DENNY: 

TEN HOURS AGO.

Cars pulled into the lot. I drove in last.

The school year had officially begun. Both new and returning students are buzzing with excitement, fresh haircuts, cleaner uniforms, and ready to dive into another semester of boring lectures.

At Midville College, students are forced into uniforms and bound by rules, as if we're still in high school. The most eyesore? The so-called lecture rooms are worse than high school classrooms. And yet, everyone seems to glow in this crappy environment.

Everyone but me. I hated it. And the rules? I've broken them all.

Yet, they keep me. The Management never lets me go. Like they know I'm doing everything I can to earn a no-returning letter, so instead, they hand me punishments that make sure I stay.

If only they understood how much it repulses me. The walls, the air, the pressure. It turns me into something I'm not. Every second behind this building feels like a thousand years in hell. And after what almost felt like a peaceful holiday, driving in here makes my skin crawl.

But home isn't better. Especially after the news my father woke me up with.

"They're back in town," he barked. "No more lying around. It's time to man up, Denny. The West must remain ours."

The only name that has haunted my father's existence is Corato.

The Coratos are the most powerful and wealthy hierarchy clan in the Territory. They own everything they lay claim to, forcefully or otherwise. Stories say their heir is even more brutal than his father; an Alpha who crushes anything that stands in his path.

The Coratos had been away for over fifteen years. Since they took over the South. But now that they are back, it means chaos. Not just for my father...but for me. I'll be dragged into a power struggle I never asked for. Forced to match the heir of a dynasty I couldn't care less about. A boy I haven't even seen, but have spent years learning of his power-thirst.

And frankly? I wasn't up for the ache.

I was still brooding when a sharp jolt from behind whipped my head into the steering wheel.

There is no just one peaceful place for me. Not school, not home, not in my head, not even inside my freaking car...because who the shît just crashed into it?

"What the hell?!" I roared, slamming the door open and charging toward the idiot who'd bent over my busted taillight. "Did you lose your sight over the holidays?!"

The student looked up, and for a split second, I froze.

New face. Striking. Firm. Almost too put together to belong in this rundown school. And handsome...in the kind of way that makes your instincts stir before your mind even catches up.

"Hi," he said, approaching closer. "Sorry. I'm terrible at driving."

His voice? Spectacular. Rich with confidence.

And for a moment, I felt something pulse deep inside me. Something I've buried for a long time. Something I've spent the entire holiday trying to suppress.

"Then you shouldn't be driving," I snapped, though my voice came out softer than I meant.

Milder than everyone had anticipated.

The students around us had paused to watch. I've got a reputation, you know-the school's undefeated bully, the unforgiving Alpha who doesn't tolerate bûllshît.

And yet, I didn't knock his tooth out. I just waved him off and turned back to my car.

No, you are wrong. I didn't let him go because he made an impact on me. He didn't... He isn't even my type. I am only trying to start the semester on a clean slate. That's all.

"How do I fix it?" he called after me. "I should fix my mistake."

"Don't be a Samaritan."

"I insist." 

I closed my eyes, trying to block out his voice.

Challenging. Persistent. That's what he was. And if there's anything I hate more than competition...it's challenge.

I turned back at him, and he was standing, challengingly competitive. On an impulse, I lurched towards him, slamming my fist into his jaw. He blinked, stumbled, wide-eyed, to the ground.

"There," I said flatly, ignoring the gasps around us. "Now you've fixed it."

I returned to my car, grabbed my phone from the dashboard, and locked up, leaving my books behind without a care.

Then, just before walking off, I looked back at him, still sitting where I left him, calm and strangely unfazed.

"Happy new fvcking school year," I smirked.

***********

Nothing thrills my father more than hearing I've caused trouble.

He celebrates when I hit people. Wants me to be feared. Be the predator and not the prey. To him, I'm the Alpha he never was. The force that will destroy the Coratos, their businesses, and their empire.

But the truth?

I am no Alpha. 

I am an Omega buried under years of lies, training, and muscle. A walking illusion. I've built this persona to survive, walked these halls pretending to be something I'm not, bruising people, dwelling in an undesirable sexual convoy, wearing confidence like war paint.

And I was counting down the days until I could escape. Finally, be free...live as who I really am.

But the Coratos are back...and that means no escape. Not now. Not ever.

"Denny," Max said, snapping me from my thoughts. "You need to see this."

I stood immediately, kicking my chair back so hard it smacked against the cupboard behind me.

Max isn't special, not to me. Not really. Just another Omega, except he is hopelessly in love with me.

His feelings? Not my problem.

