Omegaverse: The Spare Heir's Fake Contract

Chapter 2 Pt1

CHAPTER 2

Cassian woke up alone.

The blanket was still warm where Kael had sat. The chair by the bed was empty, but the floor had scuff marks like someone hadn’t moved all night.

He touched his wrists. No marks from the leather. Kael had been careful. Precise. The way he did everything.

“General’s orders,” Lady Miren said when Cassian came downstairs. She pressed a cup of tea into his hands. Lavender. Calming. “You’ll eat, then the physician arrives at ten.”

Cassian’s hands shook. “Physician?”

“House Mirell sent him early,” Miren’s mouth thinned. “To verify the contract. Fertility. Viability. Standard for omega marriages.”

Standard. Cassian’s tea tasted like ash.

Kael wasn’t at breakfast. No one told Cassian where he was. He sat in the dining room alone and counted his breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Like Kael taught him.

At 9:58, footsteps echoed in the hall. Heavy. Military. Not Kael’s.

The doors opened.

A man in Mirell red and gold entered. Mid-forties, soft hands, smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Behind him, two guards.

“Prince Cassian,” the physician bowed shallowly. “I am Physician Varn. Lord Mirell sent me to ensure the Empire’s investment is... sound.”

Cassian stood. His legs felt like water. “The General—”

“General Draven is busy,” Varn cut him off. “He left instructions that I was to examine you privately. Standard procedure.”

Private. The word made Cassian’s skin crawl.

“Where is he?” Cassian asked. His voice came out smaller than he wanted.

Varn’s smile widened. “Inspecting the northern border. He’ll return when he’s done.”

Lie. Cassian could smell it. But he had no proof. No power.

“Come,” Varn gestured to a side room. “We’ll begin with basic examination. Nothing to fear, omega.”

Omega. Said like a diagnosis. Like a disease.

Cassian followed. Each step felt heavier than the last.

*The Examination Room was cold with white sheets. Metal tools laid out on a tray. Varn closed the door behind them. The latch clicked.

“Remove your jacket,” Varn said. “And your shirt. I need to check your glands.”

Cassian’s fingers fumbled with the buttons. The black uniform Kael gave him. The one that fit.

He stripped to his undershirt. Pale skin prickled in the cold air.

Varn approached with a gloved hand. “Turn around. Let me see your neck.”

Cassian turned. He stared at the wall. Counted the stones. One. Two. Three.

Cold fingers pressed against the back of his neck. Where Kael’s scent had lingered all night. Where Kael’s mouth had almost touched when he said “good boy.”

“There,” Varn murmured. “Omega gland, undeveloped. As expected for an unmated—”

The door slammed open.

Kael filled the doorway like a storm. Armor still on. Mud on his boots. He’d ridden hard to get here.

Varn spun. “General! I was just—”

“Out.”

One word. Quiet. Deadly.

Varn straightened. “The contract states—”

“I read the contract,” Kael interrupted. He stepped into the room. The air changed. Smelled like steel and winter and _him_. “Section nine: ‘No outside party may examine the omega without the Alpha’s presence and consent.’”

Cassian didn’t turn around. But he heard Varn swallow.

“You’re not mated yet,” Varn tried. “He’s not technically—”

Kael moved. Fast. One hand grabbed Varn’s collar and slammed him against the wall. The physician’s feet left the ground.

“He wears my scent,” Kael said. Voice low, dangerous. “He sleeps in my bed. He answers to me. That makes him mine. And mine means _I decide_ who touches him.”

Varn went pale. “General, please— Lord Mirell will hear of this—”

“Let him.” Kael dropped him. Varn collapsed to his knees, gasping. “Tell Mirell his physician overstepped. Tell him if he wants to see Cassian again, he goes through me.”

He turned then. Finally looked at Cassian.

Cassian was still facing the wall. Shirt half-off. Exposed. Vulnerable.

Kael’s expression didn’t change. But his scent did. Sharp. Protective. Filling the room until Varn started coughing.

“Get dressed,” Kael said to Cassian. Soft. Just for him. “Now.”

