Perfect Omega Chapter 5.4 - Identification of Friend or Foe

—Our boss was very serious. Seriously, he even put out an “I found my omega” ad. He even abandoned the company.

“What are you talking about? When did the Captain abandon it? He was monitoring everything, listening to all the field reports.”

—He’s not taking on any new work. Our time is money.

“That’s true.”

Hugh quietly sided with John.

“You made sure only we can hear this, right?”

Cooper lowered his voice as much as possible, belatedly confirming.

—Of course. I value my life too, you know.

John was nonchalant, gossiping about his boss right in front of him.

—He desperately wants to get married, but something’s holding him back. He’s all riled up, but can he yell at Owen like he does to us? Can he just push him around and tell him to do it? I think he’s just taking out his frustrations while waiting for Chairman Rose to give him the go-ahead. Just cooperate. With the boss’s temper, he’s going to break something anyway, so it’s better he breaks these guys than lose it when we’re working.

Hugh, quick to understand, nodded first.

“That’s true.”

Cooper also readily agreed.

Hugh and Locke, standing a little distance away, completely removed their hands from their weapons. They turned to an observer stance, their rifles just resting against their chests.

John called it venting, but Hugh, having known Nick for a long time, knew better. Nick Stockton wasn’t the type to waste energy on something pointless like venting.

Just because someone knew how to use violence effectively didn’t mean they were violent by nature. While Nick Stockton’s problem-solving methods had a reckless side, he took ample time to consider before making reckless decisions.

In this line of work, there were plenty of frustrating situations. Conversely, there were also many frightening situations.

Whenever such situations arose, the Captain would tell them to shut up and just go. To stick to the original plan. Plans could change, but only the Captain, the field operator, made that decision. The rest followed.

And the Captain remembered the cost of all those variables and collected the money. Not out of spite. It might seem inhumane, but what was the point of acting impulsively? If they just followed the Captain’s orders, they were less likely to get hurt and made a lot of money.

For that reason, Hugh couldn’t agree that Nick had dragged him and Cooper along just to vent… but today, the Captain’s kicks seemed to be charged with emotion.

“Contractor?”

Cooper repeated the word that came out of the man’s mouth.

“The contractor became a fanatic?”

“Maybe the fanatics hired a contractor.”

“Or, someone hired a contractor to pretend to be a fanatic.”

Nick added from a few steps away. His voice and breathing were calm, as if he had been sitting on the sofa the whole time.

“Aha.”

“That makes more sense.”

There were no traces of religion or faith inside the disguised house, so the Captain’s guess seemed correct.

The bloodied man shook his head vigorously, as if he didn’t want to be hit anymore. He seemed to have heard Nick’s comment.

“But why disguise themselves as a new religious group to attack Chairman Rose?”

The Captain’s tone was so gentle that even they would have hoped they could survive if they told him everything.

“Th… that was the request.”

“What request? From whom?”

“…”

The fact that he had revealed his client would eventually be known. Once that happened, he wouldn’t be able to get any more work in this industry. The man hesitated, knowing this.

“Hugh.”

Nick called Hugh. As a long-time colleague, Hugh understood the unspoken words in Nick’s single syllable.

Cooper picked up a piece of clothing scattered on the sofa and shoved it into the mouth of one of the three men. As soon as Cooper straightened up, Nick swung and brought down a metal pipe he had found in the house. A scream was heard through the wad of clothes as the man’s pelvic bone shattered, but it wasn’t loud enough to be heard outside the house.

“I’m not showing you this because I expect camaraderie. Just count how many people are left until it’s your turn. For your information, a shattered pelvic bone is easier to clean up, but worse for the person who’s broken. If it fractures inwards and pierces a blood vessel, internal bleeding can cause shock, and if left untreated for a few hours, you might need to have your leg amputated.”

Then, he tossed the metal pipe lightly and stood in front of the man again. Everyone in the room, not just the man, tensed at the ferocious aura Nick exuded.

A truly expensive contractor would die before revealing their client. Occasionally, there were tough guys, regardless of their professional ethics, who wouldn’t open their mouths without a truth serum. Hugh and Cooper didn’t know which type this guy was. But Nick probably knew.

That was one of the exceptional abilities their boss possessed. Even in the short time it took to subdue four armed men, Nick must have accurately read who needed to be intimidated.

Nick’s employees and field colleagues always marveled at this, but Nick’s answer was simple. He just read it. Who was about to pull the trigger, who needed to be grabbed. Who was the strongest and who was the weakest. He could read it all in the atmosphere, in the subtle body language between people.

‘It’s you guys who are slow for not seeing it.’

That’s what the Captain said, but no one in any of the units he’d belonged to before joining Security Solutions had ever said such a thing.

What was certain was that Nick was targeting the person he judged to be the weakest under pressure among the four, and with long experience, Hugh and Cooper now simply trusted him.

“If you’re having trouble deciding, watch it again.”

Before Nick could even turn around, the man began to sob.

“I’ll… I’ll talk! Spare me!”

“Don’t stammer and get on with it. I have a short fuse.”

Nick’s tone remained monotonous.

“Contact only comes through a dark web messenger. We have no way to contact them. We don’t know who the client is, this is real. The messages always come one-way from their side.”

Nick dragged the chair the man was sitting in to the desk where the computer was placed.

“Log in.”

