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Shane Hollander hated nightclubs.
He hated the noise first of all, the kind of noise that didn’t simply stay in the background but climbed beneath his skin and rattled through his bones until even thinking became difficult, and he hated the lights too, flashing violently across dark rooms in sharp bursts of neon blue and pink that made his eyes ache after only a few minutes, but most of all he hated the scents.
Too many alphas.
Too many omegas.
Too many emotions bleeding uncontrollably into the air.
The moment Shane stepped through the entrance behind Hayden Pike, the heavy mixture of pheromones hit him hard enough that his shoulders instinctively tensed.
Sweet omega perfume mixed with expensive cologne, sharp alpha musk tangled together with alcohol and sweat and excitement until the entire nightclub smelled like heat and bad decisions.
Hayden glanced sideways at him immediately.
“You okay?”
“No.” Shane answered honestly.
Hayden laughed.
“Come on, don’t look so miserable already.”
“I am miserable already.”
“You’ve been here twelve seconds.”
“Longest twelve seconds of my life.”
Hayden snorted and clapped a hand against Shane’s shoulder while guiding him through the crowded entrance, weaving between groups of laughing strangers dressed in tight shirts and glittering dresses, some already drunk enough to lean heavily against each other while music thundered through the building.
Shane wanted to leave.
Actually, no.
Shane wanted to teleport directly into his apartment where it was quiet and safe and smelled only faintly of laundry detergent and citrus tea instead of aggressive alpha pheromones.
But Hayden had celebrated his birthday three days ago, and tonight was apparently the “real” celebration involving drinks and dancing and people making terrible romantic decisions under flashing lights.
And Shane couldn’t say no to Hayden.
Not when Hayden had looked genuinely excited while inviting him.
Not when Hayden was his best friend.
“You owe me for this.” Shane muttered while they reached the main floor of the club.
Hayden grinned immediately. “I know.”
“I’m serious.”
“I bought you dinner last week.”
“That doesn’t cover emotional damages.”
Hayden laughed louder.
They eventually found an empty booth slightly removed from the dance floor, elevated enough that Shane could watch the crowd without being directly swallowed by it, and the second he sat down he felt marginally better.
Not comfortable. Never comfortable.
But less trapped.
A waitress came by quickly and Hayden ordered whiskey while Shane quietly asked for ginger ale, earning an amused look from both Hayden and the waitress.
“What?” Shane asked defensively.
“Nothing,” Hayden said innocently. “It’s cute.”
“I’m leaving.”
“You say that every ten minutes.”
“Maybe one day I’ll mean it.”
The waitress disappeared again.
Shane exhaled slowly and leaned back against the booth, trying to ignore the overwhelming noise around him while his eyes drifted across the crowded nightclub.
Bodies moved together beneath flashing lights.
Alphas danced with pretty omegas pressed tightly against them, hands sliding over waists and hips openly while groups near the bar laughed too loudly over their drinks.
This club had a reputation too.
Most people came here for hookups.
Easy sex. No strings attached.
Even Shane knew that.
He honestly couldn’t imagine anything worse.
“Relax a little,” Hayden said while reaching for the drinks once they arrived. “You look like someone kidnapped you.”
“I came voluntarily.” Shane muttered.
“Barely.”
Shane wrapped both hands around his glass of ginger ale, the cold surface grounding him slightly.
Then he noticed two men entering the dance floor.
Both were alphas. That much was obvious instantly by looking at them alone.
One of them had dark hair and broad shoulders, handsome in a clean-cut, confident sort of way, the kind of alpha Shane imagined probably flirted constantly and knew exactly how attractive he was.
But the other one…
Shane’s thoughts stopped abruptly.
Tall. God, he was tall.
The alpha moved easily through the crowd with relaxed confidence, light brown curls falling messily across his forehead while blue eyes flashed beneath shifting club lights, and there was something almost unfairly attractive about him, something warm and masculine and dangerously charming.
Shane stared before he could stop himself.
Holy shit.
The alpha laughed at something his friend said, deep voice completely lost beneath the music, but Shane still found himself watching the movement of his mouth, the lazy curve of his grin, the way his shoulders shifted beneath a black button-up shirt rolled carelessly to his elbows.
He looked like trouble.
The attractive kind.
“Ah.” Hayden said quietly beside him.
Shane immediately looked away.
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m observing.”
“You’ve been ‘observing’ the curly-haired alpha for like two minutes.”
Shane took a hurried sip of ginger ale. “I have not.”
“You absolutely have.”
“I hate you.”
Hayden laughed.
Shane tried not to look back toward the dance floor.
He failed almost immediately.
The alpha and his friend had already blended into the crowd naturally, both moving like they belonged there completely, entirely comfortable inside the chaos of music and pheromones and bodies pressed together beneath flashing lights.
Shane envied that kind of ease.
He had never once walked into a crowded room and felt like he belonged.
Not as an omega.
Not as someone who always felt slightly wrong in social situations, too quiet or too awkward or too sensitive to things other people ignored effortlessly.
Meanwhile, entirely unaware of the omega watching him from across the club, Ilya Rozanov was focused on having a good time.
“This place is packed tonight.” Cliff Marlow said while they crossed the dance floor.
“Good,” Ilya answered easily. “More options.”
Cliff barked out a laugh.
The truth was they had spent most of the evening sprawled across Ilya’s couch drinking beer and complaining about boredom before eventually deciding to go out, and now that they were here Ilya could already feel the familiar energy of the nightclub settling comfortably into him.
He liked places like this.
Liked loud music. Liked pretty people.
Liked easy flirtation with no expectations attached afterward.
Most people here wanted exactly the same thing anyway.
Temporary pleasure.
Nothing deeper.
And honestly, that suited Ilya perfectly.
“There.” Cliff said suddenly, nodding toward two blonde omega women dancing together near the center of the floor.
Both women were gorgeous.
One wore a short silver dress that shimmered under the lights while the other had long curled blonde hair and dark lipstick, and both glanced toward Ilya and Cliff almost immediately once they approached.
Interested.
Good.
“Ladies.” Cliff greeted smoothly.
The darker blonde laughed instantly. “You rehearse that beforehand?”
“Yes.”
“No, he didn’t.” Ilya corrected lazily.
“Traitor.”
The omega in silver smiled up at Ilya openly, sweet omega pheromones already curling through the air with obvious attraction.
“You boys alone tonight?” she asked.
“For now.” Ilya answered.
She grinned.
The music shifted into something heavier, bass vibrating through the floor while the four of them drifted naturally into dancing together.
This was easy territory for Ilya.
Comfortable territory.
