A/n: I may or may not be obsessing.... 👀

"So then you just walk up really slowly. You don't want to startle them," My father explained as I approached the newly hatched raptor. "Reach out and touch it. If it gets too jumpy or watches your hands with malice in its eyes, back up." I knew he was only half joking.

"Okay. I think I've got it." I smiled over at him as my hand grazed the raptor's head and under its chin. The baby tilted it's head up just a bit, enjoying the attention. When the older raptors began to come over to scare me away I stepped back. Never challenge a raptor you're not willing and able to either control or destroy.

Since I couldn't do either...

If my dad, Owen, was the Alpha, then I was the Omega. None of the Raptors were Beta but they liked me differently than they liked Owen. They liked Owen as a chief. They liked me as... I don't know. As a harmless little pet almost. The little ones played with me and the older ones set boundaries but often let them. They'd come up to me and play games while I fed them. I could sing and they'd roar as I sang out notes, matching my tone. It made everyone laugh, knowing they were playing a game. Owen was proud of my connection.

"Good job," he complimented. We were in the younger raptor cage where we imprinted on the younger ones so they'd recognize us and accept us. Owen was training me so that when his time here ended, I could take up the job.

I smiled. We left the cage and started making our way out when there was this sound, like a crazy pig gone lose. Whistling around, my dad and I watched as a man fell in the pit and without thinking I raced inside. "Y/n!" Owen yelled, racing after me. I stood in front of the man, between him and the approached dinosaurs, taking a knee and bowing my head in from of the closest Raptor. This was a submissive position.

Owen rushed the man outside and then slowly came back, but he didn't approach.

"Sorry," I told the raptor, looking up. "It was an accident." I looked at its feet instead of its eyes. It paused, then it lowered its head, tapping my head with its mouth.

"What the..." Someone said. Owen ordered them around. He was their leader. I reasoned with them. I wasn't above the, but not really below them either. I was an equal and they listened to me when I was respectful and careful. My tone was calm and thick and my position was submissive. The tap on the head was a signal for acceptance. I stood, stepping back slowly. They stood there, watching me carefully.

"When did you learn that?" Owen asked as I stepped back enough for the gate to close. I nodded to the raptor and it looked at me a long time before moving its head in a nodding kind of way.

"When I get alone time with the raptors, I developed a firm relationship with them. A respecting relationship. I'm not really omega anymore. I'm kind of just like exactly equal...." I shrugged. "We've developed a calm thing between us. They're extremely intelligent, dad." He looked at me, impressed.

"High five, kiddo," he said, raising his hand. I chuckled, high fiving him.

It's not even that my actions made all that much of a difference or did anything crazy. Owen would have been enough by himself if I hadn't stepped in. My little thing with the raptors was pretty much useless. It wouldn't come in real use ever until maybe Owen was gone. But by then, I'd have to be Alfa. Nothing less. For now, though, I was pretty much just a convenience.

Oh How wrong I was.

•••

"Woah woah woah," I said, racing in front of the kid. The Raptor stared him down. The Indominus Rex was down and out and I'd been separated from Owen long ago but I'd been surviving in the park and had made it this far. The Raptor met my eyes. "Hey," I said soothingly. "Hello." I had slowly reached out my hand, but when the the raptor snapped- causing the boy behind me to gasp - I simply retracted my hand, being calm.

"It's gonna eat you," he hissed.

"Sh," I hissed back. Then my eyes found the Raptor's again. I bowed my head respectively and it paused. "Back up," I ordered the boy. Hopefully it wouldn't bite my neck and kill me. Bending down and bowing was such a submissive position because I was basically offering it my neck to snap onto. It was dangerous and risky. But I did it.

I slowly took a knee, bowing my head. I was there a long time before I felt it tap my head. I sighed, completely relieved. It worked. I stood and the raptor watched me. I offered a small, decisive nod and it returned it. Then it walked away.

I turned to the boy. "You okay?" I asked him.

He looked awed. "Am I okay? Are you okay? That was amazing!"

I smiled, blushing. "Thanks. Where are your parents, kid?" I asked.

"Kid?" He scoffed. "I'm probably older than you."

I rolled my eyes, smiling. Extending my hand, I introduced myself. "Y/n. Y/n Grady."

He seemed to recognize the name for some reason but then ignored it, taking my hand. "Mitchell. Zach Mitchell."

I chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Zach."

"Nicer to meet you," he argued. "You saved my life."

"I try," I joked, shrugging.

He went to say something else as we locked eyes, smiling at each other and not yet having dropped hands when my dad came raging across the grounds out of no where. "Y/n!" He screamed. I slipped my hand away and spun to face him.

Oops.

He looked angry. I don't know what exactly I did in this precise moment, but I was about to find out. He came up to me and I expected him to yell. Instead he enveloped me in a hug. I relaxed, hugging him back. All my fears washed over me again. All the doubts and worries I'd had and were locking away released and I started sobbing.

He was okay. Oh my gosh he was okay.

I'd lost my mother the day I'd been born and things had always felt off without her female role properly filled. Without that female in my life. I never knew her but I missed her. If I'd lost Owen too I'd have lost it. When the pretty red head came jogging up behind him my eyes widened.

"Claire?" I called out. She looked dirty and a lot more... Well, like Owen. She had her shirt rolled up and twisted and tied and her skirt seemed to be ripped at the bottom. Her shoes were muddy, and I flinched when I realized they were heels.

No. Gross.

"Y/n," she beamed. I pulled from Owen and hugged her too. "Hey," She greeted.

As I stepped back, Owen and Claire held hands. My eyes went wide. "When did this happen?" I asked, looking over at Owen. He cleared his throat. I chuckled.

"This your niece or something?" Zach asked Owen, putting his arm around my shoulders. I looked over at him, smiling amusedly, already entertained by the dad instincts that would most definitely flip in Owen right about now.

"My daughter," Owen clarified, slitting his eyes at him and momentarily glaring at his arm around me.

"You did well!" Zach complimented. "She saved my life from one of the raptors. It was going to attack me but she got it to leave." He smiled back at me. I blushed.

"So I see you've met Zach," Claire joked. I chuckled. "This is Gray, his younger brother." A younger boy walked up. I offered a small wave and he nodded back, smiling. "They're my nephews."

"That's cool," I nodded. "It was nice to meet you guys."

"A pleasure," Zach agreed. I stepped away, his arm finally falling to his side.

"See you around," I repeated. I would be too if their aunt and my dad were dating.

"See ya," he said. I began walking away, but not before I heard-

"Stay away from my daughter," from a very protective Owen. I peaked over my shoulder to see Zach purse his lips and nod half heartedly, looking to the side to watch me go.

Good luck with that dad.

You could keep Zach away from me, but could you keep me away from Zach?

I chuckled to myself. This was gonna be fun.