Rika unexpectedly reached for the scent remover as she stepped into her house, against her usual habits. To her surprise, she ended up using the entire bottle.
The habits you developed were impossible to eliminate just because you wanted to. And that was what happened with Rika as well.
As soon as she entered the home, Rika noticed that the lights were on, and loud noises reached her ears.
Mark and her mother seemed to be fighting with each other.
As two grown alphas living in the same territory, Rika was surprised that this did not happen more often. It was in alpha nature to fight and try to assert dominance.
It was clear that her mother would win this time (just as she had every other time an argument broke out), and Rika did not need to interfere.
But just because she knew it in her mind did not mean her heart agreed.
Ultimately, Rika walked to the beefing pair to check up on them.
She did not expect to see her father in the room with her mother and Mark. He seemed to be trying his best to stop the fight.
But neither Mark nor her mother seemed to hear his words. His pheromones were also not working.
"Mark, this is your last warning. You are a full-grown alpha wanting control, but you must quit it. Her life is not something you can play with. Rika has made her decision, so this is the end. You need to respect her."
Her mother's words caused Mark to feel even more agitated.
"Fuck! You are just not seeing the bigger picture here, mother. We cannot let Rika leave us! You would not have done the same if the person asking for this was Suzie. So why-"
"Because Mother made it clear that I am not Suzie, we have a big difference of opinion about trying to stop me now, Mark. All the paperwork has already been processed, and I will leave tomorrow. I hope you enjoy being free from me."
Rika felt a little mean doing this to Mark.
Her older brother was already stressed, and Rika's words did not help his mood. If anything, she was making the situation worse for Mark and herself.
"Tsk! Fuck you. I don't know why I even worry for you when all you do is make fun of me. Fuck! Shit! I will head to my room before you make me do something I will regret again."
The man left as quickly as he came, and Rika let out the breath she had been holding all this while.
Her body also calmed down and no longer shook as severely as before.
"Rika, did you purposely egg your brother to make him mad? I know why you did it, but I don't want you to keep doing this."
"One day, you might make Mark snap, and he won't be able to stop himself before hurting you permanently. I do not want to see my children hurting like this."
Her mother had a lot to say to Rika, and in her heart, she knew that her mother had a point. Rika also needed to control her mouth.
But this was the only opportunity she would have to retaliate as much against Mark as he did to her.
"I will be more careful with what I say to Mark in the future, Mother. Now, I would like to return to my room. I will have a long day tomorrow."
Rika quickly returned to her room, messaged her new landlady that she would be shifting soon, and went to sleep.
Memories of being ignored and neglected haunted her nights. She no longer wanted to be compared to anyone else; she just wanted to live as herself.
Rika was awake at a god-awful hour and came down to get something to eat.
For the first time in almost a week, Rika regrets coming down because of the other person in the room.
Suzie was awake at this god-awful hour as she curled on the living room couch.
Rika debated whether she wanted to head back, but she was spotted before she could and returned to the safety of her room. Decide
"Are you going to head back to your room? Rika, can we talk for a moment? We have differences and never got close, but we are family, right? I want to get to know you more."
Suzie's voice was low and tired when she made her request. She did not move from her spot, which made Rika sure that something was happening there.
However, as much as Rika did not want to interact with Suzie, she had also spent most of her life accommodating and doing what was best for her.
This time was also no exception. Before Rika knew it, she was sitting in front of Recase with a concerned expression.
From her position so close, she could see Mark lying on his head on Suzie's lap and looking asleep.
Rika could not see his face, but she did not need to see his face to know how Mark was doing.
She knew that he would be all over her if he were awake.
"Are you going away from home because of me? Rika, you don't need to do that. If I make you uncomfortable, then you can tell me. I will-"
"No, wait! Stop right there! I think there has been a misunderstanding here. I am not leaving home because of you specifically, Suzie. There are many reasons, but the main one is because I want to live as an ordinary beta."
"As you already know, there are almost no betas around us, and even those beta handful are extra sensitive to pheromones. It is…tough to know what is normal for me in such a situation. So, I just wanted to take some time to get used to rediscovering my true self for a bit. See, it is not so complicated."
Rika babbled to stop Suzie from misunderstanding the situation.
She did not care what Suzie thought of her, but Rika did this so she would have one less headache to worry about.
'I am sure Mark would throw a fit if I made Suzie cry. His overprotectiveness of Suzie is also why his relationships do not last long.'
Rika looked at Suzie's relieved expression with mixed feelings. She was sure that Suzie had started to accept the situation.
"So, it was not me? I feel so relieved that I am not the reason you are moving out. Rika, I support you wholeheartedly. You should do what you want with your life."
Now that Suzie had confirmed she was not the problem, she decided to support Rika with everything she had.
Rika knew that Suzie did not mean anything wrong by this, but it still hurt her to hear such clear dismissal words.
'Now that you know you were not the problem, it suddenly no longer matters if I head leave home or not. Well, I should have expected such a thing from Suzie after all. She was never really considerate of my feelings.'
Suzie's relationship with Rika was hard to explain. Suzie had always been given first preference, and that was what she was used to.
Anytime she felt like her deserved attention was being driven off her, she did something drastic.
Everyone knew it and had come to accept it. That made Rika feel even more nervous in Suzie's presence.
"I will…take my leave now. I need to start packing and shifting my stuff today. I will see you later."
Rika quickly left the room. She felt in danger if she remained there for any longer.
As soon as Rika was gone, Suzie stretched her arms and poked the head in her lap.
"See, I told you that you were worried for nothing, Mark. Rika is just leaving because that is something she wants to do. It has nothing to do with either you or me."
Suzie sounded relieved when she said that.
It was clear that she believed this wholeheartedly.
But Mark knew better than her. He kept pretty since he did not want to stress Suzie out. But he also wanted to go after Rika and demand if this was what she truly wanted to do.
Her mouth had said one thing, but Mark was sure that Rika did not mean anything about what she said.
'Let's not worry Suzie too much. I will have many chances to talk to Rika before she leaves today.'
That was what Mark thought. Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to do even that.
Rika was out and about before anyone knew about it. By the time Mark learned about it, it was too late. Rika had already left for quite a while, and he had no idea where she was.
She had not contacted Emily or Damian either, and Rika was afraid that the pair would cause a scene she would have to deal with later.
But that was a future problem Rika did not want to worry about.