I reread this cause I was bored (gave it 3 stars back then, now it's 2 tbh), and the main couple is ass tbh. (The only good thing that came out of this story for me is the manager × singer couple, and even that is mid, but like 3/5 mid) The ML is just as pushy and a yellow flag as any other average alpha, and uses the whole fated pair thing to push the MC's boundaries. He did restrain himself in a crucial moment (bare minimum), but from then on, behaved like a typical pushy, at times kinda bland alpha. Too rough and mean during sex, wouldn't stop when the MC felt uncomfortable, would just in the middle of sex say stuff like 'I'll breed you now' (I know it's a kink and all, but some enthusiastic consent and breeding wish from both would've been hotter and better) regardless of wether or not the MC was ready for that (family planning where??), so if you were to remove the fated pair dynamic, just looking at those moments alone, shows he's kinda shitty and the relationship seems almost concerning in those moments. The ML supposedly wanted to empower the MC, just to push him more and more into a submissive role imo. I know in the omegaverse, it's an alpha's nature to be protective and possessive often, but the way the ML is written leads me to believe he was supposed to be not like the others, to be the healing experience for the MC, but he didn't come off as that. There was little gentleness, patience or that type of loving, nurturing protectiveness. He was just a regular ass alpha, but wasn't a rapist... So the bar is in hell.
I reread this cause I was bored (gave it 3 stars back then, now it's 2 tbh), and the main couple is ass tbh. (The only good thing that came out of this story for me is the manager × singer couple, and even that is mid, but like 3/5 mid) The ML is just as pushy and a yellow flag as any other average alpha, and uses the whole fated pair thing to push the MC's boundaries. He did restrain himself in a crucial moment (bare minimum), but from then on, behaved like a typical pushy, at times kinda bland alpha. Too rough and mean during sex, wouldn't stop when the MC felt uncomfortable, would just in the middle of sex say stuff like 'I'll breed you now' (I know it's a kink and all, but some enthusiastic consent and breeding wish from both would've been hotter and better) regardless of wether or not the MC was ready for that (family planning where??), so if you were to remove the fated pair dynamic, just looking at those moments alone, shows he's kinda shitty and the relationship seems almost concerning in those moments. The ML supposedly wanted to empower the MC, just to push him more and more into a submissive role imo. I know in the omegaverse, it's an alpha's nature to be protective and possessive often, but the way the ML is written leads me to believe he was supposed to be not like the others, to be the healing experience for the MC, but he didn't come off as that. There was little gentleness, patience or that type of loving, nurturing protectiveness. He was just a regular ass alpha, but wasn't a rapist... So the bar is in hell.