Chapter Text

So called “experts” would assure the public that Omegas were not weaker, no, that would be derogatory. Omegas were simply ‘more dependent’, ‘mild’, ‘not suited for stressful professions’. They said that Omegas wanted to be Mated because they wanted to be protected and cared for. An Alpha could take all of those ‘stressful decisions’ off their delicate shoulders. No Omega could really be happy without a Mate. They all wanted children, it was just part of their biology. Omegas were simply happier and healthier when Mated and taking care of their children. Everyone knew that.

Omegas weren’t stupid or simple, no, of course not, Omegas just weren’t suited to academics. Their time was best spent learning how to run a household and care for children. Silly Omegas, they didn’t always know what was best for them, thinking they would be happy doing something else, but all they needed was an Alpha to show them what they really wanted. A Mated Omega is a happy Omega, as they say.

“I need you, Alexandra” the woman on the TV in the corner of the waiting room said, “You’re the Alpha I’ve been waiting for my whole life” Will Graham gritted his teeth and tapped his foot, looking anywhere but at the TV screen and the fawning Omega.

“Oh, Rebecca. Sweet Rebecca” the other woman replied. Will tapped his foot harder. The thrice a year mandatory visit to the Omega Clinic was probably his least favorite thing in the world. He’d rather be reliving the murders of a dozen Mated Omegas by an enraged, widowed Alpha. He’d rather be reconstructing the rape and murder of a dozen teenage Beta girls. He’d rather relive killing Hobbs over and over again. He hated Omega clinics. He glanced to his right at a stack of pamphlets about the dangers of too many suppressants. He’d get another one of those this visit, as well as a long, condescending talk from a doctor. He had specifically requested to see Dr. Garcia, a female Beta, but such requests were rarely heeded.

“William Graham” a nurse said, and he stood, silently following her through the door. He got a few quizzical glances from some of the other nurses. Was that an Omega? With the dowdy clothes and the scruff on his face and the toned shoulders?

The nurse asked him a few questions, getting his height and weight, raising her eyebrows at his chart, before telling him the doctor would be with him shortly, asking him to change into a gown. She left before he could ask which doctor it would be. He undressed, folding his clothes, sitting on the table, tapping his feet on the metal side. He almost swore as soon as the door opened.

“Good afternoon, William” Dr. Heath said. Will gave him a thin smile, but didn’t respond. Of fucking course. He suspected that Dr. Heath requested to always be the one to see him, “Still on those suppressants?” the Alpha picked up the chart and looked at it.

“Yes” Will wondered just how rude he could get away with being. It sounded like a fun game to distract him from being shut in this small room with an Alpha that had probably stimulated his scent glands before coming in, in order to meeken the obstinate Omega.

“When was your last heat?” the chart said, but he wanted to make Will say it.

“February” he didn’t specify when in February. Dr. Heath tsked.

“That’s been too long, William. It’s nearly October” he flipped to another sheet, “Still working at the FBI academy?” that, also, was in his chart.

“Yes. And I’ve been working as a consultant” he’d get a whole lot of shit if he didn’t get that included in his file. Everything Omegas did had to be monitored by their healthcare provider.

“Consultant” Dr. Heath wrote, “I’d have to look at the list, but I’m pretty sure th-”

“FBI consultant is listed as a high-stress job, yes” Will cut him off, and he felt the Alpha’s anger flare at being interrupted by an Omega. Will did his best not to smirk, “I’ve passed all of the physical and psychological exams they’ve given me” lie, “I’m doing it part-time. I’ve only gone out into the field on a few occasions” and he’d shot a man seven times in the chest. High-stress indeed, “I’ve gotten some time off in November to have another heat” God, that would be a nightmare. He’d rather have the suppressants’ horrible side effects than have to suffer through a heat, “I’m slightly underweight for my size, I exercise often, and I’m on antidepressants” which he didn’t take, but the medical community didn’t need to know that. Dr. Heath was frowning harder. Here it came.

“Have you been seeing a psychiatrist?” not the question Will was expecting, and it stunned him for a moment.

“Yes” he said.

“This says you haven’t” the Alpha tapped the clipboard.

“I haven’t, officially. I’ve been talking to one of the Bureau’s other consultants. He’s a practicing psychologist” not a lie.

“It says here that your superiors are requesting a psych evaluation for you after a violent incident in the field. They’re worried about your stress levels” Dr. Heath said, like he was talking to a child. No, Will wanted to say, They’re worried about liability if something happens to me.

“I got the psych eval, it should be there in the file” Dr. Lecter had rubber-stamped him, “My stress levels are fine” probably a lie. He didn’t know or care. He’d been at the upper end of ‘acceptable’ levels of stress for an Omega for years. It wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but it wasn’t going to kill him. ‘Ten more years’ he thought wistfully, ‘Ten more years and I’ll be out of childbearing age’.

“You’re thirty-five, William, isn’t it time to settle down?” ah, there it was. He knew it was coming.

“I have no plans of settling down, Doctor. I am making a tidy salary at my current job and have no need for an Alpha to support me” he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with coming out and saying I do not ever want to have an Alpha or children, all I want is to achieve my lifelong dream of being a Beta.

“Having an Alpha would kill all of that stress” having an Alpha would kill a lot of things, like his career, independence, ability to own property, ability to do anything at all without his Alpha’s permission. Once he was Mated, he was an object. He’d lose his house, his dogs, his job, and the Alpha would probably immediately set about Breeding him, as he wasn’t getting any younger.

“I feel like the benefits of my current situation outweigh the benefits of being Mated” that, that had been a risky thing to say. He saw outrage in Dr. Heath’s eyes. Would he get away with that? Yes, Heath couldn’t afford to lose his temper. His job was currently hanging on the line, Will could see it in his eyes.

“Our time is limited, so let’s go ahead and have the physical exam” he said shortly, and Will smiled sweetly.

“Of course” he sat still and let the Alpha check all of the normal things: his eyes, his ears, his throat, tapping on his elbows and knees.

“Turn around” Dr. Heath instructed, and Will’s stomach dropped.

“Why” he didn’t put any inflection in the word.

“We haven’t had a full physical exam in a few years. We just need to check if everything’s working” the Alpha said patiently, condescendingly, “Just turn around and bend over the table” Will started to sweat.

“I’d rather not” he took an involuntary step back.

“I have to insist” Dr. Heath said firmly, smirking. Will knew he wasn’t going to get out of this office without doing as the doctor told him, so he turned around and put his hands on the table. He heard the doctor put on gloves, and he gripped the thin paper on the table. Heath nudged Will’s thighs apart, and Will bit his lip, closing his eyes. He could do this. He jerked when a finger started to trace around his entrance, “Just need to stimulate some slick to make this much easier for both of us” the finger continued to move, and the touch made Will’s skin crawl, but his body was starting to react, “You have a very slow reaction time” he could feel the doctor’s breath on his low back.

“Maybe I don’t find this very arousing” Will said, losing control of his tongue. The unspoken ‘don’t find you arousing’ hung in the air. The gloved finger pressed in dry, and Will couldn’t control the soft noise he made. He clenched, feeling himself get wet.

“Relax” Dr. Heath instructed, and Will really did try to relax. The finger went in, feeling around, “Everything seems fine” another finger joined the first.

“Oh God” Will said.

“Just relax” the Alpha told him smoothly, moving both fingers around. They found what they were looking for, and Will’s whole body jerked, his cock jumping up in excitement like one of the dogs when he said the word ‘treat’.

“Please stop” Will said, panic in his voice, “Please- nnnnnnnno” he tried to protest around the involuntary moans. His toes were curling against the floor, “Stop” his voice broke.

“No need to get excited. Just a routine examination” another finger went in and Will cried out. No, this wasn’t a routine anything. He was aware enough to understand he was being taken advantage of, but too hormone addled to do anything about it.

“Stop, please, Doctor” Will’s voice broke again. His cock was straining. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been stimulated outside of heat. He was going to cum, “Please don’t do this” he knew what Heath wanted. He wanted Will to cum all over himself.

“It’s almost over” the Alpha’s voice had a soothing, mocking tone.The fourth finger went in, and Will’s hand left the table to grab his cock with the gown as he came to orgasm, biting his lip until it bled. He slumped over the table as the fingers disappeared.

“You must be very starved for an Alpha if a routine examination can get you so hot and bothered. Not that any respectable Alpha would want you” Heath stood up, and Will could hear the glove coming off. Will held his cock, the gown getting most of the cum, some smeared on his stomach, “That’s it for today. The receptionist will get you another appointment in January” Will panted, struggling not to let any tears fall as he whimpered, “You can get redressed now” his voice was so smug that Will wanted to scream and take a bite out of his arm. But all Will did was stay on the table, whimpering. He listened to the door close behind him, and slowly stood up. He wiped himself off with the gown, balling it up with shaking hands as he got dressed. He threw the gown into the bin, slouching out of the room. He kept his head down, putting his glasses on, to hide his puffy eyes. He could hear Dr. Heath’s voice from behind a door, then laughter, and his cheeks burned scarlet. He got a card from the receptionist and left as unobtrusively as he could.

He waited until he was in the car before he let himself cry, shoulders shaking. He could still feel the latex gloves against his skin, inside of him, and he felt dirty. That’s how the other doctors would remember him now. The spinster Omega who came all over himself during a routine rectal exam. Will had to take his glasses off, pressing his eyes against his sleeved arm. He shouldn’t have baited the doctor. He should have stayed quiet and said all the right things.

“It’s your fault” the little voice that the suppressants kept away told him, “You were bad and disrespectful to an Alpha, and he put you back in your place” Will cried harder. The suppressants were supposed to stop this, “You’ve displease the Alpha. You were wrong and bad. You’re terrible. No Alpha would ever want an Omega like you. Disgusting” it sounded like voices from the past now.

He wiped his eyes, sniffing, trying to stop crying. He hadn’t even gotten a pamphlet. That set him off again, and he blubbered like the stupid, sniveling Omega he had never wanted to be. No, he had to get himself together. He had an appointment with Dr. Lecter in a few hours. Great. Another Alpha. He sniffled, turning the car on. He looked at the clock and his breath caught. It was already 4:30. How long had he been in there?

“No need to get excited. Just a routine examination”

Will shuddered. Too long. His appointment was at 5:30. He couldn’t afford to skip another session, or Lecter would mention it to Jack and he’d have Jack all over his ass about it. Another Alpha all over his ass. The thought sent Will into hysterics that quickly devolved into more sobbing. His eyes were blurry as he pulled out of the parking lot. He didn’t have enough time to go home and shower before driving to Baltimore. But he couldn’t go to Lecter smelling like sex and fear and desperation.

He pulled off the next exit and went into a store, shutting himself in the bathroom. He took off his shirt, using damp paper towels to wipe off his neck and upper body, then dropped his pants to get between his legs, then redressed, splashing water on his face. He looked at his reflection. This would have to do. He bought a pack of gum that he had no intention of chewing before getting back on the freeway.

His eyes weren’t as puffy when he pulled up at Dr. Lecter’s office and got out, putting his glasses on and letting himself into the waiting room. He had barely sat down before the door opened.

“Will” Dr. Lecter said calmly. Will kept his head down, walking quickly by the Alpha and taking his normal seat, “You seem more agitated than usual” he observed. Will smiled grimly.

“Had a checkup at the clinic today” he was not talking about this with anyone, much less an Alpha, much less an Alpha like Lecter.

“Ah, Omega Clinic?” Lecter took his place opposite Will.

“Yes. Not my favorite place. Can we talk about something else?” he needed to take his mind off of what had happened to him.

“Certainly. What would you like to talk about?” Lecter leaned back.

“Anything. I...the case” Will pushed his glasses up to rub his eyes. Maybe he could mask the puffiness.

“Tell me about the profile you’re working on” Will could feel Lecter’s eyes on him, but it didn’t feel invasive or objectifying like it did with most Alphas. Either Lecter felt absolutely no attraction to Will, even on primal level, or had amazing self control. Will wasn’t sure which one he would rather it be.

“Oh, I, it’s just the Ripper this time” Will shrugged, “Nothing new. I mean, new body, but.....” he sighed and leaned back, “Nothing new. Jack’s riding my ass about it, but I have nothing to give him” he realized belatedly that this was not the subject change he should have made.

“Tell me about the body. You once told me that the Ripper thinks of himself as an artist. What picture did he paint this time?” Lecter shifted minutely. Will continued to keep himself in a way that his eyes weren’t visible.

“It was a Beta woman, early forties. Her teeth were extracted one by one while she was still conscious. He made them into a necklace using some kind of drill and cheap dental floss. He cut her open from sternum to crotch and left her propped up in a telephone booth after rigor mortis kicked in. He took her tongue” Will sighed.

“A gruesome picture. What does it mean?” the Alpha was still watching him with that placid, impenetrable gaze.

“Well, she was a pig, I mean, he saw her as a pig. She disgusted him. He saw her as something less” Will’s eyes wandered to the psychiatrist’s shiny, black, leather shoes, probably made in Italy. Definitely made in Italy.

“Because she was a Beta? Some Alphas, and even some Omegas, see Betas as being inferior to them” Will’s brow furrowed.

“Why would an Omega view a Beta as inferior?” Betas were on the middle of the totem pole. The prime spot. It was his impossible dream.

“Some might say that Betas are a lesser breed of human, for the simple reason that they cannot do what Alphas and Omegas can do. There are Omegas who see themselves as being better than Betas because they can give an Alpha so much more than a Beta could. That is very debatable, of course. An Omega can forge a lifelong Bond with an Alpha, can give them many, healthy children, are basically incapable of infidelity. And, of course, as I’m sure you know from experience, Alphas have the tendency to arrogantly view themselves as the ultimate beings” Lecter crossed one leg over the other, and Will tried to hide a smile.

“No, the Ripper doesn’t see them as being lesser because he’s an Alpha- which we assume because it is statistically more likely- he just sees them as........pigs. Swine. Wastes of oxygen. We still don’t know how he picks them, but we do know that he views them as ugly, lesser beings. Maybe the woman was a busybody, so he took her.......teeth and tongue” Will’s voice trailed off as the new knowledge startled him. He saw Lecter smile faintly.

“You’re making new connections already” he sounded pleased. Proud, almost, “Voicing unspoken thoughts can have many benefits” Will smiled faintly.

“What unspoken thoughts do you have to voice, Dr. Lecter?” he asked. It was strange, being entirely alone with an Alpha, no one else in the office, and feeling safe. He did feel safe here. Something about Dr. Lecter was reassuring. Lecter lifted his head, making eyecontact that Will allowed for a split second before looking away.

“The residual, dewy smell, almost like petrichor, that clings to an Omega after crying” he said softly. It took a split second for Will’s cheeks to heat up and his body to stiffen in his seat.

“Yes” he said tersely, “I’ve been crying. I don’t want to talk about it” he turned his head away.

“Crying is a common coping mechanism. Omegas tend to cry more easily because their bodies want to retain homeostasis. They cry, serotonin and dopamine are released into the limbic system, helping them calm down. The body’s ingenious solution to what our society likes to refer to as ‘stress’” there were definite quotation marks around the word, which raised a few questions that Will couldn’t afford to ask right now.

“I cried, I feel better, end of story” Will said curtly.

“As you wish” how odd, to hear those words without any mocking or condescension.

“Maybe another day I’ll talk about it” he found that he meant it, which scared him more than the actual event.

“But not today” Lecter stated.

“Not today”.

Chapter Text

“You have to give me something!!!” Jack yelled.

“I don’t have anything!!” Will barely kept from yelling back, trying not to raise his voice.

“The Ripper is only going to kill one more time, and then he’ll be gone for months!!! You have to give me something!!!”.

“There’s nothing to give!!” an Alpha’s raised voice was enough to turn some Omegas into sniveling, groveling messes. It just made Will scared and defensive. He had to fight with every ounce of strength that he had not to bow under the force of Jack’s anger.

“Then find something!!!” Jack slammed his fist on his desk, making Will flinch. He tried hard not to cower, but it wasn’t working. He had to stand up to Jack.

“I-I’m, I’m trying” he was stammering now. He was caving in again, just like he always did, “I’m trying, Jack”.

“Then try harder” Jack didn’t have to yell this time, because Will was shaking, hugging himself, fighting the need to apologize. He wouldn’t apologize to Jack. He had nothing to apologize for.

“I’m trying”

“Are you going to comment on the petrichor smell?” Will asked waspishly as he sat down. Hannibal closed the door and took his own seat.

“No. Unless you want to talk about it” he leaned back in the chair. Will scowled at the desk to his right.

“Not really. Jack thinks I’m not trying hard enough. He likes to trigger hormonal responses to keep me biddable” he ground his teeth at the thought, “It doesn’t always work”.

“Uncle Jack pushes you far too much. I’d recommend a few months of leave from your job, but neither you nor Agent Crawford would accept that” Lecter said, and Will’s lip curled slightly.

“I appreciate your concern, Dr. Lecter, but it’s unnecessary” he really did appreciate the concern. It didn’t feel like Lecter was condescending him as most people did. Like Alana Bloom’s concern, it felt real, “I’m up to my eyeballs with ‘concern’” the word felt ugly in his mouth.

“Humans prefer for the world around them to fit into preconceived boxes, and when they find something that doesn’t fit, they try to make it fit” Lecter crossed his legs, eyes on Will’s face and his avoidant eyes, “You have lived a relatively successful life so far, and there are those who find that notion offensive. They cannot imagine an intelligent, self-sufficient, unMated Omega working in a difficult field. It doesn’t fit in their narrow little world. They mask their oppressive intentions with the guise of concern, leaving you with difficulty discerning true concern from the false” Will’s hand gripped the chair tightly. Lecter always knew how to cut to the heart of the issue, “It must make it very difficult to make friends” he added, and Will snorted.

“Friends” he said, “I don’t have friends. Who would want to be friends with an uppity, spinster Omega?” he traced the seam of the chair’s arm with one finger, “No friends in my world” he saw Lecter tilt his head in his peripheral vision.

“I hope you consider me a friend. I consider you mine” the words made Will look up, and their eyes met briefly, sending a jolt of electricity through Will’s body as he quickly looked away, his cheeks heating up.

“Alphas don’t want to be friends with Omegas, especially not ones like me” he said.

“That is a generalization, but has proven to be correct, I’m sure. The many Alphas who cannot see past their own preconceived notions about your sex would have no interest in any sort of friendship” he saw Lecter shift and lean forward.

“But not you” he said.

“Not me” the Alpha affirmed. Will’s mouth turned up at the corners.

“Why? Because you’re special? You’re not like other Alphas?” he asked, voice slightly mocking, forgetting for a moment that he was talking to an Alpha. Lecter’s face rippled into a small smile, eyes crinkling in amusement just as Will realized what he’d said and who he’d said it to.

“I would like to think so, yes. I would like to think that I can control my own Alpha tendencies” he said, voice full of warmth and amusement, and their eyes met again. Will had just said something shockingly rude and disrespectful to this Alpha, but there was no anger or offense anywhere in Lecter’s demeanor. Will was briefly stunned into holding the eye contact for a moment longer, before he turned red and broke the gaze.

“Forgive me if I’m not entirely convinced, Dr. Lecter” he said to hide his discomfit.

“I don’t expect years of mistrust to simply fall away after a brief reassurance. I do hope that you will come to be more open with me during our talks, as I think it would benefit you” Lecter was watching him. He could feel the Alpha’s eyes. But it wasn’t the usual Alpha ogle that he was used to. It didn’t make his skin crawl. It made his cheeks warm.

“You might have to wait a while for that” Will mumbled, slowly lifting his head. Lecter smiled at him, and Will smiled back, knowing he looked painfully shy.

“I am a very patient man” Lecter’s lips curved.

“Do you want me to have your dogs for a week?” it was November, and time was rapidly dragging him towards his week off. Alana was talking concernedly to him.

“No, I like having them there. Makes me feel safer” he smiled thinly, “Although I’m not any safer, because my dogs are all marshmallows who adore anyone who feeds them and can tolerate anyone else” Alana laughed.

“I’m sure they think they’re protecting you” this made Will’s smile a little more genuine.

“It gives me something to do. Getting up to feed them and let them out” the smile slipped away at the knowledge of what was to come.

“We can check you into a licensed Omegacare Center if you want. They can help you” Alana could see the dread on his face. Omegacare centers were staffed almost entirely by Betas, with the occasional Omega nurse, and were extremely expensive, but Will didn’t doubt that the Bureau would pay for it all if he wanted to go. It was tempting.

“No, I’ll be fine on my own” he assured her, “Don’t worry. I’m fine” she grimaced, but didn’t argue.

“Call me if you need anything” she emphasised, and his smile was real.

“I will. If I’m still somewhat lucid at that point” she grimaced again, and Will briefly reconsidered the Omegacare center. No. He’d be fine.

Will Graham’s phone rang out for the third time, and Hannibal Lecter hung up on the voicemail. Will had missed his appointment without a word, and he wasn’t on a case. Hannibal frowned. He’d been making a great deal of progress with the unsociable Omega. Will was starting to blossom for him, and the glimpses he’d caught had taken his breath away.

But Will had missed his appointment two days ago, and hadn’t said anything. A few times they’d disagreed and Will had wordlessly skipped a few appointments out of anger, but they’d been doing very well. Hannibal thought of the last thing Will had said to him.

“See you later” he’d grimaced slightly, which hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Hannibal put down his phone and thought. If Will was upset about something, he’d at least send word. This sudden silence was perplexing. They were not at a place in their relationship where Hannibal could show up uninvited on his doorstep (although they were close; the only thing in the way was the fact that Hannibal was an unMated Alpha).

On the other hand, he was wasting time worrying over this when there were so many things to get done. After all, the Chesapeake Ripper had one pig left in his sounder.

Chapter Text

“Fuck” Will croaked, “Fuck” he looked at the imitation knot lying nearby, “Fuck” he whispered. His mouth felt like the Sahara and the rest of his body felt like it was filled with molten lava. He pushed himself upright, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table. His vision swam as he grabbed for it, knocking it off. He swore loudly, and several of his dogs gathered round to lap up the water. Had he not given them any? Shit.

He tried to move, but his lower body wouldn’t do anything other than burn, his legs twitching helplessly. He tried again, but his body would cooperate. Oh God. He struggled, body too weak, and he finally gave up with a sob. One of the dogs (he couldn’t see which one it was) whined and licked his foot reassuringly.

Once all the water was gone, Winston nudged the others away and resumed his vigil at Will’s side. Will reached out and petted him. He was on the last stretch, he could tell. He moaned. He was so thirsty.

“I’m sorry I can’t feed you” he slurred, and the dogs perked up, looking at him, “I’m so sorry” his voice broke into a sob, and there were loud whines, and he was being crowded around, having various parts of his upper body licked. He laughed weakly and petted every furry head he could reach. He cried out in pain, making the dogs jerk away. He rolled onto his back and wailed, body arching. He couldn’t do this. The sunrise peeking through the shutters was mocking him. How could it be so happy while he was burning alive.

“FUCK” he said, but he barely made a sound, voice broken and hoarse.

That night, Hannibal Lecter’s phone rang. Will Graham, it said. He picked up.

“Hello?” he didn’t hear anything, “Will?” he heard breathing.

“Dr. Lecter?” Will’s words were slurred and he sounded confused.

“Will, you didn’t come to your appointment” he said. There was silence.

“I was calling Alana. You’re not Alana” Will didn’t appear to have heard him, sounding heavily drugged or inebriated.

“Will, are you drunk?” Hannibal asked patiently. He heard hoarse laughter, then a noise like the phone had been dropped, and faint swearing, “Will” drunk dialing did not seem like the Omega’s style at all, but this could still be used to his advantage.

“Not drunk. Wish I was drunk” Will managed to get to the phone, “Wish I was dead. I thought I was gonna be able to feed the dogs. I can’t get out of bed and- FUCK” the phone was dropped again as a nearly inhuman noise was heard on the other end, trailing off into weak sobs of pain and pleas. A few seconds later there was another one. Everything clicked neatly into place. Oh.                                                      Oh.

“Will, I’m coming” he said, even though Will couldn’t hear or understand him now. He was met by another pained animal noise and the faintest sound of whining dogs. He hung up. Hannibal’s body thrummed with anticipation as he got to his feet and grabbed his coat. He packed a small travel bag with some clothes and a few necessities. This was perfect. This was perfect. He had never dreamed it would be this easy.

He jumped into his car, plans about stalking his latest prey completely dashed, and left for Wolftrap, Virginia.

Will was barely aware of anything until he smelled something that made his mouth start to water, and he moaned weakly. Strong, cool hands touched his body, soothing the blazing heat under his skin. A glass was pressed to his lips, and he drank.

“Good boy” quiet words whispered to him that made him moan, still drinking, “Such a good boy” Alpha was pleased. The only thing Will was capable of doing was starting to cry again, and he was shushed and caressed. He opened his eyes. Red eyes gleamed like a predator, staring him down, shrouded in darkness, stark lines of a mask-like face visible to him.

“Nnnn” he said, reaching out. His hand was taken, and kissed, and he moaned again.

“It will be over soon, precious one. You’re doing so well for me” the voice was otherworldly, surrounding him and echoing in his head. He’d done well. He smiled, “Sleep now, you’ve been a good boy” fingers in his hair, and Will was struck dumb by how perfect it was. He closed his eyes again, and dozed off.

When he woke again, it was because he was screaming and begging. Something was being pressed into his hands, and he knew what this was, just by touch. He greedily pressed it inside himself, moaning. He was flipped onto his stomach and a hand took the end from him, fucking him with it. A large weight pressed him into the bed, and Will’s mouth opened, but nothing came out but a soft whine.

“Good boy, good boy, it’s almost over” Will’s knees were tucked under him, and he felt the warm stickiness when he came one last time, going limp. The weight disappeared briefly, and the fake knot inside him swelled up, locking it in place, and the weight reappeared, blanketing him in total safety. Big, strong Alpha.

Words he didn’t understand were murmured into his ear, making him hum softly. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. He didn’t feel when the weight finally disappeared, along with the object.

Will woke up slowly, the sun peeking through the shutters as it rose. The first thing he noticed was that the dogs were not crowding around his bed, eager to be fed. The second thing was that his head was filled with a musky, Alpha scent. He moved his legs experimentally. They moved, painful and reluctant. He pushed himself upright, trying to sit on the side of the bed and finding out that that was a terrible idea. He rolled onto the floor with an ‘oomph’, taking the blanket with him. Where were his dogs? He looked around. He heard movement that didn’t sound like dogs, and his body froze up. Footsteps approached, and he tried to slide under the bed. Hannibal Lecter walked into the room, looking impeccably casual and holding a plate with the fanciest omelette Will had seen in real life.

“Good morning” he said, “Do you need help getting up?” the Alpha set the plate on the nightstand.

“Where are my dogs?” Will rasped.

“Eating. Are you hungry?” Lecter went down to one knee at his side, and Will shrunk away, brows furrowed.

“What are you doing here?” he allowed the Alpha to pick him up bridal-style and lay him back on the bed.

“Do you remember calling me last night?” Lecter sat on the edge of the bed. Will’s brows furrowed harder.

“I called you?” he rubbed his eyes.

“At about eight thirty. You seemed to be trying to call Alana Bloom” the Alpha offered him the pristine omelette, which Will took, not sure what else to do, “You started having heat contractions mid-sentence” Will looked down at the plate, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry” he murmured, “Alana told me to call her if I needed anything” he stared blankly at the omelette.

“I probably should have called her to come here and see to you, but I was very worried” Lecter was being very careful about not touching him, “I’m not sure what would have happened had you not been so close to the end of the ordeal. You should eat” Will obediently cut off a piece of the omelette with a fork and took a bite. It was heavenly.

“I....” there was too much going on, his mind whirling, still exhausted and dazed from his heat, with a headful of Alpha pheromones that were getting stronger and leaving him even more docile. He wanted to ask questions, but the words died on his lips before he could even complete a thought, “This omelette is really good” his brain was still capable of trying to please an Alpha. Wonderful. He was aware enough to feel sarcastic.

“I’m glad you like it. If you’ll stop just a moment, I will rearrange you to be more comfortable” Will let Lecter take the plate, set it aside, then scoop him up again, propping him up on pillows in what was probably a textbook position to minimize discomfort after heat. He took the plate back and kept eating as Lecter wrapped the blanket around him. There were no other touches, no caresses, no lingering holds, only the back of a hand to his forehead to assess his temperature, “Still slightly feverish” Lecter tutted, and Will tried not to feel like that was a personal failure, but he was in pretty deep, and the Omegan side of his brain was berating him for displeasing the Alpha.

“I’m sorry” he whispered, eyes foggy. He didn’t see the fond look on the Alpha’s face.

“That wasn’t a rebuke, Will” he said, and Will tipped his head back, sinking back into the haze of docility and warmth. This time he did see the warm, exasperated look, “You’ve been very good” Lecter told him, and Will smiled sleepily. He’d been good. The fork dropped from his fingers, and Lecter grabbed it, along with the plate, “You need food. Open up” the Alpha instructed, and Will obediently opened his mouth and let Lecter feed him the rest of the omelette.

Hannibal took a very brief moment to admire the Omega sitting docilely in front of him, mouth obediently open, the little pink tip of his tongue visible. Hannibal wanted to devour him. But he only fed Will a bite of the omelette, then another, until it was gone. Will’s eyes were drooping now, and Hannibal shifted him into a comfortable sleeping position, mindful of his sore lower body. He pulled the blanket up around the Omega, who was starting to doze. He’d have to enjoy this while he had it. It would be quite some time before he had Will this docile and amenable again. But he would wait until the next heat, assured with the knowledge that Will would spend it in Hannibal’s bed.

Chapter Text

Will woke up again to find Winston sitting at his side, looking somber. He reached out and scratched his ears. He heard faint voices from nearby, realizing that there were people out front. He frowned, slowly getting up, wobbling, and putting on a pair of shorts that he was too groggy to wonder where they came from, wrapping himself in the blanket and staggering towards the door.

