"The batter is runny!" Ezra huffs. He checks the recipe again. "I did follow the recipe! Where did it go wrong?"
He whines in the kitchen all by himself. To follow the recipe, somehow it feels like cracking the code of a supercomputer. When it states one cup; which cup is a cup? Not to mention; the ingredient must be that brand instead of another brand, or else it won't work.
"Ah! How am I gonna fix this? Tsk!" Ezra scratches his head, thinking of a good solution. As he is busy with the batter, a sizzling sound can be heard from behind.
"Ah! Water!" He rushes to the stove, trying to slow down the fire and unconsciously touches the hot pot. He winces in pain, jumping around the kitchen all by himself.
The struggle is real.
Ezra knows how to cook; cooking is one of the subjects that he learnt at Ou Academy. But, baking and cooking are two different things. Cooking is an art of simplicity, but baking is a science. You can bake and cook, but sometimes, you can cook but not bake.
As simple as that.
As this Omega struggles, someone is taking a peek at him at the kitchen entrance. Those eyes linger around; checking and monitoring that Omega from afar. Perhaps, the S.O.S signal is obvious, he can't hold himself any longer.
"I thought you had exams in two weeks. What are you doing here?"
Ezra lifts his head. It's Fa in a white shirt and black pants. There's a white lab coat in his hand; he just came back from his lab class.
"I heard you like Thai khanom. So, I learned the recipe from Beta Jen!" Ezra lets out a goofy smile at Fa. However, he just stares at him with a cold expression.
"Don't waste your time. Go study for the exam," that Golden Alpha leaves the kitchen, looking heartless. Doesn't even bother to check on his Omega, at all.
There's a dejected feeling in Ezra. He works in the kitchen all day, just to impress Fa. Or, at least, asking for a confrontation. But, the way Fa dismissed himself like that makes his effort useless. He can't help but feel discarded.
The anger is boiling inside. Ezra leaves the kitchen after he turns off the stove, stomping his way upstairs and opening the door of Fa's bedroom hastily.
"Ah! Sorry!" Ezra runs out of the room when he sees that Fa is naked. That Golden Alpha prepares to take a shower after a long, exhausting day. He huffs before he grabs a robe and opens the door.
Ezra is still standing there like a lost cub.
He slams the door behind Ezra; giving that Omega a hint that he doesn't want to talk or see him lingering in front of his room. Ezra grumbles as he turns around, knocking the door as hard as he can.
"Yarh, you heartless monster! What are you; six years old? If you dare, come out and face me, you idiot! I spent my whole evening trying to make amends with you, yet you act like I'm a thief! Tsk! Hence I know this is the real you, I swear to God, I will definitely reject you the first time we meet! You're good for nothing! Handsome face but rotten inside! Sora is a thousand times better than you!"
The door is clicking open. Ezra stands back, two steps away from his original spot.
"Go away..." Fa warns him. His eyes turn dark. His gaze is wild and eerie. A circumstance where no one ever dared to stand up straight and face him.
"Yarh... we should talk—" Ezra fails the negotiation, stumbling backwards when Fa uses his pheromone to attack that poor little Omega. He rubs his hip, soaring from the sudden impact.
Ezra's forehead crinkles, looking at Fa in brief with his pitiful gaze before that Golden Alpha slams the door in anger.
That's it! It's the end...
***
Days had passed since the ugly encounter; and since then, Ezra never saw Fa again. Usually, they might stumble upon each other when they come out of their bedroom. But, Fa is not in sight, anywhere.
Ezra takes this as the end of the road. He moves on, but the pain is unbearable. He feels like getting shot twice; first, it was Sora, now, it's Fa.
Even though things are not good between them, Ezra dares not talk about it with anyone. And, surprisingly, no one even brings up the topic to him. They are all busy with their life; Peinaire is training a new horse—a gift from her father-in-law—and there's not even a single day that she doesn't complain about it. Tul is focusing on natal care; his tummy is growing every day. Cirrus takes a whole six months just to take care of him. Watching them sometimes makes Ezra sink inside. A great couple that he envies the most.
