SKYE.7

During that last week of college, a brief, seemingly insignificant incident occurred. One day, about four days before graduation, we were standing in line at the cafeteria. Suddenly, I caught a pleasant, sweet scent—floral with a hint of freshness, maybe even a bit minty. It was saturated with pheromones, and I shivered slightly. An omega standing right in front of Soren turned around and looked at me with grayish-blue eyes. He had shoulder-length black hair and stood around 5'9".

His eyes locked onto mine, and his nostrils flared slightly. He was some young student I hadn't seen before. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but Soren, standing between us, shot him a deadly glare. The guy quickly turned back around, looking startled.

We found a table soon after, but that student sat pretty close to us. I noticed Soren had a sour expression, clearly aware that the guy kept sneaking glances at me from time to time.

"What's his problem?" Soren muttered at one point as the student glanced my way again.

I hesitated before replying, but eventually let it out.

"I think he might be my Half Mate. His scent is really vibrant."

Soren's face fell slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line. His gaze turned icy as he shot daggers at the student.

"Maybe you should go talk to him. Opportunities like this don't come around often," he said, his tone razor-sharp.

"I don't feel like it," I mumbled, focusing on my plate.

Soren's face twisted with bitterness, as if he wanted to say something more. I sensed what it could be; the situation with the student somehow proved his point about alphas always finding the sweet-smelling omegas sooner or later. The fleeting nature of the alpha-beta relationship was obvious to him… The proof—sitting at the other table, sending me shy looks.

But just then, Sean walked up to us.

"Hey guys, you heading to the party at Yota 2 today?" he asked, plopping down in a chair and effectively diverting our attention from the young student.

For the rest of the conversation, Soren seemed off, clearly unhappy. Something was bothering him; he had something on the tip of his tongue, but for now, he chose not to say it. The clock was ticking.

***

When I showed up to get Soren that day, I was speechless the moment I walked in. He was dressed in a black mesh shirt with thin silver stripes, his eyes lined with thick eyeliner, and his lips pink with glossy lipstick. There was delicate silver glitter on his face. His tight leggings left no doubt about the perfect shape of his round ass.

"You really want me to walk around all night with a boner?" I muttered with a smirk.

Usually, he'd chuckle at comments like that, but this time, there was just an awkward silence.

As we headed to the party, Soren had his head slightly bowed, and I could feel this weird tension building up inside him too.

The Yota 2 building was packed with students, music blaring, everyone dancing. It was loud, with voices from the crowd mixing with karaoke performances from the next room, and colorful lights flashing everywhere.

Soren and I walked over to a group with Sean, Tim, and Mark. Soren chatted with them for a bit, while I just looked around aimlessly, not interested in their conversation. In the corner, I spotted my cousin Gabriel, but as usual, he hung around alone, kinda staring at the dancers with that typical gloomy look of his.

Then, at the end of the room, I noticed Archer dancing with some guy—no surprise, a redheaded omega. From what I'd gathered, he'd been going out more in the evenings lately, so maybe he'd started seeing someone? But he wasn't the type to share, and I didn't want to ask because that might lead to… him asking about my situation! And I wasn't ready to give him any answers.

Unfortunately, I also spotted Alvin and Don dancing together, pretty close, and that soured my mood a bit. At one point, Don's eyes met mine, and the look he gave me made it clear we were never going to be friends. Duh. Alvin glanced at me too, and in his eyes, I saw a hint of… pity?

I just shrugged it off. College was almost over, and these people would be out of my life in two days anyway.

I headed to the bar, where they had a variety of beverages—no alcohol, of course, since it was on campus—but I poured some energy drinks for us.

Soren took the cup from my hand, but was busy talking to Tim about his career plans. I stood there, sneaking glances at him—his beautiful face, the perfect line of his neck, long and elegant—a neck I'd felt under my lips so many times. His body was godlike, at least to me. But I didn't just want his body—I wanted more, so much more. And I knew these were the last moments—my sole chance to tell him how I felt.

"Soren, wanna dance with me?" I finally managed to choke out, my throat tight.

His gray eyes swept across my face, then he nodded slowly and set his drink aside.

I took his hand and led him to the dance floor. I wasn't thrilled about being so close to Don and Alvin, but I decided to tune them out, like background noise.

