Chapter Text
Becoming an omega model was, in one word, hard. Being a male omega made the chances of making it big in the modeling industry even harder. The people wanted soft edges, fawn-like eyes, and meek expressions. Something Shane did not see when he looked in the mirror. Despite all that, Shane was one of the top male omega models in the world and had amassed a major following. He had drunkenly posted a shirtless mirror selfie, and overnight the post had blown up. He woke to missed calls from modeling agencies begging him to come in for a meeting. It had all happened so fast, and Shane Hollander became a household name overnight, which brought him to now, doing the latest shoot for Rolex.
If he was honest with himself, he hated studio days. Many of the photographers and agents were alpha, with a few betas. The olfactory ambush and demands from the team left him exhausted by the end. Thankfully the shoot was nearing its end when he saw his best friend Rose walk in through one of the back doors.
“Alright, we have all the shots we need; let’s wrap it up,” the director yelled.
Shane let out a sigh of relief and walked off the set over to where Rose was talking to some of the agents. Being a beta, Rose didn’t have to worry about heats or ruts. There were days he was envious of her presentation, but she was his best friend and biggest supporter aside from his parents.
“Hey there, supermodel, how are you feeling?” Rose beamed when I came face-to-face with her.
“Ugh, like death, I’m ready to get out of here.” I responded with a soft smile.
“Well, unfortunately, we’ll be making an appearance tonight.” she explained.
” Where? My calendar is clear for the rest of the day.”
“I scored front-row seats to the Metro and Raiders game tonight for us,” she happily explained.
”Do I have to go?” I whined.
“Yes! We’ve been working so hard lately; it’s time for some fun and….I got us a VIP meet and greet with the winning team after the game,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
”A meet and greet? Sounds more like an alpha smell ambush.”
Most sports were alpha-dominated, with almost all hockey players being alphas.
“Oh come on, Hollander.… who knows, maybe someone will catch your eye.” She laughed, winking.
I followed her out of the building, pouting, until we got to our ride. We decided to go back to her place to get ready for the game since I basically had my own room there.
After arriving at Roses’ place, we ordered some food and went our separate ways to get ready. After showering, changing, and applying some light makeup, I walked out to the kitchen and scrolled on my phone until Rose was finished getting ready. After about an hour, Rose walked out wearing a Montreal Metro jersey with her hair and makeup done. With a final check over in the hallway mirror, we exited her apartment and got into our ride.
The arena was buzzing with excitement and noise. A mix of smells made it difficult to pinpoint what smell belonged to whom. Rose wasn’t kidding when she said she got us front -row seats, but unfortunately the seats put us right behind the Raiders bench.
We stuck out like a sore thumb among all the Raiders fans in the seats around us.
“ Maybe I should've asked to sit behind the Metro's bench.I feel like people are glaring.” Rose snickered.
I only hummed my agreement, hoping the game would be quick so I could get back home and curl up in my nest and sleep for the next week.
It wasn’t long before both teams entered the rink and the crowds went wild for both sides.
After opening remarks, both teams lined their benches, waiting for the start. We were so close I could smell all of the players. All but one of their scents made my head hurt. The player at the very end of the bench locked eyes with me as he was sitting down but quickly looked away when one of his teammates said something to him.
”Who is that?” I asked Rose,nodding to the player in front of us.
”Oh! That’s Ilya Rozanov, the team captain; he’s Russian.” She whispered into my ear. “He’s like a hockey god and was the first draft pick this year.”
I didn’t respond, trying to focus on the scent coming off of him. It was refreshing compared to the harsh scents coming from his teammates and the others around us.
The game was brutal with multiple fights and injuries. Shane didn’t know much about hockey, but he could tell both teams were playing hard. The alphas on the ice were damn near primal. Clawing at each other, radiating anger.
Shane wasn’t exactly focused on the game but more so on the player seated in front of him.
The Raiders had managed to pull through and broke the tie in overtime. Shane would never come out and say it, but he was glad to be meeting with the team that had the amazing smelling alpha on it.
He was brought out of his internal musings when Rose began herding him out of their seats towards the Raiders locker room.
” We have about 30 minutes or so before we can meet the team,” Rose explained.
Once closer to the locker room, there were other fans waiting to also meet the team. The outside had been turned into a booth-like structure with tables and chairs for the team to sit on. Rose had explained during the game they would get posters signed by the team.
