Chapter Text
Far long were the days Zoro used to be afraid of what hid in the shadows, instead using them as his own cover for his mischievousness. He slept during the day, where he had the sun to protect him, and hunted at the moment the moon ruled over the skies.
He wasn’t fool enough to dismiss that this was the most dangerous time for a pup to get outside the den. With the arrival of the stars came the slumber of the witnesses. If someone attacked Zoro, there would be no one to defend him, no one to realize that there was a missing boy in a town that was too small for people to disappear without raising suspicion. That is, if they cared. This place had been rotten since its foundation. Ruled by thieves and liars even before his Mom was born. Who would mind someone vanishing if there was no payment involved?
Still, his actions were attached to necessity. Humans became fragile, more accessible, when they were by themselves. Drunk men leaving bars after being kicked out, mistresses leaving abandoned houses after providing their services, were all easy targets. They weren’t careful of their surroundings, not when there was too much more going on inside their minds. It was during their fragile moments that Zoro pounced. Purses, wallets, jewelry; all those valuable objects would get on his hands without drawing attention.
Pickpocketing was an art. A shameful one, he wouldn’t lie, but what he had to do if he wanted to eat on the next day.
There was a particular alleyway, located between a bar and the remaining of what once was an orphanage, that sheltered the most fucked up adults. Zoro usually avoided that spot. It was denounced that kidnappings happened frequently there. Also murders, but not as recurrent. Dragging bodies through the streets was impractical. Near the river was the best spot to take lives, he heard the owner of the bar mentioning. Sometimes, and sometimes being a crucial word, the pup would get desperate and take a shot by exploring the hell pit.
The current scenario his town was going through was the worst in a decade. Rain hadn’t come as much as it should to wash the soil and lure prosperity. And when it did, it lasted less than two hours, not enough to recover the scars caused by the dryness. Folks were dislocating to the big cities. At least there they had a minimal chance of surviving. The ones who stayed were the old, stubborn packs with a precarious thinking that they were too wild for that sort of region. Them, and Zoro. He was too weak, physically speaking, to handle a walk of 30 days. He had to grow more before deciding to do that.
To grow, he had to consume.
A collapsed man, leaving his body open in a bunch of lethal areas, probably with alcohol-clogged veins, was too much of a temptation for a starving pup to let pass. Not only that, but he was blessed with gold. Gold piercings, necklace and rings. He was a walking treasure in the land of the opportunists. Zoro would steal him. An opportunity like that wouldn’t happen a second time. Besides, if it wasn’t him, then it was going to be another. In a way, the idiot was fated to lose everything here. Maybe even his life.
Zoro made sure the thick crust of mud over his neck glands was fixed, a natural pelt to keep his status hidden. He moved slowly, lurking inside the shadows, like a silent scavenger approaching the best meal it would have in years. He had barely gotten close to the body before he was thinking about whom to pawn the gold with. Many would try to give a lower prize because he was a pup. Zoro wasn’t good with numbers, so he would have to choose someone who was minimally close to his parents in life, but not enough to look after their son.
The closer he got, the more he realized how huge this man was. Zoro’s whole figure could fit on his chest. After reaching his body, he started with the hands, since it would indicate if he was propitious to waking up. They were large, scarred and heavy. The size of his head. One hard grip would be enough to crush his skull. Zoro saw that happening when two outsiders Alphas dueled at the entrance of the town. It was the first time he saw a brain. It was squishy. Made him hunger for bubblegum. He hoped this guy wouldn’t do the same with him.
Zoro removed the rings with slow, feathery touches, keeping his eyes on the man’s features all the time. It was good that it was a night of full moon. His vision was terrible, still under development. And there it went one, two, three – was that a ruby on the edge? – and four. He couldn’t refrain his lips from twisting, forming a trembling smile. He could leave now. He was sure this would be worth five weeks of food.
