"Do we have the same supernatural power similar to yours?"
That question came up from Jessie when we were having breakfast together in the dining room. All members were gathered here on the dining table as we enjoyed a simple meal from the food we had in stock.
Spreading a spoonful of jam onto my bread, I answered her, "No, your blessing usually comes in physical buffs – Bishops have more strength, Knights have more agility, and Rooks have sturdier bodies. It's not at a level of superhuman, but you'll definitely feel the difference growing slowly in your body."
I then glanced at Cassius, "For a Queen however, there's a slight difference. They gained all those physical buffs as they have the most responsibilities to protect the King and act as their second-in-command."
"Yeah, that's so unfair! I also want to use powerful cool moves to fight my enemies." Azazel sighed as she munched her boiled corn, prompting others to also lament their fate.
"If Azazel or Ornil are the ones who received that kind of supernatural power, I'm sure we'll hear something like 'Dragon king heed my call!' every single day." Baretta grinned as she teased them.
"Tsktsktsk, you shouldn't underestimate childish imagination Baretta. Keeping your inner child alive while you're already an adult is what makes the world easier to breathe in."
"Ahem, it's not as if you've never imagined yourself with superpowers right? It's not wrong to let your imagination wander."
Azazel and Ornil both defended themselves like their lives depended on it. Seeing their childish interaction, I couldn't help but laugh.
'It seems like they are already more comfortable with each other.'
And that's a great sign that this faction was growing in the right direction.
Tidying up my utensils, I stood up and left the dining room.
"You're done?"
"Yeah, I'll go out first. Don't forget to wash the dishes."
Cassius asked, which I replied with a smile.
It's now time for the next plan.
.
.
Standing on my base's second-floor balcony, I gazed at the call history on my phone. Haide's name was displayed on the screen, and it was a missed call from 5 days ago.
This was the call I received from him a few hours before our first operation. As we were both cautious bastards, we didn't leave text and only shared a glimpse of each other's plan from calls.
He wanted to tell me that his faction was having a change of plans and was going to have a discussion in Rachel's company. But because of my carelessness, I didn't call him back, which resulted in our meeting in the sewer.
And that unplanned early meeting between Kings caused a small spark in Haide's faction.
'It's my fault.'
That day, I was too focused on getting my plan to success that I forgot to check my phone. However, this time, I needed to make sure to talk to Haide before executing our plan.
'I need to leave the base again after I instructed my members.'
"Yolan."
"Baretta."
Before that, there's one thing I was curious about, so I called Baretta to this balcony.
"Sorry, it must be hard climbing up and down the stairs with your wound."
"It's fine, it's not like I can't walk at all. How about yours? It must have hurt more if you got shot in the stomach."
She frowned as she stared at my side but I just waved it off, "The bullet wasn't lodged inside, it just grazed my side."
Baretta walked to the edge and leaned on the railing, feeling the cold wind of winter brush her face before she turned to me.
"So? What do you need me for?"
I also leaned on the railing as I spoke, "Baretta, how do you know Torentto family?"
"Ah, you heard my muttering huh?" she paused, tapping her finger in a rhythm before turning to me again.
"Let me tell you, there's nothing good that will come out of using their loan, so it's better to stay as far away as possible from them."
'Loan? Ah, how that's why she knows.'
I thought Baretta was involved with Torentto in a way that Haide was, either as a relative or as one of the underworld's members.
But I was wrong.
Other than working as the underworld's biggest information channel, Torentto also had a more 'legal' way of earning money – loan shark.
And Baretta was one of their debtors.
"Then, you've met one of the Torentto family members?"
Baretta rubbed her temple as she sighed, "Yeah, my family's economic condition wasn't great in the past, so my father's friend introduced him to their loan place."
She gazed at the streets below us as she continued, "There was once a time when we passed the due date and the thugs of that loan place came barging inside our house."
"He introduced himself as Axelei Torentto. As he was a dominant alpha, he forced my father and me to submit using his pheromone." She scrunched her nose, "The memory was imprinted in my mind. They had such a unique smell of pheromone, there's no way I would mistake it. That man in the sewer was undoubtedly related to him."
She then turned to me, "Wait, you're an omega right, Yolan? How could you stand still under that intense pheromone he released? You smelled it too, don't you?"
'I don't.'
I just smiled sheepishly at her question. Because I couldn't smell any pheromone in this life, my combat capabilities weren't affected by it.
'Hmm… Would it be weird if I said I can't smell?'
I rubbed my chin as I contemplated this question, but under Baretta's stare, I decided to brush that question off.