Cassian’s hands shook as he pulled his shirt on. Buttoned it wrong. Kael didn’t comment. Didn’t help. Just waited.

When Cassian was covered, Kael stepped behind him. Close. Not touching. But Cassian could feel the heat of him. Smell him. Cedar and iron and safety.

“Look at me,” Kael murmured at his ear.

Cassian turned. Violet eyes met steel gray.

Kael’s hand came up. Cupped the back of Cassian’s neck, thumb pressing right where Varn had touched. Possessive. Claiming.

“This is mine,” Kael said. Loud enough for Varn to hear. For the guards to hear. For the whole estate to hear. “His neck. His scent. His body. All of it belongs to me. Not Mirell. Not their physicians. Me.”

He leaned down. Pressed his nose to the juncture of Cassian’s neck and shoulder. Inhaled deep.

Scented him. Right there. Right then. Marking him with alpha scent so thick Cassian’s knees buckled.

Varn scrambled backward. “We’ll leave. Please. We’ll leave.”

“Good,” Kael didn’t even look at him. His mouth was still at Cassian’s neck. “Because if you come back without me, I’ll carve out your hands.”

Footsteps retreated. Door slammed. Silence.

Only then did Kael pull back. His eyes were darker now. Not with lust. With rage. With ownership.

He looked at Cassian’s neck. At the faint red mark his nose left. Not a bite. Not yet. Just scent. Just _mine_.

“You’re shaking,” Kael said. Thumb brushed Cassian’s cheek.

“I’m fine,” Cassian lied. Voice wobbled.

“You’re not.” Kael’s hand slid down to Cassian’s wrist. Lifted it. Pressed his lips to the pulse point. Not a kiss. A brand. “No one touches you, Cassian. Not unless I say so. Understand?”

Cassian nodded. Couldn’t speak. His whole body was buzzing from Kael’s scent on his skin.

Kael let go. Stepped back. Distance returning like armor.

“The physician is gone,” Kael said. Flat. Like he hadn’t just threatened murder. “Tonight, you come to my study. We’ll begin your real examination. By me. No one else.”

Cassian’s breath hitched. “Examination?”

“Omega training,” Kael clarified. “You need to learn your own body before a heat hits. Before rut. Before anyone else tries to claim what’s mine.”

The word _heat_ made Cassian’s stomach drop. He’d never had one. Never been taught. Never been safe enough.

Kael saw his face. “I won’t hurt you. But you need to trust me enough to let me teach you. Can you do that?”

Cassian stared at him. At the man who’d ridden through mud to stop a stranger’s hands on his neck. At the man who said _mine_ like it was a shield.

He nodded. Slow. “Yes, Kael.”

“Good boy,” Kael said. Same two words. But this time Cassian understood what they meant.

It meant: _I’ll break the world before I let them break you._Night fell fast. The estate was quiet after the physician fled.

Cassian stood outside Kael’s study at 7pm sharp. Black uniform. Hands at his sides. Heart hammering.

The door opened before he knocked. Kael was already there. No armor tonight. Just black shirt, sleeves rolled up, scar visible. He looked less like a general and more like a man who hadn’t slept.

“Come in,” Kael said. “Close the door.”

Cassian obeyed. The latch clicked. The room smelled like Kael. Cedar and steel and something darker now. Alpha.

On the table: not straps this time. Just a glass of water, a clean cloth, and a small vial. Suppressants.

“Sit,” Kael gestured to the chair. Not the desk. The one by the fireplace.

Cassian sat. The fire warmed his back but his front was cold.

Kael pulled the second chair around so he sat facing Cassian. Knees almost touching. Close. Deliberate.

“Today you learned what happens when strangers touch you,” Kael started. Voice low. “Tonight you learn your own body. So no one can lie to you about it again.”

Cassian’s throat was dry. “My body?”

“Omega biology,” Kael corrected. He picked up the vial but didn’t open it. “You were never taught. That ends now.”

He set the vial down. “First lesson: scent glands.” His finger lifted, but stopped an inch from Cassian’s neck. “May I?”

