A Soulmate's Scent

Dormant

Seven Years Later

Argo

“Your exams are perfectly normal,” Argo said casually, looking down at the test results in his hands. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

“There has to be something wrong,” Ciel insisted from across the desk where he was sitting on a chair in Argo’s medical office. “I’m 25, and I haven’t had my Awakening yet. Maybe there’s been a mistake, and I’m a Beta and not an Alpha at all.”

Argo sighed, carelessly dropping the papers on the desk before running his fingers through his greying hair. “Your whole genetic code screams Alpha, Ciel,” he replied, eying the agitated blue-eyed young man. “Not just that, you’re a rare Progressive Alpha, too. You have a womb, as you’ve seen for yourself in the exams we did a couple of years ago. Indeed, it’s normal for our kind to have their first Awakening until their 23 years of age maximum, but your gender still has many things science doesn’t know about, so for all we know, it might be perfectly normal that it’s taking so long for you.”

“What if it never happens?” Ciel insisted with an unimpressed frown. “What happens to me then?”

“Your dominant Alpha pheromones will just be dormant,” Argo explained calmly, not to rile the man further. “You've been developing a strong Alpha scent already; it’s just not sickeningly dominating at this point as it should. Bluntly speaking, if you don't have your Awakening, I deduce you would be closer to a Beta in a way. You will still be able to have children as a man, able to impregnate females, but you won’t be able to have babies yourself because your womb would forever be like a small seed, waiting to blossom.”

Seeing how Ciel had paled at this, Argo cleared his throat and tried to summon a more soothing voice. “Without your Awakening, your womb isn’t going to produce the necessary elements for you to get pregnant. It doesn't mean it's useless, it's just dormant. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to find a way for it to happen through hormonal intake and fertilization. Who knows? As I said, science hasn’t studied Progressive Alphas enough to know exactly how each body works.”

“Right.”

Ciel slumped further in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked to the left, out the window of the office. Argo watched him for a few seconds, noticing the other’s distress from the way his foot incessantly tapped on the floor.

Argo had been Ciel’s family’s doctor for years, following the young man since he was a child, so he could confidently say that Ciel was probably one of the healthiest people he knew.

The doctor had tried specializing in Progressive Alphas, but the gene wasn’t that ancient, and there weren’t many who had been lucky enough to get it in the first place in recent years, so it was difficult finding subjects to study. Ciel was one of his guinea pigs, but for as much as he knew about Progressive Alphas, this was the first time he’d come across someone who’d taken so long to get their Awakening.

Because of the constant inbreeding with humans, the Wolven race was slowly disappearing. As a way for their kind to reproduce more efficiently, the so-called Progressive gene had been created.

Considering Alpha males were stronger and possessed the highest quality genes (even more so than Alpha females), as far as Argo knew, the gene had been tested on males first.

However, the idea of the project was to extend this gene to Alpha females eventually, as well as Betas and Omegas of all genders.

If there was a way for all sexes and genders to reproduce, there could be hope for the future of their kind, and who knew, maybe someday they could be completely immersed in human society, living side by side with them rather than hiding behind their human forms.

Even better: if males and females could both breed and bear children, perhaps the day would come when their kind would come to dominate the world and completely change it.

Of course, this was the year 2087. The Progressive gene’s background wasn’t well known; the only fact confirmed was that, in the past, it hadn't been efficient enough to pass from one generation to another, but that it appeared at random despite the parents not having the gene. Regardless of its creation several decades before and how suspiciously little information there was, it still possessed immense potential.

Argo didn’t know much about this outstanding gene since it had disappeared shortly after its creation. Still, Ciel had been born, along with another certain someone who possessed it and brought chaos to every medical facility of their kind there was.

Suddenly, the Progressive gene had returned, and two people carried it. Everyone wanted to study it and try to find a way to finally put it to good use.

Not only was this a miracle, but it was also astonishing that those two were strong and seemed to be handling it perfectly well.

Those two were Alpha males, physically perfect, healthy, their genes top quality, and both had wombs that seemed more than capable of, one day, bearing children.

What little information that existed about the gene seemed to contradict this surprising outcome, so Argo and other doctors and scientists still felt anxious about this when there was so little known so far.

It was truly a miracle that those two young Alphas were the embodiment of what the gene was aiming to accomplish when history claimed that the gene had been destructive, harmful, and a failure.

Even that unbelievable pull those two Alphas had towards each other was shocking.

Still, there wasn’t a single thing wrong with Ciel so, at this point, Argo was starting to wonder if this delay in his Awakening was something psychological.

Arranging his mask on the bridge of his nose, Argo asked, “How is your s*x life going? Do you feel like you’re having any issues? Erectile dysfunction? Lack of libido?”

Ciel glanced at him before looking away again. “My s*x life isn’t that exciting, but when I do have s*x, it’s fine, and I don’t have any issues. Everything’s normal.”

“Do you tend to lean towards a specific gender or feel more inclined to…”

“I perform just fine no matter who I’m with, thanks,” Ciel snapped, throwing him an exasperated look.

“I see.”

“Is knowing about my s****l preferences of any help?” Ciel huffed. “This is becoming annoying, and I can’t just keep evading my family’s questions forever.”

