Page 8 of Invade Me

He let out another quiet whine and wagged his tail sympathetically while I continued, "Funny thing is, the kid has a birthmark, the same shape as mine. Weird coincidence, which just makes it all the more… mysterious." I shrugged. "Anyway, sorry to vent. I bet you’d rather go mark some bushes, right?"

I stood up, and he let out a happy yip, moving closer, brushing his head up against me like some kind of oversized cat.

After a quick detour to the nearest bush for his bathroom break, we headed to the dog park, where some real dogs gave him a curious sniff. He took it well; I just pressed his remote once for good measure, and he spun around, his tail going, and gave a couple of long, enthusiastic whimpers.

Then, as always, it was time to head back. But before we wrapped up, we had to hit the main event. We found a quiet part of the park, and as the routine always went, I let him hump myleg while I used the remote. I dealt with it—‘the dog’ was fully clothed, and I didn’t have to worry about any unfortunate stains.

Afterward, I walked him back to his place, unhooked the leash, gave him a final head pat, and said, "Good boy." But instead of the usual bark and wave of his tail, he… stood up! Wow.

Suddenly, we were face-to-face. Well, not quite—he was around 6’1". Definitely a beta, I guessed. He looked at me through those brown lenses, and I just stared back, totally thrown.

Then he spoke.

"I think you should take that job." His voice muffled but surprisingly smooth and young—maybe even boyish. He could be around twenty, by my judgment, so close to the redheaded omega’s age.

I blinked, stunned to hear an actual human voice from behind the mask. He tilted his head slightly.

"I know, advice from a ‘dog’ might not make much sense, but trust me on this one."

"And why’s that?" I asked, more out of shock than anything.

"When Fate’s that persistent, it’s usually worth listening. Trust your gut." He sounded dead serious.

I could’ve laughed it off and told him to go lick his… balls or watch the birds on the balcony and bark at them incessantly, but I just mumbled, "Thanks. Maybe I’ll do just that."

He gave a slight nod, and I gave him one in return. Well, my parents raised me to be kind to animals, after all. And that was our goodbye.

I headed home, determined. Dog-man or not, his advice actually hit home. So, I sat down at my computer and opened the dreaded photo again.

Our eyes met.

"You won!" I muttered, and just like that clicked on his commission to hit ‘accept’.

Oh, well! I had to appease Fate somehow.

Exactly at that second, my phone rang, making me jump.

‘Mr. Jun Ragu’ appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Storm."

"Hello, boss."

"You know why I'm calling?"

How could I not…

"Johansson?"

My boss let out a small huff.

"Exactly. I gave you a few days to mentally prepare yourself, but it’s coming your way. I can’t string him along much longer."

I closed my eyes and breathed out, "But I just took another assignment. The omega student and a home invasion scenario."

The deafening silence on the other end of the line made me halt my breath.

Please. Please. Please—postpone it!

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