The question froze Cassian. No one had ever asked before touching him.

He nodded. Once.

Kael’s fingertip brushed the back of Cassian’s neck. Feather light. Right where the gland sat under skin. Cassian shivered.

“Here,” Kael said. “This is where an alpha claims you. Where my scent will live once I bite you. For now, it just releases your natural scent.”

He pressed slightly harder. Cassian’s breath hitched. Something warm and sweet and _him_ leaked out. Vanilla and snow. Shame burned his face.

“Don’t hide it,” Kael ordered. “That’s you. Not weakness. You.”

Cassian stared at the fire. “It smells like… food.”

Kael’s mouth twitched. Almost a smile. “Omegas smell like comfort. Like home. Alphas smell like protection. Like danger.” He pulled his hand back. “That’s why Mirell wants you. Not for love. For what your scent does to alphas.”

Cassian looked up. “What does it do?”

“Calms them,” Kael said. Honest. “Makes them think they can own you. Makes them stupid.” His gray eyes were sharp. “But you’re not stupid. You’re mine. So you’ll learn to control it.”

*Lesson Two: Heat*

Kael leaned back. “Second lesson. Heat cycles.”

Cassian’s stomach dropped. He’d heard whispers. Servants talking. Pain. Madness. Losing control.

“How often?” Cassian whispered.

“Every 3-4 months,” Kael said. “Unless you’re on suppressants.” He tapped the vial. “You’ve been taking these your whole life. Stolen by servants who didn’t want a prince going into heat in the palace.”

Cassian blinked. “They… they drugged me?”

“They protected themselves,” Kael said. No judgment. “But you’re with me now. So you’ll learn to ride a heat instead of fearing it.”

He opened the vial. Poured one pill into his palm. “This is your last dose. Tonight. After this, we track your cycle. We prepare. When it comes, you won’t be alone.”

Cassian stared at the pill. Freedom tasted like fear. “What… what happens during heat?”

Kael didn’t look away. “Your body wants to be filled. Wants to breed. Wants an alpha’s knot. Your scent goes wild. You’ll beg. You’ll cry. You’ll think you’re dying if no one touches you.”

The words were blunt. Cruel. True.

“But,” Kael continued, “with an alpha you trust, it’s not madness. It’s relief. It’s safety. It’s being claimed the way you were made to be.”

Cassian’s face burned. “I don’t— I’ve never—”

“I know,” Kael cut him off gently. “That’s why I’m teaching you. So when it happens, you understand what your body is asking for. And you know who to ask.”

He held out the pill. “Last one, Cassian. Take it. Then we start scent control training.”

Cassian took it. Swallowed it dry. His hands shook.

Kael watched his throat work. When the pill was gone, he nodded once. “Good. Now stand up.”

Cassian stood. His legs felt weak.

Kael stood too. Close again. Not touching yet. “Scent control. Omegas leak scent when scared. When aroused. When they want something. You need to learn to hide it. Or to use it.”

“How?” Cassian’s voice was small.

“Breathe,” Kael instructed. “Deep. Through your nose. Hold it. Then release slow through your mouth. Like this.” He demonstrated. In. Hold. Out.

Cassian copied him. The room filled with his vanilla scent again. Stronger this time.

Kael inhaled. His pupils dilated slightly. But his face stayed neutral. Controlled.

“Again,” he said. “Until you can release scent without losing control.”

They did it ten times. Twenty. Cassian’s head spun. But each time, Kael was there. Correcting his posture. His breathing. His fear.

At one point Kael’s hand came to Cassian’s stomach. “Breathe from here. Not your chest. Here.” His palm was warm through the shirt. Steady. Anchoring.

Cassian breathed. In. Hold. Out. The scent settled. Didn’t flood the room.

“Better,” Kael murmured. His hand stayed there a second too long before dropping. “You learn fast.”

Cassian looked up at him. “Is… is that why you claimed me? Because my scent calms you?”

Kael’s expression went blank. For a second Cassian thought he’d overstepped.

Then Kael’s hand came up. Cupped Cassian’s jaw. Thumb brushing his cheekbone.

