Chapter Text
“God damn it--god damn it--” The car wasn’t fucking starting and she could smell them getting closer, knew she’d be fucked if she couldn’t get this motor running--in the literal sense, too, which was not something she even wanted to think about.
“Fucking start,” she pleaded with the car, trying the wires again, pressing on the gas, and praying, “Please, god, fuck, please please start--”
“HEY! ” Her blood ran cold and she slammed her foot onto the gas pedal, but nothing--and then she was torn back out of the car she’d broken into.
Rey was seventeen and scrawny, rail thin and gangly with dark brown hair knotted at the back of her head, and right now much lighter than the two young alphas that had her by the arms, holding her against the back door on the driver’s side of the car, a large hand pressing her face to the window while another tore at her shorts as she struggled against them.
“Like some little omega bitch could outrun us--”
“We’re both alphas, you dumb twat, you should have just made this easier on yourself…” But Rey was snarling and starting to shift in her angry panic, her teeth elongating and skin going a bit more furry than usual. She bit one of the boys on the forearm, getting a mouthful of sweat and blood and alpha musk, and was rewarded with a punch to her side that made her cough and kick at her assailants.
“What the fuck do you little shits think you’re doing?”
The hold on her shoulders didn’t lighten, but the boys turned to face the new bystander.
“Mind your business!” One of them barked, and Rey, unable to see who’d walked up, was starting to panic even more, thrashing against the boys’ hold on her. She couldn’t see him, but god damn, she could smell him: Another alpha, another alpha, oh fuck, oh god not another one--
“Get the fuck off my car,” came a low, furious snarl, “And get the fuck out of here, or I swear to fucking god you’ll wish I had just called the cops.” Rey felt the two boys go still, loosening their grips on her enough that she could wrench herself free, wiggling out of their reach as they decided their best bet was to run off themselves. She tried gathering her clothes together at the front to keep them on as she lunged away from the battered sedan--
--Only to be grabbed by her upper arm by a very large and very firm hand.
She shrieked and thrashed again, kicking against the larger, older alpha, feeling her shorts slipping down her thighs and her shirt rucking up as she tried to keep herself covered.
“Let go! Let go of me you fucking asshole!” She finally swiped at the bigger male, claws catching the sleeve of his t-shirt near the shoulder and ripping a hole in the grey cotton. He gave her a rough shake, leaning in close to her face.
“Shut the fuck up! You want me to let them come back here? Pretty sure I know what they were about to do, you little idiot!” He was furious, glaring at her with wolfed-out dark brown eyes under a curtain of black hair. Rey’s face went red and she tried pulling free of his grasp again.
“Don’t--don’t you fucking talk to me like that--”
“Oh shut up--and cut the shifting, we’re in public. You wanna fuckin’ get caught?” He gave her a little shove, letting her go finally and turning to his car again. “Jeeeesus christ, did you bust my fuckin’ window..?”
Rey was shrinking back some, trying to pull her clothes back into place but there was a rip in the side of her jean shorts that was making that harder than it needed to be.
“I-I’m sorry, okay, I’ll--I’ll fix it, I’ll fix the window and the wires, I--” He was leaning into the car now, noticing her handiwork with the steering column wiring.
“What the fuck, you were gonna steal my car--”
“I just wanted to get away from them!” she shouted, fear choking her up again in spite of herself, and he stood up outside the car again to look at her.
He was tall--had to be at least six-foot-three if not more. Broad-shouldered and broad-chested, weirdly lean for someone that looked so, well, big. Rey swallowed a little, feeling the gross heat-urges starting up in her. A big broad alpha, could protect you from others like those two-- but she tried to stave all of that off as best she could.
“Fuckin’ hotwiring my goddamn car--” he muttered angrily, raking a large hand through short, thick dark hair that just fell back into his face. “Now I won’t even be able to start it. I’m calling a tow…” He was fishing his cell phone out and Rey wiped at her face a little, not meeting his eyes.
“If you--if you get them to take it to Niima Junk then I can...I can get it fixed for free.” She mumbled, swallowing again and feeling her face flush now from embarrassment, but also from the heat she knew was coming in the next few hours.
He stared at her, brow shooting up as he realized what was going on.
“You’re really about to hit--are you fuckin’ kidding me..” He took a step towards her and Rey backed up.
“Listen just--just get it towed there and I’ll take care of it, okay!” The male alpha’s brow knit.
“How old are you?”
“What the hell does that matter?!”
“This isn’t your first heat, is it?” He sounded considerably...gentler, now, and it made her skin prickle in a way that scared her some.
“N-no--just--leave me alone! That’s none of your business!” He took another step towards her.
“You’re not even on suppressants. Where the hell is your family?”
“J-just leave me alone, fuck off--” she turned to run, at this point, but he was faster, grabbing her very carefully above the glands on her arm. When she looked up at his face his eyes were staring into hers, and she got a good whiff of him now that he was so close. It made her mouth go dry.
“You need to get home. You’re gonna have alphas all over the fuckin’ city after you like this.”
“I’m--I’m not--” she looked down, blush going darker red on her freckled cheeks. “Can’t go home.” She grit out, starting to feel the sweat breaking out on her skin. He just watched her for a long moment, breathing a little harder himself.
“...I’m calling you a cab. You swear you can get this fixed?” He gestured at the car, eyes narrowing at her. Rey nodded hurriedly.
“I promise. I promise--I--soon as this is over I swear I’ll have it done in less than a day--”
“You ?”
“I promise! I swear!”
Another beat of quiet.
“I’ll pay for the cab. Just get the fuck outta here smelling like that. Why the fuck aren’t you on suppressants? Even a fuckin’ human could smell you like this…”
“Don’t have the cash. No insurance.” She admitted grudgingly. He let go of her arm, punching in some numbers on his phone.
Rey stood back a little, rubbing her arm and feeling tremors start running through her. Fuck she was cutting this close. If it were any later….
Her eyes wandered to the tall alpha on the phone with a cab company. He had to be at least in his twenties. Didn’t smell mated, would have done in a pinch if she hit too hard and didn’t find somewhere to hole up…
“I know the dispatcher. They’re sending a human driver. You better get in one of those shelters.” He growled at her. Rey nodded again, looking down.
“Yeah.”
“I’m gonna get the car towed tonight. You better not be fucking with me, kid.” She frowned up at him.
“I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen.” He raked a hand through his hair and she saw his pupils were dilated and now, now he was trying not to look at her.
“A kid. Too fuckin' young…” He muttered, and she had a feeling it was more to himself than to her.
“...Thank you.” she offered, watching him warily even if there was gratitude in her tone. He managed a jerking nod.
“Just...just get inside somewhere.”
“My name’s Rey.” She didn’t know why she offered it up so easily. Maybe it was hormones. Seventeen years of absolute bullshit that had recently culminated in the 'big reveal' that she was a god damn fucking omega. Fucking hormones...she could blame everything on them. He glanced at her, nodding briefly.
“Kylo Ren.”
Rey snorted, catching sight of a cab pulling up.
“That’s a weird fucking name.” He shot her a glare.
“Fuck off.”
Rey swung into the backseat of the cab and felt her breath coming a bit shorter. He was right about getting to a shelter. The one on 15th had let her stay more than once now, was about a twenty minute drive from here, but if it was a human driving...she’d make it.
Kylo tapped the window, giving her a look as the car started to pull away from him.
“You dumb fucking kid!” he called, and Rey turned to kneel on the backseat, bracing her hands on the window and the headrest of the seat, leaning up on her knees and looking out the back windshield to watch him quirk a weird little lopsided grin and then fall out of sight behind them.