niko

Now, at this point, Ilya has started seeing you and Luca as parts of his pack and maybe a bit more. It started out with Ilya simply going along with it for Shane’s sake, and because it was pretty funny to see the rookies being smothered. 

But at some point it starts to melt into something else. I don’t think he gets as obsessive and snappy as Shane does, losing himself in his suppressed instincts and all that.  

Ilya does get a lot more protective and broody though. He keeps an eye on the entire team of course, but you and Luca get a bit more of it than the rest. Every member of the team gets scented, but only the two ‘pups’ get held so Ilya can rub his scent glands all over you. 

Had Ilya been anyone else, he might feel comfortable scruffing Luca or you, or giving you two corrective nips or barks. But, we know how Ilya grew up, I can’t see him feeling comfortable exerting that kind of power over someone, even if it’s from a good place. 

There are few reasons I can see Ilya using the whole, alpha voice thing. I never imagined it at something that could completely control someone, but it does trigger obedience and sparks of energy to go along with what’s being said. It can still be resisted though. 

One of those reasons can be if you, like Ilya, deal with depression, and you let it consume you. Ilya knows from experience just how dark and heavy depression can be, and it’s no secret that Shane is the one who saved him. 

It's Ilya who will notice it first, maybe even before you do. It's all the small things, like how you don’t seem enthusiastic, or how you don’t even seem to be enjoying your favorite snacks and treats.  

Then you start avoiding nesting time, and skirting around Shane when he’s trying to scent you and chirp at you. It becomes clear you’re trying to punish yourself, working harder, resting less, cutting off stuff you like to eat, drink or shows you like to watch. It's so incredibly familiar to Ilya. 

Luca and Shane notice too, little by little, especially when your scent becomes flatter. I imagine that scent is a part of communication in the omegaverse, and it’s just part of day to day life, so it becomes noticable that you’re struggling when your scent changes. 

It's not a lot, and if people don’t know you they won’t realize, but these three have become your family/mates/comfort/etc depending on how you read this. You withdrawing from them hurts everyone involved, but Shane and Ilya have enough experience to not let it crush them too much. 

Anyways, back to the alpha voice/suggestions. Ilya would never want to be like his father, so he tries to avoid throwing his alpha-ness around. That is until your depression gets so bad that you let it hurt you. 

This can be through different means. Like self-harming in less obvious ways, rubber bands, gripping ice, pulling and pinching yourself, or letting yourself get hurt on the ice because you feel like you deserve it. 

After one too many scraps on the ice that he knows you could avoid, Ilya finds himself snapping. His inner alpha has been wound up for a while, but seeing you get thrown down, your head smacking against the ice hard enough to crack it open had you not worn protection, is the last straw. 

Shane, being in protective omega mode immediately wants to get involved, to chirp, nip and scent, but Ilya talks him down using that thick alpha tone. He tells Shane to care for their ‘other pup’, to take Luca back home and keep the nest warm. 

Had Shane nod been so deep in omega-space he could have easily resisted, but he trusts and loves Ilya so much that he does just that.  

I don’t believe they’d do stuff like corporal punishment in the omegaverse, unless it’s something specific for your relationship. That does not mean Ilya doesn’t want to just shake you, bite you and make you understand he loves and cares for you. 

Everyone knows to leave you two alone, and even in as dark a spot as you are, you know you’ve fucked up. This leaves you two in the locker room, where Ilya starts out being your captain about it. 

He goes over your plays, how you getting hurt fucks up the game, messes with stats, the team, etc, etc. It's on purpose, so he can be the mean cold captain first, to cut it out more clearly, to show you that you’ve been getting hurt, a lot, and he knows. They all do. 

It's clear Ilya is struggling on the edge of being Ilya, and being alpha. He wants to just curl up around you in the nest, to bite you and mark you all over and rub his scent filled drool all over your skin. The logical part of Ilya knows he needs to actually talk with you first though. 

You might have found the sight a little funny, had you not been hurting and feeling like a wet beaten sock. Ilya’s canines are sharp and dripping alpha venom, his eyes wild and his scent thick and conflicted. 

He wants to yell, you can tell, but Ilya won’t. He has too many memories of his father yelling and hurting him, and Ilya would never want that on anyone else.  

Smelling his scent is what finally makes you cry. Scents are so hard to hide, outside of pills, injections or patches. Where you can lie with words and actions, scents a much harder to disguise. Sure, you can learn to fake them, but it’ll always smell wrong. 

So smelling Ilya’s deep love, fear, possessiveness and intensity makes you choke out a sob. It's strange, to know someone cares so deeply, even when you feel like a worthless piece of junk who deserves none of it. 

Hearing Ilya talk about his own depression and struggles only makes you feel worse, in a sick and vulnerable way. What if you’d made his depression worse, or reminded him of things he would want to forget? 

Ilya though, seems to clock this immediately, because he does the same thing. When he’s finally run out of steam, Ilya wipes a tear from his own eye and just hugs you, as he rubs his scent gland all over your own. 