The blonde omega moved closer willingly, one hand sliding against his chest while Ilya settled a large hand against her waist automatically, pulling her nearer without hesitation.
She smelled expensive.
Vanilla perfume mixed with omega sweetness and alcohol.
“You’re very tall.” she shouted over the music.
“You are very observant.”
She laughed loudly.
Ilya smirked and spun her once beneath his arm before pulling her back against him, her body fitting easily against his chest while lights flashed across the dance floor around them.
Nearby, Cliff was already flirting shamelessly with the other omega.
Shane couldn’t stop watching.
It was embarrassing at this point honestly.
But the alpha on the dance floor looked almost hypnotic surrounded by flashing lights and moving bodies, all relaxed confidence and easy charm while the blonde omega pressed herself against him openly.
And he was clearly enjoying it.
His large hand rested against her waist possessively while she tilted her head back laughing at something he said, fingers brushing across his shoulders flirtatiously.
Shane’s stomach twisted strangely.
Not jealousy exactly.
More like…
Something uncomfortable.
Of course he’s here to pick someone up, Shane thought while staring into his drink for a second. That’s literally why people come here.
Still, his eyes drifted back toward the dance floor again.
The alpha was beautiful.
There was really no point pretending otherwise.
Even Hayden noticed how distracted Shane had become.
“You know,” Hayden said casually, “you could go dance.”
Shane looked horrified.
“No.”
“You’re acting like I suggested public execution.”
“I would rather be executed.”
Hayden laughed into his whiskey.
“You think he’s hot.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to.”
Shane glared weakly while Hayden continued grinning.
Down on the dance floor, Ilya was having a fantastic time.
The blonde omega in silver was fun, confident without being clingy, clearly interested in the same kind of uncomplicated night he was.
Exactly the sort of interaction he usually preferred.
“You dance well.” she said while moving closer again.
“You dance better.”
“Liar.”
“I am charming, not liar.”
She laughed again and rested both hands briefly against his shoulders while music pounded around them.
God, this club really never disappointed.
The omega tilted her head toward the bar. “Want another drink?”
“In minute.”
“You planning to keep me here all night?”
“Maybe.”
She smiled knowingly at that.
Ilya’s attention stayed entirely on her, completely unaware that across the room one quiet omega couldn’t stop looking at him.
Shane hated himself a little for still staring.
Every logical thought in his brain told him to stop.
The alpha wasn’t interested in him.
The alpha didn’t even know he existed.
And honestly, why would he?
The blonde omega dancing with him looked like she belonged in magazines, all confidence and curves and easy flirtation while Shane sat hidden inside a booth clutching ginger ale like an anxious librarian accidentally dropped into a nightclub.
Still…
The alpha looked so alive while dancing.
So effortless.
Shane wondered briefly what it would feel like to have someone like that look at him with genuine interest.
The thought made warmth creep up his neck immediately.
“Nope,” Shane muttered to himself, taking another sip of ginger ale. “We’re not doing that.”
Hayden raised an eyebrow. “Doing what?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re talking to yourself again.”
“I’m thinking out loud.”
“That’s still talking to yourself.”
Shane ignored him.
His attention drifted helplessly back toward the dance floor one more time just as the curly-haired alpha pulled the blonde omega closer by her waist, her body fitting against him naturally while he leaned down to say something near her ear.
The omega laughed brightly.
And unexpectedly, something sharp twisted inside Shane’s chest.
Not pain exactly.
Just sudden awareness.
Awareness that the alpha existed in a completely different world from him.
A loud, confident world filled with flirting and dancing and casual touches.
A world Shane had never really known how to enter.
For a second Shane looked away, focusing hard on the bubbles rising inside his ginger ale.
This is stupid, he thought firmly. You don’t even know his name.
The nightclub only became louder as the night went on.
Shane Hollander sat curled slightly into the corner of the booth with both hands wrapped around his second glass of ginger ale, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the relentless bass vibrating beneath the floor and the overwhelming mixture of scents clouding the air around him, because by now the club smelled even more strongly of sweat, alcohol, perfume, and rising pheromones as people grew drunker and bolder beneath the flashing lights.
He honestly didn’t understand how anyone enjoyed this.
Hayden clearly did.
Hayden had relaxed completely into the atmosphere nearly an hour ago, laughing easily whenever strangers stopped by their table to say hello, occasionally singing along badly to songs Shane didn’t recognize while whiskey loosened his mood further.
Meanwhile Shane still felt tense.
Still felt too aware of every alpha scent brushing against his senses.
Still kept looking toward the dance floor despite knowing perfectly well that it was a bad idea.
Because the curly-haired alpha was still there.
Still dancing. Still devastatingly attractive.
Shane hated that he had become so distracted by a stranger.
The alpha’s large hand resting comfortably against the blonde omega woman’s waist while she laughed at something he said, her body pressed close against his chest beneath flashing club lights.
They looked good together.
That thought hit Shane unpleasantly hard.
The omega woman was beautiful in the polished, confident way people in clubs usually were, with long blonde hair spilling over bare shoulders and a silver dress that clung to her figure while she danced against the alpha like she belonged there naturally.
And the alpha…
God.
Even from a distance Shane couldn’t stop noticing everything about him.
The broad shoulders. The careless curls.
The easy grin that appeared whenever the omega said something funny.
Stop staring, Shane told himself firmly for probably the fiftieth time that evening.
He failed immediately.
“You know,” Hayden said suddenly beside him, voice suspiciously casual, “if you keep looking at that guy like that, eventually you’re going to burn a hole through him.”
Shane nearly choked on his drink.
“I’m not looking at him like anything.”
Hayden snorted.
“Sure.”
Shane glared weakly before turning his attention very aggressively toward the table instead of the dance floor.
That lasted approximately twelve seconds.
When he looked up again, Hayden was no longer paying attention to him anyway.
Instead Hayden had gone strangely still while staring toward the bar.
Shane followed his line of sight automatically.
A woman stood there laughing with a group of friends, blond hair falling over one shoulder while she held a bright pink drink in one hand, and even from here Shane could tell immediately that she was an omega from the sweetness of her scent occasionally drifting through the crowd.
“She’s pretty.” Shane said absentmindedly.
Hayden made a strangled sound.
Shane blinked at him.
“Oh my god,” he realized slowly. “You know her.”
Hayden looked suddenly defensive. “Maybe.”
“You do.”
“She works with me.”
Shane stared.
Then he started laughing quietly for the first time all evening.
“No way.”
“What?”
“You have a crush.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do.”
Hayden rubbed a hand across his face dramatically. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“A little?” Shane repeated incredulously. “You’re staring at her like she personally invented happiness.”
