"Everyone has thought about killing someone one way or another."

Will Graham's voice was low and darkly confident as he scanned his full audience of students. He kept his eyes just low enough to avoid catching anyone else's even though it was dark; he knew an unpleasant zing would zip down his spine and his carefully assembled words would catch in his throat. Eyes were distracting. Saw too much, saw too little.

As he swept his gaze over clean faces and ironed collars he couldn't help but think of them all as sheep safely tucked away in their stables, protected from the wolf until they had to go out and catch him. It was all too easy to do research or write papers, putting theory to good use in a warm building with soft lighting and free coffee. It was quite another to be out in the field where practice was a coiled figure lurking behind the door, waiting for you open it with bared teeth and flexing fingers. Will knew too well what it was like. In this case practice had a gun.

He clicked for the next slide, bathing his face in red from the projection of blood.

"Now think about killing Mrs. Marlow."

There was an uncomfortable shift in the air as the Alphas in the class eyed the gruesome image. None of them wanted to think about killing that poor Beta. She was someone's mate, loved deeply, and seeing a bond being torn apart so viciously was disturbing. Their combined scents and negative emotions prickled Will's throat and settled over his skin like moisture from walking through a fog. His stomach clenched tightly for a moment, sending a jolt of pain through his guts and he managed to turn the ensuing wince into a breathy cough. Clammy fingers unconsciously gripped the bottle of pills in his jacket pocket.

Being employed in a police academy, Will's class was naturally filled with Alphas. A handful of stronger Betas were sprinkled throughout the crowd but the nature of police work, often involving violence and high-stress situations, seemed a magnet for Alpha males in particular. Their inane strength and cunning minds made them excellent officers along with their inherent need to protect. Many disputes involving police were resolved merely by the officers showing up; their dominating scents and usual large builds were intimidating enough even when dealing with groups of people.

"Why did she deserve this? Tell me your design. Tell me who you are."

Will could still smell the blood of the crime scene from the night before, could still smell the power and satisfaction of the Alpha that had murdered Mrs. Marlow and her husband. The man was gone but his scent had lingered like a love note on a satin pillow. Will's skin had fluttered and a drop of warmth spread in his belly as he pulled the pheromones into his body through his breath. His face had distorted into a cruel smile just as the Alpha had done as he assessed the mangled form of the Beta lying broken before him, and when he was done with the scene it had taken some deep breaths of the cold night air to dispel that feeling from his lips.

The murderer was jealous of the pair, enough to become violent. Perhaps he had no mate himself and wanted to destroy any bond he came across; if he couldn't be happy with a caring lover, no one could. As a man Will understood the feeling of wanting something but being unable to have it. As a man with a highly active imagination, he understood the rush of seeing someone's life leave their eyes while they died a justified death, beautiful thought becoming action through sprays of warm blood.

It always took a moment or two after his analysis to convince himself that he didn't commit whatever crime he was there for; mentally scrubbing his brain of the memories, no, fantasies that he conjured up in an attempt to solve it was second nature. Only the useful parts were needed, the rest was strained out like a sieve that only worked some of the time. Bits and pieces would remain behind, adhere to the inside of his skull like parasites that made him take longer and longer to return to his true self.

This ability was no surprise; Will Graham presented as Omega when he was sixteen. Omegas were highly empathic and sensitive beings but Will had spent his adult life believing it to be no more than a curse. It had been the shock of his life and before he could say anything else about Mrs. Marlow the memory rose to his mind like an oxygen-deprived creature breaching the surface of deep water.

He had been in high school sitting at the back of the room while his History teacher Mr. Fentz, who happened to be an Alpha, lectured on methods of warfare.

"The shape of the cannon is very efficient," he was explaining, showing a diagram of one being loaded by a soldier.

Just looking at it was making Will uneasy. He had been feeling feverish all morning but it wasn't bad enough to miss school, so he passed it off as the start of a cold and continued on with his day. Sure, he should have been aware of the signs as taught from their Sex Ed class, but he was just a kid and thought he was a regular Beta like mostly everyone else. They didn't go through heat, only experienced a mild 'coming of age' when their scents become more pronounced but nothing more than that. As far as Will Graham knew, he was nothing special.

However, what he began to feel deep in his belly was something foreign and all he knew was that suddenly his socks were too snug, his shoes were laced way too tightly, and his clothes felt as if they had shrunk two sizes. The soft cotton of his shirt felt like gritty sandpaper and how long had his boxers been damp like that - and all of a sudden he got a whiff of the older Alpha standing at the front of the room.

