back home. There was never enough for everyone, which meant he had to make a choice and disappoint some of the kids, but he tried to be as fair as possible, week after week.
He didn't make it to the market on this particular Wednesday before he was cornered by a man he recognized instantly : alpha Roché. It was impossible not to feel like prey flushed out of its hiding place by a hunter on the prowl.
"Hello, sweet omega !" the alpha exclaimed, playing once more with his hat to salute Jared. "Here we meet again. I guess it's destiny's will, don't you think ?"
A destiny named Katie, for sure ! Jared tried in vain to keep a smile out of his face. The alpha was outrageous, and very much harmless, even though he had obviously sensed Jared's interest in his proposition a few days ago.
"I've been wondering how a sweet little thing like you could still be unmated…"
"Little ?!" Jared couldn't help replying, drawing himself to his full height.
"Alright, not so little. But this only proves my point. All the good alphas here are already taken. Like me." This was added with a satisfied smile that only had Jared more amused. "Someone like you needs a real alpha, not one of the still-unmated clowns stalking our fair city."
The man came to stand right in front of Jared, invading his personal space, his index finger tapping Jared's chest to punctuate each and every "you" of his speech.
"You need to see for yourself that I'm not lying. There's no challenge for you here, or you would have given life to ten kids already by your age. No, you need more, and you'll only find it in a much rougher place, with alphas who know who they are and what it means to take a mate. To mate you."
Perhaps he was right, Jared thought. Maybe what he needed was someone more assertive, who wasn't afraid of working hard, far from the comfort and the security of the city. But how could he reconcile this with his deeper need for liberty, his unwillingness to submit ? All the alphas who had suggested that he mate with them had received a gentle but explicit no. None of them had really tried to make him change his mind either.
"You know," alpha Roché called his attention back, "the usual term for a sojourn in the Islands is one year. But I'm at liberty, if I think it will help, to reduce that time to six months. So, would it help you to make a decision ?"
"How much do you make for each omega you're recruiting ?" Jared wondered instead of answering.
"Enough for a living, as long as they're not all as difficult to convince as you are," Roché replied with a smile, "which is amusing, as I consider you to be one of the best equipped to go out there."
This was the heartfelt comment Jared had been waiting for. No bluster and bragging, an honest opinion that finished convincing him.
Eight to nine orphans out of ten were omegas. And out of those eight, at least five had been abandoned at birth for being another mouth who would need to be fed, but would not contribute to the household's prosperity. A basic family could only afford to raise one or two omegas who would serve the rest of their relatives before their mating, the moment they would become productive too by making children.
It was very probable that Jared had been born in such a family, another omega that his parents couldn't afford, given up to the padres to bring him up. At least his parents hadn't drowned him right after his birth, or left him in a place where he was sure to die.
Jared couldn't say that he was happy with his life, yet he felt content. He had a job, a roof over his head and food on his plate every day, a protector who had been kind of a father to him, and Jared knew that he was useful to the orphaned children that he tried to shower with as much love as he was capable of feeling. Not everyone could show so much for twenty years of a life that had begun under such unfavorable auspices.
Yet he couldn't seem to get his most fervent desire : someone to love, and a family, to replace the one that had thrown him away. Many alphas thought he was too tall, the men especially, and didn't even look at him twice. Others thought he was too this, or not enough that. And sadly, the ones who had believed Jared could be the one for them hadn't even registered on his own worth scale.
Because Jared knew what he didn't want : a mating without love and respect. He needed to find his true alpha, the one made for him and him alone, and this marvelous specimen was nowhere to be found on this continent ; maybe he had migrated to a new world, as alpha Roché had suggested, in search of a more exciting way of life and his true omega.
There were so many things to hate about being an omega, too many options to choose from : the dependency, the childlike state their society imposed on them, the physical weakness, the wretched biology that made them slaves to their needs as much as to the alphas' cocks.
