Another red light.
"Damn this traffic!" Lucy pounds the steering wheel out of frustration. She's been in the same spot for 15 minutes, not even moving an inch, all because this city's planner decided that four lanes are enough to deal with Nysus City's notorious rush hour traffic. She regrets not riding public transportation instead.
In all honesty, it is seldom that Lucy goes home around this hour. Unlike the average office worker, her position means more responsibilities on her plate and less personal time for herself, but that call from Old Man Rei has her driving through this congested road.
She still can't believe it. How can Kaiden, that sweet boy, do something that led him to be arrested?
It's impossible. He doesn't even look like he can break a plate, but the old man insists it's not a joke, and Lucy knows it's too cruel to be a prank.
So, here she is, honking her way to the police station, praying to whoever deity is listening that nothing bad happens to Kaiden.
--
If the police station doesn't operate 24/7, then by the time Lucy arrives, it would've already been closed.
She doesn't know what happened—doesn't have the full picture, but she's getting Kaiden out of this place by hook or by crook.
Lucy pushes the glass doors open with both hands, ready to rain hellfire on whoever gets in her way, but she only takes three steps forward before she stops.
There, sitting on the plastic bench is the person she came to bail out. His hair is a mess and his clothes are wrinkled. The hem of his pants is stained with mud, his shoes even more so. However, all these are nothing compared to the lifeless aura around him—a sight Lucy has never seen on him before.
Kaiden's eyes are downcast, his face without color. His cheeks are sunken, seeming to have lost weight in a span of mere hours. Upon coming closer, Lucy can see how dry and cracked his lips are.
The sight brings Lucy's blood to a boil. How dare they not even offer water to him?
The glare she gives the officers makes them lower their heads, ducking behind the protection of their desks.
Lucy scoffs and rolls her eyes. She'll settle scores with them later.
First, she needs to check on Kaiden, so she says, "I'm sorry I'm late. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Kaiden turns his head at the sound of her voice, the movement slow and unanimated. He doesn't reply immediately, only wordlessly staring in Lucy's direction.
Every second of silence increases the anxiety in Lucy's heart, but she dares not to touch him in fear of aggravating an unseen injury. She does her best to remain patient, searching his empty eyes for answers.
When minutes go by without a response from Kaiden, Lucy does the one thing she refrains from doing, her last resort. Reaching underneath the collar of her shirt, she slowly peels the scent patch off her neck.
Betas may have weaker pheromones than alphas and omegas, but that doesn't mean they don't have them. Unlike some betas whose pheromones are almost scentless, Lucy's are thin yet steady.
Her scent comes out in a trickle, displaying her impeccable control. Gathering her pheromones only in the area around them, she encases Kaiden in the scent and warmth of sun-dried laundry and tangerines.
Kaiden's nose twitches. A flicker of recognition flashes through his face as he's brought out of this catatonic state. Lucy has half the mind to pat herself on the back for scenting the gifts he gave Kaiden, glad that the months of being exposed to her scent have embedded a familiarity deep within him.
Slowly coming back to life, he asks, "Lucy?"
"I'm here." She takes one of his hands in hers, pumping out weak yet comforting pheromones. "Are you hurt anywhere?" she asks again.
"Lucy," Kaiden repeats. His lips part open to speak but what he wants to say dies down in his throat.
Seeing that, she grabs his hand tighter, trying to warm up his freezing hands while encouraging him to continue. There's a lot she wants to ask: 'why are you here,' 'what happened,' 'are you okay,' and 'who bailed you out,' but she doesn't push him for answers. She endures the ants of agitation crawling on her skin.
It works because, not long after, Kaiden says, "I didn't do it."
There is no emotion in his voice, not even a hint of frustration from being wronged. It's the voice of someone who has given up, dead to the world.
"I didn't do it."
Lucy's eyes sting. "I know," she says while pulling him into a hug, trying not to cry.
--
The ride to Kaiden's apartment is quick with the roads less congested.
Kaiden looks out the window, watching the bright lights of the city drown out the darkness. Lucy hasn't asked him anything aside from checking if he's hurt, and he's grateful that she's giving him space. He has no energy left to explain to anyone the havoc he went through. He just wants to rinse the day away in the shower and sleep his nightmares off.
It doesn't feel real. It's as if the events of today happened to someone else and not him. He wishes that was true—that it was not him who was handcuffed and left alone in the interrogation room for hours, stewing in the rotten odor of his pheromones.
He sees his apartment building nearby yet the tension in his body doesn't dissipate. It won't leave until he's in the safety of his nest, far away from the reality he refuses to face.
As they enter the underground parking lot, Lucy breaks the silence. "I'll be leaving the Lin Finance Group," she says in the same bored tone that people use when they talk about the weather.
The explosion that detonated from this bomb renders Kaiden's mind blank. He forgets, at this moment, the numbness in his soul.
He stares, speechless, as Lucy continues saying, "But not yet. I'll resign once I'm finished with my task. There's a lot I can't do on my own."
She parks the car with ease, not once looking at Kaiden's dumbfounded face.
Shrouded by the basement ceiling, his senses slowly return. "Why?"
"I can't work for him anymore," Lucy answers, still in that monotone voice.
Kaiden doesn't need to ask whom she's talking about, nor is he curious to which extent Lucy's knowledge reaches. He knows, without asking, that she's doing this for him.
Why else would someone who's been working with Damon for years suddenly leave?
It's Lucy's indirect way of looking after him, protecting him from people that causes harm to him repeatedly. Her affection melts the chill that seeped through him in that cold room.
At least now, Kaiden can truly, with full confidence, say that he's not alone anymore. Maybe like this, he can borrow her strength to move on.