This is short, but I think it's good and that's what matters.
Friendly reminder that I promised fast pace on the main plot (the relationship is slow burn now, there's no turning back)
24. Προχώρηση
Connor doesn't need to hear Evan's explanation to understand what's happening, his nose does all the explaining for him; still, he doesn't stop the omega. Instead he pretends to listen as he watches Evan; face flushed, and hands in constant movement as he tells Connor what he already knows.
He only pays attention when Evan starts talking about blockers, and why he can't get the ones that work properly; like he's dancing around what he really wants to say. There's fear hanging in the air between them, almost unnoticeable with how strong the alluring scent was, and Connor did mean the scent specific to pre-heats and heats, the one that was making him feel woozy.
Omegas in heat produced a very specific sort of scent that attracted alphas to them, better known as 'alluring scent'. There were very few ways an alpha could ignore this type of scent, the first and most common was through distaste; if an alpha wasn't at all interested on an omega naturally, there was little the scent could do to sway them.
The second way was if the alpha was already mated to someone; mating bonds are powerful things that bind two people together permanently - though there are methods to break the bond, they are both expensive and painful -, and therefore, trump natural attraction to someone other than one's mate.
The last, and least common of all due to the fact that it implied effort from the alpha's part, way was to want the omega properly; that is to say, if the alpha is interested in courting an omega, and said omega goes into heat before the courting begins, the alpha might be able to restrain themselves in order to win their trust. It's supposed to be extremely hard, as one has to be into the omega in the first place, and by that rule much more susceptible to the scent than any other alpha; 'supposed' being the key word.
It's not that Connor isn't tempted, he is so very much so, the alluring scent coupled with Evan's growing comfort around him does things to his entire being that he isn't particularly proud of; but it's just… Evan.
Evan who risked his neck in order to hide Tera, who was now housing her even though the Hansen's weren't exactly well off. Evan who had a kind of fire in him that called to Connor, that made him want to go back and forth with him, to see him be so absolutely done with him, and still be hiding a smile.
Evan who trusted Connor enough to ask him for help with Jared, and who was willing to stay close to the alpha even with the circumstances. And the fact that the whole 'let's stick together even though I'm gonna be smelling like a sex fantasy waiting to happen' thing is only happening because Evan's afraid of Jared spilling, shouldn't even cross Connor's mind once the alluring scent filled his nostrils; yet it does, and that's painfully telling.
The problem is mostly that Connor doesn't know how to play the fact that he can actually restrain himself; he doesn't want to come on too strong and scare Evan off, but he also doesn't want Evan to think he isn't interested, or taken. Connor just can't catch a break really.
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Alexei knows just as much as anyone else about Connor Murphy, that is to say, nothing other than rumors, and the beta isn't one to trust the rumor mill, relations with the year book committee non-withstanding. They know who Connor Murphy is, he's hard to miss really, but they don't know him.
They can however testify that some of the rumors about the infamous alpha are actually truth, fights in the hallways caught when going from class to class, and disinterest in fitting in shown boldly by chasing after a less than appropriate omega; not that Alexei is judging, they frankly thank their stars that they don't have to partake in the mess that are alpha-omega relationships.
Alexei is only taking notice of Murphy because Trevor said he had recognized his scent while in the orchard, that he only realized who the familiar scent belonged to because it was the only alpha that smelled more dangerous than the omega whose smell had almost choked him at the abandoned nest. Trevor had reason to believe that Murphy had been the one to get rid of the nest, and was therefore their best clue to finding about their sister.
The problem was, neither knew how to approach him about it, Trevor suggested it would be safer, and probably more effective to get to him through the omega he was gravitating around; one of the few werefoxes in school, a most likely anxious boy by the name of Evan Hansen.
Being a member of the yearbook committee meant having a general idea of which people where the hardest to get pictures of other than the school regulated one; if Connor Murphy was infamous with the people at school, Evan Hansen was infamous with the committee. Trevor, as lead photographer, had complained on multiple occasions just how hard it was to get a decent shot of the guy, 'I carried my camera around my neck all day Lexi! It's like he goes invisible or something!' and other variants; Alexei had developed a penchant for noticing Hansen more than they would have otherwise.
Though they fully agreed that Evan would be easier to talk to than Murphy, Alexei still thought talking to the omega wouldn't be an easy task either. No, if they wanted to pin Hansen down they would need help.
So Alexei pulled Trevor aside and tried to convey in their expression the fact that this was absolutely necessary.
"I think it's time we call in the cavalry"
Trevor gives them a look, bites his lips, and then nods with a wary expression.
"I trust your judgement, but you may want to be careful around the power lizard subject"
Alexei doesn't blame him for the way he dances around the actual term, they can't tell if someone's listening at school, and this is a delicate matter. The beta doesn't want to attract the wrong attention; they know they got extremely lucky with Trevor not being immediately scared when the revelation struck, they can't chance it.
Alexei knows how people view dragons; Alexei also knows that they won't be any more merciful towards their baby sister. They might not have met her yet, but they'd be damned if anything happened to Tera.
