"How can you not know how badly you smell with all those pheromones covering you like that? It should be obvious that you would make others uncomfortable."
The receptionist's harsh words seemed to pierce Rika's confidence, leaving her with a lingering worry about her scent. Yet, strangely, it was not the shame that filled her but a deep concern.
"Sorry! I must have accidentally walked through an area with a large concentration of pheromones. This often happens since I am a beta with low sensitivity to pheromones."
Rika was quick to correct the misunderstanding.
She knew that she did not need to feel this way and that it was not her fault that this had happened.
But being conditioned to feel guilty for such an awkward situation was not something Rika could resolve in a day.
Thankfully, the receptionist was not a total bitch and decided to back off with a sheepish look on her face.
"I…huh? You are not an omega? But your build and that face…hmm, you do not have any pheromones. Sorry, this was my bad. Can I somehow make it up to you?"
The receptionist looked taken aback but interested in Rika at the same time.
Being looked at with interest in such a situation made Rika feel weird, and she immediately wanted to take a step back.
She felt unsettled to have that receptionist's eyes on her.
"Well, will you look at the time? I would like to pay for these things and then leave. Keep the change. I do not need it."
Rika quickly exited the store before the receptionist could say anything more. She knew exactly what kind of situation that was going to occur.
'Fuck! That receptionist was interested in me because she thought I would be easy. Since she thought I looked like an omega, she likely wanted to spend a night with me and not worry about the chances of marking them.'
It angered and flattered Rika simultaneously to be thought of in such a way.
She also tried to sniff herself to see if she had any weird smells. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not smell anything strange.
In the end, Rika could only sigh and give up. She wanted to get home now and not think about this topic anymore.
She passed an ally and felt something grabbing her hand. Before she knew it, Rika was being dragged into an alley, and someone grabbed her face.
It only took a second for Rika's consciousness to fade, and she fell unconscious.
"Fuck finally! I thought they would never leave her alone. I can finally take my revenge against those cunning mafia people. I have the perfect hostage to use against them."
The man cursed while carrying Rika out with him.
Rika was not heavy, but carrying someone around for this long did cause his arms to hurt.
He somehow managed to drag Rika to his car and throw her inside.
The anaesthesia he had used to put Rika to sleep was a relatively strong one. There was no way she would be waking up any time soon.
...
'How humiliating. I cannot believe I mistook a beta for an omega, and I also tried to give her peace of mind. I am so glad no one was around to see that.'
The shopkeeper tried to hide her red face in her hand. She did not want anyone to see her humiliated state.
She was so busy with herself that she did not even notice someone banging the table before her and placing a massive bag of chips and coke on it.
"Ring up my bill, please."
The retail worker's rude and annoyed voice startled her, and she almost had a mini heart attack at suddenly being addressed like this.
"What the fuck? I mean, welcome customer. How may I help you?"
The retail worker felt her alpha instincts rise and in protest as she felt a pair of eyes judging her.
"Did you not hear me? I asked you to ring this up for me. Looks like all your senses are duller than they are supposed to be. Are you sure you are alright?"
The red-haired female alpha asked the retail worker.
'Huh? What is this woman's problem? Is she challenging me? How dare she challenge me?'
The cashier could tell that the lady in front of her was an alpha based on the behaviour she had been shown.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Huh? Do you think I am easy to bully? I will show you a proper fight if you want me to."
The cashier could tell the red-haired alpha in front of her was dangerous. Something about her made warning bells ring in her head.
Despite all these signs, the cashier wanted to fight with her. It felt instinctual, almost as if she was being edged into fighting.
'Shit! Why can't I control myself? It should not be that hard for me to be able to find a single alpha. I feel so off today.'
"Oh! So now you want to fight me? Is this similar to how you wanted to fight that beta from before? Do indulge me. But I'm afraid either of us might be unable to hold my temper back."
The cashier had seconds to process what she heard, but it was too late.
A heavy pressure pressed the chaser's head into the table, and she even tried to gasp for breath.
'H-How did I not notice this alpha sneaking up behind me? My senses are not full, and I-'
"You distracted me so I would not notice someone sneaking up behind me. You wanted me to fall for this trap. What do you want from me?"
The cashier could not remember a single reason why she was being treated this way.
She was a little harsh and rude, but not enough to get threats like this.
"Are you scared of me? You should be. Now, we need to talk about manners, don't you agree? You can call me Emily. I have a feeling we will become good friends from today on."