ALPHA GREGORY's POV.

I laid him on the bed in my room, his hands clumsy as I searched for the worst of his wounds.

Since there was no doctor at the moment, I decided to tend to his wound myself. I stared at him closely to observe where he was hurt.

There was a cut along his temple, bleeding not too much. Bruises kissed his ribs as I took off his clothes. I swallowed hard as I tried not to stare but it was too difficult.

I composed myself then, I went into the bathroom, brought out a clean white cloth, and, filled a small bowl with water.

He's an Omega and he's wolfless. Which means, he's tender. I can't bring harm while trying to help him. That's the best thing.

I sat beside him and moved my right hand carefully, practicing cleaning his wounds as if I had done this before.

When the last bandage was secure, he lay back, and for a moment, the lines of pain smoothed from his face. Sleep took him like a tide. In the hush, I found myself watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, the clench of his jaw, the way his lashes cast shadows on his pale skin.

I told myself I was being practical. He needed shelter, food, safety, and the Moon Whisper Pack pressed at our borders; I had responsibility beyond this single vulnerable life. Still, my Wolf moved beneath my skin, restless and expectant. I felt it like an ache I had forgotten I had the right to feel.

I remembered the oath-never to claim again. The memory tasted of iron and old vows. But here, in the soft lamplight, with a stranger sleeping beneath my roof and my hand resting piecewise on the bed's rough edge as if that were enough, I felt the rules unspool.

How I wish I could see it as a favor to a wounded person.

Yet the thought of leaving him, of walking away from the scent that had already rooted itself in my lungs, felt impossible.

Hours later, Mateo finally stumbled in waking me from my sleep.

He glanced at me, a single raised brow asking the question we both knew but had not spoken. I flexed my fingers and felt the pulse of something alive beneath my skin.

"I was just helping," I said finally, breaking the silence. My voice was quiet. He looked at me, not convinced. "For now."

I did not know how long "for now" would last. But the Wolf in me prowled with a patience I hadn't allowed in years, and a new, dangerous hope breathed through that restraint.

"I don't mind, Gregory." Mateo called me by name for the first time in years. He went on his knees and brushed his fingers across my thighs. "You have to let the past stay in the past."

"But I don't know him. That was how it started the first time." I said.

"There's always a chance for something great and different." He said, his voice gentle. "I can see how you've cared for him. If not love, at least, it's glad to see your old self coming back again."

Mateo brushed a smile and he went ahead to get some food. As I ate, I still couldn't take my eyes off the Omega on the bed. He looked so handsome and breathtakingly hot that my eyes burned from staring.

I finished eating and Mateo packed the plates, wishing me "good night" in a teasing voice. I rolled my eyes before I started taking off my clothes gradually, backing the Omega.

When I was done, I glanced over my shoulder to see him still in the same position. I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and opened it.

The water struck like winter rain, a thousand needles waking every inch of my skin. For a moment, I allowed it. I needed the cold. It kept my Wolf quiet. It kept my thoughts from circling back to the figure lying unconscious in the other room.

Steam climbed the stone walls, turning the air heavy. I leaned both hands on the tile, head bowed, and closed my eyes. The sound of water swallowed everything except the rhythm of my own breathing that was steady, then stopped as my thought drifted back to the Omega.

I should have been thinking about the council, about war, about anything but him. Yet behind my eyelids I saw again the pale curve of his neck, the way his pulse had fluttered when I had carried him in. The memory pressed against my mind, soft and dangerous.

My Wolf stirred. "Touch him," he whispered. "Make sure to do that. I want him."

I drew a sharp breath and forced the thought away, but it lingered like heat that refused to fade. The cold water wasn't helping anymore; it traced down my spine in slow rivers, and each drop felt like a reminder that I was still made of need.

When had I last wanted something this simple-to reach, to feel, to be seen? Control had always been easier than wanting something. Not after you've been hurt. But the moment I had caught his scent, the armor I've built over years had begun to crack.

I turned off the shower. For a heartbeat, silence filled the room. My Wolf inside me paced, restless, for the sound of another heartbeat.

Out in the chamber beyond the door, I could hear his faint breathing.

I dried my hair, dragging air into my lungs until it steadied. The mirror caught my reflection: water on my shoulders, the tired lines around my mouth, the eyes of a man who hadn't truly rested in years. And beneath all that, a spark of something new. Not lust, but a kind of gravity pulling me toward the strange Omega.

I clenched my jaw, turned from the mirror, and let the last drops fall from my fingers. "You don't need this," I muttered to the empty room.

But as I stepped back into the cool air of the room, the strong scent of the Omega filled my nose. My nose flared. My breath hitched. And my... My cock twitched.

Damn.

I looked at the bed. He wasn't there. He was gone. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered where he disappeared to.

