#curtis x reader

Your expedition parka was zipped all the way to your chin as you threw on your ugliest, most beloved bobble hat to brave the harsh freeze of the Antarctic.

“Do you think I could request a parka in any other colour than dehydrated piss yellow?” You ask Amil as you tug on your gloves.

Amil was one of the other four researchers with you on the expedition and probably the one you were closest to, mainly due to the fact that you studied inter-connecting fields; yours being polar marine life and Amil’s being observational oceanography. Oceanography has many fields of study, Amil’s being focused ocean-ice interactions, specifically focussed on how the rising sea levels were affecting the oceanic climate. In the same vein, the melting of the ice caps meant changes to polar marine life; your area of expertise. Many a late night on the desolate planes of the Antarctic had you both chattering away in the common area discussing possible solutions and outcomes of your research.

“We don’t even get funding for better canned food; you’d be hard pushed to find approval for a new colour coat.” He laughs up at you from lacing his boots.

“Yeah,” you sigh and open the door. “Very true.”

You knew that life as an Antarctic researcher wouldn’t be a cake walk. Below freezing temperatures and no fresh food other than fish meant you were limited to a minimum of six months of fish breath. The only upside was watching and studying what little life seemed to flourish in this frozen wasteland. Penguins were a regular feature favourite, some of which had been tagged by the team in order to tell them apart from the others, and you closely monitored them. Sometimes seals or orcas made an appearance, which meant you had to watch on at the edge of your hiding spots as nature took its course.

Looking out onto the vast icy plane before you, the sun’s rays making the snow glitter, you can’t help but wonder if somewhere out there in the unforgiving cold there was a discovery waiting for you to find. You’d heard about bacteria and the like but part of you wanted something more, something bigger, like the abominable snowman or a yeti. Something worth studying. What if there was a culture or language that hadn’t met human connection yet? What if you were the person to make that connection?

Dreams of grandeur and snowman-human communications often occupied your thoughts, even if you yourself knew that it was just a dream.

Checking everything one last time, you and Amil begin to make your way to the boat.

The boat wasn’t really a boat, per se, more of an inflatable red dingy. Funding really was low.

As Amil tugs on his life jacket, a lovely neon orange to match the yellow of the coat, you do a check of the boat; ensuring no bite marks may have appeared over night from a bored polar bear. You give Amil a quick thumbs up as you begin the arduous process of fighting your life jacket on whilst Amil checks the recording equipment. On days like these when the sun is bright penguins are out in droves. Which means so are all the predators.

You hate to idly watch by and do nothing but, research is research, and mother nature is cruel and unforgiving at the best of times. You and Amil heave the dingy onto the dark water clambering in quickly before it moves too far, the buoys along either side of the dingy bob frantically at the nuisance but quickly settle as the tiny engine roars to life and you set off across the water to the penguin outpost.

“Do you think we’ll see any orca today?” Amil asks, tinkering with the camera.

“Possibly.” You say casually, manoeuvring around a stray ice plate. “It’s quite warm today, so I’m hoping we can see the seals on the beach.”

Amil chuckles. “They are cute when they sunbathe. Maybe Marnie will be a little more confident and say hi.”

Marnie was one of the seal cubs you’d miraculously managed to put a tracker on. A sweet white ball of fluff who was so shy she rarely peeked her head past her mum.

“I doubt it. But damn it,” You groan. “She’s just too damn cute!”

You stall the boat about twenty metres from the penguin outlook and watch on with a happy smile as they waddle around. The water is quiet, barely making waves against the boat and you and Amil make the silent agreement to move a little closer to the giant ice floe with the oars.

“Oho,” You whisper to Amil as he focuses the camera lens, pointing to one of the penguins carrying a small pebble. “Looks like someone’s trying to propose.”

Watching the tiny penguin hop over others to an awaiting mate is probably the sweetest thing you have ever been blessed to witness in real-time. Coos and caws of excitement from the penguins erupt all over the floe and you and Amil cheer on silently from the dingy, grinning widely at each other. It’s only when the penguins chatter dulls again that you hear another noise.

You check behind you, the water inky black even in the sunlight. There aren’t any ripples, no black fins protruding the surface. But the noise remains.

“Do you hear that?”

Amil looks at you and strains his ears before nodding. “What the hell is that?”

You shrug helplessly. It’s an eerie howl, low and gravelly. You’ve never heard anything like it before, and you’re supposed to be the expert. Looking back to the water you squint, hoping to see something. You think you catch a glimpse of a tail but you can’t be sure; the water is too dark to see anything unless it was at the surface. However, a sense of unease creeps in, like you’re being watched.

“We should go.” You say, making a grab for your oar. “I don’t like this, Amil.”

Amil rolls his eyes and scoffs. “You can’t be serious, we just got here! Scared of your marine monsters you always hope to see?”

You shake your head, cold sweat rolling down your back even in your many layers of clothing. “It’s not that it-“

You pause as fear seeps into your bones, quietly muttering. “Listen.”

Amil frowns but follows your instruction. The penguins have stopped chattering. Huddled together on the ice floe, they’re almost silent apart from the occasional squawk from a young chick. A predator must be near, one that you can’t see, and suddenly you’re wishing that you’d never asked for a bigger discovery.

The howl comes again, then what sounds like the bang of a drum. You wrack your brain for answers, but you can only settle on orca. But if it was orca you'd have seen them by now. They hunt in packs, they’re mammals and need air, a dorsal fin or a snort for air would have pinpointed them for you. But you also know that orca, for all their intents and purposes, don’t hunt humans. Their intelligence alludes them to the fact it’s not optimal to eat you but that doesn’t mean you want to get close enough to test that theory.

The sound of water splashing makes you turn your head but there’s nothing but quick ripples when you look. You’re ten miles from the shoreline you came from, your camp another five inland on a snowmobile. If your dingy tipped, you’d have maybe fifteen minutes of swimming to complete before going hypothermic if you were lucky. And that’s if whatever was in the water was happy to only eat penguin.

“Amil,” You whisper hurriedly, grabbing your friend’s attention. “Your oar. Let’s go.”

Amil, now pale-faced after finally understanding your predicament, shakily picks up his oar. You both gently dip your oars in the water and watch them disappear as you slowly begin to row backwards from where you came. A curious, or brave, penguin steps down to the edge of the ice floe and dives into the water quickly followed by another handful. You sigh, grateful for the distraction until one of the penguins slams into the side of the dingy, making it rock violently. You grip the wide sides and peek overboard. Only darkness stares back.

“Hooooo,” You breathe out nervously, nodding at Amil and begin rowing again. Another penguin smacks into the dingy, this time catching a rope from one of the buoys that may have not been as tight as you thought, ensnaring itself in a knot as the bouy bobs away from you. Your training and research dictates that you should always let nature take its course, however, if you were a tiny little penguin furiously trying to escape an unknown monster, you would be grateful for a helping hand from a piss-yellow-coat-neon-life-jacket-wearing hairless yeti.

You lean over the edge of the boat, ripping the small swiss army knife free from your deep pockets and sawing at the rope frantically as the penguin splashed around in a blinding panic.

"Amil!" You scream sending ripples across the surface, half turning to look for your friend for help. "AMIL!"

It happens so fast, you only catch snippets of the next few moments; the feeling of hot steaming breath on the back of your neck as teeth sink into the faux fur of your hood, the growl of triumph in your ears as you're yanked backwards viciously, the look of terror on Amil's face as he reaches for you, centimetres from your own outstretched hand as you hit the water and the taste of winter ice filling your mouth as you try to scream.

The last thing you hear before the being dragged under the ice is Amil screaming your name.

You can't remember ever being so cold.

Your body seizes as your legs flail helplessly. You feel incredibly stupid. Leopard seal. Of course, it was a leopard seal. Not much was known about them other than a few measly facts like their singing, their size and their territorial behaviour.

Ice burned in your lungs. You were lightheaded, low on oxygen and dizzy. However, escape would be futile. You feel the maw release you and for a few moments you begin to float upwards - you scrunch your face waiting for the killing blow only to be barrelled into by something bigger.

Which can never be good.

It feels like you're moving diagonally. There's a howl, a grumble and you swear you can hear a man's voice tell you you're safe. Half convinced you're dead or dying you don't give it much credence until you breach the surface of the water and are thrown onto ice.

You cough and splutter salted ice water from your lungs and heave a sharp, deep inhale of air. You don’t know where you are, or how you’ve survived but everything aches from adrenaline. Moving to sit up, you notice you’re on thick, clear ice that surrounds every corner of your vision but it blurs before you can make out anything distinguishable.

Your dehydrated-piss yellow parka has absorbed too much water and weighs down on your shivering body. Panic settles. You need to get out of these clothes ASAP and get dry.

That’s rule one of hypothermia avoidance.

The zipper slips from your fingers a few dozen times as you try to undo it, teeth clicking together like a ghostly xylophone echoing against the ice. There’s a swish of water behind you and you think the seal has decided to finish what it started. You half turn, ready to be met with a maw of sharp teeth, but instead you’re met with a beast of a man clambering out the hole in the ice.

His arms are thick with muscle, straining as he heaves himself from the water. His hair is close cut but because his face is focused downward, you can’t make out any features on his shadow-cast face. Your eyes trail his torso; like the rest of him he’s huge, with taut muscle and dark, thick hair that runs from his chest all the way down to his abdomen. His body is littered with scars, ranging from silvery slices to pink teeth-marks. He’d clearly wrangled with beasts plenty of times.

You breathe out slowly, watching the rest of his form emerge from the depths. Scales dance around his hips in what little light is available and you blink rapidly as more and more appear. You think, finally, that you’ve drowned and this is the final image your brain has decided to subject you to; a giant merman with a tail as blue as the midnight sky.

Maybe he’s here to finish what the seal couldn’t.

The thought terrifies you and you shuffle backwards, your hands failing to find grip in the ice so you end up blindly kicking your legs. The movement makes the man (monster?) raise his head, cementing you to your spot as bright, frost-blue eyes connect with yours.

A vicious thought enters your brain; about how you wanted this. You wanted a discovery and by a sick twist of fate, you’ve gotten it.

“LIE DOWN!” He bellows, icicles shaking above you. He slides across the ice so quickly, grasping you by the shoulders to keep you still. Your wide eyes can’t even cry because you’re so scared. He seems to briefly register your fear because in a softer voice he adds, “I need to get you warm and dry. Trust me.”

You nod wordlessly, stuck between fear and logic with your chattering teeth. The merman, for lack of better a word, tears at your ugly coat and hurriedly peels away at your layers. Your shock doesn’t even let you feel embarassed about being naked in front of the merman, too busy focusing on your own survival to even think about letting a bit of bare skin get in the way.

The ice floor beneath you is cool against your skin but not freezing, yet you still shiver. The merman lifts you with ease, holding you close as he moves across the open space to a nest of furs you’d missed when you’d first breached the ice. Setting you down gently, he wraps you in a fur leaving only your face and wet hair visible. The scent of the fur is overwhelming; leathery, salted musk that had mingled with the creature's sweat. It was strangely comforting, considering the situation you were in.

“Th-thank you.” You slur, cosying yourself beneath the blanket. “A-are we s-s-safe here?”

He grunts and nods in response but doesn’t say anything else, watching you carefully. To say he’s huge is an understatement. He’s positively gigantic, towering over you with a fretful look etched along those strong features. He’s borderline stauesque, almost unmoving muscled ivory skin that looks almost blue in the reflection of the cave. Your discovery, your saviour, your merman was the most beautiful specimen if you’d ever seen one.

“What’s your name?” You puff out slowly, trying to keep your breathing steady as you fight the tiredness settling in your bones. Adrenaline levels in your body must be dropping but you can’t sleep yet, not until you have some questions answered and can safely stay warm.

“Curtis,” he murmurs, leaning down closer to inspect your face. “It’s Curtis.”

“Curtis.” You murmur back and a smile creeps onto your lips. A big, beautiful creature called Curtis was your saviour. A sea monster called Curtis is almost laughable but it's cute. He's cute.

“What’s so funny?” He asks raising an eyebrow at you quizzically, his head tilting slightly. His eyes are possibly the bluest you’ve ever seen and you’re utterly lost within them.

“Nothing.” You say quickly, ducking a little further under your fur to hide your lips. You give him your name, smiling dumbly at him. He says it slowly, savouring it on his tongue and your heartbeat quickens.

