The Pack

For as long as Mal could remember, there had always been Jay.

The two of them practically inherited their friendship. Maleficent and Jafar had been working together ever since they were put on the Isle of the Lost, though they would never call each other friends. Mal and Jay had met when they were in diapers, and they learned how to run a scheme together before they could speak in full sentences. Mal’s commanding attitude and Jay’s strength went hand in hand, and they were out terrorizing the rest of the Isle by the time they were in kindergarten.

But, like any partners, Mal and Jay found themselves constantly butting heads. They were both extremely stubborn and strong-willed, and they couldn’t give up control to anyone. The two of them were on the verge of killing each other when they met the next member of their group.

James Hook was known as one of the most unstable villains on the Isle. He was an alcoholic even before he was sent away, and his mental health had declined rapidly when he was separated from the rest of the world. He was a father of three, two girls and a son named Harry.

Harry was quick, and he knew how to make a huge scene that could distract attention (Mal and Jay didn’t realize it the first day they met him, but Harry had been causing trouble so that a friend of his could get what he needed). All they saw was another kid who liked mischief.

It was surprising how mellow Harry could be. His father was overbearing and crazy, so many thought that his son would turn out the same way. Harry could definitely be just as insane as his father, but when it came to Mal and Jay, Harry was the middleman. Any time they got close to ripping each other’s throats out, Harry would step in and calm the situation.

They knew Harry for a year before he came to them, asking if they could bring another person into their group. It was a tiny kid with a freckled face and curly hair. Though they were only six, Mal could tell that he would be a liability. She had outright refused, but Jay said that there was something about him. His name was Carlos, and he proved that he could be useful. He was small and quiet, and he could sneak into the market on drop off day without anyone noticing.

But letting Carlos join came with a price. His mother, Cruella DeVil, was even crazier than James Hook. She beat Carlos and treated him almost as if he was a slave. Carlos would cower and allow her to talk that way, spitting words that the others didn’t understand, like omega.

-----

The next year, the four of them were seven and getting more dangerous by the day. Jafar was using Jay to fill the shelves in his store, and if Jay didn’t get a big enough haul, he was beaten. Jay was doing his best to learn how to fight on his own so that one day he could stand up to his father.

Maleficent preferred to use verbal abuse and manipulation on Mal, and the purple haired girl went out of her way to do horrible things to impress her mother so that she would finally leave her alone. All she heard was ‘you need to show me you can be evil, you worthless bastard!’ or ‘if you want to live, you will be an alpha’. That word, alpha, started to come up more and more in their conversations.

Harry did his best to protect his sisters from his father’s rage, which usually ended in him getting beaten or thrown overboard. He took it in silence, not wanting anyone to pity him. He knew that protecting his sisters made him look weak, but he just couldn’t bring himself to let them get hurt.

Cruella was adding more and more chores to Carlos’s list, and the poor boy had no chance of doing all the things she asked, resulting in more bruises covering his skin. Like Mal, he was hearing more of the same word, but it was always omega, omega, omega.

The first time Mal ever saw the Evil Queen, she could remember thinking that she was beautiful, but terrifying. Her face was cold and lifeless in a way that even Maleficent couldn’t achieve. As she walked down the street in the market, the men (and even some women) shouted obscenities towards her. There was a child behind her, a girl about the same size as Mal with long, blue hair. She was dressed in a frilly blue dress and had a tiara on her head. When Mal made eye contact with her, she almost felt a shock run through her body.

Mal wasn’t big on emotions. She had definitely not been raised to be touchy feely, and she couldn’t remember Maleficent ever giving her a hug. Love was a foreign concept. But when she looked at that other child, for some reason, she felt a strong pull in her chest.

One of the men calling out to the Evil Queen (and he was using that word omega again) reached out to touch her daughter. Her big, brown eyes went wide and Mal could practically smell her fear. She waited to see what the woman would do, but she just smiled and leaned towards one of the other men, whispering in his ear.

Mal didn’t even have a chance to think before she was running forward. She kicked the guy’s knees who was holding onto the little girl, causing him to let go in shock. Mal stepped in front of her, doing her best to stand tall.

“She’s mine!” she practically growled.

The man started to laugh. “I’ll kill you and her, you little bitch.” He snatched Mal’s arm.

“That’s Maleficent’s brat.” One of the others said. As the whispers spread, all of the men backed up. Mal smirked, knowing that her mother’s name went far on the Isle.

The man threw her on the ground, then turned and walked away. The girl leaned down to help her up.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry!” she said quickly. “Oh no, you’re all dirty.”

“I’m fine, Princess.” She answered, dusting off her pants. Now that she was closer to her, that pull was even stronger.

“My name is Evie.” The girl told her.

“Mal.” She tilted her head slightly. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever left my castle.” Evie admitted, her cheeks flushing. “Mommy said that it was time for me to show myself to the Isle. She wanted everyone to see how pretty I am.”

“You are pretty.” Mal turned in surprise when she heard another voice. It was Jay, and Harry and Carlos were right behind him. “But you need to work on your skills.”

Evie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You can’t let someone grab you like that. You never know what they’re going to do. Next time someone touches you and you don’t want them to, punch and kick as hard as you can.” Jay instructed.

“I’ve never hit anyone before.” Evie said nervously.

Harry laughed. “Don’t ever tell anyone that. It makes you an easy target.”

From that day on, Evie joined their little crew. She started to go to school with them, and it wasn’t unusual for the group of five to skip and run around the Isle. They weren’t allowed to call each other friends, but they knew that they could trust each other.

-----

When they were eight, they built a treehouse in Carlos’s backyard. It was the perfect location since he lived right next to Evie, and it wasn’t too far for the others to walk. As long as they avoided Cruella, they didn’t have any trouble.

Jay had taken it upon himself to try and teach Evie and Carlos how to defend themselves. Mal would usually watch in the corner with her sketchbook, while Harry would either join in or practice his sword swinging skills.

“Why do you do that?” Jay questioned one afternoon, drawing the attention of the others. He had raised his hand to hit Evie, and she immediately fell to her knees.

“Do what?” Harry wondered.

“She doesn’t defend herself. She just drops to her knees and leaves herself open.”

Evie bit her lip, a sign that the others had realized meant she was nervous. “Mommy says that’s what a good omega does. If I want to be find a prince, then I need to be a pretty omega princess.”

Mal scoffed, but kept her opinions to herself on how she felt about princes. “What do you mean when you say omega?”

Evie looked up, seeing the boys were staring at her in curiosity too. “Your parents never taught you?”

“That would involve us being in the same room for them for longer than two minutes without a beating.” Jay joked.

“It’s in our biology. When we’re older, we will all be either an alpha, beta, or omega.”

“I’ve never heard of that.” Harry said. “What do they mean?”

“Well, an alpha is the strongest. They’re the ones who are usually in charge, and they’re good at making babies. They like to protect the people that belong to them. Mommy wants me to marry an alpha prince one day.” Evie explained. “Betas are calmer. Mommy says that they don’t have to deal with all the extra stuff that an alpha or an omega does.”

“What’s an omega?” Carlos asked. He had been hearing that word all of his life and he had never had the courage to ask Cruella what it meant.

“Mommy says that omegas are desirable. They are more shy and quiet and let other people take care of them. All of the alphas want to be with an omega, and they’re the best at being parents. When I grow up and I’m an omega, I’m going to be the best mom.” Evie told the others with a bright smile.

“You’re an alpha.” Jay said to Mal. “You have to be, and Harry, you’re probably a beta.”

“You’re an alpha too.” Harry informed Jay.

“Maybe that’s why Cruella always says that to me.” Carlos stated. “Maybe I’m going to be an omega.”

Evie smiled happily. “You’ll be like me!”

-----

When they were nine, they learned more about what alpha, beta, and omega meant. An alpha, like Maleficent or Jafar, was controlling. They were stronger and would search for people that were weaker than them. They hurt people and didn’t care about how it affected them as long as they got what they want. Even Mal had felt a little sick to her stomach when she learned that alphas would have ruts where their bodies craved an omega, whether that omega wanted them or not.

A beta, like James Hook or Cruella, seemed to be better off. They didn’t have to deal with ruts or heats, and it seemed like their personalities could be calmer. Unfortunately, James and Cruella weren’t great examples since they were both extremely mentally ill, but Mal’s crew understood the concept.

It was learning about omegas that really made them feel sick. Mal would never forget the horrified look on Evie’s face when some of the older kids on the Isle had explained to them that an omega was just there for an alpha to fuck. That they were weak and useless and no one took them seriously. That they were only good to have babies and nobody cared about anything but their body. They found out that an omega would have a heat where they wanted an alpha to get them pregnant, and that alphas could notice and come after them whether they wanted it or not.

Then, they met Uma. The girl was the daughter of Ursula, and she was every bit as stubborn and angry as Mal. They ran into each other at the market one day when they were trying to steal the same bracelet, and the two of them butted heads ever since. From what Mal could tell, Uma worked at her mother’s restaurant, so she didn’t get to come out as often as the rest of the kids.

It was Evie who brought them together. One of Gaston’s sons had been picking on Evie, despite the many warnings that he was given from Mal and Jay. He stole Evie’s necklace, and knowing that her mother would kill her if she didn’t have it when she got home, Evie followed him. Gaston Jr. cornered her and nearly had her pinned to the ground when Uma appeared and knocked him overboard.

After that, Mal could accept that Uma was a good addition to the team. They were up to six now, and Mal told the others in a meeting that six was more than enough and they wouldn’t be accepting anyone else into the crew.

-----

As they got older, the six teenagers only got more ruthless. They would all do anything to earn their parents’ approval, no matter the cost. They also learned more and more about their biology and what would be happening to them in the next few years.

Then, all of a sudden, they were exposed almost all at once.

It started with Uma. At 14, she was the first one to present. One day she was fine, and the next she was aggressive and picking fights with the others, especially Mal and Jay. She would get territorial over Evie, Harry, and Carlos and refuse to let Mal or Jay near them. It wasn’t until after she slept with Gaston’s youngest son Gil that the others realized she was presenting as an alpha and going through her rut.

Two days later, Uma was all over Evie, saying she smelled sweet (though the others didn’t notice anything). It lead to countless fights between Uma and Mal, who was undoubtedly the closest to Evie out of their crew. Blood was drawn and bruises were left on both of their skin as they fought over the blue haired girl.

