Chapter 4

    The suffocating feeling eased after deciding to sit down and talk.

    Tithnuea had never opened up about his own story. Similarly, no one had ever cared to sit down and listen. The reason he dared to share his feelings now was partly because the listener was Joseph. Being someone who valued his privacy, he trusted those close to him the most.

    They were now seated in a café. The smoothies placed between them had already dried up ten minutes ago, leaving water rings on the table from the condensation.

    Tithnuea took an entire hour to recount the bitter past he had endured, speaking in a low, slow, and steady tone, as calm as a mirror's reflection—completely opposite to the shocking nature of his story.

    Joseph, after listening, couldn’t help but clutch his head. Finally, understanding the root of his friend’s year-long anxiety, his curiosity was unlocked with an audible pop! He slapped his knee with a loud thwap and pointed dramatically.

    “I knew it!”

    He exclaimed loudly enough for the entire café to hear without a hint of restraint.

    A waitress, who had just approached their table, flinched. Her eyes darted nervously between the two tall Alphas. When she accidentally made eye contact with the blue-eyed man, she was caught off guard, even though he offered her a kind smile. Yet, the dark-haired man sitting with his back turned made her feel both hot and cold simultaneously.

    She trembled slightly as her Beta instincts urged her to leave quickly. She carefully placed their orders—cocoa and a blended tea—on the table before retreating as swiftly and inconspicuously as she could.

    Her reaction wasn’t out of place. Joseph, after watching her back as she departed, turned back to his friend. His cheerful smile turned into a frown of frustration at his friend’s stoic expression.

    “Nuea, seriously. Something this major, and you didn’t tell me? You’re such a...”

    Joseph, now annoyed, grabbed the cocoa to quench his thirst. After a few hearty sips, a sharp headache struck him, unlike Tithnuea, who remained silent, either by design or by simply staring out the window, looking like the lead actor in a melancholy music video. The blended milk tea in front of him was barely touched, a stark contrast to the first glass he had already finished.

    A brief silence fell between them before Joseph spoke up again. “So, what are you going to do? It’s been a year already, and you didn’t even ask for their contact information.”

    With that, he scratched his head. From what he heard, there was nothing more than intoxication. Such cases weren’t entirely uncommon—usually, they didn’t cause much trouble for casual hookups. However, it wasn’t unheard of for someone to demand justice over incidents like this.

    But Tithnuea’s case was different. One party acted under the influence of alcohol, while the other succumbed to a sudden heat, making it a slightly more delicate matter. The truth of the situation remained murky. If the Omega had ulterior motives, complications might arise later. However, a year had already passed, and everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened. It was expected to end amicably.

    Yet the one facing problems now was Tithnuea himself. Joseph could see it in his eyes—the lingering attachment. He found it hard to believe his friend’s feelings.

    Tithnuea tore his gaze from the scenery outside and shook his head slightly. “When I woke up, they were already gone.”

    “I figured. Do you remember anything about them?”

    Tithnuea’s ears twitched slightly, a sign that he was concentrating.

    “Probably beautiful.”

    The chairs in the café were slightly taller than average, so Joseph adjusted his sitting posture a few times. “And?”

    Tithnuea tapped his long fingers rhythmically on the table. “And...” His eyes drifted into a trance, seeing the ocean meeting the bright sand. Finally, another word came to him. “Fair.”

    Joseph nodded slowly, being a patient listener. “Mm-mm. Beautiful. Fair-ski—”

    “....”

    Before whipping his head around, cheeks jiggling.

    “Damn it, Nuea! I’m asking for details to gather actual information! Stop being horny!”

    So far, they hadn’t gotten anywhere. Joseph grew frustrated from what he heard. “You seriously can’t remember anything other than beautiful and fair-skinned? Can you try giving me something more concrete?”

    The horn—the consultor’s face flushed slightly, but his thick skin was as impenetrable as concrete.

    “Oh,” Tithnuea coughed to clear his throat, trying to recall the finer details of that night. Yet, as far as he could remember, large chunks of the memory were blank.

    That night, he had been very drunk—too drunk to drive home. In their group of four friends, Joseph had been one of them.

    And it was they who had tricked him out of his usual shell, claiming it was just a simple night out to catch up over water. But, of course, it wasn’t.

    The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the sensation of a spark igniting in his muddled mind.

    Tithnuea vaguely recalled Joseph holding a VVIP card in his hand. He had been carried—his limp body—into a room and dumped onto a bed as though he were a lifeless corpse. He thought he had seen shadows moving around, and at some point, he had felt a hand on his shoulder.

    Joseph had left him with parting words: “I’ve gotta head back to the station. You stay here for the night.” With that, he disappeared.

