By Zephyria 
“Because you’re the only one who just plays and eats. All the other brothers are working, and since you’re unemployed, you can just go back to sleep.”
Grayson didn’t respond for a moment.
―…So, what do you want.
As if there were nothing to deny, Grayson let out a sigh and asked in a drained voice. Bliss took another deep breath before speaking.
“I want to meet up.”
―Meet up? Suddenly? Now?
Grayson’s articulation became clearer as he slowly began to wake up. Bliss nodded vigorously and quickly added an explanation.
“There’s something I want your help with. It’s not the kind of thing to talk about over the phone. Where are you? Can you come now?”
―…Haa.
Grayson sighed again and brushed back his long hair. He had always been ready to help others and was frequently asked for assistance, but since reaching a certain age, Bliss was practically the only person who made such requests of him.
There were several reasons for this, but one of them was that whenever Grayson had stepped forward to solve someone’s problem, it had never once resulted in a good outcome.
Consequently, Grayson never turned down an opportunity for such a consultation and tried his best not to miss these precious chances. This time, too, he felt a strong desire to respond to Bliss’s request, but unfortunately, another problem stood in his way.
He had to take care of Chase.
Unlike Bliss, who was in the East, Grayson lived in the West. He had volunteered to look after two of his brothers who were particularly lacking, and those two were the fourth, Chase, who was currently acting, and the youngest, Bliss, who had just called.
Chase was decent in other aspects, but the problem was that he didn’t manage his pheromones properly. For a Dominant Alpha, if pheromones accumulate, it can lead to serious brain issues in severe cases. Despite this, he refused to engage in sex, which was the most effective way to release pheromones.
‘I don’t want to sleep with someone unless it’s a person I truly love’—could there be any words stupider than that? He wasn’t being asked to date, just to have sex, yet he refused.
Because of this, Grayson paid meticulous attention to him so that he wouldn’t go crazy from accumulated pheromones. If not for him, Chase’s mind would have been ruined long ago, leaving him a wreck.
And then there was another one. In the family, Bliss was literally lacking, so it was only natural to give him special care. Just how lacking was he that he had manifested but never experienced a heat cycle?
Generally, the manifestation of a trait bearer occurs during puberty, the period of secondary sex characteristics, so ruts or heat cycles naturally follow manifestation. Even for those who manifest much earlier, like Bliss, it was common to experience an estrus period and generate pheromones once bodily changes began around the mid-teens…
But for Bliss, that ‘period’ simply never arrived.
Since manifesting at age seven, he had never experienced a heat cycle, nor had pheromones ever been released. He might as well have been a regular Beta.
Did Bliss actually manifest?
Grayson wasn’t the only one harboring such doubts. Even Bliss himself questioned it, but Koi’s thoughts were entirely different.
‘You are a Dominant Omega, just like me. That’s why it doesn’t show up on the tests.’
Furthermore, Koi mentioned that his own manifestation had been very late. He had manifested long after becoming an adult, to the point where he hadn’t even known he was a trait bearer.
But wouldn’t that be a different case?
Grayson considered this seriously. Daddy had manifested at an age closer to a mutation, far past the typical manifestation period, whereas Bliss had manifested much earlier than usual, yet no matter how long they waited, his trait did not reveal itself. Once, the twins, Grayson and Stacy, even spent an entire night pouring their pheromones over him to help. But there was no change in him at all, even though it is instinct for a trait bearer to react to other traits.
However, thanks to that, everyone concluded that Bliss’s trait was indeed that of a Dominant Omega. If he were a Beta, he would have mutated. In the end, there was only one conclusion Grayson could reach.
The reason he hasn’t had a heat cycle or released pheromones until now must be because the poor youngest is just lacking.
Anyway. Despite that, there was a reason why Grayson stayed in the West to look after Chase while leaving such a brother in the East. It was because Bliss had Ashley. No matter the problem, if he discussed it with Papa, it would be solved immediately; so what on earth could it be that he contacted him on the other side of the country?
It seemed like he was discussing an urgent and serious matter, but Grayson knew the limits of Bliss’s intelligence all too well. Even if he flew for several hours, Bliss would surely just say something trivial.
Perhaps he’d fallen in love with someone again, or something like that.
Grayson clicked his tongue. It was no wonder; up until now, Bliss had a habit of falling in love frequently and losing interest just as quickly. He had experienced 374 “first loves” so far, because every time, he claimed, “This time it’s truly love!” and argued that previous feelings weren’t love, and therefore this time was the first. So, it wasn’t a difficult guess that even if he called it a “serious concern,” it would be something like that.
What does he know about love?
Grayson scoffed. He was the only one who truly understood love. Since he was young, he had admired the once-in-a-lifetime love he saw between Papa and Daddy, and he had been searching for such a partner his entire life. Of course, he often made mistakes and fell into temptations, but he was different from Bliss. He was searching for ‘destiny,’ so his pursuit was far heavier and more serious. It couldn’t be compared to the games Bliss played.
Moreover, if it were found out that he met Bliss alone, things would certainly not end well with Papa. Ashley was excessively overprotective of Bliss, who was the only one with a different trait yet looked exactly like Koi. Even if they were blood relatives, if Bliss were to experience a heat cycle while he was around and get swept up in it, it would lead to an irreversible situation.
Dominant Alphas are more easily seduced by an Omega’s pheromones because their own pheromones are so strong. Therefore, it was a plausible possibility and could not be laughed off.
These were the reasons why Grayson did not readily accept this rare opportunity to help. That said, he couldn’t just ignore it. His younger brother had finally asked him for help. But if he deceived Papa to meet Bliss and got caught, he wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath. What should he do?
After pondering for a while, he came up with a bright idea.
―Can you wait one day? It’s a bit difficult for me to go right now.
“Okay, you’re coming tomorrow, right?”
When Bliss asked eagerly, Grayson vaguely deflected with an “Anyway.” It wasn’t a definitive answer, but Bliss, who fell for it completely, excitedly urged him.
“I’ll wait, see you tomorrow. You must come!”
―Bye.
Once again, Grayson ended the call with a goodbye instead of an answer. Bliss looked down at the unresponsive phone with a furrowed brow.
He did say he was coming, right?
He felt anxious, but he had to wait. To endure the boring time, he watched a ‘history documentary’ he had put off because it didn’t seem interesting. Of course, it was a real historical story involving romantic entanglements. And as it became late at night, he lay in bed and fell asleep while watching a drama via beam projector about a noblewoman who seduces her brother-in-law to take revenge on the husband who massacred her family.
♬♬♪♩♩♩♬♪♪…
A loud doorbell rang from somewhere. Bliss, who had been in a deep sleep, lay there with a furrowed brow before suddenly snapping his eyes open. Realizing that the continuous sound was the front door bell, Bliss woke up instantly.
“Grayson?”
Shouting, he bolted upright and leaped from the bed, rushing urgently across the house. The doorbell continued to echo through the house until he reached the entrance and opened the door.
“Grayson, welcome! Why are you only arriving now? I’ve been waiting all night!”