Harry was put in charge of taking care of Evie while Uma was practically dragged home by Jay. Evie was feverish and wouldn’t stop pacing around the treehouse, arranging the blankets and their clothes in different formations. She fell asleep, and when she woke up again, she was pretty much incoherent. All she wanted to do was sit on Harry’s lap, and he was surprised to feel her grinding against his leg.

“I guess she really is an omega.” Carlos had whispered to Harry.

That’s when Mal absolutely lost it. Just like Uma had been doing a few days before, Mal became extremely aggressive and territorial over Evie. Everyone knew they were close, and Uma and the boys suspected that if they lived in a place where feelings were allowed, Mal and Evie would have feelings for each other. It only took seconds before Mal started trying to remove Evie’s clothes, the blue haired girl begging for her between kisses.

“No!” Harry interrupted. Mal turned towards him and actually growled. “Jay, I need some help here.”

Jay had been able to drag Mal out of the treehouse, and Harry could hear them fighting in the yard. Evie was whining and whimpering, her pants down by her knees as she stuck her hand between her legs. Carlos looked at the other boy in surprise.

“Cruella isn’t home, but we need to get this under control before she is. If she hears them…”

“I know.” Harry interrupted. “They’re all triggering each other. Maybe it’s best if everyone goes home for a few days.”

“Not Evie.” Carlos said softly. “We know how vulnerable an omega is in heat. We can’t leave her alone.”

“If her and Mal want to spend this time together, that’s their business. My only concern is that I know Evie wouldn’t want to be pregnant.”

Carlos realized what his friend was thinking. “She’s been making those potions for her mom to prevent pregnancy. I bet I could get one that we could give to her.”

Harry looked out the window, seeing that Mal and Jay were tearing each other to shreds. “Hurry up.”

Carlos was barely able to get to Evie in time, who was crying and begging for Mal. When he got to the tree house, he hadn’t seen Mal and Jay outside, so he figured the thief had found somewhere else to take her.

“Here, E. You need to drink this.” Carlos urged. He held the little vial up to her lips and she drank it. “Are you okay?”

“Mal.” Evie whimpered. “Where’s Mal?”

Harry was sitting next to Evie, trying to calm her down, but it was impossible. It seemed like she was in physical pain from denying herself sexual pleasures.

All of a sudden, Evie sat up. “M?”

Carlos guessed that Evie could smell Mal’s scent because seconds later, the purple haired girl burst into the treehouse. Her eyes were nearly black.

“Out.” She growled as she looked towards Harry and Carlos before smashing her lips against Evie’s. The two of them didn’t need to be told twice and they were down the ladder just as they heard Evie start moaning.

When they got to the bottom, Carlos could see Jay pacing. It only took a few seconds to realize that Evie’s heat must have triggered Jay’s rut too, because it was obvious that he was presenting as an alpha. Harry didn’t seem affected, but Carlos’s knees felt a little weak.

“We all need to go home.” Harry told the others. “Get out of here before anything else happens.”

Jay shook his head. “Omega.”

“Mal is taking care of Evie. That’s what Evie wants.” Carlos insisted.

“Not her.” He looked into Carlos’s eyes. “You. I’m not leaving you, or Harry.”

It was obvious that the sounds coming from the tree house were affecting Jay’s already weaning self-control, so Harry got them out of there. He was starting to see the same signs in Carlos that had shown up in Evie yesterday, and he knew that by this time tomorrow, Carlos would be in heat. He was assuming that since he felt completely normal, he really was a beta like his friends predicted when they were kids.

But then he realized how fucked they were. How was their crew going to function with three alphas, a beta, and two omegas?

-----

It was nearly a week before their crew was all together again, and clearly some of them were still feeling the after effects of their heats or ruts. Mal was sitting as far away as she could get from the others with Evie on her lap, and while she didn’t care to let Harry and Carlos come near her, she would get aggressive if Uma or Jay got too close. Evie seemed perfectly content sitting on Mal’s lap and snuggling into her, and everyone could see all the hickeys covering her skin. Jay wasn’t reacting well either and he was trying to keep Harry and Carlos away from both Mal and Uma, while Uma just wanted to be near someone. Carlos was incredibly anxious and going back and forth between the three alphas as if he was scared to disappoint one of them.

“Are you mated?” Harry asked Evie and Mal.

Mal gave him a dirty look. “We’re fourteen, dipshit. Her mom might be fucking insane and want her to get married as soon as possible, but I don’t. She doesn’t need a mate to be important.” Mal smoothed back Evie’s hair and tucked it behind her ears. “Besides, there aren’t mates on the Isle.” It didn’t go unnoticed that Evie nuzzled further into her neck.

“Ruts suck.” Uma said after a moment of silence. “It’s like your body is telling you to do things that you don’t want to do. All you care about is finding a mate and fucking someone so that your knot can be released. I’ve heard it’s easier with an omega, but I definitely don’t want to experience all that again.”

“What about Gil?” Carlos wondered.

“He’s a beta. It helped a little, but I never felt fully satisfied.” Uma’s eyes drifted over towards Mal, who instantly tensed up.

“Relax, Mal.” Harry said calmly. Mal and Uma had always had the roughest relationship out of their crew, so it really wasn’t surprising that this was happening.

“Tell her not to look at Evie like that.”

“I don’t want her.” Uma scoffed.

Mal got defensive again, but now for a completely different reason. “You would be fucking lucky to be with someone like E. She is…”

“Mal.” Harry interrupted. “You need to try and calm down. Uma, explain what you mean.”

“I’m not saying that I want to fuck Evie. The only reason I was all over her is because of her scent. I’m sure you guys noticed it,” she said to Mal and Jay, who both nodded in understanding. “It’s like this sweet smell. I couldn’t help it.”

“I think Uma’s rut is what triggered Evie’s heat.” Mal informed them. “Then Evie’s heat triggered my rut.”

“And mine.” Jay added. “Then my rut triggered Carlos’s heat.”

“And I’m a beta.” Harry chimed in. “I don’t ever want to play peacekeeper like that again though, so next time, everyone stays at their own houses when they’re in a rut or heat. Got it?”

“Got it.” The other five reluctantly responded.

“Have any of you heard about packs?” Evie spoke for the first time that day. She had been really quiet and extra cuddly, which everyone figured was part of recovering from her heat. “With the way we were all reacting to each other, maybe we’re supposed to be a pack.”

“So what, we all fuck each other?” Uma asked.

“No. But we would all take care of each other and keep everybody safe when they’re vulnerable.” Evie explained. “That’s why villains very rarely have packs. They can’t look out for anyone but themselves.”

“But we have three alphas.” Carlos reminded her quietly, feeling a little nervous to speak with all of the tension in the room.

“I think we all know who the alpha is.” Evie said before turning and burying her face back in Mal’s chest.

“Just because you’re willing to submit so she’ll fuck you doesn’t mean that I am.” Uma snarled, earning a low growl from Mal and even Jay. “But I bet Jay will. He’ll get on his knees and do whatever Mal says.”

Jay leapt towards her and the two of them started to fight. Mal stood, lifting Evie into her arms. She moved quickly and led both Carlos and Harry towards the door too so that none of them would accidentally get hurt during the fight.

Mal had never felt so weird before. It was like all of her senses were heightened. She could practically feel the distress coming off of Evie and Carlos in waves, and even Harry seemed upset. They obviously didn’t want Jay or Uma to get hurt.

When the other two alphas came down from the tree house, they were covered in bruises and scratches, but they weren’t fighting anymore.

Mal looked at everyone. “We are a family. I don’t think it’s a secret that we have gotten way more out of us being allies than we ever did from our own blood families. We don’t have to decide if we are a pack now, but I want you all to know that I do care about you.” She was still holding Evie, so she squeezed her thigh, trying to communicate it to her. She figured Evie agreed when the blue haired girl kissed her neck.

Mal wanted to be a pack. She just hoped she wouldn’t lose the others in the process.

-----

When they were 15, Mal found the hideout. Carlos’s treehouse was nice, but this was bigger and actually had the room for all of them. Since presenting, the three alphas had all hit a growth spurt. Jay was now around six feet tall, while Uma, Mal, and Harry were all between 5’8’’ and 5’9’’. Evie was sad when she realized she would probably stand at 5’2’’ for forever, and Carlos was an inch shorter than her but hadn’t had a growth spurt yet (and once he did, he would probably land at around 5’5’’).

The hideout was hidden enough that no one would find it, and safe enough that they could sleep there whenever they wanted. But of course, things couldn’t go well for forever.

Mal would never forget the day that Evie came running in with tears pouring down her cheeks. Every protective instinct in her body kicked into high alert, and she saw Jay and Uma stand too. Evie ran straight to her and Mal hugged her as tight as she could.

“Hey, take a deep breath. Try to calm down so you can tell me what’s going on.”

Then, she caught a whiff of her scent. Evie smelled like another alpha, and it wasn’t Uma or Jay.

“Who touched you?” Mal demanded.

Jay came over. “What?”

“She has someone else’s scent all over her.” Jay leaned in, noticing it right away and scrunching his nose up.

Uma came on her other side and put a gentle hand on Evie’s back. “It’s alright, Princess. Just keep taking deep breaths.”

“M-m-my mom knows.” Evie sobbed.

“She knows what, baby?” Mal asked. She didn’t even notice her slip-up with the pet name, and no one else commented on it.

“That you’ve been helping me with my heats.” Evie was a little calmer now, but she was still crying. “She said I’m an omega slut who will spread my legs for the first person who comes by.” She sniffled. “She said that if I want to whore myself out, then she’ll at least get something out of it, and then she had some guy come in.”

“Did he hurt you?” Mal demanded.

“H-he was scenting me and he kissed my neck and then I pushed him off and ran.” Evie practically clawed at her neck as she looked at her best friend. “I want it off.”

“Shhh, you’re okay.” Mal put a hand on the back of Evie’s head and brought her forward until her face was buried in Mal’s neck, right by her scent gland. She knew that her scent would have a calming effect on the omega, and she felt Evie instantly relax in her arms. Uma and Jay went back to what they were doing, knowing that Mal would call them over if they were needed.

Once Evie was calm enough, Mal laid her down. Then, she started to scent her. She ran her nose up Evie’s neck, then rubbed their cheeks together. She brought her wrist up (where there was another scent gland) and rubbed it across Evie’s forehead, cheeks, and even her lips. She did it over and over until she couldn’t smell the other alpha anymore.

