19 😟

[ryswritingrecord]

MASTERLIST:

Hello! This is my master list of all my works I guess. I take requests for pretty much any character except for anime, as long as I know them!

Eddie Munson:

One-Shots:

Can’t Stay Mad

• Angst Fluff Smut

Series:

Elliot (Euphoria)

One-Shots:

Series:

The Neverending Pain of Loving a Friend masterlist Elliot x OC

[assignedmale]

[thememedaddy]

[octaviaabadassblakee]

I need fat female characters in tv whose weight is inconsequential. It means nothing to the story.

She's fat and gets the guy and no one bats an eye.

She's fat and the hottest chick in the sorority and that's normal.

She's fat and an actress and she gets good roles.

She's fat and she's funny and she has character depth and growth.

She's fat and the main character and no one mentions her weight once.

I'm fat and my weight doesn't play a part in my day to day conversations, or plans, or friendships. Why can't I have that on tv?

[dexdiaries]

listening to make it hard to steer by holywatr thinking about car sex with dex. in the dead of night, pulling over to the side of some deserted backroad and flicking the headlights off while you tug on his hair and kiss his neck. pulling you over the console and onto his lap, reclining his seat back. big, broad hands hastily traveling over your body as you bite his neck and kiss his jaw. rough fingers dipping under your skirt to find you without panties on, already wet and ready for him. groaning into your hair as he slips his fingers inside you, ducking his head to swallow your mewls and shove his tongue down your throat. you can't get enough, riding his fingers, panting with your nails carving half moons into his skin. dex's other hand comes up to wrap around your throat applying blissful pressure and bringing you impossibly closer to the edge. your body goes taut and he guides you through your first orgasm, voice deep and hoarse with lust. you're fumbling with the zipper of his jeans, his fingers still moving deep inside you, car windows already fogged over. he chuckles darkly, amused by your haste and the way you're trembling because of him. he withdraws his fingers before you can topple over the edge again, making you whine. dex whispers low in your ear, gripping your ass. you're climbing into the backseat now, the anticipation making the blood in your veins sing as your heart beats even faster. he's behind you in an instant, the zipper of his jeans being harshly tugged down. one hand holds your hip while the other grabs a fistful of your hair and pushes your cheek into the frigid window, making you shiver with need. without warning he's shoving his cock deep inside you. you're squealing in surprise and pain and dex inhales sharply, his control wavering as you feel him shake with pleasure. he's drilling into you, car shaking, dex bending over to bite your shoulder and kiss your neck. the hand on your hip travels up to your breasts, sliding under your bra, pinching and tugging on your already-hard nipples. the sensations are all overwhelming; dex's broad body towering over you, the cold air seeping into the car, the sound of him slapping against your ass as he pounds into you. the only coherent thing running through your head is just how good dex is making you feel and knowing there is nothing better than this.

[cyber333angel]

mmm getting needy while you and dex are sleeping in the middle of the night, shaking him back and forth until he wakes up with a grumble— and you just want him soo bad but dex is tired :(

but not wanting his sweet girl to go to sleep without feeling satisfied he rolls his black sleeping shirt up and lets you ride out that ache on his abs!! soaked panties making a mess all over his tummy and your little clit feels so good meshed between his skin and the fabric. your legs are locked on both sides of his waist with your hands on his chest to help you roll back an forth, sleepy whines leaving your lips when you slide your cunt on a specific muscle of his ab. your arousal sticking on his happy trail and it’s making the filthiest sounds,— you you want to get closer to your man so you look down to hook your panties to the side. soppy cunt saddled directly on his stomach and the contact making it feel all the more sensitive for you.

dex is not all the way awake so he’s watching you with lidded eyes, watching his drowsy girl get herself off. but it’s inevitable that he gets hard just from this little show!! now you guys are both up and have to solve this little problem in the middle of the night <3

[sailermoon]

having unwashed hair will have you believing shit like i can’t be saved

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Fifty-Two

"How long till we get there?" Simon asked, shuffling where he sat for the fifth time that hour.

"Is your side hurting?" I asked, softly, not wanting to draw the attention of Price and Johnny in the front of the car. Gaz not being too much of a concern as he slumbered away beside me. "Why don't we ask Cap to stop? Let you stretch your legs-"

"No, no," the Apex declined hastily. "'M fine - just wondered how much longer it was to your parents."

It was a lie, plain and simple.

Simon had been discharged from the medical wing early that morning and, the pack having already taken the liberty of packing up his necessary belongings, we hadn't wasted anytime getting out of there. Hitting the road in John's beat up, old car - how the thing was still running was beyond me with the noises it was making - and savouring our first tastes of freedom away from the stress of the job.

Of course, while both the Lieutenant and I had been discharged, that didn't exactly mean we were out of the woods just yet.

Therapy had proved... difficult to me. Often feeling as if whenever I took a step in the right direction, something unforeseen would make me take another two back. Nightmares, sudden panic attacks, irritable moods - the pack were saints to be putting up with everything I was putting them through, or so I thought so anyway.

Ghost, on the other hand, was more physically demanding; his side still not fully healed. Bandages needed to be changed once a day, a close eye kept on his sutures to make sure no infection seeped in. No strenuous activities, which for an Apex Alpha was obviously grating on the big guy.

But, we'd been released and reunited, and that was all that mattered to me. Both of us alive, safe, together - the pack complete once more.

"'bout another hour yet," I replied, brow furrowing as he shuffled once more. "My folks are farmers so-"

"You grew up on a farm?" He looked at me as if I'd grown a second head, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the way they did to tell me he was smirking.

"I did," I spoke carefully, eyes narrowing at his amusement. "Problem with that?"

"Suppose I just can't imagine you being a country girl - chasing chickens, herding cattle and all that," Simon shrugged. "You've always screamed 'big city' to me."

"I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment," I huffed, earning a chuckle from the Apex Alpha. The sound muffled through his skull-printed balaclava - having forgone his usual skull mask knowing he'd be meeting my family. "But, if you want to talk about upbringings, Johnny did mention you come Manchester, LT-"

"Don't start a fight you can't win, pup" he growled playfully, bumping the side of his face against my own; drawing a soft, contented sigh from my lips as I leaned into his side.

In moments like this I could almost forget everything that had happened...

"Are you really alright, Si?" I double-checked, looking up at him from where I'd nestled into his side.

"'m fine," he assured me, lips pressing against my cheek through the fabric of his headwear. "Just getting a little stiff is all... why don't you try and sleep, hm? Must be tired after last night."

Ugh, last night... don't think I'd slept more than an hour - if that! Stupid nightmares interrupting my beauty sleep.

"Okay," I caved, reluctantly. "But, you tell John if you need two minutes to get out and stretch your legs, yeah?"

"Promise, pup."

~

"Sweet girl," Kyle's voice brought me out of my half-asleep state, rousing me from whatever brief sleep I'd managed to catch. "Cap think's we're almost there now."

"Hm?" I hum, blinking groggily, trying to get my focus to vision.

Slowly sitting up, I find that we must have stopped at some point because Ghost was now sat up front with Price and Soap was sat on the other side of me. 

"Afternoon, hen" Johnny purred, one of his large hands finding the plush of my thigh and giving it a light squeeze. Earning himself a little grumble as I swatted him away, too groggy for his shenanigans and touchiness just yet.

Looking out the windscreen, I see the familiar sights of the English countryside I'd grown up in around us. Fields of wheat, potatoes and carrots. Not to mention the few continuing grazing cows and their calves, their moos soft compared to the old car bumbling down the dirt road.

...it was strange to be back where I'd spent so long trying to escape. 

"Yeah," I said, quietly, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "We're almost there now."

"You holding up okay, dove?" Price asked from behind the wheel, his eyes flicking towards me in the rear-view mirror as if sensing my shift in mood.

"Just weird to be back, sir" I confess.

The Alpha hummed softly at that, one weathered hand tapping idly against the steering wheel to the song playing quietly through the radio.

"Its understandable," he replied after a moment of thought. "Been a while since you've been home, hasn't it?" "Was workin' in America for two years," I sighed, reminded of all the guilt-trips my mother - in particular - had tried to pull to get me to come home to visit them. "But, has probably been about three since I last came home... visited once long after I'd passed boot camp and, well, I left a few days earlier then planned, let's put it that way."

Three years felt like a lifetime ago. Maybe it was, truth be told. I certainly wasn't the same girl who'd run away to join the British Military at eighteen after her proposed mate sought warmth elsewhere. Nor the girl who'd left days earlier than planned to escape her overbearing mother and distant father.

And, now, I was here again.

Not alone, however, this time - thankfully.

My gaze drifted across the inside of the car, settling on each member of the pack in turn as if silently reassuring myself they were truly there. Gaz looking half-asleep beside me, his cheek reddened slightly from where he had been squashed against the window while he'd dozed. Johnny sat broad and warm at my other side, one arm slung lazily over the back of my seat as if he couldn't bare to be too far apart from me. Up front, even Simon sat stiffly beside Price, gloved fingers drumming against his thigh before stilling once more as he caught me watching.

Even exhausted and injured, he was still watching me. Always watching me now.

"You nervous?" The Beta asked, angling himself towards me.

"A little."

"That bad, eh?" Soap teased, though held an undercurrent of concern to his playful lilt.

"You have no idea, Johnny" I sighed, fiddling with the frayed holes in my jeans.

"Well," the Captain said dryly. "If they give you any trouble, we'll simply have to set 'em straight then, won't we?"

Despite myself, a small laugh escaped me.

"Sir, please don't threaten my parents," I scoffed, playfully, shaking my head.

"No promises."

The car rounded another bend and there it was.

My childhood home came into view slowly beyond the bountiful fields - a large stone farmhouse sat atop a gentle rise, ivy creeping along portions of the walls. Several old barns sat further back, alongside rusting farm equipment and fenced paddocks. Smoke curling from the chimney of the main farmhouse, no doubt Ma having put on a pot of stew to simmer away so it was ready for supper that night.

Nothing had changed, and somehow, that was the strangest part.

After everything that had happened, after nearly dying, being nearly forcefully bonded and being dragged through hell itself, my old family home looked painfully normal... as if I'd never even been there at all.

"Bloody hell," the Delta gawked. "Yeh nae told us yeh grew up in ah place like this."

"I told you it was a farm" I repeated my earlier explanation.

"Aye, but ah expected chickens 'n' mud," he continued. "This place looks like sommat out o' ah postcard."

"It has chickens and mud" I deadpanned him.

I watched as the Lieutenant's gaze tracked carefully over the property as we drove up the path towards the house, his posture going imperceptibly rigid. Protective instincts perhaps. After all, this place was unknown to him. 

Even injured, even exhausted, Simon was still accessing exits, windows and advantage points - anywhere a threat could emerge from. Or, for that matter, anything the pack and I might need protecting from.

One thing was true though - for better, or for worse - I was home...

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Fifty-One

(One week later)

I awoke with a scream already lodged halfway up my throat. My body jerking violently beneath the bedsheets, nails clawing uselessly at the fabric as panic ripped through me in suffocating waves.

"Charlie. Charlie, hey, come on, hen - your nae there, your safe, your home-" Johnny was beside me in an instant, roused from his light slumber in the armchair beside my bed. Large hands cupping my cheeks as he forced my gaze to his tired eyes, hurriedly climbing onto the bed beside me and coaxing my frantic thrashes to slowly still.

"N-No," I choked out, shaking my head adamantly as the bad dream lingered in the forefront of my mind. Violent shivers wracking down the length of my rigid form. "Si, they took Si! W-We have to-"

"They dinnae take him, Mo ghràdh," the Delta continued to soothe me, my desperate gasps hitching as Soap pulled me tightly against his chest, one hand cradling the back of my head carefully - mindful of the concussion I was still suffering from - while the other rubbed firmly up and down my back. His Scottish accent thicker with both worry and exhaustion. "Ah swear on meh mam's life, Simon's fine - he's with Gaz, yeah? Just like ah promised yeh before yeh went tah sleep."

