The following morning, Ben decided he would surprise Rey with a large breakfast. It had only been twenty-four hours since her heat officially ended, and he knew despite her perky smile, the transition was a difficult one. Besides, he knew her better than anyone, and the only thing that was guaranteed to make Rey smile in a time of crisis was food.

When she broke her arm at age 15, Ben got her to stop crying with a large pepperoni pizza and a root beer float. When doctors found a tumor on her grandfather's brain at age 20, Ben got her to stop crying with about thirty dollars' worth of Taco Bell. When the same doctors declared the tumor to be benign, he got her to stop crying with a bucket of fried chicken and a massive bowl of macaroni cheese.

Ben learned early on that food made her smile. It was probably why he always filled his pant pockets with candy while growing up. Whenever Rey became upset from losing a scooter race or failing a test or thinking about her mother, a jolly rancher or lollipop normally did the trick.

At least, this was how Ben explained the massive quantity of food he had prepared. His original intention was just eggs and bacon, but given Rey's sweet tooth, he decided more was necessary.

That's where the chocolate chip pancakes came from. But then he felt another option was needed to balance out the sweetness of the pancakes, which was how he ended up with hash browns.

Somehow, he also ended up with biscuits, gravy, fresh fruit, and orange juice he squeezed himself. And given his perfectionist streak, he made sure to fill their kitchen island with the platters of food, before turning to take care of the dishes before Rey even woke up.

He was so distracted with the thoughts of the way Rey's eyes would sparkle with delight upon seeing the food that it took him a few moments to notice the colorful silicone in the dishwasher. Admittedly, when he opened the appliance, he expected it to be empty.

Which it nearly was. Except for the three obnoxiously large silicone sex toys sitting on the top rack. Ben gulped and stared at the freshly cleaned monstrosities, momentarily paralyzed by the thoughts of their previous use.

Omega needed you. Why did you leave? Bad Alpha.

He quickly shook his head and shut the dishwasher, feeling as if he had seen something not meant for his eyes. Which he of course had, immediately confirmed by Rey's arrival. It was a bizarre adjustment for him. He no longer needed to listen to her soft yawns and sock clad footsteps.

Now, he simply had to smell the air. Sure, she always had a scent, but her Beta essence was so innocuous that his own scent overpowered it in their apartment. But now, she smelled like sugar and vanilla and rainbows and flowers and soft kisses and—and—and—

"Ben?" She asked, his name punctuated with a yawn, "It smells amazing in here!" Her eyes landed on the food, widening in delight, "It's like IHOP!"

He chuckled and rubbed his eyes, trying to forget the sight of orange silicone or the reaction his body was having to her delicious smell. He cleared his throat and set out a plate. "I got a bit carried away."

When she didn't respond, he glanced away from his own plate to find her eating straight from the platters, alternating between bites of bacon and biscuit. She met his gaze and swallowed her mouthful.

"Not uh," She explained, before stuffing a strawberry into her eager mouth, "Perfect amount."

Ben couldn't help but smile and sat across from her. As he filled his plate, Rey's soft moans and mutterings to herself about the food distracted him from the torture devices sitting in his dishwasher.

"So, uh, when are you returning to work?" He found himself asking, trying not to focus on the way her lips wrapped around a large strawberry, "I'm working remotely today, but I have to go back in tomorrow."

Rey tossed the green stem onto the table and ate another mouthful of hash brown. She nodded enthusiastically before taking a large gulp of orange juice. "I go back on Wednesday," She explained, a hiccup breaking up her words, "My boss said I could take longer but I really just want to get back to my usual routine."

He understood that deeply. In fact, he wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't in a stress induced dream. He longed to return to his usual wakeup time, work routine, and just generally, his life. Because things had been easy.

But with a freshly presented omega sitting across from him, he knew that was no longer true. He cleared his throat and sipped his coffee. "Well, what did you have planned for today then?"

She pursed her lips, considering the question. "I wanted to go to mall. We should get some new blankets," She said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, "So we avoid any problems in the future."

