Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Wonwoo looks up from the portfolio he was reading when he smells the Beta move closer to him to place another batch of profiles he could check on top of his desk.

He slightly rubs his nose with the back of his hand, itchy and uncomfortable on top of it all, with eyebrows frowning in the process when a wave of a familiar scent penetrates his senses. The smell of fresh linen mixed with something citrusy and lavender that reminds him of the fabric conditioner the staff in his previous house used back when he was young overwhelmed the already sensitive Alpha.

He usually doesn't have a problem with the calming smell because he's so used to smelling it during his ruts but for some reason, with the lavender smelling a little bit weirder than usual, his Alpha can't help but snarl at the possibility of the Omegan source of such smell being in a bit of trouble.

"You came to an Alpha's territory smelling like that," Wonwoo simply said, his eyes never leaving the new brown portfolio as he leans back on his black leather chair and crosses his legs. He could see the Beta through his peripheral view lifting his wrist to his nose, probably to see how much he was making the enormous office smell like the Alpha Facility he's working at.

"A little heads up would've been nice. You do know it's rude for a Beta like you to smell like an Omega in a pack full of Alphas, don't you?" Wonwoo continues, voice getting alarmingly stern for someone who's sporting a blank, almost bored look on his face.

That had the poor Beta releasing his own pheromones beneath the strong scent of the Omega that had rubbed on his whole body for some reason. It was too soft, almost impossible to segregate from the overwhelming scent but Wonwoo's overly sensitive nose can pick it up even from a mile away.

"I apologize, Mr. Jeon. I was ready to come and meet you for the selection but one of our Omegas had a spontaneous heat after meeting a client so I had to intervene and made him take the pills," the Beta, Lee Chan, tips his head as he takes a few steps away from the Alpha in an attempt to keep the scent under control, not that he had the power to do so because it's not his scent the Alpha is smelling anyway.

"An Omega from the facility in a spontaneous rut after meeting a client, you say?" Wonwoo slowly closes the portfolio as his eyes lift up to stare at the Beta right in the eye at that. "Care to explain how it happened when you've been boasting about your Omegas taking pills that make it impossible for them to go on heats when at work?"

Wonwoo can smell the faint panic at stress from the Beta, just hiding behind the thick scent of lavender as he continues to pin the poor Beta in his spot with just his stare and voice. He knows he's getting irritated for a reason that normally does not bother him, but being in his pre-rut stage makes everything extra fucking irritating for him.

Even the way the Beta looks like he was about to flee, almost shaking in fear for walking around the Alpha's territory while unintentionally wearing someone's scent, a delicious scent of an Omega on top of that, had Wonwoo wanting to growl right there and then.

Obviously, this one mistake won't go unnoticed by him, not when it interrupted him from picking a potential partner he can spend his upcoming rut with.

Fuck. The sudden painful coiling in his stomach put him in an even more foul mood, the need to physically stop himself from throwing shit across his office getting more and more intense.

He just knows this rut is going to be fucking brutal when it comes.

He takes a deep breath and lifts a brow when the younger was struggling to find the right words, the latter obviously not wanting to anger the rich Alpha client anymore.

"The Omega just started working with us two weeks ago so the pills were still not in full effect. He was about to undergo another set of checkups we usually do for our new hires when he unexpectedly met his mate in the holding area."

"Is this Omega part of the selection?" he asks as he waves a hand in the portfolio's direction.

"Yes, Mr. Jeon."

"And you knew full well that he's a new hire and that the pills still weren't a hundred percent working on his body yet you put him in the selection?"

"Mr. Jeon, Iㅡ"

"So if I have chosen that Omega today and found out he's no longer permitted to spend my rut because he's met his mate," Soulmate, his Alpha corrects, "Will I be getting a refund and other compensation for wasting my time?"

The Beta is struggling to find the right answer to defend himself and the facility but he makes no move in his spot. "IㅡMr. Jeon, you will be getting a full refund and a discount on your next availmentㅡ"

The Alpha interrupts, "You see, money here isn't the problem for me. Hearing the part about the refund and discount would probably have your Alpha clients forgetting this incident, but it won't work for me," he then shakes his head, "You know well that I hate wasting my time on something that the facility has complete control over and I'm over here thinking what would happen if I booked that Omega today?"

Deep inside, Wonwoo knows that his Alpha is overreacting and making everything a big deal when he doesn't even know who the fuck that Omega is, not that he cared about such trivial things when he's out of his pre-rut state anyway.

But looking at the portfolio in front of him, he wonders if there are still new hires that still made their way to the selection when their bodies still aren't fit to spend a rut with a high-profile, pure-blooded Alpha like Jeon Wonwoo.

