Chapter 2: The Alpha Came at Midnight
357 Words
Sleep did not come easily.
Every time Elara closed her eyes, she heard his voice again—cold, final, rejecting. Her chest still ached where the bond had flared and been denied.
She turned on her narrow bed, staring into the darkness of her small room.
Then she felt it.
A presence.
The air shifted, thick and heavy, pressing against her skin. Elara sat up just as the door creaked open.
Her heart slammed.
Alpha Rowan stepped inside.
She scrambled backward, her breath coming fast. “You—” Her voice trembled.
“Be quiet,” he said softly.
The calm in his tone frightened her more than anger ever could. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting sharp shadows across his face. Up close, his power was overwhelming.
“Why are you here?” she whispered.
His eyes dropped to her chest, his jaw tightening. “Because you don’t understand what you are.”
“I’m an omega,” she said bitterly. “You made that very clear.”
He took a step closer. The bond pulsed painfully between them.
“No,” Rowan said. “You’re something else.”
Her breath caught.
“If anyone scents you properly,” he continued, his voice low, “they will kill you. Omegas don’t smell like this.”
Fear curled in her stomach. “Then why reject me?”
For the first time, something flickered across his face—regret. Pain.
“Because claiming you would put a target on your back,” he said. “And I won’t be the reason you die.”
He reached out, stopping just short of touching her. His hand hovered over her heart, trembling.
“From now on,” he said quietly, “you stay where I can see you.”
“And if I refuse?” she asked.
His gaze hardened. “You won’t.”
As he turned to leave, Elara felt it again—the pull, stronger now, sharper.
She pressed a hand to her chest, realizing the terrifying truth:
The Alpha might have rejected her in public…
but in private, he had just claimed her life as his responsibility.
- Writer