His cheeks reddened in record speed, his thoughts immediately drifting back to his recent rut and stealing her blankets.

But those thoughts were trumped by the memory of her heat.

Omega in your clothes. Omega made nest of your clothes.

He grunted and nodded. "More blankets. Good idea." He played with his food, suddenly too nervous to look at her, "Maybe we see a movie? It's been awhile since our last movie night."

Rey grinned and nodded excitedly. "Yes! And we can grab lunch too."

"Lunch? You think you're going to be hungry for lunch?" He found himself asking, watching as she shoved a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

She rolled her eyes, which he found more adorable than he found irritating. "Um, yes?" She responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Even if I'm not hungry immediately, I'll smell the food court and then will be."

Ben smiled. "Right. Popcorn too?"

"Duh. And Sour Patch Kids."

His nose wrinkled at the thought of the sour candy Rey seemed to love so much. "Whatever you want, Rey."

They enjoyed breakfast, their conversations bouncing all over the place. Ben was finally able to describe his recent business trip to Indianapolis to Rey, making sure to explain in detail every irritating thing Hux did, starting with his argument with a TSA agent about a bottle of cologne in his carryon bag.

Rey gave him some updates on her grandfather, as well as a few projects she was working on at work. In fact, between breakfast and the calm conversation, Ben had almost convinced himself nothing had changed.

Of course, those feeling disappeared when Rey hopped up and took their plates to the dishwasher. When her eyes landed on the silicone inside, she let out a squeak of surprise.

"Oh, yikes," She laughed, her cheeks turning pink, "Finn or Poe must have put these in here."

At Poe's name, Ben tensed. Which, he knew was ridiculous, given that not only was Poe mated, but he was also gay. Yet, the thought of another Alpha touching what his Omega used had his body on high alert.

But that thought was followed with another. Rey was not his Omega. She was his best friend who simply happened to be an Omega. She did not belong to anyone.

He watched as she gently put the plates inside and grabbed the toys. She cleared her throat, her cheeks still adorably pink. "God, I owe them so much. I think Finn has seen more of me than a man has in a very long time."

Before Ben could even digest her words, she disappeared into her bedroom, leaving a scent trail of delicious omega.

Omega has been touched by others before.

Stake claim!

STAKE CLAIM!

With a defeated sigh, Ben began to clean up the remaining dishes and food, trying not to imagine Rey in his jacket, fucking herself on one of those massive toys, whining for her Alpha.

Because friends didn't imagine friends fucking themselves on massive dildos.

They just didn't.

-x-x-x-

Rey was mortified. Absolutely mortified to come face to face with those hunks of silicone again, especially in Ben's presence. After stalking into her room, she took a few moments to stare at the toys, a sad thought filling her head.

Those toys had provided more action for her in seventy-two hours than any man ever had. The truth was, Rey had now fucked a fake Alpha dick more than she had fucked a real man.

Let alone a real Alpha.

At the thought of Alphas, her mind drifted back to Ben, including his deliciously masculine smell. Embarrassingly, she had sat down to flip through the booklet Dr. Kanata gave her the previous afternoon, intent on filling in a lot of blanks.

Sure, she had some general knowledge of designations, especially since all her family and most of her friends had designations, but she still had so many questions. And despite the booklet being written for pubescent girls, it had provided some useful information.

Like, changes in scent. Rey had always heard that the scents of Alphas and Omegas would experience subtle changes depending on what that person was feeling. According to Finn, he first discovered Poe was gay after his scent changed upon seeing Finn shirtless.

It always freaked Rey out, knowing that someone could just sniff the air and know if she was angry or sad or horny beyond belief. And as a Beta, it had never been an issue. Ben never had to know that when he wandered around shirtless, she frequently ruined her underwear.

Except that was then, when Rey was a boring Beta, and this was now.

Not only could people smell her, but she could smell them.

And when she had picked up that ridiculous orange dildo, she smelled Ben. Something in his scent shifted. Something she couldn't explain. But suddenly, the atmosphere floated with his essence, like sandalwood and desire.

