Chapter 16 - Cutting Ties

Could you become an omega or alpha just because you wanted to?

Let’s say the plausibility checks out. But then why am I not a beta? I wished for it more strongly than anyone! This is unfair, damn it!

“If anyone’s bullying Gabriel, tell me. This dominant alpha will take care of them in one shot! Hahaha!”

Actually, there was a nasty person until a few days ago, but since he’d already been forcibly transferred, I decided not to add anything more.

“It’s all thanks to Gabriel that I became strong!”

Everything I said in Harper’s memories was true.

Knowing Harper’s sad fate, I had no choice but to say those things.

If he was destined to become a pitiful dominant omega, I at least hoped he would become a child strong and smart enough to easily subdue a mentally ill, affection-deprived madman.

I didn’t have the confidence to just watch this bright and lively child become depressed.

So I thoroughly ‘educated’ not only Samuel but Harper as well.

It was gaslighting to live strong, so to speak.

Live-strong-lighting.

‘But I never imagined that as a result of becoming too strong, he’d dominate national martial arts competitions and even become a dominant alpha…’

What is this? What’s the cause? Wasn’t this crazy secondary gender in this insane world supposed to be determined by fate? Can it be changed through effort and willpower alone? Can I hold hope that an alpha could become a beta or something?

‘Anyway, well… is this fortunate?’

While floundering in a whirlpool of confusion, my heart calmed down with a strange sense of relief.

It was thanks to the certainty that Harper’s horrific ending that I’d read in print would absolutely never be recreated.

‘There won’t be any madman who would imprison a huge alpha and do this and that to him.’

For a moment, I recalled the last scene of the novel I’d forgotten.

[Finally… I’m free.]

With these words, Harper died alone, half-submerged in the winter sea.

Even though I’d forgotten all the other novel content, only this tragic ending remained vividly in my mind.

Now such a lonely death would never come to Harper again.

I smiled contentedly inside.

‘That’s good. Harper.’

…But you know what.

Why am I an alpha! Why am I suffering from a pheromone allergy that didn’t even exist in the original work!

Please, even now, make me a normal beta with no connection to pheromones!

"But Gabriel. Why are you sitting so far away? I’m hurt.”

While I was lost in thought alone, Harper tried to approach me by pulling his chair closer.

As suddenly oppressive pheromones that could drop my blood oxygen levels pressed down on my entire body, I immediately raised my palm to stop Harper.

“Sorry to pour cold water on this, Harper.”

“Huh? What?”

“If you wanted to protect me, it would’ve been better to become a beta… not a dominant alpha.”

“What?! Why!”

When Harper protested at the bombshell statement, I decided to confess my condition after brief consideration.

“B-BIPHS Syndrome? Pheromone allergy…?”

Upon hearing the exact medical name, Harper went blank and just gaped his mouth open.

It was an expression of enlightenment, as if he’d heard the grand sound of a bell ringing throughout a temple.

“Th-then… are you in pain right now? Because of me? Because I’m a dominant alpha?”

“If I just take medicine, I can somehow endure it. But I’ll have to take a bit more than usual. Dominant pheromones are pretty strong…”

“Wh-what should I do? I still can’t control my pheromones well! Are you really okay, Gabriel? Should I leave your room right now? Should I leave the apartment complex entirely? Should I leave Washington? Should I go back to Spain?!”

“Harper. I appreciate your concern, so just calm down a little. If you get excited, the smell gets stronger…”

“Ugh, Gabriel! Your face is getting whiter and whiter! Hey, medicine! Where’s the medicine? I’ll give it to you!”

I told you not to come closer, you brat!

Now as then, Harper was unpredictable, like his bouncy personality.

Harper, who’d fallen into a panic, flailed around looking for medicine, and before I knew it, the room was filled with his pheromones.

It felt like being trapped in a car trunk where a hundred bottles of strong musk perfume had been sprayed.

In other words, I felt like I was going to die.

‘Ah. This won’t do. I’m going to collapse again.’

Just as I half-gave up and was one step away from smashing my head on the floor with a smile.

Thud.

A small body supported me.

“S-Samuel! Long time no see! Oh, right! Where’s Gabriel’s medicine…!”

