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Mark shut the door to his office and leaned his head against the cold, dark wood. It was only 10 a.m., and his head was already pounding. His headaches had been getting worse and worse over the past few months, and no matter how many doctors he begged to tell him something different, they all told him the same thing.
Omegas.
Mark was sensitive to them. Not in the typical alpha way—they affected him so strongly that he couldn’t bear to be around them for more than a few minutes before a debilitating migraine began to build behind his eyes.
And while it should’ve been easy enough to control who they hired at a company where he was such a high ranking official, the world didn’t work that way. Discriminating against omegas wasn’t great for business, and the last thing Mark wanted was bad publicity.
So he planned his days meticulously, only letting those close to him know how much it truly affected him. He avoided close contact with any omegas at the company whenever possible, even tasking his assistant with finding out if any would be in attendance before showing up to meetings. It was exhausting, but Mark was creative. He found ways around it.
He made his way to his desk, setting aside a good twenty minutes to recover from a coffee meeting with an omega associate that he couldn’t avoid.
“Fuck.” He let his head drop into his folded arms, sighing dramatically and feeling around blindly for the bottle of extra-strength Excedrin that he kept close by. He could barely swallow three times the suggested dosage before a loud knock on his door sent the migraine rushing right back.
“Mr. Lee?” The loud voice of Mark’s assistant, Xiaojun, carried through the door. Mark took one last deep breath before answering.
“Yeah, come in.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as his assistant slipped inside and shut the door behind him.
The one rule that Mark could enforce, however, was that no omegas would work on the same floor as his office. His assistant made it look like a coincidence, giving Mark the smallest sense of reprieve by leaving one level of their forty-floor high-rise free of their debilitating scents.
Xiaojun, another alpha, approached Mark’s desk slowly before taking a seat in the plush leather chair across from him.
“Are you alright?”
“No,” Mark sighed, his eyes still closed. “Obviously not. What do you need?”
“Uh,” Xiaojun cleared his throat uncomfortably, his next words coming out a little shakier than before. Mark wasn’t a hostile boss by any means, but he didn’t care to sugarcoat anything.
“I just wanted to go through your schedule for the rest of the day. After this break, I mean.”
Mark waved his hand, motioning for him to continue.
“There’s a briefing with legal at 11, some HR training at 12–”
“I thought I told you to get me out of that.” Mark snapped his head up, wincing at the sharp movement. Xiaojun wiped his brow anxiously.
“I know, I’m sorry, sir.” He leaned in closer, his hands clasped together, pleading. “It’s a company-wide mandate. Something about workplace harassment, I think.”
“And what does that have to do with me?” Mark raised an eyebrow, slowly rolling back his shoulders and adjusting to the harsh light.
“N-nothing, of course, but…” Xiaojun sighed, defeated. “I don’t think you can get out of it, is all I’m saying. It’s only blocked off for thirty minutes, though. It’s short.”
Mark gazed past Xiaojun for a moment, thinking deeply. If Xiaojun said there wasn’t a way out of it, there likely wasn’t.
“Fuck, fine,” Mark conceded. “Then what?”
Xiaojun turned back to the laptop he’d placed at the end of Mark’s desk. “Just drinks with the new CFO, Mr. Yang, at five.”
“Okay.” Mark blinked a few times as the edges of his migraine began to fade. “You’ll come with me to the meeting with legal. You know our quarterly numbers, right?”
“Yes, sir.” Xiaojun nodded.
Thirty minutes later, the two of them made their way out of Mark’s office to head to the meeting, Mark shrugging his suit jacket back on as Xiaojun locked the door behind them.
Before Mark could even turn toward the elevator, however, something stopped him in his tracks. It felt like every hair on his body had stood on end, a chill running down his spine in such a sickly familiar way that he was absolutely sure of the cause.
He shut his eyes and prepared for the burst of pain behind them, accepting that somehow an omega had snuck onto the top floor. He did his best not to breathe in, trying to let it pass before he made his escape—but miraculously, a good thirty seconds passed since he’d noticed the omega’s presence, yet he felt nothing. He opened his eyes to find Xiaojun looking at him worriedly, raising an eyebrow as he tried to figure out the cause.
Xiaojun was an alpha, but he didn’t have nearly as developed a nose as Mark did. An omega far enough away could easily evade Xiaojun’s radar.
With the lack of any of the symptoms he usually experienced from being so close to an omega, he allowed himself to breathe in.
Immediately, he was hit with a scent so strong, layered with hazelnut and vanilla and sandalwood and… something faintly milky. Mark brought a hand up to his face to cover his mouth and nose. He had never been able to breathe in an omega’s scent for that long without feeling nauseous, let alone pick out individual notes.
“Sir?” Xiaojun stepped into his field of vision, and Mark wondered how many times the assistant had already tried to get his attention. “Are you alright?”
Mark cleared his throat, but not without getting another whiff of what he was now comfortable admitting was the best scent he’d ever come across in his entire life.
“There’s…” Mark cleared his throat a second time. “There’s an omega on this floor.”
“What?” Xiaojun’s eyes doubled in size before darting around in an anxious search. “How do– shit, sir, I have no idea how they–”
“It’s fine.” Mark held a hand up to cut him off. “It’s not… they’re not bothering me.”
Xiaojun stopped his rambling, trailing off as Mark’s words sank in.
“They’re not?”
“No.” Mark’s voice was quiet, like he didn’t want to break the fantasy. There had to be some mistake, but he wasn’t interested in fixing it. “Find out who the new person is on this floor.”
“Yes, sir.” Xiaojun nodded. “My apologies that I let this slip past me. Honestly, I can’t smell a thing.”
Mark didn’t answer, instead letting his eyes trail over the row of cubicles. No one looked out of place. It was just the same men and women in suits that he saw every day. No one who looked capable of producing such a sweet, sweet scent.
Xiaojun hurried away, darting down rows as he took a headcount. Mark slowly backed himself up into his office door, fumbling for the key in his pocket to get back inside. The hazelnut scent was beginning to take root inside him, overwhelming all of his senses until his head felt fuzzy and his…
He managed to clumsily push the door open before slamming it shut and leaning against it, just as he had this morning—except now everything was flipped upside down.