Before she could even evaluate the change, it shifted again at the mention of Poe. The sweetness of the aroma disappeared, replaced with something bitter. Sour even.

As she laid on her bed, she thought of the implications of smelling the emotional shifts in other people. Would Ben notice that she clammed up whenever he took his shirt off? Would he notice when she secretly read her trashy romance novels in public, constantly squeezing her thighs together at the good parts?

"Oh, fuck," She moaned, burying her face in her pillow.

Would he be able to smell her masturbating, even through the thick walls of their apartment?

Rey was doomed.

-x-x-x-

A few hours later, Rey and Ben walked through a department store, ignoring the years old pop music playing. Rey took extra care to sit on each and every mattress, quickly ranking each by comfort level. By the time they reached the blankets and sheets, she already had an armful of pillows, explaining that she felt compelled to replace Ben's.

Because she hadn't given it back. Ben didn't entirely want it back, afraid of what he'd do with it. How could he possibly lay his head on it every night? How could he shut his eyes without thinking of her lithe form, dressed in only his jacket, humping the memory foam?

It was best she held onto it. And if buying him a new one made her happy, then so be it. Rey quickly found blankets she liked, and they managed to get out of the store without doing something stupid, like purchasing new mattresses.

But as they made their way deeper into the mall, something became apparent to Ben. No matter where they walked, they had an audience watching.

An audience that was undeniably male, and based on their disgusting scents, undeniably hungry. But not for the food court or the pretzel Rey kept going on about.

Out of sheer instinct, Ben moved closer to her thin frame, pressing their bodies as close as possible without wrapping his arm around her.

Their attention was driving him insane. But could he judge them? Not only was a virtually unsuppressed Omega wandering around, but the thick essence of a recently finished heat clung to her golden skin. It was only with excellent self-control and a sense of duty to protect her that he was able to hang around.

Admittedly, the suppressant body wash his mother had purchased did help slightly, but the rose-scented wash was nothing compared to the floral and mouth-watering scent of Rey.

Ben followed Rey, too distracted by passing Alphas to even listen to her comments on the Jamba Juice opening or how expensive bath bombs were. In typical Rey fashion, she didn't even notice his lack of attention until something bizarre happened to Ben.

Something that had never, ever, happened in his life before.

Not in response to other people. Not outside of his large bed.

He only stopped walking when he ran into Rey's back. When he steadied himself, he noticed her look of surprise.

"What?" He asked, confused by their arbitrary stop in front of a pet supply store and a maternity boutique.

Rey cleared her throat. "Did you just growl?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Growl? Why would I growl?"

Suddenly, she looked embarrassed by the question. "Right. Dumb question. Sorry. It's just—"

Again, he tuned her out, instead making eye contact with a passing Alpha. The college-aged kid was sandwiched between two Betas, towering over the other two men. The Alpha looked directly at Rey, his nostrils twitching as he smelled her, before looking at Ben.

He growled and stepped forward.

"There! You just growled!" Rey exclaimed, before following his line of sight. "What are you—"

Ben growled again and grabbed her wrist, tugging her to keep moving. "They're everywhere," He hissed out, his long strides forcing Rey to speed up, "Is every fucking Alpha spending his Tuesday afternoon in this mall?"

She followed, seemingly in a daze. "I haven't noticed—"

He scoffed. "You've had about fifteen fucking dudes stop walking and smell. Five even moved to approach."

"But they didn't…"

Ben grumbled. "I got them not to." He stopped in front of the movie theater and dropped her hand. He quickly shrugged out of his jacket and proceeded to drape it across her shoulders, his animalistic side roaring in delight as his scent diffused hers.

"What's this for?" She asked, before slipping her arms into the massive jacket, "You're going to get cold in the theater now!"

He shrugged and moved to the ticket booth. "It's just to lessen your scent." He cleared his throat and pointed to a well-dressed man speaking on his cell phone. "You see him? He's interested."

Other people may not have recognized it, but Ben immediately noticed the moment her cheeks flushed red. "How can you tell?" She asked, her voice soft, "Just because he's looking over here doesn't mean it's at me."

