Chapter Four: Hold You

Regina woke up the following morning, hot and sweaty. Her skin was crawling with this odd energy and she felt insatiable and for all the things she had never before. She let out a groan and looked down at her legs where she felt a throbbing sensation welling from. The sheets were tented. She pulled the sheets off, the cooler air causing her rigid member to rise up even more. She let out another groan. What was this? Why was she so horny today?

And then it hit her. She was probably presenting.

Oh.

She hadn't expected this though reasonably she should. She was seventeen, nearing eighteen years of age. But she had thought she wouldn't experience this yet. As she had planned to do so much work over the break and now she would have a hard time focusing. The good news was, Regina had prepared preemptively if her rut should ever arrive.

There had been a chance of her either being a beta or an alpha but Regina knew she was presenting as an alpha. Each presentation had different characteristics. Omegas tended to get overly emotional and needy. They nested, finding a quiet, secluded space and staying there once they found someone to take care of them. If they didn't, then they were out and about, their hormones tempting many to their side and often causing fights among alphas and betas.

Betas were more subtle. And had less symptoms. Often times they did not suffer incredible hornyness and either felt the need to stay indoors or to exhibit outgoingness.

Alphas tended to become aggressive and violent and very pushy. They wanted to conquer. Though of course that wasn't always the case. There were nice alphas, but the overwhelming need to find a mate during this time stayed with all of them.

Regina had no such desire to waste time on finding someone to share her bed, just because she was rutting. She got out of bed, shivering as each brush of her silk fabric pjs sent pleasure coursing through her. Mother would be proud to learn Regina was an alpha. All Mills women were alphas for they were a line that breed lions and not sheep. If Regina had grown into a beta or worse, an omega, mother would have surely disowned her.

Father was not so set on such status's. He simply only cared if Regina were happy and were to find a mate.

Regina made way to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face and letting it run down her neck. She felt hot and stiff, aching all over like she was with a fever. But this fever was a pleasurable one that had her wanting for something she did not have. She opened the cabinet and pulled out some tablets she had bought. Normally, these were consumed before a rut occurred but Regina hadn't known when hers would first happen. Typical first ruts and heats always came out of the blue and it took careful managing to predict and accommodate for the upcoming ones. Which some teens had trouble with.

Regina swallowed down two of the blue little pills with some sink water, hoping that they would have some effect and take the edge off. Either way, she would have to deal with her friend that lay in between her thighs. She wouldn't be able to go about the rest of the day with it sticking around like this.

She went back into her bedroom, sitting down on her bed and pulling down her shorts. Her cock curved upwards, glad to be free. It was so stiff it actually hurt. She had never felt this way and now she partially understood why some alphas went rut crazed if it hurt like this and it was only the beginning of the rut.

Regina knew first ruts were weak in comparison to adult ones and she was grateful that it would give her leeway to adjust to these ruts and then control them with medications and hormones when she got older. She couldn't have them distracting her in college. That would be horrible!

She was already leaking from her tip and she used a hand to smear the wetness around, eyes fluttering shut. It felt so good already. She was ready to cum and even just from this little. She began a steady pattern of jerking up and down. As she did her thoughts drifted to someone. A particular someone that Regina found herself thinking off more often than she should. Blonde curled hair, sea green eyes and toned muscles.

Emma cupped Regina's chin in her hand, leaning in and softly pressing her lips against Regina's-

Regina came with a low groan, splattering all over her own thighs. She was left gasping for breath, shocked at her own self. What the hell? What the hell had that been? Had she cum, thinking of Emma kissing her?

Pleasure still coursed through Regina's veins but she got up on shaky thighs going to her bathroom to clean up. No, she refused to believe it. But it was true. God. She felt so...disgruntled with her own self. How would she even look Emma in the eyes any more after masturbating to her?

Stressed, Regina cleaned up, got changed into everyday clothes and then went downstairs to make breakfast, trying to push this incident out of her mind.

But if Regina thought she could turn to her books, she was sorely mistaken. The medicine she had taken had minimal effect and it was hard to focus on anything other than the raging need building in between her thighs. "Fuck," she swore, cheeks flushed and head filled with thoughts of Emma again. Regina pushed herself from her desk, hands extended out and ducking her head in between them as she tried to draw in long breaths and calm herself down. But she couldn't. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that ruts could be alleviated in one way mainly.

