Ch 23: Drink the night away

"Welcome, my dear employee. Seeing that you made it here fills my heart with immense joy. Was your journey tough? Did you have to face a lot of foes? I know one of the problems you faced."

Rocxx's wide and seemingly welcoming smile only deepened Rika's suspicion. It was a trap, she was sure. Rocxx had no intention of releasing her as she had hoped.

She regretfully entered the shop and greeted Rocxx and the old lady.

"Drop the formalities. We both know that I am not here because I want to be. And before you even ask, no! I will not give you Suzie's number. I do not even know that number, so don't try to ask for it."

Rika denied any attempt Rocxx would make to ask for Suzie's contact information.

The older alpha had liked Suzie for years but was too chicken to go up to her and ask her out. (Mainly because of Mark)

As expected, Rocxx made a pouting face at Rika's accusation.

"Hey, this is not fair! Is that what you think of me? I'll let you know that I am a changed man. I did not call you here because I wanted to take advantage of you."

Rika did not believe him, but she pretended to give this man the benefit of the doubt.

Rocxx's expression said he had realised Rika's trick and still felt ticked off by her.

"Hey, I am telling the truth. Look, I did not even tell Emily or Damian that you were here. Do you think they would have left you alone if they knew about this?"

The answer was no, and Rika knew it.

She also realised that Rocxx was telling her all this so Rika would feel bad for him and lower her guard.

It was a good tactic, but Rika was too level-headed to fall for it.

"Stop pinning this on me! You did not tell those two anything because you are afraid of them. Stop making it out to be about me when it is not."

Rika quickly corrected Rocxx's misconception, which caused the older alpha to shudder.

"It is about you. Since you cannot feel pheromones, you don't realise how dangerous and possessive those two are. I do not want to discover what will happen to me once they learn about yesterday's case. And then there is Mark…"

Rocxx trailed off there. He spoke words that registered in Rika's mind and made her feel hopeful.

At the same time, she knew that she could not harbour any hope in her mind.

Not for her useless crush on her alpha couple friend or her older brother's affection.

"Alright! This is enough playing around. I came here because you promised me work. Tell me what I need to do."

Rika quickly changed the subject once she noticed that the unknown man in the shop looked awkward.

He was too big-bodied and awkward to fit in a flower shop.

"Right! We should do that. Sorry, it slipped my mind that you were there. Not that it is your fault! Rika, meet him. He's Daniel. Despite his big body and intimidating face, he is a beta. Daniel. Rika. That is all you need to know. Get to know each other well."

"Rika, I will send you an official employee contract later. Have fun getting to know each other. I will leave now."

The alpha opened the door, but before he went out, Rocxx turned toward Rika in a severe tone.

Ah, before I leave. Rike, can you give me-"

"No, I won't give you Suzie's number. If you want it, get it from Mark."

Once more, Rika denied the alpha entry into her sister's contact list. 

As much as she did not care what Suzie did or whom she interacted with, Rika did not want a creep to have her number.

Rocxx pouted and opened his mouth to say something. But then, at the last second, he considered his words and gave Rika a pitiful gaze before disappearing.

"Hey, how long have you known Rocxx? He felt and acted…. different around you. Just who the heck are you?"

Daniel asked in a worried voice. He also kept his distance from Rika and made it evident that he was uncomfortable with her.

"Rocxx is a childhood friend of mine. Just leave it at that, and do not pry any further. There is no point in putting yourself in danger."

Rika warned the man, and he quickly fell quiet. He suddenly realised that the less he knew, the better for him.

...

*ring*

Rocxx made the call as soon as he was alone in the streets. 

"Hello, it's me! Your fantastic cousin is calling you to tell you that it's done…. yes, I chose a beta because you keep nagging me…. of course, he will not get along with Rika….no! Don't come here right now! Give Rika some time to adjust…maybe a month? Please don't get angry at me. It is not my fault she's a beta and does not get the signs that you both like her…. fuck! Fine! I will keep an eye on her."

The phone call finally ended, and Rocxx rubbed his head in regret.

Calling Emily felt draining to him, especially when Damian was with her.

"That stupid alpha couple had to go and fall in love with an insensitive beta like Rika. Now they are making it mine and everyone else's problem as well. It would have been better if they liked Suzie…no fuck it! It would not have been."

As cheerful as Rocxx sounded, even he had his breaking point. And he was currently approaching it.

He still had a drinking session with Mark to go through, but Rocxx already felt like falling asleep and giving up.

It was exhausting to talk to Emily and monitor Rika for her. He did not want to ask her how she knew Rika would be there. 

Mark chose a high-class bar, and Mark was already drinking the night away.

Rocxx noticed many omegas wanting to get close to Mark but seemed hesitant due to the frustrated pheromones Mark released.

'Fuck! Is it going to be one of those nights? I knew I should have stayed home when I had a chance to.'

Rocxx regretted his decision to come out. But now that he was here, he might use the situation.

"Oh my! You look miserable, my friend. Did you fight with Suzie or your mother? Did one of the reports on Suzie's tests come back wrong? Come on! Talk to me about it."

Rocxx tried to make Mark feel better about the situation, but Mark continued to ignore him and nurse his drink. It was beginning to frustrate Rocxx tonight.

He was about to take a sip from Mark's drink when the older alpha growled at him and pulled his drink closer.

Mark was intoxicated and out of it, but his possessiveness knew no bounds. At that moment, he was the prime example of an 'Alpha.'

"Alright, fine! I get it. I will not try to take your drink away from you, alright? Now, can you talk to me about what is bugging you?"

Rocxx finally settled down and nursed his drink.

The bartender knew his order well on such frustrating days, and Rocxx soon had his drink.

But his friend still did not say anything to him during this time.

He was afraid that nothing would be said even after the drinking time was up, but Mark surprised him by speaking up.

"That fucker! How dare she do this to us? What did we do so wrong that she did not even turn around to rethink her choice of leaving us for a state academy? Rika, what are you thinking."

Mark complained as he drowned another glass of beer like it was water. His frustration shined through his eyes. 

Rocxx could tell that his friend was struggling because of Rika.

It was funny to him how Mark could like and hate his sister at the exact time like this, but he was not suicidal enough to comment on it.

"Hey, it's okay! I am sure your sister just grew up and wanted to escape home. Most people have that thought at her age. It will be fine, right? You always told me that Rika was an independent girl you did not have to worry about."

Rocxx tried to help Mark and Rika simultaneously by assuring his friend that Rika's decision was satisfactory.

He understood why his friend was being like this.

Sometimes, even Rocxx needed clarification, as it was a beta. She looked and felt like an omega, and his instincts thought she was a beta until he tried to check her with his pheromones.

Rocxx had never seen such a unique case before, and he even suggested that Mark take Rika to a specialist to check her out.

But Mark had taken offence to his suggestion, and this topic had never been brought up again.