However, Max is a useful informant. And if he's interrupting me, it must be serious, and I assure you, it is about to get physical.

I followed him out of the lecture room to the parking lot only to see my car in ruins. It was covered in paint. Obscene doodles. Dicks and splashes and insults smeared all over it.

"Let's check the cameras," Max offered, already furious.

"No need," I growled, gazing into the distance. "I know who the fvcker is."

No returning student would dare. This had to be him.

Max wasn't at school during the clash. Guess no one told him about it. It is the first day of resumption, and many things will be happening everywhere and anywhere. Stories will sink other stories.

But one story will scale the headline today: News of a dead student.

I stormed through lecture rooms, scanning faces until I spotted him exiting the admin office like he owned the place. Hands in pockets. Face muscles tightened, giving a domineering vibe.

I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into the empty restroom. 

"Bâstârd!" I shouted, driving a fist into his gut. He crashed to the ground, groaning.

But he wasn't scared. He looked right at me. Smiling.

I punched him again. And again. Drew blood from his nose, but he was still smiling. 

Max burst in, eyes wide. "Let me handle this creep for you," he said, taking over to grip the dîckhêâd on his collar.

I don't need help to make the bâstârd pay for ruining my car, but Max always offers to help with anything.

"Oh? His lapdog now?" the dîckhêâd smirked, intending to provoke me or prove a silly point. "That's cute."

Whatever his intentions were, he succeeded because I am now very provoked.

"Leave," I said to Max, my voice dark and low.

"Denny?"

"Go, take care of my car. I've got this."

Max nodded slowly and left. I walked to the corner where the janitors keep their cleaning tools, pulled out a metal mop handle. Excellent beating pipes. And dragged it along the floor as I returned.

"What are you called?" I asked him, levelling the weapon.

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose. "Jay," he said.

"So, Jaden, you think I'm too weak to handle you."

"Are you not?" 

"We shall see about that."

I lifted the rod.

But in a blink, he disarmed me. Fast. Too fast. The rod was at my throat, and I was pinned against his body like a dâmn ragdoll.

"Well, Denny," he whispered in my ear. "It is not Jaden. It is Jason. Jason Corato. And happy fvcking introduction."

DENNY: 

Jaden Jason Corato?!

My legs buckled beneath me. My mouth dropped open. I couldn't breathe, not because I was afraid of him, but because I had just laid hands on the one person I wasn't supposed to provoke. Not yet. Not this way.

I struggled in his grip, but it was like wrestling steel. He held me with the effortlessness of someone swatting away a fly...Like I weighed no more than a feather.

"Easy, now," he murmured against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "You're strong for an Omega, but you are no match for me."

My entire body stiffened.

"Come on, don't be too embarrassed. It is okay to be a bîtch."

What did he just say?

With a surge of adrenaline, I twisted free, slammed him against the wall, and spun to face him. He didn't resist. He just stared, amused. A smug smile curled on his lips like I was a pet throwing a tantrum.

And that face, that mockery, erupted a storm within me, and before he could smirk again, I punched him and afresh, his nose burst open.

"Bîtch?" I hissed. "You think I'm a bîtch?"

He chuckled, even while bleeding. "Why are you so pîssêd, princess? You are very palpable, I can smell your heat."

I kicked his balls, not sure if I burst them up, because Max rushed in just as his face turned frantic, indicating either pain from the kick or anger of bursting his balls.

"Denny, we need to go. Now."

"I am not done here."

"Yes, you are."

Max yanked me away. I didn't resist. But when I glanced back at Jaden freaking Jason...he was hunched over, groaning.

"Denny," he growled, straightening upright. "I didn't like that kick. You sure will pay for that."

"Go fvck yourself!"

As Max dragged me away, we passed three men in the corridor...tall, scarred, radiating menace. One look, and I knew who they were.

"They're with him," Max said under his breath.

"Thanks."

I might have learned to punch and beat up asses, but I am not sure how long I would stand up to those creeps we just passed. Maximum? A couple of minutes, and I would be knocked out. I could barely stand up to the Corato heir, let alone when they are multiplied.

And Jay, how...how did he see through me? Smell me? Sure, I didn't forget to use my suppressants, so how was it possible?

Did he know since the parking lot? So ruining my car, the restroom, the punches, and the entire encounter was a trap. Jay had let me hit him. He wanted to see what I would do. To confirm. And now, I was exposed.

Worse, I was turned on.

Night came. I couldn't sleep. I tried to drown the memory of his voice, his smirk, the way he said "bîtch" like a twisted compliment...but nothing worked.