“Jay.” She called out. “Come tell me if you can smell it.”

Jay came over, leaning in to smell Evie. “Nope, she smells like you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m happy you’re okay.”

“Thank you.” Evie smiled, but didn’t hug him. Mal wanted to smile when she realized that it was because Evie didn’t want her scent to rub off. “M?”

“Hmmm?”

“I’m really tired.” Evie bit her lip. “Will you cuddle me?”

Mal rolled her eyes in fake exasperation. “I guess, if I have to.” She lifted Evie up easily, feeling the smaller girl wrap her legs around her waist. She carried her over to one of the makeshift beds and laid down. Mal pulled Evie into her arms and stroked the omega’s hair until she drifted off.

Later that night, after Evie and Carlos had fallen asleep, Mal spoke to Harry, Uma, and Jay. They agreed that there was no way they could let the person who hurt Evie live, and they went out to teach him a lesson.

The next morning, Mal explained what had happened. As soon as she was finished, Evie came over and kneeled in front of her.

“Alpha.” She whispered.

Mal reached out, running her fingers through Evie’s hair. “My beautiful girl.”

Carlos sank down on his knees next to Evie, and Harry kneeled on his other side. Mal look at them in surprise, but she was even more shocked when Jay kneeled on Evie’s other side. But nothing could have prepared her for when Uma kneeled next to Jay.

Mal understood immediately. This was her pack, and she would do anything to protect them.

-----

They were 16 when they got a letter from Prince Ben of Auradon asking if Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos would attend Auradon Prep. They discussed it and immediately agreed that if Uma and Harry weren’t going, then they weren’t either. But the decision was taken out of their hands when Maleficent found out.

“You will go to Auradon, Mal.” She sneered at her daughter. “You will show me that you can do more than fuck your little omega slut.”

Mal growled. “Don’t talk about her.”

Maleficent laughed. “All I have to do is wave my hand and one of my henchmen will end the little princess’s life. You have no room for feelings. You need to prove yourself, or when I get to Auradon- and I will get there with or without your help, I will kill all your little attachments and leave you there to die alone.”

Mal took a deep breath to try and control her temper. She knew her mother was right; it wouldn’t take much for her to lose her entire pack. “What do you need me to do?”

The four of them said their goodbyes to Harry and Uma and they set off for Auradon. They needed to steal Fairy Godmother’s magic wand and open the barrier. Surprisingly, it was Mal who was the most nervous on the limo ride over. She sat with her hands in her lap and stared out the window, watching as they were taken from the only place they had ever known.

All of a sudden, she noticed a different scent in the air. She knew immediately that it was Evie, and she could tell that she was upset.

“What’s wrong?” Mal demanded. As they had gotten older, they had learned how to control their pheromones better and to use them to pick up on each other’s moods.

“You’re suffocating us.” It was Jay who answered, and when Mal looked towards the boys, she could tell that their scents had changed too.

Mal realized that her scent was telling the others that danger was coming and they needed to be ready to fight. In return, Jay was letting off the same scent, and the two omegas were reacting and letting off pheromones that showed they were scared. She reached a hand out towards Evie, who crawled across the seat and came over to sit next to her.

“It’s going to be okay.” Evie said, pushing out calming pheromones in a way that only an omega could. Mal instantly leaned into her.

“How do you know?”

“Because I know my alpha won’t let anything happen.” Evie whispered.

Mal felt her chest tighten. Relationships weren’t a thing on the Isle, but she had always felt this undeniable pull towards Evie that had only increased since their dynamics presented. They still weren’t mated, but Mal would kill someone before she let them take her place in Evie’s life.

She had already thoroughly scented Evie the night before, but she figured she had time to do it again. They all had scent glands on each side where their neck and shoulder met, and on their wrists. She needed to scent her so that everyone in Auradon got the message- Evie was not someone they could come close to.

“Mine.” She mumbled before licking Evie’s neck.

“Yours.” Evie hummed in agreement as she tangled her fingers in Mal’s hair.

Mal brought her hand up and trailed her fingertips over the soft, smooth skin. Evie just tilted her head back, letting Mal have better access to her neck.

When she finished scenting her, the tension in the limo had dissipated. Mal had figured out that when her pack watched her take care of Evie, it affected them too in a calming way.

“M?” Evie called quietly. Mal looked down at the girl who was still in her arms, seeing the way she was eyeing her neck. Mal nodded and Evie leaned in, doing some scenting of her own. She buried her face in blue hair and just let the sweet scent work its magic.

By the time they got to Auradon, Mal didn’t want to leave the limo. She wanted to go back to the hideout to the nest that Evie and Carlos had carefully created. She wanted to be surrounded by her pack, her whole pack.

Mal reached out to squeeze Jay’s hand, then Carlos’s, and then she placed a quick kiss on Evie’s lips. “We can do this.”

As soon as the door opened, the four of them climbed out. They stood with a safe distance between each of them, though Mal was a step in front of the others. The bright colors and cheery voices were overwhelming, and when they were handed school schedules, Mal wondered what they had gotten themselves into.

-----

After a failed attempt at getting the wand, Mal’s crew quickly decided on their next plan of action. At Ben’s coronation, only his parents and girlfriend could sit up front where Fairy Godmother’s wand would be. Because of his fascination with Mal (and the fact that Mal would be the strongest and most willing to actually go through with grabbing the wand), it was decided that she would put a love spell on him.

From the minute Evie found out, she felt sick. As long as she had known the purple haired girl, she had never had to watch her give her attention to another person. It was a well-known fact within their pack that if Evie was in the room, that was where Mal was focusing. Evie knew she didn’t really have a right to be possessive since they weren’t mated, but she couldn’t help it.

When Ben invited Mal to be his date to coronation, Evie nearly ripped him to shreds. She was far from a violent person, but she couldn’t stand watching the way he looked at Mal. Once the crowd started to disappear from the Tourney game, she quietly followed Mal back to their dorm room. Evie slid her shoes off and dropped her leather jacket onto a chair, then climbed into her bed. She shut her eyes and inhaled deeply; Mal had been sleeping in her bed and her scent was still there.

She felt a hand grab her shoulder and roll her onto her back. Then, Mal was on top of her, rubbing her hands across Evie’s neck and face. Once she finished, she leaned down and pressed their lips together. Evie gave in without a second thought and brought a hand up to tangle it in Mal’s messy hair.

“You’re mine.” Mal growled as she trailed her kisses down Evie’s neck. “Say it, omega.”

“I’m yours, alpha.” Evie tilted her head to give her better access. “Please, M.”

“No matter what happens, I want you.” Mal said as she practically ripped Evie’s shirt off. “We have to do this so our pack can be back together. Don’t you want that?” Evie nodded, gasping when she felt Mal’s tongue trace around her nipple. “I’m always going to want you.”

Evie relaxed, giving up all control. “Then take me.”

-----

Three weeks after coming to Auradon, Evie’s hormones went into overdrive. The first thing the others noticed was that she was constantly hungry. Evie wasn’t very big on food, which was the result of her mother conditioning her into believing that she was fat and couldn’t eat. When Evie actually ate her meals without putting up a fight, it was always a huge sign to them that her heat was coming.

Then, Mal started to notice some of her clothes were going missing. She went searching for it in their big walk-in closet and found that Evie was making a nest of different kinds of clothing. Her heart ached a little when she saw Harry’s favorite sweatshirt and one of Uma’s t-shirts, knowing that they must have gifted them to the omega for this specific reason. It was a well-known fact among the pack that Evie liked to be surrounded by Mal’s scent during a heat, but she also wanted to have a little bit of the rest of them too.

Next came the irritability. It seemed like anytime Mal spoke, she did something that pissed Evie off. It usually ended in her growling in response to Evie’s shouts, and Evie lowering her eyes submissively before disappearing to her nest. Typically, Evie would let her lay with her, but right now, she refused to even let Mal near the closet.

Towards the middle of the week, Evie’s attitude changed. Now it was like she suddenly couldn’t get enough of Mal. The minute she walked into the room, Evie was crawling onto her lap and burying her face into her neck. As a child, Mal had hated being touched, but the closer she got to Evie, the more she liked it. She would never turn down the opportunity to cuddle with the princess, so they spent many afternoons pressed together in one of their beds.

The next day, Mal came home from a date with Ben and found Evie dressed in a pair of her sweatpants and one of her purple sweatshirts. Her face was free of makeup, her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she was laying in Mal’s bed.

“Hi, M.” Evie greeted.

“You’re perfect.” Mal informed her before kneeling next to her. She studied her face, seeing Evie immediately scrunch her nose up. “What’s wrong?”

“Go shower.”

Mal frowned. “Why?”

“Because you smell like him.” Evie rolled over so that her back was facing her. “It’s making me sick.”

Mal sighed, but did as she said. She knew that this whole scheme with fake dating Ben had been hard on Evie, and that she was extra sensitive when she was close to her heat, so she wanted to make things easier on her. She just wanted Evie to be happy.

After she was clean, she came back into the room. “Better?”

Evie sat up and leaned towards her to smell her, then nodded in approval. She pulled her close so that she could attach her lips to her neck, scenting her as she kissed her skin. Mal didn’t protest, especially not when Evie moved up to her lips.

“Mal?” she asked after a while.

“Hmmm?” Mal looked at her, her breaths coming in pants. She would do anything Evie asked as long as she kept kissing her like that.

“Are you going to spend my heat with me?” Evie spoke, then immediately looked down as if she was afraid of the answer.

“Look at me.” Mal commanded. The omega instantly did as she said. “Why wouldn’t I? We always spend your heats together.”

“Ben.” Evie practically hissed.

“That’s not real.” Mal reminded her. “I don’t give a fuck about what he thinks, or what anyone else in Auradon thinks. I’ll be here.”

Evie nodded and reached her arms out. Mal was still standing, so she pulled her forward until she could lift her up. Evie’s legs automatically wrapped around her waist and her arms went around her neck. She held Evie carefully, hoping that she was being comforting.

“M?”

“E?” she copied, pressing their foreheads together.

“Can we have a baby?”

Mal didn’t know what she expected Evie to say, but it wasn’t that. She could tell that part of this conversation was because of her hormones being everywhere, but some of this seemed to be coming from her being jealous of Mal and Ben.

“We’ve talked about this, Princess. You are intelligent and so talented, and you need to worry about school first. You want to have your own clothing line and a castle, remember?”

