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Lando nervously tapped his leg, eying the door as he waited for Daniel, his new teammate, to come in. It was the first meeting of the season, his first meeting without Carlos, and Lando was honestly terrified. Daniel was kind and Lando had never had any problems with him, but Daniel was an Alpha. Lando had always been taught to be wary of those with an Alpha status.
Being an Omega, and a young one at that, Lando was very aware of how tempting he could be to the more dominant Alphas. He had been cornered by Alphas a few times already, both men and women so intoxicated with his smell they could hardly stop himself from touching him. Ever since then, Lando had refused to come close to any Alpha when he was alone.
He had been lucky the last 2 seasons. Carlos was a Beta, and he was safe. The Spaniard knew how skittish the young Omega could be when he smelled an Alpha and had always protected him. Whenever they had been at events, or even in the Paddock or at a driver’s parade, Carlos had been close, hoovering in Lando’s proximity in case something was wrong.
But Carlos was no longer his teammate. Even though the Spaniard and him were still close, being in different teams made it difficult for Carlos to still keep an eye on Lando. That what part of why Lando was so nervous now. He knew that sooner or later, with Dan and him being teammates, he would end up alone with the Alpha in one room. And he knew he would panic then - no matter how sweet and kind the Alpha was.
Daniel came into the meeting room 2 minutes too late, smiling and shaking everyone’s hands. He seemed to want to greet Lando too, before drawing in a sharp breath through his nose and instead only giving Lando a small wave. Lando knew Daniel had smelled his fear, and it made him feel embarrassed.
Lando could barely pay attention during the meeting, the new scents of the new team members and mostly Daniel’s strong Alpha scent making him uncomfortable. Sitting down, he could control the very strong instinct to flee, but he knew it would be more difficult when they would all pile out of the room at the same time. So when Zack told them they were free to go, Lando bend down and pretended to be fussing over his shoes, waiting for everyone else to leave first.
When he was no longer overwhelmed by all the scents, he straightened up, shoving all his belongings into his backpack. He was just about to head out of the room when a strong Alpha scent hit him.
“Lando? Are you okay?” a gentle voice called out. Lando instinctively bared his teeth, growling lowly when Daniel came back into the room. The Alpha swallowed thickly, closing the door behind him.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Lando.” Daniel said, rumbling soothingly. He took a steep into Lando’s directions, but the Omega instantly shot away from him as far back as he could.
“Don’t touch me!” Lando exclaimed frantically, arms held out protectively in front of his face. Daniel seemed confused about his reaction, but now kept his distance.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” Daniel repeated. “I’m mated to Max remember? I’m not going to…” he trailed off. Lando whimpered and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, knees tucked up to his chest as he continued to growl frightenedly. He tried to whine for Carlos, but knew the Spaniard would never hear him. Not now when he was in a completely different garage.
“Lando, it’s okay.” Daniel tried, the Alpha kneeling down too so he wasn’t towering over the young Omega anymore. Lando got even more frantic when the door to the small meeting room opened again.
“What happened?” A voice rang out. Lando looked up, whimpering when he realised it was Max who had come in. His fellow Omega dumbly looked back and forth between his Mate and his friend, before finally seeming to realise what had happened. He let out a soft noise in Daniel’s direction, telling his Mate to stay where he was, and then slowly approached Lando.
“Lando? Can I sit next to you?” the Dutchman asked. Lando whimpered, eyes moving to Daniel, but then nodded. Max let out a soft comforting growl as he knelt down, shuffling closer until he could sit back against the wall next to the young Omega. Lando whimpered, but his Omega friend’s scent calmed him a little. Max shushed him a little, before carefully wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Lando sobbed, the tension leaving his body in strangled breaths. Max held him more securely, letting the younger Omega cuddle close to his chest. Lando whimpered, curling his fingers into the soft fabric of Max’s Red Bull shirt.
“Daniel really won’t hurt you, little pup.” Max said softly. Lando sniffled, anxiously pressing closer.
“But he’s an Alpha.” he whispered, not understanding. He glanced over to where Daniel was sitting on the floor near the door, the Alpha seeming sad and taken aback. Max gently stroked Lando’s hair.