So, I drove to the bar, the only place where I could breathe. 

Disguised beneath my wig, heels, and layered perfume, I stepped onto the stage. Becky. A goddess in a glitter dress. Ready to be my true self.

No one in the bar knew the real me. Not a single customer, not even the owner. And Thomas cared little for my identity. Great deal, I wasn't on his payroll. I didn't need the money. I only perform for freedom. For sanity.

But tonight, I was hoping for something more. I was aiming to tend to my needs, not to suppress them, but to satisfy them. To quench the fire Jay had ignited in me.

And I knew just the person, the mystery man from last week.

He had saved me from a drunk jerk. Broke bottles over skulls and shattered bones just to make sure I got out safely.

I hadn't seen his face, but I remembered his moves. The alpha energy still clung to me like my perfume.

I was singing for him tonight. And if he wanted me, I would go with him.

To hell with pretending. To hell with hiding my heat. 

*************** 

POV: JAY

This town turns me off.

Small. Cramped. No action. No thrill.

But there is little I could do. It is a punishment. One I deserved, sure. 

If I hadn't killed the Hawks heir, Williams, started a war too risky to contain, I wouldn't be confined in this shady town, on the terms to lay low.

Lying low isn't my style. I love disasters. Tornado. Earthquake sounds better. Well, I'd appreciate a volcano. 

But no, I can't pull stunts anymore. I must behave. I swore to my father to be at my best until he decided otherwise.

I don't listen to anyone. I don't have to. But my father has been in a dilemma since the mess I made in the South. So I owe him my compliance here in the West.

I returned to the West with my men. Killing Williams brought more than I was expecting. The Union and all members of the Hawks Clan are out for me. And the West, inside my father's old mansion, is the best place to hide.

For the record, I didn't regret beating the fool to his death. He had it coming. All he would have done was find himself another blonde. He shouldn't have marked my woman; he should have known I detest sharing my property the most. But what? He thinks he fvcks better than me?

He's lucky I didn't burn the entire Hawks Clan.

But now I am stuck here. Power outage, of all things. In a dusty mansion with Luo babysitting me like I'm some fragile flower.

"I need air," I told him. "Prepare the car." 

Luo wasn't happy, but he drove me out. He chose the quietest bar in town. One that wouldn't trigger whispers.

Fine. Whatever.

Until I saw her. The singer.

She took the stage, and I forgot everything. Her voice wasn't only beautiful, it was haunting. She owned that mic. Every note, every sway of her hip lit a fire in me I hadn't felt in weeks...Since I killed Liz and her lover, Williams Husks.

I grew hard in seconds, watching her sing like she was escaping her reality. 

Then, some drunk touched her. Said she sang an abominable classic. His wife had eloped with the original artiste.

Luo warned me not to make a scene.

I didn't. I swear it.

Until that pig swaggered back to his seat, smirking like he'd won something for obstructing the music.

My table caught him mid-step. Okay, okay, my leg caught him. He fell. But dâmn it, I apologised.

He didn't accept. He fought back. I just dodged, but he bled.

The singer left the stage for safety. But I'd remembered her. And the next time I saw her? She wouldn't get away. She owes me a good fvcking thank you.

JAY: 

"One thing, Jason. Just one instruction," my father barked through the phone. "Keep your dâmn head down, but no, you went soaring in a bar!"

"It wasn't my fault."

"Like it wasn't with the Hawks?" he snapped.

I am not offended; he never trusts me. He always blames me for everything.

"The Unions are going to the West next week," he said after a long pause. "We need a good camouflage."

The Unions aren't just political. They are dangerous. They are an elite, secretive council of the oldest and most powerful Alpha clans across the territory. They maintain balance, peace, and hierarchy among the ruling clans...particularly among rival Alphas.

Inside their Blood Court, they judge the misconduct of the Regions, especially Alphas. Alpha, who initiates war, disrupts the natural order... kills another Alpha. And among these, I am guilty of all.

"I can lie low."

"I can see that," he scoffed. 

My father's asking me to lie low was mostly to shield me from the Union's wrath. Their quest now is to strip me of my Alpha traits. Oh yes, they can. They can not only take it away from me, they will strip me to nothing...more like a living corpse.

And losing my trait is losing my hierarchy. My claims over the South.

"You'II go to Midville. Get busy during the day as you always wanted."

"Going to school isn't getting busy."

"I have talked with the administrators," he said, ignoring my protest. "Make sure you have a haircut."

"No," I said flatly. "I won't go."

How could I? How could I sit in a classroom with a bunch of clueless brats and play pretend?

