Deux looked me up and down, as if analyzing every fiber of my existence.

And then, he spoke the words that made my stomach drop.

"It all makes sense now. The reason why your scent is different from the other Alphas I know... The real reason is..." Deux paused dramatically, and I instinctively gulped.

I glanced at Uncle Henry, feeling a growing sense of dread.

This could go very, very badly.

"You were injected with a drug that altered your scent." Deux declared.

...

What?

"Huh?" I blurted out, my confusion genuine.

Did he just—

What the hell is he talking about?!

Did he just say I was injected with some weird scent-changing drug?!

Is the Alpha Prince okay in the head?!

"You can't fool me anymore, Champ," Deux continued, crossing his arms like he just solved a grand conspiracy. "I've been putting up with your disgusting lavender scent for days, and now I finally understand! This doctor—" he pointed at Uncle Henry again "—used a drug to manipulate your Alpha scent. The whole purpose was to mess with my mind and give you an unfair advantage over me!"

"Huh?!" I blurted again, this time even more confused.

What is this man even saying?!

"You want to defeat me, don't you?" Deux accused, eyes narrowing. "You want to surpass me, to rise above me. You want to be more powerful than I am. That's why you're here. That's why you bribed this doctor to alter your scent—to trick me and set me up for failure!"

His brain is malfunctioning for sure!

"HA!" Deux let out a triumphant laugh. "But now that I know your secret, you can't fool me any longer!"

I turned to Uncle Henry, whose face had slowly regained color, as if he was finally relieved.

And that's when it hit me.

Deux... had no idea what my real secret was.

Instead, he had somehow managed to convince himself of this ridiculous theory about some scent-altering drug.

...

This man is truly insane.

It seems the books I've been studying recently were right—Alphas like Deux may have massive muscles, but their brains are practically the size of a pea.

Perfection truly isn't given to everyone.

Thank the gods for Deux's stupidity.

"YOU!" Deux suddenly pointed at Uncle Henry, his voice sharp.

"Y-yes, Alpha Prince?" Uncle asked, clearly nervous again.

"I'm going to make sure your medical license is revoked for assisting Champ in this deception!" Deux declared, radiating righteous fury. "You know the rules of our world—no one is allowed to rise above us true-blooded Alphas! And yet you dared to help him!"

My eyes widened.

"W-wait! What are you even talking about?!" I said, my voice rising. "Revoking his license?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"

"And YOU," Deux turned back to me, his eyes burning with determination, "I'm reporting you to my father for breaking the law by altering your scent! You will never fool me again, Champ!"

...

I turned to Uncle Henry, silently begging him to fix this mess before Deux did something even dumber.

"My deepest apologies, Alpha Prince," Uncle Henry said suddenly, stepping forward. "But if you'd allow me to explain the real reason why Champ is here... I believe there's been a misunderstanding."

I whipped my head toward him so fast I nearly snapped my own neck.

UNCLE!

WHAT.

ARE.

YOU.

DOING?!

He's seriously going to expose the truth now?!

After we barely managed to fool Deux into thinking I'm still an Alpha?!

What happened to family loyalty?!

Uncle, I swear—if you betray me, I will never acknowledge you as my family again!

Deux crossed his arms. "Fine. Explain—while I'm still in a good mood."

"Thank you, Alpha Prince," Uncle Henry said, taking a deep breath. "The real reason why Champ is in my center... and why his scent is different from other Alphas... is because he has a serious medical condition."

...

WHAT.

A condition?!

He's really going with that?!

Uncle—GRRR!

We had just barely dodged a bullet by making Deux believe I was still an Alpha, and now you want to start talking about conditions?!

I swear, you're testing my patience!

"What condition is this? And why is it so severe?" Deux asked, his suspicion evident.

"Champ has..." Uncle started, and I immediately glared daggers at him.

I didn't care if he was my uncle—I was ready to break his bones if he even thought about exposing me!

"Champ has what?! Stop making me wait!" Deux snapped impatiently.

Uncle took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then...

"Champ has AEDS."

"AEDS?" Deux and I echoed at the same time.

What the hell is AEDS?!

Uncle opened his eyes again and elaborated.

"AEDS—Alpha Energy Depletion Syndrome."

I let out a silent sigh of relief.

Oh, thank god.

For a second there, I thought Uncle was going to rat me out!

I love you, Uncle! I take back everything I said in my head earlier. Hehe! You're the best!

"I've never heard of this condition before," Deux frowned, clearly trying to process this new information. "What exactly is it?"

Don't worry, Deux, I don't even know what this AEDS is! Or is it just Uncle Henry is making a new condition for this act? Haha!

