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Yuuri glanced across the garden in Victor’s direction, making sure his mate was alright. Even as he did so, he knew it was silly, given that they were at the Nishigori’s house. Still, the alpha couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to keep a close eye on Victor. “Everything okay, Yuuri?” Yuuko frowned at him. Yuuri shook his head at the Japanese omega. His alpha senses were all over the place and he couldn’t pick out the reason why. “Yeah. Sorry, Yuuko.” He plastered on a smile as she handed him a drink. “Just out of sorts, I guess.” Yuuko smiled sweetly at him, large eyes twinkling. It was times like this that he remembered why he once called her the “Madonna of the Ice”; her smile was as pure as undriven snow and just as dazzling, even without her emitting her sakura blossom aura. Everyone had known, even when they were children, that she was going to present as an omega, as much as they all had known that Takashi was an alpha. It was Yuuri who had surprised everyone when he presented as an alpha. He shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts. Something was off and it was winding him up. It was like there was an undercurrent in the air, like a change in the weather or season. Only it was… “Can you feel it too?” a gruff voice next to him made him jump. It belonged to Takeshi, who was glancing around the garden, small eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. Yuuri nodded with a soft growl. Alphas were able to pick up the slightest change in the atmosphere, much easier than omegas and betas. That’s what made them natural protectors. The two male alphas scanned the garden, each letting a slight cloud of their scent drift – Yuuri’s vanilla balancing out Takeshi’s oak – alerting any hidden threat that they were present. Yuuko glanced around nervously at the touch of her husband’s aura, feeling it shroud her own scent, ready to protect her. Her signature sakura pitched as she sought out her children, her inner omega panicking at the idea of her pack being threatened. Thankfully Axel, Lutz and Loop were sitting at the plastic table in the centre of the garden, watching something on their tablet. The only other people in the garden were Victor and Yuuri’s parents. But still Yuuri couldn’t relax. ‘So much for a relaxing afternoon.’ He thought grimly; Yuuko had invited them over at the last minute, the unseasonal warm weather making her want to throw a family barbecue before the bad weather really set in. The cloudless sky and the light breeze should have been the perfect setting for the family get-together. But Yuuri’s inner alpha was constantly growling and it was giving him a headache. ~Yuuri?~ Victor reached out over their bond, frowning nervously from across the garden where he was standing with his in-laws. ~It’s nothing, my love.~ Yuuri lied, feeling his cheeks pinch as he kept the fake smile in place. ~Just tired, I guess.~ His mate sent a wave of his rose scent across their empathic link, hoping to soothe his alpha’s mood. It helped a little and Yuuri felt his shoulders slump. The omega sent a tiny smile in his direction and Yuuri smiled back; even after all this time, that smile still made his tummy flip. Yuuko patted his arm, drawing his attention back to her as Takeshi returned to his station at the barbecue. The female omega was staring at him, eyes larger than normal. Omega eyes. Yuuri knew it was never a good sign. “How are you guys doing lately?” she asked softly. Almost timidly. Yuuri frowned, puzzled. “We’re fine. Why do you ask?” Yuuko nodded towards Victor, glancing over Yuuri’s shoulder with a sympathetic smile. Yuuri turned; his mate wasn’t paying attention to whatever his in-laws were talking about, sapphire eyes locked on the triplets as they began to imitate the dance routine that they’d just discovered online. The look in his eyes made Yuuri’s chest ache. “We…have good and bad days, I guess. Vitya more than me, though he keeps telling me he’s fine.” Yuuko made a low humming noise. “It’s not easy for omegas to open to our alphas. Which is stupid, because we’re more attune to feelings than anyone else! It’s like…we think you won’t understand how we feel, so we clam up. I know I drove Taka crazy when we were trying for the girls; he was always pestering me with questions and I