Natalia held the omega close as he began to tremble, pressing himself tighter against her.
Normally, him being so clingy would've been adorable.
But not now.
Not like this.
She was fuming.
She had been explaining some official matters to Lily's father and had just come back, feeling more relieved than she had in days. Maybe she'd even been a little selfish, letting Arthur out of her sight for a while in this unfamiliar place.
Not that it was dangerous, exactly.
But still.
She hadn't just been sitting around since they arrived either—she'd kept an eye on him.
She saw him fidgeting, glancing around, shaking his legs—looking as bored as ever.
She was planning to go to him soon. She even cut her conversation with Lily short, saying she had to take some calls, hoping to catch up later.
But then her father called. She couldn't ignore that. So she rushed to finish that too.
When she returned, Arthur was still sitting in the same spot—
But something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
His face was pale.
His shoulders stiff.
And his expression—cold, withdrawn, deeply uncomfortable.
Natalia froze for a moment.
This wasn't just boredom or impatience.
This was something else entirely.
She'd not seen Arthur look so upset. Or rather… scared?
Her chest tightened.
He was definitely not fine.
Trying to stay calm, she moved toward him, quietly calling his name to get his attention. But as she got closer, she saw it.
Him.
That other boy.
The silent one sitting right next to Arthur.
His eyes were lowered—focused somewhere near Arthur's side.
And his hand…
It was resting on his own stomach. But his fingers were hidden behind Arthur's arm, possibly close to Arthur's waist, and they were moving slightly... almost unnoticeably.
But not to her.
And then—Arthur flinched. Barely. But he did.
That was all she needed.
It clicked.
Everything made sense. The stiffness. The fear. The way Arthur wasn't even looking up.
That bastard was touching Arthur.
Natalia's rage flared white-hot.
She wanted to storm over, drag that creep away, and beat the hell out of him right there—but she held herself back.
Arthur wouldn't want that.
Not here. Not like this.
Still, the anger leaked into her voice when she called out, "Arthur."
She hadn't even realized her tone was sharp until she saw his head snap up.
But the moment he saw her—really saw her—he nearly ran to her.
And Natalia's heart broke.
His expression, his desperation, they made her feel so hurt.
He was the sweetest person to exist.
Why would anyone make him shrink down like this?
"I... I'm sorry."
Natalia looked down at the omega, suddenly snapping back to reality and stopping herself from gritting her teeth.
"Arthur, you're making me mad. Why are you apologizing?"
Natalia patted his back and rubbed in a soothing manner, earning a muffled, low moan.
"I-I..."
"Just stay like this as long as you want. Let's talk about what happened when you feel relaxed. It's okay even if it's tomorrow. But you are absolutely not going close to that creep."
Arthur took in a long breath—Natalia's scent making him dizzy, in a good way.
He didn't want to let go.
"Okay."
Arthur obediently agreed, and blushed the next second as Natalia gently pushed him a step back, then cupped his face gently, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"I'm going to stick myself to you."
Natalia said, making Arthur stare at her hypnotically, almost forgetting everything that happened.
But then he suddenly looked around, a sudden realization hitting him.
'Did anyone notice us coming outside together? Well... the two obviously did. Oth-'
Arthur couldn't even worry more before he got pulled back into a soft chest... or the familiar chest, forced to forget everything again.
That chest was magical... his head on it made him feel so comfortable.
Arthur was really calm.
But Natalia wasn't.
The more conscious she felt about holding him in her arms, the harder her teeth clenched as she inwardly planned that boy's misery.
She wouldn't let this go.
How dare he?
'He's definitely not an alpha. Not an omega either. Must be a beta.'
Natalia, at the time, felt proud of how Arthur was treated with such excitement and respect.
But... it all now felt hollow and she wondered...
Is this how Arthur is treated?
How many times had this happened before?
Which time is this?
Are all single omegas with no mates or protectors always facing situations like this?
But this felt way more disgusting because it was basically a student.
Where was his respect for his teacher?
And how old was that bastard?
Natalia looked down, placed a kiss on his head, then tightened her hug.
It was peaceful.
The night, at least.
"Oh my god, Jax! Derek! Stop! What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, all Natalia heard was chaos. It seemed to have reached the omega's ears too as he perked up, still clinging to her but looking around, startled—and curious.
"...Do you want to go in and see what's happening?"
Natalia watched Arthur's curiosity and asked. He nodded after a long pause.
It seemed like something not-so-good was happening inside.
He still had to witness it.
Natalia kept Arthur close as they approached the doorway, cautious but not hesitating. She could feel his heart racing again, though not as frantically as before. The steady rhythm against her chest reminded her what mattered most right now: him.
Inside, the commotion grew louder.
Someone shoved a chair.
There was shouting.
And then—
A loud crash.
Natalia's eyes narrowed. She wrapped her arm tighter around Arthur's waist, guiding him behind her slightly as they stepped through the doorway, then letting Arthur stand behind her as they separated, being around people again.
The scene was chaos.
Jax and Derek were standing in the center of the room—both visibly furious. Jax's shirt was torn at the collar, Derek's knuckles were red.
Even though what exactly happened wasn't clear, both Arthur and Natalia could guess who got beaten up and who did the beating.
