Chapter 15

After a fair amount of reasoning and coaxing, he finally managed to calm Eleanor’s emotions down, forcing her to abandon the idea of heading to Southeast Asia to purchase a few Alphas.

Asher tapped the bottle of blocking agent near his hand, his eyes cast downward. "Mom, once this blocking agent is sprayed, does it genuinely mask every single trace of pheromones?"

"Of course. Let me tell you, this is a new product from Northern Europe, completely unavailable on the domestic market. Your dad expended a massive amount of effort just to secure it. It was originally intended for my own use, but now it’s all yours."

"Can it even hide whether someone is an Alpha or an Omega?"

"It absolutely can."

"Then can you refrain from registering my secondary gender for now?"

"..."

No one understands a son better than his mother; Eleanor swiftly comprehended Asher’s thoughts.

Perhaps nature intended to ensure the continuation of superior genes; after granting Omegas the gift of fertility, it also made them stunning and intelligent, born with an inherent allure.

Yet their unique physiological conditions also destined them to be delicate, requiring protection, and biologically inclined to submit to an Alpha.

Even with technology and social policies advancing to the present day, advocating for ABO equality, a rare and precious Omega would still find it exceptionally difficult to safeguard themselves through their own strength if stripped of various external protections.

Concealing his identity meant he wouldn't receive any of the welfare or special accommodations at school.

It was bound to be dangerous and grueling.

Eleanor bit her lip, her gaze toward Asher turning serious and earnest for a rare moment. "Ash, are you certain?"

Asher looked down, fiddling with the blocking agent, his tone casual as if it weren't a significant matter. "Certain enough. It’s not that I deem being an Omega humiliating, but after all these years, everyone treated me like an Alpha and I viewed myself as one too. Suddenly transforming into an Omega feels far too awkward. It's a hassle."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts,' Mom. I don't believe that transforming into an Omega genuinely makes me any weaker than before. I don't particularly require those protections, nor do I enjoy people nagging and gossiping about me."

Asher paused for a moment. "Mom, I just need some time."

Eleanor knew exactly what kind of person her son was.

He was accustomed to being dominant, and used to protecting those he deemed in need of protection—arrogant, showy, and thoroughly punchable.

A person with a personality like his would never willingly or comfortably accept any form of shelter.

Therefore, he likely required some time to become even more powerful—powerful enough to stand fearless even as an Omega, safeguarding his absolute pride.

And she was entirely willing to help him guard that pride.

Reaching out her hand, she ruffled Asher’s head of thick, jet-black, soft hair, letting out a smile. "Fine, whatever my son says goes."

Securing Eleanor’s consent, Asher lifted his head, casting a glance toward Sebastian by the window.

His tone was freezing. "Conspiracy or silencing the witness—choose one."

Sebastian didn't throw a tantrum over his words. He simply looked at Eleanor, offering a gentle smile. "Auntie, rest easy. I’ll look after Asher at school."

Eleanor felt deeply moved and comforted. "That truly troubles you too much."

"It won't be a trouble. Asher has been calling me Big Brother since he was a toddler; looking after him is exactly what I should do."

Sebastian was naturally striking, born with the kind of pristine, reliable face typical of a star scholar. Now, offering a gentle smile that resembled the newly melting snow of early spring, he thoroughly melted Eleanor’s maternal heart.

"Sebastian is still the best—so sensible since you were a toddler. My pampering wasn't in vain. Come over to our house for dinner tonight; I’ll cook personally."

"Sure. I haven't eaten your cooking in a long time either; I’ve been craving it a bit."

"Then you shall eat your fill today! Come, tell me what you want to eat so I can record it and buy the ingredients this afternoon."

Asher watched the pair conversing with such absolute harmony and warmth, feeling a bit bewildered.

Had Sebastian always been this gentle, talkative, heartwarming, and sweet-tongued?

Eleanor had been thoroughly doted on by Arthur for many years. Cooking, for her, was exactly like purchasing a luxury bag—simply a pursuit of psychological stimulation. Consequently, her culinary skills were far from excellent.