The man raised his trembling hand and turned on the screen. The window he brought up was as simple as the early days of the internet, almost crude.

Nick turned the monitor towards himself. As the man said, the messages were one-way. Even clicking on the person’s name on the screen didn’t open a new chat window. Only the past conversation logs were visible, and no text could be entered. It seemed impossible to initiate contact from this side.

Giving up on initiating contact, Nick looked through the past logs. The starting point of the messages, scrolling back quickly, went back years. But except for the recent messages, only timestamps were visible; the content of the messages was encrypted.

“Decrypt it.”

“I… I can’t. I don’t know the code.”

Even if they interrogated this man further, it seemed unlikely they’d get the code. Judging by the level of security measures in place, the client was obviously someone with a lot to protect.

“You may not know the code, but you must remember the requests. Recite them. What was this one?”

Nick pointed to the line before the helipad attack. And a month before that. A few months before that again. The man stammered, revealing only rough information.

“What? So, it was these guys, not just this time, but all the previous times too?”

Cooper, who had been listening, reacted with disbelief.

“We… we did some ourselves, but mostly we hired people.”

“Why do you do it that way?”

Nick asked.

“I don’t know why. That was also the client’s request, not to use the same group twice. At first, they sponsored a new religious group and had their followers protest, but that didn’t last long… later, they told us to establish our own. They funded all of that too.”

“…”

Nick listened silently.

“How did you receive the Acid Pheromones?”

“They told us the hidden location.”

“A dead drop?”

Cooper, who had been listening, interjected. The man nodded. A dead drop was a common method of drug trafficking.

Operatives a level below contractors, doing much smaller errands, were mobilized. They didn’t know who sent it, and they didn’t know who was picking it up. The couriers simply placed the delivered goods at the designated location. Then the next courier would move the goods to another location.

Sometimes it was a subway vent, sometimes inside the lid of a toilet tank in a restaurant restroom. Even if the carrier was caught, the original sender remained hidden. This method was only used for small-scale transactions, considering the possibility of the goods being stolen or seized by the police.

“They delivered that expensive stuff through a dead drop?”

It was becoming increasingly clear that the client didn’t care about money but was extremely concerned about concealing their identity.

“Then what about the person who died in jail? Your colleague?”

The man nodded in affirmation.

“Why did you do it yourselves this time? It was obvious you’d get caught.”

Cooper interjected, curious.

“They must have been nervous too. Acid Pheromones are expensive drugs, you know. Hard to get hold of. What if they entrusted it to someone who freaked out and ran off with it? There’s no guarantee they could get more. I think they did it themselves to be sure.”

Hugh answered instead, and the man confirmed with silence.

“But why didn’t you run after your colleague got caught? Did you believe they wouldn’t squeal?”

Cooper asked again.

“That’s right. He was lucky to die in jail, otherwise he would have been under investigation by now.”

“…Because you knew the investigation would be stopped. You killed him, didn’t you?”

The man fell silent again at Nick’s question. He was avoiding eye contact.

“Looks like it.”

Hugh answered instead, observing the man’s expression.

“They didn’t disband even after killing a colleague. They didn’t move their base, they just stayed put. That means… the request isn’t closed yet, it’s still open. Are they waiting for the next order? Targeting Chairman Rose?”

“What, they’ve already started something new? Then Chairman Rose is alone right now? Captain, isn’t that dangerous? Should we send someone to Rose Mansion?”

Hugh spoke urgently.

“No. It’s okay today.”

“Why? What makes you so sure?”

Nick tapped the monitor with his finger.

“They haven’t received a message yet.”

“Ah…”

As if finally understanding, Cooper nodded.

“So, you’re the ones who have been harassing my Owen for the past few years.”

“We just did what we were asked…!”

The man’s head snapped back as he lifted it to retort. Nick’s muzzle then pointed at the three other bound men. Three more muffled gunshots, suppressed by the silencer, rang out.

“John, clean this up.”

—Yes, Boss.

John responded to Nick’s call. There was a company that disposed of bodies and cleaned up scenes. They had to collect anything worth taking and leave before they encountered anyone. Hugh and Cooper quickly began searching the house.

“Nothing much here, Captain.”

“The basement’s clean too, but I found this in the bathroom.”

Cooper held up a medium-sized ziplock bag filled with powder.

“Drugs?”

“Probably Acid Pheromones.”

“They skimmed some off the top.”

A reasonable guess.

“Judging by where it was found, they were probably planning to use it themselves.”

Nick looked again at the four sprawled corpses. When he entered the house, he had sensed that all four were betas.

According to Sergeant Josh, Acid Pheromones were a drug cocktail made by mixing synthetic pheromones with existing drugs. Betas, curious to experience the sensation of pheromones exclusive to alphas and omegas, also used them. Sergeant Josh had also said that because of its high purity, only a very small amount should be used for safe enjoyment.

Nick estimated the amount in the ziplock bag Cooper was holding. This amount would have been enough for the four men here to use for at least six months.

This alone would be a considerable sum, so the original amount sent must have been much larger. Who in the world…?

It was said that the amount of Acid Pheromones circulating in the market was small. The narcotics unit hadn’t seized much either, meaning this person had access to the distribution channels.

“Send all the computers here to John. John, find out everything you can, and above all, find the source of the messages.”

