Omega Mine

Chapter 21

Loki rose again, keeping your hand in his as he did. He gave you a brilliant smile and settled your hand on the crook of his arm. Clearly, he was going to escort you that evening. You weren't surprised. Loki liked the spotlight and being the center of attention. His pranks around the tower said as much. But this press conference wasn't the kind of spotlight he wanted, not with how he had been tortured and forced to attack Earth. He didn't want to relive that trauma, for obvious reasons. You and the team all understood that and no one would fault him for wanting to stay near the team's Omega, to stay near his Omega.

You smiled up at him, letting him feel your calming aura. Everything would be alright. Loki gave you a warm smile in return, grateful that you were there to support him.

"Are we ready to head out?" Steve asked. Everyone was there and Nat had finished inspecting their outfits.

The team agreed and you all took the elevator down to the lobby to the waiting limo. You all squished in the elevator together and Loki pulled you safely to him, not letting anyone hurt you. He eyed the limo when he saw it, clearly having never seen such a vehicle before.

"It's called a limousine," you explained when he'd helped you in and followed after you. "They're used for special occasions, usually by rich people." Loki nodded along to that. He was a prince and understood status devices.

It wasn't far to the conference hall, which was good when you had the entire team in a limo at once. You stepped out of the limo onto a red carpet, where the press was gathered to take pictures of you as you headed inside. They always wanted to comment on what designer designed your dresses and suits for any event you went to. The Avengers were famous, as one would expect with how often they saved the world. Since you were a member of the team, despite not being a hero and on the front lines, you were just as famous. Being a celebrity was something you were still getting used to.

Steve glanced to you as you stepped out of the limo. Loki was there and had offered you his hand like the prince and gentleman he was in order to help you out of the limo. You appreciated the help in the long gown. You gave Steve a reassuring look when you caught his glance. He was always so nervous in social situations. Especially when Bucky couldn't reassure him easily. They played down how they were still mated in front of outsiders, as people outside the team wouldn't understand.

Steve relaxed when he felt your aura and saw you nearby. The team's Omega was vital to their stability. You all gathered for the press and posed for pictures. Loki remained next to you, a proper escort. Escorting you also gave him something to focus on beside the Midgardians taking his picture and gossiping about him. His posture was stiff and he had a hard time relaxing when there were so many people ogling him for the wrong reasons. You squeezed his arm, drawing his attention back to you. He gave you a smile and a grateful look as your aura wrapped around him, wrapped around all of the team.

Finally, you got to go inside and up to the stage where Steve and Thor would be announcing Loki as the newest member of the team. You listened politely to the speech, your presence reassuring Loki as the pair spoke about him. You watched the press too, watched and made sure they were accepting Loki. It was your job to read people and you were damn good at it. It was part of what made you such a good Omega for the team. Steve explained to the press that Loki was joining the team and an official Avenger from that moment forward. Thor reassured them that the Battle of New York had not been Loki's fault or choice. There was no doubt in his words and he left no room for doubt or disagreement. He expected that since the team trusted Loki, that the Midgardians needed to do the same.

A few questions were asked after and Loki made a couple of polite comments when prodded to do so.

Once that was over, you started the mingling part of the evening. You couldn't stay on Loki's arm the entire time, which clearly disappointed him. The press didn't fail to notice how Loki doted on you. They could clearly see that there was no mating mark on your neck, that your collar remained the plain silver of an unclaimed Omega. Clearly, Loki hadn't laid an official claim yet, but it was very clear to anyone who looked at the pair of you that he was an Alpha courting an Omega, one who had stated his intentions and was now waiting for the Omega to accept or deny his claim. That knowledge would keep any other Alpha at bay, unless they were idiotic enough to want to challenge Loki for the right to court you.

This was the old way of the castes, the way things were supposed to work. There were too many Alphas in recent history who would just take an Omega they wanted.

Loki wasn't like that.

It was well known that an Alpha was at his most dangerous and volatile while he was waiting for the acceptance or denial of the Omega he was courting. So it was amazing that he would leave your side in the group of the press. However, he also accepted that you needed to have independence and your own life. You were in public, in sight of him and the team. So he allowed you to mingle, to check on each member of your pack to make sure they were alright. He stayed at your side as much as possible, but didn't overbear.

He was answering questions for a reporter with Thor when you went to talk to Nat, intending to get her to go with you to the ladies' room. None of the team would forgive you for leaving the ballroom on your own. Not when Nat, Loki, Lady Loki, Happy, or any of the team really, would be willing to escort you.

A hand wrapped around your arm as you were walking toward Nat. You turned to look to see who had touched you even as your instincts screamed this was wrong. It wasn't a member of your pack. Your pack could touch you casually. You scarcely even noticed when they did.

This person wasn't pack.

You looked up at the hulking man in the suit. Alpha. Predator. His grip tightened on your arm as he caught your scent fully, as your fear spiked at being accosted.

"The Avengers brought an Unclaimed Omega," he growled. "Just begging to be claimed and knotted,"

Your eyes widened as the scent of his lust and power hit you. He wasn't as strong as Loki, not hardly, but he was an Alpha and part of you demanded you submit. You weren't going to submit. Not to him.

"N-no," you tried, but your voice stuck in your throat.

The Alpha was moving, dragging you out of the room. The team was all busy mingling and didn't see. Didn't sense.

"Quiet, Omega. You'll be claimed and mine soon enough," the Alpha snarled, trying to overwhelm you with his power.

You had to stop this. Had to. Do... something, anything.

The team hadn't been training you for nothing. "NO!" You shrieked, using your magic to throw a blast of light in his eyes at the same time as you whirled, driving your foot into a very delicate piece of anatomy. Nat had been drilling you on self-defense for months.

The Alpha howled as he doubled over, clutching at his crotch with one hand, the other still managing to maintain his grip on your arm.

You didn't need to shriek again. The team was alerted at your first shriek and were there in a moment. Bones crunched in his hand as they were removed by Bucky's metal hand. Loki pulled you away from him a moment later and into his strong safe arms, surrounding you by his scent.

"Are you hurt?" Loki asked you gently as the entire team held weapons aimed at the Alpha who had dared touch you.

You shook your head. "J-just a bruise," and you were clearly shaken up, but no one would fault you for that.

Loki nodded and slid his suit jacket off. He wrapped it around your shoulders, surrounding you in his scent and safety. He handed you, quite literally, to Thor. A look passed between the brothers. Thor nodded as his arm wrapped around you, pulling you to him. His other hand held Mjolnir.

Loki trusted Thor more than anyone else on this realm. The pair had fought side by side for centuries, since they were old enough to hold weapons. He trusted his brother at his back.

And he trusted his brother to protect his mate while he dealt with the danger.

That Alpha was so very, very fucked for daring to mess with Loki's mate.