Jared had been warned very young not to touch himself or let any alpha do it. He had learned that the more an omega's genitalia were stimulated, the bigger the risk that, depending on the case, the vagina or rectum would slick. Because in the end, an omega's ultimate goal would always be to mate, and their body could be tricked into thinking any alpha would be okay. Jared had seen some of those omegas who had settled for what was called a blank alpha, most of the time older men and women who had gotten tired of waiting for their true mate and given up, but also many of his former orphan friends who had accepted the first offer to escape their miserable condition. They lived a joyless life next to a companion who might abandon them someday with their children, if they ever met their own true, virgin omega mate, whereas the chance for an already blank-mated - already used - omega to be chosen by their true mate, should they meet them later, were slim to null, especially if there were children involved.
Even the law was against them, as a blank alpha owed nothing to his blank mate if they separated. Not even their children were due anything if the alpha refused to sustain them once they'd created a new family. It was the government's way to encourage true mating, to keep omegas chaste and pure until they met their chosen one. At the same time, any omega still unmated after 25 was frowned upon, encouraged to go out more to find their mate and accept the first proposition. It was always considered an omega's fault if they weren't mated by the end of their teenage years, either because they were too demanding or not attractive enough.
But it would not be the same out there in the Visnian Islands. The omegas would get to marry their chosen alphas, not only mate them, and while a marriage contract was breakable, the alphas would have to provide for any children born during the union and pay reparations to their outcast mates. That was probably one of the best reasons for the omegas to sign on the dotted line. Protection for themselves and their progeny.
Convincing Padre Jim of the soundness of his decision proved more difficult.
"Are you sure this is the right choice, Jared ? I know you feel your life here is stifling and that you won't find your mate in this city, but you cannot imagine the dangers out there."
For some reason, the older man had always treated him like his own child and there was no mistaking the real worry shadowing his wrinkled face.
"I'm sure, Padre. You're right, there's nothing for me here, and even if I don't find what I'm looking for in the Islands either, I'll be there only six months. I have to try. I won't forgive myself if I don't take this chance."
"Is this about the kind of alpha you think you'll meet there ? Do you think they'll be much different than the ones who want to court you here ?"
"Maybe, in part at least. But this is also about what I can do out there. You know teaching has never been a vocation for me, and I'm not made to sew and cook all my life either. I can do those things, but I want more."
"I'm afraid this will be your downfall, Jared. Promise me at least that you'll take care of yourself, and that you'll stay with the other omegas. You know how alphas can sometimes lose their minds. I guess it can only be worse in a godforsaken camp where there are ten to twenty alphas vying for one omega's attention."
"Don't forget the betas. I'm sure there'll be some of them assigned to our protection if need be."
Padre Jim closed his eyes for a short moment, probably praying to receive the understanding Jared needed right now.
"Very well," he accepted. "If you're all set on doing this, at least leave with my benediction and the assurance that, should you ever want to come back, your place here will never be called into question. This is, and will always be, your home."
The ship was called New Islands and she was a beauty. Her captain was a tall, haughty alpha answering to the name of Mark Pellegrino, sieur of Castle Pitwitt. His crew called him One-Leg.
The nickname's origin became evident as soon as the man walked up to the omega contingent. Even hidden behind a pair of matching boots and long breeches, the captain's limp immediately gave away the fact that his right leg was no more, probably replaced by a wooden stump.
Maybe that was the reason why the man gave them some lip, or maybe he was just another insufferable alpha convinced of his natural superiority, because he was strong and the gods had given him a knot.
"I will tolerate no indecent behavior on my ship !" One-Leg greeted them. "You omegas will live in the armory for the duration of the crossing, and you are not allowed to get on the main deck, or any other deck for that matter, unless one of my beta officers is with you. Now you're going to sign the register so that your recruiter can get paid, then we'll get a move on. I know it's contrary to your nature but please hurry, I want to catch that wind so we need to be gone as soon as possible."
Well, the guy was a jerk and he didn't try to hide it. Jared couldn't say the obligation to avoid him during the trip, trapped below-deck inside the ship, would leave him heartbroken.
