A/N: Hope you enjoy this mafia au/omegaverse au mashup I've created! :)

Yuuri frowned slightly beneath the white hood of his kimono, face hidden from those surrounding him as he was ushered quickly to a gathering of town cars parked nearby. His new mate's Betas had been waiting to receive him as he'd descended from the plane. Every step he took toward them had felt heavy, weighted down, as if his body were resisting the inevitable future laid out before him.

He was handed off by his Japanese Beta escorts to them upon confirming their identities as his transport. In only a few moments, with the scratching of a pen on the transfer papers on the windy tarmac of Pulkovo Airport, his life was officially no longer his own. It was as if he were a mere object, a fragile package to be delivered from place to place.

All these people had been tasked with the specific duty of ensuring that Alpha Victor Nikiforov received his Omega in perfect condition. He could tell how on edge his handlers had been ever since picking him up in Hasetsu. No one wanted the wrath of the Nikiforov family brought down upon them and heads would roll if there was even a scratch on him. Yuuri hadn't anticipated their fears that he would be a target when he'd accepted the mating offer.

Apparently, there were two other attempts to send Omegas to Victor in the past, but they'd never made it to the Pakhan of the Saint Petersburg Bratva. Only one of them had been found, their naked body discovered by some early morning joggers on the seashore in Saint Petersburg. The other was assumed to have been sold on the black market for Omega slaves based on the last tip that Interpol was able to track.

Even with all the security and concern for his care and keeping, Yuuri couldn't help but feel like little more than a well wrapped present as the attendants on the plane had dressed him up in his bridal kimono, all of them wearing gloves to avoid placing any of their scent upon his skin. He knew this was a long-held custom for his country in situations where a foreigner took a Japanese Omega as a mate, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

He tried to focus on being grateful that the offer from the Alpha had been generous enough to cover his transportation costs and protection. That meant his family would keep all the money from the mating contract.

In the end, his family had received far more money than what he'd even dreamed was possible. He knew that his family was set for life now and they would never need to worry about the onsen going out of business again.

His freedom in exchange for the safety and security of his family…

It was a sacrifice Yuuri had been willing to make.

The last couple of months had been full of forced smiles as he assured his family that this was what he wanted, that it was for the best that he put himself out there on the market for bids. Omegas were rare after all, a precious commodity that provided an incomparably soothing presence for their Alpha and superior quality offspring. The most respected and financially secure Alphas in the world thrived with an Omega by their side and were usually the ones most able to obtain them due to their scarcity.

Having a mate encouraged an Alpha's mental stability by satisfying their most basic instincts. Those Alphas without an Omega were often prone to fits of rage and anger that hurt both their business and personal dealings.

Some resorted to using synthetic Omega pheromones to calm and even out their behavior, but it wasn't the same as the real thing. There were private companies that provided the presence of an Omega at an hourly rate to help Alpha's as well, but the prices were exorbitant and did not go beyond allowing scenting. Of course, one could always illegally hire an Omega prostitute, but that was always a tricky scenario that put an Alpha's reputation at risk, as well as doing little to sate the urges for claiming and building a family.

Yuuri had started off the process by asking his dance instructor and close friend, Minako to help him put together his profile for the Omega database where vetted Alphas were able to view available mates. She had reluctantly agreed and declared that if Yuuri was set on this she would ensure he received top offers to be mated. It was clear that she saw through his practiced smiles, but knew exactly why he had to do it. She'd been a family friend for years and knew their situation better than anyone else outside of it.

They'd decided that one of Yuuri's biggest, er…selling points was that he was a virgin, which they'd had officially documented and confirmed by a certified Omega specialist. The same doctor had completed fertility testing and declared him highly fertile, with regular healthy heats. Essentially, Yuuri was primed for breeding, yet another key trait desired by potential bidders.

His ability to speak both English and Japanese opened a broader pool of candidates to him as well. On top of that, Minako had insisted on including notes regarding his extensive dance training and housekeeping skills due to years of helping with the upkeep at Yu-topia Katsuki.

The final touch had been a couple of photos of him standing amongst the blooming cherry blossoms in the courtyard of his family's onsen. Minako had slicked back his hair and taken off his glasses after the first couple of pictures were taken.

"But won't I be kind of…lying if they see me like this?" Yuuri worried. "I mean, I have to wear my glasses most of the time and I usually don't style my hair like-"

"No, of course not! We're just, uh, making sure they can see your face," She assured him with a shrug as she started taking more photos. Yuuri had nodded resignedly and smiled pretty for the camera.

They had turned out better than he expected and in the span of a week, they were posting his profile to the site and hoping for the best. Yuuri was flabbergasted when he opened his email the next day with over 100 notifications of inquiries regarding his profile already. Minako and his parents were thrilled at the news, while Mari quietly observed, her eyes silently asking him if this was what he truly wanted.

He'd smiled and nodded, even though on the inside he felt like he was falling farther into the dark alone, away from his family and friends into a life that he never thought he'd consider; that of a mated Omega, someone's property by antiquated laws that declared those of his rare dynamic needed of an Alpha's protection.

He'd always considered himself lucky that his father was an Alpha and he could claim his 'protection' under the law, otherwise he would've been forcibly added to the database years ago. But now, there was nothing Yuuri could do but submit to a world that would pay a premium for an Omega such as him.