You're a scientist. He's a discovery. Why are you so wound up like a teen with a crush?

His blue eyes are still watching you closely as his large tail curls around your tucked knees and, with what you can only be described as purring, nudges at your forehead with his.

A wave of warmth rolls over your body and settles between yout thighs, making you sigh with delight. You blink up at him lazily, well-aware that it’s most likely the hypothermia making your brain turn to blissful fluff, but you’re suddenly more concerned about the fact he may get hypothermia too, even as a merperson.

“Where’re your furs?” You ask, shuffling your legs against his tail. He was emanating heat like a merman radiator.

He chuckles. "You're using them."

“Oh.” You blink in slow surprise. “We should share then.”

Curtis watches you with amused fascination and you gingerly lift the furs, offering to share your warmth with him.

“You need them more than me.” He counters and you shake your head.

“I can’t have you going hypothermic on me, either.” You huff before shivering. “Just please get under here.”

Curtis sighs through his nose, draping a heavy arm around your waist, tugging you closer to his huge body, letting the furs contain your heat. You squeak but the moment your bare chest touches his you can feel heat pour from him and instead of making a point to divide up sides, you hum with delight. Curtis mimicks your hum and you feel that tide of warmth wash over you again.

“You’re so warm.” You whisper and his grip tightens.

"Hush," He sighs, his other arm acting as your pillow and pulling your face into his chest. "You're safe now. Close your eyes and rest."

Your face is buried into the hair on his chest, inhaling a musky mix of salty sea water and sweat as your arms wrap around him. You shudder with cold as you fight away the impending feeling of panic. Amil thought you were dead. Was Amil safe? Did he get back to base? Your friends, family...

"I need to get back to the base." You breathe quietly. Your legs brush against the scales of his tail and your surprised to find that they're soft, not scratchy. Moving of their own accord, your legs rub against the scales, the friction building much needed heat. "They need to know I'm okay."

"Stay here tonight." Curtis rumbles and you feel your argument die in your throat. "That's tomorrow's problem."

A large palm moves soothingly up and down your back, and you find yourself curling into him, chasing his warmth. You don't know what's come over you. You should be terrified, you are terrified, but it's lost within a cloud of fog over your brain. Your body wraps itself around Curtis like a second blanket, a leg hitched over his hip to press close to his body under the fur.

You find your body slowly melting into him and you sigh with contentment; despite anxiety's slithering tendrils curling at the edges of your psyche, you felt safe. Comforted.

Horny.

That couldn't be right. Your brow furrows slightly as you chide yourself. You're a scientist. adrenaline has done one over on you, and although you aren't a psychiatrist, you could make a safe bet that this feeling was linked to the fact you almost died gruesomely and Curtis was your saviour. Plus, he was easy on the eyes too.

From where your head is on his chest; vibrations rattle along your skull as Curtis, for lack of a better word, begins to purr. That rolling warmth you felt earlier returns, your body slowly drawing itself from sleepiness. Then the sound stops as you fidget, fighting your body to stop itself from grinding against Curtis' scales.

"I'm sorry," Curtis murmurs against your ear and despite the warmth emanating from you both, you shiver. "I was getting too comfortable."

"Too comfortable?" You echo, peeking up at him. His eyes meet yours, searching your face and studying your reaction with budding curiosity.

"I didn't mean for-" He looks apologetic. "It's my song."

You blink up at him. "Song?"

He nods gently taking your hand closest to his chest and placing it where your head had been resting, near his heart and then he hums.

The same vibrations rumble through his ribcage, brain fog descends once more making you feel giddy while your stomach swoops with anxiety. However, despite the anxiety, you find yourself humming back and matching his vibration with your own.

You argue to yourself that you mimic him, that you're doing what you'd do if you found another animal; trying to understand how they communicate. But deep down, within the roils of terror, you knew your body acted of its own accord.

"Your soul called to mine in those cold, dark waters." Curtis' low baritone echoes around the cave, sending vibrations across the thick ice beneath you. "And I responded. You feel it don't you? When I sing?"

You couldn't deny the feeling but then he adds in a whisper, "That's how I knew you were mine."

You can feel the thud of his large hear pumping beneath your palm. You're part terrified, part intrigued; how was this different to the dreams of your yetis and snowmen?

The other part, the deeper, darker part of you knows what's he's saying is true. You're both connected somehow and you can't deny your attraction to him, even if you are still frightened of how your body is reacting to him.

It must read all over your face because Curtis chuckles, low and deep. You peek up and catch a small smile and his glittering blue eyes as he looks at you like he's won the lottery and it makes both your heart thrum. He moves his face closer, pressing his forehead to yours and nudging your nose with his again. You move your face slightly and Curtis moves again, this time capturing your lips in a sweet kiss. It's short and unexpected but it still leaves you breathless.

"I am sorry if I scared you earlier," he murmurs, his nose nudging yours as he purrs again. "I wanted to make sure you were safe and unharmed."

"Stop doing that." You eke out, face flushed with embarassment as you grip onto his shoulder. Damp heat had settled between your thighs and you desperately needed friction.

Curtis looks at you quizzically before realisation dawns. "If you need to use me," He says with a small smile. "Do so. I won't mind."

You bury your face into his chest to hide how red your face is.

"Anything my mate needs or wants from me is yours."

Mate.

That word rips through your mind and you try to argue

"I'm not - we're not..." You say thickly. "Mates?"

"It's a rare occurrence for humans to be mates but it does happen." Curtis nods. "Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are. I thought there was no one for me. But then I heard you."

You cast your mind back to when you were in the boat. Had he been watching you then? Was the gaze you felt his and not the leopard seal?

Or was it beneath the surface of the water? Did your scream send vibrations through the water that he happened to hear? If so, that opened up a research possibility.

Vibrations we're a clear method of communication, nothing surprising about that since a lot of marine animals would use the water to their advantage. Without meaning to, had you bound yourself to him?

You shake your head, nose and cheeks brushing against the coarse hair on his wide chest. You didn't want to think about it but at the same time it was all you could think about. From the way he spoke, it sounded like these merfolk mated for life. And it didn't help that you were so hot and bothered by him that you just wanted to crawl on top of him and-

Your right leg hitches itself over his tail, the thick muscle sits between your legs now, soft scales biting gently against your skin. You timidly roll your hips forward and a groan wracks your body as your clit rubs over the slightly bumpy scales. It feels better than good, it feels amazing and you roll your hips again, biting your lips this time. You can't stop yourself, the pleasure you feel easing the ache you'd been feeling.

Curtis' left hand, the one that had been running up and down your back, grips the back of your thigh and hoists you higher, your face closer to his and your needy cunt pressing against the his scales. His nose nudges yours again, and you raise your lips to his with no hesitation. He tastes like salt water and when you hum, licking away the salt with your tongue, Curtis' grip on your thigh tightens and lifts it higher letting the furs slip away and bearing your cunt to the icy cave.

You gasp quietly and peek at him through tired lashes, his blue eyes dark and focused on your face as he adjusts his wide hips. Then you feel it, the heavy weight of his thick cock moving through your folds easily, slowly. To say he was huge was understatement. His cock matched his imposing size; and when his scaled hips rolled back and the leaking tip of his cock brushed your throbbing clit, you jutted your hips forward to meet his. You want to climb him, fuck him, milk him. And Curtis seemed to know this, smiling at how your lips part and how your eyes beg for more.

"Needy little thing," He chuckles. "But not tonight. It'll be too much for you."

He places a chaste kiss to your forehead, moving his hips again, your pussy clenching as his cock ruts between the soft of your thighs, giving your clit plenty of attention. It's not long before your moans become high and breathier and you cum with a shudder and a loud whine over his cock.

"You look so beautiful when you cum. I can't wait to see you stretched over my cock." Curtis murmurs as he continues to thrust through your silky folds before he reaches his climax, coating your thighs with thick sticky spend.

You cast a glance downward, watching the scales shimmer in what little light you have. The scales fall in a V shape around his hips, dark hair of his snail trail disappearing under them. His cock, strangely, is where it would be if he were human only difference is that it's protected by scales. Your fingers delicately trace the line where scale meets skin as Curtis tugs the fur back across you both, shuddering at your touch.

He huffs a breath but allows you to continue, his own fingers tracing patterns against the back of your shoulders.

"So pretty," you murmur sleepily, watching his muscles twitch under your touch.

"Rest." He urges quietly with a kiss to your forehead. "We can explore eachother more tomorrow."

You hum in acknowledgement, your eyes slowly closing. It's not long before you're asleep, dreaming of merfolk and their communication, society and their mating rituals.

When you blink awake, you're not sure how long you have been asleep. It may have been hours or minutes but you're cosy and warm with Curtis still wrapped around you, now acting as big spoon. His legs are tangled with yours, which is strange because, if your memory served correctly, he was a giant merman last you checked.

Your face heats as your realise that your inner thighs are still sticky with Curtis' cum. So that wasn't a dream. But Curtis doesn't have a tail anymore. You remove left arm entrapped under the arm Curtis had lay across your waist, exploring down his thigh; muscular, some coarse hair, but no scales.

You frown.

Maybe in your vulnerable state you'd assumed he was a merman. You make a small grumble of frustration. Curtis stirs gently, his cock twitching against your ass.

"Snowdrop," He mumbles, voice thick with sleep. "Go back to sleep."

You angle your head to peek at him and see his eyes are still closed but his arm around you squeeze you tighter. Your face heats with embarassment as you mutter a quick apology.

"Go back to sleep." Curtis repeats, snuggling into you again, his beard tickling the nape of your neck.

Your mind starts to race, subconsciously wiggling further back against him under the furs. You shift your legs every few moments, remembering the state you were in; blissed out after humping his thick cock. Shame and arousal wash over you. He'd not only let you do it he'd encouraged it; using you only after you'd cum and not pushing to fuck you. Your heart strings tugged, even if it was the bare minimum. He seemed to have genuinely taken to you and you were still trying to make sense of him; you almost felt guilty for it.

There's a sigh behind you and Curtis' big hand that had been been draped over your waist slowly made its way between your thighs, finding your clit and rubbing slow circles, making you gasp and jerk in surprise.

"I'll help you get back to sleep then, Snowdrop." Curtis murmurs, angling the large arm under your neck to fondle at your bare tits. He rolls a nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he he rubs at your clit, swiping some of his still-sticky cum over your sensitive nub. You groan pressing your ass back against him. His fingers dip downward to your cunt, slipping in one thick finger as he kisses and nips at your neck, slowly pumping you a few times before adding a second finger and letting your walls constrict them.

"Your cunt is still slick." He comments, his half-hard cock pressing against the curve of your ass. "You must have been having good dreams."

Your pussy squeezes at his words and you can feel his smirk on your neck, his fingers pressing against your walls to keep you stretched open. His thumb swipes at your swollen clit and he tweaks at you nipple, earning himself more moans of pleasure.

"Curtis please." Your back arches against him, letting the pleasure wrack your still-tired body.

"I'm sorry, Snowdrop. If I don't stretch you open you'll never fit on my cock." He purrs, kissing your cheek softly. "We can't have that, can we?"

You groan in response when his fingers start to curl and move inside your pussy. Curtis was right, you were still wet, and your orgasm was pending on release as he holds you at the edge; curling and pumping his fingers all while toying with your nipples and clit. It was too much.

"Curtis," you gasp, weakly reaching for his face, behind you, twisting your neck uncomfortably to place sweet kisses against his lips. "'M gonna cum."

"That's fine, pretty thing." He murmurs. "Cum for me."

Gentle kisses are placed to your temple as you heave breaths, shuddering as your cunt gushes around his fingers. Curtis' fingers linger inside you for a few moments before retreating, and you watch in a haze as he takes a long lick of them, savouring your cum against his tongue. His eyes are almost predatory black as he looks down at you.

"You taste..." He trails with a happy hum, lapping at his fingers. "Delicious. I'm going to enjoy ruining our bedsheets when you're ready."

"You know what bedsheets are?" You giggle softly as he slides back beside you, pecking your lips as your body still thrums with remnants of your orgasm.

"Of course." He replies but doesnt elaborate further. His arms wrap around you, holding you close and he starts to purr with contentment. Your body grows tired again, relaxing into his hold.

"Curtis," you whisper.

"Mm?"

"Thank you." You curl under his chin, twisting your legs into his as you fall away into sleep, holding him tight.

