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No one expected Liam’s rut to arrive the month after Niall gave birth. Doctors told them they’d still skip ruts and they’d excused his extra possessiveness given the new baby they were all hovering over. Even pre-rut, Liam generally didn’t get too aggressive with his pack mates so long as the omegas were close.
Which they weren’t.
Niall was, sure. He was happily cooped up in their LA home with their bouncing baby boy and finishing in his album on the side. But, he was in no way, shape or form up to helping their Alpha with his rut.
But, Louis was promoting ‘Just Hold On’ in New York with Zayn and half their security team. He’d flown home to be their with Niall during their son’s arrival; hell, he’d been by his side during most of the pregnancy. But the not-so-blonde had encouraged their new omega to record this song with Steve Aoki and all but forced him out of the house with promises to FaceTime as often as possible. Which Liam insisted he be a part of the last few times and that he stay on until Zayn and Louis fell asleep; they had brushed it off as the Alpha just being Alpha.
Returning to the situation at hand, Harry and Liam were washing up their lunch plates one second, and the next the air crackled around them as the older alpha snapped.
“Haz,” a thousand words filled that one syllable as the plate shattered in Liam’s hands. Get the baby safe. Don’t let Niall near me. Call Louis. Tell Zayn. Quickly. And don’t let me hurt you. This was his single moment of clarity before his mind started to succumb to its primal instincts.
Harry’s stomach dropped. But before he could question what he should do, he heard Niall’s footsteps upstairs. However, so did Liam, drunk with the pheromones taking over his body, turned towards the sound.
“Liam, he’s not ready, you know he’s not ready,” Harry planted himself firmly in Liam’s path, blocking the doorway.
He didn’t know. Not anymore. Liam’s brown eyes just turned completely black as the rut reduced Liam to one single focus: omega. How dare this alpha get between him and his omega? What kind of betrayal was this?!
“Haz?” Niall called; his body ached as the smell of rut wafted upstairs.
“Take the baby to his room and block the door until I come for you, Niall!” Harry yelled over his shoulder, watching his unmoving Alpha with caution.
“But—“
Harry’s voice dropped into an alpha command, “Now, Niall! And call Zayn!”
It was the command that set the Alpha off. First his very own alpha denied him their omega and now he was throwing out commands like he was pack leader? How dare he!
Liam’s rut soaked thoughts had him lunging at Harry.
Even as strong as he was, Harry would never be able to overpower the rutting Alpha in the long run, but his clear mind gave him the advantage for now. The Alpha tried to bulldoze his way past Harry, who used that strength to direct Liam as far away from their omega as he could.
One minute the Alpha was trying to get past Harry, the next he was trapped somewhere that didn’t smell of delicious omega; in his right mind, he’d remember that this was their just-in-case room, the one that appeared like a guest room but with unbreakable furniture and the door that locked from the outside, the one with the same purpose as the room they’d set up in their England home after Niall had just had his knee surgery and couldn’t join Zayn for his rut.
Locking the door, Harry stepped away. “I’m sorry, Alpha!” he sighed and ran upstairs. “Ni?”
“Is he ok?” Niall asked, rocking their month old nugget of happiness. “Maybe I should—I mean, I could just for a while—“
“No. You can’t. Not for another couple weeks and even then, not a rut, love,” Harry brushed at his hair.
“But, Liam—“
“Will be fine for a few hours. Did you call Zayn?”
“Yeah, Louis’s finishing an interview and they’ll take the plane within the hour and be home a little after midnight. Steve said he’d handle the rest of the promo. It’s not much.”
“He’s a good egg,” Harry nodded; they’d been skeptical of Louis working with Steve. It was one thing to write and record solo like Niall had done—hell, like they all had done. But to go from working with them to singing alongside another alpha was different story…but, Steve turned out to be a wonderful friend. And happily mated just like their Louis was. The alphas trusted them both to spend so much time perfecting their single together. Niall didn’t, but he was super hormonal at the time, and Louis found his pregnant possessiveness too adorable to be mad about. Especially since it had always ended in really hot omega sex. Regardless, they had more to worry about, “Is Lou nervous?”