Safe... the worst still didn't feel quite real yet after a week of being back at base.

Not after waking up each night, certain I could still feel Roman's breath fanning against my scent gland. Not when every time I closed my eyes, I saw the Lieutenant's blood splattering across those polished marble floors.

Sleep had become my enemy after that night at Carcofski's safehouse, eluding me at every turn.

Not because I didn't need it - God, I needed it. Every inch of my frame aching with a bone-deep tired, head throbbing from the concussion no matter how many painkillers the medics pushed through my system. But, the moment I shut my eyes for slightly too long, I was right back there...

Back in that dining room.

Back with Roman's hands on me.

Back with Simon yelling my name as they dragged him away.

The nightmares never came gently either. They'd tear through me, vivid enough that waking up never felt like a relief. Sometimes it was the Alpha sinking his teeth into my scent gland while I was stuck in that stupid chair. Sometimes it was the Lieutenant bleeding out in front of me while I was held helplessly in place, unable to get to him. Other times, the worst of them all, it was the echo of Simon pleading me not to bond with Roman.

Those were the ones that stayed with me long after waking, haunting me for the rest of the day. Just for the cycle to repeat again when night fell once more.

My fingers twisted desperately into Soap's shirt as I buried my face against him, trying to anchor myself to something real. Something warm. Something alive.

Johnny shifted further up the mattress, atop the medical wing bed, until he was practically sat around me entirely, broad chest pressed firmly against my back as he cocooned me into him. Like if he held me tightly enough, nothing in the world could touch me again.

His scent wrapping around me - gunpowder, cedarwood and something distinctly him beneath it all - comforting in a way that made my poor, battered inner Omega whine softly.

"Tha's it," he murmured against my hairline. "Breathe for me, lass. Slow breaths, good girl-"

"Soap! Placebo!" The voice of the Captain shouted from the hallway beyond my private room, along with the sound of hurried footsteps heading out way.

John burst in moments later, the Alpha's eyes quickly sweeping the room until they landed on Johnny and I; his shoulders sagging with relief at the sight of us together. Price, much like the rest of the pack, looked dishevelled. Bags under his eyes, hair unkept from how many times his hands had run through it.

It might have been Simon and I that were in the shit, but it had affected the others all the same. The scare of us being taken hostage, finding us in the states we were in... it couldn't have been easy over the past week for them, doing what they could to aid us while simultaneously trying to reassure themselves.

"S'alright, Cap," the Delta said, continuing to coddle me. "Just 'nother bad nightmare."

"Another one?" The older man sighed, shutting the door behind him and padding towards the bed, taking a seat beside us. Reaching a hand out to comb back some stray strands of hair from my face, his eyes gleaming with concern. "What are we gonna do with the two of you, hm, sweetheart?"

Shuffling to sit up against Johnny, I scrub the tears from my face with the back of my hoodie sleeve. Well, it was actually Kyle's hoodie. But, for now, it was mine.

"How's Si?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

It had become my first question every morning.

"Stubborn," he replied, dryly. "Which means he's improving."

Despite myself, a weak laugh escaped me. Yeah, that sounded about right for Ghost.

The Apex Alpha had survived surgery somehow through sheer spite alone according to the nurses. The claw lodged in his side having come frightening close to piercing a few of his vital organs, blood loss alone nearly killing him before the task force had even extracted him from the compound.

And yet, somehow, apparently the man had regained consciousness halfway through the flight solely to demand where I was.

"He keeps asking for you" John admitted, softly.

My gaze dropped from the Captain to the bunched up blanket still entangled around my legs.

"Are we still not allowed to see one another?"

"Not just yet, pup," Price patted my thigh. "Doc's are worried the pair of you will push yourselves too hard before your ready."

I knew it was a necessary evil, yet, that didn't make it any easier. Simon being Simon would have ripped his stitches to get to me if he thought I'd needed him. And I... well, I didn't like to think about how badly I wanted to be near him after waking from the nightmares.

"Maybe in the next couple o' days though, right, Cap?" Soap advocated for me, sensing my upset.

"Yeah, course," John agreed. "We can re-visit the question in a couple of days, see how your both doing then-"

The Alpha paused, really looking at me for a moment as my eyes lifted hopefully to meet his.

"-Charlie, love, there's something I'd actually like to discuss with you."

"If its about what happened while we were there, then I've already told you everything I can remember, John, I-" I assumed he wanted to press for more details for the written reports. The higher-ups probably still breathing down his neck as to why the individual they'd asked to be brought in alive was currently being autopsied with a bullet through his forehead.

"No - it's not that, pup," the Captain shook his head. "It's about your next of kin-"

"What about them?" I cut him off, tensing where I sat.

My next of kin... my family, my parents.

Despite my half-hearted promise to try and take some leave sometime soon, I hadn't actually spoken to my mother since the night the pack discovered I was an Omega. I know I probably should have at least called her with an update, but I'd just been so busy and life got so hectic between tracking down Roman's Omega smuggling ring and learning where I fit amongst the boys.

"We had tah contact them, hen," the Delta broke the news as gently as he could. "It were touch an' go for ah while and its policy tah-"

"You rang me parents?!"

"Charlie, we had to," Price said, a little firmer this time. "I didn't exactly enjoy getting chewed out by your mother for three hours for 'letting her baby get taken'. Truth be told, it's a bloody miracle I managed to convince her not to storm down here and all-"

"Captain, you don't understand - my relationship with my parents is... well, it's-"

"Strained. Aye, we ken," Johnny confessed, before hastily continuing upon seeing my confused expression. "Gaz told us what little he knew, what you'd told him before, while you were out o' it the first night you were back."

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. Struggling to find the right words to explain a lifetime of 'strained' relationships.

"You don't understand, it's not just that. I haven't had time to speak to her in months, she doesn't even know I've been seeing anyone" I confessed, a small flush rising across my cheeks, gaze dropping to where my fingers fiddled away with the hem of Kyle's hoodie.

"Oh, pup, is that what you're worried about, sweet girl?" The Alpha practically purred, melting at my bashful confession. Reaching forward and plucking me up from the bed, before settling me atop his lap; nuzzling his face into the side of me. "Don't fret, I didn't say a word about your new packs... 'inner' workings. You can still tell her yourself."

"Oh, goody, can't wait for that phone call" I huffed sarcastically. Soap tensing before a large, relieved grin split across his face at the first sass I'd given since coming home.

"There's my girl."

"About that phone call," John cleared his throat, making me look up at him. "I... did have to make a compromise with your parents so they didn't come down here."

"What do you mean?" I pressed, not liking where this was going already.

"After your Ghost and you are discharged from the medical wing, the doctors want you to go on an extended leave to have time to really recover. After speaking things through with Kyle and Soap, we've agreed it would be best if we all took some time off," he explained. "And, as a compromise for not storming down here, your parents have kindly offered to allow us all to stay with them while we're on leave."

"...excuse me?" I say after a moment of horrified silence, thinking surely I'd heard him wrong. "You're joking, right? Tell me you're joking?"

"I'm not," the Alpha shook his head softly. "It'll be good for us to have some time away from the job, Char. Not to mention I'd quite like to meet the family of the Omega my pack had fallen head over heels for."

"We wanna do this right, lass," Soap added, backing up his mate. "It were only ah matter o' time before they found out 'bout us anyway... unless yeh dinnae want us tah meet your-"

"No, no - it's not that, I promise. I do want you guys to meet them, I really do," I reassured him hastily, a panicked whine slipping from my inner omega and bubbling up my throat at rejecting them like that. "It's not that, I swear. It's just... complicated."

"Placebo," John's fingers caught my chin and gently coaxed my gaze up to his again from Johnny's, a fond look in his eyes. "If you think we'd let anything happen to our best girl after just getting her back, then you obviously don't know us very well, hm?"

"The last time I had someone to take home to my family, it didn't end well, John," I confessed, hesitantly. "I don't wanna jinx this."

"And you won't, we won't," Price shook his head adamantly. "We're not the absolute idiot that let a gem like you slip through their fingers."

"Far from it" I couldn't help but sigh, the smallest of purrs beginning to rumble through my chest as I nuzzled my face against his own.

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Fifty

The door shut behind Roman with a heavy, echoing finality that seemed to reverberate through my bones; sending a shiver down my spine.

One hour... it wasn't long at all, and yet, I knew that time would feel stretched.

For a moment, I couldn't move, trapped within my own head until the sound of the Lieutenant's voice snapped me out of it,

"Charlie..."

Across the table, Simon had sagged slightly in his restraints the moment Carcofski had taken his leave. The tension that had been holding him upright - an Alpha fronting, fuelled purely by rage and defiance - faltered just enough for the reality of his condition to really show.

"Don't," I said too quickly, my voice breaking as I shook my head. Blinking rapidly to clear the tears that burned my vision. "Don't you dare start with me, Si. Not right now."

"You... you can't even be considering this," he rasped, the words themselves fraying at the edges. "Pup, tell me your not!"

I couldn't look at him.

My eyes fixed to a spot on the decorated table between us. Hands trembling against the arms of the chair I sat in, fingers curling uselessly against the binds as if I could somehow tear through them if I just tried hard enough.

"You heard him," I whispered in reply, voice hollow even in my own ears. "You know what he's going to do if I don't."

"He's bluffing."

"He's not," I snapped, head finally jerking up to meet his gaze. "You think that was a bluff? That any of what he's done tonight has been a bluff? Come on, Sir, your smarter than that."

Simon's jaw clenched, a flicker of pain crossing his face; yet, not from his physical wounds.

"He wants control," Ghost bit out. "That's all this is. You give him that, you give him what he wants, and he doesn't stop, Charlie! Men like him never do!"

"And what's the alternative?" I laugh, humourlessly. Tears now freely streaming down my face. "I say no and he kills you? That's your grand plan?"

"If that's what it takes-"

"Don't you dare," I snarled, inner Omega howling with upset inside of me. "Don't you dare stand there and tell me your worth less than this. You don't get to make that choice for me."

"Its not your choice to make either!" Ghost fired back, louder than before, the strain in his voice unmistakable. "No, you can't bond with him, there has to be another way."

"There isn't one," I replied, quieter this time - final. "We have exhausted our options, Si."

The words settled between us like a death sentence.

Simon stared at me, searching - desperately - for something in my expression that might suggest hesitation, doubt, anything he could latch on to and pull me back from the edge with.

But, there was nothing. Because the decision had already been made in my mind.

"I'm not losing you," I continued, swallowing thickly as my voice wavered. "Not like this. Not because of me."

"Placebo, please-"

"I mean it, Simon," I doubled down. "You don't get to die for me. That's not how this works. You... you have mates to go home to and-"

"You think this is saving me?" He asked, hoarsely. "You think letting him-"

He couldn't even finish the sentence, lip curling in disgust.

"-that's not saving me. That's handing him everything."

"Maybe," I admitted. "But at least it keeps you breathing."

"And what about you?" The Apex Alpha growled - demanded. "What about you, huh? What happens after? You think he's going to play house with you> You think you'll just get to walk out of this?"

"I don't need to" I growled back.

The silence that followed was suffocating as I laid the cold, hard truth out plainly for him. I didn't care what happened to me, not as long as he lived. He'd shown me, the 141 had shown me, what true pack was... and I sure as hell wasn't going to let myself be the reason that pack got fractured.

"Don't," he said again, softer this time. "Don't say that, please."

"I can't watch you die, Si."

That was it. No grand speech or justification that could make this right. Just that.

