In the days following the passionate night spent with Charles, Benjamin had moved through his days in a daze, existing in his own world.
The reality of the outside world had faded, so much so that he had completely forgotten about Wren Baek. That was until he found the man waiting outside his clinic.
For the first week after the incident with Charles, Benjamin had actively avoided Wren. He feigned illness or made excuses about his busy schedule. When he confessed this avoidance to Charles, Charles was bothered.
"Just tell him you have a lover," Charles said in a matter-of-fact tone and did not hide his jealousy.
"I would," Benjamin said, "except my lover is the Prince. Unless I can find someone to pretend to be my lover, I can't exactly announce it without causing a scandal."
That argument had soured the mood for hours. But avoiding Wren forever was impossible. Wren never telephoned to announce his arrival. He simply appeared, leaning against the clinic wall in his lab coat. He claimed that his rotating schedule between various clinics made accessing a phone difficult, but Benjamin suspected that wasn't the full truth.
"Benjamin. How are you?" Wren asked,straightening out his lab coat.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Benjamin replied, fighting a wave of awkwardness. "And you?"
"Busy as always. Have you closed up for the night?"
"Yes. I don't think any more patients are coming in today."
"I see… Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"I could eat. There is something I've been meaning to ask you about. I'd invite you in, but my pantry is rather bare," Benjamin replied. "We could go to the restaurant by the Central Plaza?"
"Would you like to come over to my place? I can cook," Wren countered effortlessly. "Besides, didn't you just say you have something to ask me?"
"Yes... concerning my health."
"All the more reason to come to mine," Wren said. "We won't have any privacy eating out."
Benjamin conceded. He felt uneasy, but the relief of finally having a doctor he trusted to speak to outweighed the discomfort.
They stopped by the market on the way, where Wren selected cuts of beef and fresh vegetables. A short carriage ride later, they arrived at Wren's flat.
Benjamin was surprised by the space. It was on the top floor of the building. The main room was vast and open. There was an open kitchen and dining area on one end with two large windows that ran from the ceiling to the floor, offering a view of the city. On the other end, there was a door leading out to a small balcony. The living room area was quite bare, only a couch, a low table, and a lamp. And to the right, a door stood ajar.
"The bathroom is through my bedroom, I'm afraid," Wren said, opening his bedroom door.
The bedroom was large and cozy, unlike the living room. Heavy curtains were drawn halfway, there was a large bed, a tall bookshelf, and a wardrobe. But it was the desk that caught Benjamin's eye. There were papers spread, books opened, and ink stains. It was the only sign of disorder in an otherwise orderly life.
Back in the kitchen, Benjamin helped cut and prepare the vegetables while Wren roasted the beef. When they sat to eat, Wren had brought out some wine.
"This is amazing," Benjamin said, as he took another bite of the roasted beef.
"I have my hidden talents," Wren smiled. "Eat as much as you want."
After they had finished their meal and were just sipping on wine, Wren asked, "Now, tell me. What is that you wanted to ask me, relating to your health?"
"It's about my pheromones and my heat cycle. They've changed."
Wren leaned forward and asked, "What do you mean they've changed?"
"My heat cycles have always been regular and the symptoms minimal. But recently, as you know, I experienced a heat that was… unprecedented. It was the first time in my life my pheromones felt completely out of my control. Also, since then, I've noticed that I've had to wear additional scent-blockers. It's as if my pheromones have changed."
Benjamin looked down at his plate. "I've been reading up on it, but I haven't found any cases studies for it happening so suddenly in adulthood."
"Have there been any changes in your routine or have you been doing something differently?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Benjamin said, though he didn't look convinced himself. He thought of Charles's presence in his life.
"Hmmm… It has been observed that pheromones can be altered," Wren said, placing his hand under his chin and tapping his fingers. "There is a phenomenon known as marking or bonding that's been studied for years now. It's the act of biting into the pheromone glands located at the nape of the neck. From that point forward, the recipient's pheromones will lock onto and only respond to the pheromones of the one who marks them.