Growling lowly in her throat with frustration, Regina got up and went to her bed again, lying down flat on it this time. With anger she rolled down her pants and let her cock spring up, tip red with how repressed her need was. Angry at her own body, Regina wrapped a hand around the base and began to stroke rapidly, hoping she could get off easily. She intended to keep her mind as clear as possible, not thinking about Emma at all. She refused to think of her in such a way. They didn't even like each other!

But the medicine must have made it harder for Regina to cum, because no matter how much Regina stroked and felt the urge to come building up inside her, she could not. Frustrated she turned onto her stomach, snarling into the pillows. She was hot and heated and she just wanted to get back to her work. Why did her stupid rut have to show up now of all times?

She began rutting into the sheets but even that didn't really work. She closed her eyes and tried to think of some neutral fantasy that might work. She tried to think of some of the boys at school. The ones with dimpled grins and toned muscles. The timbre of their voice, the way they laughed when they told a joke. And the way they would lean in and kiss her and she'd run their hands through their hair. Long luxurious locks of blonde hair.

Regina's breath hitched as her fantasy picked up steam. They'd kiss and kiss and Regina would wrap her arms around toned arms, arms that were slender and yet well built. The shirt would go off due to Regina's greedy hands and a toned abdominal would be there, leading up to small soft breasts with rosy tips.

Regina would run her hands down the breasts, cupping them. She would lave a path with her tongue up the toned stomach, And Emma's hands would wrap in Regina's hair and encourage her lower and lower, until Regina's mouth was even with the front of Emma's shorts and-

Regina came, gasping hard and trembling as her orgasm shook her. She was panting loudly when she came down and her vision was a bit blurry. Oh no, she thought, even as pleasure coursed through her. She had thought about Emma again.

Did this...did this mean Regina liked her? Liked Emma Swan?

Regina shook her head. No, it couldn't be. It just had to be a fault of the rut. Yes, just because she was rut crazed and it had nothing to do with Regina's true feelings. At all.

Regina's rut passed after her third day. Regina could not be more happy when it did. And just in time. Mother and father arrived home.

"Nice to see the house is still in one shape, even if it is a mess," Cora said as soon as Regina opened the door, father carrying all of Cora's bags in his hold, stumbling under the weight of them behind her. Regina refrained from hugging him. Affection was looked down upon though Henry Sr. did give Regina hugs whenever it was safe to do so.

He did give Regina a soft smile when he walked past her to set down the luggage with a groan. Her parents coming home was such a bittersweet time. Because Regina knew she would be highly scrutinized by mother and yet, they were her parents. How could she not love them despite all their flaws?

Regina bit the inside of her cheek at mother's comment and said nothing as mother sniffed in disdain, swiping a finger on a counter top. Regina had spent the whole morning cleaning the house up for her mother's arrival. It wasn't like Regina ever let it become so much as disorganized, but clearly, even with the house cleaned, it wasn't up to standard for mother.

Regina tensed her muscles, already knowing to expect a barrage of invasive questions to come when mother's nose picked up on the lingering rut scent in the air despite Regina's best attempts to eradicate it.

"You are an alpha. Truly a daughter of mine," Cora said, moderately pleased. "This means that we'll have to find the perfect omega for you because I will not have you raising a subpar family."

Another family obligation thrust upon Regina's shoulders. They feel impossible to hold up. "You told me to focus on my education-"

"And you shall. I'll find someone for you that gave benefit our family. Maybe one of your friends will do well. Kathryn? I know she's a proper omega."

Regina's stomach twisted at the thought of having to sleep with her best friend who she saw as a sister. Yet, she didn't say anything. She knew better than to argue against her mother's machinations.

As soon as Regina came in through those school doors, everyone's heads swiveled to her. She resisted the urge to duck and scurry out, instead holding her head up high. The school could smell Regina's change on her. Those who presented emitted a certain scent. And Regina could now smell those who had presented as well. Prior to this, she couldn't tell by scent who was an omega, who was a beta, and who an alpha. But now she could. And it was disorienting. The scents were so strong she almost wanted to cover up her mouth. This would take some getting used to.

Regina wasn't the first to change from her friend group. She was, in fact, the last. She meet up with them at the lockers.

"Well, well," Mal drawled, closing her locker and turning to look at Regina. "Look who finally presented."