“I think he’s more worried about Li than he is nervous. He can feel him going nuts down there. I can, too.”
“Let’s get you and baby set up in the guest house just in case Li gets out.”
“I think I can—“ Niall’s gut twisted with Liam’s need.
“But this little guy can’t. Our baby needs you more than his father does.”
Niall glanced down at the little man in his arms. “I guess. But…”
“But nothing. Liam would be crushed if you went down there and he hurt you.”
Their Alpha would never forgive himself. In his right mind, he would rather this than risking a hurt omega. Niall knew that.
“Listen, you go to the guest house, I’ll go down to Liam.”
“You can’t handle Liam during a rut, Haz,” Niall shook his head. “It’s different than just getting fucked by an alpha. He’s not going to be able to knot you and it’s going to make him crazy.”
“I’m an alpha, I’ll recover.”
“You might not be an omega, but if he hurts you, he still won’t forgive himself.”
Harry agreed. Until Niall went to sleep with the baby just after ten and the anxiety got to be too much. Liam had been rutting alone for two hours.
Two hours longer than he would have let either of his alphas be alone. Liam would never let his alphas suffer—he had prepped and prepped and prepped Zayn for that one rut he spent alone while Niall was recovering from surgery, and Harry should at least go check on him, right?
Wrong.
He found Liam tearing the bedspread apart, the pillow ripped between his teeth while he writhed against the bed.
“Zayn is going to have Louis here soon, but, in the mean time, can I help?” Harry stripped off his top. The Alpha glared over his shoulder and that should have sent him running. This wasn’t Liam. This wasn’t the Alpha who loved him, who could be gentle enough to pretend like he wasn’t gentle at all. And the roughest Liam had been with Harry couldn’t compare to what happened next.
When Liam grabbed his hips and thrust into him, Harry screamed so hard he could feel the walls rattle around him. No prep—though Harry had done some himself, he might have, must have expected Liam to, too. What was he thinking? Harry himself wouldn’t have. He never did. Niall just opened for him, soaked in slick from the moment the rut started. Harry had brought the lube, but wouldn’t be getting more. No, Liam would, but this wasn’t Liam or even the Alpha Harry had submitted himself to. This was just an alpha needing to breed.
Liam knew this wasn’t an omega. He had no chance of impregnating the pretty person in front of him. That adorable belly would never stretch with his pups. But this ass. How could he not go for this ass? Especially when it climbed into bed with him stark naked. Tight and wet enough, he pounded violently, gripping so hard he would leave his mark. And he would leave more marks all over this alpha in an attempt to claim it, completely unaware that he already had.
Harry could do this. He came down to do this. To take away some of his Alpha’s pain, even if it meant his own. He could. He could.
When Zayn and Louis finally arrived, they hurried to the stairs where Liam’s growls and screams? No, not screams. Because, Harry would never let Niall...
“Is that…” Louis gasped.
“Look at me,” Zayn turned the omega to him. “I will take care of Harry. I promise you that. Niall and I will. Make sure Liam knows that. Make sure he doesn’t try to find him before it’s over. Now, go to the top of the stairs and wait. When you see Liam, well, when you see Liam, your instincts are going to take over. You don’t have to worry about a thing, your body can handle it. You can handle it.” He kissed Louis on the forehead. “Now give me your pants.”
Those last words weren’t exactly what Louis was expecting, but he stripped his clothes off nonetheless and headed for the stairs.
“Love you, jaan. I’ll see you in a day.”
Louis rolled his eyes, “Quit looking at my arse and go get, Harry!”
“Baby, the Booty’s out. I can’t not look at the Booty,” he smiled and disappeared down the stairs, dropping Louis’ clothes as he went. His own instincts screamed at him to walk the fuck away, that that was a rutting alpha and he shouldn’t be there. But, baby alpha was in there, too.
“Liam!” Harry sobbed and Zayn doubled his steps. Unlocking the door, he tossed the lace panties, wet with the unmistakable scent of slick, towards Liam. It wasn’t even a good throw, but the Alpha caught them and growled, ripping himself from the other body and searching for the source of that scent. Not the pretty alpha before him. Though, if he’d offered himself, Liam certainly wouldn’t say no.
