the hunt is the best part, didn't you know
Grantaire inhaled sharply, doing his best to control the fear scent flooding from his body. The alpha noticed immediately;
'Omega?' he hissed
'N...N...No.' Grantaire stammered out, his mind racing, trying to think of a story. 'There's an omega living above the shop. Please don't hurt him!'
The alpha's eyes softened; 'I would never,' he assured Grantaire. 'I'm attached to Les Amis. I only want to help omegas.'
If Grantaire hadn't wanted to leave before, he was two seconds away from fleeing now.
'Is he safe?' the alpha asked 'Does he need help?'
Grantaire thought. He could lead the alpha to the fake omega living behind the shop, steal money from the register and run to the next town. Or he could submit to this alpha from Les Amis and let the group who had been searching for his kind finally take him.
'He's... I don't know how to help him. He's sick, I can't do anything for him. Says he doesn't want to involve the authorities; he's running from someone.'
Grantaire realised he had almost described his situation perfectly, but it didn't matter as the blond alpha raced upstairs. Grantaire began piling money into his pockets, picked up a loaf of bread and raced back to Little Paris. If anyone had guessed was the male omega before, it was obvious now. He was leaking fear scent that was probably attracting every alpha for miles. Running into his hut, Grantaire grabbed his bag and took some deep breaths. He briefly wondered if he could stay at Little Paris before dismissing the idea almost immediately. The blond alpha would surely remember the scent and hunt him down. Also, he was a thief now. Grantaire did the only thing he was well-practiced at;
He ran.
-----
Grantaire's bag was heavy, and his omega physique didn't help him in his haste. He travelled from the fringe to the nearest wooded area to pause for a moment, collect his thoughts.
Sitting in a clump of trees, Grantaire got out a bottle from his bag. He took a quick swig of water, and put some on his hands to clean his face and chest; trying to rid his body of the fear scent that clung to it. After steadying his breathing, Grantaire thought about what awaited him. The imminent arrival of his soulmate tattoo would make it impossible to get work- his omega scent would be overwhelming and he would have to stay off the grid more than ever to avoid being found by either his soulmate or the authorities.
'Fuck the fucking system! Fuck stupid alphas and pissy omegas! Fuck everything! Ugh!' he cried into the rapidly darkening sky.
'I know what you can fuck.' a voice purred from the other side of the trees. Grantaire jumped out of his skin and smelt the air.
Alpha. How had he missed such a strong scent. A tall, dark haired man who was much less attractive than the blond from earlier stepped into Grantaire's line of vision.
'Fuck off, alpha!' Grantaire hissed, trying to hide his fear. If he contained his fear the maybe the alpha wouldn't realise he was an...
'Omega! I've been looking for one of those! A little slut to fill up and use as I see fit. You'll do nicely.'
Grantaire sped out of the bushes, leaving his bag. Alphas were strong and muscly, but omegas were wiry and small. Maybe Grantaire's body could save him after all.
Speeding through the woods, Grantaire wove effortlessly through fallen trees and bushes, taking less obvious routes as to confuse the alpha. He dove through undergrowth and eventually found himself at a fringe. It was not Little Paris, but rather the place he had travelled from the day before. It had been his home for a few months, he could shelter here from the rogue alpha.
Racing into the labyrinth of shacks, partially built huts and debris, Grantaire hid himself with a woman he had known, an old beta. She had run away from her alpha mate with her omega daughter.
'Fantine! Please help me!' he gasped. Fantine stood up and helped Grantaire inside.
'Henri? What's going on?' Fantine asked, troubled.
'Alpha. Scented me. Chasing. Help.' was all he said before he launched into a fit of heavy coughing. Fantine pursed her lips and grabbed a bottle from a box under her bed. She sprayed Grantaire with the contents, while he feebly moaned and asked her what was going on.
'I bought zis when I though my daughter would present as an omega. It hides ze scent, allows you to remain undetected.' Fantine spoke with a heavy French accent.
'Thank you,' he began before he passed out on Fantine's bed.
-----
Grantaire woke up to the smell of alpha. He shrank into the bed he was in, hearing shouting. Fantine was in the doorway of her hut, shouting at people outside;
'You cannot come into my house! I have no male omegas here, only my beta son!'