He swallowed thickly, feeling like his throat had been coated in honey, his tongue too big for his mouth. Though his biggest issue had nothing to do with his throat, his head, or the tingling over his skin. He had locked himself back in his office to avoid being caught with the front of his black slacks straining so tightly that he feared the expensive material might tear right open.
Never in his twenty-seven years had he had a reaction this strong to an omega, good or bad. Everything he thought he knew about himself was crashing down around him—and he still had a meeting with legal in ten minutes.
“Sir? Mr. Lee?” Xiaojun’s muffled voice made him jump, all of Mark’s senses heightened at the movement. He took a deep breath before quickly unlocking the door and briskly walking back toward his desk, hoping to sit down before subjecting his poor assistant to his big problem.
“Did you find an omega?” Mark wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand, feeling sweat smear beneath his skin. Xiaojun hurried toward him and lowered his voice.
“I did, I’m so sorry.” He frowned. “Jeno has a new intern, apparently. He’s supposed to run it by me before hiring anyone to work on this floor, but he ‘forgot.’”
Xiaojun used air quotes, accompanied by an eye roll.
“Want me to have him meet you here while I get rid of the intern?”
“Get– no.” Mark shook his head furiously, stopping Xiaojun in his tracks. “There’s no need for that. But yes, send Jeno in here. Please.”
“Yes, sir.” Xiaojun nodded. “Should I push back the meeting with legal?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Mark breathed out, finally feeling some of his motor functions returning the longer he was locked away from the omega’s scent. He also felt the strain in his slacks lessen slightly, at least enough that he could try to ignore it.
When Jeno peeked his head into Mark’s office, Mark could tell he had no idea what he had done wrong.
“Mark, hey.” He shut the door behind him before collapsing into the chair across from Mark.
The two of them had been friends for years, graduating college together before getting jobs at the same company.
“Xiaojun told me you hired an intern.” Mark skipped a greeting.
“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” Jeno shrugged, uncaring. “He’s just some kid from our alma mater. I thought I’d give him a shot.”
“Where’d you find him?” Mark tried to keep his eagerness at bay.
“Jaemin from the front desk recommended him.” Jeno lowered his voice. “Well, I think he’s Jaemin’s cousin. Okay, I know he’s Jaemin’s cousin. But have you ever tried to say no to Jaemin?”
Jeno rolled his eyes and leaned back farther into the leather chair.
“It can’t be done. Plus, I’ve been trying to screw him for months, and I thought that this–”
“Alright.” Mark held a hand up, stopping him. “So this omega is Jaemin’s cousin and a college student. What else?”
“What else?” Jeno raised an eyebrow, confused by the line of questioning. “Well–wait, how did you know he was an omega?”
“I can smell him,” Mark answered, his tone suggesting that it should’ve been obvious.
“Oh, you’ve met?”
“No.” Mark furrowed his brow. “Just… from outside my door.”
“Fuck,” Jeno cursed, rubbing at his eye. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to from that far away. Did he make you sick?”
Jeno knew about Mark’s condition, mostly because Mark had forbidden him from bringing omegas into their dorm room in college—something Jeno still gave him shit for to this day.
“No, he…” Mark sighed, unsure how to even explain.
“No?” Jeno perked up, widening his eyes. “You’re saying there’s an omega that didn’t make you sick?”
“I’m not sure, it’s–”
“It’s a fucking miracle, is what it is.” Jeno tilted his head back with an astonished laugh. “You owe me your life for hiring this kid. Actually, I’ll just settle for your office.”
“In your dreams.” Mark snorted. “Besides, it’s a fluke. I know if I get close again, he’ll make me sick.”
Jeno stayed quiet, but he didn’t look convinced.
“So, do you want me to get rid of him, or no?”
Mark looked down for a moment, weighing his options. Logistically, he should absolutely get rid of him. Besides being a useless nepotism hire, he would only be a distraction. Whether that would be a good distraction or a bad one, Mark didn’t know.
On the other hand…
“I’ll get rid of him myself,” Mark decided, trying to sound confident. Jeno studied him closely, seemingly trying to find any trace of ill intent on Mark’s face. But after another moment, he just shrugged, standing up and holding out an arm.
“After you, sir.”
Mark straightened his posture as best he could as he shakily made his way back out of his office, fully prepared for the omega’s scent to disgust him this time around.
Unfortunately, it only took half a second after opening the door for the scent to hit him full force, effectively knocking all the air out of his lungs. Jeno didn’t let it go unnoticed, shoving Mark from behind to get him moving again.
“Right this way, sir.” Jeno steered him past rows of cubicles, ignoring the weird stares from other associates at the sight of their boss being pushed around. “Your omega awaits.”
“Keep your voice–” Mark cut himself off when the scent grew even stronger, vanilla infiltrating each and every one of his pores, dousing him in sweetness. And right on cue, Jeno forced him to the left, where Jeno’s (smaller) office was nestled at the end of the hall. Through the glass walls, it wasn’t difficult to make out a boy sitting opposite Jeno’s desk, his legs crossed daintily.
They were still a considerable distance away, much too far to be heard clearly, but the boy suddenly perked up, tilting his head back slightly as if he were sniffing the air. Before Mark had a chance to process it, the omega’s head snapped toward the two men, his wide eyes meeting Mark’s, looking just as startled as Mark felt.
And with only the briefest moment of eye contact, Mark felt the omega’s presence multiply by at least a hundred, even stumbling over his own feet in an unconscious attempt to reach him faster. The omega stood up from his chair just as abruptly before Mark could even reach the office, hurrying toward the glass and pressing so close that his breath fogged a small circle where his mouth was.
“The fuck…” Jeno slowed down, perplexed by the situation unfolding in front of him. Mark crossed the distance to the office in record speed despite maintaining a walk, his eyes never straying from the omega as they watched each other with peaked curiosity. When Mark finally managed to open the glass door, the scent that hit him was so strong it choked him, making him cough into his sleeve.
“S-sorry.” The omega backed up, but it went against every instinct they both felt. He paused, his doe eyes blinking up at Mark, frozen in place.
“Hi,” Mark managed one syllable, and even that felt strenuous. He had no prior experience with how to act around an omega like this. An omega he needed.
