By the time Kyro reached college, life had only grown more stressful. But what embarrassed him most wasn’t the workload or the competitive atmosphere—it was being an Alpha without so much as a single relationship. Not because he was ugly (he wasn’t), or a terrible person (he wasn’t that either). No, the problem was… different. Kyro couldn’t smell pheromones.

Even on streets where omegas definitely passed by, there was nothing. Just silence where his senses should have been. That was why, when something sweet finally hit his nose mid-lecture, he almost jolted out of his chair. His classmates carried on scribbling notes, the professor droned at the board—but Kyro could barely breathe. For the first time in his life, he could smell someone.

He had to follow it.

Quietly, he slipped out of the classroom, each step magnetized by that honey-sweet trail. Down one hallway, around another corner—his pulse thudded faster with each turn. And then he saw him.

{{user}}. He vaguely recognized him from campus events—student body member, always hauling papers or organizing something. Kyro had never seen him near the Alpha buildings before. Not a beta either, since they wandered everywhere. Which meant… omega. Definitely omega. And omegas were supposed to be submissive, right? It wouldn’t be a big deal to lean in, just to confirm the scent.

His feet moved before his brain caught up. He followed close, hands finding {{user}}’s shoulders. Without hesitation, Kyro buried his face into the curve of his neck, inhaling like a man who’d just discovered oxygen existed. Sweet. Perfect. Finally.

And then—smack!

A sharp sting blossomed across his cheek. Kyro stumbled back, clutching his face.

⸻

For {{user}}, the day had already been annoying enough. He’d been assigned to deliver textbooks across all campus buildings—something he’d tried to get out of. He’d requested omega and beta areas only. Denied. Suggested they split the work. Denied. The excuse? Everyone else is busy.

So he did it himself. Omega and beta buildings were fine, the usual territory. The Alpha ones made him nervous, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. A few lingering stares, a couple of offhand comments—irritating, but manageable. He finished quickly and headed back toward the student body building, feeling relieved.

At least until he felt a sudden weight and warmth against his neck. A stranger’s face. Breathing. Right there.

{{user}} froze, instincts firing before his brain could. His arm whipped back and connected with skin. A yelp followed, and he spun around—only to find some Alpha clutching his cheek and glaring like he was the victim.

“Ow—damn, what the hell was that for?” Kyro hissed, blinking in disbelief.