Kayden
"Hey, newbie!" Miller shouted as he clasped a hand on my shoulder just as I closed my locker. I had just finished showering and changing into proper clothes when he appeared behind me.
I turned around to face him with a questioning look. "Is anything the problem?" I asked.
"Tonight, we are going to celebrate you for your first win as a newbie on this team. Right, everyone!" He turned towards the rest of the team, screaming their names, and in return, they all nodded in agreement. "So tonight, we are heading to a club to celebrate our wins and find some Omegas to spend the night with. Are you with us?"
I nodded without thinking twice. This was the perfect time to bond with the teammates, and I wouldn't let Rhys ruin that moment for me.
Thirty minutes later, we were on our way to the club. I pulled out my phone for a moment to check what was trending. As usual, I was everywhere on social media alongside Rhys. Those shipping us had already uploaded ridiculous videos and images, tagging them as "Team Valder."
My followers on IG had been growing insanely, too.
I went from having thousands of followers to five million in the span of weeks. Most of my followers were those who shipped Rhys and me; they were always in the comment sections asking about Rhys each time I posted.
I found it annoying at first because I was my own person without Rhys, but as time went by, I couldn't do anything about it.
The thought of Rhys made me text him, thinking that if I talked about the club, he might want to join us.
Miller invited everyone to a club. Are you coming? Should I send the address?
I got no response. For a few seconds, I stared at my screen until the light dimmed and then tried again, my fingers typing furiously on the keyboard.
Are you going to come? The guys said the VIP lounge will be insane tonight, you should come.
Still nothing.
By the time we reached the club, the neon lights reflecting across the blacked-out windows felt like they were mocking me. It was one of those celebrity bars where athletes and models disappeared into dim corners to do whatever they wanted, far from cameras.
The moment we walked in, people recognized us, chanting our team name, but none approached us.
Soon my teammates soaked in like they belonged, like it was nothing new to them. I tried to follow along, but I felt nothing. I kept thinking only of Rhys, wondering why he had refused to answer me, wondering why I had let him get under my skin so much.
Theo ordered drinks and handed one to me. I swallowed it too fast, took another shot, and even though it burned, I didn't stop. I continued taking shots because drinking was easier than thinking.
Jaxson invited some Omegas over to our table, and at some point, one of the Omegas leaned so close to me that his lips brushed my ear and asked if I wanted to go somewhere else where we could be alone.
But I pulled away, smiling respectfully at him. "You are gorgeous, but I have to turn you down as you are not my type."
"What is your type? We have people you may like here in the club. I can fetch you…"
"No," I hiccuped.
No matter how many people he brought to me, I would turn them down. I had never been attracted to Omegas ever. Why would I even be, when I was one myself?
"I am not looking to be with any Omega for now," I told him.
He nodded and stood up to join another table.
I heaved a deep sigh and then took another shot. Soon, the room became hazy, the world tilted, and the music seemed to echo in waves. It was then I knew I couldn't do it anymore. I called a ride immediately and, as soon as it arrived, I told my teammates.
"Guys, I am leaving," I announced as I stood up, stumbling like an idiot until I reached the outside.
I entered my ride, trying to sleep as it took me to Rhys's penthouse. When the driver arrived and announced we were there, I came down staggering. As I headed towards the house, I saw him.
Rhys.
He was standing near the curb at the gate, his hand on a stranger's lower back. I inhaled the scent coming from the stranger; it was a fruity scent.
An Omega. A pretty one at that.
The Omega giggled, clutching his coat sleeve as he embraced Rhys. I felt my stomach twist so violently I nearly doubled over. It was jealousy. Even though I wasn't supposed to feel that way, I did, because while I was thinking about him, he was with an Omega.
I stood there watching as Rhys opened the door of a taxi for him. I watched as they hugged, and my entire body tightened like a wire at the mere sight of them. I took a step forward as the taxi pulled away. "Rhys," I tried to say, but the word came out broken.
Once the taxi pulled away, Rhys turned and finally saw me. The shock on his face lasted only for a second before it hardened.
"Kayden," he muttered as I staggered toward him. "You are drunk!"
"And you are a hypocrite," I spat, stumbling toward him. "You disappeared after the games ended, ignored my texts, all because you were…" I paused and hiccuped, then pointed to the pathway leading to the house. "I find you out here… playing boyfriend. Is that your type, Rhys? Someone small, soft? Someone who doesn't talk back?"
Rhys's nose flared. He took a deep, sharp breath, and suddenly the air around him changed.
It was heavy, musky, and I could smell his pheromones thicker than before. I gasped because I knew the unmistakable, aggressive scent of an Alpha entering his rut.
"You are entering your rut? Or already have, and…" I belched and then rubbed my mouth. "Is that why you are out here and…"
"Stop talking and just go in, Kayden," he ordered, using his Alpha tone on me.
It wasn't supposed to work on me if I was an Alpha, but it did. I found myself walking towards the gate, but then I stopped when I reached his side.
"No," I challenged, poking a finger into his chest. "Who was he, Rhys? Do you like the way he touched you better than me? Or am I just the mistake you keep in your home, allowed to suck you off, and then you run into the arms of an Omega?"
Rhys moved so fast I didn't see it. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the penthouse.
"I didn't do anything with him," Rhys hissed into my ear. "I was trying to clear my head. Trying to remember what an Alpha is supposed to want. Because every time I close my eyes, I see you on your knees sucking me off. I smell you in every room of my house. It's driving me fucking insane, and I am not supposed to have that interest towards an Alpha! I don't do Alphas," he declared. He paused when we reached the front door, leaning his forehead against mine, his eyes blown out.
"I am in my rut, Kayden. And I shouldn't want you, and my body shouldn't be reacting this way to an Alpha, so I invited that Omega over—but I couldn't do anything with him. No matter how pretty an Omega is, they don't just smell like you," he confessed, looking down at my mouth, his hand wrapping firmly around my throat, tilting my head back. "Your floral scent—orchid—which is unusual for an Alpha, drives me insane."