“He is kind.” Max said. “He has always been more than respectful of Omegas." He added, giving Daniel a fond smile. Lando knew Max had been as hesitant about Alphas as he was now, but the Dutchman really did seem to trust the Aussie. He swallowed thickly, anxiously nosing Max's shoulder, but then sighed.
"Okay." He whispered. Max and Daniel shared a look, before Daniel hesitantly shuffled closer. The Alpha sat down on Lando's other side, not touching him but just letting the Omega get used to his presence. Max cooed softly at his Mate, reaching over Lando to place an hand on Daniel's arm. The Alpha rumbled in return, smiling at his Mate.
"Are you okay, pup?" Daniel asked Lando softly. Lando jerked slightly, pushing closer to Max, but then nodded slowly. He brought his eyes up to look at Daniel. The Alpha was giving him a worried look, but his brown eyes were still kind. Lando whimpered lightly, before leaving his safe spot pressed against Max's side to curl up against the Alpha. Daniel smiled and rumbled comfortingly, wrapping an arm around Lando's shoulders. Lando hummed slightly when the Alpha nuzzled the top of his head. He peeked over his shoulder to Max, who smiled and pressed closer against the Omega's back.
"It really is okay." His friend promised. "Dan and I are a package deal. Now that you're teammates, we'll both take care of you." He said. Daniel nodded.
"I've noticed the way Carlos protected you last season." Daniel said. Lando tensed.
"I know I'm just being silly." He defended himself. "But Alphas… they just scare me." He admitted. Max sighed, squeezing Lando's arm.
"It's not silly." Max soothed. "It's only natural. That's why it's good for Omegas to be part of Packs, to get protection." He explained. Lando sniffled.
"Me and Carlos were Pack." He said softly. "Until he left." He lowered his eyes again, sinking into Daniel's embrace. Daniel gently nosed Lando's cheek.
"Honey, Carlos leaving the team does not mean you are not Pack anymore." He soothed. Lando shrugged.
"We were only Pack because it was convenient." He whispered. Max tutted.
"I'm sure that's not true, pup." He said gently. Lando half heartedly shrugged up a shoulder and didn't answer. Max got up suddenly, gently brushing his hand over Lando's head before leaving the room. Lando got uncomfortable again now he was alone with the Alpha.
"Ssh pup." Daniel soothed, gently scratching the back of Lando's neck. Lando purred instinctively, nosing Daniel's shoulder shyly.
"I'm not a pup." He muttered. Daniel chuckled.
"Yeah you are." He answered. Lando huffed, half-heartedly baring his teeth, but allowed Daniel to pull him onto his lap. The Alpha rumbled softly again, letting Lando nose his chin. Lando felt comfortable now, fingers curled in the fabric of Dan's shirt.
His head shot up when he heard Max come in again, but the Omega was not alone.
"Carlos." Lando whimpered. The Spaniard, dressed in red, smiled.
"Hi darling." He greeted. He seemed a bit uncomfortable when he noted Lando was curled on Daniel's lap. Max came up behind him and gently tugged at the short hairs in the nape of Carlos's neck.
Lando had entangled himself from the Aussie Alpha, cooing happily as he jogged over and hugged Carlos tightly. Carlos chuckled softly, holding the younger man close.
"I miss you too." He said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of Lando's head. Daniel had gotten up from the floor as well, walking over and playfully rifling Carlos's hair in greeting. The Beta bared his teeth a little but let out a gentle sound.
"I'm proud of you." Carlos said to Lando. "I know cuddling an Alpha is a big step." He added. Lando cooed.
"Lando and Max are nice." He mumbled. "But I really miss being Pack with you." He added. Carlos shushed him.
"We are still Pack, darling." He said softly, lifting Lando's head to look him in the eye. "We will always be Pack." He added. Lando cooed and hugged him again, causing the Spaniard to let out a soft rumble.
Max cuddled closer too, playfully tugging at Lando's ear.
"We are all Pack." He said, Carlos nodding in affirmation. Lando turned to coo at Daniel, tugging him closer. The Alpha rumbled and pulled all three younger men close, nuzzling their heads. Max smiled and pressed a kiss to his Alpha's lips in thanks.
Carlos meanwhile only had eyes for the young British Omega curled against his chest, stroking Lando's hair with a fondness on his face that Max recognized. It was how Daniel looked at him too.
"Come on." Max said softly. "Let's get out of here."