But I'm Not An Alpha!

Chapter 4

"React? Like physically? Are you allergic to him or something? First time in history a man is allergic to another man." Joong sighed and Pond apologized and shut up again.

"Not physically. Like... When he is close my heart rate speeds up and my body gets hot. Makes it hard to think straight. That kind of feeling." Joong explained awkwardly, feeling weird saying it out loud.

"So... you're attracted to him? Like you wanna sleep with him? That's not weird Joong, that's just hormones. Even Beta's can want sex... you know you CAN have sex right? Just because you can't pop out kids doesn't mean your dick doesn't work. Why not just sleep with him and scratch the itch? Not like it's gonna do any harm. Unless... is he not attracted to you?" He asked in his annoying friend kinda way.

"No, that's not the issue. I am pretty sure he is attracted to me too. Well it's more like he's attracted to my brother because we look alike. And besides, my brother is the one who sent him here. What if that's his plan to get me to sleep with this kid in order to trap me up in something? I wouldn't put it past him. I got First and Khao checking him out as we speak. Till then I am trying to avoid the kid at all costs."

"I am telling you man. Just sleep with him. Get it out of your system and move on. It's not like you would be committing some cardinal sin or something. You don't have a mate, and if he was tossed to you by your brother, then he probably doesn't have one either. Or he did and they didn't want him. Either way it's not a crime. Enjoy yourself for once."

"It's too complicated and I don't know what my brother has planned by sending him to me so I am not doing anything to the kid except sending him back after I find out why he is here. And stop trying to get me laid... I don't need sex, I need you to keep an eye out for anything that seems off. Got it?" Joong had already grown tired of this conversation and wanted to end it quickly.

"Yeah yeah... I swear if anyone needs to get laid it's definitely you. But I will back off. I will see you at the party in 3 days man. I gotta go... Phu needs me again." Joong could hear Phuwin saying something loudly in the background and cut off the phone before he heard anymore. He pocketed his phone and walked to the door to leave the office.

Back at the mansion everyone was dancing around in full swing to get prepared for the upcoming party that was set to happen. It was normal for Joong to hold these little soirees every couple of months to mingle with the wealthy aristocrats who helped fund many of the projects Joong worked on to help better society for everyone. Of course in order to keep the money flowing he had to keep the fat cats happy and fed. He didn't like it, but he knew it had to be done. So he pretended to smile and care about the ultra wealthy hypocrites who bragged about their enormous wealth and the latest craze they found, while sipping wine and carrying on. It was exhausting, it was annoying, and it was happening this weekend so they had to be prepared.

"Why do we have to prepare everything so early? The party is still 3 days away right? Wouldn't it be better to do it the night before so everything is guaranteed to be clean and fresh?" Dunk followed Lucie around asking questions as he set up table arrangements and folded dinnerware into napkins.

"Oh sweetie. If it were a small party I would agree but this little shindig is massive. There will be at least 40 different groups coming from all over, not to mention they will be bringing their wives, husbands or even their children. Not to mention accommodating the servants that come along as well. It's a huge ordeal. We have to make sure everything is set and ready and we can't just wait till the last minute for something to go amiss. We have to be prepared for anything and so we start as early as we can. The Master of the house is going to be away on business till the party so we have to make sure it's all prepared while he is gone."

"I see... I never knew parties like this existed." Dunk explained in awe.

"But ain't you a noble? You mean you never went to parties like this? Ever?" She asked back, pausing in her folding to look at him. Dunk stared down at the silverware in his own hands and sighed.

"Even nobles have their own ranking system. And as an Omega I am ranked probably as low if not lower than servants. My mother would only bring me out to parade me in front of potential suitors, and even then it was quick. Most of the elites found it rather fascinating to see a noble Omega as it's a rare sight. Most simply see it as a sign of bad genes and turn my mother down. I don't think John really wanted to take me either... But I don't think he had a choice. It wasn't like he treated me any better than my own family anyways. He kept me locked up like some dark secret. He would use me then leave like I was simply a tool. Everytime he would touch me it was like he was annoyed by me. It wasn't the life I had hoped for, but at least I had a home and food. For someone like me, that's enough." His face fell as he explained his story and Lucie couldn't help but stand and walk over to hug the poor child.

"Oh my little puppy. I wish I could have been there. Those idiots are just crazy. Look at you. You are a sweet boy with a good heart. Anyone would be lucky to have you by their side. Heck even our own young master seems to be taken by you." She smirked with a knowing smile and patted the boy's head gently.

"Oh no... I don't think he likes me... he is just not used to me... I guess.I noticed that most of the staff are female. I figured it was because Sir Joong doesn't like male servants? So having me here is probably a little unsettling for him." Dunk had noticed a lot. His mind drifted back to the massage table and Joong's face close to his. He felt his body heat up at the thought and he blushed, looking down at his hands. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Lucie.

"Oh hun, that's not it at all. Yes, most of the staff here are women. But the other factor is, most of them are Beta class women. You see in this world you have tiers. The Alphas, they are the top tiers. They are powerful, influential and are seen as the best of the best. You have Omegas. They are usually considered middle tier because they can reproduce at least and that is good for the world as a whole. Of course they are usually more soft and quiet types in general. With a few exceptions. Then you have Beta class. We are the nobodies. Not strong enough to be an alpha and not able to bear children like an Omega. We are sterile from birth and are generally tossed off like used trash. But our Master Joong. He doesn't like how Beta types are treated. On the account that he is a Beta you know. So he makes it a point to hire the Beta men and women to help out so they can have a place to call home and a job that makes them proud." Lucie smiled and patted Dunk's shoulder. Moving back to her seat to resume folding the silverware. Dunk was quiet for a moment, his mind busy with what she had revealed. Joong was a Beta? Was she sure about that? He didn't act like a Beta. He didn't smell like one either. Dunk was very familiar with the scent of an Alpha and Joong gave off that scent every time they were near. It was usually a natural reaction so Dunk didn't think anything of it. But knowing now that Joong was representing as a Beta he wondered if it was a secret that he was trying to keep. Maybe there was more to why he only had Betas on staff. They wouldn't notice his pheromones maybe? Or he wouldn't react and give himself away? Was he pretending to be a Beta for their sakes? He had so many questions but he didn't ask them. If Joong wanted to hide under the guise of a Beta then who was he to stop him?

He continued on in silence as they worked hard to finish the silverware. By the time they were done it had already grown late and dinner was ready. He ate in the kitchen, listening to Alberto ramble on about the price of produce and meat products these days. Normally they would simply use what they had grown in the garden but this party was too big for their little farm so he had to go into town to order the right amount of food for the guests. It was nice to be able to relax and listen to everyone chatting away without stress. But as the days leading up to the party passed, the stress levels rose and by the night before the party came... everyone was on edge. Even Dunk could feel the tension. Was it because he knew that Joong would be coming back or was it because he would have to be around so many people? Probably a little of both. With everything on his mind he had a hard time falling asleep that night. It didn't help that as he was drifting off the scent of Joong drifted to him, sending the man into his dreams as he slept.

Joong stood on the other side of the door for a moment listening for any signs that Dunk was still awake. Once satisfied, he moved on and made his way to the quiet sanctuary of his bedroom. Tomorrow was going to be a lot and he needed rest. But he couldn't sleep. Being away from the house, away from Dunk made it all that much harder to resist his pull when he came back home. Now the entire house was filled with him. Joong also had a fitful sleep that night.