“Hi,” the omega squeaked back before sucking in a shaky breath.
“I’m Mark, or–I mean, Mr. Lee. Mark Lee.” Mark stumbled through the introduction, struggling to put the correct words together. It felt like everything in his head was a jumbled mess, leaving his mouth to put the pieces back together.
“Me too.” The omega spoke so quietly that Mark was sure he’d misheard him.
“You too?”
“Um…” he swallowed. “I’m Lee Donghyuck.”
Donghyuck. Mark felt a wave of familiarity crash over him, though he was sure he’d never heard that name before in his life.
“Donghyuck,” Mark repeated it anyway, wanting to taste the name on his tongue. The sound of his own name leaving Mark’s mouth made Donghyuck flinch, and to Mark’s horror, begin to cry.
He sniffled a few times, clearly trying to fight it, before quickly hiding his face in the crook of his arm and choking out a sob.
Mark had never felt more ill-prepared in his entire life.
“Are you–are you crying?” He took a step forward, but this time the scent coming from the omega did make him nauseous. It was smothered with distress, making Mark’s alpha scream at him to do something. To make it better.
“Did I do something?” Mark tried again. “I’m sorry, I–”
“You’re overwhelming me,” Donghyuck managed to say before another sob wracked through his body. Mark stepped back at the admission, almost bumping into the glass behind him. Jeno, conveniently, had made himself scarce.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to–” Mark wracked his brain for something, anything to say to make the omega feel better. He couldn’t say he’d ever had someone burst into tears after only an introduction, and it left him feeling like he was drowning.
He figured that standing still and watching wasn’t the right answer, so he took a few steps closer again, praying that none of the other associates were witnessing the train wreck taking place in Jeno’s office.
Donghyuck stood still, his face still buried in his arm as small cries escaped him.
“I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.” Mark was afraid to reach out and touch him, figuring that it would only make things more intense for Donghyuck.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” Donghyuck choked out between sobs, his entire body trembling. “I’m scared.”
He wilted further, and Mark realized then that there was a very real possibility Donghyuck would collapse.
And while Mark had no experience comforting an omega, a part of him felt like he knew exactly what to do.
With a shaking hand, he placed it on Donghyuck’s arm and squeezed lightly, allowing his inner alpha to take over, trusting it to make things right. Donghyuck tensed at the first touch, a breath catching in his throat—but only a second later, Mark felt him relax, accompanied by the smallest, cutest whine Mark had ever heard.
“You’re okay,” Mark coaxed, feeling like the words weren’t his own but somehow exactly what he wanted to say. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
Donghyuck didn’t remove his face from where it was buried in his sleeve, but Mark could hear his breathing level out and, above all else, his scent return to its previous sweetness, losing the bitter tang of distress.
“I didn’t mean to overwhelm you,” Mark kept his voice quiet, now rubbing up and down Donghyuck’s arm. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re really overwhelming me too.”
That got Donghyuck to peek one eye open, looking up at Mark from where his face was still mostly covered.
“I am?” He finally spoke without a hitch, his breathing completely mellowed out.
“Yeah.” Mark moved his hand up Donghyuck’s arm and onto his shoulder, keeping his grip firm. It felt like even this small contact was grounding them both. “I came in here to fire you because I was scared too.”
Donghyuck’s big brown eyes widened again, his bottom lip immediately beginning to tremble.
“I’m fired?” His scent soured, but Mark was quick to shake his head.
“No, you’re not fired.”
In a moment of weakness, Mark let his hand trail up Donghyuck’s shoulder and onto his cheek, cradling his face. Donghyuck leaned into the touch, a small, content sound leaving his parted lips.
“Mark.”
A cold voice from behind them made Donghyuck flinch backward, pulling away from Mark in one swift movement. The effort was futile, though—Jeno had seen everything.
“Mark, the fuck are you doing?” Jeno walked around and grabbed Mark’s shoulder harshly, shaking him out of whatever trance he’d entered. Mark’s hand was still raised from where it had been resting on Donghyuck’s cheek, his body not yet caught up to the moment.
“We’re just talking,” Mark answered as calmly as he could, but his eyes never left Donghyuck’s.
Jeno looked between the two of them suspiciously before using his grip on Mark to pull him back toward the door.
“But, sir–” Donghyuck had found his voice, and Mark savored every second of the sweet, melodic way he sounded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–”
“Just stay here.” Jeno gave him a pointed look, and Donghyuck promptly fell silent. Though his eyes narrowed with something like dissatisfaction when Jeno continued to pull Mark away, almost as if he didn’t want Mark to go.
“Jeno, let go, Jesus.” Mark finally snapped out of his omega-induced haze long enough to shake his associate off. “We’re fine here.”
“No, I don’t think you are.” Jeno didn’t let up, going as far as shoving Mark right out the door. “You couldn’t have saved this until after the workplace harassment training? Christ, Mark.”
Mark ignored him, instead craning his neck to get one last look at Donghyuck through the glass. The boy had moved closer again, his face almost pressed against it as he watched Mark leave.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” Jeno asked again as he finally shoved Mark far enough away that they were out of Donghyuck’s sight. “I know you have no experience with omegas, but I think you know enough not to do whatever that was.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mark gruffed, smoothing down the material of his jacket that Jeno had bunched up in his grip.
“What matters is what I saw.” Jeno lowered his voice as they passed their coworkers. “And what I saw is you caressing my intern.”
Mark shot Jeno a death glare, but Jeno seemed unaffected.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.” Mark straightened his tie as they approached his office, where Xiaojun was perched anxiously outside the door, his eyes glued to his wristwatch. “I’ll take him off your hands,” Mark finished.
Jeno barked out a laugh.
“No, you will not,” Jeno countered. “You think that pawning him off to you is going to get me closer to Jaemin?”
“Fuck Jaemin.” Mark waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t need an intern anyway.”
“And you do?” Jeno scoffed before tilting his head toward Xiaojun. “You have him.”
“He’s an assistant.” Mark spoke about him as if he weren’t there. “Besides, wouldn’t Jaemin prefer for his cousin to intern for the VP instead?”
Jeno offered a tight-lipped smile, nodding his head. “You’re an asshole.”
