They approached the fountain.
"We're so not supposed to be here," one said, though he did not sound overly concerned.
The other flung out his arm. "Look around. No one's here but us." He leaned into his partner with a grin. "We're all alone..."
My eyes widened as they began kissing. Passionately. I felt both a flash of guilt for watching them and a flutter of warmth in my chest.
I wondered what it would be like to do that, too.
One man dipped the other against the edge of the fountain. He moaned. Their bodies ground against each other fully clothed.
"Could get caught..."
The partner paused kissing his neck to mutter, "So? The worst they can do is throw us out."
"I dunno about that. Wedidtechnically break in."
So that explained it. The amorous pair had slipped past the front gate somehow. I had to admire their tenacity, though I still did not understand why they had done it.
"It's fine, we'll be quick," the dominant partner muttered. His elbow shifted. He seemed to be fumbling with the front of his pants.
"Hurry," the other said in a hushed, desperate voice.
Pants were yanked down. Body parts were exposed. I watched the scene with increasing astonishment.
They were...
Oh.
I understood.
As the pair began rutting, a heady scent drifted along the cool night air. I caught it a moment later. My eyes widened behind the fabric blindfold.
Omega. The one beneath was an omega. The knowledge came to me like a snap of fingers, a bullet in my chest. That meant the one on top of him must be an alpha.
Like me.
I stood there dumbly, dazed by the sudden realization. I was an alpha. How could I have forgotten such a simple fact? It was part of the core of my being.
Devereaux the alpha. Devereaux—the gargoyle during the day, and the man at night.
I was excited by this new scrap of information. Of course I was an alpha. It seemed so obvious in hindsight. How could I not have remembered? What other knowledge was buried in the crevices of my mind?
It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my chest. I breathed easier, I stood up straighter. The joy that consumed me was overwhelming. My body could not handle it. It escaped me as a light and airy laugh.
The couple at the fountain stopped abruptly.
"Did you hear that?" the omega demanded.
The alpha groaned. "It's probably a stray dog or something. Don't worry."
"No, I'm positive I heard a human. It was laughing."
The alpha sighed, then grudgingly stood and did up his pants. "I'll go look. Where did it come from?"
The omega pointed in my direction. For a moment, it seemed like he saw me standing there in the shadows. I smiled. It felt good to be acknowledged.
The alpha stalked towards me, his gaze unfocused. Then he looked straight at me and froze as if seized by invisible claws. His eyes widened in horror as he scrambled back.