“What am I supposed to think, Hannibal?” that was Alana. She sounded furious. Will blinked hard.

“I understand how this looks, Alana, but I-” that was.....Hannibal Lecter?

“You should have called me” she cut him off angrily.

“Yes, I should have” Lecter agreed, “But I didn’t” Will wobbled closer to the door, which was ajar. He could see them outside, Lecter standing on the porch, Alana on the path, her arms crossed angrily.

“Why didn’t you, Hannibal?” she had her legs apart, feet planted firmly.

“Because I let my nature get the best of me” Lecter was totally calm as Will pushed the door open. Alana saw him at the same time that Lecter sensed his presence, “Will, you’re awake” he said, turning to face the Omega, who was squinting in the light.

“What’s going on?” he asked faintly. Alana marched up the steps, past Lecter, and right into Will’s space, making him step back.

“Are you okay?” she asked seriously, cupping his face, and that felt nice. He blinked several times.

“Okay?” he echoed, and she looked a little impatient, a little worried.

“He’s not in any state to be having this discussion” Lecter said gently, “Why don’t we all go inside and I’ll fix some lunch” Will had vague memories of stocking the fridge and the pantry before his heat. Alana looked at him, silent, then nodded, taking Will by the wrist and leading him back inside, Winston staying protectively close.

He was situated in a chair in a way that didn’t hurt, and was given a bowl of soup. His hands weren’t steady, so Alana fed it to him, insisting on it, rather than letting Lecter do it. Will didn’t object. The soup was good. He hummed his approval, a soft, Omegan sound that rarely left the flaps of his vocal cords, and he felt the atmosphere of the room abruptly heat up.

“Will” Alana said softly, looking at Hannibal, who had closed his eyes, fingers twitching. Soft vocalizations were one of an Omega’s primary tools in ‘catching’ an Alpha, the soft noises of various pitches evoking a direct response from the primal part of an Alpha’s brain.

“It’s not his fault” Hannibal said in an even voice, making her frown, “All it means is that I must have a more rigid control of myself” he opened his eyes.

“I think you’re self control has been tested enough” she told him, spooning more soup into Will’s mouth, “What on earth possessed you to come here when you knew he was in heat?” she was calmer now, still upset, but feeling much more reasonable. She did trust Hannibal.....she just didn’t trust his Alpha nature. Hormones and instincts could get the best of any Alpha, even one like Hannibal Lecter.

“I let my nature get the best of me” Hannibal echoed, “He was screaming and begging me to come, to take the pain away. I know it is no excuse, but I wasn’t entirely rational at that point. I would like to think that I would have been able to keep my control after I arrived, even if he hadn’t been only a few hours from the end of his heat, but I simply don’t know. It was an unacceptable loss of control, and I apologize, to both of you, although I don’t think Will can accept it right now” Will hummed again, but Hannibal didn’t blink. Alana could still see the slight dilation of his pupils at the sound, but Hannibal was in complete control again.

Will finished his soup and curled up against Alana, sighing happily when she started stroking his hair. Maybe Dr. Lecter would stroke his hair. That sounded nice. He blinked a few times. No, he didn’t want Lecter to touch him (yes you do). He was past his heat now (that’s no reason not to be quiet and good for the Alpha). He didn’t need to be coddled by anyone, much less an Alpha (imagine that strong, handsome Alpha coddling you, imagine his strong arms around you). Will pulled away from Alana, turning and resting against the other side of the chair, blinking, trying to wake up. She let him go.

“Are you feeling more yourself?” Dr. Lecter (big, strong Alpha) asked him. Will blinked a few more times.

“I don’t know” he said softly, then, “Why is everyone in my house?” Lecter smiled and it made him want to squirm.

“We’re concerned about you. We’ll leave as soon as you feel better” he promised (no, don’t let the Alpha leave, make him stay, roll over and show him your belly so he’ll stay). Will nodded, his own trained resistance to the strong, Omega urges waking him up, “Are you still hungry? I made more soup” Will nodded slowly.

“That sounds nice” he said faintly, and the Alpha got up, going into the kitchen.

“Are you alright, Will?” Alana took his hand, and he looked at her.

“I think so” the desire to roll over and coo and show his belly was abating, but that was probably because the Alpha had left the room.

“Did he do anything to you?” she looked very concerned, so apparently this was a serious issue.

“He......made me an omelette” Will struggled to remember what had happened, “I don’t remember” her expression was slightly alarmed. Will smelled the Alpha before he came back into the room, “Did you pin me down to the bed?” he asked, and Lecter stopped in the doorway. He had Alana’s furious expression turned on him. He grimaced visibly, bringing the soup and setting it down on the table.

“You were having difficulty sleeping. Omegas react well to the heavy weight of an Alpha on top of them. You went right to sleep after that, so I got off” he sat down, ignoring the Beta’s furious gaze, “I apologize if that upsets you” Will shook his head.

“No, I was just wondering. I usually don’t sleep well after heats” he abruptly remembered something, opening his mouth, then closing it, looking at Alana.

“What is it?” disapproval was coming off of her in waves.

“Nothing. I just remembered that I hadn’t fed my dogs, but Dr. Lecter told me he’d done it” he lied, “I’m fine, Alana. Thank you for being here. And thank you, Dr. Lecter” his cheeks turned a little pink, “I’m sorry I inconvenienced you” Lecter inclined his head.

“No inconvenience. I’m glad to help a friend” he said, and Alana shot him a dirty look. Will ate this bowl of soup himself while Lecter assured Alana that everything was fine. Will stared down into the soup, cheeks burning at the memory of Lecter fucking him against the bed with the dildo. How much self control did an Alpha have to have to be able to do that instead of knotting the desperate Omega beneath him? It had probably been the idea of knotting an Omega like Will that had kept Lecter under control.

“Not that any respectable Alpha would want you”

Will fought a shiver, pushing that memory away, letting the warm haze take its place. He was put back to bed and fell asleep within seconds.

“As you can see, Type 2 Alpha murders are very distinctive” Will changed to the next slide, keeping the rim of his glasses where the students’ faces were, “Depending on the sex of the victim, the murders are often very different” he changed to the next slide, “Violence against other Alphas stems from territorial instincts, and a telltale sign is the tearing of the throat, whether by teeth or other weapon, and/or castration” next slide, “Violence against Omegas involves rape in 96% of Alpha-Omega murder cases. Frequently seen indicators are rape, before or after death, genital mutilation, mutilation of the mammaries, especially common with female Omegas, abdominal incision and mutilation or removal of uterus, removal being especially common with pregnant Omegas-” he saw Jack out of the corner of his eye as he changed to the next slide, “-and facial mutilation. Next class we’ll look at Alpha violence against Betas” he turned off the slides, even though he had another five minutes of material, and he brought up the lights as Jack marched in, and his students took a hint and started filing out.

“New Ripper victim” Will guessed from the look on the Alpha’s face.

“Maybe. I need you to take a look while this-” he motioned to Will’s lesson, “-is still fresh in your mind” he turned, completely sure that the Omega would follow him, and Will did.

“It’s...........it’s the Ripper, alright” Will tilted his head, “I think” he squatted beside the body, “What do we have?” he tilted his head to the other side.

“Rectal incision, removed the prostate, removed the testicles, removed the penis then sutured it up. Stitched them all to the abdomen with fishing line, kinda the shape of an A, cut off the hands and put them on either side of the head” Zeller rattled off.

“Demasculinization, A for Alpha” Will murmured, “This isn’t his usual artwork. This is just.....aggression” he scratched his chin.

“And you’re sure it’s the Ripper” Jack questioned.

“Maybe. It feels like the Ripper, it just.......it’s just so different” something niggled in the back of his mind, a bothersome thought he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Is he experimenting? Is his style changing?” Jack stood behind Will, letting him loom over the Omega. It wasn’t appreciated.

“He’s not experimenting. He knows what he likes and likes what he does. This seems.....lesser” Will wrinkled his nose, “This isn’t the kind of high art he’s always shown us. This is just the Ripper venting his Alpha aggression. I’m not sure why he wants us to see this, to be honest” he could feel Jack looming, trying to get more answers out of him. It was only making him anxious and twitchy. He stood up, bumping into Jack.

“You need to be more careful” Jack told him.

“You need to stop pushing your knot into the back of my head” Will mumbled.

“Excuse me?!” Jack said loudly, and Will quickly stepped around him, putting as much distance between himself and Jack as possible.

“I need to be alone” he said. Jack looked at him with near murderous intent, then jerked his chin at his team, and they quickly packed up and stepped out. Jack’s eyes never left Will as he exited the room. Will sighed, taking off his glasses and polishing them with his shirt before tucking them in his pocket. He stepped up to the corpse and closed his eyes.

Whoosh

Whoosh

The pendulum swung, taking him back.

“This man is a pig, unworthy of being an Alpha. He disgusts me. I am filled with power and aggression that must be released, and this man will be my canvas. He is alive when I castrate him, as well as when I surgically remove the penis. I act quickly, suturing the open wound before all his blood can gush out. He is dead by the time I cut him open and take the prostate. I cut his hands off and arrange him in a way that is pleasing to me. I cut out his spleen and take it with me. This is my design.”

Will opened his eyes and looked down at the stiff, Alpha corpse. What could have gotten the Ripper so worked up?

Chapter Text

“Good evening, Will” Lecter opened the door and let Will in, “Are you feeling better?” Will’s cheeks burned as he sat in his usual seat.

“Much better” he said.

“Good. Heats can be extremely taxing, even for Omegas who have them regularly” Lecter took his place opposite.

“That’s why I prefer to put them off as long as possible” the memory of Lecter’s hands on his body made him want to squirm in his seat.

“Understandable. We tend to put off what we don’t like” Lecter had seen him naked. Lecter had seen him naked and dripping and desperate for a knot, “I don’t suppose I could convince you to leave off the suppressants for a few months to clean out your system. It would do wonders for your health”.

“No thank you, Dr. Lecter” it still didn’t feel condescending; it didn’t feel like he was being baited or tricked.

“I must insist you call me Hannibal” the Alpha said, and Will glanced up, “We are friends, after all” Will smiled very briefly, looking away.

“Alright, Hannibal” the name felt nice in his mouth. ‘You know what else would feel nice in your mouth?’ the little voice whispered, and he squashed it as best he could.

“Have you considered checking into an Omegacare Center for a detox? There is a very good one here in Baltimore” Will grimaced.

“Omegacare Centers are too much like hospitals” he didn’t elaborate, didn’t need to. Lect-Hannibal knew all about his dislike of hospitals and doctors’ offices. Especially doctors’ offices. He swallowed a shudder of revulsion, “Staying home has worked well for me, so far” he grimaced again, “I just put it off too long this time” he paused, “Thank you, by the way” he said in a quieter voice, “I really appreciate you helping me” he could see Hannibal’s small smile.

“I’m glad I could help” he sounded like he meant it. Will cleared his throat.

“I do remember what happened” he looked everywhere except at Hannibal, “I just didn’t tell Alana because she would have overreacted” he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

“She cares a lot about you” the Alpha said, and Will nodded.

“I’m not sure if I should thank you for what you did with the imitation knot, but I guess I will now that I’ve brought it up” he didn’t quite mumble.

“It seemed like the better of the two options I had” Hannibal said, and Will couldn’t hide the way his cheeks turned scarlet at the thought of having Hannibal’s knot in him. He cleared his throat a few times.

“I really owe you” he looked at his shoes.

“You don’t owe me anything, Will” Hannibal assured him. Will glanced up briefly, eyes on the Alpha’s nose, dangerously close to the eyes.

“No, really, I owe you one. That was above and beyond any definition of ‘friendship’” the idea of friendship with Hannibal, or any Alpha, was such a strange one, “I want to pay you back. I need to pay you back” he couldn’t have this debt hanging over his head. He couldn’t sleep knowing that he was so indebted to this Alpha. Hannibal tilted his head slightly.

“There is.....one thing” he said, “But I hesitate to ask you” Will looked back up, almost meeting Hannibal’s eyes, feeling a little wary. What was the Alpha going to ask of him?

“What is it?” he asked distrustfully.

“I have two tickets to the Baltimore Opera House this Saturday. I would very much like you to accompany me” their eyes met, and Will sat back.

“O-Opera?” he asked, taken aback, “You want me to go to an Opera?”

“As a favor to me” Hannibal confirmed, “But it is entirely optional. I don’t want you to feel pressured to accept” Will’s cheeks remained steadily pink.

“But.....” Will scrunched his nose, and Hannibal wondered if he knew what he looked like, or if he suspected that the Alpha in front of him would like nothing more than to devour him, “Why would you take me?” he asked, “Won’t all of your high society friends be there?” he’d never been given any indication that such friends existed, but Dr. Lecter was a pleasant, sociable man who apparently loved to host dinner parties, if the Society page of The Baltimore Sun was anything to go by.

“Most likely” this didn’t seem to bother Hannibal.

“But.....they’ll see us together” Will shifted in his chair.

“Yes” Hannibal agreed.

“But.....I’m not anybody. I’m just a rube who lives in Virginia” he shifted again.

“I would like you to accompany me to the Opera to see Bianca e Falliero on Saturday, and I am happy to be seen with you there” Hannibal smiled gently. Will turned pink.

“I don’t have anything to wear to a fancy opera. I have one suit and it’s starting to wear thin” it was such an outlandish notion, going to the opera with Hannibal Lecter.

“I can have a suit tailored for you by the end of the week if you’ll go with me to a fitting tomorrow” the Alpha told him, and Will turned pinker.

“I, I’m, I don’t want you to have to spend a lot of money on me” a tailored suit? Like the ones Hannibal wore? How much did that cost? He couldn't let someone spend that kind of money on him.

“Money is no object” Hannibal smiled.

“I’m really bad at talking to people, and there’ll be a lot of that, right? Socializing?” Will could just imagine himself embarrassing Hannibal in front of his rich, snobby friends.

“You can let me do the talking. Fortunately, or, rather, unfortunately, Omegas are not required to talk much, or at all. You could easily do nothing more than exchange pleasantries and let me talk for you” Hannibal leaned forward in his chair, “I don’t want to force this on you, but I would greatly appreciate if you would accompany me” Will’s eyes were drawn unwillingly to Hannibal’s, and his brain was telling him to agree with the Alpha.

“I....” his voice trailed off, and he looked at Hannibal's tie, “I don’t know” he said hesitantly.

“You would be doing me a second favor, as your presence would discourage prestigious families trying to shove their spoiled, Omega brats onto me” this made Will laugh.

“I.....maybe” he said with a small smile.

“I need you to decide soon; the fitting would need to be tomorrow” Hannibal told him, and Will grimaced.

“I really don’t want you spending a lot of money on me” he couldn’t believe he was agreeing to this.

“I don’t mind at all. Will you go?” Hannibal asked. Will bit his lip, then nodded.

“Okay. But I’m probably going to regret this”

He regretted this. He regretted everything. Will’s eyes darted around the huge, ornate lobby of the opera house. There were people everywhere, insincere smiles on their faces, talking about pretentious things that Will didn’t care about.

Hannibal moved through the crowd with effortless grace, introducing Will to various acquaintances, and all Will had to do was smile and say hello, his shaved cheeks feeling too smooth, and stay very close to Hannibal’s side. Hannibal’s hand was at the small of his back, guiding him, and it felt amazing just to be able to be without having to worry about conversation. He could almost get drunk on it. He couldn’t get drunk on the eyes of the other patrons, looking him up and down and dismissing him as ‘not society’. But Hannibal kept him close, and as he saw the unveiled jealousy of the mothers who couldn’t push their Omega daughters on Dr. Lecter with him around, Will felt an unexpected spurt of vindictive delight. ‘That’s right’ he thought, ‘He doesn’t want your vapid brats. He wants me’. He quickly pushed the thought away. He was here as a favor to Dr. Lecter, shielding him from matchmaking families. He wasn’t going to let his instincts make him act like a knot-hungry Omega bitch. Dr. Lecter was being very professional and courteous, and Will had to do the same.

Hannibal had a private box (of course he did), and he and Will sat together with their flutes of champagne.

“Are you doing alright?” Hannibal asked, and Will nodded, although he wasn’t sure of the answer. Hannibal’s hand was still at the small of his back. He looked out at the constantly moving crowd below as everyone took their seats. Hannibal handed Will a pair of old fashioned opera glasses, insisting that he didn’t need them. Will hesitantly took the glasses, looking at the stage with them. It actually helped.

The lights dimmed and the crowd quieted, and the opera began. Will was bored within twenty minutes, shifting around in his seat slightly. Hannibal was totally attentive to the stage, and Will tried to emulate him. He could barely follow what was happening. Hannibal probably spoke fluent Italian and knew exactly what was being said, but Will wasn’t as cultured as him. He used the glasses to look out at the crowd. The elegant, beautiful elite were everywhere. No one looked even remotely normal. He almost didn’t realize that there were eyes on their box. People were watching him and Hannibal together. He saw a few heads dip together for the smallest whisper. Will’s cheeks heated up, looking away from the crowd, able to feel the hateful stares boring into the side of his face.

He realized Hannibal was looking at him now, rather than the stage. Did Will smell of distress? He hoped not. Hannibal’s hand slid over his, making him jump.

“Do not let them bother you. They are merely jealous” Hannibal told him quietly, and Will nodded, feeling the heat of Hannibal’s hand over his. Hannibal looked back at the stage, and Will did his best to do the same.

Chapter Text

“Dr. Lecter!” if Will hadn’t been watching the Alpha’s face so closely, he would have missed the tiniest flicker of visible dread as they both turned to face the owner of the voice. The portly, well-dressed man looked delighted to see Hannibal, and although Hannibal’s smile was pleasant, his eyes were impatient and almost angry.

“Franklyn” the Alpha said, nearly through clenched teeth, “What a lovely surprise” he clearly thought it anything but. The opera was over and Will was sleepy and being dragged around and introduced to more people. The Beta hesitated obviously at the sight of Will, who was more pliant against Hannibal’s side than he had been earlier in the evening, eyes half-lidded, and unaware how seductive he looked. He was tired and Hannibal was warm and leading him around, and he trusted Hannibal completely. Had he been less tipsy and more awake, he wouldn’t have let himself be so trusting. But right now he was happy to be led around, “Franklyn, this is Will. He graciously agreed to be my date tonight. Will, this is Franklyn, one of my patients” Hannibal introduced him, and Will nodded to the man with a small smile. Franklyn barely acknowledged him.

“I was hoping you would be here. We don’t see each other often enough” he said. They were getting looks from Hannibal’s society friends. Most of them were sympathetic.

“You have an appointment on Tuesday. We would see each other then” Will smiled into Hannibal’s shoulder.

“Franklyn” another voice said, and an attractive, black Alpha almost glided to the chubby Beta’s side, radiating predatory grace. Will unconsciously pressed closer to Hannibal’s side as he approached.

“Oh, um, Dr. Lecter, this is Tobias, my friend” Franklyn quickly introduced them. The black Alpha extended his hand, and Hannibal took it, and they shook, firmly.

“Tobias Budge” the man introduced himself.

“Hannibal Lecter” Hannibal replied in kind, “And my date, Will” he had only ever introduced Will to anyone there by his first name. Will kind of appreciated it. Tobias inclined his head to the Omega, who forced a fairly convincing smile to an untrained eye.

“Messeri” he held out his hand, and Will hesitantly offered his. Tobias took it and kissed his knuckle in the traditional, formal way. No one else had done it (to him) all night. Will’s cheeks were red when he was able to pull his hand away. Hannibal’s body was slightly tenser.

“Tobias has a string shop downtown” Franklyn said quickly, not liking that attention was being diverted to the attractive Omega on his idol’s arm, “As in, like, music strings, not regular strings” the smallest flicker of irritation on the black Alpha’s face, before he smoothed it over.

“Yes, I have some of the finest strings in the city” he said with quiet pride. Hannibal was gripping Will a little more tightly. Franklyn was alternating between looking between Tobias and Hannibal, who seemed to be trying to assert their Alpha dominance through eye contact. He occasionally glanced at Will with more than a little dislike. Was he one of those Omega wannabes? Moron. Will kept his attention on Hannibal so he didn’t have to make eye contact with the other men. He inhaled against Hannibal’s shoulder. Christ, he smelled good, “Ah, do you play?” he realized the others had been talking.

“Harpsichord” Hannibal said smoothly, “It could use tuning up, and it can be hard finding proper care for stringed instruments” he said without insult, but still managing to imply a lot of things. The two Alpha’s exchanged business cards as Franklyn kept trying to insert himself back into the conversation, only to be cut down every time. Will tried to hide a yawn, but Hannibal noticed, “It seems my date has grown weary. Too much champagne, I think” he said lightly, and Will gave a thin-lipped smile.

“We won’t keep you” Tobias said, cutting off Franklyn’s protests.

“Good night, gentlemen” Hannibal said graciously, and managed to get Will out of the opera house in record time.

“Was that guy really your patient?” Will said sympathetically.

“Yes” there was a lot of information in that single word, and Will left it at that, letting himself be taken home. Hannibal drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. He was going to hear all about this during Franklyn’s session. He could already feel a headache coming on.

“You’ve been playing the long game, haven’t you?” Katz laughed into his face on Monday, making him lean back.

“What?” he was emotionally exhausted from the opera and wanted nothing to do with anyone. He’d had those stares following him all night.

“All these years, staying unMated. This is what you were holding out for” she waved a Sunday newspaper at him, “You were just waiting for a rich, foreign doctor to whisk you away!!” he took the newspaper away from her, looking at it. It was the front of the Society section.

“Okay, I mean, I went to the- is that me?!?” he said loudly, staring in horror at the picture of him and Hannibal together at the opera. They’d picked a very intimate one, with Hannibal leaning down slightly to say something into Will’s ear, “Oh my God” Katz snatched it away from him.

“‘Love at Last?’” she read gleefully, “‘Perpetual Alpha bachelor, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, seen escorting an unknown Omega at last night’s opera. Could Dr. Lecter be looking for a Mate in this raven-haired beauty?’” she waved it at him again, “You little rascal!!” she laughed. Will was positively green.

“Oh my God” he said in a small voice, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose, fighting off a headache, “Why do you even have that?”.

“Brian and I like to laugh at the rich, snobby people on Mondays while Jimmy recovers from his hangover” she explained, “Imagine how surprised we were to see you on the front page” she flapped it at his face. He let go of his nose.

“Raven-haired beauty?” he scrunched up his face. She just cackled.

“Well, well, well, when should we be expecting wedding invitations, Mx. Lecter?” Jimmy Price walked in, rubbing his temples and speaking in a low, raspy voice. Will groaned loudly, making him flinch.

“Oh my God” he said again, putting his face in his hands.

“I’m scared to show my face in public” Will said as soon as he sat down. Hannibal was doing a pretty good job at hiding his amusement, but he didn’t seem to be trying all that hard.

“I doubt anyone will recognize you unless they already knew you” the Alpha sat down across from him.

“Did you know that was going to happen?” he accused.

“I was aware of the possibility”

“Why didn’t you warn me? I was ambushed at work and had our picture shoved in my face multiple times by people asking nosy questions” the last few days had been a hassle.

“My apologies for causing you any inconvenience” Hannibal inclined his head. Will grumbled quietly, “Other than the aftermath, did you enjoy yourself?” Will looked at the statue of the stag over Hannibal’s shoulder.

“I, um, yeah. It was.....nice” it wasn’t entirely a lie. He’d been exhausted afterwards, stressed, and had felt judgmental stares pointed at him all night, but the left arm of his suit had smelled like Alpha from being pressed up to Hannibal’s side, and Will had fallen asleep with his face buried in it. But he wasn’t going to tell the Alpha that. Lecter was keeping his distance (and for good reason; nothing good could come from them sharing too many pheromones), so Will had to do the same, “I liked it more than I expected” that was the truth. A small, genuine smile curved Hannibal’s mouth, and Will felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Hannibal was the kind of Alpha, that if he really wanted, he could have Will trembling and submissive with a little bit of posturing and a few sharp words. Very few other Alphas had that kind of presence, and it had made Will a little wary since the first time he’d met the man.

“I’m glad. You did me a great favor by going” Will laughed quietly.

“Yeah, all those mothers. I was afraid for my life a few times, the way they were looking at me. I’ve seen serial killer Alphas with less hatred in their eyes” the thought made Will laugh louder, and Hannibal watched the rare occurrence with near reverence, schooling his expression.

“I apologize for that as well” his eyes moved over Will’s face, still cleanshaven. It would take Will a few weeks to get his stubble back, as Omegas had more difficulty with facial hair (along with their lack of body hair). He was honored that Will had shaved for him, revealing the soft, lovely face that he tried to hide.

“As long as I don’t end up on the front page of the Society section again, I think I’ll be alright” Will made very brief eye contact, gaze jumping away, still smiling.

“I’ll keep that in mind”.

Chapter Text

“So who was that Omega?” was the first thing that came out of Franklyn’s mouth when he sat down in the chair across from Hannibal’s. Dr. Lecter had spent the entire day steeling himself for this.

“An acquaintance of mine. Now, how have you been since our last appointment?” Hannibal was holding out some vain hope that he could steer the conversation into a more appropriate direction.

“I’ve never seen him before. I read the Society section religiously, and they didn’t know his name either” Franklyn’s brow came together and Hannibal sighed internally.

“Franklyn, I’ve told you before, we are not here to talk about me, we are here to talk about you” he said patiently.

“You’ve just never seemed the type to want some vapid Omega on your arm” Franklyn was basically pouting. Hannibal stilled in his chair.

“What makes you say that my date was vapid?” he briefly considered breaking the Beta’s neck for slighting Will. Franklyn waved one of his hands dismissively.

“Well, I mean, you know, Omegas” he said with vague contempt.

“No, I don’t know. Enlighten me” the Alpha said in a soft voice. Franklyn remained entirely oblivious to the predator across from him. He looked a little impatient.

“I mean, you know, that’s just how Omegas are. Not much in their heads other than wanting to be bred” he tried waving the subject off. Hannibal tilted his head slowly.

“Interesting. How long have you harbored this prejudice against Omegas?” he asked, and Franklyn quickly backtracked.

“I’m not prejudiced” he said quickly, “Omegas are great. They can have jobs now, if they want. That’s great. They’re just not really suited to it, you know?” he floundered a little, “I mean, that Omega you were with, didn’t say a word all night, did he? He was just there to be pretty, right?” the urge to break the Beta’s neck was getting stronger.

“You assume a great deal, Franklyn. Had it occurred to you that my date might not be accustomed to navigating upper society? This prejudice you have should really be explored, so we can find the root” Hannibal continued to try to steer the conversation in another direction. He dodged more questions, giving evasive answers and turning the questions back on Franklyn for the rest of the session, and felt very much like killing something by the time the Beta left. As soon as the door was closed, the mask was dropped, and Hannibal growled quietly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The words of a pathetic, bumbling buffoon were nothing to let affect him. Franklyn knew nothing of Will, or of anything particular.

He would find something else to occupy himself with. His next murder would be planned carefully at another time. For now, he would advance his plan to bring Will Graham under his control. He was already deciding on colors and designs for collars, and planning an entirely new wardrobe for the Omega. He’d start out small.

“No, please, you really don’t-” Will had a perfectly wrapped box placed in his hands.

“An early Christmas present, as I will be out of town for the holidays” Hannibal told him. ‘Out of town’ being slightly out of town and procuring new meat to fill his freezer after his dinner party. He had known better than to try to invite Will to that. Yet.

“You shouldn’t have gotten me anything. I didn’t get anything for you” Will stared at the box like it might contain a poisonous cobra.

“I don’t mind at all. You tend to isolate yourself, so I doubt there will be a great many boxes under your tree” Hannibal assured him. Will snorted.

“What tree? You mean the tiny one I put on the mantle because my dogs will trash anything bigger?” he still looked nervous about the box in his hands, “I don’t want you spending a lot of money on me” he shook his head, trying to give it back.

“As I told you, money is no object, and I don’t mind at all” Hannibal pushed it back into his hands. Will sat down slowly with the box, carefully opening it, and Hannibal watched him unwrap and open the box. Will pulled out a warm coat. It was clearly brand name something, and Will felt sick imagining how much it cost. But there was more. He took out a soft, cashmere scarf, and a pair of leather gloves. His face was slowly turning pink.

“This is too much” he protested.

“Your coat and gloves are wearing thin. Omegas have thin blood and chill easily” it was true, Will did chill easily, despite the fact that he sweated through his clothes and sheets, even in the winter. It was nearly unbearable, since the cold sweat and wet clothes made him even colder.

“I can’t accept this” he put them back in the box.

“Yes you can” Hannibal told him firmly, “You may do whatever you like with them, but I’m not taking them back” his tone allowed for no arguments, one of the few times Will had seen him use his Alpha presence. Will looked up at him, a little surly at the attempt at a direct order.

“Thank you” he said in a quiet voice. Hannibal smiled.

“You are very welcome” Will wasn’t looking at him, so Hannibal took a moment to imagine Will in the clothes he’d bought him, then to imagine him in the luxurious clothes he’d wear once they were Mated. He was beautiful now. It would make him exquisite.

“I don’t have anything to give you” Will looked up.

“I don’t expect anything in return” the Alpha promised. This was not a debt he would hang over the Omega’s head. He didn’t need to. Will would come willingly to him.

“Thank you” Will said again, not sure what else to say. He honestly hadn't expected a gift. This was getting complicated.

Will discovered that the inside of the coat was very soft and plush. He put it on bare skin in the privacy of his own home, allowing himself the Omegan pleasure of being wrapped up in something soft and downy. It was a really thoughtful gift, to be honest. Most Alphas who had decided to give an Omega that wasn’t their own a present would give jewelry, usually including necklaces that weren’t technically collars, but there was little difference. Such jewelry would advertise the Omega as being ‘on the market’ for an Alpha. Either that or they’d give pretty, useless things that served no real purpose other than accentuating some part of an Omega’s body. Hannibal had given him something attractive but useful (Will had looked up the items on the internet, finding the exact brand, and had had to put his head between his knees when he found out what they cost).