The general public thought the dark web guaranteed 100% anonymity, but that was only in the early days. The dark web had been around for a long time, and technologies to identify individuals hidden behind codes already existed.

Users thought they were communicating with encrypted messages, but decoding programs were plentiful. Anonymity was ultimately achieved by bypassing VPNs, so with the right technology, it could be uncovered, even if it took time. And Nick’s company employed people specifically for that purpose.

—Yes, Boss. But listening to all this, I have a question. Why did they make them protest under different group names every time? They said it was hard to find them. Wouldn’t it be easier to just keep using obedient people?

“I thought that was inconvenient too.”

Cooper nodded, agreeing with John’s question.

“If one person spouts crazy talk, it’s just one crazy person, but if multiple people say the same thing, it makes people think something’s strange. Even if they’re labeled a cult, if multiple religious groups take turns protesting, it becomes pressure. It becomes a message.”

Even if it’s not true, if you hear it repeatedly, you tend to waver. Whoever the client was, they initially tried to pressure Owen socially. And as always, the violence escalated, culminating in the direct attack on the helipad.

Nick tightened his grip on the Sig Sauer in his hand.

—Boss, it’ll take about 40 minutes for the cleaners to get there.

“Understood.”

—And the team doc says he has something to say.

—Boss? I know you’re on a mission, so I’ll be brief. The analysis results of the medication you sent are in.

Adrenaline surged through Nick’s body. He felt the muscles throughout his body contract with tension. Depending on what came next, it would determine whether Owen’s health was truly compromised or not. Nick clenched his jaw and held his breath.

—It’s strange.

“What is?”

Nick’s voice dropped low.

—It is a suppressant.

“And?”

—The dosage is different. The ingredients are identical to the commercially available suppressants from Rose Pharmaceuticals, but the dosage is much lower.

Lower? That was an unexpected result.

“How much lower?”

—It’s… I wonder if it even has any effect? At this level, it’s practically a placebo.

“…”

Nick had expected the opposite. A suppressant with a lowered dosage? He’d have to meet with Dr. O’Reilly to understand what was going on.

❊

“So, this little one is your and Hugh’s joint creation?”

When Frank offered to let him hold the baby, Nick initially declined. Then, looking again, he thought it might be okay to practice holding a baby.

“How does it feel?”

After examining the baby’s features, Nick asked Frank for his impressions.

Frank, who had handed the baby back to Nick and leisurely lifted his coffee cup, offered a smile first.

“It feels like… getting a really expensive and nice gift for free?”

“Hmm.”

He kind of understood, kind of didn’t.

“But why are you here? Hugh will go back as soon as the operation is over. Is it okay to travel with such a young child?”

“He’s not that young.”

“Really?”

Nick lifted the baby and placed him on his leg. He had never seen a small child before, so he had no sense of how big or small this one was.

Well, they must have put him on the plane because he was able to fly.

Reaching a simple conclusion, Nick handed the baby back to Frank.

“I came to show him the city. If he just stays there, what will happen if all he does later is shoot guns or fish for catfish?”

Nick made a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t make that face, Boss. You’re going to raise your kid as a New York upper-classer.”

At the mention of “your kid,” Nick’s expression softened again, foolishly.

“My kid will learn to shoot guns too.”

Just then, Hugh came out holding a selection of bread. Frank quickly handed the baby to Hugh and dove for the fragrant bread, but Nick only tilted his coffee cup.

He wanted to rush straight home, but he had given up and come here after hearing that Frank had arrived.

He had entrusted Frank with a transport mission that he should have handled himself. It wasn’t particularly dangerous, but he had passed the work on, so he had to at least greet him in person.

He put down his coffee cup and looked at his wristwatch. He might, just might, be able to catch Owen on his way to work. Or he might miss him.

“Just go, Boss. You’re being ridiculous.”

Frank, a little quicker than Hugh, noticed Nick’s impatience first.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Hugh finally looked up from his plate.

“He’s practically shaking his leg, wanting to go home.”

He wasn’t shaking his leg, but he wasn’t going to refuse. Nick stood up immediately.

“Thanks. Upgrade to a family suite and stay as long as you like. Show the little one around the city.”

“See ya, Captain. But this bread is really soft? What did you do to it? The butter is delicious too.”

“Oh… seriously, butter is just butter. This is why they say soldiers have the palates of sewer rats!”

“We’re not soldiers, so it doesn’t matter.”

As usual, Hugh and Frank seemed to get along well.

❊

The house was quiet after he disarmed the security system and entered.

Nick took off his jacket and casually draped it over the banister. He slowly climbed the stairs with a flicker of hope, but the second floor was empty.

He wanted to crawl into a warm bed, but the diligent Owen didn’t indulge in such laziness.

As he climbed further, he began to hear sounds. The low hum of a machine. And light footsteps.

Long, shapely legs moved lightly on the treadmill. His hair had fluttered just like this the first time Nick saw him at the pier.

Owen’s shoulders were relaxed, and his head held steady in the correct position. Only his sweat-dampened hair swayed, maintaining the elegant curve of his neck. Even Owen’s running form was graceful.

Nick leaned against the doorframe of the gym.

He wished Owen would wear tighter clothes. Shorter and more fitted.