Jared caught sight of the three men and a woman standing next to a table on the other side of the deck. The mentioned register sat there under the watchful eyes of a fifth man, a notary going by his clothes. The five alphas were all waiting for the omegas to get into a line to sign the book, one after the other, next to their name and the one of their recruiter. Jared shared a smile with alpha Roché when his turn came, ready to have a few words with him, but Pellegrino kept on rushing them all until the last omega had appended his signature and the ink had barely dried in the cold, damp air of this grey afternoon.
"This is where I say my goodbyes," Roché announced, drawing into the air once again the volutes he loved to create with his hat feather. "Sweet omegas, I bid you all a pleasant trip and a loving marriage, and wish not to see you ever again on this shore. Adios !"
After more volutes and a few complicated footsteps heralding his good mood, the alpha turned heels and promptly walked down the ship's ramp, joined by the three other recruiters, whose goodbyes had been a lot more subdued, following the notary with the register safely tucked under his arm. Considering the number of times Jared had seen Roché's name written in the accounting book, this was, money-wise, a very good day for the alpha.
The captain didn't lose time gathering the omegas once again to get them all to their deck, muttering to himself about the damn fools' slowness and inefficiency. Many an omega spared a hard glance to him before descending into the dark space they were going to inhabit for the next two months.
They were lucky enough not to be under the waterline, yet not even a tiny porthole let the sun filter in. Their only source of lighting happened to be a few candles protected behind thick glass as soon as the hatch above them was shut. Clearly, One-Leg didn't want them to disturb his crew while the galleon made its way out of the harbor.
Often at night, Jared couldn't help thinking of the kids he was leaving behind, of Padre Jim and all the staff at the orphanage. The only family he had ever known. The last memories he was carrying away with him were festive. They had celebrated the solstice and the New Year in a small but joyful way a few days prior to his departure, and Jared wondered where he would be next year, who would share with him the important milestones of the calendar from now on.
He tried to turn over, but the swaying stopped him. The hammock was such a strange device to sleep in, and far too short for him of course. Jared's legs had either to stay bent all night long, and his knees were killing him after a short while, or to hang out, which destabilized his hanging bed and often led to kicking someone else. More than fifty omegas in such a confined place inevitably had the hammocks hung close to each other. Privacy was nonexistent around here.
Nights were long on the ship, and the day awfully longer. The omegas didn't have much to do, especially after all the candles had burned out and the crew had once again forgotten to bring more. Many, including Jared, had taken to passing the time with naps, but then the nights seemed to stretch even more as sleep eluded them. No room meant no movement or activity, which meant no tiredness. Which led to frayed tempers, aggravated by the impossibility to get away from others.
All in all, this trip had turned out to be a nightmare in the making. Jared didn't feel any patience anymore. Katie's chatter was headache-inducing at best, and often a reason to start a fight. Fortunately, few omegas had been seasick, and all of those had managed to get used to the pitching and tossing rather quickly. The smell in the armory had been totally insufferable on the first few days because of this, but it was now just a matter of not being able to wash properly. Thanks to the gods for small mercies.
One-Leg had authorized groups of five omegas to get on the upper deck in rotation, and this twice a day. Therefore, approximately once every five days, all fifty omegas enjoyed the sun in turn - or icy rain and cold wind, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and no one complained because of this wondrous, half-hour-long feeling of freedom. It was also the occasion to wash at last, hidden behind a sail that revealed a bit too much at times with the help of the sun. Most omegas took offense at the whistling and the obscene propositions shouted by the alpha members of the crew, especially the ones climbing on top of the mast to try and get a good look at the naked omegas during their ablutions.
It was made very clear that those same crew members, men and women hardened by a tough job, thought of the omegas as whores trying to leave their turbulent pasts behind and begin anew in a place where no one would know about it. They kept offering to make the trip more fun, to enjoy life one last time before they had to play the virgins they hadn't been for a very long time.
It was all rather depressing, and Jared could only hope this wasn't a sample of the life awaiting them in the Islands.