It was nice to see that bastard beaten up, but Natalia was curious what led to this situation.
She suspiciously looked at Derek, whose eyes were red from anger as he tried to pry away from Lily's hold, ignoring everyone's worried questions.
Natalia turned to look at Arthur again and saw him watching Jax, who seemed to be in pain but also shock as he stared at his best friend.
"Derek! Why did you do that?! God, Jax, you're bleeding!"
Aunt Carol rushed to help Jax but everyone just froze when Derek suddenly yelled:
"No one helps him! You disgusting creep! I thought we were best friends. I didn't know you were such a pervert!"
Arthur flinched, secretly rubbing the hem of Natalia's shirt as his face got paler and paler, fearing this was all because of him. And he didn't want others to know what just happened if that was actually why Derek beat up his friend.
'...No... It's not possible. He didn't see anything that happened. It must be something else that caused the fight. But... he called him a pervert. Why?'
Arthur watched with nervousness as Derek huffed again, trying to attack him.
"What do you mean, Derek?"
Aunt Carol now paused with her movements, clearly wanting an explanation.
And so did everyone else.
"I'm sorry to cause drama, Aunt and Uncle. And everyone. But I lost my temper..."
Derek bowed, now seemingly more relaxed as Lily let go of him too.
"Jax. You crossed a line. I told you so many times. I don't like you. You trying to touch me inappropriately won't change my mind. If anything, it makes me feel disgusted. And it did."
Arthur knew he shouldn't feel relieved because what he just heard was also saddening—but he immediately relaxed.
'Thank God. It wasn't because of me.'
The room was silent. And Natalia could understand why. No one really expected such a thing. Even she didn't expect to find this out.
"I wasn't—"
"You were!" Derek snapped. "Jax, I'm very disappointed!"
Jax, after a pause, tried defending himself—which made everyone take a breath and glare at him.
And before long, Jax, realizing the situation he was in, decided to listen to Derek and leave.
"And I don't want a friend like you anymore. So. Leave me alone."
That's all they heard Derek mutter before he apologized to them and rushed to his room upstairs, silently crying, leaving everyone in silence.
Everyone felt pity for him, and Arthur couldn't help but feel like crying too.
Derek was such a sweet boy.
He was laughing and talking like nothing mattered just moments ago...
Natalia checked on Arthur and they silently sat in a corner together, watching as everyone else tried to bring back the joyful atmosphere—which obviously was failing, as everyone was worried about Derek.
'Haa... What a drama.'
Still, Natalia wasn't satisfied with how that boy got away easily. She was going to personally teach him a lesson anywa—
"I'm glad he left."
Arthur muttered, and Natalia turned to him with a chuckle.
"More like got kicked out."
"...Well... I guess it must have been very embarrassing for him. I feel so—"
"You feel sorry?"
Natalia was amazed—or rather quite mad—how fast Arthur's attitude had changed.
"N-no... I mean... he got karma... maybe. Losing his best friend is harsh enough, don't you think?"
Natalia stared at Arthur, who fidgeted with his fingers, avoiding eye contact—just everything telling Natalia how he had already forgiven that boy despite whatever he was saying.
"Sigh... You are way too kind. Don't be so good, Arthur. People are going to take advantage of you."
"He already got a punishment, didn't he? Let's forget that now."
Natalia sighed again, softer this time.
She reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Arthur's ear, watching the way he winced slightly—like the world still felt too loud, too sharp.
"Even if you call that karma, this definitely wasn't for what he did to you, was it? Why would you try to just forget and forgive so easily and so quickly?"
Arthur glanced at her, his eyes unreadable. "Because… people make mistakes, right?"
"Touching someone without consent isn't a mistake," Natalia said firmly. "It's a decision."
He didn't argue. But he didn't agree either.
Instead, he lowered his gaze, letting his fingers play with the edge of his sleeve. "I just don't want to hate anyone."
Natalia looked at him a long moment.
"…Then I'll hate them for you."
Arthur blinked. "That's… not healthy."
"No, but it's fair." She leaned her chin on her hand, watching him with a tired sort of fondness. "You don't have to carry all the weight just because you're kind. You can be angry, Arthur. Noone will think any less of you."
His lips parted slightly, as if he might speak—but nothing came out.
He looked like he wanted to cry. But instead, he smiled.
"…Thank you."
Natalia ruffled his hair gently.
"Sigh... But seriously, don't be so kind, okay? Don't forgive anyone that hurt you. Even if it's me one day."
Arthur leaned into her touch, the warmth of her hand grounding him, fully relieved after confirming everyone had scattered away to the kitchen and upstairs.
"...I'll try," he whispered, barely audible.
Natalia smiled faintly and pulled him close again, resting her chin atop his head.
"Good," she murmured. "One of us has to be strong. The other can just to be soft."
Arthur blushed again, his heart fluttering, the admiration toward her growing more.
'...God...I like her even more...Isn't she so cool? It feels so nice to be so cared...'
Arthur can't help but remind himself now.
His life still feels hopeful even at worst moments...
'Natalia...I wonder how someone can fall in love with the same person again...'
Because...
Arthur just did...