Secret discovered

Jerome couldn’t remember how many cups of alcohol he’d chugged, and he had no idea why he was sitting with Ajay and his friends.

  

Ajay had arrived about an hour earlier, his presence impossible to ignore.

 The aura he carried, sharp and commanding, cut through the haze of the party. 

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Ajay suddenly looked… attractive. 

Perfectly styled hair, intense eyes, the strong line of his jaw.

 Jerome shook his head and drained his cup, reaching for another.

Justin’s hand stopped him. “You can’t. You’ve had enough already.”

Sometimes Justin acted more like a boyfriend than a friend, and it confused Jerome.

 He’d never given any sign that he was interested in Justin that way.

 Jerome knew his priorities, and love wasn’t one of them.

“Jerome, listen to your boyfriend,” Ajay taunted, smirking as always. 

“We don’t want you throwing up in the bathroom.”

“Justin is not my boyfriend. He’s my friend.” Jerome didn’t know why he felt the need to explain himself to Ajay, or why his gaze kept drifting to the way Ajay’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed his drink.

  

While Jerome stared holes into Ajay, he didn’t notice the way Justin watched him. 

Didn’t see the way Justin’s jaw clenched or his fists tightened when Jerome insisted they were 

“just friends.”

  

“Let’s play a game,” a girl at their table said.

 “This party’s getting boring.”

“How about a classic round of truth or dare?” someone in the crowd suggested.

  

“I’ll get a bottle,” Ajay said.

 He gently lifted the girl who’d been perched on his lap all night and headed off to find one.

  

Jerome used the moment to steady his breathing. 

Ajay was a douchebag, a bully. 

Jerome was supposed to ignore him, not find him attractive, they are rivals.

Ajay returned with an empty bottle and sat it on the table, the game began.

  

People were dared to do ridiculous things: shove a hand in the toilet, chug an entire bottle of beer in one go. 

Jerome stayed quiet, relieved the bottle hadn’t landed on him yet.

When the bottle stopped between Justin and Malcolm.

Ajay’s smirk turned wicked, eyes glinting.

“Justin, I dare you to kiss Jerome.”

Justin’s glare was immediate. “It’s not your place to dare me, Ajay. The bottle landed between Malcolm and me.”

 

“Fine,” Ajay said smoothly. “Malcolm, why don’t you dare him?”

  

Malcolm shrugged. “Justin, I dare you to do what Ajay said.”

  

Jerome shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

 He didn’t like where this was headed.

  

Justin shot Ajay a hard look. Ajay just tipped his beer bottle in mock salute and took a slow sip.

  

Justin turned to Jerome, cupping his cheek gently.

 His thumb brushed soft skin. 

He leaned in, close enough that Jerome could feel the warmth of his breath.

  

Just before their lips met, Jerome tilted his head. 

Justin’s mouth landed on his cheek instead.

The table erupted in laughter.

  

“Excuse me,” Justin muttered. He stood and walked away without another word.

  

Jerome watched his retreating figure, guilt twisting in his gut. 

He wanted to follow, but his legs felt glued to the couch.

  

“Jerome, your turn,” someone called, pulling his attention back.

  

The bottle had stopped between him and Ajay. Ajay was the one who got to dare him.

  

Ajay raised an eyebrow, smirk widening.

 “Jerome, I dare you to sit on my lap for the rest of the game.”

  

“I’d rather chug an entire bottle of beer,” Jerome shot back.

  

“Your dare is to sit on my lap for the rest of the game, Jerome. Are you doing it or not?”

  

Jerome bit the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he’d had for years.

 He stood slowly, legs unsteady, and stepped in front of Ajay, hesitating.

  

Ajay didn’t wait. He turned Jerome around and pulled him down hard.

 Jerome’s ass landed firmly against Ajay’s crotch.

Jerome shifted, heart pounding for reasons he couldn’t name.

 The game continued around them, but for the rest of the night, Jerome stayed right there, on Ajay’s lap.

  

Justin never came back. Someone said they’d seen him leave the party.

  

Eventually Jerome decided he’d had enough.

 He stepped outside, staring at the dark road ahead. 

He’d come with Justin in his car. 

Now Justin was gone, and Jerome was drunk. Walking back to the dorm suddenly seemed impossible especially since everything seemed to be moving including the very ground he stood on.

  

Warm breath ghosted behind his ear.

“How are you getting to your room now that your boyfriend’s abandoned you?” Ajay asked.

“I’ve told you, Justin is my friend, not my boyfriend,” Jerome mumbled.

  

Ajay chuckled. “Come on.”

  

He guided Jerome’s hands to his shoulders, then settled his own on Jerome’s waist, steadying him as they walked toward the parking lot.

  

“Why are you still so sober?” Jerome slurred.

  

 “I know you’re an S-class alpha and all that, but your alcohol tolerance can’t be that high, right?”

  

“That’s because I wasn’t drinking alcohol, Jerome,” Ajay replied, struggling to maneuver Jerome into the passenger seat of his car. “I was drinking soda.”

  

Jerome blinked slowly. “That’s not true. You were holding a beer bottle when you dared Justin to kiss me.”

  

“I didn’t drink it,” Ajay said patiently. “I just held it to my lips to make it look like I was.”

  

He buckled Jerome in, rounded the car, and slid behind the wheel.

  

Jerome rambled the whole drive, about random things, half-formed thoughts spilling out.

 Ajay, who had always seen Jerome as composed and untouchable, was quietly surprised by this unguarded side.

  

They pulled into the dorm parking lot. Ajay helped Jerome out and carried him to his door.

  

“Where’s your keycard?”

  

“My pocket.”

  

Ajay sighed and fished in one pocket, finding only a folded piece of paper.

 He set it aside and tried the other. There it was.

  

He opened the door, carried Jerome inside, and laid him gently on the bed.

  

“Now let’s see what you’re hiding, Jerome,” Ajay murmured to himself.

  

He unfolded the paper from earlier. Two small pills tumbled out, he recognized them immediately.

  

“I knew it,” Ajay whispered. “I knew what I smelled that day wasn’t normal for an alpha.”

He set the pills on the desk and continued searching.

  

Deep in the closet, buried under clothes, he found a box.

  

Ajay carried it to the desk and opened it. A victorious smirk spread across his face.

  

Inside were suppressants of every kind: patches, injectables, pills, an inhaler, everything an omega would need to hide his pheromones.

  

Ajay stared at the sleeping figure on the bed.

“What is an alpha doing with pheromone suppressants…?”