XVIII

“Bye, Soo, see you tomorrow!” Baekhyun said, poking his head into his friend’s cubicle before he went to find his alpha to leave for the day.

Kyungsoo was turning off his computer, and didn’t spare him a glance.

“...Soo?” he said a little louder.

The black haired omega continued to ignore him and grabbed his bag.

“Is something wrong?”

“Stop talking to me,” Kyungsoo spat, standing up and glaring daggers at him.

Baekhyun was taken aback. “...Why?”

Kyungsoo snorted. “Don’t play dumb.”

The brunet tried to recall having annoyed his friend somehow during the day, but he came up with nothing. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?! You almost fired my mate!” Kyungsoo yelled loudly. Baekhyun saw Luhan and Sehun stand to see what was happening over the divider. “I’m expecting, Baekhyun, and you didn’t give a damn! You say you’re my best friend, but you have always cared more about your ambitions! You’re so eager to prove don’t want to be an omega that you’re capable of anything! You don’t care who you hurt, as long your ego is satisfied! It doesn’t matter if it’s your mate or your best friend! Kai has been always right about you!” Kyungsoo didn't wait for a response, he elbowed Baekhyun on his way out and quickly disappeared into the elevator.

Baekhyun only stood there, stunned. Jonghyun came out of his cubicle and gave him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

The brunet felt his throat burn. He shook his head and almost ran towards Chanyeol’s office. He entered without knocking and closed the door behind him quickly, but Kris was the one standing near the desk with a tablet in his hand.

“You should learn how to knock,” Kris scolded. “Chanyeol isn’t done yet, go wait outside.”

Baekhyun wasn’t able to contain his tears anymore. He hid his face with his hands and started crying his heart out.

Kris’ eyes widened. “Oh, my God, Baekhyun? I didn’t mean to be rude...” he stepped closer to the omega, who only shook his head. The alpha was about to take Baekhyun’s arm and ask him to sit, but a growl was heard from the door that led to Kris’ office.

“’The hell are you doing?” Chanyeol hissed. He quickly moved to block Kris’ view of the omega. “What did you do to him?!”

“Nothing! I just asked him to wait outside and he started bawling!” Kris gave a step back. He might be Chanyeol’s boss, but he knew how protective alphas were of their mates, and seeing Baekhyun’s state, he didn’t want to risk having Chanyeol lose control.

“...it wasn’t him,” Baekhyun whispered. Chanyeol turned around, and Baekhyun jumped into his arms, continuing to cry on the alpha’s chest.

“Guess we’ll finish tomorrow,” Kris said with a sigh and left the room.

“What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked, rubbing Baekhyun’s back soothingly.

“...Kyungsoo hates me.”

“Why?”

The brunet stayed silent. He realized his mistake, but it was too late to take his words back.

Chanyeol sensed he was hiding something. “What is it, Baekhyun? Tell me right know,” he demanded, pulling away to look at him.

“Hmm...”

“Right now.”

The omega took a deep breath. “I had to threaten to fire Kai because he refused to work with me,” he murmured, avoiding his mate’s eyes.

“What?! You told me everything was fine!”

“Because if I said it wasn’t, you were going to flip out.”

“That’s not a reason not to tell me something!”

“I didn’t want you to get involved.”

“What do I have to do for you to trust me?! I’m your mate!”

Baekhyun glared at him, but he knew there was really no excuse. Chanyeol had made clear he hated lies, and yet he hadn’t listened, once again. He bowed his head to the side, exposing his neck. “...I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Chanyeol grabbed his shoulders. “Look at me,” he said. Baekhyun obeyed him. “You did the same thing with your heat. Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”

The brunet slowly shook his head.

“What did Kai do to you?”

“What he always does. He insulted and ignored me.”

“I’m going to really kill him this time!”

“Chanyeol, don’t. This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. If you meddle, people aren’t going to take me seriously.”

“Am I supposed to just stand there while others walk over my omega?”

“No one is walking over me. I can handle it myself.”

“Are you sure this position was a good idea? Look how sick you’ve been since you took over, and now you argued with Kyungsoo. Maybe you should-”

“No! Don’t even say it!” Baekhyun cut him off angrily. He didn’t know what he would be capable of if Chanyeol asked him to quit.

“I’m just thinking of your wellbeing!”

“Well, don’t!” the omega turned around and headed towards the door.

“Baekhyun! Stay right there!”

Baekhyun gasped as he felt his body freeze immediately. He tried to fight it, but the instinct to obey his mate when he spoke with that tone was too strong. He could only stand there until Chanyeol was right in front of him again. “You promised you wouldn’t use your authority on me,” he whispered.

“And you promised you wouldn’t run away from our arguments,” Chanyeol replied. “Baek, I’ll never make you stop working, I know that’s your choice. I’m just worried about you, because you haven’t been yourself since this year started.”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s what you keep