Chapter 2

"Is it at this time that you come home?" Kimi asked raising an eyebrow, a half-eaten bun in her hand.

"I am an adult unlike you. Jiun replied simply, looking at the time.

It was 8:30 in the morning, he had only slept an hour or two and he was completely washed out.

"Dad left for work worried about you since you weren't answering the phone. Jiun

grimaced.

He had however sent him a text message to tell him that he was sleeping at a friend's house. He should have called. His father still worried about him like he was still a child and that was one of the things that made him one of the people he loved the most in the world.

"You are a Sygma I remind you, you shouldn't go out at night alone like that. Kimi continued to blame him.

Jiun ignored her and walked past her to go to her bedroom upstairs but she blocked his way, holding out her hand in front of him as if it was her right to ask him for anything.

"Dad barely gave me enough money for the canteen, I know you always have money, aren't you going to starve me anyway?" Jiun

was tempted to ignore her because she was ungrateful and even though it wasn't much their father was ruining his health to bring enough money to take care of them, and he was pretty sure he was. had already given him enough for the canteen.

But because she was able to complain to their father and make him feel guilty for being poor, he took out his wallet and handed her a note which she quickly took without a thank you.

"You better not skip class today. You're the one who wanted to go to high school in fashion when we're already running out of money if we get another call from-"

"Yeah, yeah" Kimi ignored him as she grabbed her bag and slammed the front door. without bothering to clear the table of his breakfast.

Jiun groaned and took the time to clean the table with a sigh.

He had no blood connection with his 16-year-old sister.

His mother, a Sygma, had been engaged to a Dualpha who had been a rather good match. But he had learned before they got married that she had become pregnant by another man and had broken off his engagement.

Mocked and treated like a light-legged Sygma, no other Dualpha had wanted his mother pregnant with him and she had partnered with his current father. A Degta who had fallen in love with a Sygma and had been manipulated into taking care of her.

It was impossible for a Sygma to fall in love with a Degta. It was in their genes.

But her father had believed in it and had given her everything, bewitched by her beauty.

She had never accepted his marriage proposals but they had lived as a family.

Then she got pregnant again, from Kimi.

Jiun was pretty sure that Kimi wasn't their father's daughter.

A Sygma could only get pregnant with a Dualpha, but Olderen, her father, had always maintained that nothing was impossible when you loved each other, so he had never taken a paternity test.

And Kimi had turned out to be a Degta, which had confirmed him in this sense.

But even if it was rare, and that most Sygma gave birth to Dualphas and Sygmas, it sometimes happened that Degtas were also born. Jiun really didn't think it was due to his relationship with a Degta.

Either way, his father was an ordinary Degta who had always taken care of him, treated him like his precious son and always been there for him.

Even though her mother had run away two years earlier with a Dualpha, leaving them in debt and abandoning her family.

His father could have let them down and also abandoned them because they had no blood relationship. But as a simple office worker in a company selling cardboard boxes, he had accumulated overtime and did his best to provide for all their needs, giving in to Kimi's whims and paying off the debts of a woman who had probably never loved him.

If he was being honest, he was scared to know his father's true feelings about him.

Because he had always considered him his role model and loved him as a son loved his father.

He was afraid that one day he would decide to abandon her like his mother had abandoned him without remorse.

He was 25 years old but still lived in this house because he was too afraid that the estrangement would break the fragile family bond between them.

So he had been prostituting himself in secret for two years. What else could he have done?

He was just a Sygma…man besides that.

Society considered that a Sygma had to bind to a Dualpha to exist. Humans were ruled only by these Dualphas, considered by the elite of society. The Sygmas were only there to give birth to these elites and attract the Dualphas with their pheromones.

Neither a Sygma nor a Degta could win against a Dualpha on any subject.

Sygmas were not even protected before the law in case of aggression. It was their fault if they got attacked because of their pheromones. It was their responsibility not to go out alone.

Jiun had thought about maybe bonding with a rich Dualpha to help his family, but that would have meant being at the mercy of a dominant without knowing if this one wouldn't simply prevent him from continuing to be free.

Because a Dualpha had full rights to his Sygma.

At least the bond could not be forced, it had to be consented, which allowed the Sygma to at least be able to choose their partner.

But nothing was ever sure, a Dualpha could be gallant, kind, helpful to become the worst criminal once linked.

And Jiun didn't want to risk his family, his freedom, and his life for money.

Then because there was no work for an unbound Sygma; yet another of the many ways to coerce a Sygma into fast bonding; he had used the only thing that had value in a Sygma: His body and his beauty.

And he had turned to vampires to avoid getting pregnant by accident.

Luckily he had met Kendrin and Kendrin had always treated him well and paid him well.

And Amir always discreetly ensured that he arrived home without scratches.

Jiun dried the dishes and stomped to his room. He collapsed on his bed fully dressed and fell asleep like a log.

He awoke with a start in his bedroom and quickly realized that his pants had been taken off and he was comfortably settled under the quilt. Blinking, he picked up his phone and saw that it was already evening, his stomach growling in confirmation.

Still full of aches, he got up silently and left the room to prepare a snack in the kitchen. He jumped when he heard snoring coming from the living room and smiled fondly when he saw his father's graying hair protruding from the sofa. He walked over to find him completely asleep with bills and a calculator strewn across the table. He picked up the pile of leaves on the coffee table and headed for the kitchen where he turned on the light. He sat down on a chair and looked at the reminder letters one by one.

Immersed in his reading, he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"These aren't things you should worry about. his father said kindly as he retrieved a bill from his hands.

"I live in this house, obviously that worries me. »

"These are adult issues. »

Jiun raised an eyebrow but his father ignored him taking a wrapped plate out of the fridge and putting it in the microwave.

