I Desperately Needed An Enclosed Room To Deal With My Body's Reaction

Riley's POV

I was just an ordinary Beta—a forgettable passerby in the lives of three elite Alphas: Theo, Eliot, and Julian.

I had no special gifts, only the determination to claw my way forward through relentless training, barely managing to hold my ground as a hunter. Compared to the three of them, with their innate talents and towering stature, I was nothing more than dust.

And yet fate had seen fit to shackle me with a cruel burden.

I was a textbook Beta, supposed to be emotionally stable, but at some point my body had started to spiral out of control, overtaken by strange surges of heat and restlessness. This bizarre condition had grown more frequent ever since my differentiation ended. Especially during the two years I'd spent in field training—constantly injured, fighting day and night without rest—the strain on my body had accumulated to a breaking point.

Every time I pushed myself past my limits, that inexplicable loss of control would wash over me: heat, aching, weakness flooding through every limb. I was terrified that one day I'd lose it in front of everyone and become a laughingstock.

My two-year field assignment had just ended, and the Hunters' Guild had issued new orders: I was to enroll at Saint Vira College as a student, continuing my studies while secretly maintaining order on campus.

The night before I was supposed to report, I'd just finished an emergency mission. A rogue vampire's claws had torn across my back, leaving the flesh split open and reeking of blood. Before I could even treat the wound, two foreign forces inside my body exploded without warning. Searing pain ripped through me, my strength gave out, my consciousness began to blur, and a savage, bloodthirsty instinct surged up from somewhere deep inside.

If I let it run wild any longer, I'd lose myself completely and become a monster.

Stumbling out of the alley, I staggered into a late-night bar on the corner and used the last of my strength to grip the edge of the counter, my voice hoarse and broken. "A… a private room."

The bartender took one look at my wretched state and didn't ask questions. He handed me a key card quickly.

My vision was going dark, my temples throbbing. Clutching the card, I lurched down the hallway toward the private rooms. All I wanted was to lock myself away in an enclosed space and endure this torment alone.

The corridor was lined with identical doors, all of them swimming in my blurred vision. I couldn't make out the room numbers anymore. I just stumbled toward one that was slightly ajar and shoved it open.

I'd thought it would be empty.

After all, at this hour most people were downstairs on the dance floor. The hallway rooms were usually vacant.

But the moment I pushed the door open, I sensed it—an overwhelmingly dominant Alpha presence inside. I froze in the doorway, my blood turning to ice.

It was Theo.

He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his short black hair neatly styled, and those gentle blue eyes of his were now fixed on my disheveled form, wide with surprise.

My heart seized violently. Shame, humiliation, panic—all of it came crashing down on me at once, nearly crushing what little reason I had left.

How could I be this unlucky?

Theo's voice was soft as he said my name. "Riley? What are you doing here?"

He rose and walked toward me, step by step, and that warm sandalwood scent of his unfurled through the air, wrapping around me gently.

My throat was dry and aching, my eyes stinging faintly. I forced my trembling body to stay upright, dropped my gaze to avoid his, and squeezed out a deflection with what little strength I had left. "Sorry. Wrong room. I'll go."

I tried to turn and flee immediately, not daring to stay a second longer.

But the moment I moved, the pain inside me flared violently. My legs buckled, and I nearly collapsed to my knees.

Theo reacted instantly, his hand catching my arm. His palm was warm and dry, his grip gentle but firm, steadying my weakened frame.

I panicked. Just from that touch—just that—I felt myself hardening. I couldn't deny it anymore: Theo's body had an overwhelming pull on me.

Worse, a faint sweet scent began to spread through the room.

Theo's movements stilled abruptly.

I knew he'd spent years moving between hunters and supernatural circles. He was acutely attuned to scents. He must have noticed.

He looked down at me. "What is that smell? Is that… pheromones?"

I didn't know why either.

My whole body went rigid. Shame flooded through me, my face burning, heat crawling up to my ears. I tried to pull away. "It's nothing. Probably just perfume from the bar—I—"

But as I backed toward the door, I collided with someone.

Eliot.

His wine-red pupils contracted slightly as he steadied me from behind. "That's your own scent. Betas don't leak pheromones, Riley. Something's very wrong with you."

His cold fragrance—ancient roses from a castle long abandoned—rolled over me, carrying the absolute authority of a elite vampire Alpha. I couldn't move anymore.

The physiological pain was still tearing through my nerves, but between my legs I was rock-hard now, throbbing with heat.

I cursed myself inwardly. I had to get out of here.

Theo stepped closer, his hand tugging my arm gently toward him. "Didn't expect to run into the progenitor of vampires here. But Riley's family. I'll take care of him."

But I didn't want to be touched by anyone right now. I wrenched my arm free from Theo's grip. "I just… got hurt on a mission. I'm not feeling well. I'll be fine after I rest. You don't need to worry."

Theo's brow furrowed. "That's not just an injury. Riley, what's really going on?"

I didn't dare answer. I could only bite down hard on my lower lip, curling in on myself, my cock straining so hard it felt like it might burst. And that sweet smell was getting stronger. I had no idea what was happening to me.

I shook my head frantically. Just as I felt cornered, Julian's cold voice cut through from the hallway.

"Step back from him."

He pulled me behind him in one smooth motion.

In the span of a few heartbeats, all three of them had gathered.

Julian's gaze swept over my pale, stricken face. "Riley?"

Hearing his voice, I remembered how he'd sent me away two years ago. But the ache between my legs didn't soften at the memory—if anything, it only got worse.

I cursed myself again.

"Move… please…"

I desperately needed a locked room to deal with whatever was happening to my body, but I'd already lost control. I grabbed onto someone—anyone—clinging to them like I had no bones left, just trying to stay upright.

Then my vision began to blur. The voices around me grew distant. I felt like I was sinking into a lightless ocean, with nothing left but raw, primal need.