The moment that Will stepped out of the lecture theatre, he felt something. He paused in the doorway behind Jack who strode ahead, unaware that his colleague had stopped. Despite the churning nausea in his stomach from the freshly-popped pills he could focus enough on the air around him to tell that it smelled differently than usual. Or rather, there was a different smell present that wasn't usually there. It hung head-level like thin smoke that trailed lazily, an ethereal river. It brought with it hazy images of violence, passion…and thick, hot blood. He could almost taste it. The breath of a huge hooved beast hit the back of Will's neck and he slowly tilted his head to the side in supplication, his eyes rolling shut.

"Will!"

Jack's loud shout tore him out of his reverie. He shook his head like a dog and blinked as if emerging into bright sunlight. He felt like he was in a dream. What was happening? Perhaps the side effects of the pills were finally catching up to him, poisoning his brain and loosening his grip on reality. It was certainly possible. How many was he palming a day? Three? Four? His jaw clenched as he realized he didn't really know. He mainly took one when he felt like it or two if someone gave him a lingering look or fleeting touch that may or may not have been accidental. The past had a nasty habit of making one paranoid.

Jack was walking up to him, his scent issuing threads of concern even though he was looking as though reconsidering asking for his help.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

To Will's dismay Jack reached out and gently gripped his shoulder with a large hand. It was meant to comfort; as a leader and an Alpha it was only natural for Jack to want to ease a stressed Omega but to Will it felt more like a vice. Jack's face was too close, pushing the boundaries of his personal bubble too far. The weight of his scent, overpowering in its need to console, threatened to push him over.

Will nodded jerkily and tried to not shrug out of the touch. Jack seemed to sense his discomfort and dropped his hand, looking at him as though unsure he was convinced.

"Good. Follow me. I'd like to discuss some things in my office."

Will breathed a quiet sigh of relief and resisted the urge to pop another pill.

As they made their way through the busy building, Jack filling the roll of human bulldozer, they navigated through individuals in varying degrees of urgency; some were strolling casually with colleagues, comparing notes or discussing their most recent lectures while others were either rushing full-tilt to get to point B or power-walking to preserve some dignity. The corridor was a medley of scents and emotion and the puzzling fragrance from earlier had been smothered completely, if it had exited at all.

That is, until they turned the corner of the hallway where Jack's office was located in a more deserted wing. It was much quieter and Will knew immediately that an Alpha had just been there, a strong one, and carrier of the very real scent he had sampled back at his lecture theatre. It was heavy and filled the air with warmth, much more potent than Jack's. As he walked it smoothed over his skin like soft silk and he could feel his heartbeat strengthen in response. A bitter grimace passed over his face. Of course he knew his Omegan biology and how his body reacted to Alpha fragrances. If any particularly odorous, unmated Alpha stepped into his vicinity his skin would flush and his breath would catch. Elevators were a nightmare. It was only through years of willfully beating down his natural urges that Will managed any semblance of normalcy. The abuse of his past was to thank for that, a warning bell that was always chiming in the distance.

However, nothing he had experienced with any previous Alpha ever came close to this. Despite the glowering furrow of his brows he was more drawn with every step. The spicy, musky aroma filled his head with what felt like the sweet glaze you'd find on cakes, thick and syrupy, gluing all rational thought to the floors of his mind where he could tread with abandon. Like poisoned honey it fed the warmth behind his navel but made him grit his teeth at the same time. This Alpha was unbonded, unmated, available, and his body was all but punishing him for it.

There was an underlying sharpness that reminded him of expensive whiskey that made his mouth water and he absently swallowed around nothing. It was a darkness that bloomed in his mind like the vision of blood; not the thin red water that ran just under the skin but the thick, viscous blood that surged deep in the body…so red it was almost black. He could hear it pounding in his ears, a muffled throbbing that sounded somehow wet.

Will didn't notice his jaw had fallen open slightly and he was taking deep, even breaths with his eyes half-lidded. He could almost hear the sound of hooves pacing just behind him, glossy black feathers dripping crimson onto the white tile.

Jack's presence at his side barely registered. Will knew he was a bonded Alpha, therefore the presence of an strong, unmated one was no concern to him. For a wild moment he wanted to burst out laughing; it seemed as though they were walking down a hallway that was filled with raging fire and only Will seemed to be affected. Jack was walking through the flames blissfully ignorant of their burning tongues licking up the walls while Will was gasping at the pain.

The door to Jack's office suddenly appeared before them and Will's stomach churned at the knowledge that the owner of that scent was right behind that wall. Anticipation bled through him. His legs shook with the effort not to turn the other way and bolt while his heart hammered against his ribs in retaliation for the door not being opened soon enough. He followed Jack inside and immediately adopted a silent snarl.

The room was like a sauna. Pheromones were practically dripping down the walls and Will forced himself not to react as he walked inside. His first instinct was to start preening and he had an almost unbearable urge to fuss with his hair. Swallowing the impulse, he was unable to help his eyes from lowering to the carpet and his head from tilting away and to the side to expose his neck. His body seemed eager to yield to the powerful Alpha standing quietly by the office window and he felt his excited blood present under the skin of his face in a deep flush.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Dr. Lecter," Jack nodded to the man, moving around his desk to sit in the large swivel seat behind it. "Will, this is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He's helping us work on the Elise Nichols case. Doctor this is Will Graham, our special agent."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Graham."

