Rafayel, a star college alpha basketball player, has spent months pining quietly for Cecilion, the talented rising vocalist everyone on campus is obsessed with. He’s memorized every little detail: extra sugar in iced lattes, Cecilion's love of cheese fries, the way his cheeks flush when he compliments him.Everything changes when he accidentally catches Cecilion taking an omega suppressant pill—confirming the secret he’s hidden to survive in a world that judges omegas who chase performing careers. All the ugly campus rumors click into place, and Rafayel doesn’t hesitate: he silences the gossiping jocks on his team, guards Cecilion's secret like it’s his own, and keeps showing up for him, with coffee, burgers, and quiet steadiness.When he finally confesses he knows the truth, Cecilion has to decide if he can trust the alpha who’s already seen his most vulnerable secret. Will his gentle protection turn into the love Cecilion’s always been too scared to reach for?

Eight years ago, Cecilion walked away before he could say goodbye to the boy he loved, leaving Rafayel with nothing but cold loneliness and a broken promise. Now, when they stumble into each other again, the old longing rushes back faster than either of them can bear.Rafayel never stopped waiting. He built a life, bought a stone villa overlooking the Mediterranean, and dreamed every night of the day he would hold Cecilion in his arms again. Broader, scarred, harder than the boy Cecilion remembers, he is still just as hungry, just as determined to keep the love he fought eight years to get back.There are no more secrets, no more forces pulling them apart. Rafayel is ready to claim what has always been his, and Cecilion is ready to come home. After eight years of aching missing, can two broken lovers finally mend what was split apart, and stay together for the rest of their lives?