Electric fire exploded inside his stomach at the sweet, musky smell. It smelled like comfort and spice and sex and he began to pant at his desk at the thought of the Alpha going into rut for him, biting him, bonding him. It teased him like a lover, warm and cool on his skin and all sorts of uncharacteristically perverse thoughts began flying unbidden through Will's feverish mind. He didn't care who was watching, he would have let the Alpha do whatever he wanted to him right there and he would have submitted willingly. What the fuck was going on?! He was clenching his teeth so hard he could feel his pulse in his mouth. With his eyes almost rolling in his head and he understood the truth; he was Omega.

The teacher was still talking but Will heard nothing; he only saw hard muscle hiding underneath those damned polite professional clothes and lithe shifts in weight as he gestured to the uncomfortably phallic image on the wall. Will's mouth had gone dry in a second and he found himself grinding his ass against his seat, desperate for something he had never yearned for before. The friction manifested a slippery slick that oozed under him and he squirmed at the sensation, embarrassment sweeping through him. His heart began a steady hammering in his chest, flooding him with heat that expressed as a vivid pink blush in his cheeks.

The students around him were beginning to turn at his flowering scent; Fredrick, an Alpha boy that had never been particularly kind to him turned in his seat and was sucking deep breaths in through his mouth and nose, staring avidly at Will like he was some sort of miracle. An Alpha girl to his right was looking at him with glazed eyes and slightly bared teeth, gripping her pencil with white knuckles.

He felt their attention on him like blinding spotlights but he couldn't take his eyes off of the front of his teacher's pants.

It made a mewling whimper rise in his throat and he was horrified at the sound; he had never made a noise like that before and it startled him with how the Alpha reacted.

Mr. Fentz paused in his lecture, turned his head towards Will with controlled intrigue and flared his nostrils in a deep inhale. Even from the back of the room Will could see his teacher's pupils blow wide until almost no color was left. The Alpha managed to turn his low possessive growl into an odd choking noise before clearing his throat.

"Ah, Mr. Graham," he uttered through gritted teeth. "Please step outside."

It seemed all he was capable of saying, for as soon as Will nodded numbly in reply – anything for the Alpha that had just spoken directly to him – he strode to the door and exited without another word.

Heat and desperation painting his face, Will gathered his things hastily to obey, near delirious with the scent of the Alpha still fresh in the room. Everyone else in the class was breathing deeply and staring dumbly at him as though he were sprouting wings. Mercifully a kind Beta with dark hair stood from her seat and helped him out of his, giving everyone else an eye roll and a muttered 'pull yourselves together.' Gratitude brought tears to his eyes as he allowed himself to be led out. While exiting the room she made sure to walk close behind him to hide the wet mark on the back of his pants.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the deserted hallway and closed the door behind them. The pretty Beta brought Will to the cool wall for support and smiled gently.

"They're all just dorks in there you know," she said, her bright blue eyes twinkling. "I don't think any of them have even seen an Omega before, let alone be in the same class as one."

Will was surprised she knew what was going on but the thought didn't really resonate. His head was fogged with heat and he kept glancing down the hallway to see if the Alpha was returning.

"Yeah, I was one of them," he replied distantly, wincing at the curling fire in his belly. He looked up at her and offered a small smile in return.

"Thanks for helping get me out of there."

She shrugged.

"No problem. I couldn't bear the thought of no one helping me if I presented Omega in front of a full classroom," she said kindly. Will could have kissed her but the thought of kissing a girl was mildly repulsive.

They both snapped their heads to the left at the sound of approaching footsteps, Will having to smother another desperate whine that had risen swiftly within him at the possibility that it might be his Alpha returning. A motherly Beta in a nurse uniform was hurrying down the hall, bright blonde hair done up in a messy bun that flopped with each step. Will deflated at the sight of her.

"You poor dear," she said when she reached them, a little out of breath. "Mr. Fentz came and told me at once and I daresay he wasn't exaggerating," she said as she pulled some of Will's blooming scent into her heaving lungs. "Presenting Omega in the middle of History class, what awful timing, but congratulations Will, you're Hill High's only one! We've already contacted your parents and they're on their way to the school right now. If you'll come with me dear, we can get you into some fresh clothes."

Will felt as though he would rather be anywhere than in a high school being told he was the only Omega within it. Glancing at his new Beta friend, he smiled in thanks before allowing himself to be pulled away down the hall. Before they were out of earshot he remembered something and called back to her.

