There was a quiet discontent growing at the pit of Echo's stomach upon hearing his assistant’s words, but the culprit was leisurely drinking tea, legs crossed without a care in the world.
“Repeat what you said.” The Alpha was expressionless, but only because he didn’t know what face he should be wearing. Leo had to be kidding, right?
“You heard it right.” No other assistant would talk to their boss like this, not unless they were asking to be fired, but Leo got brave knowing they were alone. “I want to bring him over to Venus Entertainment.”
“Why?” Why do you think you can handle the fiercest Omega to walk on Earth? Echo had been comfortable living with V, but even he didn’t dare to order the younger man around.
“You saw it yourself.” The Beta gestured to the phone in Echo’s hand where a video was paused halfway, the screen bombarded with comments demanding to know the mysterious singer’s identity. “People are turning the internet upside down looking for him. It’ll be our loss if he goes to another company. We’re only at a slight advantage because I recognized that fluff of silver hair.”
“You want V, the Vivien Mu Hen, to sign under your management?”
Leo nodded to Echo’s question.
“The same V that flipped you over his shoulder and pushed you over a cliff?”
Leo nodded again, a pained expression slowly morphing on his face upon remembering the torment his body went through.
“He has potential,” Leo was patient in explaining to his boss even though it was the Beta who technically held the title of director. “And you can’t deny that his face will sell.”
V’s attractive features flashed through Echo’s mind: the proud face that had no bad angles, the nose that would twitch and scrunch at the tiniest provocation, and those luscious lips that often spouted harsh words of warning. Although his temper was not to be trifled with, it was undeniable that the Omega was beautiful even at first glance. He only grew more charming the more people looked at him, especially those topaz eyes that were like burnt sugar mixed with sunset, sweet yet melancholic.
Even with only his voice, people were professing their love for him, the Alpha had no doubts that his face would cause waves after waves if exposed. However, knowing that a lot of eyes would be gazing at the Omega hungrily if ever he became famous, a sense of unease washed through the Alpha’s being, though he didn’t know why. He knew it was a sin to hide V from mankind but still, there was a part of Echo that was tempted to do exactly that. “What about Angelique Stella? Isn’t she doing well?”
Leo was surprised his boss was actually keeping up with company matters. Who could blame him when all Echo did was walk the red carpet from time to time? “She is but she’s a rookie and a model, not a singer. It’s a different playing field.”
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavier, especially with Echo’s face turning colder by the minute. “Have you inhaled too much office coffee that you forgot your main job, Leo?” There was a low growl in the Alpha’s voice, a hint of his worsening mood that even he was not aware of. A primal part of him did not like this conversation at all.
“No, Boss.” The Beta put the tea down and straightened his posture. The earlier bout of bravery was no more.
“Then do you remember why I invited him to live with me in the first place?”
“Yes.” Mr. Mu Hen is an unpredictable variable, Echo told his team that day, and it is for the best if he is contained sooner than later.
Echo sighed, urging himself to relax. He shouldn’t be like this, he knew that V’s life was not his to control. “I’ll think about it.”
It was unpleasant, nonetheless.
--
V almost choked when he opened the door. The living room was heavily scented with Alpha pheromones, thick and burning his nostrils. From how dense the air was, it must have been a few hours since the place was filled up.
He saw the pheromone terrorist slowly walking down the stairs wearing a black trenchcoat over a white shirt. His face might be androgynous but V was not fooled. With the Alpha walking around after an intense workout session, he knew that underneath those layers of clothing was the body of Adonis - lean muscles and strong shoulders.
“Goddamn, Alpha! Can you at least air the place out? The whole place stinks.” Common sense dictated not to agitate a territorial alpha, but V was not one to conform to any semblance of propriety.
Echo ignored his outburst and only stared at him until he calmed down, face impassive. “Get changed, we’re heading out.”
--
It was already dark.
It was way too dark, in fact, for an Alpha and Omega to be prowling the streets. Only criminals would be out and about at this time of night, and V would not be surprised if they were reported for suspicious activity.
“Are we there yet?” V could not help but ask like a petulant child.
Surprisingly, after a long time of navigating through dark alleyways, Echo finally said, “Yes.”
V looked left and right to make sure he was not mistaken, but there was nothing in front of him but a shady nightclub. Shady, not because the establishment bore illegal activities, but because the neon sign flickering by the front indicated that it was a hook-up place for unmated alphas and omegas. If it was not that, then it was the scantily dressed men and women leaving and entering, leaking arousal with every pore of their skin.