“Shut up.”
Shane grinned into his ginger ale.
This was honestly adorable.
Hayden Pike was an alpha built like a hockey player who flirted shamelessly with half the population on a regular basis, yet apparently one omega coworker was enough to reduce him into awkward panic.
“What’s her name?” Shane asked.
“Jackie.”
“Does Jackie know you’re in love with her?”
“I am not in love with her.”
“Mhm.”
Hayden pointed threateningly at him. “You’re supposed to support me.”
“I am supporting you. I’m supporting you very judgmentally.”
Hayden laughed despite himself before glancing toward the bar again, immediately looking nervous all over.
Shane almost never saw Hayden nervous around anyone.
“She’s really nice,” Hayden admitted after a second, voice quieter now. “Funny. Smart. She brings me coffee sometimes because apparently I look tired all the time.”
“You do look tired all the time.”
“Thank you, Shane.”
“You’re welcome.”
Hayden hesitated again before sighing heavily. “I kinda want to talk to her.”
“Then go talk to her.”
“What if I sound stupid?”
“You always sound stupid. She probably won’t notice the difference.”
Hayden shoved lightly at his shoulder.
Shane smiled faintly.
Then the smile faded when Hayden stood up from the booth.
“You’re actually going?”
“Yeah.” Hayden paused. “You okay here alone for a few minutes?”
Immediately, instinctively, Shane wanted to say no.
The nightclub felt overwhelming enough with Hayden sitting beside him. The idea of being left alone surrounded by hundreds of strangers and overpowering scents made anxiety tighten sharply in his chest.
But Hayden looked genuinely hopeful while glancing toward the bar again.
And Shane couldn’t ruin that.
“I’ll survive.” he muttered.
“You sure?”
“No,” Shane answered honestly. “But go anyway.”
Hayden grinned suddenly. “You’re the best.”
“I know.”
“Don’t get kidnapped while I’m gone.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Then Hayden disappeared into the crowd toward the bar, leaving Shane alone in the booth surrounded by pulsing music and flashing lights.
Almost immediately the empty space beside him felt wrong.
Too exposed.
Shane took another sip of ginger ale and tried not to focus on the nervous discomfort crawling beneath his skin.
You’re fine, he told himself. You’re literally just sitting at a table.
Still, he found himself curling slightly inward again automatically, shoulders tense while strangers moved past nearby laughing loudly over the music.
And against his better judgment, his eyes drifted back toward the dance floor.
The curly-haired alpha was still there.
Still dancing with the blonde omega.
Only now they were much closer than before.
The omega woman had both arms looped loosely around his neck while the alpha held her against him easily, large hand spread across the small of her back possessively as they moved together beneath shifting lights.
Shane’s chest tightened unexpectedly.
That was fast, he thought.
But then again, wasn’t that exactly how places like this worked?
People came here specifically looking for hookups.
The alpha and the omega won’t even exchange names before deciding they disappear into somebody’s apartment later tonight.
Easy. Simple.
Shane couldn’t imagine living that way.
And yet part of him envied how natural it seemed for other people.
Because the alpha looked relaxed.
Comfortable.
Like flirting and touching and attraction happened effortlessly for him.
Then, as Shane watched helplessly, the omega woman tilted her face upward and the alpha kissed her.
Slowly. Confidently.
One hand still firm against her waist while she melted closer against his chest beneath the flashing lights.
Something sharp twisted painfully inside Shane’s chest.
He looked away immediately.
Why does that hurt?
The answer came far too quickly.
Because Shane wanted that.
Not specifically the blonde omega woman’s place.
But the feeling.
The certainty.
The effortless attraction.
He wanted someone to look at him like that someday.
And deep down, painfully deep down, he already knew exactly what kind of person he wanted.
An alpha man.
Not a beta. Not an alpha woman.
An alpha man.
The realization had terrified him when he was younger.
Male omegas were rare enough already.
Male omegas who openly preferred alpha men felt even rarer somehow.
Because despite what people claimed publicly about acceptance and progress, Shane knew perfectly well how many alphas still reacted strangely to male omegas.
Some avoided them completely.
Some acted uncomfortable with the entire concept, as though omega men somehow disrupted the neat biological categories they preferred.
Shane had experienced all of it.
Too feminine for some people.
Not omega enough for others.
And sometimes simply invisible.
He stared down at his drink quietly.
The bubbles had mostly faded now.
Across the dance floor the alpha kissed the omega woman again, entirely unaware that one quiet omega sitting alone in a booth couldn’t stop watching him.
Of course he wants an omega woman, Shane thought bitterly. Most alphas do.
That was simply reality.
Female omegas were softer socially accepted matches. Easier. Expected.
Male omegas existed in an awkward place between fascination and rejection.
Shane knew this because he had lived it his entire life.
When he presented as omega during high school, people stared.
Not cruelly most of the time.
Just curiously.
Like they didn’t quite know what to do with him.
Even now strangers occasionally assumed he was beta until they scented him properly.
And dating…
God.
Dating had been awful.
Actually, no.
Dating had barely existed at all.
There had only really been one serious attempt.
A beta man named Ethan.
Shane leaned back against the booth slowly while memories resurfaced uninvited.
Ethan had been kind. Funny too.
They met through mutual friends and ended up texting constantly afterward, mostly about books and movies and obscure documentaries nobody else cared about, and eventually Ethan had asked him out with awkward sincerity that Shane found genuinely sweet.
So Shane said yes.
And for a while he really tried.
They went on dates together for almost a month.
Coffee shops. Museums.
Quiet restaurants Shane actually liked.
Ethan always held doors open for him and remembered tiny details about his favourite drinks and once brought him orange-flavoured chocolates because he said they smelled like Shane’s scent.
Objectively, Ethan had been wonderful.
But every time Ethan touched his hand, Shane felt…
Nothing.
No spark. No instinctive pull. No rush beneath his skin.
And worst of all, Ethan’s beta scent barely registered to Shane at all.
Betas couldn’t scent alphas or omegas properly, and omegas generally reacted far more strongly to alpha pheromones biologically.
At first Shane thought maybe attraction simply took longer for him.
Maybe he just needed time.
But after weeks passed and he still felt emotionally detached whenever Ethan kissed him goodbye, Shane finally admitted the truth to himself.
He didn’t want this.
He wanted an alpha.
And not just any alpha. A male alpha.
The realization had filled him with guilt back then because Ethan genuinely liked him.
Ending things had hurt.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Shane remembered telling him quietly while they sat outside a café one rainy afternoon.
Ethan had smiled sadly. “You just don’t feel it.”