As the offers continued to roll in, nearly half were dismissed immediately because they didn't meet the minimum amount their family had decided upon from the beginning. The preferred 'bride price' from the family was never revealed to bidders. This was a common practice that often encouraged those who were truly interested and serious about mating them to set a higher initial bid.

Yuuri was firm on the amount they'd set to help weed out the undesirables. If he was going to do this then he was determined to get the largest sum possible.

Alphas did have the Omega index to help initially guide them, not to mention the many books and articles available around the world that were dedicated to helping someone secure a mate through the bid process. The index provided Omegas a rating and was largely based on their fertility, virginity and age. The 'appraised' price range and rating were posted by the government on every profile.

Yuuri had expected that being slightly older than the many 17 and 18 year-old Omegas posted would decrease his rating. Surprisingly, his certified virginity and exemplary fertility testing had shot him up into the top 5 percentile of Omegas currently available to bid upon.

As they sifted through the offers, another 25% of them were thrown out because they were from a multiple Alpha pair. If he could, Yuuri preferred entering into a singular mating bond with one Alpha. He didn't want to step into an established relationship and feel like the third wheel. He was hoping whomever he chose would share those sentiments.

On the fifth day of review, an offer came through while he and Minako were sorting through the latest batch and it blew the others away. It was double the amount of any other bid and it was a foreigner, which wasn't uncommon. All Alphas around the world that were allowed on the database went through an extensive approval process to gain access. This was a reassurance to families of Omegas that there was no reason to be concerned that someone wasn't who they said they were. Of course that didn't prevent Minako from immediately Googling the man's name within seconds.

"Victor Nikiforov…" Minako mumbled to herself as the search popped back a Wikipedia page as the first result. It wasn't uncommon for high-profile Alphas to have such a thing. They were often politicians or CEOs or…

"Pakhan of the Saint Petersburg Bratva and head of the Nikiforov family…" She immediately switched back to the database and clicked the declined button for the offer.

"Minako!" Yuuri exclaimed. "What are you doing? Shouldn't we have at least considered his-"

"No, Yuuri…just, no," She snapped out, expression softening as she looked up at his shocked face. "You don't understand, it's dangerous. He's a criminal. It's not worth it."

"Okay, okay…I get it," Yuuri replied softly as he nodded in agreement and they moved on to the next offer.

xxx

"Are you kidding me!?" The silver-haired Alpha growled out angrily as he read the email stating that his offer had been declined. He'd only sent it a few hours ago. Was his bid too low? Victor had thought it more than generous. Maybe this Omega was playing hard to get?

Or he Googled me. Victor scowled and opened his laptop. Damn Wikipedia.

"What happened?" The blonde Beta lounging on the couch in his office glanced at Victor with mild curiosity. "Someone misspell a word in an email again?" Chris teased with a snort of amusement. Victor had been prone to fits of rage for some time now, so it wasn't taking a lot to set him off.

"If you weren't so good at your job, I would kick your ass for that." Victor spit out as he pulled up the database on his computer. "No, my bid was rejected."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Chris replied as he sat up to watch the Alpha. "We may have been able to grease some wheels to maintain your access after what happened to the others, but any Omega worth having is going to have their family Googling your-"

"I'm well aware of my…reputation, Chris." Victor snarled as he pulled up the page to re-submit his bid. "But I want this Omega. He's perfect." The Alpha's expression bled to one of adoration as he read over the profile once more, cinnamon-hued eyes gazing back at him from the picture posted there.

"No one's perfect, my friend." Chris laid back on the couch again with a sigh and started to scroll through emails on his phone.

"He is…" Victor murmured to himself as he increased the bid to an obscene amount and re-submitted it. "And I will have him."

xxx

Yuuri opened up his inbox in the database a few hours after Minako left. They'd agreed that he would review offers ahead of the next day when they met once more to save time. They were continually running behind as the bids flooded in and they figured he could get rid of the ones that didn't meet minimum on his own.

Huh…I thought Minako marked this one as a no? Yuuri opened the bid from Victor Nikiforov and scrolled to the bottom to decline it, but hesitated as he realized this was a re-submission. He scanned the offer for changes, eyes widening as he saw that the offer had gone from double to triple the amount.

Holy shit. Yuuri leaned back from the computer, slumping back into his chair and running a hand through his hair as he considered-

No, Minako said it would be a bad idea. Yuuri told himself as he sat up again and took hold of the mouse again.

But it can't hurt to consider it, right? I mean, he really seems interested and that's a lot of money. Besides, if he's approved for the database, he must not be that bad…

…right? Yuuri considered what that kind of money could do for his family as he pulled up Victor's picture. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of the tall, handsome, silver-haired Alpha.

Wow…yeah, there must be something wrong with him. Why would he want me? He could have anyone.

But…he wants me. Yuuri's hand moved the mouse's arrow across the screen, hovering between the decline and accept buttons. His hand shook as he made his choice.

Minako was wrong.

It is worth it.

Endnote:

If you like this, check out my other YOI fics: Yutopia and Sunset in Hasetsu

You can visit me on Tumblr as well! user name: animefanimefic