Evie’s eyes filled with tears. “I just want to have a baby with you. I don’t care about anything else.”

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Mal gave her a soft kiss, then wiped her tears away. “Once we get the wand, we can claim each other. We won’t have to deal with our parents anymore and we can finally have what we want, baby. I want you to finish school first, and then I promise you that I will give you as many babies as you want.” Evie sniffled and buried her face in Mal’s neck. “What do you need? Do you want to go to your nest?”

Evie nodded her head. Mal carried her into the closet and tried to put her down on the bed of blankets, pillows, and clothing, but Evie just clung to her tighter.

“Stay.” She whispered.

Mal laid down with her, pulling the blue haired girl into her arms. As she shut her eyes, she found herself thinking of Evie and tiny blue and purple haired babies.

-----

Ben hadn’t seen Mal in a couple days. He didn’t know where his girlfriend had disappeared to, and when he asked Jay and Carlos, they said she was busy. He searched for Evie, figuring she would know more since Mal is her roommate, but he didn’t see any sign of her either. He went to her room and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He ended up getting busy with his royal responsibilities, homework, and Tourney, so he didn’t have time to dig more into it.

When Ben did see her again, it was in the cafeteria. It had been five days since he last saw her, and he noticed immediately that Evie was by her side. It was Saturday and it was still early, before many of the Auradon students usually got up, so there were only a couple other kids scattered around.

Ben studied the group of VKs. Mal and Evie were on the same side of the table and they were facing away from him. Mal’s arm was wrapped around Evie’s waist, and Evie had her head on Mal’s shoulder. The boys were across from them and devouring a giant stack of pancakes.

He was curious to know where Mal had been. She hadn’t been in classes all week, and she and Evie didn’t attend Tourney practice after school like they normally did. It was weird that they had just appeared again.

It was even stranger that Mal hadn’t bothered to tell him what was going on. Up until now, she had been good about texting or calling every day so they could talk for a few minutes, even if Ben was stuck in meetings or loaded down with paperwork. Mal didn’t know this yet, but Ben had gotten into the Enchanted Lake on their first date and realized that she had put a love spell on him. The effects had worn off, but he was curious to know why she felt like she had to spell him, and why suddenly she had lost her interest.

“Hey guys.” Ben greeted as he walked over to the table. All four of the teens were extra jumpy and untrusting when they first arrived in Auradon a little over a month ago, but they had gotten better. Today, Evie startled so hard that she visibly jumped.

Ben’s eyes were drawn to the blue haired girl. Despite the warm temperature, she was dressed in a turtleneck. Her face had very little makeup on it and he could see that her lips looked a little bruised. Her hair was down but not styled to its usual perfection. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, and Ben would have kept staring if he didn’t hear Mal clear her throat.

“Where have you been?” Ben asked. “I’ve been asking about you, but Jay and Carlos said you were busy?”

“I was.” Mal said simply. Ben noticed one of her hands was on Evie’s arm, and as she spoke, she was stroking her fingertips up and down.

“Well, I missed you.” He replied with a gentle smile.

Mal didn’t even attempt to smile back. “Me too.”

Ben looked to Evie. “I noticed that you weren’t around either. I know that Doug was sad that you weren’t in class. Is everything okay?”

Evie smiled charmingly. “Better than okay.” Then, she leaned over and buried her face in Mal’s neck.

Ben had noticed that the two girls were touchier than most best friends. He had always explained it away as part of being raised on the Isle, but even Jay and Carlos looked a little surprised by the display of affection.

“Well, your teachers mentioned to me that neither of you completed any of the work from this week. You know that a big part of our program is that you have to go to class. Do you have a reason why you weren’t there?”

Mal sighed. She grabbed Evie’s chin and turned her to face her. “Go back upstairs. Jay and Carlos will go with you.”

“No.” Evie practically whined.

“Yes.” She gave her a hug. “I’ll be up soon, okay?” Evie nodded. “That’s my good girl.” She whispered.

Ben was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hear that, or the tiny whimper Evie let out afterwards. The other three stood and left the cafeteria. Now that they were alone, Ben sat across from Mal.

“What’s going on?” he questioned.

“In Auradon, how do you handle presenting?”

“As in our biology?” Mal nodded. “Well, usually people present between 14-17. Once you present, you have to go to the clinic and see a doctor. If you are an alpha or an omega, usually you go onto suppressants so that you don’t miss too much school because of heats or ruts.” As Ben explained, suddenly the situation made more sense to him. “Typically, the doctors have you go on suppressants for six months, then take a month off so the heat or rut can run its natural course. Then, you go back on suppressants.”

Ben was a beta, so he had never personally had to experience a heat or a rut. But when he was dating Audrey, he had seen what she was like when she was in a rut. He knew that it could be emotionally and physically exhausting.

He wondered if it was Evie or Mal who had been affected this week. As a beta, he had a better sense of smell than most. Even before picking up her scent, he had known Mal was an alpha. He had suspected that Evie was a beta at first, but after getting to know her a little better, he realized she was an omega.

“Did the doctors explain this to you when you came to Auradon?” Ben asked.

“No. They gave us suppressants, but we didn’t take them.”

“Why not?”

Mal narrowed her eyes. “Would you take pills that a random stranger gave to you on your first day in a new country?”

Ben smirked. “Point taken. So, which was it?”

Mal raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Did you have a rut or was Evie in heat? I assume that one of you stayed to take care of the other.”

He noticed that Mal’s cheeks flushed. It was the first time he had ever seen her look flustered. “Both.”

“Really?” Ben had heard of an alpha and an omega going into heat and rut at the same time was if they were each other’s true mates. He glanced at Mal’s neck, searching for a mark, but her skin was smooth. Maybe it had just been a coincidence that they lined up together. “Did you take good care of each other?”

Now Mal just looked confused. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? You know that Audrey is an alpha. When we dated, I helped her through her ruts.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I stayed with her and did my best to distract her. We watched movies, played games, I brought her food…”

“Oh.” Mal said. “Yeah. That makes sense.” She stood up. “Well, I’ve got to get back to my room. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Ben stood too and intended on hugging her, but Mal moved away, then turned and walked out of the cafeteria. Ben just sat down and ate his breakfast in silence, now having even more questions than he did before he saw his girlfriend.

-----

A week later, Mal found Evie crying on the floor in their closet. It wasn’t unusual for the omega to be a little emotional after a heat, but she was way outside of her normal time frame for that to happen. She immediately kneeled down next to her, feeling her protective instincts running rampant.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

Evie turned slightly so that she was facing her and Mal noticed that she was holding Harry’s sweatshirt against her chest. “His scent is gone.” She cried.

Mal sighed and held her arms out. Evie crawled over to her and straddled her lap. Mal stroked her fingers through Evie’s hair, trying to soothe her so she would stop crying. It was practically painful to hear the usually happy girl’s sobs. “I know that you miss them. I do too.”

“It’s not fair.” Evie whimpered. “We don’t even know what’s happening. What if another crew targeted them? Or what if our parents are using them? Or…”

“Uma and Harry are smart.” Mal interrupted. “They know how to protect themselves. I’m sure that they’re okay.”

“It’s been a month and a half.” Evie reminded her. “It’s taking too long.”

“Ben’s coronation is four weeks from now. We’re almost there.” Mal leaned down like she was going to kiss her, but Evie pulled away. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to kiss you.” Evie said. She went to stand up, but Mal kept one hand on her thigh and one on her back to keep her from moving off of her lap.

“Why not?”

“Because you stink.”

Mal knew that meant Evie could smell Ben’s scent on her. She swore that her best friend had a sense of smell that could put a beta to shame, especially since Ben’s scent was pretty light to begin with. “Only four more weeks.” Mal repeated.

“Seriously, go shower.”

But Mal just ignored her. She nuzzled into her neck as she brought her hands up to hold Evie’s, adjusting them so that their scent glands were pressed perfectly together. At first, Evie was tense, but she melted against her after a few seconds.

“It’s all part of our plan.” Mal whispered into her ear before nibbling against her earlobe. “You know there’s only one person I care about.” She licked a stripe from where Evie’s neck and shoulder met up to her jaw. “Only one person I would ever do this with.” She peppered gentle kisses against Evie’s chin and jaw, then moved back so they could make eye contact. “Can I have a kiss?”

Evie’s eyes looked a little dazed, but she nodded immediately. Mal pressed their lips together, dipping her tongue into Evie’s mouth and grabbing a handful of her hair to move her head the way she wanted it. Evie just moaned into her mouth, making Mal growl in response.

She stood, making sure she had a secure hold on the other girl. She carried her over to the bed they had been sharing and laid her on the mattress. She intended on reminding her exactly who she wanted.

-----

The more Ben got to know the VKs, the more he understood that they belonged in Auradon. He could see the obvious signs of their past abuse on the Isle and the way that they all gravitated towards one another. Mal told him that her crew was the closest thing she had ever had to family, and she would do anything for them.

One morning, Ben was walking to meet Mal. They had plans to go to the gardens where she could sketch and he could just get a break from his coronation preparation. It was in two weeks and he couldn’t wait until it was over with.

He walked into the dorm building and spotted Mal. It wasn’t surprising to see Evie by her side; the two girls were inseparable, just like Jay and Carlos. There was no one else around and he wasn’t in their sight line yet. He saw Mal look around and then, she was touching Evie’s face; Ben immediately ducked behind a wall so he could watch without being seen.

Mal ran her hands along Evie’s cheeks, then cupped the back of her neck. She leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against Evie’s, then her hands against Evie’s neck. She touched their foreheads together for a brief moment, then they moved apart. Evie turned to walk the other way and Mal started to walk in his direction.

Ben knew right away that Mal had been scenting Evie, but he didn’t understand it. He had seen his parents scent each other, and when he was little they had scented him pretty often. But he had never seen two friends do it before.

He moved from his hiding place and walked over to Mal. “Hi Mal.” He greeted.

“Hey Ben.” She smiled as if nothing had happened. Why was she acting like this was normal? Was this a normal thing that she and Evie did?

Ben reached out and held her hand. When they first started dating, Mal didn’t like it when he touched her. She had gotten a lot better, but she still only allowed him to hold her hand and occasionally hug her.

Once they got to the gardens and they settled in, Ben decided to dig. “What are the others up to today?”

Mal was sprawled out on her stomach on one of the benches with her sketchbook in front of her. He wondered what she was drawing and would have asked to look, but Mal very rarely let him see her artwork.

