✦ Chapter 03 ✦
Elian's hands clenched in the grass as the red-eyed man watched him. The stranger moved with the slow precision of someone who had all the time in the world. When he knelt, Elian flinched back, the movement instinctive.
"What… are you?" he stammered.
If this man was an Alpha, Elian should have smelled his pheromones immediately, yet there was nothing—no scent, no pressure in the air. A blank, impossible void. And betas didn't have eyes that glowed like rubies.
Before he could think further, something changed. A faint fragrance slipped through the wind, delicate but piercing. Elian's heart seized.
Pheromones.
It wasn't just any scent—it was beautiful. Cold and clean like snow, but laced with a hint of rose, a contradiction that made his pulse stumble. His head swam, the air suddenly too sweet, too heavy.
He trembled. If this was an Alpha, and that Alpha sensed him, it would be over. His mother's sacrifice, his father's death—everything would mean nothing.
He forced himself to move, to run, but before he could rise, the man's quiet voice stopped him.
"That won't help."
Elian froze, looking up.
"If you run, they'll still find you. Your scent will surface any minute now," the stranger said. His tone was calm, too calm, and those red eyes studied Elian like he was a puzzle worth solving.
Cold fingers brushed his cheek.
Elian stopped breathing. The touch trailed down to his jaw, then his throat, light as snow against his skin. His body locked between fear and confusion. Everything the man said was true, but some part of him refused to believe this was the end. His mother hadn't saved him just so he could die alone in the forest.
A tear escaped, hot and unbidden.
Something flickered in those red eyes—sympathy, or something close to it. The man sighed softly, then reached inside his robes and drew out a small vial. Inside was a fine white powder.
Elian's breath caught. He knew that powder.
The same kind his father had given him.
He stared at it, vision blurring with tears. If only this had been there sooner—if only his father had had more time—maybe they could have survived.
"Take it," the man said quietly.
Elian hesitated, reaching halfway, his hand trembling. "Why?" he whispered. "Why are you helping me?"
The man smiled faintly, the expression both distant and warm. "Because I felt like it," he said simply. "Now hurry. They're close."
Elian's pulse hammered. He took the vial and swallowed the powder, the taste sharp and metallic on his tongue. The man watched him the entire time, red eyes flickering with something unreadable—amusement, perhaps, or curiosity.
When it was done, the man's pale hand fell away. He rose gracefully to his feet. "If you plan to keep running," he murmured, "do it now. The Alpha is near."
Elian looked up at him in shock, but his white ears were already fading, dissolving back into his hair as the powder took effect. His scent dulled, hidden once again.
"Who are you?" Elian asked softly. "What are you?"
The man's lips curved. "Just something that doesn't belong here."
Before Elian could speak again, the stranger's body shimmered with red light—and vanished. The glow lingered for a heartbeat, then dissolved into the darkness.
Elian stared at the spot where he'd been, trembling. His mind whirled. Someone knew his secret. Someone powerful. And if that man decided to betray him later, there would be nowhere left to hide.
The air changed again. Pheromones swept through the meadow—thicker this time, richer, intoxicating. His stomach tightened, his chest fluttering with the instinctive response of an Omega.
Then, through the haze, he saw them.
A figure stepped out from the shadows: tall, broad-shouldered, his presence commanding without effort. Gold eyes locked on Elian, luminous and sharp, like twin suns burning through fog.
Elian's breath caught.
Behind the Alpha, two Betas moved cautiously, their gazes darting around the clearing.
"Alpha," one of them said, lowering his head. "I think that's an Omega male."
The Alpha's expression hardened. He stepped closer, boots whispering against the grass. Each step sent a pulse through Elian's chest until his heartbeat matched the rhythm of the approaching danger.
The Alpha crouched in front of him, golden eyes narrowing as he studied Elian's face. The scent rolling off him was overwhelming—powerful, commanding, yet strangely soothing. Elian's throat went dry.
The Alpha leaned closer, his breath ghosting against Elian's neck. The world seemed to narrow to that single point of contact.
What is happening to me? Elian's mind screamed.
Then the Alpha drew back, his gaze unreadable.
"He doesn't smell like one," he said finally, voice deep and even, the kind that vibrated in Elian's chest.
Elian dared a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
✦ End of Chapter ✦