Chapter 3: The Heat and the Heartbreak

The fever didn’t break for two days. I lay on the bed like a dried-up raisin, all wrinkled and spent.

Caleb didn’t care at all. He kissed and hugged me, taking forever in the bathroom before we finished. He made me drink Gatorade and wrapped me in his old college sweatshirt. The bathroom echoed with running water and his off-key humming—oddly comforting.

“Babe, come work at our company, okay?”

“Why?”

“I want to be with you every minute.”

“Sure. I want to be a secretary.”

“Thank you, babe. I love you the most.”

Caleb nuzzled my cheek, smelling like fresh laundry and aftershave. It felt domestic in a way I never expected.

A week later, I officially started work.

The Parker Corporation towered over downtown Savannah, glass and steel reflecting the sticky Georgia sun. The lobby reeked of burnt coffee and ice-cold air conditioning.

As I expected, after I took the job, Ryan didn’t join the company, but instead ran straight to the main lead’s arms.

But in three days, the plot would hit its first showdown.

Ryan, as the main lead’s secretary, would come to Parker Corporation for a meeting with the main lead. At that time, both Ryan and I would go into heat. When I asked Caleb for help, he’d see Ryan and the main lead getting close. Driven mad by jealousy and shame, he’d leave me in agony to find Ryan and temporarily mark him right there, triggering a battle between two alphas over one omega.

To avoid going into heat and to keep Caleb from falling into the plot, I carried suppressants every day and kept reminding Caleb. I kept them in a neon pink pill organizer in my messenger bag, right next to a wrinkled Waffle House receipt.

“What do you say when you see Ryan?”

“Get lost.”

“What do you say when you see Lucas?”

“Get lost.”

“What do you say when you see me?”

“I’m babe’s dog.”

He wagged his imaginary tail, grinning like a Labrador in a tennis ball aisle.

“Very good. Go to the meeting.”

When I opened the conference room door, a thick peach scent hit me in the face—like someone spilled a bottle of syrupy perfume over the conference table.

Caleb’s expression darkened instantly. His jaw clenched, the air crackling. Simple reminders weren’t enough. He was still likely to get swept up by the plot.

“Babe, trust me.”

Caleb squeezed my hand, his grip warm and steady—except for the slight tremor in his thumb. I forced a smile, but unease gnawed at me.

The peach scent in the air grew stronger, and since I’d injected suppressants, it nearly covered my own scent. Lucas frowned and began releasing an intense, sharp pheromone. The live chat always said Lucas’s pheromones smelled like gunpowder—sharp and biting.

Soon, I found it hard to breathe, like firecrackers were going off in my chest, scraping my lungs raw. Ryan, frail to begin with, collapsed immediately.

“Ryan!”

As Lucas scooped Ryan up, Caleb gripped my hand tightly, his gaze dark and fixed on Ryan. Lucas sensed the hostility and glared back, then shot a fierce look at me.

Caleb let go of my hand. My breath caught—a wave of unease washed over me.

“Caleb.”

“Babe, let’s go back to the office, okay?”

Caleb pulled me into his arms, his sweet, clear pheromones surrounding me. But mixed in with them was Ryan’s scent.

Caught up in the plot, my heat was wild and intense. Even after six suppressant injections, it wouldn’t subside. I curled up on the bed in pain, my neck throbbing with sharper and sharper pain. The cheap blackout curtains barely kept out the harsh afternoon sun, and I pressed a cool hand towel to my forehead, desperate for relief.

“Caleb, mark me…”

“Mr. Parker, Secretary Reed is at the door.”

The office assistant opened the door, and a sickly sweet peach scent swept in, as if claiming the space. Live chat comments popped up again before my eyes.

[@SecondLeadWTF: What’s the second lead hesitating for?]

[@BlameSideChar: Clearly the side character is seducing him.]

[@SuppressantConspiracy: How could so many suppressants be useless? He’s doing it on purpose.]

[@GoDie: Can the side character just go die far away?]

I struggled to look over. Ryan’s knees buckled, and he hit the carpet hard. The thud echoed off the glass walls, making everyone freeze.

Caleb’s face was tense, almost ready to rush over.

“Caleb, don’t go.”

I used all my strength to pull him back, pleading in a low voice.

“Don’t go. I need you—”

My voice barely carried, hoarse and desperate, but it hung in the air all the same.

“He’s bleeding! Quick, call 911!”

Blood pooled under Ryan’s head, someone’s voice cracking as they dialed 911, the whole office caught in a stunned, silent panic. I trembled all over, almost begging as I reached out: “No, Caleb, don’t leave me.”

“Babe, I’ll be right back.”

Caleb kissed my forehead. No matter how I pleaded, he still resolutely turned away. His clothes brushed past my fingertips, leaving only cold emptiness. I reached for him, fingertips brushing empty air. The door shut behind him, leaving me with nothing but the sharp, metallic scent of my own fear.

I clutched the sheets, the familiar smell of home suddenly alien. Watching him run toward Ryan, I closed my eyes in pain, my consciousness falling into endless darkness.