Chapter Twelve

Author’s Note: This story is set in an alternate universe, in an imaginary town and country, and during an ambiguous time period.

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“Now would be the perfect time to find a partner,” Simisaid, her voice teasing but laced with meaning.  

The evening outside was filled with the warm laughter of their families enjoying the cool breeze and sunset, but here in the kitchen, the mood was a little more charged.  

Kazir arched an eyebrow, playing dumb. “And why’s that?”

He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching his sister Simi with mild amusement as she licked icing off her fingers. The cake she had told her family and fiancé she was going to bring outside was being eaten away by just her.  

She gave him an exasperated look, rolling her eyes in the way only a younger sister could. “Oh, come on, don’t play stupid. You wouldn’t have to come to my wedding alone, for starters.”  

He smirked, unable to help himself. “And if I did come alone, what would happen? The sky’s gonna fall?”

She sighed, and crossed her arms and leaned against the counter opposite him. “Kazir, are you really going to come solo to my wedding?”  

“I mean… I could just not come,” he said lightly, twisting his champagne flute, though he knew that would never happen.  

“Stop being dramatic,” she said with a mock glare. “You know I don’t mean you have to bring a date. You could bring a friend—anyone—just so our parents stop worrying.”

Kazir stifled a laugh. “Is this your way of setting me up for some rom-com situation?”  

“No, but if it works, why not?” she shot back, grinning. Then, her face softened, and she added quietly, “I just wish you happiness, brother. Love, like the kind I’ve found.”  

Kazir rolled his eyes at that, though he couldn’t entirely ignore the way his chest tightened at her words. “You’re going to be an insufferable bride, huh?”

She laughed and shrugged, licking whipped cream off her fingers. “Maybe.”  

“Well, just let me be. You know I’m not the romantic type,” he muttered, trying to brush it off.  

“Are you afraid of Mommy and Daddy accidentally letting the cat out of the bag?” Simiasked, suddenly more serious. Her gaze softened as she looked at him. “How long do you plan on keeping your status as an omega hidden?”  

“Simi,” he sighed.  

“Mommy and Daddy will be devastated if they learn you’re hiding your status. Especially Mom.”  

Kazir’s jaw tightened. He’d always been careful, always kept his distance from that conversation. He didn’t want to hurt their mother by admitting he had been hiding his second gender for so long.

“I’m not hiding it,” he said, frustration creeping into his voice. “It’s just… no one’s asked. I don’t go around announcing it, that’s all. I don’t look like an omega anyway.”  

Simisnorted. “And what does an omega look like?”  

“Shut up,” he muttered, feeling the heat rise to his face.  

But she didn’t let up. She stepped closer, her tone gentler now. “Big bro, I’m serious. I want you to be happy. Whether you find a romantic relationship or not, I just want you to make decisions from a place of understanding, not fear.”  

“Understanding,” Kazir repeated, tasting the word like it was foreign to him. He raised an eyebrow. “And what if I am making my choices out of fear? I feel safe that way.”  

She paused and peered at him for a moment before she said softly, “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”  

Her words hung in the air, heavy and laced with an unspoken question.

Similooked at him earnestly, then asked the question that sent an uncomfortable jolt through him. “Kim Kazir, are you happy?”

Kazir opened his mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. Was he happy? It was a simple enough question, but the answer was anything but. He wasn’t unhappy, that much he knew. But was he truly happy? Content?  

He’d always thought so. He had his career, his hobbies, his solitude. He liked being independent, liked not needing anyone. But now, as he stood here in this kitchen with his sister, hearing her ask him that simple, loaded question, he wasn’t so sure.

He had never thought much about the need for deep relationships, romantic or otherwise. He’d grown accustomed to being alone, to keeping people at a distance. It had worked for him. But lately, since Adisa had come into his life, he had started to realize how much he was missing out on. Watching Adisa laugh with his friends, seeing how easy it was for him to connect with anyone and everyone, made Kazir question why he had never allowed himself that kind of closeness.  

He thought back to that morning, to Adisa casually asking about his scent, as if it were nothing. But it wasn’t like it had been nothing. Adisa had smelled something—something that no one else had ever noticed. And that unsettled Kazir more than he liked to admit. If Adisa had caught a whiff of his pheromones, despite his hormone chip, that meant things were shifting in ways Kazir hadn’t anticipated. It made him uncomfortable. It made him… curious.

“I am happy,” he finally said, though the words felt strange on his tongue. He wasn’t lying, not exactly, but he wasn’t sure he was telling the whole truth either.  

Simiwatched him closely as if she could read the uncertainty in his voice. “You know, Kazir, you’ve never really experienced what it’s like to be truly open with someone—romantic or otherwise. Maybe that’s why you’re hesitating.”  

He met her gaze, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “And here I thought we were avoiding the rom-com territory.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was warmth in her expression. “I’m just saying, I want you to be happy. And if that means staying single, great. But don’t close yourself off to making connections, i.e. friendship, just because it scares you.”

Kazir smirked, taking another sip of his champagne. “I.e. You’ve never known happiness until you’ve been with an alpha, right?”

