Divorce Papers

Mark slammed the divorce papers onto the table in front of me. “Just sign them, okay? I still love you, but I need to have a kid of my own.”

I’d been about to tell him that I'd had a secondary presentation – I'd gone from being a beta to an omega. We could have a kid. But looking at his impatient face, I swallowed the good news.

“Fine. I hope you don’t regret this, Mark.”

He didn’t know that another man’s mark was already on the back of my neck.

1

When I got the results confirming my secondary presentation, I practically vibrated with excitement, grabbing my phone to call Mark. The word "Omega," printed in black and white, represented so many new possibilities. Honestly, I'd felt off for the past week, with a hunch that something was going on, but I’d been scared to mention anything before getting the official result.

I was terrified of seeing that disappointed look on his face. After all, he'd gone against his family to marry me, a beta, and that had taken a lot of courage.

"It doesn't matter that you're a beta, I love you just the same,” he had told me.

At the time, I'd thought being a beta was the best thing ever – I could live freely, without the pressures that other classifications faced. But seeing Mark get constantly put down by his family, while he tried so hard to put on a brave face for my sake… I was always uneasy.

Now, finally, I could be permanently marked by Mark. I'd be completely his, and we could have a child of our own.

That swell of joy took a nosedive when I spotted two figures across the street.

There was no mistaking it, that was Mark!

And who was the young guy clinging to him like that?

Mark’s hand was on the kid’s waist, and they looked deep into each other's eyes like they were in some kind of rom-com before walking hand-in-hand into a hotel.

My brain short-circuited. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. My body started to tingle strangely, like I was being wrapped in a hot, humid wave.

I panicked.

This was my first heat since my presentation, and it was coming on hard, right here on the street. If my pheromones went wild, it would be a disaster.

While I still had some control, I stumbled into a quieter alley. I did everything I could to hold on to consciousness, fumbling for my phone to call Mark. My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't hold onto it, and it fell to the ground.

My knees buckled, I fell to the ground. Just as I was about to reach for the phone, I saw a pair of shoes in front of me.

"Hey there, pal. You know what you’re doing is pretty risky, right?"

I forced myself to look up, but I could only manage to make out his jawline. Please, please, let him be a beta.

But the guy’s intense aura was enough to tell me he was an alpha.

I knew I was screwed.

My fading sense of reason told me to run, but my body was already drawn to him.

The next thing I felt was a sharp sting on my arm, some cold liquid being injected into me. The anxiety and heat seemed to calm down, but not for long. W...