When you wake, hours later, you're greeted by the smell of cooked fish and smoke. There's an ache between your legs from your two earlier trysts, however, the need for food is at the forefront of your mind now. The trysts can be addressed later.

It's only a moment before Curtis appears at your side, wrapped in layers of fur and holding a freshly cooked fish out to you. You take it, blowing on the charred skin and try not to think about what you're eating as your teeth sink into the flesh. You're so hungry. Hungrier than you've ever been and the fish is finished in seconds and you look up at Curtis sheepishly.

He smiles softly. "Good. You have an appetite."

One of his hands cups your cheek, gently tilting your face to look up at his. "There's plenty of food for you."

When Curtis turns to get you more fish from the fire, you take a moment to glance at your surroundings. You're in an ice cave. Naturally occurring hollow structures in ice or ice floes. You'd been in them before, when out exploring; they make excellent shelters from the elements since the ice is so thick. The cave is almost sloped, with the entrance higher in the ice.

Curtis is near a small fire by the entrance of the cave, ensuring no smoke is getting trapped to suffocate you both and, not far from where your lying in the furs, is the hole Curtis had emerged from the day before. Sea water sloshes three inches from the surface. So you were on the ocean at least.

Looking behind your makeshift bed was very few items. Some cans of food, a small roll of tools and what looked to be spare fur clothes to fit Curtis' enormous body.

Your tattered clothes are next to Curtis drying out and when you look over at him again you can see that he definitely did not have a tail. You rub your eyes and double check.

Nope. No tail.

It must have been your mind playing tricks on you. However, he is as handsome so that was still an excellent discovery.

You shuffle under the covers trying to hold the fur over your chest when Curtis returns, holding two fish out to you. You're halfway through the first when you notice he's just watching you eat and you hold the second one out to him.

"You'd better eat too." You urge, feeling guilty for stuffing your face while your saviour hadn't taken a bite.

Curtis shakes his head and smiles down at you. "I've eaten already. I was making sure you there was enough for you after you woke."

"Oh thanks."

Curtis raises his eyebrow. "Especially after your... restless night."

You blush hard, stammering out an apology.

"It's quite alright, Snowdrop. No need to apologise." Curtis settles beside you, watching you tear through your fish. "It's my duty to make sure you're well taken care of."

You almost spit the flesh all over him. "Your duty?"

Curtis nods and looks at little sheepish. "As your mate. You may not remember the conversation from last night since you were running on adrenaline."

You did but were half convinced it was a mixture of death defying hypothermia and your imagination. Clearly, he wasn't a merman but he was perhaps a weirdo living in an ice cave. Though, surviving this long in the uninhabitable plains was ny impossible...

"I, erm..." you swallow your fish meat thickly. You sit a little straighter. The last thing you want to do is piss him off, considering his size and stature you'd be easy to... well, do anything to. However, you can't resist blurting the question that's been bothering you since you woke up the first time this morning. "Do you have a tail? Sorry. I just remember seeing a tail and I think it was a fever dream."

Curtis blinks at you and chuckles. "Yes."

"I thought so - wait - excuse me?" You look dumbfounded and you're sure he's just messing with you.

Now Curtis looks as confused as you do. "All merfolk have tails?"

"Hoooookay," you say, your mind racing. So last night was not a dream or your brain playing tricks. Curtis purrs in response and you feel your skin prickle and when your eyes meet you can tell he thinks he's being cute.

"Hey," you snap, cheeks growing red as heats spreads from between your legs. "Don't do that. I have more questions."

"You didn't seem to mind it last night." Curtis says but bows his head to you. "But ask away."

"How long have you been out here? Where's your family? What-"

exactly are you?

You don't voice the rest of your question, thinking it a bit too rude, but Curtis doesn't seem to mind as he begins to tell you about his time out in the great frozen unknown.

He'd been left for about a year on his own. His family, what he called a pod, was a myriad of merfolk that gathered together as a family unit. According to Curtis, his pod had never truly settled like some merfolk had and spent most of their time travelling the sea in an almost continuous migration.

"With the ice melting, pollution and sea travel, it's been harder for us to keep hidden and find refuge." He explains, then fixes you with a funny look. "I don't know how it'll work with a mate like you."

"Stop calling me that." You chide softly, but it still makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. "So, what happened?"

"I decided that enough was enough. That we should settle as a unit, like we should have years ago." He grumbles and then shrugs. "We didn't know where to start or if it would be safe when we got stuck here. The cold water killed off many of the elderly. The children struggled to acclimatise and the leopard seals and some orca saw them as easy pickings. I sent them on the migration path early urging them to settle someplace. Myself and a few others volunteered to stay behind to keep them safe on the journey out of these waters."

The last part went unspoken but you could piece it together; Curtis had been the only one of the volunteers to survive. The cold must have had a hard time affecting that gigantic body of his.

"Well, surely you could find them again?" You press. "If you migrate every year and travel there has to be-"

"I wouldn't know where to begin." Curtis sighs dejectedly. "We have different routes. And with how dangerous the sea has become..." he shakes his head. "I made my choice to protect my pod when they left this place. I can only hope they found somewhere to settle."

His big blue eyes look at you, hoping for understanding and your heart aches for him. You place a small hand over his reassuringly and give him a smile.

"But what about you?" You say gently. "You can't stay out here. It's uninhabitable for a reason."

"I like the cold." Curtis huffs haughtily.

"Yeah well," you huff back. "Mate or not, I can't survive in those waters for more than fifteen minutes without thick insulated SCUBA gear. And without water or proper food, I would die within the week. Give me a beach in the Bahamas with a few cocktails and I'd be golden."

You give him a sideways glance and see him shift his hunkering form uncomfortably, knowing you were correct. Clearly the thought of abandoning his post made him uncomfortable, the mere thought of his pod returning and not finding him anxiety-inducing. You sigh through your nose, trying to think.

"We could go to the research outpost where I was stationed," you say slowly, watching his expression shift to unease. "Plenty of food and water and shelter."

Curtis harrumphs but then an idea swims from the depths of your brain amd you clap ypur hands together, startling Curtis as the sound reverberates around the cave. You turn to him beaming.

"We could find your pod." You say excitedly. Curtis' eyes narrow.

"I know you're right about going you don't need to manipulate me, Snowdrop." He grumbles, shoulders slumping. You scoot closer patting his thigh, still brimming with excitement.

"No we have maps, tech, SONAR-" Curtis' eyebrows raise as you speak. "We could map out where your travel paths are. We do it with orca and other animals all the time. If we do that we could narrow down the areas you visited most and where the pod would most likely settle."

Curtis eyes are sparkling by the time you've finished speaking and he's grinning at you almost madly. "So, I have a smart mate."

"Don't call me that." You snip quickly, but you're still smiling at him. "Do you know a way to get us to the out post safely? By foot?"

Curtis' face falls and his thick brows furrow with thought. "There aren't enough furs or food if we went by land." Curtis explains. "But there are no predators. Only the sun. We would starve to death or freeze long before we reach where I found you in the water."

He pauses and looks slightly apologetic as he continues. "But if I took you beneath the surface, the journey would be done in less than an hour. Less than a day if I take supplies with me."

You nod along thoughtfully. "I'm sensing there's a but?"

"But," Curtis sighs. "We would be crossing through leopard seal territory. Again. You could potentially drown, be injured or killed and that's before we're out of the water."

"I could go hypothermic." You finish and Curtis nods. "And you don't know how to get to the compound or how to work the equipment."

"But underwater is our best bet." Curtis says slowly. "But what if my pod comes back to find me?

"We could leave a message in the ice to head to the out post." You suggest. "Leave my contact information? We could always-" you can't believe you were saying this. "-Come back and update the messages if we don't locate them elsewhere."

Curtis looks visibly relieved. "We could?"

"Of course." You give him a reassuring smile. "My research is based out here anyway I could... try and bring you with me."

Curtis smirks. "I could always follow your boat."

"Right. Merman." You smile sheepishly. "I'd have a hard time explaining that to the other researchers, gotta make sure you don't get kidnapped by the men in black."

"No one could keep me from you." He says firmly, making a sweet rumbling sound that keeps you still as he kisses you adoringly. You can feel yourself literally swooning and it's almost laughable until Curtis pulls back, looking at you with a soft smile. "But I have to get everything ready for our journey."

You nibble at your fish, now cold after your chatter. The plan was that Curtis would make trips back and forth with the clothes and what little belongings he had, scouting the area first before taking you. That way, not only was the journey safer, but he could focus on moving faster with you in his arms and when you reached your destination, could wrap you in furs that would be dried in the sun.

You re-dress into your clothes from the night before, still a little damp in places and the piss yellow coat now had a smokey salt scent to it, and watch Curtis undress to jump into the ocean.

Your eyes trail his muscular legs, all the way to his torso and your face heats when you see he's been watching you oggle him for the past two minutes.

"If we survive the trip," he says, voice sultry as he ties a leather belt with a sheathed hatchet around his waist. "You can explore me all you like."

You bluster, about to argue back when he dives through the hole and vanishes for what feels like an age.

You shouldn't be attracted to a fish man. You chide yourself, pacing the ice cave to stay warm. The more you thought about Curtis, your circumstances of meeting, your research despite your current mate situation, the more you realised that regardless of being his mate (however that happened) you'd have been attracted to him anyway. And from what you'd seen and heard from myths and stories, you much preferred having a hunk of a mermaid than some terrifying sea creature that wanted to eat you for dinner. You shudder, remembering the leopard seal. At least you'd have Curtis for protection.

After what felt like an age, Curtis' head pops out of the hole in the ice.

"Bad news." He pants. "The ice floes have moved. It may take longer than anticipated to reach your out post."

"Shit," you hiss, passing him his few belongings wrapped tightly in a fur. "How much longer?"

Curtis shakes his head, taking the fur parcel from you. "Perhaps a few minutes? The good news is that I can't see or hear any sea leopards."

You sigh with relief. "Okay. Phew."

You give him a short smile and he rises higher out of the water to catch your lips in a wet kiss that leaves you a little lightheaded and you murmur out a quick "be careful" as he disappears below the surface of the dark water.

The second time he returns, he's a lot faster. He gives you a once over, trying to give you a reassuring smile when he sees your worried expression.

"You ready?"

You nod, breathing quickly, trying to steel yourself.

"I'll be with you." He affirms. "I'll keep you close and take you to the surface as soon as I can."

You look down at him, fear and cold making you shake but you manage a smile when you see his soft features look at you with such affection and brace as you slide into the water.

Sliding into the water was a lot more difficult than being pulled in. Even with your layers the icy water still penetrated to your skin and the darkness that enveloped you made your heart jumps erratically. Thankfully, the hulking mass that was Curtis was there to hold you as you took one final gulp of air and dipped under the surface.

He moved fast. Now that you weren't actively drawing, you could feel the pressure of speed from the beat of his tail against your body and in mere seconds you were breaking the surface, bobbing together in the freezing open ocean.

The sun, as always, was high and bright and you had to squint as the snow and eyes glittered back into your retinas.

"Okay?" Curtis asks nudging your cheek.

"Yeah. Let's keep going." You nod with a smile, taking another deep breath as Curtis ducked back under, following the route he'd mapped as quickly as he could.

Maybe it was because he was enjoying how close you were - or that he was so focused on his mission to get to the outpost that he didn't notice the leopard seal barrelling towards him from the depths.

When he did notice, it was too late to move out of the way but Curtis turned his shoulder, wrapping his arms to protect your head as the sharp canines of the leopard seal sank into his flesh and you squeaked in terror.

Curtis cried out and glowered into the black eyes of the seal as it challenged him to move.

"Fucker," Curtis' voice echoed viciously through the water. "You were watching this whole time."

Your brain was racing, you couldn't open your eyes but you needed to breathe. Curtis was stuck in a catch twenty two. If he released you to the surface, the leopard seal would release him to chase you as the easier target and, being injured, Curtis would struggle to keep pace. Even if he managed to keep the seal occupied, you weren't able to reach the outpost on your own besides the fact that another seal could potentially be nearby. Although they hunt in pairs often, it didn't mean they never did.

The other option was to fight off the seal here and now. But by doing that, you could run out of air and drown in his grip before he could reach the surface.

Curtis growled, and you could feel the anger and anxiety reverberate through your soul. You pat Curtis' side blindly with a loud snarl of the seal so close to your face and a grunt from Curtis as he keeps the seal at his shoulder. Your eyes are squeezed closed and the lightheaded dizziness from the lack of oxygen is making it hard to focus but you find the hilt of the hatchet, tearing it free from it's confines and jamming it into the snout of the seal as hard as you could.