    Tithnuea lay there, sprawled out and utterly spent. He closed his eyes, lulled by the faint echo of his friend’s words. But the peaceful night would soon turn into something entirely different.

    Sniff sniff...

    Tithnuea wasn’t sure when the invasion of his space began. In that moment, his focus zeroed in on an intoxicating scent. His instinct for self-preservation melted away, replaced by an overwhelming surge of desire.

    Something about that moment defied description. He was confused, disoriented, but consumed by an urge to devour and possess. Lust overwhelmed him, rendering him unrecognizable to himself.

    The scent was soft and soothing, familiar to him. It reminded him of the morning breeze, of standing on the beach as the sun rose over the horizon.

    The smoothness, the warmth, and the tenderness of it all set their bodies aflame. Tithnuea could recall feeling as though he had stepped into heaven multiple times. It wasn’t just him—it was them, together, hand in hand. It was a dream he never wanted to wake from.

    His thick eyebrows furrowed slightly as he strained to remember. He vaguely recalled seeing a blue employee badge on the person’s chest. The words written on it escaped him, but the bottom line stood out boldly, reading: “Beta.”

    But he knew better.

    “Omega, male,” he muttered softly under his breath.

    Joseph turned his gaze to his friend, scrutinizing his sharp features as though searching for answers. Finding none, he sighed and muttered, “An Omega, huh?”

    Joseph nodded slowly, almost absentmindedly. His light blue eyes reflected a serene yet unexplainable glimmer. He gazed out the window at a wide expanse of ocean.

    “It’s strange, isn’t it? A whole year has passed, and you’re still thinking about them—even though you don’t know who they are.”

    Tithnuea wanted to retort, “This is your fault.” If not for the reckless antics of that night, none of this would have happened.

    Yet, deep down, his heart rejected the thought.

    Everything that had happened was too good for words…

    The café carried on at its usual pace, the ambiance relaxed and unrushed. The drinks were also delicious.

    Joseph continued, “The Alpha-Omega dynamic really is terrifying.”

    “Just a casual connection like yours had such an impact,” he chuckled. “Imagine if you two bonded—what kind of chaos would that bring?”

    His final comment was directed at Tithnuea, though only half of his profile was visible as he lost in thought.

    Joseph rested his chin on his hand quietly.

    Many times, Joseph had studied Tithnuea’s face. His handsome features were perpetually stoic, almost emotionless, his sharp eyes radiating a world-weary boredom with everything. Yet, beneath it all, Tithnuea had a peaceful and solitary nature that made him endearing, someone who didn’t cause trouble for others.

    Tithnuea was the kind of person who avoided social interaction unless necessary, with a personal world so lofty it seemed out of reach. He lived as though detached from worldly desires, like a Buddha renouncing the material world.

    No alcohol, no women, never seen paying for love or lust. Romantic matters? Zero interest. To Joseph, a man with a wealth of experience, his friend seemed naïve, like a fledgling bird just learning to fly.

    Because it was the first time, so Joseph wasn’t surprised that someone had managed to make a lasting impression on Tithnuea’s heart.

    Joseph offered, “You could pursue this legally—file a missing person’s report. Something like this wouldn’t be too difficult for an organization to handle if you wanted to take it further.”

    Having been friends for over a decade, Joseph could read Tithnuea’s mind just by looking at him. If he chose to pursue this, Joseph was more than willing to help, even as a public servant.

    Tithnuea stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the ocean beyond the window. Though his gaze was calm, his emotions were in turmoil.

    “What do I need to do?”

    That answer satisfied Joseph immensely. Seeing his friend’s metaphorical spinsterhood fade away, he patted his shoulder twice.

    “You don’t need to do anything. Just tell me, and I’ll handle the rest! That means you’ve decided, right?!” He leaned closer, whispering, “Don’t blow it this time—it’s love at first sight, have you ever heard of that?!”

    Tithnuea’s brow furrowed slightly as Joseph’s enthusiastic pats jostled him. His intimidating aura sent shivers down the spines of those nearby, who quickly averted their gaze. Only Joseph seemed immune, laughing and joking fearlessly.

    Achoo?!

    Seecha's forehead nearly bumped into the handlebars as he sneezed. He frowned and furrowed his brows.

    "Who's gossiping about me...?"

    At that moment, the little bundle nestled against his stomach suddenly raised its tiny hand in the air with a sharp motion! "Ahh!"

    The tall man steadied his grip on the motorcycle's handlebars and adjusted the small kangaroo baby carrier slightly. "Was it you?"

    "Ahh!" The baby shook its head.

    "Not you?" Seecha rubbed his chin, saying in amusement. "It must be a ghost, then. Do you know what a ghost is?"

    The little one’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Ahh!" before pointing a chubby finger at his father.

    The father's expression: "...."