"You're not disposable, Charlie, never have been," he tried to argue, hands flexing against his own restraints as if willing them to snap under the motions. "You don't get to decide that you are."

"I'm not, no... but, I am the one he wants."

"And I'm telling you no, Sergeant," Ghost snapped, desperation bleeding through his anger now. "That's an order."

Despite everything a weak smile tugged at my lips,

"We both know I've never been very good at following orders, LT."

"Placebo, don't you dare-"

"I love you," I tell him, earnestly. The Lieutenant making a near wounded sound upon hearing that for the first time upon my lips. "God, I love you guys so much... you'll tell the others for me, won't you?"

"You can tell them yourself, pup," Simon sobbed, tears escaping from his eyes - a jarring sight that made my heart ache, seeing the gruff Apex Alpha crying for me. "Price will find us. Soap, Gaz - they won't stop-"

"I know," I nodded, clinging to the truth even as I prepared to throw everything else away. "But, we're out of time and you have to be alive when they get here."

~

"I see that you've made your choice," Roman spoke casually as he entered the room once again after an hour had passed, gesturing to the distraught Ghost across from me. "It's nice to see some of you in the 141 have at least a sliver of common sense-"

"Can we maybe skip the evil monologuing?" I look up at him as he steps closer. "Seriously, anyone would think you liked the sound of your own voice or something-"

His hand shot down and gripped my jawline, tugging my face uncomfortably towards his own.

"I'm going to enjoy training the bite out of you, sweetheart," Carcofski grinned while Ghost snarled and seethed in his chair. "It makes the victory all the more sweet when you finally crumble."

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Simon snarled, the arms of his chair creaking as if they might actually give way under his struggling. Roman's gaze flickering to him with the briefest hint of fear, before he quickly schooled it when the chair held.

"Hm, I think having this one watching might ruin the mood, don't you, sweetheart?" The Alpha thought aloud, looking to the guards whom stood by the door. "Take this one back to his cell."

I tense as enemy soldier's flood into the room and approach the Lieutenant.

"No! Charlie!" Simon yelled as they picked up his chair while he continued to thrash, deeming it unwise to even unbind him from the seat.

A choked cry fell from my lips at the sight of him so distressed. His snarls and shouts growing distant as they carried him from the room and away from me, separating us once again.

"Oh, sweetheart," Roman cooed, cupping my cheeks with both hands and gently brushing away the tears that fell. "It's alright, like I said, your making the right choice. I'm nothing if not a man of my word and, I promise, I will allow him to go back to his mates with no more harm than he's already suffered... this is a happy day, isn't it? Every Omega dreams of the day they become bonded, don't they?"

"My dreams sure as hell looked a lot different from this" I sniffle indignantly, pulling my face free of his hold, rejecting his touch. 

Carcofski sighed, the sound reminding me of a disappointed parent when their pup was being disobedient,

"Now, I know we've gotten off to a rocky start, but I assure you that when that bond slips into place - you'll feel so much better, sweetheart."

"...just get on with it" I shake my head, resigned to my fate.

"Would you like a drink first? Might help you take the edge off before-"

"I said, get on with it!"

He stalled for a moment before placing himself behind the chair I was tied to, his hands reaching from behind and working the first few buttons of my uniform, just enough to be able to pull my collar loose; granting him better access to my neck. Leaning down, the brush of his lips against my scent gland made me want to scream, my hands clenching into fists as I bite my lip so hard I tasted blood. 

"You smell so sweet," he complimented, mouthing along my neck in a way which made my stomach roll in disgust. "Even buried beneath all that fear and upset."

"You make me sick" I growl, unable to help myself.

"Maybe so," Carcofski acknowledged my insult. "But, not for long, the bond will see to that. Soon you shall crave me, desire me, and when that happens - I'll be waiting with open arms, sweetheart... this might sting a little."

His lips paused over my scent gland, the Alpha taking a greedy, leisurely inhale of my scent. Before I felt the prick of his fangs drag across my skin.

However, just as his teeth began to puncture my scent gland, a terrified squeal falling from my lips, suddenly the pressure was gone; the sound of something shattering and a whizzing sound going past my ear making me jump.

For a moment, I didn't dare move. Choking on my own panicked breaths as my eyes dart to the window, finding it shattered around a suspiciously bullet shaped hole. 

Roman's weight sagged behind me, his grip loosening as his frame slumped over. Something warm splattering against the back of my collar and neck.

Slowly, cautiously, I turned my head.

Roman Carcofski laid, crumpled, behind me; his body twisted at an awkward angle where he had collapsed. The back of his skull painting the polished floor in something dark and spreading. His lifeless eyes staring at nothing in particular, the smugness which had defined his expression gone in an instant.

It was over... he was dead without being able to properly puncture my gland...

He hadn't bonded me, hadn't had time to claim me before my pack had punished him for taking their own.

And my pack...

They had come for Simon, for us - for me.

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-nine

"Are you sure you don't want a drink, sweetheart? You must be parched," Roman sighed as he glanced towards where I sat, pouring himself what looked to be a glass of whiskey from a crystal decanter. The easy smile on his face making the situation feel almost domestic, hospitable... if it weren't for the binds keeping my wrists flat to the arms of the chair. "I couldn't possibly give you alcohol, of course. That wouldn't do with you head injury... but, I have other options - water, juice, coffee. Oh, and that tea you brits adore so."

However, I remained quiet as I instead took in the room around me - a dining room - not particularly keen to drink anything offered by him, thirsty or not.

Chairs were positioned evenly along both sides of the long, marble dining table which dominated the room, the table taking up nearly the full length of the space. Each seat had a straight back and was upholstered in a light beige fabric, contrasting subtly with their darker wooden legs.

The edges of the marble table were smoothed - rounded corners and polished to a shine. Running down its centre was a carefully arranged line of objects: a large floral centrepiece composed of layered blooms in soft pinks and creams, flanked by neatly spaced settings - plates, folded napkins, glassware and cutlery lined with precision. As if someone were expecting to host a large dinner party.

Above, a large crystal chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling by a dark chain. Branching outward and downward in multiple tiers, each arm supporting candle-light bulbs.

For a man supposedly on the run, it appeared Carcofski hadn't had to adapt his lavish lifestyle even the slightest.

"D-Don't... talk to... h-her-" Ghost growled, weakly, where he sat across the table from me. The Lieutenant barely hanging onto consciousness as he glowered at the Alpha stood a small distance away.

"That's quite enough out of you, Lieutenant," Roman's tone sharpened as he slammed the decanter back down, the amber liquid inside sloshing, before storming towards the wounded Apex Alpha. "You had your chance to talk and you blew it, didn't you? Now it's time for me and the lovely Charlie to have a chat-"

"Don't touch him" I snapped, beginning to fight the restraints once more as Carcofski reached for Simon. Pausing his movements as I drew his attention back to me, his head tilting slightly to the side as he regarded me.

"...you've trained her well enough with loyalty, I'll give you that much, Apex," he huffed, snatching a napkin off the table and tying it around Ghost's mouth so any further words would be muffled. Before Carcofski trod around the table and leant beside where I struggled, the Russian's brow creasing as he took in my reddening wrists; the rope scratching and burning me. "Alright, calm down now, sweetheart. Gonna make your poor wrists all sore squirming like that. I only wish to speak with you, is that so bad?"

"Doesn't look like you 'only' spoke to my Lieutenant" I bite back, growling up at him, earning a chuckle as he knelt beside me; putting us more level with one another.

"That... is true, you have me there," Roman nodded, almost ruefully - not that I'd fall for his 'sorrowful' act. "I had tried to speak with him, I promise. However, true to Apex nature, he found the need to disrespect me in my own home and I couldn't allow that to slide, I'm sure you understand-"

"Maybe he'd have been more open to a tea party is we hadn't been brought here against our will-"

"Your a funny one, aren't you?" He laughed, seemingly amused by my snark. "I can certainly see why the 141 are fond of you. Takes great courage for one so small to have such a harsh bite."

"And what would you know about courage? Huh?" I retort, chest heaving as I breathed heavily in my upset. "Your just a small Alpha who uses Omegas to get what he wants in life. You have no idea the things us Omegas are capable of-"

"Don't I?" 

"No, you don't."

Roman nodded, the smile from earlier still stretched across his face as he reached for his drink and took a sip. Seemingly pondering what I'd said as he leisurely finished his drink before setting the glass back down onto the table.

"Contrary to what you might like to believe, sweetheart - I don't hate Omegas, as you insinuate," he explained, calmly, as if he were speaking to a pup. "There are many good qualities Omegas bare which make them so... well, loveable, for the lack of a better word. But, that being said, I do believe your secondary gender requires a firm hand. Guidance, even."

"Guidance?" I scoff with a humourless laugh. "Is that what you call what your doing? Does that help you sleep easier at night? You take Omegas from their homes, their lives, and you sell them to new packs and masters. What about that is guidance-?"

"It is necessary!" Roman growled, his mask slipping momentarily and making me flinch back as he bared his teeth. Ghost grumbling across the table, the sound muffled by the makeshift gag, seemed to bring him back from his anger, however. Hastily composing himself and smiling once more. "It... is necessary, I assure you. You Omegas, you just... don't know what is good for you. What I do, the service I provide, is setting you Omegas up for a lifetime of love and affection from your new masters, as long as you behave-"

"There is a difference between love and ownership," I counter, leaning forward to bare my own teeth at the poor excuse of an Alpha. "Something you clearly don't understand."

"...do not mistake my patience for permission to run that pretty mouth of yours," he warned, eyes narrowing in a way that made my inner Omega whine, sensing the threat carried under his tone. "I would hate to do to you what I had to do to him."

Grasping my jaw, Carcofski angled my face to gaze upon Simon across the table, his grip bordering on painful with how tight his fingers pressed into my skin.

"It would be a shame to mar something so lovely," Roman continued, leaning closer and inhaling my soured scent - fear and upset producing the smell of burnt sugar from my scent glands; something the Alpha seemed to enjoy. "Tell me, Charlie, why do you continue to struggle at the bottom when you could have so much more?"

"...what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about - why stay with their poor excuse of a pack, when you could belong to something bigger? Someone greater?" 

"I'm not in the mood for games, so either speak plainly or shut the fuck up-" I growled, feeling annoyance bristle. However, I was not permitted to finish the sentence as the back of his hand came down hard across my cheek. My head snapping to the side as the Lieutenant snarled, the sound murderous even through the napkin in his mouth.

Roman sighed as tears welled in my eyes, a natural response after such a harsh slap. Gently turning my face back towards him and caressing where his handprint began to burn into the side of my face. 

"Silly girl, look what you made me do," he scolded softly. "I don't want to hurt you, Charlie. I know this isn't your fault, not truly. It's the 141's... they should of have corrected you better. Failure to do that has made you spoiled, allowed you to believe you may act however you wish."

"Don't touch me" I sniffle, trying to flinch away from his sickening touch with little success.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Roman cooed, unrelenting as he moved from petting my cheek to combing his fingers through my hair. "I've worked with many an Omega in the past. I know just how to iron out those little bumps no problem... you see, Charlie, I've taken quite the interest in you. It's not every day an Omega makes it as far as you have and manages to cause me so much trouble in the process. At first I was going to kill you, would sort my little problem out nicely, wouldn't it? Yet, the more I learned about you, I've found myself quite fascinated."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think I'd like to keep you," the Alpha finally confessed, my face falling at the implication on what that meant. "Now, don't look at me like that, that's rude. You should be honoured an Alpha such as myself has taken such an interest in you. After all, I have many Omega's already at my beck and call. But, I'd like our bond to be more special than just a one-way bite - I want you to be the only Omega allowed to claim me also."