The seal releases Curtis' shoulder with a sickening shrill, and Curtis tears through the water, upwards closer to the surface for you to breathe. He half throws you onto his back and you pretzel your legs around his waist, your arms wrapping around his neck as he takes off again. It happens so fast that you barely comprehend it, your body producing a fierce amount of adrenaline that you can't feel the cold anymore.

"Well done back there!" Curtis shouts to you, pride clear in his voice and your heart swells, but it's shortlived when you hear a trill from behind you. The leopard seal had given chase; clearly not happy about missing out on dinner and second time. "We're close, don't worry."

You burst from the water first, grateful for once to see a wide open plain of snow and the distant outline of the outpost. You roll off Curtis' back and go to pull him up but his hands claw at the ice as he yells out, his tail splashing angrily in the water.

He goes to clamber out again, when the seal knocks into his side and back down under the water.

"CURTIS!" You shriek, falling to your hands and knees at the water's edge. You search the surface and can't see a thing, panick brewing as you try to think of how to rescue him. You're no mermaid. You're lucky if you get away with no hypothermia a second time.

You clutch the hatchet with white knuckles and then an idea.

"Bring it to the surface!" You call out to the ocean, hoping Curtis hears you. "Bring it close!"

So much for leaving the animals alone.

Moments later Curtis appears again, maw of the leopard seal snapping furiously at his face with a Cheshire Cat like grin. Until you swing the hatchet into it's back.

It wails, it's head turning to you as you reel back with the hatchet in hand, raising it in threat again and-

It stops. It growls lowly but stops fighting Curtis and looks directly at you, considering you almost thoughtfully before moving off Curtis entirely and disappearing under the ice floe.

Both you and Curtis wait a few moments more, just in case it returned, but when you begin to shiver Curtis heaves himself out of the water with a groan, collapsing into the snow. Blood oozes from the wound, slowed from the cold, but you take great effort in tugging him away from the water's edge with his good arm.

You look over his shoulder wound hurriedly, they're deep but nothing that wouldn't heal. However, his tail and side have some pretty nasty scratches and bites too.

"We have a first aid kit at the out post." You tell him, lifting his torso steadily into a seated position so you could wrap him in a fur that he'd left. As you look up out to the sea, you can see the head of the leopard seal watching you both with a managing gaze.

You shiver. "Come on, let's go."

Curtis grunts you see his tail shimmer and in one blink it's gone, replaced by two tree trunks for legs. Questions for later.

Gathering your few supplies you both clamber on and slowly make your way to the out post in shuddering silence, focusing only on conserving your energy until you get to the outpost.

End of Part 1

A/N: That's part 1 folks 😵‍💫😭 I had to cut it here because even though I'd written it... turns out the other creaure I wanted to add doesn't even live in the antarctic (and I hate to say this but I found out from a tumblr post that the artic inst a shortened name for the Antarctic and if you look up the difference you can probably guess what animal it was and i feel so stupid lmao). This took so much longer than anticipated honestly. But the good news is part 2 gets to be re-worked a little and hopefully won't take as long. Though I don't know if I want to do a one shot for the next one (it's either Lloyd or Steve) and then continue the series as it was posted (Ari, Jake then Curtis)...

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Curtis listened intently from his place perched at the kitchen island. You had closed the latch gently. You were trying to surprise him. Well, either that, or you just wanted silence, but he heard no sign of sniffles. So no crying, but who’s to say you weren’t just angry, void of sorrow. No. If you had been angry, the door would’ve been slammed.

There it was, Curtis made his decision and grabbed one of the cake boxes off of the counter, tucking it on the chair next to him. He grabbed the small party popper, preparing it for you to cross the threshold.

Just before he expected to see you, he heard your footsteps stop abruptly right outside the frame of the entry to the kitchen. You took a deep breath before throwing down your bag and jumping out to where you had expected to see your boyfriend.

As you landed on the hardwood floors with your arms out, it emanated from you in almost a scream, full of excitement. “I got the job!”

Before you could register it, a loud pop reached your ears and confetti fell over your face. You laughed and closed your eyes, reveling in the moment, before running over to meet Curtis just as he slid off the stool. He picked you up in a tight embrace, taking a step away from the counter and spinning you around. He sat you back down and held you there for a second, his broad shoulders shielding you from the world, holding in all the happiness between you.

Curtis tucked his head into your neck, nose nuzzled against your hair, taking a deep inhale of what he had missed and been eager to hold all day. “I knew you’d get it, Tiger.”

He let you go finally, his large hands giving your shoulders a squeeze, then tracing down your arms to reach your hands before pulling you in for a kiss. “I’ve got something for you.”

Curtis moved the stools out of the way so he could guide you to the counter, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind and perching his chin on your shoulder. You felt him nod in reference against your ear to the pink cake box sitting there, staring back at you. “Open it.”

You pulled on the ribbon that held it closed before flipping open the lid. You were greeted by a…cake? It didn’t look like much of one, more lumpy than flat, with icing smeared over the top, decorated with scrawled red letters. Curtis had definitely made this himself, and you couldn’t have been more happy with the gesture, both of you having stepped outside your comfort zones today. Until you attempted to read the words on top:

“Old white men can shove it?”

You looked over your shoulder at Curtis, his eyes wide and staring straight ahead. Well, more like to the side, at one of the stools he had moved. You followed his line of sight, finding an identical pink box at the end of it. Your body instantly shook with laughter against his tight hold as you leaned in his grasp to grab the box.

“Curtis, did you make two cakes?” You placed the cardboard down on the counter, feeling the way he hid himself in your neck again, this time in embarrassment as you could feel the warmth grow in his cheeks.

He sighed, debating whether or not to answer you truthfully, but there was no use in denying what was directly in front of both of you. “Yeah, but I promise I really had no doubts you’d get the job. You just never know, though. It wouldn’t have been on you, it would’ve been on those old white men that need to retire instead of turning down every good candidate in front of them.”

You smiled and rolled your eyes. He essentially pulled the words out of your mouth regarding how you had told him you felt about all those hiring managers and executives that ran things in their ivory towers. You lifted the lid of the second box to see decorations placed with much more care.

“Congratulations, Tiger. I’m proud of you.”

You swear you could’ve melted right there. You turned around and placed your hands on his cheeks, leaning in for another kiss. “Thank you. I love it.”

The later part of the evening found the two of you laying on the couch, box between you with the non-celebratory cake half gone. The other cake was to be saved for tomorrow, as your parents said they’d be visiting for a congratulatory dinner with you and Curtis.

Bites were taken here and there as the two of you nearly drifted off to the evening news. Curtis stirred on the cushion, pulling your feet off his lap to lean forward and place the box on the coffee table, not before swiping icing off and booping it onto your nose.

Your eyes shot open at the betrayal as you gasped, realizing what had happened. Curtis let out a giggle as he leaned back quickly, evading your swiping grasp. You scrambled to get up as he was already making his way down the hall, running for you to chase.

“Curtis! I’m gonna get you!” Your socked feet slipped on the floor as your ran after him, almost catching up as he rushed into the bedroom. Before he could close the door, you shoved a leg in and squeezed through the entrance. He made an attempt to move to the other side of the room, found to be unsuccessful as you jumped and tackled him onto the bed, mattress bouncing with the impact. His minor struggle ended up with him on his back beneath you, you straddling his narrow hips, and your hands pinning his arms above his head into the comforter.

“Gotcha.” You spoke in a taunting tone. “Now get this icing off my face so you and I can enjoy the rest of our night together.”

Curtis looked up at you with something between a smirk and a grin. “Gladly, Sweetheart.”

He leaned up and licked the icing off the tip of your nose, moving down to kiss you briefly with the sweet taste on his lips, then pulling away, his previously mischievous face beginning to soften, but not fully yet. “Now that you’re all cleaned up, what was that you said about the plans for the rest of the night?”

Curtis wrapped a leg around one of yours for leverage, flipping the two of you over so you were now pinned beneath him in the same position. Your breath hitched at the feeling of him overtop of you, looking down at your face, sharing a smile as he pressed his growing bulge against you.

“Have I told you how proud I am of you?” It came out almost as a whisper as he lowered himself to nose against your neck, pressing kisses sporadically.

You hummed, throwing your head back to give him more room. “Maybe. I think you might need to tell me again, though. I’m not sure if I caught it earlier.”

Curtis laughed against your skin, one hand remaining over yours, the other gently tracing up your side, pushing up your shirt with it. The feeling of his callused fingertips against your soft skin sent shivers through your body, paired with the tingles from him moving down to kiss the newly exposed skin. “Apologies sweet girl, let me show you how proud I am.”

He released your hands to hook his fingers under your pants, pulling them down to fully expose your lower half, leaving your arms free to remove your shirt, bra long gone since shortly after you had entered your home.

Curtis kissed up one leg to the juncture of your thighs, switching to the other and doing the same before opening your legs more and pressing a featherlight kiss to your core. You did your best to keep your head up, holding his gaze as he savored your body.

“I’ll never stop, until the end of time, telling you how amazing you are. And how lucky I am to be with a talented, driven, fierce woman.” Small licks against your clit punctuated every adjective and you couldn’t help the way you shuddered under the praise and the sensation.

Before Curtis could dive into your pleasure, though, you placed a hand on his jaw, pulling his face up to yours. Your hands traced down his hips, running under his shirt and feeling his firm abs before tucking into his waistband and pushing for him to take off his sweatpants and underwear. His eyelashes fluttered against you, his body wearing too much clothing overtop of your naked one.

“Please. Please, Curtis. I just want to feel you.” It was breathed into the warm, thick air you shared. Curtis wordlessly nodded, quickly undressing as you shifted fully onto the bed. As he crawled over you, you traced your nails against the tattoos and chest hair that decorated his gorgeous chest.

Curtis grabbed your leg, hooking it against his waist, sinking down for another kiss, sloppy with love and admiration. One hand held the side of your head, thumb stroking your cheek, as the other reached down to perch him at your entrance, already glistening with arousal for the man who treated you like the most precious thing in the universe.

Curtis’s reverent eyes shifted between yours and your entrance as you nodded and whined to him. He slowly pushed in the tip, the stretch of your entrance welcoming him home rewarding your ears with his deep groan as your arms flung around his back, grasping for a hold as you transcended from this plane of existence.

Your bodies fit perfectly together as he continued to slowly slip in, inch by inch, without the normal preparation, bringing only wholeness. As his hips finally became flush with yours, the both of you sighed with relief at the deepest connection.

Curtis began to pull out, thrusting back in with just as much tender care, reaching a slow, amatory rhythm. His eyes still never left yours, the only thing in the world being what was in your line of sight. His hips continued to roll against you as he spoke against your lips. “I’m so, so proud of you. Always have been. Always will be.”

You expected to feel the weight of the day crash over you, all the stress you had gone through catching up past the excitement, but instead, it hit Curtis’s back and rolled off, shielding you from all possible worries and creating a bubble of warmth. At the thought of all the instances where he showed his regard for you, you felt wetness pour over your cheeks, swiped and kissed away by Curtis as he cooed at you.

There are only a few times where Curtis has made you cry during sex, all of them from when he treats you with care, reverently cradling your body and showing his love through slow, firm movements. Pulling you under as the emotions overflow through your eyes, manifesting as tears that hold a weight worth worlds of the gracious product of his veneration.

“I know, I know, sweet thing. You’re doing so well. You always do. You’re so incredible.” His praise and the sheer love of the moment was pushing you towards the edge, constituents stacking up. Curtis moved his thumb down to your clit, rubbing steadily in tandem with his thrusts, causing your cup to spill over as your entire being shook. You clenched against him, body contracting in on itself as you tucked your forehead against his chest. Curtis stroked your hair, holding you close to him as he came with you, shooting ropes of his release within your fluttering walls, further bonding the two of you in your ecosystem of intimacy and affection.

He held you closely as the two of you caught your breaths, before flipping over. You sunk into him as he remained inside of you, the both of you feeling sleepy with satisfaction. Curtis rubbed circles against your back, peppering kisses against your shoulders and hairline, speaking against your sweat-laced brow. “You’re phenomenal. And I’ll do whatever I have to, to prove that to you, forever and ever.”