didn’t know how to answer him. Give Victor some time and just keep telling him you’re there for him, I’m sure he’ll open up in no time.” Yuuri smiled softly. That made a little sense; Victor had been moody of late, almost closed off, and Yuuri thought he had upset him on more than one occasion. Maybe they did need another talk. Suddenly, Yuuko froze with a shrill whine. Her whole body shivered, from the top of her hair to her pumps, her large eyes blinked rapidly and she held her breath. Yuuri touched one of her shoulders and was shocked by how tense and rigid she felt. “Yuuko? What’s the matter?” The omega whimpered. “Oh my…” “What is it?” Yuuri felt panic rise in his chest as he gripped his friend’s shoulders. “Tell me! Should I get – YEOUCH!” He looked down at his leg, pain shooting up from his calf up his back. He gasped out loud when he saw the eldest triplet, Axel, biting his leg with a dark glint in her eyes. “Axel?” Yuuko gasped, stunned. The tiny noise made the girl release her jaws from Yuuri’s calf and she ran to her mother. Only she didn’t go to her waiting arms – she turned to face Yuuri, fists clenched at her sides and her lips curled back. Yuuri took a step back. Axel was snarling at him. “You’re too close to my mother!” Yuuri was shocked at the gruff timbre to her normally bright voice. “Keep away, alpha!” “Axel?” Yuuri was hit with a blast of a new scent. The girl’s chocolate scent had shifted in pitch, now smelling like nutmeg. And she was forcing wave after wave of the scent in his direction, making him choke and step backwards. “Takashi!” Yuuko called out, her voice tinged with a mixture of awe and panic. “It’s happening!” Axel was presenting as an alpha. A rather aggressive moment for any child. Yuuri remembered the look in his mother’s eyes when he’d first snarled at her. It was not a pleasant memory. Yuuri risked a glance around the garden, his inner alpha telling him to be wary of the newly-presented alphaling. She was at a tentative stage of her presentation, seeing every alpha as a threat to her closest omega – her mother – even if they were family or friends. He heard the low rumble coming from the other side of the garden before he felt the push of Takeshi’s oak scent. “Axel.” His deep voice boomed across the garden. “Down. Now!” The new alpha whimpered and crouched low to the ground, instantly obeying the dominant presence of her father. Yuuri released a breath; now that Takeshi had asserted himself as the dominant alpha, Axel wouldn’t attack him again. A high-pitched cry came from near the barbecue, where Takeshi was still standing, wide-eyed and pale. Lutz had run to him and was clinging to his chest, her eyes the size of saucers and sparkling with the bright glow that Yuuri knew all too well. “Alpha!” her tiny voice wobbled as she hugged her father. “I’m scared! What’s happening?” Victor’s hand shot to his mouth to stifle a whine of his own. He recognised the distressed scent of a fellow omega. The child’s sugary candy floss scent had been replaced with a floral sweet pea fragrance, but the anxiety was making it taste putrid on the back of his tongue. The youngest triplet, Loop, was sat at the garden table, gasping for breath. Yuuri recognised the first stages of a panic attack. His sense were going into overdrive; should he deal with the new alpha, protect the new omega or tend to the stressed girl first? The new scents were making his head swim, the blasts of hormones made him want to snarl in frustration. This wasn’t his pack, he was an outsider. He had to help but couldn’t control the situation. That had to come from Takeshi and Yuuko, but they seemed to be stuck in a state of shock. Thankfully, Hiroko and Toshiya moved to the table and sat with Loop. Hiroko wrapped her pudgy arm around the girl and hugged her tight. “It’s alright, sweetheart.” She whispered with a warm smile. “You’ve just presented as a beta, that’s all. Just take a deep breath with me. It’s alright.” Loop gawped at her, her mouth hanging open. “I-I’m a beta?” Toshiya nodded, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Welcome to the B Club, kiddo!” Hiroko rolled her eyes at her husband’s terrible joke. “Pay no attention to him. There’s nothing ‘B’ about you. You’re still Loop Nishigori. Remember that.” Loop looked at her sisters and her chin wobbled. “I…I can’t feel them anymore.” Hiroko