Fucking negligent and unprofessional.

"I apologize for the trouble me and the facility had caused you, Mr. Jeon. I will make sure to prepare next time I come here and inform the facility to take out newly hired Omegas from the selection."

"And are you making sure your Omegas are taking the pills diligently?"

"Yes, Mr. Jeon. This is the only case that we overlooked after running the facility for years now. I will make sure this will never happen again."

He nods once. "Send another Beta for my next appointment."

Sensing the straight-up rejection from the Alpha, the Beta wordlessly nods his head.

Wonwoo heaves a deep sigh, the scowl never leaving his face to cover up the fact that it still made him curious, making him question the effectiveness of the pills Omegas working at the facility take every single day.

The said pills are said to be rare, illegal to be consumed without permission from the government, as they can never be bought anywhere but hospitals that had its approval to sell them knowing that these are extremely expensive and strong that they can actually put the Omega in danger when consumed the wrong way.

These tiny pills help regulate their body and heats, or acts as a suppressant or birth control, and give off a uniformed Omegan scent so their natural cycle wouldn't interrupt the nature of the field they decided to work in.

As hired Omegas working in an Alpha Facility that caters only to Alphas needing Omega partners to help them get through their intense ruts that comes only 3-4 times a year, they are required to follow strict diet and instructions (including taking the pills) to help protect both them and the Alphas in the next few days.

The medicine will help the Omega inside them fight the urge to submit, bite the Alpha client's scent glands, beg to be impregnated, nest inside the said client's property, imprint, and go to a spontaneous heat that is almost impossible to control in such circumstances.

No one wants to deal with that on top of their own fucking ruts, really.

With this pill, it makes high-profile clients like Wonwoo to feel complacent in using the facility's services as they don't have to worry about either one of them crossing the lines or fear that both their natural instincts will take over and make the already complicated arrangement even more complicated.

Because it shouldn't be that way anyway.

High-profile Alphas get in contact with the facility, choose an Omega based on their personal preferences, spend almost a week together fucking, knotting, and breeding to help ease the pain and sexual arousal that comes with ruts, and pay a good amount of money for the companionship the said Omega gave them for the past days.

And that should be it.

But even though the pills are one of the most crucial parts of the Omega's job in this facility, they are still given a few days off from work to deal with their normal heat before coming back to work, to take a time off from taking those just so the Omegas in their bodies can take a rest from suppressing their natural needs and sexual needs.

Shaking the thought off his mind and reminding his Alpha that there's nothing for him to be upset about, Wonwoo picks up the portfolio and starts checking out dozens of Omegas' profiles just so he could get the whole selection process over with.

As someone who's used the facility's services for most of his ruts, the faces staring back at him are starting to look quite familiar but none really made that much of an impression to him because technically, they're all the same for himㅡ all the same Omegan hole he uses to dump his come in.

He flips through the pages in complete boredom before the Beta interrupts.

"I recommend checking out the last five pages, Mr. Jeon. Our most popular and booked Omegas' profile can be seen on those pages."

Now, the Beta knows that for some reason, Wonwoo doesn't like going through the most popular ones because well, personally it isn't his thing so he tends to stick with those who simply do their job right without his Alpha having to deal with the fact that the Omega he's spending his rut with had been with other rick Alpha before him.

He understands the nature of their work but when his Alpha starts to think with his dick rather than his brain, the overprotectiveness would just wash over his whole body and ignore all other valid reasons and explanations the Omegas or the facility provide him just to calm the raging pheromones in him.

And no one wants to deal with a fucking feral Alpha in rut, if he were to be honest.

But now that the Alpha in him is getting too impatient, he flips to the last pages and starts to scan the pages but still, no one caught his attention.

Damn, is he going to take a whole day just choosing an Omega?

He switches to the other portfolio and starts scanning the pages until his eyes catch the profile of someone he's never seen before despite the information saying that the Omega has been with them for quite a while now.

Kim Mingyu, 24, pure pure-blooded Omega, working since 2020.

He lifts a brow at that, curious that he's never seen such a face before when Wonwoo has been using the facility's services since he was 18.

He stares at the passport-sized photo of the Omega staring back at him, his obviously long hair kept out of his face in a low bun to give more attention to his featuresㅡ sharp nose, perfect eyebrows, glossy lips that seem to invite him the more he stares at it, his collarbones in full display while the white professional background highlights his skin that looks oh so delicious with the how he glows.

Unlike the rest of the Omegas, Kim Mingyu is simply staring at the lens of the camera with a blank look on his face, almost looking like he's not happy being there at all.