Ben scoffed. "He smelled you immediately. Then, he spent a few moments trying to determine if we were together. Once he was satisfied we weren't, he focused his attention on you. And now, he's fucking horny."

Rey cleared her throat, choosing to focus on the dirty blue carpet of the local movie theater, instead of Ben beside her. "Maybe he was thinking about—"

"Rey," Ben barked, unaware of how easy it was for him to slip into his Alpha voice, "You have a lot to learn."

She stared at him, her hazel eyes wide. She swallowed and nodded. "Is it…" She frowned and bit her lip, "Is it always going to be like this? You don't act like that, do you?"

He cursed and ran a hand through his hair, wishing he had his mother or another Omega to give her a designation talk. Or, better yet, another period with Mr. Howard back in their 10th grade Designation Health 101 class.

"No, of course not Rey. Yes, some Alphas have better self-control than others. Right now, you're basically unsuppressed, and Alphas can smell your heat on you. That's why you're drawing so much attention," He explained, his voice weary, "Once your suppressants fully kick in, it won't be too bad."

She glanced back at him. "Um," Her lips pursed, as if embarrassed to ask the question, but she continued, "Would I be in danger if I were alone right now?"

Another growl grew in the back of Ben's throat, causing her to jump back in surprise. "You're not going anywhere alone until your suppressants kick in."

With a meek nod, she glanced back at the ground. "Now I remember why I wished every night that I'd never present."

Her words brought a frown to his face. "Rey…"

She quickly shook her head and stepped towards the ticket booth. "No, don't worry about it Ben. I just have to deal with it."

"It's not really that bad—"

Evidently, he said the wrong thing, if her furious eyes were any indication. "Not that bad? What wasn't that bad? Me having to fuck myself with some plastic cocks so I didn't die of agony? Me not being able to go into public without being pumped full of chemicals so some rogue Alphas won't pounce on me?"

Ben frowned. "Rey, please, that's not what I meant—"

"Even as a Beta, the dynamic is clear, Ben. You Alphas have it easy. People respect and listen to you just by the sight of you," She sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly sad, "Sometimes being a Beta sucked because you just faded into the background. But I've only been an Omega for a few days and I'd take that back in a heartbeat."

She pulled at the ridiculously long sleeves of Ben's jacket, refusing to meet his gaze. "Now, I'm like some exotic rarity. Everyone gets to smell that I fucked myself raw with a dildo."

Ben glanced around the entrance to the theater, his body tensing at the handful of Alphas roaming around. Just as he could very clearly smell Rey's distress, so too could they. He quickly stepped forward and enveloped Rey in a hug, letting out a terse breath the moment her smell invaded his senses.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, his lips buried in her soft hair, right above her ear, "That was ignorant to say. You're right. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for an Omega."

Rey simply pulled him closer, burying herself in his chest. He was relieved to smell her scent shift, the pungent odor of distress slowly disappearing. But to his dismay, the well-dressed Alpha continued to watch, no longer on his phone.

Ben couldn't help but growl as the man stepped forward.

"Is she yours?" The man asked, his tone clipped with irritation, his smell pungent with both anger and desire.

Rey turned away from his chest to look at the man, before glancing back at Ben, apparently waiting for him to speak. Ben narrowed his eyes. "You can fuck off."

The suited man cursed. "What the fuck are you thinking, bringing her out here like that? The nerve of you to go out in public!"

In his arms, he felt Rey shift uncomfortably. Ben glared at the man. "I told you to fuck off!" He bellowed, tensing again as Rey's scent shifted back towards distress.

Ben watched as the man began to type away on his phone. "I have it in my right mind to call Designation Services and report this! She's a menace to society and you're just letting her roam around, unmarked—"

Truthfully, it all happened so fast, that when Ben recalled the incident, he wasn't sure what he was thinking in the moment. But all he knew was the man was right—Rey was unmarked and drawing a lot of attention.

Ben could provide a temporary fix.