“Stop with the i.e. B.S. I’m being serious. And no. That’s not true.”  

“Right.”  

“Okay, listen, relationship-virgin.”  

“Simi!” He groaned, rolling his eyes.

Simishot him a knowing look. “All I will say is, once you’ve been with an alpha, no one else comes close.”  

“Well,” he said, setting his glass down, “good thing I’m not dating, then.”  

She laughed, lightly swatting his arm. “You’re missing out, big brother.”  

“I’m glad you have Seara.”  

“And, as someone who has been around the block, I am glad Seara is my first alpha.”  

Kazir made a face filled with disgust and said, “I’d rather die than have that conversation with my sister.”  

Simi, laughing, waved him off. “Alright, alright. But, word of warning, my relationship-virgin brother—”  

“Relationship-virgin?” He cut her off.  

“Shh. Let me share some vital advice. If you don’t ever want to be with an alpha, if you don’t want to bond with one, don’t want to mate with one, don’t ever, ever get involved—not even experimentally. Because once you’ve been with an alpha, no one else can compare—not an omega, not a beta.”

Though disturbed by the nature of their conversation, Kazir’s curiosity was piqued by her serious tone. “What do you mean? Sex is sex,” he said skeptically, narrowing his eyes.

She grinned mischievously. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about ‘sex’ with me?”  

“Shut up,” he muttered, sipping his champagne. But as he lowered his flute, he couldn’t help but ask again, “Seriously though, what do you mean?”  

Simi’s playful expression softened into something more distant. “Sex isn’t just sex with an alpha,” she began, her voice quieter, almost nostalgic. “As omegas and alphas, we’re biologically wired to complement each other. When we come together, it’s like... everything just clicks into place. It’s hard to explain, but it’s different. Powerful.”  

Kazir watched her, his mind wandering.  

“It’s not just about the physical connection. There’s something emotional, too—something you can’t shake. So, if you’re sure you don’t want to tie yourself to one alpha forever, just… don’t do it. Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your life thinking about the one that got away because you’ll never be able to be with anyone who’s not an alpha.”  

Her tone and expression struck him. Was there something uniquely binding about being with an alpha as an omega? He had always thought of it as just pure biology.  

He rolled his eyes, leaning back against the counter. “Good thing I’m not dating, right?" he said, trying to shake off the heaviness of her words.  

Simisucked her teeth and teased, “You’re missing out.”  

Kazir let out an exaggerated sigh, exasperated. “I cannot wait till you get married,” he said dryly, though he couldn’t help but chuckle at her teasing.  

Simichuckled, taking her cake and heading toward the door. “Whatever,” she said over her shoulder, her laughter trailing behind her as she rejoined the others.  

Kazir stood in the kitchen, watching Simidisappear into the garden with her cake. Her laughter drifted back to him, mingling with the sounds of their families talking and enjoying the evening outside. For a long moment, he remained rooted to the spot, letting his thoughts swirl as he processed their conversation.  

He took another sip of champagne, staring out the window as the soft light of evening bathed the garden where his family laughed and talked.

Like he had told his sister, it wasn’t that he was unhappy, not really. But something was missing, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He had lived most of his life content with the distance he kept from people, focusing on work, hobbies, and maintaining his carefully crafted identity.  

He had always been fine with not having a close friend, with not letting anyone in too deeply.  

Growing up, he had never had a best friend, and never allowed himself to get too close to anyone. It hadn’t felt like a loss at the time. But now… now he was starting to wonder what it would be like to have someone to rely on. Someone to laugh with, to share fears and troubles with. Someone who understood him.  

He had never been in a romantic relationship, never let anyone get close enough for it. The idea of bonding with someone, of sharing his life with another person, had always seemed foreign and unnecessary. He wasn’t sure what it would be like to share his life with someone—to open up and be vulnerable. What would it be like to have someone who truly understood him? Who accepted him? Could he ever have that?  

He had never been in a romantic relationship, never let anyone get close enough for it. But now, as he stood in the kitchen alone, he wasn’t so sure. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing. Maybe it would be… nice.  

But with whom?  

An alpha?

His sister’s words echoed in his mind, teasing but with a core of truth. The way she spoke about alphas wasn’t just in terms of romance or sex—it was something deeper, more primal. Something that unnerved him because he had never allowed himself to even entertain the idea.  

Kazir stared at his champagne flute, fixing his gaze on the bubbles as they fizzed softly. He took a slow sip, letting the cool liquid slide down his throat, and set the glass down with a sigh.  

He hadn’t really wanted to think about dating, not after what had happened with Adisa earlier. But now, with the conversation still lingering in his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder. What if Simi was right? What if he was closing himself off from something that could make him truly happy?  

He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Not with Adisa, and not with anyone.  

For now, he’d keep his distance. He’d keep pretending everything was fine, keep hiding his status, and keep telling himself that he was happy. Because the alternative—opening up, risking vulnerability, risking feeling—was far too terrifying.  

With a sigh, Kazir pushed himself off the counter and headed outside to rejoin his family and his new sister-in-law’s family. The evening was too beautiful to spend overthinking. Besides, he had enough on his plate without adding romance into the mix.