TAEYANG’S knee bounced up and down. His hands were clasped together, fingers pressing against each other. He kept glancing at the door, waiting for someone to come in with the results. It had been thirty minutes since they took his pheromone sample. Thirty minutes. Why was it taking so long? The longer he waited, the more his mind started to spiral. What if something went wrong? What if the test showed he wasn’t compatible with Haneul at all? The thought made his stomach clench.
Right now, he was sitting in an empty hospital room. They’d put him here after the test, at the instruction of the doctor in charge of Haneul’s case. Apparently, his pheromone levels were too high, and it was making the Alphas and Omegas nearby uncomfortable. Case in point, the assistant PD who accompanied him to get the test had to leave because she couldn’t handle it. He was a dominant Alpha, so it made sense. None of that mattered to Taeyang. All he cared about was getting the test results.
He tried to take a deep breath and hold himself together, but it wasn’t working. Impatience and fear tangled tightly inside him. He felt like he might fall apart if someone didn’t tell him the result soon. He pressed his hands flat against his knees to still them, but it didn’t help. He just wanted to know. He needed to know.
As if someone had finally heard his silent plea, the door opened. An older man in a white coat stepped inside. It was Doctor Kim, the same doctor who had taken his pheromone sample and was also overseeing Haneul’s treatment.
Taeyang stood up quickly. "Do you have the results?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
Doctor Kim studied the young man in front of him. His eyes were too wide, unfocused, like he was looking through the doctor instead of at him. His jaw was clenched tight, and his hands kept flexing and curling at his sides, as if he was fighting the urge to grab something. His whole body was wired, wound up like he might spring forward at any second. It was the look of someone barely holding it together. But after seeing the test results, Doctor Kim understood why.
"Yes, congratulations," Doctor Kim said. "Your match rate is high enough that a temporary mark from you would quickly stabilize Kang Haneul-ssi."
He didn’t mention that the match rate was 94%. People who believed in pheromone compatibility would call them fated mates. But he’d never put much stock in that. For him, a relationship should be built on love, not scent. Some people might say he couldn’t understand because he was a Beta. But attraction alone could only take two people so far. He’d seen enough couples with high match rates fall apart to know that.
Besides, both this young man and the Omega stuck in the hospital room a couple of floors above were only eighteen. He didn’t want them to make decisions based on scent compatibility alone. They were too young for that. Their feelings should be their own, and not something dictated by a number on a test. If they ended up together, it should be because they chose each other, not because their pheromones said they should.
Taeyang finally let out the breath he’d been holding, his shoulders dropping from their tense position. His hands uncurled at his sides, the tension bleeding out of his fingers. For a moment, he just stood there, letting the relief wash through him. They had a high match rate. He could help Haneul. That was all that mattered. The knot in his chest loosened, and he felt like he could breathe again for the first time since he’d heard what happened.
"Can I go to Haneul now?" he asked.
***
Haneul let out another groan, his body curled tightly on the hospital bed. The IV drip had already been removed from his arm, but he barely noticed. All he could focus on was the hot, aching emptiness that wouldn’t leave him alone. His hands gripped the sheets beneath him, twisting the fabric as he tried to find some relief. Nothing helped. The need just kept building, pressing against him from the inside out. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, but his anxiety only intensified. He just wanted it to stop.
Where was Taeyang? He needed Taeyang. The thought was the only clear thing in his mind. He needed him here. Now. The ache inside him clawed deeper, and he pressed his face into the pillow, trying to muffle another groan. His hands shook as he gripped the sheets tighter.
His mother had left a few minutes ago, saying she would go get Taeyang. But where was she? He knew it had only been a short while, but it felt like hours. Every second stretched out, long and unbearable. He curled tighter into himself, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps.
Then he heard the door open. He forced his heavy body to turn toward the sound, hoping to see his mother or Taeyang. But the person who walked in was an older man in a white coat. The brief flicker of hope that had risen in his chest instantly died out.
But before he could shut his eyes again, a scent hit him. It was warm and rich, something sweet underneath with a woody edge and a faint hint of spice. It wrapped around him like a blanket, settling deep in his chest. His breath caught. His whole body reacted to it, the ache in him easing just a little at the smell. He knew that scent. He’d know it anywhere.
Haneul turned back toward the door as his mother walked in, following the doctor. Then, right behind her, Haneul spotted Taeyang.
Before Taeyang could take a full step into the room, the familiar, sweet scent of caramel hit him. It made his head swim, dizziness washing over him so fast he had to brace a hand against the doorframe to keep himself upright. His knees nearly buckled, the urge to drop to the floor pressing down on him. The scent wrapped around his senses, pulling at something deep and instinctive in him.
And it made his damn teeth ache.