Chapter 179: The Dopamine Effect
Kayden
I couldn’t stand it. Everything was unfolding exactly according to the plans Rhys and I had made back in Langose City, but still I couldn’t bring myself to stay in the room when the announcement was made.
As if sensing my rising uneasiness, Leo grabbed my hand just before the words left Rhys’s grandfather’s lips and pulled me outside the hall.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded as he stayed silent, simply dragging me along with him until we were completely out of the building.
The moon hung high in the sky when we stepped outside, and the breeze was surprisingly pleasant, gently blowing away some of the suffocating uneasiness I had felt inside.
"I shouldn’t have come to this kind of gathering. It’s not something I like at all. No wonder Rhys gave that pompous attitude the first time I saw him," Leo complained. "I knew something was off about his family from the way they act online, but I never expected it would be this crazy. And that woman who birthed you just sat there, smiling happily beside her dear son. It’s something I wish I hadn’t seen."
At the mere mention of Linda, something heavy twisted in my chest. It felt like a hard, brutal blow had struck me square in the ribs, leaving me to deal with the pain alone. But then I felt Leo’s warm hand settle firmly on my shoulder.
"You don’t need to care about that woman."
"Right," I responded, shrugging off the heavy feeling as best as I could. "I already have two amazing mothers."
"That’s right," Leo said, tapping my shoulder reassuringly. "But still, I want you to confront her one day. Say it to her face that you are her son."
I sighed deeply. "I don’t care about her anymore. If that woman truly cared about me, she would have looked for me all these years. But she left and only came back now. That means something. Still, just like you said, I am going to meet her again, let her know exactly who I am, and then cut every single tie with her for good."
Leo wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a comforting hug against his chest. "I am proud of you for being so strong," he murmured, rubbing my shoulder gently. Then he suddenly gasped. "I just thought of something. This means you and Rhys are stepbrothers, right?"
"I never thought of that," I responded in a flat, emotionless tone. "I don’t consider Linda as my mother and never will, so we are not connected in any way."
"That’s true."
"So," I cleared my throat and lowered my head slightly to meet his eyes, since he was an inch shorter than me. It was a habit I always fell into whenever I teased him. "Tell me, Leo, how are things going between you and Miller?" I asked, deliberately changing the topic.
I had already had enough of hearing about Linda.
"Don’t try to deny it, by the way, because I can see the glow in your eyes. You look..."
Leo gave me a curious look as I paused. "How do I look?"
I paused, placing a finger thoughtfully against my lips. "You look very happy, and I love that for you," I said with a wink.
He chuckled lightly and immediately lowered his head as his face flushed red.
"Oh, you are blushing. I am sure the deal is done, right?" I nudged his shoulder playfully.
"Don’t be absurd, Kayden. I am not ’blushing’ in the sentimental sense you’re implying," Leo corrected, adjusting his glasses with precision. "What you are observing is a localized case of vasodilation in the facial dermis."
I rolled my eyes at him and burst into genuine laughter. "Oh please, Leo! I don’t care whatever scientific case it is, and stop trying to change the topic with this nonsense I don’t understand. I’m happy that you two have resolved your issues and are together now. It makes perfect sense."
Leo smiled brightly and twirled around once in excitement.
That was new, I thought. The Leo I knew would never do something like that. He had always been so uptight, acting perfect about everything.
"I am happy for you," I told him sincerely.
"You have no idea," he replied excitedly, his voice echoing softly through the quiet night air.
We weren’t the only ones outside. Security guards were stationed around the grounds, but they were too focused on their duties to pay any attention to what we were doing.
Leo looked up at me, his smile still bright and genuine. "He took me to his parents’ grave and introduced me. I have never felt anything like that before. It’s like..."
He paused for a moment, and I already knew exactly what was coming next.
I folded my arms and stared at him as he launched into it.
"It’s like a massive, synchronized neurochemical cascade," he said, taking a step forward and gazing up at the dark sky. "My ventral tegmental area is essentially flooding my nucleus accumbens with an unprecedented surge of dopamine. It isn’t just a localized spark, Kayden." He turned toward me and took my hands in his.
"It’s a systemic saturation. My brain has identified Miller as a primary reward stimulus, and the resulting synaptic firing is so intense it’s actually overriding my baseline homeostasis."
He looked down at his own chest and pressed my hands against it. "Feel my heart racing. My oxytocin levels must be peaking, creating this profound sense of interpersonal bonding and safety that defies my usual defensive protocols. It’s a total disruption of my limbic system. Usually, I can categorize a feeling, isolate the variable, and move on. But this? This is a prolonged dopaminergic loop. My prefrontal cortex is struggling to maintain its typical executive function because the surge is just... it’s absolute. It’s not just a ’feeling,’ Kayden. It’s a complete neurological surrender."
I simply nodded as I listened to his string of medical jargon.
Typical Leo, but much worse now that he was in love.
He looked back up at me, his smile widening even further.
"I’m essentially intoxicated on my own endogenous chemicals. And the most statistically improbable part? I don’t want to find the cure." He dropped my hands and sighed dreamily. "Miller is..."
"In normal human terms, you both are in love."
He nodded.
"Great. I am glad you two have sorted out your differences," I told him. "You, my friend, bagged yourself a hottie."
Leo scoffed. "As if you didn’t bag a hottie," he fired back.
"Touché."
He sighed and moved to stand beside me again. As he started speaking once more, I noticed a subtle shift in his tone. "About you and Rhys... I know you both are pretending until when..."
"Until the season ends," I finished for him. "He’s trying to protect my identity, and I thank him for that. But somehow I can’t help but think that he wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me and..."
Leo stopped me before I could finish. He placed a comforting arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. "I don’t think Rhys sees it that way. He might come from one of the worst families, but I am sure he loves you. He has proven it so many times. That man is ready to go to war for you."
"But I don’t want him to anymore. I want to do something for him. He shouldn’t have to carry all the problems alone. I should be able to help him too."
"And you will, Kayden. Coming out as an omega is already doing more than enough."
I sighed and nodded in response. He was right about everything. "Until then, we just have to keep up with the facade," I said, running a hand through my hair before glancing back at the grand building. "We should go back inside. I am sure the announcement would have finished by now."
Leo nodded in agreement.
Together we walked back into the house, and I began teasing him about Miller again.
"Who would have thought someone like you would be in love?"
"Don’t even go there. Our bodies are designed to—"
He paused mid-sentence and stopped walking abruptly.
I had been so focused on him that I didn’t realize what was happening until I looked straight ahead.
Right in front of us stood Rhys.
Our eyes met for a brief second. Since we were still within the walls of the Rami Calder estate, I decided to continue the pretense and started to look away. But suddenly he called my name loudly and rushed toward me, pulling me into a warm, tight hug.