Theron came back to consciousness with a roar.
Metal groaned beneath him as he jolted upright, breath ripping out of his lungs. His vision spun, then snapped sharply into focus—too sharp, too bright, every scent slicing through him like broken glass.
Smoke. Blood. Gasoline.And—
His heart stopped.
Aiden.
Aiden's scent was everywhere. Saturating the crushed interior of the car. Fresh… but fading.And underneath it—faint, sour, sharp—fear.
A sound tore from Theron's throat, more animal than human.
He shoved the broken car door aside like it weighed nothing. Shattered glass spilled from him as he stumbled out onto the road, legs shaky for half a second before his wolf surged forward, ripping strength through his muscles.
His ribs were cracked.His head was bleeding.One arm wasn't moving right.
None of it mattered.
Aiden's scent dragged him forward like a leash made of fire.
He dropped to one knee, pressing a hand to the asphalt, inhaling deeply—ignoring the burn in his lungs.
The trail was messy.Aiden's scent zig-zagged, chaotic, full of pain and confusion.
Then another scent cut through it.Sweet perfume. Familiar. Wrong.
Theron's lips peeled back over his teeth.
Evelyn.
She had been here.
His vision bled into gold, pupils thinning. The world sharpened further, narrowing down to scents and sounds and the phantom echo of Aiden's heartbeat.
The trail led off the road.Dragged.
Theron's entire body went rigid.
Dragged.Aiden had been dragged.
A low growl vibrated through him, deep and dangerous. His wolf was rising without permission, instincts flooding him, filling every wound with molten fury.
Mine.Where is he?Where—
He forced himself to stand, following the scent into the grass, through a ditch, across the broken fence of a field—
Then he froze.
A second scent joined Evelyn's.
The rogue.
The same one from the river.The one who had looked at Aiden like prey.
Theron's jaw cracked as his teeth sharpened, his wolf pushing up under his skin, demanding to be set free.
Aiden was hurt.Aiden was taken.Aiden was in danger.
Blood dripped down Theron's face, but he didn't feel it. His breathing came fast, harsh, nothing like human control—and then he dropped into a sprint.
A feral, ground-eating sprint that blurred the world around him.
Trees whipped by. Dirt exploded under his feet. Every heartbeat, every breath, every cell burned with a single, violent purpose—
Find him.
A few hundred meters later, he stopped again, chest heaving.
Here, the scents were stronger. More recent.
Aiden.Evelyn.Rogue.
And something else—
Something so wrong, so vile, Theron's stomach flipped:
omega heat.
Not theirs.Not natural.
Aiden.They had forced Aiden into heat.
Theron's snarl ripped through the quiet forest, sending birds scattering from the trees.
"I'm going to kill them."
His voice was barely human.
The trail shifted direction, cutting deeper into the woods toward the outskirts of the city.Their hideout.It had to be.
Theron ran again, faster, vision narrowing. His wolf pounded against his skull, whispering, screaming—
He's scared.He's hurting.He needs you—NOW.
The forest thinned.A road appeared.Old warehouses loomed in the distance.
The scent trail thickened.
Aiden was close.
Theron's breath caught—then turned into fire.
He bared his teeth.
"Hold on, Aiden…"His voice was a low, deadly promise."I'm coming."
And with one final breath, Theron let his wolf take over—
—and sprinted toward the warehouse that smelled like fear, blood, and Aiden.
Inside the warehouse, Aiden's false heat worsened.
It came in rolling waves — sharp, burning, humiliating. His body shivered violently against the cold metal pole he was tied to, sweat beading across his skin even though the air was freezing. His breath shook each time he drew it, the synthetic heat twisting cruelly through his nerves.
The rogue werewolf prowled a slow circle around him, nostrils flaring.
"Smells sweet," he rasped, licking his teeth. "Alpha's little mate… drugged and helpless."
Aiden jerked back instinctively, the restraints clinking. "S-stay away," he managed, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.
But every inhale made his knees threaten to buckle. The drug Evelyn forced into him worked too well — too real. His heartbeat thudded uncontrollably, pupils blown wide, instincts screaming for the one person he wasn't allowed to call for.
Theron, please…
The rogue leaned down, sniffing Aiden's neck with a hungry groan. "This is cruel, you know," he murmured. "Giving a thing like you heat with no mate to take the edge off."
Aiden's stomach twisted. He tried to pull away, toes scraping the concrete. "Don't touch me—"
Yet Aiden lifted his gaze a little, leaning closer to the rogue, his instincts confused and burning.
"Don't."Evelyn's voice sliced through the air, quiet but commanding.
