Interviews were officially Mason's least favorite thing. He had been through a few with Henry, finding some great candidates, until a young Beta woman walked in, accompanied by an Alpha male.

At first glance, Mason's heart began to beat and he didn't understand why until the Alpha's scent began to flow through the air. Instantly, Mason cursed under his breath, his eyes wide as he felt his stomach begin to cramp.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked as Mason began to tremble and grip his gut.

That's when the sugary sweet scent hit his nose.

"Oh, shit," Henry murmured, glancing up at the Alpha who had walked in, then to the Beta who had sat down to be interviewed. "Um, sorry, we're having some issues."

The Alpha was gaping at Mason, eyes wide in concern and confusion. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked gently, stepping back toward the door. "Sh-Should we leave?"

Henry gave him a piteous look. "Yes, I think that would be best. I'm so sorry about this, but I don't think we'll be calling for more interviews. Have a nice day," he said, hastily locking the door behind the Alpha and Beta and putting the closed sign up. He'd email the other interviews later and tell them that the owner fell ill; they'd already found a good candidate anyway.

Once everything was locked down, Henry scooped Mason up, ignoring the Alpha who was still hovering by the door, confusing Henry. The Alpha had no reason to be there; Mason's heat had started early and the Alpha clearly noticed, but that was it. He didn't need to stay.

"It's ne-never started this, this early," Mason whimpered, gripping his stomach as Henry set him down on his bed. "Stupid bitch."

"The heat?"

Mason growled. "No! That stupid Alpha! This is why we don't try to hire new people! Because they come in and mess things up!" he yelled as he angrily threw around his sheets and blankets to make himself a safer spot to rest during his heat.

Henry tilted his head in confusion. "We interviewed an Alpha ten minutes before him, Mace," he pointed out as he stood in the doorway so Mason could rummage around and get comfortable. "What did that Alpha have to do with anything?"

Mason winced as a cramp moved through his body. "Mate," he mumbled, sweat starting to drip down his face. "He's my damn mate."

"Seriously?" Henry asked, his jaw dropping.

"Yes," the Omega responded as he laid on his bed and wiped his face on the bed to get the sweat off his face. "Stupid whore."

"He didn't even notice!"

Mason rolled his eyes. "Yes, he did. I could tell," he whispered, yawning. "I guess seeing his mate as a boss turned him off. I'll deal with the rejection stuff after my heat if I ever see him again."

Henry's heart dropped. "That'll break you both! Come on, stop being so afraid of commitment!"

"Commitment doesn't scare me," Mason said, shutting his eyes due to the bright light. "Society seeing me as an Alpha's possession bothers me."

"Times have changed, Mace."

Scowling, Mason shoved his face into a pillow. "Not really. Sure, we can vote and technically make choices for ourselves, but Omega-Beta pairs are still frowned upon and Alphas are expected to protect Omegas and keep them home to watch their pups," he said, voice slightly muffled because it was in the pillow. "I don't even want kids! I don't want my life controlled! If I accept that bastard, then he has the right to keep me from working because in the eyes of the law he's my caretaker and I'm his mate!"

Mason was crying by them, sobbing into his pillow in both anger and stress over his heat. It happened to lots of Omegas who went into heat; they got really overwhelmed and stressed, especially if they didn't have a mate to calm their nerves.

Henry could only do so much, especially since he knew that Mason, no matter how heat induced and desperate he was, would not want to have sex with his friend even if it would remove the pain.

So, Henry brought him food, water, and cuddled him when Mason hit a lull and needed reassurance.

"I'm going to go get you something to eat and start preparing all of the pastries for tomorrow so I can come up here and we can watch a movie or something."

Mason just nodded, his face still in the pillow. "I want sleep," he murmured, relaxing a bit and pulling his blanket over himself. "Good night."

"Night," Henry said, closing the door and checking his watch, chuckling when he realized it was only three in the afternoon.

He started to bake and clean up the chairs that were used in the interview when there was a knock at the door. Henry walked over and saw the Alpha from earlier standing at the door with a bag in his hand. He looked desperate and scared, so Henry opened the door slightly.

"Can I help you?" he asked, hoping that Mason didn't recognize the scent of the Alpha and get mad and defensive. "Now isn't really a good time."

The Alpha nodded and held out the bag. "I'm not going to bother him, I promise. I just want to make sure he's taken care of," he said as Henry took the bag and went through it, finding water, snacks, and a sweatshirt. "I know he doesn't know me but a mate's scent can help relieve the pain during heat, right?"

Henry handed it back to him. "Look, you seem really nice, but you can't just hand over your clothes and expect him to be thankful," he explained, feeling bad when he saw the sadness in the other man's eyes. "Mason is really sweet, but he's not trusting and is convinced he doesn't need a mate. You're going to have to plan and convince him, or he won't hesitate to reject you."

The Alpha hung his head and took the sweatshirt back. "Make sure he's taken care of," he muttered, stopping the door before Henry could close it. "And I'm sorry if I'm prodding, but are you going to... you know..."

"Sleep with him?" Henry asked bluntly, stepping back when angry pheromones suddenly radiated off of the other Alpha. "No, I'm not. He's my best friend and I know that he would never want that from me and I'd never take advantage of his heat."

The other Alpha seemed to relax at that. "Good," he whispered, before stepping out of the door frame. "Thank you."

Henry waved to him before locking the door and taking the supplies up the stairs.