It was always easy to talk a beta into doing what you wanted as long as you presented it in a rational way, and Barnes, the ship's officer in charge of the omegas on board, proved just as susceptible as any other beta Jared had encountered before. It took less than two weeks to make him see that the contingent needed a few minutes outside their deck regularly, that the time spent out of their cage to wash every five days just wasn't enough, and that fresh air would be needed all the more as they'd be getting closer to their destination, where the temperatures rose higher all year long.
Barnes couldn't let them out every night, but it was not particularly complicated to find times when One-Leg was sound asleep in his cabin and the best part of the crew down on their own deck. Sailors at night were less annoying, more restrained. Maybe they felt nostalgic for their own mates back at home, or maybe they were afraid of waking up their impatient and unforgiving captain, but none of them said anything about the ten or so omegas roaming the main deck, breathing greedily.
On nights the moon shone, big enough to illuminate everything, Jared found himself fascinated by the sea. It was at its most impressive while the wind was down and the gently moving water gave an impression of stillness. The light exuding from the celestial body played at drawing straight lines on its surface. The only sound came from the ship, squeaking in time with its slow swaying. Jared felt at peace anew, forgetting doubts and fears in the calm surrounding him.
Even Katie let him enjoy these moments alone, which explained why Jared finally found himself confronted one night with a very awake, and very drunk, Captain Pellegrino.
"Hello, pretty boy," Pellegrino whispered in his ear, strong breath reeking of liquor wafting to Jared's nose, before he plastered his whole body against Jared's back.
Drunkenness made One-Leg a lot more sufferable. And a lot more amorous. What he lost in haughtiness was replaced by wandering hands that liked to take residence on Jared's ass and refused to leave.
The captain was tall, one of the tallest alphas Jared had known in his life, almost as tall as him, and it only added to the feeling of being paralyzed by the too-intimate touch. He knew he didn't have the power to break free, that Pellegrino could take him there and then if he wished.
The other omegas saved him, that time and the next two, as Jared felt once again the captain invading his space and trying to take possession of his body.
Then came their fourth encounter. It began in the same fashion, but this time no one was there to help him.
That night was not one of those calm and silent moments Jared enjoyed so much ; on the contrary, the wind had risen and the ship was picking up speed after two days of near immobilization. Jared couldn't feel bad about the change of weather, if only because it meant that the trip would last not much longer than predicted. But he was the only omega who enjoyed the rougher sea. The other ones had long decided to get back to their shelter, to avoid the sea spray and any risk of being thrown overboard.
One-Leg had probably suffered from boredom too, alcohol his way of dealing with the long, idle hours. He looked exhilarated as the wind filled the sails and pushed his ship along, pitching against the sheer force of the element. He looked feverish too, crazy with desire after too many days spent with his own hands, and Jared felt his heart sink when the captain dragged him towards his cabin, his screams for help lost in the howling wind.
The cabin was small and filled to the brim, each plane covered with books and maps. Pellegrino brushed everything from the table before he pushed Jared to lie down on it.
The position was worse than trying to fit in a hammock. Jared's head and legs hung at each end of the table, but the captain's tight grip on his torso prevented him from moving away. Then Pellegrino managed to tie his wrists and ankles to the legs of the table, and Jared couldn't even hope to get away anymore.
One-Leg stood back up, a filthy grin on his face, and looked at Jared, all trussed up, while his laboring breath got back under control.
"I watch you all the time," he said, his hands coming to Jared's shirt to slide it along his torso up to his shoulders. "I authorized the nightly promenades to be able to touch you. What ? You thought your pretty dimples would be enough to sway one of my officers ? I watch you while you're washing, all naked like your fellow omegas, but you're the only one I see. And I dream that I keep you on board, that I keep you constantly naked, for my amusement and that of my crew, that we all get to swat your virgin omega's ass before we take you, all in turn. Me first, of course, because I'm the captain, and I'm the only one you really want."
"You're delusional !" Jared cried, jerking to try and escape the alpha's touch as much as testing the ropes. "I don't want you or anyone here, let go of me !"
It was pointless, One-Leg was too far gone, and he showed it by ignoring Jared's words and sliding the omega's breeches and undergarment along his hips and legs, baring him entirely in one violent movement.