Yet the father and son of the Asher household had always pampered her; even someone as picky as Asher would swallow it clean every single time without a single blink or a racing heartbeat.

Now, joined by an even more unflinching, calculation-driven predator named Sebastian, Eleanor completely lost her balance regarding her own culinary skills.

After tossing and turning for the entire afternoon, she completed a massive table of dishes that looked excellent on the surface. As for whether a trip to the hospital would be mandatory after eating, it depended entirely on one’s physical resilience.

Finishing her plating, she decorated the table with fresh flowers and candles. Retreating to her room to touch up her makeup, she subsequently dragged the two boys into taking dozens of photos. Finally, meticulously selecting nine images, she uploaded them to her social feed.

【To celebrate my son and his best friend renewing their past bond, I personally took to the kitchen today! I hope the two children enjoy their meal.】

Asher cast his eyes down toward his phone screen, taking a flat sip of his tea. "Mom, 'renewing a past bond' isn't utilized in this manner."

"Ah? Is that so?" Eleanor blinked her eyes in confusion. "Then I’ll repost it. How about 'mending a broken mirror'?"

"..." Asher surrendered. "Forget it. 'Renewing a past bond' is acceptable enough."

To avoid catching Eleanor posting any further bizarre material, Asher tapped the top left corner, exiting his social feed.

The moment he exited, he caught a vivid red dot illuminating on a certain crisp white profile picture.

[So it turns out there's a reason why your Literature is lacking. I misjudged you.]

"..."

Asher scooped a piece of meat of entirely unidentified composition into Sebastian’s bowl. "Eat more."

Poison him to death and be done with it.

The housekeeper hadn't returned yet. After finishing dinner, Sebastian helped Eleanor clear the bowls and utensils.

Asher was lazy, detesting domestic chores, so he fabricated a random excuse to step out for a walk.

With his hands tucked into his pants pockets, his head cast low, and his eyes looking thoroughly lazy, his pace was loose and entirely aimless.

Southaven in September, having endured a lengthy monsoon season, possessed damp air. As the night breeze brushed past, it carried a somewhat sticky chill.

On the sycamore road within the estate, the accumulated leaves had already been cleared clean. Only an occasional leaf with curled yellow borders tumbled downward, radiating a scattered, lonely beauty.

Once the leaves fell completely, the weather would turn freezing. When the snow descended, packing the barren branches with a vast expanse of white, it would likely be quite beautiful too.

It wasn't mandatory for the scenery to match the thick, lush green of June and July to be deemed beautiful.

Everything was fine.

Whatever it turned into was fine.

Being an Alpha was fine, and being an Omega was fine too.

It wasn't a massive deal.

Asher slowly let out a breath. Lifting his head, he finally realized that he had inexplicably walked right outside the residential area.

Nearby sat a convenience store. A man purchased a pack of cigarettes, stepped out, and stood by the curb with knitted brows, taking an intense drag before breathing out rings of smoke.

It appeared as though those nagging miseries were being broken down by the nicotine, exhaled out from his body along with the smoke, vanishing into thin air.

As if possessed by a ghost, Asher stepped inside.

"Give me a pack of the exact same brand as his."

He had never smoked in his life, but he suddenly wanted to give it a try—to see if that legendary substance, rumored to deliver absolute stimulation, could genuinely soothe the discomfort in his heart.

He was indeed feeling a bit unsettled.

It was just that he couldn't permit anyone to know.

He had to remain strong, poised, and optimistic while accepting all of this, preventing those who cared for him from worrying.

He knew this was the right path.

Yet he was only seventeen, an age destined to hold onto a fair amount of unwillingness.

It wasn't even unwillingness; it was simply that his habits and convictions of so many years had suddenly shattered, leaving him somewhat dazed.

had never encountered an Omega who could triumph over an Alpha; he had no idea whether he could achieve it.

He should be able to achieve it, after all—I am Asher.

The corner of Asher's mouth pulled into a slight smile.

Exactly then, a sycamore leaf tumbled down, coming to rest straight against his shoulder.

He extended his hand, wanting to pinch the leaf away, yet someone anticipated his movement.

