It was late at night, long after school had ended, and darkness had started to creep in. Rion had stayed behind with Chris to help him catch up on his schoolwork. Chris was smart, but for some reason, he didn't care much for school. Rion had made it his personal mission to ensure Chris didn't slack off—if he did, he might lose his scholarship.
Both of them knew their place at such a prestigious school was a fragile privilege. The only reason they'd been accepted was because of their excellent academic records. If it was up to the school administration, Omegas wouldn't even be allowed on campus.Since most of the students were Alphas from elite families, and the school preferred avoiding "Omega-related incidents," like unexpected heats or attacks by Alphas.
Even in cases where Omegas were assaulted, they were always blamed. If they didn't release their pheromones, they wouldn't have been attacked in the first place, was the typical reasoning. As if an Omega could control their biology.
Omegas went into heat once a month for three to four days, their bodies seeking comfort from Alphas. Rion remembered his first heat at twelve; it had lasted three days. It had been painful and excruciating as expected. But Chris's had only lasted one day, which was unusual. Omegas' heats weren't supposed to be that short unless they were dominant.
The idea of Chris being a dominant Omega seemed impossible since they were extremely rare. Also his mom wasn't dominant, and dominance was typically hereditary. And most dominant Alphas came from extremely rich and powerful families but Chris's dad had been a regular Alpha, just some high school boy his mom fell in love with according to what his mom told him. Rion and Chris had brushed it off as a quirk of youth, assuming his heat would stabilize as he grew older.
"Anyways, dude, I'll see you tomorrow," Chris said as they hugged goodbye.
They parted ways, each heading in a different direction.
Rion walked briskly as the sky darkened, choosing a shortcut to get back to the orphanage. It wasn't safe for an Omega to be out at night. Statistically, Omegas were at a much higher risk of being attacked by Alphas after dark. Chris had even told him about how his mom had almost been attacked once while walking home from a late-night shift, and it was only thanks to Frank and his crew that he'd been saved.
As Rion passed an alleyway, he heard a sound.
Bang!
The sharp sound of a gunshot.
He froze, his heart hammering in his chest. Curiosity got the better of him, and he tiptoed toward the alley, careful not to make a sound.
Then he heard a voice he'd recognize anywhere.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you."
Peeking around the corner, Rion saw a scene straight out of a crime movie. His blood ran cold.
Jeakyung stood in the middle of the alley, a gun in his hand. At his feet lay a man's lifeless body, blood pooling around his head from a gunshot wound.
Four men knelt before him, heads bowed, pleading for their lives.
Jeakyung remained stoic, unfazed.
"We need to clean this up before someone sees us," Stephane said, standing beside Jaekyung.
"If someone does see us," Henry added, running a finger across his throat, "we'll just make sure they never talk."
Rion gulped, panic rising. He just noticed something all the guys were there except for Zion which was surprising as they were always together. He scanned the alley throughout looking for Zion, but he was nowhere to be seen. Right now, though, Zion wasn't the problem.
I need to get out of here before they notice me.
Rion stepped back, but before he could move further, a voice whispered in his ear.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Rion froze.
The voice belonged to Zion.
He turned slowly, stepping out from behind the wall that had concealed him. Now fully exposed, he felt all eyes in the alley shift to him. Jeakyung's cold gaze landed on him, unreadable.
Zion grabbed Rion's arm and dragged him into the middle of the alley, pulling him closer to where Jeakyung and the others stood.
Before he knew it, Rion was standing right in front of Jeakyung. He stared at the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded so hard, he was sure it would leap out of his chest.
"What's your name?" Teakyun asked, his voice low and commanding.
Rion couldn't speak.
"I said, what's your name?" Teakyun's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"S-speak!" he barked, making Rion flinch.
"R… Rion," he stammered.
Jeakyung stepped closer, grabbing Rion's face roughly and forcing him to meet his eyes. For the first time, Rion saw him up close—his sharp features, his chiseled jaw, and those mesmerizing brown eyes.
"Look, Rion, you have two options," Jeakyung said, his tone ice-cold. "Option one: forget what you saw tonight and go on with your life as if nothing happened. Option two…" He raised the gun, pressing the barrel to Rion's forehead. "You leave here in a plastic bag."
Rion's breath hitched.
"Choose," Teakyun ordered, his voice like steel.
"I… I choose the f-first option," Rion whispered, barely audible.
"Louder. I can't hear you."
"I… I choose the first option," Rion repeated, his voice shaking, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"What?" Teakyun leaned bringing his ear closer, feigning confusion.
"I SAID I CHOOSE THE FIRST OPTION!" Rion shouted, his voice cracking.
Jeakyung smirked, clearly enjoying how far he could push him.
"Good," he said, lowering the gun and roughly letting go of his face.
"Jerk," Rion muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Teakyun asked, his tone dangerous.
"N-nothing!" Rion stammered, panicking.
"Now, leave," Jeakyung said dismissively.
Rion didn't need to be told twice. He turned and walked away, his pace quickening with every step until he was running.
His face burned as his thoughts raced. The moment Jeakyung had touched him, sparks had ignited within him. Up close, Teakyun was even more attractive than he'd imagined. His tall frame, his strong hands… (Rion thought as he touched his face where Teakyung had touched him)
What is wrong with me? Rion thought, shaking his head vigorously. He just pointed a freaking gun at you, and you're here fantasizing about his hands?
Must've been the pheromones messing with my head.
Yeah, that had to be it.
He reached the orphanage and hurried inside, grateful to be home.
**********************************
Back in the alley, Stephane turned to Teakyun. "Do you think he'll keep quiet?"
Jeakyung's expression remained neutral. "He's just a poor Omega with no name. No one will believe him over us."
"But he goes to our school. What if he decides to talk?" Stephane pressed.
"If he does, we'll handle it," Jeakyung replied coldly. "We've worked too hard to come this far to build our own empire and make a name for ourselves away from our parents' shadows. I won't let some Omega ruin it."
He glanced at the hand he'd used to grab Rion's face. Pulling a bottle of hand sanitizer from his pocket, he meticulously cleaned it, as though touching Rion had contaminated him.
"Disgusting," he muttered under his breath.