But despite it all, the Alpha could see how intense his eyes are, head slightly tilted down so it looks like Kim Mingyu is staring right at his soul, almost calling for his Alpha and telling him something he couldn't quite fathom.

It's unusual for Wonwoo to feel this unexplainable feeling his Alpha is getting just by staring at this Omega's photo.

But one thing's for sure. He doesn't look like the usual Omegas in the portfolio, where everyone seems to be too nice, too smiley, their eyes glowing in fake enthusiasm, their petite bodies signifying how perfect they are as Omegas, and just simply giving off vibes that Wonwoi chooses to ignore just for the sake of his rut.

But how the fuck did he not notice this Omega before?

"Kim Mingyu," he says, eyes still not leaving the beauty in front of him.

"Oh, Kim Mingyu is an Omega that's been with us since 2020, Mr. Jeon. He just recently got back to working at the facility after a long break because he's not getting enough bookings for the last few months," Lee Chan explains.

There's no fucking way no other Alpha tried to book this beauty.

There's not much information shown on his profile, which gives the Alpha the impression that he doesn't want to advertise himself or attract clients for the hell of it.

"So he's not popular?" he still asks despite knowing that he isn't as he's never seen him in previous portfolios.

The beta simply shakes his head.

"Then I'm going to book him," he says with finality in his voice as he pushes the portfolio away from him. He could see the surprise on Lee Chan's face but the expression almost instantly disappears as he takes his tablet to work on something.

"This is noted, Mr. Jeon. I'll try to check his schedule and sync it with yours," the Beta says before typing something on his gadget. The Alpha waited for a few moments before the Beta continued, "Unfortunately, Kim Mingyu just got booked a few hours ago so we can't proceed with your booking, Mr. Jeon."

The Alpha in him starts to growl, trying to break free from him after hearing that the Omega that he desires to spend his rut with is not available. He feels a sudden painful throbbing at his scent glands and his stomach at the thought, his scent smelling extremely upset just because his Alpha didn't get what he wanted.

Seriously, fuck these mood swings.

But it's such a shame that he'd need for his next rut to come just so he could book the Omega ahead of time, so he could see why the fuck he'd been unpopular among his fellow Alphas when looking like that should be a fucking crime.

"Who booked him?"

"Pardon?"

"Tell me the name of the Alpha that booked him."

"I apologize but we are not allowed to disclose client's information, Mr. Jeon," the Beta pauses when he sees the look on the Alpha's face, "But all I could tell you is that the Alpha is from the Jung pack, Mr. Jeon."

Now, who the fuck from the Jung pack uses the facility's services when none of the Alphas he knows from there are unmated? It surely can't be the Pack Alpha, the Commanding Alpha, nor the Second in Command Alpha like him.

He guesses it's just a random Alpha from that pack rich enough to afford such services. But either way, it pissed him the fuck off.

Because if he were just not that desperate to find himself an Omega before his rut comes, because unfortunately he was too busy to even pick one ahead of time, he would've probably fought for Kim Mingyu's time and paid double, or even triple, just to keep that Alpha away from him.

Sensing the change of mood around the office, the Beta moves closer to give him a reassuring look because he knows he can't offer calming pheromones since he doesn't have it, and even with little to no difference in the atmosphere, the Alpha is glad for the gesture nonetheless.

Wonwoo seriously needs to calm down and not let his Alpha take it out on someone else because he was not raised to do that shit.

Taking another deep breath while reprimanding his Alpha to stop being fucking possessive over someone he doesn't even know, he says, "If that's the case, book any Omega available in your system. My rut is about to start in a few days and I'll be going to the facility tomorrow to pick him up and prepare the room we're staying in."

Wonwoo couldn't focus on anything else after that. All he could feel is the worsening of the pain in his scent glands and the urge to shut down everything that makes a noise because his senses just couldn't handle it any longer.

He ignores the calls of his Alpha asking him to cancel the appointment and fighting for Kim Mingyu's time, because fuck, he's not ready to get involved in an altercation with another pack's Alpha just because he wanted to fuck the Omega the latter had booked.

No, not today. He's got more important things to do than worry about that.

All he needs to do is get this rut over with and think about Kim Mingyu on his next rut cycle.


-



As usual, the scent of fresh laundry mixed with something citrusy and the heavy pulling of lavender almost knocked the breath out of him when another Beta, Xu Minghao, led him to the holding area of the facility.


Today is finally the day he'll pick up his (mainly the facility's choice) Omega so they could head straight to his house and talk about what is about to happen in the next few days. 

