The Alpha's Regret.His Omega,His Calm

Rain tapped softly against the taxi window as Leo rested his head against the cold glass. The city lights blurred past in streaks of gold and white, but Leo barely noticed them. His chest still hurt. No matter how many times he replayed the scene in his head, the words refused to lose their sharpness. "He's just an assistant." Leo let out a shaky laugh under his breath. Three years. Three whole years reduced to one sentence. The taxi finally stopped in front of an old apartment building tucked between a convenience store and a quiet laundromat. It was small. Nothing like the luxurious penthouse Charles owned downtown. But this place had once been home. Before Charles Harrison entered his life. Before secret touches and late-night ruts and whispered "stay with me" requests blurred the lines between need and love. Leo paid the driver quietly before stepping out into the rain. The building manager smiled the moment he saw him. "Leo! Long time no see!" Leo forced a small smile. "Yeah… I just needed the apartment again." Thankfully, he had never officially ended the lease. Charles had once asked him why he still kept it. Leo remembered laughing softly and saying: "Maybe I'm sentimental." Now he wondered if some part of him had always known this day would come. The apartment smelled faintly of dust when he stepped inside. Darkness greeted him. Silence too. No scent of cedarwood. No expensive cologne lingering against sheets. No deep Alpha voice calling his name from another room. Leo placed his bag down slowly before sinking onto the edge of the bed. The loneliness hit instantly. His phone buzzed. Lucy. Leo stared at the screen for a few seconds before answering. "Hello?" "What happened?" Her voice was immediate and sharp with concern. Lucy had known him long enough to recognize when something was wrong from a single text message. Leo swallowed hard. "Nothing happened." "Leo." That one word almost broke him. Lucy sighed softly on the other end. "Did he hurt you?" Silence. And silence was answer enough. "Oh my God," she whispered. "What did Charles do?" Leo closed his eyes. "He called me just an assistant." The line went completely quiet. Then— "That bastard." Leo laughed weakly despite himself. "It's fine." "No, it's not fine!" Lucy snapped. "Three years, Leo. Three years of you giving that man everything." Leo rubbed his tired eyes. "It was never official." "You lived together!" "Secretly." "You took care of him during every rut!" Leo's throat tightened painfully. Lucy lowered her voice. "And you loved him." That hurt the most. Because it was true. Leo had loved Charles so much that somewhere along the way, he forgot to protect himself. "I'm tired, Lu." The anger in her voice softened immediately. "Where are you?" "My old apartment." "You're not going back tonight, are you?" Leo looked around the small room quietly. Then for the first time, he answered honestly. "I don't think I can." A long silence followed. Finally Lucy spoke softly. "Then don't." Tears burned Leo's eyes unexpectedly. He quickly looked away as if she could somehow see him. "I'll be okay." "You don't have to pretend with me." Leo bit his lip hard. Because pretending was exhausting. After ending the call, the apartment became silent once more. Too silent. His gaze drifted toward a small storage box near the bookshelf. Slowly, Leo stood and opened it. Inside were pieces of the life he had built around Charles. Old work badges. Movie tickets. A tie clip Charles once forgot at his apartment. And beneath everything else… A watch box. Leo froze. His fingers trembled slightly as he picked it up. Two years ago. Their second anniversary. Well… what Leo had secretly considered an anniversary. Charles had returned from a business trip late that night, exhausted and irritated after a disastrous meeting overseas. Leo remembered expecting nothing. After all, Charles rarely acknowledged dates. But then the Alpha had handed him the small black box without explanation. Leo blinked back then in surprise. "What's this?" "Open it." Inside had been a beautiful silver watch. Elegant. Expensive. Far too expensive. Leo stared at it in shock. "Charles…" "You're always late because you stop helping everyone else before yourself," Charles muttered while loosening his tie. "Now you have no excuse." Leo remembered laughing softly. Then Charles had suddenly pulled him closer by the waist. Gray eyes staring into his. "Happy two years." Leo's heart had nearly stopped. Because Charles remembered. That night had been dangerous for Leo. Because it made him hope. Hope for things he was never truly promised. Back in the present, Leo held the watch tightly in his hands. His vision blurred. How unfair. Charles remembered anniversaries. Remembered his favorite tea. Remembered how to hold him during nightmares. But still called him just an assistant. A sudden vibration startled him. Charles. Leo stared at the caller ID for several long seconds before answering. "…Hello?" "Where are you?" The deep Alpha voice filled the room instantly. Familiar. Comforting. Painful. Leo leaned back against the wall. "At home." A pause. Then Charles spoke again. "You're not here." Not here. Not our penthouse. Not beside me. Leo swallowed hard. "I wasn't feeling well, so I came to my old apartment tonight." Silence. Charles's breathing sounded strangely uneven through the phone. "Why?" The question almost made Leo laugh. Why? Because his heart was breaking. Because staying in that penthouse tonight would destroy what little dignity he had left. But instead he answered softly, "I just wanted some space." Another silence. Heavy this time. Then Charles's voice lowered slightly. "Are you upset about earlier?" Leo's chest tightened instantly. The fact that Charles even had to ask hurt. "No, sir." Sir. Charles went quiet again. Leo could almost picture the frown on his face. "Leo." The way Charles said his name nearly shattered his resolve. Soft. Deep. Dangerously gentle. "I'll see you tomorrow," Leo whispered before Charles could say anything else. Then he ended the call. Immediately, guilt twisted inside him. Not because he lied. But because some pathetic part of him still wanted Charles to call back. He stared at the silent phone for a long time. It never rang again. — Miles away, Charles Harrison stood alone in the dark penthouse living room. The city lights reflected against the windows behind him. Usually, Leo would already be there. Soft music playing quietly. Dinner prepared. The warm vanilla scent of omega pheromones wrapping around the cold space. But tonight the penthouse felt… Wrong. Empty. Charles loosened his tie irritably. A strange restlessness crawled beneath his skin. The beginning of rut symptoms mixed dangerously with something else entirely. Something unfamiliar. Leo had sounded distant. Careful. Like someone standing at the edge of leaving. Charles hated that feeling immediately. His gaze drifted toward the untouched dinner table. Then toward the bedroom hallway. Too quiet. Too cold. For the first time in three years… Charles realized he didn't know how to sleep alone anymore. Leo is angry because of Ethan right?he asked no one in particular,I will let him cool down and explain tomorrow,he mumbled stepping in to the bathroom.