Shane couldn’t even deny it.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Ethan hesitated before adding gently, “You deserve someone who makes you excited to be touched, Shane.”
At the time Shane hadn’t known whether someone like that even existed for him.
Some days he still wasn’t sure.
Because statistically?
His chances were terrible.
Male omegas made up barely any of the population.
Most alpha men pursued omega women almost exclusively.
And even among the few alphas open to male omegas, attraction still had to align naturally.
Sometimes Shane worried there simply wasn’t anyone out there who would truly want him.
Not tolerate him. Not experiment with him.
Want him.
The thought settled heavily in his chest while he stared again toward the dance floor.
The curly-haired alpha still held the blonde omega close, both of them laughing together now between kisses.
They looked good together.
Natural.
And Shane hated the stupid ache that formed inside him watching it.
Because he had absolutely no right to feel jealous over a stranger.
No right whatsoever.
Yet the jealousy still existed anyway, quiet and embarrassing and impossible to fully suppress.
Maybe someday, Shane thought silently while tracing condensation along his glass with one fingertip. Maybe eventually somebody will look at me like that too.
He tried very hard to believe it.
Shane Hollander was starting to feel trapped inside his own skin.
The nightclub had grown even more crowded during the last hour, bodies packed tightly together beneath flashing lights while music pounded so loudly through the floor that Shane could practically feel the bass vibrating in his ribs, and the scents surrounding him had thickened into something almost unbearable now, alpha pheromones heavy with arousal mixing with sweet omega scents until the entire club smelled overheated and intoxicating.
Usually Shane was good at managing sensory overload.
Usually he could breathe through it.
Ignore it. Compartmentalize it.
But tonight felt different somehow.
Maybe because Hayden still hadn’t returned from talking to Jackie at the bar.
Or maybe because Shane kept accidentally looking toward the dance floor only to find the curly-haired alpha kissing the blonde omega woman again.
Every single time it happened, something unpleasant twisted sharply inside Shane’s chest.
It was ridiculous. He knew it was ridiculous.
The alpha was a stranger.
A beautiful stranger, yes, but still a stranger.
And yet Shane couldn’t stop reacting.
The worst part was that his omega instincts seemed just as fascinated as the rest of him.
Every time he caught sight of the alpha’s hands sliding possessively over the omega woman’s waist or back, Shane felt strange warmth spreading beneath his skin, heat curling low in his stomach in ways that honestly embarrassed him.
Get a grip, he told himself firmly while taking another sip of ginger ale.
Across the club, the alpha leaned down to murmur something against the omega woman’s ear, making her laugh brightly before pulling him into another kiss.
Shane looked away immediately.
God.
How did people do this so easily?
How did attraction come so naturally to some people while Shane spent half his life overthinking basic eye contact?
“You’re catastrophizing again, aren’t you?”
Hayden’s voice startled him badly enough that Shane nearly spilled his drink.
“You came back.”
Hayden slid into the booth beside him looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Jackie gave me her number.”
Shane blinked.
Then despite everything, he smiled genuinely.
“Oh my god.”
“I know.”
“She likes you?”
Hayden tried and failed to suppress a huge grin. “Apparently.”
“That’s disgusting. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
Shane laughed quietly.
For a moment the tight ache inside his chest eased slightly while Hayden rambled excitedly about his conversation with Jackie, clearly replaying every detail already.
“She laughed at my joke.” Hayden said.
“Was it actually funny?”
“No.”
“Then she definitely likes you.”
Hayden shoved lightly against his shoulder.
Still smiling faintly, Shane glanced automatically toward the dance floor again…
And froze.
The curly-haired alpha and the blonde omega woman were gone.
Shane’s stomach dropped strangely.
Which was stupid. Completely stupid.
Because obviously they had left together.
That was the entire point of this place.
Still, the sudden absence unsettled him more than it should have.
“You okay?” Hayden asked, noticing immediately.
“Fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I just need the bathroom.”
“That’s probably the seventh ginger ale.”
Shane stood carefully, smoothing nervous hands against his dark jeans. “Don’t disappear while I’m gone.”
Hayden laughed. “Relax, Hollander. I’ll be at the bar with Jackie.”
Shane nodded once before slipping away from the booth and into the crowd.
The hallway leading toward the bathrooms was noticeably darker than the main floor of the club, lit only by dim golden wall lights that barely cut through the shadows while muffled bass echoed through the corridor from distant speakers.
Thankfully the men’s bathroom itself was quieter.
Still loud. Still unpleasant.
But quieter enough that Shane could finally breathe properly for the first time in nearly an hour.
He locked himself inside one of the stalls and leaned briefly against the wall afterward, exhaling slowly.
You’re being dramatic, he told himself internally.
But another voice answered immediately.
No, you’re overwhelmed.
That was the problem with being an omega sometimes.
Especially an omega like Shane.
His body reacted too strongly to everything.
Scents. Tension. Attraction. Emotion.
Even now he could still smell traces of alpha pheromones clinging to his clothes from walking through the nightclub.
After washing his hands, Shane finally pushed open the bathroom door and stepped back into the dim corridor.
Then stopped dead.
Two people stood pressed against the wall several feet away, half-hidden in darkness.
Making out heavily.
The woman’s blonde hair spilled over her shoulders while a tall alpha crowded close against her body, one hand braced against the wall beside her head while the other disappeared beneath the hem of her blouse.
Shane only saw the alpha’s back at first.
Broad shoulders. Black shirt. Light brown curls.
And immediately he knew.
The attractive alpha from the dance floor.
Shane’s pulse stumbled hard inside his chest.
The omega woman gasped softly when the alpha kissed down along her throat, and Shane froze helplessly for one awful second as realization crashed over him all at once.
They hadn’t left.
They had just moved somewhere more private.
The alpha pressed closer against her body, large hands roaming beneath her blouse now while she clung to his shoulders eagerly, completely absorbed in him.
And then Shane smelled him properly for the first time.
Dark chocolate. Warm musk.
Something rich and masculine underneath, smooth like worn leather and expensive whiskey.
Russian leather.
The scent hit Shane so suddenly and intensely that his knees nearly weakened beneath him.
Oh god.
Heat flooded low through his body instantly.
Sharp. Overwhelming.
Completely unfamiliar.
Shane grabbed instinctively for the wall beside him.
Because his omega instincts reacted violently to the alpha scent wrapped around the dark hallway, his body flooding with sudden unwanted arousal so fast it genuinely startled him.
This had never happened before.
Never.
Not like this.
His breathing became uneven.
The alpha’s scent surrounded the corridor completely now, thickened further by arousal and possessiveness while he kissed the omega woman deeply against the wall.
