'I'm doomed!'
Kael gulped as he listened to Jaden's endless titles for Leonhardt. He couldn't believe what he had done the night before. His hand trailed over his lips, then to his neck, recalling what had happened in the bathroom. What once felt like a romantic exchange now felt like a threat. The Alpha's breath on his skin no longer seemed intimate but like a predator smelling its prey. The kiss? A way to mark him. To prepare him for the torture to come.
Jaden looked at Kael, who was frozen in thought, and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hey!"
Kael snapped out of his trance, a chill running through him. As he looked toward the door, he suddenly saw the Alpha entering. Out of fear, he limped behind Jaden, trying to hide.
'Fuck, he's here, shield me!'
Leonhardt entered the gym, his eyes scanning the room, searching for his cute, sassy kitten but he was nowhere in sight. Then, he walked back to his workout area, where Jude was waiting.
As he picked up a gym instrument, Jude wasted no time.
"So, where'd you take that Omega?"
"It's none of your business…" Leonhardt didn't spare him a glance as he resumed his workout. But then a thought struck him.
He turned to Jude. "When did you become incompetent? Why did you allow an Omega into the gym?"
Jude looked confused. "An Omega? Who?"
"Him." Leonhardt pointed at Kael, who had now been spotted again. Jude followed his finger and laughed.
"Him? He's an Alpha, not an Omega."
Leonhardt raised an eyebrow. "But you just called him an Omega."
"That's because he behaves like one, so I likened him to one. Did I tell—"
"I don't believe he's an Alpha," Leonhardt interrupted, having heard enough. He looked back at Kael, his brows furrowing.
'He doesn't look like one… and if he is… does that mean I kissed and felt something for a rival Alpha?'
"What are you going to do, since you don't believe he's an Alpha? Turn him into an Omega?" Jude teased, laughing.
"No…" Leonhardt said. "I don't need to turn him into an Omega. Because he already is. I don't believe he's an Alpha, and I'll prove it."
As he kept his eyes locked on Kael, the latter continued to feel the oppressive gaze, as if the earth was about to swallow him whole. He remained hidden behind Jaden, and when their gym session ended, the two left—Kael particularly, in haste.
_______________
Kael and Jaden returned to their dorm at exactly 6:30 a.m., the time they usually finished their morning workouts. They had to get ready for their first lecture, which was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Kael dressed in a simple yet cool outfit: jeans and a sweatshirt and Jaden did the same.
When it was almost 8 a.m., they came out of their dorm and walked into the academic area. It was different from the dorm—bustling with more people than their first-year dorms. Kael could start to see people who were like him, though not disguised.
They met other first-year art students along the way, for whom Philosophy was also a compulsory course.
As they walked through the corridor leading to the lecture theatre for their first class, Kael felt uneasy. He looked around and could feel everyone's eyes on him, making him feel as though the world was about to swallow him whole. Especially with the secret he was hiding, he couldn't help but think that something had happened—that people knew, and that he was about to be attacked.
It got worse when he saw two girls looking at their phones and pointing at him. His hands began to sweat as he made sure not to make eye contact. His mind went into shambles with endless thoughts about what could be happening.
He was still drowning in fear when Jaden nudged him. He almost stumbled but regained his footing before turning to Jaden. His lips parted, but he couldn't say anything as he caught others locking eyes with him, whispering something.
Still overwhelmed by people's reactions, Jaden nudged him again.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like they're all looking at us?"
"You feel it too?" Kael asked, almost relieved. Maybe he wasn't crazy or paranoid: it was really happening. But he couldn't be too happy yet, since he didn't know why.
"Oh… does this mean that…" Jaden trailed off and quickly pulled out his phone.
"Mean what?" Kael asked, but Jaden didn't answer. His face buried in his phone, he gasped as he read something.
"What?" Kael said, growing increasingly anxious especially at Jaden's reaction.
"I thought you said nothing happened between you and the gym instructor…" Jaden's words struck Kael's heart. He felt it leap, as if it were about to fall out of his chest.
He turned to Jaden, hands sweating, and snatched the phone from him. Jaden had opened the college gossip forum, and at the top, Kael read:
[Sweet Omega Captures the Cold Alpha's Heart 💖]
"What?!" Kael exclaimed, shocked by the absurdity spreading across the college forum.
[Gym Instructor Kisses Freshman? Watch Now! (NSFW-ish)]
A video of Leonhardt pinning Kael against a wall, holding his hands, and kissing him forcefully was circulating with various dramatic titles.
"Ridiculous…" Kael fumed, handing the phone back to Jaden.
Once again, it was about defending not being an Omega. People were quick to assume he was one. Had they forgotten who his father was? He is a Sinclair, one of the top influential families in the world? Even if they were insane enough to believe he was an Omega because of his looks, why couldn't they just remember his lineage and know he couldn't be one? Well… technically, he was but they didn't know that. And Kael was greatly annoyed by it.
He looked at Jaden and saw a smile creeping onto his face. He frowned harder and stomped into the classroom, ignoring the people staring.
"Hey… Kael… sorry, it's just…" Jaden followed behind, but Kael raised his hand to stop him.
"It's okay," he said. "I understand if you can't help but laugh when your friend is being bullied."
The moment Kael stepped into the lecture room, he felt it: every pair of eyes had been talking about him. Conversations halted mid-sentence, and a path opened in tense silence. Jaw clenched and seething, he walked through them and took a seat at the back, the weight of their stares burning into his skin.
'How did it get posted? Who did it? Is it him? But why would he do something like this? To ridicule me? Because he knows people will call me an Omega? Or… does he think I'm one? I guess I'll have to show him that I'm not…' Kael was currently annoyed about the situation and couldn't help but just want to move to all the students in the campus, especially the head of the college forum and kick them in their guts
Still lost in thought, he didn't notice the girl approaching him. As she stopped in front of him, she waved her hand to get his attention.
Kael blinked as a shadow covered his eyes. He looked up, eyebrows arching.
'What does she want? Is she about to rub it in... call me an Omega or something?' he mumbled to himself, but then something struck him.
'Shit!'
He raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked at her closely.
'Blonde hair… Wait…' he mused,
'I said this world looks like my sister's story… What if it is her story? And this lady before me is the female lead, the one the Alpha is supposed to fall for. And I just kissed the Alpha…'
Kael gasped and covered his mouth. "Is she here to hit me?"