Unfortunately, the refined Owen didn’t wear revealing clothing, even when exercising. The only skin visible was the nape of his white neck, exposed above the boring workout clothes. A bead of sweat trailed down his damp neck and disappeared beneath his shirt. Nick swallowed.

The front of his pants began to feel uncomfortable. He must have been leaking some excited pheromones. He hadn’t intended to conceal his presence, so he hadn’t regulated them.

Owen, who had been running diligently, looking straight ahead, slowed down. He turned his head, his expression uncertain, as if confirming the scent he had caught.

“Nick?”

A welcoming smile instantly bloomed on his face. Owen called his name, his breath catching.

Nick strode forward, stopped the treadmill, and lifted Owen into his arms. Owen’s scent, thick with perspiration, wafted towards him.

“Nick!”

Owen’s welcoming smile turned into a blush of embarrassment.

Nick had buried his face in Owen’s neck. He licked the sweat that trickled down Owen’s skin.

“Nick… aren’t you even going to say hello?”

“I’m back. Were you well?”

“Yes… it’s a very stiff and soulless greeting, but I was well.”

Even as he said this, Owen smiled.

“Nick, wait. I was sweating so much just now.”

When Nick didn’t stop what he was doing, Owen tried to turn his head to avoid him. It was useless, though, as Nick followed his every move.

“I know. You’re trying to quickly get rid of the scent before anyone else smells it. So cooperate, Owen.”

“…Let’s shower together, then.”

Finally, Nick lifted his face from Owen’s neck and looked at him.

“Actually, the trip wasn’t good.”

“…?”

A look of confusion crossed Owen’s face.

“I think I’ll feel like I had a good trip if I can smell you a little more. Let’s go downstairs in a bit, Owen. I’ll wash you. For now, I need to smell you a little longer.”

He pulled Owen into his arms and tumbled onto the sofa.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a sofa, but a long bench without a backrest. The long seat, sometimes called a sofa bench, was upholstered in dark leather to match the gym. It had thick cushions, so it wouldn’t have hurt Owen even though Nick had laid him down rather forcefully.

Nick reached under Owen’s waist and pulled off his unappealing workout top, tossing it to the floor.

He turned Owen onto his stomach and traced the sweat on his back with his tongue.

“Ah…!”

Owen made a delightful sound when Nick nipped his earlobe.

Mirrors were placed throughout the gym so people could check their form. Owen’s face was reflected in the mirror opposite them. His face, partially obscured by sweat-dampened hair, held an expression of pleasure. There was still a hint of embarrassment, but the traces of arousal were stronger.

Nick released Owen’s earlobe and looked away from the mirror. He slowly licked his way down Owen’s back. Owen’s slender back trembled intermittently. Nick grasped Owen’s training pants and pulled them down.

“Nick, please. It’s too bright here. There are too many windows…”

“You know they can’t see in.”

There were many windows, but they were tinted, preventing anyone from seeing inside.

Nick moved back up and drank the remaining sweat droplets clinging to Owen’s wet hair. He trailed kisses down Owen’s neck. While kissing him, he gently stroked Owen’s side, moving up to caress his chest. A moan escaped Owen’s lips when Nick stimulated his nipples.

Still embarrassed, Owen’s hand covered Nick’s, intertwining their fingers. Nick left one hand captured there to reassure Owen, and continued licking the remaining sweat droplets, moving lower.

He paused, his lips resting on the small of Owen’s back, right above his tailbone. Glancing at Owen’s reflection in the mirror, Nick saw his face flushed with arousal. A subtle tension mingled with the excitement, the pleasant anticipation of what was to come.

A brief smile flickered across Nick’s face. Owen would be a little surprised.

“Nick!!”

A cry of startled surprise echoed through the room, and Nick felt Owen’s grip tighten on his hand. With his free hand, Nick wrapped his arm around Owen’s waist and pressed his face between Owen’s buttocks. Owen quickly became slick.

He couldn’t describe how much he’d wanted to lick there. He knew what rimming was. He’d had partners who wanted it, but Nick would rather have driven out to buy lube than do it. Licking between someone’s buttocks didn’t seem like it could ever be a pleasurable act for someone with senses as sensitive as his. So he hadn’t done it.

But, precisely because of his sensitive senses, he was intensely curious about the space between Owen’s buttocks. Nick firmly grasped Owen’s supple buttocks in both hands and spread them apart.

“Nick…! Wait!! Let’s wash up. After we wash up!”

Washing it away would defeat the purpose. Nick wanted to smell the primal scent. Owen’s unique, natural scent, before it was masked by the artificial fragrances of body products.

Nick buried his nose deeper between Owen’s glistening buttocks.

He heard his name called, like a scream, from somewhere far away, but he registered nothing. Owen’s scent was overwhelming his senses. Nick’s cock swelled painfully inside his still-fastened pants. He was so aroused he thought he might disgrace himself by knotting right there and then, all on his own.

Nick let out a guttural sound as he pressed closer to Owen. He spread Owen’s entrance with his fingers and inserted his tongue as deep as it would go.

He could stay like this, burying his tongue, inhaling only Owen, and live. His nose was pressed firmly against Owen’s perineum, but Nick didn’t care. He inhaled deeply.

If he followed his instincts, he would unbuckle his pants and thrust his swollen cock inside Owen. Or at least relieve himself with his hand. But instead of heightening his own sensations, Nick’s hand found Owen’s cock, already leaking precum in response to Nick’s ministrations.

