"In less than 24 hours, you got two slaps, several minor rejections, and a major refusal..." Cirrus scoffs. "What a healthy way to start a relationship!"
Fa sighs heavily. The morning breeze fails to calm the fire that ignites inside him. He barely slept last night, too angry to even close his eyes. Whenever he tried to, the image of Ezra spitting the truth replayed in his memory.
"You sound like Pein..."
"That's exactly what I will gonna say to you," the female Alpha leans against the pool chair, looking casual and relaxed. She buns her hair this morning, while kicking back in her silk pajamas like it's summer in A Nation.
The third generation of the Sarin starts their morning in peace. They casually hang out at the pool in front of Peinaire's cabin; just exactly at the entrance of a small reservation next to an open field.
"Why don't you just chain and give him some strokes? I've told you, canning is a good punishment for a stubborn Omega like him," says Peinaire.
"I never opted for corporal punishment. Unlike you, I do love my Omega..."
"Who says I don't love Caspi? I won't choose him over thousands of applicants for nothing."
"You like his lifestyle, not him. Even you disgraced him at first!" Fa protests.
Péinaire scoffs, but dares not to deny him. Her love story started with some brutal episodes until Caspian submitted to her. She's so madly in love with the male Omega ever since she laid her eyes on him while attending a middle school in Europe, so, losing him is not a choice.
But, growing up in a broken family, Peinaire doesn't know how to properly love someone. She believes that by forcing the love through possession, she will never lose Caspian. She experienced a major breakdown when her father discarded her birth mother for another Omega, and since then, she believes, aggressive love is the best choice.
"Not all believe in such an orthodox method of possession, Pein. Some want to genuinely experience the love itself. Not with some corporal punishment," says Cirrus, calmly put off his cigarette.
"Ah.. romansa! I'm gonna puke for real, you know."
"Why, are you pregnant?" Cirrus lets out a smirk, causing Peinaire to swat him with her sharp glare.
"You were asking the wrong party, Cir. She's not the one who should get pregnant," Fa sneers before he bursts into laughter.
"Stop talking about pregnancy. There won't be a cub in my household. I won't let Caspi ruin his body!" Peinaire sips her coffee in poise.
"Don't be greedy, Pein. Sooner or later, Caspi will hit a breeding stage. Are you planning to castrate him?" asks Cirrus.
"She might lose it if she does that! She won't get those hot, sizzling nights anymore!" Fa keeps laughing. Peinaire; being frustrated over the tease, throws a slipper at him. And Fa; with his ability and sharpness, grabs the slipper in the breeze.
"You two, stay away from my family business. Focus on your own; especially you, Cir! Your mate is in a breeding stage now, and you seem to be lax over it," Peinaire points out to Cirrus.
The Beta inhales his second cigarette, the burning tip flares longer before it drops on the floor. He throws his sight towards the green field, while having a deep thought.
"Did you manage to find a way to break the curse?" asks Fa. The mood turns serious.
"I did. But, Tul... He disagreed..."
"Why? I mean, that's good news, right?" Peinaire frowns.
Cirrus puffs more smoke from his mouth. He looks down, face looking tough.
"It requires one of us to sacrifice, and Tul can't take it. We even argued about it before," there's a heavy feeling in Cirrus's words. His throat feels tight, keeping that information to himself.
"Why don't you just castrate him?" asks Peinaire. The inquiry sounds cruel, but she is just curious about how two lovers can stand living a dreadful life like that.
Peinaire being Peinaire!
"If it can be done in the first place, I believe Tul might choose that. But, since the curse binds so tightly, he can't do anything. Nor can he have peace, he can't simply move on," Cirrus sighs.
"Tul is making the right choice by leaving. I can't believe there's such an evil Alpha like his previous master!" Fa grips his fist tight.
Cirrus looks up to the sky, thinking about the sweet smile that he always sees every morning as soon as he opens his eyes. A simple morning greeting from an Omega that he met four years ago while on a vacation melts his heart at ease. Tul never changes, not after four years of being his partner. And for that, Cirrus couldn't be more grateful.
Although, the beginning of their relationship was tragic.
***
Four years ago.
Cirrus POV
I was having fun taking some pictures at the harbour when my eyes caught sight of. From my lens, I saw a pair of eyes, looking at me, glistening under the evening Sun. The hair flew as the wind blows, revealing a scent of zesty lemon with a sprinkle of spearmint.