“Omega’s upstairs, Alpha,” Zayn didn’t dare move for fear of the Alpha misconstruing it as a threat.
Omega. That’s what Liam needed.
Bounding away, he turned, sniffing the air and following that scent into the bedroom.
Less than three minutes had passed before Liam rumbled down the hall towards Louis, but it was long enough for old insecurities to creep in. What if he wasn’t enough? What if he made a mistake? How did he do this? How did he even deal with a rut? What had Niall told him? He wasn’t going to drop, not that that was really a problem anymore. He didn’t drop regularly though he’d done it a couple times at his therapist’s encouragement. His mind was spinning. Why was it taking so long? What if Liam didn’t want him? What if Liam smelt Niall first? What if Liam was disappointed that he wasn’t Niall?
As the footsteps drew closer, Louis brushed his rambling thoughts aside. This was about his Alpha. He considered saying something clever, or even being seductive, but the moment the doors nearly swung off it’s hinges to reveal his Alpha, his instincts kicked in full force and he met Liam halfway in a collision of lips and skin that would have otherwise hurt.
Liam spread Louis thighs, caressing his soft tummy before aligning himself with the source of that magnificent smell. Louis was so already wet he was practically dripping onto the sheets.
“Liam!” Louis arched when the Alpha sliced into him, his body welcoming the Alpha and whatever the Alpha wanted to give him.
Pups. The Alpha wanted pups. The omega wanted pups. So pups they would make.
Liam thrust with need, but Louis could feel the weariness beneath his hands, his hips, their bond and Louis knew what he had to do. Flipping them over, he rode Liam with the vigor the Alpha wanted to have, that hours of rutting had taken from him. Louis fucked his hips atop Liam’s body even as he came untouched, a splatter of white across Liam’s abs. He might otherwise be done for, might let Liam just have him, but Louis was driven by his Alpha’s need, not his own.
Knot. They wanted to knot together. They had to.
“Yours,” Louis growled, running his hands through his hair, gripping for his Alpha, owning for his Alpha. He leaned himself down as Liam’s hands reached for him, tilting his neck for the bite—Liam spun Louis to his back and fucked into him once, twice, again, and again and again, until finally, he and Louis both came, knot popping and teeth claiming and then falling onto his omega with such relief, like the crepe paper from a party popper fluttering to the ground.
Breathing hard, Louis brushed at Liam’s hair until he fell asleep, content smile on his face. Zayn was right. Niall had always been right. His body knew what to do, how to react to what Liam wanted and needed, and his mind was just going with it.
Louis woke to Liam rutting, still buried in him, grunting and barely coherent. “Yours,” he moaned. “Yours.”
Ripples of want rolled through him, his body easily accommodating Liam, so slick that he could hear it churning with every thrust. But before an exhausting desperation seeped in, Louis grabbed the Alpha’s hand, lacing their fingers together over his belly so Liam could feel the diamond studded engagement ring he’d presented to his omega and just how deep he was buried inside him.
Liam held him closer instinctively, rolling his hips, and biting down on his mark, the wildness of his rut alleviated just for the moment. Because even if they didn’t conceive today, this was unequivocally his omega (and they would one day have pups together. Many pups because much sex with the pretty omega).
The build up to his second knot was slower and easier. The intense need was still there in the bruising grip of Liam’s hands, but, thanks to his omega, the jerkiness, the almost supernatural speed of his hips had faded into something smoother, almost normal for the Alpha.
Louis lost count of how many times he came on Liam’s cock that day and just how many times Liam bit down on his mark. But, as evening finally settled so did the Alpha, knotting a fourth time inside twenty hours.
As morning rolled in, Liam woke to himself and his omega. Pride brewed in his belly; his omega had done so well in his first rut. Liam pulled him closer and adjusted their blanket; the scent of their pack wafted towards them, in particular the bergamot and coconut conditioner. His stomach dropped as what his baby alpha had done rushed to the forefront of his mind.
Sitting up in absolute horror, Liam gasped, “Harry!”