“Hngh!”

A hot spurt erupted from the tip of Owen’s penis, intensifying the scent. He needed to taste that too, but he hadn’t realized until this moment that having only one mouth could be so frustrating.

Nick tilted his head, searching for an angle to push his tongue deeper. He nuzzled his nose against Owen and licked the slick that flowed along his inner walls.

He didn’t notice Owen’s fingers digging into the leather sofa.

He mistook the convulsive tremors of Owen’s inner walls for a welcoming embrace of his tongue, but Owen was already having his second orgasm. The scent of Owen, mingled with his semen, spilled onto the sofa.

If his brain were a circuit board, he would have smelled burning. He thought his penis, still constricted by his zipped pants, was burning hot, and then the inside of his pants felt hot, and then wet…?

“Nick, stop… please stop!”

He lifted his face, trying to comprehend this hot wetness, and then he began to hear Owen’s pleas.

“…”

Nick completely lifted his head from between Owen’s buttocks and sat up.

He slowly tilted his head down to look at the front of his pants. The buckle was still firmly fastened. The stain wasn’t very noticeable, thanks to the properties of denim.

But it was definitely… wet.

In the mirror opposite him, he saw himself, his face smeared with Owen’s fluids, wearing an expression of utter bewilderment. Nick ran a hand through his hair. This hadn’t happened even when he was a teenager.

“Owen…! If you knew what you’ve done to me…”

But his admiring exclamation died in his throat.

Owen, his naked body flushed with arousal, pushed Nick away. Wearing an expression Nick had never seen before, Owen glared at him fiercely and gracefully stepped off the sofa. His white, naked body, glistening between his thighs as much as Nick’s face, strode quickly away.

Why had Owen glared at him with such a hurt, almost tearful expression…?

He had even looked slightly… resentful.

Nick slowly rose to his feet, his posture awkward. He didn’t need to check; he was one hundred percent sure.

He was the one who wanted to cry. His inner alpha had been irrevocably wounded. Shouldn’t Owen, who had brought him to this state without even touching him, be preening with pride at his own allure?

“Ha…!”

He looked down again to confirm. It was undeniable. He had become aroused and come all on his own, without Owen so much as laying a finger, or even a glance, on him.

A dark secret, one he would take to his grave, had been born. He needed to make Owen promise never to reveal this, not even when their grandchild, let alone their child, was born. But judging by the look Owen had just given him, that seemed highly unlikely right now.

❊

“Owen, are you still angry?”

Nick carefully placed a cup of coffee in front of Owen, gauging his mood.

Nick had showered on the third floor. Collecting the shattered remnants of his pride had taken longer than he’d realized, and he’d missed his chance to follow Owen downstairs. He’d used the bathroom in the guest room, the one he’d been shown when he first arrived at Rose Mansion, for the first time this morning, and it would be the last. It had to be the last.

“If I had known you disliked it, I would have stopped. I think I misinterpreted your reaction. I’m sorry.”

Owen had been aroused too. But the fact that he had fled as soon as Nick released him suggested there had been an element he disliked. Or perhaps he had been too embarrassed to continue.

“I didn’t dislike it.”

A sigh of relief escaped Nick’s lips. Thankfully, Owen wasn’t so angry that he wouldn’t even speak to him.

“No… I did dislike it, but…”

Nick tensed again.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Sigh…”

Owen let out a long sigh, unlike him, and then covered his forehead with his hand. His cheeks seemed slightly flushed.

“That’s… because you didn’t seem to be listening to me… and what you did…”

Ah. This was clearly the color of shyness.

Nick wanted to laugh, but he bit the inside of his cheek. If he laughed now, he might not get away with just using the third-floor bathroom. That would be too cold and lonely.

“It was good.”

Owen finally confessed his true feelings.

“That’s a relief.”

Nick breathed another sigh of relief.

“But let’s not do it again for a while.”

“…! But Owen, you said you liked it? Or if you tell me what part you were uncomfortable with, I’ll try to fix it next time. Ah, if you didn’t like doing it in a bright place, we can turn off the lights next time.”

“Nick… please. We’re at the breakfast table.”

Owen whispered as if they were in a public place.

“Understood. Let’s talk later.”

It seemed like this topic needed to be dropped for now.

“By the way, Owen, could I have a checkup with Dr. O’Reilly? There’s something I’d like to check.”

“Oh…!”

“There’s nothing wrong with me, so don’t make that face. I don’t know any doctors in New York, and since he’s your doctor, I thought I’d meet him.”

“Of course. I’ll make an appointment for you. Ah… wouldn’t it be better to refer you to an alpha center? Dr. O’Reilly is an omega.”

“Please don’t bother. It’s just a basic checkup. Wait a minute, let’s go together. I’ll just grab my clothes and come down.”

Nick stood up, making sure Owen couldn’t send him anywhere else.

❊

“I’d like to stay with you, but…”

Owen’s phone rang again before Nick could finish.

“It’s okay, Owen. Go to work.”

“If anything feels off, please contact me immediately.”

Worry clouded Owen’s eyes.

“Nothing will be wrong. See you at home.”

Nick gently pushed Owen’s back. He had come here for a reason, after all.

“Dr. O’Reilly.”

Nick extended his hand to the middle-aged man who had been waiting quietly while the two lovers said goodbye.

