Nine Heats Too Many…

The first time Rey learns about Alphas, Omegas, and Betas is around age nine. A young woman, about 18 years old, had gone into heat at the worst possible time. Most of the scavengers had returned from their expeditions and were cleaning their haul for the day when it happened. The young woman had presented as an Omega. When Unkar Plutt found out about it, he sequestered the girl away in a nearby hut. The next day, he proceeded to allow any paying Alpha to knot her, but not claim her.

Rey presented as an Omega and experienced her first heat at the tender age of 13. From the gossip she's overheard over the years, there has never been an Omega presenting as young as 13, nor experience a heat that young. She learns quickly to barricade herself inside of her AT-AT. She tries to ignore the pounding on the doors and the lewdness of dirty men on the other side. Her first heat lasts four days.

The next time Rey experienced a heat is two years after her first one. Which is odd because heats are supposed to happen four times a year, coinciding with the different seasons. It hit her so quick that she hid herself deep within the remains of the star destroyer she had been scavenging from. It lasted almost a week this time, and Rey counts herself lucky that a fellow female scavenger, who is also an Omega, finds her. The woman takes pity on Rey and brings food and water to her till the heat passes.

Only three months later does Rey experience another heat, and again it came upon her quickly during her scavenging. The bad part was there was another scavenger, a male alpha, nearby who had caught a whiff of her scent and sought her out. She tried to out run him but was tackled to the ground. The pair had rolled their way down one of the large sand hills. At the bottom, the male tried to have a go at her, but Rey fought tooth-and-nail to keep him from knotting her. It wasn't till an old man had hit the alpha over the head with a staff, knocking the alpha unconscious, did Rey finally start to feel safe. The old man offered her a temporary shelter, among those in his small community, till her heat had passed. She accepted the man's offer after learning that he was a Beta.

Another heat doesn't hit her till three-and-a-half-years later. Rey knows that her heat schedule isn't what most people consider normal. She wonders if it's due to her malnutrition, stress, or that she just is different. But once again, Rey found herself back at the small community. The whole community was filled with Alpha-Omega couples and a few Betas. So, it was easy to hide her scent there during her heat, which she found not as annoying or scary as she once did. One of the Omega's she previously met took her in and listened patiently to all of Rey's questions about knotting and claiming and the whole mess of it all. Seeing the poor girl become even more anxious, the woman gave Rey a year's worth of suppressants as well. She'd also explained that even while not in heat, a mature Omega scent can still cause an Alpha to try and knot her. Or worse, send the Alpha into a rut, if it's nearing their schedule.

Rey had taken those suppressants religiously while on Jakku and was able to get a new stock of it once she'd met up with Han Solo and the Resistance.

But taking the suppressants had done nothing to protect her once she'd boarded the Supremacy.

Everything had been on fire within her body, which had been suspended in the air by the Supreme Leader, Snoke. At first it had nothing but pain, something that she could at least partially handle. Then something snapped within her and Rey began to feel the beginnings of a heat coming upon her. What is worse yet, Snoke had mocked her about it. Snoke even told her that, by using the Force, he'd influenced her body to go into heat. Then Snoke encouraged Kylo Ren to claim Rey, offering her up to Ren as if she were a piece of meat. Instead of claiming Rey, he had killed Snoke, which lead to fighting the Praetorian Guards. Then, amidst the death and destruction of the throne room, Kylo tried to seduce Rey into letting him claim her. With her heat desperately trying to ravage her control, Rey could only call on the Force for strength. She was able to refuse him, but just barely and led the pair into calling the Skywalker lightsaber to themselves.

~~SW~~

While out on a mission with Finn, Rey's body decided to ignore the suppressants.

"Is that you?" Finn asked Rey, taking a sniff from the air around her before his eyes go wide. "Dammit. We need to go find a safe place for you."

Rey had learned a year ago that Finn was an Omega too. 'The First Order prefers their soldiers into obeying orders. Only high Officers and the like are Alphas.' He'd told Rey, having had to share the main quarters on the Falcon after escaping Crait.

"There is a hotel just up ahead." Finn dragged Rey towards it. "Not much longer now till you're safe."

Once inside, Finn got them a suite. It was a good thing he did, because the next day he'd gone into heat as well.

~~SW~~

There are times where Rey hates being an Omega, and sometimes she despises it even more so. Leia had sent her with a few members of Black Squadron on a mission, which they'd just happened to complete a few hours ago. So, they'd all went down to the market place to browse the local vendors when it made its presence known to Rey.

"You alright, Rey?" Jess asks. She's one of the few female Alphas Rey has met.

"I need to get back to the ship." Rey mutters out, feeling the heady warmth starting to spread outwards from below her belly button.

Lucky enough, Jess knows what a pre-heat Omega looks like thanks to having to deal with her fellow Omega squad mate, Snap Wexley.

"Shit." Jess quickly pulls out her communicator as she starts pulling Rey through the market and towards the ship docks.

"What is it, Jess?" Snap's voice coming out of the com.

"I'm taking Rey back to the cargo ship." Jess replies.

"Is she sick?"

"More like incendiary." Jess replies.

"Oh. Understood. We'll meet you there," Kare say through the comm.

Shoving her communicator back into her pocket, Jess refocuses her attention to getting Rey to the cargo ship.

"Better hope we get you back to the ship before you reach your peak. Jeez Rey, why didn't you tell anyone that you were nearing a cycle?"

"I've never had a true cycle before." Rey groans out as a deep wave of warmth surges throughout her body.