"Marking is usually done when these glands are at their most volatile and sensitive, during heat or rut cycles. Upon contact, their pheromones are released into the bloodstream and trace pheromones also penetrate the recipient's glands, permanently altering their structure.
"And while marking has traditionally associated with alphas biting omegas during heat, it's now recognized as a biological trait that both alphas and omegas are capable of doing.
"Some mark their partners just because it's been observed to significantly reduce heat and rut symptoms.
"However, to date, all scientific efforts to artificially replicate this marking mechanism have failed. We still fail to fully understand the underlying mechanism of how it works. It's theorized that this alteration occurs since the glands on the neck are near the spinal cord and brain stem.
"There is also the concept of imprinting, far less understood than marking. Imprinting has been observed to be a psychological state that triggers a physiological response. It often occurs without the person knowing.
"Imprinting is when a person forms an emotional attachment to another, and in that process, the person's pheromones become heightened and more sensitive around the person of their imprint. In that sense, their pheromones have been altered.
"We remain unsure if imprinting is temporary or permanent. Those who have imprinted tend to mark or allow themselves to be marked.
"There's only a handful of cases documented where imprinting occurred but there was no marking or bonding with the person of their imprint. A few were observed to have altered glands, but for a majority of them, their circumstances didn't allow for a proper study to be conducted. Most had already marked or been marked by another.
"Ah... There's still so much we don't know about pheromones," Wren said, concluding his thorough explanation.
Benjamin, who had been leaning in, listening attentively, added his own thoughts, "I was aware of imprinting and marking, as I remember we covered it in my studies.
"All the medical textbooks I've read say that imprinting only happens when a person first manifests their secondary gender because the glands are fully developed. It's just like how height stops increasing after a certain age. And when the glands are fully developed, they are more resistant to change. At least that's what has been observed.
"However, I presented ages ago and I've not been in contact with anyone from my childhood. So,I initially thought it might be possible to be a case of late imprinting… Perhaps I was exposed to a particular person's pheromones and it could have affected mine. But, yet again, there's been no documented cases of late imprinting," Benjamin said.
"True. As I said before, there's still so much we have to learn about pheromones and how they truly operate. We've barely scratched the surface.
" Our studies over the last few decades have already proven that pheromones can be altered, usually due to severe trauma or extreme hormonal spikes. And, we've been able to create a variety of hormonal suppressants to treat the symptoms of ruts and heat. But that's merely treating the symptoms, not the cause…
"Just imagine... imagine the possibilities if we truly understood the mechanism of pheromones and the process of altering them… we could rewrite our biology entirely," Wren said as he watched Benjamin closely.
"Wow, Dr. Baek. You're quite the expert," Benjamin said, taken aback. He stared at his colleague with a newfound respect. Yet, as impressed as he was, the specific details on pheromonal biology hit too close to home, and felt dangerous almost, and stirred a restless anxiety in his chest.
Benjamin tried to shake the feeling off with a compliment. "Your ten years of work really show themselves."
Wren chuckled softly, shaking his head "Ah, you tease me. But let's get back to you. When did you first come into contact with this person's pheromones? Was it intentional?"
"No," Benjamin said quickly. "It was unintentional. I know it might sound ridiculous, but another one of my theories is that perhaps there's a high compatibility rate between myself and another? I understand that many people believe the theory of compatibility rates to be pseudoscience..."
"Hmm... If you didn't know them in your youth, and you've been exposed to many other pheromones that have never triggered yours, then this suggests a biological anomaly. Or as you mentioned, an exceptionally high compatibility rate," Wren replied.
Wren leaned back, crossing his arms. "You should observe your symptoms. Track the spikes. I can take your blood samples if you're willing? I can help you figure out what would help ease your heat symptoms. If you'd like, I can also search for medical literature that might help us figure out what's going on."
"I would appreciate that," Benjamin said, grateful for Wren's help.
"Benjamin," Wren said softly. "Can I ask who it is?"