“Mr. Stockton.”

Dr. O’Reilly grasped Nick’s hand and shook it without any hesitation. He even seemed to be welcoming Nick warmly.

“What seems to be the trouble?”

O’Reilly asked, like a doctor.

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t need an examination. Let me see Owen’s test results.”

O’Reilly’s welcoming expression turned awkward.

“That’s private patient information. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that I can’t show you that, Mr. Stockton.”

“Then let me start with a question. Are you the one who gave Owen the false diagnosis of ‘abnormal’?”

The welcoming expression vanished completely. O’Reilly no longer bothered to hide his displeasure.

“Are you a reporter? Is this how you approach people now? Whatever it is, if you sell even a single line from what I say, you’ll face a lawsuit. I haven’t agreed, and I won’t. Does the Chairman know who you are?”

“I’m not a reporter. I’m not trying to harm Owen, so calm down. And it seems like you should be the one hearing that question, not me. Does Owen know?”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Mr. Stockton.”

If it weren’t for Chairman Rose bringing him here, it seemed like O’Reilly would have thrown him out.

“You gave Owen a lowered dosage of his medication. Does Owen know? Does he know that the medication specifically prescribed for him is practically a placebo?”

“How did you…?”

O’Reilly’s face paled dramatically.

“You work at a research institute funded by a foundation operated with Chairman Owen Rose’s personal funds, yet you’re deceiving your benefactor… how long has this been going on? Are you even conducting any research at this institute?”

Now, O’Reilly’s face turned red.

“How… how did you? Does the Chairman know?”

Nick sat on the edge of the desk, arms crossed. He quietly observed the changing expressions on O’Reilly’s face. Embarrassment and guilt. There were many kinds of guilt.

“Whether Owen finds out or not depends on your answer. Why did you do it?”

Hearing that Owen wouldn’t immediately learn the truth, O’Reilly showed visible relief. He stumbled to his chair and collapsed onto it.

“No matter how few side effects Rose Pharmaceuticals’ suppressants have, no one can guarantee the long-term consequences of daily use.”

“Is this a confession?”

“No, it’s not that… Rose Pharmaceuticals’ suppressants are definitely the safest medication. I’ve taken them, I’m still taking them, and I recommend them to others. If you’re trying to dig up some pharmaceutical scandal, you’re completely mistaken. It will be a waste of your time. I guarantee it with my career.”

“Don’t bother with guarantees, your career already seems to be at risk. You’re deceiving your biggest benefactor.”

“…”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t doubt the effectiveness of suppressants. But medicine is medicine. We take them for their main effects, but they always come with side effects. Owen is still so young, how can we know what the long-term consequences of daily use will be?”

“So you created a placebo?”

“I did suggest lowering the dosage.”

“But he wouldn’t have thought you’d reduce it without consulting him.”

If Owen had known, he wouldn’t have been so obsessive about taking it. He seemed to believe that the suppressant he took daily was highly effective.

“Owen doesn’t need suppressants.”

“Then you should have told him that. If you’re a real doctor.”

Overwhelmed by Nick’s accusation, O’Reilly covered his head with his hands. He remained like that for a while, head bowed.

“…”

Nick decided to wait until O’Reilly calmed down.

A few minutes must have passed. O’Reilly unclasped his hands and straightened up. He placed his hands on his knees and slowly began to speak.

“I have nothing to say to that accusation… but I have always advised him that he could stop taking the medication at any time, that it was enough to take it only before and after his heat cycle. It’s in my medical records.”

Despite claiming patient confidentiality, O’Reilly opened a tablet and held it out. Nick accepted it without hesitation and read Owen’s medical records.

Dr. O’Reilly was telling the truth. Owen Rose’s medical chart, going back years, was a repetition of the same advice.

Nick didn’t stop there; he began to scour all the information connected to Owen’s chart.

When he opened Owen’s medical record, he expected to find at least something unusual. Because of what he had sensed. But Owen’s chart seemed very… ordinary.

“How strong is Owen?”

He chose to ask directly. Nick closed the tablet.

“I don’t know.”

O’Reilly didn’t try to evade the question. Perhaps seeing that Nick wouldn’t be reading the records anymore, he took the tablet from Nick’s hand, closed the cover, and set it aside.

“Was there anyone else besides Dr. O’Reilly who examined Owen after the accident?”

“No. I probably know the most about Owen.”

“You just said you didn’t know.”

Some people became angrier when caught hiding something, but O’Reilly didn’t seem to be one of them. Rather, he seemed to be the type to give up quickly. The middle-aged doctor opened his mouth again, his expression weary.

“Owen seems to have been born with an exceptionally strong trait. At the time of the accident, Owen’s pheromone levels were very high. Very, very high.”

O’Reilly held Nick’s gaze to emphasize his words.

“…”

“Let’s just say I’ve never seen a graph like that before or since. It was hours after the accident that he was brought to the hospital. Since that was the reading hours later, we can assume it was even higher at the moment of the accident. I admit, both I and the Roses were initially at a loss as to how to interpret it.”

O’Reilly must have been talking about Owen’s parents when he mentioned the Roses.

“The hospital initially dismissed it as a measurement error. I agreed and let it go. Only Owen… for some reason, he believed it wasn’t an error. He thought there was a problem with his pheromone regulation and became obsessed with managing his health. You’ve probably noticed.”

