Omega Manual chapter 22

Are You Afraid?

The abrupt change in topic made Shelley frown and look away. “No, why should it matter to me?”

“Are you afraid?” Irey asked.

Shelley was taken aback.

“During the sensitivity period, Alphas become irritable, easily angered, highly desirous, and release much stronger pheromones than usual.” Irey’s voice was even lower and raspier than usual, perhaps due to the tobacco. “In front of an Alpha in this period, an Omega has almost no means of self-defense; just the pheromones can render them immobile. And the government uniformly classifies such cases as ‘consensual’—even though everyone knows no Omega can resist.”

Shelley found it hard to breathe as memories of that night in Lansai resurfaced.

He wanted to say “no,” but his lips moved twice, and he couldn’t get the words out.

Irey took a drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaling the smoke and flicking the ash to the floor. “You might think I’m hypocritical and not very convincing, but I want to say—boss, you don’t have to worry about this. Whether it’s the sensitivity period or the heat, if you’re unwilling, I won’t touch you.”

Shelley looked up at Irey, who, despite his usual casual demeanor, now had a very serious expression.

Since they had met, it was the first time he had seen Irey so serious. His brown eyes reflected the dim light, his gaze intense and focused.

Under such a gaze, an indescribable warmth rose from deep within Shelley’s chest, slowly spreading, gradually warming his limbs soaked by the cold wind and water.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “No.”

“Hmm?” Irey looked at him.

“I don’t know your past, don’t understand your living environment, have no idea what it’s like in the lower town, and have no concept of the pain you’ve endured,” Shelley said. “So, I want to get to know you better, go to the bars you go to, drink with the people you know… I don’t want you to give up your life to accommodate me, or even suppress your physical needs. You’re still young, you have plenty of time to enjoy life, there’s no need to waste your energy on me.”

Shelley took a deep breath. “Because I already…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence because the next moment, Irey covered his mouth with his hand.

“Stop,” Irey said.

The distance between them suddenly became very close. Irey’s palm was pressed against his lips, warmth continuously transferring from the contact. Shelley’s breathing became rapid, he closed his eyes, and the heat from his breath seeped through Irey’s fingers.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was the sudden closeness, but the release of pheromones became less controlled, with the fresh tea scent and sweet tuberose intertwining, making everything chaotic.

Their hearts pounded in their chests, and their breaths were out of sync. Irey’s eyes locked onto Shelley’s, a dark light hidden in the depths of his pupils. He slowly released his hand, the thumb gently brushing over Shelley’s full lips.

“Can I kiss you, boss?” he asked.

Shelley stared at him, their eyes so close that he could see his own reflection clearly in Irey’s eyes.

He nodded.

In the next second, Irey threw the cigarette into the sink, and as the butt extinguished, he leaned down and kissed him.

Shelley’s mind went blank for a moment. The taste of alcohol mingled with the intimate entanglement of their lips and tongues, filling his mouth, nasal cavity, and the air around them with the flavor of Irey Halton.

Irey’s kiss trailed downward, his fingers lifting the edge of Shelley’s coat and slipping inside, the warmth of his palm searing even through the fabric.

Shelley’s mind was a chaotic mess, with no time to ponder what the kiss meant, as his body responded before his rational mind could—leaning into that warmth.

He was like someone who had walked for a long time in the freezing snow, and approaching the blazing fIrey was instinctual, regardless of the possibility of getting burned.

The kiss happened so naturally, as if they had been lovers for years, as if they had done it countless times before.

Like eating and drinking water, Irey kissed Shelly.

It was so ordinary, so natural, that no one remembered they had only known each other for less than a week.

At that moment, Irey’s hand suddenly stopped at Shelly’s waist.

Confused, Shelly murmured, “Hmm?” with a heavy nasal tone.

“Boss,” Irey’s voice suddenly tightened.

Shelly’s distant rationality momentarily brought him back, “What’s wrong?”

Irey looked up, “Where’s your wallet?”

“What?” It took Shelly’s frozen brain several seconds to realize what Irey was saying, then he reached for the place where he had just patted.

His coat pocket was supposed to contain a hard leather wallet, but now the fabric was empty, nothing inside.

In the middle of the night, a light drizzle fell over Leisau. It seemed that even the rain in this city was thicker than elsewhere, sticking to people’s skin and refusing to fall, turning everything into a sticky mess.

The inside and outside of the bar had already been searched by the two, and now it was closed. Apart from the dim blue moonlight, there was no other source of light on the street, and the crowded city plunged into a deathly deep darkness. Irey and Shelly could only use the flashlight function on their phones to illuminate the way ahead, with the distant places swallowed by darkness.