Narrowing my eyes to the glass window side, I saw him standing there, staring into the night. My eyes rolled below, landing on his ass. It measured the bubble butt as every piece of restraint in me trembled.

THEO's POV.

My eyes opened slowly and landed on the wall. Everything was hazy at first until the blur cleared. I lifted trembling hands to my head and sat up, squeezing my eyes shut against the sharp pain that throbbed through my skull.

When it finally dulled, I blinked again and let my gaze wander. A faint rush of water echoed from somewhere nearby. I was lying in a richly polished chamber with stone floors gleaming, soft drapes whispering with the wind. Never had I seen such a place.

Back in my own Pack, Moon Whisper. I was nothing. I was seen as a useless Wolf. A shadow among every other living thing. No one ever cared about me. No one ever considered me as their own. Even the ones who sired me. My siblings were adored and preferred; I was forgotten.

Why?

Because I was the first male Omega. The very first in the Pack. And not just that alone. The very first in the royal bloodline. I was seen as an abomination. As a curse. As nothing that would bring nothing to the Pack but destruction.

When war loomed with the neighboring Shadow Moon Pack, the elders of the council instigated my father to execute me. My own birth father didn't think for an hour before he passed the order.

The only person that cared about me, Maid Mithra, reached me before they did. I chose not to believe. I knew my father hated me but I couldn't bring myself to believe that he would kill me.

I chose not to believe her, finding my way towards my father until I met the palace guards. They tried to capture me but Maid Mithra grabbed my hands, dragging me to the secret passageway behind the palace.

We were about to escape when my younger sister, who was a Luna but was born with the strength of an Alpha, crossed us and launched an attack.

A wolfless me couldn't do anything. I was scared to the brim as I stepped back cowardly. Maid Mithra protected me before she transformed into her Wolf form and confronted my sister.

But she couldn't last long. She couldn't. But she managed to reach me and pushed me into the opening. I didn't know what happened to her next but I found myself out of the palace with an army of guards behind me.

I had no choice but to run. To keep running. And days passed without food. I couldn't continue. I've never been left on my own. I had wounds already. I couldn't keep on moving. I sat and covered my head with my hands, tears flowing out of my eyes.

Until he found me. I couldn't recall his voice clearly or the look in his eyes but I remembered the warmth of his arms, the quiet steadiness of his touch. He didn't stay away. He didn't call or assume I was a curse.

And now, I've found myself in this room.

My gaze drifted and I saw a picture frame at the edge of the table. My eyes lingered on it longer than I meant to.

He was carved from quiet storms-broad shoulders beneath a dark coat, the hint of a smirk playing on lips that looked far too cruel to be kind, yet far too soft to forget. His eyes, an icy shade of blue, stared through the glass like they could see right into me. It was dangerously calm.

Every line of his face spoke of discipline and dominance; the kind of man who didn't have to raise his voice to own a room. Even in stillness, there was something wild about him. More like a power he carried like breath itself.

And yet... behind that cold perfection, I could almost see the ache he tried to hide, the loneliness that came with being confident.

Intriguing.

I got off the bed and reached where the frame was. I was about to touch the perfection on the frame when the rush of water stopped in the bathroom.

Quickly, I moved to the window side, staring into the peaceful night. Whoever was inside the bathroom would be out soon. But for the first time in my entire life, I felt peaceful. I wasn't scared. I wasn't trembling about what might happen next.

The soft creak of the door sent a small shiver down my spine. The sound shouldn't have made me nervous, yet it did. I could smell it before I turned around. It was the thick, musky scent that filled the air and wrapped around my lungs like smoke. It was impossibly warm.

I turned.

He stood there, water tracing paths down his skin, droplets sliding from his hair to his shoulders before falling away. A towel hung low around his hips, and light from the window caught the sheen of his body like gold. He looked different but powerful enough to mistake for anything ordinary.

Our eyes met.

For a heartbeat, the room fell silent. I could hear my own pulse, the soft patter of water still dripping from his hair, the whisper of his breath. His gaze swept over me slowly, and the air between us thickened until I forgot how to breathe.

He didn't speak, and neither did I. But there was something in his eyes-a question, a pull, and a kind of hunger that mirrored the restless ache rising in my chest.

My throat went dry. And-

Something deep within me stirred. A warmth I hadn't felt before, sharp and wild, unfurled beneath my skin. It wasn't fear. It wasn't painful. It was something older, something primal. My body knew it even if I didn't.

It wasn't supposed to exist inside me. I had lived my whole life being told I was born without one. But now, it was there-awake, restless, pressing against my ribs.

My fingers trembled as I gripped the edge of the table to steady myself. I tried to look away, to stop staring at him, but I couldn't. Every breath he took seemed to pull me closer, invisible strings drawing tight between us.

THEO's POV.