"You don't get to talk to me like that, omega," he menaced at the same time, words slurred but still frightening. "Watch your mouth !"
One-Leg's admonition was enhanced by the rapid and stinging succession of swats to Jared's bottom, left half-hanging off the table by the shortness of the furniture.
Nausea was seizing Jared. He had kept himself pure all these years, and he was about to be raped by a vile alpha who didn't even want him to keep him, fantasizing about sharing his body with his whole crew to enjoy the spectacle of Jared's degradation. An alpha who enjoyed hitting him.
He had never been one to accept orders and once again his rebellious streak showed. His reaction to the slapping was a mix of demands to be untied and cries of pain as more swats landed on his naked butt. But it chased the nausea away, replaced by outrage. With his eyes, he searched frantically around the room for a knife, anything to cut the ropes and escape before the man began to really touch him.
There was no weapon he could see, but Jared realized suddenly that the ship's rolling motion was a force he could use. The screws holding the table to the floor were nearly unbolted. Jared just had to wait for One-Leg to stand up by his side to take him down with him.
He managed to move his feet enough to kick Pellegrino's shin, encouraging him to move where Jared couldn't reach him. Then, at the next deep swaying of the ship in the right direction, Jared used his weight to throw the table against the alpha, bringing him down in his fall. One-Leg's body cushioned him. Jared hadn't really had time to think about that in his panic to get free, but the table propelled by his weight could have meant some bad bruises to himself, maybe even a broken bone or a deep cut into his arm or leg. Fortunately, the only thing broken was the table itself, and Jared was able to untie himself quickly and easily before he put his clothes back on with a disgusted shudder. The captain hadn't even touched him, but he felt the need to wash anyway, although he knew already that he would have a hard time doing it from now on, for fear of the holes in the deck that could hide unwanted eyes watching him.
One-Leg was down for the count, snoring loudly. Jared didn't lose time to make sure he was comfy, he rather liked the idea of the alpha waking up in the morning with an aching back and a bump on the head. He made his way out of the cabin, shutting the door behind him. Walking as quickly as he dared and clutching the rail to stay upright, Jared threw the ropes in the stormy sea then slid quietly through the hatch of the omega deck to get to the safety of his contingent.
He found Katie all awake and waiting for him. He didn't want to talk about it but knew that his fears probably showed on his face, easily readable to someone as clever as his friend, even in the low lighting of the only candle left burning.
Jared blew on the flame before he led Katie to their respective hammocks. Tomorrow would come soon enough to remember this frightful night, when he had almost lost all his chances at happiness. Soon enough to hear Katie mock him again, as gently as she meant it, about the captain's crush on him.
But it would never be soon enough to go on the deck again at night.
Jared would always remember the crossing of the ocean as the two most terrible months of his life. Sixty-three days of dank air, rancid food, and often-bored, sometimes bickering omegas all by themselves. A lewd crew best forgotten. One foul-mouthed captain with no qualms about using for his pleasure the omegas he despised so much.
Never again, Jared promised himself as he prepared to finally set foot on the land that would be his home from now on. He was here to find a good husband and create a new life. He wouldn't go back and fall prey to everything he had escaped.
He was the last to come out of the ship. One-Leg had chatted him up, obviously trying to separate him from his fellow omegas and get in his breeches one last time. The guy was so far from Jared's type it was laughable, especially after their fortunately forgotten encounter a few weeks before - the captain had probably imagined that it was all an alcohol-induced dream - but still he had tried to get away pleasantly despite the wandering hands, to ensure that the man wouldn't make it his mission to spread damning gossip about Jared right upon his arrival in the Islands.
As soon as Jared walked the first few steps on his new land, the fragrances of the varied and alien flora filled his sense of smell with delight. It was sweet and heady, a striking contrast to the pervasive smell of thousands of souls gathered in Tethreya, the mainland capital he had left two months earlier. On board the ship, living secluded behind closed doors with fifty or so other omegas had all but erased any scent not coming from the bodies. Even the sea, that they were not allowed to see much of anyway, didn't register anymore.