"Hey, what's your name!"

"Alana Bloom!" came her reply as she waved.

Will was yanked back to the present by the sound of students rising from their seats and collecting their bags. Apparently he had dismissed the class; he still felt the words in his mouth but didn't remember saying them. Trembling slightly, he all but fell into the chair behind his desk as they filed out of the room, feeling a cold sweat break out on his temples. The dim lights of the theatre seemed to pulse.

Many of the Alphas gave him curious looks that bordered on concern, but he avoided their eyes and popped two small white pills from the bottle in his pocket and dry swallowed. There were pheromone sprays and perfumes available that could mask an Omega's scent and make them pass as Beta, but Will had learned from experience that long-time use, i.e. months on end, led to debilitating migraines.

At first he didn't care; the headaches were a small price to pay compared to the near assaults he would deal with on a daily basis if he didn't cover up his scent. A simple trip on the bus was a prison sentence if he forgot or ran out before resupplying. Any unmated Alpha would look hungrily at him as soon as he sat down and not stop staring until he exited the vehicle. Those were the good days. Bad days involved fights breaking out between Alphas that were driven to near-rut at prolonged proximity with Will, or males that actually got aggressive with him. His 911 call history was scrollable.

Luckily over-the-counter scent suppressors were common among Omegas and even Alphas who wished to go about life a little more discreetly, but as Will had been medicating for nearly ten years straight it was his stomach that was beginning to rebel.

It clenched painfully and he pressed clammy palms into his closed eyes. He hadn't thought about presenting for years. What had suddenly made him think of it again? The same warmth was pooling behind his navel, nowhere near as powerful as the first time but still enough that it made each breath shallow. Confusion wracked his mind; he was months away from his next scheduled heat. Maybe he was coming down with something…? The room tilted and for a moment he experienced paralyzing vertigo that made him feel as though he were on the verge of vomiting.

"Mr. Graham."

An oaky musk announced the arrival of the Alpha before Will saw him. Startled, a groan escaped his lips and he struggled to put his glasses on before facing his visitor. Unconsciously, he ensured the rim was angled just enough to prevent eye contact. Distractions, distractions.

"I'm Special Agent Jack Crawford, I lead the Behavioral Science Unit. Are you alright?"

The darker skinned man possessed a dominating scent that surrounded Will like a pack of dogs. It made his skin tingle uncomfortably and the man's shrewd eyes that were narrowed at him weren't helping. A navy blue suit served as presenting him as official but made him look out of place; a military uniform would have been more appropriate. Squirming in his seat at the scrutiny Will recognized him. Difficult to forget; he was built like a tank with the personality of a bull.

Unable to help but submit to the Alpha's imposing figure he dipped his head to the side, exposing his neck slightly.

"M' fine. We've met," he couldn't help but mutter, flicking his eyes downwards. "You didn't seem to like what I said about the new museum, about it being named with…no imagination whatsoever."

Jack grumbled deeply in his throat at this disregard for authority and Will's body thrummed with the energy in the air.

He knew Jack knew this full well but didn't intend to bring it up himself. They had a minor disagreement about the naming of the new museum, with Will ending up insulting it and Jack losing his temper at him that resulted in quite a bit of growling and shouting. Will wasn't exactly a people person and didn't enjoy pretending to be one, even when dealing with annoyingly persistent Alphas which was why Jack was looking at him so dangerously at the moment.

Before he knew it his personal space was clouded with the scent of irritated Alpha and Jack was leaning forward to push his glasses further up his face so he could make direct eye contact. Will balked, wanting to shy away from the touch but Jack's gaze was too powerful.

"I remember. Can I borrow your imagination then?"

"Keep it, I don't want it," Will muttered drily. "Maybe I'll finally get some sleep."

"You have trouble sleeping, Will? I have people for that. Maybe you could talk to someone."

"I thought you were asking for my help, Jack, not if I needed it."

The Alpha growled low in his throat at the retort and Will hated himself for dropping his head lower to bare the side of his neck more visibly. Damned Omegan biology. He wanted to snarl at himself because of it. Jack's scent gathered around him like thick blankets, threatening to suffocate him if he refused.

"Do I have a choice?" he grumbled, his eyes watering with the effort not to crumble and mewl like a kitten under the pressure of the Alpha's glare. A submissive whimper rose in the back of his throat but he swallowed it like his pills.

"None whatsoever," Jack replied.