He wondered if she let Evie see.

“Jay and Carlos were going to take Dude into town and get ice cream.” She stated, not bothering to look away from her sketchbook.

“What about Evie?”

“She has a homework assignment to finish with Chad.”

Mal practically spat his name, and suddenly it made sense. Ben knew that the VKs were not fans of Chad Charming, and he did everything he could to earn their dislike. But Chad was an alpha. Was Mal afraid that Chad would hurt Evie?

In Auradon, there were very rarely crimes against omegas, which Ben was sure had to do with everyone taking suppressants. Now that he thought about it, any time there had been an issue, his father had sent the perpetrator to the Isle of the Lost. It made him sick to imagine that the VKs had been exposed to those kinds of people on the Isle. To imagine that Evie or Carlos had experienced that pain first hand.

“Are they alone?” Ben questioned. His mind was running rampant and all he could think about was that they needed to get to Evie.

“No, they’re going to the library. Lonnie and Doug are supposed to meet them there too.”

Ben knew that both of his friends were betas. They wouldn’t let Chad hurt Evie in any way. He nodded, now feeling a little more relieved.

They sat there for about two hours, talking every now and then and enjoying the peace and quiet. Ben’s phone rang and he glanced down, seeing it was a text from Lonnie.

“Hey, Lonnie just texted and asked if we wanted to meet her, Doug, and Evie for lunch.” Ben announced.

Mal sat up immediately and shut her sketchbook. “Yeah, let’s go. I’m starving.”

Ben smiled; if there was one thing he knew about the VKs, it was that they could eat. He made a mental note to bring snacks on their next date.

When they met up, everyone greeted each other. Jay, Carlos, and Jane had been invited to join them too, so the group of teenagers were all talking and laughing loudly. Ben turned towards Mal, but she wasn’t by his side anymore. He scanned the group and saw her with Evie.

Mal was standing behind Evie with her arms around her waist and her chin resting on the shorter girl’s shoulder. Evie looked up at her and smiled so brightly that it nearly made Ben smile. Mal turned her head and leaned forward. Ben tried not to stare as Mal dragged the tip of her nose up the length of Evie’s neck, then gave her a quick kiss on the shoulder.

“Ben!” Jay came over, clapping a hand on Ben’s back and stepping in front of his view. He started to talk about Tourney and Ben tried his best to join the conversation with the others, but he was confused. What was going on with Evie and Mal?

-----

There were nine days until his coronation and Ben was starting to freak out. The council was adding more and more meetings to his schedule, and his parents wouldn’t stop fretting over the tiny details of the ceremony. To make matters worse, Mal had practically disappeared again.

Even though Ben knew she had spelled him, he had started to think of her as a friend, and would even admit that he had a crush on her. Something about the purple haired girl pulled him in and he liked being around her. He just wanted to talk to her and try to clear his head for a little bit.

He remembered that last time she had disappeared, it was because of her rut and Evie’s heat. Though he didn’t experience either, he knew that if a person wasn’t on suppressants, a heat would come every month and a rut every three months. It had been a month, so he figured that Evie was going through her heat.

Ben decided to go to the girls’ dorm. Maybe he could help Mal distract Evie, which would in turn distract him. He got to their room and heard voices inside. Instead of knocking, he pressed his ear against the door and listened.

“Yes, M. Please.” It was obvious that that was Evie. She sounded different- her voice was breathier and almost whiny. Ben had never seen someone go through heat before, so he didn’t know if that was part of it.

“What do you need, baby girl?” Mal’s voice sounded strained, and he could hear her labored breathing. What was up with that nickname?

“Harder.” Ben froze when he heard Evie moan.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk. Is that what you want, omega?”

“I want your knot. Please, alpha. I just…I want you to give me your baby.”

“I swear to you that as soon as we can, I will give you a baby, my princess. Now come for me.”

Ben had heard enough. He backed away from the door in shock. Evie and Mal were sleeping together to get through Evie’s heat? Then why would Mal have put a love spell on him? Why was Mal still going on dates with him? He didn’t know how to handle this information. He knew he needed some space to think.

-----

After her heat ended, there were only four days until coronation. Evie knew that typically, she was still extra emotional and clingy for about two days afterwards. Realistically, Mal should probably be with Ben right now, but Evie was selfish. She couldn’t let her go. From her first heat until now, she and Mal usually spent those two days recovering in her nest.

“How are you?” Mal whispered from underneath her. Evie was laying completely on top of her with her face buried in her neck. She moved so she could rest her chin on Mal’s chest and make eye contact with her.

“Good.” Evie reassured her with a smile.

“Do you need anything?”

Evie shook her head no. “Just you.”

“Are you hungry? I can have one of the boys bring something so we don’t have to leave. I can get you some water…”

“I promise I’m good, M.” Evie gave her a kiss. “I just want you to hold me.”

Mal slid a hand underneath her t-shirt and stroked her back gently. Evie was almost asleep when Mal spoke again.

“E?”

“Hmmm?”

“I’m going to have to go check on things with Ben. The coronation is close and we need to be ready.”

Evie felt tears fill her eyes and cursed herself for her weakness. She rolled out of Mal’s arms, burrowing into the soft and comfortable nest she had built.

“Evie…”

“Just go.” She said.

“Look at me, please.” Evie really didn’t want to, but Mal’s voice was hypnotizing. She knew part of it was their biology coming into play. She couldn’t resist the alpha. Evie turned and laid on her back. “Who do I want?”

Evie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She didn’t want to talk, she just wanted to cuddle and sleep. Why couldn’t Mal just forget about Ben and stay with her?

“Answer me, Evie.”

“I don’t know.” Evie told her angrily.

Mal’s eyes darkened and she frowned, letting out a low growl. Evie lowered her eyes in submission without even thinking about it. She didn’t want Mal to be mad at her.

“I’m sorry.” Evie whispered. Mal raised her hand up and she flinched. The purple haired girl gently touched her cheek, turning her head so that they could make eye contact.

“I want you.” Mal stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Who did I just spend five days fucking?” she raised an eyebrow. “I want an answer.”

“Me.” Evie said.

“Who did I carry into the shower so they would be clean, and feed them out of my hands so they wouldn’t starve, and bring bottles of water to so they wouldn’t get dehydrated, and cuddle them so they would feel safe?”

“Me.” She repeated, feeling a tear slide down her cheek.

“Come here.” Mal opened her arms and Evie moved to sit on her lap. Mal wrapped both arms around her waist so she could hold her while also looking into her eyes. “I know that this is hard for you. It’s not easy for me either. For as long as we’ve known each other, it’s been me and you. Yeah we have the pack, but we both know that there’s something different between us. I’ve never been allowed to talk about it, and I know you’re not allowed either, but it’s true, Princess. I swear to you that nothing is getting in the way of our happiness. Like I told you before, once all of this is over and we can come clean, I’m going to mark you.” She pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “If you need me to say it, I will.”

Evie put their foreheads together. “Please.”

“I love you, Evie.” Mal said shakily.

She couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too.” She kissed Mal, trying to pour all of her feelings into it. When they separated, she looked up at her with big, brown puppy dog eyes. “I just don’t know how anything will ever change.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we steal the wand and let our mothers out, they’re never going to stop. My mother will kill me before she’ll let me be with you.”

Mal studied her. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Maybe we shouldn’t take the wand.”

Evie perked up instantly; this was the first she had heard about that. “Really?”

“We’re happy here. Jay and Carlos are happy. Why would we ruin that by bringing our parents to Auradon?”

Evie sighed. “But what about Uma and Harry, and all the other kids?”

“We’ll find a way to bring them. All I know is that I can’t go back to living under my mother’s rules, and I’m not letting you go back to your mom.”

“We’ll have to talk to the boys.” She sighed and snuggled into Mal. “I know you need to go see him. Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Of course, baby.” Mal shifted her so that they were laying down next to each other. Evie let her eyes shut as Mal stroked her hair.

She just hoped that one day soon, they really could be together.

-----

Mal couldn’t ever remember feeling as nervous as she did on the day of Ben’s coronation. Ever since her conversation with Evie, she had been battling with herself on what she should do.

The four VKs had discussed it, and Mal knew that they would back her with whatever she chose. But at the same time, she could tell that the last thing they wanted was to go back to being under their parents’ rule. For the first time in the entire time she had known them, her friends were happy. Jay wasn’t stealing or being beaten for not doing a good enough job at restocking his father’s store. Carlos’s hands weren’t dry and cracked from the constant scrubbing that came with cleaning Hell Hall, and he wasn’t covered in bruises. And Evie…her sweet, beautiful Evie was actually eating and didn’t have to deal with her mother’s emotional abuse anymore.

The only problem was that if Mal didn’t steal the wand and open the barrier, then Uma and Harry would be trapped on the Isle. It was a hard decision; did she steal the wand so that Uma, Harry, and the other children could be released, even if that meant their parents would be set free too? Or did she sit back and let the ceremony go on as planned, but know that two members of her pack would probably face the consequences of her actions?

“What are you thinking about?” Ben asked with a smile. They were riding in a carriage together on the way to his coronation.

“How happy I am for you.” She forced a smile. Mal leaned down to reach into her bag, pulling out a cookie. She had made him a cookie to break the love spell so that once this whole thing was over, he wouldn’t have feelings towards her. She had been serious when she said that she intended on marking Evie as her mate, and she couldn’t have Ben get in the way of that. Even if she did take the wand and let her mother come to Auradon, she wasn’t going to let herself be separated from the girl she loved more than anything.

The thought of being in love made Mal’s heart race. Her whole life, she had been taught that love was weakness. But now that she was actually accepting her feelings for Evie and acknowledging them, she realized how much stronger it made her. Being in love with Evie and loving her pack was going to make her strong enough to stand up to her mother and go against her wishes.

Right then, she knew what she had to do.

“Thank you.” Ben accepted the cookie from her hand and took a bite.

Mal studied him. “How is it?”

Ben chewed thoughtfully. “Give it a second and the anti-love potion should kick in.”

“Okay.” It took a second for what he said to register in Mal’s mind. “Wait, what?”

“It’s okay, Mal.” Ben reassured her.

“You knew that I gave you a love spell?”

He nodded. “When I went into the Enchanted Lake, it wore off.”

Mal’s mouth fell open in surprise. “You’ve pretended you didn’t know for two months?”

