Alpha watching
If any of his family had told him that he would develop new hobbies while working in his new chosen path in the military, Fin would have probably just shrugged his shoulders and would have smiled that small half-curved smile of his.
And really, finding new hobbies was to be expected. New hobbies like cooking, cleaning, running and shooting. Would be quite normal.
But Fin just doesn’t seem to be able to find a normal hobby.
No, he had found himself deeply immersed in people watching, especially Alpha Watching.
He had to do a doubletake himself when it all started, had shook his head and had even chuckled and chuffed at his newfound interest. But he could not let it go again.
The intricacies of Alphas and their behavior in between themselves and then when adding Omegas or Betas or even both were fascinating for the younger Beta.
Which is why he found himself lying on a sunny spot in a grass patch on base, in an area where Omega recess and Alpha resting areas met. It was gated, but every person could still see every other person and really, if the upper brass thought that gate and the barriers were enough to protect anyone, it had to be a joke. The fence was thin, barely there and all that held the links together was rust and prayers.
Lazing in the grass like a housecat his mother had so often likened him to, Fin relaxed, prone on the grass, chin on his crossed arms. The sun was shining on his back, warming him and the other Beta who had joined him for a nap. (He thought the other had said something about his name, Sanderson or some such, but Fin could not remember it at the moment. Sue him it was the first month of training.)
And lazing there, the green grass tickling his skin, Fin continued in watching the Alphas. They were so different from one another; it made him want to take pictures of them as case studies.
The resting area of the Alphas could be described as a small sports court, basketball hoops, a goal for football, some weights, some benches, and a few other things to spend time with all on an even ground with padding. Now 8 Alphas were inhabiting the space, roaming around restlessly after a training session, their pheromones ranked up so high Fin could smell them against the wind more than 15 meters away.
Or better said, he could smell some of them easier than others. The biggest group of 5 Alphas was pushing and growling in between themselves, all burly and big and, in Fins humble opinion, not smelling all natural. Their scent had the undercurrent of something chemical, something biting, hinting at enhancers or some of those designer bottles that cost more than his family earned in a year, per bottle.
The group was all about show, about trying to be the most imposing, the biggest and meanest of the bunch. The more of them there were, the braver they acted. And all of them looked over to the Omega area every few minutes, perking up whenever they did, flexing muscles and showing their teeth. Only to deflate again when there was no Omega around, only the two Betas resting in the grass.
And Betas were not interesting to the Alphas.
Then there were the 3 other Alphas, all singled out around the space, noses scrunching as they tried to stay away from the others. They smelled deeper, spicier, more attention commanding. And they easily overpowered, overshadowed, the scents of the other Alphas, saving Fins nose from the artificial biting smell. Those were scents that seemed to call to Fin, and maybe even to Sanderson if his sleepy mumbles were anything to go by.
The three were calm, collected, observant. Everything his moms had told him a good Alpha should be. Not at all like his pack-sister Fenja, he had to admit.
Where she had been a whirlwind of action, of abrasive words and unprompted contact, those three were like a tamed or coerced hurricane. Able to unleash themselves in a split second but reserved for the time being until they were needed.
If Fin was likened to a cat, those were all dogs. 5 street dogs geared to fight and impress and 3 herding dogs, always circling, attentive, ready.
Fin chuckled lowly at the image in his head, rolling onto his side, his eyes flicking to the three Alphas. He was not interested in the brawling circle of the others. But he was delighted about the reactions of the other three as soon as he shifted in the grass, letting a low, rolling purr rumble from the base of his throat as he does.
The closest Alpha to him, an imposing figure of nearly 2 meters height and nearly the same in the shoulders alone, immediately turned their head, eyes flicking over the two Betas in silent assessment. Their arms were crossed in front of their chest, their muscles bunched for all of a fleeting moment before they relaxed again, a corner of their lips lifting in a simple smirk. Their smell, spicy just before, calmed into something more like a well-maintained fire.
Fin blinks slowly at them, once, getting a rumbled chuff back that has him relaxing into the grass even more.
The other two solitary Alphas, not as big and burly, but imposing nonetheless, slowly close in around the general area where the Betas rest, eyes on the two males on the ground, assessing, judging for a minute, nostrils flaring as they inhale, sifting through the smells and scents.
Betas, naturally, don’t smell as ‘loud’ as Omegas or Alphas, but they do have a personal scent. They have more underlying scents, not as attention grabbing.
One of the Alphas cants his head and turns away but moves his body in such a way that he is standing in between the brawling horde and the Betas, the first one joining him in a low conversation.
But the third? Just under 2 meters, a barrel-like chest and muscles that tested the fabric of his shirt with warm and attentive brown eyes, he sits down at the fence, back leaning against the metal links, inhaling deeply again. He also tilts his head, gaze staying with the Betas, before he looks around. As if he is guarding the resting Betas, including them in the herd.
Fin smiles, burrowing halfway underneath Sanderson, but in a way that he can keep watching the Alphas.
It seemed that his mother had been wrong, there were still Alphas interested in Betas, in gathering a full pack. It made his heart beat easier and his purr louder.