He stepped closer. Just one step, but it was enough for his scent to fill the space between us completely. My knees weakened, and heat rippled through me.

His gaze softened then, though his voice was low and deep when he finally spoke.

"You're awake."

I swallowed hard, the sound barely audible. "I... I didn't mean to intrude."

His lips curved slightly, not quite a smile, more like a thought he refused to say out loud.

"You're safe here," he said, his tone rough around the edges. "Rest. No one will touch you."

No one but you, I wanted to say that but the words never left my mouth.

He turned slightly, the movement slow, his presence lingering even as he walked away. Every part of me felt alive. My skin burned, my heart beat faster, my wolf still whispering from somewhere deep inside: HIM. I WANT HIM.

I pressed my hand against my chest, half afraid the sound of my heartbeat would give me away. But my body moved.

I reached out to him and grabbed his left hand, pulling him to face me. His lips opened slightly as my eyes scanned his red lips.

It was very, very irresistible.

I tiptoed my feet, meeting up with his gaze locked on mine. My heart pounded. His warm breath brushed my face, and before I could think, I pressed my lips against his.

The world stopped.

For a moment, there was no sound-no wind, no heartbeat, not even the faint echo of dripping water anymore. His lips were firm but hesitant, and I felt the faintest tremor in them, like even he hadn't expected to be touched.

My fingers curled around his wrist, and something pulsed beneath his skin. Power. Heat. It slipped into me like a spark through dry wood. My chest tightened. The air thickened between us.

I should've pulled away. I should've been afraid. But I wasn't. Instead, I felt... alive.

Fiercely, heat rushed through my veins, searing in its intensity. My knees gave way slightly, and I pressed closer, clinging to him for balance, as if he were the only thing keeping me from burning apart.

It was as if I could hear two heartbeats now-his and mine-beating in sync.

Then came a low hum, almost a growl, rippling beneath my ribs. My breath hitched. My skin prickled as if invisible claws were dragging down my spine. I broke the kiss and gasped, stumbling back, one hand clutching my chest, the other reaching for air.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

My eyes fluttered wide open, and for an instant, the room seemed to pulse with light. My reflection in the glass frame flickered. My eyes glowed faintly as my pupils narrowed to something not human.

A deep, primal vibration that didn't belong to me escaped my throat.

"Is that your Wolf?" He asked, stepping closer.

My Wolf?

The one I was never supposed to have.

My body trembled as the echo of that growl filled the room, ancient and unfamiliar, rising from within me. The scent from the man-his power, his heat-seemed to call it out even louder.

And in that breathless, burning second, I knew with terrifying clarity: I was no longer alone inside myself. I now had a Wolf.

"MATE! I WANT HIM. I WANT THE ALPHA."

Alpha?

This man is an Alpha?

I rolled my eyes to his side. My veins got filled with something different, pulsing. I lunged at him but he staggered backward. I followed in a hot chase till his leg hit the bed I stood from. He fell onto it and I followed.

"What are you doing?" He asked as my body came in contact with it, my skin burning more.

"I want you," I growled.

"It's not even the mating season yet. It's your Wolf. Control it." He said, his voice still gentle.

Why was he being gentle? I hate it. I hate him!

"I want you." I groaned, then I pressed my lips against his.

I expected him to struggle. To fight. To insist that he wasn't interested, but he remained calm as I claimed his lower lip. He tasted so sweet, addictive as wine that I had stolen from my father's room.

I pushed my tongue into his mouth. He moaned, his hands reaching for my back. It ignited a different level of desire in me.

I've actually had sex with men. Just twice. And they were palace guards. A secret no one must know of. But they just saw me as a tool to satisfy their desire.

I released my mouth from his with a loud pop, earning a groan from him. My eyes caught his fresh neck and I bit down on it. He cried, his nails digging into my flesh.

I moaned, the pain mixing with the pleasure building up inside me. My whole body pulsed with need, clenching effortlessly. My legs moved, settling in between his legs and I felt a hard rock graze my skin.

My body trembled as I continued to bite down on his neck. Slowly, I trailed my tongue lower, biting him on his chest and abs.

I stopped a little, circling my tongue on his abs. He arched his back, his hands gripping my hair. "Ahhh... Yes."

I slid down, just like the guards had done for me. My Wolf stirred again, igniting another heat inside me. My body shook tremendously as I reached for his towel.

In a swift pull, I tugged it away. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he breathed heavily. "We shouldn't be doing this."

My gaze fell on his cock. It was long, almost as long as my forearm. The reddish head of his cock pointed at me, dripping with some liquid. My eyes zoomed carefully at the width of cock, it wouldn't fit into my mouth.

My Wolf whimpered. My tongue slowly slid over my lower lip.

It was like he spoke into the air as I turned my deaf ears to his words. My left hand grabbed his cock and I began to lower my head wanting a taste of the beautiful length