Lein's return was not without its mark on the life of his family… especially, for Lein, whose understanding of the word 'privacy' had been thoroughly redefined, as he was allowed none. He wasn't even allowed out of their sight for a minute. He had one or both of them with him wherever he went, which was even more upsetting because he wasn't allowed anywhere except for group therapy which happened twice a week, and the skill acquisition centre where he was taking a barista course. Even then, someone, usually Mari, hung around until he was done and it was straight back home for him. The parents he had always considered the best, because of how lax they were with him, quickly became the worst. He was questioned about everything and everyone. His frustration finally peaked when Mari demanded to take a look at his phone.
"Isn't this getting a bit out of hand?" Lein asked with a frown "I know I messed up but you can't keep treating me like this!"
"I just want to know who you're associating with, Rose." It was obvious his mother had no intention of backing down.
"Ma!"
"I saw the messages!" She screamed back.
Lein shrunk back.
"Those vile… Why were they talking to you like you're some kind of object? I don't understand." She forced back a sob "Rose, where did you even meet such people? When?"
"Ma, no. No... It's not... I'm sorry."
"I don't want to make another mistake. I don't want to look away for a second and some people with evil intentions hurt you again."
"I'm sorry." He mumbled.
"I won't read your messages..." She continued as she wiped away her tears "...I know this is stifling for you, I just want the benefit of the doubt that you're not caught up in something unpleasant."
Lein handed his phone to her, he was currently banned from all social platforms so there was only his contact list. She scanned through the list, satisfied that she was familiar with every single name and had met them at some point either at the acquisition centre or at group therapy. "Thank you." She said quietly as she handed it back.
Lein gave her a comforting hug "I am so sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."
She patted his hand "I know."
They stayed like that for a moment before Mari asked "So who exactly have you been texting?" She felt him stiffen but he said nothing "Rose, who are you always texting?" She repeated.
"Jay."
His voice was so small that she barely heard him.
She grew excited "Are you both talking again?" She asked as she led him to a seater, eager to gossip.
"Not... Not really."
She plopped next to him "What do you mean not really? Are you both talking or not?"
"I text him, sometimes he replies and sometimes he doesn't." He explained quickly, feeling embarrassed.
Mari's heart had softened a great deal, she personally liked Jason a lot. He seemed kind to and very respectful of Lein. An attitude that was also extended to them, as well but after hearing what happened, she too shared the same thoughts as her husband. "Rose, maybe you should let it go."
"Ma..."
"Listen, after what happened, having him find you with..." She stalled as she searched for a delicate way to put it "...those people, doing those things..." She shifted closer and took his hand for a comforting squeeze "and... and the second time too, when you went missing…"
Lein felt an impending sense of dread "Ma, what… what are you talking about?" his mouth dried up "What do you mean the second time?"
She searched his face with furrowed brows "When you went missing without telling anyone, we called him to ask about you. He helped us search for you..." Her words slowed until they came to a complete stop as she watched his features morph from confusion to realization to shock and finally, sheer horror "Did you not know he was the one that found you? He got you hospitalized and paid for the bills."
"Ma..." He called out in a tiny shaky voice. He trembled all over, the thought that Jason of all people saw him at his worse. It made sense now, who in their right mind would want to be involved with a hapless junkie. Whatever illusions he had about rekindling their relationship was immediately snuffed out. He struggled to breathe at the thought of how Jason might see him now. "Ma..."
Her gentle hold turned into a soft embrace "It's okay baby, we'll figure this out."
Pheromone Addiction Syndrome, a chronic debilitating condition characterized by a psychological and physiological overdependence on the pheromones of an individual. The victim in question is constantly exposed to the perpetrator's pheromones over a prolonged period of time, only to have the perpetrator withdraw them during a sensitive period like rut/heat, repeatedly in a bid to create a pathological, psychological and physiological need for the perpetrator's presence in the victim's life. This is considered an act of malice full of sinister intent and has been classified as a form of partner abuse for the last century or so.
This is not to be confused with a pheromone shower, in that, although one or both parties are bathed in pheromones, a shower's duration involves a shorter exposure time and occurs mostly during periods of intimacy.
This is what Xavier Rockwell has been afflicted with, for roughly, twenty-five years. His life since then has been one that heavily depended on antipsychotics, antidepressants and all sorts of pheromone modulators but Iris was a special kind omega, it made the management of his condition difficult especially, during his rut.
The Glasshouse can be best described as a very high-end resort, with enough recreational amenities that would take one a whole year to go through; a fully equipped research centre and hospital that boasts of housing the brightest minds of probably the last century who have dedicated their lives to research on all things pheromone-related; and a service staff on-call for twenty-four hours, what else could anyone want?
Of course, it is also owned by the Rockwells, the crown jewel of Hanzel, attracting enough research funding and more than enough patrons to run on its own without injection of capital from any outside party.
The man, Xavier Rockwell was once the beacon of hope for the Rockwells, who had long faded from the eye of the public, with nothing but their diminishing influence and waning coffers to their name, largely due to the oh-so-bright minds of the previous leaders of the family. When Xavier, the young dominant alpha, showed displayed his gifts of intellect and leadership, the Rockwells thought their long-awaited saviour had arrived to dragged them out the mire of despondence their previous leaders had thrust them into.