More shouting, and eventually Fantine was pushed aside roughly and she fell. Grantaire raced out of bed to catch her, surrounded by alpha scent.
'Fantine! Fantine? Are you ok?' Fantine stirred weakly in Grantaire's arms and whimpered. Grantaire turned to face the intruders;
'She is an old woman! How dare you hit her and push her aside like that!' the alphas turned to face Grantaire and he faltered.
'Get out of our house! Now! We have no omegas here- me and Fantine are both betas!'
One of the intruders stepped forwards and Grantaire gasped- it was the blond man from the shop.
'Oh really?' the man asked softly. 'I searched all through the shop for a male omega, and found only a beta man, unsure of why there was omega fear scent when he had hired only a male beta.'
Grantaire whimpered at the alpha.
'He said he had no real proof that this beta was who he said he was. We had quite a nice chat, Balhorel and I. We're old friends, you see. He told me all about you and I began to think...'
Grantaire held Fantine closer and tensed.
'I began to think that this man I saw at the shop could definitely be the male omega we had heard about. All I had to do was follow your fear scent here, omega.'
Grantaire put Fantine on the bed and stood to face the blond alpha at his full height, which was admittedly not much.
'There may be scent here, but I am not the one making it. The male omega passed through here all of an hour ago. You missed him.'
The blond alpha growled predatorily. He towered over Grantaire, making him cower.
'Tell me what you are.' he said with a pure alpha voice, a voice that could make even the most unruly of omegas obey and submit.
Grantaire unwillingly sank to his knees, his omega chemistry kicking in.
'I.. I am a... a beta.'
There was a small giggle from one of the other intruders as it was clear from Grantaire's submission that he was an omega, but it was silenced by a hand from the blond.
'I don't think you are, babe. Tell me whether you are an omega. Now.'
'I... I...' Tears fell down Grantaire's cheeks. Everything he had done had been for nothing, he had been found now.
'Pup, tell me.'
'I am an omega, alpha.'
The blond alpha sighed. 'You are the omega we have been looking for for so long.'
Whimpering, Grantaire sunk lower to the floor. 'I am sorry, alpha. Please don't punish me.'
Making comforting noises, the alpha helped the omega up from the ground and cradled him closely before whispering to one of the other intruders;
'Combeferre; check the woman. If she's injured we'll take her back with us. Courfeyrac; please can you sedate this omega before he runs off again.'
Grantaire made noises of fear and tried weakly to escape the blond's grip. 'I won't run, alpha. Please don't sedate me. Please let me go, alpha.'
'Shhh, shhh, little one. You'll be safe soon. Just let 'Feyrac give you a little something to make you sleep and then you'll be safe.'
Fighting more harshly now, Grantaire tried to kick and hit the alpha to get away, before he smelt the comforting scent of another omega. The man- Courfeyrac- was whispering sweet nothings to him whilst trying to hold him still enough to knock him out. Courfeyrac's omega scent was overwhelmingly comforting to Grantaire and he reached out for the unfamiliar and yet familiar omega until he wasn't conscious enough to do more.
-----
{enjolras' pov}
Enjolras had seen the omega before. He was the oddly attractive male he had seen at a small shop that afternoon. The man was small and beautiful, and smelt like flowers. It wasn't until Enjolras had mentioned the male omega to Combeferre over the phone that the man had started to leak fear scent.
Enjolras had naively believed that there was in fact a male omega somewhere else in the shop, not thinking that an omega would have the willpower to lie to an alpha.
Proved wrong, the alpha had followed the fear scent for miles. It hurt the alpha to scent an omega in this much distress, he had to find him before someone else did.
When he eventually arrived at the hut, Enjolras had been taken aback by the strength of the omega, refusing to submit to an alpha. This was what happened when omegas weren't taught properly; they didn't know how to behave towards their masters.
The omega- Henri, the old woman had called him, Henri Martin- was currently slumped on Courfeyrac's lap, on his way to the holding centre for omegas.
God bless Les Amis De L'Omegas, thought Enjolras. Now we can keep the omega safe from himself.