"I have a higher tolerance than others. But don't worry, I would never take a loan from them. I just asked because you seem to know details about our enemy."
Baretta raised her head to the sky, focusing her eyes on the floating golden board, "Ah right. That woman said something like 'my king', so that man must be their leader. Haide Ritcher… Wait… Ritcher? I'm sure he has the same pheromone as Axelei though."
"Maybe they are cousins? Who knows? But at least we know a bit more about them."
"True." She paused before glancing at me again. From her stare, she seemed to have more to say, but she kept her mouth shut, creating a tranquil silence between us.
"I'll go first, I need to change my bandage."
"Alright, be careful going down. I definitely don't want to see you crashing down the floor."
"Pftt, I'm an alpha you know? I'm not that weak. You're the one who should take care of yourself."
She walked toward the door, before she took one last glance at me, "Hey Yolan."
"Yeah?"
"Sorry I doubted you in the beginning. Though Samuel doesn't agree with your way of doing things, I know you're doing it with our safety in mind."
She then vanished behind the door as she said one last sentence.
"You're a good leader."
The door shut with a click.
I was now left alone on the balcony with the chilly wind brushing against my skin.
'Well… That was something.'
Baretta wasn't someone unreasonable, in fact, she's quick-witted. She knew what question to ask and could judge on her own. Other than Cassius and Azazel, she was the first to understand my explanation and thinking.
And that small praise from her was a great first step to a long-lasting friendship.
A smirk formed on my face. Brushing my hair, I walked toward the door as the chills from the wind were starting to seep through my clothes.
'Let's get a warm cup of tea before I go back to my house.'
But my thoughts couldn't be realised as a sudden pain shot from my stomach.
"Ugh!"
A sudden wave of dizziness engulfed me, making me tumbled down the floor. The feverish heat rising from inside my body revealed why I suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous.
I was entering my heat.
"Haa… Suppressant."
In my previous life, there would be signs every time my heat was coming. I would feel lethargic and cramps, but in this life, whenever my heat came, it always came like a truck.
It crashed so suddenly without warning and the pain that came with it was gut-wrenching.
'It has the same intensity as the heat I experienced after I've been marked.'
A marked omega with no alpha.
And the gradual loss of my mind as I endured my heat without my 'mate'.
This was precisely what I'd been enduring in each of my heats in this life.
Rummaging through my pocket, my trembling hand finally located the suppressant syringe I carried around as a precaution.
I ripped the seal open and stabbed it onto my hand. Within a few seconds, I could finally breathe a little easier.
'Call… I need to call someone.'
I needed someone to take me back to my house – someone I could trust.
'Cassius… No, Azazel.'
I pulled out my phone and tried my best to focus – searching my contacts as my head was pounding.
'Found it.'
The phone rang, and the sound of Azazel's giggles came through the line.
[Hello? Yolan, we're in the same place, you could have just come up to me and speak directly-]
"Azazel… Haa… Can you… Come up the second-floor balcony and help me?"
[What…? Wait, I'm coming, stay still!]
Though Azazel said she's coming, she didn't end the call, but I definitely could hear her rushed footsteps from the line.
Within a minute, I could hear shoe soles echoing from a distance and once it got close, the door in front of me flung open.
"Yolan!"
Spotting me lying weakly on the floor, Azazel immediately crouched in front of me as she touched my cheek.
She frowned, "Wait, what is this? Is this heat?! Are you entering your heat?!"
I weakly nodded which made Azazel burst into panic.
"Oh shit, whatdoIdowhatdoIdo, suppressant… Ah you've already taken it. Um… alpha? Do you have a partner I could call? Wait, you never told me you have a boyfriend, oh shit… What do I do…"
Seeing her panicking while trying to help me made me chuckle. It's true that I had never told her I dated Haide and for a beta like Azazel, knowledge about omega's heat wasn't common.
But I called her here not because I wanted her to relieve me of my pain.
"Can you… Take me downstairs? To my house if possible."
"Ah, right. If it's that much, I could do it."
Azazel wrapped my shoulder around hers, helping me descend the stairs slowly.
"Yolan…?"
A voice called out. I glanced at the source and located Eliot, Jessie and Samuel coming out from the living room. Behind them were Baretta, Ornil and Cassius – each with an unreadable expression on their faces.
"Move out everyone! Especially you alphas! Stay as far away as possible!"
Under Azazel's stern voice, even the kids were staying out of the way. That made me breathlessly laugh again.
As expected, Azazel was the right choice.