The scarf was dark blue and as soft as sin. The gloves felt wonderful on his hands. Will was too scared to wear them out in public. What if he ruined them? What if he scuffed them up or got them dirty? The thought made him cringe.

Then snow started coming down in fluffy sheets, the temperature dropping lower and lower, and Will’s other coat just didn’t cut it. He bundled up in layers and hesitantly put the coat on, feeling it wrap him in warmth. The scarf felt heavenly on his neck and face as he trudged through the snow towards the crime scene. Dr. Lecter certainly knew how to pick gifts.

“Merry fucking Christmas” he heard Zeller say dryly as Will stared at the bodies. Three of them. Hung upside down like slaughtered pigs. He vaguely heard Price say something about ‘The Christmas Pig’, making Katz laugh, as he sighed and closed his eyes, letting the pendulum swing.

Chapter Text

“You already gave me a Christmas present. Too many Christmas presents” Will said flatly.

“This is not a Christmas present” Hannibal told him.

“What is it, a New Year’s Eve present?” Will backed himself against the wall trying to get away from the box in Hannibal’s hands, “I can’t let you get me any new clothes. This is ridiculous” he flattened himself against the wall.

“You didn’t like the coat, scarf, and gloves?” Hannibal sounded vaguely hurt.

“No, I, of course I did. They’re wonderful. But I can’t accept any more clothes from you. You’d already gotten me the suit” Will was imagining a plaid suit exactly like Hannibal’s in the box, tailored to his measurements. Hannibal could pull off that kind of thing without looking gaudy. Will couldn’t.

“It isn’t clothes” Hannibal assured him. Will hesitated.

“I’m not sure if that’s better or worse” Hannibal held the box out to him, and he was forced to take it. He opened it cautiously, “A..........blanket?” he took some of the material into his hand, “Oh” he said softly.

“When I was at your house, I noticed you didn’t have any soft blankets. I thought it was a shame. It’s one of those indispensable Omegan comforts” Hannibal told him, but Will was rubbing the soft, plush material between his fingers, fascinated. It was so soft. Softer than the inside of the jacket. Softer than anything he’d ever felt.

“Oh” he said in a small voice, then remembered where he was, turning red and trying to stuff the blanket back in the box, “I can’t accept this” he said without conviction, “First the suit, then the coat and stuff. This is excessive” clearly Hannibal had located his weakness. He couldn’t help but smile.

“You deserve nice things” he said, and Will turned redder.

“No I don’t” he shook his head, still trapped against the wall.

“Yes you do” Hannibal was still smiling, and he stepped back, giving Will plenty of space, “I would have given you the blanket for Christmas instead of the clothes if I had thought of it, but it entirely slipped my mind” he added a vaguely disappointed note to his voice. Will realized he’d started touching the blanket again and couldn’t bring himself to stop.

“No more presents” he said.

“I can’t promise that” Hannibal smiled as Will stared at the blanket, stroking it with his hands.

“No more presents” he repeated, looking back up, setting his mouth stubbornly. Hannibal made an acquiescent gesture, but the look in his eye told Will that he had no intention of stopping. Alphas.

“Oh my God” Will’s dogs watched him curiously as he rolled around on his bed in the blanket, entirely naked, “Oh my God” he moaned, rolling himself up in the plush, downy blanket. It felt amazing. He’d never felt anything more amazing. He’d been told his entire life that having an Alpha was the most wonderful thing in the world, but nothing could possibly be better than this. He rolled around a few more times and snuggled down into the blanket, dozing off that way.

His dogs whining woke him up, and he groaned, making himself crawl out of the plush paradise and stagger around, putting on a pair of shorts. Christ it was cold. He reached towards his drawers to get a shirt, opening the second one and sticking his hand in. He stopped. Oh. His cheeks turned red. He’d forgotten he had that. He pulled out the thick, red collar and looked at it. It was a little nicer than the ones he put on his dogs. He turned it over in his hands. He looked over his shoulder, seeing only the dogs, staring expectantly at him with adoring eyes. He looked back at the collar.

Hesitantly, he unclasped it, slowly sliding it around his neck. His breath hitched once, and he clasped it around his neck. He closed his eyes, letting out a long breath. He tilted his head back, moving it around, enjoying experiencing the feeling of the collar around his neck.

He turned and looked at his dogs, who thumped their tails on the floor. He stepped over and looked in the mirror. A nervous, doe-eyed, collared Omega stared back at him. He flinched back at the sight and his reflection did the same. His still-smooth cheeks only added to the illusion, lending him a soft, youthful appearance that he tried to avoid. He took a few steps closer, staring at the soft, unfamiliar creature in the mirror with trepidation and morbid fascination. He reached up and touched the collar. It felt amazing. He shuddered, taking it off and tossing it back into the drawer, grabbing a shirt and tugging it on, not looking at his reflection. He grabbed some pants and his new coat, and went to feed the closest thing he had to a family.

“Dinner” Will said.

“Yes, dinner with me, in my home. I take great pleasure in having my friends for dinner” Hannibal told him.

“An Alpha making food for an Omega” Will said, a small smile curving at his lips. Hannibal smiled.

“A classic Alpha behavior to indicate his ability to provide for his Mate” the Alpha acknowledged.

“Are all of those Alpha tendencies starting to catch up with you, Dr. Lecter?” Will kept his tone teasing and light, still not sure how the Alpha would react to being teased. Some of them really didn’t appreciate it, but Lecter seemed much more laid back that most Alphas. The smile widened.

“Perhaps” he said, “Hopefully not all of them” their eyes met, “But I would enjoy if you had dinner with me, as my friend” Will knew all about Hannibal making dinner for his friends. Apparently it was a privilege to be invited to eat at his table. Will thought back on the protein scramble he’d unwillingly eaten during their second meeting. It had been very good, but he had been very aware that he was accepting food from an unMated Alpha. Alphas liked to use those kinds of things to control him.

“I.....I’d like that” Will said, voice steady, allowing himself a small smile. He didn’t always eat very well, so it would be a nice change. Hannibal seemed immeasurably pleased that he’d accepted the invitation. Alpha’s rarely wanted to spend time around him unless they had to. Even unMated ones quickly lost interest in him after his abrasive personality and rebellious behavior became apparent. It had been a long time since he’d met an Alpha actually interested in Mating him, although there were a few now and then that wanted to own him and break him in, beat him into submission. Any Alpha who showed interest in him just wanted to figure out a way to get him Mated and out of their way. The idea that an Alpha might want to have him as a friend was still so strange.

“Good. Have you been enjoying the blanket I gave you?” Hannibal leaned back. Will was instantly on guard.

“Yes” he said, looking away, “It’s very nice. It keeps me warm. I can’t always use it at night because I sweat so much” he could still see his collared reflection staring back at him with wide, nervous eyes.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it” he sounded like he really was, “I truly believe that allowing yourself safe outlets to satisfy your physical needs as an Omega will help you cope in your day to day life” Will shifted in his chair, “There are other resources I can provide you with, from a strictly therapy-related standpoint. Weighted blankets, the like” Will was glad Hannibal didn’t suspect the little fantasies he’d been having.

“Maybe” or maybe fulfilling those needs would make his body crave an Alpha even more. It had been over fifteen years since he’d last put a collar on himself to see what it felt like. He’d been young and vulnerable then. He’d spent years putting all of those things out of his mind. Now it was all starting to come back at once. He feared the blanket would make things harder, but he knew he could never bring himself to get rid of it, “I do appreciate the gifts. They’re very nice” but how did he get the point across that he didn’t want any more?

“I’m glad you like them. How is next Tuesday for dinner?” Hannibal kept his expression neutral but pleased. Will was progressing nicely.

“Tuesday sounds fine” it would give him a little time to mentally prepare himself. Maybe he’d buy a weak, over-the-counter suppressant to take before he went into an Alpha’s home. God, the whole place would smell like Hannibal. Even more so than his office.

“6:30?” Hannibal made a mental note to cancel his appointments that afternoon. Will smiled.

“6:30” he agreed.

“Shit” It was Monday, and his cellphone was ringing. Richmond Omega Clinic. Shit. He picked up, looking for his appointment card. The automated message told him that he had an appointment tomorrow at 10:30 A.M. “Shit” he said, thinking of the dinner, then of Dr. Heath’s smug face, “Fuck!!” he said loudly, hanging up. Omega Clinics didn’t like for unMated Omegas to postpone or put off their appointments for any reason, and the Bureau wouldn’t like it either. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking at the phone. There was no real reason to put off the dinner, as he’d be done in plenty of time to get ready for it. But he didn’t want Hannibal to see him in that anxious, stressed state again. Will gnawed his lip.

“Fuck” he said quietly. He’d just have to grit his teeth and bear it. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut and his head down, and Heath would mostly leave him alone. He just had to act like an Omega. That was all.

Chapter Text

“Good afternoon, Will” a cheerful, unexpected voice said. Will looked up from his shoes. He hadn’t been given a gown this time. Dr. Garcia stepped into the room, face warm, wrinkles creasing her face.

“Dr. Garcia” he felt like he’d had a tightening noose around his neck that was suddenly gone. He couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice.

“How was your heat?” she asked, sitting down across from him, clipboard on her lap.

“Intense” Will felt vaguely like he might cry. He’d been dreading seeing Dr. Heath so much, “I survived” she pursed her lips at him.

“You shouldn’t wait so long” she told him, but her tone wasn’t condescending, “You can cause permanent, physical damage to your body” Will looked at the chart on the wall.

“I’m busy with other things” he said truthfully.

“How is your teaching?” she prompted.

“It’s fine. I talk at them, I grade their papers, I weep for the future of humanity and its inability to use a basic spellcheck” he smiled slightly, and could see hers in the corner of his eye.

“And what about this profiling?” she frowned a little at the chart.

“I look at crime scenes, I help profile killers” why couldn’t every appointment feel like this?

“How is that?”

“Alright. Unpleasant. A little stressful, I guess. I’m catching killers, saving lives” shooting people seven times in the chest, “It’s nice, knowing I’m helping” he smiled thinly, thinking about Abigail sitting alone in her plain room at the psychiatric facility, going to group sessions with other ‘broken’ Omegas. Will almost envied them sometimes. They would never be expected to find Mates.

“As long as you’re happy with it” she told him, and his smile widened a little.

“I’d say content, rather than happy” he wasn’t one of those people who would attain happiness in his lifetime, “I need a new run of suppressants” he added.

“I’ll write you a prescription” she said, “But first, let’s check your reflexes” they went through all the regular tests and exercises, and she deemed him physically healthy and wrote him a prescription for his suppressants. He left, smiling, feeling a hundred times better than he had when he’d come in. He didn’t see the concerned look that Dr. Garcia gave his back.

“You seem to be in high spirits” Hannibal commented as he let Will into his huge, ornate house. Will didn’t see the way the Alpha’s eyes followed him, admiring the way he looked in the coat and scarf he’d been given.

“I had another appointment today. It went better than usual” Will felt like he was walking on air. He hadn’t had to see Heath at all. Dr. Garcia had mentioned something about him being out sick. Will took vindictive pleasure in the idea of the Alpha laid up in bed with the flu.

“Good. Please, have a seat” Hannibal ushered him into the dining room. God, this was the most pretentious house he’d seen in his life. He’d thought the office was pretentious. Jesus Christ. He didn’t say anything as he sat down, hands in his lap, “You do not share my propensity for the lavish, so I thought I’d make something simple tonight” the Alpha reappeared from the kitchen, a dish balanced in each hand like a waiter in the finest restaurant in Heaven.

“You don’t have to go to so much trouble” Will protested. This was simple?

“Rigatoni ala Vodka and Fillet of Beef, with a glass of Chianti” he was informed. Will stared, not sure where to start as Hannibal took his place at the head of the table, “Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, when Will didn’t move to get any food.

“I’m too scared to” Will admitted, “I don’t know what to do first or how to cut the meat or which fork to use and I know I’m going to commit some kind of horrible faux pas and you’ll think I’m a neanderthal” he caught the smile that curved Hannibal’s lips.

“You are nothing of the sort” he said, “You have not attended many formal dinners and that is perfectly alright. I’ll tell you” and Hannibal instructed Will on how much to serve onto his plate and to keep his elbows down and how to cut the meat and where to set his knife when he was done with it, and Will obeyed unquestioningly, cheeks pink. Hannibal smiled as Will drank his wine, the mild barbiturate loosening his tongue and heightening the effects of the alcohol.

“This is probably the fanciest meal I’ve ever had” Will told him, unaware that the Alpha had stopped eating and was watching him with unparalleled devotion and possessive pride, “It’s really good, but more extravagant than necessary” Hannibal silently filled his wine glass again. Omegas were notorious lightweights, and the drugs were only helping him along.

“Too extravagant?” Hannibal feigned hurt. Will’s eyes widened slightly.

“It’s great” he said quickly, “It’s really great. I like it. It’s good” his cheeks flushed when the Alpha smiled at him, pleased by his tipsy praise, “I just don’t see the point in making everything so fancy” Hannibal looked fondly at him.

“I believe that food is one of the greatest pleasures in life. I enjoy the process of the creation of the dishes I make. I enjoy the presentation. I enjoy sharing it with others” Hannibal gave the tipsy Omega the simple version. Will smiled down at his plate.

“What about sharing it with an Omega?” he asked innocently, “You’ve never been Mated, have you?” he looked up and their eyes met.

“No, I haven’t” he said. Will’s eyebrows came together and he wrinkled his nose.

“Why not? I mean, you could have any Omega you wanted. You’re, like, the ultimate goal. You’re rich, you’re a doctor, you’re European, you cook, you’re really handsome” Will listed off, and Hannibal’s fingers twitched as he resisted the strong urge to grab Will out of his chair and shove him face-down on the floor and rut against him until he cried and begged, “But you’ve never been Mated. Why not?” Will repeated. Hannibal regained control of himself. He had to be patient. But nothing had ever tested his patience as much as this singular Omega.

“I hadn’t met an Omega whom I felt suited me” he replied, and Will mulled over that, the fairly obvious hints going right over his head, as Hannibal had known they would.

“The Society page would have a field day if you did” he said, and Hannibal smiled at him as the Omega finished another glass of wine, and he refilled it.

“Undoubtedly. They’ve been speculating about me for years” he sipped his own wine as Will continued to eat, “I like to throw them a bone occasionally” this went over Will’s head as well, “What about you? Why haven’t you found a Mate?” Will snorted loudly.

“Me? Who would want to Mate me?” he took a large swallow of wine, “Not that I want a Mate. Some brutish Alpha telling me what to do. I don’t have to worry about it, though. Alphas just want something pretty and obedient to shove their knot into” he took another large swallow, voice starting to slur ever so slightly, “They strut around like their knots are badges of honor, picking fights with each other and making themselves feel important by making Omegas obey them” Will’s brow furrowed a little, “Not you. I mean, you’re not like that” he added, remembering he was talking to an Alpha.

“I should certainly hope not” Hannibal told him, “So you feel that having a Mate would encumber you?” Will chewed his food for a moment, swallowing.

“Alphas don’t let their Omegas do things. An Alpha would never let me have a job or own anything. He’d put a collar on me and chain me to his bed and breed me until he knocked me up” there was disgust in Will’s voice.

“So that’s your main objection to being Mated? That you would not be allowed freedom?” Hannibal didn’t refill the glass this time, letting Will continue eating and excusing the elbows on the table.

“Yeah, I mean, Omegas can’t have opinions or make decisions. An Alpha could do whatever he wanted to me and I couldn’t do anything about it unless he was endangering our children. He could beat me black and blue and people would just say I’d done something to deserve it” Will stared down at his plate.

“What you really want is an Alpha who will treat you as a human being and protect you and provide for you” Hannibal stated. Will snorted again.

“There’s no such thing” he said definitively. Hannibal tilted his head.

“Are you so sure?” he asked. Will nodded.

“Even if there was one, they’d never want an Omega like me” he seemed surprised to find his wine glass empty.

“Don’t be so certain” Hannibal said, taking the empty wine glasses and the now empty plates into the kitchen. Will got up and followed behind him like a puppy. He rubbed his eyes.

“I should get going” he turned around and stumbled, “Shit” he said. Hannibal grabbed him by his shoulders to steady him. Will leaned against him, closing his eyes, “You always smell really good. Like, really good” Hannibal gently held him at arms’ length, letting his thumb trail over exposed skin.

“You’ve had too much to drink” he said, “I cannot allow you to drive in this state” Will rubbed his eyes again.

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna bother you” he murmured.

“You’re not bothering me at all. You can stay the night in the guest room” Hannibal steered him towards the stairs.

“I can sleep in my car” Will protested.

“You will do no such thing” Hannibal said firmly, “I will not allow it” he led the pliant Omega down the hall, opening the door to the guest room and leading him in.

“Christ” Will said, “Everything in your house is so fancy” Hannibal sat him on the bed and helped him out of his shoes and socks, and his top layer of clothes. When Will’s flannel shirt came off, his body stiffened up.

“Will?” Hannibal asked. Will was looking at him, eyes frightened.

“Did you do this?” he asked, “Did you get me drunk so you could fuck me without me fighting you?” he looked so vulnerable, but his hand was on his hip, searching for his gun. Hannibal took both his hands.

“I will not take offense to that suggestion because you are drunk and tired. I’m going to help you get undressed and tuck you into bed. You drank your wine much too quickly” he finished stripping Will to his shirt and boxers. Underneath all the layers, Will smelled like fear, dog, that horrid aftershave, and a pure, sweet Omegan scent. He tucked the Omega in.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you did” Will told him, eyes drooping, “At least you’re not Heath” he mumbled, dozing off. Hannibal watched Will fall deeper asleep. After a moment, he ran his fingers through Will’s hair, leaning down and inhaling his scent. Will made a soft, pleased cooing noise in his sleep, and Hannibal almost tackled him. He jerked away, clenching his fists, and he couldn’t control his cock straining in his pants. Will made another little noise and Hannibal all but fled the room, trying not to slam the door. This Omega was going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

Will woke up in a soft, warm bed. He yawned. There was a notable lack of dog. Will stretched slowly, sitting up. He was in.....some kind of guest room. The color scheme seemed to involve burgundy and deep, royal purple. It was just short of gaudy. Will instantly knew where he was. He crawled out of the bed, stumbling, head pounding, and finding his clothes, neatly folded on a chair. He pulled his clothes on and carefully left the room, peeking down the hall. He made it five steps down the hall before he turned back and made the bed in the room, returning to the hall.

He carried his shoes in one hand as he padded down the steps. He could hear movement and activity nearby, and he followed the noise. He got his second glimpse into Hannibal Lecter’s surprisingly minimalist kitchen. The Alpha turned around and looked at him, smiling slightly.

“Good morning” he said, already dressed and ready for the day. The clock said 8:38. Will blinked a few times at him.

“Did I get drunk?” he asked, shame seeping through his body.

“A little bit. You didn’t realize you were getting tipsy” the Alpha wiped off his hands, walking over and picking a plastic bottle up off of the counter and offering it to him. It was the aspirin he’d had in his pocket the night before, “I’ll get you a glass of water” he said, reaching up and opening a cabinet door. Will could easily take the pills dry, as he usually did, but he stood still and let the Alpha get him the water, “And these, of course” Hannibal handed him the bottle he’d gotten from the pharmacy the previous day. Will’s cheeks heated up and he took the suppressant and the painkillers.

“Thank you” he said quietly, “I appreciate this a lot” God, he was so indebted to Hannibal, “You really don’t need to go to so much trouble” he rubbed his eyes again, then stood up straighter, remembering what he’d said the night before, “Oh my God” he mumbled, “You must think I’m some kind of hick, spouting off all of that” he couldn’t even remember all of it, but he did remember saying that Alphas strutted around like their knots were badges of pride.

“A slight degradation in vocabulary is a small price to pay to hear you speak your mind” Hannibal had taken the pan off the burner. Will looked into it, “Crepes?” the Alpha asked him, and ushered him back into the dining room. They ate together in a short silence.

“I’m sorry for those nosy questions. It’s none of my business” Will took a bite of a crepe. Heavenly, “And I don’t think your food is too fancy” Hannibal was smiling, a real smile.

“I enjoy hearing you speak your mind, Will. You hold back too much” Will felt eyes on his face, but didn’t meet them.

“You don’t want me to speak my mind. It gets a lot worse than last night” he kept his eyes on the plate. There was another short silence, “This can’t keep happening” Will said, putting down his cutlery, and Hannibal did the same.

“And what would ‘this’ be?” the Alpha asked politely. Will ran his fingers through his still sleep-tousled hair.

“This” he gestured vaguely, “You having to take care of me” frustration bubbled in his throat.

“You know I don’t mind it at all” Hannibal said reproachfully.

“I know you don’t mind, but I mind. I’m glad to be your friend, Hannibal, if that’s what you want, but this is getting too complicated” he gestured again, “I don’t want to be indebted to an Alpha, even one I trust” the words came out before he could stop them, before he could reconsider revealing this weakness, “I’m not comfortable with being coddled” he focused on Hannibal’s flawless half-Windsor knot.

“I understand” Hannibal said after a long moment, and Will raised his eyes, his gaze almost meeting the Alpha’s, and he focused on a barely visible silver streak. He could see where the roots were paler. Hannibal was covering his grey. The thought struck Will as funnier than it should have been, and had to school his expression, moving his gaze to the Alpha’s left ear, “You greatly value your own independence. I’ve known that since I first met you. In my eagerness to prove myself trustworthy I have allowed my nature to take hold. I apologize for that, and I understand that you feel the need to reassert your ability to take care of yourself, as that ability is often questioned by society at large. I have no doubts that you can live on your own and hold down your job and take care of your dogs, but I forgot that others do not necessarily feel the same way” he said softly, “It is not my desire to make you uncomfortable or to smother you. What I want is for you to be happy” Will took a deep breath. It would be so easy to give in. Here, in an Alpha’s house, surrounded by the scent of the Alpha, eating the food the Alpha had provided him. It would be the easiest thing in the world to say ‘no, I don’t mind. I want you to take care of me. I want to be good for you’.

“Thank you for understanding” Will said, “You’re a very good friend, Hannibal. But I’m not” he pushed the plate away, crepes half-eaten.

“I will respect your wishes, Will, but all I ask is that you finish your breakfast” Hannibal told him, and their eyes met for a second, “You’re much too thin by any standards” this startled a small laugh out of Will.

“Okay. I’ll eat your food” he smiled, looking at Hannibal’s nose, and enjoying the Alpha’s smile. He finished his food and Hannibal saw him off, confirming their appointment at the regular time. As Will left, Hannibal looked at the pocket of the coat he’d given Will that the Omega had put the bottle of suppressants in, and he smiled.

“Will” the Omega girl looked surprised, “I wasn’t expecting you” Will smiled sheepishly, letting himself into the room.

“Sorry. This is a spur of the moment visit” he looked her up and down, “How are you, Abigail?” she gave him a small, thin smile that he identified with, deep in his bones.

“I’m doing alright” she said, and he admired her soft voice and her poise. She would have made a good Omegawife for a lucky Alpha. Maybe she still could, “How about you?” he made a face, and it made her smile. She had such a nice smile.

“I’ve been better. There will always be crime scenes for me to look at” he grimaced, “But no one cares about me. How has everything been? Have you been talking to the lawyers about submitting an independence claim?” as an Omega who had never been formally allowed to live on her own by her parents, she would need to submit an independence claim in order to claim full ownership over her parents’ estate and anything they’d left her. She nodded.

“They think I have a good chance to appeal the auction sentence” if she didn’t obtain independent status, she’d be placed in a private auction and sold to an Alpha (who would go through a thorough background check and psychological evaluation, but would still purchase her). Will’s stomach roiled at the thought of Abigail being put up for sale. It was rare for an Omega who appealed the order not to be granted independence, but this was a sensitive case. Abigail saw the look on his face, “Don’t worry” she said softly, “Hannibal told me that if I’m overruled, he’ll buy me and adopt me” her cheeks pinkened. Will raised his eyebrows.

“Hannibal told you that?” it wasn’t a secret that the young Omega girl was somewhat smitten with the dignified Alpha who had saved her life, but it was fairly harmless, as far as Will was concerned, “When did you talk to Hannibal?” her cheeks were flushed with pleasure at the mention of the Alpha, and Will honestly didn’t blame her. Even a rebel like he had been at her age would have been at least a little bewitched by Dr. Lecter.

“Oh, he visits me every Thursday” her face lit up, “Was that really you in the paper with him?” Will groaned and put his face in his hands, “I knew it” she laughed, “I asked him, but he wouldn’t tell me. Something about protecting the privacy of his date. But I knew it was you” Will groaned again.

“I regret ever going to that opera” he said.

“What was it like?” she leaned in.

“Boring” he looked up at her, “And terrifying. I was the only thing between those high society women and their Omega daughters and Dr. Lecter. I thought I was gonna die” she laughed, and it was a wonderful sound.

“Hannibal wouldn’t let anything happen to you” she said with total certainty, “He’d be a very protective Mate. I can tell” she realized what she’d implied when Will’s cheeks turned scarlet and he cleared his throat uncomfortably, “The two of you would make a really cute couple” she said, and Will laughed self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m too old and crotchety to have a Mate, and Dr. Lecter has a hundred other eager Omegas to choose from. Including you” he teased, and she turned red, putting her hands over her face.

“Shut up” she said, an embarrassed smile splitting her face, and he smiled back. Their eyes met for a long moment, and their smiles faded, “An auction really wouldn’t be so bad. I’d have a Mate to take care of me. Not a love match, but nothing’s perfect” she said, staring over his shoulder, her face world-weary and tired.

“You deserve better than to be bought, Abigail” he took her hand, “If having an Alpha is what you really want, I know you can meet one on your own who is better than any of the ones who might buy you. But none of them could deserve you” he smiled, and her smile was thin.

“I don’t think I could deserve them” she whispered. He grasped her hands tightly.

“Don’t you dare say that. The Alpha you choose is going to be one of the luckiest Alphas in the world” it was such a horrible thought, being Mated to an Alpha. He wouldn’t wish that on Abigail. But at the same time, he wouldn’t wish his own, lonely, difficult life on her either.

“What Alpha would want me? I’m just that crazy cannibal girl” she looked down at their hands together.

“You are so much more than that, and you know it” he made her meet his eyes. She gave him a watery smile.

“You sound like Hannibal” she told him, “He always tells me that I’m a delight, and that I’m a beautiful vibrant young woman who any Alpha would be privileged to have as a Mate” she quoted him, and he smiled.

“That sounds like him”. She pulled her hands away and wiped her eyes briskly, sitting up straighter.

“He would make such a good Alpha” she said softly, with a small, reserved smile, and Will silently agreed.

Chapter Text

“Nice coat, Will” Beverly elbowed him on her way by, making him wince and rub his side. A bruise would probably form there, not that she needed to know that.

“Thanks” he said quietly.

“Too nice for a teacher’s salary. Where’dya get it?” she leaned on the empty autopsy table beside him.

“It was a Christmas present” he fiddled with his glasses, looking through the gory crime scene photos.

“What brand is that? Is that Omegacomfort?” she was suddenly in front of him, trying to open the jacket to look on the inside for the tag.

“No” he said quickly, pulling the jacket tightly around him. It was Omegacomfort. It was also worth almost $600, “It’s probably imitation or something” he started buttoning it up. Then she was behind him, turning down the back of his collar.

“Holy shit, it is” she said, her breath hot on the back of his neck, the fine hairs on the sensitive skin standing up. He wriggled his way out of her grasp, taking the file with him, “Who bought you that?” he didn’t answer, sidling away as quickly as he could, “Oh my God, was it Lecter?” he busied himself with the file, “Good for you” she punched his arm, “You’ve almost got that foreign doctor in the bag” Will cleared his throat.

“It’s not like that. We’re friends” he said, straightening the photos.

“Friends. Right. Has he tried to get you over to his house yet?” she nudged him, her infectious smile breaking down his barriers.

“I had dinner with him last week” he moved around to the other side of the table, and she didn’t follow.

“At his house? As in he made you dinner?” she raised her eyebrows. He smiled at the autopsy report, not really seeing it, “And he got you the coat? Friends, my fantastic ass” Will’s cheeks were warm.

“We’re friends” he emphasized.

“Will, an Alpha doesn’t take an Omega to the opera to show him off, buy him clothes, and make him food because he wants to be friends” her eyebrows went higher, “He’s courting you” he stared at her, “Didn’t you get that already?” he opened his mouth, then closed it. He thought back to all of his interactions with Hannibal. Oh. Oh.

“Oh” he said, not trying to dodge when Beverly punched his arm again.

“You little rascal” she was grinning, but he was staring at the picture of a severed arm. Hannibal was courting him. Well. How about that.

“Are you courting me?” Will said before Hannibal opened his mouth after opening the door. Hannibal’s eyebrows went up, and he silently ushered Will in, and Will started to pace the room, and Hannibal sat down.

“I was wondering when you would notice” he said, inhaling. Will smelled agitated, but not angry or afraid. That was good.

“I had to have it pointed out to me” Will couldn’t sit across from the Alpha, not right now. Hannibal seemed to understand that he wanted to put physical space between them, and remained sitting while Will moved around, “And I’m left puzzled, as if everyone else is in on some big joke that I can’t grasp the point of” Hannibal admired the Omega’s lean physique as he traveled the perimeter of the room.

“It has never been my intention to keep secrets from you, but I thought it would be best if you realized what was happening on your own” he crossed his legs, allowing his eyes to rove hungrily while the Omega’s back was turned. He stood up, and Will skittered to the opposite side of the room. It was a shame. Will had stopped doing that early on in their relationship, once basic trust was established.

“Everyone else seems to know something that I don’t about this joke, and all I know is that I’m the punchline” Will had gone up the ladder and was taking refuge in the loft.

“You are not the punchline, Will” Hannibal told him seriously.

