Standing in front of the mirror, Axel fixed his collar for the umpteenth time. It was just another party, he had been to so many of them throughout the years that he had long lost track…
But never during his rut. Even as an ordinary Alpha, he was quite lucky in that aspect, as his rut only happened once a year, and lasted for around three days, counting from when the symptoms started. Thus, it wasn't hard to avoid going out during it. If it were a less important event, he would just skip it…
Not this time though. It was his Alpha grandmother, the former head of the Chandler family's birthday party. As the heir, it would reflect badly on him if he didn't make an appearance.
Well, he'd just have to survive on the suppressants somehow. With a heavy sigh, Axel plucked two pills out of the blister pack, swallowed them with some water, and after checking that there was enough left, he slid the box into the inside pocket of his jacket, which was waiting for him on the hanger. Although he had already gotten dressed almost an hour ago, he still left out the top layer. His rut just made him feel unbearably hot, even with the AC turned on!
Sometimes, Axel was kind of envious of Betas. They were treated as an ordinary 'grey mass', yes, but at least they didn't have to deal with such inconveniences!
"Are you not ready yet?" All of a sudden, the door opened, and Mrs. Chandler stepped in. Without knocking, as always. "We should be leaving now!"
"Ah, yes, yes. Just a second, I just need to put the jacket on…" Axel sighed. The suppressants haven't kicked in yet, but he would just have to endure…
"Wait a moment," Mrs. Chandler stopped him, reaching out and flicking a strand of his hair. "Your hair is a mess. Go fix it."
"Is it?" Axel glanced at the mirror. It seemed alright to him… But if his mother said to fix it, then so be it. He shrugged his shoulders and went to the bathroom, brushing it back with some hair gel.
"Now that's better." Mrs. Chandler nodded with approval, as her son came back a few minutes later, and handed him the jacket. "Let's go, your father and Ollie are already waiting."
They went downstairs and got inside their black limo, heading toward the restaurant. There was still an hour left, but as hosts, they needed to arrive ahead of time and be there to welcome the guests!
The whole way, Axel shifted uncomfortably in his sit, tugging on his collar. For some reason, the suppressants were still not kicking in… Rather, he was feeling hotter by the minute.
What was going on? He had always used this brand, and there had never been any issues… Was there something different about his rut this time? But why would it? His last checkup didn't show any abnormalities…
"Is there anything wrong?" Axel's behavior eventually caught Mrs. Chandler's eye.
"Ah… It's just my rut," Axel explained, tugging on his collar again. "I don't feel too well…"
"Hmm." Mrs. Chandler looked him up and down. Axel's face was indeed flushed, and his skin was glistening with droplets of sweat… She removed her glove, and pressed her hand against her son's forehead, to confirm that he was a bit hot.
"Try to endure it for now," she said, wiping her hand with a wet tissue, and putting her glove back on. "At least long enough to welcome the guests, and stay through the speeches. Later, during the dinner, if you find out that you can't bear it any longer… Just go upstairs to one of the rooms. No one will disturb you there."
"…Thank you," Axel muttered in a slightly hoarse voice. He grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler, and downed it in a few gulps, trying to cool down, with little to no effect.
But at least he had his mother's permission to leave the party. He just had to wait a bit longer, maybe take another dose of suppressants, and if that still didn't help… Then he would just hide upstairs, and try to deal with it with his hand. His grandma was a Dominant Alpha, surely she would understand.
They soon arrived, and after some time, they prepared to welcome the guests… Axel barely registered what was going on. Everything was a blur, his mind heavy with the rut fever… Still, he clenched his fists, bit on his lip, and endured. He smiled politely when Miss Celeste walked in, with her siblings and parents. Even when Young Master Nasir pranced in, with his usual, detestable, self-satisfied smirk. As well as many other Omegas Axel's parents tried to set him up with in the past… Of course, there were also plenty Alphas and Betas, many more in fact, but their presence didn't stick in Axel's mind so much.
It was just the Omegas, with their ever so subtle scents. Although they were not releasing their pheromones purposely, faint hints of their natural scents still clung to their skin. Normally, it wouldn't bother Axel… Heck, probably he wouldn't have even noticed, until he had his nose pushed down their necks, but now, with his rut… His sense of smell was particularly sensitive. He tried to breathe through his mouth, so that he wouldn't inhale the pheromones…
But it was no use. All those scents were still assaulting him, suffocating. Stirring something in his nether regions. The last thing Axel needed right now.
He blanked out, and hadn't even realized that it was time to move on, until his mother tapped him on the shoulder. He quickly grabbed one of the glasses with champagne, ducked into the back of the ballroom, away from all the prying eyes, and reached into his pocket to take another dose of suppressants. While swallowing them with alcohol perhaps wasn't the best idea, Axel wasn't exactly in the best state of mind to consider all that. And besides, it couldn't get much worse, could it?
…It turned out it could. Because, as he reached into his pocket… he found it completely empty.