Omega forgetting to bring a heat suppressant is the same as cops forgetting their guns. You’re just inviting trouble for yourself.

I grabbed her and pulled her toward my car. My keys were still lying near the first tire; I must’ve dropped them earlier. I unlocked the door, opened the glove compartment, and pulled out a small blue pouch. From it, I took out a few heat suppressant pills and handed them to Tanya. Her reaction was immediate.

"To—Tony, why do you have those?" she asked, visibly shaken.

"That's not important right now." I handed her the bottle of water I kept near the gear shift. "Quick, take them. The security will be here any minute."

Her eyes welled. “Y-You really c-called the security?”

"Take it." My voice was harsher than I intended. But she needed to act now, not question me.

Without another word, she nodded and swallowed three pills in one go. She sank into the passenger seat, silent and shaking. I shut the door and leaned against the side of the car, waiting.

It took security ten goddamn minutes to show up. Six of them finally ran in, looking around like they’d just remembered how to do their jobs, and two spotted me.

“What happened, sir?” one asked.

After a brief summary, I cut in, “Why the hell were you all so late? If I weren’t here, that guest could’ve—” I stopped short, jaw clenched.

“I deeply apologize, sir!” one of them stammered. “The utility vehicles were all locked. We had to run.”

I wanted to scream. “I’ll speak to the Head of Security tomorrow. One emergency vehicle needs to be accessible at all times. This isn't a joke.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Take care of the guest. He’s back there.” I pointed toward where I’d left him unconscious.

They rushed to check on him, then carried him off. Once I confirmed the guy wasn’t dead, I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Tanya sat still, arms crossed tight around her stomach. Her voice came like a whisper.

“I’m sorry… You had to witness—”

“Tanya,” I cut her off. “What happened to you was not your fault. Don’t apologize.”

“I didn’t—”

“You didn’t ask him to attack you. That’s the end of it.”

She nodded, a single tear slipping down her cheek. It hurt to see her like that—reduced from the warm, cheerful woman I knew to this pale, trembling shell.

After a pause, she asked, more composed this time, “How did you manage to keep your sub-gender hidden with those?”

I glanced over. She was staring at the heat suppressants on the dashboard.

So she figured it out. A Beta or Alpha wouldn’t carry those around.

“I’ll explain once we reach my place,” I said.

She nodded. We drove the rest of the way in silence.

***

When we reached, it was nearly midnight. I unlocked the door and immediately heard Twen’s small voice from the bedroom.

“Mommy, is that you?”

He was still awake?!

“Munchkin, why are you still up?” I called back.

He came out the moment he heard me, but froze when he saw Tanya. She, too, looked surprised, and maybe a little suspicious. I could practically see the gears turning in her head.

They’d met before, but not this late at night.

Twen’s face shifted through confusion and irritation, and I couldn’t help but feel a little amused. He had reacted to Fred the same way.

“Won’t you greet her?” I said gently.

“He—hello,” Twen muttered.

“Hey, Twen,” Tanya replied. Her tone was soft but cautious.

I asked her to sit, then went to wash up. When I came back out, Twen was still standing in the living room, sulking.

“Why are you still up?”

“I was worried,” he pouted.

I kneeled beside him. “I’m so sorry to worry you. I’ll try my best not to let it happen again, okay?”

“Okay,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be mad, munchkin.” I ruffled his hair. “Now go to bed. You’ve got school tomorrow, remember?”

He hesitated, then said, “Mum, we have a sports event next month.”

I knew what that meant. Last year, I’d missed it, but this year, I wouldn’t.

“I’ll be there,” I promised.

“REALLY?” His whole face lit up.

“Yes.”

He threw his arms around me in a quick hug before skipping back to his room with a gleeful “Goodnight!”

I walked to the kitchen and returned with two steaming mugs of coffee. Tanya accepted hers in silence, her eyes following me.

“How do you manage?” she asked after a moment.

I sipped. “Twen’s a mature kid. If he weren’t so—”

“No,” she interrupted. “I mean… being an Omega and a male Omega at that.”

So that’s what she really wanted to ask.

I put my mug down, lifted my hair, and turned so she could see the bite mark on my nape.

Her gasp was audible. I let my hair fall back and sat down, taking another sip.

There was a long silence.

Finally, she asked, her voice low and serious, 

“Who is your bonded Alpha?”