“It feels like I am” he took a book off the shelf. Something written entirely in French.

“There is no joke on my part” the Alpha told him, “I am entirely serious” Will turned back to face him.

“But it is a joke” he ran his fingers through hair, laughing disbelievingly, “You courting me” he put both hands on the rail. It was sturdy.

“I find nothing humorous about the notion” Hannibal sat on the edge of his desk.

“You can’t be serious” Will stared down at him, still smiling disbelievingly.

“I told you, Will, I am entirely serious” he looked serious, and the smile started to fade.

“It makes no sense. I see no conceivable reason that you would want to court me” Will leaned his weight on the rail.

“I do” their eyes met for a long moment, and Will searched for something that he didn’t seem to be able to find.

“Please, enlighten me, Dr. Lecter” Will scoffed, “What possible reason could you have for courting me?” Hannibal smiled faintly.

“I find you interesting” he said, and Will’s cheeks turned a little pink at the memory of their second meeting.

“Interesting is not the basis for a long term relationship” Will tipped his chin up. The smile grew slightly more pronounced.

“Perhaps the word fascinating would be more appropriate, among others” Will’s cheeks turned just a little bit pinker, but he scowled.

“I’m not a subject to be studied, Hannibal. I thought we had established that” always the freakshow. Always the fascinating, bizarre Omega.

“I won’t say that I don’t have a great desire to study you, but it would not be in a way that would be fit to publish” the Alpha said, and Will opened his mouth, then closed it, face gradually heating up. He had nothing to say to that, “But fascinating is such a mild word. Exquisite, entrancing, vivid, breathtaking. I have a plethora of adjectives to describe you” Hannibal walked to the bottom of the ladder, but made no move to climb it. Will’s face was bright red.

“I.......have no adequate reaction to that” he said, at a total loss for words. The Alpha smiled up at him.

“Well, now that I have stated my intentions, you have two choices. You can either accept my offer and allow me to continue courting you until we have come to an agreement, or you can decline my courting gestures and break off our relationship” he said, “I will not judge you for either decision” Will hesitated.

“Is there a third option where we continue being friends and you don’t look at me like that” the expression on the Alpha’s face was near devotion, and it was making Will uncomfortable.

“We could, but it would most likely end messily with hurt feelings all around” Hannibal said what Will already knew, and he looked away from the Omega, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Will” he turned his back and walked over to his desk.

“Well you’re doing a poor job of it” Will said with more acid than he intended. He paused, “I can’t accept your offer” he said more quietly.

“You can” the Alpha sat on the edge of the desk, looking back up at the Omega, expression neutral now, “It is not a matter of ‘can’ or ‘cannot’. It is a matter of whether you decide to do so” Will paced the length of the loft.

“I appreciate the offer, Dr. Lecter-” Will said.

“Hannibal” the Alpha interjected firmly, and Will glared half-heartedly at him.

“Hannibal” he said, “I appreciate the offer, but I really can’t accept. It’s a nice offer. A very nice offer. It’s tempting, I’m not going to lie, but I’ve come too far to give up everything I’ve worked so hard for” he had been fighting for his independence from the moment he finished his first heat. He had a house, a pseudo-family, a job, a car, a small chunk of land, enough money in the bank to get by. All of those things were hard-earned.

“Assuming that I would take those things away from you” Hannibal watched the Omega move around the loft like a trapped animal.

“It’s not a matter of you taking it away, it’s a matter of me no longer having it. I won’t own it anymore. I won’t own anything anymore. I won’t even own myself” frustration worked its way into his voice.

“I would own those things, and, in the eyes of the law, you as well” Hannibal acknowledged, “And as such, what happened to your property would be entirely up to me” Will started pacing again, “If I so chose, I could, as your Mate, hypothetically, of course, take all of those things away from you and relocate you to my home” Will ground his teeth, “But I could just as easily allow you to keep them and to continue at your current job” Will turned to face him.

“Why would you do that?” he snapped.

“I’ve already told you, Will. I want you to be happy” Hannibal said. Will looked at him, trying to find deception in his eyes or on his face.

“What kind of Alpha would let their Omega live in a separate house and have a job?” Will scoffed.

“The kind of Alpha who would be interested in an unusual Omega such as yourself” Hannibal said. Will stared at him.

“But how could I trust you? How could I know that you wouldn’t tell me that I could live my life and keep my house, then Mate me, and say ‘Oh, sorry, I changed my mind’ and then take everything from me? How could I know that you wouldn’t do that to me?” he asked.

“You couldn’t. You would have to place an unprecedented amount of trust in me. And that is the major difficulty in my courting you. You would have to choose to trust me” their eyes met.

“Why would I? Hypothetically” Will narrowed his eyes, “What would I get out of the arrangement other than a collar and a level of physical pleasure and contentment?” Hannibal tilted his head slightly.

“The release of seratonin in your brain. A level of protection that you do not have now. Emotional security. Better health without the suppressants. Much easier heats and someone to satisfy your body’s desires. Someone to take care of you emotionally. Children, most likely. Periods of euphoria. Higher quality possessions. Someone with enough money to give you anything you desire” he smiled faintly, “Mating would do you a great deal of good, both physically and emotionally. It doesn’t have to be me, but I must confess, I cannot bear the idea of any other Alpha having you” Will leaned on the rail, looking at Hannibal.

“You’re really serious” he said quietly.

“Deathly serious” a tiny, almost-smile rippled over the Alpha’s face. Will ran his fingers through his hair, rubbing his face.

“So, what you’re saying is, you want to Mate me. You want to Mate me, and when you Mate me, you will let me keep my house and my dogs and my job” disbelief still colored his voice.

“Yes. Although I would expect you to make a few compromises of your own” Hannibal watched his pale throat, barely visible.

“Compromises” Will said, and he relaxed a little, “Compromises. That’s where it gets tricky, right? Because one compromise leads to another until I have nothing left but you” there was a certain amount of bite in his voice.

“Will, you cannot expect me to let things continue exactly as they are now” Hannibal could tell that the Omega’s hackles were raised, “I can promise you three things. I will let you keep your house and your possessions, although I will want you to live with me the majority of the time. I will let you keep your dogs. And I will allow you to continue teaching, and possibly consult for Jack, but that is negotiable” he watched the Omega mull over that.

“This is crazy” he heard Will mumble, “This is all very sudden” he said more audibly.

“I understand” the Alpha nodded once.

“I’m going to need time to think about this” he couldn’t deny that it was refreshing, having an Alpha lay out their intentions plainly and not try to manipulate or lie to him, or even strongarm him into something.

“Take as much time as you need” Hannibal smiled, “And thank you for considering it” he stood, “Will you come down?” he asked. Will hesitated.

“What happens if I do?” he said.

“I will kiss you, if you are amenable” Hannibal looked up at him. Will hesitated, making a face.

“What if I’m not amenable?” he was doing his very best not to be amenable.

“Then I will kiss your hand and we will resume our session” he was standing at the bottom of the ladder now.

“What if I don’t want my hand kissed either?” he moved to the other end of the loft.

“Then you may stay up there” Hannibal smiled, eyes crinkling in the most devastating way possible, and Will wanted to punch him in the face for being so attractive.

“I think I’ll stay up here, then” he cleared his throat.

“As you wish”

“Hannibal. Please” Will gasped, clawing at the sheets.

“Shh. I’m right here” the Alpha’s breath was hot on his ear, and Will felt a thick, stiff cock pressing against his ass. He was so wet. Then Hannibal was pushing in, and it was like the imitation knot, but so much better. Will cried out.

“Hannibal!!”

Will woke up abruptly, disoriented and horny, his whole body trembling. He looked around, rubbing his eyes, breathing heavily. His dogs lifted their their heads to look at him. A wet dream? He made a face. He hadn’t had one of those since he was a teenager. His clothes clung to him, sheets plastered to the mattress, soaked with sweat, and he shifted in bed. He realized that he wasn’t wet with only sweat. For a horrifying moment, he thought that he had wet the bed, before realizing that it was slick. He got up, going into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His whole body was flushed, and he was drenched in sweat, his shorts stuck to his body with his slick, which glistened on his legs in the dim light. Will panted, staring at himself.

This made no sense. This made even less sense than him having a wet dream for the first time in over fifteen years, although they made a little more sense together. He’d never gotten slick outside of heat while on his suppressants.

“Just need to stimulate some slick to make this much easier for both of us”

He shuddered. Alright, he’d never gotten slick outside of heat while on suppressants without being stimulated. The suppressants were supposed to stop that from happening. He opened the medicine cabinet, taking out the bottle of suppressants, counting them. He hadn’t missed any. He would know if he had missed one, because he’d be going into heat.

He stripped his clothes off, taking a shower. His cock was hard against his stomach, and he stared at it.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked aloud, feeling stupid. He sighed, reaching down and stroking himself, closing his eyes.

“It will be over soon, precious one. You’re doing so well for me”

He could remember Hannibal’s voice during his heat, and he groaned quietly, one hand on the wall to hold his weight.

“Nnnn” he said quietly. He thought about Hannibal’s weight on top of him during the last stages of his heat, and he came into his hand. It washed away in the warm water, and he stared at the flaccid penis in his hand. Something wasn’t right.

Chapter Text

“How have you been?” the two Alpha’s sat across from each other, each mirroring the other.

“I have been well. Busy.” Hannibal said. Dr. DuMaurier slowly inclined her head.

“How is that Omega of yours coming along?” she sat still, like a lounging lioness. They were both aware that she was in the presence of a much larger predator. Hannibal smiled ever-so-slightly.

“Well, I believe. He has finally caught on to my intentions-” he said.

“Your visible intentions.” she interrupted, and the smile widened, showing a hint of teeth.

“My visible intentions.” he echoed, “And we had a long discussion, or rather, a negotiation on a hypothetical Mating between us. He’s getting close.” he thought of Will’s sweet Omega smell growing ever sweeter as the mixed doses of suppressants wreaked havoc on his body, and how readily the Omega’s body had begun to respond to his.

“Be careful, Hannibal,” she warned, “Omegas have a power of their own. If this clever Omega decides to turn it back on you, you may find yourself losing your footing.” she looked at the golden band she wore on her middle finger, to signify that she was a widow.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Will was brilliant and vibrant, but Hannibal could train himself to better resist. Will was much too unsure of himself to attempt to use Omegan purrs on an Alpha, “But I believe he will comply. I am giving him ample reason to do so.” he thought of the nervous way Will had looked down at him while he had stood at the foot of the ladder.

“I’m sure you have.” she said quietly, and Hannibal just smiled.

“Yes, I have an appointment with Dr. Garcia.” Will said to the receptionist. She looked at the computer, typing something in.

“Take a seat, someone will be with you shortly.” she said, and he smiled thinly, walking away and finding a chair.

Will sat down, feeling vaguely pleased with himself for once. He’d called and made his own appointment with Dr. Garcia. He knew that if his suppressants weren’t working well, there would be at least a few examinations that involved him being touched in sensitive places, and Dr. Garcia was his first pick if he absolutely had to go through that.

‘Hannibal is your first choice and you know it’ the little voice said, but he ignored it, glancing at the TV. It was on the same channel it always was.

“An Alpha like you could never be worthy of my sister!!!” the Beta shouted, “She’ll have her heat someplace safe and never see you again!!!”.

“Gustavo, Rebecca and I are meant to be!! You cannot keep us apart!!!” the Alpha challenged.

“I will never let you near my sister, Alexandra. She would be better off on auction than with you.” the Beta proclaimed. Will thought of Abigail, and looked away. He hated Omega soaps.

“Mr. Graham,” a nurse said politely, and he got up. That was fast. He followed her back, listening to the thin paper crinkle under him as he sat on the exam table, “The doctor will be with you shortly.” she said, closing the door behind her. She had left a gown, but he ignored it. He wasn’t putting one of those on again. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. He’d had two more wet dreams (about Hannibal) since the first one, and he was slicker each time. He was jumpier, flinching when Alphas raised their voices, rather than rolling his eyes. He felt small and weak and........Omegan. He hated it.

“Will” Dr. Garcia stepped into the room, smiling, and Will managed to smile back, “What seems to be the problem?” she tapped the chart.

“How did he take it?” Alana looked at Hannibal seriously over her beer.

“Fairly well,” the Alpha made a slight gesture with his head, “He said he would consider my offer, and I consider that a victory in and of itself.” he sipped his own wine, savoring the aroma.

“Hannibal, I have to know that you won’t give in to the temptation to strongarm him into this. I trust you, I always have, but I don’t trust the Alpha part of you.” she told him. He nodded, “Honestly, I don’t always trust the Omega part of Will to let him stand up for himself. He’s been by himself for so long. He doesn’t really know how to ask for help, and he lets Jack bully him into looking at these crime scenes.” she looked so frustrated.

“I understand. There is a part of his brain that intrinsically needs to be told what to do, and he finds ways of satisfying that without letting himself be completely under an Alpha’s control. Jack respects him a lot more than most of the others there do, from what I’ve seen, but that respect only extends so far.” he smelled his wine again, “Will craves structure and intimacy. He manages to satisfy himself with his teaching and his family of dogs.” he remembered how pliant Will had been while drugged.

“It’s wearing him down.” she pressed her fingertips to her eyelids, trying not to smudge her makeup, “I don’t know if he’s going to make it to menopause without having a psychotic break and either doing something horrible and getting locked up, or being deemed unable to take care of himself and put up for auction.” she looked down at the glass in her hand, “For a while I was hoping that he could find someone decent and be their second.” it wasn’t unheard of for Alphas to take more than one Omega. It was a display of wealth and Alpha dominance more than anything. It was expensive to have two Omegas, especially if an Alpha already had children with the first. It was a status symbol, and many Alphas strained their bank accounts just to obtain that status. Seconds were rarely anything more than toys for when an Alpha got bored of their own Omega.

“But you knew Will deserved better than that.” Hannibal said gently, and she nodded.

“He’s so scared of having an Alpha. But I think he could do a lot worse than you.” she smiled cheekily at him, and he smiled back.

“I think he could as well.” but he wouldn’t. Because Will would belong to Hannibal, and no other.

“Lower your head.” Dr. Garcia instructed, and Will obeyed. Her gloved fingers stroked over the back of his neck.

“Nnn” his toes curled and his eyes squeezed shut. It was more sensitive than usual. Being touched there (by a Beta) was normally an unpleasant, tickling sensation. Now it didn’t take an Alpha to make him breathless, “Ahh” he gritted his teeth. He was so glad Dr. Garcia wasn’t an Alpha, or he’d have ruined his pants with slick. If she’d been an Alpha, he’d have already dropped on the floor and rolled over to show his belly.

“Very sensitive,” she said, and he jerked his chin up and down once. The gloved fingers disappeared and Will’s body relaxed, his hand moving up to cover the sensitive area. He was in the gown now, feeling marginally safer than he had the last time he’d worn one, “And you’ve taken your suppressants every day?” she asked. He nodded again.

“I haven’t missed a single one” he knew the Omega tongue suppressor was next, testing how he reacted to having something in his mouth. He was dreading that more than anything, because he knew he’d probably start to cry and suck it desperately. He groaned quietly when she pulled the paper off of one, obediently opening his mouth. He managed not to cry, but it got him worked up and she had a hard time getting it out of his mouth.

“Have you been spending more time with Alphas?” Dr. Garcia asked, “Or a single Alpha in particular?” Will stilled.

“Yeah, a little more.” he admitted, “One Alpha in particular.” he echoed.

“How soon after your heat did you come in contact with this Alpha?” she threw away the used Omega tongue suppressor. Will was quiet.

“Does it matter?” he thought about Hannibal’s weight on top of him, and had to make a conscious effort not to get slick.

“If you came in contact with Alpha pheromones very soon after your heat, before you started back on suppressants, your body may believe that you’ve found a Mate.” she explained, and Will’s face was a little pale.

“Mating would do you a great deal of good, both physically and emotionally. It doesn’t have to be me, but I must confess, I cannot bear the idea of any other Alpha having you”

“Will it stop if I distance myself from this Alpha?” he asked. She nodded.

“If you cut off all contact with the Alpha, your body will return to normal, but it might take a few months.” she wrote something down on the chart, then hesitated, “Will” she said a little more quietly.

“Yes?” he rubbed his eyes.

“I am going to tell you something that will not go on the record,” she said, and he looked at her, “If you have a chance to be Mated before your next checkup in May, you should take it.” her face was serious. His brow started to furrow until he realized.

“What does he want from me?” he asked, feeling tired. She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door.

“He wants you as his second.” they didn’t have to clarify who they were talking about, “He always gets what he wants. As a doctor, I know that if he Mated you, you would be much more healthy. As a human being, I am afraid for you. Do you understand?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. I understand.” he felt queasy, “What, what he told you about me. It wasn’t true.” he briefly met her eyes. He saw sympathy there.

“I know. The nurses heard you telling him to stop.” she touched his shoulder. Will felt a surge of bitterness and hatred that they had done nothing to help him, but he knew they were afraid for their jobs, and that he was just some stubborn Omega, “I saw you in the paper, you know,” she said warmly, and his cheeks heated up and he looked at her. She was smiling, “He is a very rich man. Is he a good man?” she asked. He nodded, smiling faintly and looking at the floor.

“He is.” he said, “A very good man.” they shared a warm look. When he made his way out to his car after the appointment, he could feel eyes on his back. He felt another surge of hatred, for Heath this time. The Alpha had humiliated and violated him, and expected Will to roll over and be his second. Will had made up his mind. He’d rather be dead than Mated to Heath.

“Not that any respectable Alpha would want you”

Will’s lip curled. They’d see about that.

Chapter Text

Will stared at his phone, finger hesitating over ‘Dr. Lecter’. He sighed, putting it in the pocket of his jacket. His dogs woofed loudly and cavorted around his front yard. He smiled faintly, watching them. He could never give them up.

The dogs did their business, chasing each other and rolling around on the ground. Will’s phone was heavy in his pocket. He whistled to his dogs, and they reluctantly came back up to the house. He pointed at the porch, whistling again, and they all settled down. He went inside, grabbing a bottle of beer and popping it open, taking it back out to the porch, sitting in his own chair. The dogs nosed each other, moving around the porch, nosing him, and he scratched some ears.

After he finished his beer and the gloaming was fading into night, he got his dogs back inside, and they circled around, finding optimal resting places. Will took off his jacket, taking the phone and looking at it again. He set it aside and went and opened the drawer, taking the collar out. He wrapped it around his neck, clasping it, and sat in his armchair.

“Huh,” he closed his eyes, reaching up and tugging the collar taught around his neck. He groaned at the sensation, “I might be getting my own collar soon. Whaddya think about that?” he asked his dogs, who took it as an invitation and all came to be petted. Buster hopped onto his lap, and Will smiled indulgently, scratching his ears and having his chin licked. He smiled at the dog, who licked his mouth in deference, and he kissed a cold, wet nose. A few others whined for attention, and he grinned, putting Buster down.

“Who wants a belly rub?” he asked, and the dogs smacked into each other trying to be the first to roll onto their back. They each got a belly rub, writhing happily while Will cooed at them. He closed his eyes and imagined rolling onto his own back at Hannibal’s feet. He imagined Hannibal kneeling by his side and sliding a hand under his shirt and rubbing his belly.

“Good boy,” he could hear Hannibal say, smiling at him, “Such a good boy for me,” Will had to stop playing with the dogs and dash into the bathroom to get his pants off before he ruined them with slick. There were certain fabrics designed to handle slick and be easily washed out, but Will had never needed to have that before. Now he wished he did.

He wrapped himself up in his soft blanket, still wearing the collar, looking at his dogs cuddled up together on the floor. His gaze moved to the phone on the bedside table. He didn’t really have a choice. He had to either accept Hannibal’s offer or eventually give in to Dr. Heath (whom he had seen ‘randomly’ three times in the past week, but had managed to avoid). Will had time, though. It was only March. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

“William,” the Omega was sitting in a small cafe in Baltimore, mulling over his options. He paled when he glanced up, gaze stopping on the Alpha’s Adam’s apple.

“Dr. Heath,” he said through his teeth.

“Please, call me Edward. We’re not at the clinic right now. Is this seat taken?” Dr. Heath sat down without waiting for an answer.

“Why are you here?” Will asked softly.

“I was just passing by and noticed you sit-”

“No really,” he raised his gaze to the Alpha’s ear, “Why are you here?” he didn’t have his gun on him, although he wished he did. It would at least make him feel safer. Dr. Heath paused and considered him.

“Look, I know Andrea might have implied some things about me that might make me look like a bad guy-” he started.

“Dr. Garcia doesn’t need to imply anything to make you look bad. You do that fine on your own,” Will cut him off again. He gripped the plastic fork he’d been eating his pastry with tightly in his hand. He saw anger ripple through the Alpha. A fearful apology tried to push its way out of his throat, but he just tightened his jaw.

“I know we’ve had some unpleasant encounters-” Will snorted loudly, “-but just hear me out.” it was an order. Will fell silent. He could see the Alpha getting angrier, “Your body is starting to give out from lack of an Alpha to take care of you,” Will clenched his teeth, but didn’t interrupt, “I think that I am in a good position to provide you with that.” Will raised his eyebrows, not speaking, but giving Dr. Heath the most derisive stare he had. Heath inhaled angrily, then exhaled slowly, calming himself down.

“Dr. Heath, I’m not interested,” Will said, voice polite, but stare still mocking. The Alpha inhaled and exhaled again.

“About that appointment in October. I let my temper get the best of me, and I’m sorry about that,” he said, and Will’s eyebrows went as high as they could go. This man was desperate, “I’m sure you would love my Mate, Flora. She’s very sweet, and very supportive of me taking on a second,” he said. ‘I’m sure she is’ Will didn’t say aloud.

“I’m sure she’s lovely, Dr. Heath, but I’m not interested,” he kind of wanted to see how far this man would go to try to convince him.

“I have plenty of-” the Alpha was cut off by Will’s cellphone ringing. Will took it out. ‘Dr. Lecter’ it said.

“I have to take this, excuse me,” Will stood up, fishing a tip out of his wallet and tossing it on the table and answering the phone, walking away from the Alpha and not looking back, “Hello?” he tried to sound neutral, and not relieved.

“Will,” Hannibal’s voice was warm and gentle, “I was calling to see if you were going to keep your appointment this evening. We haven’t had one for several weeks, and I wanted to be sure that you remembered.” Will had remembered.

“Yes, I’m coming. Do you mind if I come a little early?” he glanced at his watch.

“Not at all, I’m taking my last patient of the day, aside from you, in just a few moments.” Will loved how pleased the Alpha sounded.

“Okay,” Will smiled, “I won’t keep you,” he said.

“Of course,” Hannibal said, and they hung up. Will was halfway to where his car was parked, and he pocketed the phone, pleased.

“Going somewhere?” Will’s pleasure was short lived as Dr. Heath came up beside him.

“Yes, actually,” Will said, not looking at him, “I have an appointment with my psychiatrist,” his thighs were a little sticky from being so close to an Alpha.

“I’m sure you could reschedule. We could have dinner. I know a very nice place nearby,” the Alpha said.

“He has a very strict 24-hour cancellation policy,” Will shoved his hands in his pockets, walking faster. Heath matched his speed.

“He could make an exception,” Will felt the hand touch the back of his neck, and his knees buckled, gasping aloud. The Alpha grabbed his arm to support him, but Will jerked away, brain flooding with endorphins.

“Don’t touch me,” he said through his teeth. He was definitely wet now.

“There’s no need to be rude, William,” he chastised, and Will staggered away, hand up at the back of his neck, protecting it.

“I said don’t fucking touch me,” he shoved the Alpha away, and took off into a run, almost crashing into a parking meter as he recovered.

“William!!” Heath was going after him. Will pumped his legs, grabbing his keys out of his pocket, and quickly opened his car door, sliding in. He barely managed to lock it before the Alpha was grabbing his door handle, “Open up,” he ordered. Will smiled very sweetly at him, turning the car on and flipping him off, “No other decent Alpha will ever want you. Your only other options are trailer trash scum,” Will put the car into gear, foot on the break, and flipped Heath off with his other hand, “You’ll come to be eventually,” he vowed. Will cracked the window a centimeter.

“Edward,” he said in his softest, sweetest voice, looking at the Alpha through his lashes, “I would rather carve off my own skin than have you touch me ever again.” and he took off, quickly pulling into traffic, laughing as he left Dr. Heath behind. He quickly sobered. He was out of time. It had to be tonight. He took his phone back out at a stoplight, dialing Alana, and left her a message to feed his dogs tonight and in the morning. He wouldn’t be coming home.

Will sat in Hannibal’s waiting room. He had turned up the collar of his jacket to protect the back of his neck. He could still feel Heath’s hand there, and it made his skin crawl. The door opened, and Hannibal looked out at him.

“Come in,” he said, and Will entered, sitting in his regular chair. Hannibal sat across from him, “Have you considered my offer?” he asked. Will smiled, looking at the floor.

“A few weeks ago, before you ‘stated your intentions’, I visited Abigail,” he said instead of answering.

“Good. You should see her more often, it would be good for both of you,” Hannibal didn’t push the subject. Will’s smile faded.

“We talked about you, among other things,” he looked up at the ceiling, tipping his head back and showing his throat to the Alpha, and he heard the small, sharp inhale, schooling the smile off of his face, “She told me about the promise you made her,” Hannibal didn’t say anything, “Why did you lie to her?” he asked, looking at the Alpha.

“I didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was,” Hannibal said evenly.

“Is that why you started courting me more aggressively? Because you knew that if Abigail went on auction, and you bought her, you would be obliged to Mate her?” their eyes met and stayed.

“It was.....one of many considerations,” the Alpha acknowledged. Will nodded, looking away.

“You wanted to take her as your second, not your Mate, since the primary Mate is expected to provide children,” Will stated, “If she was your second, we could treat her as our daughter, except for her heats,” female Omegas had considerably fewer heats, and were much more fertile than male Omegas. Omega women ovulated and menstruated just like Beta women, and were fertile at the same times. They were extremely fertile during their heats, which only came two a year. Will envied them almost as much as he envied Betas. However, his heats wouldn’t come as frequently once he was Mated. Only one every two months.

“I would take her as my first if I had no other choice, but I hoped it would not come to that,” Hannibal admitted.

“Why didn’t you tell me? It would have been a good way to make me accept,” Will said softly, a little bitter.

“I didn’t want to pressure you,” the Alpha’s expression was gentle.

“You don’t have to pressure me,” Will said, looking at Hannibal through his lashes, shifting into a more submissive position, “I’ve made up my mind,” he had no other choice, really. He couldn’t continue avoiding Heath, not with the way his body was acting up. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Hannibal would protect him from anything and everything. Hannibal smiled at him.

“Good,” he sounded completely unsurprised.

“Should we finish the session, or.......?” Will let his voice trail off. Hannibal was out of his chair in a heartbeat, pulling Will up by the front of his shirt. Will laughed as Hannibal kissed him, deeply and possessively. There was no going back now. Will only hoped he’d made the right decision.

Chapter Text

Will woke up feeling sublime. He hadn’t had a single nightmare, and there was something heavy on top of him and everything smelled really good. He sighed. Fingers began to move through his hair, and his lips parted. He cracked his eyes open. Everything was crimson, like blood. His eyes flew open and he tried to sit up, but the thing on top of him growled quietly, turning him to mush. There was no blood, only crimson sheets. The fingers in his hair resumed, and he sighed. After a few long moments, a soft rumble started in his chest, and slowly turned into a full blown purr. A hot mouth worked its way across his shoulder. Will lay, surrounded by warmth, purring stupidly as the back of his neck was kissed. He had no idea what was going on.

“Hanneh” he said into the pillow, “Hanib” he tried again, brain short circuiting as a tongue dragged over his skin, “Hannibah” a growl rumbled against his back.

“Yes, mylimasis?” the hot, damp breath against the back of his neck was about to make him cum all over himself.

“Hannibal” he said again. The Alpha shifted to cover him more completely, kissing his neck, “Time’sit?” Will closed his eyes.

“A little after nine” Hannibal seemed to be making it his mission to kiss every millimeter of skin on Will’s neck.

“I have class today” Will mumbled, reaching back to fondle Hannibal’s hair.

“I canceled it for you” Hannibal bit him, and he groaned as the Alpha started sucking on the mark, “You are going to stay here with me until you go into heat, then I will Mate you and you will be mine. Amžinai” he said. Will’s toes curled.

“Nnn” Will squirmed, but Hannibal was strong and heavy, “Can I get up?” Hannibal bit him again.

“No” he said simply, sucking on the new mark. Will huffed and lay still, letting the Alpha mark him. He’d have a collar of livid, red bites long before Hannibal put a real one on him.

“Hannibal, I have to ta-I have to go to the bathroom” he didn’t think Hannibal would appreciate his new Omega telling him that he had to take a piss. The Alpha growled, but slowly climbed off the Omega. Will rolled over, looking at him. He smiled faintly, reaching up and touching Hannibal’s face. Hannibal kissed his palm, making him shiver. He groaned, crawling out of the bed. He staggered, clutching his lower back, into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. Wow. His thighs were coated with slick and Hannibal’s cum. He shivered. He had bitemarks all over him, especially his neck and shoulders. He looked like a thoroughly fucked Omega.

He limped to the toilet, relieving himself, then going and crawling back into bed with Hannibal. The Alpha settled on top of him again, and it felt like he was sinking into the bed, into the ground, down to the center of the earth, anchored by the weight on top of him. He idly touched one of the pillows, then tugged it closer. It was made of the same, downy material as his blanket.

“This for me?” he asked. Hannibal kissed his temple in response and said something in a language Will didn’t understand. He thought it sounded like Russian, but he wasn’t sure. Wasn’t French supposed to be the language of love?

“Are you hungry?” Hannibal’s voice was rough and gravelly, and sent little sparks of electricity through Will’s body, down to his toes.