*****
Zayn breathed a sigh of relief in the wake of their disappearing Alpha. “What in the hell were you thinking, Harry?” he hurried to his packmate’s side.
Harry winced when Zayn moved his knees, “He was hurting and…and…”
“And part of you always thought you’d be an omega,” the older alpha traced his fingers along the inside of Harry’s thighs. “But, ruts are hard. And you, my love, are soft.”
Harry let out a sharp whimper as Zayn eased his fingers in. He wasn’t even hard anymore. The intensity of what just happened had outweighed the pleasure, but suddenly the tenderness he’d been left with was just that. Tender and just the type of touch he was accustomed to.
“This is what you like. Soft and gentle and that’s perfect. You’re perfect,” Zayn massaged his fingers around, checking for any damage on the way to Harry’s prostate. “You don’t need to be anything you’re not.”
“I’m not all soft and gentle,” he pouted, “And I’m ok, I think.”
Zayn felt an immediate tug at his bond and he was fairly certain Harry felt the same. “Let’s get you to Niall, love.”
Niall didn’t care that Zayn had Harry bundled in his arms like a bride all draped in a white sheet. “You idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot! I fucking told you! I told you that you couldn’t handle it! Do you have any idea how terrible Liam is going to feel? You’re not an omega, Harry. If you want to be, we’ll do something about it, but—“
“Why does everyone think I want to become an omega?” Harry sighed.
“Do you?” Zayn asked, rocking him as he carried him over to the bedroom and laid him in bed with the utmost care.
“This is my body. I am happy being an alpha, especially with the four of you. I just wanted to—”
“Help,” Zayn finished.
“Being a pack alpha and submitting to Liam doesn’t mean that you can handle him during a rut!” Niall wanted to yell, but their baby was sleeping in the corner of the room. Instead his whisper just came out harsh and furious. “He could have killed you!”
“There is a difference between the submission we gave him and what Ni and Lou do,” Zayn opened up the blankets and held the ice packs they’d picked up en route against his hips. Niall’s eyes went wide and he hurried to baby alpha’s side, anger forgotten.
“I was so worried when I woke up and you weren’t here,” Niall pressed kisses to the black and blue skin. “I knew what you were doing and I knew you were hurting and there was nothing I could do!”
“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. I get it,” Harry cuddled him; Niall’s anxiety was a much more effective than his anger. “I did want to help, but—”
“And you did. I felt it ease a little. But, Liam could have handled a few hours without an omega,” Niall fretted over his discolored skin; they wouldn’t last long given his healing capacities as an alpha, but Liam would see them.
“I wasn’t trying to help Liam. I mean, I was, but I was more afraid that Louis couldn’t handle Alpha after a few hours without an omega. It was his first rut after all.”
They hadn’t even thought about that. Louis had taken to being an omega so well after those rocky first months and the surprise of Liam’s rut had their attention elsewhere, even Zayn, who’d brought Louis home. Niall and the oldest alpha exchanged a smile. But, of course, Harry would remember. Harry always remembered the little things.
“Let’s not tell Lou that, though, yeah? I don’t want him to feel guilty. This was my choice. Now cuddle me to sleep, the both of you,” he demanded.
After a day of waiting on Harry hand and foot, Niall slipped out of the guesthouse and met up with Liam and Louis in the kitchen.
A little sleepy and a lot fucked-out, Louis glanced over the sliding door and smiled dopily.
“Fun, isn’t it?” Niall pressed a kiss to his cheek. “All right?”
Louis nodded and kept eating. “I was going to make pancakes, but you remember what happened last time.”
Their eyes went to the scorch mark on the ceiling and then back to each other. “Best that Liam cooked. Eat, love.”
“He’s in the kitchen calling Dr. Black. Is Harry ok?”
“He’s fine. They’ll be in once they realize me and the baby are gone,” Niall parked the pram next to Louis, who peered in to check on their little boy.
“No, no, that’s fine. I don’t even think he’s awake yet. I’m sorry again for calling so early,” Liam felt his bond and extended an arm before he even set eyes on his omega.
