: Nosy Neighbors & No Time to Explain

Nene barely had time to process the weight of his last words before Alexander pulled back slightly, his gold eyes sharp and unreadable.

"You have thirty minutes to pack."

Nene blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Only the essentials," he continued smoothly. "Not clothes—things you need to live, work, or function. Anything you can't replace."

Her brain stuttered to a stop. "Hold on. Pack? For what?"

Alexander tilted his head slightly, watching her like he was waiting for her to catch up.

"You're moving in with me."

The words were so calm, so casual, like he was telling her the sky was blue.

Nene stared.

"Are you insane?" she burst out. "I haven't even agreed yet!"

"You will."

The certainty in his voice made her stomach tighten.

She gritted her teeth. "You are so sure of yourself—"

"Yes."

Her nails dug into her palms. "You can't just decide that I'm moving in with you!"

Alexander raised a brow, looking entirely unbothered. "I can. And I have."

Nene exhaled sharply, trying not to scream.

"You don't need time to overthink," he continued smoothly. "The choice is simple—stay, and deal with every problem coming your way alone. Or leave with me, and let my name take care of it."

Her pulse pounded in her ears.

This was happening too fast.

She needed time—time to think, time to breathe, time to figure out if this was a trap, a joke, or just plain madness.

But deep down, she knew the truth.

She had no time at all.

She swallowed hard. "I get thirty minutes?"

"Yes."

Her fingers curled into fists. "Fine."

Alexander smirked slightly, clearly satisfied. "Good choice."

Then, with infuriating ease, he tapped the car door—and it opened automatically, releasing her.

"Tick tock, Lin Evangeline." His voice was smooth as silk. "Time starts now."

The moment Nene stepped into her apartment complex, she knew she was being watched.

Not by an assassin. But by her nosy Omega neighbor, Jiho.

She had barely closed the front door when she heard a knowing hum from behind her.

"So…" Jiho drawled, leaning against his own doorframe, arms crossed. "Mysterious black car? Guy who looks like he owns the world? And now you're speed-walking into your apartment like you're about to commit a crime?"

Nene groaned, rubbing her temples. "I do not have time for this right now."

Jiho grinned, completely unbothered. "Which means it's exactly the time for this."

She gritted her teeth and moved toward her door. Thirty minutes. She had thirty minutes.

But Jiho was faster—he slid into her apartment behind her before she could shut the door.

"Jiho—"

He ignored her. "Sooo, who's the Alpha? Because I'm getting 'wealthy and dangerous' vibes. Very top-tier. Should I be concerned? Are you getting trafficked? Do I need to call someone?"

Nene yanked open her desk drawer, grabbing her hard drives and soundboard connectors. "I'm not getting trafficked."

Jiho hopped onto her couch, watching her shove electronics into a bag like her life depended on it.

"You sure? Because you look like you're about to flee the country."

"I'm moving," she muttered.

Jiho's brows shot up. "Excuse me?"

She stuffed her laptop into its case. "I don't have time to explain—"

"Oh, I think you do." He crossed one leg over the other. "Because one minute you're living your happy little independent Beta life, and the next? Sudden Alpha involvement. That's suspicious."

Nene paused, glaring at him. "You are way too nosy."

Jiho beamed. "Thank you, I work hard at it."

She gritted her teeth. "Look, I just—"

"—need to pack and vanish into the arms of a mysterious Alpha who screams dangerously wealthy?" Jiho supplied. "Because if that's the case, I have follow-up questions."

Nene exhaled sharply.

Jiho knew enough about pack politics to recognize when something wasn't normal. But as an Omega-born from Omega parents, he had never fully cared about the hierarchy games.

That didn't mean he was stupid.

She grabbed her tablet, throwing it into her backpack. "Fine. If you must know—I'm marrying Zhao Alexander."

Jiho froze.

Blinked.

Then, in a completely flat voice, he said:

"I'm sorry, you're WHAT?"

Jiho stared.

Then he laughed.

Not a normal laugh. A full disbelieving, wheezing laugh, like she had just told him she was moving to the moon.

"You're marrying Zhao Alexander?" He wiped at his eyes, still grinning. "Zhao. Alexander. The second richest man in the world?"

Nene gritted her teeth, stuffing her backup hard drive into her bag. "Yes. That's what I said."

Jiho swung his legs over the couch, resting his chin on his hands. "And you expect me to just accept this? Like it's normal? Like you're not about to be eaten alive by Alpha insanity?"

She threw a glare over her shoulder. "I don't have time for your dramatics."

"Right, right," Jiho said, still smirking. "Okay, quick quiz. What do you actually know about Alpha marriage customs?"

