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

Riley's POV

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

I had no special gifts, only the stubborn determination to claw my way forward through relentless training. Compared to their innate talents and towering achievements, I was nothing more than dust beneath their feet.

Yet fate still saw fit to shackle me with its cruelest chains.

I was a standard Beta, meant to remain emotionally stable. But at some point, my body began to spiral out of control, generating inexplicable heat and restlessness that I couldn't explain.

These strange symptoms had grown more frequent since my differentiation concluded.

During my two-year field training period, the constant injuries, the endless nights of combat without rest—all of it accumulated into an unbearable physical burden.

Every time I pushed my body past its limits, that nameless loss of control would sweep through me: feverish heat, aching tension, weakness spreading through every limb.

I lived in terror that one day I would lose myself in front of everyone, becoming a spectacle for their ridicule.

My two-year training period had just ended when the Hunter Association issued my reassignment order: I was to enroll at Saint Vira College as a student, ostensibly for advanced studies, but in reality to maintain order within the academy from the shadows.

The night before my enrollment, I'd just finished an emergency mission. A fallen vampire's claws had torn across my back, leaving flesh peeled open and the air thick with the smell of blood.

Before I could even tend to the wound, two foreign forces inside my body suddenly erupted. Excruciating pain flooded through me in an instant. My strength drained away, consciousness began to scatter, and bestial, bloodthirsty instincts surged upward with terrifying intensity.

If I let these powers continue to rampage unchecked, I would lose myself entirely and become a monster.

I staggered out of the alley and stumbled into a late-night bar on the corner, using the last shreds of my strength to grip the edge of the counter. My voice came out hoarse and broken: "Get me... a private room."

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

My vision was going dark, temples pounding with a relentless throb. Clutching the card in my trembling hand, I lurched toward the hallway of private rooms. All I wanted was to hide in an enclosed space and endure this torment alone.

The bar's corridor was lined with identical doors that blurred together in my swimming vision. I couldn't make out the room numbers clearly, so I simply stumbled toward a door that stood slightly ajar and pushed my way inside.

I'd assumed it would be empty.

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

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

It was Theo.

He sat on the edge of the sofa, his dark hair neatly styled, and those gentle blue eyes of his now fixed on my wretched appearance with unmistakable surprise.

My heart contracted violently. Bitterness, humiliation, panic—they all crashed over me in waves, threatening to shatter what little rationality I had left.

How could I be this unlucky?

Theo called my name in that warm voice of his: "Riley? What are you doing here?"

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

My throat felt dry and painful, my eyes stinging with heat. I forced my trembling body to stay upright, lowered my head deliberately to avoid his gaze, and squeezed out a deflective response with every ounce of remaining strength: "Sorry. Wrong room. I didn't mean to disturb you."

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

But the moment I tried to move, the churning agony inside me intensified sharply. My legs buckled, and I nearly collapsed to my knees.

Theo moved swiftly, reaching out to steady my arm. His palm was warm and dry, the grip gentle yet firm, anchoring my weakened frame securely.

Panic flooded through me. Just that simple physical contact made the thing between my legs begin to harden. I couldn't deny it—Theo's body held an overwhelming attraction for me.

Worse still, a sweet fragrance began to permeate the room.

Theo's movements froze abruptly.

I knew he'd spent years navigating the worlds of supernatural beings and hunters alike, his senses attuned to every trace of scent—he must have detected it.

He looked down at me. "That smell coming from you... is that pheromones?"

I didn't know why either.

My entire body went rigid. Shame crashed over me instantly, my face burning hot, even my ears scalding with heat. I struggled to pull back: "It's nothing. Probably just the bar's perfume that rubbed off on me, I—"

But as I tried to retreat from the room, I collided with someone behind me. It was Eliot.

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

His cold rose fragrance from ancient castles rolled over me, carrying the absolute dominance of a top-tier vampiric Alpha. I couldn't move anymore.

The physiological pain continued to assault my nerves relentlessly, yet the thing between my legs was now achingly hard.

I cursed myself inwardly for being so pathetic. I had to leave immediately.

Theo stepped forward, his hand on my arm pulling me slightly toward him: "I didn't expect the vampire progenitor to be here too. But Riley is my family. I'll handle this."

But I didn't want to touch anyone right now. I struggled free of Theo's hand. "I just... got injured during a mission. My body's a bit off. I'll be fine after some rest. You don't need to worry about me."

Theo's brow furrowed. "This isn't a simple injury. Riley, what's really happening to you?"

I didn't dare answer, only bit down hard on my lower lip, hunching over as the swelling below felt like it would explode. And that sweet scent was growing stronger. I couldn't understand what was happening to me.

I shook my head frantically. Just as I found myself cornered with nowhere to turn, Julian's cold voice cut through the hallway: "Stay away from him."

With that, he pulled me behind him.

In mere moments, all three of them had gathered.

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

Hearing his voice, I was reminded of two years ago when he'd sent me away. But the thing in my pants didn't soften at the memory—instead, it swelled even harder.

I cursed myself again for being so worthless.

"Move... please move..."

I desperately needed an enclosed room to deal with my body's reaction, but I'd already lost control. I grabbed onto whoever was nearest, clinging to them like I had no bones left, seeking just a shred of support.

Then my vision began to blur. The questions from all four of them grew more and more distant in my ears. I felt like I was sinking into a boundless ocean, with nothing left but the most primal desires.