Ben turned towards her. “I know you’re not a bad person. Even though I’ve known about the love spell, I have liked getting closer to you. When I first figured it out, I was confused about why you had done it. Now that I’ve had more time to get to know you, I’m even more confused.”

Mal looked at the soon-to-be king. “What do you mean?”

“Mal, do you have feelings for Evie?”

The purple haired girl instantly felt exposed. She had never spoken about her feelings for Evie with anyone other than Evie. Obviously Jay, Carlos, Uma, and Harry could see that there was a connection between them, but it was always just an unspoken thing that the others didn’t acknowledge. But now that Ben was staring at her with his stupid smile and absolutely no judgement, Mal couldn’t help herself.

“I love her, Ben.” Mal admitted. She felt like something burst inside of her once she said the words. “Evie and I, we’ve always had something between us. The first time I met her, I knew that she was different. She is my entire world.”

Ben nodded. “I know.” He said gently. “I’ve seen how you are with her, and I could tell that it was different for you.” He studied her for a second. “Mal, I hope you know that you and Evie will be accepted here. I know your life was hard on the Isle, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy to have a relationship there. But in Auradon, it’s okay for you to love Evie and to actually be with her. Just please know that I know you’re a good person, and you wouldn’t have spelled me for any bad reasons.”

Mal froze. “You think I’m a good person?”

“I do. You care about Evie, Jay, and Carlos, and you do everything you can to take care of them. Even the way you treated me the past couple months, love spell aside, has been with nothing but respect. You’re a good friend, to me and to the others. I’m happy that you’re in Auradon, and I hope you’re happy here too.”

She found herself nodding along with his statement. “I am.”

Now more than ever, Mal knew exactly what she was going to do.

-----

As the coronation started, Evie felt nervous. She was standing between Jay and Carlos, her eyes focused on Mal. She hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to her best friend before the coronation started, so she wasn’t sure what she was planning.

All of a sudden, Evie was hit with a blast of calming pheromones. She looked over at Carlos, who was staring straight at her.

“Breathe, E.” he encouraged.

She felt Jay’s hand grab hers. “Close your eyes and breathe.” Jay commanded, his smooth voice working wonders. Evie let her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Everything will be okay.”

She opened her eyes again just in time to see Fairy Godmother pull out her wand. Evie’s eyes were glued to the back of Mal’s head, waiting to see what she did.

Mal turned around and made eye contact with Evie. The blue haired girl felt her heart racing as she stared at her. Mal just gave her a small smile and turned back to face forward.

Then suddenly, Jane was grabbing the wand from her mother’s hand. She had been Mal’s first attempt at finding information about the wand, and Mal had tried to get her to talk to FG about changing her features to make her prettier. Now, Jane was shouting about how if her mother wouldn’t help her, then she would just do it herself.

Evie saw Mal stand up right as Jay yanked her out of the aisle by her arm, Carlos following behind them. They ran until they could come up behind Mal, who was attempting to talk Jane down. Jane swung the wand, shooting off a burst of magic, but nothing happened.

Mal managed to rip the wand out of Jane’s hand. Now, Ben and Fairy Godmother were staring at her as if she was a threat. Evie tried to walk towards her, but Jay kept his hand locked around her arm. She knew that because he was an alpha, his protective instincts were in overdrive right now. It was an unspoken thing that if Mal was unable to protect the pack, either Jay or Uma would step up in her absence to keep the others safe.

Then, Maleficent suddenly appeared in the room. Evie felt her breath catch in her throat as she realized what had happened. Jane had accidentally lowered the barrier, and now, the villains were going to escape. Evie felt her chances of actually getting to be with Mal slipping away.

“Give me the wand, Mal!” Maleficent shouted, holding out her hand towards her daughter.

“No, Mother.” Mal defied.

They went back a forth for a few moments until Maleficent used her magic to summon the wand, then froze everyone other than the VKs.

Evie reached forward, putting her hand on Mal’s back. She felt her girl stand up straight as she took on her mother. Mal held out her hand and was able to get the wand to come to her.

“It worked!” she said in disbelief.

“Of course it did, M.” Evie told her. “You’re amazing.”

Maleficent started to cackle. “Why am I not surprised? You are such a disappointing little bastard, you know that? You defy me so you can keep fucking your omega slut?”

Mal’s eyes lit up. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that.”

Maleficent laughed even harder as her own eyes glowed. “You’re going to challenge me, girl?” suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke filled the room. Evie watched in shock as Maleficent turned into a dragon.

“You can do this, Mal.” She reassured her best friend.

Mal held the wand out towards her mother. She started to chant a spell, the other VKs quickly joining in. Evie put a hand on Mal’s shoulder, Jay touched her other shoulder, and Carlos touched Jay. They all stood tall and proud, chanting the words over and over again until Maleficent was turned into a lizard.

Mal was able to unfreeze the rest of the room. Ben was the first to come towards them.

“You didn’t open the barrier.” He nearly whispered.

Mal nodded. “Someone told me once that I am good. I want to live up to that.”

Fairy Godmother stepped forward. “I’ll take that, dear.” She held her hand out, and Mal gave her the wand.

“We owe you all.” Belle said as she and Adam came over to stand behind their son.

Ben nodded in agreement with his mother. “You saved Auradon. If there is anything we can do to repay you…”

Mal glanced at Evie, then towards Jay and Carlos. “Actually, there is one thing.”

-----

It had been two weeks since coronation, and things in Auradon were finally settling back down. Now that they had proven themselves, everyone was treating Mal and her pack as if they were just normal people. There was a little confusion at first when Ben announced that he and Mal weren’t dating, and then Mal started being affectionate towards Evie in public, but they had gotten past that.

Now, everyone was lined up in front of Auradon Prep, waiting for the new arrivals. After coronation, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos had worked closely with Ben, FG, Adam, and Belle to come up with a plan to liberate the children born on the Isle of the Lost.

There were a lot of details to iron out, and they still weren’t sure that the plan was full proof. But this was the best they could do for now.

Li Shang’s army had been sent to the Isle to monitor the villains. Fairy Godmother had created charmed items that would allow someone to pass through the magical barrier that surrounded the island. Ben had travelled to the Isle to make an announcement- all children born on the Isle would be welcome to come to Auradon. He had delivered a special message to Uma and Harry, letting them know that their pack was waiting.

Now, the VKs just had to wait. Ben’s guards had crossed over with the charmed items, and they were handing them out to the children who were waiting to come over.

At first, there were a few younger children. Mal didn’t recognize all of them, but she could tell that Evie and Carlos did based on their quiet whispers. The two omegas were definitely the caregivers of the group, and they had always prioritized the children and made sure they were safe and had what they needed.

Then, there were a few people their age. Freddie Facilier and her sister Celia, Anthony Tremaine and his cousin Dizzy (who had instantly ran up to hug Evie), and Gaston’s three sons.

Finally, they caught a glimpse of what they were waiting for. Mal could have recognized Uma’s assertive steps and Harry’s swagger anywhere, and even before they were close enough to be completely seen, she knew it was them.

Evie was practically bouncing beside her. Mal couldn’t help but laugh. “Go get ‘em, E.”

Evie took off running with Carlos on her heels. Mal looked at Jay and they both laughed, then raced after the omegas. They met the last two members of their crew halfway across the bridge.

“UMA!” Evie shouted, jumping up and launching herself at the pirate.

“Princess!” she hugged her tightly.

“I missed you so much.” Evie admitted as she wrapped her arms around Uma’s neck and held on.

Mal watched without jealousy; Evie and Uma had always been good friends, and Uma had taken care of the blue haired girl more times than Mal could count.

“I missed you too.” Uma pressed a kiss to Evie’s cheek. She looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Mal. “Well look at you. You almost look like an Auradon girl.”

Mal couldn’t be bothered to do their usual bantering. She yanked Uma into her arms, crushing Evie between them as they hugged. “It’s good to see you, Shrimpy.”

Uma growled in warning at the nickname, causing Evie to laugh, which then made Mal laugh.

“Do I get a hug, or are you just going to cling to Uma all day?” Harry asked from beside them.

Evie let go of Uma and ran over to Harry, hugging him just as intensely. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Me too.” Harry kissed her forehead. “So what’s going on with you and our fearless leader?” he grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled it down. “I don’t see any marks.”

Evie blushed instantly. “We’re not mated yet.”

Harry smiled. “Yet, huh?”

“Come on, Harry. You guys have always known that I was going to make this beautiful girl mine.” Mal interrupted. She stepped forward and gave the boy a hug. “It’s just a matter of timing.” Evie let go of Harry so she could grab Mal’s hand instead.

“Ready to see Auradon?” Jay questioned.

For the first time in three months, their entire pack was together. They walked in a line- Jay, Carlos, Uma, Evie, Mal, Harry- as they accepted their new reality. Finally, they were safe and they were all together.

-----

Evie’s heat was coming.

Though Fairy Godmother had advised them all on the importance of suppressants, the VKs were still weary. They had dealt with heats and ruts since they presented, and it would be strange to suddenly have that disappear from their lives. Besides that, how would it affect their bodies? Would they feel different?

Evie wasn’t sure, but she knew she was going to hold out a little longer. As her heat approached, there was only one thing on her mind.

She was ready to be marked by Mal.

Evie knew they were a little young to be thinking about finding a mate. But at the same time, she couldn’t imagine ever feeling so strongly about something as she did about her love for Mal. Besides that, it’s not like things were suddenly out of the blue; they had felt a connection since they met at seven years old, and they had been sleeping together for almost three years now. Beyond that, the way her body reacted to Mal made it seem as if they were destined to be together. Their biology connected them in a way that Evie was convinced that she would never find with anyone else.

She tried her hardest to skip her usual moodiness in the days before her heat settled in. Evie really did her best to not snap at Mal or scold her for getting on her nerves. She wanted them to be in a good place when her heat came (not that Mal ever held anything Evie said against her).

When Mal came in from her run with Jay and Uma, Evie had been working on some of her sewing in an attempt to distract herself. She was always so tired, hungry, and irritated before her heat and she wanted to get her mind off of it.

“Hey baby.” Mal greeted. She came over and pressed a soft kiss against the side of Evie’s neck.

The blue haired girl nearly melted. Ever since they had confessed their love for each other, Mal had been so much softer and more attentive. She had always taken care of Evie and made sure she was okay, but it was like she was in overdrive.

“M.” she turned towards her with a pout and reached her arms up to her.

