Chapter Text
Chapter One
The Detonation
And just like that, a surge of pheromones hit me. Not gentle. Not a whisper.
A detonation.
Fiery.
Oppressive.
So thick and sweet it coated my tongue, my lungs, the back of my throat like honey laced with lightning. The kind of sweet that doesn't comfort, it burns.
My alpha instinct, usually so calm, so controlled, snapped to attention so fast I nearly staggered. Every cell in my body screamed. My knees went weak. I could barely stand.
My fangs ached.
My hands shook.
What the hell?
The source?
TeeTee.
Looking at me from across the room, his face twisted with pure fury, jealousy, and a look that said:
Fuck it.
My brain circuited. I stood there frozen, trying to comprehend what was happening, because the TeeTee I know, the TeeTee I've known my entire life is a beta.
And betas don't smell like that.
Betas don't make a dominant alpha's fangs ache, his knees weak, and his hands shake.
Hell, betas don't even produce pheromones.
But this TeeTee, the one looking at me from across the room like he wanted to either kill me or claim me, was one I barely recognized.
His eyes were darker than I'd ever seen them. His chest rose and fell rapidly. And that scent kept rolling off him in waves, crashing into me again and again, making me whimper and submit to something dangerous in the back of my skull.
I tried shaking it off
But my body wasn't listening.
And I could feel I was not the only person affected.
---
In case you're wondering, I'm Por.
A dominant alpha.
Not to toot my own horn, okay, maybe a little. but campus forums and posters have my face all over them. Descriptions like heartthrob, hot commodity, one of the hottest alphas on campus appear next to my name on a weekly basis. My group of friends and I basically run the university's "most eligible" lists.
But hey, little secret between us?
I know I'm the hottest.
Smirk.
Anyway.
So how did I end up in this mess
Let's rewind.
---
TeeTee, Thomas, Otto, and I grew up together.
We weren't just neighbours. We were woven together long before any of us were born, courtesy of our parents.
My father, Keng an alpha.
My other father, Namping an omega.
They had me, then my little brother Otto.
Next door: Tutor an alpha. Yim a male omega.
They had Thomas, then TeeTee.
Four kids. Two houses. One shared fence that might as well have not existed.
The families got together almost every night. Not out of obligation but Out of rhythm and Out of something that felt like an extension of blood. When you grow up like that, you stop thinking of the kid next door as a neighbour. They're just… yours. Family. In every way that matters.
As we grew, so did our circle.
Kong, my cousin. A guy with a gentle smile but a steel spine. He visited often, and somehow, he always ditched me just to hang out with Thomas. I never understood why until much later.
AuAu, my best friend. Loud, loyal, and the kind of guy who would punch someone for you first and ask questions later.
And then there was TeeTee.
My little shadow.
He followed me everywhere, calling "P'Por" in that sweet, cute voice that made even my worst days feel lighter. I'm pretty sure that if he had his way, he would have embedded himself into my skin and stayed there forever.
Not that I would have minded.
He was lovely. Adorable. Annoyingly clingy in the most endearing way.
And to me? He was just like a little brother.
That's all.
Right?
---
But slowly, everything began to change.
We hit our differentiation period that stretch of teenage years when biology decides who you're going to be. Alpha, omega, or beta. The body chooses. The scent develops. The instincts awaken.
Everyone presented as expected.
Thomas presented as an alpha. Strong, quiet, the kind of alpha who doesn't need to roar because his presence does the talking.
I presented as an alpha. Dominant. Confident. The type who walks into a room and people notice.
Kong presented as an omega. Delicate in the best way, with a scent that made alphas turn their heads.
Otto presented as an omega. Sharp-tongued, dramatic, and absolutely delighted to use his new status to manipulate everyone around him.
AuAu presented as an alpha. Loud, loyal, and surprisingly protective despite his chaotic energy.
And TeeTee?
Well.
TeeTee was yet to present.
Our parents called him a late bloomer. Said he would present in his own time. That some people just take longer. That there was nothing wrong with him.
But TeeTee didn't believe them.
I remember the night he came to my room, three months after everyone else had presented. His eyes were red. His voice cracked.
"P'Por."
I looked up from my phone. He was standing in my doorway, smaller than usual, like he was trying to fold into himself.
"What if I don't differentiate?" he whispered. "What if I just... stay a beta forever? What if I never get to smell anyone? What if I never get to scent someone back? Does that mean I'll be ordinary for my entire life?"
I put my phone down and opened my arms. He walked into them without hesitation, burying his face in my chest.
I ruffled his hair, the way I always did, and said, "Tee, listen to me. Whether you present or not, you're still you. And somebody will love you exactly the way you are."
From across the room, Otto didn't look up from his phone. "Yeah," he said dryly, "like anyone would want to deal with your dramatic ass, TeeTee."
TeeTee pulled back from me, instantly offended. "What do you mean by that? It's not dramatic if it gets me what I want. You're just jealous you're still single even though you already presented."
Otto finally looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Please. I could get any alpha I want if I were actually interested. But for now? I like this single lifestyle. No one telling me where to go. No one eating my snacks. It's peace."
"You've never known peace a day in your life," TeeTee shot back.
"And you've never known when to shut up," Otto replied with a smirk.
"Okay, okay." I stepped between them, hands raised. "You two are way too young to be fighting about dating lives. Both of you. Chill."
They glared at each other for a moment longer. Then Otto shrugged and went back to his phone. TeeTee huffed and sat on the edge of my bed, arms crossed.
Thomas, who had been watching from the hallway, just shook his head and walked away. He'd long since given up getting between TeeTee and Otto. They were like cats and dogs always fighting about the littlest things. And Otto always had the last word, delivered with some deep, remarkably sassy remark that left TeeTee sputtering.
I couldn't stand their loud voices every time they got into it. But I also couldn't imagine life without the chaos.
--
Three months passed.
Then six.
Then nine.
Then two years.
Everyone else had presented. The world had moved on. Scents filled the air during family dinners. Instincts flared. Dynamics settled into place.
Except for TeeTee.
He remained... nothing.
No scent. No pheromones. No pull.
A beta in a world of alphas and omegas.
At first, we tried our best to encourage him. Namping baked his favourite cookies. Yim bought him books about late bloomers. Tutor tried to teach him meditation. Keng told him stories about people who presented late and became legends.
But I could see it.
He was miserable.
And slowly, he learned to master his feelings. He learned to keep whatever was bothering him locked inside, hidden behind a mask of sweetness and clinginess that fooled everyone.
But still through all of it I did not lose my shadow.
Until I entered university.
At first, it was weird.
Moving around without TeeTee at my back, holding two cups of coffee, calling "P'Por" and asking how my day went. Getting me food even though I'd said I wasn't hungry. He just never took no for an answer.
I know why, though.
Because I spoiled him.
I let him cling and I let him follow.
And somewhere along the way, I think he started believing something else too.
But that's a thought I wasn't ready to have back then.
University was loud. Busy. Full of new people who didn't know my history. I threw myself into it classes, parties, new friends. AuAu was there with me, same as always. We built a new life.
And back home, TeeTee waited.
Otto, of course, did his very best to piss him off every single day. I heard about it through family video calls. Otto stealing TeeTee's snacks. Otto making comments about TeeTee being "still scentless." Otto smirking from behind his phone while TeeTee turned red with frustration.