Argo tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. “You need to tell me what’s upsetting you, Ciel, because I don’t believe your Awakening not happening is something physical. You say you’re worried, but at the same time, your psyche might be holding your body back. Is it about your gender identity? It can be a little daunting from a certain age onwards being male and aware that you could carry children. Maybe your Alpha instincts are fighting this?”

“No, I’m fine with who I am,” Ciel denied nonchalantly, rolling his eyes. “I never thought about wanting to have children or get pregnant, but suddenly thinking that I might not be able to is just… I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“You don’t even have a steady mate yet, Ciel, so you shouldn’t be worrying about such things,” Argo reminded him. Then, he stopped for a second to observe his patient. “Is there, perhaps, someone for whom you are saving yourself? Someone that might be forcing you to hold back unconsciously?”

At this, Ciel blushed, refusing to look back at him and tightening his arms more over his chest. “Don’t be stupid,” he mumbled. “Why are you asking me this?”

Argo grinned victoriously under his mask. “You seem to forget that I’m not a doctor for just your family, Ciel,” he said. “I find it rather fascinating that you and the Phlox’s youngest son are so similar when it comes to this. You’re both terrible liars.”

“I’m not lying,” Ciel dismissed too quickly. “Why are you even talking about him now? He’s got nothing to do with me or this situation.”

“If you say so,” Argo admonished, casually observing his nails. “He had his Awakening already several years ago. But I’m sure you’ve noticed it by now through his scent.”

Ciel blushed so hard now his whole face looked like a tomato, sky blue eyes becoming almost luminescent. “What makes you say that?” he asked, and there was a hint of panic in his voice. "I don't make sniffing him a daily occurrence to know. I barely see the guy."

“As I said, I’m not just your doctor, and I’ve known Kei for as long as I’ve known you,” Argo said, with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other during the annual grand meetings. Although, in recent years, it’s more like you two are constantly looking for each other. Having rival families must be harsh for one’s love life.”

Ciel all but snorted. “You’re delusional; I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he denied again, avoiding Argo's scrutinizing gaze again. “I don’t have any problem with the guy, even if our families don’t get along. If we’re both going to be Pack Leaders, it’s not like I can’t try to change things so we can achieve some sort of truce better than the one we have now.”

“Of course,” Argo agreed, even though he could see right through the lie and how much this conversation was upsetting the younger man. He cleared his throat. “Either way, Ciel. Please consider loosening up a little. Your Awakening is late, and it might be you who’s holding it back without noticing, perhaps out of fear. Your Awakening is essential so your body can reach its full potential and your scent can manifest itself towards your Pack. That’s what pheromones are for.”

“I know that already,” Ciel said, now through clenched teeth.

“Why don’t you ask your loverboy to give you a hand? He’s not seeing anyone, although I hear he’s quite... virile,” Argo teased, gently. “Sometimes, all it takes to trigger an Awakening is a proper kiss at the right time, just like in fairy tales.”

“Oh, go hang yourself!” Ciel snapped, getting up from his chair so quickly it tumbled backward. “I’m out of here, and thanks for nothing!”

“Make sure to keep your meds with you at all times, Ciel,” the doctor said as the younger man picked the chair up and put it back in its place. “And give me a call if you feel anything different. Your type of Awakening could be dangerous.”

“Whatever,” Ciel acquiesced moodily.

Argo nodded his farewell as Ciel left his office with heavy steps before slamming the door shut on his way out.

Despite himself, Argo chuckled and shook his head in amusement, but also feeling immensely sorry for the guy.

He was ninety-nine percent sure that Kei was, indeed, the reason why Ciel’s Awakening was late. For sure, even if unknowingly, Ciel was the one suppressing it.

While Argo didn’t exactly belong to a Pack because of his rebellious marriage with an ordinary human, he was still one of the most famous doctors specialized in their kind, so he was very much solicited by several Packs and even rogue shifters.

Having seen Kei and Ciel grow up, Argo had noticed their mutual attraction, which was exciting and a little sad considering their Packs weren’t on the best of terms.

It was surprising, though, since they were both Alphas and both genetically similar. Still, it was fascinating and a phenomenon Argo was more than a little eager to research. Regardless, that magnetic pull they tried to conceal worried him more than he would admit to himself.

The doctor hadn’t seen them together enough times to know what lured them to each other. Maybe it was just curiosity, pheromone imbalance, or something else entirely, but it was obvious they shared the same desire to reach out to the other in ways he could only begin to guess.

Alpha Males didn't usually feel attracted to each other - their pheromones were too strong, too dominating, and tended to repel each other, so this was certainly a first.

It was unfortunate for them that they couldn’t, and for him as well because Argo couldn’t simply push them together to study this extraordinary scientific progress better. Who Kei and Ciel were was a gift to their kind, yet, their attraction could potentially be very dangerous for both of them.

It was a frustrating impasse when their kind so desperately needed to study them, together and apart, to survive.

If Argo guessed correctly, this could potentially be the revival of a historical occurrence, something beyond anyone’s control.

Science, however, was irrelevant in the face of tradition and duty, and those two young men had to respect both.

Argo was glad he didn’t belong to a Pack in times like these since this allowed him to be free and live according to his own rules.

For now, though, the only thing he could do was pretend to look away and keep his mouth shut, studying Kei and Ciel in silence while praying that whatever needed to happen would unfold gently and with minimal damage to everyone involved.