A one-way bite... it was a barbaric notion and an old way of going about seeking a mate. 

A one-way bite meant that only one person was bitten during the making one the bond. The bitten would become servient and loyal, as most do after being claimed, to the one who bite them. However, having never been bitten back, the one without the bite could continue on with life - sleeping around without consequence and entertaining others.

A one-way bite was a mockery of a bond, and it was disgusting.

"I would never bond myself to an Alpha like you" I seethed, trembling in my upset.

"But you will," Roman corrected, confidently. Nodding his head towards Ghost across the table. "Or I'll kill him."

"No..." the word fell from my lips, breathless, before I could stop it.

"If your loyalty to the 141 is what's stopping you, sweetheart, think of it this way - they haven't claimed you in any way that matters yet. You have no real ties to them, except emotional, which can quickly be severed with a bond to me," Carcofski reassured me, or tried to anyway. "Wouldn't it be better to lose you and not one of their actual mates? I've heard the pain of losing a mate is agony... would you really have them go through that for your own selfish desires?"

I was sobbing by this point, unable to stop as fat tears dribbled down my cheeks; stinging the agitated skin of where he'd slapped me. While Simon fought against his restraints across the table, obviously wanting desperately to soothe me. Furious snarls and growls rumbling through his chest. If mere looks could kill, Roman would have already been six foot under...

"Tell you what, I'll give you an hour to think it over," the Alpha said, as if he were being gracious enough to allow me to say goodbye to Ghost. Stepping around the table to yank the napkin off the Lieutenant's head, throwing it onto the table before heading towards the door. "When I come back, Charlie, we can do this the easy way or the hard way... I know which one I would prefer."

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Eight

Time felt as if it dragged in the suffocating, damp cells; each second stretched thin until it felt as if it might snap under the weight of whatever was to come. The dim, flickering lights overhead cast long shadows across the dusty, stone floors. The rusted metal bars of our cells appearing like jagged teeth ready to clamp shut and swallow us whole. 

I kept my gaze on Simon, however. Even when our conversation fell flat, neither of us having the energy to spare of frivolous, honeyed words. It was useless, anyway. We both knew what trouble we were in so why try to sugar coat it?

At some point, the adrenaline ebbed away - not all at once, but rather slowly. Leaving a bone-deep exhaustion to set in its place, an irrefutable ache clawing at my limbs and tugging at my consciousness. My head throbbing with a slow, punishing rhythm which kept in time with my pulse. Each flutter a reminder of the blow I'd taken. Yet, I refused to allow my eyes to shut. Not when Ghost was worse off, not when I could wake to find the cell across from my empty...

My fingers remained weakly laced with his through the bars, the contact faint but vital for the both of us.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, though it could have been minutes. Quiet, tense - the both of us listening to the distant hum of whatever facility we'd been dragged to. Jumping whenever we caught the slightest echo of a door slamming somewhere or muffled voices to low to make out what was being said. The kind of silence which wasn't really silent at all - the calm before something worse.

Which is why we stilled the moment footfall, closer than any we'd heard up until now, came from beyond the cells. Our hands slipping apart through the bars without a word, each of us pulling back into our own spaces as if that small distance might somehow prepare us for what was coming.

The door to the right of us creaked open and harsh light spilled into the cell block, cutting through the dimness and forcing me to squint against the sudden brightness; my head throbbing in protest. Three figures, followed quickly by a forth, stepping inside. The first three armed and broad, the fourth... Cedric - fucking - Johnson. A stubby Beta who played ball with the big boys and was all too smug of that fact. An older, worse version of Levou - and no doubt about it - whom had been Isiah's mentor.

His eyes flickering from the Lieutenant first, before then landing on me. A faint smile tugging at his lips, something pleased flickering across his expression.

"Well," he drawled. "Looks who's finally awake-"

"Don't fuckin' look at her," Ghost rasped without hesitation. A low, vicious growl tearing through his chest - raw and dangerous despite the way his body trembled under the strain. "Your not worthy of lookin' at her."

Johnson's smile widened, amused rather than threatened.

"Still got bite left in you... good," he mused, gesturing to the guards beside him and then towards Simon's cell. "I was worried we'd broken you too quickly."

My stomach twisted, dread pooling heavy and sickening in my gut as one of the guards stepped forward, keys clinking softly in hand.

"No," I started, voice already shaky as I forced myself up against the bars. "Don't! Don't fucking touch him!"

The guards didn't even look at me as they stepped into his cell, the door swinging open inward with a metallic groan, the three of them moving as a wall towards him.

The Apex Alpha didn't go quietly. Even injured and bleeding, he still fought. It was instinct, I supposed. Just who he was... but that didn't make it any easy for me to witness.

He lunged the moment they got too close for comfort, moving with a speed that didn't quite match the state he was in. One of the guards barely having time to react before Simon's fist smashed into the side of his jaw, the crack echoing through the cell block as the guard staggered back.

But, there were too many of them - descending all at once. A baton came down against his back. Another blow landing to his ribs. A fist flying at his already bruised-face.

"Stop it!" I screamed, my hands slamming against the bars as panic surged through me, sharp and suffocating. "Stop - please, stop!" They didn't.

Ghost grunted under each impact, his body jerking with each hit, though he didn't cry out - not properly, anyhow. Just low, strained sounds forced from his chest as he tried to keep fighting with little success, even as they overwhelmed him. 

His knees hit the ground first, then his shoulder as they shoved him forward. One of the guards grabbing his arms and wrenching them behind his back. Another striking his face again, making his head snap awkwardly to the side as the Lieutenant tried to push himself up; blood splattering across the already-filthy floor.

"Stop it!" My voice broke entirely now, breathless sobs ripping through me. "You're going to kill him - please, just stop!"

"You beg so sweetly, little one," Cedric sighed as his men continued to beat Simon. Watching with a detached interest as his gaze flickered between Ghost and I. "Such a waste of what could have been a good Omega... take him."

My heart dropped at his orders.

"No- no, you can't-!" I cried, shaking my head violently as the guards hauled the barely-conscious Lieutenant upright. His legs hardly cooperating, leading to him being dragged from the cell; weight sagging between the soldiers. "Please, don't take him, please! I'll do whatever you want just don't-!"

The door slammed shut behind them, the sound of it echoing and final.

I stood there for a moment, frozen. My hands still gripping the bars as if I could somehow tear them apart, as if I could force my way through them. My chest heaving with uneven, shattered gasp as reality crashed down on me and tears streamed down my cheeks.

I was alone... completely and utterly alone.

~

Time lost all meaning afterwards.

At some point my ragged sobbing had ceased - not because I'd calmed down, no. But rather because there was nothing left in me to fuel them. My throat burning raw, chest aching with every breath as I sat curled in the corner of my enclosure; staring blankly at the cell opposite me where he had been sat...

I don't know how much time passed - minutes, hours. It all blurred together into what felt like an eternity as I waited for footsteps, something, anything. Waiting for them to return him to me, even if I knew deep down that it wasn't that simple.

My head throbbed relentlessly, the dull ache now settling into something deeper and more insidious after my tears. Every time I shifted, the world tilted, forcing me to stay still longer than I wished to; my limbs growing stiff. Yet, I didn't dare lay down, nor close my eyes.

I wasn't sure I'd have the strength to re-open them if I did...

So I stayed upright, stayed awake, stayed ready. Even though my body begged me not to.

When the footsteps returned, the door swinging open to reveal the same three men from earlier just with no Johnson, I scrambled to the front of the cell. Only for disappoint to swell when I saw no Ghost with them.

"Where is he?!" I shouted. "What did you do with him-?!" "Shut up, bitch" one of them hissed, the keys jingling in his hands as he unlocked the door to my cell, making me back up to the corner again.

"I'm warning you, touch me and you ain't getting out of here unscathed," I threaten him, growls rumbling through my chest as I brace myself. "You here me?!"

"If she's anything like the other guy, I'd say we're getting off easy" another joked, earning a chorus of chuckles from his friends.

Oh, they were so, so stupid. Because I knew for a fact that I was far worse than the Lieutenant when I wished to be, and they had taken my pack from me.

The moment they stepped inside my cell, I moved.

A snarl tearing through my throat as I launched myself at the closest one. My shoulder slamming into his chest and catching his off-guard with the force I'd used, causing him to stagger backwards. My hands coming up, claws threatening to break through his skin as I grabbed at whatever I could - fabric, flesh, anything.

"Get off of me!" He barked, trying to wrench me away, but I twisted violently.

I wasn't going quietly, no chance in hell. Not after what they'd done to Simon, my Simon. I'd make them pay. They would all pay-

A hand grabbed the back of my vest, yanking me hard enough to make my head snap back, pain flaring white and hot behind my eyes. 

"Hold her still!" one of them snarled, frustration bleeding into his tone as I nearly slipped free of their holds once more.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, voice breaking as I lashed out, my boot connecting hard with someone's stomach; earning a satisfying groan. "I'll fucking kill you-!"

The youngest of the three went to grab at my arms again, trying - and failing - to pin them behind my back. However, dropping my weight suddenly, I wrenched myself free enough to turn towards him. Head snapping forward without thought, just instinct, and my teeth sank into something warm.

The man screamed.

A wet, horrified sound that echoed through the holding cell as I bit down harder, jaw locking with a near-savage force I didn't know I had left within me. 

There was resistance, and then it finally gave.

I tore back with a laugh as I spat the man's ear out at his feet while he staggered away, clutching the side of his head. Blood pouring out between his fingers, his screams turning shrill and broken as he collapsed to his knees.

"Fuck- fuck-!"

"You dumb bitch!" another roared, the humour they'd had gone now, replaced by pure fury.

Something was shoved over my head while I continued to laugh at their dismay, darkness swallowing me whole.

The fabric of the bag reeked. Clinging to my face and cutting off what little air I could draw in properly, making every breath feel too small - too tight.

"No! Get off of me!" I barked as they dragged me from the cell. "Where are you taking me?! Where is he?! What did you do to him-?!"

~

The world lurched with every step I was forced to take, my boots scraping reluctantly against the ground as they dragged me forward. The rough fabric over my head suffocating and damp with my breath. The stale, sour stench of it making my stomach churn.

A door opened and the air shifted - warmer, cleaner, wrong.

Before I could process it, the bag was yanked free from my head and I was shoved inside... well, wherever they'd brought me to; light flooding my vision.

For a moment, everything blurred - too bright, too sharp. Then, I saw him.

"Simon-" his name fell from my lips, wounded.

He was slumped in an armchair, bound tightly to it. His wrists secured, chest strapped to the frame like he was nothing more than something to be displayed. Head hung forward at an unnatural angle, chin nearly to his chest. Dark strands of sweat-slick hair stuck to his forehead.

There was blood... everywhere.

It stained his shirt, soaked into the fabric around his side where his worst injury had clearly been aggravated. Fresh, angry, cruel bruising marring his skin. One eye swollen, a split lip and dried streak of red trailing from his obviously broken nose.

"Lieutenant-!" I came back to myself, going to rush forward when two arm lammed around me from behind. Locking tightly around me as I cried and squealed in my fright.

Ghost stirred faintly at the sound of my voice, just barely. His head lifting a fraction, that one good eye weakly looking for me.

"...Charlie...?" he rasped.

"So," the voice behind me spoke, his lips beside my ear as I cried for Simon, tone laced with something darkly amused by the situation. "You're the Omega who's been causing trouble for me."

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Seven

Things came in flashes as I fell in and out of consciousness.

My limp form being carried atop someone's shoulder, watching the ground blur beneath as whoever was carrying me walked. The sounds of an aircraft over faintly audible over the ringing in my ears. Before darkness consumed me once more.