Squeezing your lids shut in poor attempt to shield the hefty pain of your pulsating lungs, Adrenaline Has a restrictions which is boundary that can't be crossed and you have far Past that limit the legs once racing slow almost to a halt as you stumble over the rocky dirt.

Head hitting against the large tree behind your form as you backtrack observing the surroundings watching for a safe path that wouldn't stun you but the search is over quick, cowering into the tree you look up for a possibly climbing point but the branches thin and weak unable to hold body wait still you claw and scrap against the tree with your nails.

Seconds pass as you skid down the bark of the tree, facing a pack that smell the intense fear as liquid drips down the crusts of their lips slowly legs pace towards your form.

You yell out in attempt to scare them off but you know that these can smell the fear radiating off of you, clenching your eyes as tears fill your vision hearing the sound of feet leaping off of the ground, holding your arms to protect yourself in a frenzie.

Hearing a sharp whimper and squelch, Your eyes jump open hearing the loud Roar of a animal looking up to see the back of some sort of cheetah, Leopard looking between the legs of the animal to see the remainder of the hungry beasts retreating but the animal that has saved your life just might be the one to end you.

It turns towards the covering female, the beast looking down upon as it slowly approaches with your last breath you attempt to scream but throat hoarse and raw slowly almost face to face its face beginning to contort and a soften soon enough changing into the face and body of a young man, and the bare body of one too.

He smiles which then switches to a face of pure awe, slowly becoming barely a few centimeters away.

"STOP, GET BACK"

 You yell out shifting back, wincing in pain at the sprained ankle the Leopard man thing? Stares at you with awe almost as if stars had shot themselves directly in. He bows down taking a small whiff of your chest taking in the scent through your shirt, pushing him back you cover yourself with your hands.

"Female, are you okay?"

He enthusiastic blurts out holding onto your hand helping you up to your feet, leaning your back onto the tree that sits behind you, you look up at him still quite suspicious and anxious of him.

"I...I think I'm okay, i don't know okay!"

You mumble your words out, does he even care? You shake your head holding your hand up towards your agape mouth in thought, my mind racing of what to say what would I do? Your mind constantly looking for a solution and a reason for your appearance in this world.

"Hm...good"

He calls out letting out a small smirk as he stares down at you.

"Hi, im Parker a male from the leopard clan"

You jump at his voice your mind too out of thought, you looking at him fumbling on what to say, what could you say? What would you come up with?

"Your pretty possibly from the fox clan?, but you have no ears"

He says looking deep into the pits of your eyes, his lukewarm breath onto the soft of your right cheek face.

You look at him confused, clan?..is he referring to my specie, or is he talking about the type of people I surround myself what exactly does he mean.

"Im..a human?..I don't know what type of clan you mean.."

You ramble biting your lip in pure contemplation, what exactly else could you say?, 'Yeah I'm a human i don't know where I am', makes you feel as if you should have just said it instead of partially lying?...

"Hmmm..never heard of human before, you can join the leopard clan you are a female and I did find you so your mine!"

He yells out his voice energetic and hyper, almost too excited considering the situation..

"Come on ill bring you back to my tribe"

You see the familiar Pattern of fur began to form as his body contorts and forms hearing the shifting of bones as thethe familiar face of the leopard begin to form the beady eyes staring right at you. He signals for you to climb onto his furry back, you contemplate the sacres options out in the wilderness where those wolves may return for their dead pack mate or take it with the leopard.

Neither choice was bright but the leopard was more conscious and could help you possibly return or atleast get you Attended to as you soothe the pain of your strained ankle, slowly you climb onto his back attempting to get comfortable as he beings to sprint off.

You look out in the sky hoping for the eventual return to your original world to your home  and family, your friends and colleagues but you know its not that easy, tears of anger prick at your eyes vowing to get revenge on the man who ended your life and discover whoever brought you to this place and give them a piece of your mind, leaving you with nothing but the pain of ache in your heart and a new world your forced to discover.

.

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I'm not the best at writing so if this isn't that good or is lack luster i have very little experience in writing, If you have any suggestions for characters to add feel free to say.

“So she’s fucking smarter than all of you.” This was ridiculous, goddamn morons who worked for him outsmarted by an Omega in less than 24 hours. “Do you know how much money tonight is gonna cost me? Roberts’ company has been bringing in over 2 million a year for us for their retreats and because of your fuck up he almost died. I’m gonna have to let that meathead fuck me so he doesn’t pull his business and report us like he’s threatening to. Or maybe I’ll just let him fuck you, idiot.”

You didn’t know how long you’d been clinging to the tree, but it must have been hours, the lights that they’d set up showing the ridiculous number of Alphas that were milling around the trunk. Almost every single new one that showed up had tried to command you down, to no avail, and they seemed to get angrier each time it didn’t work. Maybe you should’ve come down, it’s not like there was any way you would be able to make a run for it now, but you also had no idea what was waiting for you once your feet touched the earth, since they all seemed so furious. So waiting until you were able to get some assurances about your safety seemed like a good bet.

Something smacked into the bark near your face and you yelped, cursing when you saw it was some sort of dart before keening and screwing your eyes closed when another one whizzed past your head.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” That voice was new, deeper than anything you’d ever heard and making you shiver when you pried your eyes open. “You gonna catch her if she falls or you just trying to kill one of my investments? Gimme that!”

You spotted the Alpha that had greeted you when you woke up first, but then your eyes were drawn to the largest Alpha you’d seen in your life. He was screaming obscenities at the Alphas who had been staring at you for hours, making them all look thoroughly cowed before he finally turned his attention to you. So, this was definitely the man in charge.

“Hi there, sweetheart.” You could tell he was trying to make his voice a soothing rumble, but you just rolled your eyes at him. “You’ve been up there for quite a while, planning on coming down anytime soon?”

“Don’t see why I would.” You adjusted your position and stretched your ankle as best you could when it started to ache again, staring down at him and squinting as you tried to get a read on his facial expression. “Your boys aren’t too happy with me, I don’t exactly trust them to not take out their anger.”

“Yeah, well they get all put out when they’re surprised, and you’re very surprising.” It seemed like he might have been smiling, but you were too far up to tell. “I’m guessing if I commanded you down it wouldn’t work?”

“You’re welcome to try.” You could finally feel your adrenaline starting to go down and exhaustion setting in.

“Alright. Come down now, Omega.” Fuck, you must have been more tired than you thought, something in your hindbrain tugging at you just a bit until you got yourself back under control, growling when you heard his rich laugh drift up through the trees. “Goddamn, aren’t you interesting. I do need you to come down, though.”

“Why should I?” You didn’t like the fact that you couldn’t get a better read on this dude.

“Huh, Baizen! Bring me a fucking chainsaw!” Shit, this asshole wasn’t playing, you may have overplayed your hand. “This is fun and all, sweetheart, but I have other shit I need to do. You come down on your own before that chainsaw gets here, it’ll be a little easier for you. But I have no problem bringing down this tree with you in it. Probably make you easier to catch during the next hunt if you have a broken leg.”

When he slammed his fist into the tree the whole thing shook, your breath catching while you gripped the branch you were settled on and cursed to yourself. It only took you a second to make your decision, huffing out a frustrated breath before starting to make your way towards the ground. You were just going to have to start biding your time again.

Your tongue felt too thick for your mouth when your feet were on solid earth again and you could finally take in the Alpha who was in charge. He was even bigger up close, towering over you once he stood in front of you with his arms crossed over his broad chest as he gave you a curious look. There was no way you’d be able to overpower him even if you caught him off guard, you didn’t even think you could reach his head.

“That’s a good girl, you’re driving back with me.” Curtis ignored your frown and grabbed your arm, pulling you towards his ATV and gripping your chin so he could look you in the eyes before sitting you in front of him. “Are you going to behave?”

“Yes.” Your scowl grew deeper when he just chuckled at the petulance in your voice, letting him cage you in with his enormous body before he started to pull out. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what’s going on.”

“Have you not figured it out? I thought you were a clever thing.” Curtis couldn’t keep himself from inhaling your scent in when the wind blew it back into his face, juniper berries and eucalyptus and freshly fallen snow, it was the most refreshing scent he’d ever breathed from an Omega. “You know it’s a hunt, I’m not gonna tell you where you are, so don’t bother asking.”

“Fine.” You huddled in on yourself to keep from leaning back against his chest, wishing he could see the displeasure on your face.

You didn’t know how you should feel that he wasn’t bothering to hide the way back to the compound from you, trying not to balk when he parked the ATV and started dragging you inside. It was so much bigger than you thought it was going to be, making you very worried about the size of this operation and your ability to escape. Plus, there was the way this man was currently almost pulling you off your feet seemingly without even realizing it.

“Why don’t you just let me go?” You winced when he just snorted at you, trying to wriggle out of his grip when he reached the door that must be to your room and started punching in the code. “I won’t tell, no one would believe me, anyway. I’m not gonna make you any money, who would want an Omega won’t do what they say?”

“Oh sweetheart, that would be a horrible business decision.” He got the door open and shoved you onto the bed, coming to stand in front of you and making the room seem even smaller once he shut the door behind him. “You are underestimating the value people, especially rich bastards, place on rarity. And you are incredibly rare. Both your parents were Alphas, right?”

“Yes.” Shit, this was not going to be good for you.

“That’s what I thought. Mine were too.” Well that explained… everything about him. No wonder he was huge. “But you’ve got that nifty little mutation that makes you immune to commands, and I gotta be honest, honey, that’s just gonna make them want to break you even more. And pay me a shitload of money for the privilege of trying.”

“No, they don’t want me.” You felt yourself starting to get angry when he just snorted and rolled his eyes at you, your fists clenching at your sides while the urge to fight rose in you. “I’ll kill any of them who try to bond me, what about your money then?”

“You’ll try to buck them off, but that’s just gonna make them even more eager, they’re stupid like that.” Curtis’s grin was wicked when you bared your teeth at him, fighting the urge to make you submit himself. “Especially when word gets out about you, those rich idiots are gonna be lining up to get the chance to break you, little filly.”

“Fuck you.” He just laughed harder at you, giving you a mocking pout when he saw the angry tears welling in your eyes. “There’s gonna be people looking for me…”

“Who? That beta whose cock you were sucking on the regular?” The way you cringed at that made him laugh. “Baby, who do you think sold you to us?”

“N-no.” Your shoulders slumped when he just kept nodding at you, the thought that someone might be able to track you down was your last shred of hope. “Mike loves me.”

“Mike loves smack, honey, and he doesn’t have the means to pay for his habit.” God, he wanted to lick the tears that were falling down your cheeks, this was turning into a good day after all. “Owed so much money his only option was making me a beneficiary on his life insurance or giving me an Omega no one would miss, and you were right there and had the added benefit of only ever indulging in oral.”

“Get out.” You cringed when he knelt in front of you and caged you in close, whining when he grabbed your jaw with one massive hand and squished your cheeks between his fingers. “I’m gonna kill every single stupid fratboy Alpha you send after me.”

“Mmm, my stubborn little filly.” He beamed when you hissed at him after he pecked you on the nose, shaking your head demeaningly then lightly slapping your face when he stood up. “You keep that attitude up, honey, every time you get that sass going I just see dollar signs.”

You screamed with frustration and turned to bury your head in the pillow once he was gone, curling your body in on itself as you started sobbing. You could still make it out, you had too, but first you were going to cry yourself to sleep before you tried to work on your plan.

“Why aren’t you taking care of this yourself?” Curtis growled at Bryce as he strode after him down the hall towards your room, more than slightly annoyed that he had been interrupted from lining up an incredible number of whales who wanted to bid on the chance to hunt you down and bond you. “I have shit I need to be doing.”

“She almost took Carter’s eye out last time we tried.” Bryce was already starting to get sick of the shitshow keeping you around was stirring up. “If you would let us sedate her…”

“I don’t want that shit building up in her system and affecting the chase.” He snarled when he got a look at Baizen holding an ice pack to his face, ripping the door open once Bryce put in the code before shooting him another glare over his shoulder. “Bunch of pussies… shit!”

He ducked when a cup sailed past his head then whipped around to face you, shooting out an arm to grab you when you tried to dash past him before lifting you off the ground as you flailed wildly and screamed curses at him. You seemed to grow even more furious when he just laughed at you, managing to drive your knee into his side before he got you pinned to the bed with his knees on your wrists.

“Motherfucker, get off!” You let out a sharp cry when his palm landed harshly on your cheek, snapping your head to the side and making warm pain spread across your skin as he started ignoring you.