As a Cupid Beta, it's my job to find a suitable mate for my client based on their pheromones. The combination should be at least 85% in the match. For that, they need to provide me a sample of their scents, some background information about them—or their potential mate, if they already reserve them—, a location, or country, where they wish their mate comes from, and perhaps, some clue about their ideal mate.
And with all the information provided, I will travel around to track down the mate, doing some calculations, studying their background, and sending back the responses to my client. Sometimes, it's an easy-peasy job. But, sometimes, it will turn out badly. Especially in the reservation cases, because they have a target, but end up not being a suitable mate. Or maybe, they were in a relationship, but they are not destined to be with each other.
For example; Golden Alpha Kawei and his former Omega. Their case was a bad one. According to my former master, Kawei had been in a relationship with her for so long, but ended up breaking up because of the incompatibility, plus, that sneaky Omega had a hidden agenda and they later found out about it. It wasn't easy for Golden Alpha Kawei since they already had a cub together, but what's done, must be done.
Talking about a cupid job, never had I ever imagined doing the same thing for myself!
At first, I was a bit confused. I mean, why did I catch a glimpse of him along with his scent while on a vacation? He is not my client, and no one ever hired me to lurk on him. He was just an unknown male who strolled along the beach, a few yards away from where I took some pictures. I didn't quite understand why I ended up doing research about him for the sake of my own sake.
A week's vacation was extended to two weeks. Every evening, I would visit the same place, praying that I might catch a glimpse of him. All this happened for quite some time.
My search was over when someone invited me to the house of the most important figure in that town. Once my eyes fell on him, I saw nothing but suffering in those eyes. It was different from what I saw before. It was full of tears that failed to escape from the heart.
I learned that he was one of the partners for that polygamous Alpha; he had another three young Omegas in his possession. And, that Omega is the oldest; discarded like a sick, old dog. He kept him because of his wealth, which he inherited from his family. Such a poor Omega who fell into the wrong Alpha!
I spent the whole time at the party, trying to get closer to him. Of course, I failed! But, I, behaving like a sick-minded person, finally stepped up the game and slipped a note through a trusted helper in that house, asking him to meet me at this very secluded place.
And from that moment, we started our dangerous rendezvous. At first, I became his friend. A good listener to his painful life story. Gradually, we learned about each other, and slowly, love grew between us. Tul is a kind-hearted Omega, he has a lot of qualities that everyone missed; wise, patient, polite, and supportive.
Two more days and I had to go back to A Nation. I muster all my courage and faced Tul's Alpha, asking bravely for his hand. Of course, that old Alpha refused to let Tul go. I had to fight my might with him, and even almost triggered a war between the Sarin and this mafia Alpha family. I could still remember how Peinaire and Fa had to join forces with our cousins from the extended family just to save me from jail after the authorities caught me based on the report made by Tul's former Alpha.
To escape from the prison is one thing, to help Tul escape is another!
When we finally were on the side of winning, that evil Alpha agreed to set Tul free; with some demands of course. But, who knows, behind that fake kindness, he managed to put a curse on Tul, with the intention of destroying his life after he managed to win over his inheritance.
The Red Binder Curse.
Among the vicious curses ever in the world. It ties the Omegas, not allowing them to start a family or even move on with their life.
Everyone knows, there's a phase in Omega's life where they have to breed; in other words, get pregnant and have children. It is the most important phase in their life due to the strong motherly instinct in them. Failed to do so, and they might face some health issues, for example; pheromone disorder.
As someone older than me by quite a wide age gap, Tul is near his breeding phase. It was good news since he loves a big family. We did a lot of preparation for that, but once we started the ceremony, Tul suddenly fell sick. He shuddered like a fallen leaf, gradually turned into something sinister.
He turned into a monster that almost killed me that night.
Since this case has gone beyond the norms of modern medicine, we were turning to alternative treatments.
That's when we found out about the curse.
And since then, a journey to find the cure begins.
***
"Both of you love each other so much that none of you decided to give in," says Peinaire. "Tell me, Cir. Does this love worth that much suffering?"
Cirrus sighs, putting off his third cigarette. For him, Tul is everything he had. Aside of his father, Tul is the one that he loves the most. There's no one after him, just like no one before him. Cirrus believes love only happen once, and it won't happen again. If it indeed repeats, it won't be as same as the first love.
"I don't know, Pein. If this is the worth of love that I fight for all these years, I'll face it with all cost," Cirrus gives a vague answer for the female Alpha's inquiry. He then throws his sight away, staring at the window where he sees Tul, watching him from afar, with tears rolling from that Omega's sorrowful eyes.