And horrifyingly, Shane could feel slick beginning to gather between his thighs.
His entire face burned with humiliation.
What the fuck is happening to me?
No alpha had ever affected him like this before.
Not even close.
Shane pressed one trembling hand briefly against his stomach, heart racing uncontrollably while heat spread through his entire body.
The scent was too strong.
Too good.
Dark chocolate and musk wrapped around his omega instincts until his brain felt dizzy with it.
Meanwhile the alpha remained entirely unaware that another omega stood frozen nearby falling apart internally from scent alone.
The blonde omega whimpered softly when the alpha’s hand slid higher beneath her shirt.
“Fuck.” the alpha muttered against her mouth, voice rough and accented enough that Shane’s entire body reacted again helplessly.
Russian.
The realization made everything worse somehow.
You need to leave. Right now.
Shane forced himself to move backward quietly before either of them noticed him standing there like an idiot.
His cheeks burned violently.
God.
He couldn’t walk past them. Absolutely not.
The thought of brushing close enough to that scent again while his body already reacted this badly made panic spark sharply through him.
So instead Shane turned quickly down another hallway, taking the longer route back toward the main room of the nightclub while trying desperately to calm himself down.
This was insane. Actually insane.
His omega instincts had never reacted so strongly to anyone before.
Not even during heat cycles.
And the worst part…
The truly humiliating part…
Was that the alpha hadn’t even looked at him.
Meanwhile, back in the dark corridor, Ilya Rozanov was entirely focused on the blonde omega currently pressed against the wall beneath him.
The nightclub music echoed distantly through the hallway while her fingers tangled eagerly in his curls, mouth soft and willing beneath his as he kissed her deeply again.
She tasted like vodka and cherry lip gloss.
Not bad.
Actually pretty good.
And she was clearly interested.
Very interested.
One of her hands slid down his chest slowly while she pressed closer against him with a quiet breathy sound that would normally have made Ilya instantly decide to drag her somewhere private.
Honestly, he was already considering it.
His hand moved beneath her blouse again, warm skin sliding beneath his palm while she arched slightly against him.
“Bathroom?” she murmured near his mouth.
Ilya smirked lazily. “You read my mind.”
She laughed softly and kissed him again before he guided her toward the men’s bathroom nearby, one hand still firm against her waist.
The moment they stepped inside, something changed.
Ilya stopped abruptly.
The omega woman blinked up at him. “What?”
But Ilya barely heard her.
Because another scent drifted through the bathroom.
Orange rind.
Fresh. Bright.
Completely unlike the heavy perfume and alcohol filling the rest of the nightclub.
The smell hit him instantly and unexpectedly hard.
His attention sharpened automatically.
Omega.
Definitely omega.
A lovely scent too.
Subtle but addictive enough that Ilya inhaled unconsciously again before realizing he was doing it.
The blonde omega touched his chest lightly. “Hey?”
Ilya frowned slightly.
The scent lingered strongly inside the bathroom, clearly recent.
Another alpha must have brought an omega woman in here earlier.
That was the obvious explanation.
Still…
Something about the scent distracted him immediately.
Orange rind and soft sweetness beneath it.
Clean. Comforting.
Interesting.
Ilya found himself scanning the bathroom automatically even though nobody else remained inside now.
Weird.
Usually once he committed to someone for the night, his attention stayed there.
But now the omega woman standing directly in front of him suddenly felt secondary compared to the lingering scent wrapped around the room.
The blonde omega noticed his distraction immediately.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” Ilya answered automatically.
But honestly?
Not really.
Or rather…
Too aware.
The orange-rind scent curled through his senses again, triggering strange instinctive curiosity low in his chest.
He had never smelled an omega quite like this before.
Most omega scents in clubs became overwhelming quickly beneath perfume and arousal.
This one felt different.
Softer.
And somehow incredibly addictive.
The omega woman slid both arms around his neck again, clearly trying to regain his full attention.
Normally that would have worked instantly.
Instead Ilya found himself distracted all over again by the lingering citrus scent nearby.
What the hell?
“You sure?” she asked, amused now. “You look confused.”
Ilya blinked and forced a grin onto his face.
“Little distracted.”
“By me, hopefully.”
“Of course.”
Lie. A complete lie.
And strangely enough, Ilya realized he suddenly didn’t want this anymore.
Not because the omega woman wasn’t attractive.
She absolutely was.
But his instincts felt unsettled now, restless beneath his skin while orange rind continued teasing at his senses.
The omega leaned upward expectantly to kiss him again.
Ilya kissed her back automatically for a few seconds before finally pulling away with a low sigh.
“I actually need find my friend.”
The omega stared at him. “Now?”
“Yes.”
“That’s your excuse?”
Ilya winced internally.
Okay, fair.
The excuse sounded terrible even to him.
Still, he pushed forward anyway. “He is drunk. Very irresponsible alone.”
She burst out laughing.
“You’re kidding.”
“Little bit.”
The omega narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You were very interested five minutes ago.”
“I know.”
“And suddenly you remembered friendship?”
Ilya rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Honestly, he didn’t fully understand it himself.
All he knew was that the lingering orange scent had completely destroyed his concentration.
And now every instinct inside him felt oddly dissatisfied.
Like something important had brushed past him without explanation.
The omega sighed dramatically before stepping back.
“Well. You’re weird.”
“I hear this often.”
She shook her head, though amusement still softened her expression.
“Your loss, handsome.”
Probably.
But strangely enough, Ilya barely cared anymore.
Because even after leaving the bathroom, the faint scent of orange rind still lingered in the back of his mind.
Ilya Rozanov had absolutely no idea what the hell was wrong with him.
One moment he had been halfway to getting a willing omega onto her knees inside the men’s bathroom, and the next he had completely lost interest because of a scent lingering in the air like a ghost he suddenly couldn’t stop chasing.
Orange rind.
Sweet but not sugary.
Fresh. Warm.
The kind of scent that settled somewhere deep inside his instincts immediately and refused to let go.
Now he stood outside the bathroom hallway with the blonde omega woman already disappearing back toward the dance floor without him, while Ilya remained motionless for a second longer beneath dim golden lights, distracted and restless in a way he genuinely didn’t understand.
What the fuck was that?
He dragged one hand through his curls slowly.
Usually he was easy. Simple.
He liked attractive people, loud nights, uncomplicated hookups, and he rarely overthought anything afterward.
But this… this felt strange.
The scent still lingered faintly in his head even after leaving the bathroom, like his instincts had latched onto it without permission.
Orange rind.
Omega.
Definitely omega.
And fucking beautiful.