The hand that pinched the leaf away was exceptionally beautiful. Gripping the stem with his fingertips, he gave it a slight spin, his voice laced with a light chuckle. "This leaf is quite skilled at choosing its landing spot."

With that, he lifted his eyelids, casting a glance at Asher. "And the person is quite skilled at choosing his spot too."

Asher didn't utter a word.

This spot was already a fair distance away from the convenience store. It featured a long bench and was quite secluded; he had no idea how Sebastian had managed to track him down.

Sebastian sat down beside him, his gaze remaining fixed on the lips clamping the cigarette for a full three seconds.

The tip of the cigarette glowed crimson, yet the ash hadn't even been tapped once.

He let out a light scoff. "You're holding that like a sparkler—sizzling away without delivering a single spark."

"..."

Asher truly didn't know how to smoke; he was simply clamping it to satisfy his psychological craving, putting on a front without taking a single drag. Yet being poked in this manner out of nowhere made him look exceptionally unmanly.

"I know how to smoke."

With that, he took an intense drag, only to choke severely due to the sheer force of the inhalation, his entire face flushing a deep red as he coughed violently.

The corner of Sebastian's mouth curved up. Using one hand to pat his back, he used the other to remove the cigarette from his lips, bringing it straight to his own mouth to take a nonchalant drag.

Then, his fingertips extinguished the glowing tip, throwing it straight into the nearby trash can.

His lips were curved as if he were smiling, yet his tone could hardly be described as pleasant. "See that? That's all smoking is—not hot at all. Don't touch it in the future."

Sebastian’s lips were very thin and light in color, habitually radiating a somewhat detached and austere allure. Yet the fraction of a second he clamped the cigarette, he gave off an inexplicably loose, reckless sexiness.

Asher wanted to state that it actually looked a bit hot.

But then he remembered that he himself had just clamped that exact cigarette a moment ago.

It felt somewhat awkward.

Yet he didn't find it repulsive.

Sebastian’s movements were far too natural, to the point where he worried that speaking about hygiene or boundaries between Alphas and Omegas would make him look excessively dramatic.

Thus, the words reaching the tip of his tongue merely turned into a question: "You've smoked before?"

"Mm. Tried it once in the past."

"When you were in Northmont?"

"Mm."

Asher rarely summoned an ounce of curiosity. "Someone like you genuinely experienced a rebellious phase as a troubled youth?"

Sebastian rested his elbow against the back of the bench, his tone relaxed. "I was young then, encountered a few things, and trapped my own mind in a dead end. I couldn't resolve my thoughts and insisted on acting like an adult, so I tried it once, only to discover it was thoroughly uninteresting and entirely useless. I haven't touched it since."

Asher recalled that old drama regarding High School No.1.

"So you've resolved your thoughts now?"

Sebastian knew he had likely miscalculated the direction of his thoughts.

Refraining from explaining, he gave a small smile. "Resolved."

That was exactly why he had returned.

During his first two years in Northmont, life was indeed quite difficult to endure. The nights he suffered from insomnia far outnumbered the nights he didn't.

There wasn't a single person beside him with whom he could speak. A fourteen-year-old boy, enduring absolute confusion, anxiety, and struggle entirely due to that vague, ambiguous notion deep within his heart, constantly locked in a battle against himself, refusing to let his own mind rest—he had committed no shortage of foolish acts.

He had assumed that time and distance would allow his feelings to cool.

Yet by the third year, when all those volatile emotions receded, leaving nothing but that long, lingering yearning forged from his initial, innocent heart-stirring, he finally comprehended.

Certain people and certain matters were simply a raging prairie fire. As long as a single stray spark drifted into your heart, that heart was completely done for.

Since it was completely done for anyway, he might as well give it a shot.

He shifted his head to look at Asher, his gaze sweeping from the corners of his narrow eyes, making it a bit difficult to discern the true emotions swirling within.

Every single word was delivered in a slow, deliberate manner, his tone gentle yet brook no refusal.

"Therefore, in the future, if you encounter anything you can't resolve or find unpleasant, do not conceal it within your own mind, and absolutely never engage in foolish acts like smoking or drinking. Am I not far more useful than any of those things?"