The air in the soundproofed seclusion room was so thick with the oscillating frequencies of my S-class pheromones that it felt like breathing through liquid silk. My head fell back against the timber floor, the world reduced to the rhythmic, echoing slap of skin against skin and the jagged, desperate sound of our combined breathing. I moaned, my fingers digging into the hard muscle of Sol's shoulders as he grunted, his face buried in the crook of my neck.
The first round had been a brutal, uncoordinated struggle. I had tried to force my body to relax, to yield to the mandate of the rut, but there is nothing inherently relaxing about the sensation of being physically dismantled. The pain that had initially swept through me was a white-hot flare; if it had been anyone else -if they had seen the sheer, daunting reality of his size - they would have backed away out of self-preservation. But I wasn't a coward. We had started this together, and I was determined to see it through. He had hesitated, his movements slowing as he whispered a question about stopping, but I had growled a denial, urging him to continue.
Now, my voice was a coarse, unrecognizable rasp. He rocked me with a relentless drive of hunger, my legs locked firmly around his waist as the fever finally broke into pure, unfiltered sensation of pleasure. I had already accepted the total, shamelessness I had fallen into. The agonizing pressure in my chest was gone, replaced by a thrumming ache.
We stayed in that room for three days. Time became a secondary concept, measured only by the shifts in our positions and the way Sol took my words,that he could do whatever he wanted ,with a terrifying, literal zeal.
On the final day, the storm had finally passed, leaving me drained and hollowed out. I looked down at the exhausted figure draped across my chest. As my mind cleared, a nagging thought finally surfaced: I still hadn't smelled a single note of his pheromones. How was he able to dominate me so completely? In every textbook, Nulls were described as biological dead-ends ,weak, unassuming, and incapable of standing before the aura of an Alpha, let alone an S-class.
Sol shifted, his weight moving as he propped himself up to look at me. A lazy, satisfied smile played on his lips. He leaned up, giving me a soft, lingering peck.
To my own surprise, I felt my lips curve upward. I smiled back.
Sol froze, his eyes widening as if he were witnessing an impossibility. "You... you smile?" he asked, his voice hushed.
"Of course I do," I scoffed, feigning a wounded pride.
"It's beautiful," he whispered, his gaze intense as he leaned in for another kiss. "You should do it more often."
I felt a treacherous heat rise to my cheeks. I quickly changed the subject before the sentimentality could choke me. "You said we met before. Where?"
The playful light in his eyes flickered. He looked away, his jaw tightening slightly.
"Should we go for another round before we leave?"
"Sol," I said, my voice dropping into that serious, unmoving register.
He hesitated, a rare blush creeping up his neck. "It was... it was at a club," he finally admitted.
A club? I had been to plenty of high-end lounges and dark basement bars when i was free. It was likely why I didn't remember him; those nights were usually a blur of loud bass and filtered light.
"And?" I prompted.
"Could we just change the topic?" he pleaded, looking genuinely flustered.
I sighed and shook my head. It was obvious he was hiding something embarrassing, which only fueled my curiosity. Why didn't I remember a man who stood out as much as he did?
He didn't give me time to dwell on it. He leaned down, capturing my mouth in a deep, distracting kiss. "One more round," he murmured against my lips, and I found I didn't have the strength,or the desire,to say no.
When the heavy deadbolt finally hissed open, the main cell was empty. The Omega and I-an were likely at their work assignments, and CJ was nowhere to be seen. We hurried into the small bathroom annex. Sol helped me clean up with a quiet, efficient tenderness. He was surprisingly skilled at it, his hands steady as he wiped away the remnants of the three days.
For a second, a sharp pang of jealousy pricked at my heart. How many people has he done this for? I shoved the thought away immediately.
The Warden had delivered a meal that was a far cry from the standard prison fare,several side dishes, fresh rice, and actual meat. It was clearly a "special" provision for Sol, but I didn't complain as we ate. Afterward, Sol cleaned up the trays and sat beside me on the floor, leaning his weight against my shoulder as I tried to focus on my book. He fell asleep within minutes, his breathing steady against my arm. My heart went soft, a sensation I was still struggling to categorize.
When the others returned, the atmosphere shifted. I could sense CJ had a thousand questions burning behind his teeth, but for once, the old Alpha bit his tongue. Sol, however, was shamelessly clingy. During dinner, he kept piling extra food into my bowl until I had to sternly scold him to stop.
CJ just smiled, shaking his head in a way that felt far too knowing.
As we ate, I noticed the Omega watching us. His eyes were tracing the way Sol leaned into my space, his expression unreadable.
"Did he bother you again?" I asked.
The Omega startled. "No... no, he didn't," he said, offering a small, grateful smile.
Beside me, I felt Sol's grip tighten on his chopsticks, his knuckles whitening, but I chose to ignore it.