"We were worried you never would," Ursula tacked on and Regina smiled wanly at them. She could smell them now. Omegas. All of them. Not necessarily a bad thing to be, for certainly omegas had their sexual appeal and society was more fair to them now. But, Regina was the only alpha and she knew despite her lack of attraction to them, her alpha side might get easily excited due to her recent transformation.

"Like a caterpillar I was taking my time to turn into a butterfly," Regina insert slyly, noting Kathryn looking at her with a different expression than the others were. There was something in her eyes, almost like a new lens had been placed over them and how she saw Regina.

Mal laughs and rolls her eyes. "Trust you to use the most obnoxious expressions. But how was it? I hear ruts are horrid."

Regina thinks back to her constant nagging fantasies about Emma and can't stop the flush from spreading on her face.

They all gasp, noting her reaction. "No way! Tell me you didn't mate with someone on your first rut!" Ursula says and Regina is shaking her head already, embarrassed.

"No, no. None of that!"

"Maybe not yet," Cruella teased, "but not only are you popular, you're also an alpha. You're going to have omegas flocking to you left and right when they're in heat."

That was something that Regina was not excited for. It would only get in the way of her academic mission. "Right," she said a bit shortly, wanting to get this topic over with. "When the time comes, I'll focus on that. Right now, class is about to begin." The bell rang over head and the spring semester of school began. But Regina found herself distracted in class, thoughts of a certain blonde running through them and inspiring nothing but mortifying random boners. It was like her genitals were extremely sensitive, the smallest thing triggering her. She hoped this wasn't permanent, because skirts were not exactly made for alphas.

She found this out the hard way when she slipped into a daydream and found herself shuddering out of it when a soft thunk of something hitting her desk bottom broke her out of it. When she looked down she almost choked on her gasp of surprise and embarrassment when she saw what was there. Hurriedly she tried to tug the skirt down but it wasn't long enough to cover all that...length. Regina swallowed harshly and shut her eyes in panic as she felt her cheeks heat up.

Oh no. Oh no oh no. What was she to do? She couldn't get up like this even to go to the bathroom! Shit. She was in a tough spot and class was going to end in ten minutes. Letting out a shaking breath she tried to force her mind off of such things, thinking about something that might stress her out instead.

Eventually, it worked and she was able to get her friend down there into a semi hard state that she could deal with later. As she got up and put her papers in her bag, she felt something ghost over her shoulder. She nearly jerked away but didn't, when a soft hand touched her lower back. It was one of the omega girls in her class who was known to like to enjoy one night stands.

"Hey, if you ever need help with...something, just let me know." And then she was walking away, sashaying her hips. Regina's mouth dropped open, shocked. Did she just get propositioned...? How had the girl even known...?

Unless, she had smelled Regina's arousal. That was something that those who had presented could do. Shit, this was another embarrassing moment for Regina. Could the whole class smell her? Regina felt like melting into the floor but trying to regain some of her dignity, she held her back out straight and walked out through the door.

If that wasn't bad, facing Emma was even worse. Regina wanted to run and hide each time she saw the blonde, which was not appropriate behavior. Regina should face her problems head on. But how could she think of talking normally to Emma when her mind had thought such dirty things about the blonde before?

Maybe...Regina could avoid Emma a bit? Just until Regina was able to calm down her new hormones. Just until.

Emma knew Regina was avoiding her. What she didn't know was why. Had Emma done something to piss her off?

Contemplation brought up nothing on this topic and Emma was clueless. She thought about asking Regina but she knew the brunette was reticent about personal matters. So, Emma was left with either the choice to be grumpy about it and act like a sulky brat, or to simply pretend nothing was wrong and keep pestering Regina. It's not like the brunette could avoid their tutoring sessions.

In fact, Emma was going to go out of her way and be overly friendly to Regina, enacting Emma's plan that she had concocted over winter break, of wanting to see Regina outside of the school setting.

"You wanna check out this ice cream shop with me?"

Regina lifts her head up from her books, finding her peaceful study hour was interrupted none other than by Emma. She blinked slowly at Emma's expectant face. "Emma, it's thirty degrees outside. Hardly the weather for ice cream."

Emma flushed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Uh, right. Never mind then." And she walked off.

