Luna’s Crimson Desires

Chapter 4

The man gestured towards Xavier while removing his straw from his mouth. "Brother, I don't think you want me to respond to that."

He needed a new best friend.

Amelia tightly closed her eyes as she considered what Xavier had said earlier. Not only that, but her perfume was unassuming. Naturally, it was. She is an omega acting as a beta, after all. She couldn't help but recall what had happened.

I made a discovery," the pack doctor stated. The lettering on the white bottle, which he pulled out of his ripped jacket's pocket, was hazy because it was printed in tiny letters. Amelia strained her vision in an effort to understand.

You can change your perfume with the pill in this bottle, but you have to remember to take it every month because it only lasts for a month.

The omega gave the bottle a long look before accepting it with gratitude. There was nothing else for her to do.

That, or abandoning her long-held dream, was the only option. Amelia wasn't prepared to forfeit her goal because she had already had too much snatched from her. She removed the top's cap nervously and had a look inside.

The blue, gel-like pills in the bottle had a strong, unfavorable odor. Nearly brought to mind the guards outside the pack house.

She tightened the cap and said, "What's the difference between these and suppressants?"

The pack doctor gestured at the bottle while wiping the sweat from his brow. "You're a pure Omega; your scent is intoxicating to others, especially the pure Alphas. Suppressants hide your scent; these pills manipulate it. They may also be rare but are potentially dangerous."

She made a noise while arching her brows at the bottle. The knowledge that there is someone out there who is more strong and powerful than their kind and who is interested in possessing her made her feel inferior more than anything.

"Thanks for the reminder, Doc."

He groaned. Like I said, Amelia, your scent is that of a pure Omega, but what if there was a way to change it so you were...safer? What if you were to smell like a beta? No one targets betas. I'm trying to help you here. There's no other way.

Before turning to face the older guy and the bottle in her hands, she arched his brows. The more she considered it, the more she became aware that it was the only option. Do you believe it will succeed?

"Yes," the pack doctor immediately said. I didn't think it was, but as it turns out, it is. I was out late at night searching for more herbs to experiment with when I tripped over something.

I couldn't smell a thing, so I turned around and saw something I had never expected to see in my life: a dead Alpha Hellhound. What can kill one of those things?

That caused her mouth to open. What could have ended their lives? A strong enough pack of wolves could only defeat an Alpha in that manner.

"A smell-less, dead Alpha?"

That's what I thought, too. Hellhounds have scent glands under the skin, right? That dead person was masking his smell. These things smell everywhere they go.

"He was taking these pills?"

The doctor exclaimed, "Damn right!" The components to manufacture these pills were in his suitcase, and although this bottle is just one of three that I have, I wanted to present it to you.

Amelia said, "You got three bottles from the dead Hellhound?"

The doctor scratched his face and said, "I know it doesn't sound good when you say it out loud, but we don't have any more options." "Your brother... Never mind; I tried them out too.

I took one, and within two hours, it was like taking a breath of fresh air. I felt like I could run miles—more than I could when I was your age."

She looked over the bottle and considered all the potential benefits these tablets would have for her. Amelia might conceal her natural scent with these and feel more confident venturing out.

The suppressants she used were barely potent enough to mask the omega's odor to others; perhaps these were. Nobody suspected you, right?

The pack doctor shook his head, bouncing his beard in the process. "I went to the strange Alphas, and let me tell you, they are the ones who will make you s**t your pants with just one look.

Twice my size. But I had these pills to make me an Alpha, and they didn't even flinch at my scent. They just pointed, asked what I was doing outside the border, and I made up some story and got out. The pills worked, I tell you."

With her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide, Amelia was in wonder at the tale. She began taking those tablets from the previous six months in this manner.

***

The following morning, Amelia breathed smoothly. The sun had not yet fully risen, so she raised her head to look at the sky.

As she breathed, the milky air in front of her mouth turned into fog. Before stooping forward to touch her toes, the omega held onto her ankle and stretched the front of her thigh. She did this stretching exercise before she ran.

A sudden, loud whistle from behind caught her attention.

"This is the view I would like to wake up to every morning."

Her once-relaxed physique changed into a tight mass of bones and muscles. Only the hellhound could be seen when the omega peered backwards through the space between her ankles. Xavier.

He jogged toward us. His gait was easy because of his large legs. He smugly grinned at her while wearing a maroon t-shirt and tight black jogging bottoms. His curls were pulled down to his neck by a black snapback.

Amelia gently stood up and turned to look at him. How did he find her and locate her? Unlike other creatures, the omega ran on the side of the earth closest to the shadowy forest.

She growled, "What are you doing here?"

"What a great view!"

Her arms were folded across her chest. I feel like we seem to be using separate languages at the moment.

"Anyway," he murmured, fumbling with his jogger's pocket. The Alpha grinned as he returned his attention to her and ran a hand along the edge of his hair. "There's a party in our frat on Friday. Come join us. We have the best ice luges."

Is this your means of expressing regret?

"No, I'm just inviting you to a party," she said.

That was mocked by Amelia. She has no chance of becoming friends with him or that fraternity. His remark regarding her mother also hurt. "Thanks, but I don't do parties."

You don't know what you're missing, so consider it.

And with that, she sprinted away from him. "And I don't care."

***

"So, do you go for a run every morning at the same time?"

The following morning, Xavier avoided her abandoned footwear. She felt a chill go up her spine. I'm just trying to manage my time around classes and football."

He received no response from Amelia. Instead, she put his earbuds in and jogged in the direction of her destination. Under her mid-thigh-length peach running shorts, her muscles jerked and flexed.

Xavier followed her while holding her lost sneakers and said, "Hey, you lost your shoes."

Her gait accelerated. The wind whipped at her flyaway hair as her lungs burned with each exhalation, but she didn't turn around.

The Alpha Hellhound was panting and wishing his legs would go more quickly. I asked, "Did you hear a word I said?"

Before she rounded the curve, the soles of her bare feet sped across the walkway.

She was already far gone when his voice resounded across the dust: "Wait for me!"

Xavier yelled again, "I'll catch up with you," his words clearly puffing in the brisk air. I'll be there in a moment.

Amelia repressed her smile and remained silent.

***

She had to confront Xavier once more. At quarter to five—early in the morning—he arrived at her running location and gave a triumphant fist pump. as though he knew nobody was looking.

For a little moment, Amelia observed him and the way he twirled around the field. He looked at the forest while checking his watch and chewing the bottom of his lip.

She didn't intend for that to impress her. White headphones bounced on the sweat-stained grey cotton of her tee as the omega took up her white running sneakers and held them in her hand. Xavier moved toward her as soon as she came out of the woods and opened his mouth. He wasn't even given a second glance as she ran past him without stopping.

He said, once more glancing at his watch, "Are you kidding me!?" You're already asleep; when do you go to bed?

***

That was enough for Amelia. She had been put off by him nonstop for three days. As soon as she sat down, she told Fred everything.

He only stated, "That's his way of apologizing.

The omega blinked, "What?!"

Mira sighed. I informed him when he inquired as to why you left the cafeteria angrily.

At that, she took a sharp gasp. He was aware that his comment was offensive, but instead of immediately apologizing, he chose to pull these pranks. How can she not find that irksome?

I am aware of your concerns, but I urge you to give him a chance because he is not a nasty person.

"Whatever"