Chapter Six: Goodbye.
1334 Words
The moment Leo stepped into the dark office, the growling stopped.
Silence fell instantly across the room.
Broken glass covered the floor.
The sharp scent of cedarwood and overwhelming Alpha pheromones filled the air so heavy Leo almost stumbled and there, standing near the shattered window,
Stood Charles Harrison.
His breathing was rough,
His tie gone
Shirt half-opened and wrinkled,gone was the handsome,cold, impeccablely dressed Ceo half of the staff saw this morning,
Golden eyes glowing unnaturally in the dim light.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
But the second he saw Leo…
Something inside the Alpha visibly calmed.
"Leo."
The deep voice sounded strained.
Almost desperate.
Behind Leo, Mark Sullivan released a quiet breath of relief.
"I'll clear the floor," Mark muttered softly before leaving quickly.
The office doors shut,shielding them from the chaos outside the office,Leo turned to stare at the closed door,tall black heavy wood,for three years these doors has separated the two versions of their lives,
Outside the office they're just Boss and Assistant.
Inside; they're something far more,or so he thought.Leo signed turning to face the wreck of a man standing before.
Now it was just them,again just like always, but this time it was different,the unfamiliar gap between them was something there were trying so hard to close but both look hesitant,the silence lasted for ninety seconds before Leo stepped forward, gently avoiding the pieces of glasses that scattered round the office,
He looked around at the destruction silently,the office was a total wreck,files scattered all over the place,his favorite coffee mug lay in pieces.
Leo signed tiredly,
"You pushed yourself too far."
Charles took a slow step closer.
The Alpha looked exhausted beneath the aggression.
"I called you."he whispered, he's voice hoarsed ,he looked so pitiful and pale.
Leo's chest tightened painfully.
"I know."
"You didn't answer."
Because hearing Charles's voice hurt.
Because staying away hurt too.
Everything hurt now.
Charles stopped directly in front of him.
The scent between them immediately shifted.
The Alpha exhaled shakenly,the sound startled Leo more than the destruction around them, Charles was never one to look vulnerable in the presence of anyone but here he was looking so broken.
Leo's soft omega vanilla scent instinctively wrapped around the sharp edges of Charles's unstable pheromones.
And just like that
The storm settled slightly.
Charles closed his eyes briefly.
Relief crossed his face so openly that Leo nearly broke.
For three years…
This had always been their secret.
Charles unraveling.
Leo putting him back together.
The Alpha's hand slowly reached for Leo's wrist.
Warm.
Careful.
Not demanding this time.
"Stay," Charles whispered.
That one word shattered something inside Leo.
Because the worst part was,
He still wanted to.
Still wanted Charles despite everything.
His body recognized this man as home even while his heart was cracking apart.
Leo should have walked away.
Instead…
He stepped closer.
Charles's breathing turned uneven instantly.
A low sound escaped the Alpha as he buried his face against Leo's neck.
Relief.
Need.
Exhaustion.
Leo closed his eyes tightly allowing Charles to kiss and suck on his sensitive spot,stop please Leo whispered pushing Charles away from his neck,the Alpha was startled by the sudden rejection which immediately spiked his pheromones,making him agitated.
His rut instincts were reacting to Leo's emotional distance again.
Immediately Leo recognized the signs.
Too much emotional instability during rut season could become dangerous.
He moved without thinking.
"Sit down."
Charles blinked.
The familiar gentle authority in Leo's voice seemed to affect him instantly.
Like muscle memory.
Slowly, Charles sat on the couch near the windows.
The same couch where they had spent countless nights tangled together during previous rut cycles,or during their intimate times which has nothing to do with rut or heat.
The memories hurt.
Leo quietly approached the minibar and prepared water mixed with the emergency stabilizers he always kept hidden there.
Three years of habit moved his body automatically.
When he returned, Charles was watching him carefully.
Hungrily.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
As though terrified Leo would disappear if he looked away too long.
"Drink."
Charles obeyed immediately.
Leo hated how naturally they still fit together.
How easily he slipped back into taking care of him.
The Alpha's fingers brushed against Leo's wrist accidentally while taking the glass.
Warmth spread instantly through both of them.
Charles's eyes darkened.
"Don't," Leo whispered softly.
The Alpha went still.
Because they both understood what he meant.
Don't make this harder.
Don't look at me like that.
Don't make me hope again,he mumbled more to himself,
Charles set the glass aside slowly.
Then suddenly reached for Leo.
Strong arms wrapped around his waist instantly, pulling him down onto the couch.
Leo gasped softly in surprise.
"Charles—"
The Alpha buried his face against Leo's neck immediately.
Relief shuddered through his entire body.
Like he had finally found air after drowning.
This is the last time Leo thought,
The final time he allowed himself to belong to Charles.
So tonight…
He wouldn't hold back.
He wouldn't think about heartbreak or tomorrow morning or the cruel reality waiting after the rut ended.
Tonight, he only wanted to feel loved.
Even if it wasn't real.
Charles pulled him closer slowly, hands trembling slightly from restraint.
"Leo…"
The way he said his name sounded almost ruined.
Leo's fingers tightened weakly against Charles's shirt.
And for the first time in days…
He let himself melt completely into the Alpha's embrace.
The night blurred afterward into warmth, tangled sheets, soft breaths, and emotions neither of them knew how to say aloud.
Charles held him like something precious.
Like someone he couldn't survive losing.
And Leo hated how much that still meant to him.
Because deep down…
He knew morning would come.
And with it—
Reality.
—
Soft sunlight filtered through the penthouse windows the next morning.
The rut scent lingering in the room had faded significantly.
Everything was quiet.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Leo slowly opened his eyes.
Charles slept beside him deeply for the first time in days.
Without tension.
Without pain.
One strong arm rested loosely around Leo's waist even in sleep, as though instinct still refused to let him go.
Leo stared at him silently.
God.
He loved this man too much.
That was the problem.
Carefully, Leo slipped out of couch,
His movements were quiet from years of practice.
The penthouse looked exactly the same as always.
Cold marble floors.
Modern furniture.
Coffee machine in the kitchen.
The place that had once started feeling like home.
But now? How did we end up here Leo thought, confused,the last thing he remembered was surrending to Charles in his office,how did they end up in his room?
Seeing there's no one to give him answers,he waved it off immediately,picked up his clothes and left the room.
Leo changed slowly before walking toward the desk near the living room.
For several long moments, he simply stared at the blank paper there.
Then finally—
He began writing.
His tears fell silently onto the page.
By the time he finished, his hands were shaking.
Leo folded the note carefully and placed it where Charles would immediately see it.
Then he looked around the penthouse one last time.
Three years of memories surrounded him everywhere.
Late-night dinners.
Shared silence.
Secret laughter.
Hidden affection.
A love that existed only in the shadows.
Leo pressed a trembling hand against his mouth as tears finally escaped fully.
He couldn't do this anymore.
Couldn't keep surviving on scraps of affection while pretending it was enough.
Even if leaving destroyed him.
Slowly, Leo walked back toward the bedroom doorway.
Charles was still asleep.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
For a dangerous second, Leo almost turned back.
Almost crawled into bed again.
Almost stayed.
But then he remembered;
"He's just an assistant."
The ache in his chest became unbearable.
So instead, Leo whispered softly into the silent room,
"Goodbye, Charles."
Then he left.
And on the desk beside the fading scent of vanilla omega pheromones…
The note remained behind with tear stains pressed into the paper.
- Writer