“Glad to see you’ve still got that fight in you… hey!” Curtis chuckled when you got an arm free and tried to scratch him, yanking your arm over your head until you screamed in pain as he watched your face, bellowing out the door while you kept bucking underneath him. “Which one of you idiots left the tray in here? Clean up this fucking mess and bring me more food! Jesus, filly, if you’re this wild in the sack I’m gonna end up a billionaire.”

“Fuck you!” You didn’t think he was even putting any effort into keeping you pinned, no sign of strain in his muscles or sweat on his skin as he didn’t even bother looking at you when they brought another tray in. “I have a name, shitbag!”

“Yeah? Well I don’t give a fuck.” He grunted when he moved the arm you’d gotten free to pin under his knee again, grabbing your jaw and yanking it open when he grabbed a spoonful of soup and frowned at you. “I don’t want you inhaling this and getting pneumonia, so you can either chew and swallow like a good girl, or I’ll blend the whole thing up and shove a tube down your throat. I also have zero qualms about breaking any bone in your body that won’t affect your ability to run, so you should keep that in mind.”

“Bastard.” You stilled your movements and glared at him when he held the spoon up to your lips, chewing dutifully when he slammed your mouth closed and kept it shut until you swallowed.

“I know, filly, I’m such a horrible, mean man.” He yanked your jaw open again and shoved in another spoonful as he cooed demeaningly at you. “Feeding you and clothing you. Wanting you to be nice and strong so you can outrun those meatheads like you promised me you would. Swallow.” Curtis kept putting spoonful after spoonful into your mouth like you were a fucking toddler, and making insulting little noises every time you got a sullen look on your face. “Plus, we’ve got a pool going now. How many weeks you’re gonna last before some jacked up finance bro manages to take you down. All these idiots seem to think it’s two max, but I think you can go all the way, filly. Look at that, all done! What a good girl you are.”

“Shut the fuck up.” You hated him, hated his face and his blue eyes and the way the scent of pine and mountain lakes and bonfires seemed to completely overwhelm your senses whenever he was around. “I did what you wanted, now leave me alone.”

“Nu-uh, we’re not done yet.” Curtis rolled his eyes when you started trying to writhe out of his grip again once Bryce handed him a pair of soft green panties. “You know the deal, filly, they’ve gotta be able to track you. Shit! Oh you little bitch!” You’d managed to bite him when he took his focus off you for just a second, your look of triumph fading as soon as he dragged both your arms over your head and held them in one giant fist while his other hand yanked your thighs apart so he could kneel on them. “And I was gonna make it nice for you. That was so fucking stupid.”

He ignored your whined protests when he ripped your shift open down the middle, not bothering to send his subordinates out of the room when you were completely bare and spread open as he gave your body an appreciative gaze. You hated that you were wet already, but it wasn’t like you could help it when you were surrounded by Alphas and one of them, the fucking super-Alpha, was forcing you to submit physically.

“Look at that, she-it.” Curtis dragged his thick thumb over your slit and laughed when your body jolted and leaked even more slick all over him, spreading your petals apart so he could see all of you. “That’s a fucking million dollar pussy right there, boys, feel like maybe we should get a before shot. No time for that though, so…”

You were completely unprepared for him to shove the panties inside you, sobbing and shaking and trying to wriggle away as his fingers prodded at your insides viciously until just a small amount of lace was peeking out of your swollen cunt. Then he smacked your pussy and everything went white, a wild shriek ripping from your throat when he kept slapping you right on your already sensitive clit. And it wasn’t like they were those soft, teasing smacks that could feel kinda nice in the right situation. It was like your pussy had personally offended him in some way, the abuse making an absurd amount of juice gush out of you until it was soaking through the sheets.

“Oh yeah, that’s fucking it, just look at that shit.” Curtis was ignoring how fucking hard your screams and moans were making him, groaning when he brought he brought his hand up to his face to lick some of your slick off his fingers before he started smacking you again. “C’mon, filly, you want me to stop, you have to come. And you’d better fucking beg me for it.”

It was taking all your willpower to not give into him, your teeth grinding together as you screwed your eyes closed and fought against the coil that was winding violently tight in your gut. But then he smacked your tits and then your face without warning, and you could feel your resolve starting to crack.

“Just fucking do it, beg me like a good little bitch, you know you want to.” The timbre of Curtis’s voice dropped until only you could hear him, a sinister grin splitting his face as he gazed down at you and suddenly switched to gently petting your pussy in slow strokes that made you whine. “So stubborn, now you’re my special project, filly, since none of these pussies can handle you. You be good for me now and make it through the night and I promise it’ll go so much easier for you. I’ll come feed you myself, I’ll take you on nice little walks every day so you’re not stuck inside, I’ll come and give you nice warm baths and wash your hair so you always feel pretty and soft. And every week when it’s time for the hunt, I’ll come and treat this little pussy so sweet while you sit in my lap until you cream your panties like my good girl so whichever idiot wins the bid can try to track you and make you his. And all you have to do right now is just beg me.”

“Fuck!” You shrieked when he switched back to slapping your pussy, hissing when you ripped your eyes open and glared at him before they rolled back in your skull while your thighs started trembling. “Please, oh please, god! Make me come, just make me fucking come, I’ll do whatever you want!”

“That’s a good, pretty girl.” Curtis started rubbing your clit in harsh circles and growled when you wailed and your cum squirted out of you in a rush, basking in the sound of every other Alpha in the room rumbling when the scent of your release settled around them like a blissful haze while you kept spasming violently and crying. “Gonna get you a nice big room, my filly needs her own stable.” Your scent got even more intense when he pulled the panties out of you, the fabric completely soaked through and your pussy swollen and warm and absolutely ruined in the most beautiful way. “Can’t believe none of you idiots know how to break a bitch, fucking ridiculous, take these.” He thrust the panties into Bryce’s hand when he walked towards the door, sucking your juice off his fingers and humming to himself as he watched you panting and sagging into your mattress while you gave him a dazed look. “Get her a new shift but keep the mess all over her, it’ll make her easier to track and make those idiots think they have an extra edge. Make sure she has some water too before it’s go time. And move her into the empty room in the lodge, want her close.”

“What if she gets claimed?” Bryce was giving Curtis a wary look as his gaze flicked between him and you, shrugging when the larger Alpha snarled at him.

“By one of these Wall Street jackasses?” Curtis snorted at the thought, you might actually end up killing one of them. “Unlikely. And let’s try breaking out the drones tonight, wanna watch my girl in action.”

“Alright fuckers, that’s enough pregaming, it’s time for the draw!” Curtis managed to keep the grin on his face when the roomful of Alphas started whooping and stripping down to just their jeans or sweatpants, even though he just wanted to roll his eyes at them and their glamour muscles. “We all know what the grand prize is, a chance to break in and claim our little filly who just doesn’t want to wear a saddle. She’s running out there right now with all the rest of them, and she is pissed. Who’s first?”

He leaned on the wall and took a sip of bourbon as he watched one of the Betas they kept on payroll start circulating with the grab bag, his nose twitching as he tried to catch a whiff of your scent each time one of them pulled out a pair of ruined panties. There were laughs and jokes about regret each time they weren’t yours, until finally one of them drew out green lace and they all growled. Holy shit, was your scent strong, even though they had already started to slip from the lighthearted revelry to their tracking stances, as soon as your scent hit them they almost went feral. The blonde who had pulled you had to snap at a few of them who tried to get too close, Curtis glad yours had come towards the end or he might have had a full blown fight on his hands.

As soon as he gave the word they were off like a shot, their howls echoing off the sides of the lodge as they disappeared into the thick woods. Curtis sank into one of the lounges in front of the wall of monitors with his bourbon, his eyes raking over the screens that were relaying the footage from the drones until he finally found you.

He barely registered the other Omegas getting brought down and claimed one by one, his eyes glued to you as you crouched in the small blind you’d managed to construct for yourself and kept absolutely still. You really were a clever girl, staying in one place and keeping from leaving a trail for the dumbass who won out to track you. If no one managed to stumble on you, you could probably last the whole night without even breaking a sweat. Damn if none of these bastards deserved you.

The twats who managed to track their quarry and get their dicks wet started filtering back to the lodge, all of them looking incredibly pleased with themselves as they kept groping the sobbing Omegas they’d dragged back with them. None of those whiny things were going home with a mate tonight, New York assholes just wanted a fun bro weekend before they went back to their bachelor pads, jackasses. Curtis hated that he had to cater to the noncommittal bastards, but that was the business, even if he thoroughly believed once you bonded an Omega they were yours for life.

He was ignoring them now though, tuning out their celebratory whoops and the clanking of glasses while he leaned forward a little in his seat when he saw the blonde bitch who pulled you had managed to stumble into the quadrant you were holed up in. Everyone quieted down when they saw you stiffen on the screen, and Curtis knew you must have caught the idiot’s scent.

“Looks like you’re gonna lose your bet already, boss.” Bryce sure hoped so, he was already sick of dealing with you. “Don’t think she can outrun him.”

“We’ll see.” Curtis rested his elbows on his knees and dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. “Wanna double down?”

He snorted when Bryce just gave him a nod and a wicked grin, moving his eyes back to the screen and smiling to himself when he saw you straighten up as you tried to gauge the Alpha’s location. Then you bolted suddenly, the Alpha dashing across the screen just seconds after you and making Curtis hold his breath.

You were fucking quick, he had to give that to you, and you seemed to have a better read on your surroundings this time, changing direction on a dime instead of booking it int a straight line. But he was still gaining on you, getting closer and closer and Curtis sure hoped you were prepared to fight the bastard off.

He was within maybe thirty feet of you when you turned again, this time charging straight at him and making him fall back on his heels. Curtis grinned when you ducked to pick something off the forest floor, everyone in the room groaning sympathetically when you cracked whatever it was against the Alpha’s head and then jabbed it into his stomach.

“Pay me my fucking money, Langley!” He couldn’t get enough of the sour look on the other men’s face when he slapped the bills into his open palm, giving him a pleased smirk before turning back to watch you stand over the collapsed Alpha for a beat then taking off again. “Get the medics to go pick him up. I’m gonna get the ATV, looks like she’s trying to make it to the road again.”

You heard the ATV engine after you’d been running for fifteen minutes, your breath burning your lungs and your muscles screaming as you kept sprinting desperately. Then he pulled in front of you suddenly and you almost ran right into the vehicle, letting out a defeated sob and collapsing when he just gave you that grin that made you want to spit in his eye.

“There’s my good girl.” He knelt in front of you as you kept crying, tutting when you hissed at him when he tried to grip your chin and force you to meet his gaze. “Don’t be like that, filly. C’mon, lemme get a good look at you to make sure you’re not too banged up. Sure you’re not gonna be happy to hear your didn’t kill the dumb bastard that was chasing you.”

“I missed his organs?” You groaned when he nodded at you while he picked up your feet one by one to see how bad they were scraped up, cursing yourself for not taking more care to watch where you had stabbed the branch into him. “Fuck.”

“I know, so disappointing, he’s just gonna need some stitches. Hands.” Curtis clenched his jaw when you made like you were going to fight him, giving you a look that made you sigh before you placed your hand in his with a sullen pout. “Just some scratches. I’ll check under your shift for bruises when we’re back at the lodge.”

“No… shit, let go of me!” You tried to squirm out of his grip when he scooped you off the ground like it was nothing, hating that he could just make you do whatever he wanted without even breaking a sweat.

You watch as the woman dressed in a furry coat places a shoe on top of Andrew's head. His arm has been lubed up and stuck out the hole of the train side, his skin freezing as you watch the pretentious woman giving her speech.

"This is such bullshit," you mumble under your breath, your blood boiling inside.

You know why Andrew is up there.

He's there because minutes earlier, they took away his son, and he decided to throw a shoe at the lady's head in response.

"I can't believe they're getting away with this, they shouldn't be. This isn't right, it's so fucking-"

"Angel, please be quiet."

Curtis' whispered words interrupt you, making you turn your head to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

Curtis turns to look at you, his gaze stern, "I said, be quiet. This is not the time."

You scoff loudly, glaring at him as you harshly whisper, "Oh, you don't think so? When is, then? When it's our son being taken away by those fur-coat wearing bitches? Or would that not affect you, either?"

Curtis sighs quietly, his gaze returning to watch the spectacle happening in front of you and the rest of the tail-end passengers.