“What’s going on?” Xiaojun finally managed to get a word in. “I told legal you’d only be ten minutes late.”
“Go to your meeting, Mark.” Jeno was already turning to leave. “And stay away from Donghyuck.”
Mark, obviously, had no intention of staying away from Donghyuck.
He spent the meeting with his head in the clouds, absorbing nothing from the conversation. All he could think about was getting back to the hazelnut-scented omega, the one who had melted beneath his touch, so pliant.
Donghyuck’s reaction made Mark feel like maybe he wasn’t completely out of his mind, that maybe Donghyuck had felt it too. He had burst into tears merely from being close to him—that had to count for something.
When he returned from the meeting, both Jeno and Donghyuck were gone. That wasn’t surprising—Mark assumed Jeno would’ve taken him elsewhere, somewhere Mark couldn’t find him.
Fine, Mark thought. He had no problem playing the long game. It’s not like he had a line of other omegas waiting for him. It was Donghyuck or nothing. And even if he did have an endless line… it would still be Donghyuck or nothing.
────﹒♡﹒────
On his way home, Donghyuck was sure that he’d developed a fever. His palms were clammy, but his body was freezing, leaving him uncomfortable in his own skin.
His first day at work had gone nothing like his cousin had promised it would. Jaemin had told him that everyone there was very chill and easygoing and that he’d have no problems at all. What he hadn’t told him was that Donghyuck would end up crying in the arms of the vice president of the company over seemingly nothing.
Donghyuck kicked his heel against the pavement as he thought of it again, trying to force himself to feel disgusted or embarrassed, but all he could manage was a sick, all-consuming yearning for him. For Mark.
He had only presented as an omega a few years ago, right before college, but he felt reasonably comfortable with it these days. He knew how to deal with it and keep it at bay. He knew how to keep it from affecting his life—until now.
Now, he’d gone ahead and done the most omega thing ever on his first day of work. He had practically bared his neck for the alpha, and the worst part was that he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He wished he had bared his neck. He wished Mark had claimed him right there in the glass office for everyone to see.
Those feelings terrified him and made him want to cry the same way he had when he first felt them. Only this time, if he let himself cry, there would be no pinesap and leather scented alpha to comfort him. Even the thought of his scent sent another violent chill down his spine, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from whining.
When he returned to his apartment, his roommate did nothing to soothe his soul either.
“Fuck, you smell crazy.” Chenle coughed as Donghyuck stepped inside, swatting the air around him like Donghyuck’s scent was sticking to everything.
“Thanks.” Donghyuck kicked off his shoes, his shoulders still slumped with self pity.
“Seriously, are you good?” Chenle dropped the act and hurried over, trying to figure out why his roommate had shown up doused in his own pheromones. Donghyuck shrugged meekly, shuffling farther into the apartment until he collapsed onto their couch. “Jeez.”
Chenle watched with his hands on his hips, clicking his tongue at the sight of Donghyuck sprawled out in misery.
“I had a bad day,” he whined into the cushion, his voice muffled.
“Aw.” Chenle sat down beside him and put a hand on his back, rubbing gently. “What happened?”
“I cried at work in front of the vice president,” he groaned, burying his face even deeper. Chenle paused where he’d been petting him.
“You cried? Why?”
“I don’t know,” Donghyuck mumbled. “I’ve never been close to an alpha like that, I guess.”
“An alpha?” Chenle leaned back and grabbed Donghyuck’s arm, forcing him to turn over. “You cried because of an alpha? What did he do?”
“No.” Donghyuck shook his head, his lips still pouted in a frown. “He didn’t do anything. He just… he was overwhelming.”
“Huh?” Chenle frowned too. “Overwhelming? I don’t even know what that means.”
“Just–his scent. It made me feel so weak,” Donghyuck tried to explain, though even he could hear how ridiculous he sounded. “I felt so drawn to him, Chenle. It scared me, so I cried.”
Chenle breathed deeply, still trying to process. He loved Donghyuck more than anything, which was why he could admit that the boy was a little naive, a little soft around the edges. So hearing that an older, higher-ranking alpha at work had made him cry worried him. Donghyuck could very easily be misunderstanding the situation, blissfully unaware that he was being taken advantage of.
“Really, Chenle, he didn’t do anything wrong,” Donghyuck reassured him, sensing Chenle’s skepticism. “All he did was introduce himself, and I burst into tears because I’m a baby.”
“You’re not a baby.” Chenle shook his head and resumed rubbing Donghyuck’s back. “I just wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything else to upset you.”
“He didn’t.” Donghyuck suddenly sat up, his hands grasping Chenle’s hoodie. “Something was different about him. And he felt it too. He told me. He said he felt overwhelmed by me too.”
“Donghyuck,” Chenle warned, his worry increasing tenfold at the glossy admiration in his roommate’s eyes. “This guy is your boss?”
“Well, no. Not really.” Donghyuck pushed himself into a seated position and lazily rubbed at his eyes. Chenle sighed in relief—until Donghyuck finished his thought. “He’s my boss’s boss.”
────﹒♡﹒────
Like something pulled from Mark’s deepest, darkest nightmare, he hadn’t seen Donghyuck for the entire week. As Friday morning rolled around, he could barely force himself out of bed.
Jeno had made it his mission to keep the two of them apart—so much so that Mark hadn’t even seen Jeno since Monday. He had completely abandoned his own office in favor of hiding Donghyuck somewhere else in the building, somewhere even Xiaojun couldn’t find.
Mark had hit his limit. He refused to go through the weekend without finding him first. He refused to wait until Monday.
“Just clear everything today.”
“Sorry?” Xiaojun looked up from his laptop, confused.
“Clear it.” Mark doubled down. “I’m finding that omega.”
“Sir–”
“I’m going to go downstairs and talk to Jaemin myself. I’ll fire him if he doesn’t give him up.” Mark ran a hand through his hair and pulled his glasses off, placing them on his desk. Xiaojun looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it.
“Yes, sir. I’ll clear your schedule.”
“Good, thank you.” Mark leaned back and tilted his neck to the side until it cracked. “I’ll head–”
Both of them paused at the sound of a soft knock at the door. Mark opened his mouth to respond, but the words caught in his throat when a familiar scent permeated the air around him. This time, Xiaojun must have sensed it too, given how he scrambled to his feet.
