Marked by the Alpha

The mirror lied beautifully. Standing before it, I looked every inch the Alpha heir my father had raised me to be—sharp black suit, strong jawline, clipped tie, perfect posture. My expression was cold. Controlled. Unreadable. No one would ever know that under this flawless mask, I wasn’t what I seemed. The truth was buried deep beneath my skin—pushed down by years of suppressants, drilled into silence by years of training. I wasn’t allowed to be soft. I wasn’t allowed to want. And I definitely wasn’t allowed to go into heat. But life has a cruel sense of humor. I felt it coming the moment I stepped out of the car. A wave of warmth unfurling in my gut, followed by a dizzying rush of scent—my own scent—rising like steam in the summer air. Too early. Too fast. Panic gripped my throat. Not now. Not during this weekend. The merger deal between Reeve Corporation and the international investors would be signed tomorrow. My family had poured everything into this opportunity. If anything went wrong, we’d be eaten alive by the competition—especially by him. Rowan Vale. My rival. My equal. The thorn in my side since we were both kids in private school. Every time I rose, he was right there beside me, competing. Matching me move for move. Smart. Savage. Gorgeous, if you liked the arrogant Alpha type. Which, unfortunately, my body absolutely did. I slammed the suite door behind me and stumbled toward the minibar, nearly tearing off my jacket as the heat grew worse—cloying, suffocating, hungry. My skin was on fire. My knees weak. Suppressant. I needed it. Now. I tore open the drawer where I always kept a vial and syringe, fingers shaking. But before I could grab it, I heard it. Click. The door. I spun around, pulse hammering. And froze. He stood there. Rowan. Smirking. Relaxed. Eyes roaming over me like he owned the air in the room. He looked good—too good—in his gray button-down, sleeves rolled to his forearms. And in his hand? My suppressant. I didn’t even have time to think. “Wow,” he drawled, holding up the vial like it was a glass of fine wine. “What’s this? A little booster to keep your cool, Reeve?” “Give it back,” I snapped, stepping forward. His eyes flicked to my trembling hands. Then my flushed face. Then… he sniffed. My heart dropped. No. No, no, no. “Huh,” he said, voice lower now. “Funny. You don’t smell like an Alpha right now.” His eyes gleamed gold. Predatory. “Why is the big bad heir to Reeve Corp hiding heat suppressants in his drawer?” I said nothing. Couldn’t. The air was thick with my own scent—sweet, exposed, damning. “Unless…” Rowan stepped closer. “You’re not an Alpha at all.” His words sank into me like blades. I could lie. Deny it. Threaten him. But even I could hear the soft whine in my breath. Even I could feel the tremble in my limbs. I was burning. “You’re… an Omega.” His voice dropped to a whisper, deadly and amused. “And in heat.” I lunged to grab the vial—but he was faster. Rowan shoved me against the wall, one arm pinning me by the waist. My head swam. His scent—spice and dominance—flooded my senses. “Let go!” I shouted, but my voice cracked. “Oh, I will,” he murmured, pressing his face closer to my throat. “But not until you admit it.” “Admit what?” I hissed. “That you’re mine.” I struggled against his grip, but my body was betraying me. Every part of me was heating up under his touch. My breathing was shallow. My hands shook. I hated this. I hated how weak I felt. I hated how easily he figured me out. "Get off me," I snarled, trying to sound firm. My voice came out shaky. Rowan didn’t move. He only looked at me with the kind of intensity that made it hard to breathe. His fingers loosened, but he didn’t step away. "You should have told me," he said softly. "Why would I tell you anything?" I spat. "You’re the last person I’d trust." "You think I didn’t notice before? The way you always avoided scenting spaces? The way you never reacted to pheromones? I always thought something was strange about you." His eyes darkened. "Now I know why." I turned my face away, disgusted with myself. My heat was getting worse by the second. The suppressant was still in his hand, out of my reach. "If you’re here to gloat, fine. Take your win and go," I said through clenched teeth. Rowan took a step back, but not far. His presence was still too close, too much. "I’m not here to ruin you," he said. "If I wanted to expose you, I would’ve done it already." "Then what do you want?" I whispered, my voice cracking as the heat clawed its way through my body. He studied me for a long moment. I hated the way he looked at me. Not with pity. With something else. Something possessive. "I want you to stop pretending," he said. "You’ve spent your whole life playing Alpha. Acting like no one could touch you. But now I know the truth. And I think you need to be reminded of what you really are." I pushed past him, ignoring the ache in my limbs. My entire body was burning. I reached for the suppressant in his hand, but he held it up again, just out of reach. "Don’t make me hurt you," I warned, though even I didn’t sound convincing anymore. Rowan leaned in, voice dangerously low. "You’re not going to hurt me. You’re going to fall apart. And when you do, I’ll be the only one there to catch you." I froze. Something deep in my chest pulled tight. I hated him. I really did. But there was something worse than hate. Something that terrified me even more. Desire. I turned away, breathing fast. My back to him. My pride was slipping with every second that passed. My control, my strength, my carefully built mask—they were all crumbling. Rowan spoke again, his voice softer. "You don’t have to keep pretending around me, Cassian. I see you. The real you. And I’m not going anywhere." I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. The weight of the truth pressed against my chest like a cage. And outside, the night air grew thick with rain, thunder rumbling in the distance, as if the entire city knew that something irreversible had just begun.