“Yeah” he whispered. The back of his neck was kissed, and the weight disappeared. He was wrapped up in a blanket as soft and warm as his own at home, “Is this your plan to keep me trapped in bed? Wrap me up like a burrito so I can’t get away?” he rasped. Hannibal rolled him onto his back and kissed him. He tasted like sweet wine and the sickly sweetness of Will’s slick. Will remembered what Hannibal had done with that mouth last night. Will was certain that Hannibal had an unnaturally long tongue, and that the whole thing had gone inside his sopping cunt the night before.

“You have found me out” Hannibal kissed his forehead, “But it is too late for you now” he kissed Will’s eyelids, “I already have you in my clutches” he kissed his cheekbones, “And I am going to have my wicked way with you” he kissed the tip of Will’s nose, “You’ll never escape” he kissed his lips. Will smiled.

“We’re not even Mated yet” he said.

“Yet” Hannibal put their foreheads together, and they looked into each other’s eyes for several seconds, before Hannibal let go of him, “Stay here. I’ll fix breakfast” he put on a pair of pants, and Will admired him from behind. He closed his eyes as Hannibal left the room. He could get used to this. He laid in his warm little paradise until he noticed that his thighs were sticky and drying that way. He groaned, rolling off the bed. Hannibal had, in fact, rolled him up tightly, and it took a few minutes to wriggle out. He all but crawled into the bathroom, looking at the huge thing. This was as big as the entire masterbedroom at his house. He went to the shower, turning it on, adjusting the temperature, and slipping in. He cleaned himself off, hissing as the hot water touched the livid bitemarks covering him. Now that he was cleaned up, he realized that he had even more of them on his thighs.

“Wait” he said, picking up one of the neatly arranged bottles along the side of the shower. They were separated into two groups. The first was a series of Alpha body washes and men’s hair product. The second was entirely Omega products. Will turned pink. Had Hannibal been so sure that he would accept?

He washed his hair and scrubbed himself raw, satisfied he was clean and smelled good. He dried off with a big, plush towel that he spent too much time rubbing over his skin. He wrapped it around his waist, took a deep breath, and went downstairs.

“I told you to stay in bed” Hannibal didn’t sound angry as he poached the eggs.

“Well, we’re not Mated yet, and I’m hungry” Will smiled, and the Alpha smiled back.

“It won’t take long” he promised, and they sat in comfortable silence while the eggs sat in the water, “Last night” Hannibal finally said, and Will looked at him, “When you came into my office” Will smiled sleepily. Hannibal’s expression was neutral, “You smelled of another Alpha” Will stilled, looking down at the counter.

“I wouldn’t go behind your back or anything. You know that” he said quietly. Hannibal looked at him, considering him, as he spooned the eggs out of the water.

“Have you been having other suitors?” he seemed so calm, but Will knew it was deceptive. He could see it in the Alpha’s eyes.

“You could say that” he looked back down at the counter, “It doesn’t matter now, though. I’m here, with you, and I’m going to be your Omega” he couldn’t hide the sliver of apprehension in his voice.

“Yes. You are” Hannibal sounded immeasurably pleased by the fact.

“Were those products in the shower for me?” Will changed the subject. He was doing his very best not to think about Heath.

“Yes. Did you like them?” Hannibal started doing something fancy with the poached eggs.

“Yeah, they’re great. How long have you had them?” he asked. Hannibal smiled faintly.

“I’m not sure you’ll be pleased by the answer” he said.

“How long?” Will repeated.

“I bought them the week following the opera” Will stared at him, “I told you you wouldn’t like it” Hannibal used freshly chopped something on the eggs, which seemed to be in some kind of salad, “I would have given them to you if you hadn’t be so adamant about not wanting gifts” Will swallowed.

“What else did you buy me?” he was almost scared to ask. Hannibal shrugged elegantly.

“A few small things, like the pillow. This and that” he crumbled up some bacon on the little salad.

“Clothes?” Will thought of his ruined clothes from the previous night. The jacket was savable, probably.

“A few” Hannibal said, and Will hoped that it really was only a few. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that Hannibal had been making preparations for them to Mate since November, “I’ll find something. You won’t need much today” he gave the Omega a look that made him smile shyly, very aware that he had on nothing but a towel, “Salad Lyonnaise” he announced, taking the two plates he’d prepared into the dining room, and Will followed. Hannibal made them fresh orange juice while Will ate, “You should go into heat sometime tomorrow. I’ll have to ask you to stay here while I make all the necessary preparations” Will nodded. He didn’t really want to go out and about. He might run into Heath again, “You can make any last minute calls today, but I’ve already left a message for Jack explaining the situation” Will grimaced.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure he’s going to love this” he smiled into his cup, “What am I supposed to do all day?” Hannibal had sat down across from him and was eating his own food.

“I have a library and an extensive collection of books. You can begin to acquaint yourself with our house” he took a bite. ‘Our house’ the thought made Will a little dizzy. All of this, “I will be in and out all day. I’ll stop by your old house and pick up a few things for you”.

“My old house?” Will’s fork stopped over the plate, “It’s still my house” a wave of fear rolled over him, “Hannibal you promised-” he started, and Hannibal put his hand over Will’s.

“I did promise. And it still holds true. I call it your old house because it will no longer be your primary place of residence. It will still belong to you” he assured the Omega. Will fought to keep his food down. He’d forgotten that Hannibal could take everything away from him once they were Mated. How could he have forgotten?

“I, I’m...” Will pulled his hand away, apprehensive.

“Will” Hannibal said softly.

“Can I go back to my house today?” he asked. Hannibal pursed his lips.

“If that’s what you want” he didn’t sound pleased, and Will could feel words sitting on his tongue, assurances that he would stay in Hannibal’s house and be a good Omega for him.

“Yeah. Just so I can have a little space before.......” he looked out the window over Hannibal’s shoulder.

“As long as you don’t go anywhere else. There’s no need for you to be out in public like this” Hannibal still didn’t seem pleased, but he would have to deal with it, because Will needed time to clear his head.

“Are you scared I’ll change my mind?” he asked.

“It crossed my mind” Hannibal had reached out and taken his hand again, rubbing the top with his thumb. It felt good.

“I’ve got your marks all over me. I don’t think I can back out now” he smiled thinly. Hannibal looked at him, tilting his head as he finished his breakfast. He scooted his chair back a little, and beckoned. Will’s eyebrows quirked.

“Will, come to me” Hannibal beckoned again, and Will got up, walking up to the Alpha. Hannibal yanked the towel off of him, tossing it aside, and making Will protest, but he was dragged into the Alpha’s lap, completely naked. His bare back was pressed to Hannibal’s bare chest, and he squirmed, “You’re beautiful” the Alpha said into his ear, hands moving up and down Will’s sides. Will was getting slick, and whined.

“Hannibal” he said, “I-oh” his eyes fluttered closed, “N-No, God, oh” Hannibal’s hand moved up and down his stomach, “That’s cheating” he said, and he felt Hannibal’s smile against his skin.

“You’ve been alone for so long, Will” he murmured, rubbing the Omega’s belly, “You’ve survived all by yourself” Will moaned quietly, melting into Hannibal’s touch, “But you aren’t alone now. Do you understand?” he bit another place on Will’s neck, sucking it. Will was completely pliant in his arms, eyes closed, lips parted.

“Cheater” Will said, and Hannibal huffed quietly with laughter, “I’m gonna have to take another shower” he was getting slick on Hannibal’s pajama pants. Hannibal picked him up, making him yelp, and laid him on the table on his back, knocking Will’s plate off. It shattered on the floor, “Hannibal?!” Will asked, alarmed. Hannibal forced Will’s thighs apart and leaned down, “Oh, fuck” Will’s head fell back with a ‘thunk’, “Fuuuuck” he bit off the word as Hannibal licked the slick off of his thighs.

“Maybe I’ll put a plug in you, stop you from leaking for the rest of the day” Hannibal said, his sandy, greying hair visible. Will moaned, “Would you like that?” he asked, licking.

“Hannibal” Will said breathlessly.

“Or perhaps I should forbid you to leave, tie you to the bed so I can access you whenever I want” Will’s hips jerked and he clawed at the table.

“Oh God” he said.

“Many Omegas take great comfort in being bound. It makes them feel safe, secure” Hannibal did something wicked with his tongue, and Will came, hard, body shuddering. He went limp as Hannibal licked the remainder of slick off his thighs, breath hitching when the Alpha moved up and licked off what was on his stomach. Hannibal kissed him, and Will wrapped his arms around the Alpha, pulling him close, gripping Hannibal’s hair, taking delight in mussing the perpetually perfect Hannibal Lecter. They broke apart, panting.

“You’re insane” Will said faintly. Hannibal smiled, touching his forehead to Will’s.

“Have you only just realized it?” he asked, and Will choked on a slightly hysterical giggle.

“I should have known” he pressed his face into Hannibal’s shoulder, giggling, “Only a crazy man would want an Omega like me” he laughed.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you” Hannibal pressed his face into Will’s hair, inhaling his sweet Omega scent. He smelled like lilacs now. That had definitely been the right shampoo to buy for the Omega. Will was still giggling into his shoulder, riding his post-orgasmic high.

“Well I’d rather my Alpha be a little crazy than a psychopath” Will leaned back, cheeks flushed with pleasure and laughter. His Alpha. He quieted, and Hannibal kissed him.

“There is no Omega I’d rather have than you” he responded, “Why don’t we go get dressed?” Will nodded, letting Hannibal help him off the table. He looked at the shattered plate.

“We broke it” he said forlornly. Hannibal kissed his cheek.

“I’ll buy another set. Come” he wrapped his arm around his Omega’s waist and they went upstairs together.

“Will” Beverly sounded surprised as she saw him come out of his little office at the academy, carrying a stack of papers to be graded, “I heard you’re lectures had been canceled” she put one hand on her hip. He grimaced.

“Yes, they were. I’m just grabbing these papers so I can grade them this afternoon, before-” he stopped abruptly.

“Before what? What’s goin’ on?” she nudged him. Will smiled down at the papers. He was wearing one of the few turtleneck sweaters he owned.

“Nothing” he said, still smiling.

“It’s not nothing” she leaned in to make him look at her, “What is it? Why did you cancel your lectures?” he didn’t say anything, and her eyes widened, “Are you giving up a lecture for a Lecter?”

“Don’t tell anyone. He doesn’t know I’m here. Jack probably knows, though. I’m hoping I can avoid him” he looked around nervously.

“He’s in his office. Go before he leaves for lunch” she winked, and he smiled, shuffling with the papers and turning around. He glanced over his shoulder at her, and she gave him a thumbs up. He turned red, leaving as quickly as he could, driving back to his house. He glanced at his phone. Fifteen missed calls from Jack Crawford. He grimaced. He’d grade the papers and hide them in his house before he left for Hannibal’s, and Hannibal would never have to know that he left the house.

It was a little bit after lunch, and Hannibal was fairly pleased with himself. Everything was going smoothly, and there wasn’t a single thing Jack Crawford could do to prevent his prized Omega profiler from getting Mated.

Will had expressed concern the previous night about papers he had to grade, so Hannibal was going to pick those up from his office and let Will grade them while he recovered from his heat, to show Will that he knew how important the teaching was to the Omega.

The little office was cramped and reeked of the Omega. He looked on the desk, in the drawers, under the desk, behind the desk, behind the drawers, but he didn’t see any papers. He left the room, vexed. Could Jack have sent someone to take the papers and grade them for Will? The Omega wouldn’t like that.

On his way back out, he passed the young woman he recognized as part of Jack’s forensics team.

“Miss Katz” he said. Her eyes flickered to his.

“Dr. Lecter” she smiled, “What are you doing here?” she was carrying a large stack of files.

“I had something to discuss with Jack Crawford. How-” the top file slid out of her arms and onto the floor.

“Shit” she said, putting down the others and kneeling to grab the papers. Hannibal went down on one knee, capturing several, reaching over to put them on the file. Her dark hair was close to his face, and he inhaled. He smelled a cheap, but not entirely unpleasant bodywash, the smell of antiseptic and of the morgue, and........

“There you go” he handed her the last paper.

“Thanks” she said gratefully, “I’d better get these down to Brian and Jimmy. It was nice seeing you” she said, and he smiled.

“And you, Miss Katz” he watched her back as she retreated. He turned and walked in the other direction, and the smile slid off of his face. His Omega had been terribly disobedient.

Chapter Text

Will had left a message for Hannibal saying that he’d drive over after seven, and he sat in his house, playing with his dogs and grading papers and trying not to worry about being Mated. He could feel his coming heat starting, making his limbs heavy and his body tingle. He swallowed at the idea of sharing it with an Alpha.

A little bit after two, the dogs started barking, jumping at the door, and Will put his papers down, rubbing his eyes. He opened the door, letting the dogs run out and swarm the guest. He saw them dance back, keeping a safe distance, and he stepped out.

“Hannibal?” he said, thinking about his papers and shutting the door behind him, “Are you done already?” he’d hoped he’d have more time to grade papers. Hannibal didn’t say anything, approaching, a small bag in his hand. He stopped halfway down the path, eyes on Will’s neck.

“Who’s collar is that?” he asked, and Will’s hand flew up to his throat. Oh shit.

“Nobody’s” he said quickly. Hannibal moved towards him, more quickly, and Will stumbled back.

“Who’s collar is that?” he asked again, no louder than the first time.

“Nobody!!” Will’s back smacked against his door, “It’s mine. It’s mine” he scrabbled at his neck to take it off, “It’s mine, I bought it, I didn’t get it from anyone, I swear” he’d fucked up. He’d really fucked up. He’d promised himself to this Alpha and now he was wearing a collar that Hannibal hadn’t given him.

“Was it your other suitor?” Hannibal loomed over him.

“No. No” Will said in disgust at the idea of wearing Heath’s collar, “It’s mine, I’m sorry, I bought it, I keep it in my underwear drawer. Nobody gave it to me” he yanked it off his neck and held it out to the Alpha. Hannibal snatched it from him, bringing it up to his nose, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and handed it back, “I’m sorry. I just, I thought I might as well get used to it” Will swallowed. Hannibal turned the collar over in his hands. It had no markings on it to indicate ownership of any kind. It was a rough leather, the kind that might leave a mark over time. He took it and wrapped it back around the Omega’s neck, clasping it. Will tipped his head back, showing his throat. The bitemarks were still there, and Hannibal touched each one. Then he let go of Will and the Omega stepped closer to him, slowly raising his hands to place on the Alpha’s chest. Hannibal hooked two fingers under the collar, pulling it taut. Will sighed, closing his eyes. Hannibal put his nose to Will’s hair and inhaled. Lilac, sweat, dogs, anxiety, and blossoming desire. Hannibal closed his eyes. The Omega was responding to his body. Such a shame he wouldn’t be able to capitalize on that.

He let go, stepping around the Omega and opening the door, walking inside. Will felt winded and confused. He had smelled anger on Hannibal, he’d expected that, after seeing the collar on Will’s throat, but there was still fresh anger there. Was the Alpha still angry? Will touched the collar on his throat and whistled to his dogs to come back in, stepping in after his soon-to-be Alpha. Hannibal was standing by the armchair, holding something. Will’s papers. Shit.

“I was going to get them for you” Hannibal said conversationally, no detectable anger in his voice, “I went all the way to Quantico to pick them up after I spoke with Jack Crawford. Did you enjoy seeing Miss Katz?” he looked at the Omega, whose dogs were wandering inside, sniffing Hannibal to see if he’d brought food. Satisfied that he hadn’t, they sprawled out on the floor. Winston sat at Will’s side. Will’s shoulders were hunched.

“I’m sorry” he said quietly. Hannibal took a deep breath, letting it out. He closed his eyes.

“Will” he said, “Take your dogs out for a walk” Will frowned.

“I took them out earlier” he said.

“That was not a request” Hannibal’s eyes were still closed.

“Hannibal-” Will started.

“Please” that didn’t sound like a request either. Will whistled to his dogs again, who were ecstatic to go back outside. Will took them through the woods by his house, cheeks hot.

“Not a request” he mimicked childishly. He knew he was in trouble. He wondered how much trouble. Was this ‘I’m going to tie you to the bed so you don’t leave again’ in trouble, or was it ‘I’m going to give you a black eye so you’ll remember who owns you’ in trouble? The dogs ran around, sniffing things and frolicking like the world was a wonderful place full of sunshine and happiness and nothing could ever go wrong. Will envied them so much he wanted to be sick.

He dawdled as long as he could, trying to play with the dogs, but not able to get into it. Winston seemed to have caught onto his mood, staying closer to his side and watching him somberly. Will walked the dogs back to the house, hesitantly opening the door. Hannibal was standing by the fireplace, holding Will’s scarf up to his nose, scenting it, his eyes closed. He opened his eyes while Will stood awkwardly in the doorway. His dogs pushed past him and laid back down, but not before checking Hannibal again to see if any food had magically appeared since they’d left.

“You’re coming home with me. Say goodbye to your dogs and pack your things” Hannibal seemed calmer. Will nodded, grabbing the back he’d already packed and kissing each of his dogs, promising them he’d be back, and silently leaving with Hannibal. The Alpha still had the papers. He got into the passenger’s seat of Hannibal’s Bentley, staring at his lap.

“Am I in trouble?” he finally asked once they were on the freeway.

“Yes” Hannibal told him honestly.

“Okay” Will slumped back against the seat, looking out the window.

“I haven’t asked much of you, Will” the Alpha said.

“I know” Will said quietly, “I’m sorry” he ran his fingers through his hair.

“There will be a punishment” Hannibal stated.

“Okay” Will said again, “You’re not going to take my job, are you?” he felt sick.

“We will discuss it when we get home” was all Hannibal would say on the matter.

They sat together at Hannibal’s dining room table, Will staring at his forlorn expression in the polished wood.

“I’m sorry” he said preemptively.

“I know you are” Hannibal told him, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you went against my express wishes” he was completely calm, “I knew that we would clash and that I would have to establish my authority, but I had hoped we would be Mated first” Will toyed with the hem of his sweater, “I understand that you were afraid that I would forbid you to grade the papers while you were here, and that you have an ingrained mistrust of Alphas. But how I handle this disobedience will set the precedent for the rest of our relationship. I cannot allow this to go unpunished” Will nodded. He wished Hannibal was angry and yelling at him. It would be easier than this quiet disappointment, “You have two options. The first option is to accept a punishment that will last after your heat, greatly restricting your privileges and keeping you confined to our home. The second option is to accept a corporal punishment that will absolve you of your disobedience immediately, along with a very small, temporary loss of privileges” Will lifted his head and looked at Hannibal’s tie.

“What kind of corporal punishment?” he asked.

“That will be up to me” Hannibal said.

“I know, but what kind?” Will looked up, not quite meeting his eyes, “Caning? Whipping? Flogging?” he’d heard horror stories.

“Do you think I would do that to you, mylimasis?” Hannibal asked him quietly. Will lowered his gaze back to the table.

“You might” he murmured. There was a silence, and Will wanted to apologize again, but didn’t let himself.

“Is that your decision?” Hannibal finally asked.

“Yeah. Let’s get it over with” Will was already dreading it. Hannibal stood and walked around the table, holding his hand out to the Omega. Will took it, and went upstairs with the Alpha.

“Undress” he was instructed. Will obeyed, standing awkwardly in the middle of the lavish bedroom, naked. Hannibal had taken off his jacket and was holding something, “Show me your wrists” it was a black, silk ribbon. Will tried not to tremble as he held his wrists out and let Hannibal bind them. If he was honest with himself, the soft, unyielding material binding his wrists together felt good. It felt safe, and secure. Hannibal took the cheap, leather collar off of Will, tossing it aside. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned. Will hesitated.

“What are you going to do?” he asked. Hannibal raised his eyebrows, beckoning again. Will turned pink, approaching cautiously. He yelped when he was grabbed and laid across Hannibal’s lap, ass in the air, “Oh God” he said, face getting redder.

“I would never leave a mark of punishment on your body, Will” Hannibal told him, stroking his pale, vulnerable ass and making Will squirm, “The only bruises you will have will come from my teeth” Hannibal brought his hand down, the skin-on-skin contact making a loud ‘smack!’. Will hiccupped. Hannibal smacked him again, and Will hiccupped louder. He started to squirm, face bright red, eyes squeezed shut.

“Hannibal” he said, voice breaking when the next slap came. Then another, and another, and another.

“Interesting” Hannibal sounded pleased as Will squirmed helplessly, cock hard against Hannibal’s leg, face burning with embarrassment.

“Hannibal, please” he said. Hannibal smacked his ass again, “Ah!” Will’s toes curled, “Ah!!” his skin was stinging and burning. Then Hannibal rained down slaps, one after the other, making Will cry out, “Hannibal!!!” he squeezed his eyes shut. He was slick.

“I don’t believe you will ever cease to fascinate me, Will” Hannibal sounded entirely too composed and pleased with himself as he continued to spank Will until he was crying, ass on fire, body shaking. Then he lifted Will off his lap and laid him on the bed. Will continued to cry, pressing his face into the sheets. He was roasting in his own humiliation. Hannibal had spanked him like a child and he had moaned and humped the Alpha’s leg like a slut, “There, there, darling. All is forgiven” Hannibal stroked his hair. Will spread his legs and pressed his burning ass into the air, feeling like he couldn’t possibly debase himself any more. The Alpha growled quietly.

“Hannibal” the word was muffled in the sheets. Hannibal stood up, pulling his pants down and climbing on top of Will. Will moaned, clawing the sheets with his bound hands, “Nnnn!” Hannibal’s cock was pressing into him and gripping his hips.

“You have no idea the things you do to me, Will” Hannibal growled, starting to move his hips. Will tried to tell him that he was sorry and that he would never disobey him again and that he would be a good Omega and please fuck him into unconsciousness, but all that came out was a garbled moan. Hannibal seemed to understand, moving faster and pounding Will into the mattress, dragging his nails over inflamed skin and making Will keen. Will’s oncoming heat was trying to coax Hannibal deeper inside him, “I can barely control myself with you” Will just sobbed, humiliated and horny and helpless.

“Hannibal” was all he could say, and Hannibal pounded him harder. Will came all over himself before Hannibal was even done, laying limp like a ragdoll while the Alpha fucked him. It was incredible. When Hannibal finally came inside him, it was with a deep, bestial noise that sent thrills through Will’s entire body. Hannibal pulled out of him, making him whine. He turned his head and opened one eye, seeing the Alpha clean himself off with the already soiled blanket, putting his cock back into his pants, “Hannibal” he whined.

“I still have preparations to make” he was told in a vaguely irritated voice. Will decided that he couldn’t possibly sink any lower than this, so he rolled over, painfully, showing his belly, smeared with cum, bound wrists above his head, and made soft cooing noises to coax the Alpha back to bed. Hannibal growled loudly at him, and Will fell silent, curling in on himself, bringing his hands to his chest, “I believe I underestimated you, Will” he didn’t sound entirely angry, only exasperated, and extremely fond, “You are very capable of using your wiles” Will turned pink and rolled back over. Hannibal came over and kissed his neck, untying his wrists and pulling the blanket over him, “Sleep. You need all the rest you can get before your heat comes” Will nodded, and Hannibal wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He stroked the Omega’s hair until Will’s eyes closed and his breathing became slow and even. Hannibal grabbed his jacket, putting it on and smoothing out his suit. He looked at the sleeping Omega. Capable of using his wiles indeed.

He woke up later that afternoon, and his clothes had disappeared, and had been replaced by something Hannibal had bought him. A box of tissues sat on the bedside table. Will wiped his face and blew his nose, crawling out of bed to throw the tissues away. He redressed, backside still burning, and crept downstairs. Hannibal was nowhere to be found. Will went into the library (it wasn’t as big as he’d feared it would be). The main one was clearly at his office. He went into Hannibal’s study, remembering that he hadn’t been forbidden to go there and therefore was not disobeying. Hannibal had a stack of books he’d been looking at. They were all texts on Omegas. The psychology, biology, chemistry, sociology, everything. There were a few texts on the chemistry of being Mated, and one was an autobiography. Will recognized it. In the early nineties, at the end of his life, a convicted serial murderer had written his memoirs. The book was very famous not just because of the infamous killer, but because of the long, detailed explanations he’d given about being Mated to his Omegawife (who was his last victim). Will wrinkled his nose. Of all the personal accounts of being Mated, it had to be this one? Will found other books lying around. There were more memoirs and the like; accounts from an Alpha of being Mated. The particular ones Hannibal had chosen stood out to him. They were all by scientists, doctors, criminals, or known psychopaths.

Hannibal had been doing extensive research into what analytical (and sometimes deranged) minds had to say about being Mated to an Omega. There were none of the typical, romantic accounts that one would expect.

Will curled up in a chair in the front room, finding a comfortable way to sit, reading the killer’s autobiography. The pages were worn and faded. Hannibal had read this book a lot. Will skimmed a bit. He found a page in the middle that Hannibal had marked. A passage had been put in brackets.

She was the light of my life. Gertrude was the most beautiful, most intelligent Omega I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was vibrant and so full of life. She was mesmerizing, exquisite, enchanting. I loved nothing more than I loved her. Her beautiful mind never ceased to fascinate me; her wit and ingenuity never failed to amaze me.

Will’s cheeks heated up, and he put the book down, looking at the empty fireplace. He wondered if Hannibal would make a fire for them to sit by tonight if Will asked, or if Will was still in too much trouble.

He heard the front door unlock, and he curled in on himself. The door opened, and he listened to Hannibal enter the house. Hannibal stopped and looked at the Omega. Will stared at the floor, face red.

“Are you feeling better?” the Alpha asked. Will nodded..

“Yeah” he said. He kept his eyes on the floor as Hannibal walked towards him. He sighed when fingers ran through his hair, stroking the stubble on his cheek.

“Perhaps I should punish you more often” he tipped Will’s chin up. Their eyes met. Hannibal’s finger ran over his lips. Will’s cheeks burned, and he didn’t respond, “If it makes you beg me like that” Will turned even redder, and Hannibal leaned in and kissed him. Will tilted his head, responding to the kiss. There was no escaping this now. He belonged to Hannibal, for better or for worse.

“Are you done getting everything straight?” he asked hoarsely. Hannibal nodded, kissing him chastely.

“Let’s go back to bed before I make dinner for us. You still need more sleep” he helped Will to his feet, and they went back to bed together.

Chapter Text

“Do you always eat breakfast like you’re staying in a 5 star hotel?” Will asked the next morning. The closer his heat got, the more pliant he was getting. He had wanted to sleep alone the previous night just so he wouldn’t start acting even more pathetic, but one look at Hannibal dressed for bed had filled him with the overwhelming need to be held and cuddled.

“Food is a very important aspect of daily life for me” Hannibal replied. Will couldn’t lie; the quiche was delicious.

“Well it’s good” Will yawned. Hannibal was giving him that look, like he was a beautiful piece of art that Hannibal wanted to stand and admire forever. Will smiled slightly, meeting his gaze. His heat was so close, and his body was so excited that he had an Alpha. Will was slightly less excited, and more nervous. He understood the biology of Mating. He knew that his brain would release huge amounts of endorphins and he’d be flooded with hormones while a deep, visceral part of his brain imprinted on the Alpha. He’d be as helpless as a kitten without claws for at least a week, if not longer. He would be completely reliant on his new Alpha for the first day or two, before he could get up and about, and spend the rest in an adoring haze. The thought was terrifying. It didn’t matter what he wanted, or how he felt; once he was Mated, he would be totally loyal.

Every form of media meant for Omegas described it as being the most wonderful thing in the world. He was told that he’d be filled with boundless love and adoration and live happily ever after. Of course, there were relationships that weren’t meant to be, where an Alpha hurt their Omega, but it was always the Omega’s fault. If they were better, if they were good enough, it wouldn’t have happened to them. They must have been asking for it.

Every form of media meant for Alphas talked about how wonderful it was to have a sweet, submissive Omega to breed. Will had found things that seemed extremely genuine in talking about the love and protection of an Omega, but they always described these sweet, submissive, ideal Omegas. Docile, obedient, industrious Mates who ran the household and took care of the children and spread their legs for their Alphas.

Things created for and by Betas were more objective. Beta romance had always seemed so much more appealing to Will. Romance not defined by total dominance and total submission. A relationship where two people could discuss what they wanted and come to a mutual agreement, and break it off at any time if it wasn’t working out. Will craved that so hard that he could nearly taste it. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, by any means. There were still unhealthy Beta relationships, but Betas males were less likely to rape other Betas by twenty percent.

Will still hadn’t asked Hannibal about the book he’d found. Hannibal was a psychiatrist, so it made sense that he would look at Mating accounts from the mentally ill as well as the mentally healthy. He had chosen what was probably the most romantic passage out of the entire book. Maybe he felt like psychopaths were more objective about the experience of being Mated than either a normal, macho Alpha, or even one of the more smitten, sentimental ones. It would explain why he had ones by doctors and scientists.

Will had had his phone confiscated as part of his continued punishment, and spent his morning sitting on a stool in the kitchen, watching Hannibal prepare food.

“Why are you making so much?” Will asked.

“I’m creating pre-made meals for your heat, so that I will not have to leave you for very long” Hannibal told him, and Will smiled. His stomach was jumping all over the place. He wished the heat would just get here so he wouldn’t have to keep waiting and worrying. He could feel the haze of heat starting to seep into his brain. He ought to just give in and let it consume him. He could just give in to his body and nature would run its course.

“It’ll be here before dinner” Will said knowingly. Their eyes met.

“You should still be sleeping to prepare” he’d need all the sleep he could get.

“I can’t sleep, I’m too nervous” Will ran his fingers through his hair. Hannibal looked at him, tilting his head just a little.