“You are losing your mind.” Ilya muttered under his breath while heading back toward the main room of the nightclub.
Music crashed over him immediately once he stepped back onto the dance floor, bass vibrating beneath his feet while lights flashed violently across sweating bodies and moving crowds, but now something felt different.
Before, the club had smelled messy.
Now every other scent felt dull compared to the omega fragrance stuck in his memory.
Ilya frowned slightly.
That had never happened before. Not once.
Usually omega scents blurred together after enough alcohol and pheromones filled a nightclub, but this one remained painfully distinct in his head.
And now his instincts wanted to find it again.
Which was ridiculous.
He didn’t even know what the omega looked like.
Automatically his eyes began scanning the crowd anyway.
Blonde women dancing near the speakers.
Two brunette omegas laughing near the bar.
Another alpha pressing close against a short omega with pink hair near one of the booths.
None of them. None smelled right.
Ilya moved slowly through the crowd, gaze drifting over faces almost absently now while his thoughts spiralled.
Maybe another alpha already left with her.
That thought annoyed him unexpectedly.
Not because he wanted anything serious.
Obviously not.
But because something about that scent had hooked into his brain instantly.
Orange rind.
Soft skin.
Pretty omega scent lingering inside the bathroom like temptation.
His instincts practically growled at the thought of another alpha touching whoever smelled like that.
Which was honestly insane considering he had never even seen her.
“Roz!”
A familiar voice broke through the noise.
Ilya turned slightly to see Cliff reappearing briefly from the opposite side of the club, grinning shamelessly with lipstick smeared faintly along his jaw.
“You disappeared.” Cliff shouted over the music.
“You also disappeared.”
Cliff shrugged unapologetically. “Found company.”
“Obviously.”
The omega woman hanging onto Cliff’s arm laughed.
“You leaving already?” Ilya asked.
“Yeah.” Cliff smirked knowingly. “You should too. Blondie looked ready to worship you.”
Ilya grimaced slightly.
Immediately Cliff noticed.
“Oh my god,” he said, delighted. “Something went wrong.”
“Nothing went wrong.”
“You look confused.”
“I am not confused.”
“You absolutely are.”
Ilya exhaled heavily through his nose.
Cliff studied him for another second before laughing louder. “Holy shit. Did somebody reject you?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?”
How exactly was Ilya supposed to explain this?
Sorry, I forgot how attraction works because a random omega smelled too good inside a bathroom.
Insane. Actually insane.
“Nothing happened.” Ilya muttered finally.
Cliff looked deeply unconvinced.
Then the omega beside him tugged lightly on his sleeve. “Come on.”
“Right.” Cliff pointed suspiciously at Ilya while backing away. “You better tell me later why you suddenly look like existential crisis.”
Ilya rolled his eyes. “Go away.”
Still grinning, Cliff disappeared into the crowd with the omega woman beside him, leaving Ilya alone again.
And immediately his attention drifted back toward the room searching instinctively for orange rind.
It happened suddenly.
A faint trace of the scent brushed through the air again, softer now beneath the nightclub smells but still unmistakable enough that Ilya’s entire body reacted immediately.
There. Somewhere nearby.
His gaze swept automatically across the tables overlooking the dance floor.
And then he saw him.
A man sitting alone inside one of the back booths.
Dark hair. Pale skin dusted with freckles.
Warm brown eyes lowered toward a glass in his hands.
For a second Ilya simply stared without fully understanding why his attention had locked onto him so completely.
The man looked quiet.
Small compared to the loud chaotic energy surrounding him.
And beautiful.
God.
Beautiful in a way that genuinely startled Ilya.
Not flashy beauty. Not nightclub beauty.
Something softer.
The freckles caught his attention first, scattered across smooth skin beneath dim lighting, and then the shape of his eyes, warm and slightly downturned in a way that made something strange tighten unexpectedly in Ilya’s chest.
Japanese-shaped eyes, dark and thoughtful and impossibly expressive even from this distance.
The man looked up suddenly.
Their eyes met.
And the entire world seemed to stop for one strange suspended second.
Ilya forgot how to breathe.
Because the man staring back at him might honestly have been the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
Warm brown eyes widened immediately beneath his gaze.
Then pink flooded across pale cheeks so quickly it was almost violent.
The man looked away at once.
Omega behaviour.
The realization slammed into Ilya so hard he physically froze.
His instincts reacted instantly too.
Possessiveness.
Interest.
Sharp attention locking completely onto the shy man in the booth.
But that made absolutely no sense.
Because…
No.
Wait.
Ilya stared harder.
The freckles. The blush.
The immediate avoidance of eye contact.
And suddenly something clicked violently into place inside his brain.
Orange rind.
His pulse stumbled hard.
The scent from the bathroom.
No.
That wasn’t possible.
He inhaled unconsciously again.
And beneath the heavy nightclub air, there it was.
Orange rind.
Coming from the man.
Ilya felt genuinely dizzy for a second.
Omega.
Not woman.
Omega man.
His thoughts tangled instantly.
He had never met an omega male before.
Never.
Obviously he knew they existed, but they were rare enough that most alphas never encountered one directly, and somehow his brain had automatically assumed the scent belonged to a woman because that simply felt easier to process.
But now… now he couldn’t stop staring.
The omega man sat curled slightly inward inside the booth, fingers wrapped tightly around his glass while his blush deepened under Ilya’s attention.
And Jesus Christ.
The omega was gorgeous. Actually gorgeous.
Ilya’s instincts surged unexpectedly hard beneath his skin.
Protective.
Interested.
Completely fascinated.
Why is he alone?
The question arrived instantly.
And another followed right behind it.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Because despite the omega’s obvious shyness, there had been something unmistakable in his expression before he looked away.
Attraction.
Ilya knew attraction when he saw it.
And somehow that affected him far more than it should have.
Meanwhile Shane Hollander wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
The attractive alpha was staring at him.
Actually staring.
Directly at him from across the nightclub.
And not casually either.
The alpha looked almost stunned.
Shane’s entire face burned instantly beneath the attention, omega instincts reacting before his brain could catch up while nervous warmth spread through his chest and his eyes dropped automatically toward the table.
Typical omega behaviour.
The thought embarrassed him immediately.
Stop reacting like this.
But it was impossible not to.
The alpha looked at him like… like Shane was beautiful.
And that made no sense.
None whatsoever.
Especially not after what Shane had seen earlier in the hallway.
The alpha kissing that blonde omega against the wall.
Touching her beneath her clothes.
Clearly wanting her.
The memory flashed sharply through Shane’s head again and immediately extinguished part of the fragile warmth trying to bloom inside him.
Don’t be stupid.
Even if the alpha found him attractive for some reason, what did that really mean?
This was a nightclub. People flirted here constantly.
The alpha had spent most of the evening trying to hook up with an omega woman.
That was reality.
And Shane refused to become some weird experimental curiosity afterward.
Because that possibility existed too.
Some alphas fetishized male omegas specifically because they were rare.
The idea made Shane deeply uncomfortable.
Still…
His omega instincts traitorously purred beneath the alpha’s attention anyway.
Because the alpha smelled incredible even from across the room.
Dark chocolate. Musk.
Warm masculine scent wrapped around dangerous blue eyes and messy curls.
And now he was staring at Shane with open admiration visible across his face.
It should have felt flattering.
Instead it made Shane panic.
He stood up too quickly from the booth.
Immediately the alpha’s attention sharpened further.
Shane’s pulse jumped violently.
“Nope.” he muttered under his breath.
Absolutely not.
He could not handle this right now.
Not after the hallway.
Not after his body reacted so humiliatingly earlier.
Not after spending the last hour secretly aching over a stranger only for that same stranger to suddenly look at him like he mattered.
It was too much. Way too much.
Shane moved quickly through the crowd toward the bar where Hayden still stood talking with Jackie, both of them laughing about something.
Hayden noticed him immediately.
“Whoa.” Hayden frowned. “You okay?”
“I need to leave.”
The words came out too fast.
Hayden blinked. “Now?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Shane glanced involuntarily back toward the dance floor.
The alpha still stood there. Still watching him.
Their eyes nearly met again before Shane looked away quickly.
Hayden followed his gaze automatically.
Then his eyebrows climbed sharply upward.
“Oh.” Hayden said slowly.
“Don’t start.”
“That’s the guy you’ve been staring at all night.”
“I was not staring.”
“Shane.”
“I need to go home.”
Hayden studied him more carefully now, concern replacing amusement almost immediately.
“Hey.” His voice softened. “Did something happen?”
Shane hesitated.
Then quietly: “He was making out with an omega in the hallway earlier.”
Hayden blinked once.
“And that upset you?”
“No.” Shane answered instantly.
Hayden gave him a look.
Shane sighed heavily and rubbed one hand against his forehead.
“I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “He just…”
His voice faltered awkwardly.
Because how exactly was he supposed to explain this?
His scent made me nearly slick up in a hallway and now he’s staring at me like I’m beautiful after spending the evening trying to fuck somebody else.
Insane. The entire night felt insane.
“He keeps looking at me.” Shane muttered instead.
Hayden looked back toward the dance floor again.
The alpha had started moving now.
Toward them.
“Oh,” Hayden repeated, sounding more alarmed this time. “He is definitely looking at you.”
Panic sparked instantly through Shane’s chest.
“Nope.”
“Shane…”
“I’m leaving.”
Before Hayden could stop him, Shane turned quickly and pushed through the crowd toward the nightclub exit, heart racing wildly while alpha scent and flashing lights blurred together around him.
Behind him he vaguely heard Hayden calling his name once, but Shane kept walking.
The moment Shane Hollander stepped outside the nightclub, the cold night air hit his face hard enough to make him dizzy with relief.
For the first time in hours he could breathe properly.
No crushing wall of pheromones.
No flashing lights burning against his eyes.
No bodies packed too close together.
Only the cool dampness of the city after midnight, distant traffic sounds echoing across wet streets while cigarette smoke and rain replaced the suffocating alpha scents trapped inside the club.
Shane exhaled shakily and shoved both hands deep into the pockets of his jacket.
His heart was still racing far too fast.
The attractive alpha’s face kept replaying inside his head in humiliating detail - bright blue eyes locked onto him from across the nightclub, obvious fascination written openly across sharp features while Shane stood there blushing like a stereotypical omega in some terrible romance movie.
God.
And then there was the hallway.
The scent.
The way his body had reacted.
Shane felt heat crawl up his neck again immediately.
You nearly slicked because an attractive alpha smelled too good, he thought miserably. Congratulations. Your dignity officially died tonight.
He rubbed one hand over his face while stepping closer toward the curb, lifting his arm whenever headlights approached in hopes of finding an available taxi.
No luck.
A group of drunk betas stumbled past nearby laughing loudly while another couple argued softly outside the club entrance, neither noticing Shane standing slightly apart from the crowd beneath the pale glow of streetlights.
Part of him wished Hayden had followed him outside.
But another part felt relieved to be alone for a moment.
Because honestly?
Shane still didn’t fully understand what had happened to him tonight.
He had never reacted to anyone this strongly before.
Not emotionally. Not physically.
And definitely not instinctively.
The alpha’s scent still lingered in his head like something addictive.
Dark chocolate. Musk. Russian leather.
Warm masculine scent tangled so deeply around Shane’s omega instincts that even remembering it now made his pulse skip embarrassingly.
Get a taxi and go home, he told himself firmly. Take a shower. Forget the entire night happened.
That was the smart thing to do.
Behind him, the nightclub doors opened again.
Ilya Rozanov stepped outside intending only to get fresh air.
That was the excuse he gave himself anyway.
The truth was he couldn’t focus anymore inside the club.
Not after seeing the omega man with freckles.
Not after realizing the beautiful orange-rind scent belonged to him.
The crowd had swallowed the omega too quickly after that, bodies moving constantly beneath flashing lights until Ilya completely lost sight of him, and unexpectedly frustration had begun scratching beneath his skin almost immediately afterward.
Which made no sense.
He didn’t even know the omega’s name.
Still, his instincts remained painfully alert now, searching automatically for traces of orange rind beneath the smell of cigarettes and rain outside the club.
Then suddenly… there.
The scent hit him immediately the moment cold night air cleared the lingering pheromones from his senses.
Orange rind. Fresh. Warm.
Absolutely intoxicating.
Ilya’s gaze lifted automatically toward the sidewalk.
And there he was.
The omega stood near the curb trying unsuccessfully to stop a taxi, dark hair slightly messy from the wind while pale streetlight caught softly against freckles scattered across his cheeks.
For a second Ilya simply stared.
Because now that he saw the omega clearly outside the chaos of the nightclub, the realization hit him even harder somehow.
Male omega.
His first male omega.
And beautiful.
Actually breathtakingly beautiful.
The omega looked smaller outside beneath the night sky somehow, shoulders slightly tense beneath a dark jacket while warm brown eyes tracked passing traffic carefully.
Ilya felt something shift low inside his chest.
Instinct. Possessiveness. Curiosity.
All at once.
Mine, his inner alpha said immediately.
The intensity of the reaction startled him badly enough that he stopped walking for half a second.
