Chapter Text
Hunting was tiring work. Gladio felt like he was about to drop after hours of hunting for food after dark. Now all he wanted was to get his promised supper back to his den where his mate awaited him, then he could lie down and sleep. But there was something ominous in the air… something threatening, and it was coming closer.
Gladio went on full alert, perking his ears up to hear even the slightest sound as his mane hairs stood on end. He let out a guttural growl, anticipating this unknown threat. A breeze fluttered by and with it came the scent of another male feline; this was not going to end well.
The alpha dropped his prized anak kill from his bared fangs, sniffing at the wind for the direction that the scent blew in from. That musky, anal scent… Gladio knew that smell all too well. This male that was headed his way used to be an old friend, but this was not going to be a reunion. This other male was an alpha, and Gladio could smell the odor of his wet glands on the wind.
The moon illuminated the prairie lands with a soft, white glow as a chill breeze swept over the dusty ground. Gladio was already exhausted, being as heavy a wild cat as he was; however, no matter the threat, he would stand and be ready to pounce the way he had always been known for. He boasted quite the impressive muscular build and a long, brown flowing mane that seemed to impose an air of kingliness. His heavy, broad paws could wrap all the way around and strangle a human man’s neck, given that opportunity. The scars he carried on his face were the result of many a fierce battle with rival males looking for mates; but the scar that ran over his left eye he regarded as a trophy for a different reason.
The male’s scent became stronger and more potent as he approached Gladio’s vicinity. The large alpha waited patiently, hoping to get the first pounce or swipe at him; as fatigued as Gladio was, he wasn’t about to drop his guard against another threatening alpha male around his territory.
Especially since he was so close to approaching his den.
Gladiolus was definitely on edge, growling lowly as his amber eyes flashed a hot anger. But even though he could smell his anal scent so strongly around everything, the familiar male never showed up. There was no movement in the bushes or trees, and the wind carried the other alpha’s scent into the faraway distance.
Gladio sniffed the air once more, then huffed his relief, picking his kill back up into his mouth and padding off for his den.
The moment he got back, he heard a low mewl from deep within the den and trotted in immediately, only to find his expectant mate lying sprawled out over their bed of straw and fur kills. His mate began to purr as he kneaded on the warm, cozy nest. “Welcome home, love.”
Gladiolus felt a heat rise in his belly at the sight of his vulnerable, pregnant mate awaiting him in their love nest. He tried to shake it off, but the barbs on his penis stuck out as his balls dripped with sweat; wanting to mate with him, despite him already carrying their cubs. “You feel okay today?”
His mate hummed, his little pale nose twitching as he writhed on the nest, sensing and smelling Gladiolus’s arousal. “Mm-hm, where’s dinner? I’m starving,” his deep, passionate tone beckoned Gladio to come closer. As his mate squirmed on the furs, his dark tail began slapping against the floor of the den, letting his alpha know he’d give him a quick romp before their meal.
“All I could find was anak meat. I know how much you love it, Noct, but I’ve gotta find something a little better for us next time,” he said, creeping his way over toward his heated mate.
“The cubs love it though,” Noctis remarked, lying just so his swollen belly wouldn’t be pushed into the ground when Gladio mounted him. “And I think what’s good for the cubs is good for me.”
“Too fatty.”
“Helps ‘em grow faster and stronger… like their father.”
Gladiolus came up from behind him and placed his weight over Noctis’s back, the younger wild cat purring louder now as he swept his tail beside his body, awaiting his mate’s erection to fill his desperate opening. Noctis arched forward, pushing himself out just a little from under Gladiolus’s oppressive body heat, when the large alpha pressed his broad paw against his pelvis to hold him in place. “Down,” he growled, to which Noctis complied.
Noctis let out a sudden yelp as his mate’s barbed arousal entered his slick vagina, sheathing the larger, more important part of his girth deep inside of him. Gladiolus's quick thrusts gained many guttural mewls and snarls out of his mate, already close to copulation.
The alpha leaned in and bit on multiple areas of his omega’s soft neck flesh, leaving his sexual, territorial markings; he wanted all other alphas to know that he belonged to him. Their mating sessions were usually pretty quick, but sometimes Gladio would remain inside of his omega for around forty-five minutes, just so he could relish the feeling of pride that swelled his head when dominating his willing mate once again.
As Gladiolus spent such precious time mating with his Noctis, he could feel the tiny paws soon to be born knitting inside his mate’s womb. He growled in pleasure, picking up speed before his impatient semen spilled out and swam into his mate’s warm, satisfied body. “Good… still hungry?”
Noctis laid himself slightly on his side, his paws knitting above the cave floor as he purred softly. “Gladiolus…”
Gladio knew just how happy and satisfied his mate truly was when he used his full name after successful copulation. He smiled down at him, lying himself on top of him as his broad paws came to wrap around his heavy belly. The gentle vibrations of Noctis’s purring rumbled in Gladio’s empty stomach, making him yearn for some of the meat he hunted for today. “Eat?”, the alpha urged, gaining a disturbed growl from his mate.