"I hope you understand that if that was my son, it wouldn't have been a shoe. It would have been a knife. And we wouldn't have even been in this situation."

You scoff again, placing a protective hand over your stomach, "Well, if that's how you feel, I guess you still have a couple of months before you need to stay true to your word."

Curtis snaps his head to the side to look at you, his face stern but eyes wide, "Angel, what are you talking about?"

You glare at him angrily, your gaze drifting back to whats happening in front of you, "I'm talking about the fact that I haven't had a period in almost three months. So if that was our son, you know we would have both done anything we could to stop it."

"Our son?" Curtis murmurs, his eyes fixed on you, "What are you saying right now? Are you... Are you pregnant?"

"Might be," you shrug, your eyes locked on Andrew when his scream ripples through the train car, "Don't know for sure yet."

"Baby," Curtis breathes out, his eyes intensely on you, "Are you serious right now?"

You glance at him, another casual shrug, "Not entirely. But it's likely. Still waiting to get confirmation."

Your eyes are trained on Andrew, so you miss the way Curtis gawks at you, and the way his entire face changes. His eyes light up, a grin spreading on his face, "But you think you are?"

"Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure, gotta wait for our medical check-up."

"But there's a definite chance you are," Curtis interjects, "There's a definite chance you might be... pregnant... Yes?"

You nod absentmindedly, your words mumbled and indifferent, "Yes, there is. Isn't that what I've been saying this entire time?"

"Yes but baby, you-this.. You can't just spring this on me like that, I-"

"Curtis," you hiss, glaring at him, "Andrew is losing his arm right now. Is this really what you want to focus on? He's losing his arm because we didn't help him."

"Oh baby, you won't be helping anyone at all, after what you just told me."

You roll your eyes, turning your gaze back ahead of you as you whisper, "You're the boss of the tail, Everett. Not the boss of me."

"That's not true," Curtis whispers in response, leaning closer to you as he watches whats happening at the front, "You're mine. Did you forget that?"

You scoff loudly, a reaction triggered by the situation happening in front of you and by the words Curtis just chose to utter. You don't actually mean anything by it, you just want to show your distaste at the entire ordeal, but unfortunately, it catches the attention of one of the guards standing next to Andrew.

The young guard spots you after a short moment, his eyes narrowing when he says, "You! Stand up!"

You glance towards Curtis quickly before you comply, rising to your feet in the middle of the crouched down passengers surrounding you.

"You got a problem?" The guard spits, while another one keeps track of the time. The fur-coated woman turns her eyes on you, glaring in reaction to the guards tone.

You square your shoulders, the defiance deeply rooted inside you bubbling up as you suddenly blurt out, "As a matter of fact, I do. Thank you for asking. What you're doing is despicable, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves."

The guards' brows raise for a moment, but within a second, he lurches toward you, his staff in hand.

You don't even have time to react before he strikes you, hitting your cheek with the thick metal throng, making you fall to the floor in a loud thump.

Your cluttered mind doesn't fully register it when it happens, but it catches on when it spots Curtis, now standing, his fist meeting the jaw of the guard that just struck you.

And you most definitely recognize his voice when it yells, "Don't you fucking dare touch her!"

Chaos ensures around you; people rising from their seated positions, blows landing, screams filling the air.

You inhale deeply, your heart pounding in your chest once you realize what's happening. You barely even have time to try to get on your feet before your arm is grabbed, roughly pulling you up from the ground.

You're pulled through the mass of people, ending up at the front right next to Andrew, panic rising inside when you feel a gun suddenly pressed against your temple.

"ORDER!" The voice of the fur-clad woman yells sternly, "ORDER OR SHE DIES!"

Your eyes fan over the crowd quickly, panic still bubbling inside you, until they finally meet a pair of familiar blue ones. Curtis takes a step forward, but is immediately stopped when another guard holds him back.

"I SAID ORDER!" The coat-clad lady yells again, "We weren't planning on taking a life today, but we easily could!"

Your wide eyes hold Curtis', his face filled with dread as he watches you.

"Mr. Everett," the lady says, stepping toward Curtis, "Is this what you want? To lose one of your own? Or will you get them in line?"

Curtis' wide eyes dart to yours again, tears streaming down your cheeks as the guards strong fingers dig into your arm.

"I will get them in line," Curtis replies through gritted teeth, eyes never wavering from yours.

"Good," the woman practically hums, glancing back at you, "I would hate to kill such a pretty face."

Her eyes trail over your form for a moment before she continues, "But then again, perhaps she'd do well in the night car."

She turns to look at the guards stationed around her, "What do you think?"

You watch on in dread as the guards standing at the front of the tail all nod, one of them smirking at you, filling your insides with more horror than you've ever felt your entire time on the train.

Curtis' jaw tenses even more, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "I said I would get them in line. Let her go."

"She seems awfully important," the lady muses, watching his reaction, "Why is that?"

Curtis hesitates for a moment, but once his eyes are back on yours, his features soften, making him quietly reply, "She's mine. Let her go."

The lady chuckles mockingly, the guard holding you back tightening his hold, and right as you're about to lose all hope, you hear the sound of a wooden leg clinking on the metal floor of the train car.

"Minister Mason, please tell Mr. Wilford I would like a word."

"Gillian!" the lady chimes, almost excitedly, "Good to see you. Mr. Wilford has no reason to visit here, but you can talk to me."

"Leave the girl," Gillian replies sternly, "She is of no use to you."

"Oh, I don't think that's true," the lady replies, eyeing you quickly, "She looks quite presentable. They could get good use of her in the night car."

"The girl is pregnant," Gillian immediately responds, "And if there's one thing I know, it's that Wilford does not like risking the lives of babes. Let her go and leave her be. Or you will live to regret it."

"Oh, Gillian," the lady snickers, shaking her head, "Wilford is not concerned about babes being born in the tail end. The only children that matter to him are the ones born in the front."

"They will matter," Gillian responds immediately, "When their father is the future leader of the tail. Let her go, or you will have another uprising on your hands."

The lady eyes you for a moment, but you're still in the iron-tight hold of the guard, before she turns back to look at Curtis, "Oh, Mr. Everett. You got yourself in a precarious situation, didn't you?"

Curtis inhales deeply, his jaw staying tense as he replies, "Yes, unfortunately. I didn't plan on it, and yet here we are."

Your brows furrow for a moment in response to his words, a different kind of dread filling your veins.

What does that mean? Does he not want you to have his baby?

"We can have that taken care of, you know," the lady muses with a smile on her face, "Up at the front. We can take it off your hands."

Curtis' reply comes so quickly, it almost gives you whiplash, "No! No. That's not necessary. We can take care of it here."

The lady turns back to Gillian, "You need to get your people in line, Mr. Gillian. Wilford does not take kindly to situations like this."

"I will," Gillian responds, "Hand the girl back and I swear to you, you will hear nothing more of this."

Once you're back in your bunk, Curtis is practically coddling you. Almost suffocating you in blankets people came to deliver, tucking you in so tightly you have a hard time breathing.

"Curtis," you croak out when he places another blanket on top of the pile already smothering you, "Please stop."

"No," he murmurs, tucking in the sides, "I need to make sure you don't get cold."

He keeps fidgeting with the blanket, and it's annoying you at this point, making you exclaim, "Curtis! Enough!"

He looks up at you, brows raised in surprise at your tone, making you instantly soften it, "Baby, it's enough. I'm sweating under here. Just go see Gillian. Please?"

Curtis frowns, his fingers running over the sides of your blanket covered body, "I don't have time, I need to make sure-"

"You need to make sure they don't do this again," you reply sternly, watching his face. "Baby, make sure they won't be doing this by the time this baby comes. Stop fuzzing over me, save these people. Save our child."

He blinks, his features pulling into a sad frown as he whispers, "What if I can't do that? What if it doesn't work?"

You cup his face in your hands, your words a quiet whisper, "Do whatever it takes, as long as it doesn't mean you won't make it back to me. If there's ever a chance of that, you stop. Okay? You come right back here and you stop. But as long as you know there's still a chance.. Go save our people. They deserve to be saved by someone like you."

They trade shifts after four hours, the moon’s light making its way through the foliage, making the forest floor sparkle like reflections in the water. After what feels like 30 minutes she finds herself being woken up again by Yona.  “Wake up,” she whispers. “Someone is coming.”

“Handle them.”

“No,” Yona taps the center of her chest. “Something’s not right.”

She sighs. As tired as she is, she sits up and mentally prepares herself to fight again. Her best student was proving to be a not so great companion for a Run. She drugged herself and was now refusing to handle intruders even though she was more than capable. But she had to have faith in the girl’s Intuition as it was one of the strongest she’d ever encountered. “Make sure all the weapons are in the tent, then stay inside.”

Although her eyes itch from lack of sleep, she makes room for Yona who comes back in soon after, weapons in hand. When she goes to take the girl’s place outside, she’s pulled back. “No. Something’s not right. You must stay inside.”

With the help of the moon, she could see the young girl’s fear. She can’t help the confused furrow of her brow. Why would she need to hide? She understood Yona’s hesitation due to her lack of experience, but it made no sense for her to be hiding as well.      

“Can you sense how many there are?”

Yona just shakes her head.

Her mentor scratches at her ear and looks down, contemplating her choices. She was never one to cower away from anything, although she eventually nodded her head. With every pull of the zipper, less and less light made its way into the tent. When she zips the tent shut, the darkness is almost overwhelming. It didn’t take long for their eyes to adjust to the darkness and although there wasn’t much light coming in, they could make each other out. 

“Be sure to focus on your breathing and calm your heart. Let them think we’re sleeping.”

She hears a twig break in the distance as she finishes instructing Yona. The girls strain their ears, listening out for the intruder’s next move. They can’t smell them at this distance, so they’re not sure yet what their designation is. 

Things are quiet for a while and she can’t tell where the intruder has gone until she hears the shift of leaves on branches at what should be the entrance to their little clearing. If she weren’t so quiet right now, she’d have missed it. 

Whoever they are, they're light on their feet. She can’t hear them walking, but she can sense them getting closer. 

The feeling of being watched starts to set in. She knows they can’t see her, but eyes are on their tent all the same.

The closer they get, the more a bitter twang begins to settle in her nose. They must be an alpha. An arrogant alpha, because the more they approach the tent, the heavier their footsteps get. 

Either they think they’re too asleep to wake up to the sounds of their footsteps or they just don’t care at this point if the girls wake up. 

The footsteps slowly but surely circle the tent at a distance, and with every lap they get closer until they stop at the entrance to the tent. The older of the two slowly gets a grip on her hatchet as they wait with baited breath for the entrance to open. 

As they wait, the heat in the tent increases, no breeze to filter through as their temperatures rise. The girls are sweating, one shaking with fear and the other with fury. Yona twitches violently, a sign that her cramps are worsening. Her hand searches for her godmother’s and when she finds it, she squeezes it tight. The older woman can hear Yona begin to pant as the pain builds. In an effort to make sure no sound escapes the young girl, she redirects the hand holding hers to Yona’s mouth. Right as their fingers brush over her cheek, a clear whine escapes and everything stills.  

The intrusion to the tent never comes. Instead, the footsteps begin to circle the tent once again except they got further out. Over and over again the mystery alpha circles them, breathing harder every time. Farther and closer, farther and closer. Just when they think the intruder might have left, they start their pacing once again. Teasing them, surely knowing they’re awake at this point. 

On the latest rotation the footsteps stop once again at the mouth of the tent and the harsh breathing outside stops. Instead of opening it, the alpha presses their face against the fabric and takes in a deep breath, deep enough that the fabric makes an imprint of their nostrils. 

Enough bullshit, the older omega thinks and slams the handle of the hatchet into the nose of the intruding alpha. 

They cry out and she rushes to open the tent, Yona’s efforts to pull her back useless. When she makes it out she sees a familiar face, their scent hitting her at full force. 

“Franco.” There was a reason she couldn’t tell who it was, the old man’s usual scent was as bitter and rank as they come. “Why are you here?”

“The same reason any of us are here,” he gurgles through a broken nose. “To find a mate.”

While her godmother had a respectful reputation, Franco’s was anything but. He had a history of mates who died young, only two produced him heirs. One died young and the surviving one was no better than him. No one who had any self respect associated themselves with them. 

Until Wilford took over the clan. 

