Night District

It's been days after the development of Knox and Azrael's relationship was going smoothly. Even Knox himself was quite perplexed at how his boss' treatment of him was getting better and better. Once, he even wondered to check if he had a fever and was delirious, but his hand was just slapped away when he tried to check Azrael's forehead.

In another instance, Knox furtively placed a crucifix above the living room's table but then he saw his boss inspecting the wooden cross with confusion in his eyes. He even remembered him asking, "How did this thing get here? Did you put this here?"

When Knox nodded, Azrael scoffed and shook his head. Then, he just went to the kitchen, mumbling incomprehensible words.

'He wasn't burned. He's not possessed,' Knox concluded.

After that, every little thing that Azrael did for him shocks him like the inflation in produce prices.

Once, Azrael would snatch the pan from him and perfectly flip the pancakes, while snorting, "You can't even flip this thing properly? Do you even know how to cook?"

And before, Azrael would throw the key at him like an arrogant brat hurling garbage to the bin, but in the past few days, he was even driving on his own, while Knox sat obediently and leisurely on the passenger's seat.

When Knox would suggest driving, Azrael would snarl at him, "You stay put in that seat. One scratch is enough."

But then, a scratch shouldn't matter for someone who even gifts an expensive car like it was a sheet of paper you give to a classmate who was asking, right? So, during those times, Knox couldn't help but wonder if his boss had brain development or perhaps saw enlightenment.

"Damn that old geezer! Why must he choose those places for meetings?! What a senile and disgusting old man! Luis, can't you go ahead and meet him instead?" Azrael stood on the balcony talking with someone over the phone. He looked irritated, so Knox couldn't deliver the snacks he asked for, thus, he just stood by the doorway, waiting for Azrael to finish.

"I'll inform that old man's secretary that I have prior business at that time. So, meet him instead," Azrael listened, his face getting distorted by the minute. After the speaker on the other side stopped, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed exasperatedly, "Dammit. I'll go."

The man almost threw his phone out of frustration. He saw Knox's figure from the corner of his eyes. He abruptly looked at him with furrowed brows. Knox lifted the tray of refreshments without a word.

Azrael sighed. He pointed at the center table on the balcony. Knox silently put the tray down and went back, but he stopped by the door after Azrael spoke.

"I have a meeting tomorrow at seven in the evening. You'll be coming with me."

Knox furrowed his brows, "Why? Oh, I'll drive you? I thought you wouldn't want me driving your car?"

"I'll drive. Just come with me. I might need you."

With that, Azrael continued working on his laptop. Knox wondered what 'need' his boss meant. He was already convinced that Azrael wouldn't need those 'services' from him or force him to do them. So, he kept thinking about what help he could give him.

His mind didn't have to think too hard about that as the night of the meeting came and Azrael showered him with pheromonic perfume – a perfume widely used by alphas and omegas to fake or hide their scents, betas use them to make them feel like the other two genders, and the perfume doesn't have any side effects as well.

Knox coughed a few times. He suddenly felt suffocated by the fake scent. His eyes watered from coughing. Azrael grasped his chin and lifted it, then he aggressively wiped Knox's eyes with his handkerchief.

Azrael mumbled, "You're going to pretend like you're my omega. Got it?"

Knox's coughing only got worse. Azrael frowned and spat, "Stop coughing on my face."

"W-What?" Knox brushed his boss' hands away and took a step back, "Why? Don't you have a fiancée? What if someone sees you with an omega and it ruins your relationship or your reputation? Besides, why are we here? Who does business meetings in this kind of place?"

"Tell me about it," Azrael replied indignantly. He grabbed Knox by the arm and dragged him to the entrance of one of the clubs in the night district. "Those kinds of people are doing business under the tables, yet here I am, still coming. I feel so shitty. They should at least pretend they're clean and do meetings like proper businessmen."

Knox gulped, "Are you doing business like that too?"

Azrael glared at him, but he didn't answer. So, Knox ended up petrified, thinking, 'Wait, is he?!'

A wave of alphas and omegas slithering like snakes and wriggling like dancing balloons greeted them as soon as they reached the dance floor. Azrael scrunched his face and sent deadly glares to anyone who approached him or even looked at him seductively.

On the other hand, Knox immediately covered his nose. His chest tightened and skipped a beat. He suddenly felt nervous and distraught. The pheromones lurking inside the entire place were making his head dizzy. Fortunately, Azrael wasn't letting go of his wrist, and it made him feel a bit relieved.

He unconsciously grabbed Azrael's wrist back. The latter paused for a moment, looked back at him, and raised his eyebrow, then when he noticed Knox's pale complexion, his grip on his wrist tightened and he shouted to someone blocking the stairs, "Get. The. F*ck. Out of my way!"

Those smelling barricades scurried away in fear. They suddenly lost their alpha balls and moved out of the way as soon as Azrael roared at them. Knox was amazed. Azrael's dominance is terrifying, even some alphas didn't want to cross him.

Suddenly, a thought dashed in Knox's head, something that he never imagined he'd be thinking – that he feels safe if he's with his boss, even though he is a dominant alpha.

They went up the stairs. Azrael's bodyguards were silently following them behind, but when they arrived at a double door at the end of the hallway, the bodyguards stopped and just stood on both sides.

Knox thought he was just going to stay with them, so he pulled his arm back. However, Azrael only pulled him closer, wrapped his arm around his waist, and dropped his enigmatic gaze at him. Knox gulped at their proximity. Azrael's face was inches away from him; his nose almost touching the bridge of his, and his hot breath was hitting his face.

Knox averted his eyes. The tip of his ears turned red and his eyelids trembled from nervousness. It felt like his body shook from the earthquake occurring inside his heart. What made him more flustered was the glimpse of Azrael's thin pale lips. It made him recall about the forceful kiss they shared in the parking lot.

Azrael scowled at his servant, unaware of the latter's inner turmoil due to their closeness, "Where do you think you're going?"

Knox's lips quivered lightly. He wet his dry lips by running the tip of his tongue on the lower lip, then pressing it with the upper lip, which earned an intense stare from Azrael. Knox replied, "I'll stand with the bodyguards…?"

Azrael frowned, "You're coming with me inside. I told you; you are my omega."

"But why do I need—

"You'll find out once we enter. And you already know, I hate touching people," Azrael dropped his gaze to his anxious servant. He did hate it when he touched other people, especially omegas, however for some reason, he found himself wanting to pull the beta on his arms closer to his chest and buried his face on the crevice of that pale and slender neck. He moved his eyes up and Knox's, "But I realized, I don't hate touching you."

The door burst open and the announcement of the CEO of the DV Group's arrival by one of the room attendees echoed throughout the whole place, yet those words did not register in Knox's head.

The astonishment from what his boss said was etched on his face and his deep voice rang in his ears, accompanied by the loud sound of a bass drum inside his chest, sending vibration to his stomach and waking up the butterflies wrapped tightly in their cocoons.

Azrael turned his head away and faced the room. He stood straight, exuding elegance mixed with cold and intimidating aura. He pulled Knox closer to his side and with one brief glance at his shocked face, he strode forward.

Knox held back the drumsticks playing with his heart, in fear that the butterflies in his stomach would decide to leave their house, and rejoiced from Azrael's simple touches and kind gestures towards him.

He can't risk himself feeling that way toward his boss, more so after entering that room, where even the air seemed expensive and everything inside shouts extravagance. The gap between their status is like heaven and hell, and climbing those lit, narrow, and holy stairs to reach Azrael will only burn him.

They can never be together.