Then snarling, threats flying back and forth as I was laid on what felt like straw, head lolling to the side as I cracked my eyes open. "Keep your goddamn hands off her!" Simon snarled viciously, struggling against four Alphas and a Beta despite his wounds. The enemy soldiers beating and forcing him into a cell opposite my own. "Stay the fuck away from her, you hear me?! You touch her and I'll kill you-!"

"Shut the fuck up, mutt" one of the Alpha's snarled back, slamming the butt of his gun into Ghost's face, knocking him down. Hastily locking the cell door as the men practically fled the enclosure before the Apex Alpha could get his bearings once more. 

The next time I opened my eyes, it was to pleading.

"-pup," I caught the tail as I came round. "Come on, love, wake up. Need to see those pretty eyes open, please, pup."

My head pounded something fierce. An aching throb which split through my temple and impaled my brain over and over again. Coaxing a groan from my lips, the sound rattling around my skull and making me wince as I reached a hand up to touch the tender area; finding it slick with something wet, parts already dry. 

"Oh, thank god" Ghost huffed in what might have been relief, his voice hoarse from the shouting earlier.

"Si?" I whimpered, feeling nausea roll in my stomach as I try to sit up, the room - cell - spinning around me; halting my movement. Before I then used the rough brick wall beside me to heave myself up, leaning against it and taking in my surroundings.

"Easy, love, easy," the Lieutenant urged. "Looks like you've taken a nasty knock to the head."

"Understatement of the century," I grumble, half-lidded eyes flickering towards him. "Feel as if my skulls being split."

Wherever we were, it wasn't good. 

Rusted cells held us, the metal bars spanning from floor to ceiling, copper-coloured dust staining where they met. Damp straw piled in one corner, obviously meant to be used as make-shift beds. Along with a single bucket at the opposite side of the space to be used as a toilet. No windows, no holes - nothing to give away where we might be.

Ghost looked... awful. 

Stripped of his balaclava and mask, he didn't look like any other time I'd been blessed to see him without his usual facial attire. His usually-pale complexion now a sickly shade of white which highlighted his scars, dirt and grime streaking over his face like some twisted form of make-up. One hand stained red and clutching the wound on his side, while the other gripped a bar. His eyes wide and panicked, fixed on me.

The way he looked at me made something in my twist uncomfortably; not because of the pain or the situation we were in. But rather because Simon - my Simon, the man who could walk through hell itself without flinching - looked genuinely shaken. And what gutted me is that it wasn't from blood loss, nor from the beating he'd clearly taken back int he warehouse and after his outburst... no, he was rattled by me.

"Why are you here, Sergeant? he asked, his tone quiet but no less firm, bordering a growl. "The orders were clear - retreat. I overheard them saying we were found together, which means you disobeyed a direct order, again-" "Well, I'm sorry, but I never got that order. My coms were down-" I explained, shuffling to the front of my cell to be closer to him. "You know what, no, actually - I'm not sorry! I wouldn't have left you for anything after finding you in that warehouse. What did you expect me to do, huh? Just wave goodbye?"

"Yes," he snapped, jaw clenching, a muscle ticking beneath his bruised flesh. "That's exactly what you should've done, you stupid, stupid girl - you're not expendable, Charlie, despite whatever you might think-!" "And neither are you!" I fired back, louder than I meant to, the sound bouncing off the walls around us. My chest heaving as frustration built through the lingering haze of pain. "You think so little of me that I'd walk away from you when you needed me? From any of the pack? News flash, its kind of my job, Sir."

"Don't, pup," he snarled, though it came out weaker than he'd intended - I was sure of it. Lacking its usual bite, the one that usually made anyone it was aimed at back down from the fight. "Don't you dare That's not the point and you know it. You are the one who keeps the rest of us standing. it was stupid to throw yourself into the line of fire to get to me."

"No, don't you dare. You don't tell me how to do my fucking job, Si," I snarl right back. "I knew the risks and I would have done it again and again if it meant getting you out of there-"

"Fat load of good that did," he bit, his hold on the bar bending the metal in his fury. "Look where it got us, Charlie?!"

Silence swelled between us at his sharp word, the familiar sting of tears burning at my dry eyes. The Lieutenant's gaze softening as I wiped away the welling tears with a sniffle.

"Pup... I didn't-"

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done, no use arguing about it anymore when it changes nothing," I cut him off, firmly, refocusing my attention onto what I could control in that moment rather than the past.. "What matters is your side - show it to me, I need to see if the bleeding ahs slowed."

"Placebo-"

"Don't argue with me on this, Si," I snapped, unwilling to budge on this particular matter. "Show me your side."

The Apex Alpha hesitated before slowly moving his stained hand, just enough for me to see across the space between our respective cells.

Even from a distance my heart sank.

"Fuck..." I cursed under my breath.

The gash to his side was defiantly worse than I'd first thought back in the warehouse and to make matters worse, it wasn't a clean cut either. The claw of whichever bastard had done it still lodged in the deepest part, sticking out proudly like a memento.

"Right, okay, I need you to listen to me, yeah?" I gathered my composure and went into medic mode. "I need you to keep a firmer pressure on it. I know it hurts like a bitch but if you don't keep the blood flow slowed, then you'll bleed out before the others can find us, okay? And whatever you do, do not pull that claw out."

"Bossy" Simon grumbled.

"Medic," I corrected, earning what might have been an amused huff. "Do you feel light-headed? Dizzy, at all?"

"Bit," he admitted reluctantly. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Lieutenant."

"..yeah, fine, I do" he conceded.

"Then you need to stay as still as possible. Slow your breathing and try to conserve your energy, alright?" I encourage him, softer now he was receptive to my help.

"And what about you? At a minimum, you're concussed," the Lieutenant countered, his eyes narrowing towards where my head had - thankfully -just about stopped bleeding. "Shouldn't even be sat up right now."

"What choice do I have, Si?" I shrugged, though the motion made me wince. "Have to keep an eye on you and if someone comes in for us, I wanna be ready-"

"That doesn't mean you push it," he replied. "If you go under again then I-"

"I won't," I cut him off again, feeling a bit more confident in my statement now my head had stopped bleeding. "I'm fine."

"Pup, I mean it," the Apex Alpha tried another approach, reaching his spare hand through the bars and towards me; reaching as if to offer me comfort. "No drifting off when I can't get to you to help. You stay with me, alright?"

Despite everything a small, tired smile tugged at my lips as I reached for him through my bars also, barely able to intertwine our fingers across the walkway between the cells.

"Bossy" I echoed his own grumbles back to him.

"Lieutenant" he replied.

However, even if we were alright for now, something told me we weren't done yet... not by a long shot.

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Six

The interior of the aircraft thrummed with low, gravely vibrations as it cut through the night sky, the rumbling setting into my muscle and bone alike. 

It was two weeks since the 141's 'back-to-work' meeting and two weeks since, miraculously, Kyle had been the luckiest buggar alive and managed to find us our new lead; the Beta having yet to stop gloating about the fact.

I sat with my rifle braced between my knew, finger idly tracing along the edged of the grip in an unconscious habit; one of my knees bouncing up and down in time with the Scotsman's sat opposite me. The familiar feeling of its weight in my hands helping to somewhat anchor me, reminding me exactly why I was out here and what we were setting out to accomplish. Tonight could very well be the night an empire fell, and I so desperately wished to be the reason why...

Across the aisle, sat beside Johnny, Gaz shifted for what felt like the hundredth time in the past ten minutes; his fingers idly fiddling with the straps of his tactical vest. Quiet huffs leaving his lips the longer the flight went on. Obviously as restless as Soap and I.

"You know, he finally muttered, his voice cutting through the silence like a hot knife through butter. Casting a sideways glance to where the Captain and Lieutenant sat on the other side of the aircraft, still pouring over the images we'd received from the satellites earlier that week and old blueprints we'd managed to get our hands on of the warehouses. "I think I actually liked it better when we were just on wild goose chases."

"Yeah?" I reply, raising an eyebrow before the brim of my helmet. "Reckon we'd all prefer that right now instead of walking into something we know is bad."

"Least geese don't shoot back," the Beta nodded, dryly, though the corner of his lips did twitch upwards.

"Speak for yourself, mate," Johnny snorted, playfully bumping his shoulder against his mate's. "Ah quite enjoy ah good scrap."

Lighten the mood as it did, even the Delta's bad sense of humour didn't alleviate all the sense of dread currently making the 141 rigid. And it certainly didn't sound very convincing, in that moment.

"Course you do," Gaz shook his head with a fond, yet equally disappointed look on his face.  "You're our resident lunatic."

"One o' us has tah be ah big, brave boy, aye?" Soap quipped back, flashing a toothy grin.

Their back-and-forth drew a small, if fleeting, smile to my face. It was a familiar scene, witnessing my fellow Sergeants bicker. The kind of easy rhythm we fell into without even trying, even now, even here. It helped - more than I cared to admit - because without it, the weight of what we were currently flying towards would've only pressed in harder against my ribs.

"...can't believe you were right on the money, Kyle" I shook my head, the pair's petty quarrelling cut short as they turned back towards me.

After going through some channels, Price had managed to get a hold of some satellite imagery from the area Gaz had suspected as Carcofski's hub. Sure enough, the supposedly 'abandoned' warehouses were a hive of activity. Heat signatures all over the place with vehicles going to and from on the daily. Somebody was defiantly doing something out there which they didn't want just anyone to know about.

But then, one of the images caught a familiar face - Mr Cedric Johnson, Roman's last man standing. He wasn't the type of man to just be stationed anywhere meaningless... if he was on site, it meant that whatever was in those warehouses mattered. Unfortunately for them, we knew exactly what was inside. After all, we knew what they traded in - Omegas.

"Hen," Johnny's voice softened as he reached across the space between us, settling his hand against where mine rested against my rifle. "It's gonna be alright, aye? We're gonna fix this."

"This is really it, isn't it?" I swallowed thickly, the question falling from my lips before I could think about it too much. "If Carcofski's not here then... then he has to be somewhere close by."

"We're gonna get him, Charlie" Gaz reassured me, his brow furrowed into a determined frown.

"This is the strongest lead we've got, pups," the Captain's voice made me jump, looking up from the Sergeant's to see both he and Ghost had made their way across to us. "Johnson's presence confirms this is a high-value site, no matter what transpires tonight. Whether Carcofski's here or not - we treat it like he is... I have orders from on high to take him in for questioning-"

"But, sir-" I go to argue, only to shut up as John's eyes flash a warning scowl at me.

"We take him in," Ghost continued. "If we can."

Ah... the almighty if. 

"We stay sharp," the Alpha added, a definitive nod to all of us as he rolled his shoulders, seemingly already itching for a fight. " We stay together where we can. I want coms open at all times."

"He'll have eyes on everyone approach," the Lieutenant grumbled. "We won't be able to keep the element of surprise for long so watch yourselves and make the most of our small upper-hand."

The aircraft jolted as it adjusted its course, the shift rippling through all of us. The air growing heavier within the cabin, thicker with the unspoken understanding that we were getting close.

Whatever waited on the ground of us... we were as ready as we'd ever be.

~

The crack of gunfire split the night apart.

I barely registered the sound, however, heart thundering too loud within my own ears. Muscle memory had long since taken over, my boots pounding hard against the gravel and broken concrete beneath me as I ran - lungs burning - and heart hammering violently against my ribs. Bullets tearing through the air around me, sharp and vicious snaps that felt far too close for comfort. One striking the wall just beside my head as I ran by, spraying fragments of brick and dust across my face as I swerved; barely managing to keep my footing.

"Shit-!" I cried out as I skidded.

Diving hard to the side, my shoulder slamming into the ground as I rolled behind a rusted shipping container. Another round of bullets ricocheted off the metal with a deafening clang. Making me scramble to curl up tighter behind the temporary cover, dragging my rifle up as I pressed my back flush against the cold surface, chest heaving.