And so, he did, brushing Rey's braid away from her neck, leaning towards her scent gland, and generously licking the space. In his arms, she practically melted against him, letting out a soft cry.

The Alpha watched, his nostrils flaring with jealousy. "Next time, do that before you fucking parade her around."

Ben held Rey close, watching as the suited man disappeared, his bitter scent of anger and jealousy following close behind. He loosened his hold on Rey, who immediately turned to stare at him, her eyes hazy.

"I'm sorry," He choked out, the implications of his actions finally settling in, filling his belly with dread, "It was the only thing I could think of."

She just nodded and looked down. "I think I'd like to go home now."

-x-x-x-

"Kelly and Johnny have now been dating for a very long time. Since Johnny is an Alpha, it is his biological instinct to claim Kelly. But, since the happy couple have not decided to officially become mates yet, Johnny can scent Kelly," Rey cleared her throat and flipped the page of the booklet, continuing to whisper the words to herself, "Johnny can scent Kelly by rubbing his scent gland on hers, by licking her scent glands, or even by rubbing his scent gland over her clothes. By doing so, other Alphas will know she has been claimed despite not being mated."

Omega has been claimed. Time to mate. Time for PUPS!

Rey threw the booklet across her bed, afraid to continue reading, afraid of how her body would react, afraid of what this all meant.

She and Ben hadn't spoken since they left the mall, their plans of seeing a movie forgotten. It was new, really, to smell Ben's discomfort and worry, since reading Ben Solo was a learned skill. It had taken her quite literally decades to read the man and yet within days, she could simply smell the air and know he was angry.

With a deep breath, she forced herself out of bed, knowing they needed to talk. Apparently, he felt the same way, since she discovered him in the living room, his work laptop and files spread in front of him, but his attention focused on her bedroom door.

The moment she stepped out, he perked up, his scent shifting.

"Rey," He began, his voice desperate, "I'm sorry if I—"

She cleared her throat and sat across from him. "I didn't know what you were doing," She interrupted, nervously playing with the chipped nail polish on her fingers, "So I flipped through the booklet Dr. Kanata gave me."

He cleared his throat. "I scented you."

"I know. To let other Alphas know I'm not available."

She refused to use the word claimed. It felt barbaric and wrong and—

Omega has been claimed. Alpha must mate soon!

He let out a terse breath. "I'm so sorry. I never should have done it without asking you. But that Alpha was just…" He let out a growl and shook his head angrily, "I had to get him to fuck off. And by scenting you, it would get rid of the rest of them."

Rey cleared her throat. "What did he mean by calling Designation Services?"

Suddenly, she regretted paying so little attention to Designation 101 in high school. She knew Designation Services was a part of the public health department but was unfamiliar with most of what they did. In fact, the first time she had heard them mentioned since high school was during lunch with Leia. Apparently, Rey had two weeks after presenting to register as an Omega.

She'd need a new driver license and passport. Another item to add to her to-do list.

Ben shifted on the couch and shut his laptop, intent to only focus on Rey. "Look, uh, Omegas can't just walk around unsuppressed. The same way Alphas must use blockers. Designation Services can fine Omegas and Alphas for civil disobedience if they aren't up to date on their suppressants."

He groaned and shook his head. "Omegas especially get some really bad fines. If you're in public close enough to your heat…" He sighed and frowned, "There have to be laws in place. Otherwise omegas in heat can start riots. It's a felony, I think. Like my waitress in Indianapolis? I think a mated Omega called the cops."

Rey blinked, startled by his words. Had she broken the law by going to the mall today? "But, what about—"

"You started them," Ben immediately jumped in, "Even if your scent is strong now, you're still somewhat suppressed. But uh," he scratched his neck, "Yeah, that Alpha could have made a case for calling."

Her mouth dropped open. "Then why did we go out?" She exclaimed, shocked by his statement.

With a groan, he pulled at his hair. "Because you were with me, Rey." He explained, his voice gentle as if to soothe her, "Most Alphas won't go near an Omega if she's with an unmated Alpha."

