Do I Stink?

The man standing in front of me had dark blue eyes so cold that I could feel a chill run down my spine just by looking into them. His dirty blonde hair was styled perfectly, not a single strand out of place. His cheekbones and jaw were so well structured that they looked like they were molded by himself. His straight nose wrinkled in disgust as he stared at me, and that snapped me out of my trance. 

“Oh, Damian!” my mother called, her voice loud with excitement. “We were just heading to dinner.”

The man–Damian–didn’t look away from me, and his eyes were still fixed on mine as he took a handkerchief out of the breast pocket of his suit and covered his nose. I blinked rapidly at him, taking a step back, my cheeks heating in embarrassment. 

Do I… do I stink? I resisted the urge to sniff myself. 

“Your daughter, I see,” Damian said, his voice just as cold as his eyes. He finally looked away from me and fixed that cold gaze on my mother. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

My mother chuckled, but I heard the strain in her voice. “Not just in looks.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “I don't need to be told. The apple doesn't always fall far from the tree.”

What was going on here? The air between them was charged, as if they were in a standoff. I didn't need anybody to tell me they didn't like each other. 

“Sweetheart, why don’t you introduce yourself?” my mother said, turning towards me. 

I didn't want to. The look in his man’s eyes was chilling and I would rather not be standing here, and his… his pheromones were strong. 

“H-hello, sir,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “I’m Kaidora.”

He said nothing, but I could still feel his eyes burning into me. Finally, “Your pheromones are unpleasant.” I stiffened, raising my head to look at him, and our eyes met and held. “Get them under control.”

He walked past me, the handkerchief still pressed to his nose, and I just stared at his back, my eyes still wide. 

My pheromones were unpleasant? Was that why he was covering his nose? 

My mother chuckled. “You just met Damian, the middle child. Cold, isn't he?”

But I wasn't listening to what she was saying; instead, I just sniffed myself. I’ve never been told my pheromones were unpleasant, so I didn't know what to make of that. My mother grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway.

“Come on. To dinner so that you can meet everybody.”

Nobody showed up to dinner. My mother didn't like that. She sat stiff with her cutlery clenched in both hands, staring at her plate with hard eyes. 

“Now what?” I asked and she raised his head to me, smiling.

“Now, we'll try again tomorrow.”

“But I have–”

“We will try again tomorrow, Kaidora,” she snapped, her voice hard. “I agreed to give you the cash if you meet your family, and you haven't, so tomorrow.”

I dropped my fork. “Alright, then.”

I stood up and excused myself, leaving the dining room. When I was out, I released a breath, covering my shoulders with my arms crossed as I tried to find my way back to my room, but then a voice stopped me.

“That’s a lovely gown you have on.”

I flinched as I turned back and noticed a man leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. I was so lost in my head that I walked past him without noticing. 

“H-hello,” I managed, my arms still crossed over my shoulders.

He pushed off the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets, a lollipop between his lips. “Hello to you, too, Kaidora.”

Was he one of them? My family? That would explain how he knew my name without me introducing myself. He walked toward me, and I took a step back without meaning to, which just made him tilt his head in an assessing way, a glint entering his eyes. 

“You look like a deer caught in a highlight,” he muttered, getting close, and then I noticed the similarities in looks between him and Damian. The same golden hair, but his was darker. The same blue eyes, but they were brighter, less cold, and more… predatory. 

They were brothers. And like his brother, this man’s pheromones were just as strong. It pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe and making my head light. 

This wasn't good. An omega surrounded by an alpha’s pheromones is never going to end well. We were drawn to it, even though we didn't want to. We were controlled by it, and then we lost control of our bodies and gave in to the desires awakened by the pheromones. 

I had to get out of here. 

I bowed my head. “It was nice meeting you. Good night, sir.”

I turned to leave, but then a strangled gasp escaped me when he caught my waist. He spun me and pressed me to the wall, trapping me with his thigh between my legs. 

My eyes widened, and I struggled. “P-please, let go!”

Pheromones poured out of him in waves, and I didn't know whether he was doing it intentionally or not, but this wasn't good. 

“Pardon me for the inappropriate touching,” he rasped, his voice suddenly rough. He spat out his lollipop, buried his nose into my neck and inhaled deeply, shuddering. “Fuck me…”

“S-since you know it’s inappropriate, please let me go,” I managed, pressing myself to the wall as if that would help me get away from him. My heart was beating fast against my chest, panic rising. Despite the position we were in and how compromising it was, all I could think of was my folds and how he might feel them. If he got too close, he might press into my stomach. What then? Judgement? Disgust? I wouldn't be able to deal with that. Not right now.

“I would love to,” he said, his nose still buried in my neck, and I shivered when he spoke because I could feel it on my skin.

“Th-then let go. Please.”

He raised his head, his eyes finding mine, and his bright eyes have gone dark. “I don't want to.”

“Please, sir,” I pleaded, my eyes burning. “Someone might see us.”

“Are you about to cry, lovely?” he asked in fake sympathy, pressing his lips together. “Grace me with those tears? That would be a nice sight to behold.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” I snapped, the first tear dropping. “You don't even know me.”

He raised his hand to my face and cupped my jaw, his thumb stroking my bottom lip. “True. I don't. But what I do know is that your pheromones are so intoxicating, it’s about to drive me crazy.”

Just as he said this, his pheromones became stronger, pressing down on me.