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The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a stark glow over the cramped aisles of the convenience store. The cap on my head felt like shoddy armor and the facemask, my only shield against the onslaught of alpha pheromones that frequented this place. The last customer, a regular who always bought two packs of gum and a lotto ticket, just shuffled out into the night’s embrace.
The door’s bell chimed its shrill tone as another customer stepped inside, a stark contrast to the gritty surroundings. His presence seemed to swallow the space, a visual whisper of power wrapped in sleek attire that no one in this part of town wore. His coat, a deep charcoal, draped over him with a casual elegance that belied its cost. The cut of his trousers spoke of tailored precision, and his shoes, polished to a reflective sheen, clicked against the linoleum with an authority that demanded attention.
My pulse quickened, hands trembling slightly as I clutched the edge of the counter. I could feel him before I even caught sight of his face. It was like an electric current beneath my skin, that familiar tug at my senses that I’d been trying to avoid.
His hair was black with a hint of rich coffee brown, and it fell just enough to suggest a nonchalance that I knew was anything but accidental. When he turned his head slightly, the overhead light caught his eyes, those clear gray orbs that held worlds within them, and for a moment, they seemed to pierce through me, even though my own gaze was fixed firmly on the cash register.
He moved through the aisles with purposeful strides, fingers trailing over products with feigned interest. A bottle of water here, a glance at the nutrition bars there. But I knew better. He wasn’t here for late-night snacks or forgotten necessities.
Each night he came, a silent watchful guardian. It had been a week since these visits started, a week since my world became a chessboard with moves plotted in shadows.
My heart hammered against my rib cage as he drew closer to the counter without picking up a single item. It wasn’t random browsing; it was an inspection, a reminder that no matter where I tried to hide or how inconspicuous I tried to be, they would find me.
I busied myself straightening already neat stacks of receipts, trying to calm my fraying nerves. His approach was slow and measured; every step he took resonated in the pit of my stomach like a drumbeat counting down to something inevitable.
He approached the counter, the air thickening with an intensity that seemed to squeeze my chest. My hands trembled more violently now, and my heart raced as if trying to escape the confines of my body. The scent of his alpha pheromones engulfed the space between us, heavy and unyielding, clawing at my insides, a visceral reminder of the power he wielded without even trying.
“Asa,” he said, his voice a deep timbre that vibrated through me. My name on his lips was a caress and a brand all at once, igniting an onslaught of memories I had desperately tried to lock away. I flinched at the sound, feeling sick with the surge of emotions I couldn’t control.
“Please,” I managed to choke out, “don’t do this. If you’re not going to buy anything, just leave.” My voice was a whisper, but I hoped it carried enough weight to send him away.
He sighed, a sound heavy with something unreadable. His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he reached out and grabbed a pack of gum from beside the register. He laid it down with deliberate slowness, as if every movement was calculated to affect me.
I snatched up the gum and scanned it with shaky hands, desperate for this transaction—and his presence—to be over.
“Two dollars and thirty-five cents,” I muttered.
Instead of swiping his card himself as most did, he extended it toward me. My fingers brushed against his as I took it from him, a jolt running up my arm from the contact. Suppressing a shiver, I swiped his card with more force than necessary.
I handed back his card, but as our hands met once again, he let his fingers graze mine in a deliberate stroke. I sucked in a sharp breath at the contact, feeling like I’d been scorched by the simplest touch.
Without another word or glance, he turned on his heel and strode out into the night. The bell above the door announced his departure with that same shrill chime. Left alone, my heart slowly began to resume its normal pace while I clung to the counter for support.
Eventually, the chime of the clock marked midnight, my cue to escape. I shuffled behind the counter, nodding at Jorge, who took over with a sleepy grunt.
“Thanks, Jorge,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
He grunted again, a nonverbal you’re welcome as he settled in for his own nightly battle with monotony.
I made my way to the back, each step heavier than the last. The alpha’s visit had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. In the dimly lit break room, I slumped against the wall, struggling to focus on counting the change from my tip jar. The coins blurred before my eyes, their metallic clinks merging into a jangle that echoed my racing heart.
Fumbling through my bag, I searched for relief, a small bottle of suppressants that kept my omega pheromones at bay. My hands were clumsy as they wrapped around the familiar container, but when I flipped the cap open, despair gripped me. One pill left. One inadequate shield against an onslaught I wasn’t prepared to face.
I pressed the lone pill between my fingers, feeling its smooth surface as a lump formed in my throat. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I swallowed them down along with the pill. Crying wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t stave off the heat that was already curling within me.
I changed quickly into street clothes, loose-fitting jeans and a hoodie that felt like a thin veneer of normalcy. Stepping out into the night offered some solace, fewer people roamed at this hour, fewer chances of crossing paths with an alpha whose scent could unravel me completely.
The back streets were quiet as I walked, each step taking me farther from the store and deeper into a fog of heat-induced dizziness. My skin prickled with sweat beneath my clothes as warmth spread through me like wildfire.
Without warning, my knees buckled. I stumbled against the rough brick of a nearby building and slid down to the ground. The coolness of the stone did little to quell the heat raging inside me. There I sat in the shadows, trying to catch a breath that seemed just out of reach, as my world spun dangerously out of control.
The brick wall pressed cold against my skin, a stark contrast to the heat clawing its way through my body. I could hardly focus, my senses dulled by the pill and the overwhelming rush of my own heat. Then I felt it, alpha pheromones, not one but several, closing in on me like predators drawn to a wounded animal.
Panic clawed at my throat, my heart slamming against my chest with such force it threatened to burst through. I couldn’t move, couldn’t run. My limbs were leaden, unresponsive to the frantic commands from my brain.
Footsteps approached, heavy and confident. Laughter sliced through the air, sharp and cruel.