"But that guy did," She muttered, shivering in disgust at the thought of the guy in the suit, "What a prick."

Ben frowned. "I know. Which is why I scented you." He cursed again, "And I'm sorry, again. I just…" He dropped his head, ashamed, "I let my biology get the best of me."

Rey nodded, unsure of what she felt. Sure, she was angry that Ben let his Alpha brain get the best of him and just acted without thinking. Sure, she was angry that the other Alpha was being such a massive prick. Sure, she was angry she was even an Omega as it was.

But she was also relieved it got the other Alpha to disappear. She was relieved it prevented any Alphas from so much as glancing their way as they walked to Ben's car.

And she soon would not forget the way her body shivered in delight as his warm tongue touched her skin. For just a moment, as his saliva hit her gland, she saw stars.

Her legs felt like jelly, and if it weren't for the way he had held her close, she likely would have tumbled to the ground.

Rey swallowed and forced herself to forget the entire incident. "Um. How long does it last?"

"Uh, I've never done it before to verify but in school, we learned like, three days." Ben explained, his cheeks tinting pink, "But with your suppressant body wash and your suppressants kicking in…" He cleared his throat, "You'll be in good shape."

She nodded weakly. "I'm not mad," She started, her voice weaker than she'd prefer, "Just please let me know before you do any weird Alpha stuff."

"I will. I'm sorry," He sighed and grabbed his phone, before glancing back at her with a soft smile, "Can I order us some pizza?"

Just the thought of pizza had her forgetting the douchey Alphas and the threat of Designation Services. She nodded eagerly. "Cheesy bread too."

He laughed and dialed the number. "I assumed that was implied, Rey. You ordering pizza without cheesy bread is like Hux without a stick up his ass."

She grinned and jumped to her feet. "Or like me without my best friend."

His smile grew. "Yeah?"

"Yup! Me and Finn."

Ben scoffed and grabbed his chest, pretending to be wounded. "You hurt me deeply, Rey."

As she turned to trot back to her room, she winked at him. "Then get some wings too and I might change my tune."

-x-x-x-

Later that night, as Rey wandered to bed with a stomach full of pizza, cheesy bread, and wings, she thought about the comfort of returning to her old routine. She looked forward to waking up way too late and freaking out about getting ready on time. She looked forward to her boss's silly jokes by the water cooler and the awkward way their current intern would pass by her desk at least eight times before lunch.

She even looked forward to morning rush hour, which really showed just as desperate she was for things to return to normal.

Because even though she hated to admit it, she was scared about the whole Omega thing. She was freaking out about how her life would change.

Mostly, she was scared about her relationship with Ben. Something her adolescent self had desperately wished for had finally come to pass, far too many years too late for her to accept the designation with open arms.

Now, it was a nuisance, and confused the hell out of her. What was biology and what was genuine attraction? She had always been attracted to Ben.

If she were honest with herself, she knew she was in love with Ben.

Or at least had been.

Was she still?

She groaned and buried her face in her pillow, wishing it was a mere week ago, and that she was still elbow deep in an Excel workbook with two many cups of coffee in her system. Even that was ideal to right now.

Currently, her priority had to be adjusting to her new designation. She needed to learn to understand the changes her body was going through.

With a snort, she recalled the first time she used a tampon, crying when she couldn't figure out the diagram on the back of the box.

Had she really resorted back to that?

But she also knew she would have to work hard to maintain her friendship with Ben. Things simply could not change.

Because falling victim to biological demands meant ruining friendships. It meant letting physical urges destroy years of trust and loyalty.

It meant losing Ben.

And so, as she drifted off to sleep, she knew she'd have to keep that Omega mind of hers clear. It was the only way to ensure that things with Ben didn't get messy.

Things were already complicated enough.

So complicated, in fact, that she refused to consider why she couldn't fall asleep without the jacket he had given her earlier in the day wrapped around her body like a blanket. With her face buried in the hood, his delicious scent infiltrating her body and senses, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Clearly, that was normal.

At least that was what she told herself.