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Robby doesn’t hate his job. He genuinely likes helping others and there’s no end to the amount of unique patients he meets whilst doing so. He even works with some pretty great people who he’s pretty sure have changed his life. But… there is one part of his job that he’s always been skeptical of.
The chief attending found that he was basically coerced into joining the Active Feral Response Team (or AFRT, for short) by Jack and Dana, who claimed he could use specifically being an alpha to help some other poor souls. But Robby was always filled with anxiety every time he got called out. It was hard enough knowing literally anyone in the Pitt could attack any of his staff but a feral wolf? They were much, much more likely to do just that.
But not many alphas volunteered and the AFRT was desperate for more. Ferals were usually alphas or omegas so the team liked to have both of the genders respond in case they could help calm the feral down. Robby couldn’t deny that it was a good idea and if it got him out of the hospital for a little while, there was really no reason for him to say no.
Today, he gets called out for a feral omega in a nearby forest. Samira and McKay come along with him in the team’s van as they’re both volunteers as well as omegas. Two of his pack, especially two of his omegas, being there makes his anxiety flare up again but he does know they can handle themselves if need be.
The place where the feral was last spotted isn’t too deep into the wooded area. Robby lets himself be led by the actual AFRT members while he hung back with his residents. He knows he has a bit of a temper so he doesn’t want to get involved unless it was absolutely necessary.
The group treks carefully through the forest; they’re coming upon the last known location of the wolf so everyone has their guard up. They’re clearly right to do so as a loud growl emanates from in front of them. Everyone freezes as their eyes land on the culprit: the feral omega.
Robby notes that it’s smaller than most other omegas he’s seen, but he forces himself to remember: it’s still a wolf with sharp teeth and claws that can pierce through both skin and muscle. He keeps this in mind as he purposefully edges himself in front of Samira and McKay.
The leader of the AFRT holds up their hands, trying to show that they have nothing to harm the wolf with. “We do not plan to hurt you.” They spoke slowly. Shifted wolves usually understood human languages just fine. Though, Robby had heard of plenty of cases where the wolf had been in their non-human form for long enough that they didn’t react or answer accordingly.
Based on the wolf’s lack of a response, he figures that that happened to be the case here. In his time spent with the response team, he usually defers to them because they are much more trained than he was. But… something in Robby tells him he needs to approach this wolf. And so he steps forward.
McKay reaches for him and Samira says his name as meager attempts to stop him but Robby, and the wolf in him, are dead set on getting closer to the omega. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for them both to understand why.
His gaze lowers to meet that of the wolf’s and Robby nearly falls over as a rush of emotions overcomes him. He has never felt anything like this before and his wolf was no help there either; it only proceeds to push forward the word “mate” over and over again into his head.
Whatever the surge was must have hit the wolf too as it moves out of its aggressive stance and puts away the fangs it was baring. Robby hears a few gasps and voices ring out behind him but all he could focus on was the being in front of him.
The attending had always been known for letting those under him trust their gut and so, he honors them by trusting his: he slowly bends down to sit in the grass. The wolf takes small steps towards him and all Robby could offer it was a soothing smile. Eventually, they were just a few inches away from each other.
It began sniffing him all over his body, familiarizing itself with his scent. Meanwhile, Robby was doing just the same with it. He could tell the omega was a male but beyond that, he didn’t know exactly how to describe what he was smelling. He just knew that it made him feel warm and comforted, like he had just been hugged by his grandmother.
The wolf must have smelled something that made him feel the same way as he lets out a chuff and rubs his snout against Robby’s neck. He recognizes the movement as a display of submission so Robby impulsively reaches up to pet the wolf under one of his ears. McKay hisses out his name from behind him, probably to stop him, but the two are pretty much in their own world now.
Or at least they are until the wolf abruptly lifts his head and snarls at someone in that same direction. Robby turns his head to find that Samira has walked a tiny bit towards them. He shakes his head and she frowns but backs up; the growling immediately stops after she steps away.
“I think I know what’s happening here.” One of the AFRT members, a beta, moves forward and she only receives a cold stare from the wolf, a big difference from the nonverbal threat Samira had received. “Have you heard of imprinting, Dr. Robby?”
The mentioned man frowns. “Yes…” He trails off, thinking to himself, only for realization to rapidly set in. “You… you think we imprinted on each other?“
That same member nods. “You don’t hear much about it anymore but I’ve read many, many case studies on imprinting. Your reactions when you first met each others’s eyes reminded me of some of them. And then the omega calmed down and I remembered that there were a few that recorded imprinting with the right person would somewhat tame a feral wolf pretty much immediately.”
