You Belong To Me

With a groan, the dark-haired omega cracked open his eyes, squinting against the harsh assault of white light that seemed intent on piercing through his very soul. His cerulean eyes, already sensitive, stung with renewed intensity, blurring his surroundings into a hazy mess. Slowly, as his vision adjusted to the glaring brightness, the scene around him began to solidify, and he realized he lay within the confines of his pack's clinic, tucked away in the exclusive sanctuary of the VIP room.

Within those walls lay a sanctum reserved solely for the Alphas of elevated status, a privilege denied to the ordinary rank-and-file within the pack. Alex drew in a shaky breath, his chest tightening with a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. Blinking away the remnants of drowsiness, he shifted his gaze to the right, finding his Alpha perched on a chair beside his bed. She was clad in casual attire, her long locks of raven hair cascading around her shoulders in their customary disarray. Her steely grey eyes bore into him with an intensity that left no room for evasion.

Within the depths of those steely grey eyes danced a slender streak of crimson, a subtle detail that lent them an air of danger, an ominous allure that left one on edge.

Alex swallowed hard, his voice emerging in a timid whisper that only seemed to deepen Celeste's frown, accentuating the weakness in his stuttering words. "W-what... h-happened?" he managed to croak out, his uncertainty palpable in the air. Celeste let out a weary sigh, her response laced with a soothing timbre that carried an underlying edge. Though Alex couldn't quite place the source of the unease in her voice, he couldn't shake the feeling of intimidation it stirred within him.

"You were already injured... and I managed to make it worse, unexpectedly," Celeste admitted, her words punctuated by heavy breaths as if she struggled to contain the raging tempest within her veins. After a moment's pause, she pressed on, her voice tinged with a mixture of remorse and frustration. "So, while you slept, your arm was stitched up.”

Alex blinked, a soft "oh" escaping his lips as he shifted his gaze to his bandaged arm, nestled upon the comforting embrace of the warm comforter. The realization washed over him, confirmed not just by sight but by the numbness creeping through his limb. His body betrayed him further, his skin aflame with fever even as a chill gripped him with relentless intensity.

Perhaps braving the biting cold of the unforgiving weather had indeed taken its toll, plunging him into the grip of a fever so fierce it threatened to consume him whole. Alex hesitated, contemplating the idea of sitting up so he tried after a tense silence shared with the formidable Alpha. However, a single glare from the raven-haired leader halted his movements in their tracks, instilling a sense of obedience that quelled any inclination to defy her.

"Stay lying down. You need more rest. Doctor's orders," Celeste commanded in a tone laced with authority, her words ringing out with the unmistakable resonance of her Alpha voice. A moment later, she felt a shift within her, the primal instincts of her wolf rising to the surface, manifesting in a low, infuriated growl that accompanied her directive.

Alex nodded quickly, his body trembling under the weight of his Alpha's growl, the sound resonating deeply within his weakened frame. With a heavy sigh, he complied, sinking back onto the bed. He absently started to nibble on his soft, plump lower lip, worrying it between his teeth until it turned a deeper shade of rose, a physical manifestation of the anxiety coursing through his body and mind.

"Are y-you... perhaps a-angry at... me?" Alex's words trembled in the air, his voice barely more than a whisper as he dared to voice the question that hung heavy between them. In the pregnant silence that followed, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift, an invisible tension wrapping around them both so tightly that it sent shivers down the young omega's spine, his trepidation mounting with each passing second.

Upon hearing the question, Celeste released a low, ominous chuckle devoid of any trace of humor. The sound hung heavy in the air, sending a chill down Alex's spine and causing his fingers to tremble with nervous anticipation, his palms slick with sweat. With a gulp, he averted his gaze, his eyes flickering uncertainly downward to the expanse of his light grey comforter enveloping his form.

"Angry? Oh, love... I'm beyond incensed," Celeste's voice, deep and velvety, resonated through the silent room, each word carrying a weight that made the fragile omega squirm where he lay. At that moment, all Alex wanted was to flee from her overwhelming presence. "Do you wish to know why, my little love?" Celeste's question, delivered with her commanding tone tinged with darkness, sent a shiver down Alex's spine, filling him with a bone-deep terror.

Though Alex harbored no desire to uncover the reason behind Celeste's anger, as he already harbored a sense of what had provoked her mate's ire, he felt compelled to yield to her dominance. With a resigned acceptance, he nodded, signaling his compliance and allowing her to dictate the course of their conversation as she saw fit. It was a concession he made solely to satisfy the demands of his Alpha.