Uncle nodded, looking perfectly professional as he continued his explanation.

"AEDS is a rare condition that affects newly emerged Alphas, like Champ," Uncle explained smoothly. "We all know that Champ only recently emerged as an Alpha. He came here to get certified, and I was the one who examined his condition. That's when I discovered that his testosterone levels are still underdeveloped, leading to his unusual scent. Unlike most Alphas, his scent is not as strong, which is why you're detecting something different about him."

I immediately nodded along, acting like this was absolute truth.

Uncle Henry, you're a genius!

Not only did he sell the lie perfectly, but he even used scientific-sounding terms to fool Deux's tiny brain!

The real question now was—would Deux buy it?

I glanced at him and saw that he was completely frozen, processing the information.

I smirked internally.

Of course, he was taking forever to understand it. His comprehension skills are probably as slow as a sloth.

"H-How long will this condition last?" Deux finally asked.

"We can't say for sure," Uncle replied, sighing dramatically. "It could take a year before his true scent emerges. Or worse... it might never change at all."

"Doctor Henry! That can't be!" I gasped, pretending to panic. "If—if I never recover, I'll be a laughingstock!"

I made sure to sell the drama, just to reinforce the lie.

"I'm sorry, Champ," Uncle said with a sympathetic look. "And in your current state, while suffering from AEDS, you'll be vulnerable to other Alpha males. They will see you as weak because of your scent."

I shuddered for dramatic effect.

Deux, however, frowned. "But during our racing competition, Champ was able to keep up with me. I wouldn't call him weak at all."

Oh, no.

Uncle, save us!

"This is because Champ's AEDS is still in its early stages," Uncle explained effortlessly. "He may still be strong for now, but as time goes on, if the condition isn't treated, his immune system will weaken, and his physical strength will deteriorate. His muscles will shrink, his body will wither, and eventually..."

Uncle paused dramatically before adding,

"If it worsens, the final stage will be... death."

...

Excuse me?!

I turned to Uncle in horror.

Why does it sound like he's writing my obituary?!

I wasn't even sick!

Couldn't he have gone for something less tragic?!

I glanced at Deux, wondering how he was reacting to this ridiculous revelation.

He was frowning deeply, clearly thinking way too hard.

What the hell is going through this Alpha's tiny brain now?!

"Champ... might die?" Deux muttered, his gaze locking onto mine.

Time to sell it even more.

I lowered my head, putting on my most pitiful expression.

"Looks like... I won't be able to fight you anymore, Deux," I sighed dramatically. "Soon, I might not even have the strength to attend university."

Uncle placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Champ. Let's have faith that a miracle will happen."

At this point, I wanted to laugh at how well we were pulling this off.

Deux was eating it up!

I watched as he took a deep breath, turned around, and—

Was he leaving?!

YES! Finally!

"Alphas like me," Deux said suddenly, pausing at the door, "don't stop until we defeat every opponent we deem worthy."

Uncle and I exchanged confused looks.

What the hell was he going on about now?

"And you know me, Champ," Deux continued, glancing over his shoulder. "I told you before—I only fight fairly."

...Oh, crap.

I remembered.

Back during the racing competition, he told me he wanted to defeat me fair and square.

And then—

"I've decided..." Deux declared.

YES!

He's finally leaving me alone!

I could finally breathe in peace!

This was the best day of my life!

No more Deux stalking me, pestering me, ruining my life!

"Champ, you're lucky," Deux said, smirking. "There are only a few Alphas I consider a worthy rival. You're one of them. And because of that... I won't rest until I defeat you properly—Alpha versus Alpha."

Fine! Whatever! Just go!

"Now that I know about your condition," Deux continued, "I'll postpone my challenge until you recover."

Uncle and I grinned, relieved that he was finally giving up—

Until he said his next words.

"And to make sure you recover without any other Alphas interfering, I'll take it upon myself to protect and guard you until you're back to full strength. From now on, you belong to me. You are under my protection." 

...

What.

I froze, eyes wide.

Deux finally walked out of the office, leaving his final words hanging in the air.

Protect and guard me?!

Wait.

WHAT KIND OF NIGHTMARE IS THIS?!

I thought I was free, but now he's going to be even CLOSER to me?!

He's not leaving me alone—he's STICKING to me like GLUE!

I turned to Uncle Henry, my face horrified.

"Well," Uncle said, chuckling, "it's not so bad to have a powerful Alpha protecting a delicate Omega like you, is it?"

I scowled. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, UNCLE! YOU MADE EVERYTHING WORSE!" I added sarcastically, "THANKS A LOT!"

(Screaming in Omega panic mode inside my brain!!!)

End of Chapter 9