Days turn into weeks, and today is the last day of the trial exam. Ezra was busy with the preparation, so he put everything aside first. He needs to graduate this year, that's the main goal in life. He dares not to use Fa as an excuse for failing.
As he is done, he walks out of the exam room at ease. A good iced latte is a good reward after the exam, so he goes into the kitchen. He sees a group of Beta helpers gather around; whispering to each other.
"He's getting worse every day..."
"Why don't they just let that little cub mate with him?"
"Aiya, he's not coming of age yet! It's illegal!"
Ezra carefully walks his way to them, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. At first, he doesn't care much; it's normal for these Beta helpers to gossip around. But, when he heard those, he couldn't help but butt in.
"At least, let the cub visit him! He needs the presence of his mate!"
"You want him to get killed or what? It's dangerous!"
"What kind of danger are we talking about?" Ezra suddenly inquired. The Beta helpers quickly scatter away from the spot, leaving only one young Beta who is a bit slower than the rest. Ezra grabs her hand and yanks her closer to him.
"Sorry, Omega Ezra... but I know nothing about Alpha Fa—" the female cups her mouth. She dismisses herself in a hurry.
Why they keeping secrets from me? Ezra murmurs silently. He glares around, checking the surroundings before sneaking his way to his room.
That night, Ezra couldn't sleep. He tosses around, fighting the uneasiness in him. He springs up from his bed and ponders for a while.
"Is something wrong with Fa?" asks Ezra to himself. He jumps out of his bed, walks around the bedroom when he sees the very Beta helper that he caught in the kitchen earlier. She is walking towards a shed; just a few yards away from Peinaire's residence.
"Why are you going there at this hour?" Ezra murmurs alone. Out of curiosity, he grabs his sweater, dons a pair of sports shoes, and leaves his room in silence.
A cold wind penetrates deep into his vertebrae although the sweater is thick enough to warm him. The weather is unusually violent tonight. Ezra speeds up, walking towards the shed all by himself in the middle of the night. From his spot, he sees the Beta helper is leaving the shed, so he decides to hide behind the walls of Peinaire's residence.
He ducks his head down when he hears a muffled sound coming from inside the house. Then, there's a constant thumping movement.
Jeez, are they making mochi at this hour? Ezra frowns. He understands that the house is far from the mansion, so they are free to make some noises, but who is that diligent person who cooks at this hour, making mochi some more?
Again, this curious, obnoxious Omega is eager to find the answer. So, he lifts his head and peeks through the window.
"What the—!"
Ezra stumbles backwards. He blinks his eyes in disbelief. His brain keeps replaying the image of Caspian, on the top of Peinaire, moving up and down, eyes droopy in toxicity.
They are not making mochi! Yarh, you idiot, Ez!
He dashes from the spot, hiding his blushing cheek, running straight into the shed. He grasps his chest, heart still thumping like crazy.
"No more peeking after this!" he pledges to himself, wondering how long the image will stay in his mind. He smacks his cheek a bit, forcing his body system to wake up.
Now, Ezra is in the shed. To be honest, this is unplanned. Out of curiosity, he snoops out of his room, later encounters an embarrassing event, and ends up stuck in here. The shed is not too big; and surprisingly, it's empty.
Is this a hidden camera prank? Ezra wonders. He spins around, looking inside the shed, just in case—even though there's no way anyone will install a hidden camera in here! That's absurd!
Ezra pauses a bit when his feet stamp on one section of the floor. He crouched down, checking the surface. The pile of hays look somehow fresh; as if someone randomly scattered them on the floor. Ezra tilts his head to the side; he sees a lock. With a lot of question that bothers his mind now, he dares to unlock it and lifts the floor board.
There's a hidden passage under the shed!
"Ah, so it's not a hidden camera prank..." Ezra whispers silently. He carefully descends the stairs in the darkness, walking through a damp and dirty passage until he sees a light at the end of it.
"A hidden room?" Ezra blinks, watching the flickering lights from his spot. Now, that Omega is in the intersection.
Should he turn back, or should he continue? What is waiting for him at the end of the alley?