A dangerous smirk tugged at the corners of Celeste's dainty lips as she issued her command with intimidating authority. The words, delivered with a chilling coldness and a heavy dose of dominance, brooked no argument from the sick omega, leaving him with no choice but to comply.

"Look at me."

Alex's chest heaved with rapid breaths, his heart pounding so fiercely it felt as if it might burst from his chest. With a trembling reluctant gaze, he raised his eyes slowly.

As his wavering cerulean eyes met those dark, narrowed scarlet orbs, a shiver of dread raced down Alex's spine.

At that moment of contact, he knew without a doubt that he was truly doomed.

"By our mingling scents, you could easily sense that I've accepted you as my imprinted mate, right?" Celeste's tone was cold, her words cutting through the air with an icy precision. Alex could only manage a nod in response, but it earned him a piercing glare from the Alpha. With a demanding edge to her voice, she ordered, "Use your words, omega."

Another gulp caught in Alex's throat before he managed to utter, his voice trembling but audible enough for both of them to hear, "Y-yes. I-I can."

A deep, soothing hum reverberated through the air in the wake of Celeste's statement.

However, despite the calming sound, there was nothing soothing about the demeanor of the enraged Alpha. Alex couldn't afford to take the risk of finding comfort in that deceptive hum. Desperate though he was for affection in that moment, he wasn't foolish enough to trust it.

"Have you been trying to play with my feelings? Was it a game for you? Or have you been just so non-serious about us from the very beginning?" Celeste's words sliced through the air with a cold edge, each syllable laden with accusation. Alex's eyes welled up with tears at the severity of her questioning, his heart-wrenching at the thought of such mistrust.

"No! No, I-I-I'm not playing with your feelings. A-and I-I am s-serious about u-us. P-please! Believe… me," Alex pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion as he struggled to form coherent words through his tears. Soft sobs escaped him, his heart laid bare as he silently prayed for his Alpha to heed his desperate pleas.

From the outset, he had anticipated this conversation but hadn't expected it to cut so deeply when the moment finally arrived. It seemed as though life had dealt him yet another cruel blow. Celeste had been the one bright spot in his otherwise bleak existence, and now he faced the very real possibility of her turning her back on him.

If only he could peer into the depths of that formidable Alpha's heart.

Celeste let out a frustrated sigh, a deliberate attempt to rein in her emotions before she posed the question once more, her tone laden with intimidation, causing the young omega to whimper under the weight of her icy dominance. "Then what's your relationship with Katherine Saxon?" Despite the tears clouding his vision, Alex managed to meet the gaze of his Alpha, his response stuttered and unsatisfactory, leaving neither of them content.

"Nothing..."

As Alex sniffled, Celeste rose from her chair and made her way toward the distraught omega. She couldn't shake the realization that she was being harsh, especially considering his fragile state, but it seemed to be ingrained in her nature. Cold and merciless.

"Why did she have her scent marking my omega?!" Celeste's voice growled with a wrathful dominance as she loomed over her trembling omega, who now hiccupped with fear in the presence of his mate.

Without hesitation, Alex began to respond, his words stumbling out in a stutter, "b-b-because s-she-" But before he could continue, he was overcome with a torrent of apologies, tears streaming down his pale, flushed cheeks, exacerbating his already fragile condition.

Celeste clenched her teeth as the realization of her actions dawned on her, a pang of remorse tugging at her conscience. Despite her typically harsh demeanor, she found herself enveloping the boy in her warmth, a sense of protectiveness radiating from her very being. With Alex, there was always something that softened her approach, despite her best efforts to remain stoic.

Celeste held onto the young boy tightly as he lay there, his heart-wrenching sobs echoing in the room. The sight of him in such distress weighed heavily on her conscience, filling her with a deep sense of regret for causing him such pain.

Once his sobs had subsided into gentle sniffles, Celeste leaned in to soothe him, her slender fingers tenderly combing through his disheveled locks as she whispered comforting words. With a soft gesture, she pressed a gentle kiss to his fevered forehead, offering solace to her distressed mate. Alex kept his gaze lowered, unable to muster the strength to meet her intense eyes that had always had a destabilizing effect on him.

Despite the comfort of his mate's kiss and the gentle touch of her fingers threading through his hair, Alex found himself struggling to maintain composure. A sense of calm washed over him momentarily, allowing him to gather his thoughts, but it couldn't stave off the wave of tears that threatened to overwhelm him. The realization hit hard; their relationship had yet to progress beyond mere acquaintanceship, let alone friendship or romance. And yet, here they were, plagued by doubt and suspicion.

