After reviewing the paperwork and listening to Natalie — who also insisted that a personal grudge shouldn't affect his work or diminish the effort an entire team had poured into the product designs — Velkan signed everything and asked Natalie to schedule the photo sessions.
Leaving the conference room, he headed to a set where he had a shoot pending. During the session — for a perfume brand — Velkan delivered his usual professionalism, holding that signature blank stare that made him all the more striking.
When it was done, he walked to the parking lot. Hiro was leaning against his car, arms crossed.
"Five years, Velkan. I'd at least like to hear your excuse," Hiro said, an edge in his voice.
"Excuse?" Velkan's brow furrowed. "Don't act like you don't know. Now move. Don't make me hit you."
"What am I supposed to know? I'm not leaving until we talk. Until you tell me why you vanished." Hiro stood his ground.
Velkan was ready to shove the alpha out of his way when his phone rang insistently. The moment he answered, his calm expression shattered into raw anguish.
"What? But — what happened? Dad... I'm on my way." His voice cracked.
He hung up and moved toward the car, pushing past Hiro. The alpha grabbed his arm.
"Wait — you can't just leave. At least—"
"I don't have time. Let go of me," Velkan snapped.
"It wouldn't kill you to—"
A crushing pressure slammed into Hiro's body, squeezing the air from his lungs. He released Velkan and clutched his own chest with both hands. Velkan shoved him aside and jumped into the car. Hiro could only watch him tear out of the lot while he gasped for breath.
"What the hell was that...? Velkan — damn it, would it kill you to talk?" he shouted at the empty lot.
Velkan ran every red light he could. At the hospital, he leaped from the car and sprinted inside, searching for his father. Seth was pacing the hallway while the medical team worked behind the emergency room doors.
"Dad... where is he? What happened?" Velkan demanded.
"H-he was playing in the living room. He started coughing out of nowhere. I checked and his temperature was through the roof... then he passed out. The doctors haven't come out to say anything." Seth's voice trembled.
A vise tightened around Velkan's chest. His little Luan was behind those doors, and all he could do was wait. Seth pulled his son into a hug. Lyam arrived moments later, asking what had happened.
Seth told him everything he knew, and all they could do was wait for the doctor.
Nearly two hours later, the emergency room door opened. The doctor's expression said enough.
"Is my son okay?" Velkan asked.
"Tell me how my grandson is, doctor," Seth pleaded.
"I'm afraid the news isn't good. Luan has a rare condition. His symptoms are caused by his body awakening prematurely — his hormones are dangerously unstable. To keep him alive, we had to place him in a medically induced coma," the doctor explained.
"How is that even possible? He's so young. Whatever it takes — money is no obstacle," Lyam said, speaking at last.
"This isn't about money, Mr. Von Thaden. As I said, his secondary gender has awakened at this age. Little Luan is an omega," the doctor replied.
The three of them exchanged bewildered looks. Secondary gender wasn't supposed to develop until at least fifteen. Luan was four.
"That's impossible... so what can be done? Whatever it costs, we'll pay," Seth pressed.
"He needs his alpha father's pheromones to stabilize." The doctor looked at Velkan. "I know the alpha father is absent, but you need him to save Luan."
Velkan's knuckles whitened around the strap of his bag. The last thing he wanted was a reason to bring that alpha back into his life.
"Can't you use mine?" Seth asked. "However much you need — I'll give them."
"I'm afraid it has to be the father's. Velkan, if the man is still alive and you know where he is, you'll need to bring him in. It's the only way," the doctor told him.
"Velkan, I don't care if you have to drag him here by force. Bring that man. This is for Luan," Lyam added.
Velkan stayed silent, but he nodded. His omega father was right. Luan needed those pheromones — even if it meant locking the alpha in a room to get them.
Hiro was at his desk when a commotion erupted outside his office. His employees were shouting, trying to stop someone who had barged in without an appointment. It didn't matter. The office doors swung open, shoved by two men in dark suits. Velkan walked between them. They stepped out and pulled the doors shut behind him.
"Vel... what are you doing here? And barging in like this?" Hiro protested.
Velkan stopped in front of the desk and handed him a sheet of paper. The terms were simple: Hiro would donate his pheromones for the duration of the treatment. In return, he'd receive one hundred thousand dollars per month.
"If that's not enough, name your price," Velkan told him.
Hiro stared at Velkan, confused, then took the paper and read it.
"My pheromones? You want to buy them? Why would you ask me for something like this?"
"I need them for a treatment. It's for a family member. You come to the hospital, they extract your pheromones at regular intervals, and you receive the amount stated in the contract. If it's not enough, name your price."
"Even for a model with a stack of contracts, I doubt you have a hundred grand a month to throw around," Hiro said. "And I'm not selling my pheromones. Find another alpha."
"It has to be yours. Don't worry about the money — I have plenty," Velkan assured him.
Hiro slid the contract back across the desk.
"I don't know why it has to be mine, but I'm not interested. It's your relative, not mine. Find someone else." He refused again.
Velkan's fist came down on the desk, splitting the wood with hairline cracks. Hiro flinched, that crushing pressure pressing against his chest again.
"How much do you want? They're just pheromones — and they have to be yours. Do you think I'd be asking if someone else's would work?" Velkan's voice had risen, the composure gone.
But when Hiro looked into the albino's eyes, he saw something he hadn't expected — desperation, fear, and pain.
"Velkan, what—"
"Damn you, Sasaki." Velkan's jaw clenched. "It's your son who needs them."
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