Ten minutes later, two beams of light met again in front of the bar. Irey stood up straight, “Any luck?”

Shelly didn’t speak, shaking his head.

Irey sighed, running his hand through his rain-dampened hair, “What was in your wallet?”

“ID card, debit card, around ten thousand in cash, and…” Shelly pursed his lips, not continuing.

“How much is on the card?” Irey asked.

“Eight figures,” Shelly said, “But the card has a dual authentication system with a password and fingerprint, so even if someone takes it, they can’t withdraw money.”

Compared to the eight-figure deposit, the ten thousand in cash seemed insignificant. But seeing the furrowed brow on Shelly’s face, Irey knew there must be something more important to him inside.

“Let’s search again,” he shook off the rainwater on his back, shining the flashlight back on the ground.

Before he could take a step, Shelly interrupted him.

“Never mind, don’t bother,” he said softly, “There’s nothing important anyway.”

Irey turned back, “We’ve been looking for this for two and a half hours, and now you say it’s not important? Even if it’s not lost, someone took it at the bar. Even if you dropped it accidentally, this is Leisau, no one here would be honest enough to return it.”

Irey put his hands in his pockets and looked at him.

“There’s nothing important inside,” Shelly repeated, “Really.”

Irey remained silent for a moment, raindrops silently falling on their shoulders, seeming to become denser.

“Okay, let’s go back,” he finally said.

Shelly nodded, turning off the flashlight on his phone. Irey took off his coat, draped it over Shelly like a towel, before the latter could react, he was tightly wrapped.

“Don’t catch a cold,” he put his arm around Shelly’s shoulder and walked forward, rubbing his shoulder with his hand.

The old house had two bedrooms, and this time they finally didn’t have to squeeze together like before.

When Irey came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, Shelly was already lying on the bed. From outside the door, all you could see was a cocoon-like cotton quilt, with only a small piece of golden hair exposed.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. But from the rhythm of breathing, it could be judged that Shelly was not asleep.

So he simply walked to the edge of Shelly’s bed, put the hot milk on the bedside table, “Do you want some?”

The cocoon-like cotton quilt moved slightly, and a reluctant head poked out from inside, looking at Irey, then at the milk on the table, and finally picked up the cup, slowly drinking it.

The warm liquid slid down the throat, dispelling the chill brought by the rain.

“Thank you,” Shelly put the cup back.

“Can’t leave tomorrow, can we?” Irey said, “I didn’t bring much money with me, and the travel expenses are with you.”

“Yeah,” Shelly said, “I called Manta Bank, they will freeze my lost card and mail a new one. When it arrives, we can withdraw some money with the new card.”

“How long will it take?” Irey asked.

“Two or three days,” Shelly pinched his nose.

His expression was weary, like an athlete who was about to reach the finish line, suddenly told there was an overtime game ahead.

Irey simply sat on the bed, his knees and the bulging shape of the quilt pressed tightly together, making a slight rubbing sound.

“Boss, did you know that the beer festival in Leisau is coming soon?”

“Hmm?” Shelly raised his head.

“The beer festival, it’s one of the liveliest festivals in the downtown area.” Irey said, “Just these two days, all the bars and shops will start preparing, and on the festival day, you can drink beer in any corner of the city. There are also snacks, barbecue, desserts… all cheaper than usual. If you have a thick skin, you can eat enough just by tasting around.”

Shelly looked a bit bewildered, “I’ve never heard of it.”

Irey laughed, “It’s a festival that came after the disaster. The poor people in the downtown area have suffered too much, they always need an outlet to vent their emotions, but there are no conditions for any decent entertainment, so they just organize a carnival with the cheapest diluted beer. The scene is something you’ve never seen before, it’s crazy, but also interesting.”

Saying this, Irey lowered his head, strands of hair falling down on his forehead, lightly swaying with the airflow as he spoke.

“Let’s go for a stroll on the street tomorrow, maybe we’ll encounter something fun,” he suggested.

A complex emotion spread in Shelley’s chest.

Irey comforted him.

Even though he didn’t know why he felt down, why he needed to find his wallet, or why he wanted to leave quickly.

“Mm.” After a while, Shelley squeezed out a response from his throat.

Irey reached out, pulling Shelley’s blanket up a bit and tucking it in, patting the edge, “Be good, it’s time to sleep.”

“Don’t treat me like a child,” Shelley furrowed his brows.

“Children know when they’re hungry, they eat, when they’re sleepy, they sleep, and when they’re sad, they cry. You’re worse than a child,” Irey remarked.

“You—” Shelley was about to retort, but Irey interrupted before he could.

“Goodnight, boss,” he stood up and walked out of the room, turning off the bedroom light.