Damon rushes to the shower like a tornado wrecking everything in its way. He cranks the water to its coldest temperature but it does nothing to relieve the heat in his body. He can still remember how soft and smooth the skin was underneath his fingers and how whole he felt holding the younger boy’s body in his grasp.

It’s unbelievable; he hates omegas. He despises their ways and loathes how they use their beauty to put others in the palm of their hands. They know nothing but to control alphas and make them follow their every whim, no matter how corrupted or debauched it is.

He shakes his head to forget the feeling, to free himself from those alluring pheromones that linger on the tips of his nose, tugging off the clothes that are now wet. Damon scoffs to himself in mocking. In his haste, he even forgot to undress. He’s only been with the Omega for a few hours at most, and he’s already losing his mind. If this keeps up, where will he end up in?

He’s right in keeping those dirty omegas away.

--

Kaiden wakes up to an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, with unfamiliar clothes in his body, but he is not alarmed. Although his memory is foggy, he is somewhat aware that he was protected last night, so he knows that he should be somewhere safe. The fact that he woke up light and refreshed, unlike the heavy and aching muscles he wakes up to whenever the surplus pheromones in his body cause him to go into pseudo-heat, is enough evidence.

He stretches his limbs to get the sleep off his system, wincing in pain when pressure is put on his right foot. Throwing the blanket off, he looks down and sees his ankle is wrapped tightly in a bandage.

A deep voice commanding others to take care of him surfaces in Kaiden’s mind, the tips of his ears turning red at the memory.

The sun is shining brightly through the thin curtains, the birds twittering to a new day, and with a goofy grin, Kaiden surmises that maybe he isn’t so unloved after all.

--

Damon's forefinger taps, taps, taps on the wooden desk. The doctor, Doctor Medina, is showing him numbers and graphs with an excited expression on his old face. Damon's face, on the other hand, can't be any more sullen.

He doesn't like what he's hearing, especially not with the words 'perfect compatibility' and 'fated mates' thrown around here and there. No, he doesn't like this at all.

"Explain to me better so I understand," he stops the doctor's incessant chattering with a raise of his hand.

Dr. Medina takes a deep breath as if preparing for a long ramble, but Damon interrupts him before a single word came out.

“Summarize it in a few words. I don’t have all day,” he glances at his wristwatch to prove a point.

“See here,” Dr. Medina points at the chart where a line is at the red, “this is your pheromone level last month. Because of the effects of long-term suppressant overdose on your body, your sexual functions have been inhibited. You told me it’s been three years since your last rut, right?”

Damon doesn’t want to answer, uncomfortable at having another person knowing about his business in the bedroom, even if that person is his doctor.

Dr. Medina doesn’t wait for his reply as he points to the next line with a visible spike from the former. “This is your pheromone level this morning. In just one night, it went from here to here.” He points back and forth between the two levels, emphasizing the obvious increase. “Although pheromone deficiency for an alpha like you has no known cure, that doesn’t mean there’s no solution. It seems like you found yours.”

Damon sighs, the bad omen in his heart increasing as he rubs his temples. Last night, he was trying to drink the helplessness in his situation away yet this morning, he seemingly found the solution. Worse is, the solution is in the form of another person, and an omega at that.

Who will believe in this kind of coincidence?

He doesn’t need to hear the rest of the doctor’s words, he already knows what he’s going to say because it’ll be the same words Damon heard when he first went in two years ago.

Two years of no action definitely put a strain on him, his temper, and his intimate relationship with Heath.

Oh, gods, how is he going to appease Heath?

Sure, it was the Beta who first suggested that he find an omega substitute to counter his pheromone imbalance, but will his childhood-friend-turned-lover accept that without throwing a tantrum, especially now when said Omega literally fell into his arms?

Contemplating which gifts he was going to ask his secretary to buy for his lover, Damon only hears half of what the doctor says. It doesn’t matter anyway, he decides, since he still needs to bring the Omega here and let Dr. Medina fuss over him.

--

Kaiden is eating the best breakfast he’s ever had since leaving the house he grew up in. The table is laid with pancakes, waffles, muffins, bacon, eggs, and various fruits. There’s even rice porridge as if to account for his small appetite. Granted, the Westers served more luxurious meals courtesy of his sister’s sophisticated taste buds, but at least here, in this stranger’s dining room, he can eat in peace. No one jabs at his weakness or berates him for being a useless omega, the only other person in the room—a middle-aged butler who introduced himself as Uriel—even smiles kindly at him.

“Excuse me,” he calls out to Uriel after taking his third bite, “is the—um, is the Alpha not eating breakfast?”

He feels ashamed to not even know his savior’s name, but what can he do when they didn’t even exchange a single word between them last night?

Understanding Kaiden’s concern, Uriel responds in a gentle tone, “The master of the house has already left for work this morning. Please be at ease while you enjoy your meal.”

“U-um, okay. Thank you.” He lowers his head to finish the rest of his waffles, hoping that Uriel can’t see his red face.

Uriel remains silent as he observes the Omega who is too small for his growing body. He retrieved clothes in the smallest size for him to wear, but looking at how Kaiden doesn’t have enough fat to stuff the polo shirt with, it seems as if he was starved for a long time. The blush that he failed to hide on his face is the only indicator that he is somewhat healthy.

Although tinier than the average omega in his age group, it doesn’t detract from his beauty. He has cotton candy pink hair that is long enough to be braided, and carmine eyes that unexpectedly match well with the rest of his soft features, giving him an innocent look that makes him appear even younger. Under the sunlight, Uriel is sure those red eyes will look more like rubies—if only the Omega will stop lowering his head after every sentence.

The butler doesn’t know how long he was staring when he is suddenly met with the guest’s empty plate. Kaiden moves so quietly, as if he is scared of making any noise, that Uriel barely heard the clink of the utensils against the china. Seeing the Omega fidget in his seat, Uriel patiently waits for him to summon up the courage to speak.

“I left my things at work,” Kaiden mutters without looking up. “I need to go now. Thank you for the meal. I-if you give me your master’s contact info, I can thank him personally.” He practically whispers the last part, voice dropping softer with every word.

Thankfully, Uriel isn’t old enough that his hearing is affected, so the yelling to speak up Kaiden expects doesn’t come. Instead, the butler says in a gentle tone as ever, “The master of this house is Damon Lin of the Lin Finance Group. There is no need for thanks as you are our guest. Shall I fetch a ride for you?.”

“I see. Thank you, there’s no need. I enjoyed the meal.” He gives Uriel the brightest smile and the butler returns it just the same.

Kaiden leaves feeling good. Even though he doesn’t remember much, if the butler is that warm, then it is for sure that the master is warmer.