Robby turns back towards his omega (when did he start referring to the feral as his?) only to meet a pair of glowing blue eyes. He quickly decides that they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“What,” Robby swallows nervously, unsure about how to feel about the situation that’s unfolding around him, “what should we do next? You said he was basically tamed.”
“Our next goal should be to get him back to your hospital. Feral wolves are usually malnourished, though that would be easier to diagnose if he shifted back. We don’t really have a clue how long he’s been out here as well so we should hurry.”
It breaks Robby’s heart to think of all the possibilities of what his omega’s past could consist of. He has heard so many horror stories from patients as well as other people who work for AFRT. He begins to think of himself as lucky that they found each other; Robby has all the right resources and connections to change his omega’s life for the better.
“Do you think you could possibly get him to shift right now?” The team member interrupts Robby’s train of thought and he breaks the eye contact he had with the wolf. “He doesn’t seem to like when other omegas get close and I doubt he would want to be separated from you, even for a single second. We can manage if he doesn’t but it would be much, much easier for all of us here if he does.”
Robby doesn’t know if words would work in this situation to get the wolf to shift as they didn’t before. But when he looks back into the blue eyes and just slightly tilts his head, he knows he doesn’t have to say anything at all. He couldn’t possibly explain it but an understanding passes between the two of them. The omega takes a few steps back and Robby has to push down the unease he instantly feels with the other not by his immediate side.
The familiar sound of bones cracking starts and Robby finds himself unable to look away even as he grimaces. The transformation back to human is always painful but he knows it’s even worse when the wolf hasn’t shifted in a long time. There’s no telling how much pain his omega is in right now.
Mercifully, the process doesn’t last long. Robby takes in the newfound sight of a boy with pale skin hunched over on his knees. He then lifts his head up and the familiar blue eyes stare back at him. They’re still so gorgeous but they’re also a bit watery this time around. Just a glimpse of the wetness has Robby’s heart aching.
His gaze can’t help but drift down as he unfortunately realizes that his omega is malnourished. The transformation rendered him naked so Robby could now see ribs just starting to visibly peek through the frail abdomen. It doesn’t help that the boy can’t be much older than 20 years old. With that, Robby quickly shrugs off his jacket and crawls forward to wrap it around his omega.
The boy startles at first but he eventually relaxes into the warm piece of clothing and how it smells like his alpha. He has to look up to meet Robby’s eyes now and the man nearly coos out loud as tears finally begin flowing. He can’t pull the omega into his arms fast enough.
Soft, broken sobs are muffled as Robby pushes the boy’s face into his neck. He keeps a hand on his head and another on his back, holding him close as if he was the most precious thing in the entire world. (Though to Robby, that is now almost certainly the case.)
Robby turns around, taking his omega with him, to face the group that came with him. McKay and Samira have sad yet kind smiles on their faces and the AFRT members are looking away out of respect. The attending sniffles and adjusts his grip to accommodate the boy crying into him. Robby then squeezes him to offer some more comfort.
“I’ve got you, baby, I’ve got you.”
♡
The ride back to the hospital in the AFRT van is quiet but comfortable. Robby and his omega are situated in the back with the latter still in the former’s embrace. Robby’s back and arms would probably never forgive him but he had to carry the other into the van. When Robby first tried to pull away from the hold, the boy made the most devastating noise that Robby had ever heard.
Now, one of Robby’s hands runs through the dirty blond curls while the other rubs his back in a repetitive, soothing motion. For a while, only the sound of his jacket’s fabric and the car’s wheels on the road were all that could be heard. But after a while, Robby’s ears pick up something coming from his omega.
“Hmm? What is it, sweetheart?” His hands move to pull the omega away from him just enough to cup both his cheeks in his hands. His boy opens his mouth as if to speak but his eyebrows furrow right after. It’s like he’s not sure he knows how.
Robby swallows the lump in his throat. His mind can’t help but wonder about how long the omega was in his wolf form. “Take your time. We have all the time in the world, I promise.” He says, pushing away his own thoughts and instead trying to encourage the other.
“De…” A soft yet still audible noise finally comes out and Robby has to resist the sudden urge to break into tears. “Denn… is…” The alpha smiles brightly, a stark contrast to his now watery eyes.
“Dennis? Is that your name?” The smallest of nods is all Robby needs to see before he leans forward to start peppering kisses all over his omega’s face. Dennis lets out the cutest giggle and then, he starts to emit a content purr. Robby swears right there and then that he is going to spend the rest of his life trying to reproduce those two specific sounds.
From further up in the van, Samira and McKay can’t help but look back in awe. They have never seen their alpha anywhere near this happy and glowing in the entire time they’ve known him. Everyone in the pack knew Robby had been struggling since his mentor had died a few years ago but it seems things were finally going to take a turn for the better, for all of them.