Chapter Text
Shane knew it was coming but it doesn’t make it easier when his mother announces it to him, her words serious and face wan.
“I’ll marry you,” Rose says as soon as she finds out.
“Rose,” Shane says, frowning.
He knew she would say that. She’s too kind. Too forward. The rare Alpha who has never looked down on him for being an Omega in an athletic field, in an athletic field known for injury and strain.
Shane only got approved to play by the league for being so damn good. But now he’s 25 and his fertility is considered wasted on hockey.
He has to at least get married- mated- by the end of the month. If he does that he can play hockey for the next couple of years. If his Alpha lets him that is.
And if Shane doesn’t… well he’ll be sold off to the highest bidder. A rich, famous Omega, a rare male Omega at that, is worth millions. He could end up being a foreign prince, popping up royal pups.
Shane would rather die.
He just wants to play hockey. All he’s ever wanted to do is play hockey. And sometimes sleep with a certain Russian.
Now it’s all being ripped out from underneath him.
“I’ll marry you,” Rose repeats stubbornly.
They’re at his place sharing a glass of wine. He rarely drinks, but he considers this a special occasion.
“I can’t ask that of you,” Shane says firmly.
“I didn’t see you proposing,” Rose says, raising one of her smooth eyebrows.
Shane clenches his teeth so hard he feels the pain in the back of his skull.
“You deserve more than a sham mating,” He says thickly.
“Perhaps,” Rose reaches across his kitchen bench top to take his hand, “But you deserve more than a forced mating,”
He cannot stop the shudder that rolls through him at the idea. Rose’s fingers clench around his own tightly.
“Besides,” She says with a weak smile, “You’re not the only one being pressured to have a successful relationship,”
He grimaces. He knows being a female Alpha isn’t easy for her. All of her instincts are looked at as being ‘wrong’ just because she’s a woman just as his are looked at as being ‘wrong’ because he’s a man.
“This is fucked,” Shane groans, picking up his wine glass with trembling fingers and downing three-quarters of it in one.
“Yes,” Rose agrees, filling it back up for him.
He knew this was coming. It’s not like a surprise. Ever since he presented he knew he was a chess piece, not a chess player. His mother, as much as he loves her, has not helped him in that regard.
Except Shane thought, idiotically clearly, that they’d make an exception for him. That the Metro’s would fight it, that his mother would contest it. That perhaps they’d look over his biology and focus on his physical skill.
If only there wasn’t a perfectly good player on the Boston team that skated at the exact same level as him. Who could give them what they wanted, a strong, fast, Alpha hockey Captain.
But Shane cannot think about him. Especially now, he cannot.
“Are you sure there’s no one else?” Rose asks, hiding her clear desperate curiosity poorly.
“I’m sure,” Shane says a little too quickly.
He cannot say yes. He cannot say he can't stop thinking about Ilya. How his blue eyes sparkled before they kissed. The way he spoke, so fast, so brutal, like he always meant exactly what he had to say. His arm curling around his shoulder after they fucked, the feeling of being so warm and so safe.
The perfect Alpha. The perfect mate. Just thinking about Ilya biting his mating gland has him shivering, a hot flush spreading over his freckled cheeks.
But he would never agree to marry Shane. Furthermore Shane would never ask him to.
Rose tsks in disbelief but to her credit doesn’t push any more.
“I love you,” Shane says honestly, because that’s the one thing he knows for certain right now.
She may not be who he wants, but it is a smart choice. Which probably makes it the right choice. There is no fire or passion, but there is friendship and mutual respect. They’ll have it better than most.
Rose will be a good mate. Their pups will certainly be attractive.
Not our Alpha, His Omega is unhappy, curled up inside his chest whining. Want our Alpha.
Shane swallows down the wanting deep, deep down until his stomach twists instead of his heart.
“I love you too,” Rose says her voice merry with false bravado, “We’ll have the most successful lavender marriage in Hollywood, you’ll see,”
“Cheers to that,” Shane lifts up his glass half-heartedly.