Maybe he even salivates and rubs it all over your neck and shoulders, a clear and strong alpha display of care, possession and want, be it romantic or platonic.  

Ilya might scrape his fangs against your skin, leaving red lines but never breaking skin, just to get it through your head. He, Shane and Luca all love you, no matter how ‘broken’ you think you are. 

Ilya helps you shower and care for whatever bruises and pains you have, and then you get brought to the nest, because of course you do.  

You'll find yourself in the middle of a cuddlepile, surrounded on all sides by love and acceptance. They're sad you didn’t come to them for comfort, but they also all understand, even Luca. 

You don’t have to be ‘fixed’ or ‘perfect’ with your omega and alpha (and whatever designation Luca is... I don’t think I ever decided), you just have to be there with them. They'll be there, and help you find a way, on the good and the bad days.  

I like to think the entire centaurs play into Shane’s omega instincts. It's not talked about much, but they all know how the hockey world is, and can only assume the pressure Shane has been under all these years. 

And well, who wouldn’t want to be scented and chuffed at by THE Shane Hollander. Plus, it becomes a bit of a running thing to see who Shane is herding that day. His inner omega simply has a keen sense of who needs extra care, or who needs to be barked at so they get medical attention or take a break. 

I imagine that you tend to be the more chaotic out of the ‘pups’, aka you and Luca, so Shane can be seen staring you down and curling his lip like an overprotective omega with their pup.  

This doesn’t mean Shane isn’t a bit too overbearing with Luca too, because how can he not.  

Shane starts making omega noises at the team, but the ‘come here pup’ mrrps are just for you and Luca, most of the time. Shane’s done it once or twice for other members of the team, like Troy that one time he got really emotionally hurt during a game and needed comfort. 

At some point, the team starts setting up temporary nests at the back of the tour bus. It's really just a pile of blankets and pillows on the back row, but everyones welcome to just cuddle up and relax. What can I say, sometimes you just need to be snuffled and licked by an omega who cares. 

It helps in no way that Ilya plays along, and even enjoys it, to the point where Ilya’s inner alpha starts reacting like Shane. It's not as strong for Ilya, but he does start getting a bit huffy and opinionated towards the teams comfort and pack activities. 

Now, imagine that it’s become pretty much tradition for Luca and you to go to the Hollanov nest when the team is on the road. They don’t even bother booking rooms for you two anymore. 

Now, also imagine that it’s been a very stressful time for Shane lately. It’s easy to tell, for the team anyways, that Shane is hanging on by a thread, and he’s been trying to cope with the stress by being extra omega with the team. 

Neither you, Luca or Ilya think about it much when Shane’s laid out in the nest, on his side and letting out little cooing mrrps and chirps, his pupils so blown his eyes look near black.  

His scent is so thick it almost sticks between your teeth like taffy, and there’s a certain milky scent to it. Not like cows milk, but something sweet, like those milky ice cream bars. 

All four of you start cuddling, and it takes a while for you to register that Shane is shuffling around. Luca’s the one that was caught in the omega’s arms, so you and Ilya can only watch as Shane starts shuffling Luca down. 

At first you assume Shane just wants to curl around Luca like normal, because you’re still big and tall hockey players. 

That is until Shane tries nudging Luca towards his chest, letting out thick purrs and little coos. And poor Luca is already so scent drunk that he can barely keep his eyes open, and just kinda accepts it when Shane coaxes his mouth open with a thumb. 

And sure, maybe you or Ilya should stop it, but like... it’s both kinda hot but also kinda sweet, ya know? Nursing can be seen as a pack activity and all that, but it’s just never been on anyones mind since Shane hasn’t had pups yet. 

Shane just seems so satisfied and happy when Luca starts suckling, kneading at Shane’s stomach like some kinda pup. You look back at Ilya, who just seems bewitched by it, and who can blame him. 

Ilya tries to open his mouth to speak, to discourage it, maybe, but Shane grumbles at him, all dissatisfied omega, and the Russian shuts up. 

It takes a lot more shuffling around the nest, but Shane gets settled on his back, with Luca lying on his left, still attached to his chest. 

Your heart jumps when Shane turns his attention to you, making those same ‘come here pup’ noises. Sure, you should probably not but... well... Ilya doesn’t seem angry, at all for that matter, so maybe you crawl over and latch on too. 

It all gets kinda blurry and melty after that. It's not like Shane produces a lot of milk, since his body has just started and all that. For the most part it’s just a comfort action, to stay attached and suckle, like a very intimate and intense pack bonding thing. 

I like to think that Ilya’s own instincts are going haywire too, and he finds himself lying at the edge of the nest, his back towards his omega and (pups) rookies, turned towards the locked room door, like some kind of broody protective alpha from olden times. 

And hey, omega milk can have a lot of good stuff in it, so it’ll be great for you and Luca on the ice. Except now neither of you can stop thinking about it, and find yourselves laser focused on Shane’s chest when the team is changing in the locker room.