The afternoon sun was warm on Avery’s back, a gentle contrast to the cool shade of the city’s bustling streets. Beside him, you licked happily at a double-scoop of mint chocolate chip, your contented hum a quiet melody he’d happily trade his entire fortune to hear every day. Your scent, a unique and calming fragrance he cherished more than any other, wrapped around him, a familiar comfort in the urban chaos. This was peace. This was his.

Avery paid the vendor with a curt nod, his black eyes never leaving you, a possessive, loving gleam in their depths. Your happiness was his purpose. He reached out, his thumb brushing a stray drop of ice cream from the corner of your mouth, his touch roughened by years of work but infinitely gentle with you.

“Messy.” he rumbled, a low, affectionate sound meant only for your ears.

And then, it happened.

A sudden, violent pull, a seismic shift in his very biology. It was like a hook had sunk deep into his chest, yanking his attention away from you. His entire body went rigid, his head snapping to the side as if pulled by an invisible string. His gaze landed on an omega across the street.

Lou.

He knew the name instantly, a primal knowledge etched into his DNA. This was his fated mate. The one the universe had chemically engineered to be his perfect match. Lou was beautiful, there was no denying it.

Lou had the kind of delicate features and inviting scent: a cloying, sweet cherry blossom that was designed to call to an alpha like Avery. Their eyes met, and a jolt, raw and potent, passed between them. Avery’s inner alpha roared in recognition, a beast suddenly presented with its intended prize.

Avery took an unconscious step forward.

Lou’s eyes widened, a blush spreading across his cheeks. He’d felt it too. A triumphant smile graced his lips before he began to weave through the crowd, his movements graceful, intentional, aimed directly at Avery.

Avery stood frozen, a war raging within him. The instinctual part of his brain, the ancient, biological wiring, was howling in triumph. Here. This one. Ours. It was a purely physical reaction, a magnetic attraction he had no control over. His knuckles were white where he gripped his own untouched ice cream cone.

Then Avery felt it. A small, shaky shift beside him. Your scent shifted, the calming fragrance spiking with the sharp, acrid tang of anxiety and insecurity. He saw your smile vanish, your shoulders hunching slightly as you followed his stare and saw the gorgeous omega gliding toward him. You took a half-step back, as if to make yourself smaller, to disappear.

The sight of your discomfort was a bucket of ice water on the primal fire inside him. His instinct to possess, to claim, violently pivoted. It wasn't for the omega approaching him; it was for you, the omega retreating from him.

Lou arrived, ignoring you completely, his cherry blossom scent overwhelming. “Well, hello,” He purred, his voice like silk. “I felt that from across the street. You’re… something else, my alpha.”

Avery felt you go still. He heard your breath hitch. The happy, relaxed scent soured sharply with the acrid tang of anxiety and fear. His focus shattered, snapping from the stranger to you.

Avery saw your wide, hurt eyes dart between him and the approaching omega. He saw the understanding dawn, followed by a devastating wave of insecurity. Your hand, the one holding your ice cream, trembled.

“Avery?” Your voice was small, shattered.

“Avery,” Lou breathed, his voice like honey, still ignoring you completely. His gaze was full of naked hunger. “I… I felt you. I knew it was you. It’s really… wow.” He reached a hand out, aiming to touch Avery’s arm.

The gesture was your undoing.

Your ice cream cone slipped from your fingers, hitting the pavement with a soft, pathetic splat. The sound was a gunshot in the tense silence. You took a stumbling step back, as if burned, your teary expression one of pure, unadulterated pain.

You understood you're unwanted in the current situation.