Sure, there were places and agencies built to specifically match the two sub-genders, but it was usually done in broad daylight, through a meticulous system, and not with a screen of smoke and pumping music in the background.
Unfortunately, V was not mistaken, not with the way the Alpha strutted inside like he’s been through the doors hundreds of times before. He could only follow, feeling out of place despite his years of experience in socializing.
They quickly made their way to the bar, Echo ordering drinks for the two of them. Even with the dizzying lights occupying his vision, V was not tempted to drink. It was not his scene and they didn’t come here for fun, after all.
He quickly took a peek at the Alpha and was mildly surprised that Echo was still holding a neutral expression. He thought that his roommate would be showing some mild discomfort at least since the man seemed to like quiet spaces as much as he did.
V didn’t know this at that time, but Echo was indeed uncomfortable. There were too many bodies around, the air was thick with the stench of lust, and the booming bass vibrated heavily beneath his feet. The only solace was the dim lighting that blocked him from seeing the various public displays of indecency in their full glory.
“There,” Echo pointed to one of the three stripper poles near the stage. “Watch carefully,” he leaned in close and said to his companion.
V didn’t clearly hear what was said but he followed where the finger was pointing at. It was too far for him to see clearly, but from the lights coming from the DJ booth, he saw the silhouette of a man in thigh-high boots swinging his hips in a sensual motion. The dancer lifted his body upside down and swung around with one leg hooked to the pole as the people below him cheered.
V was admittedly distracted watching something he had never seen before so he missed whatever Echo said next. “WHAT?” He shouted directly beside him, hoping his voice could get through the loud music.
He saw the Alpha move his lips but he couldn’t make it out, so he gestured at his ears while shouting, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
Echo brought his face closer to V, right next to his ear. “That dancer will find his pair tonight,” he said slowly, articulating the syllables one by one.
The hot breath tickled at his ear but he didn’t dare to turn his head. They were too close. V could only push the Alpha’s face away while muttering, “Okay, I get it.”
As V was trying to swat the ticklish feeling away, the dancer finished his dance and was about to leave the stage. With their close proximity to each other, V saw Echo make a vague motion pointed to the stage before the dancer slipped backward off the platform. There was a slight commotion, people screaming and yelling in surprise, but the crowd soon parted ways. V was stuck in place as he watched a man carry the dancer to the exit, one heel in his boots cleanly snapped off.
It all happened fast but even in the dark, he swore he felt the air change the moment Echo’s hand moved. His brain might have its slow moments but it was still capable of connecting the dots.
He snapped his head to stare incredulously at the Alpha but found him beckoning them to leave.
They were leaving? Just like that?
Once again he had no choice but to simply follow without having his questions answered. They walked through the same dark alleyways in silence before Echo’s car made its appearance.
V’s mind was slowly turning its gears, replaying the scene over and over in his mind. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice Echo buckling his seatbelt for him or the rumbling of the car as it started.
He didn’t know how long he sat in the darkness of the car before his mouth finally formed words. “What just happened?”
Echo kept his silence, eyes on the empty road. V was not sure if he was heard so he repeated his question, a bit louder this time.
Still, Echo didn’t respond.
Just when V’s astonishment was turning into impatience, the Alpha spoke. His words were slow, as if unsure, and his tone was a little awkward, but V sat up in attention. “He, that … dancer,” Echo began, “He was supposed to meet his pair two weeks ago. If not for meeting tonight, that man would go into heat in public tomorrow.”
There was a pause, but V didn’t push it. From living with Echo so far, he found that the man talked best if given time, so he waited.
“They needed a push,” the Alpha said as they were making a turn.
“So you broke his heel?” They had been doing nothing but read old records detailing the activities of Keepers. He was prepared to see magic or wizardry but there was nothing of this sort. It was too fast, too subtle. To say that V was shocked was an understatement.
Echo nodded.
“Why?” V realized his question was stupid so he quickly changed it, “I mean, how?”
This time, the Alpha replied faster, as if the answer was prepared a long time ago. “It’s my ability. I manipulate things to fulfill destiny, like that small accident before. A little tweak to steer the course in the right direction, a slight intervention to remove roadblocks."
He forgot to add, however, that doing so had a backlash. This was a mistake Echo would pay a huge price for in the future.
Instead, he said, “I wanted you to see it for yourself.” Echo parked the car in his garage and turned the headlights off.
V thought that they were done for the night, he was prepared to go to bed, but apparently, the Alpha had other plans.
With no introduction whatsoever, he dropped another bomb at V. “Venus Entertainment extends an offer to you.”
