Chapter 71: Fifty percent is not Zero
Leo
I really pity him.
As I watched Kayden clutch his hair in that desperate, self punishing grip, fingers tangled tight as he lamented his fate, I couldn’t help thinking that he should have listened to me.
I warned him about pumping too many suppressants into his body, but Kayden has always been stubborn; he always does exactly as he wishes, consequences be damned.
"Kayden, stop pulling your hair," I said, rolling my eyes as I closed the space between us. I grabbed his hands and pulled them down firmly, forcing him to look at me. "Panic isn’t a physiological solution."
He stared back at me with bloodshot eyes and groaned. "You said I only have a fifty-fifty chance, Leo."
"I said the damage is significant," I countered, crossing my arms and slipping back into my detached, professional tone, the one that usually kept me from losing my mind every time I was around him.
"In clinical terms, your reproductive system is currently in a state of atrophy. The hyper suppression caused a feedback loop in your pituitary gland. However, the human body has a remarkable capacity for cellular regeneration once the toxicity, the blockers, is removed from the equation."
I paused and pointed at the chart trembling in his hands. "What you’re looking at is a temporary cessation of function. If we begin an aggressive hormone replacement therapy, the kind that aligns with your natural Omega biology instead of fighting it, we can potentially jump-start the follicles. This isn’t a no, Kayden. It’s not right now."
I paused again, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "Your best friend is a doctor, remember. Mathematically, your chances of conception in the future remain at fifty percent. We would need to monitor your body without the interference of Alpha mimicking chemicals."
I stopped talking when I saw him blink slowly, trying to push through the haze of grief and shock. There was no way he was processing the medical jargon; I knew that much instantly.
"So..." His voice cracked into a whisper. "I’m not a dead end?"
"Biologically? No. But practically?" I exhaled. "You’re a medical minefield." I didn’t soften it. "Your body has been a war zone for five years. If you ever decide to carry, it would be a high risk scenario. But the window isn’t nailed shut, Kayden. It’s just heavy."
I glanced over at Rhys, still asleep in the bed, then back at Kayden. "What you should focus on right now is the immediate reality of your career," I added quietly, noticing the subtle change in Rhys’s breathing. "The news. The league, and Rhys."
Kayden dragged a hand down his face and rubbed his forehead until the skin turned red.
I just stared at him.
He was a talented boy who wanted nothing more than acceptance, but because of his status, the world had decided he wasn’t allowed that. So he wore a mask. And now that someone had torn that mask away, all that remained was scar tissue.
"Is my scent perfect now?" he asked, voice trembling. "I..." He looked down at his hands as if they were crumbling to dust. "Am I just... am I just an Omega now? Is that it?"
I shook my head. "Your scent is currently spiked due to the drought reacting with the blockers," I explained. "But to answer your question, you’ve always been an Omega, no matter how much you pumped into your system, dear." I softened slightly. "And I do have a solution. For now."
"Leo," Kayden whispered, eyes darting toward the bed where the Alpha lay. "What am I supposed to do now? What happens when Rhys wakes up? He’s going to tell everyone, isn’t he? The league, the press... he’ll tell them all I’m an Omega and I..."
I followed his gaze to Rhys and thought about the way he had fought to stay awake while holding Kayden. The way he had stayed, even when his words had been sharp and angry. He did care about Kayden.
"No," I said firmly, turning back to Kayden. "I don’t believe he will. Rhys Calder might look like a jerk, but if he wanted to destroy you, he would’ve left you to the vultures at the gala. He wouldn’t have stayed here all night, pouring his cooling pheromones into your system. He’s angry, Kayden, and that anger is justified, but he isn’t a fool. He knows exactly what an announcement like that would do to the team."
I moved toward the medicine cabinet, rummaging through it until my fingers closed around a specific vial. I pulled it out and held it up. "While I was running your tests, I prepared something for you. A special tonic."
I placed it in his line of sight. "It’s a stabilizer. It’ll help your system recover from the shock. I’ve also added a high concentration of a synthetic masking agent. It’s not a suppressant, so it won’t kill you, but it will block your Omega scent and mimic an Alpha pheromone profile until the season is over and..." I paused as I walked back to him, pressing the vial into his palm.
"It will only wear off if... well, if Rhys releases his pheromones around you, since you’re clearly more connected than ever now." I hesitated. "And if you let him knot you again."
"This is safe, right?" Kayden asked, hands shaking as he stared at the glass.
I rolled my eyes. "It’s safer than the poison you’ve been swallowing," I snapped, though there was no real cruelty in it. "Drink all of it. And whatever you do, if you get horny, try not to be in public. The mask degrades faster, especially if Rhys is nearby."
Kayden squeezed his eyes shut and downed the liquid in one go, immediately wincing. "Goodness. This tastes like shit."
"Better than suppressants," I shot back. "I’ve been working on the formula for years. Be kind."
He rubbed his chest, then handed the empty bottle back to me. "Thank you, Leo. For everything." He stepped forward and hugged me tightly. "I wouldn’t be here without you."
I chuckled, wrapping an arm around his back and rubbing it gently. "It’s alright," I whispered.
The door suddenly burst open.
Miller stumbled into the room, looking like he’d just crawled out of a battlefield.
"What the hell is going on?" he shouted.