Ch 9: Don't make promises you cannot keep

"Are you not going to announce that you are back? I thought that you were the one with manners in this house. Oh! I forgot! You are in your rebellious phase, right?"

Now immune to Mark's jabs, Rika felt a mix of resignation and annoyance.

It did feel irritating that he still saw Rika as her 15-year-old rebellious self.

That was when Rika tried to act out to attract her parents' attention. She hoped they would notice her behaviour and talk to her.

But all it had led to was a disappointing counselling session with a therapist who could care less about her and her parents' longer business trips.

Even Mark had started to spend more time with the newly presented Suzie, leaving Rika alone to deal with her emotions and mess.

"The sensors rang the bell when I arrived home. That was more than enough warning for anyone looking forward to my return. Also, I know why you are here. Just give the scene remover, and you can head back."

Rika held her hand out for the bottle in her brother's hand.

His expression went through different ones before settling on angered-irritation as he extended his hand angrily.

"Fuck! Why do I expect you to understand me when you can't smell how much you stink of alpha pheromones? I don't even think this scent blocker will work. Just go and take a bath before coming down."

Mark threw the bottle toward Rika before heading out.

"Brother, what is going on? Is Rika back home-"

"Suzie, head inside now. It is not safe for you to be out here for this long. You might get sick if you meet Rika now."

Mark quickly guided Suzie back inside the living room, leaving Rika alone in front of their house.

In her mind, Rika understood why things had to be this way. But that did not mean her heart understood this as well.

The bottle given by Mark was thrown against the wall as soon as Rika closed her bedroom door. However, since the bottle was made of plastic, it did not break, and they continued looking at Rika mockingly.

"Fuck! I don't care anymore. Should I just leave things be and tell Mark I cannot get this scent out even with a shower?"

If she ever pulled this prank off, Rika could imagine Mark's horrified expression, as it would imply that someone had marked Rika inside out.

'Not that it's going to work. An alpha or an omega can only temporarily mark a beta.'

Rika's neck ached when she thought about it. 

She often got this aching sensation in her neck where her pheromone glands were supposed to be, and the doctor assured Rika that this was nothing more than a fragment of her imagination.

Living with Alpha and Betas throughout her life unconsciously changed Rika's body. Beta, who could not feel or smell pheromones, affected her body to a certain degree. However, since no specialist could tell Rika what was happening with her body, it was a lost cause.

Rika spent too long in her room, and she was sure that even her room was beginning to smell like alpha pheromones. She took a bath and threw off her sheets in the cleaner while she was at it.

She also made sure to air out her room of any residual pheromones.

Despite Rika's earlier thought of letting herself stink off these pheromones, her body made decisions and cleared things off.

The water falling on Rika's head felt nice. It was just enough pressure to make Rika forget all her thoughts and relax her body.

She dried herself off before entering her dressing closet and changing into comfortable clothes.

The round-neck T-shirt Rika wore did not belong to her. It was far too big for her frame and rolled down her shoulders. It likely belonged to either Mark or her mother.

'Wait! Isn't Suzie taller than me as well by now? She used to be taller before she presented, and I don't think either she or I grew taller. Am I the midget of our family? How! We have two omegas in our family.'

As soon as that thought came to Rika's mind, she pushed it out.

There was no point in thinking about her height when there were other things to think about….

It was as if Mark was lying down on her bed as if he owned it. 

"How long does it take for you to shower? Even Suzie does not take that long to clean herself up. What are you doing in there that is taking you so long?"

Mark complained as he looked at Rika with an upside-down face.

"I am cleaning myself up. Since I cannot smell how much I 'stink,' I must be careful while washing it off. You don't want Suzie to get sick, right?"

Rika asked almost sarcastically, not even looking at her brother. She was looking for a hairbrush and dryer to go through her hair faster.

But Rika could imagine the somewhat guilty look that crossed Mark's face after his remark. It was the same pattern all over again.

At this point, she was unsure why Mark continued to snap at her if it would make him feel this guilty about it.

There was an awkward silence in the room before Mark told Rika the real reason he was there.

"Mother told me…about your university choice, which bewildered me. Were your grades so bad that you did not get a better selection? Then, do you want me to pull some strings for you?"

Mark asked in a teasing voice. But he also sounded serious simultaneously, which meant he was serious about it.

"There is no need for you to do that. I applied for the Maxwell Academy as my first choice because that was where I wanted to go. I do not need you to use our family name or connections to get me a better deal."

Rika was quick to shoot down Mark. 

She knew her brother well. If she let Mark do as he wanted, Rika would end up in an academy their family sponsored.

There was no way she would get stuck in the same cycle again.

Mark looked at Rika as if she were an outer entity he could not understand.

"Why would you ever want to attend such a university when you have many better options? That is a place where people like 'us' do not go. You are surrounded by people who are not the same as you and cannot under our needs…."

Mark trailed off while speaking, suddenly realising that his argument was invalid in front of Rika.

Rika had expected this lecture and zoned out for the most part.

She only realised that Mark had stopped speaking when his gaze penetrated Rika's face and gave her that uncomfortable feeling.

"Are you done? I told you that I want to go to this university. Can't you just let me do what I want for once?"

Rika almost begged in a tone that sounded very similar to Suzie's.

Mark looked taken aback since this was not a tone Rika often used. But whenever she used it, Mark ended up doing what she wanted.

That was how much influence Suzie had on their brother.

She could count on her hand the number of times she had begged her brother like this. And that was how he knew that Rika was serious.

"Alright, fine! You are serious about going to this university, right? Then, I will come with you for the registration process. I need to see this place with my eyes once before letting you go."

Rika turned away from Mark so he would not see her rolling her eyes at him.

'Of course! Mark only acts like my brother and then knows it is inconvenient for me. But this is better for me as well. I expected this to happen anyway.'

"I booked my registration for tomorrow. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

Rika asked while turning around. Because her shirt was so oversized, the collar was slipping down, so Rika pulled it back up.

She could not help but notice the way Mark was eying her neck. 

'His instinct as an alpha must be rearing his head since he looks at my neck. I wonder why alphas and omegas stare at people's necks that much. Frankly, it's quite creepy.'

Rika smacked her hand down on her neck to hide it, which snapped Mark out of his daze. He blinked a few times, and Rika was unsure if he had heard what she said.

"Looks, if you are busy, then I understand, Mark. I can go and complete the registration process on my own."

Rika assured her older brother, but Mark quickly denied her.

"No! It's fine. I can make time for you. Tell me when you need to leave tomorrow, and I will drive you to the chosen university."

Mark assured Rika, and she did not bother telling him that her chosen university was a few towns over.

"I will!"

Rika lied, knowing fully well that Mark could not make time for her tomorrow.

After all, he needed to take Suzie to her monthly check-ups, which would conflict with Rika's time.