“You mean the medication?”

“Not just that… he lives like a monk. He’s terrified of losing his balance. If you saw how much he trembles at the thought of deviating even slightly from the definition of healthy, standard, and normal, you’d understand why I couldn’t decide whether to give him the medication or not.”

Until now, Nick had only admired Owen’s impressive physique. The strict diet, regular exercise, handful of supplements, and fake suppressants were all efforts by Owen, who believed himself abnormal, to correct himself.

“Dr. O’Reilly, if you truly care about Owen, shouldn’t you tell him the truth instead of prescribing him placebos?”

Nick still suspected O’Reilly was exploiting Owen’s vulnerability to maintain his prestigious position as the Rose Pharmaceuticals chairman’s physician and his comfortable life at the lab.

“I admit I haven’t been completely honest with him as his doctor. But whenever Owen gets anxious, he needs a check-up and confirmation that he’s normal. I thought I needed to be there for him. …It was Chairman Noel’s request that I leave the Omega Center and join the lab. As long as I kept quiet, nothing that happened in the lab would get out. Mr. Stockton, I’m not telling you this because you have something on me.”

O’Reilly lifted his chin defiantly.

“You’re the first alpha Owen has ever brought around as someone he’s with. I sincerely hope you’re as serious as Owen is. Otherwise, if you’re trying to use him, I’ll use every year of my life to expose you as a liar.”

“…”

“…”

Silence hung between them. O’Reilly radiated the most hostile energy he had shown since Nick entered the room.

“You don’t seem to have that kind of power, Doctor. But to answer your question, I am serious. Now, stop playing dumb and tell me everything you know about Owen’s abilities.”

Disappointed that he hadn’t even received an attempt at persuasion, O’Reilly looked momentarily flustered by Nick’s indifferent attitude. But he seemed to quickly resign himself, letting out a long sigh before speaking.

“Owen Rose… isn’t your average omega. Let’s forget the terms normal and abnormal for a moment. I don’t know the mechanism, but he seems to be able to defend himself against unwanted alpha pheromones. He doesn’t just lessen the impact; he seems to be able to repel or reject them completely. Owen knows this much.”

Owen doesn’t perceive it as defense, but as an attack.

“What we don’t know is under what circumstances this ability activates. He needs to understand that to gain confidence in his control, and only then will he try to stop taking suppressants. To find out what triggers it, we’d have to experiment, but we can’t go any further than that, so we’re stuck. We can’t recreate the incident that day, and we can’t provoke Owen to test it.”

If they did, it would be abuse.

“Since his pheromone levels spiked only that one day, the hospital stopped paying attention. I briefly considered publishing a paper on this anomaly. Maybe someone else in the world has a similar case and would contact us. It might have been helpful.”

“I hope you didn’t.”

“I know what you’re worried about.”

O’Reilly nodded emphatically.

“I had the same concerns, which is why I stopped. Mad scientists aren’t just in movies. It’s so easy to lose touch with reality in the closed-off environment of a lab. More importantly, Owen’s pheromones were outside the normal range for only that one day. Maybe that day really was just an error. What Owen needs isn’t a chart, but faith in himself.”

“…”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just that one day. Nick knew of another instance. He hadn’t measured Owen’s pheromone levels, but he was sure Owen’s ability had activated that night, due to Nick’s own mistake. Damn it.

Nick pushed himself away from the desk.

“After talking to you, I realize we want the same thing.”

“And what’s that?”

O’Reilly’s expression showed his disagreement.

“To get rid of Owen’s pill bottles.”

Everything in that vault-like cabinet.

“…How do you plan to do that?”

“Bonding. Do you have a better idea?”

“I believe I just explained how Owen reacts to forced bonding.”

O’Reilly’s face hardened.

“I understand if your first impression of me was negative, but you’re mistaken. Ask Owen. He agreed to it.”

It’s just a matter of timing.

“Oh, I just remembered one more question.”

“What is it?”

O’Reilly’s tone made it clear he wanted Nick to leave.

“What happens to an omega, generally speaking, when threatened by an alpha’s pheromones? Their mood, physical reactions, anything.”

“That’s covered in basic education.”

O’Reilly clearly wanted Nick gone.

“I know. I’m looking for a firsthand account. Not a dry, few-line explanation.”

Owen hadn’t looked well at the interim board meeting. He’d said himself that he wasn’t feeling well. If it had happened repeatedly, Nick would have intervened sooner, but as far as he could tell, it was a one-time occurrence.

He could ask Owen, but that would bring back memories of that night’s mistake, and he wanted to avoid that. He’d planned to address it after resolving the bigger issue, but since he had an expert in front of him, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.

“Nausea, headaches. Severe ones. Then fever and chills.”

It sounded like a terrible flu.

“Oh…now that you mention it, I remember. It was so long ago I’d completely forgotten. I just remembered making that alpha bastard puke all over his shoes.”

“…!”

A curse word slipped from the usually composed O’Reilly’s mouth. His face was deeply furrowed.

This was much more helpful than dry text.

“And then I didn’t eat for a long time. Partly because of the nausea, but also because my appetite, my will to live, just plummeted for a while. Of course, this varies from person to person.”

As if reliving the experience, O’Reilly put down the water bottle he’d been about to drink.

