Once the unruly customer was kicked out and banned for life, Mihoshi hurried to the office on the third floor to report the incident.

Sitting behind a polished wooden desk, Madam Nadeshiko took a drag off her pipe and blew out a stream of smoke. Her dyed jet black hair was done in a tight bun, adorned with a butterfly hair pin; its sapphire gemstone gleamed in the light. Contrary to the modern furniture and decoration of the office and the building in general, the owner of Red Lotus was always dressed in a traditional kimono.

“Good job. Are you hurt?” Madam Nadeshiko asked.

Mihoshi shook his head, a bright grin on his lips. “Thankfully, not this time. He was underestimating me too much that he didn't even realize what happened. Ah, I wish all problem customers were like him. No broken glass, no broken bones…everyone can go home without a bloody nose.”

Madam Nadeshiko scoffed. “This isn't a fight club, boy.”

“Exactly!” Mihoshi snapped his fingers in agreement. “But they're the ones who brought the fight here!”

A smile grazed Madam Nadeshiko's hardened expression. She pulled out an envelope from the drawer and slid it across the desk. “I'm glad to have you around.”

Mihoshi took the envelope with a polite bow. “And I'm glad to earn the extra pay. I would be rolling in money if they keep coming.”

“Don't push your luck.” Madam Nadeshiko waved Mihoshi out of the office.

Mihoshi closed the door behind him and trotted down the hallway, slipping the envelope into the inner pocket of his vest. The feeling of the paper pressed close to his chest was a comfort he relished in. More money is always good.

Because of the nature of the omega club, Red Lotus couldn't hire alphas as guards or bouncers, so all the servers were betas trained in some form of self-defense for situations like this. Mihoshi was one of the best. His second-dan black belt in aikido spoke of his true skills and experiences, but what was more important was his courage to confront an alpha on the verge of losing control.

Alphas reigned at the top of society. Intelligent, strong, good-looking, charismatic. Everything that made a perfect person, an alpha would possess those traits. They exuded a natural desire to dominate, like a predator fighting for its territory. When aggression took over their senses, alphas could become extremely violent and ruthless, as though they needed to prove their dominance by using their pheromones to force others into submission.

Their counterparts were the omegas. Seductively beautiful, alluring, able to bear a child regardless of their body, omegas often were mistakenly known as prey, but their hypnotizing beauty and irresistible pheromones tempted and captivated alphas like putting dogs on a leash. While an alpha could dominate an omega with physical strength, an omega could just as easily arouse an alpha to oblivion.

During an alpha's rut and an omega's heat, their pheromones overpowered their rationalities, and all they could think about was to mate and satisfy their carnal pleasure. Sex, of course, appeased their arousal and lust, but more effective than mere physical connections was the exchange of pheromones in the high peak of their frenzy. Only an omega's pheromones could placate an agitated alpha's rut, and vice versa. After all, nature made alphas and omegas reliant on each other.

As for betas…well, they were simply ordinary people. Unable to sense or be affected by pheromones, betas had no worries about ruts or heats, living their lives with no outstanding characteristics—neither the insane strength of alphas nor the natural beauty of omegas. To gain acknowledgement and achievement, betas had no choice but to work hard and fight their way up the social ladder to where the alphas sat. Some say that betas had it rough. Some say that betas were undermined because most people preferred those with secondary traites—alphas and omegas. However, although betas didn't have any particular special traits, they were free from the shackles of beastly instincts.

“Mihoshi-san!”

At the bottom of the stairway, a petite omega host waved an enthusiastic hand, a large grin brimming on his round face. Blond hair curled out on his thin shoulders, his stunning green eyes curved up in a smile. He was decked out in a black crop-top that didn't even try to cover his flat stomach, ripped denim booty shorts hanging low on his hips, and platform boots that gave him an extra three inches. Even still, he was shorter than Mihoshi.

Number one male omega host in Red Lotus, Amemiya Tsuyu’s booking list hardly had any extended periods of downtime. He held the highest record of returning clients, virgin graduations, and bodycounts of elite executives, celebrities, and very, very, important people. When asked what his secret was, Tsuyu's answer was always: “Why don't we find out in a private room?”

