WHEN AN ALPHA KNEELS

YOU HAVE TO LET ME MARK YOU

WHEN AN ALPHA KNEELS

CHAPTER FIVE

The city blurred past the tinted windows.

For the first time in years, Ramil Alvarez wasn't thinking about mergers, investments, or board meetings.

His mind was consumed by one person.

Kael.

The name echoed through his thoughts like an uninvited guest.

He barely knew the man.

He didn't know where he lived.

Didn't know his age.

Didn't know if he had a family waiting for him after work.

All he knew was the warmth in those hazel eyes...

...and the impossible voice inside his head that refused to let him forget them.

We're close.

Ramil leaned his head against the leather seat and closed his eyes.

"You've said enough."

Not until you listen.

"I've spent my entire life making my own decisions."

Not this one.

His fingers dug into his knees.

"I will not kneel."

The Alpha's voice became frighteningly calm.

You misunderstand.

Kneeling is not surrender.

It is trust.

Ramil's eyes snapped open.

Before he could demand another explanation, the car slowed.

The driver glanced into the rearview mirror.

"We're here, sir."

Ramil looked outside.

Ashford Books & Coffee stood exactly as he remembered it.

Warm lights glowed through the tall windows.

Customers sat inside with steaming mugs, quietly reading beneath rows of towering bookshelves.

It looked...

Peaceful.

Too peaceful for the storm raging inside him.

The driver stepped out and opened the rear door.

Ramil remained seated.

His Alpha whispered.

Go to him.

He swallowed hard before finally stepping onto the sidewalk.

The familiar brass bell above the bookstore door chimed softly as he entered.

The comforting aroma of coffee and old books wrapped around him immediately.

For a brief second...

The pressure in his chest eased.

Behind the counter, Kael was helping a young couple choose a novel.

He looked up automatically when the bell rang.

Their eyes met.

Time slowed.

Kael's lips curved into a genuine smile.

"You came back."

The simple words stirred something deep inside Ramil.

He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to hear them.

Without speaking, he walked to the counter and carefully placed the black umbrella on the polished wood.

"I told you I'd return it."

Kael picked it up, turning it over in his hands before looking back at him.

"You really did."

There was a softness in his voice that made Ramil's heartbeat quicken.

Most people forgot borrowed umbrellas.

Most people made excuses.

But this man hadn't.

"You look tired," Kael said quietly.

Ramil blinked.

No one had asked him that in years.

Not his executives.

Not his assistant.

Not even the doctors he'd visited after his Alpha had fallen silent.

They asked about reports.

Meetings.

Profits.

No one asked how he looked.

"I'm fine."

Kael tilted his head.

"I don't think you are."

Ramil opened his mouth to respond.

Instead, dizziness swept over him.

The room tilted ever so slightly.

His hand instinctively reached for the edge of the counter.

Kael noticed immediately.

"Hey..."

His smile disappeared.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm..."

Ramil stopped.

The word wouldn't come.

His Alpha was growing louder again.

Tell him.

Not here.

Tell him.

People are watching.

Ramil became aware of curious glances drifting toward them.

Customers weren't staring openly, but they had noticed the imposing businessman gripping the counter as though he were struggling to remain standing.

Kael noticed them too.

Without hesitation, he stepped around the counter.

"Come with me."

Ramil looked at him.

"We have a consultation room in the back."

Kael kept his voice gentle.

"It's quieter."

"You can sit down for a few minutes."

Ramil hesitated.

Every instinct he possessed warned him against following a stranger.

His Alpha...

Wanted nothing else.

Go.

After a long pause, he nodded once.

Kael led the way through a narrow aisle lined with antique books.

They passed the café, where Mrs. Harris looked up from preparing coffee.

Her experienced eyes moved from Kael...

...to Ramil...

...then settled on the tension between them.

She didn't ask questions.

Instead, she smiled reassuringly.

"I'll look after the front."

Kael gave her a grateful nod.

"Thanks, Mrs. Harris."

They continued toward a wooden door at the end of the hallway.

Kael pushed it open.

"This is where we meet collectors and researchers looking for rare books."

The room was small but elegant.

Tall bookshelves lined the walls.

A large oak table stood in the center.

Two leather armchairs faced each other beside a window overlooking a quiet garden.

The noise from the café disappeared the moment the door closed.

Silence settled over the room.

Kael turned to him.

"You can relax now."

Ramil remained standing.

His breathing had become uneven again.

Kael walked to a small cabinet in the corner and poured a glass of water.

He held it out.

"Here."

Ramil accepted it without taking his eyes off Kael.

Their fingers brushed.

Heat surged through both of them.

Kael quickly withdrew his hand.

A strange flutter spread across his chest.

There it was again.

That unexplainable feeling.

Not fear.

Not attraction.

Something deeper...

Something that made standing this close to the mysterious billionaire feel strangely... familiar.

He pushed the thought aside.

"Would you like to tell me what's wrong?"

The room fell silent.

Ramil stared into the clear hazel eyes before him.

For years, he'd hidden every weakness behind discipline and control.

Yet standing here...

In a quiet room that smelled of books and coffee...

Looking at a man he'd only met twice...

He felt those carefully built walls beginning to crumble.

His Alpha whispered only one word.

Now.