“Is that–”
“Let him in, and then you can leave.” Mark answered calmly, despite feeling anything but. His heart rate doubled in seconds, the mix of vanilla and hazelnut suffocating him in the most addicting way possible.
Xiaojun did as he was told, likely suffocating too from the clash of pheromones in the air. He hurried to the door and cracked it open, letting in another rush of sweetness that made Mark dig his nails into his thigh to keep from pouncing.
“Mr. Lee?” Donghyuck’s honey-slicked voice felt like a dagger straight to Mark’s chest, tearing him open. Xiaojun stepped aside without a word and let Donghyuck in before closing the door behind him. All that was left was Mark and Donghyuck, trapped in a room that was pointedly not glass.
“Where has Jeno been hiding you?” Mark breathed, feeling all the torment of the past week dissipate in an instant. Donghyuck still lingered near the door, like he was afraid to come any closer.
“On the fourteenth floor.” He clasped his hands together in front of himself, still making no effort to move.
“You know he’s been trying to keep us apart?” Mark asked, leaning his elbows on the desk in front of him. Donghyuck nodded shyly.
“But you came to find me?”
Donghyuck hesitated for a moment before nodding again. The cute, shy act was more than Mark was prepared to handle, and he felt any remaining moral qualms begin to slip.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
“Me too.” Donghyuck offered bravely, finally letting his gaze settle on Mark’s much darker one.
“You want to stay there by the door?” Mark asked, not wanting to pry too hard.
“I’m afraid to come any closer,” Donghyuck admitted. “’Cause last time…”
“I know.” Mark hummed, brainstorming a way to get the omega to loosen up. “Is Jeno going to come looking for you?”
Donghyuck nodded right away, and Mark swore internally. He knew they couldn’t stay here. For one, Jeno would find them, and likely soon. And regardless, Donghyuck was right about not wanting to recreate last time. Mark’s office walls were solid, but if Mark’s scent peaked the way it had before, it wouldn’t matter. The entire floor would bear witness, and Mark couldn’t have that.
“Will you leave with me?”
“Now?” Donghyuck’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. Now. Before Jeno comes back.”
Mark could smell the faint change in Donghyuck’s scent, now laced with something sweeter. Like maybe he liked the idea more than he was willing to admit.
“Okay,” he agreed, still staying glued to the door. Mark let his eyes trail down Donghyuck’s body for a moment, paying close attention to how long his legs were and how well his slacks fit him.
It was a mistake to look, Mark realized pretty quickly, as his own slacks tightened uncomfortably. He needed to stay as calm as possible, at least to escape the building without alerting anyone to the precious cargo he was smuggling out with him.
When Mark got up from behind his desk and walked closer, he started to feel that same fuzziness return—the same feeling he’d had when they first met. Donghyuck cowered too, his hands shaking where they rested uselessly at his sides. They couldn’t avoid each other any longer, not with the pressure of time, and not with the pull towards each other so strong it scared them.
Donghyuck reached out first when Mark was within arm’s reach, his palm pressing tentatively to Mark’s chest—like he needed to touch but didn’t know how. Mark let him, only grabbing his wrist for a moment before sliding his fingers up Donghyuck’s arm, feeling him shiver, his scent spiking.
“Sir,” Donghyuck pleaded shakily, his body now pressed against the door. Mark shook his head, closing the distance between them.
“Mark,” he corrected.
“Mark,” Donghyuck repeated. ‘Sir’ was what Mark’s employees called him—and he had no interest in Donghyuck being only his employee.
“Your scent was made for me,” Mark spoke without thinking, but it didn’t make it any less true. Donghyuck’s heart-shaped lips parted in surprise before his scent surged even stronger, making Mark’s eyes flutter shut.
“I don’t understand it,” Donghyuck whispered. “But it was. I was.”
Mark growled, a sound he’d never made before, as Donghyuck leaned up and pressed their lips together, no hesitation to be found. Mark snuck a hand around his waist like it was second nature, pressing the omega’s body flush against his own. It only lasted a moment or two before Mark felt his restraint slipping, both of their scents merging, pheromones swarming, out of control—all things that shouldn’t happen in an office, at least not one they planned on returning to.
“Hey, hey,” Mark pulled back, despite the absence of Donghyuck’s lips making him feel temporarily suicidal. “It’s not safe here, okay? Let’s go, just us.”
Donghyuck seemed to accept it, though the pout on his lips didn’t waver. It was so cute that Mark had to fight down another growl, completely unfamiliar with this side of himself. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
He cracked open his office door and surveyed the area for any prying eyes before grabbing Donghyuck’s wrist tight and quickly pulling him toward the elevator, not caring to even lock his office. There was nothing in there as important as what he had now.
The elevator dinged, and miraculously, it was empty. Mark half-expected Jeno to be standing there with building security behind him, tasers at the ready.
He shuffled Donghyuck into the elevator and slid his keycard over a censor, allowing them to ride straight to the lobby without stopping. Donghyuck watched in awe before Mark yanked him back into his arms, feeling how naturally the omega’s body slotted against his own.
“Are we going to your house?” Donghyuck blinked up at him, the brown of his eyes sparkling and leaving Mark half-blind.
“Is that what you want?” Mark brushed the hair from Donghyuck’s forehead, groaning at how soft it felt beneath his fingers.
“Yes,” Donghyuck answered confidently. Mark let his fingers trail over his plump lips, biting his own to stop from doing something dangerous.
“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mark told him, their faces only inches apart. Donghyuck squirmed in his hold, melting where he stood.
“Mark,” he swallowed, trying to find the words. “I’ve never done something like this.”
“Me either, pretty boy,” Mark answered easily. It was true, in more ways than Donghyuck could imagine. “I knew you were special the moment I breathed in your scent.”
“Hah,” Donghyuck sighed softly, leaning even more weight into Mark. The elevator dinged a moment later, signaling they had reached the lobby.
“Your cousin works down here, right?” Mark led him out, guiding him with a hand on his shoulder. Donghyuck nodded.
“Okay, keep your head down,” Mark instructed, brushing past the front desk and keeping his own head low as they headed for the side entrance. His driver was waiting already, thanks to Mark’s quick text.