“Do you mind if I ask how many there were?”

“How many what? Oh, alphas?”

Nick simply nodded.

“Just one, of course. If there were more, it would have been a serious crime, and I would have reported it. One was more than enough to make me feel disgusted.”

“…”

Owen had been exposed to the pheromones of multiple alphas.

He’d thought he had time, but he didn’t. The bonding was urgent. As soon as this was over, he needed to seriously persuade Owen.

❊

The name on his phone screen was Aunt Melissa.

“Yes, Aunt Melissa.”

—I did some digging…

Owen smiled and looked away from the screen he’d been looking at. An abrupt start like this was Aunt Melissa’s signal that she was about to launch into a long conversation.

“I’m on my way to work. I only have about ten minutes.”

—You heartless boy. Alright, I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t know you were busy, would I?

He couldn’t help being called heartless. If he let her go on, Aunt Melissa’s calls easily stretched past thirty minutes.

“What did you dig up?”

Owen steered the conversation back to the original topic before it branched off elsewhere.

—Oh, right. I looked into your alpha.

Your alpha.

Owen’s smile widened.

—I checked out that security firm. They’re not completely unknown. Well, assuming that man really is the Stockton. He seems to own a fair amount of property under the Stockton name. But why Mississippi of all places? Make sure the prenuptial agreement states that you have custody of any children. No, wait, why not suggest moving the company too? Mississippi is too far. Or… if he’s willing to move the company to Florida, we could help. Wouldn’t it be easy to find clients who need security services there?

Florida was just as far. What Melissa really meant was that she wanted Nick’s company to be in a major city, somewhere she could brag about.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

This was the one skill Owen had mastered when dealing with his relatives’ meddling. He would ultimately do what he wanted, but his response was always to “keep it in mind.”

—What was that?

This wasn’t directed at him. Judging by the slightly distant voice, someone must have spoken on the other end. That meant the call would likely end soon.

Owen looked out the car window, waiting for Melissa to say she had to go. Traffic was slow. The scenery outside crawled past.

—Yes, it was my husband. He saw Nick at Grange this morning but couldn’t say hello. He wanted me to let him know, in case Nick saw him and got the wrong idea.

Half-listening, Owen stopped looking out the window. He thought he’d heard something strange.

“This morning?”

He heard her confirm with her husband, “This morning, right?”, and waited silently.

—Right, this morning. He said he stopped by to pick up breakfast on his way to his morning workout.

Melissa and her husband frequented a private golf club. It wasn’t the kind of place that served food so bad you had to buy it elsewhere. That was a bit odd.

—That’s the problem, actually.

Before he could ask, Melissa started explaining.

“Problem?”

—They had this drone food delivery service, how ridiculous is that? Why do people do these things? Why not just have someone bring it over? They were showing off some new technology, and someone got hit by a stray drone. The drone, being a machine, just broke, but food went flying all over the green, what a mess.

Her husband seemed to be launching into a full recount of the incident, but Melissa ignored him and continued speaking to Owen.

—They could have just gone back to using people, but for some reason they’ve temporarily suspended the service. Showing off new things only hurts the members. Anyway, tee times are early, so you get hungry. Their pastries are the best around here… no, honestly, they’re the best in Manhattan.

Grange. That’s where Nick had been going every morning to buy freshly baked pastries, saying he wanted Owen to enjoy them.

But until this morning, Nick had been elsewhere. He’d said he was briefly leaving New York for work. Owen hadn’t asked for specifics, but he’d definitely said he was going to a different region.

Come to think of it, there had been Grange croissants this morning. The thoughtful man must have remembered to get him breakfast even on his way back from a trip. Owen felt foolish for even momentarily doubting him. Imagining Nick doing that warmed his heart.

—I was going to say hello, but he had someone with him, and honestly, my husband was about to get in his car. He says you get lazy when you get old, you’ll understand. But who was that with him?

“Someone…with him?”

The smile slowly faded from Owen’s lips.

—Yes. He said he was holding a child? Who was it? Some tourist passing by?

Owen’s thoughts, which he’d been trying to organize around the idea of a thoughtful man, suddenly became tangled.

“Aunt Melissa, I have to go.”

—Oh? Is it that late already?

The call ended with a goodbye. Owen slowly lowered his phone to his lap.

Grange was popular with tourists as well as locals. His uncle must have been mistaken.

“…”

He’d said they looked like they were together. Owen couldn’t accept that explanation.

A colleague, maybe?

But if it was a colleague, the child didn’t make sense…

He wouldn’t meet with anyone from his company, whether from the secretarial pool or an executive, outside with their child, especially not first thing in the morning.

But then again… Nick’s office wasn’t here. So maybe he had nowhere else to go.

But who was it?

It was possible Nick had someone close enough to have breakfast with on a public street. The fact that it happened this morning, of all mornings, kept nagging at Owen.

This morning, in the gym, they’d shared a shockingly intimate moment.

Instead of rushing back to him, he was sitting there… and then he came home and…

“…!”

Owen felt as if he’d been slapped, and he instinctively raised his hand to his cheek. Of course, it didn’t sting. It was irrational to feel betrayed when nothing had been confirmed.

He understood, but his mind had gone blank. He couldn’t think straight.

His facial muscles were still stiff when the car stopped. The door would open soon. Owen put his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath.