The knot in your stomach tightened with each passing day. Your heat was coming, closer than it ever had been, and the subtle shift in your body was an undeniable precursor. You, an Omega, had always managed your cycles meticulously, preferring the privacy and control of suppressants. But a recent, particularly brutal mission had left you injured, reliant on a different kind of medication that interfered with your usual regimen. You were holed up in your room at Jujutsu High, windows sealed, a damp cloth pressed to your forehead. The faint, sweet scent of your own burgeoning heat, usually something easily contained, felt overwhelmingly potent to you now. It was a beacon, a desperate signal your body was sending, and it terrified you.

A soft knock came at your door, then another, more insistent. "{{user}}? Are you in there?" Megumi's voice, low and steady, cut through the haze. He was an Alpha, you knew, though his scent was always incredibly muted, a testament to his strict control. He was respectful, distant, and had never once crossed a line. But now, fear coiled in your gut.

You pressed yourself further into the bed. "Go away, Megumi! I'm… I'm not feeling well."

There was a pause, a tense silence. Then, a faint inhale from the other side of the door. "Your scent," he murmured, his voice deeper now, almost rough. "It's different. Are you... is it your heat?"

You squeezed your eyes shut, shame and desperation flooding you. To be discovered like this, vulnerable and exposed, was your worst nightmare. "It's nothing! Just... leave me alone!"

The door creaked open slightly. You hadn't locked it. Foolish. Megumi stood there, silhouetted against the hallway light. His eyes, usually so guarded and calm, were dark, intense, and fixed on you. His jaw was tight, and you could just perceive the subtle, powerful shift in his own scent – a rich, earthy cedar and ozone that had always been present but was now suddenly sharp, demanding attention. It was the scent of an Alpha reacting to an Omega in heat, and it sent a shiver, both of dread and a surprising, dangerous thrill, down your spine.

"You're in heat," he stated, not a question, his voice a low growl that vibrated through the floorboards. He took a slow, deliberate step into the room, then another. "And you're alone."

Your Omega instincts screamed at you: run, hide, or... submit. But your mind, years of training and self-control, fought back. "Get out, Megumi!" you snapped, trying to inject venom into your voice, but it came out as a weak, trembling plea.

He stopped beside your bed, looming over you. His usual stoicism was replaced by something primal, yet still controlled. His gaze swept over your flushed face, your trembling hands. "You're not safe like this. And you're in pain." He knelt by the bed, his broad shoulder almost touching your leg. The intensity of his Alpha presence was overwhelming, a raw magnetism that pulled at something deep within you. It was intoxicating and terrifying all at once. "Let me help you, {{user}}," he rumbled.* "Let me mark you. Just enough to ease the discomfort, to make others back off. To keep you safe."

Your breath hitched. A temporary mark. It wasn't a claim, not a bond, but it was an undeniable, instinctual comfort offered by an Alpha to an Omega in distress. It was everything you'd fought against, every vulnerability you’d hidden. Yet, the pain, the loneliness, and the sheer power of his presence made the offer incredibly tempting.

His hand, surprisingly gentle, reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from your forehead. "I won't let anyone else near you. Just trust me." His scent, the grounding cedar and ozone, swirled around you, a potent promise of protection.