9

"Who... are you?" I asked while I was looking up and grabbing the blanket.

When I opened my eyes, a guy I didn't know was staring at me. He had a creepy face with glasses and a buzz-cut haircut. His neck had tattoos all over it, and his face looked small, but he looked pretty dangerous. The guy was all suited up, and I could smell the alpha pheromones on him.

"You're an Omega, right?" His eyes moved a bit.

My body trembled, I looked around. I was still in my room. The curtains were open, and it was still light outside. The window's open.

I can run away, run fast through there, I only need to jump. But, this is the third floor...

I still have a hard time moving my body on my bed. I've got to get moving before this guy catches up to me.

I was about to get up, and out of nowhere, this guy yanked my ankle. My body was shaking uncontrollably, and I looked at the man, totally freaked out. My lips were tight, and it was hard to get any words out at all, my throat felt closed off.

"George, what are you up to?"

Gruvv showed up with a cup of milk in a clear cup, and he looked a bit puzzled when he saw the guy named George holding my ankle.

"He tried to escape."

Gruvv made a face, put the cup down, and hit the man on the hand. Then he looked at me and sighed. "You scared him," He said, as he pulled me to the middle of the bed and covered half of my body with a blanket.

I'm still feeling a bit shaky while I process everything.

"He's my secretary." Gruvv explained he was sitting next to me and handed me the cup. "Oh, George! You're making him tremble like crazy!" Then Gruvv threw a pillow at the guy who was giving me those eyes.

I didn't say anything, but when I heard Gruvv's voice get louder, it made my head snap up.

"I was just watching him sleep." The guy said with a casual tone, and his voice was just as deep as Gruvv's. He sat down on the couch and shot me another glance.

"Shiloh, have a drink. You'll feel way better after you drink the milk, don't mind him."

I drank some warm milk Gruvv gave me, then I moved my seat so Gruvv's body blocked me from seeing the man right away.

"What's the deal?" I ask Gruvv, and he just let me slide right behind him.

"I picked you up. We've definitely got to leave right away for a morning meeting."

Gruvv let out a sigh, looked over at me, and took my cup away.

"I'll be heading to the office, and don't forget to finish that milk. The nurse will come by like they always do, and they'll take a walk with you in the afternoon.

I glanced at him and said, "You're not coming?" For some reason, it felt a bit weird when he said the nurse would take over our usual routine.

"I'll be heading home a little later than usual. I've got work to do." Gruvv replied with a little smile. Then he took off to get ready.

In the room, there was just me and the secretary. I was sitting on the bed kind of awkwardly. I had no idea why he didn't go with Gruvv, but instead just plopped down on the couch and started playing with his phone.

"Hey..." He started talking to me, not even looking up, just playing with his phone, "You're Rudapriya's son, right?" He asked.

I didn't say anything, and honestly, I was so scared that I couldn't even peek at his face because my heart was racing. His pheromones smelled so strong, and they made me tremble.

"I thought Rudapriya's only child was an Alpha." He repeated himself.

I have no idea why he keeps trying to talk to me, but he does. I lowered my head even lower, watching him from the edge of my eyes as he got up from his seat and slowly walked over to me.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

I choked on my own spit because I was nervous. His pheromones were super strong, and honestly, it was kind of intimidating. It had a totally different smell from Gruvv. This guy, George, had a scent like another Alpha. The scent is a little intimidating, to be honest.

"George." Gruvv's voice made the man turn his head over.

I'm covering my nose, and now I smell some Gruvv pheromones. They're stronger than George's. I'm not sure what he's going through, but I think this scent is definitely meant for George. He's a gangster through and through.

The man let out a little chuckle and cleared his throat, then smoothed the cuffs of his shirt.

"I wasn't trying to scare him, he was just shaking himself."  George said, shrugging his shoulders.

Gruvv didn't say a word and left the door open.

I was silent on the spot. I thought I was getting used to the smell of Alpha pheromones, but when I sniffed other pheromones, besides Gruvv's, my whole body trembled. I looked down to my pale, trembling hands.

I remember Gruvv's voice when he called George. It was so low and deep. When you hear it, you're hit with a sense of fear and unease. His voice sounds so different when he speaks to me.

I spent about three months with Gruvv, but I never really understood how he worked.

He headed out in a nice suit, like the one George wore, and he left with his hair all combed and sleek, using gel. But when he came home, his hair was a bit tousled. When I asked him about it, he just said, "Uh, my job, it's exhausting. Sometimes, I ruffle my hair without even thinking about it." He responded with a slight chuckle.

"Mr. Shiloh, are you all right?" A maid came up to me.

I looked at her.

"You're shaking, and your face is pale. Do you feel any pain?" She took my temperature and wiped my sweat with the handkerchief she brought.

"Oh, sorry, I just..." I had to stop for a second because I felt like my throat was totally closed off. The guy's smell was still hanging around in this room. "Can you take me to the bathroom, please?"

The maid nodded and helped me get up, and my legs gave out. She helped me to the bathroom and I threw up everything from my stomach. There's just too much of George's pheromones in the air.

"Could this be because of Mr. George's pheromones?" Ask the maid.

The nurse had come by and was putting an IV in, and my condition dropped right away as soon as I smelled the other Alpha pheromone. I can't stand this weak body.

"Is another Alpha coming here?" Ask the nurse while I'm getting ready to take my meds.

"Mr. Gruvv's secretary is an Alpha. He came here this morning to pick up Mr. Gruvv and visit Mr. Shiloh for a moment." The maid explained.

The nurse nodded and looked at me, "It looks like Mr. Shiloh's body is still reacting to other Alpha pheromones besides Mr. Gruvv. We're checking it out because the doctor and nurse who came before were also Alphas, and Mr. Shiloh's body reacted badly, so Mr. Gruvv switched all the nurses and doctors."

I listened to their conversation carefully. Gruvv never really explained anything to me. We were pretty much just talking about random stuff. He always brought something home for me, either a book or fruit, whenever he was out. We never talked as seriously as we did yesterday.

I let out a sigh, remembering that I'm the guarantor for my father's debts. I haven't had a chance to talk to Gruvv about it yet, What's the best way to get out of this situation with my not-so-strong body?

"Mr. Shiloh, you should rest today." The nurse and the maid took their leave of my room.

I glanced at the sky from my bed.

The body's pretty weak from all that long-term drug use. For two years, my dad kept me locked up and gave me sleeping pills. Then, for about a month, Madam had my body on the same stuff. I basically became helpless. And, Hanahaki disease.

I grabbed the sheets, I really should've died.

I'm not sure how I'll be able to pay Gruvv back if I can't even support myself.