One moment I was behind the Captain and Gaz, the next we’d been forced to split up as floodlights turned on and bullets began soaring towards us.

"Placebo to Bravo - come in, Bravo, " I hissed, fumbling to press my comms. "Price, ghost, anyone - respond!"

Nothing but static came back through; thick, grating and useless.

"Soap? Gaz? Come on, answer me-!"

A burst of garbled noise crackled through my earpiece, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“...zzzt...copy - left...static—fall...back...”

“Johnny?” I leaned forward slightly, pressing closer to the comms as if it would somehow help. “Johnny, say again - I didn’t catch that!”

As I received no reply, the realisation settled inside my chest like a stone.

I was on my own...

A sharp crack split through the air again, snapping me back to reality as another round struck the edge of my cover; metal shrieking under the impact. With a steeling breath, rifle clutched tight, I aimed.

The first shot dropped one of them cleanly. The second turning just in time to raise his weapon, yet didn't have the time to fire as a bullet tore through his jugular.

With more voices and shots sounding from the warehouse ahead of me - one of four on the complex - I knew I couldn't remain where I was. Staying pinned wasn't an option, not when my pack might need me.

"Fuck this shit" I growled under my breath.

Pushing off the container, I broke out into a sprint.

The dash across the grounds felt endless. Every instinct in my body screaming at me to stay low, to stay hidden, to survive until one of my pack found me. But what if they need me? What if they were hurt or bleeding out or-? By the time I reached the warehouse doors, my legs burned from exertion. My hands sweaty beneath my gloves as I yanked one of the doors open just enough to slip inside, immediately flattening myself against the interior wall.

I almost slouched in relief as the familiar scent of the Lieutenant hit me. Before I saw the sight in-front of me.

"Ghost-!" The distraught squeal tore through my throat, the three Alphas beating his already limp form turning to look at me. The bloodied knife in one of their hands making my heart drop.

One second I was standing there - frozen, heart lodged somewhere in my throat as I took in the sight of him just lying there - and the next... something inside me gave way completely.

The world narrowed into something sharp and red, inner Omega howling as I lunged forward. My rifle abandoned somewhere behind me. Forgotten in favour of something far more primal. My hands... my claws.

They tore through fabric and flesh alike, snarls that didn't even sound human anymore ripping from my chest. I felt the resistance, felt the give of muscle, the spray of something warm and wet splattering against me. But none of that mattered, everything blurring together into nothing but motion and fury.

One went down, then another, then the last. Until there was only silence... and me.

My chest heaved as the haze began to lift, the high-pitched squealing sound in my ears subsiding. Hands trembling at my sides as my claws slowly sheathed themselves.

"Simon-" 

The name came out cracked as I dropped to my knees beside him, the impact jarring up as it rattled my kneecaps. My hands hovering uselessly, unsure where to hold or apply pressure, afraid that the Apex Alpha might crumble if I so much as touch him wrong. Before finally falling to his shoulders, shaking him and trying to get some kind - any kind - of response.

"Hey, hey, c'mon - get up," my voice wavered, breath hitching as I leaned over him, tears streaking down the mess of blood and grime on my cheeks. "Don't do this, don't you dare. Get up, Si!"

There was so much blood, too much blood.

Finally finding where he'd been knifed, I scramble to apply pressure to the worst of it. Panic clawing its way up my throat, sharp and suffocating, threatening to drag me under.

"No, no, no," I shook my head, as if denial alone could fix it and undo the damage already done. "You're fine. you're fine, you hear me? You've got through worse than this- for fucks sake, Simon, wake up!"

My bloodied hands slipped over my comms button.

"P-Placebo to Bravo," I choke on my own sob, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I found Ghost, he's hurt real bad. Please, someone come in. I-I can't-"

Before I could finish my plea for help, something hard and solid slammed into the back of my head. A burst of white-hot pain exploding behind my eyes as the world tilted sideways, my grip on the Lieutenant faltering as my body gave out beneath me. A broken sound falling from my lips as what little strength I had drained out of me, limbs going heavy. I collapsed forward, half-draped over his chest, with one arm still curled protectively across his torso like I could shield him even now. Like I could stop any of this...

The scent of him - blood, smoke and yet still my Simon beneath it all - filled my lungs as my cheeks pressed against his shoulder. My body refusing to move as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.

"Well... would you look at that" a voice said from behind me, much too smug for my liking.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, rolling me just enough so my attacker could see my face. My eyes blinking, unfixed, but managing to just about make out the face of Cedric Johnson stood over me with a handful of his men.

"The Apex and the Omega-"Johnson chuckled.

I tried so desperately to stay awake. Yet, the throbbing in my head made it impossible, the darkness dragging me under despite what I wanted.

"-Roman will be pleased."

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Five

It had been two weeks since my heat had passed and I was slowly but surely beginning to feel like myself again.

Not the hazy, over-sensitive version of me that had existed in the aftermath of the fever, bursting into tears at the slightest change in ones tone or growing huffy when not allowed my own way. Nor the instinct-driven mess I'd been during the fever - just me. Rational, clear-headed, back in control of my own body and thoughts in a way I don't believe I'd truly appreciated until it had been taken away from me.

Being stuck on desk duty had driven me near mad.

I understood, of course, just why it had been necessary - my scent alone in the week post-heat could've caused obvious problems on a base mainly dominated by Alphas. The second week had been due to both Ghost's and Price's insistence, neither wanting me to return to more straining work before I was completely settled once more. Though, that didn't mean I had to like my confinement to the office block. Paperwork, reports and inventory logs filling my days.. all of it was a poor substitute for actually being out in the field where I belonged. Where I actually felt useful.

So, when I was finally cleared that morning, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. A renewed skip in my step as I left the medical wing, eager to the boys the good news.

I adjusted the straps of my gears as I walked down the hallway and towards the briefing room, boots falling in a familiar rhythm against the floor. Everything felt... right, again. The subtle hum of base, no nagging instincts pulling at my very being, a quiet sense of purpose guiding my steps.

Even my scent - something I'd been hyper-aware of recently - had finally settled back to its norm. No lingering sweetness outside my usual smell, no heavy undertones of pheromones which might catch me unwanted attention.

Just me.

The door to the briefing room was cracked open when I arrived. Inside, the rest of the 141 already gathered. My fellow Sergeant's looking varying degrees of bored already, the meeting not even having started yet.

John stood at the front, beside the screen, one hand braced against the table as he murmured; already pouring over the documents before him, seemingly gathering his own thoughts on whatever was written before he addressed the room. Simon stood nearby the Captain, his hands braced on the back of Gaz's chair. The Beta sipping on a steaming mug of coffee, obviously trying to bring himself round quicker before the meeting. Soap rocking on the back legs of his seat opposite Kyle, looking as if he'd rather have slept in another hour than attend.

However, his posture did straighten as I slipped into the room, shutting the door behind me; a broad grin stretching across his face.

"About bloody time, hen," he greeted, setting all four of his chair legs back onto solid ground. "Was startin' tah think they'd chain yeh tah tha' desk forever."

"Don't jinx it, Johnny," I warn, giving him a light shove as I take the seat beside him. "Thought they'd make me do another week in the office block with the way they were checking me over."

Kyle's gaze flittered over me, giving me a once-over which was much more professional than it had been in Price's room three weeks ago. Yet, there was still warmth in his eyes.

"Good to have you back, Placebo."

"Good to be back, Garrick."

The Lieutenant didn't say anything at first, masked head tilting to the side slightly as he looked at me, gaze sweeping the length of me also in the same assessing way he always had.

"Cleared?" He asked.

"All cleared" I confirm, offering a small grin as I nod.

John's expression shifted then - subtle, but noticeable to those closest to him nonetheless. The faint tension which had lingered in his shoulders for these past weeks since my heat ended easing, just slightly.

"Good," he said simply, nodding approvingly. Before he pushed himself to stand straight, hand leaving the table as he slipped seamlessly back into command mode; gesturing to the screen behind him. "Right, now we're all present, let's get started."

The projector flickered to life, casting a single beam of light onto the white screen behind John - maps with red lines drawn between pinned locations, faces of potential and already-cleared targets.

"As you already know, the mission Ghost and I was on before Charlie went into heat was a success," Price explained, re-capping recent events before my feverish week had put a dent into things. "Miss Celia Blossom - the Alpha in charge of Omega Handling - is currently in our custody."

He pointed to the only woman on the screen.

"During brief respite periods," the head Alpha continued, nodding towards the Apex Alpha, referring to when I'd either been asleep or preoccupied with the others. "Simon has been and interrogated her."

"So far, Blossom has proved compliant," Ghost added, gruffly, as the screen was changed to the next slide. "The information she gave has led to two successful raids, smaller teams sent out to verify if we can trust her intel. As such, we've hit two warehouses which held merchandise-"

"Omegas, sir" I correct him quickly, bristling slightly as I knew straight away what he meant.

"...omegas" he then corrected himself with a nod.

It felt wrong to refer to those poor omegas as nothing but merchandise. I didn't give a fuck what anyone else said. They might have been abducted, stripped of their rights and thrown into a mess they didn't yet understand. But, I'd be damned to sit and listen to anyone call them just merchandise. Even if I knew the Lieutenant meant no harm in doing so, his focus levelled elsewhere, leading to the slip of his tongue.

Kyle leaned forward, pointing towards the map on screen that showed the distance between the two warehouses hit.

"We're beginning to see a pattern with the trade routes. The warehouses, their safe houses and distribution centres," he explained. "This isn't as simple as they've chosen a spot and gone with it. This is years of careful planning of where to expand Carcofski's empire next... it's no wonder the operation has flown under the radar so long, despite how big it is. Bastard's been careful, I'll give him that much."

"But, we're getting closer," I interject, folding my hands together on the table as I soak in the information given. "Roman's gotta be panicking by now - lost two of his right hands and had multiple busts interrupting his usual trade? That can't be good for business."

"Exactly" Ghost growled, a dark sense of satisfaction swelling inside of me at knowing Carcofski was suffering somewhat because of our efforts.

"So, where does this leave us, Cap?" Johnny asked.

"On the edge of something bigger," the Captain replied as his eyes flittered between us. The room settling again under his gaze. "Blossom's intel, and recent satellite images, suggest that Roman's consolidating - pulling resources inwards. That usually means one of two things-"

"He's preparin' tah run" Soap growled.

"Or to fight" I concluded.

The words hung in the air between us.

Neither option would seem particularly appealing to a man like Roman Carcofski, not when he's had a taste of success.

"Either way, it means he's about to make a move" John sighed.

"When we spoke, Blossom mentioned a central hub," Ghost interjected. "She refused to give an outright location, yet, but hinted it's where Carcofski orchestrated everything - movements, sales, transportation. If he's anywhere, he'd be there."

"A command centre," Gaz murmured, his brows knitting together. "If that's real and we find it-"

"Then we cut the head of the snake" the Delta grinned at the mere thought.

My fingers tapped lightly against the table as I thought, eyes scanning the map again. The red lines. The spacing between hits. The pattern Gaz had pointed out earlier.

Something about it itched at the back of my mind.

"If he's consolidating," I voiced my thoughts as they appeared, slowly. "Then he's pulling everything closer to protect it. Which means the hub won't just be important, it'll be defended - heavily."

Ghost's gaze shifted to me, approval swimming in his eyes.

"Fortified," he nodded. "He'll expect us to hit and hit hard after our recent busts."

"Then we don't give him time to finish preparing for us to come knocking," I state, matter-of-factly, as if it's already a done deal. "We push and we push hard, while he's still trying to pull himself together."

Johnny grinned, turning to look at me like a predator staring down prey.

