OMEGA DANGER

CHAPTER TWO

People noticed.

Then they recognized him.

“isn’t that him?”

“the carter family’s omega”

“the beautiful curse…”

“I heard this is the fourth family to throw him out.”

“they say every Alpha who marries him either leaves… or vanishes.”

“what a pity. Such a beautiful face.”

“what a waste.”

The whisper followed him like ghosts, growing louder as more people slowed to stare. Some

Looking at him with sympathy, while others crossed the street altogether, as though

Misfortune itself walked beside him.

Cassiel lowered his head, pretending not to hear.

Eventually, he reached an old bus stop standing beneath a flickering streetlamp. Its rusted

Roof offered little protection from the rain, but it was enough.

Setting his luggage beside the bench, he slowly sat down.

The streetlight bathed him in soft amber glow.

Even drenched and shivering Cassiel was breathtaking.

Silvery blond strands clung to his face in damp strands, framing delicate features that Seemed too perfect to belong to a living person. His porcelain skin glowed faintly beneath the

Light, while long silver lashes shielded a pair of pale lavender eyes swollen red from crying.

His beauty carried an almost haunting quality, fragile enough to inspire pity and distant

Enough to feel unreal.

He wrapped his arms around himself as the cold settled into his bones.

Several minutes passed before the hum of an expensive engine interrupted the rain.

A sleek black sedan rolled beside the bus shelter to a gentle stop, its headlights cutting

Through the drizzles.

The rear window lowered with a soft hum.

A gentleman in his late fifties leaned slightly towards the opening. His neatly combed gray

Hair and tailored charcoal suit suggested quiet wealth rather than extravagance, yet his

Smile carried a warmth that softened the sharp line of his face.

“my goodness,” he said, looking Cassiel all over. “you’ll catch pneumonia sitting out here.”

Cassiel tightened his grip on his suitcase. “I’ll be alright”

The man glanced at the empty road before looking back at him.

“I’ve lived long enough to know that ‘I’ll be alright’ usually means the exact opposite.”

Despite everything, Cassiel let out the faintest, almost embarrassed laugh.

It vanished as quickly as it had come.

“There we are,” the man said with a pleased smile. “you’re capable of smiling after all.”

Cassiel lowered his gaze.

“I… don’t have money for a taxi.”

“good thing I’m not one.”

The man opened the rear door from inside.

“come on. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

Cassiel hesitated.

His eyes searched the stranger’s face for any sign of hidden intent.

There was none.

Only patient kindness.

“…thank you.”

The heater inside the car wrapped around him almost immediately, chasing away the worst

of the cold. Cassiel hugged his damp coat tighter while droplets of rain slid down his hair onto

the leather seat.

The gentleman handed him a box of tissues.

“here.”

“thank you…”

“my name is Arthur”

“…Cassiel.”

“pleasure to meet you, Cassiel.”

For several minutes only the rhythmic sweep of the windshield wipers filled the silence.

Arthur stole a glance at him through the rearview mirror.

“if you don’t mind me asking…. where am I taking you?”

“The Volkov Estate”

Arthur blinked.

“Volkov estate?”

Cassiel simply nodded”

A low whistle escaped the older man.

“now that’s a place you don’t hear every day.”

He chuckled softly.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Cassiel looked out the window.

“…Neither was I.”

Arthur smiled to himself.

“Then again…” he said, his eyes briefly meeting Cassiel’s in the mirror, “someone as beautiful as you doesn’t exactly look like they belong in an ordinary neighborhood.”

Cassiel froze.

Arthur laughed awkwardly.

“Forgive an old man. That probably sounded strange.”

“…A little.”

“I only meant…” Arthur rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “You carry yourself with a certain elegance. Like you were raised somewhere grand.”

Cassiel’s fingers tightened around the tissue in his lap.

“I was.”

Before Arthur could respond, the sedan slowed to a stop.

Beyond the towering wrought-iron gates stood the Volkov Mansion, its white stone walls gleaming beneath the fading drizzle. Warm lights glowed behind its countless windows, while ancient oaks stood watch over the estate like silent guardians.

Arthur looked from the manor to Cassiel, then back again.

“So… this is home.”

“It is.”

Arthur smiled warmly.

“Well… I hope whoever’s waiting inside gives you a much warmer welcome than the rain did.”

Cassiel stared through the window at the mansion beyond the gates.

His expression faltered.

“…I hope so too.”

But the words sounded more like a prayer than a promise.