The rehearsal hall was transformed into a battlefield.
Spotlights swung overhead, cameras panned across eager faces, and the giant LED screen blared:
"Team Battle Stage: First Performance!"
The rules were simple: teams of five, performing the same song. Judges and viewers would compare both groups, and the losers would face elimination.
Simple—if you weren't secretly an Omega on the verge of burning up.
Rika tugged at her hoodie strings, nerves twisting her stomach. Her blockers hadn't fully kicked in yet, and faint traces of her heat clung to her skin. Every Alpha in the room was probably sniffing something sweet, though most shrugged it off as nerves.
Except Daika.
Of course.
Rika risked a glance at her team leader. Daika stood at the center of their formation, effortlessly cool, exuding Alpha dominance. The cameras loved her—zooming in every time she tilted her chin or narrowed her eyes.
And then, without warning, Daika turned her head and smirked at Rika.
Her voice, low and teasing, carried just enough for Rika to hear:
"Stay close. I won't let you slip."
Rika's knees nearly gave out.
---
"Team One, ready? Music start!"
The bass thumped.
Rika snapped into formation, heart pounding. The choreography was sharp, powerful—totally unsuited for someone trying not to look like a trembling Omega about to collapse.
But she forced her smile, hit the beats, and ignored the burn in her chest.
Then it happened.
Halfway through the dance break, Daika slid in behind her, one hand brushing Rika's hip as part of the routine. To the audience, it looked flawless, like a confident Alpha supporting her teammate.
But to Rika—her body nearly combusted.
A wave of pheromones slipped free, sweet and thick.
Daika's smirk widened.
She leaned down just enough to whisper against Rika's ear, her breath hot:
"You smell delicious when you're nervous."
Rika almost missed her step. The crowd gasped—thinking it was just tension from the performance. The cameras zoomed in, capturing her flushed cheeks and shaky smile.
---
"Don't… say things like that!" Rika hissed between lyrics, her voice trembling.
Daika chuckled low, perfectly in sync with the choreography. "What? Should I compliment your dancing instead? …Or your thighs trembling under those shorts?"
Rika bit her lip, nearly choking on her next line. The audience probably thought she was acting cute—but she was seconds from combusting.
The performance ended in a roar of applause. Rika collapsed backstage, clutching a towel to her face.
"Good job, Hanazawa," a Beta teammate chirped. "You were glowing out there!"
"Y-yeah," Rika mumbled, half-dead. Glowing? More like leaking pheromones all over national television!
Before she could breathe, Daika appeared, still flawless even after the dance. She leaned against the wall, eyes locked on Rika.
"You almost broke down mid-stage," she said smoothly. "But… the audience loved you. Interesting."
Rika scowled, her face still burning. "You're insane! You can't just—just say things like that in the middle of a performance!"
Daika shrugged, her lips quirking. "I was motivating you."
"That was harassment!"
Daika tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Funny. Your body didn't seem to mind."
Rika's jaw dropped. "You—!"
Her angry squeak was drowned out by the announcement echoing across the hall:
"Results for Team One will be revealed shortly. Please gather on stage."
Rika groaned. She wasn't sure what was more dangerous. Being eliminated… or spending another week locked in the same dorm as Daika.
The trainees gathered back on stage, panting, sweaty, nerves crackling like electricity.
"Team One," the MC announced dramatically, "scored an average of 91 points! Team Two—87 points!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Rika blinked in shock.
We… won?
She was so busy trying to breathe through her blockers that she barely noticed Daika's hand brushing hers during the bow. Just a fleeting touch, but enough to remind her who had been pushing her to the edge all night.
Backstage, girls congratulated each other, hugging and squealing. Rika was swept into a group hug, but her body was too hot, too sensitive. She wriggled free with a weak smile.
"I'm… going to shower," she mumbled.
The dormitory was blissfully empty when she slipped inside. She yanked her hoodie off, fanning herself desperately. The heat was back—her scent bleeding through the weak blockers, sweet and sticky in the air.
"Damn it," she whispered, clutching the sink. "Please, not now—"
The door clicked.
Rika froze.
Of course.
Daika stepped in, towel slung over her shoulder, hair damp from her own shower. She paused mid-step, nose twitching.
Her eyes locked on Rika like a predator.
"…You're burning up again."
Rika stumbled back. "N-no, I'm fine! Just—just hot from the performance—"
Daika shut the door with a decisive click, the sound echoing like a gunshot. She stalked forward, each step deliberate.
Rika's back hit the wall. Her scent thickened, cloying in the small dorm room. Her legs trembled.
Daika braced one hand against the wall beside Rika's head, trapping her. The other hand hooked under Rika's chin, tilting her face upward.
"Don't lie to me, Omega."
Rika's breath hitched. Her heart hammered so loud it drowned out everything else.
"You're… too close," she whispered.
Daika smirked. "Close? Sweetheart, if I got any closer—"
She let the sentence hang, her lips hovering a breath away from Rika's.
Rika squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip to stop a whimper from escaping. "Why… why are you doing this to me?"
Daika leaned in closer, her breath hot against Rika's ear.
"Because watching you struggle turns me on."
Rika's body jolted, her thighs pressing together helplessly. Her cheeks flamed bright red. "Y-you're insane!"
Daika chuckled, low and husky. "Maybe. But I kept your secret on stage, didn't I? You owe me."
Rika's eyes snapped open. "O-owe you what?"
Daika's grin widened, sharp and dangerous. "Everything."
---
The dorm door rattled suddenly—teammates returning, their voices echoing in the hallway.
Rika shoved Daika back with all her strength, her chest heaving. "D-don't! They'll hear us!"
Daika licked her lips, eyes gleaming with smug amusement. She stepped away casually, as if nothing had happened, tossing her towel onto her bunk.
"Relax," she said smoothly. "I'll play nice… for now."
Rika's legs barely held her up as the door opened and their roommates spilled in, chattering about the performance results. She forced a smile, clutching her blanket to her chest.
But her body still burned, her scent lingering faintly in the air—sweet enough to make Daika glance her way again, smirk curling at her lips.
Rika buried her face in her pillow.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was hell.
…Sexy, dangerous hell.