Wolves of a Feather

Trial and Error

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Chapter Six

Trial and Error

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Dick crept into the kitchen. It was still early in the morning, the sun barely peaking over the buildings. The sky outside was a cool lavender grey, patterned over with low heavy clouds. Dick's internal clock was very much destroyed by his heat. He ate when he could and slept when he could. Three days of nearly continuous sex could take it out of a person. Slade had wanted a shower and Dick wanted coffee so they had briefly parted.

It felt good to be able to walk around again. He was on day four of his heat and probably still had another day to go but for now his body was cooperating. He moved with a little rigidity. He had bruises on his hips and thighs. He was sore enough to make his pace slow as he moved through the manor.

The kitchen was silent and empty on his arrival. Alfred would probably be up very soon but for now, Dick had the place to himself. He set to organizing a coffee, the smell of the beans making him sniff appreciatively.

"Dick?" Dick nearly dropped his cup. He turned around. Jason, in full Red Hood uniform par the helmet, was standing in the doorway. He looked a little dusty and scuffed up. Most likely he had just come off a late-night patrol. Dick caught Jason's eyes running up and down his body with some concerned, apparently checking for injuries.

"Hey Jay," Dick said nervously. Jason took a step forward into the massive kitchen.

"Didn't expect to see you up and moving about yet," Jason admitted. He seemed to be struggling a little. He was breathing shallowly and didn't seem to be to look Dick in the face.

"You can put your helmet back on if it helps with the smell," Dick said, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"No, it's not bad, I just..." Jason trailed off. It was only as he shifted from one foot to the other that Dick realized that Jason's face wasn't scrunched in distaste. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were slightly...

Did Jason want him?

A growl ripped through the air.

They both turned.

Slade was standing in the doorway. Alarm shot through Dick like a bolt of lightning. Jason was standing between Dick and Slade and the omega was still very much in heat. The sound that left Slade's throat caused the blood to recede from Jason's face. What he did in the next two minutes would decide if Slade ripped out his throat and left him to bleed out on the shiny tile floor.

"Jason, Jay get down," Dick whispered frantically. Jason was already kneeling as Dick spoke, his hands raised above his head. That one eye held a pupil that was little more than a pinprick. The alpha's scent flared 'rage, mine, protect, claim.'

Jason tilted his head back, offering his neck in a gesture he had never done before. Bruce had tried to be the alpha he thought Jason had needed but he had never injured him or dominated him as a pack alpha. Jason stared up at the ceiling, breathing in rich scotch and sweetened apples. It made his head spin and his heart pound.

Dick was whining and purring, buttery soft and supplicating as he attempted to shift his body in front of Jason's. Slade snarled and Dick fought hard not to tense. If he flinched or seemed afraid, Slade could cut Jason down. The alpha easily brushed Dick to one side and was now looming over the kneeling beta, taking in his form with animalistic predatory contemplation. Jason swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. Suddenly, a large hand fisted into his hair.

Slade jerked him violently to his feet and forced him back into the kitchen island, the cold marble digging uncomfortably into his spine. Dick fought down a yelp. He kept purring, trying to force his tone as sweet and relaxed as possible. He fought with his body to place a steady hand on Slade's powerful bicep. Jason was pack. Jason was...