The year I presented as an Alpha, I strutted right up to my arch-nemesis, Adrian Starr, to rub it in his face. I was too busy gloating to notice the dark glint that flashed in his eyes. A few days later, Adrian presented. In my room. He presented as an Enigma. His pheromones crushed me, a total, absolute submission. His hand snaked around my waist, and his voice, laced with a chilling pleasure, whispered in my ear. "Good. Alphas are durable." 1 "Adrian, I'm sorry, okay? Can you please not write me up?" Adrian didn't stop, his pen scratching my name onto his clipboard. He glanced at me, the corner of his mouth tight, before clicking his pen shut. "Let this be a lesson. Don't lend your uniform jacket to other people." I was losing my mind. I grabbed his sleeve, my voice dropping to a desperate whisper. "No, come on! He's got a disability, I was just being nice... Don't do this to me. If I get another demerit, my mom is going to actually murder me!" Beside me, Leo, his face pale, tugged on the hem of my shirt. "Gary, it's okay, I can just give it back..." In the next second, Adrian yanked me forward. He pressed his pen down hard, the sound sharp as he viciously crossed my name off the list. His expression was grim. "Don't let it happen again." I grinned, pushing Leo's wheelchair through the school gates. "See? I told you it'd be fine," I teased as we rolled along. Leo offered a soft smile, his face a picture of innocence. "Thanks, Gary. So, what's the deal with you and the student council president?" I snorted. "We're arch-nemeses." 2 Adrian and I weren't always sworn enemies. But when I think about it, the only time I ever beat him at anything was the day we were born—I cried louder. From day one, Adrian was the perfect kid: top grades, impeccable manners. I was the opposite: bad grades and a temper to match. He was also my next-door neighbor, constantly dropping by. When he was little, he was a bit spacey. Someone could shove him, and it would take a full two minutes for the tears to come. My burgeoning hero complex immediately took him under my wing. Yeah, I protected him for a solid two years. But then he started taking kid's Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and whatever else. My protection became obsolete. And then I started to notice things. The Lego set I'd given up on in frustration? The little genius would have it finished in a few hours. The class bully I couldn't stand up to? He'd handle them with a mix of quiet threats and unnerving charm. What happened to that timid little kid? The final nail in the coffin came after I shattered my mom's entire makeup palette. As she surveyed the colorful dust, she pointed a finger at me, then gestured toward Adrian, who was innocently reading on our couch. "Gary Howard! Why can't you be more like Adrian?" My eight-year-old eyes went wide. From that day forward, Adrian Starr was my mortal enemy. 3 The sun climbed from the branches to the peak of the sky. Something was tickling me... I groggily swatted at the hand on my face. "Adrian, stop it. I'm trying to sleep." His hand clamped around my wrist, his voice a low rumble. "What were you doing last night?" I rolled over, ignoring him. A second later, I was hauled upright with practiced ease. "Get up. It's time for lunch." My eyes flew open. I smacked him hard on the arm. "Nag, nag, nag, I get it!" My mom adored Adrian. Our front door was practically his. There were times I'd forget my own keys and have to get them from him. Adrian's parents were always busy, so he'd come over to our place whenever he needed a meal. I was used to it. I brushed my teeth and ambled downstairs feeling fresh. Adrian was on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. He put it down the moment he saw me, his dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. Did he find out what I did last night? Sure enough, he beckoned me over. "Come here." I shuffled my feet, trying to sound nonchalant. "What do you want?" His grip on my wrist was firm, his voice strained with patience. "You were at a hotel party yesterday?" "Who was there?" "Did you drink?" I ran a hand through my messy hair. How did he know everything? "Nobody. And why do you care so much?" Adrian released my wrist, his voice low and threatening. "If you don't give me the full story after lunch, I'm telling your mom." I bolted for the dining table. I wasn't scared of him. Mom beamed, placing a bowl of soup in front of me. "Gary, honey. Arguing with Adrian again?" "Nope," I mumbled around a mouthful of salted egg yolk chicken wings. She ruffled my hair. "You two shouldn't fight." "You know, before you were even born, Adrian's mom and I made a pact. If you two presented with compatible dynamics, we'd have you get married." I nearly choked on my soup. Me and Adrian?! I scoffed. "Fine, then I'll deign to take that T-Rex of an omega off your hands." The truth was, our pre-presentation reports had come out years ago. I had an eighty percent chance of being an Alpha. Adrian's was one hundred percent. Adrian let out a soft laugh, slowly peeling off the disposable gloves he'd used for shelling shrimp. "Is that so?" I took the opportunity to snatch the perfectly shelled shrimp from his bowl and drop them into mine. He just watched me, a faint smirk on his lips, not stopping me. I shot him a triumphant smirk. Shrimp stolen from someone else always tastes better. 