Tsuyu bounced on his heels as Mihoshi descended the stairs. “I heard about room 210!”

“Word travels fast, huh?” Mihoshi chuckled, accepting Tsuyu's arms around his elbow.

“I wish I was there to witness it! Someone said you threw him over your shoulders?”

“It was a wrist reversal throw, and no, you do not want to be there.” Mihoshi walked with Tsuyu towards the open floor. “The alpha was pouring out his pheromones like nobody's business. Yuki-san is being taken to the clinic because of it. Any second later, it would have been bad.”

“Aren't you afraid of alphas?” Tsuyu blinked his large, cat-like eyes.

Mihoshi raised an incredulous eyebrow and almost laughed at the question. “Why would I? Pheromones don't affect me at all.”

“Even so, alphas are physically stronger, especially when they've lost their mind.”

“That’s true. But there's nothing to be afraid of. Without pheromones, alphas are just a bulkier, stronger person. Like a boxer of a different weight class, or maybe a more seasoned third-dan or fourth-dan. Yes, they're stronger, but I can take the hits and give them some.”

“Wow, you're really fearless.” Tsuyu snickered.

“The hazard pay's great.” Mihoshi patted his vest, openly proud of the envelope tucked against his chest.

Tsuyu rested his head on Mihoshi's shoulder. “Just promise you won't fight a dominant alpha.”

Tsuyu's unexpected request froze Mihoshi in place. “A…dominant alpha?”

“You know they're way above a regular alpha in every aspect. And their pheromones are much more dangerous, not just in the arousal sense, but apparently, they can also kill someone with it. You’ll still be unaffected by the pheromones, but dominant alphas are quite scary. Like a monster in human skin.” Tsuyu straightened up to look at Mihoshi. “Surely, you wouldn't be so reckless to fight a beast, right?”

Mihoshi stared at Tsuyu, his brows drawn together, a silent turmoil brewing inside him when the memories slowly dripped into his present mind. He pursed his lips together and avoided Tsuyu's dumbfounded look.

“Mihoshi-san…no way…”

Tsuyu's pupils dilated, a dust of pink flashed across his cheeks.

Recognizing the physical signs, Mihoshi gasped. “Why are you releasing your pheromones?”

“That—that's not important, did you—really?” Tsuyu grabbed Mihoshi's arms and turned him so they were facing each other. “Are you serious?!”

Regret tickled the back of his tongue, but Mihoshi knew there was no way out when Tsuyu was making those sparkling doe eyes. Finally, he muttered, “Yeah…I did. I fought a dominant alpha before.”

“Are you insane?! Who?! When?! Does Madam know about it?! Did you win?! Oh my god! Mihoshi-san, you are crazy!”

Mihoshi belatedly smacked his hand against Tsuyu's mouth to quieten the sudden onslaught. Luckily, the staff and clients were too preoccupied to listen to their banter. Still, the bitter memories didn't do his stomach any good and Mihoshi whispered, “It was a long time ago, okay? Way back in high school. I was stupid and reckless, yeah. I was only a brown belt then, and he wasn't trained in any martial arts. Physically, we weren't that much different…”

It was at the back of the school, the same spot where they first ran into each other, where their lives had intertwined by sheer chance because there was no way they could have known of each other's existence otherwise. Mihoshi remembered the subtle scent of early cherry blossoms, the chilly breeze fluttering his hair. Up till now, the incident on that day left him with many questions he could not fathom answers to. They were best friends. Actually, more than friends. The things that Mihoshi did before that incident might have been a factor, but he still didn’t understand how their last conversation as students could lead them to throw hands.

Maybe he would never know why.

Thinking about that day pained his heart. He could almost feel the hot breath muttering rage at him, the long fingers tightening around his neck. He remembered wondering how it all went wrong, why he made up such a lie, why he so foolishly tried to run away.

Yeah, it was his fault.

He deserved it.

Mihoshi forced a half-hearted smile to his lips. 

“It wasn't even a fight. It was just a one-sided beating.”