The whole place is just how he remembered it the last time he came here a few months ago. All the Betas working there look at him with big smiles on their faces just like what they're instructed to do to their high-paying clients, before bowing and resuming their tasks at hand. 


Everyone there has known Jeon Wonwoo as someone who relies on facilities like this because he just can't physically get satisfied without the help of an Omega. An overfastidious client, but respectable nonetheless.


Alphas' ruts can be really intense and just full-on aggressive, especially when not regulated, but it doesn't mean that they can't spend their ruts alone. Well, they can since there are a lot of toys and artificial slick available in the market that can help them get through it but his body just can't take it.

Being a pure-blooded, Second In Command Alpha in his pack is sometimes, if not always, a pain in the ass. He sometimes even thinks his second gender is only out there to make his life a living hell once every four months.

Wonwoo remembers dealing with a sudden rut a few years ago, obviously not able to get help from any nearby facilities on time, and he ended up being rushed to the hospital as his Alpha was rejecting literally everything that's not an Omega at that moment.

His pack's Omegas can't even calm him down because his stubborn as fuck Alpha doesn't want to be comforted by mated Omegas at that moment, not even those that have Alphas courting them. 

He wanted his own mate, his soulmate to be exact.

But the main problem was that he hasn't met his soulmate yet so who the fuck is supposed to calm his Alpha down when he was out there rejecting everyone?

It was such a shitty show if he were to be honest, so he's not going to risk it and end up in the hospital again. That's why he's here, even when he's not in his best condition, just so he could pick his Omega up.

He actually could've asked the facility to drive the Omega to his place but his instincts are already telling him not to be a dickhead and take care of the Omega himself. Also, it's because his Alpha is growling at the possibility of smelling another person's scent on his Omega later when they get home.

Being in a place full of Omegas sharing the same manufactured scent sent the Alpha in him crazyㅡ the type where he's antsy and anxious at the fact that he couldn't pick out the unique, natural scent of his booked Omega.

And this is one of the hardest parts of picking his booked Omega for the cycle because his Alpha would always, always fucking reject the fact that he's about to spend his rut with a hired Omega, a person who's only here to professionally take care of him and his knot, and not someone he can mate, breed, and impregnate.

This is not your fucking soulmate, Wonwoo growls at his Alpha.

But still, he couldn't help but feel fidgety as he and the Beta walked past the clinic rooms and down to the holding area where he'd be waiting for his Omega while the latter gets checked for the last time. He takes a deep breath in an attempt to look for a different scent, something sweet or floral or just something like a chocolate smoothie, just to drown out the overwhelming scent of lavender mixed with the heady scent of his fellow Alphas who are also there for the same reason.

"You can wait here until Omega Lee Taeyong is done with his check-up, Mr. Jeon," Minghao leads him to the holding area and into a chair with a cup of tea already waiting for him.

"How long will it take him?"

"Approximately 10 to 15 minutes, Mr. Jeon," the Beta checks something on his clipboard, "You've already completed your own checkup so after the Omega is done, both of you will be sent to Mrs. Park's office for the signing of the contract."

Wonwoo merely nods. 

"I'll be back in a few, Mr. Jeon. Please don't hesitate to ask the receptionist if you have any questions." And with that, the Beta disappears to a room with a tight slipped smile.

He doesn't know who this Omeg Lee Taeyong is as he's only seen and heard of him before but getting him booked by the facility is better than nothing, he guesses. The facility did say they picked the best available Omega for him, someone pliant, pretty, and petite, and they believe Lee Taeyong would be the person Wonwoo would repeatedly book after getting a taste of how good of an Omega he really is.

Well, Wonwoo's the type to never book the same Omega two times in a row so the facility can let go of that fantasy and instead make sure Kim Mingyu is available on his next visit.

Wait.

Wonwoo physically shakes his head at how that Omega he's never even met before got the Alpha thinking about him out of nowhere.

Damn, it must be his pheromones going haywire as his scheduled rut is about to start in two days.

He waits impatiently for this Lee Taeyong to come out and approach him so they can get this over with, but it's taking them way too long Wonwoo starts to notice every single little thing he could pick on inside the holding area to keep himself occupied.

Like the dull cream paint of the wall that obviously needs a touch-up, the smell of disinfectants from the clinics, the boring infomercial showing the anatomy of Alphas, the stinky as fuck smell of burnt leather of the Alpha sitting a few chairs away from him, and that new cucumber and melon scent just hiding behind everything else.

He pauses and takes a deep breath. 

Obviously, with his heightened senses, the scent didn't go unnoticed and the more he smelled it, the more it wanted to be recognized by the Alpha. And it's even making him wonder why an obviously Omegan scent got into the heavily regulated facility when no one from their kind is allowed to get in.

