Chapter Text
Seoul never slept. Neon lights flickered against the glass of the Huntrix tower, casting long shadows across the floor where Rumi stood, fists clenched, lungs burning. Sweat ran down her temple, stinging her eyes, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Every strike, every drill, every punishing repetition was proof that she was more than what her body had branded her as. The word felt like a curse, one she swallowed down with every breath, a word that she refuses to even think in her mind.
In her head she could hear Celine barking at her to push harder, and she obeyed without hesitation, forcing her trembling muscles into another round. Discipline was easy, the pain was easy. What terrified her was the secret coiled deep inside her chest. The truth she’d hidden even from Huntrix, even from Mira and Zoey. If they knew, if anyone knew, everything she’d built could come crashing down.
Rumi’s heart pounded in her ears, louder than the music, louder than the city beyond the windows. She’d trained herself to fight like an alpha, to carry herself like a beta, to pretend she was untouchable. But lately… lately her body had been betraying her. The subtle signs were there, no matter how carefully she masked them.
And if Mira and Zoey noticed… if they put the pieces together…there would be no hiding what nature had already decided.
She stops for just a moment to breathe, resting her forehead against the criminally abused punching bag. A crumpled picture of Mystery had been crudely taped to it at one point, but she had taken it down after Mira had to drag Zoey off of the bag to prevent her from ripping at the fabric with her teeth. A small laugh, no more than a puff of air escapes her at the thought. Sweet, feral, Zoey.
She stops for just a moment to breathe, resting her forehead against the criminally abused punching bag. A crumpled picture of Mystery had been crudely taped to it at one point, but she had taken it down after Mira had to drag Zoey off of the bag to prevent her from ripping at the fabric with her teeth. A small laugh, no more than a puff of air escapes her at the thought. Sweet, feral, Zoey.
~~~
Mira, being the oldest and an alpha, was the first to present.
Rumi remembers waking up one night to a strange scent drifting through the penthouse. It was familiar, but different . It was smokey, strong, and the smell alone pulled Rumi out of bed, calling her to follow it through the corridors. Her feet padded silently over the cool, wooden floors as the smell got stronger and stronger, reaching its peak as she approached Mira’s door. It curled its way into her nose and wrapped itself around her brain in a blanket of warmth, almost making her thoughts go quiet, making her head feel fuzzy. She could hear rustling from inside and as she raised her hand to knock, the door to go flew open before it slammed shut once again. Startled, Rumi looked down, coming face to face with an out of breath Zoey. She was leaning against the door as if she was barricading it shut, space buns in complete disarray, eyes wide.
“Zoey?” Rumi asked hesitantly, stepping back to give the shorter girl some space. She was basically panting, chest heaving.
“Wasssupppp?” Zoey breathes out the word absentmindedly, eyes wide and fixated on the wall behind Rumi’s shoulder, completely zoning out.
“Is everything okay? Are you okay?” Rumi asks, placing her hand gently on the other girl’s shoulder. The smokey smell was so strong now, seemingly coming from all over Zoey. Rumi couldn’t help but take another deep inhale. It was comforting and warm, and it filled her lungs and invaded her mind. She couldn’t quite place it, but it was almost like cedarwood and amber, something strong with a subtly sweet undertone hidden beneath it. Comforting and familiar, like a campfire with smores roasting above it. The smell settled something in Rumi’s mind, but seemed to kickstart her body as she began to feel the way her heart started to beat against her ribs.
“Yeah, yeah…” Zoey waves a hand and her eyes now flick to Rumi’s face. Rumi leans in slightly, seeing just how dilated the shorter girl’s pupils are in the dark of the hallway.
Zoey tries to explain as best as she can, finally beginning to catch her breath, “Smelled something. Got worried. Went to check on Mira. Apparently she's an alpha. That's cool. So yeah”. That's when it all clicks for Rumi. Her eyes adjust a bit more to the dark and she notices it all. The heavy breathing, the terribly and hastily re-buttoned shirt, the blown pupils. The smell wasn’t coming from Zoey, it had been coming from Mira… who must've been all over Zoey.
“Oh, OH !” Rumi takes a step back as the information slowly processes through her exhausted brain. “Well congrats to her?” Rumi offers and Zoey sags just a little bit, laughing lightly.
“Yeah! I walked in to check on her and basically got pounced on. I don’t know if it's the beginning of a rut or just side effects of presenting, but she is definitely an alpha." The giddiness in Zoey’s voice causes a muddle of mixed emotions to stir in Rumi. She was glad that Mira had presented, it was one the most important days in a person’s life. But also she could feel a nauseating feeling creeping its way into the back of her mind as she looked at the other girl. She could recognize part of the anxiety, one that she had always felt when she thought about herself and what her presentation will be, but this feeling wasn’t that. She stares at Zoey who begins to chatter about calling a doctor in the morning, and can’t help but let her eyes drift. Zoey’s lips were puffy, swollen, and a deep shade of pink from what Rumi can assume is kissing Mira. Her mind wanders to the alpha in the room, thinking of her grabbing Zoey, pulling her close in desperation. Running her hands over her skin and slowly unbuttoning her pajamas for a better look. That's when she could identify it, the moment that it clicks in her brain.
Jealousy.