We started dancing to some music, swaying loosely while holding hands. Soren seemed a bit distant, not looking at me, his eyes scanning the crowd of students around us as luminescent lights played across his face.

I was mesmerized by the way those colors sparkled on his skin, his glittering lips, the magical shimmer—as if Soren were some kind of otherworldly creature. Impossible to tame? Maybe there was still a chance if I just dared. I had to. I had to finally take the leap!

The music suddenly changed, and I blinked in surprise as the familiar notes of Elvis Presley's timeless song "I Can't Help Falling in Love" filled the room. Was it a signal from Fate?

Soren blinked too and looked straight at my face.

In a desperate move, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer, taking in his scent, that delicate fragrance of dahlias and mint, now completely free of any vanilla.

The music flowed, the lyrics full of confessions and promises, and I couldn't take my eyes off Soren. To my surprise, he was looking at me too, his black pupils dilated—was he about to say something? Was he gathering his thoughts too?

"I can't help falling in love," my lips mouthed along with the words of the song as they played.

We were so close, our breaths mingling. I couldn't hold back anymore—I wanted him, not just physically, but… in my life. Finally, I was ready to ask him to be my boyfriend, prepared to say it! His eyes were locked on mine, and then, in a sudden impulse, I leaned in, and my lips met his for the first time—not counting that brief brush during the photo shoot. There was a split second when Soren allowed it, but it didn't last long, barely a kiss at all, just a gentle touch of our lips. Then… I felt his hands pressing against my chest! He pushed me away firmly, turned around, and walked out of the room in quick strides.

For a moment, I was so stunned that I just stared after him. Shortly afterward, I glanced to the side and noticed Don watching me, and even Archer was peering at me. Why did everyone have to witness this, dammit?

I couldn't just leave it like that, so I headed for the door, determined to tell Soren the truth. It was now or never.

I saw him running down the stairs leading out of the building, a bit Cinderella-style, so I picked up my pace and caught up with him on the lawn in front of the campus, where he was about to cut across.

"Soren!"

My shout made him stop.

He slowly turned to face me, looking pale. The wind tugged at his long black mohawk, and his silver earrings glinted in the light from the campus streetlights.

He said slowly, "You shouldn't have kissed me, Sky. We're not boyfriends, and I'm saving this for a person who'd be with me like that."

A wave of fear washed over me, his tone making it clear where he stood. So this was it?

"Soren, the thing is… I want you to be my boyfriend," I blurted out. "I've been wanting to tell you that for a while."

A heavy silence fell. I could almost see the emotions conflicting on his face, but there was more. On some level, I could sense my own tension reflecting in his. My words brought him some strange pleasure, but at the same time, they sparked even more anger… because I'd gone against what he'd always told me.

"Skye, I've told you so many times how I feel about this. I'm not getting involved with alphas. It never leads to anything but a broken heart. No exceptions."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Yeah, you've told me, but my head says one thing and my heart says another… and my heart wants more."

Because he stayed quiet, I took a deep breath. "Soren, I think I fell in love with you."

Soren squeezed his eyes shut, and I saw a slight shiver run through him.

Then he snapped, "That's the dumbest thing you could ever say. Don't you know? We, betas, are recreational use only!"

That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for, and it crushed me even more.

"That's bull. All I want is for you to just give me a chance."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"What chance, Sky? We'd start dating, and then a year, maybe two, you'd catch a whiff of your High Mate's scent. What happens to me then? I'll fall apart, Sky! It's happened before, and I'm not going through that again. I have to protect myself, and this is how I do it. I'm sorry, but I can't be your boyfriend."

I stared at him for a long moment, and he looked back at me with that typical sour look on his face, but this time it was filled with something else—pain, almost tragic.

"I'll take suppressants, Soren. I won't even be able to smell them."

But he only frowned again. "Do you really think suppressants guarantee you won't recognize your perfect mate? There's still touch, intuition… And what kind of future could you even have with a beta, anyway?" His lips twisted into a painful grimace. "Have you ever thought about that? I can't have kids. Don't shut yourself off from the possibility of finding someone you could start a family with. And besides, what am I? Just a campus whore."

I clenched my eyes shut. "Don't say that! To me, you're so much more, and I don't care about all that other stuff. I just know I want you, only you. I can't stop thinking about you, Soren," I whispered, the words spilling out of me. "You're in me, everywhere, like you're in every cell of my body. You're my breath…" I reached out and brushed his pale cheek.

