Chapter 194: You think Miller is...

An Enigma.

​It was a term tossed around in medical journals and obscure biological research papers—a biological anomaly so unbelievably rare that most people dismissed it as nothing more than an urban legend.

A secondary sub-gender elevated even above a dominant Alpha, possessing pheromones and a psychological dominance potent enough to completely overwrite another Alpha’s territorial nature, forcing them into submission.

​I stared into the dim alleyway, my heart hammering against my ribs as the realization settled over me with terrifying clarity.

​Miller wasn’t just a cocky, oversized defenseman with sharp instincts and an annoying smirk. Miller was an Enigma.

​It explained everything. It explained why Russo—a hardened, veteran Alpha who usually snarled at anyone trying to step into his personal bubble—was currently backed against a brick wall, breathing heavily, his hands lingering helplessly on Miller’s chest instead of shoving him through the drywall.

Russo’s bitter cedar scent was usually sharp and defensive, but right now, under the heavy, intoxicating cloud of Miller’s metallic ozone, it smelled softened, almost completely subdued.

​Beside me, Reid went rigidly still. His broad frame locked up, his hand tightening over my shoulder until his fingers dug deep into the fabric of my jacket.

I could feel the instinctual, territorial spike in his pine pheromones as his Alpha brain registered another dominant threat nearby, but I reached up, my fingers lacing tightly through his to keep him anchored in the shadows.

​"Miller..." Russo rasped out into the quiet alley, his head tilting back against the brick wall as Miller’s lips tracked down the sensitive line of his neck. "We’re in the middle of a playoff run. If Devin... if the team finds out—"

​"Devin isn’t out here," Miller murmured against Russo’s skin, his hands sliding down to grip Russo’s hips with a possessive, unyielding strength that sent a visible shiver right through the older Alpha’s frame. "And the team doesn’t know a damn thing. Stop overthinking, Russo. Right now, they’re keeping my secret, so it’s only right I keep theirs and pretend I didn’t see anything tonight."

​Russo let out a low, ragged exhale, his fingers finally tangling into the back of Miller’s shirt, pulling the other man closer instead of pushing him away.

​I held my breath, slowly leaning back into the darkness of the doorway, gently tugging Reid back with me before either of them caught our scent.

Reid yielded without a sound, stepping backward into the quiet hallway of the restaurant and letting the heavy steel door click shut, cutting off the alleyway completely.

​The moment the door sealed, Reid looked down at me, his grey eyes wide with sheer, unadulterated shock.

​"What the fuck..." Reid whispered, his voice stripped of its usual steady authority as he stared at the door. "I never expected... Russo and... Miller?"

​"Keep your voice down," I murmured under my breath, my mind racing as I leaned my weight against the corridor wall. The faint buzz of the alcohol was entirely gone, replaced by the sharp, electric hum of this new revelation. "It’s their business."

​Reid rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a low, disbelieving breath. "But seriously... Two Alphas... Cap, that’s biologically impossible. Russo would’ve torn his throat out the second Miller tried to mark territory like that."

​"Not if Miller isn’t just an Alpha," I rasped out softly, looking up into Reid’s eyes.

​Reid paused, his hand freezing against his jaw as his sharp mind caught my meaning. "An Enigma? You think Miller is...?"

​"Look at how Russo acts around him," I whispered. "Russo doesn’t submit to anyone. But with Miller? He’s completely subdued. It’s the only thing that makes sense."

​Reid stood there in the quiet hallway, processing the sheer weight of what we had just witnessed. Across the restaurant, the muffled roar of our teammates’ laughter echoed through the walls, completely oblivious to the fact that their first-line center was carrying a child, their captain was a hidden Omega, and their top defensive pair consisted of an Enigma and a subdued Alpha secretly hooking up in the back alley.

​A small, breathless huff of a laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

​"What?" Reid asked softly, his eyes softening as he looked down at me, his large hands reaching out to steady my waist.

​"Our team is an absolute circus, McCoy," I murmured, leaning my head forward until my forehead rested against the center of his chest, taking in the deep, grounding warmth of his pine scent. "A complete, utter circus."