That night, I fell into the most comfortable sleep of my life, locked in the anchor of Sol's arms. I didn't wake up until the morning light was hitting the bars.
"You didn't wake me," I grumbled as I saw the others already finishing breakfast.
"I thought you should sleep more," Sol said easily, patting the floor next to him. I sat down, and without a word, he began preparing my bowl. I caught CJ looking at me, his eyebrows raised, but I kept my eyes fixed on my rice.
Sol even insisted on doing my share of the morning cleanup. We headed to the woodshop, where he remained my persistent shadow. He actually tried to work this time, asking for instructions on a simple cedar frame. I found myself happily obliging, my voice softer than it had ever been.
When work ended, CJ followed us back to the cell, cracking jokes that actually managed to pull a genuine laugh out of me.
Then came yard time.
The air felt strangely still. Many of the inmates hadn't been let out yet, leaving the yard relatively quiet. We were walking, CJ and Sol locked in a mock debate about something, when I felt a sudden, icy sensation in my stomach.
The world slowed. I stopped in my tracks as a sharp, agonizing pain blossomed in my side. I looked down to see the glint of metal - a shiv, driven deep into my kidney.
I should have stayed in the cell. I shouldn't have let my guard down.
I felt the blade twist, and my body failed me. As I hit the ground, I realized something was fundamentally wrong. My S-class biology should have been knitting the wound back together instantly, but the healing wasn't coming. The blood was soaking through my grey clothes with terrifying speed.
Muffled shouts from CJ and Sol echoed in the distance as I was pulled against a firm, familiar chest. I buried my face in the fabric of Sol's shirt; it was the only thing that felt real as i felt myself sinking in handout of darkness.
"Why isn't it healing?" I heard CJ yell, his voice panicked.
Typically, Alphas are vulnerable for a short window after a rut, but this felt different. I should still be having even if at a slower rate.
Then, the atmosphere changed.
The air grew heavy - heavier than my own S-class scent. A scent began to leak into the yard, something dark, and terrifyingly imposing. It was so powerful it felt like a physical hand pressing down on everyone's lungs. CJ began to gasp, clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe.
Then, a voice rumbled from the chest I was leaning against. It was deep, commanding, and laced with a hallow, predatory rage.
"What did you do?"
Through my drooping eyelids, I saw Sol place me down gently. He launched himself at the B-class Alpha who had stabbed me.
With a strength that defied the laws of physics, he caught the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Sol's eyes were cold, void of the playfulness I had grown used to. He was drowning the entire yard in a pheromonal pressure that made even the guards in the towers falter.
"Sol..." I whispered, my voice fading.
He heard me. He hurled the Alpha against the far fence like a piece of trash and rushed back to my side, his pheromones receding as he scooped me into his arms. I felt the world go black.
****
The steady beep-beep-beep of a heart monitor was the first thing I heard. My eyes fluttered open to the sterile white of a hospital ceiling. Everything smelled of antiseptic.
"You're finally awake."
I looked toward the foot of the bed. A man in a sharp, tailored suit sat there, calmly scrolling through a tablet. He looked out of place in a hospital room, radiating a calculated, corporate confidence.
"Who... are you?" I croaked, my throat feeling like it was lined with glass.
"I am Mr. Kim's secretary," he said, standing up. "Secretary Lee."
"What happened?"
"The knife was coated in a synthetic variant of 'Ecstasy K,'" Lee explained, his voice professional. "In your post-rut state, it was highly effective at suppressing your regenerative abilities. You lost a significant amount of blood. Mr. Kim went to great lengths to secure the necessary S-class transfusions."
He informed me that I had been unconscious for three days. He also mentioned a female visitor - likely my sister - had tried to see me but was turned away by the police detail.
For the next two days, Lee bombarded me with high-end meals, watching me eat with a hawk-like intensity. He claimed he had to report my progress directly to Sol.
Even went he wasn't around he was still annoying me.
Finally, as I was finishing a bowl of abalone porridge, I looked at Lee. "He isn't a Null, is he?" I asked, remembering the crushing power in the yard and how he had easily overpowered me. My pheromones did nothing to affect him..
Lee hesitated, a small, knowing smile touching his lips before he shook his head and remained silent.
When I was finally cleared to return to the prison, the transition felt jarring. I stepped back into the cell, and before the door had even clicked shut, a body slammed into mine. Sol held me in a desperate, bone-crushing embrace.
"Are you okay?" he whispered into my hair.
"Didn't your secretary tell you?" I grumbled, though I didn't pull away.
He pulled back just enough to capture my lips in a kiss that was both delicate and demanding. "I missed you," he breathed against my mouth.
I let my hands find their place on his shoulders, sinking into the warmth of him. "I missed you too," I whispered, resting my forehead against his.
The mystery of what he truly was, loomed between us, but in the quiet of the cell, it didn't seem to matter as much as the fact that he was mine.