Winter mornings in Nysus City are unforgiving. The temperature drops, the roads fill with snow, and the people huddle for warmth. This combination does not make for pleasant residents and kind greetings, but for Kaiden, this particular morning is cozy.
There are no nightmares that woke him up. The bed is firm and the pillows are soft. The weight that is pressing upon his waist makes him feel like he's being embraced. On the last leg of his sleep, the honey and ginger spice that wraps around him is greeting him to a good day.
That is, until, he hears a harsh, "What the fuck?"
Before he can open his eyes, he's being pushed away to the other side of the bed. The cover on his body is pulled away at the same time.
With the haze of sleep thick on his mind, Kaiden rolls over to face the other way instead of confronting whatever it is that shoved him aside. It's apparently the wrong move because, in the next instant, someone is grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up.
"Wake up!" the harsh voice hisses next to his face.
Kaiden brings a hand up to cover his eyes against the morning sunlight and it is then that he senses it—the pheromones that are mere moments ago smelling of content and satisfaction turning sharp with anger.
The scent of anger alarms a part of Kaiden's mind that hasn't been awake for a while. Even if a year has passed, it's too familiar. He can't forget such overwhelming emotion even if he tries.
Kaiden's body moves on its own, his arms bracing to protect his head from the impact of a hit—or if they're in a bad mood, a kick—but it never comes.
Instead of pain, he hears a growl, asking, "What are you doing here?
What?
What is he doing where?
Didn't he sleep in his room last night?
With slightly lowered arms, he takes a tentative peak and is met with a scowl pulled so tight it warps Damon's face into something unrecognizable.
Kaiden is shocked and frozen. He knows he isn't like that, but why is the Alpha looking at him like that? What did he do wrong?
His brain short-circuits, and his silence only agitates Damon further.
The Alpha growls again, "Do not make me repeat myself."
The whine that escapes Kaiden's throat is pitiful, his body shrinking with the sound. Even though his hands are shaking, he does his best to say, "I was s-sleeping. This is my room." He clenches hard on the hem of his shirt, hoping that if he grips it hard enough, no one will notice the tremors on his fingers.
Damon stares at him as if he pulled a rabbit out of a magic hat, and for a moment, his face relaxes. His eyes dart from the beige walls, the teal carpet, and finally, it zeroes in on Kaiden's nest. His nest can barely be called a nest, but from how the blankets are arranged in a haphazard circle, it's unmistakable.
Kaiden dares not to say a word as Damon assesses their situation, too afraid to make things worse. Although he isn't sure what's happening, Damon's reaction is way out of the bounds of his expectations.
The Alpha has been cold, yes, but he hasn't ever been angry at Kaiden. This is the type of attention Kaiden doesn't want. It brings back memories he prays not to remember, memories he wishes he buried when he left the gates of the Wester family house.
The longer that Damon glares at the blanket, the more white his knuckles become. He keeps his head lowered to avoid eye contact, only looking up when he hears Damon release a heavy sigh.
With his face cupped in his hands, Damon tries apologizing, "I'm so—" but he doesn't finish.
--
Damon is parched and his head is throbbing. He can't remember the last time he had a hangover this bad. To top it off, it seems that he crawled into the Omega's bed last night.
He did something foolish, didn't he?
So with a heavy sigh, he begins his apology, but the words don't quite make it out, not when he sees the Omega almost bowing to the floor.
Between the gaps of his fingers, the Alpha takes a good look at Kaiden. His pink hair has tousled in a typical bedhead fashion. The collar of his pale yellow pajamas is pulled open to one side, revealing a white shoulder with a fading bite mark, and above that is his pale neck.
Kaiden's pale, /bare/, neck.
From the corner of his eye, he sees the discarded inhibitor peeking underneath one of the pillows. Its dark color is a stark contrast to the rest of the soft bedding.
He sniffs the air and although subtle, it's there—Kaiden's sweet strawberry scent, the pheromones he hasn't smelled for months.
There's a part of his brain that wants to inhale more, his inner alpha is desperately begging for it, but a larger part of his mind reels at the realization.
It clicks: Kaiden's bare neck, the inhibitor that is taken off, and him waking up in a room he has never visited before.
What is this if not the Omega seducing him during a moment of weakness?
He chuckles to himself, the sound low and full of derision.
Omegas are all the same, aren't they?
--
Kaiden feels a shiver run down his spine. Damon's chuckle is unlike the teasing laughter he heard in the greenhouse, this one containing a hint of something dark. It sounds like the calm before a storm, and Kaiden doesn't want to know what's about to happen next.
When he's done laughing, the Alpha sneers. The expression is jarring on his handsome face, but it is nothing compared to his next words. "I bet you were happy having me crawl to you. Was it fun seeing me lose to my instincts like an animal? Were you that desperate that you even used your pheromones on me?"
Kaiden turns to where Damon is looking and it is then that he sees it. His inhibitor, which should be firmly placed on his neck, is tucked underneath the pillows. He definitely feels better without it, now that he finally notices how he can breathe better without the choker, but it feels like he's been cut into a thousand pieces.
Damon's words repeat in his head. It stings because it's true that he was happy to have Damon next to him, but the implication of the questions that followed hurts even more.
What does he mean by that? Does Damon think of him that way? In his eyes, is Kaiden just another omega with an ulterior motive?
The questions don't form because of how tight his throat is squeezing, already on the verge of an ugly sob.
How did this happen?
He doesn't even know how the inhibitor became like that so why is he being labeled as desperate?
It's unfair. He only takes the inhibitor off in the shower, and even after that, he puts it on immediately. He follows every order and keeps to himself. He doesn't make a mess and doesn't intrude in places he doesn't belong. Why is this happening to him?
It's so unfair, but he can't complain. He can't even talk, the water in his eyes blurring his sight.
He doesn't see it when Damon moves away, but he hears his scolding loud and clear. "Never take that off if you don't want to be kicked out," Damon warns him.
Kaiden nods, not because he agrees but because it's the only thing he can do.
He knows how this goes, he's been here before. Even if he defends himself, no one will believe him.
He's alone.
He's alone again.
It's terrifying but he's used to it. He /should/ be used to it.
When the door of his room clicks shut, the teardrops that fall on his clenched hands are big and hot.
--
When Kaiden thinks that his day couldn't get any worse, it proves him wrong.
He's trying not to cry, not when he already shed his all this morning, but Uriel's warm pat on his back makes it hard to hold back.
"I'm really sorry to leave you like this," the old butler gently apologizes to the distressed Omega. "I'll be back after my sister's treatment is successful."
Kaiden nods, not knowing what to say for the umpteenth time. He knows it's selfish of him to stop his friend from leaving, to stop Uriel when his sister only has him left, so he remains silent.
He wants to console Uriel, to say that everything is going to be fine, but he's the one being consoled instead.
"You're an amazing person, Kaiden." Uriel's smile is as gentle as ever. "I'm sure you'll do just fine."
It doesn't feel like it, it doesn't feel like he's an amazing person or he'll do just fine, but he doesn't tell him that.
"I hope your sister gets well soon," Kaiden says, but they both know it's going to be difficult for her. Still, Kaiden's kind words are warmly received.
"I will. You should take care of yourself too." Uriel emphasizes his reminder with another pat on Kaiden's back.
He nods again and while they exchange numbers, the sadness in Kaiden's heart grows larger.
He sends Uriel off with a smile, the best that he can muster in his low spirits. They say their goodbyes like that.
As he watches the vehicle of the butler exit the gates, the responsibilities of the Lin Manor are tacitly passed on to him.