“Is that your way of asking me to help you sleep?” he asked, and Will turned red. Hannibal smiled at him, eyes warm, “Give me a few minutes to finish this” he said, and Will stared at the counter, tracing patterns on it. The dish was put into the oven, and Hannibal started working on something else. The dish came out of the oven, and Hannibal grabbed Will, hauling him over his shoulder and carrying him upstairs. Will laughed in spite of himself. He was tucked in, on his back, and Hannibal climbed onto him. Will’s eyes drooped as they looked at each other. He played with the Alpha’s hair, and Hannibal watched him like he was a priceless treasure. Will smiled as Hannibal pressed soft, chaste kisses against his mouth, eyes fluttering shut. He sighed, and Hannibal continued to kiss him again and again. He said something in the same, almost-Russian language. Where was Hannibal from, anyway? Somewhere in Europe.

“We’re going to be Mated, and I barely know anything about you” he whispered. Hannibal considered him, stroking his face. Will kissed his fingers, which made the Alpha growl, which made the Omega shiver and giggle quietly.

“What would you like to know?” he asked.

“Do you have any family? Will they come to our public confirmation?” Will tilted his head back, sighing when Hannibal’s mouth moved over his skin.

“I have an aunt and an uncle who live in France. We may receive a Mating gift from them” Hannibal’s mouth was hot and wet and heavenly on Will’s sensitive neck.

“You’re not from France. Where are you from?” Will was starting to fade out, body relaxing under the weight of the Alpha.

“I was born in Lithuania” Hannibal scraped his teeth over Will’s skin, making the Omega moan softly.

“Mmkay. So that’s Lithuanian” Will said faintly, eyes drifting shut.

“Yes. Now sleep, mylimasis” Hannibal whispered, and Will sighed, drifting off. The Alpha stayed on top of him for over an hour before getting up and finishing the food.

“Hannibal” Will couldn’t get up out of the bed. His skin was burning and he was aching for a knot, “Hannibal!!” he wailed. He had no idea where the Alpha was and he couldn’t move, “Hannibaaaal!!!” he clutched the pillow, biting it.

“I’m coming” he heard from another room, and the Alpha walked in, looking so calm and collected that Will wanted to punch him. Instead he rolled over and presented himself, spreading his thighs and whining loudly. The Alpha said something quietly in Lithuanian (it didn’t sound nice), and he started almost tearing his own clothes off, climbing onto the Omega. Will’s cunt clenched and he whined and begged, pressing back against Hannibal’s cock as it eased into him much too slow. He moaned, clenching greedily around Hannibal’s cock. The amazing sex they’d been having so far was nothing in comparison to this. Everything except having Hannibal inside of him had stopped mattering. He was in heat and this Alpha was his and Hannibal was going to fill him up with Alpha seed and own him forever.

“Hannibaaaaaal” Will keened. Hannibal pressed his face into the bed, which might have made Will laugh in any other situation, but nothing existed but him and Hannibal and the friction between them. Hannibal growled, loud and feral, and Will turned into a ragdoll underneath him. Yes.

“Hnnbl” Will said into the pillow. The Alpha answered him tenderly in Lithuanian, and Will giggled, “Hannibal” he tilted his head so he could look at the Alpha. Everything was perfect. The whole world had condensed down into this bedroom. Sometimes Hannibal left the bedroom and disappeared out of the world, but Will knew that he would come back because he was a good Alpha. Will’s Alpha. Alpha.

“Are you hungry?” Hannibal asked, and Will nosed his neck, “I’ll take that as a yes” Will giggled again.

“Wow” he said aloud, head dropping back, “Wow” he choked on his own laughter. Hannibal kissed him.

“Just relax” he told the Omega.

“Kay” Will continued to giggle as the Alpha left the room. He felt great. Amazing. He’d never felt anything like this before. He was vaguely aware that he had started drooling, and attempted to wipe his mouth on his arm with jerky, abortive movements. He was in this big, soft bed that smelled like Alpha. His Alpha. He started giggling again. Hannibal was his Alpha. Alpha. Big, strong Alpha.

He pressed his face into the pillow, inhaling, choking and snorting with laughter. He was deliriously happy, giddy. If he’d known getting Mated felt like this, he would have done it a long time ago. They’d told him. They’d told him it was the most wonderful thing in the world, but he hadn’t believed them. He’d had no idea.

“Hannibal” he giggled.

“I’m here” Hannibal was abruptly at his side again. He hadn’t heard him come in, “Let’s get you upright” the Alpha helped Will sit up, propping him up on pillows. Will stared at Hannibal like he was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen, and earned a devastatingly handsome smile from the Alpha, “Open your mouth” Will obeyed, thinking vaguely of his previous heat and Hannibal feeding him eggs. Will hummed as the warm contents of the spoon went into his mouth, eyes going wide. Hannibal’s smile widened, “Do you like it?” he asked.

“Mmm” Will said, eyes still wide.

“I thought I’d make you something familiar” Hannibal said, giving him another spoonful of the gumbo, “The fresh ingredients add something, I think” Will nodded, eyes drooping, and he sagged against Hannibal, who wrapped his arm around the Omega to hold him upright.

“S’perfect” Will whispered, smiling beatifically. Hannibal kissed him before feeding him another bite.

“You need your strength. We still have at least another day” Hannibal told him, and Will nodded, lazily letting himself be fed.

“I wanna sleep some m-ahhHH!!” his whole body jerked, making Hannibal spill the hot gumbo on both of them. Will didn’t even notice, body arching up off the bed, toes curling, “Hannibal!!!” it was a fearful, desperate plea. The Alpha had all but tossed away the blanket and the bowl of gumbo, climbing onto the wailing, contracting Omega.

“I’m here” he soothed, voice turning into a growl at the end, forcing Will’s legs apart and pulling his pants down. He thrust straight in, without warning, making Will choke on a deep inhale. Will was sopping wet, and immediately started clenching around Hannibal again. Being bred was all that mattered. And Will couldn’t imagine anything else mattering ever again.

Chapter Text

Will was propped up in bed, slowly opening and closing his eyes. He wanted to ask where Hannibal was, but his lips wouldn’t move. He hummed softly, eyelashes fluttering. He sighed, relaxing. Hannibal would come back. Will closed his eyes and dozed.

Will woke up again, and slowly crawled out of bed, almost collapsing on the floor and having to grab the sheets to keep himself upright. He pushed himself up, staggering and rubbing his eyes. He glanced around the room. There was a large, plush, blue robe hanging from the ornate hook attached to the bathroom door. He walked over to it, rubbing the material between his fingers. It was that same, patented Omegacomfort material. He slowly put it on, luxuriating in the soft fabric on his sensitive skin. He tied the belt and slowly limped downstairs.

“You’re awake” Hannibal sounded pleased when Will entered the kitchen. Will sat on one of the stools, “You slept for almost two days” he was informed.

“Really?” Will rubbed his eyes again.

“The Mating heat is always the most exhausting. Your body is undergoing a lot of changes” Hannibal set a cup of coffee in front of him. Will stared into it, letting the steam caress his face. He jumped slightly when Hannibal ran his fingers through his hair, “The moment you are out of heat you turn skittish again” Hannibal sounded amused and vaguely irritated. Will’s chest tightened.

“I’m sorry” he said quickly, pressing into Hannibal’s touch, “I won’t do it again” he tipped his head back and nosed Hannibal’s hand.

“Will, you’ve done nothing wrong” the Alpha (his Alpha) assured him, and Will relaxed. The idea of displeasing his Alpha had panic bubbling up in his throat. Hannibal kissed him, and Will smiled, sighing happily, “Drink your coffee and I’ll make you breakfast” Will nodded, still smiling, obediently picking up the mug and sipping the hot coffee. He basked in the feeling of being in the same room as his Alpha, knowing that his Alpha was pleased with him, knowing that he’d been a good boy. Will’s smile widened as he continued to drink the coffee. He set it down when a plate of eggs was put in front of him, and he ate obediently. It was delicious, as always.

“Can I....?” Will stopped.

“What is it?” Hannibal had stopped cleaning up the kitchen and was looking at his Omega. Will turned red.

“Nothing” he mumbled, looking at his empty plate.

“Look at me” that was an order, and Will lifted his head, meeting his Alpha’s eyes. Hannibal looked serious, but not angry, “What were you going to ask me?” he asked.

“I was wondering if I could grade those papers” Will said in a small voice. Hannibal smiled slightly.

“Are you feeling up to it?” he asked, taking Will’s empty plate and putting it in the sink.

“I think so” Will said, fidgeting.

“If you think you are mentally recovered enough to grade the papers, then you most certainly may” Hannibal dried his hands. Will smiled.

“Thank you” he felt a swell of overpowering adoration that robbed him of his breath, and his head swam. ‘Your Alpha is so good to you’ the little voice crooned. Hannibal was giving him a similarly devoted look.

“I’ll get your papers for you” Hannibal told him. He left the kitchen, going up to his study. He looked at the encoded journal on his desk, opening it and leafing through it. Only a few pages filled. He smiled. He had plenty of time to fill it up with every last detail of his incredible Omega. He closed the journal, unlocking one of his desk drawers and taking out the stack of papers to be graded. He took them back downstairs. When he entered the kitchen, he found his Omega, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, robe hanging loosely and showing a great deal of bare shoulder and back, washing the dishes. Will glanced shyly at his Alpha, not sure how the gesture would be received. Slowly, Hannibal smiled, “Well, this is not something I expected to see for many years” he set down the papers and walked up behind the Omega, wrapping his arms around his waist. Will relaxed back against his chest.

“Isn’t that something that good, little houseOmegas do?” Will asked. Hannibal kissed his neck.

“I was unaware you had any aspirations to be a good, little houseOmega” he murmured. Will snorted, tilting his head to the side to give his Alpha access to his neck.

“I don’t” he closed his eyes, sighing as Hannibal started to suck a new bruise on his neck, “I just......thought you might like it” while Hannibal had been gone from the kitchen, Will had had a brief existential crisis, realizing that it was his hormones making him feel this way about Hannibal, and realizing that he no longer had any desire to change that. Even now, he was fighting down nausea at the knowledge of just how changed he was. Hannibal tipped his head to the side so they could kiss. That’s right. Hannibal could sense when he was upset now. The Alpha pulled the robe apart, sliding his hand over Will’s stomach. Will moaned, “I should finish” he whispered into Hannibal’s mouth. His Alpha kissed him again.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll finish them later” Hannibal pulled Will’s hands out of the water, grabbing a dishcloth and drying them like Will was a child, “Come grade your papers and rest” Will stared at his Alpha. How could he refuse? No, really, how could he refuse anything this man asked of him? He gave Hannibal a small, nervous smile, shyly fixing his robe when his Alpha let go of him. His brain was swimming in hormones and endorphins and it was the easiest thing in the world to follow his Alpha back to the bedroom, and be cuddled into mindless bliss.

“How about this one?” Hannibal offered him an ornate jewelry box. Will hesitantly took it and opened it. Deep blue velvet inlayed with what were probably real diamonds. He closed it, giving it back. Hannibal patiently handed him another. He opened it. White leather with more diamonds. He closed it.

“Do you have anything less...........obvious?” Will rubbed the stinging bitemarks on his throat.

“It is a natural Alpha desire to have an obvious display of authority on their Omega’s body” Hannibal opened a drawer in the large, walk-in closet, revealing several rows of collars. Will swallowed nervously, “A collar is a form of protection that an Alpha can provide their Mate. It is a powerful symbol” Hannibal took out blue leather with a simple, sterling silver design.

“It’s the symbol I dislike” Will eyed the collar, but didn’t refuse it, baring his throat in acceptance. He heard Hannibal sigh happily, and tiny shivers of pleasure rolled through his body. His Alpha liked seeing him with his throat bared. The soft leather pressed against his Adam’s apple, and he heard the lock clasp. He shuddered. It’s so tight and safe around your neck.

“The symbol is what protects you” Will kept his head tilted back so Hannibal could stroke his neck. Over the last two weeks, he and his new Alpha had carefully danced around each other, wary of the other’s response to any word or action. Slowly, Will was becoming more sure of himself in relation to Hannibal. The Alpha seemed immensely pleased by any and every Omegan behavior Will exhibited, and pleasing Hannibal usually earned him a few rounds of wild fucking and new bitemarks covering his body from his Alpha’s unrestrained passion. Will had never suspected what a passionate man Hannibal Lecter was. For someone so controlled and precise, he was a wellspring of deep, powerful emotions whose intensity could take Will’s breath away.

“I just don’t want to call too much attention to myself” Will answered gruffly, turning his head to kiss Hannibal’s jaw, earning him a soft, chaste kiss on the lips that made his toes curl.

“Your beauty will always call attention to itself; it is unavoidable” Hannibal told him, making Will smile and blush a little. The compliments were taking some getting used to.

“Can we minimize it a little?” he asked, letting Hannibal smooth the lines out of the navy blazer he’d been outfitted with, “I already feel overdressed for class” he played with his tie, which he had tied himself and refused to let Hannibal twist into a half-Windsor (which Hannibal insisted went better with his spread collar shirt).

“Your collar blends well with your tie” Hannibal sounded like he was congratulating himself.

“Yes” Will agreed, letting the Alpha fuss over his clothes. He thought the tie and the collar were a bit much, but Hannibal insisted it was the style in Omegan men’s fashion.

“The eggshell collar might have washed out your complexion alongside the blue” Hannibal turned him around to face the mirror, hands on his shoulders. Will grimaced at his reflection. The collar and the tie looked stupid together, “Beautiful” Hannibal kissed his ear, making him smile in spite of himself, “Do you have your things together?” Will rolled his eyes.

“Yes” he answered the question for the fourth time. He had his books, the graded papers, his bag, the pre-prepared lecture, his phone, his laptop, everything, “I’m ready for my first day back. I’m fine” he pulled away from his Alpha, wishing he could press closer. Hannibal seemed dubious, but did not comment, tucking a loose curl behind Will’s ear and cupping his face.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to drive you?” he stroked his thumb over Will’s cheekbone. Will rolled his eyes again.

“I’m sure, Hannibal. I’m not a child. I can drive myself to teach my own lecture” Hannibal gave him a look that Will was sure the Alpha would deny was a pout, “I’m fine” he repeated, and leaned in for a kiss, which Hannibal readily accepted. Will’s toes curled again. Alpha. His Alpha. He opened his eyes and pulled away, “If I don’t go I’m going to be late” the Alpha latched onto his hand and didn’t let go until Will was sitting in his car, which they had picked up from his house a few days previous, “I’m over my heat, we’re Mated, I’m mostly recovered, and I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t have anything to do” he told the Alpha, who looked like he might drag Will back inside and tie him to the bed and growl loudly if he tried to protest, “I’m a big boy, I can do things on my own. Getting Mated didn’t change that” he stole another kiss from Hannibal and closed the car door, driving away and leaving the Alpha in the driveway.

Once Will was out of Hannibal’s fancy neighborhood (their fancy neighborhood, Will reminded himself), Will took off his tie at the first stoplight, looking at himself in the rearview mirror. Better.

The drive down to Virginia gave Will time alone to think, in an environment that didn’t smell overwhelmingly like Hannibal (Hannibal had managed to get his scent into this car, though, and on everything Will owned. Will rode with the window down).

Being Mated wasn’t anything like Will had expected. After the first four or five days he’d stopped crying whenever Hannibal left the room for more than fifteen or twenty minutes and latching onto the Alpha so he wouldn’t leave bed. He felt kind of hazy and happy and the feeling only intensified when he was with his Alpha. He’d caught himself marking Hannibal’s things with his scent, especially his clothes, but also furniture and other household items. He’d also found that he could get nearly anything he wanted from his Alpha by purring and batting his eyelashes. It was hilarious watching the refined Alpha fall all over himself trying to please his pouting Omega, and made Will feel a lot better about being Mated in general.

But now that he was away from Hannibal, and thinking more clearly, worry started to seep back in. Hannibal was letting him teach for now, but what happened when Hannibal got tired of his Omega not always being available to him and not running the household? What happened when they had a big argument and Hannibal lost his temper and gave away Will’s dogs or sold his house? What happened when Hannibal lost his temper with Will’s stubbornness and started using his fists? Will knew it would happen eventually. Hannibal really was a wonderful Alpha, but he was still an Alpha, and 40% more likely to abuse his partner than a Beta.

Will tapped his fingers nervously on the steering wheel, glancing at the radio clock. Plenty of time. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was tempted to check it, but traffic was getting pretty tight on this section of I-95. Staying at his own house the night before he had classes to avoid all of this might be a good idea, but he didn’t know how that would sit with his Alpha. Everything slowed to a stop, and Will sighed. His phone buzzed again, and he took it out of his pocket. It was a text from Hannibal.

Drive carefully. Call me when you arrive.

Will rolled his eyes, thinking back on warnings about newly Mated Alphas being clingy and overprotective.

Ok

He texted back, inching along with the traffic. He immediately received a reply.

Ti amo sempre. Sta al sicuro.

Will frowned. He didn’t speak Italian. He put his phone back in his pocket and waded through traffic.

Chapter Text

“In conclusion, an unMated Alpha is radically more likely to commit murder than a Mated Alpha. Why is this? I expect to see your answers by Friday” Will turned on the lights and turned off the slideshow. It was his second class of the day, and, just like the first, a lot of students came up to him afterwards and congratulated him on being Mated. He smiled thinly and thanked them quickly, willing them all to go away and leave him alone, hand moving self-consciously to his collar. Most of the congratulations were at least somewhat genuine. A few were snide, some vaguely shocked that he’d managed it at his age. Will just wanted to be left alone and not be in a room filled with Alphas who weren’t Hannibal. He was starting to feel nervous and agoraphobic, a feeling he knew to be part of Post-Mating Omegan Anxiety Syndrome, which was extremely common with Omegas who were Mated after the age of thirty.

“Will” he heard a much more welcome voice, and looked up. Alana was walking towards him, and he felt a more genuine smile.

“Hey” he said, relaxing a little. She smiled at him as she approached. She reached out and touched the collar on his neck very lightly, and Will tipped his chin up slightly to give her better access.

“It’s beautiful. But it doesn’t seem like something Hannibal would put on you” she took a step back.

“That’s because I picked it out. He wanted to put some giant thing dripping with diamonds on my neck” that made her laugh, and Will took a moment to admire how beautiful she was. If he’d been born a Beta......

“He does love the extravagant” she looked his clothes up and down, “I’m also surprised he didn’t put you in a tie” Will grimaced.

“He did, but I took it off in the car because I looked like a dingus wearing a tie and a collar” she laughed again.

“How are you feeling?” Will leaned back against the desk.

“I feel......okay” he admitted, “Good, I guess” he couldn’t help but smile down at the floor.

“How did class go?” she leaned on the desk beside him as the students finally finished leaving. He could feel their eyes on his collar.

“Pretty good. My students keep congratulating me on my collar. Congratulating me on finding someone to own me” old bitterness was creeping back.

“They don’t mean that” she nudged him.

“They don’t think they mean that” Will rubbed his face, “And people are holding doors for me now, too. They address me as Mixter Graham, since they don’t know my new name. It’s like I suddenly matter, now that I have a collar. I only have worth now that an Alpha owns me” he new that his growing anxiety stemmed from that more than anything.

“Will” Alana said gently.

“Will” the word was short and sharp, making the Omega look up. Jack was striding towards them.

“Hello, Jack” Will said mildly, resisting the urge to put the desk between him and the Alpha.

“I didn’t expect you back in the classroom so soon” the urge to cower away was getting stronger. Alana put herself between them.

“Will is still getting back into the swing of things. What do you want?” she tipped her chin up, a small show of dominance that was guaranteed to drive Jack crazy, coming from a Beta woman. Will was simultaneously grateful for the buffer, and annoyed at being coddled, as he usually was when Alana put herself between him and Jack.

“I think Mx. Lecter can speak for himself” Jack fought to control his rising temper at being challenged. Will flinched. This was the first time someone had called him by his new name.

“I can speak for myself” he stepped around the Beta, “What do you want, Jack?”.

“I need you to look at some crime scene photos” Will noticed for the first time that Jack was holding a file.

“Find another consultant, Jack” he cut off Alana’s protests.

“You’re the best I have” Jack told him.

“I’m not interested in taking on any cases right now. Find another consultant” Will tipped his own chin up. Jack wouldn’t yell at him. Not anymore. Not now that Will had an Alpha to scurry back to and hide behind. Jack had no desire to have an angry, protective Alpha, much less Hannibal Lecter, at his doorstep.

“You do good work, Will. Don’t you want to keep saving lives?” Jack was really fighting his temper now. Alana got back between them.

“That’s not up to Will” she said sharply.

“What?” Will’s hackles rose instinctively in offense. Alana turned to look at him.

“Whether you consult with Jack isn’t up to you anymore. It’s up to your Alpha” she said in a voice that made it clear she was trying to help him, “If you want him to consult, you’ll have to talk to Hannibal about it” Will’s hackles were still up. What he did was still up to him.

“I’m not asking him to come to a crime scene, I’m just asking him to look at some photos” Jack was so close to yelling.

“I’m not interested in looking at the photos, and not because Hannibal definitely wouldn’t approve” he was under strict orders to teach his classes, stop by his house and feed the dogs, and be home in time for dinner, and do nothing else. It had seemed reasonable this morning with his head full of Hannibal’s scent, drunk on his Alpha’s presence, but now he was starting to chafe at the orders.

“Dr. Lecter doesn’t have to know that you looked over the file” Jack told him, and Will started to laugh.

“My first day back and you’re already asking me to lie to my new Mate” he said, louder than necessary, hoping his words carried. He shook his head, going back to his desk, “I’m not interested Jack. Try again in a few weeks” he packed up his bag.

“Will” Jack said, but Will walked around him.

“Not interested” he repeated, and kept walking, trying not to hunch. He just wanted to go home and have Hannibal lay on him.

“You have Jack all over your ass?” Beverly walked up, file under her arm, as Will kicked the vending machine, finally making it drop the precarious bag of chips.

“Yeah. What are you doing out of the morgue in the middle of the afternoon? Isn’t there a case right now?” he took the chips out, opening them and thinking about what Hannibal would have to say about them. The thought made him smile.

“I figured your classes would be over right about now, and Jimmy and Brian can handle the labwork for a while” she shrugged, “Wanted to see how Mated life was treating you” Will couldn’t help but smile, concentrating on the chips so he wouldn’t have to look at her, “You look good. You’ve got a glow” she pinched one of his cheeks lightly, making him laugh and pull away.

“I feel pretty good” he admitted, “Jack excluded” he munched on the chips.

“He’s getting a lot of shit from higher up now that the media’s gotten its claws into the case” she put her money in the second machine, “Killer who only kills Mated Alphas with children. Killed five so far” she pushed the button for an orange drink, side-eyeing him. Will sighed.

“And you just happen to have the file on you, right?” he asked sarcastically.

“Jack doesn’t dare ask you to do anything more than look at it without Lecter’s permission. It’s why he sent a Beta” she took the drink out, opening it, and offering the file to Will. Will frowned at her, then took it.

“Just once” he warned, opening the file and flipping through it.

“It’s a copy. You can take it with you if you want. Hide it in your other papers” she said, and he scowled.

“I finally get Mated and everyone wants me to start lying to my Alpha” he grumbled, “I’ll look at it” he closed the file and stuck it under his arm, sliding past her to get his own drink.

“I owe you one” she said.

“Yeah, you do” he replied, then gave her a smile that was more of a grimace and walked away. She shook her head. Mission accomplished.

Will sat in his office, looking through the file. Five Mated Alphas, male and female, with children, dead. They had different numbers of children, different ethnicities, different religions, different occupations, their Mates were different genders. Will scratched his chin, looking at the photos. The Alphas were all brutalized, but not demasculated. These were violent, passionate murders. The killer hated these Alphas. An unMated Alpha? A widowed Alpha? A Beta who wished he was an Alpha? Thoughts and ideas jumbled around in Will’s head. It didn’t feel like jealousy. It felt like grief.

He closed the file and tucked it in his papers, and drove home to see his dogs. They greeted him with such joy and adoration that Will couldn’t quite bring himself to be too angry at Jack.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes” Will chanted, tipping his head back. He’d been nervous at first when Hannibal had wanted to tie his wrists to the headboard, but it was amazing. He didn’t have to worry about what to do with his hands and he could just let the Alpha use him. The helplessness was both terrifying and painfully arousing.

With Will unable to grab at him and try to speed up the pace, Hannibal was taking his sweet time, stroking Will’s bruised thighs and kissing him luxuriously, occasionally moving down to his neck.

“Caro mio” Hannibal said into his mouth, “Mon amour. Ya tebya lyublyu” Will choked on a laugh.

“Y-Y-You’re j-just show, ah, showing off” he gasped, earning him a low rumble of a laugh from his Alpha.

“Aš tave myliu” Hannibal whispered in his ear. Will groaned as Hannibal lifted his hips off the bed and started to fuck him harder, “Maniškis” Hannibal grunted, going faster, “Maniškis” he repeated in a growl.

“Hannibal” Will moaned loudly, and Hannibal snarled out a long string of Lithuanian, biting his neck viciously, “Hannibal?” Will was so close, right on the edge, but something had changed, he could feel it. Hannibal snarled something else in Lithuanian, biting at Will’s throat, “Hannibal?” Will said again, a little bit afraid for the first time. The Alpha seemed to have completely lost his ability to speak English, spitting something at Will that sounded crude. He was moving faster, biting harder, snarling wordlessly. Will came, but Hannibal kept going. He made an angry, frustrated noise, reaching up and tearing the ribbon off Will’s wrists, pulling out of him and flipping the Omega onto his stomach.

“Hannibal” it felt good; painful but good, but Will was still trapped against the bed. Hannibal pounded him into the mattress with renewed vigor, biting Will’s shoulders and back viciously, holding his wrists in his hands too tightly, “Oh, oh, ah, Hannibal” it was really starting to hurt, “Hannibal!!” it was like being fucked by an animal. The Alpha snarled loudly, making a noise almost like a roar, and came inside of Will, going limp on top of him, his knot swelling half-heartedly now that Will wasn’t in heat. They both panted, Hannibal’s face in Will’s hair, breath hot on his flushed, bruised neck. They lay together as Hannibal’s knot shrunk, filling Will with his semen. They lay in silence for a time. Then Hannibal slid out of Will, pushing himself up off the bed, “Hannibal” Will whispered, exhausted. Hannibal brusquely pulled the blanket up over the debauched Omega, not saying anything, “Hannibal” he said again. The Alpha turned his back, getting redressed, still not speaking. Will lifted his head, looking uncertainly at the Alpha, who neither looked at him nor spoke, demeanor cold and withdrawn. He left the room without a word, and his Omega stared after him.

Chapter Text

Hannibal didn’t return to bed that night, and Will cried himself to sleep. He thought about calling to his Alpha to come back. He didn’t doubt that he could lure Hannibal back to bed with a few purrs and whimpers. But Will was too scared to face Hannibal after what had happened. Had he done something wrong?

The memory of Hannibal’s wild behavior stayed with Will. It had been.......exciting. Terrifying, but very exciting. Will thought he might have liked it if he could have been sure that Hannibal wouldn’t really hurt him, but he still didn’t know Hannibal very well.

Will woke up in the middle of the night and cried more when he realized Hannibal hadn’t returned. In the morning, he crept fearfully downstairs to find breakfast already made from him and a short note about Hannibal staying in his office for lunch and that there was a pre-made lunch in the refrigerator. Will quietly ate his breakfast and stared at the empty plate. He picked it up and threw it, watching it shatter against the wall. He stared at the broken pieces on the floor, and put his face in his hands.

Will spent most of the day at his house with his dogs. He wore the plainest collar he could find in Hannibal’s closet (their closet). He took out his fly tying kit, spreading it out over the large desk. The dogs lounged around at his feet as he took the bits of bone and fur and feather and carefully tied them into little fishing flies, feeling the stress start to seep out of his body.

It gave him time to think. He replayed the previous night over and over again in his mind. What had he done wrong? There had to be something. He thought of everything leading up to what had happened.

“Long day?” Will asked, slumped across Hannibal’s leather sofa (their leather sofa).

“Exceedingly” Hannibal looked exhausted as he hung up his jacket. Will admired his back. Nice. He got up, moving towards his Alpha, putting his hands on the man’s shoulders. He squeezed once, and Hannibal sighed. Will rested against his back.

“Will you hold me?” he asked.

“It would bring me great pleasure” he turned around, running his fingers through Will’s hair, pulling him close. Will pressed his nose into Hannibal’s neck, inhaling his scent, luxuriating in being held tightly against a broad, warm chest. Hannibal’s body was still tense against his. He really had had a long day. He felt Hannibal nosing his hair and scenting him, reassuring himself that his Omega was safe, here, in his embrace. He was still so tense, back ramrod straight. Will made a soft noise in the back of his throat, and listened to Hannibal’s sharp inhale. Will made quiet, soothing noises of reassurance, kissing Hannibal’s throat. Hannibal’s chest rumbled, barely a growl, and he began to relax. Will hummed his approval.

“What’s for dinner?” he whispered as Hannibal began to gently rock him back and forth and oh, didn’t that feel nice.

“I was thinking about roast lamb” Hannibal murmured. He let go of Will enough to tip his chin up and kiss him. Will sighed.

“It doesn’t matter to me. Your food is always good” he said against Hannibal’s lips, touching his tongue to the Alpha’s. Hannibal made a low, pleased noise at the praise, finally letting go of his Omega. He looked relaxed now, no longer tense and stressed.

“Come” he beckoned to his Omega, “I will teach you to make the dish”.

Will tied the line into a perfect, little knot, carefully snipping off the excess. Was Hannibal angry that Will had used Omegan purrs to calm him down? Did he feel like Will had used his nature to manipulate him? Or was he angry about Will getting distracted in the kitchen by the sight of his Mate’s back, muscles rippling under the thin shirt, and squashing the ripe tomato he was supposed to be cutting? Had Will done something at dinner? Had he taken his collar off too soon after he got home?

Will paused to consider. Maybe that was it. Maybe once Hannibal had come down off of his sexual high, he had remembered that Will had taken his collar off before dinner. Will gnawed his lip. His new, Mated side sniveled and sobbed at the idea of displeasing his Alpha, his Omegan side told him to go grovel and apologize and show his Alpha his belly, his pride told him that he’d done nothing wrong, and his logic told him that Hannibal wasn’t that tempermental of an Alpha. Will rubbed his eyes. Maybe he’d balked too much at the suggestion of being tied to the bed. Maybe he’d expected Will to be more eager to be tied up.