"Aye, there's mah lassie," he purred, his hand falling onto my thigh and giving it a pleased squeeze beneath the table. My scent turning just a tad sweeter as a blush bloomed across my cheeks, inner Omega pleased at the praise. "Missed tha' beautiful fightin' spirit o' yours."

"Shut up, Johnny" I mumble with an indignant sniff, trying to stay on task.

"You think we should escalate?" Price butt in, thankfully, studying me with an assessing gaze.

"I'm thinking he's at his most vulnerable right now," I replied. "More so than he's been in years, probably. We've disrupted his routine, taken out assets and shaken his network. If we wait, he'll only regain what's he's lost, perhaps even rebuild stronger this time. You heard Levou, a man like Carcofski doesn't wait around to replace what he's lost."

The beta nodded slowly as he considered my words.

"She's right, sir," he agreed. "Momentum's on our side - for now."

"Then we find the hub" I grin, triumphantly.

"Easier said than done, sweet girl," John gently let me down, looking towards the screen behind him, turning his back to us. "We've got the barest hint of patterns, not anything solid-"

"Patterns have to lead somewhere" I counter.

Pushing up from his seat, Gaz stepped towards the map displayed on screen.

"Alright," he nodded thoughtfully. "Let's think about this how he would."

The screen shifted—routes highlighted, distances recalculated, overlays appearing one by one.

"If you're running something this size," Kyle continued. "You need central access to your main routes, but not so close you're exposed. Somewhere... connected, but hidden."

"Industrial zones maybe?" I suggested. "There'd be less foot traffic at odd hours. Would make it easier to mask movement."

"Or outskirts," Soap added. "Less eyes, more space."

Price watched as his team worked, and in that moment I realised that this is what he'd been waiting for. Not just my return to duty, but rather my return to this. His pack whole again; thinking, contributing, fighting towards a common goal. Their Omega stood beside them once more, not tucked away for my own safety.

"Here" Kyle suddenly said, his pointer finger landing on a precise spot after surveying the map.

We all leaned in slightly to see.

A cluster of points - intersecting routes, just far enough from the previous hits to avoid immediate suspicion, yet close enough to make logistical sense.

"It fits the pattern," he said. "If I were building a central node... this would be it."

"Good work, pup," the Captain praised, patting his Sergeant on the back. "I'll take this to Miss Blossom, see if I can verify our findings any further before we plan a hit... but, if this is it - we end this."

"For James" I add, solemnly.

"For James" the rest of the 141 agreed in unison.

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Four

(Placebo's POV)

Something I'd forgotten I'd detested was the restlessness of heat. 

Sleep wasn't relief, as one might think. The blistering warmth ravaging my frame still persisted, leaving me fitful, tossing and turning within the sweat-damp blankets of my nest. Instincts still pushing and probing to the forefront of my mind, meaning I was still half-aware - half-awake, as I tried to rest. Fingers clutching for the warmth of bodies which had retired already, in dire need of a rest themselves after diligently tending to me for hours. Settling, begrudgingly, for the items of clothing they'd left in the nests; tucking them against me like precious things and allowing my packs scents to soothe the storm raging within me.

But, somewhere along the line, I must have finally dozed off in my exhaustion. Dreams plagued with visions of me and the rest of the 141.

Until, I stirred to the sound of quiet voices around me.

"Fuckin' hell," a deep voice growled gruffly, the empty space in the nest behind me dipping as a figure sank into the gathered blankets. Something chilled pressing against my flushed cheek as a nose grazed along my inflamed scent gland; the ice pack having long since slid off the sweltering skin in my restless state. A soft squeak tumbling from my lips as I shudder at the feeling, consciousness still floating somewhere above us. "Smells like paradise."

"Doesn't she just?" The other voice replied, a pleased rumble lilting his tone. The space in-front of me drooping now also. A warm figure curling around my fetal-prone form, rough hands pushing back the locks of hair sticking to my forehead. 

"Thought she'd startle..."

"She's a good girl, Simon," the other voice replied as lips met my forehead in a chaste kiss. A stolen one, like he just couldn't help himself. "Her Omega recognises pack, even in sleep - knows we're no threat to her."

"Hate when you talk 'bout me like I'm not here," I grumble as I stir, earning chuckles from the Alpha and Apex Alpha. Eyes cracking open with more effort than I cared to admit, pupils blown wide as I found John before me, cradling my face in his hands. Swallowing thickly, finding my throat dry now met with my Alpha. He'd come home to me... "Took your time, Cap."

"Sassing us even in heat," Ghost nipped at my throat, earning a pitiful whine as my head tipped back to give him further access, earning a growl of approval from the Lieutenant behind me. "Atta girl, puppy."

"Came as soon as we could, sweet girl," the Captain reassured me, his thumbs tracing the plush of my cheeks with something close to reverence. "What are you like, aye? Couldn't even wait for us to get home."

"Didn't mean to-" 

"We know, darlin', we know," John hushed my fretting over his teasing. The Alpha obsessed with the way I practically melted in their hold, placing gentle kisses around my face, as if kissing away my worries. "Been such a brave girly, haven't you?"

"Had fun with our Sergeants, pup?" Simon chuckled, already knowing the answer after how my scent had been caked all over Gaz and Soap. His large hands clutching my waist and dragging me up against his solid frame. 

"Green doesn't suit you, Lieutenant" I turn and nip at him, little fangs barely grazing the fabric of his balaclava before he roughly ground his hips into my rear. Snarling as he buried his nose into my scent gland once more.

"Now, now," Price cooed, his grin growing broad as he watched me give as good as I got. "Is that any way to welcome your Alpha's home?"

"...m-missed you," I whimper, too desperate to be mortified by my own confession. "Gaz and Soap looked after me so good but-"

"Oh, there's a but?" Ghost teased, one of his hands roaming south reached between my legs, finding my drooling hole. The Apex Alpha snarling as slick coated his fingers all too easily. "Fuck, John, she's soaked-"

"Steady now, lad," the head Alpha of the pack reminded his mate. "Pup's not used to you like your mutt is."

Mutt meaning Johnny.

"Please," I pleaded, not really sure what I was pleading for, but pleading nonetheless. "Please, I just-"

"We know, darlin'," the Captain nodded sympathetically, shuffling closer until I was sandwiched between both him and the Lieutenant. "Little cunt's all needy, isn't it?"

"Yes," I choke, bottom lip trembling as Simon's fingers teased my fluttering hole. Circling it and gently pushing, without slipping inside, as if testing how easy it would be to sheath them inside of me. "Oh God, yes."

"Greedy girly," the Apex Alpha grinned against my shoulder. "So fuckin' perfect."

A sound halfway between a moan and a sigh escapes me as he finally obliges, sinking two fingers into me - embarrassingly easily - down to his knuckles. My half-lidded eyes fixed on John the entire time, the Alpha watching with a crooked smile as his mate seats his fingers inside their heat-driven Omega.

"That's it, sweet girl," he cooed, pressing soft kisses to my lips as Simon got himself acquainted with the most vulnerable part of me. Earning himself clumsy kisses back, attempting to smother my own embarrassing whines and trills with his lips. "That feel good? Who am I kidding, of course it does. Purring like a kitten... maybe we should keep you like this, huh? Look so pretty sat on Simon's fingers-"

"She liked that, Captain," Ghost snitched as he leisurely fucked me open on his fingers, while he thumb rubbed at my swollen clit. I'd known the Lieutenant would be good with his hands having seen how he handled and cleaned his weapons, but this was on a whole other level... "Gummy thing fluttered around my fingers. Think she wants to stay like this for us-"

"Shut up-" I whined, panting between them, unable to help how my hips rolled down against his hand, earning chuckles form the pair of them.

"Hush now," John purred, guiding my face to the crook of his neck, cradling me against him as his Lieutenant continued to soothe the itch of my heat. "No need for all that, just let us take care of you, pup."

"Sir," I choke out, drooling against his shoulder. The scents of my Alpha's combined with the stimulation to my eager cunt a maddening sensation. My whole body beginning to tremble as a pressure built in my abdomen. "Fuck, Sir!"

"Fuck, yes, puppy," Simon snarled, doubling down in his efforts as he seemed to sense I was close to the edge. "Come on, give it to me. Atta girl, come on, make my day-"

"Captain-" I practically sobbed against John, clinging to the older Alpha as my brain turned to mush in their hands.

"It's alright, sweet girl, we've got you," he promised, watching with rapt fascination as I fell apart between them. "We've always got you."

~

Four four days the world had been reduced to warmth, scent, bodies and the relentless pull of primal instinct. Time blurring together in a hazy rhythm of being held, soothed, fed, coaxed to sleep and - occasionally - being coaxed into the shower when the heat became much too powerful for just icepacks to handle.

Now, coming out the other side of it, everything felt.. calmer.

My hand stayed firmly clutched within Johnny's as he guided me slowly down the corridor and towards the 141's private common room. His grip warm and steady, thumb brushing absentmindedly against my knuckles as if still checking I was there.

I was, admittedly, walking slower than my usual brisk pace. Not exactly weak after such an intense heat, though it would be understandable if so considering it had been years since I'd had one - simply wrung out in that deep, bone-tired way that came at the end of a fever. My muscles left pleasantly heavy after the... activities my pack and I had engaged in for days on end. Skin slightly sensitive still but no longer blazing hot, just nicely warm. The overwhelmingly strong pheromones my poor scent gland had worked so hard to push out having faded too, leaving behind a softer sweetness that clung to me like the final notes of perfume.

Soap glanced down at me by his side as we neared the rec room.

His mohawk a mess, as it had been since I'd discovered that the Scotsman quite enjoyed having his hair tugged on. Wearing loose-fitting sweatpants and a faded t-shirt that definitely didn't belong to him - Price's, judging by the scent faintly clinging to it. The bags beneath his eyes had deepened over the past few days,  but the bright grin tugging at his lips showed no remorse for his lack of sleep.

"Still with meh, hen?" He asked, bumping his shoulder against my own.

"Barely" I huffed a small laugh.

"Aye, tha' tracks," he chuckled, nodding along. "Sure your ready tah leave the nest? Can gi' it another day or so, dinnae wanna rush yeh if yeh not-"

"Johnny, if I stay in that nest another day, I'm gonna go bat-shit crazy," I confess, raking a hand through my hair. "Need to feel.. I don't know, human, again. At least for a bit."

The Delta's grin softened at that.

For all his teasing and taunting, he'd perhaps been the most attentive to me throughout my heat. Never straying far from the nest, never hesitating to come running when I called for him. Evan now, there was a careful watchfulness held in his blue eyes that hadn't been there before this past week.

"Human, she says," Soap snorted, nudging the door open with his foot. "After the bonnie noises yeh've been makin' for meh, Mo ghràdh, ah think tha' ship might have sailed already-"

"Shut up" I bare my little fangs, though my tone held no real bite to it, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"Aye, there she is," he grinned, clearly quite pleased with himself. "As lovely as yeh neediness is, ah've missed them teeth."

The familiar warmth of the room greeted us first. The heater humming quietly, chasing away the chill the season had brought with it. The smell of coffee lingering in the air along with something savoury - someone having clearly been cooking earlier.

However, more important than any of that, was that the rest of the pack were already sat in the common room.

For a moment, all three of them simply looked at me. Not in a way that made me self-conscious, mind you. Their gazes simply... attentive.

"Well," the Beta was the first to break the silence, closing his laptop with a soft click. "Sleeping beauty's finally awake."

"Don't start, Garrick" I scoff, playfully.

I allowed Johnny to guide me towards the couch, clearly intending to deposit me somewhere comfortable before he felt content enough to leave my side.

"Careful now," he murmured as he helped me down. "Easy."

