Lady of Misery

You were more than used to being platonically scented; you had a very large family, and everyone was close. However, this felt… different. Not exactly very platonic. You could still feel her soft hands on your waist, the affectionate nuzzle to your temple…

Grace calling out your name brought you out of your head, blushing and fumbling an apology. You told her your first name, before mindlessly breaking off a piece of your muffin to give to her.

“You don’t need to call me ‘Ms. Honey’ when we're in private, we're both adults.” You said, handing her the piece of muffin. She took it with a nod, putting it into her mouth.

“How— how is Emily doing in school?” Grace asked, after swallowing. A smile brightened your face; parent-teacher conferences were in two weeks, but you didn’t mind discussing things with Grace early.

“She’s doing really well.” You said, “She’s still a little shy, but I can’t blame her.”

You had no clue what Emily’s story was, all you knew was that Grace had adopted her about a year ago.

“I’m glad.” Grace smiled, a sight that made your heart stutter. You wouldn’t mind seeing that more often.

“I-I was really worried about her…” The blonde admitted, looking away from you. “She’s been through a lot.”

“Well, no matter what she’s been through, she’s been adapting extremely well.” You reassured, pulling apart more of your muffin to give to Grace. You didn’t press for any information surrounding Emily; you weren’t entitled to it.

By the time your conversation was over an hour had passed, and less than half your muffin remained. You had been breaking pieces off for Grace more than eating it yourself. Grace noticed, and she looked up from your plate, her cheeks flushed.

“I can buy you another muffin…” She said meekly, and you just giggled into your hands. You let her buy the muffin, if not for her own consciousness.

—

A few days after the cafe incident, your brain was still full of Grace. You couldn’t get the gentle alpha out of your head; her scent, her smile, her sweet disposition. As cliché as it was to say, you truly have never met another alpha like her.

You were brought out of your head when your class’ lunch-aid walked in. Mrs. Wilson took control of your bunch during recess and lunch, which meant it was time for your break. The pups were doing silent reading, but as soon as they saw Mrs. Wilson, they went wild.

Well, all of them except Emily. The blind pup sat curled up in the classroom beanbag chair, fingers clutching onto her book with a white knuckle grip. She looked displeased with the noise, as she always did during this time of day.

Mrs. Wilson helped everyone put their books away, as you grabbed your lunchbag. However, you noticed Emily not moving from her place on the beanbag. You could tell she was socially drained. You abandoned your lunchbag on your desk, moving to kneel next to Emily.

“Hi, Emily, are you feeling okay?” You asked politely, gently taking the pup's hand when she reached out for you. She squeezed your hand, frowning.

“I don’t wanna go outside.” The pup explained, her voice hushed like she was telling you a secret.

“Why don’t you wanna go outside?” You asked in response, gently running your thumb over her knuckles. The pup just shrugged, and you knew that was the best answer you were going to get.

“Well… how about I go outside with you?” The offer fell flat, and Emily let out a quiet ‘nuh-uh’.

“I wanna stay here with you.” Emily said, which made your heart swell. You didn’t mind having a shorter break if it meant Emily was comfortable and happy.

“Okay, we can stay here.” You nodded, letting go of Emily’s hand to inform Mrs. Wilson about the plan.

Emily had eventually fallen asleep on the beanbag chair, her book fallen onto the floor next to it. She was completely conked out, curled up like a tiny little baby kitty. It was hard not to notice how small she was like this, especially when you had a little voice in your ear telling you to nurture and protect every time you so much as looked at her. You treated all your students like your own pups, but something about this one truly set off your instincts.

You sat up straighter in your chair when Emily let out a quiet whimper, her nose scrunching with discontent. You weren’t new to dealing with pups having nightmares; every Wednesday you let your pups have a nap pile, and there was always at least one that needed to be woken up and consoled.

You padded over to Emily, kneeling next to the beanbag. You cupped her cheek, gently rubbing with your thumb and trying to coax her out of sleep. The pup simply let out an unhappy ‘mrrp’, pulling your wrist so she could press the inside to her nose. The furrow in her brow disappeared as she took in your scent, letting out a tiny sigh.

The rumble in your chest started before you could even think about stopping it; your scent was calming this pup, and it instinctively made your heart swell. The little one had stolen a piece of your heart, and you were not mad about it.

— —

You sat at your desk in your little homemade office space, aka, a single corner of your bedroom. Your apartment was small, and as cozy as you could make it, even with all the ‘landlord specials’ in damn near every room. You most definitely got what you paid for… which wasn’t much .

You tore your eyes away from your computer screen as your phone started to ring. It was Joanna, your best friend. She was on a wildly different life path than you. She was some sort of law major, but it was a miracle that she was even able to keep up with her schoolwork. She was, in simple terms, an organized wreck.

“Hey, Jo.” You said, rubbing at your temples. You’d had a rough day, grading the barely legible handwriting of your second-graders.