The view was not all that great compared to the smell. Jared supposed that every port in the world looked about the same as this one, busy and a bit scary to someone who had never travelled before. Still, his first look at Ismia was disappointing. He had hoped for a glorious panorama to greet him, something exotic and seductive. He had hoped to feel at home.
The resounding laugh of Jeannie, one of the omegas who had crossed the sea with him, drew his attention to the wagons leaving the port for a destination unknown to Jared - probably the omegas' living quarters. He swore under his breath and called out to make them stop and wait for him, beginning to run in a futile attempt to catch the wagons. He didn't want to wander alone in a foreign city, didn't even know where he was supposed to go, and all his meager possessions were leaving with the omega contingent. But the carts turned around the corner and disappeared from view, hidden behind many huge boxes piled more or less closely to form a labyrinth of streets.
Jared kept on running as long as he could, even though he didn't see or hear the wagons anymore, until he came violently to a halt as his body bumped into another one.
It was an alpha's scent so Jared began to apologize by rote, not putting any thought in it. He hadn't really watched where he was going anyway, looking everywhere for his fellow omegas, and…
Everything around him ceased to exist as the new scent took precedence over the whole world.
He had never smelled anything similar, but he knew what it was. It could only mean one thing : he had found his true alpha. Here, two minutes after setting foot on the new land he had travelled to in the hope of finding love at last, he had come face to face with his mate.
"Sorry, man," his alpha said with a smile. "I was so happy to get my things at last, the ship was three days late ! I didn't even see you."
Before Jared stood the most gorgeous man he had ever seen : smaller than him in height, but tall anyway, and built for strength and agility ; green, kind and laughing eyes, harmonious features, full lips Jared couldn't wait one more second to kiss.
This man was his. His to love and sustain, his to be loved and protected by, his to kiss.
Jared crowded the alpha against the nearest crate and covered his mouth with his lips. It was his first kiss, but he wasn't even afraid of messing up, because his true alpha would love everything about him, and he would teach him what he wanted Jared to know.
His first lesson came with the tongue pushing into his mouth to reach his own and rub against it, with the hands covering his ass and stroking.
Jared felt dizzy, his pheromones in such a twisted fury that he was able to smell them even through the haze of his alpha's own chemical response. His shirt was already sliding down his arms when he realized he had taken to disrobe himself. He just couldn't wait, he had to feel his alpha's hands on him, everywhere.
"I'm Jared," he managed to whisper between two heated kisses. "I want you."
"Jensen," his alpha replied in a breath, and Jared repeated the unfamiliar and beautiful name again and again in his head. The more he learned about this man, the more he loved him, down to that kind of detail.
He loved his scent to distraction, loved his taste with a passion, loved the feel of his hands closing around his cock to get him harder than ever.
It was soon Jared's turn to find himself back against a row of boxes. He was entirely naked now, but it didn't feel that strange while his mate's body covered his with warmth and abandon. Jensen had just taken his shirt off, but his breeches were open to reveal his own big alpha cock, knot already appearing to Jared's very interested eyes. He had never seen one, never touched, never wanted to. And now he craved it.
Jared mirrored Jensen's touch to his balls, rolling them into one hand while the other was stubbornly wrapped around Jensen's neck to keep him as close as possible. He whined when Jensen's mouth began to slide down, bringing his lips to Jared's Adam's apple, sucking briefly on it, like a repetition before the fiercer move he used seconds later on Jared's right nipple.
Jared gasped aloud, his face contorting in unexpected bliss. Such pleasure should have been impossible, yet Jensen proved to him it could be done again, almost on command, with the surprised nips on his other nipple eliciting a new gasp.
He couldn't seem to open his eyes, as much as he wished to look at Jensen taking his cock in his mouth, pleasure skyrocketing like those fireworks he had admired on New Year's Eve. Jared was ready to burst, again like the fireworks showering the gaping crowd with silver and gold sparks, and he didn't know if he could, didn't know how to ask. He didn't care that much in the end, he wanted his mate's mouth on his dick and balls forever.