Mal dropped all of her stuff onto the ground without hesitation. She leaned down and slid her hands under Evie’s thighs so she could scoop her up into her arms. Evie wrapped her legs around the taller girl’s waist and her arms around her neck, then hugged her tightly.

“How’s my girl?” Mal asked quietly, putting one hand on Evie’s bottom to hold her up and using the other hand to rub up and down her back.

“Sleepy.” Evie nuzzled closer to her. “I’m happy you’re back.”

“Me too. I missed you.” Mal kissed her forehead. She had only been gone for about an hour, but Evie felt her stomach do a little flip at Mal’s words. “You’re gorgeous.” She connected their lips briefly.

When they separated, Evie just buried her face in Mal’s neck. Her best friend (girlfriend?) was so amazing and it was more obvious than ever that she was making the right choice by choosing her as a mate.

Mal rocked her side to side for a few moments, then attempted to put her down. Before she could stop herself, Evie let out a whine and tightened her grip.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“Nothing.” Evie mumbled.

Evie felt Mal’s hand on her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up and look at her. She couldn’t help the nervousness that ran through her. What if Mal didn’t want to claim her anymore? What if she didn’t want their relationship to be serious?

“I can feel how anxious you are.” Mal said knowingly. She carried her over to her bed and sat down, keeping Evie on her lap. “Are you just feeling emotional? I know your hormones get a little crazy when it’s close to your heat.”

“Mmhmm.” She tried to lean in and hide her face in Mal’s chest, but the purple haired girl moved back slightly so she wasn’t able to.

“Talk to me, E.” she kept one hand on her lower back and used the other to run her fingers through her hair. “What’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours?”

Evie felt her eyes tear up involuntarily. Mal maintained eye contact, her eyebrows furrowing immediately. She reached out and cupped both of Evie’s cheeks.

“Whatever it is, we can deal with it together, okay?” she gave her a soft kiss. “I love you.”

At that, Evie actually did burst into tears. She tried her best to hold it in, but she couldn’t stop crying.

“I just want to be with you forever.” She sobbed.

“Shhh, it’s okay, baby.” Mal leaned in, running her nose against the scent gland in Evie’s neck. The alpha’s scent enveloped her, making Evie feel calmer. It took a few minutes, but she was able to stop crying.

“I’m sorry.” Evie whimpered in embarrassment.

“You don’t have any reason to be sorry.” Mal lifted her up again, carrying her over to the top of the bed. She pulled back the blankets and laid down, turning so that she and Evie were laying on their sides and facing each other, then covered both of them up. “Take a deep breath, then tell me how you’re feeling. I promise you that it’s going to be okay.”

Evie followed her instructions. She stared into her best friend’s bright green eyes and hoped that she truly wanted the same things.

“During my heat, I want you to mark me.” She admitted. “I’m just scared that you don’t want that.”

Mal wrapped an arm around Evie’s waist and pulled her forward until their chests were pressed against each other. She leaned down and connected their foreheads.

“I want you to really try your best to listen to me and actually hear what I’m saying to you, my love.” she reached one hand up and gripped the back of Evie’s neck. “There is nothing I want more in this world than to be with you. I know that we’re only 16 and that a lot of people probably think we’re too young to be mated, but I know that there is no one else in the world that I could ever want as much as I want you. If you’re ready for this, then during your heat, I will mark you. Just say the word and I’ll do it.”

“I want you to.” Evie answered hurriedly. “I want this to be real, M. Please just make me yours.”

Mal hugged her tightly. “Whatever you want, my princess.”

-----

Mal was woken up suddenly and she didn’t understand why. She could see that the light was barely filtering through the windows, meaning it had to be early in the morning.

Then, she heard a whimper. Immediately she understood what was happening- Evie’s heat was beginning. She could smell the extremely sweet scent in the air and practically salivated. She couldn’t wait to ravish her girl.

“Good morning, Princess.” She greeted. Evie was laying on her chest and the blue haired girl reached up, holding her hand. She was dressed in only a t-shirt and panties and took Mal’s hand and started to slide it down towards her underwear.

“Please, alpha.” She said, letting out a purr. Mal studied her; her eyes were nearly black, her skin was hot to the touch, and her breathing was unsteady. She could tell it was already hitting her pretty hard.

Mal grabbed Evie’s shoulder and slammed her onto the bed, moving so she could hover over her. Evie moaned loudly at the feeling, finally getting what she wanted.

“Inside.” Evie begged, reaching again for her underwear.

“Stop.” Mal commanded, making Evie whine. “I’m in charge here, remember? You do as I say.”

“But I need you.”

“Patience, baby.” Mal gave her a kiss. Evie instantly parted her lips, letting Mal’s tongue enter her mouth. After they made out for a few minutes, Mal trailed her lips down to Evie’s neck. She instantly sucked on her pulse point, causing Evie to sigh happily.

Mal took her time worshipping her best friend’s body. She pulled Evie’s t-shirt off then kissed her way down to her collarbone, leaving little marks across her skin. Next, she paid attention to her breasts, trying her best to get her worked up. Evie was a panting, whimpering mess by the time Mal got to her stomach.

“You’re doing so good, omega.” Mal praised. “Isn’t it so much better when you just lay back and let me take care of you?”

“Mmhmm.” Evie moaned as Mal swirled her tongue around her belly button. She was raising her hips up, doing her best to get some type of friction. She whimpered again and Mal finally gave in. She knew that during her heat, it was possible for Evie to feel actual physical pain if she wasn’t getting the stimulation her body craved. Mal loved working her up, but at a certain point, it became more cruel than fun.

Mal slid Evie’s underwear down her legs, tossing them onto the floor. Then, she made herself comfortable between her legs. She dove right in, allowing her tongue to slide through Evie’s wet folds.

“Yes, alpha.” Evie grabbed hold of her hair.

Mal dug her fingers into Evie’s hips as she kept her legs spread. She took her time, alternating between broad licks and tiny flickers of her tongue across her clit. Evie’s body was producing more and more slick and Mal didn’t waste any time cleaning her up with her mouth.

“M.” Evie whined. “M, M, M…”

“What’s wrong, baby?” she pulled away for a moment, hearing the desperation in her voice.

“It hurts.” Evie admitted. “Please…” she was cut off by a gasp as Mal shoved her tongue inside of her.

Mal knew that having something inside of her helped to lessen the pain Evie felt. She swirled her tongue around, licking her slick walls and trying to bring her pleasure. Evie’s moans got louder, and if that was anything to go off of, she was enjoying how Mal was taking care of her body.

She brought her hand up and started to rub Evie’s clit in circles as she fucked her with her tongue. Evie started to pant even harder.

Mal pulled her tongue out, licking up all of the juices that had escaped. She brought her tongue up to Evie’s tiny bundle of nerves and sucked it into her mouth. At the same time, she slammed two fingers into her.

Evie came with a scream, whimpering Mal’s name over and over again. Mal kept going with her movements, not stopping until Evie finally pushed her head away.

“You’re perfect.” Mal told her, raising up on her hands and knees so she could crawl up to where they were eye level. She pressed her lips against Evie’s, letting the blue haired girl taste herself on her tongue. Evie moaned immediately at the taste.

Thought Evie had come once, Mal knew that she was far from satisfied. She could still smell her overpowering scent and could feel the frustration pouring off of her, and besides that, she was lifting her hips and doing her best to rock her body against Mal’s leg for some type of stimulation.

“Good girl.” Mal whispered as she reached down, allowing her fingers to wind through Evie’s most sensitive area. She slid a finger back inside of her, then a second. “Are you ready for me?”

“Uh-huh.” Evie spread her legs apart so Mal could reach deeper inside her. The purple haired girl spread her fingers apart, doing her best to prepare the girl for what came next. She slid a third finger in, just to be sure that Evie would be ready to take her. “More, M. Please baby, I need you.”

“Almost.” Mal pulled her own shirt off, then slid down her sweatpants and underwear all at once. She could feel that her own member had grown; nothing turned her on like listening to the noises Evie made when she was eating her out.

As soon as Evie saw she was naked, her eyes nearly got darker. She reached her hand down and gripped Mal, experimentally pumping her hand up and down a few times. The alpha just leaned her head back, letting herself get a little more worked up.

Evie started to pull her closer. She was still holding her member and she guided her to between her spread legs. She held the base, letting the tip touch against her tight hole.

“Wait.” Mal interrupted. She reached over to the bedside table, picking up the vial of a potion that would keep Evie from getting pregnant. “Drink this.”

“Nooo.” Evie whined.

“If you don’t drink this, we’re not having sex.” Mal argued.

Evie immediately teared up. “I just want your baby.”

“We’ve talked about this. Right now isn’t the time. Now open your mouth or I will stop and leave you here, begging to come.” She held the vial up to her lips. Evie reluctantly opened her mouth and Mal poured the potion inside. Evie pouted as she swallowed it. “You’re such a good girl, baby. You are always so good for your alpha, aren’t you?” she kissed her pouty lips.

Evie couldn’t stay mad for long. Anytime Mal praised her during her heat, she instantly snapped out of a bad mood. It helped too that the taller girl started to let her hands wander down her body.

“Roll over.”

There was no hesitation as Evie flopped over onto her stomach. She raised up onto her hands and knees, spreading her legs and looking over her shoulder.

Mal lined their bodies up. “Are you sure about this?”

Evie pushed her hips back, causing the tip of Mal’s member to slide inside of her. She gasped at the feeling and kept moving, trying to get as much of her as she could. “Mal.” She whispered, dragging out the last sound.

“Look at you, trying to use me to fuck yourself.” Mal grabbed a handful of Evie’s hair and pulled sharply, causing her to whine. “Brace yourself, baby.”

That was all the warning she had before Mal slammed inside of her, immediately filling her up. Evie moaned loudly, clawing at the sheets so she had something to hold onto. Mal gave her a second to adjust, then pulled back until she nearly separated their bodies, then slammed back inside.

Mal set the pace as fast and hard right away. As much as Evie loved sweet, caring sex, sometimes she just needed to be fucked, and Mal could tell that right now was one of those times. Her girl had been so on edge for the couple days leading up to her heat and she was ready to just fuck her into an oblivion.

Evie couldn’t even form words or catch her breath because of the intensity of the whole situation. She just gasped and moaned, her body writhing underneath Mal’s as she attempted to push her hips back to meet her thrusts. Finally, Mal just pushed her shoulders down and fucked her into the mattress.

