I found a park.
I settled on one of the curbs. It was unlike any I’d seen before. This one swayed subtly, the hinges making those annoying creaks that I somehow enjoyed.
The cream from the milkshake left a mustache on my upper lip, and I cleaned it with one swift swipe, my tongue flickering out in pure satisfaction.
Nine hours and fifteen minutes since I’d been here. The first hour had been spent strolling around, and surprisingly enough, not a single Alpha had approached me.
Usually, an Omega should not move around alone, especially in dark, silent places like this. It was a wonder I had not been disturbed or...humiliated.
Pushing the shuddering thoughts away, I settled deeper into the wood, letting it sweep my feet off the ground as I stared into the night sky.
But Kai was the sky.
At least, his face was.
"Kai?" I choked on my saliva. Quickly, he patted my back, muttering an apology.
When I recovered, he was truly here, and it made me want to start pulling out my eyebrows one after another.
"What’re you doing here?" I asked, curiosity etched across my expression. "You’re not supposed to be here. Go be with Leo. Now."
"He’s left the house to stay with his uncle." Kai stared into the emptiness with me. He stole a sip from my milkshake, perhaps hoping to get a reaction out of me, but he failed.
There was no one else in the park except the tinkling lights, buzzing bees, and the distant chirping of crickets from the thick forest far to the left.
"Do you remember when I first joined you guys at the apartment?" Kai began, earning my full attention. "You were baffled. We fought every day. You weren’t scared that I was an Alpha, nor did you hesitate to call me out whenever I didn’t do the dishes or acted out of line." He laughed softly.
"What’re you trying to say?" I chimed in.
"Do you know why I came?" he asked, and I nodded.
"To be with Leo?"
He let out a restrained laugh between his teeth. "I think you know better." Staring at me for a while, he continued, "I needed a break, and Leo told me to come stay over. It was meant to be temporary, but when I got there and saw you, I didn’t want to leave anymore."
"Oh, please. Don’t start, Kai..." I drawled.
"The truth probably doesn’t matter because it should’ve been said a long time ago. I understand that, but I’m saying it now."
Despite my trepidation, I had every reason to believe Kai was telling the truth. I didn’t even realize when my arm draped over his shoulder.
"So, Leo’s gonna kill us, right?"
"You bet." Kai turned to look straight into my eyes. "But it’s clear we’re drawn to each other."
I bit the inside of my mouth, not wanting to agree even though every inch of me wished to.
"You know, before I got mixed up in you guys’ fight, I had a crazy dream. It made me realize something, Kai. I don’t know myself. I don’t know my own parents. They died when I was young, in a car accident, and no family member came to save me. When social services took me to the orphanage, nobody showed up."
If Kai had any ounce of empathy beneath his skin, he was good at masking it. I continued anyway, not minding his deadpan expression. "Leo was the only family I had, the only one who showed up and became my first friend. From there, he became more than family. So even if I had to punish myself for his sake, or accept every fault thrown at me, or suppress every moment we’ve shared together, even knowing it meant more, then I would gladly do it."
Kai grabbed my hand, threading his fingers through mine until our hands intertwined as one. His eyes bored into mine. Those hypnotic colors had somehow found their way into my heart, starting as a mere fantasy before turning real because of our shared mistake.
"Until tomorrow morning, Kai. After that, please, I beg you...allow me to cut every tie between us. Let us go back to who we were, put all of this behind us, and never repeat it again."
Kai remained unwavering, masking his expression carefully. It made it impossible to decipher whatever was going through his head.
Realizing it would be exhausting trying to read him, I continued sipping my milkshake.
"What if you called out to me again?" Kai asked.
His words dragged me back into the world of my dream, whatever it truly meant. I was the kind of person who took even the smallest things seriously, and after having such a dream plus Kai’s claim, it could not simply be a coincidence.
Whatever was happening to me, Kai should not even be involved. He had enough to worry about with Leo.
"I’ve been safe since I went out on my own, haven’t I?" My lips spread into a faint smile, but Kai shifted.
"That was because I poured my scent into you."
"What?" If alarm had a face, I’d be its perfect representative. "What did you do?"
"After Nathan’s stunt, I couldn’t let another Alpha harm you, so I coated you with my scent. No Alpha will approach you. To them, you smell like you’ve already been marked."
"Yeah, marked by Alpha Kai!" I shouted, forgetting the milkshake in my hand until it spilled onto the floor.
The hinges creaked at my sudden movement. "What do you want Leo to think of me if rumors start spreading?"
"It was to keep you safe," Kai insisted. He pulled me closer even while I struggled against him. "Don’t worry. It’s all going to be okay."
"This is all so wrong, Kai. Please, after tonight..."
He nodded this time. "Yes, I’ve heard you." Clearing his throat, he added, "At least my scent will stay with you, protecting you and keeping you warm. Believe me when I say this, Alex, I don’t need to stand beside you to shield you from harm."
"Kai..." I started, but he cut me off midway.
"You’ll never have to be alone again."
And in that moment, the spark in my stomach rising above the bile told me one thing. Whatever existed between Kai and me, it went far beyond physical attraction.
Beyond the harem. Beyond lust.