He stared at the remaining ones. A piercing on the left ear, a necklace hanging on. He felt greedy. It never happened before. It was fair to say Zoro didn’t hold back his impulse and kept going.
When he was about to put his hand on the clasps, he heard movements. It wasn’t the knocked out big guy. They had company. Zoro shoved the rings inside his shorts’ pockets and pretended he was about to steal him.
“A fly already found the carcass,” One of them said, bumping his elbow at the other. Two Betas, a male and a female, working under the gang that administered the town. Zoro met them before. They tossed a chicken bone to him once. He never took it, pride speaking louder than his stomach. Since then, they held a grudge towards him. “What do you have there, kid? Mind sharing with us?”
“Nothing,” Zoro spoke in a low tone. No matter how uncomfortable and irritated he was, he wouldn’t wake this man up. He was bigger than those two newcomers, and they were big too. “I have nothing.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you that lying is bad?” The female Beta smirked, her brass knuckles shining under the moonlight. Zoro shivered. He knew how that item tasted. “Come on, gimme the goodies. It’s clear an extravagant ass like him wouldn’t go around with just a piercing and a necklace.”
Zoro closed his fists around the rings. It was dumb, but he had to keep those at least. He was hungry. So hungry that he didn’t move even when they were coming closer.
He could handle his shirt being pulled. He could handle a punch that nearly knocked him out. But he could not bear, under any circumstances, the grip on the back of his neck. His breath hitched. If the male Beta clamped his hand, he would be able to scruff him. Zoro didn’t want that. He couldn’t be immobilized, vulnerable, limp as a doll under the hand of someone that meant ill. He squirmed to no avail. They were laughing, mocking his failure. The sound getting louder as the grip got stronger.
Going out at night was crazy. Always had been. And now Zoro was paying the price for it. Regardless, he was just a pup. It was his instinct, molded and shaped ever since humans used to live in caves and lived as real animals, to call for help.
Zoro started keening, half of him thinking it was stupid, and the other half begging for someone to respond to his wail.
“Oh shut up. Everyone is sleeping. Who the hell will hear you besides us–”
A primal growl reverberated throughout the alleyway, creating an eerie echo that made the three of them freeze. The world spun as Zoro was wrenched back, wrapped around strong arms and shoved against the floor. That man, the one who seemed to be mentally far away from here, got on top of him, using his body to cover his, snarling viciously at the two. His eyes were glowing in a threatening mixture of yellow and brown. Fangs bared, so huge they reached the bottom lip. And the scent, a harsh fragrance of wood being burned, filled the place.
“Fucking shit, the bastard is in rut?!” The male Beta growled weakly, quick to stand back as he recognized the violent and primitive pattern the man was displaying. At that, Zoro cried. Heavy tears fell from his eyes, for he left the hands of a danger to a worse type of danger.
Pups couldn’t smell the sexual components that gave out heats and ruts, but that had never been a problem before. He stayed far away from adults anyway. The chances of him meeting someone during their cycles were insignificant but, as he could attest now, not zero.
“We gotta leave.” The male said, dragging her by her arms. Zoro pleaded with his stare to not be left behind, even if there wasn’t much two Betas could do against an Alpha, much less one in a feral state.
“But what about him?” She pointed at Zoro, making the Alpha shift, bending his legs into a position that helped him to lunch in case they tried something. “We can’t just leave him here. The pup is going to be torn apart! We didn’t want to kill him for god’s sake!”
Zoro didn’t need stares of pity. He needed to be taken out of the hold that was firm yet oddly not painful before it was too late. “Leave it be.” It was the conclusion he came to, looking away, pulling his mate out of the struggle, the growls never stopping even if they were leaving. “It’s either him or us.”
He continued keening, now it being directed to those who inflicted pain on him. It was the Alpha who responded to that. He looked down at the frightened pup, emitted a weird sound as if he didn’t know to separate a growl from a rumble, and shoved his nose on Zoro’s shoulder. Panicked, he tried to push his face. Kicked his sides and scratched his cheeks. Called Mom and Dad at some point. None of that worked.
He didn’t know what the man would get by sniffing him. Maybe he wanted to know his status. If he was an Alpha pup, he would be left alone. Rare were the adults who attempted to mate with those, preferring to play with Omegas that could be molded into becoming their perfect breeding bitch once they grew older. Zoro saw that happening to the daughter of a merchant. She was sold under the excuse of it being a marriage to save both families. The poor thing was broken to a level that she responded to touches that weren’t sexual.
Zoro would rather kill himself than let that happen to him, which he was considering doing right now. Dad explained that if he bit a part of his tongue too hard, he would die. He didn’t remember what part, but he wouldn’t mind breaking it into millions of pieces of flesh to figure out.
“Mine.” He declared, turning Zoro so he would stay on his back for him. He was hyperventilating. He opened his jaw, ready to close it before that happened right here.
He was prevented from even beginning to put this plan into practice, for fangs pierced the back of his neck, stopping at the exact spot that prevented a mark from being formed, however deep enough to force him into submission. Zoro went slack, completely immobile as the toxins ran through his blood, invading his muscles. He whimpered miserably. Scruffing was nothing compared to being numb, not in control of his own body. Could it be the Alpha was aware of his intentions? He thought ruts made them dumb. It seemed it didn’t.
Being cradled in his arms wasn’t what Zoro expected, but he wasn’t that surprised. Alphas were possessive. Taking him on the streets meant the world would see him. Mating in hidden caves was the better option. He hoped he would be killed when it was over. Or during it.
As he waited for that outcome, all he could do was cry and keen for a pack that no longer existed.
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There was a neighboring town near the sea. It wasn’t prosperous, but it was in a better condition because of their port. Zoro understood why he was brought here the moment his eyes fell on a ship bigger than a mountain. A sea monster, with a weird smiling sunflower at the front. His captor was a pirate. Why did he get to the end of the world, at that alley, when he could be pillaging anywhere he wanted, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was bad luck. That thing about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or something.
Zoro got tired from crying after one hour, falling into a mindset of dread twenty minutes later. His eyes were puffy, reddish. Broken hiccups made him flinch from time to time. The only time the Alpha used words to interact with him was at his town. During the walk, he relied on making sounds and gestures, like nuzzling his head, rumbling and crooning. Things one would use to soothe a pup. The most repulsive part was that it was working, to some extent. He didn’t feel safe, yet his body felt light. Cared in a physical sense, not a mental one.
One jump was all it took him to get on the ship. Zoro would have whimpered if he had the strength to do so. In a second he was surrounded by the Alpha’s pack. Two women, three men. A talking skeleton and a raccoon with horns. None of them Omegas. The majority were Alphas, he could tell even though it was the captain’s smell standing out the most, due to the huge fangs they were bearing. They were enraged, questioning their leader about his whereabouts, until the guy with a pointy nose – a Beta – signaled Zoro.
They looked shocked and in terror. They must have realized their captain was in rut, then. Zoro felt quite hopeful. Judging their reactions, it could be possible none of them would be interested in touching him. Belonging to one Alpha would be horrid enough. He couldn’t even think how gruesome it would be to be shared with the other three Alphas as well.
A man with long, wavy blond hair came closer. He was greeted with a warning growl. The captain wouldn’t attack. He was just making sure he wouldn’t try to take Zoro from him. “Luffy, where did you get a pup? Why do you have a pup?”
“Mine.” He answered in a proud voice, lifting Zoro up as if he was a trophy he won. The Beta got closer, fearing Luffy would drop him. For some reason Luffy didn’t react to him. Probably didn’t see the meek man as a threat for his authority like others of his status would be.
“I know,” A woman with raven hair spoke. Her voice scared Zoro. It was inhumanly calm, nothing he ever heard before. “We won’t take him from you, okay? We just need to check on him.”
Luffy lowered Zoro and returned him to his chest. At the black-haired woman’s speech, he gently placed a hand over Zoro’s nape. ‘Don’t touch!’ he meant. It was a peaceful gesture compared to his growls, but imposing either way. She respected his demand, though groaned in frustration.
“Robin is right.” Oh, the raccoon spoke. Zoro should be more surprised. “I need to see if he’s sick or injured.”
“And I need to feed him.” The blond added, his eyes staring at him so intensely. Zoro was sure this Alpha was seeing under his skin, his bones, his cells. He sighed after his inspection, taking a puff of his cig. “He’s malnourished for sure.”
“No,” Luffy huffed, shaking his head to the sides. His scent grew harsher. All of them lowered their heads, their Alpha demanding them to submit. Zoro would have done the same if he could move. His dominance was frighteningly powerful. “Pup’s mine. Taking him to my den. You can’t have him.”
“I fear that in this state, our captain won’t listen.” It was the time for the skeleton to act. He put a comforting hand over the raccoon’s hat. “It’s clear something happened to make our captain react like that. Let’s wait for him to calm down first. I’m sure he’ll be more approachable once he’s sure the pup is safe in his den.”
Safe, what a sick joke. Zoro was anything but safe. He was brought here against his will and would be mounted by an Alpha in rut. There was nothing safe in that. He definitely meant once Zoro died from breeding, this Luffy guy would calm down. He probably didn’t say it out loud because their pet seemed to be too young to hear those things.
“We should get the medical and food supplies ready.” Blondie informed them, lifting the sleeves of his white buttoned shirt. The raccoon nodded in agreement. “Once he gets free from Luffy’s hold, we’re taking care of him.”
He was confused at why they would bother, until he realized it was because they wanted to keep him alive as long as they could. Luffy must be a mean, terrific Alpha that used his crew mates for his ruts. Zoro couldn’t blame them for wanting a scapegoat. He wished it wasn’t him.
They gave Luffy space to walk towards the captain’s quarters. Even though Zoro was weak, exhausted and resigned with his situation, he soon found himself whining again. The noise was broken, delicate and with a flawed frequency. His throat was overloaded. He no longer formed a sound that was appetizing to the ears. It had, however, an effect on the pack either way. They responded with sounds of their own. Those who couldn’t produce much, spoke assuring words to put him at ease.
Last thing he heard before the Alpha closed the door was a firm ‘You’re going to be okay’ coming from the blond.
Zoro wanted to believe in him, even if it was the worst lie he had ever heard.
The room didn’t possess the organization one would expect from a captain. Besides being messy, it lacked documents, books and instruments for keeping notes of their travels. Instead of those materials, there were collectibles. Mini statues made of gold and stones. Artisanal objects, such as hats and props. On the walls, there were paintings portraying the sea. If Zoro didn’t know Luffy’s position in this ship, he would have guessed it belonged to a simple crew mate whose hobby was making a collection, not the man who ruled among them.
As opposed to the ambient, Luffy’s nest was so well-structured. It was located at the end of the room, behind his desk, hidden in the corner. It was huge, too, forming a perfect half circle of white and red sheets. For a second, Zoro imagined how it would feel around him. He tried making a nest once, before he realized it would give his status away. Of course, Alphas could build those too, as it was confirmed by the one in front of him, but it wasn’t common. People would think of an Omega first. Since that was precisely what Zoro was, he had to reject this instinctive need.
It was painful. Not having a nest to sleep on every night resulted in a harming experience that put him in a terrible mood almost daily. Had it not been for his physical needs, he wouldn’t have the energy or will to get up from the carpet he used as a bed.
Luffy placed him in the middle, then put a pillow on his left. All it needed was two seconds for the pup to feel his muscles relaxing in contact with the softness and the warm smell. The Alpha was sitting on the edge, not entering it yet, looking at Zoro with fond black eyes. Unnatural and weird. He was supposed to look at him with lust and hunger. He was supposed to jump at him the second he was put in the nest, not… not beam.