When Xavier entered law school, they celebrated.
When he graduated with distinctions in both his law major and minor in political science, they were certain of their salvation. Their hope would venture into politics and make their name relevant again, they could boldly appear in public, and their almost non-existent influence would grow.
Alas, their despair only worsened when Xavier declared his lack of interest in leading the family in any way, choosing instead to delve into the 'importation and exportation of choice goods' and 'fostering a place of belonging for those who had nowhere to go', that's what he called it.
Simply put, Xavier became a smuggler of any and almost all items from art to weaponry, as well as creating and funding various mercenary groups. He claimed life was more interesting this way. With this, the hope of the Rockwells was very well dead and buried deep in the ground.
Then he encountered the beguiling omega named Iris and everything went to shit.
He glanced at the dishes that had been set out on the dinner table, doing very little to hide his annoyance "Yul..." He all but growled her name in annoyance "...have I indulged you so much that you think it is right to do whatever it is you wish?" His annoyance was at the fact that the meal set before him was a whole lot of vegetables and barely any meat, a treatment to which both his sons were spared.
"You need to eat healthier." She replied blankly, clearly unfazed by his obvious show of annoyance.
He eyed her "Take this away."
"Sorry..." She signaled to a service staff to clear away his plate "I simply thought, were some changes made to your current diet, it would be beneficial to us both. Forgive me."
Alexei and Jason exchanged a looked become staring down at their dinner plates. It seems the man they called Father was truly in a relationship with someone almost thirty years his junior, younger than both his sons and is basically his attending physician, and clearly there was no intention of keeping it hidden.
It was a lot to unpack.
Xavier clicked his tongue "Leave it." He glanced at the men seated at the table, amused by their discomfort "Yul, why don't you join us?"
"No, this is your family's affair. I have to get back to work." She strutted out of the room, service staff in tow.
Jason watched the exchange with raised brows while, Alexei tried with all his might, ultimately failing, to muffle his laughter.
"I understand you have both been seeing people." Xavier started after a while, bitterly shoving a fork of lettuce into his mouth "Why haven't you brought them to me?"
Alexei straightened in his chair "Father..."
"An omega?"
"No, he's a beta. Do you want to see his picture?"
Jason rolled his eyes as he sliced his steak into smaller bits.
"A beta?" he snorted "I've seen enough of his pictures. Bring him over."
"Did you investigate him?"
Alexei's question caused the room to fall into silence.
It was quite the habit their father had, maybe paranoia due to past events or truly just a bad habit.
He remained silent, expressionlessly shoving forkful after forkful of vegetables into his mouth, looking quite dissatisfied.
"Father-"
"Have I ever interfered in both your affairs?" he asked before taking a sip from his glass.
"No."
"Then what is the problem?"
"Fine." Alexei huffed "If he's okay with idea, we'll drop by."
Xavier glanced at Jason, who had remained quiet through the entire exchange.
"We've separated."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." He replied simply, eyes fixed on the meal before him. He meant it, he had no intention of getting back together with Lein. He was certain of it.
Xavier sighed.
The conversation soon deviated to more pressing business matters.
It was well past midnight when Jason returned home from the dinner. He was exhausted when he crawled into bed. He checked his phone for new notifications but was a little discontent when there was nothing from that person again today. Lein suddenly went dark on him and the endless daily updates containing every little detail of his life came to a sudden halt.
Everything became quiet.
He opened their chat and scrolled to the very first message he received a few prior and begun his new nightly ritual, reading every message and viewing the pictures closely. He focused on the new Lein with dark hair, his blonde hair made him appear sharp and defiant, he was no less with dark hair, but he did look calmer… softer, even. He couldn't decide which he liked more. As he read through their exchange, he thought maybe his seemly lack of enthusiasm had finally encouraged the other to break off contact with him. He hoped that was the reason for the sudden silence and not any disastrous as he closed the chat.
Lein had many options, eventually, the joy of the thrill would wear off, and he'll find something new that catches his fancy. As the thought sprung in his mind, he opened the chat again, this time he did it. He deleted the everything. It was better this way.
It was a very quiet night.
"I told you not to wait for me." Alexei glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
Ethan put aside his phone "I wanted to wait for you."
"You wanted to wait or you just couldn't stop using your phone? Heh?"
Ethan's face fell, there really was no winning with the man. He turned away from the person crawling under the blanket, only to find himself being swiftly pulled into Alexei's arms.
"Or maybe you couldn't sleep without me?"
Ethan remained still, choosing not to engage him.
Alexei's Body relaxed, content to be in bed with his lover in his arms "Do you want to meet my father?"
"Y-your… your father?" Ethan was stunned. He didn't even know if Alexei had any other family besides Jason. The man never spoke about it. He never spoke about his family either, it was like a strange tacit agreement between them
"Yes. He's in a..." He looked at the person nestled against his chest "He's an alpha with pheromone addiction so he's in a care centre. He can't go outside without some paperwork but..."
"It's fine. I'll go."
"You will?"
He nodded enthusiastically "I didn't know you had any other family."
Alexei chuckled.
"Do... Do you um... If you want to meet..."
"Baby..." He drew him closer "...only if you want me to and when you want to. Just ask." He said placing a soft kiss on the other's temple.
Ethan smiled.