Cloud was an outcast of Nibelheim. He didn't mind it, however. The blonde hunter actually preferred to be alone than in the company of people. Being the only omega besides his widowed mother made life a little difficult, but Cloud has so far made it to almost twenty four years without being forced to mate.
He spent most of his time hunting. Taking care of rogue monsters, or anything that caused troubles in the mountains around Nibelheim or Rocket Town. Whenever alphas showed interest Cloud high tailed out of there. And if any of them tried to follow, Cloud would lose their interest when he made them lost and starved for days trying to chase him down.
He spent years getting to know these mountains, and he used this knowledge to his advantage. Something his mother once told him from a young age.
"Any alpha you come across will want you. But to choose one as a mate, you have to make the best decision. So to do that you have to make him work hard to claim you as mate."
"How do I do that?" Cloud pouted.
"Well, what I used to do is travel around. Any alpha who showed interest I would try to lose him in the town or city I'm in. But if they still continued to chase me down, then I would go further out to a different town. And then the whole process repeats. Eventually, your father chased me almost everywhere then catching me here in Nibelheim."
So Cloud basically took his mother's tactic but twisted it around to specifically the mountains. He loved the idea of traveling, but a part of him was scared. He was already an outsider in the village, so it meant it would be harder for him to find any sort of friends outside the village.
And honestly, he loved the wilderness here. It became part of who he was, wandering around in the mountains and occasionally dropping by, staying for the winter then set out once the snows melted. By doing this he avoided anyone trying to take advantage of his heat cycles.
So far Cloud hasn't found the one yet. A part of him was glad. And yet there was a small part of him that felt lonely. When he felt that emotion beginning to creep up on him Cloud immediately took to busying himself to the point he doesn't feel that sense of loneliness anymore.
But he knew deep down that he shouldn't deny that part of himself.
As his twenty fourth birthday drew close, Cloud decided to venture a little closer to home to possibly make a surprise visit for his mother. He knew it was a slight risk, given his heat should be starting soon. However for some reason it wasn't starting at its usual time frame.
So the blonde decided to take a short few days on Mt. Nibel to see if it would start or not to play it safe. This then brought him into a peculiar situation when he woke up one day to discover a group were making their way to where he guessed to be the reactor.
"Tifa?" He knew her scent, but the others he didn't. They smelled unnatural. The betas might be normal, considering their scents weren't invasive compared to the two alphas.
One smelled like a humid summer, where the weather was bipolar on whether it rained, snowed or sunny high in the mountains. The other one however made Cloud panic. The other alpha smelled of sharp winter. That scent made his body react in ways he never felt before.
His heart rate quickened. Skin tingled and Cloud began to feel the beginnings of his heat. He quickly tried to move to make a run for it before they noticed him when suddenly the winds changed direction. The gust of wind made Cloud flinch because he knew without a doubt they would smell him now.
Silently Cloud maneuvered himself through the mountains to lose them.
Meanwhile General Sephiroth wasn't exactly interested with this mission. He didn't understand why his skills would be needed here. And then as they followed their guide into the mountains, they didn't get far when the winds brought with them a scent of an omega.
The sweetness made Sephiroth's mouth water. He felt his inner alpha stir, and the general reined him in to stay in control. It certainly has been a long while since his inner alpha stirred, usually the excitement of battle would bring him out. This was a first to catch a whiff of a scent that interested the more primal side of Sephiroth.
"Who is that?" Zack turned to Tifa.
"That would be Cloud. He would be better off as your guide, but he's a little skittish around alphas. Especially unmated ones." Tifa turned to eye them. She noticed how the general's eyes burned with lust and she began to feel a little frightened.
"Don't bother with him. He makes every alpha who tries to claim him go on a wild goose chase through the mountains. Every alpha who tried came back after giving up. Some came back starved and barely alive."
"Does it look like I'll allow myself to drop the mission for an omega?" Sephiroth challenged, his face completely neutral.
"Then what about you then?" Tifa glared at Zack.
"Hey! I got a girl! I won't break her heart for claiming someone else. So, nope." The lieutenant shook his head.
"Hmm. All right. Let's go then."