Episode 18

Eley spotted him standing there, covering his nose and clutching his backpack. He longed to approach because his only desire was to touch him. He just wanted to be close to him and that was all. His body nearly uncontrollably craved Lukyan.

His body was hot, the fever escalating. The pheromones he was beginning to secrete grew more potent, causing Lukyan to feel disgusted, the urge to vomit overwhelming him, alongside a raging anger. As Eley almost crawled towards him on the floor, Lukyan stepped back, simply threw down his backpack and left, slamming the bathroom door behind him, indifferent to Eley's fate.

The redhead attempted to speak, to call out to him, and although his clarity was clouded by the heat that had seized him, he still became painfully aware of what had occurred. He realized Lukyan knew everything, and the image of the disgust Lukyan had felt upon discovery was sharply etched in his mind.

Somehow managing to grab his backpack, he retrieved his phone. The call alert beeped once, then again, until an answer came from the other line.

"Hello?" Cheng's voice came through.

Eley breathed noisily, eyes closed, gripping the phone tightly.

"Eley? Are you okay?"

Cheng listened to the labored breathing, knowing him well enough to guess the rest, and without needing more details, he asked, "Where are you?"

"Bathrooms," Eley replied, shuffling to lean his back against the wall, slowly sinking down. "University bathrooms."

"I'm on my way."

Minutes later, when the door swung open, Cheng appeared, visibly exhausted from running. He rushed to Eley, touching his forehead still ablaze with fever. Scanning the vicinity, he saw no one else around. His only thought was to get Eley out before anyone else arrived, aware that a confrontation with an Alpha would not end well. Eley clung to him, burying his face in Cheng's neck, desperate for his scent.

"Help me," he whispered. "Cheng, help me, I can't take it anymore. I need to see Lukyan."

Cheng took his backpack, then lifted Eley from the ground.

"We'll get out of here fast. My car's outside, just hang on a little longer."

"Call Lukyan," Eley repeated. "It's his fault."

"Came into heat because of Lukyan?" Cheng inquired, unable to stop his mind from running wild with possible reasons for the sudden onset. He contemplated the reality that Lukyan now knew everything.

Eley pressed closer, seeking Cheng's scent, as they hastened down the corridor. Cheng vigilantly scanned their surroundings, eager to avoid any Alphas that might be provoked by Eley's condition.

Once at the parking lot, he hurried Eley into the car and circled around to the driver's side. Timing was crucial—not out of a desire to have sex with Eley, but to keep him safe from the Alphas.

"We'll be home soon, just give me a minute," Cheng promised, but Eley was near desperation.

He just wanted the intense heat in his body to dissipate. He longed for someone's touch to quell the turmoil, yet while he often settled for Cheng's comfort, it wasn't what he craved now. His heart, thoughts, and every beat called out for the Alpha, imagining Lukyan over him, kissing him and more, fueling his sexual desire relentlessly.

"I'm burning up," Eley murmured and began to undress.

"No, wait," said Cheng.

He grabbed Eley's hands to keep him still, the task proving nearly impossible. Cheng had had enough, having had to abruptly leave work to come for him. Once they reached his apartment, he parked and swiftly moved Eley inside. He wanted to avoid disturbing any other Alphas in the building.

"Oh... just help me a little," Eley pleaded.

After everything was over, Cheng saw Eley sleeping in his bed. He sighed and watched him slowly wake up, sitting up disoriented because part of him wasn't sure what had happened. He swallowed hard and ran his hands across his face, looking at his friend who sat kindly nearby. Eley was in clean clothes, and Cheng wore only his trousers.

They looked at each other for a moment before Cheng ventured, "Do you remember what happened? Sometimes you don't."

And he was right; sometimes Eley's memory failed him during his heat, and Cheng would remind him. But now, Eley remembered everything crisply and clearly.

"I remember," he whispered.

"Knows you're an Omega?"

Eley nodded sadly, a tight knot forming in his chest, and began to weep, feeling small and weak. The vivid memory of Lukyan regarding him with disgust lingered, and for a moment, his heart seemed to fracture slowly, excruciatingly.

"He saw me and looked at me with disgust," Eley sobbed, and Cheng pulled him into an embrace. "It's his fault; the heat struck because he wanted to kiss me. He felt like kissing me, but his regret was clear when he saw me in that state."

Cheng held him as Eley cried intensely, heart-wrenchingly, stroking his hair while releasing a dissatisfied sigh.

"I told you, Eley. I said he was like that, but you wouldn't listen."

"I'm not okay," Eley murmured. "My chest hurts so much, yet despite that, I still want to see him."

They stayed silent for a few seconds; Eley pulled away to wipe his cheeks dry.

"When he saw me, he said, 'You damn Omega.' It felt like his words pierced my heart because I like him. I've liked him so much since I first saw him, and I thought he liked me too."

"Maybe he liked Eley the Beta. You shouldn't have lied."

"I just saw him cover his nose and throw the backpack, then leave me behind. He didn't care if other Alphas came or what might happen. Why would he do that?" Eley pondered, pain gripping his chest. "I didn't want this to happen, but he approached too close and touched me."

"Calm down, Eley, everything will be alright."

"Can I stay here? I don't want to go home."

Cheng simply nodded and sat beside him until Eley fell asleep again. As he stroked his face, Cheng felt sorry for his friend, who had fallen for something so dangerous and dark. He'd heard tales of Lukyan's pheromones—some equated them to descending into hell, others likened them to a venomous snake, while more claimed they were as rotten as something dead.

Cheng wondered for a moment, how could Eley's sweet, tender pheromones possibly mix with such cursed ones? He'd never experienced them himself, but Eley had described them enough to know they must be the sweetest there could be. How then could sweet pheromones blend with damned ones?

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