Rose raises hers in return and the small clink they make when they cheer them together echoes hollowly throughout his apartment.
They try to act normal. She orders in food and he heats up something pre-made in his fridge. Rose complains about her latest movie script and he tells her about the new rookie hired to Montreal.
It feels stilted and awkward in a way it never does with them. Shane wonders if she’s thinking about the last time they had sex and he didn’t even get aroused. He can’t imagine her ever being satisfied and wonders if he’ll feel the rest of his life feeling guilty
They’re sitting on the couch watching HBO when it happens.
“Come here,” Rose beckons him over to sit closer flush against her with two fingers.
They’ve gone through a bottle and a half of red at this point and she has a flush to her cheeks. He used to tell himself that he was attracted to her when she blushed but now he knows he just thinks it’s cute like a nicely decorated cupcake.
He supposes he’s going to have to lie to himself again now.
“What?” Shane asks his brain foggy with alcohol and emotions.
“Let me scent you,” Rose says bluntly.
He feels his blood run cold in his veins. It was one thing for her to scent him accidentally. A brief touch that he could cover with a scent patch and would disappear after a few showers.
That is not what she is asking however, he can tell by the look on her face. She wants to scent him for real.
“Rose,” Shane says thickly.
“Shane,” Rose deadpans.
He doesn’t respond and sips on his wine instead. She must be able to smell how uncomfortable he is.
His mouth feels too small to fit his tongue. He didn’t expect this sham to happen right away. He thought he would have more time to process. At least a week for him to compartmentalise and accept this would be his future.
“It’ll be a good way to start- to get it out there before I buy you a big shiny rock,” She continues adamantly.
“I don’t want a shiny rock,” He states petulantly.
“I do,” Rose says, her face breaking out into a playful grin.
“Noted,” Shane rolls his eyes fondly.
“Come here,” Rose says gently, as if he were a wounded animal.
Because he’s looking her in the eye now, because he’s already said yes, because she’s right and it’s going to happen eventually, Shane follows her instructions. He sits beside her, pretending there isn’t vomit rising up his throat as she scents both his wrists and the sides of his neck.
Rose smells alright. Like an early morning coffee and freshly printed paper. It’s not abrasive, but she certainly doesn’t smell like the woods around his cottage and a crackling fireplace.
Not our Alpha. His Omega is clawing at his insides, begging for Shane to push Rose off.
But he doesn’t.
The Alpha his Omega wants so desperately is someone that Shane cannot have. It is only extremely recently that in the West homosexual Alpha and Omega mating has become legalised and the pair and their pups not shunned. But just because something is legal doesn’t mean something is approved of.
“Alright?” She says after.
His fingers are trembling and he clenches his wine glass harder to stop it from being so obvious.
“Yeah,” Shane says, lying, “Yeah I guess,”
“We’re going to be good, you and me,” Rose says with a firm nod.
Her words are all positive but her own face looks pale, her shoulders tense. It’s terrible but it does make Shane feel a little better to be able to see that she is just as uncomfortable as she is. That they are both hurting.
It’s this that makes him reach out to put his arm over her shoulder.
“I know,” Shane says tiredly and Rose rests her head against his chest and sighs.
—-------------------------------------------------
Hay-hay
I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!
Shay-shay
It happened so fast
You know how it is
Hayden was not very happy with him for finding out about Rose and him becoming official from a Buzzfeed article. Both of their teams had made it clear to the press that their relationship was getting serious and the internet was apparently thrilled with the hints that had been posted online.
Shane greatly underestimated how excited everyone was about this. Hayden is not the only one texting him with outrage that they were the last to know and offering their congratulations.
Only one person in his contacts has been dead silent.
Hayden
I do know that
Pheromones are crazy
Shane
Yes
Hayden
You better not be leaving us soon to start a pack man
Shane may be sitting out in the hot Florida sun by the pool but after reading that text his blood runs ice cold. He doesn’t blame Hayden in the slightest- it is a normal statement. Most Omega’s waste no time in starting their families and large families at that. Hayden’s lovely mate is living proof.
But the idea of him having to give up his career. Having to give up hockey, the thing he loves most in the world, makes his heart clench up with fear.
He knows Rose would never force it onto him. But it's everyone elses expectations that has anxiety fluttering in his throat. Shane has never been good at ignoring what is expected of him.
His mother is so, so excited at the idea of him finally having a mate. He could see it all over her face when he and Rose face-timed her about their ‘relationship’. The tearful joy. How she turned back to match his father’s wide grin. It was only the fact that they were on video that stopped Shane from having a panic attack.
Shane
I won’t
You’ve got a few years left of me yet
Hayden
Good
Can’t imagine doing this without you
Before he can reply he smells something- someone- that makes his phone slip through his grip.
“Hollander,” Ilya is standing on the other side of the pool, his crystal blye eyes wide, his nostrils flared.
“Rosanov,” Shane gasps, his throat tight, his face burning hot.
It was going to happen eventually. He said yes to being Captain of the All Stars squad. He flew to Florida on his own accord.
He thought he was prepared for this. The first time they saw each other now that he is publicly claimed.
Shane was definitely not.
“What the fuck?” Ilya swears and he can actually see spittle leave the Russian’s mouth and splatter onto the ground.
Shane tries to swallow but there is no moisture in his mouth to do so. It is unfair that everytime he sees the Alpha he gets even more handsome.
Ilya marches around the pool, his face flushed red with anger. It’s so rare for him to see him lose his cool outside the bedroom. He must be a terrible person because Shane cannot deny that he is aroused by his obvious fury, which is stupid because he doesn’t even know if Ilya is jealous. After all, the last time he saw him was in that damn club sucking a hickey onto some beta girl's throat.
Mine. His Omega growls unhappily at the mere memory.
Ilya is close now, only a couple of steps away. Shane struggles out of his deck chair, his phone falling to the tiles beneath with a clatter.
“Back off,” J.J pulls himself out of the pool in order to put himself between the two men.
“It’s alright,” Shane tells his teammate shakily.
From J.J’s expression it’s clear that he expects the two men to get into a physical fight. He doesn’t blame him. Ilya’s hackles are obviously raised and he snarls at the Montreal player who growls in return.
Shane swears under his breath, stepping up between them. He’s noticed since presenting that an Omega’s presence can often affect Alpha’s, their scent calming them down which is useful on the ice.
J.J visibly relaxes enough for Ilya to shoulder past him and grab onto Shane’s shirt.
He is so close. Close enough to kiss. Close enough to not only hear but feel his inhale and exhale.
“мое сердце,” Ilya gasps under his breath, the russian thick on his tongue.
And then he’s gone, marching past their team and the tourists at the resort and Shane is left reeling in his wake.
“What’s stuck up his arse?” J.J asks angrily, frowning in the direction the Russian is escaping to.
“Excuse me,” Shane bends down to pick up his phone so he can follow Ilya.
“Shane?” J.J asks as he walks off.
“I’ll be back soon,” He doesn’t even bother looking over his shoulder.
It is not just a bad idea, it is possibly the worst idea. He should not be scrambling to catch up with him. Not pushing through people in a public place no doubt looking haggard and heartbroken.
This was the perfect time for their arrangement to end. But if he really believed that then he wouldn’t be knocking on the locked bathroom he just caught sight of a blonde curly head disappearing inside moments before.
He knocks hard, so hard his knuckles burn.
“Fuck. Off,” Comes the rough Russian reply.
“It's me” Shane calls out desperately.
For a second there is silence. Then the door opens the tiniest crack.
“Ilya,” Shane gapes, shocked and horrified by the bright tears shining in the Alpha’s eyes.