The whirlwind of examinations conducted on him leaves Kaiden in a daze—he was brought to several big machines, got the inside of his mouth and lungs checked, and even got his blood taken. Isn’t this too much for a sprained ankle? It feels like he had a full-body exam, even though he never had one before.

Left alone sitting on the examination table with only a flimsy hospital gown on, Kaiden has no one to ask and is growing anxious by the minute. He’s no stranger to hospitals, not with his excessive pheromones needing regular reductions, but those treatments last 15 minutes at most and he was never left alone in a room like this, especially since the law forbids minor omegas to be unsupervised when dealing with anything related to their secondary gender.

The fact that it’s the first time Kaiden has been in a hospital since he turned 18 doesn’t ease his worries. It doesn’t help that Damon didn’t say a word after getting out of the car.

Surely, they're not after his organs, right?

Tales of omega trafficking rings being busted are uncommon but not unheard of. His sister used to taunt him that if he wasn’t born with the Wester last name, then he would’ve been sold long ago with how useless he is. A cold shiver runs down his spine at the thought of falling victims to those cruel smugglers, the memory he wanted to push out surfacing with a bang.

His eyes are starting to sting, the tears he so laboriously pushed back betraying him.

The door opens as Kaiden is deliberating whether to call his aunt for help—if she can make it on time before he's shipped across the sea.

--

Kaiden is a trembling mess when Damon finds him. His already puffy eyes turn even puffier as he clutches at Dr. Medina’s coat, sobbing, “Don’t sell me. M-my organs are bad. I smoke a lot … 2 packs a day. And I drink … um, beer and stuff. Yeah, I drink. My liver is badly damaged, so don’t sell me, okay?”

It’s amusing to see the old doctor flustered, so Damon moves behind the open door in an angle where he is hidden, letting the doctor’s suffering continue. His secretary, a beta woman named Lucy, stares at him in confusion, but he ignores the look and offers no explanation.

Dr. Medina tries to pry Kaiden’s shaking hands off his clothes, but the Omega’s grip is stronger than he expected. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and tries to explain in the gentlest tone possible, “I think you’re mistaken about something. This is a reputable hospital, we’ll never do anything like that.”

The grip on his coat tightens, threatening to rip it straight from his body. Kaiden is still trembling when he asks, “Really? Do you promise?”

“Yes,” Dr. Medina holds the shaking hands steady. The kid looks so young, what is he afraid of? “Now, please let me go so we can continue.”

Kaiden, in fact, doesn't let go, but the sobbing reduces to sniffling until the shaking stops. Dr. Medina resigns himself to his fate. When he grabs a stool to sit close to the examination table, he catches sight of Damon hiding behind the door. He almost scolds the Alpha in anger, blood pressure rising, at letting him deal with the hysterical Omega alone. Thankfully, his professionalism holds him back as he invites the Alpha inside.

Kaiden sees Damon and finally loosens his hold, as if the Alpha's presence alone is enough to calm him down. An unknown Beta woman passes him his clothes that he thought he left in another room.

“Thank you,” he says to the woman in a suit as he wipes his face with the back of his hand, a bit ashamed of his untidy appearance.

Lucy introduces herself to Kaiden before Damon commands her to wait outside. She closes the door on her way out, leaving the three of them alone to discuss their matters. Lucy tries not to be curious, it’s not part of her job to care about the president’s personal matters, but the Omega inside does pique her interest. It’s the first time she saw such a comical scene since working directly under Damon.

Inside, Dr. Medina adjusts his clothes in an attempt to regain his dignity. Damon remains standing as he watches the doctor shift through papers, saying nothing about the earlier misunderstanding.

“The tests came out as expected,” Dr. Medina begins. “You two have a 99.9% compatibility rate with each other. In layman's terms, you are ‘fated mates,’ and can begin treatment as soon as possible.”

Damon isn’t shocked by the results. Although he dreads it, he has also prepared himself since the earlier talk with the doctor. After all, he can’t possibly lead a large group if he can’t adapt to the unexpected quickly.

It’s Kaiden who has a bigger reaction, exclaiming, “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

Dr. Medina looks to Damon for a sign, but when the Alpha remains silent, he knows this cold-hearted man didn’t offer any explanation to the Omega before bringing him here. Afraid that Kaiden might grab his collar again, he decides to approach from a different angle. He turns to the Omega and asks, “It seems that Mr. Wester has a higher concentration of pheromones than normal. Have you been receiving regular reductions from the hospital?” 

“Yes, but I … stopped.”

Seeing Kaiden with his pink hair lowered and the skinny legs below the hospital gown, Dr. Medina’s fatherly instincts start with a rumble. He doesn’t ask when or why, so as not to embarrass the Omega. He’s a doctor so how can he not know how expensive those can get?

With a fake cough, he proceeds, “Well, you know how dangerous it is for unmated omegas with more pheromones than usual. You can go into heat at any time, and based on past reports, suppressants rarely work. Am I correct?”

“You’re right,” Kaiden mumbles.

“Luckily for you,” Dr. Medina says with a beaming smile. “You have someone here who can help.” He gestures to the Alpha that hasn’t said a word since coming in. “President Lin is currently afflicted with pheromone deficiency. Because you two are perfectly compatible with each other, you can share each other’s pheromones and hit two birds with one stone.”

“Really?” Kaiden’s big, bright eyes shine upon hearing Dr. Medina’s words, no trace of the tears that were streaming down his face.

“Yes, and if you regularly do so, both of your pheromone levels will return to normal with no side effects on either of your bodies.” His explanation makes him look more akin to a kindergarten teacher than a professional in the medical field, but who told him to be a softie at heart?

“How?” The Omega looks so obedient when asking the question, hands folded on his lap and ears perked at attention.

Dr. Medina’s old heart melts further. “It’s very easy. Pheromone sharing is done through an exchange of bodily fluids.” If Kaiden flinches and Damon sighs, the doctor pretends not to notice as he keeps his smile on. “Of course, the more intimate the act, the more effective it is.”