But he stepped back, tightening his lips.

"Skye, stop! Stop, or I'm gonna have to say or do something that'll hurt you, and I don't want that. I appreciate everything you've done for me, and you seem like a great guy, but I can't be with you. Graduation is in two days. After that, we'll never see each other again… Please, accept that."

A wave of pain surged through me, making me tremble at the thought of losing him…

"Soren, I can't imagine never seeing you again. I can't wrap my head around it. You're my whole world—"

"Stop!" he yelled, his face twisting with anger. But it wasn't just anger—I could almost feel the devastation radiating from him like a physical force.

"Stop, Skye. Leave me alone. Accept that it's over! I'm begging you, let it go."

"No, I can't accept that. I don't want to lose you. I won't. I don't agree!"

"I'm just a whore, Skye, do you get that?"

His eyes darted over my shoulder for a second, but I didn't pay attention to it.

"You're not a whore, Soren. I know you feel something too. I know I'm not just another guy to you…"

Soren's face looked like I'd just stabbed him. His gaze flicked back to whatever was behind me, so I turned around. A few feet away, Don was standing there, staring at us with narrowed eyes.

A wave of irritation washed over me, but I decided to ignore him. I looked back at Soren and said, "Please, just give me a chance. You'll be working at DevApp, maybe we could try to get a place together and—"

Soren let out a strangled groan. "Shut up, just shut up already. Forget it, I can't be your boyfriend, and I never will be! I won't go through that again, I won't let myself be destroyed!"

His eyes were shut tight, his face twisted in pain.

"Soren, I truly—"

"Stop, or I'll have to—"

"Please!"

"Don!"

His shout snapped me out of my desperate state.

Don walked over to us quickly.

"What's up, Soren?"

I froze.

"Want a bj tonight?" Soren asked, with a twisted, ironic smile on his face.

"From you? Sure!"

I blinked in shock. Was I hearing this right?

"What? Soren, you can't be serious, please—"

"Leave me alone, Skye. Think of it as dodging a bullet. You dodged a whore."

"No, you're not… this. I won't let you say that—"

"Yes, I am! For three months last semester, I sucked Ed and May's dicks for money! I don't need you, I don't want you! Get lost. Don and I have got some business to take care of!"

Shocked, I reached out and grabbed his hand, but he immediately pulled it back and took a step away. Don quickly slid between us.

"Back off, dude. He doesn't want your lovey-dovey confessions. He finally wised up."

"Shut up, I'm talking to Soren—" I groaned, feeling like the ground was slipping out from under me. This felt like the worst nightmare, but the problem was—I couldn't wake up from it.

"No, Skye, you're not talking anymore. We're done. Accept it."

"Please…"

But Soren grabbed Don's hand and started walking away, pulling him along.

"Soren, please don't do this, I'm begging you, don't push me away, please!"

Maybe I was pathetic… but I couldn't help it because I was so in love. I couldn't just let it end like this. I couldn't give up, so I ran after them. But Soren suddenly turned around and shoved me in the chest with both hands.

Somehow, that was enough to knock me off balance, and I fell to my knees.

"Soren, please, I love you— don't do this to me!"

Then I saw tears on his cheeks, black streaks of mascara running down to his jaw and neck, as he screamed, "Leave me alone! Don't talk to me, don't come near me, don't try to reach out. I don't want that!"

Our eyes met, and I was crying too. Soren noticed the tear running down my cheek, and pain flashed in his eyes. I knew he was hurting too, that pushing me away wasn't easy for him, but he was desperate to do it.

"Please, just leave me alone, Skye, I mean it," he choked out, his voice breaking.

Then he turned around and, still holding Don's hand, walked away.

I stayed there on my knees, broken, rejected, devastated. It felt like my world had collapsed, like all the color drained out in an instant. Something inside me died.

And it hurt so much. People say their hearts break, and maybe it sounds metaphorical, but I could almost physically feel like someone was twisting a knife in there.

My whole body was trembling; I don't even know how I managed to get back on my feet. I dragged myself, one foot in front of the other, toward the dorms, struggling to breathe. But I couldn't go in, I didn't want to talk to anyone, so I turned down a side path and cut across the campus park. The worst night of my life lay ahead.