Jensen's fingers resumed their tour of Jared's hips, finding their way to his ass to palm each cheek. They stayed there for a while, stroking so gently that Jared almost missed the progressive, minute downhill drift towards his hole, the invasion of his crack.
It was the slick already running down his thighs that got his attention, and then the feeling of Jensen's fingers entering his body, sliding inside so smoothly that it felt like they were going home on a path travelled many times, though Jared was a complete virgin. Even slicking was a very rare occurrence for him. It was the definite confirmation that this alpha was his mate, the one destined to unlock any inhibition and fear he may feel, the one who would possess Jared in every way, his body first and his love foremost.
He wanted to taste Jensen, to bring his scent inside of him. Copying his mate's earlier moves, he fell to his knees and bent to take the alpha's cock in his mouth. It felt even bigger that way, his lips unable to cover the whole knot. The shiver that went through Jared at the thought of that huge thing forcing his rim and then pounding his canal was part fear and part eagerness. He couldn't wait to give everything to his alpha.
The taste was bitter and sweet at the same time, unlike anything he could think of. He knew he would soon be addicted, and that he would do this for his mate as often as asked of him, enjoying every second of the act. But maybe he would rather feel it fill his ass.
He was about to discover the answer to that question. Jensen reared back, getting out of Jared's mouth with a loud pop, but Jared didn't have time to regret the loss as he was turned over and disposed to present his ass to his alpha.
An incredible feeling of rightness washed over him. The position should have felt humiliating, legs spread wide and ass in the air to allow complete access for the mating, but it was in fact the evidence of his trust and love in his alpha, the prelude to their shared life.
Jared moaned when he felt Jensen's tongue lapping at his hole, getting his most intimate scent, marrying his saliva with the slick of his mate. Jensen had a very wicked tongue, nimble and naughty, but also strong enough to pierce Jared's rim and get inside his body. One finger joined it in the next few moments, then a second, twisting and turning and pushing, finding a place inside Jared that had him roaring with pleasure.
"Take me !" Jared shouted. "Mate me !"
The tongue retreated, and then the fingers, and Jared knew it was only a matter of seconds before his lover would enter him to mate them forever.
But then nothing happened. Jensen wasn't touching him anymore.
"Why are you stopping ?" Jared cried, the need to be taken so overwhelming.
A terrible thought went then through his mind. He turned enough to see Jensen, and the lost expression in his mate's eyes had him fearing the truth even more.
"Are you blank-mated already ?"
"What ? No !" Jensen replied with a look of absolute horror on his face, probably worse than the one Jared could feel on his own face, as if the idea of cheating was as terrible for this alpha as killing small children. "I'm not mated, Jared, but I can't mate with you anyway."
The despair Jared felt at those words must have reflected in his eyes, in the tears falling down, because Jensen's hand attempted to reach for him again before the alpha thought better of it.
"I'm sorry," he added, honest remorse so thick in his voice it was almost tangible. "I have to go."
Clutching his shirt and his still open breeches, Jensen moved away this time, far from Jared, scent and sound of his still-erratic breathing disappearing behind the pile of crates forming the nearest turn where Jensen had first appeared.
Jared's arms gave up and he let his face fall into his hands to try and control the tears running from his eyes in time with the wretched feeling of abandon. It couldn't be possible, Jensen was probably sick or something, he would come back soon and mate him, bring him again this incredible pleasure Jared was already addicted to, the pleasure he wanted to feel for the rest of his life.
Jared didn't know how much time had passed like that, still crying so hard, when he felt hands on his ass again. But the scent was all wrong, and the fact that two more hands settled on his back to keep him bent made the threat all the more evident.
"Hello, omega, seems like you need a bit of help here."
Jared somehow recognized the voice of one of the sailors on board the New Islands, one who had seen the omegas washing naked more than once from his point of view in the crow's-nest. Jared had always been vigilant to never stay alone near him, but here he was, body still thrumming because of the incomplete mating, his pheromones pushing him to give himself and open up for the taking.
