My favorite alpha [chanlix]

7. The art of the chase

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☆　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chan was not in the moonlit garden and Felix panicked. He did not know what to do, heart hammering inside his chest as he looked around wildly, erratic breaths passing over his parted lips, gaze chasing across the obscure shapes lining the trails and pathways inside the garden. Wisps of blonde hair whipped around his pale face in the gloom as he searched the place for a trace of the foreign alpha. The irises of his eyes flared with an icy, silvery sheen when they caught a sliver of the pale light – the ethereal full moon reflecting inside of them.

It was way past dinnertime, the rugged evening soon crouching in on the collective night curfew for the residents within the castle compound, but the northern alpha was still not there. He was not in the garden maze, nor nowhere near it.

Felix's wolf whimpered pathetically inside of him, clawing desperately at his mind, wanting to break free and go search for its mate. Felix did not even know where he should start looking for the alpha. He has never had to chase after someone before. An omega never did.

The sudden realization that he had been stood up, washed over Felix like a bucket of freezing water, numbing his feverish body and rooting him dumbstruck to the very spot amongst the rustling leaves. He was like a motionless beacon beneath the darkening sky, standing there all alone. This was not the outcome that Felix had anticipated after all, and it left him feeling stunned. For the very first time, things were not going as he had expected them to.

Felix was not blind. He knew how other people viewed him, especially alphas that were always so eager to please. They were willing to do anything to get the slightest ray of attention from him. Except, it was not only Felix. It was because of the nature of their social norms that were deeply rooted in sensory perception. All omegas had a distinctive set of pheromones in their biological design which were ultimately made to entice. No matter the hushed discussions of equality of the secondary genders, biology could not be ignored. It was a fact.

At the cradle of their civilization female omegas were worshiped as mothers of packs while male omegas were a prized rarity, a freak of nature that happened once in a Blue Moon. Their own biology was therefore both a blessing and a curse. It was the source for unconditional love but also possessive jealousy from possible suitors and from their own family, be it because of romantic feelings or a sense of duty to protect. One of the first things that a young omega learned in their etiquette class was how to use their own nature as a tool to their advantage. Because whenever an alpha went out of line, berserk even, it was usually presumed to be the cause of an omega not being careful or tactile enough; forgetting to bow their head or to look away from an alpha's direct gaze, brazenly issuing a challenge to their authority. Thus, the line between having power to bend an alpha to their will and feeling helpless when being falsely accused for someone else's immoral actions was a very fine one. It was able to seal an omega to an unfortunate fate at the minor of mishaps.

Maybe this was the reason why Felix was so enticed by Chan. The alpha had not shown any apparent aggression towards his untraditional whims, silently accepting his unveiled appearance and his proudly raised head. Chan's temper had flared only once, and even then he had been quick to tamper his wolf down.

The wind tugged at the fine lace of Felix's tunic where he stood unmoving like a marble statue for a long while, sorting through the myriad of thoughts and questions looping through his mind. The overlaid, delicate fabric fanned out on the streams of air in a web-like pattern behind him and the tiny crystals faceted on the thin threads trembled, glittering like dew as they caught light, casting an iridescent halo around him. Felix's heart was growing heavy inside his chest the longer he had to wait. An ugly feeling started to spread like ink on water through his mind, discoloring his earlier excitement with bitterness and a sense of betrayal. He had trusted Chan to be here after proposing to Felix with that flower.