Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Ch18: Handling the Situation
The bartender’s deep concern for Rika was palpable and entirely justified. She was abandoned, a lost soul in a sea of strangers, uncertain of her next move.

She was also covered in Alpha pheromones that were not her own, which masked her scent.

The bartender had mistaken Rika for an omega who came here with her mates but was left behind for some reason.

He had never seen such a situation before, but it made him feel sorry for Rika.

The bartender, who had only ever consoled Alphas whose partners had been stolen by them, found himself in uncharted territory. This was his first time consoling an omega…or so he believed.

“Don’t worry so much about your partners, kid. No matter how much they want to play around, they are alpha. Ultimately, they will return to you because it is their nature. You should not be looking so down because-”

Rika suddenly looked at the bartender with clear eyes. No traces of hurt were visible in her gaze.

“Uhm, I think there is a mistake here. I am not an omega like you feel. I am a beta. And my feelings were not hurt at all.”

Rika assured the bartender, but the man looked taken aback.

Once he started paying close attention, he realised Rika was telling the truth.

Despite being covered in scents and giving off a string odour, she did not have a smell of her own. She did not seem bothered by all the pheromones covering her and the room.

Even for a beta, Rika seemed insensitive, which made the bartender feel ashamed of himself.

‘Shit! What an immature mistake I made. I cannot believe I thought that this child was an omega. But in my defence, how was I supposed to know that this dangly, thin, fragile-looking was a beta and not an omega? Anyone could have made this mistake.’

The bartender blamed the pheromone-filled atmosphere for his mistake.

He was relatively recessive for an alpha, and his body often did not react to pheromones as other alphas.

That was why he and people like him were employed in the bar and other places filled with pheromones.

Betas were also an option for employees for these positions, but the chances of a beta being able to hold their own in a fight against an alpha could have been better.

Also, despite not having pheromones or being able to sense them most of the time, betas could be affected by high concentrations of pheromones and go into shock. Unlike other dynamics, betas do not have any protection against this.

It was just better to have Alphas like him work this scene.

‘Now that I think about it, having betas as insensitive as this female might not be a bad idea. She is practically swimming in a thick pair of alpha pheromones, but it did not seem like she noticed it.’

The bartender was shocked but appreciative at the same time.

However, peace was never an option in these bars, and flies took only a short time to wander around their table.

The healthy alphas looked ready to move into the space that Damian vacated at Rika’s side. One of them even warped his arm around the back of Rika’s chair to proclaim his dominance.

“So, what are you doing here all alone? Did you get abandoned by your alpha for another chick? How can someone leave an omega like you alone? What do you say? Do you want to spend some time with me?”

Rika rolled her eyes at the horrible flirting in front of her.

She knew this would happen when she was left alone and covered in alpha pheromones.

This happened every time she went to the club with that stupid alpha pair.

“I am sorry, but this ‘beta’ is not interested. Also, you are just signing up for disappointment by coming after me. I am sure you can find another omega to take back home. There are plenty of them here.”

Rika tried to let this man down gently. But she did not think her actions were working.

Instead of being displeased at being denied, the man looked more active and ready to bug Rika.

“Aww, come on! Don’t be like that, sweetheart. I promise you that you will have a fun time if you give me a chance. And isn’t your joke too much? How can you call yourself a beta? I can spot an omega when I see one.”

The bartender cringed subtly, which meant that this man was trying to release his pheromones and overwhelm Rika.

Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong target to mess with.

“What do you say? Shall we go out and have some fun?”

The alpha asked, expecting Rika to be drunk on his pheromones and ready to leave with him at once.

It was too bad for him; Rika was not in the mood.

“I think you need to sober up a little. I don’t know how much alcohol you consumed, but it should not be enough to make your senses mistake for an omega. Can you even smell my pheromones?”

Rika decided to stop playing around and ask the big question.

The man looked taken aback by her question but determined to prove her wrong.

“What do you mean? Of course, I can smell your pheromones. No amount of scent blockers will be enough to hide….”

The man trailed off as she sniffed the air, only to realise that no pheromones were around him.

Rika’s eyes narrowed in anger as soon as he realised he had made a mistake.

“See! I told you it was a mistake. Now that we have cleared the air, can you go away? I want to go back home.”

Rika decided to be frank with the alpha in front of her. She could tell that the man was barely hanging back on, freaking out at Rika.

As soon as the man went away, Rika decided to pick up her stuff and leave.

Neither Damian nor Emily would be back for the night. By now, they would be busy doing other ‘deeds’ elsewhere.

Rika had no idea why, but that pair was constantly horny and filled with desire. No other alpha she knew was this horny, and it made her worried for them.

But not enough to force her to stay back or go after the pair.

“Hey, are you leaving? That’s good. That alpha who was with you is not a good person. I am sure that he will try to cause you trouble. So be careful out there.”

The bartender was decent and tried to warn Rika about the danger she was in.

Rika blinked at the man before giving him a small smile of gratitude.

“Hmm, I am sure it will be fine. Despite being a beta and looking like this, I can care for myself. It will be fine if that alpha came after me.”

Rika assured the man before him, but she could tell he was unconvinced.

Ultimately, Rika just left money on the table and decided to call it a day.

Damian had parked his car a little further away in an underground park. Rika entered that place, but she felt she was being followed.

Since none of her family’s enemies knew about Rika, she could quickly narrow down the person following her.

“I rejected you once because you mistook my identity, and this is the result? I guess you need to get used to rejection.”

Rika said while turning around. She was sure that the person following her was the alpha from the bar.

As expected, the alpha emerged once he realized he had been caught, and he did not look happy to see Rika.

“Fuck you! Who do you think you are? Do you believe you are some hot-shot people who can do what they want just because I found you a little cute? You need to learn your place.”

The man attacked Rika, but he was too hasty. The alcohol in his system was working against him.

Not only did that aide Rika, but she was also no slouch. She had done her fair share of training, so she could quickly use that alpha’s weight against him and throw him down.

The alpha blinked as his world turned on its axis, and he tried to blink his situation away.

“Have you calmed down yet? If not, would you like another dose of reality? I would love to stay here and deal with you, but unfortunately, I have some other work to do.”

Rika sighed as she watched the alpha beneath her feet trying to get up. It was cute how much he was struggling. But that was the end.

She took out a taser from her back pocket, specifically designed to knock Alphas and Omegas unconscious. Ever since she had gotten her hand on it, she had kept it on her.

It worked on the pheromones and caused a small shock to knock the other dynamic out without harming it. Thus, it proved useful once more.

“Now I only need to call someone to clean this shit up. Oh my! If only the people guarding Emily or Damian were to show up and do their task. This situation would be over much sooner.”