“Hey Honey-Bun!” Joanna’s voice came loud through the phone. The woman didn’t know how to use an inside voice…

“What’s up?” You asked, pulling your legs up to your chest.

“Are you busy tonight?”

“No…”

You already knew what Joanna was going to ask you, and you already knew your answer. You weren’t partial to nightlife like Jo was, and it took a LOT to convince you to go clubbing. Especially since you started working as a teacher… it just felt wrong. You knew you weren’t doing anything bad, but it didn’t feel very teacher-y to go out clubbing on the weekends.

“Do you wanna go to the—” Jo asked, and you immediately cut her off.

“No.” You shook your head, sighing. “I’m sorry, Jo… It just feels strange.”

What if the parents of your students found out? What would they think? It was an irrational fear, but still not intirely impossible.

“But you haven’t been out with me in forever!” Jo huffed, clearly not happy that you were skipping an opportunity to hangout. “Please, Honey-Bun… you’re twenty-four, but you’re living like you’re seventy-five.”

You let out a sigh. Joanna was right… your social life wasn’t very great. You didn’t really have time for much outside your job— your students were your life, and you were okay with that.

“I… Fine.” You finally cave. You hadn’t truly hung out with Joanna in a long time, and you felt bad. It was just one night.

Right?

—

You were miserable. Joanna left you at the bar almost immediately after her first round of shots, so all you could do was sit there and nurse your drink. Joanna had prettied you up— did your hair and makeup, and lent you a skimpy little dress. You didn’t feel very pretty, and you were somehow cold and uncomfortable.

The thick, heavy scent of an alpha enveloped you— that was another thing. The amount of scents permeating through the room was unbearable, especially for a lone omega like you. You were severely overwhelmed.

You subtly shrunk away from the alpha that had seated himself next to you, expressing your disinterest. He didn’t seem to take the hint, pumping his pheromones even more in the surrounding air.

You couldn’t really blame him for coming up to you— you were unmarked, technically he had a chance. But you had shown your disentrest, so he should’ve backed off the moment you made yourself small.

“Hey there sweetheart.” The man said, smiling at you and placing a hand on the top of your back, his fingers brushing the nape of your neck. He was completely overstepping now.

“Uh, hello…” You replied, warily eyeing the stranger.

You picked up your head, trying to search the crowd for Joanna. Her head of vibrant ginger hair should’ve stuck out, but it unfortunately didn’t. Your scent began to change the longer the alpha’s hand stayed on your back, the sweet smell of fresh bread and honey becoming twinged with rot.

“I’m— I’m actually waiting for someone.” You finally said, hoping this alpha would just leave you alone.

“Are you sure? You look lonely, all curled up by yourself.” He responded, lightly squeezing the nape of your neck, making your vision go fuzzy for a moment. You let out a whimper, your eyes searching the crowd for anyone who would help.

Your eyes met Grace Ashcroft’s, and your heart dropped. This was like all your worst nightmares packed into one big moment.

Grace’s eyes slimmed, a look on her face that you’d never seen in the short time you’d known her. She abandoned her place next to a pretty young woman, likely a co-worker given the fact they were both not in clubbing attire.

The alpha man was too surprised at Grace’s sudden march up to keep holding your neck, so you stood up and fled towards her.

“Honey!” Grace smiled, but she kept the man in her view. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Grace nuzzled her forehead into your temple, and a purr involuntarily left your chest. The woman— the alpha woman? —was staking her claim on you in front of an entire room. Your student’s mother. Showing dominance against another alpha. To protect you.

This was insane, but you couldn’t be more thankful for her (even if you were mortified at being seen in a club by a student’s parent). Grace’s scent was potent, but it didn’t make you uncomfortable like all the other scents in the room. If anything, it made you feel secure.

“Grace…” You responded, nuzzling into the blonde. The alpha man eventually begrudgingly left you two, probably to go bother some other poor omega.

You stayed in Grace’s arms for longer than necessary, only pulling away when the woman cleared her throat awkwardly. It seems that her usual demeanor was back…

“Thank you, Grace.” You said, your cheeks reddened. You couldn’t meet her eyes— not when she was Emily’s mother, you were Emily’s teacher, and you were both in a club. “I didn’t know you were a… Y’know.”

“Not— uh, not many people do.” Grace nodded, equally as red. “I just… my… friend wanted me to try and put myself out there. I guess the c-club was the first thing she could think of.”

You nodded, “My friend convinced me to come here too. I’m not really enjoying myself… I don’t like clubs.”

“Do— do you wanna leave?” Grace asked, clasping her hands together. “There’s a cafe around here that should, uh, still be open.”

“That would be nice.” You knew Jo would be upset if you just disappeared with just a text… but she already left you, was probably wasted, and you were still shaken from the incident with that alpha. So, you were gonna leave like the grown woman you were!

— —