“Get out.”

My head was dizzy with severe nausea, so I couldn’t grasp the situation well.

Except that Samuel’s voice was unprecedentedly cold.

“It’s bad for Gabriel’s body. Get out right now.”

“But the medicine first…”

“Don’t scatter your filthy smell around our house.”

A chilly atmosphere hung in the air.

Just as I struggled to lift my head to stop the two of them, Harper stepped forward first.

“Okay! If Gabriel is sick, of course I should leave!”

As he stepped out of the room, he added playfully,

“Gabriel, is he going through puberty? He’s being super prickly.”

“Get out.”

At the continued order to leave, Harper smiled with effort and said quietly to me,

“Sorry, Gabriel. See you next time.”

It was a farewell that left a bad taste.

* * *

“Gabriel, open your mouth.”

Samuel gripped my jaw firmly.

This was the first time Samuel had been so forceful with me.

Despite being six years younger than me, he was incredibly strong.

“N-no. I can do it myself…”

“Open.”

“Urk.”

Taking advantage of my confusion, fingers entered through my throat.

Even though he was still a young child, his hands were bigger than his peers. A cough poured out from my throat as it was mercilessly and roughly poked with long fingers.

“Cough, hack!”

“Water. Should I give you some?”

“I said I’ll do it myself!”

Unable to bear it any longer, I irritably snatched the water bottle.

Only after gulping down water did I feel the pill stuck in my esophagus go down.

“…Samuel. I’m grateful you gave me the medicine, but.”

As soon as I caught my breath, I immediately began re-education.

“Who acts so forcefully like this? Did brother teach you to be like this?”

…I, I really thought I was going to die.

Who would’ve thought the day would come when I’d be pinned down by a child four or five heads shorter than me and forced to take medicine.

I was ashamed of myself from a minute ago, who’d been paralyzed with fear when Samuel suddenly asserted dominance, unable to do anything.

No, honestly, Samuel’s eyes were truly scary.

The navy blue eyes that were usually dark shone like a cold full moon… I even thought this must be how a squirrel feels in front of a snake.

Considering the size difference, baby snake and bull would be more accurate, though.

‘He can make that kind of expression?’

Anyway, I was deeply flustered inside by Samuel’s unfamiliar attitude, and even now my heart was pounding like crazy.

If my heart rate were checked, it would definitely have easily exceeded 150, but I pretended to be calm on the outside.

“But…”

Samuel, who’d been coming at me as fiercely as a starving snake just moments ago, had returned to his gentle original face.

“I was worried brother might not be able to move again because of your condition…”

“I had enough strength to take medicine.”

“I’m sorry, Gabriel.”

“Is saying you’re sorry enough? It’s not like you’re taking your brother's words lightly. Who taught you to… forcefully… without listening to others’ intentions… do that. Huh?”

My expression was strict, solemn, and serious, but my flustered inner state showed directly in my speech.

Fortunately, Samuel didn’t seem to notice the cold sweat on my back and continued sullenly.

“It was a dominant pheromone. I was scared something might happen to brother again.”

“Even so, that’s not right.”

“Sorry…”

Then suddenly, Samuel’s eyes became moist.

“Gabriel… can’t you just transfer to a school without alphas or omegas?”

“S-Samuel?”

“Let’s move to a different house too…”

“Are you crying?”

My thoughts stopped at Samuel’s tears, which were rarely seen.

Glistening eyes looked up at me.

“Brother, what if you collapse alone like this and something goes wrong…”

I immediately stretched out my arms to Samuel and hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry, Samuel.”

I’d misunderstood.

The one who was scared wasn’t me, but Samuel.

About my condition, Samuel was worrying and anxious much more than me, the person concerned.

I knelt down in front of my younger brother out of guilt to meet his eye level.

“Transferring and moving are difficult, but I’ll try not to meet alphas and omegas as much as possible.”

“Really…?”

“Really. So don’t cry, Samuel.”

“Then you won’t meet Harper anymore, right?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly Samuel stared at me with a perfectly fine face, as if he’d never been tearful.

“You’re cutting ties with Harper, right?”