But my protest was worthless. Days later, I found myself behind the wheel, driving, something I hadn't done since birth, and crashing into some sharp tongued bîtch on campus.

And the second I looked him in the eye, I met his secrets. Thanks to my strong senses, I uncloak him.

He burned up. Heated like a furnace. His scent screamed Omega even if he tried hiding under that false-Alpha swagger.

And when he dared kick me in the balls? That sealed it. He was mine now...my toy. Mine to torment. My entertainment in this godforsaken town.

"Find out who that bîtch is?" I told Luo as he arrived with two of my men in the restroom.

"He is Delvyster Breon," he said, tapping his phone and showing me a photo. "That is his father."

Interesting.

Delvyster Breon. The supposed Alpha heir of the Broen Clan, the same low-class name my father warned me to steer clear of. The one he said had a notorious reputation. The dominant West, I shouldn't interfere with?

Well, Daddy dearest was wrong. He's not a threat. He's a lie in Alpha's clothing.

Driving out, my brain swirled with ideas...ways to make the bîtch pay. For his punches. For pretending. For turning me on.

"Luo," I smirked, eyes gleaming. "About Denny, bring him to me. Tonight."

************

By 11 pm, I still hadn't heard from Luo.

He'd taken two men with him; it should've been easy. I even told him not to raise alarms, just bind and bring. Quiet and fast.

It made me so furious that Luo couldn't carry out a simple task. If I weren't trying to keep a low profile, I'd drag that bîtch here myself.

"He doesn't seem to be home," Luo said from his end.

"What do you mean he isn't home?!" I muttered, bolting in anger.

"No one is here, Jay."

"Stay there until someone appears."

I stormed out of the mansion and climbed into my car. I drove recklessly through the night, headed straight to the downtown bar, the same bar from last week.

No, I wasn't looking for Denny. Not now. 

I am only desperate and impatient. I needed to cool off. I needed release.

The pretty singer with the honey-silk voice that made me forget how to breathe would do just fine. And no, I won't be taking her home with me tonight. I would be taking her right on the goddamn stage if I had to.

And there she was. Under the warm stage lights, crooning into the mic like she owned the night.

The moment her gaze landed on me, I saw it, recognition. Her eyes widened, and her voice trembled just slightly. Whether from fear or desire, I didn't know.

I followed her offstage.

She slipped behind the bar, and I trailed her quickly. It wasn't clear if she was trying to escape, but I didn't care. I grabbed her and pulled her against my chest.

"I hope you're not trying to run from me, pretty dear," I said, breathing her in. "You should be happy to see me again."

"I am...so pleased to see you," she stammered, her voice slightly hoarse.

"You should be," I whispered, lifting a hand to her perfect make-up, one I would be ruining soon.

Her face...now that I saw her up close, she looked oddly familiar. Something in the shape of her mouth. Her posture. Her scent.

She oozed heat, I know for sure. But it was dimmed, coated with undetectable redolent.

She flinched as I gripped her neck lightly and sniffed her. My sense struggled to figure her out. It was both taunting and challenging.

I sniffed her again. This time, I caught it. A masculine scent hidden in a feminine fragrance.

I recognized that masculinity. That heat. That masked Omega scent.

Denny!

What the actual hell? Was I thinking about him in a moment like this? Was my côck reacting because of her...or him?

"You smell too familiar," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Tell me something, have we met before?"

"You mean...the night you saved me?"

Right. The night she sang me to life. 

I leaned in closer. "You owe me for that," I growled softly, my voice thick. "And you will repay me. Right here. Right now."

My words hadn't even landed when she broke free from my grip, surprising me with her strength. I took a step forward-

"Becky?" a voice called from the side entrance, slicing through the tension like a blade. "Come on, it is time."

I gritted my teeth, eyes flaring. I could take her in a minute. I was that boned to finish quickly, but the owner of the voice refused to leave without her.

"I should get back," she said and half-ran off, disappearing backstage.

And I...I was left there. Raging. Throbbing. And suspicious as hell.

Denny, Becky? Why am I going through the same kind of nuts for these bîtches?

I pulled out my phone, eyes still on the darkened hallway. "Luo," I barked. "Do you have him?"

"Not yet."

I slammed a fist into the wall, hard. "Don't come back without him!"

Back in the bar, Becky had vanished. The stage was empty. The music was low and forgettable. But I sat there, beer in hand, waiting.

Not for her. Not anymore. I was waiting for the real call.

And it came, my phone vibrating across the table, snapping me to attention.

"Jay," Luo's voice came through. "We've got him."