4 "Andrew, Leo, and Max. That's it, I swear." I sat meekly across from Adrian, debriefing him on the previous night. "No drinking, just karaoke. And we weren't out that late. I was home before three." Adrian let out a cold laugh. "Not that late, Gary? You're really asking for it." I rubbed my nose, feeling a little guilty. How on earth did he find out? As I was wondering, a strange feeling washed over me. My head started to spin, and my face felt hot. "Adrian, I don't feel so good... Can we just drop it?" The words had barely left my mouth when the world tilted, and I collapsed straight into his arms. Adrian's face paled. He whipped out his phone and dialed for an ambulance. My vision went black. All I could feel was a searing heat, and an unbearable itch blooming on the back of my neck. I mumbled his name through the haze. "Adrian... my neck... scratch it for me, it itches so bad." I didn't hear a reply. I just felt a cool dampness on my skin. He must have gotten a wet cloth to wipe my face. When I opened my eyes again, a bouquet of flowers was shoved in my face. My mom was beaming. "Congratulations, sweetie! You've officially presented as an Alpha! You're a real man now!" I grinned, taking the flowers, my first thought being to find Adrian and show off. Oh, right, where was he? He brought me here, didn't he? My eyes scanned the room and found him slouched in a chair nearby, legs spread wide, hands clasped as he watched me. Excitedly, I called him over and ripped the inhibitor patch off my newly formed scent gland. "Adrian! See this? I'm a real Alpha now!" My mom rushed over, fumbling to stick it back on. "Gary!" I looked up, utterly confused. What? Adrian stepped forward and ruffled my hair, a small smile on his face. "I see." Later, my mom explained. "A newly formed gland is like... a private part. And showing it is an invitation. An invitation for someone to bite you." "Of course, after a while, it'll mature and recede, so you won't be able to see it." I had unknowingly invited Adrian? A wave of heat crept up my neck. It had to be anger. Definitely anger. Mom pinched my cheek. "I don't care if you skip your other classes, but you need to pay attention in biology!" I nodded frantically. "I know, I know." 5 Back at school, my friends crowded around my desk. "Gary! Dude! What's it feel like? Presenting as an Alpha." Most people present around their eighteenth birthday. Right now, our class was a mix of presented and un-presented. I casually tossed my backpack into my desk, my grin stretching from ear to ear. "What's it feel like? It feels like I'm invincible." Max told me to check my desk. I pulled out a handful of love letters. "The news that you presented as an Alpha spread like wildfire yesterday. You've already got admirers." I rubbed my nose. "Well, I'm not really looking to date right now." I said that, but I still carefully tucked the letters into my bag. Throwing them away would be cruel. A true, gentlemanly Alpha like me would never do something so heartless. Leo limped over on his crutches. "So when are you planning to start dating, Gary?" I crossed my legs, leaning back in my chair. "We'll see." Suddenly, one of Leo's crutches slipped, and he stumbled towards me. I shot up and grabbed his arm to steady him. "Careful." The movement brought us incredibly close. So close that I could smell the faint, sweet peach scent of his pheromones. I immediately let go and took a few steps back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure flash past the crack in the classroom door. It looked a lot like Adrian. I shrugged it off and went back to goofing around with my friends. I shouldn't have. After school, Adrian cornered me. He dragged me into an alcove where the shadows were so deep I couldn't make out his expression. "Gary, do you have any idea about the boundaries between Alphas and Omegas?" So, that was him. I raised an eyebrow, feeling cocky. "Of course I do. But Leo's not just some random Omega." Adrian's voice was flat, but it crackled with a dangerous energy. "Is he an Omega you're interested in? An Omega you want to claim? Or is he yours already?" A sudden, inexplicable shiver ran down my spine. In the dim light, his eyes seemed to glow with a predatory fire. I felt like prey. I touched the back of my neck. "No, it's not like that. I don't like him that way. He's just one of my best friends." I added, defensively, "What's it to you, anyway?" Adrian's heavy breathing suddenly quieted. "Gary, you need to be more mindful of your actions as an Alpha. If you can't figure it out, I will be more than happy to teach you." I mumbled a few incoherent agreements. This version of Adrian felt... dangerous. Best not to provoke him. Before the sky went completely dark, Adrian walked me home. And then he forced his way into my room.
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