He gave Franco the Elder and Franco the Young positions of enforcement, giving them the freedom to harass who they liked with minimal repercussions. The power had gotten to their heads.

“If I remember correctly my last words to you were that if I were to see you again, I would kill you.”

“Your exact words were, ‘if you try to mate me again I will kill you’. I’m not here for you, you’ve aged out of your value.” His gaze settles behind her. “I’m here for her.”

She does nothing to hide her noise of disgust. “That’s not going to happen.”

“The code of honor dictates I be given a fair try.”

She turns to look at the girl who is sweating profusely and clutching her stomach. Yona was in no shape to fight. Franco was right, the code of honor gave him the right to a fair try, but she couldn’t risk the young girl’s life. If the fight didn’t kill her, a life with him would.

“Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged.”

“Oh please,” she sneers. “You couldn’t kill me if you tried.”

“Let us not forget who left you that scar,” he indicates to the one on her eye, “in your prime.”

“I was seventeen.” She gave a dark laugh. “I was nowhere near my prime.” She considers him for a moment. “Leave now, and I give you my word that I will not kill you.”

“I would rather you give your word to let me have a go at the youngling.” He takes a step closer as he wipes at the blood coming out of his nose.

She sneers, “take one more step and-”

Yona calls her name. When she turns, she sees the girl in obvious pain but with a fire in her eyes. 

What her mentor doesn’t know is that Franco the Elder had been following her around their town, whispering profanities at her. Dark promises of how she would be his and all that he would do to her. 

It ends tonight.

Everything she had done until this point was in an effort to perform without the looming greatness of her godmother’s reputation. Regardless of her failure in that venture, she knew she had to do this for herself. Her intuition had made her aware of Franco’s lurking even when he wouldn’t approach her. 

“I’ll have a look at his offering.”

“Oh, I have no offering,” he sneered. “I prefer the combat method of The Choosing.”

With obvious effort, she straightens her posture and her hand leaves her abdomen. “Fine.”

“Yona, no.” Her godmother turns to her. “There is no need to prove your abilities. I know how capable you are.”

“This isn’t for you. It’s for me.”

There is obvious conflict in her face as she deliberates. She’s close to saying no and fighting Franco herself, when she sees the determination in Yona’s face. 

“Very well, then.” She turns to Franco. “You may have your chance.” 

Franco grins, his teeth red with blood.

“No weapons. You fight as equals.”

Franco makes a show of throwing down his only weapon, a hunting knife. Yona had no weapons on her to begin with.

She moves in front of her mentor, taking a deep breath to center herself. As she settles into a fighting stance, Franco’s grin widens. He follows her movements in an exaggerated manner.

“I can smell your cunt from here, little one.”

Yona says nothing, adjusting her stance.

“You’d best prepare yourself for a life with me.”

Still nothing.

“I can’t wait to feel your virgin cunt squeeze me tight.”

She pays him no mind and focuses on the task at hand and doing her best to push aside the pain. While she made a fool of herself the entire Run so far-ignoring common sense and years of training-she knew better than to make the first move. 

So she waited while filth spewed from his lips. The longer she waited and said nothing, the angrier he got. 

“You stupid little bitch. If you thought my other mates had it bad, just wait until I get my claim on you.” And he swung.

She ducked and jabbed at his face but he dodged the hit. She set out with another hit but he grabbed her hand, pulling her close while slapping her in the face. 

The hit was enough to make her lose her sense of direction for a moment and he took advantage and pulled her by her hair. He pulled her back to his front and took a deep breath of her hair. 

“I knew you wouldn’t put up much of a fight. I knew your dirty little cunt wanted me.” He inhaled her scent again and groaned. “You’re the sweetest one, yet.”

Yona took advantage of his distraction and slammed her elbow into his diaphragm, winding him. As soon as he let go she spun around and punched him in the face. Right hook. Left hook. Uppercut. 

She takes him by the shoulders and slams her knee into his abdomen and lets him fall to the ground, wheezing. 

Yona bends down. “You may be bigger but you’re old and slow. I reject your offering and deny you my devotion.”

As she turns to walk away, he grabs her foot and twists it while bringing her down to the ground with him. Yona’s chin hits the ground on her way down and the pain of the fall and her heat blinds her while Franco’s hands wrap around her neck. 

“I never yielded, you stupid fucking cunt.”

Yona’s hands scramble trying to catch his but he just squeezes harder, straddling her legs and pinning her down. 

Yona’s godmother watches on in horror, waiting for the girl to break free from Franco’s hold. But she doesn’t. As the seconds wear on and she sees Yona’s face start to turn blue, she knows she must throw out the code of honor if she wants to save the life of her ward.

She tightens her hold on her hatchet and rushes forward, slamming the handle into the side of his head. When he falls over, she adjusts her grip and swings down with as much force as she can, lodging the ax in his skull.

Dropping next to Yona, she moves to give the breath of life to the youngling. A few tense moments and frantic breaths later and Yona begins to cough. 

Her godmother sobs in relief and mutters a quick and thankful prayer to the Mother. 

About fifteen minutes later Yona is sat near the campfire with a blanket from her pack wrapped around her. The temperature had seemed to drop dramatically after her close call with death. Her heat had intensified, making her feel cold and the sweat on her body only made her feel colder. She was borderline delirious.

“How are you feeling?”

Yona whimpers as another cramp wracks through her body. “Why does it hurt so much?”

“Well, our heats have been provoked and you haven’t had many to begin with. They get easier to deal with over time.” She places a hand on Yona’s knee. “You did very well for your first Choosing fight.”

“Didn’t yield,” Yona groaned.

“That aside, you did very well. I’m proud of you.” She runs a hand over Yona’s sweaty hair, making her way to her back to give her a few soothing rubs. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

The older omega makes her way to the bags. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she double and triple checked them.

“Where’s all the food?” There’s no answer. “Yona. Did you eat all of the food?”

The girl’s whimper serves as her answer. 

She sighs. “For the love of the gods, Yona.” 

The only time she could’ve had to eat what was left of the food was during her short watch, her cravings a result of her heat. It could also have been the nerves. Gods know the girl had been wracked with them since the beginning. 

She pinched her nose, took a deep breath and looked back at the girl. “Alright. What’s done is done. We can only move forward. I will go hunting.”

“D’you wan’me to come?”

“Absolutely not. You can barely stand. You can barely talk. I need you to stay in camp.” As she gathered her weapons Yona doubled over again in pain. “Come. Sit here.” She helped Yona sit closer to the fire. “Did you bring your bow?” The girl shook her head. She sighs. “Here. Take mine.”

“How’ll you hunt?”

“Don’t worry about that. I want you to stay focused. Anyone comes in, you shoot first, ask questions later.” 

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good.” She grabs her pack and heads over to Franco’s body, struggling a bit to take the hatchet from his skull. Pinning his head down with her foot, she yanks it out. “Now, be sure to drink plenty of water while I’m gone, don’t leave the camp, and for the love of the gods do not fall asleep.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She nods and turns her back to the girl. Her chest is tight and her shoulders tense. She doesn’t like the idea of leaving the girl alone. Although she did a good enough job fighting off Franco the Elder, the fact that her ankle was most likely fractured and her heat was getting worse worried her. She could only pray to the Mother that Yona had enough strength to fight through the pain once more if anyone breached their camp. 

She can’t help but compare Yona’s first Choosing fight with her own during her first Philtre.

She’d turned down a few offerings for The Choosing by the time an alpha decided her first answer wouldn’t be enough. 

He was a belligerent old fool who had been tired of being alone for so long. He demanded she fight with him. And fight with him she did. Her anger got the best of her and she killed him before he had a chance to yield. 

She knew of the rumors of her stringing up alpha’s intestines like a garland and placing their heads on spikes. It was mostly true. It was not her promised who became her first kill, it was the old man. Her fury over her promised not coming for her as they had agreed had consumed her. In her mind, she was at war with any and all alphas who dared approach her with no respect in mind. 

Thank the gods Yona turned out so different to her. Sure, she was different enough that she made incredibly poor decisions in the heat of the moment, but she was different enough that she couldn’t see her turning out as bloodthirsty as she had become. 

As she makes her way through the wood, she goes surveying the ground, trying to find any kind of tracks. It’ll be a little harder to hunt without her bow and arrow, but she should be able to make some traps.

Disregarding the deer tracks she finds, she instead zeroes in on the rabbit tracks, moving slowly once she finds its burrow. Retrieving the necessary materials, she constructs a simple snare. Once that’s done, she settles down a ways away and waits and hopes it doesn’t take too much time. She doesn’t want to leave Yona alone for too long in her condition. 

After waiting for about ten minutes, she hears a rustling behind her. Turning her head, she catches a whiff of alpha. Rolling her eyes, she stays sitting, hoping they don’t notice her so she can have peace while waiting for her food.

It doesn’t work out in her favor. 

A breeze passes by and she shuts her eyes in frustration as she hears the footsteps stop once her scent reaches them. They slowly make their way to her and as they get closer, she can make out several pairs of footsteps. 

Eventually they make their way to her, surrounding the tree she’s sitting against. She pays them no mind, inspecting the dirt underneath her fingernails.

One of them calls out her name. 

She looks up and can’t help the smirk that twists her lips. “Franco the Younger.”

“How are you doing on this fine evening?”

“I’m doing just fine. Just waiting around.”

“For what,” a woman asks.

“For an alpha like one of us, obviously,” Franco answers. “I’m not sure if any of you are aware, but we are in the presence of the longest reigning Unclaimed in the clan.”

Sparks of interest erupt in the eyes of the other four alphas.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Frankie, but I’m planning to round out my Unclaimed years at an even eighteen. Possibly even twenty.”

“You just haven’t had someone like one of us to try for your hand.”

“I’ve rejected many types of alphas over the years. Your father being one of them.”

“Ah, but he was close,” Franco traced the shape of her scar over his own eye. 

“That’s fair,” she nods. “How about I make the same deal with you that I did with your father not too long ago. Leave now, and I give you my word that I will not kill you.”

Franco and his goons laugh. “There is no way my father took that deal.”

“You’re right,” she takes her pack off her lap and situates it next to her. “That’s why he’s dead.”

“Impossible,” he growls.

“You see this blood?” She lifts her hatchet. “It’s certainly not mine coating it.”

His lip curls in fury. “This bitch is mine.” 

Slowly rising to her full height, the others could not have done a worse job at hiding their shock when they all took a step back. Caked in the blood from earlier, covered by the darkness of the night, and six feet tall, she was sure she was quite the sight.

She places her ax in its holster at her thigh, making sure the blade is covered. Walking out into the light of the moon, she makes sure to bump shoulders with him as she walks past. “Let’s get this over with. I have places to be.”

Like father, like son, Franco the Younger pulls out a large hunting knife.

“I’m going to gut you like a fish,” he growls.

“I’d like to see you try.”

They circle each other for a beat before he lunges for her. She grabs his hand, throwing an elbow to his face and turning into his body before slamming an elbow to his gut.

Disarming him as he catches his breath, she turns and jams the knife into his neck. His eyes are wide as they look into hers, mouth gaping as he falls to his knees. She places her foot at his chest and kicks him back to pull the knife out of his neck. 

As he bleeds out onto the forest floor she turns to the others.

Everything stills for a moment.

An animal squeals in the distance.

The alphas rush at her and she slits the neck of the one closest to her. She spins out of the way of his falling body and uses that momentum to throw the knife into the chest of the next one. 

The third alpha tackles her to the ground. She throws a punch to her face and tries to push it back. The alpha tries to wrap her hands around the omega’s neck and they struggle a bit before the omega takes a deep breath and goes limp. This gave the woman on top an opening to choke her.

The alpha’s distraction gave the omega the chance to reach for the ax strapped to her thigh. With a practiced hand, she quickly unsheathed it and swung at the woman on top of her.

Blood spattered her face as the ax struck the alpha’s head. She quickly pushed her off before looking for the last alpha. 

He was laying face first on the ground with an ax in his back. 

As she rushed to her feet, a tall figure came out of the shadows.

Her eyes widened. In the heat of the moment, she hadn’t caught the new scent in the air. “Curtis,” she breathes.

They stare at each other for a beat before he breaks the silence.

“Why’d you tell the kid I was dead?”

A/N: You have no idea how long I've been wanting to write that last part 😩 It was one of the first scenes that popped into my mind once I had the series idea fleshed out. Please, please, please tell me what you think, I'd love to know your reaction to that last bit lol