"Just try to keep yourself together till we get to the ship. With as potent as you are smelling right now, it'd be worse for you if you were to run off without me."

Rey nods her head in quick agreement. Even though the woman next to her is seeing Rey to safety, she can scent that Jess is starting to release the Alpha pheromones in response to hers. Seeing that Jess isn't acting on these signals proves to Rey that Jess is made of stronger stuff than most Alphas.

The pair make it back to the ship, but the ship isn't as empty as they'd hoped.

Coming down the ramp is their leader, Poe.

"What happened? What's wrong with Rey?" Poe calls out, rushing towards the two females.

"Shit." Jess mutters out before pulling out her blaster, placing it on stun and points it directly at the man. "Stay back!"

"Rey?" Poe asks, wondering why the young Jedi looks so flushed. Then it hits him like a ton of spice filled cargo containers. The scent Rey is exuding is so strong and heady that he can feel his Alpha instinct coming alive.

Jess, knowing that Poe is not just an Alpha but an unmated one, she keeps her blaster trained on him. "Keep your distance, commander. She needs to get inside where she can lock herself in with the bunks."

"I suggest you both step back." Karé calls out, her and Snap having just arrived. "You're being affected too, Jess."

"Am not."

"Then why are you pointing a blaster at Poe and have a vice grip on Rey?"

Snap slowly approaches Rey from the side, keeping both of his hands visible. He knows what is about to happen, and he prays that his wife won't be court marshaled for having to do it.

Before Jess or Poe can move an inch, Karé fires a stun bolt at both of them. Luckily enough, she'd hit Poe first which allowed Jess to release her hold on Rey before getting stunned.

"Get her inside and stay with her. Lock the damn door if you need to." Karé tells her husband. "I'll get these two inside and strapped in before taking off."

Snap had done what he'd been told, and it was the longest twelve-hour flight back to base. It would be another two hours before Doctor Kalonia was able to smuggle Rey into the infirmary for the remainder of her heat.

~~SW~~

Pulling every single pillow and blanket she can possibly find aboard the Falcon, Rey has this growing drive to make a nest out of them. Why is she doing this? Unknown. Having woken up in her room on base, something niggled at the back of her mind, pushing for her to do this. It's only been two hours since she'd left her room and came aboard ship, searching for these items.

"What are you doing Rey?" A familiar, haunting voice calls out from the Force bond. "Building us a nest to use?"

"Not right now. Go away." Rey whispers as she begins shifting the pillows and blankets around on the floor of the main hold.

"You need me, Rey. Only I can truly help you through this. You need an Alpha. A strong one to claim you." Kylo Ren's voice whispers out.

"No." Rey says, gritting her teeth together while throwing a pillow hard to the ground.

"You okay, Rey?"

Whipping around towards the familiar voice of Poe, Rey is surprised to him on board. Especially since she'd sent Chewie out of the ship this morning and made sure to close the ship behind the Wookie's retreating form.

"How did you get on board?"

"Chewbacca sent me." Poe replies, setting down a knapsack filled with food onto the floor.

"Of course, he would." Rey sighs out, kneeling down into her pile and moving a larger pillow towards the center.

"He's worried about you." Poe takes in the sight of all the pillows and blankets on the floor. "And I have to agree with him on this. What are you doing with all this?"

"Don't know yet. Now would you please leave me alone."

Poe doesn't move from his spot. Instead, he watches as Rey continues working the pillows and blankets around. The Alpha within him begins pushing towards the surface, and it doesn't take Poe long to realize what is going on. Rey's building a nest, which an Omega only does before a mating heat cycle is about to start. And with him being the only Alpha near her at this point, his body is responding to hers by starting to release the hormones for a rut. He should run, leave the ship before anything can happen between them, but his legs refuse to listen as hormones begin to rush through him.

Just as Rey finishes moving a pillow, a strong odor reaches her nose to capture her full attention. It's an odor she's rarely smelled before, but she knows full well how it's created.

Looking over her shoulder, Rey sees that Poe hasn't left like she'd told him to. His eyes, usually a warm brown color, have darkened with pupils blown wide open. Then she sees that his hands are in fists by his sides and are starting to shake.

"Rey."

She takes a deep breath and her body to flush in response to the pheromones permeating in the air.

"Rey. I.." Poe stutters, trying hard not to let out a growl while talking to her. "I… don't…Rey?"

Rey knows that there is nothing to be done now to stop what is going to happen between them and somehow the Force doesn't seem to scream at her about it being wrong. If anything, it feels right within the Force and somehow, Rey's always felt calm and at peace when Poe is near her.

"Poe." Rey softly says with a slight whine in her voice. "I trust you."

Her eyes lock on Poe, and he slowly approaches the pile she's currently on. She doesn't flinch when he covers her back with his body, nor when he presses his face into the crook of her neck.

Anything after this is lost to the haze of pheromones and endless pleasure of which Rey has never experienced before in her life. At the end of it all, which lasts nearly week, Rey isn't too disappointed at having been claimed and mated to Poe. Nor does she feel alone in the world anymore.

The next time the Force bond flares to life, Kylo Ren isn't pleased to see Poe in Rey's bed. His anger flares even more at the sight of Poe's hand resting over the pronounced swell on Rey's belly.

So this chapter dealt in the A/B/O verse. It's my first time writing something like this so I hope it was good.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers. And a big thanks to Darksidefan5 for being a cool Beta and exploring the A/B/O verse with me.

Reviews are welcomed, loved, and cherished.

Selene

Chapter 10 preview: Ten Bets are Made