This shortly became a reoccurring pattern, Emma asked Regina out to all sorts of places only for Regina to reject the idea. What was Emma trying to do? Was she trying to get Regina to hang out with her? As friends? No, they couldn't be that. Not when Regina had discovered she might be feeling something she shouldn't for Emma. She couldn't afford to like her or have a crush on her. Regina had to focus on her school work! Besides, Emma was annoying and immature...and...okay so maybe she didn't bother Regina any longer and Regina actually found the way Emma tried to be endearing. But Regina couldn't have this. She didn't have time for feelings. Especially not for someone she had used to dislike only to find that that feeling had been a precursor to her actually liking Emma.

It was embarrassing. What would Regina's friends think of her! They would laugh at her!

And mother...mother would be most displeased that Regina had fallen for someone of such low status. Emma had no connections, nothing to offer but her skills on the field.

"There's a party this weekend if you wanna come?" Emma suggests and Regina nearly laughs out loud at this. "Emma, do I seem the partying sort?" she asks sort of unkindly.

Emma shrugs. Though the blonde knows she'll get rejected, she's still trying. It's almost like a game now. How long can they keep going. "Maybe, maybe not. For all I know you could be a wild animal under your perfection. Most girls who are so uptight go crazy when cut loose."

Regina's jaw gapes open, though she's not truly offended. Not really. Her and Emma had slung so many stones and arrows at each other, it's friendly banter at this point and even welcomed. "Emma, I can assure you it's not true."

"Then come to this party to prove it," Emma challenges. "Come on, please? Just do one party because I sure as hell know you aren't going to any when you go to college, which kinda defeats the purpose you know."

"And you should be studying more instead of partying. Your grades-"

"Actually, I wanted to show you something. I didn't get a chance to over winter break but this," and Emma pulls out a slightly crumbled report card from her pocket, like she's been carrying it around everywhere, waiting to show Regina. She slides the paper across to her and the brunette looks, unable to resist the proud smile on her face. "Well, it seems you do have something in that big head of yours besides hot air and arrogance."

All the subjects were B's with one as a B+. Emma had worked hard, had applied herself, and the results showed.

"So, if I can do this and party, so can you miss perfection," Emma says, taking the report card back.

Regina shakes her head. "Emma, there are so many reasons why that is a no. It's not my crowd, first of all, and secondly, I don't drink or dance. But thank you, for the offer."

Emma sighs, pouts and leans back in her seat. Regina feels a thrill rush down her spine at those pink pouty lips and all she can think of is biting down on them and wondering what reaction she'll get. Damn it, she curses internally. Why the hell is she having all these inappropriate thoughts about Emma? She didn't have them before the change and now ever since she presented, she feels like a damned stereotypical alpha, thinking of intimate gestures she feels she shouldn't be thinking of. That's why she shouldn't be next to Emma, not until this calms down. Because being next to Emma, inspired all these stupid sordid fantasies.

Even Emma's scent was more potent now. Whereas Regina had only sometimes noticed it and if she was standing closely to the blonde, now she noticed it all the time. That soft sweet vanilla scent, with a hint of sprinkles. It was ridiculous the way it made Regina's skin prickle and goosebump when she scented it.

"Are you sure there's no way I can tempt you?" Emma asks, crossing her arms over her chest and making those biceps flex. Regina can feel herself heating up as inappropriate thoughts assail her. Oh, Emma's tempting her alright, and already by doing so little.

"Emma..." Regina sighs and tries to regain her equilibrium. She's grateful they're sitting down, across from each other, with the library table in between them because Regina notices she's becoming hard.

"I think you've noticed that I've been trying to hang out with you, outside of school."

"And why do you want to do that?" Regina asks with a soft edge to her voice. She tries to resist the urge to squirm in her seat. She does, covertly slip her hand under and fix her skirt so it covers her bulge a bit. Damn these random hormonal boners.

Emma frowns. "Seriously?" and now she seems upset. "I thought we were- well shit, not best friends- but at least somewhat friends that we could go out and get a meal or something together."

"Emma," and here Regina was going to regret saying this she knew, but she had to say it. Getting distance from Emma surely would temper Regina's crush on her and make things less awkward. "Just because I tutor you and we no longer fight each other, does not make us friends."

She could see Emma's eyes hardening and darkening. Her shoulders tensed and her vanilla scent started having a burnt edge to it. "Of course. Why did I ever think we could be friends. Right, how stupid of me," she scoffed sarcastically and got up to leave.

Regina didn't dare to call after her. It was better this way.

Right?