nodded sadly. “Yes. The hatchling bond has changed. It’s only because your secondary genders have come to the surface. You’ll still be able to have that bond with your sisters once everything’s calmed down.” “But I’m a beta!” the girl sobbed, leaning into the older beta’s embrace. “Betas can’t feel as strongly as alphas or omegas.” “True,” Toshiya said sagely. “But who said that’s a bad thing? I remember when Yuuri and Mari presented as alphas – all snapping and snarling. Who wants that? Not me! We betas don’t use snarling or purring to get through life, we use our heads.” He winked at Loop, tapping his temple with a finger. “We work hard, we use our brains and our hands. There’s nothing wrong with being a beta, Loop. We don’t let our emotions get the better of us – you’ll be grateful for that every time Axel has a tantrum or Lutz cries over the tiniest thing.” “That’s a bit of a simplification.” Hiroko scolded her husband, glancing around the garden, aware that everyone was listening to him. As sweet as her husband was, he could sometimes be a bit of a dunce! Yuuri took on his father’s words with a calming breath. He had never heard his dad speak so proudly of being a beta before. Maybe that was the stereotypical Japanese in him, not being comfortable with emotions and such, but hearing him reassure the new beta that everything was going to be okay made him feel closer to him somehow. Like he was seeing a new side to the older man. He became aware that Loop’s scent had also changed, her liquorice scent having moved to a light aniseed one. The sweet scents that the girls had to identify them as children – hatchlings – had been replaced with their permanent, adult scents, that would identify them by their secondary genders. Whilst this would prove useful as they got older, now it was only frightening them, their hormones all over the place. Axel was still crouched low to the ground, whimpering low in her throat. Lutz was now in her mother’s arms, whimpering at the loss of contact with her alpha’s comforting scent. And Loop was deep in conversation with Yuuri’s parents, the two older betas sharing their experiences in a calm, controlled manner. Yuuri decided to follow their example. With a quick glance at Takeshi to make sure he was alright, he knelt close to Axel and gave a soft croon, the sound making the girl flinch, her eyes darting in his direction. “Congratulations on your presentation, young alpha.” Yuuri smiled warmly at her and rolled his sleeve up, holding his left arm out in front of him. Axel stared wide-eyed at him, like a cornered animal, her nostrils flaring as he reached out to her with his scent. Slowly, he watched as she sniffed the air, imprinting his scent to her sensory memory. “Alpha.” The quiet affirmation from the girl made him smile. “Alpha.” He gave a low growl, giving her the common greeting. He saw some of the tension seep out of her shoulders, even though she still stayed low to the ground. Takeshi knelt in front of his daughter, his large chest puffed out with pride, his small eyes shining with unshed tears. Axel looked up to her dad with a tiny smile. “Sorry, dad.” She muttered meekly. Takeshi laughed. “I did worse to your grandad when I first presented. But at least you stopped before you did any serious damage.” Axel blushed. “I…I was protecting mum. That sounds daft – uncle Yuuri wasn’t hurting her! But - ” “You sensed an alpha who wasn’t your dad standing close to your mum.” Yuuri explained, absentmindedly rubbing his leg. He silently thanked Victor for telling him to wear his jeans; anything thinner and she might have really hurt him. Now, it felt similar to the dull ache of a bad pinch. As the two alphas talked with Axel, Yuuri felt for Victor across their bond. He was met with a warm wall of rose, sakura and sweet pea. Glancing over his shoulder, his heart lurched and he bit down a happy growl. Victor and Yuuko were kneeling on either side of Lutz, their arms wrapped tightly around the new omegaling. Yuuko was peppering her daughter’s hair with kisses, Victor nuzzling her blushing cheek with the tip of his nose. Lutz was omitting the loudest purr Yuuri had ever heard, her face glowing as she soaked in the auras of the other omegas. Yuuri felt a surge of love for his mate as he gave the young girl her first omega wrapping. The male omega was positively glowing with affection for Lutz and Yuuri knew how important it was for him to be a part of her presentation. ~You’re doing wonderfully, Koibito.