Nene slung her bag over her shoulder. "I assume they're just like normal marriage customs."

Jiho blinked at her so slowly, it felt insulting. "Oh, my sweet summer child."

She shot him a deadpan look. "What."

"You were raised by humans," Jiho said, standing up. "You don't know what you're walking into. So let me help you before you get yourself killed."

Nene rolled her eyes. "Oh, please—"

"Lesson one: Alphas don't do 'casual.'"

She paused, and Jiho smirked. "Betas and Omegas? We can have flings, casual relationships, multiple partnerships if we want. Alphas? Nope. The moment they pick someone, that's it. You think you're walking into a convenient business marriage, but I guarantee you—Zhao Alexander does not do temporary."

Nene frowned. "But he said—"

Jiho held up a hand. "Doesn't matter what he said. If he's gone through the trouble of claiming you in public, that means in his mind, you are his. Even if he's playing it cool, even if it's for politics—it's not temporary for him."

Nene felt her stomach tighten.

Because if that was true… then Alexander wasn't just protecting her.

He was staking a claim.

Jiho continued, oblivious to her inner spiral. "Lesson two: Alphas don't share. At all. Ever. Doesn't matter if they're the most modern, progressive, open-minded guy in the world—they are territorial psychos when it comes to their mate. You so much as smile too long at another Alpha? Expect property damage."

Nene made a face. "That sounds… excessive."

Jiho snorted. "It is excessive. But it's also normal. Which leads me to Lesson three: If an Alpha thinks you're theirs, they will ruin their entire life to keep you. Reputation? Business? Political stability? They will set the world on fire before they let someone else take you."

Nene froze.

Because suddenly, Alexander's confidence—the way he spoke about protecting her, the way he assumed she'd agree—made a lot more sense.

He was already thinking like she belonged to him.

She swallowed. "…And all Betas and Omegas just know this?"

Jiho shrugged. "Of course. It's basic survival knowledge. We get told this growing up."

Nene blinked. "I didn't."

Jiho raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, because you were raised by humans."

Nene hesitated. "But my parents were Alphas."

Jiho went very still.

Slowly, carefully, he said, "Both your parents were Alphas?"

"Yeah," she said, stuffing her tablet into her bag. "So?"

Jiho stared at her for a long moment, then let out a low whistle.

"That explains so much."

She narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Jiho grinned. "It means you've spent your whole life thinking you're a normal Beta, when you've actually got Alpha instincts you've never learned to use. And that, my dear friend, is going to get you into so much trouble."

Nene stared at Jiho, processing what he just said.

She had never thought about it before. Never questioned why she handled stress differently than other Betas. Never noticed that she was more stubborn, more aggressive, more… Alpha-like.

It wasn't like she was out here challenging people to dominance fights or anything. But now that Jiho pointed it out…

Had she been thinking like an Alpha this whole time without realizing it?

"Okay," she said slowly, rubbing her temple. "So, what, I think like an Alpha but function like a Beta?"

Jiho grinned. "More like you think like an Alpha, but don't have the pack instincts to back it up. Which means you're walking into this whole 'marriage' thing completely blind."

Nene groaned. "Great. Love that for me."

Jiho patted her shoulder. "Listen, just remember: Alphas are territorial, aggressive, and absolutely obsessed with control. If Alexander is even half the Alpha I think he is, you're in for a hell of a ride."

She made a face. "That sounds awful."

"Yeah, well." Jiho shrugged. "That's Alpha logic. It's not about what's reasonable—it's about what they believe belongs to them."

Nene rolled her eyes. "You make them sound like overgrown toddlers."

Jiho smirked. "I mean, you're not wrong. Just, y'know, six-foot-five and capable of ripping a man in half."

She exhaled sharply. "Not helping."

He stepped back, raising his hands. "Fine, fine. You got any last-minute questions, or should I start running before your new husband tries to kill me?"

Nene snorted. "I don't have a husband."

Jiho gave her a pointed look. "Tell that to him."

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Because the more she thought about it… Alexander wasn't acting like this was a temporary thing.

Jiho sighed dramatically. "Alright, if you need a last-minute sanity check, call me. But, uh—" He pointed toward her front door. "Your exit's blocked, and I like being alive, so I'm taking the window."

Nene blinked. "What—"

Before she could finish, Jiho was already climbing onto the windowsill.

"Why is this normal for you?!" she hissed.

Jiho shot her a cheeky grin. "Survival instincts, sweetheart."

And with that, he slipped out and disappeared.

Nene stood there for a moment, still trying to process everything.