By Zephyria When Koi returned home, he saw the lights on in the Motorhome and gasped sharply. Someone was inside. Of course, there was only one person it could be. Father was waiting for him.
He swallowed hard, audibly. Koi barely resisted the urge to turn around and run. He had to face it eventually. It would be okay if Father hadn’t been drinking. Since his mother left, he had spent almost every day drunk, and even when he was sober, he didn’t talk to Koi. He would always stare blankly into space with a vacant expression before leaving the house, and he would usually be drunk when he returned.
For a while after his mother left, he hit Koi whenever he saw him. Koi always avoided his father, and he often spent time outside in the cold dew until he passed out drunk. After a few years, he seemed to get used to it to some extent and gradually began to ignore Koi’s existence. And even when he was drunk, he would act as if Koi wasn’t there if he didn’t see him, which was better for Koi. No one likes being hit.
When was the last time I got hit?
Koi suddenly wondered. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while. Father’s bad habits would have flared up by now. If he was drunk, it would definitely happen.
What should I do?
He was fidgeting, unable to go inside or run away, when suddenly the door burst open. Heek, Koi gasped without realizing it, and Father, who had come out, met his gaze.
“…Koi!”
Father called his name first, his face pale. He froze, unable to move, and Father rushed out.
“Ah!”
Koi screamed as his father grabbed his arm roughly. His father pulled him in, held his body with both hands, and shouted violently.
“You stupid bastard! Where the hell were you all night!”
Koi was startled and widened his eyes. His father wasn’t drunk. It had been a long time since he had spoken to him, or rather, yelled at him in such clear pronunciation while sober.
But that wasn’t all. His father grabbed Koi and began to sniff him all over. Koi could only let him do as he pleased, his face contorted with a fierce expression.
“Damn it, what the hell is this sweet smell? All over you… is it that bastard’s Pheromone scent?”
Father, who had asked roughly, soon gritted his teeth. He realized that his son couldn’t smell. He immediately dragged Koi inside and pushed him into the cramped shower room.
“Wash up, now! Wash away all that disgusting pheromone!”
As if to show him, he turned on the shower, and cold water poured over Koi’s head without warning. Koi was flustered and tried to take off his clothes, but then he noticed the fierce bite marks on his chest. That wasn’t the only place. Parts of his body hidden by his clothes were mottled. Koi was flustered, pulled his clothes back down, and turned to look at Father.
“Ah, Father, um, I’ll wash up and come out… can you get me some clothes, please?”
Seeing him busily moving the faucet as if adjusting the temperature, Father turned around and quickly brought the old clothes he always wore.
“You have to use soap at least three times.”
Father threatened and then thankfully closed the shower door and stepped back. Only then did Koi let out a sigh of relief and begin to wash his body. Compared to Ashley’s mansion, this was a very shabby and dirty shower facility, but he tried not to compare and quickly washed his body as Father had told him to.
*
Koi was at a loss, looking down at the floor in an awkward atmosphere. He had been led by Father and somehow ended up sitting across from him at the small table, but he remained silent. He didn’t smell of alcohol as he usually did. Koi was surprised that he was home at this hour. He was usually working or drinking, but here he was, waiting for him sober.
What does he want to talk about?
Koi’s heart felt like it was about to burst with anxiety and tension. Ashley had said that he had contacted him, but the school and Father’s reactions were bound to be different. He wasn’t even sure if it had been three or four days since he had come home, and if he had only received one phone call during that time, and that too through someone else, it was only natural for any parent to be angry.
That’s assuming Father still thinks of me as his son.
As he thought that to himself, Father suddenly opened his mouth.
“Koi.”
“Yes, yes.”
He answered hastily, and Father let out a short sigh before closing his mouth again. This was the first time he had seen Father like this. Koi had no idea what would happen next, so he just waited for him to speak. When he opened his mouth again, his voice was even lower.
“Koi, have you taken any medicine?”
