"I was driving and saw your car at a standstill," the man said, moving away from the car door and to the front of the vehicle. He opened the hood, dipping his head inside.
"Are you a mechanic?" Kael asked as he stepped out of his car and walked toward the man. He was noticeably taller than him, easily 6'2", while Kael stood at 5'11". That height difference alone would make it harder to act like an Alpha.
"Do I look like one?" the man chuckled.
"Not really. I'm just asking. I've been staring at my steering wheel for a while now, and plenty of people passed by without stopping, but you did..." Kael's words trailed off as the man cut in.
"So, you just assumed I'm a mechanic. Well, I'm not. I'm just a decent person, which is why I stopped to take a look," the man replied, rolling up the sleeves of his sweatshirt.
As he inspected the engine, he added, "Besides, who wouldn't want to know what's wrong when someone with such a cute face looks so distressed?"
"Me? Cute face? Distressed?" Kael stammered, his cheeks flushing red.
"Yes, aren't you?" the man asked, closing the hood and rolling his sleeves back down.
Kael cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, do you know what's wrong with it? It just suddenly stopped working after I got rear-ended."
"Oh... That explains the scratch on the back. Do you have insurance?"
"I—" Kael started but hesitated.
'I can't use my insurance. If I do, Dad will find out, and he'll think I can't handle myself. He might even call off this whole deal…'
"No, I don't have insurance," he lied. "Is it that bad? Can't you fix it? I really need to be somewhere today."
"Unfortunately, I'm not a mechanic, so I can't do much, but..." The man trailed off before saying, "Hold on."
Kael watched as the man walked back to his car, rummaged through something, and returned. When he held out his hand, Kael saw a small white pill resting on his palm.
"Take this. You need to relax," the man said.
Kael eyed the pill with suspicion and raised a brow. "Why? What's it for?"
"In case you haven't noticed, you've been releasing your pheromones, and it's getting worse. It intensified when I mentioned insurance, so I figured you lied." The man smirked but didn't press further. "Don't worry, though. I'll call my mechanic to fix your car. If you don't mind, you can stay at my place tonight and leave tomorrow morning when it's done."
"What?!" Kael's stomach twisted at the offer, his hands sweating. He stammered, "You mean... I've been releasing pheromones this whole time? You—You knew I'm an...?"
The man blinked, confused. "Knew you're a what?"
"Never mind." Kael spun away, retreating to his car. He grabbed his own suppressant pill and took it quickly. Then, after hesitating, he took another.
'No harm in taking two,' he thought. His gaze flickered toward the stranger. 'Does he know I'm faking being an Alpha? No...there's no way. He just thinks I'm an Omega and offered the suppressant because I was in a public space. He must be a Beta since he doesn't seem affected by my scent…'
"You good now?" the man asked, lowering his phone from his ear. "I just spoke to my mechanic. He'll pick up your car from my place, so I'll tow it there. You okay with that?"
"I don't really have a choice," Kael muttered, keeping his gaze low to avoid eye contact.
"Great. So, do you have a place to stay tonight, or are you cool with staying over?"
"What?" Kael's head snapped up.
'Should I stay or not?' He studied the man, debating. 'He seems decent. Flirty, sure, but harmless. He doesn't even realize I'm faking being an Alpha. And we probably won't ever see each other again after this, so…'
The man asked again. "What do you say?"
Kael was still deep in thought, weighing his options. 'I don't have anywhere else to go, so there's no harm in staying over, right? As long as I don't share too much, it should be fine.'
"I—" He started, but before he could finish, the man suddenly leaned in close, their faces inches apart.
Kael's breath hitched as the man murmured, "I don't think I've said this before, but your eyes are mesmerizing."
Sweat tricked down Kael's face. He coughed lightly, stepping back and rubbing his neck. "Uh... Thanks, I guess."
His voice was unsteady as he added, "And about the offer... thank you. I'll stay, but on one condition."
The man chuckled. "Oh? And what's that?"
"Something funny?" Kael asked, his brow furrowing.
"Not really. Just amusing that you're trying to set conditions when I'm the one doing you a favor," the man said with an easygoing smile.
Kael hesitated. "Sorry if it came off that way, it's just that... this world..." He trailed off.
'Wait! if I tell him I'm being careful, wouldn't that make him more suspicious? An Alpha wouldn't be wary of a Beta…' He ran a hand through his hair. 'But to him, I'm an Omega. I should be cautious, right? Especially since I can't even fight.'
He gave the man another look. 'He doesn't look like a serial killer. I should be fine…'
"What is it you want to ask?" the man prodded, pulling him from his thoughts.
Kael swallowed. "Are you an Alpha or a Beta?" He felt his face heat at the question. He couldn't believe he was already blowing his cover on the first day of pretending to be an Alpha.
The man smirked. "Isn't it obvious?"
Kael stayed silent, hoping for an answer.
The man ruffled his own hair and finally said, "I'm a Beta. Did I give off Alpha vibes?"
"You gave off a neutral feeling. So yeah, Beta." Kael exhaled, relieved. "I'll stay over, then. Thanks for your kindness."
He turned to get into his car, rolling the window down slightly. "You'll tow it with your car, right?"
"Yep," the man replied with a smile.