The worn leather dipped beneath us as we sat and I let myself settle into it with a quiet sigh I hadn't meant to make.

God, it felt nice to be somewhere other than that stuffy nest. While it had been my pride and joy throughout my heat, the sentiment had slowly worn away with tis use. Leaving me eager to craft a new one back in my own private room. After washing all the blankets, of course.

"How're you feeling, darlin'?" Price asked, crossing the room and squatting in-front of me, his hands falling atop my knees.

The question was simple, but there was concern behind it.

"Tired," I admitted. "But... better."

Simon's gaze had been steadily fixed on me since I'd walked in. Even with the balaclava covering most of his face, the intensity of his stare was unmistakable, sending that familiar prickle down my spine.

"You're definitely steadier than you were" he commented after a moment.

It wasn't quite praise, but from him it was close enough.

"Heat easing off then?" Gaz asked with a soft smile.

"Yeah," I nod. "Mostly."

The admission seemed to relax the pack.

Soap slouching further into the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him with a groan that rumbled through his chest.

"Thank Christ," he huffed. "Ah love yeh, hen, but ah dinnae think ah've slept more than two hours at ah time the past few days."

"That sounds like a you problem" I shot back playfully.

"Worth it though" he fired back, grinning at me.

My heat had stripped way a lot of barriers between myself and the pack - instinct had a way of doing that, after all. But, sitting now with everyone now calm and the heat fading from my system, I could feel the difference it had made.

The pack felt tighter, more settled. Like something important had clicked into place while I'd been too busy surviving my own biology to notice.

"Okay, I do have a question that I actually really need you guys to answer truthfully," I stated firmly, looking at all four of them before a subtle flush rose across my cheeks. "Did I embarrass myself during my heat? Because it's all a little hazy."

The reaction was immediate - Kyle laughing heartily, Soap choking on his own spit, Simon's shoulder shaking in what might've been silent amusement.

And the Captain, squeezing my knees with a knowing smile, looked far too pleased with himself for my comfort.

"Well, pup," he replied. "You'll have be more specific, I'm afraid."

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!

[beanie-bop25]

The Placebo Effect

Chapter Forty-Three

(Third Person POV)

The aircraft's ramp lowered with a hydraulic whine as the engines powered down after hours of use.

Cold morning air rushing into the cargo hold, chilled enough to make the hairs on the back of ones neck stand on end, chasing away the stale scent of sweat and tension which had brewed on the long flight home. The pale winter light bleeding into the cargo hold, making those inside squint; the sunlight reflecting off formed patches of ice and frost left on the tarmac outside from the storm overnight.

The Captain was the first to rise, his joints popping in protest after being seated in one position for far too long. Not that he paid any mind to his stiff limbs as his hand wrapped around the upper arm of Miss Blossom, dragging her up and out of her seat before beginning down the ramp.

Leaving the Lieutenant to follow half a step behind, like a loyal guard dog waiting to bite if she should take a step out of line.

Celia's composure had somewhat returned during the duration of the flight, though the faint tension in her shoulders betrayed the stress she felt at the situation. Her copper hair having loosened further as she'd uneasily slept on the hard seats of the aircraft, strands now framing her face as the cold air greeted them.

John didn't bother with pleasantries as they reached the bottom, all but thrusting Miss Blossom toward the waiting MP's.

"I want her in high security," he growled, leaving nothing to chance this time around - not keen to repeat his past mistakes with Isiah Levou. "I'll handle the paperwork later once I've had time to  check in on-"

The Alpha cut himself off, not even wishing to mention Placebo in Celia's presence. Why give her more ammunition than necessary, after all?

The MP's glanced between the shackled female Alpha and the two men delivering her. Even without introductions for the prisoner, having been briefed on the mission beforehand, it was obvious whom stood before them.

"Yes, sir."

"Your Omega can't stay hidden forever, Captain" Blossom said quietly, keeping her head held high as the MP's took a hold of either of her arms. 

"Funny thing about that, she's not the one who's been hidin'," Ghost shifted beside John like a looming storm cloud, a thunderous growl rumbling through his chest. "Shame you can't say the same about your boss."

The MP's began to tug her away from the 141 men before she could think of a retaught. Though, both John and Simon had an eerie feeling that this wasn't the last time Celia Blossom would grate on their nerves.

"Bloody hell" Price huffed, wiping a hand down his weary face, the long night catching up to him finally.

Ghost rolled his shoulders beside him, allowing the tension to finally bleed out from the rigid lines of his posture now that the operation was complete. Not to mention, a success at that.

"If it's alright with you, Captain, we'll have debrief later," he grumbled, heavy hand falling on the Alpha's shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. Before leaning down and gently bumping his masked face against the older man's, earning a quick nuzzle from John. "Need coffee before anything else... and to check in on our Sergeants."

"Coffee? You?" Price looked up at the Apex Alpha with mild surprise and a teasing smile. "Who are you and what have you done with my lad?"

"Behave," Simon chuffed, playing nipping at the Captain's mating bite through the fabric of his balaclava. "Tea won't keep me awake long enough to entertain our troublesome trio-"

"Captain!" A voice cut across the airfield, making both the Lieutenant and Captain straighten up, their earlier playfulness dropping as their expressions turned stern once more. Their gazes flickering to find one of the Privates charging towards them, their brows furrowing at his obvious haste. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't realise you were back! I was supposed to come find you and-"

"Whatever you have to say, out with it, son. I've had a long night and I'm not in the mood for-"

"I was asked to fetch you the moment you returned by Sergeant MacTavish and Garrick, Sir," the Private quickly cut to the chase as he skidded to a halt beside them, the poor Beta out of breath from his run. "They rang and informed the CO's you left in charge to clear their schedules and-"

"Get on with it-" Ghost snarled, sensing he was about to begin rambling again, though both he and John had a feeling they knew where this was going. Their stomachs dropping at what the Private squeaked next.

"Sergeant Green's gone into heat."

One moment the pair of commanding officers had been standing on the frozen tarmac, exhausted from a long mission and trading dry remarks. The next, they were moving - cutting through the airfield and then base like predators who'd caught the scent of prey.

Price hadn't even bothered replying to the poor Private, left standing where he'd been like a spare part. His boots slapping against the concrete in a hard pivot as he broke into a run towards the barracks. Ghost not far behind him, longer legs eating up the distance with a near-terrifying speed.

The cold air might have been burning their lungs as they heaved it in, yet neither man slowed.

Because beneath the fatigue, beneath the lingering adrenaline left over from the mission, something far older had awakened - instinct.

Their Omega, their Charlie, needed them. And there wasn't a thing that could stand in their way to get to her now.

~

By the time they burst through the secured doors of the 141's private wing and into the corridor, the scent there was what finally brought them screeching to a halt, the tantalising scent of heat curling through the air; sweet, heavy and unmistakable.

While it had been some time since either the Captain and the Lieutenant had aided an Omega in heat, decades in fact, it was a smell neither could forget.

Ghost's staggered as if invisible restraints were holding him back by a thread, a low growl building in his chest. Gloved hand pressing up and against the wall as he forced himself to still instead of following the scent blindly like a bloodhound. After all, neither him nor John knew the state Placebo would be in and the last thing they'd want to do is spook her at her most vulnerable.

"Steady," Price chuffed under his breath, though his own voice sounded rougher than usual. "Garrick? MacTavish?"

"In here, sir," Gaz's voice called from the rec room. "Try and keep it down, will you?"

Sharing one glance, the Alpha and Apex Alpha rushed towards the common room. Their minds swirling with questions. Why weren't they with Charlie? Was she alright? Was she with them in there? Why was she out of the nest-?

Both paused at the threshold of the rec room. The scene inside oddly... domestic, despite the night the two Sergeants had.

Kyle sat, sprawled across one end of the worn leather couch, long legs stretched out towards the coffee table; a mug of tea nestled comfortably between his hands.

Across from him, Johnny had claimed the armchair, feet propped up and onto the edge of the coffee table with all the casual disrespect of a man who'd absolutely earned it.

They both had one similarity, however. both looked exhausted. Hair a mess, pyjamas rumpled, eyes heavy with the kind of fatigue that followed from a restless night.

But there was something else there too - satisfaction, and a smug sense of it as well.

Soap lifted his own mug and took a long sip as his commanding officers eyes raked over them, blue eyes flickering up lazily to meet them.

"Well," he drawled. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Gaz snorted into his tea, shaking his head at his mate's antics.

"Where is she?" John fought to keep the panicked growl from his tone, voice still coming out sharp with the edge of an Alpha fighting instinct.

"Out cold" the Delta jerked his head forward towards the Captain's room down the corridor.

Simon's head snapped to the closed door so fast that his neck clicked. However, the Beta spoke before either of he or Price could bolt.

"Relax," he said, voice calm but tired. "She's fine."

"She's in heat" Ghost grumbled, his jaw flexing beneath his balaclava.

"Sharp observation, LT," Soap chuckled dryly. "Water still wet?"

"Jesus, you reek of her" the Captain near choked, inhaling the sickly sweet scent as a shudder ran through his frame.

It wasn't unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Omega's scent wrapped around both of them like warm honey and with a squeeze of lemon, layered thickly over the familiar scent of their mate's own pheromones. 

Undeniable proof of exactly how involved the Sergeant's had been in helping Placebo.

"...You two manage alright?" Simon asked, swallowing thickly.

"What did you think we'd do? Panic?" Kyle retorted, raising an eyebrow. "We did read those books you gave us on how best to help her."

The Scotsman leaned forward in the armchair, resting his elbows onto his knees as he grinned up at the Alpha and Apex Alpha with an unmistakable smugness.

"Should o' seen her, went intah heat like ah bloody hurricane," he said, amusement threading through his thick accent; his lack of sleep making it more pronounced. "Poor wee lass did nae know whether tah cry, fight us or climb us."

"And-" John began until the Beta cut him off quick.

"And we got her settled, sir. She's fine, really," he promised, trying to reassure the two of them before they could work themselves into a tizzy over nothing. "She's in your room, in her nest. Blackout curtains drawn, icepacks on her glands and bottled water next to her incase she wakes thirsty. Took a while but she finally crashed about an hour ago."

"Left her snorin' like ah chainsaw" Soap chuckled fondly.

For a moment, silence filtered into the room as both Ghost and Price relaxed somewhat. Their restless inner Alpha's soothed by their mates reassurance... for now.

Though Kyle had little time to react before the towering Lieutenant was reaching for him. 

A heavy hand landing on the back of the Beta's neck, fingers spreading through the short curls there. The touch firm but affectionate as the Apex Alpha leaned down to press his masked forehead to his temple. An approving rumble vibrating through his chest. The sound full and filled with gratitude.

"Missed you too, Simon" Gaz huffed a quiet laugh, leaning into the contact without hesitation.

"She behave for you?" John asked, padding behind the armchair, his arms wrapping around the Scottish Delta from behind; earning a rough purr of approval as Johnny very quickly settled in his Alpha's hold. 

"Aye, Cap," he nodded, sighing contently at the memory. "One o' the bonniest things ah've seen... she'll be good for ya."

"Already know that," the Captain nipped at his ear before striping a lick up the younger man's scent gland. Savouring the taste of his mate and the pack's Omega on his tongue. "Don't we, Lieutenant?"

"Affirmative, Sir."

---------------

Hi, all! Beanie here!

Incase you didn't know, I actually run a discord server named 'Beanie's Tea Room' ❤️ we host movie nights, gaming lobbies, art competitions and have so many fun people from all walks of life within the server.

I also post sneak peaks of my writings ahead of time 🤭

Link to Server: https://discord.gg/bVGMDzZC4G

The link to my server is in the Linktree in my bio and while you're there, why not check out my other social media like Tumblr and TikTok 😊 can't wait to see you there!