Evie cried out loudly at the change in angle. She couldn’t even try to help anymore. She was completely at Mal’s mercy, and there was nothing she enjoyed more in the world. The feeling inside of her body was building up more and more each second and she knew she was almost at her limit.

“Come.” Mal commanded, reaching down to pinch Evie’s clit.

It worked like magic and Evie tumbled over the edge. Her walls started to clench around Mal, but the alpha wasn’t finished yet. She slowed down so that she wouldn’t hurt the younger girl, whose body was trying so hard to keep her inside.

“You did so good, Princess.” Mal praised, showering her back and shoulders with kisses as she continued to shallowly fuck her.

“I need you.” Evie instantly said. Though she had come twice, she still wasn’t satisfied, and she knew she wouldn’t be until she had Mal’s knot inside of her (and hopefully her teeth biting down on her neck).

Mal pulled completely out and Evie nearly cried at the feeling. Then, she felt her body being turned so she could lay on her back.

“You’re so pretty.” Mal commented, reaching up to brush her hair out of her eyes. “I’m so lucky to get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Evie felt tears fill her eyes immediately. Most of the time during her heat, she was incoherent and unable to pay attention to anything but being knotted. But the two previous orgasms had helped clear a little of the haze in her mind and she was so happy it did. She would never, ever forget Mal’s words for as long as she lived.

Mal grabbed her still hard member and lined it back up with Evie’s entrance. She pushed in slowly, a huge contrast to what they had been doing a few moments ago. Evie couldn’t help but to moan as Mal entered her little by little until she finally bottomed out.

“My perfect girl.” Mal kissed her, soft and slow, as she started to gently thrust in and out of her body. This time, she wasn’t thrusting hard, but she was going deeper than before and hitting all the spots that had Evie crying out for her.

“When it’s time, I want to bite you. Are you still okay with that?”

Evie whimpered. “Please.”

“This is the start of the rest of our lives, baby girl.” Mal pressed gentle kisses across Evie’s face as she continued to move her hips. She knew that Evie’s mind was pretty far gone more often than not during her heat, but she could see that a little of that haziness was cleared. When she spoke, Evie was struggling to respond the way she normally would, but Mal could see the tears spilling over her cheeks and knew that she was hearing and understanding her.

“M.”

“My whole life, I’ve known there was something special about you. I have always felt connected to you in a way that was way stronger than my feelings for the rest of the pack. You are my everything, my love.” She connected their lips.

They kissed for as long as they could stand, Mal’s hips picking up their pace a little. Evie eventually had to pull back so she could let out her moan. Mal wiped the tears off of her cheeks and then focused on what came next.

She could feel that Evie was close. She snaked a hand between their bodies and rubbed her clit, earning a whimper immediately. Mal was pretty close too, and she knew as soon as Evie tumbled over the edge, she would follow. Luckily, she knew the quickest way to make this happen.

“I love you.” She whispered, looking straight into her eyes. “I love you.” She gave Evie a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.” She kissed her nose. “I love you.” Her neck. Then, she trailed her tongue from her jaw down to where her shoulder and neck met. “I love you.” Mal opened her mouth and bit down, hard.

She had never, ever heard Evie scream the way she did. Her hips rose off the bed so far that Mal had to press more of her body weight on her to keep her down. Evie came immediately after, and Mal felt herself following. She thrusted hard, letting her knot go inside of her girl. Evie kept screaming and moaning as she felt Mal’s come fill her up.

“I…love…you…” she panted out.

Mal cuddled her close as they both tried to catch their breath. She couldn’t resist peppering little kisses across Evie’s cheeks and forehead. After a couple moments, the tension in Evie’s body finally released and she relaxed. Mal took that opportunity to readjust their positions, turning so that they were both on their sides and facing each other, her knot still deflating inside of her mate.

Mal smiled. It was crazy to think that Evie was now her mate. She looked down at the red, angry bite mark she had left on her neck. She leaned down and licked over top of it, earning a strangled whine from Evie.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Mmhmm.” Evie snuggled into her chest. “Tired.”

“Sleep, baby.” Mal encouraged. “I’m not going anywhere.” She continued to hold her until finally, Evie’s breathing evened out. Once Mal’s knot went down enough, she carefully pulled out, then laid right back down next to her. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

-----

“Wow, I’m surprised to see that you’re both still alive.”

Evie startled at the unexpected voice and felt nervousness rush through her body. Her and Mal had been completely alone in their dorm for the past week, and as far as she knew, they weren’t expecting any company today. She buried her face in Mal’s neck.

“Shhh, it’s just Uma and the boys.” Mal reassured her. She pressed a kiss against her temple.

“Good thing Carlos thought to drop food off outside your door.” Jay chimed in as he went over and flopped down on Mal’s empty bed, Uma, Carlos, and Harry following his lead until they were all piled in next to each other.

Evie and Mal were across the room on Evie’s bed, the omega on her alpha’s lap. Mal had wrapped a blanket around both of them that was keeping Evie cuddled against her chest. Mal stroked her back and she just let out a sigh and shut her eyes again. She was still so tired.

“Thanks, Carlos.” Mal replied. “We appreciate it.”

“You’re not tearing each other apart, so I’m assuming her heat is over?” Uma questioned.

Mal nodded. “Ended yesterday.” Evie was grateful that she was speaking so she didn’t have to.

“How did it go?”

“That’s none of your business.” Mal’s change in tone had Evie’s body reacting immediately, sending off pheromones that communicated her anxiety. Mal took a deep breath. “It’s okay, baby.” She leaned down, capturing Evie’s lips in a kiss.

Evie didn’t care that everyone else was watching. Her body was in overdrive right now and being hit with so many new feelings. The only thing that made sense was being near Mal, so if her mate told her things were okay, then she believed that everything was okay.

“Your scent is different.” Harry commented, catching both of their attention. “Are you mated?”

Evie had heard before that when an alpha and omega mated, their scents would mix. If her swollen, sensitive scent glands were anything to go off of, she would guess that was true.

“Yes.” Mal responded.

“Evie had told me you guys were thinking about it, so I did some research on different creams to help with the healing process.” Carlos stated. “If you don’t take care of the bite mark, it can get infected and cause her a lot of pain. I brought one of the creams with me. Can I help her?”

“Do you want him to help?” Mal whispered. Evie nodded her head; her mind was still a little foggy, but she remembered that she and Carlos had talked about what would need to happen after she was bitten. “Come here. Only Carlos.”

Mal gripped under Evie’s arms and carefully moved her, laying her out on the bed in front of her. Evie shivered, pulling the blanket more tightly around her. Mal made sure she was covered up, though she left her neck exposed.

“Fuck.” Jay said when he saw her neck. “You really did it.”

“Mal.” Evie called out, speaking for the first time since the others came in the room. She didn’t know why, but she felt like she couldn’t go longer than a few seconds without having her mate touching her. She knew that this would happen for a little while since they had just recently bonded, but she wasn’t expecting the feelings to be so strong.

“I’m right here, Princess.” Mal laid a gentle hand over her blanket covered stomach.

“Hi Evie.” Carlos greeted, his voice soft as he came over to sit on the bed next to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy.” Evie admitted. “Everything is different.”

“What do you mean?” Carlos asked.

“I just need Mal to be close to me. If I don’t, my body hurts.”

“That will last for a little while.” Carlos told her. “Remember when we read about mating? Your body is now tied to Mal’s. Your emotions are going to be heightened, and so are hers. Your bond will be so much stronger and you will feel any changes in each other’s moods way quicker than before. I know you won’t like this, but you’re going to be a little clingy and Mal will be overprotective until both of your bodies catch up with the changes.”

“So how do I help her?” Mal wondered. “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You need to watch your emotions right now. If you start to get upset or angry, E is going to automatically feel like it’s her fault. Remember that she’s feeling just as many changes right now as you are and try to keep yourself from getting annoyed with her if you think she’s overreacting about something. The most important thing is to just stay close to her and pay attention to her needs, and if you need something from her, be gentle when you tell her.”

“Thanks, C.” Mal said. “I should have done more research about all of this.”

“That’s what we have our nerds for.” Jay teased, referring to the two omegas.

“Evie, I’m going to put the cream on your mark now, okay?” Carlos gently stated. He squirted some of the cream onto his finger and reached out to touch her neck.

The closer he got, the more anxious Evie became. Right as he was about to touch her, she flinched away with a yelp. She rolled over, practically throwing herself onto Mal’s lap. The purple haired girl reacted quickly, pulling her girlfriend into her arms.

“Shhh, it’s okay. What’s wrong, baby? What happened?” she asked, trying to figure out the cause of her discomfort.

“I don’t want him to touch it.” Evie said, feeling a few tears slide down her cheeks. “Only you.”

“Okay. Calm down.” Mal ran her fingers through her hair. She felt a wave of calming pheromones and looked over at Carlos, seeing that he was doing his best to help her relax. Evie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling even calmer when Mal brought her wrist towards her face, rubbing it gently over her cheeks to scent her. “I’ve got you, baby girl.”

A moment later, Evie felt cold cream being slathered onto her mark. The relief was almost immediate and she sank further into Mal’s arms with a content sigh.

“Does that feel good?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Her scent glands are swollen.” Mal stated, and Evie could feel her prodding gently at her neck and wrists. “Is that normal?”

“Yeah, the bite mark is interfering with her scent glands. Like Harry said, your scents are changing. They’re combining and making a new scent to tell others that you are mated. They’re going to be a little swollen, and the best thing you can do is not touch them. I know you guys like to scent each other pretty often, but for right now, you need to leave Evie’s alone.”

“Okay.” Mal said, her voice a little reluctant. Evie knew they were both possessive over each other and that would be hard to deal with.

“M?” she called out.

“What do you need, my love?” Mal instantly dropped her conversation with Carlos and turned to her mate, causing a wave of happiness to course through the omega. She loved when Mal was attentive to her and her needs.

“I wanna take a bath.”

“We can do that.” Mal unwrapped her from the blanket, then stood up and lifted Evie into her arms. “Thanks for your help, Carlos. You can leave the cream on the table next to the bed.” Without so much as a second glance towards the rest of the pack, Mal carried Evie into their bathroom and shut the door behind them.

“Pretty crazy that they finally did it.” Jay commented.

“Yeah, but not surprising.” Harry chimed in. “There’s always been something between them. I’m happy for them.”

Uma, Carlos, and Jay all smiled along with him. “Me too.”