“Not yet. Just lie here with me,” he murmured, his purring fading away as he almost fell asleep.
Purposefully hoping to wake him, Gladio pulled out from his sleepy omega, knowing he and their cubs needed to receive nourishment now.
The barbs on the alpha’s erect penis caught on Noctis’s vaginal walls, causing him to lash out and snarl at him, clawing at Gladiolus’s long mane. “Shit! What did you do that for?!”
“You need to eat,” he purred, licking inside his mate’s tufty, little ears. “Both you and the cubs need some food right now. You’ve barely eaten all day.”
Noctis tilted his ears back in annoyance, shaking his head to get his alpha off of him. “You’re on edge, aren’t you? Did you catch a whiff of anyone strange out there today? You always seem to get rough like this when you’ve smelled someone else. Is that it?”
“Maybe,” Gladio grumbled, licking at his mate’s stubbled chin and then down to his plush fur breast. “Smelled that same alpha again. You know, the one who likes to mark all the trees around here? In MY territory?”
Noctis yowled in discomfort, feeling the pushing and kneading of their cubs inside his heavy womb. It was almost time for him to give birth. “Gods… they’re so strong and heavy. But I know that means they’re yours,” he snuggled his head inside Gladiolus’s coarse mane. “You don’t have to worry about those other males, Gladio. Unless they come right into our den, then I’d say give ‘em hell.”
“But this one… he can smell you, I know he can. Why else would he be out here except for seeking out a chance to breed you?”
Noctis laughed, turning over on his back with his paws up. “He can’t breed me, I’m already with cubs. Isn’t that pretty obvious?”
“You could still overreact to his scent, Noct. He’s a pretty powerful alpha,” he reasoned, tenderly knitting at his omega’s soft, swollen underside. “Your beautiful, luscious scent is enough just to have him prowling around out here.”
Noctis whimpered, flexing his lithe paws over Gladiolus’s bigger ones. “You don’t think he’d actually try to come close to me… right?”
“He could.”
Gladiolus wasn’t lying about Noctis being such a desirable mate. He was quite beautiful and an incredibly fertile omega, leading dozens of alphas to vie for him in every heat cycle he entered that past spring and fall.
He proved to be an agile hunter as well, even claiming and marking some of his own territory before becoming an alpha’s mate last year. He often sprayed in various areas around his usual hunting spots, hoping to snare anyone who tried to steal his kills. But all his marking did was attract unwanted potential mates.
His wonderful scent of musky hayseed and ripe plums only added to his sexual attractiveness. His plush, ebony coat absorbed the midday sun’s bright rays in such a way that he seemed to be covered in a soft, heavy, luscious down; similar to a graceful black swan. The way he strutted about and leapt and bounded after prey was enough to get alpha males’ erections dripping with pre-seed, watching on with amusement as Noctis’s fluffy tufts of fur around his neck, belly and genital area swished along with the breeze. He looked more like a furry bobcat than a brooding, independent intersex lion.
But those orbs of his… those rare, sapphired eyes that were ever watchful seemed to bore into every lion’s soul if he so much as glanced at them. His face could be described as adorable to some, what with that twitchy, pale little nose, those soft, plump, fuzzy lips, his long, dark whiskers, his blue-hued, slender tail, and his luscious raven locks that those cute, perky tufted ears peeked out of… he was gorgeous and he belonged only to Gladiolus, a proud alpha male.
And soon to be the proud parents of a litter of newborn cubs. Their first litter together since the large alpha had claimed him during his last heat.
Six months ago, when Gladiolus first approached Noctis’s temporarily marked territory, he fell in love. His scent was so intoxicating that he seemed to be drawn to it, lying in wait till the lovely-scented omega came back. Days went by with Gladiolus returning to the area every evening, hoping just to watch that beautiful, ebony-coated omega sulk around with his latest kill.
When Noctis would leave his marked place to hunt for supper, Gladiolus would sneak over and spray his own scent over the tree he regularly slept in every night; attempting to attract the omega’s attention for breeding. Gladiolus was quite proud of his own scent, sometimes rolling in his own just to have it on his body.
Noctis wasn’t the least bit oblivious to the alpha’s continuous marking over his territory, he simply was playing around with him; teasing him. He was going to make the hungry alpha work for this, hoping to make a lasting impression on just how desperately he wanted to breed him.
Gladiolus certainly made for an interesting mate, making it known to the ebony omega that he wasn’t planning to own a pride, but that he wanted only Noctis. He wanted to breed him, mate him, fill him with his seed and watch as his belly swelled with their cubs. Gladiolus was a one-mate lion, never desiring a full pride of females and cubs; others sometimes criticized him for this, saying he couldn’t ever be a true alpha without the need for dominance. But Gladio had plenty of wants and needs.
Noctis was at the top of his list and on the bottom of his warm, bulging genitals.
He often dreamed about it, even preparing a nesting den for them both before the omega had even recognized the alpha as a potential mate.