The room was so quiet that the ticking of the old wall clock sounded unnaturally loud.

Kael waited patiently.

He didn't rush him.

He didn't press for answers.

He simply stood there with quiet concern, giving Ramil the space to speak when he was ready.

For some reason...

That simple kindness made everything harder.

Ramil lowered his eyes.

"My name is Ramil."

Kael smiled faintly.

"I'm Kael."

"I know."

The words slipped out before Ramil realized what he'd said.

Kael blinked.

"You... know my name?"

Ramil looked away.

"I saw it on the receipt when I returned the umbrella."

Kael let out a small laugh.

"So the mystery businessman finally has a name."

For a brief second...

The weight inside Ramil eased.

Then his Alpha spoke again.

Tell him.

Ramil's smile vanished.

Kael noticed immediately.

"Ramil..."

"You said you needed my help."

"What happened?"

Ramil took a slow breath.

"I don't know where to begin."

"Start anywhere."

"I don't think you'll believe me."

"I'll listen anyway."

Those four words settled something inside him.

For the first time in years...

Someone wasn't asking for his signature.

Or his approval.

They were simply willing to listen.

Ramil sank into one of the leather armchairs.

He looked exhausted.

Far more exhausted than any twenty-eight-year-old should.

"Three years ago..."

"My Alpha disappeared."

Kael frowned.

"Your... Alpha?"

Ramil gave a tired nod.

"I know that probably sounds strange."

"I've never told anyone this."

"My doctors called it an unexplained psychological response."

"My specialists couldn't find a medical cause."

"They all said the same thing."

"'Learn to live with it.'"

Kael sat in the chair opposite him.

"What do you mean by 'disappeared'?"

Ramil searched for the right words.

"It was like..."

"...losing a part of myself."

"The instincts every Alpha has..."

"The voice."

"The certainty."

"It all went silent."

Kael listened carefully.

He didn't interrupt.

He didn't laugh.

He simply watched the man before him struggle to explain something that clearly terrified him.

"And then?"

Ramil looked directly into Kael's eyes.

"Then I walked into your bookstore."

A strange chill ran through Kael.

"The moment I saw you..."

"It came back."

Silence.

Neither man looked away.

"My Alpha woke up."

Kael's brows knitted together.

"You mean..."

"There's... another voice?"

Ramil nodded once.

"It speaks to me."

Kael hesitated.

His logical mind told him this couldn't be real.

Yet...

Nothing about the man sitting before him felt dishonest.

If anything...

Ramil looked frightened.

Not dangerous.

Not delusional.

Just...

Afraid.

Kael leaned forward.

"What does it say?"

Ramil closed his eyes.

He didn't answer.

His hands trembled slightly.

The Alpha whispered again.

Tell him everything.

"No..."

Ramil muttered.

Kael looked startled.

"Ramil?"

He slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm arguing with it."

The honesty in his voice left Kael speechless.

Ramil drew another shaky breath.

"Since I met you..."

"It won't leave me alone."

"It keeps telling me to return."

"It keeps telling me to protect you."

Kael's heartbeat quickened.

"Protect me?"

"I don't know why."

"I don't know from what."

"I don't even know you."

His voice cracked with frustration.

"And that's what makes this impossible."

He laughed bitterly.

"I've built my entire life on logic."

"But nothing about this makes sense."

Kael spoke softly.

"Maybe you're carrying too much on your shoulders."

"Stress can do strange things."

"I've considered that."

"I've considered everything."

His silver-gray eyes met Kael's once more.

"Nothing explains why everything changed..."

"...the moment I met you."

The room fell silent again.

Then the voice returned.

Not as a whisper.

As a command.

ASK HIM!!!.

Pain tore through Ramil's chest.

His breath caught.

His fingers gripped the arms of the chair.

"Ramil!"

Kael half-rose from his seat.

"Are you okay?"

Ramil shook his head.

"No..."

His breathing became ragged.

"I can't fight it anymore."

"Fight what?"

Ramil stared at him.

There was shame in his eyes.

Pride.

Fear.

And beneath it all...

Desperation.

"When I left here yesterday..."

"It told me something."

Kael waited.

Ramil swallowed hard.

"I ignored it."

"It said it again this morning."

"I ignored it."

"It screamed it at me during my board meeting."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"And now..."

"It won't stop."

Kael's heart pounded.

"What is it saying?"

Ramil's lips parted.

For a long moment...

No words came.

Finally, almost broken, he whispered,

"It says..."

His eyes shimmered with disbelief.

"...that I have to let you mark me."

The words hung between them.

Kael froze.

"...Mark you?"

Before Ramil could answer—

A searing pain exploded along the side of his neck.

He gasped.

His body lurched forward.

A faint silver pattern flickered beneath his skin, glowing for only a heartbeat before fading again.

Kael caught his arm before he could fall.

The instant their skin touched...

Both men felt the same surge of warmth.

Ancient.

Powerful.

Unmistakable.

Neither of them noticed the old woman standing just outside the consultation room.

Mrs. Harris had come to bring tea.

Instead...

She stared through the slightly open door, her face draining of color.

The tray slipped from her trembling hands.

Porcelain shattered across the wooden floor.

Her lips moved in horror.

"...Impossible."

She recognized the silver mark.

And if she was right...

The world had just changed forever.