~ he whispered over their bond, filling their link with as much pride and love he could muster. Victor looked up at his mate and smiled sweetly. ~So are you, lyubov moya.~ Yuuri’s inner alpha preened at the praise before turning back to Takeshi and Axel, the new alphaling excitedly asking her dad all kinds of questions about being an alpha. “Am I going to be really strong like you? How old will I be when I have my first rut? What’s a rut like?” “Woah!” Takeshi’s face burned bright red. “Can I get over the shock of your presentation day before we have the sex talk? Please?!” Yuuri stifled a laugh. “You just wait ‘til it’s your turn!” Takeshi huffed. “I hope I’m there to watch you squirm.” Although Yuuri knew his friend was teasing him, he still felt a stabbing ache in his chest. He wanted to have a day like this, one day; to feel the shift in his bond with his child as they presented, to notice the sweet hatchling scent fade in favour of their permanent, beautiful signature scent, to offer advice and support and love along with Victor. It just seemed so far out of reach right now. Victor must have felt the change in his mood. Yuuri suddenly felt a pair of long, strong arms wrap around him from behind, a kiss to his temple and a soft brush of rose over his skin. ~One day, my love.~ Victor’s sweet voice seeped into his heart and he leaned into the embrace. After Victor presented his wrist to Axel to allow her to imprint his scent to her sensory memory, Yuuri did the same with Lutz. Then the group turned their attention to Loop, who was still sat with Hiroko and Toshiya. She had stopped crying and was talking quietly with the two betas, but her eyes were still slightly pink. Yuuko held her arms out wide. “Come here, precious!” Loop leapt into her mum’s tight hug with a grin. “You-you’re not upset that I’m a beta?” “Of course not!” Yuuko exclaimed. “I love you all equally – no favourites! Besides, I had a feeling I’d end up with one of each.” She added with a wink. “Right!” Toshiya called out with an eager rub of his hands. “Who’s hungry? Now we have an excuse for a party!” The triplets cheered and ran to the barbecue, grabbing paper plates. Takeshi rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Looks like some things haven’t changed. They’re still like gannets when it comes to food.” He padded over to his daughters, who were begging for hot dogs like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Victor leaned into Yuuri’s one-armed hug with a loud sigh. “They’ve grown up a lot in just the five years I’ve known them.” The omega said wistfully. Yuuri hummed in agreement. “It doesn’t seem that long ago that Yuuko and Takeshi brought them home from the hospital. Three little monsters, screaming their lungs out!” Victor laughed for a moment as he watched the family; mother, father and daughters, all bright smiles and affectionate touches. He felt that ache again in his chest and glanced over to his husband. ~I feel it too, Vitya.~ he felt the alpha across their bond, a similar hollowness coming from his mate. ~Do you think we’ll get this?~ he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it seemed stuck. Yuuri tenderly kissed his cheek and smiled. ~I hope so. With all my heart.~ Victor turned to kiss Yuuri, sighing against the alpha’s lips. His mate always knew how to make him feel better, even if he didn’t realise he was doing it. “Uncle Yuuri! Uncle Vitya!” the triplets called, waving their arms to the barbecue. “Looks like dinner is served.” Yuuri laughed. As the group settled around the garden table, Yuuri took a moment to notice that everything seemed so much calmer than earlier on. He realised that he must have felt the approach of the triplets’ presentations and he felt honoured to be a part of their special day. He clasped Victor’s hand under the table as he ate and promised himself that, one day, when their time came, he would make his husband proud of him. He would be the best father he could be, the best husband and the best alpha. As Victor rubbed lazy circles over Yuuri’s knuckles, he felt his mate’s hope for the future and smiled to himself. One day, he promised himself, his hand automatically resting on his stomach. One day.