“Medicine? What… I haven’t taken anything.”
He shook his head hastily, and Father opened his mouth again with a suspicious look.
“Suppressants, or something.”
“No… I haven’t even Manifested! You already know that.”
He felt somehow wronged and spoke out, and Father stared at him silently for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh. Koi watched with mixed feelings as he covered his face with both hands and leaned on the table. He had no idea what attitude he should take, and Father opened his mouth.
“I was worried that you might have been swept up in it and Manifested, I was…”
Another trembling sigh followed. Only then did Koi seem to vaguely understand the cause of his anxiety. In short, he was worried that he might have become an Omega. Father worrying about him was unimaginable.
“It’s okay, I can’t smell anyway…”
He hadn’t even thought that Ashley’s Pheromone scent would be all over him. He had just Manifested, so he wouldn’t have any Suppressants, and it was only natural that he couldn’t control the scent.
As he thought that far, Father said.
“If you were a normal Alpha or Omega, I wouldn’t have thought it was this dangerous. But that kid Manifested as an extreme Alpha, didn’t he?”
“Yes?”
Father widened his eyes as if surprised at his startled question.
“You didn’t know? Not at all?”
“Um… no…”
An extreme Alpha, he couldn’t have imagined it. He thought he was just a normal Alpha or Omega.
No, even if he was an Alpha or Omega, he wasn’t normal.
Koi, who had corrected his thoughts, barely managed to come up with a question in his confused mind.
“Really? How do you know that?”
“That woman said it, that guy’s father’s secretary.”
Father spat out, grinding his teeth.
“The young master of that house Manifested as an extreme Alpha, and you were with him throughout the Manifestation, so there was almost a big accident.”
“Um…”
Koi couldn’t say anything and just mumbled blankly. Compared to ordinary Alphas or Omegas, extreme Alphas and extreme Omegas are very few in number and rare, so they often don’t encounter them in their lifetime. Therefore, they were not covered in great detail in the curriculum, and Koi also thought that he would never meet them. There are many celebrities among extreme Alphas, so you can often see their faces on TV, but how often would you encounter them in everyday life?
But it had become a reality. Moreover, he was with him at the moment of Manifestation.
“The amount of Pheromone must have been enormous.”
Father sighed again and added reassuringly.
“It’s almost a miracle that you weren’t affected. I’m glad, I’m glad…”
Unlike before, Koi was a little relieved by his calmer voice, but suddenly his attitude changed again.
“Don’t ever see that kid again.”
“Yes?”
As Koi unknowingly asked back, Father raised his voice with a ferocious force.
“Do you know how hard it is to live as an Alpha or Omega? They have Heat Cycles all the time, and Omegas even get pregnant! Imagine having a child without knowing who the father is, oh my god, and Alphas go around raping people in the name of Heat Cycles, do you think you can handle that!”
Father spat out quickly, as if he was fed up with it. Seeing Koi’s face turn pale quickly, Father shouted.
“If you hang out with that bastard, you’re bound to Manifest or mutate someday. It’ll be too late to regret it then! Cut ties with that bastard right now, you hear me? Remember my words! You’ll regret it if you don’t!”
Father, who had warned him for the last time, gasped for breath and left. Koi sat there blankly, looking in the direction Father had gone, and then belatedly got up quickly. He had to hide the clothes Ashley had bought him. There was sure to be another uproar if Father found out.
He hurriedly took out a box from under the bed and put the new clothes among the clothes he had received as gifts before, when suddenly he heard the notification sound of his cell phone. Koi’s face crumbled without realizing it as he checked the screen. It was Ashley.
[I’m home now. Sweet dreams. See you tomorrow.]
Koi quickly sent a reply [Okay, see you tomorrow] and waited for a while. Only after the unread mark disappeared did a smile appear.
〈What do you know about Alphas or Omegas!〉
Father’s words suddenly came to mind. Koi sat there for a moment, lost in thought.
What if I had Manifested at that time, too?