It was easy then to get Donghyuck safely into his car and leave the office behind. Donghyuck settled on the seat beside Mark until one tilt of Mark’s head had him climbing onto his lap, settling there like a kitten. Donghyuck tilted his head to the side, baring his neck, and Mark almost lost it.
“You’re gonna kill me,” Mark muttered into his neck before dragging his tongue over Donghyuck’s skin, tasting him just as sweet as he smelled. “Fuck.”
Donghyuck writhed in his lap at the sensation of his neck being kissed, especially so close to his scent gland. All of his writhing did nothing to relieve the painful strain in Mark’s slacks, something neither of them could ignore.
Donghyuck gave a small, testing grind of his hips before Mark grabbed him tight, halting all movement.
“You can’t do that, baby.” Mark didn’t even register the use of the pet name, and neither did Donghyuck. It felt natural.
Donghyuck whined at the command, though, pouting his lips.
“Mark, I need more,” he whispered, as if admitting a secret. Mark ran a hand down his back before resting it on his ass.
“You won’t need anything when I’m done with you,” Mark murmured into his neck, leaning back. “I promise.”
Donghyuck seemed to accept his promise for now, staying still as Mark continued to nip at his soft skin.
The drive to Mark’s apartment was short—maybe ten minutes—but it felt like an eternity by the time they pulled up. Mark let Donghyuck out first before following, keeping a possessive hand on his lower back as they made their way inside.
His apartment was every bit as extravagant as expected, high ceilings and tall windows coating the space in natural light. Donghyuck didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to the multi-million-dollar apartment he’d been led into, instead leaping into Mark’s arms, where he was caught seamlessly. Donghyuck wrapped his legs around Mark’s waist as they backed onto the curved sofa, falling back together as they finally let their lips meet since that first time in Mark’s office.
Mark had never been so sure of anything in his life—not like this. Not when he’d found an omega he could not only tolerate, but was beginning to think he couldn’t live without. Within a few days, everything he’d known about himself had been upended, leaving him with a whiny omega in his lap and nothing else on his mind but how to make him feel good.
He’d been worried over the past few days that he wouldn’t be able to satisfy an omega—at least not the way most alphas would. He’d been with his fair share of betas, but as soon as he’d presented and the scent of omegas started to make him sick, he had given up even trying to imagine what it would be like. It was pointless, and left him feeling shitty every time he thought about what he’d never have.
All of his worrying turned out to be for nothing, given how he felt like he was designed specifically to pleasure the boy in his lap. He could see and feel everything so clearly—the alpha inside him had been prepared for this, whether Mark was aware of it or not.
“So gorgeous, so warm,” Mark spoke into Donghyuck’s soft skin, feeling the boy shiver. “Let me see more of you.”
He needed to see more of that tan, silky skin more than he needed air to breathe. He didn’t even bother waiting for Donghyuck to do it himself; he leaned back to create enough space to undo the buttons on his shirt, popping them open one by one and exposing his chest.
Donghyuck tilted his head back when Mark’s cool hands met his skin, a content sigh escaping his lips.
“So pretty, Donghyuck-ah.” He shrugged the white button-down off of his shoulders and trailed his fingers over lithe collarbones. “Have you ever been touched before?”
“No,” Donghyuck admitted with neither hesitation nor reservation in his tone. He wanted to be pure for Mark. He’d been waiting for this, even if he wasn’t aware of it.
“Fuck,” Mark groaned at the thought, his mind swarming with how good it felt to be the first hands to caress such a beautiful body. “And you trust me?”
“Yes,” Donghyuck breathed out, tilting his chin back down to look at Mark. His cheeks were flushed pink, his lips plump and wet. Donghyuck meant it more than Mark would ever know, biting his tongue to stop himself from begging to be claimed.
“You spend your heats alone?” Mark finished unbuttoning Donghyuck’s shirt and pulled it from where it was tucked into his belt, letting it flutter to the floor. His hands gravitated to the omega’s chest before he could even think, squeezing the soft flesh lightly.
Mark thought maybe he’d read somewhere that omegas’ chests tend to swell slightly when they’re aroused, but he was far too afraid to ask. If Donghyuck told him that this was how his body always looked, Mark wasn’t sure he’d survive.
“Yes,” Donghyuck answered his prior question. Mark clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“You poor thing,” he murmured, trailing his hands down Donghyuck’s sides before resting them possessively over his ass.
“I was saving myself for you,” Donghyuck whispered, wrapping his arms around Mark’s neck and dragging his nails into his hair.
Mark was far too new at this—he couldn’t be blamed for not handling those words well.
“Ah!” Donghyuck gasped as he found himself face down on the cushion, Mark pinning him down easily.
“You’re gonna get yourself into trouble if you keep talking like that,” Mark leaned down to growl in his ear, making Donghyuck shiver. “I have no practice with being gentle.”
Donghyuck could only answer with a small squeak as Mark flipped him over, now laying flat on his back while Mark flicked open his belt in one fluid movement. He slid his black slacks down Donghyuck’s long legs, exposing miles of golden skin.
Donghyuck’s scent intensified as Mark devoured him with his eyes, doing everything in his power not to writhe at the attention.
“Mark,” he whined, unsure of what he was even asking for.
“Mkay,” Mark somehow understood him anyway, leaning back far enough to grab Donghyuck with one arm as the omega clung to him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where Mark was taking him, and the thought of being laid out on silky, expensive sheets sent another wave of arousal through him, one that made him clutch onto Mark even tighter.
The door to Mark’s bedroom was ajar, letting them slip inside easily. Donghyuck took in as much as he could, noticing more tall windows surrounding a king-sized bed with a white duvet so thick and lush that he was sure he could get lost in it.
Mark tossed him onto the fluffy duvet and watched as Donghyuck stretched out like a kitten before subtly parting his thighs, enticing the alpha with his innate, omega charm.
Mark was still fully clothed, which began to frustrate Donghyuck, sending an unspoken signal to the alpha. Mark knew what he wanted without Donghyuck having to ask, reaching for his own buttons as the omega watched him with poorly contained lust. He rid himself of all his restrictive clothing, which had miraculously stayed intact, leaving him in boxers stretched drastically over his erection.