“No,” Kael said quietly. “I claimed you because you survived eighteen years without anyone protecting you. Your scent is a bonus. You are the reason.”

Cassian’s breath caught. The room got smaller. Hotter.

Kael’s thumb moved to Cassian’s lower lip. Pressed lightly. “Last lesson for tonight. Boundaries.”

He stepped back. Put two feet of space between them. “This is public distance. Safe. Respectful.” He stepped forward until their chests almost touched. “This is private distance. Intimate. Claimed.”

He didn’t touch Cassian. Just let him feel the heat. The alpha presence. The choice.

“When I’m in public distance, you’re the prince. You’re free,” Kael said. “When I’m in private distance…” He leaned in slightly. Cassian could smell him now. Cedar. Iron. Kael. “You’re mine. And I can touch you. Scent you. Command you.”

Cassian’s knees shook. “Which… which are we now?”

Kael’s eyes darkened. “Private distance, Cassian. Because you need to learn what it feels like to be claimed without fear.”

He raised his hand. Paused. “May I scent you again? Properly this time?”

Cassian nodded. He couldn’t speak.

Kael leaned in. Pressed his nose to Cassian’s neck. Inhaled deep. Then exhaled. His alpha scent poured over Cassian’s skin like warm water. Cedar and winter and _ownership_.

Cassian gasped. His knees buckled. Kael caught him. One arm around his waist, holding him up.

“Shh,” Kael murmured into his neck. “I’ve got you. Breathe. That’s all. Just breathe.”

He didn’t bite. Didn’t claim. Just scented. Marked Cassian as his to anyone with a nose.

When Cassian’s breathing steadied, Kael pulled back. Looked at the faint red mark his nose left.

“Mine,” Kael said. Soft. Final.

Cassian’s eyes burned. Not from fear. From relief. From being wanted without having to earn it.

Kael led him back to the chair. Poured him water. “Drink.”

Cassian drank. His hands still shook.

“Tomorrow,” Kael said, “we learn about nesting. About how your body will want comfort. And you’ll learn that my shirts, my furs, my bed… they’re yours to take.”

Cassian’s head snapped up. “Yours?”

“Mine,” Kael corrected. “And therefore yours. Because what’s mine is yours, Cassian. That’s how this works.”

He stood. Offered his hand. “Come. I’ll walk you to your room.”

Cassian took it. Kael’s hand was warm. Calloused. Safe.

At the door, Kael stopped. Didn’t let go of his hand.

“Sleep well,” Kael said. “And Cassian?”

“Yes?”

“If you feel afraid tonight… if your body feels strange… come to me. Any hour. You don’t ask permission to need me anymore. You just come.”

Cassian nodded. He walked to his room on shaky legs, Kael’s scent still clinging to his neck.

In his bed, he pulled Kael’s words around him like a blanket.

What’s mine is yours.

For the first time in eighteen years, Cassian fell asleep without counting the stones in the wall.Cassian didn’t sleep well. Not because he was scared. Because his body felt wrong.

Restless. Hot. Achy in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. He kicked the blanket off. Pulled it back on. Stared at the ceiling until it blurred.

Around 2am he gave up. He padded to the wardrobe. His clothes hung there, neat and lonely. Too few. Too thin.

Kael’s words echoed: _My shirts, my furs, my bed… they’re yours to take._

Cassian’s fingers found the edge of a black shirt Kael had left after changing yesterday. It smelled like cedar. Like steel. Like safety.

He took it. Pressed it to his face. Inhaled. His knees went weak.

Something in his chest unclenched. _Home._

Without thinking, he dragged the shirt to his bed. Then another. Then the thick fur blanket from the chair. Then Kael’s spare jacket from the wardrobe hook. He didn’t remember taking it.

He piled them in the corner of the bed. Built walls. A cave. A nest.

He burrowed into it. Surrounded by Kael’s scent. His breathing slowed. His hands stopped shaking. For the first time since leaving the palace, his body felt right.

He fell asleep clutching Kael’s shirt to his chest.