The air shifted; the Alpha was suddenly in front of him extending a hand in greeting. A rush of scent came with him, heady and causing Will's pupils to dilate involuntarily and his mouth to run dry. The words were spoken with a pleasant baritone accent that Will immediately knew he could listen to all day without fail. It coiled in his chest like a purring cat. Glancing up, he snatched one look of the man's face before its beauty drove his eyes downward once more.

The Alpha was stunning. Obviously from thoroughbred European descent, his frame was built tall and strong with legs that kept going for days. The slick suit he wore defined each limb perfectly and spoke loudly of his rank; this Alpha was an aristocrat and a gentleman. Dark eyes caught Will's for the briefest moment when he had looked up and the electric zings they sent down his spine were making him twitch. Will wanted to yell at himself, grab his hair and scream at the pathetic way his body was reacting. Why couldn't he just meet other people like a normal fucking person!?

Almost growling, he managed to grab the offered hand and give it one firm shake before dropping it like a hot poker and filling his pockets with his fists. It was warm and smooth and larger than his own, toned in olive. The Alpha's grip was strong and a sudden image of that hand spread over Will's bare stomach made him grind his teeth and stare daggers into the carpet. A wave of heat flooded through him, lingering in his groin and trailing down to his toes and he resisted the urge to flee the room without another word. Oh, wait. He hadn't said anything yet.

"Nice to meet you," he muttered.

There followed a pause where Will, still keeping his eyes averted, wondered if he had actually replied or if he had just done so in his head. Wouldn't have been the first time it had happened.

"Not fond of eye contact, are you?" Dr. Lecter said lightly, amusement lacing his words.

Something clunked in Will's head and he snapped his eyes up to meet the Alpha, baring his teeth angrily.

"No, not particularly. It's a little hard to focus when you're trying to understand what the other person is really thinking. They might be stressed out, that's why they're blinking so much, or why are they squinting? Maybe they need glasses. Most of the time people can't stop staring so yeah, I try to avoid eye contact whenever possible."

His last word almost ended in a growl and he snatched his gaze away from Dr. Lecter's sharp cheekbones and back to the roundness of Jack's face.

"Jack? You wanted to talk about something."

He crossed his arms tightly across his chest and locked his jaw, determinedly not looking back at Dr. Lecter whose gaze he could feel burning on the side of his face. No way was he going to let an Alpha have the satisfaction of prodding him. Even if said Alpha happened to possibly be the most attractive man he had ever met, or one of the most alluring individuals he had ever come across. No way. Yet he was distracted by the man continuing as though Will hadn't even spoken to Jack.

"I imagine everything in your mind is touched by what you see and learn on the outside. Your innate decency and moral values are present yet repelled by your associations. No fortresses built around the things you love."

Will paused, turning back to Dr. Lecter after a moment of incredulity, ignoring the flutter of pleasure in his stomach at the man's handsomely arranged features and flowing voice. The stranger had described Will to a T and had only been in contact with him for a few moments. Sour vexation rose in him like a scream. He was not some open book to be read at one's leisure; his pages already had enough rips and tears to last a lifetime. Realization slipped into his mind like vermin.

"Whose profile are you working on?" He demanded. Dr. Lecter said nothing, only stared into Will's bright blue eyes with an intensity that found its way to the hard line of his shapely lips. Will audibly snarled at his lack of response and turned back to Jack like a wolf finding the scent of his prey again.

"Whose profile is he working on?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat at Will's snapped words and distressed scent but merely shrugged.

"Dr. Lecter is a fine therapist, Will. It would be much easier if you cooperated."

Will was nearly shaking with aggravation. He pressed both splayed hands onto the polished tabletop of Jack's desk and leaned forwards, hissing through clenched teeth.

"Don't psychoanalyze me. You won't like me when I'm psychoanalyzed."

"I do apologize for the ambush, Will," Dr. Lecter said calmly, nonplussed with Will's less-than-friendly behavior. He continued to observe him as though contemplating a bird in a cage. "But I can't turn mine off any more than you can turn yours off. You're also an Omega in the role of special agent within the FBI, a position atypical of what your gender usually chooses for a career. Jack merely wishes to ensure your safety. "

Will turned to him with lowered eyes, still unable to face the Alpha directly as the power of his aura pressed down on him like an invisible hand on the back of his neck. His scent burned its way through his nose and down his throat, reaching below to the coiling warmth in his stomach and turning it white hot. The urge to curl at the man's feet like an obedient dog was intense but Will forced it down. He wasn't some love-struck puppy needing to be told where he should be, or some delicate Omega that needed coddling and protecting. He shivered and with massive effort raised his gaze to meet the Doctor's again.

"Go to hell," he growled. Livid and without waiting for a response he wrenched open the office door and stalked out of the room.

uy who tries to kill Hannibal ends up trying to kill Will instead