The Alpha's Dilemma
Wilson Fisk sat alone in his cell, his massive frame perfectly still as he processed the meeting that had just ended. His hands were folded in his lap, but his fingers twitched occasionally - the only outward sign of his inner turmoil.
Matthew Murdock. An omega. A little.
The revelation changed everything.
"Sir?" One of the guards - Thompson, beta, easily bought - appeared at his cell door. "Your lawyer is here."
Fisk nodded once, rising with his usual measured grace. But as he followed the guard to the private meeting room, his mind was still fixed on that moment when Matthew's suppressants had failed. The sweet, vulnerable scent that had leaked through, carrying notes of fear and exhaustion and something else - something young and fragile that needed protecting.
His alpha instincts had roared to life instantly, demanding he break through the glass and gather the omega into his arms, to shelter and protect. It had taken all his considerable self-control to remain seated, to keep his voice level as he watched Matthew struggle against his own nature.
"Mr. Fisk." His lawyer stood as he entered, spreading papers across the table. "About the arrangements we discussed-"
"They need to be modified." Fisk's voice was soft but carried absolute authority. "Significantly."
The lawyer - Donovan, alpha, loyal - paused. "Sir?"
"The plan to destroy Matthew Murdock." Fisk settled into his chair, hands folded on the table. "It needs to be... adjusted."
"But sir, everything is in place. Dex is already-"
"Dex will need new instructions." Fisk's fingers tightened slightly, the only indication of his intensity. "Matthew Murdock is not to be harmed. Not physically, not legally, not in any way."
Donovan's confusion was evident in his scent. "Sir, with all due respect, Murdock is our biggest obstacle. He's already investigating the real estate transfers, and if he connects them to the FBI infiltration-"
"Matthew," Fisk interrupted, emphasizing the personal name, "is to be protected. Guided. Shown a better path."
"I don't understand."
Of course he didn't. How could he explain that the man he'd been plotting to destroy was actually an omega trying desperately to be an alpha? That beneath the devil's mask was someone who needed a father's guidance, not an enemy's wrath?
"He's been fighting himself for so long," Fisk said, almost to himself. "Forcing himself into a role that's destroying him. Using dangerous suppressants, denying his true nature..."
Understanding dawned in Donovan's expression. "He's an omega?"
"He's a child," Fisk corrected sharply. "Lost, afraid, trying to be something he's not. And I..." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "I have been approaching this all wrong."
The lawyer was silent for a long moment, then: "What would you like me to do?"
"First, contact our sources at the FDA. I want to know exactly what suppressants are being sold on the black market, particularly around Hell's Kitchen. The combinations Matthew is using... they're killing him slowly. He needs to be weaned off them safely."
"And Dex?"
Fisk's expression darkened slightly. "Tell him to continue surveillance, but no engagement. Matthew is not to be approached or threatened. In fact..." He paused, considering. "Have Dex focus on identifying anyone who might pose a threat to Matthew. Drug dealers, criminals, anyone who might know his secret."
"You want to protect him?" Donovan couldn't quite keep the disbelief from his voice. "The man who put you in here?"
"I want to save him." Fisk's voice softened again. "From his enemies, yes, but mostly from himself. He needs guidance, structure, protection - whether he wants it or not."
"He hates you, sir."
"Yes." A faint smile touched Fisk's lips. "For now. But hate can change. Especially when it's built on false assumptions."
Donovan began making notes. "What about the larger plan? The FBI, the asset transfers..."
"They continue, but with modifications." Fisk leaned back, his mind already mapping out new strategies. "Any action that might draw Matthew's attention needs to be more subtle. We need to be... patient. Give him time to see that I'm not the enemy he thinks I am."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we continue to protect him anyway." Fisk's tone left no room for argument. "I've spent too long trying to destroy someone who needs help, not harm. That ends today."
The lawyer nodded, gathering his papers. But before he could leave, Fisk added: "One more thing. I want daily reports on his movements, his health, everything. If he so much as sneezes, I want to know about it."
"Yes, sir." Donovan paused at the door. "And if he comes back here?"
"He will." Fisk's certainty was absolute. "His determination to stop me will bring him back. And next time..." He smiled slightly. "Next time, I'll be better prepared to help him understand his true place in this world."
After the lawyer left, Fisk returned to his cell. The other inmates gave him a wide berth, sensing the intensity of his thoughts. He stood at the window, looking out over the city that had been his kingdom, and would be again.
But now his plans had a new focus. Not just power, not just control, but protection. Guidance. The chance to be the father figure that Matthew Murdock so clearly needed, even if the omega didn't know it yet.
"You can't run forever, Matthew," he murmured to the distant skyline. "Sooner or later, you'll understand that everything I do now, I do for you. And when those walls finally come down..." His hands clasped behind his back, a gesture of patience and certainty. "I'll be here to catch you."
The sun was setting over Hell's Kitchen, painting the sky in shades of blood and gold. Somewhere out there, Matthew was fighting against his own nature, against the truth Fisk had seen so clearly. But that was alright. Fisk could be patient.
After all, the best fathers always were.