​Reid let out a genuine, low chuckle, his arms wrapping securely around my waist and pulling me flush against his body. "Yeah, Cap. A circus indeed." He said and then went quiet, like a thought just crossed his mind.

He drew in a long, deep breath. His broad arms tightened around my waist, his palm pressing flat against my lower back, right over the spot that had been aching just hours before.

​"Cap," Reid murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, deadly serious register he only used when his mind was working three moves ahead. "If an Enigma is real... do you think the League would buy it if we told them you turned into an Omega after being exposed to my rut?"

​I froze against his chest. Slowly, I lifted my head, staring at him through the dim corridor light. "What are you talking about, Reid?"

​"Think about it," Reid rasped, his grey eyes locked onto mine with a fierce, calculating intensity. "It’s a rare phenomenon—a medical anomaly, sure—but there are documented cases of a Beta exposed to an extreme Alpha rut heat developing an Omega system and pheromones. If you ever get caught... if the League ever tries to drag you through the mud after the season..."

​He paused, his thumb lightly stroking my cheekbone, his voice trembling with a sudden, raw edge of desperation.

​"We can use that excuse," Reid whispered. "If we tell them my rut triggered a secondary presentation in your body, no one can call you a cheater. No one can call you a fraud. They’ll blame my Alpha instincts, they’ll blame a biological anomaly, but they won’t be able to strip away your ten-year legacy."

​I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Reid... that’s... that’s insane. That’s just piling more lies upon lies."

​"Then we lie, Kain," Reid growled softly, stepping closer until there wasn’t a single inch of space between us, his broad frame shielding me completely from the hallway. "We lie because we don’t have any other option. I am not going to let them label you a fraud or destroy everything you’ve bled for once you give birth. I won’t let them ruin you. This is for your own good."

​I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead back against his collarbone as his words echoed through my head.

​The idea of a Beta undergoing a late, rut-induced secondary presentation into an Omega was practically unheard of—a medical anomaly so scarce it was almost considered a myth, just like an Enigma.

But standing here, knowing that our defense line was currently being anchored by a secret Enigma and a subdued Alpha in a back alley... the line between impossible and reality was growing dangerously thin.

​If there was even a fraction of a percent of medical precedent... if there was a single research paper Marina could pull to build a bulletproof cover story...

​I let out a slow, shuddering exhale, my fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt.

​"I’ll ask Marina about it," I rasped softly into his chest, my voice barely louder than a whisper. "I’ll see what she can find."

​Reid’s entire body seemed to relax, a heavy wave of relief washing over his broad shoulders as he pressed a firm, lingering kiss against the top of my head.

"I won’t let them drag you through the mud, Cap. I’ll do whatever it takes... even taking the blame for you."

I looked him in the eye.

"Idiot," I muttered, biting my bottom lip as a sharp, sting of tears threatened the corners of my eyes.

​He didn’t even hesitate. He was genuinely, recklessly willing to let the entire sports world paint him as a monster—an Alpha whose unhinged rut had ruined the League’s most respected Beta Captain—just to shield me from their judgment.

He was offering up his own reputation, and his public standing as a sacrificial anode so my ten-year legacy wouldn’t burn.

​"I mean it, Kain," Reid rasped, his thumb catching my bottom lip and gently tugging it free from my teeth. His grey eyes were dead serious, burning with a quiet, terrifying devotion. "If the storm comes, let it hit me. I’ve got the shoulders for it."

​"You’re not taking the fall for anything, McCoy," I rasped back, my voice tight, though I couldn’t bring myself to step out of his hold. I pressed my palm flat against his chest, feeling the steady, heavy thud of his heart under his shirt. "We’re not giving them a storm to begin with. We win the Finals, we keep our heads down, and we figure out the rest with Marina."

​Reid stared down at me for a long beat, his expression softening as a faint, breathless smirk finally broke through his intense gaze.

​"Whatever you say, Cap," he whispered, leaning down to press a quick, firm kiss against my temple. "Just remember... you’re stuck with me. On the ice, in the papers, and everywhere else."

​"I’ve come to accept my terrible luck," I muttered, though my fingers tightened around his lapel, anchoring myself to his warmth.