“Harry’s healing fine, you don’t have to rush,” Niall said loudly so Dr. Black could hear him.
“But still, the sooner you can get out here the better…all right, bye Doc,” Liam hugged him, smothering him to his chest. “He’s ok? What was he thinking?”
“He wanted to help,” Niall shrugged, but before Liam could question his younger alpha again, his omega nodded back towards the dining room. Looking over Niall’s shoulder, Liam saw Louis cooing into the ridiculously expensive pram they just had to get.
“I missed you, bubba bean. Yes, I did. I missed you so much. Come here, my little darling love.”
And then it clicked and Liam knew that Harry had been thinking more of Louis than him.
“He’s still stupid,” the Alpha sighed.
“He knows. I told him while we loved up on him and made him stay in bed all day.”
“Such a good omega,” the Alpha cupped his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. “My next rut though, I get the both of you and it’s going to be glorious.”
“I hope we don’t fight over you,” Niall wrapped his arms around his neck. “Though from what I remember, you have enough cock to go around.”
“From what you remember?” Liam smirked.
“It’s been so, so long,” Niall groaned.
“Two more weeks, love. Two more weeks and you’re ass is all mine,” Liam bit down on his mark and Niall couldn’t help but moan at the desire transcending their bond. “I might even knock you up again, who knows?”
“Harry and Zayn should have babies first, Alpha,” Niall kissed him. “And I want to do stuff solo, too, you know.”
“But, you looked so beautiful pregnant with our baby. And, just look at how cute he is.”
“You do make pretty babies,” Louis carried him into the kitchen; the blanket Liam insisted on wrapping him in left behind, Niall’s mouth dropped. Louis was only in a pair of black lace panties and Liam’s top.
“How dare you taunt me with the Booty,” Niall pinched a cheek.
Louis squeaked and held their baby closer. “Not in front of the baby, Ni!”
“Says the omega in lace panties,” Zayn chuckled as he and Harry walked in.
Liam sighed at the sight of his youngest alpha and the barely there, but there limp. “Are you all right?”
“More than all right,” Harry draped around him. “I can still feel you in me.”
Liam bit down on his lip as they kissed. “Don’t you dare put yourself in danger like that again. I could have killed you.”
“What a way to go, though,” Harry smirked. “Being fucked to death by my hot Alpha.”
“It’s not funny, Harry.”
“It’s a little funny.”
“No, it’s not,” Liam wanted to be mad, but his alpha’s smile was too infectious. “I’m serious, though. You have no business in a rut, Harry, not unless it’s yours.”
“I understand, Alpha. It won’t happen again.”
“Go cuddle, Lou. Zayn and I will finish breakfast. Dr. Black will be here around noon,” Liam tugged him back before he could walk away. “I’m so sorry that I hurt you.”
“It’s ok, Alpha,” Harry pressed them together. “I’m all right. I’m an alpha, aren’t I? I’ll heal.”
“You’re my Hazza and you’re fragile and beautiful and sweet. Haven’t we gone over this?” Louis waltzed over with the baby.
“This sight will never get old. Our omega with our pup. I don’t even know what to do with myself,” Harry made grabby hands at them only to have his arms smacked and body turned. “Why am I being manhandled? I thought I was fragile!”
“But an alpha nonetheless,” Louis walked him over to the breakfast nook and cuddled with him.
“He’s fine, Li,” Zayn wrapped around his Alpha. “He’s fine.”
Liam kept an eye on the three—then four of them as Niall joined them, cooing over his boys. “Yeah, Louis told me that you’d take care of him.”
“And we did.”
“And you did.”
“But he’s still baby alpha and you’re still fretting.”
“I’d be fretting if it were you, equally so,” Liam hooked a gentle arm around Zayn.
“Something to look forward to, if the opportunity comes up.”
Liam smacked his butt, “Don’t you dare, Zayn Malik.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the older one smirked.
“Where are my pancakes, Alpha? I’m starved,” Niall called from the table.
“How did I end up with the most demanding pack?” Liam joked.
“We lucked out,” Zayn kissed his shoulder and went to join them.
Liam watched the four of them and their baby and couldn’t agree more.