"I have been paid, we will be able to pay a lot of bills. »

"Jun. his father snarled, setting the hot plate in front of him.

" Father. » Said the Sygma simply, smiling

His father, Olderen, obviously didn't know what kind of work he did.

He had told her that he was modeling for an acquaintance and since he had never wanted to show her photos, his father thought that the large sums of money he was bringing in probably came from photos that were a little too sexy. .

Jiun had never corrected him and they sometimes argued about it because his father didn't want his son to do anything fishy.

"I don't want you doing that kind of work. You are a nice boy. You can not- "

"I don't do anything too weird. Jiun assured, once again, while eating with pleasure, his father was a cordon bleu, even for reheated.

"Too weird…, huh? raised his concerned father.

Jiun didn't answer concentrating on his plate. He glanced at his father as the silence continued.

"Perhaps you should consider bonding?" he said softly. Aware that this subject made him angry.

Jiun felt the familiar fear and pain wash over him.

" Do you want me to leave ? the Sygma asked harshly.

"Maybe it would be better for you. said his father. "I want you to be happy Jiun. »

"But I am happy! Jiun shouted. "I don't need a Dualpha to be happy!" I don't care if we're poor! I can bring back some money if I really have to! »

"By selling your body? Olderen exploded "Is that how you want to live?" How can I let my own son do this? Just because I'm not good enough to take care of you and your sister? »

Jiun remained dumbfounded, horrified that his father finally knew everything.

"What? You don't think I suspect you do pictures for lewd magazines?"

Jiun collapsed on the table, relieved that his lie was intact. His heart was beating incredibly fast. But his secret was safe.

"Jun. His father continued. "Haylinn came to see you earlier. Maybe you-"

" He is 17 years old ! Jiun exclaimed "And I thought you hated him anyway?" »

"No one can hate such a sincere kid. I just find him incredibly simple and unworthy of you. But there is still a Dualpha and you seem-"

" Father. Jiun cut him off, incredibly embarrassed. "I thought we said we'd never talk about my love affairs again…and he's 17…I can't believe you're inciting me to child molestation!" »

Olderen groaned and Jiun laughed softly.

"So even you, he ended up coaxing you!" »

"I can't continue to ignore the fact that a 17-year-old kid comes to me every day asking for your hand in such a sincere and serious way. And in my defense, he's the only one who makes you blush so easily. muttered the Degta.

" You're saying nonsense ! Nia Jiun while washing the dishes.

How could the conversation have gotten this far?

"Yes, yes, if this child does not give up it is because everyone can see how mutual your feelings are. It's been 4 years since he declared his love to you and 4 years since you let him. »

"I rejected it every time! Jiun indignantly

" I say. You reject him but you worry every time about his possible girlfriends and you treasure every gift he gives you. »

"I…I don't do that. »

"I found it really borderline, when he was 14 to tell you the truth, but he will soon be 18 and become an adult. If he asks me for your hand again at that time, I will accept it. And if you really love him, I want you to accept and finally live your life without me being a brake on it. »

"I have no intention of pairing up with a Dualpha. You know what I think about it. »

"He's a good kid. You know better than I that he will treat you well. Damn, I can't believe I'm the one pushing you into that annoying kid's arms. You tried to forget about it with Noam and you came away hurt. So accept once and for all that it's him your heart has chosen and not another, will you? »

Jiun felt his heart sink at the mention of Noam.

They dated for a year, before his mother, Anielle, ran away. Or, three years ago.

Noam was his childhood friend and his best friend at that time.

He had felt oppressed by the feelings of Haylinn who was 15 at the time when he was already 20.

Feeling attracted to a 15-year-old child had made him sick and he had done everything to keep her away from him.

Noam had confessed to him and he had jumped at the chance to forget her.

As an Alpha werewolf, he was dominant enough that Jiun thought it might work between them. In the end it had been a fiasco, a year of a relationship where all three of them had come out of it injured.

Haylinn had left overnight for her grandparents on the other side of the country without telling her anything and Jiun had been sick with fear. Trampling on the feelings of Noam who had tried everything to make things work between them.

Eventually, he ended his relationship with Noam and their friendship suffered. He felt uncomfortable around her and Haylinn had become incredibly jealous.

Haylinn was her Pandora's box.

He had watched him grow into an incredibly handsome Dualpha that was almost completely everything he was looking for.

He was a gem and he still didn't understand why he was interested in a Sygma like him who had originally been just a neighbor among others.

Jiun wanted Haylinn to be with someone who truly deserved him and at the same time he was unable to let her get away from him too much. Now that he was almost an adult, it was becoming more and more difficult to restrain her gestures towards him.

But he was terrified of bonding with him and giving him control of his life, when he had been more or less free until then.

Not to mention the fact that unlike other Dualphas, he still seemed less dominant. Despite everything Haylinn felt for him, he felt he wasn't enough…something was missing.

So he stayed in this weird platonic relationship with him. Neither really in a relationship but nor really just friends either.

One day Haylinn would get tired of waiting. So far the excuse of age had sufficed but soon Jiun would have to make a final decision.

"Jun? Did you get lost in your thoughts? his father laughed

The Sygma simply smiled at him before standing up.

"I'm going to pay the next rent and some bills and that's non-negotiable. Thanks for worrying about me dad, but really you're exaggerating way too much about my work. »

He kissed her on the cheek and went to her room before her father started yet another argument with him.

He wasn't tired anymore so he took his knitting kit and continued the scarf he had started for Haylinn.

Even if he still didn't know if he was going to give it to her or end up giving it to his father, because it was still a girl's hobby.