Page 19 of Unwanted

During those brief breaks, when I didn’t have to speak, my gaze wandered over the class. Some were alphas, some omegas, and some betas. For some reason, seeing the alphas annoyed me. I felt this odd irritation building up inside. So, I looked at the omegas instead. A small group of them sat together, and I could swear I was picking up their scents more strongly than usual. Not everyone was on suppressants, so some had their natural scent emanating, which was throwing me off. What was going on? Normally, I wouldn’t care about this stuff at all.

The whole scenting thing that AOs made a big deal out of never made sense to me. How could anyone get excited over the smell of flowers or leaves in the forest? It seemed ridiculous, honestly.

But now? Now it felt… different. It didn’t seem as absurd. I was even breathing more deeply, trying to catch different notes of the scents and figure out which belonged to whom. I knewAOs could tell people apart by smell even from a distance, but why was my sense of smell suddenly sharper?

It was all super confusing. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. When I had to switch to the next slide and explain the diagram, I caught myself absentmindedly rubbing my neck. I didn’t realize it until I noticed an omega raising an eyebrow at me. Why was I massaging my scent gland? Maybe because it was tingling? That was new.

I straightened up, cleared my throat, and got back to the lecture, but my eyes kept flicking toward the door, to the handle I’d need to turn to… run back to Liam?

Run to Liam? What was going on?

I barely made it to lunch. I joined a group of colleagues from the department, and Professor McDonald—an omega—sat next to me. At one point, he turned to me and said, "What’s that new cologne? Interesting smell."

I looked at him, confused, then shrugged and mumbled, "Same one I’ve always used. I’m not the type to change stuff like that."

McDonald raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Another professor, also an omega, was sitting nearby and gave me a thoughtful look, then scratched his chin. What was his problem? I noticed his gaze shift to my neck, so I instinctively pulled my shirt collar up. Why were they looking at me like that? Alphas and omegas were always irritating with their ability to pick up on scents, hear heartbeats, smell arousal—you couldn’t hide anything from them. It was nosy as hell. Especially now, when I was already feeling super uncomfortable.

I only had one more lecture, from 12 to 1 pm.

After lunch, I went to the bathroom, feeling a bit dizzy and still struggling with the fact that I’d had a semi the whole time.

I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping it would help, but things only seemed to be getting worse. The idea of teaching another class in this state felt unbearable.

Then my phone rang. An unknown number.

I hesitated but picked up.

"Finn…"

"Liam!?" I couldn’t believe he was calling me. My heart raced. "What’s going on? Are you okay?"

He didn’t answer right away. I could hear his uneven breathing through the phone, so I pressed it closer to my ear.

"Liam? Tell me what’s happening."

"You’re gonna hate me. You’re gonna kick me out."

"Liam, what are you talking about? I’m starting to get worried here."

"Can you come back? Please, I’m begging you—"

"I have one more lecture, but if this is serious, of course I’ll come!"

"Please, I’m begging you. I can’t take it. I think I’m gonna die."

"I’m coming! But tell me what’s happening."

"I’m… in heat."

Those words landed like a bomb. It felt like the world split into two: the world before those words, and the world after.

A long silence followed. I could hear him breathing heavily.

Finally, he whispered, "Are you mad? Sorry, I’m such a freak."

"No. I’m not mad. Honestly, it may be strange, but things have been a bit bizarre since I saw you on that cliff and couldn’t tear my eyes away… Now, I’m happy you called. I’ll be there in half an hour."

Then I hung up. Yeah, those words were out there now. I wondered if they surprised him. Maybe even lightened his mood? Hopefully. I really didn’t want to add to his stress.

---