Donghyuck didn’t even feign modesty, his eyes zeroing in on the strain, and Mark felt another deep growl building in his chest at the sight of actual drool dripping from the corner of the omega’s mouth.
“Are you that hungry for it?” Mark pushed forward, pinning Donghyuck to the mattress in one quick pounce, enveloping himself in vanilla and hazelnut until he was dizzy with it. He pressed wet kisses to Donghyuck’s throat, not shying away from his scent gland as he licked and sucked at it with no remorse.
Donghyuck moaned prettily, small, breathy sounds floating past his drooling mouth, his hips bucking up against Mark’s.
“I’ve never felt like this, not even in my heat,” Donghyuck turned his head further to the side, baring more of his slender neck. Mark bit down harshly at his words, savoring Donghyuck’s moan of pain and arousal all at once.
Mark didn’t know a lot about Donghyuck yet, but he was learning quickly that the boy didn’t have much of a filter. He couldn’t be sure if this was how he was with everyone or just in his current state, but Mark fucking loved it.
“It’s because you’re made for me,” Mark trailed his mouth up Donghyuck’s jaw. “Right, baby?”
“Mm,” Donghyuck moaned in agreement, trailing his socked foot up Mark’s leg until it rested snug around his waist. The position pressed them even closer, both of them sighing at the pressure. Mark couldn’t help but rut his hips into him, testing.
“Will you let me taste you?” Mark asked, though the spike in Donghyuck’s scent made the answer obvious.
“Please,” the boy arched his back enough for Mark to slip off his little black briefs, his throat rumbling at the sight.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” Mark choked out, feeling so dizzy that his eyes might have crossed. Donghyuck’s inner thighs were glistening with slick, so much so that it was dripping. Mark had no idea how he’d missed it before; it was all-consuming and had clearly been increasing for God knows how long.
“Mark,” Donghyuck twisted his hips as Mark continued to stare with his jaw dropped, struggling to find a single word to describe the sight of an omega in this state.
“Mark, say something, please–”
Donghyuck cut himself off with a high-pitched scream when Mark forced his thighs open as far as they could go—much further than they had any right to—and leaned down to press his tongue right over Donghyuck’s leaking hole.
“F-fuck!” Donghyuck yelped as Mark lapped at him without remorse, tasting him, burying his face and wishing he could suffocate right there.
Mark licked down his thighs, catching every drop Donghyuck had so generously offered, leaving wet kisses in his wake. Donghyuck writhed uncontrollably, forcing Mark to pin him down with a strong arm across his tummy.
“Mark! Alpha, m’gonna–” Donghyuck’s back arched as far as it could while Mark held him down, his small cock jerking and streaking white across his skin. Mark could hardly believe his eyes at the sight of the omega’s stomach covered in cum, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
“You’re such a good omega,” Mark reassured him, kissing up his chest and onto his neck, sensing that Donghyuck’s scent had spiked with fear—fear that he had done something wrong.
“So sexy, so good for me,” Mark finally reached his lips, meeting Dongnhuck’s eager tongue as he basked in the praise. They kissed sloppily, trying to devour each other in the only way they knew how.
“I need you inside,” Donghyuck whispered, pulling back just long enough to speak into Mark’s mouth. Mark faltered, his own scent surging so intensely that Donghyuck’s eyes rolled back involuntarily.
“Okay, pretty baby,” Mark brought a hand up to stroke his knuckles over the omega’s cheek, bringing him back down to earth before focusing back on his thighs. He lifted them further, pressing them flush against Donghyuck’s stomach while using his forearm against the back of his ankles to hold them in place. The unobstructed view of Donghyuck’s glossy hole, slick still sliding down his ass in thick drops, made Mark drool just like Donghyuck had been, saliva mixing with the mess between the omega’s thighs.
Being with Donghyuck was nothing like any of his previous encounters, most notably by the way his hole sucked Mark’s fingers in, greedy and relentless. He couldn’t help but gasp at the sensation of practically losing control of his appendages to the boy beneath him, warmth and slick squeezing him tight.
His fingers immediately weren't enough for either of them, their eyes meeting in wordless understanding.
Mark retracted his fingers when the omega relaxed enough to let him, knowing no extra prep would be necessary—not with Donghyuck. He grabbed himself with his now slick-covered hand, coating himself unnecessarily for a brief moment of relief. He had never been this hard in his life; the omega was amplifying every sensation, altering him at a biological level. He couldn’t have been imagining how much bigger his cock had grown in just the short time he’d been with Donghyuck.
“Alpha, please. Please, Mark,” Donghyuck begged, voice pitched in a sweet whine, and Mark felt a pang of guilt at having made the omega have to ask for anything twice.
He pushed in slowly, feeling like every synapse in his brain was firing at once.
“Fuck, Donghyuck,” Mark groaned, dropping down to press his forehead against Donghyuck’s. The boy panted, his back arching as he fisted the sheets beneath him. His lips were parted in a silent scream, his vanilla scent surging stronger than ever.
Mark used all his strength to pull out halfway before sliding in again, hitting so deep that Donghyuck swore he could feel it in his throat.
“Mark, oh God,” he breathed out. “Move.”
His voice was strained, heavy with desire. Mark moved slowly, gauging his reaction. He tried to remind himself that Donghyuck was a virgin, and that even though he was asking for more, there was a chance he couldn’t handle it.
“I can take it, I promise,” the omega read Mark’s mind, breaking through the quiet.
And who was Mark to tell him what he could or couldn’t take?
He grabbed one of the dozens of pillows he seemed to have on his bed, slid it beneath Donghyuck’s lower back in one smooth motion, and slammed back into the boy at a new angle. Donghyuck screamed, the sound sending a chill down Mark’s spine. He wanted nothing more than to make him do that over and over.
He kept hitting the same spot, Donghyuck melting into a puddle of continuous moans and whines, slick still pouring from his hole in such excess that Mark could barely keep up.
“It’s so good,” Donghyuck parted his thighs impossibly further. “Alpha, it’s so good.”
Hearing Donghyuck call him by that name—hearing it in his sweet omega voice—was driving Mark completely insane.
