Tiffany's eyes widened in response to the unexpected request, causing her heart to race wildly within her chest, momentarily losing focus. "W-what did you just say?" she asked, taken aback.

"Mark me," Taeyeon repeated.

"T-taeyeon, are you out of your mind?" Tiffany asked, her hands cupping Taeyeon's face.

Taeyeon smiled. "No."

Tiffany, a mix of nervousness, confusion, and shock evident in her voice, questioned, "Why do you want me to mark you?"

Taeyeon chuckled, fingers entwined with Tiffany's. "I want to be your mate, officially." Tiffany's peace of mind quickly dissipated.

"It's your heat, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't."

"Of course it is! You're not in your full state of mind!"

"Why not? Because I want to be marked?"

"It's those pills! They are messing with your body! I've told you they're going to do bad stuff to you someday!"

"It's not my pills!" Taeyeon interrupted. "You're my girlfriend, and I want to bond with you."

"You're totally crazy right now!"

Taeyeon chuckled. "Oh, am I?"

"You don't need to rush," Tiffany quickly interjected. "It's okay; I can wait till you're ready."

"I'm ready."

"No, you're not," Tiffany shook her head. "You just think you are because you're in heat."

"I'm not in heat."

Tiffany gulped, stepping backward.  Her palm pushed Taeyeon away. "Let's just wait, okay?"

"Wait for what?"

"Let's wait for this," Tiffany gestured in a circle with her hand. "To end. Let's wait till the week is over, till you're back to your normal self, okay?"

"I'm on my normal self."

"Well, if you were, you wouldn't be eating all those foods, having a fever, and asking me to mark you in the kitchen where Sunny could see us!"

Taeyeon chuckled.

"Don't rush it, okay?" Tiffany's voice softened. "There's no need to."

"You don't want to?" The sad pitch in her voice made Tiffany raise her head. "You don't want to mark me?" Tiffany gulped nervously. "I... I'm sorry, Taeyeon. I don't really think this is the best time for that. It's not that I'm rejecting you; it's just that I don't think this is the right time."

Tiffany's nervousness persisted as her girlfriend's eyes remained downcast. "I'm sorry, Taeyeon. I just don't want that to happen again."

"I'm not going to be mad at you."

"Thanks," she said, still a little stressed. "But I think it's for the best if we wait a couple of days or weeks, okay?"

Taeyeon nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"Let's make this natural for both of us. When the right time comes, we'll sort it out."

 Taeyeon smiled, hugging her tightly. "I don't want to sort you out. You're my girlfriend, after all. I don't like sharing." 

Tiffany chuckled. "Now who's the one being possessive here?"

~~*~~

Tiffany found herself with unexpected self-doubt, surprised to discover her new apprehension in regards to ual intimacy. She had always believed her Alpha status rendered her inherently stronger, braver, and more prepared to face challenges than others. And no caste was better prepared for than alphas! Males or females, alphas were always ready for bedroom affairs. However, her current state contradicted the general consensus of her own kin, leaving her gripped by an unfamiliar fear. 

What in the world was wrong with her?

Even after weeks Taeyeon's heat had subsided and the omega was back to her usual self, Tiffany found no peace of mind. Taeyeon's request to mark her and her own denial lingered persistently in Tiffany's mind. Taeyeon, respecting Tiffany's decision, didn't broach the subject again. Yet, Tiffany remained unsure of Taeyeon's true feelings, fearing that her own rejection might be misunderstood by her girlfriend.

Confused and reluctant to confide in her Alpha friends, Tiffany felt like she needed counseling from someone with a different perspective. She needed guidance and counseling from someone outside that circle, outside their dorm and willing to listen to her. And only one person came to mind—Sunmi.

~~*~~

"Hello, little alpha."

"You've got to help me, Sunmi!" Tiffany entered, embracing the woman.

"It's been a while," Sunmi remarked, inviting her into the bedroom. “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were avoiding me.” 

"I'm not here for that."

"You're not? Then why are you here?" Sunmi frowned, not understanding. 

"I need your help." 

Sunmi raised an eyebrow. "My help?"

"It's Taeyeon..."

"Your omega roommate?"

"She's my girlfriend now." Tiffany stated matter-of-factly.

"Isn't this supposed to be a good thing?"

Tiffany covered her face with her hands. "She asked me to mark her."

"And why are you coming to my house instead of being with your omega girlfriend, you stupid Alpha?"

"Because I..." Tiffany closed her eyes, inhaling. "I don't know how to do it."

Sunmi giggled. “What? Are you even hearing yourself, Little Alpha?”

Tiffany, not paying attention to the giggles, said, “I've never done this before.”

"Believe me, Tiffany, you know how to do it! It's a basic instinct of yours."

Tiffany sat on the couch, a perplexed expression on her face. “I don’t know! It’s not only , is it? I remember in school classes, something about imprinting. I don’t feel like I’m ready for it.”

Sunmi sighed, finding the situation amusing. “Oh, look at you, being overdramatic. How cute. Tiffany, you’re ready for it. You’ve been ready since the day she caught your interest."

"What if she doesn't like it?"

Sunmi chuckled. “Having ? You think she won’t like having with you?”

"What if she doesn't like the way I do it? What if I let her down?"

"Are you serious?"

"What? You think I'm joking? I wouldn’t bear it if Taeyeon is left disappointed and unsatisfied."