She stepped out from the shadows, heels clicking softly on the concrete. With two fingers, she lifted Aiden's jaw, tilting his head up.
"Sweet boy… already breaking under the heat?" she murmured, voice sugar-sweet and rotten underneath. Her perfume — thick, floral, suffocating — made Aiden's head spin even more.
She leaned in and kissed him.
Aiden tried to turn away, but the drug crashed through him like a storm, instincts betrayed by manufactured desire. Shame burned bright in his chest as her lips pressed to his.
Then—
BOOM.
The world cracked open.
The lights flickered madly. Dust rained down.
Evelyn froze, lips still hovering dangerously close to Aiden's.
Another impact — louder, closer.
The steel door screamed as it bent inward, metal warping like tin foil around a fist too strong to belong to any werewolf.
Evelyn's eyes widened. "Oh… he woke up angry."
The door exploded.
And Theron stepped through the smoke.
His eyes glowed with something no werewolf—no alpha—should ever possess. A shimmering white that looked like moonlight concentrated into rage.
Evelyn smiled, stepping back lazily."Theron, darling. You're looking… divine."
Theron didn't even blin
"You kissed him."His voice was deathly quiet."You touched what's mine."
He moved so fast the air cracked. Evelyn barely dodged the first strike, flipping backward like she weighed nothing. His claws tore through the metal wall behind her as if it were paper.
Evelyn laughed, breathless."Oh, I do love when you lose control."
Theron lunged again — this time catching her wrist mid-air. The moment his hand touched her, her skin smoked, like his very power burned her.
She hissed and kicked him away, landing catlike on a crate. "Still pretending you're only an alpha? A king?" She licked the burn on her arm. "When you and I both know that's not what you are."
Aiden's heart pounded.Not just from fear.From confusion.
From the way Theron didn't deny it.
The rogue lunged for Aiden while the alphas fought, but Theron didn't even turn — he just whipped his hand backward, sending a blast of shimmering force that launched the rogue across the warehouse like a ragdoll.
Aiden stared, breath shaking. The ropes snapped under Theron's next swipe, and Aiden stumbled forward, caught instantly by strong arms.
Theron cupped his face, checking him with frantic eyes. "Did she hurt you? Did he? Aiden, tell me."
Aiden swallowed hard, voice trembling."Theron… what are you?"
Theron froze.
Just for a heartbeat — but Aiden felt it.
Evelyn laughed from across the room, wiping blood from her mouth. "Yes, Theron. Tell him. Tell your little mate what sleeps in your spine."
Theron's jaw clenched. "Evelyn—"
"Tell him you're not just a werewolf."She tilted her head."You're what happens when the Moon Goddess gets lonely."
Aiden's breath caught.His knees nearly buckled.
Theron pulled him close, shielding him with his body. "Aiden, look at me."
"I… I don't understand," Aiden whispered.
"You don't need to," Theron said, voice low, fierce. "All you need to know is that I'm yours. And no one touches what's mine."
Evelyn stepped forward, grin sharp. "But can he handle the aftermath of that false heat I gave him? You know exactly what's coming."
Theron's eyes flashed — something ancient, something primal — pure moonlight rage.
"No," he said coldly."You don't get to speak his pain into reality."
He moved.
One moment he stood beside Aiden.The next, he slammed Evelyn into the concrete so hard the ground cracked beneath them.
Evelyn coughed, laughing even as blood spilled down her chin."Oh, Theron… angry looks good on you."
Theron growled — deep, feral, unearthly — as he tore her hands from Aiden's scent-marked clothes. "If you come near him again, I will unmake you."
Evelyn smirked. "If you survive the night with your little omega, maybe I'll try."
She vanished in a flash of silver smoke.
The moment she disappeared, Aiden sagged.
His body burned. His breath hitched with every inhale. His scent rose thick and sharp — too sharp — and Theron's pupils blew wide in instinctive response.
"Aiden—"His voice broke on the name.
Aiden pressed his forehead weakly to Theron's collarbone. "It hurts… it's getting worse…"
Theron wrapped his arms around him, trembling with restraint. "I know. It's the drug. It's triggering a real heat on top of it."
Aiden whimpered, pressing closer without meaning to. "Theron…"
Theron sucked in a sharp breath.He held Aiden tighter — but careful. Gentle. Controlled only by love.
"I'm taking you home," he murmured against Aiden's hair."And I'll stay with you every second. I won't touch you until you ask. Until you want."
Aiden's voice cracked. "What if I… do want?"
Theron closed his eyes, shaking with the effort not to lose himself.
"Then," he whispered hoarsely,"I'll take care of you. Every way you need."