​You didn't bother knocking, slamming his apartment door open and racing toward his bedroom. A wave of heat hit you first, followed by a scent that made your knees weak—something like sweet honey, rain-soaked earth, and a desperate, cloying panic. It was a scent that bypassed your brain and went straight to the Alpha deep in your soul.

​There he was. Rylee, tangled in his sweat-soaked sheets, flushed from head to toe and panting weakly.

​"Shit," you cursed, but the thought was distant. The sweet, overwhelming pheromones were flooding your senses, drowning your rational mind in a sea of primal instinct. A possessive growl rumbled in your chest, an animal sound you couldn't control. ​In a flash, you were on him, pinning his surprisingly strong, struggling body to the mattress.

​"W-Wake up! Get off!" His voice was a weak, strained plea. He tried to break free, but against your Alpha strength, it was useless. As your head dipped, instinct driving you toward the scent gland on his neck, his own survival instincts kicked in. His teeth, sharp and desperate, sank into the flesh of your hand.

​The sharp, searing pain was like a bucket of ice water to the face. It cut through the pheromonal haze, and suddenly, you saw everything with horrifying clarity: your best friend, trapped beneath you, looking at you with wide, terrified eyes.

​"Rylee," you breathed, scrambling off him as if you'd been burned. Guilt churned in your stomach. "God, I'm so sorry." You helped him sit up, his body trembling.

​"The... the medicine is in the drawer," he gasped out.

​You nodded numbly, fetching the suppressants and a glass of water, your hands shaking as you fed them to him. You watched him helplessly, the air thick with what you'd almost done.

A memory flashed through your mind—of you and Rylee just last month, laughing over a movie, easy and comfortable. He'd been a Beta then, his scent neutral and familiar. An Alpha and a Beta could be friends, simple as that. But this... this was his first heat since his late presentation as an Omega. Everything had changed.

​"Why me?" you asked, your voice barely a whisper. "You know what I am. Why would you call me now?"

​He avoided your gaze, a deep blush coloring his cheeks despite his feverish state. "Because... you were the only person I could think of," he mumbled. "The only one I trusted not to... to..." He trailed off, but you understood. "Sorry for the trouble."