One hot, summer day changed all that though, when poachers invaded on Noctis’s territory, armed with rifles and knives. Noctis was a rare beauty, and hunters everywhere hoped to catch a glimpse and land the kill for his gorgeous, gleaming coat. They snuck up on him just as he started going into an intense heat. They pointed their guns at his head and his heart, aiming for the most lethal parts as his beautiful fur was what they came for.
The vulnerable omega writhed and yowled, calling out for a mate to breed him. He was calling specifically for Gladiolus, purposefully rubbing in his scent below the tree. He was completely oblivious to the poachers’ dangerous presence; death being a fleeting thing for them when it came to getting paid for shooting such a beautiful creature. That was the only thing all the hunters at Meldacio spent their entire lives working for.
Luckily, Gladiolus had been out hunting in the area when he caught wind of the omega’s beautiful, desperate cries for him, and only him. He raced as fast as he could for his tree, the throbbing of his erect penis spurring him on even faster for his intense desire to mate with him.
As he entered that wonderful, aromatic area, he immediately sensed danger… something was wrong and he could smell the gunpowder and that sickening copper odor of the rifles. Coming closer, he saw the six poachers all in a row, aiming their guns right at his future mate, who was squirming and rolling around while hastily licking himself in the deep of his heat.
Rage overcame Gladiolus’s courageous heart, tearing an aggressive roar from inside his throat. All six hunters turned toward the territorial growling, watching in fear as the large alpha lion charged them, trying to protect the weakened, fertile omega.
Thankfully, he was able to drive them off, wounding all of them in the process. But it came with a price.
One of them pulled a knife just in time to cut down Gladiolus’s left eye, leaving him with a bleeding scar for life. But he was proud of himself and in the end, it all worked in his favor.
Noctis’s heat lasted through all the violence and even into the evening. Upon seeing the concerned alpha approaching him in such a weakened state, he whimpered as he rolled over onto his belly and raised his opening into the air, preparing for copulation. But as Gladiolus came closer, the omega growled dangerously low, letting him know he was willing but alert to anything that the alpha might try with him. He was testing him.
Noctis hissed, swatting at him. He wasn’t like a normal lioness who would let the first closest male pounce on her. He needed to make sure this was to be the perfect father of his cubs. His protector, his ensurer.
His mate for life.
Gladiolus proved that quite quickly, purring a roar that calmed the omega’s fears and nerves, lowering himself close to the ground to show Noctis that he understood his intentions and desires. He respected this omega’s incredible tenacity and ability; he wasn’t about to just take advantage of him.
Noctis eyed him with every cautious step the alpha took, crawling his way around toward the omega’s swollen, red, tender vulva. But before he mounted the omega, Gladiolus leaned in to lick at his genitals, soothing them comfortingly while Noctis yelped in agreement. As soon as Noctis felt calmed enough, the large, gentle alpha mounted him slowly as he inched his arousal into the omega’s fertile vagina.
That night, they became mates for life. Gladiolus dominated this beautiful creature all for himself, claiming him and marking him forever on his belly just above his genital region. Noctis’s neck also had markings, each one symbolizing love, dominance and ownership. In return for this passionate, successful mating ritual, Noctis licked and nuzzled into his new alpha’s wet genitals, lightly kissing them.
His way of saying, “thank you.”
Gladiolus tore off an appropriate piece of meat with his impressive fangs, large enough to feed his mate and their growing litter of cubs. The patient alpha wouldn’t even touch his portion until Noctis was well fed and sleepy again, licking inside of his perky, little ears as his omega ate. “You’re so beautiful…”
Noctis hadn’t stopped purring since they mated a few minutes ago. “So are you,” he replied, finishing off the rib meat of the anak. “You eat now, you need it. I’m done.”
Noctis stretched his paws out in front, then his back before he headed toward the cave entrance. His ears perked up straight as his nose twitched at something making noise outside.
Gladiolus sensed just that and ran to confront his mate, blocking him. “The hell are you going?”
Noctis’s sapphire eyes were dilated and feral, his natural instincts taking over as a primal roar filled the air outside.
Gladio growled, coming up to bite at Noctis’s neck as he stood on his hind legs to force his omega back into the den. “Stay.”
Noctis backed down, but mewled in soft protest.
Gladio growled louder, barring his canine fangs. “Stay!”, he barked forcefully.
That same alpha roared again in the distance. It was both territorially and sexually uttered as the alpha howled in desperation afterwards.
Gladiolus stood poised in defense at his den’s opening, roaring back equally as loud. The alpha howled once more before his sound blew off into the wind again.
Gladiolus’s firm, protective roar brought Noctis back to his senses as he sulked back over to his birthing nest. “Gladio?”, he mewled, knitting on the furs as his breathing remained labored.
Gladio turned back into the den and curled up beside his mate, licking around his face to comfort him. He gazed into those rare, blue eyes he loved so much.
“Protect us, Gladio… please.” The omega nuzzled into his alpha mate’s great mane and fell asleep.
Gladiolus nudged him in the side of his raven crown, gently kneading his big paws on his omega’s tender, swollen middle where their cubs rested. “I won’t let him near you, Noctis… I swear it.”
The large alpha remained awake and in full guard mode the rest of the night.