The Unbound Omega

Chapter 3: The Alpha's Claim

The cave was colder when Elias awoke again. His body still ached, but the pain was muted, dulled by something smeared across his wounds—thick, pungent herbs that stung yet kept the bleeding at bay.

He blinked slowly, adjusting to the dim light. The two wolves lay near the entrance, silent and watchful, while further inside the cave, the man sat against the wall, his eyes half-closed but alert, like a predator resting without ever letting his guard down.

Elias swallowed hard. He wanted to ask so many things, but his voice trembled when he finally spoke.

"Why...why didn't they kill me?"

The man opened his eyes. Silver irises glowed faintly in the shadows as they fixed on him.

"They obey me," he answered simply.

Elias's hands fisted weakly against the ground. "But... why? They bit me. They dragged me here. You—you could've..." His voice broke. "You could've finished it."

A low chuckle rumbled from the man's chest. Not mocking, not cruel—just... amused.

"You're too fragile to waste," he said plainly. Then his expression shifted, colder, heavier. "And because you're mine now."

The words sent a shiver through Elias. "Y-yours? I don't belong to anyone..." His heart squeezed painfully as he remembered his parents' faces, their cold smiles as they abandoned him. His voice cracked. "Not even to them..."

The man's gaze sharpened, unreadable. He stood, his tall frame casting a shadow over Elias.

"Your family left you to die," he said, his tone cutting through like steel. "That means they surrendered you to the forest. To me."

Elias's lips parted, but no sound came out. His chest tightened, his breath hitching. He wanted to deny it, but deep down he knew the truth. His parents had thrown him away.

The man crouched before him again, his hand brushing Elias's chin, tilting his face upward. This time, his touch was firmer, more claiming.

"You're an omega," he said, voice low, almost growling. "In this world, an omega abandoned is an omega claimed. Do you understand?"

Elias shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "No... I don't... I never asked for this."

The man's expression softened slightly, though his authority never wavered. He leaned closer, his breath warm against Elias's ear.

"Then learn. Because the forest does not forgive weakness. And neither do I."

Elias shuddered, fear and something else twisting inside him. He looked into those glowing silver eyes and saw not cruelty, but certainty. A certainty that terrified him more than being left alone in the woods.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before words could form, the wolves at the entrance snarled violently, rising to their feet. Their fur bristled, teeth bared.

The man's head snapped toward the noise, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"They found us."

Elias's heart lurched. "Who...?"

The man straightened, his entire body tense, his aura suffocating with power. He glanced back at Elias, his tone sharp, commanding:

"Stay behind me. No matter what happens."

Elias froze, fear rushing through his veins, but one truth was clear—

Whatever was coming for him, it wasn't just wolves this time.