Shane felt oddly flustered and figured it was the people in such a small space, but the cramps in his stomach almost felt like he was in pre-heat, but that was impossible. He followed a strict schedule, tracking all of his cycles.
It didn’t feel like 30 minutes had passed before the team had made their way into the area, filling the seats. The roars of the crowd hurt Shane’s omega ears hurt, making his hands come up to cover them until the crowd died down.
“ All right fans, I want everyone to form a line to have their posters signed,” the agent yelled.
Shane and Rose took their place near the front of the line. Rose was happily chatting away with others in line while Shane was trying not to show that he was getting flustered. Once they reached the start of the table, they were handed posters, which got passed down from player to player for them to sign. They interacted with Shane and Rose, answering questions or offering a smile. The last person to sign was the captain, Rozanov. He signed Rose 's poster and handed it off to her, he then took his, pausing and looking up at him.
“Did you enjoy game?” Rozanov asked. Making direct eye contact with Shane.
Shane was taken aback by his accent even with Rose telling him earlier he was Russian. He couldn’t get an answer before he saw Rozanov’s eyes flash a deep alpha red, and he could feel his own flashing a burning gold.
“Um,yeah, it was great,” he shakily replied.
“That’s good to hear,” Rozanov answered, handing him his poster.
He reached forward to grab his poster, but before he could , his legs turned to jelly and his knees gave out.
“OMG, Shane!” Someone, he thinks is Rose, screams as he is falling. He braces for impact that never comes because he is caught by two strong arms and pulled against a warm body.
He barely registers, his face is squished into a chest until he hears a threatening growl coming from the body in front of him. His head is fuzzy, and he tries moving his arms in a failed attempt to push at the body holding him. He tries to take stock of his body, which helps clear his fuzzy head. A few things register suddenly: 1. He’s pitifully whimpering. 2. He is being held onto . 3. The person holding onto him is none other than Ilya Rozanov, who is growling at the crowd and medics surrounding us. Shane' s face heats up more than it already was, realizing he was being held against the alpha' s body in front of all these people.
“OMG, Shane, are you okay?” Rose hastily asks but keeps her distance.
“Sir, we need to check over him.” One of the medics says in a soothing voice , hoping to placate the alpha.
Rozanov’s growling only grows in pitch at the prospect of Shane being touched by anyone else.
” He’s mine,” Rozanov growls out.
“Okay, okay , he’s yours, but he’s just fainted , and we need to make sure he’s okay.” The medic says, holding out their hands to show they were no threat.
“Please, I don’t know what’s happening to me,” I whisper into Rozanov’ s chest. This seems to have the intended effect , as his growling tapers off into a soft rumble attempting to soothe him. Slowly Rozanov releases me so that I can sit on the floor.
Once out of Rozanov's arms, the medics slowly come over and begin performing their assessments. The agents and security clear out the area until it's just me, the medics, Rose, the Raiders, and Rozanov. The medics begin asking me a series of questions and perform as many tests as they can with minimal equipment. They all share this look after just a few questions.
“I know you’re really scared right now, hun, but you’re going to be okay,” the one medic soothes.
” What’s wrong with me? I'm not due for another heat until a month from now.”
”All of the signs point to a sudden onset of heat due to meeting your true mate.” The other medic explains.
My heart drops to my stomach as I slowly look to Rozanov, who looks equally as shocked as I am. Rozanov only holds eye contact for a few seconds and then turns and walks towards the locker room.
The omega in me is whimpering. Alpha left you because you’re not good enough. I can’t help the tears that gather in my eyes. Rose and the medics help me off the floor and allow us to use an exit off-limits to the public. Rose orders our ride, choosing a beta driver since I am in pre-heat.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come stay with me? I know I can’t help, but I hate you being alone after that,” Rose offers sympathetically.
“I’ll be okay, promise.”
“Okay, just make sure to text me when you can.” She says, hugging me and offering a smile.
“Will do, get home safe.”
I watch from my entrance as she gets back into the ride taking her home. I immediately gather plenty of water bottles and snacks for my heat. I’ve never had a mate in heat, so I stock up as much as I can. My omega hasn’t stopped whimpering since my “true mate” left me. Tears make their way into my eyes again, and I simply curl up in my nest to ride out this heat alone.