#firstly his job gives him more sensitivity than the average beta because he's around it

[not-poignant]

hola pia! maybe this will come up in Utr but, how are betas affected by alphas/omegas? they cant ‚smell‘ as good as them, but theyre still affected by pheromones? when caleb flared his in the bar, was that a turn on for faber like omegas? im guessing its why caleb did it. but he doesnt get ‚dazed‘ does he? he is susceptible to alpha persuasion, and he thinks omega heat ‚stinks‘, right? and they dont smell ‚special‘ to alphas/omegas? and faber is such a cute name, it fits him so well 😂🥰

Hola, anon! :D

how are betas affected by alphas/omegas?

It depends on the beta! While they can't smell pheromones as acutely as alphas and omegas they can definitely still smell them, and they are still affected by their pheromones! But it's kind of different? A beta doesn't feel any urge to be with an omega during their heat, for example, and they don't smell an alpha's pheromones and think 'oh that person smells delicious maybe I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with them.' They might think 'interesting' or 'I don't mind that' or 'that's an alpha, I'd better be careful' and not give it much more thought.

That being said, Faber is more sensitive to pheromones - much more sensitive - than the average beta, unusually so, to the point where both Dr Gary and Temsen remark on it in Underline the Black:

A quick business-like knock on the door - Faber's knock, Gary would know it anywhere - and Faber stepped into the room and then blanched. He placed a hand over his mouth, and Gary stepped back from Temsen automatically, even as Temsen turned back to the computer screen.  'I seem to have interrupted something,' Faber said hoarsely, and Gary opened his mouth, but it was Temsen who talked across him.  'What is it, Faber?' 'Ah,' Faber said, looking nervously between them. Gary felt some sympathy for the man, given his loyalty was primarily to Gary, and Temsen was his boss right now, and the air wasn't exactly thick with pheromones, but it didn't need to be to crush anyone who wasn't a peak alpha. What Temsen and Gary found easy to withstand was too much for most, and Gary knew his assistant was struggling. 'I- I- ...Yes. Well. That's... I wanted to say that we've arranged a date for Denis Deschamps to meet with Lucien Beaumont and Caleb, Sirs. Sir.'  Faber looked a desperate apology to Gary. Then he closed the door quickly, leaving them both in the room, Faber no doubt rushing to get some air.  'Oh dear,' Temsen said. 'Should one of us go find him?' 'No,' Gary said. 'If he gets overwhelmed like that, he needs time to himself. He doesn't like to be seen at all when he's vulnerable.' 'A strong flight instinct then,' Temsen said. 'He's been ever so helpful. I'm not even really trying to get my pheromones spiked, are you?' 'No,' Gary said.  'He is sensitive,' Temsen said, scratching at a neatly maintained hairline. 'We've both been far worse than that, haven't we?'

Even though Gary admits most people would find it hard, they both note that he's unusually sensitive.

when caleb flared his in the bar, was that a turn on for faber like omegas?

Not exactly? When Caleb flares his pheromones in the bar, Faber already finds him very attractive, and instead he feels additionally weak and overwhelmed. Like, he's definitely impacted! And I think he kind of likes the feeling with Caleb, and he doesn't feel sick like an alpha would. But not all betas would react the same way to someone like Caleb.

he is susceptible to alpha persuasion, and he thinks omega heat ‚stinks‘, right? and they dont smell ‚special‘ to alphas/omegas?

Betas don't really smell special to alphas/omegas at all. They just smell "regular" - like all of us, basically. Though that doesn't mean that an alpha or omega can't like the way they smell, some people do like the smell of body odour / sweat from certain people, after all!

All betas are susceptible to alpha persuasion. And yeah Faber thinks heats "stink" but when you think about it - you've got two people who have been fucking intensely for several consecutive days, with mountains of come and sweat, and that's not going to smell good, if you're the one stripping the bed and changing the sheets. Like, sex marathons just actually don't smell that great in general.

I think on top of that, Faber finds omega pheromones off-putting and there's a reason for that, but we'll find out more about that in Underline the Red later, heh.