Will pushed his chair away from the desk, turning his back to it. His dogs lifted their heads and Buster cocked an ear. He stepped over them, walking back to the file he’d gotten from Katz, roughly spreading the papers over his kitchen table. He put both hands on the table, leaning over it and staring the pictures down with intent. Five dead Alphas, most of whom did not have eyes or anything recognizable as a face, stared back, stoic and mute. What had these Alphas done to deserve this? What had he done to deserve Hannibal’s silence?

Will shook his head. People were dying. That was more important than his Matial issues.

‘Nothing is more important than Alpha’ the Mated side of his brain said loyally. No, a lot of things were more important than Hannibal. He sighed and scrubbed his face. This was going nowhere. He had nothing. He was wasting his time and Jack’s time. He roughly shoved the papers and glossy photos back into the file, stuffing it in his bag with more force than necessary. He couldn’t do anything like this. He had to do something about it.

“You took several weeks off, did something happen?” was Franklyn’s opening line.

“Franklyn, our session is a time to talk about you, not me” he was tired of saying it, and Hannibal didn’t know if he could make it through this session without killing this Beta. He was already in a foul mood.

“I know, but I was just kind of worried. It was very sudden. Was there a family emergency?” Franklyn seemed genuinely concerned, and Hannibal was tempted to do something as unseemly as roll his eyes.

“There was no emergency. It was a personal matter. Now, about the party you were considering attending that we were discussing last week-” he already knew that Franklyn would not be deterred from his chosen subject of inquiry, but he was far more likely to kill this man than resign himself to intrusive questions.

“Something’s changed. You seem different” Franklyn tipped his head slightly, “Did something happen while you were gone?” as Hannibal opened his mouth, formulating another eloquent way to say ‘that’s none of your goddamned business’, when there was a loud knock on his office door. Hannibal twitched and turned to look at the door. As much as he welcomed any way out of having to talk to this blithering buffoon, he did not tolerate interruptions during his appointments. There was another knock, and Hannibal’s mouth thinned.

“Please excuse me” he said softly, standing up and stalking towards the door, his facade of normalcy slipping, showing the predator underneath. Fortunately, Franklyn was too much of a fool to notice. He opened the door, fully prepared to bite the head off the extremely discourteous intruder, and found himself looking at his Mate, who had a determined expression on his face.

“We need to talk” Will said without preface.

“I have a patient” Hannibal said curtly.

“I can wait, but you’re not getting out of here without talking to me” Will said quietly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it” Hannibal said with a certain amount of sarcasm, and closed the door in Will’s face. Will’s face turned red and tears welled up in his eyes, but he roughly wiped them away, going and sitting down in the waiting room. He had to keep this anger. He had to fuel it and keep it burning, or else it would dwindle away and he would be left sniveling and groveling at Hannibal’s feet for forgiveness. He wouldn’t let himself be afraid of his Alpha, not now.

About half an hour went by, and the door opened. The obnoxious Beta from the opera peeked out curiously, and Will saw recognition on his face. He stepped out, opening his mouth, and his eyes moved to the thin collar on Will’s neck.

“I remember you. You’re-” he started.

“My Mate” Hannibal said, appearing behind him and instantly shutting him up. Will stood, and the Beta gawked between them, “My Mate who apparently very urgently needs to speak with me” Will walked past them both, into the office, “I will see you at your next appointment, Franklyn” Hannibal said.

“Wait, you two are-?” Hannibal closed the door in his face and turned around, polite, neutral expression gone, “Will” he said quietly. The Omega was pacing the room, “Would you like to explain yourself?” he looked angry, but that was probably from having his session interrupted.......or from having that session at all.

“Me? Why don’t you explain yourself?” Will jabbed and accusing finger in his Alpha’s direction, “What the fuck was that last night?” Hannibal pursed his lips.

“A mistake. I apologize if I frightened or hurt you” he approached his Omega, who was fighting the desire to either flee or fall at Hannibal’s feet. Will locked his knees.

“I was pretty hurt. You wouldn’t even tell me what was wrong, you just left” he stood up straight, looking his Alpha in the eye. Hannibal’s eyes revealed nothing.

“I assumed you wouldn’t want me in the room after what happened” Hannibal said.

“You-you what?” Will’s face wrinkled with confusion.

“My lapse of control was unacceptable” he was told seriously. His forehead creased further.

“What?!? Why would you automatically assume that I wanted-?” he snapped.

“I was ashamed of myself, Will” Hannibal said, and Will stopped, closing his mouth, “I was ashamed of myself and I did not want to see the confusion and hurt and fear on your face, so I fled, like a coward” it was clearly a hard admission to make. Will stared at him with wide eyes.

“But you didn’t say anything” he whispered.

“I thought you would be too frightened to stay in the bed with me for the rest of the night. I was never angry with you, and I’m sorry if I gave you that impression” he touched Will’s face. Will pulled away.

“You told me you loved me, then you fucked me like a wild animal, and left without looking at me. What was I supposed to think?” he hissed. Hannibal tilted his head.

“It was not my intention to make you feel as if you had done something wrong” he said. Will wiped his eyes, then laughed, sniffing a few times.

“You’re an asshole” he walked up and wrapped his arms around his Alpha’s neck. There was a split second of hesitation before Hannibal wrapped his arms around his Omega, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Will’s back. He kissed the side of Will’s head.

“I love you” he said.

“I love you too” Will whispered, and Hannibal stopped rubbing for half a second, then resumed. Will clung tighter. It was the first time he’d ever admitted it, and it scared him. His grip loosened, and he let go, pulling back, “What was that last night?” he asked, reaching up and touching Hannibal’s face, before snatching his hand away guiltily. Hannibal captured his hand and kissed his palm.

“I lost control of myself. It was unacceptable” he said, tracing his lips over Will’s life line.

“It was insane” Will said with a breathless laugh, “It came out of nowhere”.

“I was overcome by my desire for you” the Alpha said.

“There was no indication of anything like that, then all of a sudden, boom, you turn into a wild animal” Will said, and Hannibal grimaced his displeasure.

“My desire for you is vast” he kissed Will’s knuckles. The Omega was looking at him, as if trying to puzzle him out, and their eyes met again, and stayed for a long moment. Will’s expression slowly changed.

“Oh” he said very quietly, “You’re a psychopath, aren’t you?” his face fell.

“I do have a few psychopathic tendencies, yes, but that is not uncommon among male Alphas” Hannibal kissed his knuckles again, “But I love you, fiercely” Will was still looking at him with those crestfallen eyes.

“I thought you were different” he breathed.

“I am different” he leaned in and kissed his Omega, who automatically relaxed into his touch, “I will protect you from anything that tries to harm you. I will give you whatever your heart desires. I will do everything that is within my power to make you happy. You are the apple of my eye” Hannibal kissed him again.

“Will you let me work on cases for Jack?” Will asked, and Hannibal paused. He held Will at arm’s length.

“Has Jack been asking you about a case?” he asked, frowning.

“He just wanted me to look at a file. I glanced at it” Will said nonchalantly. Hannibal’s frown deepened.

“I asked you only to teach, visit your dogs, and come home” he said, and Will squirmed.

“He just gave me the file, and I agreed to look at it, nothing else happened” lie, “It’s fine”. Hannibal did not look like he thought it was fine, but his phone began to ring. He took it out.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear” he said, then answered it, “Agent Crawford” he said politely. He paused, walking away from Will so the Omega could not hear was was being said, “I see” he tilted his head, “You presume a lot, Jack” Will was edging towards him, not liking being left out, “I assume this is an urgent matter” Hannibal paused again and listened. Will could hear that Jack was talking, but not what he was saying, “We are together now. Text me the address. And Jack” he said, “We are not going to make a habit of this” he paused again, then hung up.

“What?” Will had completely forgotten about his concerns about his Alpha.

“There is a new body. Jack wants you to look at it. I will escort you at the crime scene” Hannibal checked his phone as a text came in. Will turned red.

“And you agreed for me?” he asked.

“You had already agreed to look at the file” Hannibal walked over and got his coat, fetching his keys.

“You didn’t even stop to ask me if I wanted to go” Will was entirely willing to go to the crime scene, but that Hannibal had made the entire decision for him and there was nothing he could do about it rankled.

“Will, you have been brimming with impatience and excess energy, eager to return to work. I would think you’d be pleased that I am continuing to allow you to consult for Jack, as I am in no way obligated to do so” Hannibal put on the coat. Will deflated a little.

“Yeah” he said quietly, looking at his hands.

“Come. I suppose that collar will suffice” Hannibal beckoned, and Will walked begrudgingly towards him. Hannibal kissed his temple, twining their fingers together and leading his reluctant Omega out the door.

Chapter Text

Hannibal was on the other side of the car, opening the door for him, before Will could get his seatbelt off. He offered his hand, and Will allowed him his little show of Alpha chivalry (more like a show of Alpha authority), taking his hand and letting himself be pulled out of the car. Hannibal’s hand went to the small of his back, and Will tried to sidle away from the touch. Hannibal gave him a look, but didn’t press the subject. Jack was striding towards them, and Hannibal stepped forward, partially blocking his Omega from the other Alpha.

‘It’s barely been a month since we were Mated. He’s still going to be overly protective of me. It’s natural for a freshly Mated Alpha to act this way’ Will reminded himself as irritation made his skin prickle. All things considered, Hannibal’s reactions were pretty tame. A lot of Alphas wouldn’t let their Omegas out of the house for months, with or without them. Jack brought himself up to his full height when he got closer.

“Thanks for coming” he addressed Hannibal as if Will wasn’t there.

“I consider us friends, Jack. This is a favor” Hannibal emphasized.

“I appreciate it. We’ll give you everything we get from the scene after you’re done with it” Jack said to Hannibal.

“Excuse me, who was invited to profile this murder, me or him?” Will cut in, gritting his teeth. Both Alphas turned to look at him. Hannibal didn’t seem particularly surprised or perturbed by Will’s behavior, but Jack’s mouth thinned.

“Just come look at it before my team disobeys me and is all over the body” he said, turning around. Hannibal took Will’s hand and squeezed it placatingly, rubbing his thumb over Will’s metacarpals, and they followed Jack. Will let go of his hand, walking ahead. He was surprised when Hannibal didn’t protest. Usually the Alpha walked in front, with the Omega right behind, unless they were holding hands or linking arms.

Will moved past the large, industrial container in the abandoned shipyard they were in, walking out into the open where the body was. A loud wolf-whistle came from somewhere nearby, making him freeze, cheeks red, a split second before Hannibal came out behind him, and Will could feel the surge of possessiveness and anger from behind him before Hannibal stepped in front of him, eyes burning, seeking out the perpetrator. There was a slightly quieter, “Oh shit, Lecter’s with him” with a “Oh my God, you are so fucked” and “Was that entirely necessary?” at the same time afterwards. Both Will and Hannibal turned to see Beverly, with both hands over her mouth, eyes wide with shock, fear, and merriment, and Zeller backing away with his hands in the air. Price looked both concerned and exasperated. Her eyes met Hannibal’s, and he held it, keeping Will behind him. Whatever she saw made her shrink away more, moving to hide behind Price, who seemed unhappy to used as a shield. Will grabbed Hannibal’s hand.

“Hannibal” he whispered, and his Alpha turned to look at him, "She's joking".

“It’s my job to protect you, Will” he tucked a curl behind Will’s ear, shooting a chilling look back at Katz and pulled Will towards the body. Will grimaced apologetically at her as Jack started to yell at her for inappropriate conduct at a crime scene. If Hannibal hadn’t been there, Jack wouldn’t have scolded her. He would have just rolled his eyes like he usually did.

The body was almost identical to the others: brutalized, face mutilated, no genital mutilation. Will stared down dispassionately at her. Like most Alpha women, she wasn’t voluptuous, but definitely had curves. She’s been a redhead. She might have even been pretty.

“We have an ID on the body?” Will asked.

“Not yet. Can you give us anything?” Jack seemed impatient.

“Maybe. I need to be alone” Will rubbed his chin.

“Alright, all of you, clear out” he told his team, who quickly left.

“Would you like me to leave as well?” Will heard a quiet voice by his ear and startled. He’d forgotten Hannibal was there.

“I......no. You can stay” he said quietly. He didn’t want to embarrass Hannibal in public more than necessary, and an Omega demanding their Alpha left was definitely embarrassing. He glanced over his shoulder at Hannibal, who wasn’t smiling, but seemed pleased, nonetheless. Will stepped closer to the body, and Hannibal didn’t follow. He closed his eyes.

Whoosh

Whoosh

The pendulum swung, taking him back.

“It’s easy to lure her here. Alphas are predictable. I cry and bat my eyelashes and she follows. I stab her in the chest, once, twice, while she’s in shock. She would never expect an attack from me. I use this to my advantage. I knock her back, and she tries to fight. But I have trained for this. I am stronger. I have to be stronger”

“I stab her three more times in the chest, making sure she’s dead. I use my knife to tear her face. They won’t be able to show her children. It will make it easier for them to forget her. Her Omega will mourn her passing, but I have saved their family. I must stop Alphas before they kill their children. Just as he killed mine.”

“I wear gloves and leave no evidence behind. This is my design”

Will opened his eyes. The Alphas body swam in his vision. She had deserved it. He had killed her because she deserved it. They all deserved it. Alphas were all the same. He had to save the children. He couldn’t let them die. Will gritted his teeth. They were all the same.

“Will”

Just like him. He had taken Will’s children away. He had murdered them. That’s why Will had murdered him. He was going to kill all these Alphas so he could punish him again and again and again.

“Will, listen to me, you’re having an episode.....Will”

He’d kill them all. Especially the ones that hid what they were. That pretended to be kind and loving to their families. He had pretended. He had fooled Will, even through their Mating bond. Will had never imagined that he would hurt them. His babies. His babies.

“Will” there were hands on his shoulders, and a deep growl reverberated through both of them. He had tried to control Will using growls. He had kept Will living in terror of his anger, “Will, come back to me” the growl grew louder and Will turned. Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.

With a scream of pure rage, Will lashed out, clawing the Alpha’s face. The Alpha stumbled back, taken completely by surprise. Will lunged, biting the first thing he could get his mouth on, a clothed shoulder, and clawing wildly.

“Will!!” he heard from somewhere nearby, but Will had to protect his babies. The Alpha would kill them. Will moved back just far enough to rush the Alpha and use his body weight to knock him back. Their eyes met, and Will realized that he’d made a grave mistake. He killed big, scary monsters. He killed them using the element of surprise. He chose ones he could take. But this monster was much bigger, and much scarier than he had anticipated.

“Don’t get between them!!” someone said, but Will didn’t hear them.

The Alpha moved like a panther, all muscle and sinew and lethal grace. He grabbed Will, knocking him to the ground. Will screamed and struggled, deranged and far stronger than he should have been. The Alpha was struggling to keep him down.

“He’s finally lost his fucking mind” another voice.

“Will!!!” the Alpha said loudly. Will tried to bite at him, trying to claw the hands holding his wrists, still screaming, “WILL!!!” the Alpha yelled, and growled, low and deep in his chest, the sound reverberating through both of them. Will went limp, “There you are” the Alpha murmured, “You’re safe, Will” Will panted, closing his eyes, “You’re safe now” Will whined in his throat, and the Alpha let go of his hands, moving back to shift his weight off of him, “I’ve got you, W-” the Omega surged forward and sank his teeth into the Alpha’s neck, clawing the back of his head. The Alpha pulled him into his arms, and Will sank his teeth deeper.

“What the fuck” Will barely heard the words, screaming against the flesh he was biting. The Alpha held him close, wrapping Will’s arms around him.

“I’m right here, Will” there was pain in his voice, “I’m right here. I’ve got you, Will. You’re safe” Will keened into the Alpha’s neck, “You’re safe now, mylimasis. I have you. You don’t have to be afraid. I will protect you” he whispered, and Will whined, “You’re safe, caro mio” he whispered to Will in Italian, and Will keened, slowly letting go of the Alpha’s neck. Fingers moved through his hair, and Will started to sob.

“Hannibal” he said, and Hannibal shushed him gently.

“I’m here, Will. You have nothing to fear. You’re safe, here, with me. I’ve got you” he whispered, and Will sobbed harder.

“Hannibal” he said again, blubbering and licking the blood from the deep bitemark he’d left on his Alpha’s neck. Hannibal whispered to him in Lithuanian while Will sobbed uncontrollably.

“I need EMTs, now” he heard as if at a distance, his world condensed down to the space between him and Hannibal and Hannibal’s fingers in his hair. Hannibal continued to whisper sweet things that Will couldn’t understand, waiting for Will to cry himself out.

The Omega was nearly unconscious when the paramedics arrived, and let Hannibal carry him to the ambulance. He stared blankly at the pavement as his scrapes and bruises were treated, his fingers twined with Hannibal’s, who was having the bites and scratches tended. Hannibal stroked Will’s metacarpals with his thumb while Will sniffled and hiccupped. Hannibal was answering questions, but Will couldn’t hear what he was saying. Everything was muffled. Then he was pulled into his Alpha’s arms, and he climbed into Hannibal’s lap, straddling his knees and clinging to him. Hannibal stroked his back and murmured to him. He might have been speaking English, Will couldn’t tell. Slowly, he began to hear what was being said.

“......will be entirely up to him, but I will not allow it for quite some time. It was too soon for him to come back” Hannibal was saying.

“I wouldn’t have called if I’d thought this would happen” Jack sounded kind of resigned to the fact that he was losing Will.

“I wouldn’t have let him come if I’d thought this would happen. I don’t blame you for this, but you certainly contributed” Hannibal’s fingers in Will’s hair felt so nice.

“Jack” Will said, and the two Alphas stopped talking. Will sat up, looking at the black Alpha, “Jack, she’s an Omega” he rasped.

“Who?” Jack’s brow furrowed.

“The killer. Her Alpha was psychotic, and abused her. He killed her children, and she killed him. Now she kills Alphas with families because she thinks if she doesn’t kill them, they’ll kill their children” both Alphas looked at him like he’d lost his mind, “She hates Alphas so much. She especially hates Alphas who appear to be loving Mates. She thinks they’re all abusive liars. All she cares about is protecting these children” Hannibal was stroking Will’s hair again.

“She kills Alphas and you empathized too closely with her” Hannibal said, and Will closed his eyes, nodding.

“I’m sorry” he whispered, clinging to his Alpha again and pressing his face into the uninjured side of his neck, “I’m so sorry” and Hannibal began shushing him again.

“Will, are you sure?” Jack said, “This isn’t something you can throw around lightly. An Omegan killer is going to be big news. Big news” he emphasized. Will nodded.

“Her Alpha killed her children while she wasn’t there. When she got home and found them dead, she went insane and killed her Alpha. That’s going to narrow your search by a lot” he cuddled closer to his Alpha, “She probably escaped from a psychiatric facility” he abruptly thought of Abigail. Hannibal seemed to know what he was thinking.

“We’ll visit Abigail soon” he murmured into Will’s ear, barely audible.

“And you’re sure” Jack repeated.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like my Alpha to take me home” Will said quietly, and he could feel Hannibal smile.

“He needs rest. He’s worn himself out” Will closed his eyes, resting his head on Hannibal’s shoulder, and dozed off.

Will woke up in Hannibal’s car, leaning against the window with Hannibal’s jacket folded under his head. He blinked a few times, turning and looking at his Alpha.

“How are you feeling?” Hannibal asked.

“Tired. Sore” he murmured.

“I always knew you had fight in you, Will, but I never suspected how much” Hannibal said jokingly, and Will looked guiltily at his lap.

“I hurt you” he said quietly.

“Nothing that won’t heal” his Alpha assured him, “Right now we need to go home, and I’ll make us some dinner” he reached over and took Will’s hand, squeezing it. Will glanced at the clock. It was four, going on five. Another elaborate dinner. He smiled slightly, resigning himself to it. There were much worse things than having fancy food forced on you at every meal.

Hannibal sat still, letting Will gently take the bandages off his face, and replace them. He could see that Will’s eyes were wet, and he rubbed the Omega’s bare side.

“Don’t fret, mylimasis. I’ll be perfectly fine” he closed his eyes.

“They’ll scar. Everyone will see them” Will whispered.

“Yes. And they will know that my Omega is fierce and proud and worthy of an Alpha like me” Hannibal murmured as Will bandaged one on his forehead. Will snickered.

“An Alpha like you? That’s rather arrogant of you, Dr. Lecter” Will put a little neosporin on the bandage, pressing it to Hannibal’s cheek.

“I prefer the terms ‘confident’ and ‘self-assured’” Hannibal murmured, making Will laugh quietly, “I am a wealthy man of fine tastes and admirable talent. I am a skilled surgeon, an excellent psychiatrist, a superb chef, and am active and healthy for my age. I am certainly not perfect, but I am comfortable with my own Alphaninity” he stroke his Omega’s sides.

“Arrogant, Dr. Lecter” Will laughed.

“Self-confident, Mx. Lecter” Hannibal looked at his Mate with dark eyes, and saw an emotion flicker across Will’s face as his hands hesitated, “Legally, you are now William Lecter, but if you wish, you may go by your Omegan name in your work with the FBI. If you’d like, we can let you keep Graham, but add it as either von or van Graham, as is customary in many Baltic countries” Will bit his lip, smiling.

“Will Lecter von Graham” he wrinkled his nose, “It sounds so unnecessary” he add a bandage on Hannibal’s jawline.

“It is very common where I am from. Many European countries allow Omegas to keep their Omegan names in some form. In Britain they had an ‘O’ suffix, or a ‘Mac’. In France they use ‘de’. Spain, as well as its daughter countries in Latin America, almost always have four names, no matter their sex. First, middle, father’s name, mother’s name. When an Omega from one of these countries is Mated, they will take their Alpha’s name, then their father’s name” Hannibal leaned in and kissed his Mate.

“Thanks for the world culture lesson, which I already knew, but I think I’ll stick to Will Graham Lecter and have them call me Graham at Quantico” Will kissed him back, “I did a lot of reading about Omegas all over the world when I was in college. I would have in high school, but there were absolutely no books about it available. I spent my Junior and Senior years of high school in a little town in Louisiana. It had not changed with the times” he smiled bitterly, “There were still sections of the library that only Alphas and Betas could read from, and once you Presented you took separate classes” he stared at his hands, remembering the lengths he’d had to go to to even apply for a scholarship to a university. He’d had to drive his dad’s car three counties over into a bigger city to find registration forms, and he had to submit them there, because the town he was in wouldn’t have mailed them. He’d had to lie about where he was going and what he was doing. He’d used every last penny he had on suppressants and a private mailbox in the big city. The suppressants he’d had to get illegally until he got the scholarship.

“You don’t have to worry about those things now. There is no book or document I would not procure for you” Hannibal told him as he gently peeled off the bloody bandage on his neck. He winced at the sight of what he’d done, carefully disinfecting it again and bandaging it with neosporin.

“I know” Will said, “It just makes me angry to remember” he rested his head on Hannibal’s other shoulder. He paused, “I hurt you, Hannibal. I left scars on you” he whispered. Hannibal kissed his temple.

“I left my mark on you” he touched the bites and bruises covering Will’s neck, “Now you’ve left your mark on me” he sounded pleased, if anything, like he was proud that his Omega had had a psychotic episode and tried to kill him.

“You’re not angry?” he asked. Hannibal stroked his back.

“No, Will. You were not yourself, and you were angry and afraid. I am displeased with myself that I agreed to allow you to visit the crime scene”.

“I told you you shouldn’t have agreed for me” Will mumbled, and Hannibal chuckled.

“You were right. I will not make that mistake again” and they kissed.

Chapter Text

Will and Hannibal stayed in the next several days, cuddling and fucking like rabbits. Will fretted over Hannibal’s neck, constantly changing the bandage until Hannibal put his foot down on the subject. The wound would be cleaned once a day. Will resigned himself to sulking around, while Hannibal went about his day, cooking and reading extensively. Will did small, household chores and felt guilty and sorry for himself. The fourth day after the ‘incident’, Will made a decision. One that made him very nervous. It took him most of the afternoon to swallow his pride for it, eating dinner without a word. Hannibal seemed comfortable with their silence.

After dinner, Will finally gave himself the push. Hannibal was in the living room, reading something in Latin. He glanced up when his Omega entered the room, his eyes warm. The sight of him made Will’s Omegan side squirm with absolute delight. Will cleared his throat.

“I’ve been doing some thinking” he said, and Hannibal nodded once, “About what happened. I still feel pretty bad about it” he rubbed the back of his neck. Hannibal liked to pin Will to the bed and nibble the back of his neck, making his Omega whine and squirm, toes curling.

“You should not blame yourself for what happened, Will” Hannibal told him earnestly. Will nodded.

“Yeah, I know, but I still feel bad” he glanced away, “And I.......wanted to make it up to you” he tried his very best not to hunch, but it was a losing battle.

“You are not obligated in any way to atone. I bear no resentment or blame against you” Hannibal closed the book, his finger keeping his place.

“I know, but I really want to make it up to you” Will took a deep breath. The years of struggle and resistance he’d taught himself fought viciously, attacking his pride and his guilt. Will stepped closer and sank to his knees in front of Hannibal, between his legs. It was a classic, cliched pose of submission, the Omega on his knees between his Alpha’s legs. Hannibal’s eyes had widened slightly, his eyebrows (or what Will could make out of them. He liked to make fun of his Alpha’s eyebrows and stroke the sparse, blond hairs there) rising a fraction.

“Will” he said in a low voice. Will made eye contact with him, then lowered his head. He unzipped Hannibal’s pants, taking his cock out. Christ, Alpha cocks were big. And Hannibal was uncircumcised too. Will glanced back up at his Alpha, and wrapped his lips around the end. Hannibal let out a long exhale, looking into Will’s eyes as if mesmerized by the sight of him. Will hummed, rubbing his tongue over the slit. It thickened, beginning to harden in his mouth, foreskin retracting to reveal the head. He wrapped one hand around the thick base, taking more into his mouth, closing his eyes. He sighed, moving his head and sucking. He ran his tongue along the underside, taking it deeper, stroking the foreskin with the tip of his tongue. Hannibal’s free hand was resting on top of Will’s head, fingers knotted lightly in his hair. Will gagged slightly, and Hannibal used his hold to push Will away slightly, but Will lowered his head again, gagging less as he took the thick, Alpha cock down his throat. He’d done this before. Not with a cock this big, but he knew what to do.

“Mmm” he hummed, enjoying the response he got.

“Will” Hannibal’s voice was rough. Will hummed quietly in response, using both hands now, pumping as he sucked. His hand moved to fondle Hannibal’s balls, and the Alpha growled, making Will giggle, turning his attention away from Hannibal’s cock to lick his balls, which were tightening. Hannibal gripped his hair tightly now, straining at the roots in the most deliciously painful way.

“Mmmm” Will moved back to Hannibal’s cock, kissing the head and wrapping his lips around it.

“If you had any idea what you looked like” Hannibal said roughly, and Will looked up at him through his lashes, plump red lips wrapped around his cock, and it took all the control Hannibal had not to roughly fuck the Omega’s face and let Will keep going at his own pace. He did move his hips, and Will groaned approvingly, twisting slightly as he pumped, “Will, I’m going to cum” Hannibal growled, and Will bobbed his head, still sucking. Hannibal’s hips jerked, and he snarled as he came into Will’s mouth. The Omegan part of Will’s brain was chanting at him to swallow, and he did try, but Alphas just came so much, and it ended up dribbling out of his mouth onto his chin. They both panted, looking at each other. Hannibal was staring at him like he was the Hope Diamond: immeasurably precious and likely to lead to his downfall. Will’s cheeks were flushed as he panted, lips rosy red, semen dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

Still panting, Hannibal pulled the pocket square out of the suit jacket that he was still wearing, unfolding it and reaching down, wiping Will’s mouth and chin. Will closed his eyes and let his face be cleaned, making a face of distaste that made Hannibal chuckle. He tucked Hannibal back into his pants, the sticky saliva coating his cock making a faint wet spot, and zipped him back up. He rested his head on Hannibal’s thigh, and Hannibal’s hand moved through his hair.

“I ought to invent more reasons for you to apologize” Hannibal said, and Will laughed breathlessly.

“I only give favors I want to give” he smiled flirtatiously, nose still wrinkled. He’d forgotten how salty cum was. Hannibal beckoned, and Will stood up, knees wobbly, and was pulled into his Alpha’s lap.

“I could never wish for a better Omega” Hannibal pressed his mouth to Will’s shoulder. Will laughed.

“Hannibal, I tried to claw your face off” he relaxed against his Alpha’s chest.

“Because you are fierce and have good survival instincts. I should like to think that if you ever feel threatened by another Alpha, you will attack him with as much vigor” Hannibal kissed his neck, “But I will not allow any Alpha to threaten you” Will smiled and closed his eyes, shivering when a hand went under his shirt and started rubbing his stomach. He sighed.

“You can’t protect me from everything” he turned his head to nose Hannibal’s ear.

“I can and I will. If any Alpha should ever try to harm you, I will find him, and I will eat him” Hannibal turned his head to kiss Will’s jaw. Will giggled.

“You gonna cook’m up as fillet mignon?” he asked. Hannibal hummed and smiled into his neck.

“I was thinking about cutlets, roasted with basil and chives and a garnish of romanesco” Hannibal hummed, and Will giggled louder. Hannibal thought of the indolent parking attendant he had in his freezer, and decided to make tenderloin for his Omega.

“I’ll help you get rid of the body” Will smiled, “We’ll bury it on my property” he turned to kiss just beside Hannibal’s mouth. Hannibal turned his head so their lips met, “Hannibal, I should-” Hannibal cut him off with a deep, passionate kiss. After several long moments, they broke apart. Hannibal looked thoughtful.