Sunmi seemed to find the whole situation extremely funny as her giggles couldn’t stop coming to the surface.  "Oh yes, the horror for an alpha kin, disappointing people in bed!” Tiffany didn’t really think that was funny. “She is your girlfriend, Tiffany. If she didn't like you enough, you wouldn't become her girlfriend! She probably thought hard about that, and if she asked you to mark her, then it means she's ready. And trust me, Tiffany,  Omega people… they know when they are ready."

Tiffany shook her head. "What if I... what if I fail?” She asked, unsure of herself. “I just... I just want her to enjoy it as well. It should be a moment for her too, right? Not only for me."

"Why don't you tell her that?" Tiffany widened her eyes.

"What?"

"Why don't you tell her what you're telling me now?"

"I can't tell her that!"

"Yes, you can; she's your girlfriend now."

"She will take me as a noob!"

"Tiffany..."

"She will take me as a coward!"

Sunmi laughed, still finding the whole situation amusing. "Tiffany, she is your girlfriend! Telling her your insecurities is what she's eager for. It's a sign of trust, and there’s nothing wrong with letting her know that you can also be insecure and afraid about that stuff. It’s a relationship; communication is supposed to happen between you two.” Tiffany stood quietly.

Sunmi sighed, sitting on the couch beside her.

“Look, I know we all have our roles in this system, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to step out of it. If you are afraid that you won’t please her in bed, let her lead you. And if she doesn’t know what she likes, help her find out. Help her discover what you like and what turns you on. The government isn’t in bed when you guys are having your time together, so don’t let them take this moment away from you. Strip those labels away from you guys. No alphas or omegas anymore. Just be her girlfriend. And let her be your girlfriend. You have something special, and you shouldn't lose it because you want to hold your label of alpha female who is not afraid of anything.”

"…"

“Trust me on this, Tiffany… You can engage in a thousand beds, but two minutes of real love and care are worth more than a whole life of whoredom.” Tiffany blinked, feeling like Sunmi's words opened a whole new world inside her.

Sunmi chuckled, gently giving Tiffany a peck on her lips. “And if I were your girlfriend, I would be mad that instead of being with me, you're running after another woman.”

"I'm not looking for that." The alpha corrected.

"Then go back to her."

And Tiffany smiled, nodding her head. “Thank you, Sunmi.”

“Take this with you.” Sunmi handed her a candy before Tiffany could leave.

“What’s this for?”

“I just kissed you, and if you try kissing her without a flavor in your mouth, she will know you came to me.”

"But we didn't have ."

"Trust me, Little Alpha, she will know. Omegas become sensitive towards their mates and can pick up any scent that comes in contact with their partners."

"Really?"

"Yeah, now you have to walk on eggshells with her." Tiffany smiled, accepting the candy.

"Thank you, Sunmi."

"You’re welcome, Little Alpha."

~~*~~

Tiffany’s smile softened as she found her girlfriend sleeping on the couch. She walked closer and her fingers brushed Taeyeon’s bangs to the side. 

“You’re so pretty.” Tiffany commented in a whisper, not wanting to wake her up. But that disturbed Taeyeon’s sleep as she grunted something unintelligible and opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times before resting her eyes upon Tiffany.

“Hi...” Tiffany greeted.

“Hi...” Taeyeon answered, smiling. “What are you doing here?”

“Just watching you sleep.”

“Creepy.” 

Tiffany smiled. “I missed you.”

“Sorry, if I pushed you away with those pills.”

“It’s okay. I understand. Everything is over now, so it doesn’t matter.”  

Taeyeon nodded. “Where have you been?” She asked casually. “You’ve gone somewhere else pretty late, haven’t you? You should tell your alpha friends to stop calling you so late...” 

Tiffany hesitated, uncertain of how to respond. She didn’t want to upset Taeyeon by mentioning she went to meet Sunmi yet lying to her felt kinda wrong. So, with no better idea in mind for what to answer, Tiffany decided to kiss Taeyeon tenderly. 

Yet, cold shivers ran down her spine when their lips touched each other. There was something amiss. And Tiffany knew it came from Taeyeon’s side. Taeyeon broke the kiss apart the moment their tongues met. 

Tiffany felt her little finger twitch when Taeyeon’s eyes darkened. The overall temperature of the room fell to a couple of degrees colder. The moment Tiffany noticed Taeyeon’s nostrils flaring, she closed her eyes. 

“Please, tell me that you didn’t...”

“I...” The alpha exhaled, searching for the right words to explain. “I went to… meet...Sunmi.” She had anticipated Taeyeon’s reaction yet when the woman rose up from the couch and turned her back to Tiffany, it hurt nonetheless. 

“Taeyeon… look, I know you’re thinking all sorts of things there.” Tiffany attempted to diffuse the tension. “But I didn’t do what you’re thinking of me.” 

“You said...” Taeyeon started, her voice a little raspy. “You would wait until this is over...”

“It’s not what you are thinking, Tae.”

“It is not? Why would you meet your when I’m your girlfriend?” She turned around, her fingers pointing at herself. 

“I needed advice.”

“Advice for what?  How to fool your girlfriend and have with ??” The anger in her voice was evident. It made Tiffany roll up her eyes, a little exhausted to deal with that at the time of night. “Don’t roll your eyes at me when I’m speaking!” 

Tiffany exhaled. “I really don’t wanna waste my time in this conversation…” 

“How dare you do this to me?” Taeyeon asked, her tone raising a level. 

“I didn’t do anything wrong! I went to meet Sunmi as a friend!” Taeyeon scoffed, turning her head to the side. 

“I thought you were different.” She said, disappointed. 

That made Tiffany a l