“Good puppy,” Luffy happily rumbled over nothing, because Zoro wasn’t doing something to deserve that praise. Or that was what he believed. The sudden self-consciousness allowed him to notice that he was breathing the scent on the pillow near him. He was basically expressing that he liked his scent, thus receiving that response. “He’s a cute pup. The cutest. Nobody’s gonna take him from me.”
A scary statement, uttered with a determination that left no space for questioning. Zoro was his now. Even if he didn’t know his status, even if he could barely smell his emotions, he was already certain that Zoro was his. Being an Alpha or not wouldn’t have made a difference.
Luffy laid behind him. Zoro shutted his eyes, eyelids shaking, waiting for that immense hand to tear his clothes apart. It did come in contact with his body, but it only rested above his chest. It didn’t move. Stayed still, pressed to stimulate the scent glands located in the palm and the fingertips. Luffy was starting to scent him. He was indeed cruel, using tricks to trigger his instincts since he knew he wouldn’t enjoy that unless he was coaxed to. Evil. Fucking evil.
A chin was pressed on top of his hair, rubbing on a spot used as a greeting between young ones and adults. Now whoever met Zoro would first be hit with Luffy’s scent. He pursed his lips to not emit any sounds that could indicate he appreciated the gesture. That was his inner animal gleaming at being scented after all those years of living with just his own. It meant nothing, really. He had to keep in mind Luffy was doing that to keep him under control, tamed and available.
Zoro could barely wait to get out of submission to tear his face.
He choked on his own spit. Luffy’s nose was over the covered area of his neck. He put mud over his two scent glands, but if he removed one, it would be enough to reveal what he was. “Why’s pup so dirty?” He chuckled, taking that as something funny, and not as a protection method he used for years now. “He stinks, but it 's fine. I stink too.”
He hissed, feeling his raspy tongue removing the first layer. Luffy was clearly eating that. Zoro didn’t know if this drastic action was because of the rut or if he was naturally crazy to the point of swallowing mud.
It was excruciating not being able to move a finger. He pathetically resorted, once more, to crying. Of course, considering his wills weren’t listened to ever since they met, he didn’t expect the Alpha to actually cease his motions.
“Pup prefers bathing.” Luffy concluded for some reason, returning his attention to his hair. He was licking the mess, pulling the locks that were stuck to the scalp. It stung a little. It had been a while since the last time Zoro washed his hair. No wonder it was oily and hard. Still, the guy was grooming it without giving a second thought. “Lemme take care of his hair, at least. He has to smell like me.”
Zoro tried to resist as much as he could, but he was soon transported into a distant memory. He found himself sitting on Mom’s lap, getting attention on his hair, while Dad massaged his little feet. It had been so, so long since he was cared for like this. So long he hadn’t experienced the heed coming from a pack. And there was this rumble, this cursed rumble proving how comfortable Luffy was with having a stray pup in his territory and arms.
Needtorestkeeppupsafemakehimsleep Luffy’s intentions flew through his scent, latching onto Zoro’s neck like a snake, looping around and around until it held on tightly, but not suffocating him. Maybe–– Maybe he didn’t mean to mate with him. Not now. Maybe he could have his last good night’s sleep before the horror began. The Alpha did look fatigued after walking miles. Maybe he was acting nice because he felt too tired to hurt Zoro. He should take that as an opportunity to prepare himself, after all, depending on how Luffy and his pack would deal with him, he could find an opening and escape.
That guy with a weird eyebrow did say they should prepare stuff to tend Zoro once he was out of Luffy’s den. That, that could be his emancipation.
“Hush.” Luffy chuffed, hugging Zoro with both arms. Weirdly enough, they didn’t feel unbearably heavy. The Alpha was holding back his strength. “Pup can sleep. I’m protecting him.”
Zoro didn’t mean to obey that quickly, but how could he not when this was, ironically, the closest he was to feeling sheltered?