“How disappointing” he said. Will’s stomach sank.

“What?” he asked. Hannibal grimaced.

“I taste terrible” he said, and Will paused, before throwing back his head and laughing. He laughed and laughed and laughed, boneless in Hannibal’s arms.

“Did you think you were going to taste good?” he asked, “Hannibal Lecter and his gourmet cum” Will cackled.

“I do not appreciate being mocked” Hannibal said, but his tone was light and playful. Will just laughed harder, turning and kissing his Alpha again, grabbing him by the back of his head and pulling him close.

Will woke up to an empty bed, light filtering in through the windows. He yawned and stretched, sighing. He pushed himself up out of bed, rubbing his eyes, and padding into the bathroom. He had a class today. He showered. He was tempted to use the fancy lotion Hannibal had gotten him, but he didn’t want to go into the academy looking and smelling like he had a rich Alpha. He dressed in the least eye-catching thing he could find on his side of the closet, carefully selecting a silver collar with a dainty, useless padlock. Wearing the collar wasn’t so bad. People treated him better and it felt good. It still stung his pride, but he was getting past it. It wasn’t like he had a choice.

He padded downstairs in his socks, still sleepy and content. He walked into the kitchen and found a steaming bowl of gourmet oatmeal sitting out, but no Hannibal. He picked up the bowl by the potholder under it, walking around the house, seeking out his Alpha, blowing on a spoonful of oatmeal. He found Hannibal sitting in front of the fireplace, holding his tablet, his chin held between thumb and forefinger. Will couldn’t see his face.

“Mmm, morning” Will yawned again, “This oatmeal is good” Hannibal didn’t respond, absorbed in what he was looking at, “I was thinking about moving some of my clothes over here from my house” still no response, “I only have one class today, at ten, I wanted to-”.

“You’re not going” Hannibal said abruptly. Will stopped, spoon halfway between the bowl in his mouth.

“What?” his brow furrowed.

“You’re not attending your classes today, or tomorrow” Hannibal was still staring at his tablet. Will’s mouth dropped open.

“Are you serious?” he put down the bowl, “Hannibal, you told me I could teach my-” he started, upset, but Hannibal cut him off again.

“Go upstairs” he said. Will paused.

“Hannibal, what is wrong with you?” he was getting angry.

“Go upstairs and take your breakfast with you. Do not make me tell you again” something in Hannibal’s tone told Will that trying to argue would be a very bad idea.

“Hannibal” he said in a small voice. The Alpha didn’t speak, swiping upwards on the tablet. Will’s eyes filled with tears and anger bubbled up in his throat, but he grabbed his oatmeal and stormed upstairs, slamming the bedroom door behind him. He sat on the bed, staring at his oatmeal. What was wrong with Hannibal? Will thought of the violent fucking and silent abandonment he’d endured not so long ago. Was his Alpha going to make a habit of acting like this? Will knew he had psychopathic tendencies, knew that Hannibal had the power to be dangerous if he wanted. Was he secretly unbalanced? Was he very good at hiding psychotic episodes? Was he far more mentally unwell than Will knew and very skilled at masking it? Will’s stomach sank.

No, Hannibal was reasonable. If he could just get the Alpha to talk to him, he could convince him to let Will teach class. There had to be some reason Hannibal was acting this way. Will rubbed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. Maybe he’d suck Hannibal off again. That would probably calm him down. He could hear Hannibal moving around downstairs, footsteps too quick to be casual. Will stared at the bowl on the nightstand. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

Somewhere in the room, his phone buzzed. Will lifted his head. He got up and went and looked through his bag, finding his phone as the buzzing continued. He looked at it, answering.

“Hello?” he said.

“Will” Alana said, sounding stressed and relieved, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. What’s wrong?” he sat on the edge of the bed.

“You haven’t seen it? You aren’t planning to go to class today, are you?” he could hear her moving around on the other end.

“I was, but Hannibal forbid me to go out of nowhere and now I’m banished to the bedroom” that rankled as much as anything.

“He didn’t tell you?” she was cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

“Tell me what?” Will was getting more and more frustrated. Alana paused.

“Will, do you have your computer?” she asked.

“Yeah” he went and got it out of his bag, opening it, “Why?”

“There’s something you should see” she said quietly, and Will booted up the computer, pulling up Chrome because someone (Beverly) had thrown a bitchfit when she found out he used Internet Explorer, as if it wasn’t a perfectly valid browser.

“What should I look for?” he tapped the space bar a few times, backspacing.

“Go to tattlecrime” she said.

“Why?” he asked again, anger curling in his stomach.

“Just do it” she was moving around again. Will opened an incognito tab (he didn’t want to give that bitch any more hits on her page), and typed in tattlecrime.com. He hit enter. It took a few seconds for the page to load. He almost dropped the phone, “Will?” Alana sounded worried, “Will?” she repeated.

“I’m going to gut that bitch like a fish” he said flatly, staring at the screen

Killer Omega Profiler: Mated, But Not Tamed

There was a pretty good picture of Will lashing out at Hannibal at the crime scene. Will almost didn’t recognize himself. He looked like an animal. He skimmed the article, stomach roiling, making him nauseated.

Special Agent Will Graham recently became Special Agent Will Lecter. The dangerous, unbalanced Omega profiler has long been consulting for the FBI and showing signs of psychosis. An Omega who catches serial killers because he can think like them, and teaches FBI trainees what he knows.

The thirty-five-year-old Mateless Omega is Mateless no more. Sources say he has returned to teaching wearing an expensive yet tasteful collar. He was seen earlier this week at a crime scene, accompanied by his new Alpha, the respectable, wealthy psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. A suspiciously well-off catch for an Omega of Agent Graham’s age.

Mixter Will Lecter can think like stone-cold killers, and may be becoming one himself. While at the scene of a killer’s latest crime, the Omega was seen viciously attacking his own Alpha before being talked down by his Alpha.

 

Here there was a break in the article, along with a set of photos from the crime scene. There were several blurrier photos of him clawing at Hannibal, then one of Hannibal pinning him down, and a shot from a different angle that perfectly showed Will with his teeth in Hannibal’s neck. Adjacent photos showed his Alpha holding him close and whispering into his ear until he relaxed, and there was one of him limp in Hannibal’s arms. The last few photos showed him and Hannibal sitting side-by-side on the ambulances, holding hands.

Agent Will Lecter is no stranger to violence against Alphas. He is best known for murdering the notorious serial killer Garrett Jacob Hobbs, known as the Minnesota Shrike, putting an alleged seven bullets in the killer Alpha’s chest. This seems to be habit he’s picked up.

 

“Will” Hannibal was standing in the doorway. Will looked at him, then realized Alana was still talking in his ear.

“Yeah, I see it. I’m fine. Can you take my classes?” he said levelly, “Thanks. Look, Hannibal’s here, I’ll talk to you later, alright?...Bye” he hung up, looking back at his Alpha, “You could have told me” he said, “Rather than send me to my room like I’m a little kid” Hannibal did not look at all amused.

“I didn’t want to cause you any unnecessary anxiety by telling you about the article” he walked up to Will and took the computer away from him and shutting it. Will let him, “Nothing will be gained from you reading her garbage” it was this stone wall of anger that scared Will more than any yelling could. Being yelled at by his Alpha would probably traumatize him at this point, send him scurrying away to hide and cry, scaring him out of his wits. But this, this was a bone-deep kind of fear. He couldn’t help but feel that he was a rabbit, hiding, trembling, in the underbrush, while the wolf stalked by, desperately hoping not to be noticed.

“Hearing it from you would have saved me a lot of anxiety” it was ridiculous. He wouldn’t be afraid of Hannibal. Hannibal had given him no real reason to be afraid, aside from a few questionable incidents when the Alpha had lost his temper.

“I was hoping to shield you from it” he looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth, “Needless to say, I have a lot of work set out for me” he took a deep breath, and Will watched in morbid fascination as a veil came down over Hannibal, a mask sliding on.

“Hannibal, come back to bed with me” Will said softly.

“I’m sorry, Will, I can’t. I’m going to be very busy” Hannibal put Will’s computer down.

“Just for a minute. I’ll make you feel better” Will promised, unbuttoning his shirt.

“Will, I can’t” Hannibal said abruptly, and Will’s hands fell away, “Eat your oatmeal. You’ll stay here, where I can keep my eye on you, today” Hannibal turned away, and Will watched him leave. He stared at the door, then flopped back on the bed. God, this was a nightmare. He cursed Freddie Lounds. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her and then Hannibal was going to have to go to trial for him, but he didn’t care because he was going to kill that Alpha bitch. Will groaned loudly.

A suspiciously well-off catch for someone his age. Yeah, Hannibal was a phenomenal catch, and he was all Will’s. The thought alleviated some of his anger, making him feel warm and smug. It faded quickly. His episode wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if only the Bureau knew about it. But out in the public eye like this, it was a huge deal, for both him and Hannibal. Most of what Freddie wrote was garbage and ignorable, but an Omega attacking their Alpha would go viral. Will might be fired from the FBI because of the bad publicity. Hannibal’s social standing and career would be damaged (not like he couldn’t afford it), and people would start to question his ability to be a responsible Alpha.

More than likely, everyone would feel sorry for Hannibal, getting stuck with a deranged Omega. They’d expect him to take a second Omega. Will imagined what people would think if Hannibal refused to take a second. They’d talk about how beautiful and tragic it was, that Hannibal loved an Omega that was some kind of freak of nature, able to attack his Alpha. Will rubbed his eyes, rolling over.

This was all his fault, and now Hannibal was having to deal with the aftermath. Will felt sick. He was causing so much trouble for Hannibal. Guilt tore at his stomach and he squeezed his eyes shut. He was a terrible Omega. Hannibal had done so much for him, and all Will could think about were his mistakes. Will could never deserve an Alpha like Hannibal. Will hugged himself, trying not to cry. He wanted his Alpha to come and cuddle him and make him feel better.

God, he was so selfish. All this trouble Hannibal was going to and Will could only think about what he wanted. Will felt sicker.

“Not that any respectable Alpha would want you”

A suspiciously well-off catch for an Omega Agent Graham’s age.

Hannibal was sure to regret Mating Will now that he’s caused him so much grief. Will closed his eyes and cried.

Downstairs, Hannibal sat at his desk, making phone calls. The first call he’d made was to his lawyer. Lounds had been useful for a long time, but she was getting to be too much of a nuisance. She could not cry freedom of the press for flagrant slander and libel against Will. The hits on the article were climbing steadily higher, and Hannibal’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

He had been doing so well with Will. It was true that he had been more than a little displeased with his own loss of control, but as he lay on top of his Omega, he realized what an excellent opportunity it was. Leaving Will alone had reminded the Omega that he was biologically and emotionally incomplete without his Alpha, and would push Will towards being more dependent on him. He had planned on apologizing that evening, but was pleased when Will took the initiative to confront his Alpha. Slowly but surely Hannibal would trap Will until he was the only thing left in the Omega’s world.

Will had the darkness in him. Hannibal had only to coax it out and give it a push in the right direction. He could still use this to his advantage as well.

Chapter Text

Will moped around and hid from his Mate the rest of the day. He finished reading the article, feeling only a numb, muted loathing. He tracked the article, watching it jump from one digital tabloid to another, spreading like a disease. Some subforums had opened about it on Reddit. Clearly Will hated himself, because he clicked in and read the comments. They said all the things Will expected them to say, but it still made him sick. This was only going to get worse.

He ate the dinner Hannibal left out for him, still feeling numb. He probably wouldn’t be able to go back to work after this. All of that fighting to keep his job after being Mated. Pointless.

Hannibal had spent most of the day making phone calls in his study. Will hadn’t seen him at all. The hour hand continued its arc, over halfway to the top, and Hannibal still hadn’t come to bed. Will debated with himself, trying to coach himself and talk himself into going and talking to Hannibal.

‘Don’t let yourself be scared of him. Go face him’ his pride told him.

‘This is your fault. He’s going through this because of you. He’s probably angry, you should stay here and wait for Alpha to come for you’ the Omega voice said. Will stood up and walked out of the bedroom before he could talk himself out of it.

Hannibal sat at his desk in his study, talking on the phone to a lawyer. He glanced up when Will came to stand at the door, but Will didn’t look at him. He sidled towards the desk, watching the leather toe of Hannibal’s expensive shoe where it poked out from behind the desk. Hannibal had stopped talking and was listening, and Will sat down at his feet, hugging his knees to his chest, sitting within reach, but not touching Hannibal at all. He closed his eyes and pressed his face into the top of his knees. Hannibal spoke again, something about the Omegan Free Healthcare Act, which was why unMated Omegas’ lives were carefully monitored by their healthcare provider. Even Mated ones had to deal with it. Would he need to go in for testing to see if he had a brain tumor or something?

He abruptly forgot all his worries when Hannibal’s hand rested on his hair, moving down to cup the back of his head, fingers ghosting over the back of his neck. Yes. There was that feeling of rightness, of being complete and whole for the first time in his life. He never wanted it to end. Hannibal gently scratched the back of his neck, and Will, strung out on his own stress and his relief that Hannibal wasn’t angry, decided that this was a good time to purr. So he did. He relaxed against Hannibal’s leg, head resting on his knee, tucked down to bare the back of his neck to his Alpha. His toes curled as his Alpha stroked the sensitive skin, and he continued to purr. God, he must look like an idiot, drooling on his Alpha’s knee because he was receiving affection. Will cuddled closer to Hannibal’s leg, losing himself to the cadence of his Alpha’s soothing voice, not hearing the words.

He wondered if he could forcefully lose himself in this. If he could let himself be overwhelmed by his instincts and live in a meek, adoring haze where all he had to worry about was pleasing Hannibal. Wouldn’t that be so much easier than this? Just existing to be used and taken care of. Suck Hannibal off under the table every morning before he went to work, clean the house, do the laundry, run errands, make sure Hannibal had all the ingredients he needed, do all the basic food preparation, learn to cook on his own, spread his legs every night, grovel at his Alpha’s feet at every opportunity, be good and earn belly rubs, get knocked up, have Hannibal’s babies babies, my babies, he killed my babies.

“Will” he heard Hannibal’s voice from above him, and it brought him back to the present and away from that dangerous train of thought. He lifted his head. Hannibal was giving him that tender look, caressing his face, “You could never understand how much pleasure it gives me when you choose to submit” he said.

“I’m pretty sure I can” Will met his eyes, internally berating himself for potentially ruining everything with defiance. Hannibal smiled.

“I’m not so sure” he stroked his fingers over Will’s lips, he he took the tip of one into his mouth. It took half a second to register in his mind, looking at Hannibal’s face, that he’d taken his Alpha’s breath away. He saw that dark, lurking thing shift behind Hannibal’s eyes, “Have you ever really looked at me, Will?” he asked. Will took his finger up to the middle knuckle, enjoying the look on Hannibal’s face when he rubbed his tongue over the pad of the finger.

“I thought it would be rude. And you’re so closed off, I’d have to really look to see anything” Will let the finger fall from his mouth. Hannibal seemed pleased by this knowledge, dragging his finger over Will’s cheek, smearing it with spit. Will wrinkled his nose and wiped his cheek on his shoulder.

“Perhaps you should look sometime” he said, and Will closed his eyes, “I know why you’re here. I am not displeased with you. You are not to blame for this mess. That fault lies entirely with Freddie Lounds and Jack’s lack of security at the crime scene. You are not at fault for the power your gift holds over you, and even if you were, I would not blame you. You were asked to look, so you did” Will nodded.

“I still feel bad” he murmured.

“Your emotions are entirely valid, but unnecessary, and I can only ask you to try to let them go. It is in your Nature to blame yourself” Omegas were notorious for having guilt complexes and blaming themselves for everything (especially abuse and neglect from their Mates), “But it is in my Nature to soothe away the guilt as best I can” Will cuddled closer.

“You mentioned the Omegan Free Healthcare Act. Am I going to have to go in for testing?” Will asked. Hannibal made a displeased noise.

“Yes, unless we want a social worker on our doorstep. It’s ironic how ‘concerned’ the

government becomes about Omegan neglect when they’re directly tied to it” his hand moved, and he scratched Will under the chin. Will tipped his head back as Hannibal scratched, tipping so far back he almost fell over. He turned red as he heard Hannibal’s low rumble of amusement, and saw lips part into a real smile, revealing sharp, imperfect teeth that Will knew from experience scraped deliciously over sensitive skin.

“Brain scans? Psychological testing?” Will spat the last phrase.

“Hormonal testing, an MRI, the like. I can probably talk them out of psychological testing, but they may insist on giving you medication to agitate you and monitor your response. The FBI will go to extreme lengths to cover themselves” Hannibal said, and Will groaned quietly.

“I had the agitation thing as part of FBI screening. I failed. I tried to bite an orderly” he mumbled. Hannibal made a quiet huffing noise of amusement.

“We ought to explore this oral fixation” he said, and Will laughed.

“If that’s what you think is best, Dr. Lecter” he wormed his way closer, sitting between Hannibal’s legs. He looked at his Alpha through his eyelashes and nosed his crotch. Hannibal’s pants began to tent slightly.

“As lovely as that sounds, I would rather take this to the bedroom” he ran his fingers through Will’s hair. Will rested his head on Hannibal’s thigh, “And I wouldn’t worry excessively about the agitation testing. Your hormones have settled significantly since being Mated. Even if you did try to bite an orderly, it wouldn’t be enough for them to take you away from me” Will’s chest tightened at the thought, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. No, no, no, no, no, he couldn’t leave Hannibal. He couldn’t leave his Alpha. They couldn’t do that. Alpha, he had to stay with Alpha, “Will, shhh, shhh, shhh” Hannibal grasped the back of Will’s neck, and Will went limp, “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I will not allow us to be separated under any circumstances” there seemed to be a second layer of meaning in the words, but Will was drowning in endorphins. Hannibal let go and he slowly came back to himself, “Do not concern yourself with the testing. In the meantime, we will find other things to occupy our time. Would you like to visit Abigail?” Will opened his eyes.

“Yeah” he said faintly, regaining his voice, “Yeah. I’d like that. I never visited her enough anyway” he thought about the Omega girl sitting alone in the garden of the psychiatric facility, a splash of color around her neck in the form of a scarf, staring into the distance. The bright scarves seemed to Will to be an even more obvious, ugly reminder of what lay beneath, but she seemed to like them.

“She asked me often about you” Hannibal murmured, and Will could hear a smile in his words, but doubted there was a visible one on his Alpha’s face, “She wanted to know if I was courting you and how you were doing. I think she wanted some news on you that didn’t come from Freddie Lounds” Will grimaced, “She was very persistent in her questions. I believe that had I not pursued courting you, she may have tried to play matchmaker” this made Will chuckle, smiling into Hannibal’s thigh.

“Well she was right on the money” he suddenly felt very shy, and internally scolded himself for it. It was such an Omegan reaction. Hannibal tipped his chin up and beckoned with one finger, and Will crawled up his body and gave Hannibal a kiss. The Alpha took exactly nine kisses from him, each one longer and deeper, leaving Will dazed and smiling. He gasped, laughing when Hannibal abruptly stood and scooped him up, taking him to the bedroom. He was able to forget, however briefly, the problem they faced.

“Will, Hannibal” Abigail stood up, eyes wide, “You’re both h- oh” she saw Will’s delicate silver collar and the poorly concealed bites on his neck, “Oh” her face split into a smile, and Will smiled at his shoes, cheeks pink as she ran up and hugged him both, “You’re finally together” she sounded so pleased that Will wanted to do whatever it took to place a permanent smile on her face. The thought of a permanent smile supplied him with the memory of a crime scene with a body, cheeks sliced open into a wide, bloody smile. The thought instantly soured his mood, but he did his best to hide it.

“We wanted to share the good news with you” Hannibal kissed the top of her head, and she was nearly glowing with happiness.

“I have good news too” she said, “I won my independence claim” a weight that Will hadn’t realized resided in his chest was lifted.

“That is great news” he said, hugging her again.

“I want to apply for some universities here, but I’m not sure if it’s too soon” her smile dimmed.

“What would you like to study?” they sat together, Hannibal keeping Will pressed to his side and the Omega not objecting. It was only Abigail, but it felt like he was being shown off, which pleased him on a primal, Omegan level.

“I enjoy photography. I’m not really an artist. Before........before everything, m-my dad wanted me to study something more Omegan. I like the idea of studying culinary arts. Then I could learn from you” she said shyly to Hannibal. Jealousy hit Will like a punch to the gut. ‘Don’t look at my Alpha that way you stupid slut, he’s mine. Mine’ the thought came to Will faster than an association and he instantly balked. Abigail didn’t notice, but Will knew that Hannibal did.

“I’m sure you will be excellent at anything you choose to study, but I do have a personal bias towards the creation of food” he told Abigail.

“I know providing food is an Alpha thing, but I-” Abigail stopped as she and Will had the same thought at the same time, and she paled, sinking back into her chair, “Maybe I shouldn’t study cooking” she whispered, and Will could see the memory of sitting around a table, smiling and laughing over “venison” stew that the Alphaparent had so graciously provided his family reflected in her eyes.

“Whatever you want to study, Abigail. You’re starting over. The past has no hold over you” Will told her. She looked at him.

“Doesn’t it?” she said quietly.

“You do not have to choose a subject so suddenly. You ought to take plenty of time to weigh your options” Hannibal interjected, “You have over a month to begin applying to schools” he took the girl’s hand and Will felt a much smaller stab of jealousy that made him want to bang his head against the wall. She had won her claim. There was no more danger of Hannibal having to take her as a second (thank God), calm down, you’re being petty.

“I can change my major if I want, right?” she asked. Hannibal opened his mouth, but Will spoke first.

“It will make it a hundred times harder” he said flatly, drawing their eyes, “I went in to be a teacher, but changed my mind after the first semester. The college was livid that I wanted to change my major after they had so graciously allowed me to attend, and they had an absolute bitchfit that I wanted to go into law enforcement” SUNO had been a bitch to get into anyway, especially with how his high school teachers had been determined to fail him in everything other than home economics despite his perfect grades up until that point. There had only been one semester of it (he’d had his first heat in December), but it had done enough damage. He’d dropped the Public Debate class he’d signed up for at the beginning of the school year.

“Christ. What you think? No Alpha cares what you think. You don’t think anything” the Beta Debate teacher scoffed at him, “Graham’s trying to explain his opinions to me” he told the other students, and there was scattered, mocking laughter from the nearby Alphas and Betas.

“Did they try to take away your scholarship?” Abigail looked horrified at the idea.

“You will not need a scholarship” Hannibal told her, “I will pay for your education in its entirety” she turned to look at him, eyes wide, but his gaze had moved back to his Omega, “But I imagine they did try to revoke your scholarship” he said, and Will’s mouth tightened into an angry smile.

“I managed to keep it. I had to follow a lot of special rules”.

“Don’t keep trying to raise your hand during lectures” the advisor told him, “No one wants you there. Stop rubbing your presence in their faces. Just keep quiet and let them pretend you don’t exist, and you’ll make it through college fine”.

“But I doubt you could piss them off that much unless you want to go into law enforcement too. I did know an Omega guy who started out wanting to transfer to law school, but he got laughed out of the enrollment office” he’d almost gotten laughed out until they realized how serious he was and started getting uncomfortable under his cold, wrathful gaze.

“I don’t think I would make a good lawyer. Or any of those other hard careers like business or being a doctor” Abigail smiled at Hannibal, and the stab of jealousy was much smaller this time. Will decided not to mention the Omega girl he’d known that had wanted to be a pediatrician but had been talked into being a nurse. Pretty much every other Omega he’d met in college (they’d had to stick together) was the source of some sort of discouraging story about Omegas in higher education. There had been so few of them.

“You will excel in whatever you choose to study” Hannibal reiterated. Abigail looked down at her lap.

“How would you like to have dinner with us?” Will met Hannibal’s eyes, the words coming out before he realized that he was extending the invitation for Hannibal and apprehension crept up into his chest. Abigail also knew that the invitation was actually Hannibal’s to make, and looked at the Alpha. Hannibal looked pleased by both the idea and Will’s boldness.

“We would love to have you for dinner” he said, and an emotion Will couldn’t pinpoint crossed Abigail’s face before Will had the chance to examine it more closely. She smiled, but something had changed, and Will had too little evidence to understand what it was.

“That sounds really nice. I love your cooking” she told Hannibal. Will’s eyes narrowed slightly at the odd undertone to her words, but she seemed to be genuine. Hannibal smiled that perfect smile that made his eyes crinkle and Will want to fall at his Alpha’s feet like an overeager puppy.

“Thank you. I enjoy sharing food with others. Would you like to come on Friday?” Hannibal looked to Will briefly, and Will made a mental note to ask Hannibal about Abigail’s odd expression later.

“I would love to” Abigail looked to Will too, and he smiled.

“Friday it is”.

“What was with that look Abigail gave you?” Will asked his Mate out in the car.

“Which one?” Hannibal asked innocently, and Will made a face at him.

“I’m not talking about her making cow eyes at you and we both know it. What was that look she gave you when you said we would love to have her over for dinner?” ‘love to have her for dinner’ he mentally corrected himself, but didn’t bother saying it aloud. He could easily be pedantic, but if it came to a contest Hannibal would outdo him hilariously. Hannibal gave a small, Gallic shrug, merging into traffic.

“The idea of having food, especially meat, provided for her by an Alphaparent-figure may still be intimidating for her” he seemed unconcerned, “If so, I admire her for facing her fears and attempting to leave the past behind”.

“Doesn’t it?”

The explanation made sense, but something still didn’t seem right. It felt like hidden information had been passed between them, over his head. Maybe he was just paranoid. Not that it really mattered. Hannibal was closer to Abigail than he was, and it made sense that she had shared more with him, considering how easily an Alpha could foster trust in a young, impressionable Omega. He was glad it was Hannibal, and not some dangerous Alpha.

“What are you going to make?” he asked. Hannibal pursed his lips.

“Probably some sort of poultry. Something very dislike venison” he said, and Will snorted, knowing it wasn’t funny.

“She’ll appreciate that” he looked out the window, “Are you really going to pay for her entire education?” he asked.

“Of course” Hannibal sounded vaguely surprised by the question, “Scholarships for Omegas are difficult to acquire, especially with her special circumstances, and there is no reason for me not to pay” Hannibal took the next exit.

“You’re already having to spend so much with this stuff with Lounds” Will murmured.

“Are you afraid I cannot afford it?” Will turned and caught a smile that told him that it was so little of a concern to the point of being unfunny. Will turned red and shrugged jerkily.

“It’s a lot of money either way” he sunk down in his seat. His face turned progressively redder as Hannibal’s smile widened. He had the distinct feeling that Hannibal found his financial worries adorable.

“Do not worry yourself about it. Would you like to spend tomorrow with your dogs?” Hannibal changed the subject, and Will couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, please” a day to himself sounded wonderful, even with the little voice screaming at him that being apart from Alpha was the worst possible thing that could happen. He’d be able to clear his head. He could finish that fly he’d started working on.

Will spent the day relaxing and playing with his dogs and getting covered in motor oil taking apart boat motors and lying around thinking about Hannibal. He could almost forget that he’d probably lost his job and could still destroy Hannibal’s career and social standing. He’d gotten another call from Alana, and he’d assured her that he was fine. Hannibal spent a lot of time on the phone with his lawyers and brooding in his study in a stereotypically Alpha way.

Will was trying to decide if he should call Hannibal when he heard a car come up his driveway. He frowned, glancing out the window. He recognized the red jeep, but couldn’t place it. Then he saw a flash of fiery ginger hair and his vision went red. The dogs started barking and jumping at the door as Will went back and grabbed his shotgun, loading it and going to the door. He opened it, shoving his dogs back in with his foot more roughly than necessary and earning him some yips and whines.

“What the fuck do you want?” he spat, holding the shotgun ready.

“Good afternoon to you too, Mx. Lecter” the petite Alpha showed him her teeth.

“Cut the shit, Freddie. Why are you here?” it would feel so good to put a bullet in this bitch. It would be so fucking easy.

“Are you planning on using that gun?” she didn’t look worried.

“The perfect chance to add to my Alpha kill count” he bared his teeth aggressively and aimed it at her, “Why are you here?” most Alphas would get angry and defensive at a violent, aggressive display from an Omega, but Freddie was unfazed.

“I was curious to see if Dr. Lecter had kept the house. Turns out he did. Very generous of him, letting you have a house” she glanced over his shoulder at the dogs pressing against the screen door, barking.

“Let me have my house” he took a step forward, still aiming at her.

“I think we both know it’s not your house” she said sweetly, “Not anymore”.

“My house with my furniture, my clothes, my dogs, and my possessions” Will was having to consciously keep himself from shaking with rage.

“I hate to break this to you, Mx. Lecter, but you don’t have possessions” she simpered. She was, legally, entirely right. Will had nothing. Will didn’t even have his own name anymore. Technically, an Alpha could rename their Omega after being Mated, but that had fallen out of fashion in the modern age. The only thing Will could call his own was his Mate. At least, until Hannibal took a second. Then he’d have nothing.

“Get off my property or I’m calling the cops” he threatened.

“Just a friendly visit” she continued smiling, showing all of her teeth.

“Get off my property or I’m calling my Alpha. Whether or not I’ll be calling him to help me get rid of your body is up to you” he spat, and she pursed her lips.

“You should be careful what you say, Mx. Lecter. It can be used against you” her eyes sparkled dangerously, and he bared his teeth in a smile to match hers.

“You won’t write any more about me, Mrss. Lounds” he said, “If my Alpha sues you for any more you won’t be able to afford to eat” he bluffed, not sure how much Hannibal was suing for, but knowing it was a lot. Her gaze remained cool.

“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Mx. Lecter” she said. He just laughed at her, still holding the shotgun on her, and she turned her back. Will kept the shotgun up until he saw her taillights disappear down his long, gravel driveway, then he walked out into his yard and unloaded the shotgun into a pine tree.