The Perfect Alpha’s Secret

Elias POV

The scanner buzzed above my head, a low, electric buzz that crawled across my skin. The red light slides down my neck, halting over my throat. My skin itched where it touched, but I didn't dare move. I don't even dare to breathe.

Everywhere reeked of antiseptic. That was always how my mother’s clinic smelled. Although it was clean, the smell was sharp and suffocating. I could hear the air purifier hissing silently in the corner and the sound of the machine that’d kept me alive.

“Don't move, Elias,” My mother’s voice broke the silence.

I wouldn't dare. I just started counting in my head. One, two, three….. pretending that the number of breaths between each beep might somehow save me.

Then, suddenly, the light shifted. It started blinking, once, twice and turned yellow.

My stomach dropped. “Mom…..”

She snapped up her head. “Don’t move!!.” Her tone changed, the soft concern vanished, replaced by command. I froze.

Then, the machine buzzed louder, and I swear I could feel my pulse racing under my skin, begging to be discovered. The yellow light pulsed across my throat like it was  trying to taste what I really was— Omega.

I knew it was there, hiding under the suppressant chip embedded in my neck. My Omega was buried under layers of chemicals. But the machine was clever. It knew something was off.

“Come on,” my mother mumbled under her breath, while she moved her fingers across the control pad. Sweat beaded on her forehead. “Come on, come on…..”

Then, the yellow glinted again, it stuttered and then faded back to the normal red. Beep. Beep. The scanner shut down.

My chest deflated all at once, I released the breath that I didn't realize I’d been holding. “Still Alpha-clean,” I whispered, half laughing, half trembling.

My mom didn't laugh, she wiped her hands on her coat, her eyes darting between me and the monitor like she was waiting for it to change again.

“One day this thing won't fool them,” She muttered, her voice laced with concern.

I smiled weakly. “Then I’ll be extra careful.”

“You have to be.” She looked straight into my eyes with pity. “You can't hide forever, Elias.”

I remained silent. I just stared at the scanner. The metal gleamed under the fluorescent light. For a moment, if it was watching me too.

Suddenly, the morning news reverberated through the television in the lobby. The cheerful anchor’s voice cut through the silence.

“Alpha candidates continue to dominate national rankings. In other news, Omega registration becomes mandatory next season….”

I don't even need to hear the rest of the news. My blood already felt cold like Ice. Next season?! That's just a few months away!!

I could almost hear the words my mother had always whispered to me since my childhood. “An Omega’s scent is a death sentence here.”

And the registration wasn't about our safety, it's about ownership. They’ll tag us, track us, and cage us. The unregistered ones like me would disappear before anyone would even realize that they were gone.

I glanced at my Mom. She was pretending not to have heard the news, but I could see both her hands trembling as she disinfected the scanner again. The sound of the anchor’s joyful voice made me want to break the TV into pieces. I hurriedly grabbed the remote and turned it off. And silence erupted.

Suddenly, some sharp knocks on the door pulled us out of the silence. We both froze. My mother’s gaze landed on me. She nodded once, silently telling me to answer.

I stood up from the bed, and walked to the door with my heart pounding. I opened the door, and my state landed on a man in a gray courier uniform, he had a cap on that almost covered his face. He didn't look at me, he just held out a black envelope wrapped with a red ribbon.