The scent was soft, somewhat sweet, too smooth, and so, so delicious it's almost impossible even for Alphas without rut not to notice, but it's there.

He straightens up and shifts uncomfortably as the scent changes from fresh cucumber and melon to something like jasmine, cocoa, and honeysuckle. They seem to be mixing with each other every now and then, like the Omega is going through dozens of emotions in just a second, tickling his nose and his scent glands, but he knows it comes from only one Omega, probably just in a room nearby, perhaps in one of the clinics beside him. 

But if that's really the case, the question now shifts to why it smelled different, why the Omega doesn't smell like fresh linen and lavender, and why it seems like he's the only one who can tell that there's something different in the atmosphere.

Wonwoo tries to reason out that the smell might be from a newly hired Omega working there, probably someone that started maybe a week ago or so given the fact that the smell is just so pure.

But then again, his questions about the pills' effectiveness continues to bother him again because damn, Wonwoo is going to make sure this Alpha Facility is going to get shut down if they continue to do its job poorly.

Who the fuck lets an unregulated Omega get in and potentially endanger said Omega's life like this anyway?!

He takes another whiff and almost finds his Alpha desperately clawing at his throat to look for the source of the scent, to know why the particular scent feels different, and to figure out why it smells so damn enticing it's making his insides shake uncontrollably.

He feels sweat trickling down the side of his face, the white dress shirt feeling too tight and hot around his body even with the aircon on full blast, the black necktie almost feeling like it's cutting off his oxygen supply.

His palms start to dampen and he can't help but run his fingers through his hair in unexplained despair as he looks around the holding area to figure out why he seems to be the only one having a hard time breathing normally. He swallows hard, hands scratching his neck in an attempt to clear his airways, and rubs his scent glands on his wrists and the crook of his neck when they start to throb painfully.

Fuck, is this just his rut talking? But he's not supposed to be in one until after two days!

With his hands shaking uncontrollably, he lifts the tea cup and takes a few sips. Oh, even the drink tastes like jasmine. 

It's like the smell had made its way to plant itself in the Alpha's bones in just a very short while, and Wonwoo fears that everyone in the facility can feel the fear and panic in him.

"Mr. Jeon, are you alright?"

The Beta is back but the manufactured smile on his face is replaced by a genuine concern, body crouching down a bit so he could examine the Alpha instead. 

Wonwoo needs to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. This is probably just one of the most intense rut he'll ever experience in his life because he's never this anxious beforeㅡ never too panicked, scared, and just completely uncomfortable. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. When's Lee Taeyong going out anyway?"

"It'll take him a few more minutes but the doctor wants to assure you that your booked Omega is in good condition to help you all throughout your rut, Mr. Jeon."

None of it seems to calm him and he knows he's already smelling different because the other two Alphas with him in the holding area start to look in his direction in concern.

The scent of melon, and cucumber, mixed with jasmine and honeysuckle continue to violate his senses that it's starting to make him sick. He feels dizzy, his scent glands are throbbing, and his chest is going wild he could almost hear his heart beating in his heart. 

He watches as another Beta comes out of a room and approaches the rancid-smelling Alpha nearby.

"Hello, Mr. Kaito. Your booked Omega Kim Mingyu will be available in a few minutes. Thank you for waiting."

Oh, what the fuck.

Turns out that the Omega he wanted is going to help this bastard's rut in the next few days!

That fact put him in an even fouler mood, trying so hard to stop his Alpha from going feral and causing a commotion in the facility. 

He's going to make sure this Mr. Kaito bitch won't be able to book Kim Mingyu next time. That's if Mr. Kaito will ever have a next time in this facility. 

But even before he could ask the Beta to turn on the air conditioning unit, one of the clinics' doors on the hallway to Wonwoo's right slams open, sending everyone else on full alert. 

And just right there, the delicious scent gets stronger and stronger, so fucking powerful in pulling his Alpha in closer and closer to its source. He shakes his head when he starts to growl, and the instinct to find the Omegan source and wrap him in his arms intensifies. 

Shit, this isn't his business but why is he feeling the panic in the Omega's scent?

And before he could flee the scene to save himself, a voice stops him right in his tracks.

"Alpha."

One word was enough to send Wonwoo's alpha crying and growling at the sweet sensation the voice gave off, his whole body burning and shaking, finally understanding why he was feeling like his Alpha's going to jump out of his skin.

He looks at the source and yet again, almost falls to his knees when he sees the unmistakable tan skin, the delectable collarbones, soft locks, and the gentle look of the Omega he's been thinking about for the whole day.