He felt as close to nausea as he had on board when Pellegrino had tried to have him, but he just couldn't move and fight. Something in him rooted him to the spot, something that made him open up his mouth when the second sailor presented him with his dick while the first one was actively licking at his hole. Something that made him push his ass against the intruder's mouth because the sensation wasn't half as gratifying as with Jensen and he needed more.
Maybe it was the memory of his mate that had Jared finding the force to fight eventually. He tried to spit the dick out of his mouth, but had to bite to be freed, which earned him a violent slap on both cheeks. His hair was pulled to keep him in place, and to try to stop his yelling a hand closed around his neck. By then, the sailor behind him had three digits inside his ass, obviously readying Jared for more.
And then nothing.
For the second time, everything stopped as someone was about to take him. But this time, the alpha had been forced to let him go by the return of his mate, and Jared saw everything from the corner of his eye as the other sailor's grip on him had slipped a bit, undecided if he should go and help his friend or keep the omega ready for more.
Jared didn't give him a choice. He used the alpha's distraction to bring his skull up hard into the man's jaw. It hurt him almost as much as it did the other guy, but it gave him the opportunity to hit him again, with his fist this time. It was not enough to knock an alpha out, but it would buy Jensen time to finish with the other one and come to Jared's aid.
Jared watched as Jensen, having dispatched the first sailor as an avenging angel full of righteous fury, went to trade blows with the second one, pummeling his face and torso with his bloody fists. Jared was pretty sure that even without his help Jensen would have always beaten the two men, such was the rage he displayed while defending Jared.
The omega jumped into Jensen's arms when it was all over. He didn't have many tears left but he felt the shock of the last minutes settle over him, cutting his legs. It seemed only Jensen's support was able to keep him standing up. The soothing strokes of his hands against Jared's back. The whispers telling him how sorry he was for letting all this go as far as it did.
But then the noise of other voices broke the enchantment, and Jared had no other choice than to put his clothes back on in a hurry and follow Jensen.
They walked at a sedate pace for a while. Jensen led him by the hand, gently coaxing him to go on every time his feet slowed down. Jared knew Jensen was taking him to the place the omegas were staying at, but the thought of separating from his alpha made him feel nauseous again. And his mind seemed broken, ruminating the same thoughts over and over again.
He had never heard of an alpha refusing their virgin true mate. What was so wrong about him that Jensen could send him away, that he was able to ignore the pull of the mating when Jared had offered himself less than ten seconds after their meeting ?!
"Why ? Why don't you want me ?" he forced himself to ask, needing to know what kind of resistance he had to fight. If he had the slightest chance to change his alpha's mind. "Is it because I'm too tall ?"
Jensen rubbed the nape of his neck with his right hand, seemingly lost for the right answer.
"Man, it's not you I don't want. And you're perfect physically, the most beautiful person I've ever seen. I… I just don't want anyone. And most of all, I won't inflict myself on anyone else."
That didn't make any sense to Jared. They were made for each other, and if Jensen didn't want him, then it meant that Jared would be alone for the rest of his life. Just like Jensen. He had to believe that he could change the alpha's mind because this feeling of belonging he had never experienced before was too encompassing, too marvelous, to let it go away.
"Will I see you again ?"
"I don't know if it's a good idea, Jared. I live on my own island anyway, I don't come to Ismia every day."
"Please, don't… don't cut me out, it's too painful."
They shared a long look that had Jared shivering again with desire, his body and mind nowhere near the calm and peace he was used to.
"Alright, I'll try to participate in a few balls and picnics, but I can't tell you when. I have to work, and crops do not wait."
"I understand but… Thanks, Jensen."
This was not exactly what he had dreamed of, but it would have to do. Asking for more would only alienate him and lower Jensen's good will.
Jared felt the tension back in his mate when he leaned in to kiss his cheek, but the alpha didn't push him away. He also waited for Jared to be safely inside the palace before turning back to his own life, without the omega he should have taken home tonight for the rest of their entwined lives.
Masterpost | Continue to part 2