That had never happened before either.
Not with anyone.
Certainly not instantly.
But the moment Ilya looked at the omega standing alone beneath the streetlights, every instinct inside him focused sharply.
Protect him. Stay close.
Learn his name.
The omega raised one arm again trying to flag down another passing taxi.
Without fully thinking about it, Ilya started walking toward him.
Shane noticed the alpha approaching almost immediately.
And unfortunately his body reacted before his brain did.
Pulse quickening.
Omega instincts suddenly hyperaware.
Heat blooming softly beneath his skin.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Shane kept his attention fixed stubbornly on the street instead.
Maybe if he ignored him, the alpha would walk past.
No such luck.
“Leaving already?”
The deep accented voice curled around Shane instantly.
Too warm. Too close.
Shane turned reluctantly.
Up close, the alpha looked even more unfairly attractive beneath the streetlights, curls slightly dishevelled now while blue eyes remained fixed entirely on Shane with obvious interest.
And God.
The scent.
Without the nightclub crowd muting it, the alpha’s scent surrounded Shane immediately, dark chocolate and musk washing over his senses strongly enough that he nearly lost his train of thought again.
His omega instincts practically melted.
Traitors.
“Trying to.” Shane answered shortly.
The alpha smiled lazily.
“I was hoping maybe beautiful men wait outside clubs for me specifically.”
Shane blinked once. Then twice.
Seriously?
That was the opening line?
“You use that on everyone?” Shane asked dryly.
“Only very beautiful people.”
“Oh my god.”
The alpha grinned wider clearly pleased with himself.
Normally Shane might have found the confidence charming.
Unfortunately the image of this exact alpha kissing a blonde omega against the wall earlier still burned vividly inside his head.
So instead of blushing politely like his omega instincts apparently wanted him to, Shane crossed his arms slightly.
“What happened to the blonde omega from the bathroom corridor?”
The question hit Ilya like a truck.
For half a second he stared openly before something warm and deeply pleased spread through his chest.
The omega remembered him.
Paid attention to him.
His inner alpha reacted instantly with smug satisfaction.
He watched you.
The realization should not have made Ilya this happy.
And yet suddenly every instinct inside him purred with approval.
Even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.
“You saw that?” Ilya asked carefully.
Shane gave him a flat look. “Hard to miss.”
Right.
Because he had practically shoved the omega woman against the hallway wall.
Fantastic first impression.
Still, beneath the embarrassment, another emotion lingered stronger.
Excitement.
The omega had noticed him specifically.
And maybe… maybe cared enough to feel bothered by it.
Dangerous thought. Very dangerous.
“She left.” Ilya admitted honestly.
Shane raised an eyebrow. “That quickly?”
“I got distracted.”
“By another omega woman?”
The jealousy beneath the words was faint.
Very faint. But Ilya still caught it immediately.
And unexpectedly, it made warmth bloom through his entire chest.
God.
Cute omega.
Shane looked away first, clearly annoyed with himself for even asking.
“I don’t know why I care.” he muttered under his breath.
Ilya’s instincts screamed to move closer.
Instead, for once in his life, he forced himself to slow down.
Because suddenly something became painfully obvious.
This omega was not like the others inside the nightclub.
Not loud. Not flirtatious.
Not looking for easy sex with strangers.
The omega looked like someone dragged unwillingly into chaos rather than someone enjoying it.
And Ilya realized very quickly that his usual behaviour would absolutely scare him away.
Normally Ilya flirted shamelessly.
Normally he relied on confidence and teasing smiles and easy physical contact.
But standing here beneath cold streetlights watching the omega curl slightly inward whenever strangers passed too close nearby, Ilya understood instinctively that this required something different.
Something gentler. Something real.
His inner alpha practically growled agreement.
Careful with him.
The realization startled Ilya almost as much as the omega himself.
Because when had he ever been careful with anyone?
Shane glanced toward the street again searching for taxis.
None stopped.
The silence stretched briefly between them.
Then unexpectedly, the alpha’s entire demeanor softened.
No teasing grin. No smug flirting.
Just warm blue eyes watching Shane quietly.
“You should not stand out here alone.” he said finally.
Shane blinked slightly at the sudden tone change.
Safer somehow. Calmer.
The alpha rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before continuing. “I can help you get taxi.”
Shane studied him carefully now.
The alpha still smelled overwhelmingly good, but the aggressive flirtation had faded completely from his scent, replaced instead by something steadier.
Protective.
And strangely enough, Shane’s omega instincts relaxed immediately in response.
“You don’t have to do that.” Shane said quietly.
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Ilya hesitated.
Because honestly?
He didn’t fully know.
Or rather… he knew, but the answer sounded insane.
Because every instinct inside me refuses to leave you alone.
Instead he shrugged slightly. “Want make sure you get home safe.”
Shane stared at him for another second longer.
And against all logic, he believed him.
The alpha looked sincere now.
Not manipulative. Not pushy.
Just… concerned.
Which honestly made Shane more nervous than the flirting had.
Because dangerous alphas were easy to distrust.
Gentle ones were harder.
The wind shifted softly between them carrying orange rind and dark chocolate together for the first time, and both men went strangely still.
Something invisible seemed to settle into place around them quietly.
Awareness. Recognition.
Neither fully understood it yet.
But deep beneath instinct and scent and attraction, their inner omega and alpha already knew.
Mine.
The thought echoed simultaneously through both of them.
Ilya cleared his throat first.
“I am Ilya.”
The Russian accent wrapped warmly around the name.
Then he smiled slightly. “Ilya Rozanov.”
Shane’s pulse skipped stupidly again.
Of course his name was something unfairly attractive too.
“Shane,” he answered softly after a second. “Shane Hollander.”
Ilya repeated it immediately.
“Shane.”
The way he said it…
Careful. Interested.
Like the name mattered already.
Heat crawled instantly back into Shane’s cheeks.
Omega instincts traitorous as ever.
Ilya noticed the blush immediately and felt his chest tighten unexpectedly.
Beautiful.
The word arrived instantly inside his head.
Beautiful omega.
Beautiful freckles.
Beautiful shy eyes.
And somehow even now he still couldn’t fully believe Shane was real.
A male omega.
Standing here looking at Ilya like he wanted to trust him and run away from him at the same time.
“What?” Shane asked quietly after catching him staring again.
Ilya smiled before he could stop himself.
“You blush very easy.”
Shane groaned softly and looked away toward the street again. “I hate you already.”
“No,” Ilya said immediately, warm amusement slipping back into his voice. “You do not.”
And somehow, terrifyingly enough, Shane’s omega instincts agreed.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️