He hadn't anticipated such turmoil, especially not when he and Celeste were still in the early stages of getting to know each other following their acceptance of the mate bond. The idea of a fight between them so soon after solidifying their connection weighed heavily on his heart, leaving him feeling deeply disheartened.

Celeste gently brushed away the tears staining Alex's cheeks before leaning in close to his ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine. The soft touch of her lips against the flushed curve of his earlobe sent a wave of breathless anticipation coursing through him as she spoke in a surprisingly soothing tone. "I understand that you may not be ready to delve into this further," she murmured, her voice carrying an uncharacteristic tenderness. "But I would appreciate it if you could share what you’ve been trying to continue before you became upset."

Alex swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper as he sought assurance, "P-promise... promise me you won't get any angrier with me."

Celeste let out a deep, approving hum before placing a gentle kiss on the outer edge of his ear. Her lips trailed down to his jawline, then continued with a series of tender kisses along his throat. The gestures filled the young omega with a sense of calm and affection, allowing him to feel loved at that moment.

Finally, he sighed, feeling a surge of honesty welling up inside him as he prepared to answer truthfully.

"We don't have any sort of connection between us, and I don't have any feelings for her," Alex stuttered out, his words hesitant as he struggled against the weight pressing down on his chest. He paused to take a deep breath, the air feeling thick and stifling. "But there is one relationship between us," he continued, "that of... assailant and victim.

In truth, it's more like being a master and her slave. She's never laid a hand on me in a harmful way, just... scenting me at times. But she gets furious if I don't appear in her room every midnight because she craves my scent. One night, she told me I belonged to her and warned that if I ever breathed a word of it to anyone, she wouldn't hesitate to mark me and lock me away, perhaps even endangering my sister's life if I didn't comply.

I... I was trapped, caught in her web, unable to even entertain the thought of escape because of the dire consequences that loomed over me.

C-Celeste, please, don't doubt me on this. I was powerless against her when she wielded her Alpha voice, commanding me with authority I couldn't resist. Being unmated left me vulnerable, susceptible to her every whim.

It only got worse when she began dictating that I would mate with her once we reached the legal age. I'm sorry for not confiding in you sooner, but I was terrified of what the future held, uncertain if revealing the truth would lead to acceptance or rejection from you.

As a few more tears escaped from his eyes, she swiftly wiped them away with the pads of her thumbs, gently lifting his chin to meet her gaze. With tender affection, she placed a soft kiss just beneath his lips, on his chin.

This tender gesture caused Alex to shyly glance upward, meeting the gaze of his mate who was already fixated on him with her intense, narrowed eyes. They held a mesmerizing quality, yet simultaneously emitted a subtle aura of threat.

Celeste maintained her gentle touch, running her slender fingers through his soft locks as she spoke in her velvety yet commanding voice. "Now that I'm your mate, I'll protect you from her. I'm upset that you didn't confide in me about this, as I could have intervened immediately. However, it's a mistake you made just once, concealing this insignificant matter from me."

She paused and then continued to add, "Next time, obey my command and don't allow anyone to lay a finger on you. And if they dare to, inform me immediately. Don't try to shred my patience ever again," Celeste commanded in a low growl, her tone tinged with warning. "Discovering that someone was touching my mate without my knowledge is enough to exhaust what little patience I have left." With a low rumble, she uttered the final sentence before groaning and burying her face in the curve of Alex's neck, inhaling deeply the intoxicating scent that enveloped him.

She couldn't deny the allure of Alex's scent—it was truly tantalizing. Its essence possessed a magnetic quality that could easily ensnare any unmated Alpha, driving them to the brink of madness.

Alex's breaths came in labored gasps, but a sense of contentment washed over him. Despite their rocky beginning, things seemed to be on the mend now. A sigh of relief and euphoria escaped him as his mate began to scent him, murmuring possessive phrases like "mine" and "you belong to me" every so often. This act from his Alpha filled his heart with a swell of love.

He craved it and yearned for it even more.

Enveloped in the comforting warmth of his mate's embrace, Alex fell asleep, feeling sheltered and secure in her presence. What more could he ask for? His deepest desire, above all else, was for his chosen mate to love him unconditionally, a longing that resonated deeply within his heart.

His heartfelt longing had already been validated from the instant those two souls first locked eyes in the past.

Yet, within the next few seconds, it all came crashing down, reduced to merciless rubble.