“You feel so good, baby,” Mark leaned down to tongue over his nipple. “Your wet, virgin hole, just for me to ruin.”
Donghyuck choked out another scream, cumming again from Mark’s words alone. He panted, adding to the previous mess he’d made on his tummy.
“There you go, pretty,” Mark bit down on his nipple in appreciation, the omega twitching in overstimulation beneath him. “Do you feel good, Hyuckie?”
“So good, Mark, please, more,” he wrapped his arms around Mark’s neck, digging his blunt nails into pale skin. “And call me that more, please.”
“Pretty?” Mark leaned down to abuse his neck again, feeling Donghyuck hum against his lips.
“No, Hyuckie.”
Mark bit down harshly, tugging at his skin. Of course the cute boy would prefer a cute nickname.
“Okay, Hyuckie.” Mark left one last love bite right beneath Donghyuck’s jaw before pulling back. “Flip over.”
Mark slid back into him with no resistance, resuming a quick pace as he felt his own orgasm build. He knew realistically that he should stop soon, pull out, and avoid doing something rash, but his alpha was winning the mental tug-of-war. Donghyuck was bouncing beneath him with every thrust, his glistening slick making everything wet, messy, and delicious, and Mark was slipping into a state he’d never been in before.
His grip on Donghyuck’s hips was surely bruising, but the omega made no complaints, taking it all so perfectly. He mumbled something faintly then, but his face was pressed into the duvet. Mark tilted his head to the side with a firm grip on his hair, signaling for him to say it again.
“Knot me.”
Mark faltered, his hips losing their consistent rhythm and giving way to something more erratic. He’d never knotted anyone before, having avoided it with all his previous encounters, who were biologically incapable of taking it.
“I don’t know, baby,” Mark tried to uphold some moral superiority, but neither of them were buying it. He pressed deeper onto Donghyuck’s lower back to get him to arch further, still hitting his prostate dead-on as he warred with himself over what to do.
“I need it,” Donghyuck tried again, nothing if not persistent. Lucky for him, even non-sex-drunk Mark had generally lax morals.
“Okay,” Mark gave in, pathetically easy. “I’d do anything for you.”
He babbled mindlessly but meant every word. Donghyuck moaned pornographically, still fisting the sheets and pressing his ass back to meet Mark’s hips. The combination of it all was pushing Mark to a point of no return, fucking Donghyuck so well that the boy was boneless in his arms.
With one last moment of clarity, he flipped Donghyuck over, desperate to see the pretty omega’s face—all flushed and beautiful. Mark linked their hands together, intertwining their fingers and holding them above Donghyuck’s head as he reached a breaking point, unable to hold back any longer.
Donghyuck wrapped his smooth, tan legs around his waist again as Mark pushed in one last time, locking their bodies together. He was so deep that he could feel himself hit the entrance to Donghyuck’s cervix, the omega naturally opening up for him. Mark groaned from deep in his chest, like a growl, as he buried his face back in Donghyuck’s neck, trying everything in his power not to bite down as he emptied inside him.
“I want your babies,” Donghyuck clawed at his back, arching to press Mark as deep as possible. “I want puppies.”
At that moment, it was hopeless. There was never a way around it, from the moment Mark had picked up the intern’s scent on his first day.
Mark licked the side of his neck once more before biting down hard, claiming his omega, taking him all for himself. Donghyuck yelped in pain like a kitten before cumming for the third time, overwhelmed by the feeling of being claimed, being owned. Mark licked over the wound comfortingly once he retracted his teeth, tasting blood on his tongue as another wave of pleasure crashed over him, filling Donghyuck even more.
They were locked together now, in more ways than one. Mark regained enough strength to prop himself up on his forearms, staring at the beautiful mess beneath him. Donghyuck was shiny with a thin layer of sweat, his cheeks peachy pink, and his neck thoroughly wounded. Mark couldn’t help but reach out and touch, dragging light fingers over the bite he’d left.
He searched Donghyuck’s face for a sign of regret or panic—but found nothing but bliss.
“Hyuckie,” Mark cooed, trying to get his attention. His eyes had partially glazed over, staring almost through Mark instead of at him. “Hyuckie.”
Donghyuck blinked a couple of times, finally refocusing.
“Mark,” Donghyuck squeezed his hand where their fingers were still intertwined before untangling them to touch the bite on his neck. Mark held his breath but was soon met with strong, soothing pheromones from the omega beneath him, making all of his limbs feel heavy.
“Am I yours now?” Donghyuck asked, his angel-eyes glistening in the low light. Mark put his hand atop Donghyuck’s, moving his fingers over the mark again.
“You are.” Mark couldn’t help the possessive tone—he’d just gained a new possession, after all. “You’re all mine.”
“Oh,” Donghyuck turned his head to the side, tears pricking at his eyes. Mark didn’t worry—he knew they weren’t tears of sadness.
“You feel okay, pretty baby?” Mark cooed at him, brushing soft hair from his forehead. Their bodies were still locked together, Mark fit snugly inside with no plans of moving.
“Yeah,” Donghyuck answered, breathless. They fell silent then, catching their breath and getting used to the bond. It was an exhilarating feeling, like something had been missing, only to find the missing piece in each other.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Mark finally spoke again, smiling at the dreamy look on his lover’s face.
“Mm,” Donghyuck hummed noncommittally, his body still soft and yielding beneath his alpha. “Am I still Jeno’s intern?”
“Do you want to be?” Mark trailed a hand down Donghyuck’s smooth thigh where it still wrapped around his waist. The omega stayed quiet as he thought it over.
Did he want to be Jeno’s intern? He’d spent his first week with his mind elsewhere, hardly paying attention to anything he was being taught. He could only think of Mark, wondering if he was thinking of him too.
“Maybe we figure it out later,” Mark suggested, noticing the crease between Donghyuck’s brow. There was no reason for someone that pretty to ever worry over something so trivial. Mark would do all the worrying for him.
“Okay,” Donghyuck agreed easily, the crease disappearing. “What do we do now?”
He let his hands trail over Mark’s shoulders before dragging them down over his strong biceps.
“For now,” Mark watched him carefully, studying every inch of his omega’s face. He traced over the cluster of moles on his left cheek, committing them to memory. “For now, I think we go again.”