Kaylen's Perspective

Kaylen was finally beginning to understand why his alpha peers were so obsessed with their partners, especially their omegas. The desire, the raw pleasure, the insatiable need for another person—it had almost frightened him before. He had always thought himself above such primal instincts, believing he was more composed, more rational. But after last night, he realized how naïve that thinking had been. Sleeping with Asahin had deepened their connection in ways he hadn't expected—hadn't even prepared for. It was overwhelming, a tidal wave of sensation and emotion that threatened to pull him under.

He knew Asahin was physically weak so he had intended to hold back, at least until Asahin had undergone a full medical examination. But all of that resolve had shattered the moment Asahin started enticing him—with his words, his lips, his violet eyes burning with an unspoken hunger that Kaylen couldn't resist. How could he have possibly kept his bearings when everything about Asahin was so inviting? His soft gasps, the way his body curled under Kaylen's touch, the tremor in his voice when he whispered his name—Kaylen had stood no chance.

But there was something else nagging at him. How did Asahin know he hadn't slept with anyone before? He had said it so confidently too—It's our first time…and our first time together—and it hadn't been the only time Asahin had demonstrated an unsettling awareness of things Kaylen hadn't shared. When Asahin had hinted at using his resources to investigate the Valmoors, Kaylen had been stunned. The Cove was a carefully guarded secret, known only to a select few within the Morrison family. There were rumors, of course, but no one outside the inner circle knew the truth about its existence—let alone that it belonged to the Morrisons.

Kaylen had so many questions for Asahin. But for now, they could wait. Asahin would open up to him eventually—he was sure of it. Having him by his side was more than enough for now.

Kaylen's gaze softened as he looked down at Asahin, who lay sprawled across the bed, belly down, his pale skin glowing in the soft morning light. His hair fanned across the pillow. A smile tugged at Kaylen's lips. Was this the same person who had practically begged for another round only hours ago?

Kaylen sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers brushing over the soft curve of Asahin's back. His touch lingered on the scar at the nape of his neck—an angry, jagged mark that marred the otherwise perfect skin.

When he had first seen the scar earlier that night, he had been startled. He had never bothered to study Asahin so closely before—not like this. The scar was deep, the flesh slightly puckered, the kind of wound that told a story of pain and violence. 

His mind immediately wandered to Tarya. Now, with everything he knew about that woman, he wondered if she didn't have something to do with Asahin's supposed fall from a tree. It was also strange that Asahin's accident had happened the same day Kaylen had manifested into a first-class alpha while at the Valmoors' party. The timing was too much of a coincidence.

But Kaylan's memories of that day were practically non-existent. Manifestation put the body into a state of shock—sometimes leading to temporary amnesia and loss of reason. All he knew for certain was that Darrien had found him passed out in the library. He had no memory of how he'd gotten there or why. That party had been his first appearance at a Valmoor event since reconnecting with his grandfather.

Kaylen's parents had severed ties with the Morrison family when he was just five years old, and they had never looked back. No letters, no visits—just silence. But after his mother's death, Kaylen found himself drawn back to the Morrisons—not out of sentimentality or a desire to reclaim his place within the family, but because he wanted revenge. The way they had mistreated his parents angered him to no end.

His grandfather welcomed him back, not because of blood ties or any lingering affection, but because Kaylen's potential to manifest as a first-class alpha made him a valuable asset. And, as fate would have it, Kaylen delivered. Becoming a first-class alpha was a gift wrapped in thorns—a tool sharpened perfectly for destruction. With his newfound status, the odds of dismantling the Morrison empire from the inside out shifted firmly in his favor. Ruin was no longer just a possibility; it was a certainty.

But then Asahin happened.

Had he gone through with marrying Darrien, Kaylen would have executed his plans without hesitation—claimed the Morrison fortune, consolidated his power, and left nothing standing in his wake. Cold, calculated devastation. But Asahin had slipped through the cracks of his resolve with alarming ease. Kaylen's thirst for revenge paled in comparison to the fierce need to protect Asahin. If safeguarding him meant abandoning the Morrison name and shelving his vengeance, then so be it. Asahin's safety—his happiness—was all that mattered now.

Kaylen threaded his fingers through Asahin's silken white-blond hair, the strands slipping through his touch like moonlight. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to the scar on the back of Asahin's neck. Asahin's eyelids fluttered, a soft, breathy sound escaping his lips.

"Mmm…"

"Sleep a little longer," Kaylen whispered, his lips brushing against Asahin's flushed cheek.

Asahin stirred, shifting onto his side, his delicate features relaxed and peaceful. Without opening his eyes, he curled into himself, drawing the thin blanket covering him to his chest while the rest of his body lay exposed to the morning chill. Kaylen's gaze lingered on the smooth expanse of pale skin before he stood and crossed the room to the closet. He pulled out a heavier blanket and carefully draped it over Asahin's body, tucking the edges around him with gentle precision.

Though the season had turned toward summer, the early morning air still carried a crisp bite. Kaylen didn't want Asahin's fragile body to succumb to the cold. A part of him itched to slide back beneath the covers and pull Asahin against his chest, to warm him with his own body heat—but he had things to take care of. He wouldn't be gone long, but still… leaving Asahin, even for a short while, felt like wrenching something vital from his chest.

His alpha instincts stirred uneasily beneath his skin. Was this what his peers had meant when they spoke about separation anxiety? The obsessive, protective drive to stay close to one's mate? Kaylen's lips curled into a faint, self-deprecating smile. He really wasn't immune at all to his alpha traits. Overly possessive. Overly protective. Overly obsessed.

Kaylen feared it might scare Asahin. After all, it seemed like Asahin came from a place where secondary genders weren't the norm. Kaylen had figured that out when sleeping together. The slickness that began to gather between Asahin's thighs had startled him; Kaylen had seen the flicker of confusion in his violet eyes, the way his breath hitched and his fingers curled involuntarily against Kaylen's skin. It was as if his body's natural response—so instinctive for an omega—was foreign to him.

In a way, Kaylen had felt a quiet sense of relief when Asahin's omega body responded so naturally. It meant that despite the damage to his glands, Asahin's body wasn't rejecting him. That reassurance settled something deep inside him, easing the gnawing worry that intimacy might strain Asahin or leave him vulnerable. If anything, his body's response was a sign that he could handle it—that being with Kaylen wouldn't hurt him.

People with damaged glands typically struggled to process pheromones. Most couldn't tolerate even mild exposure without becoming physically ill or mentally unstable. 

So, apart from Asahin being physically weak, one of the reasons Kaylen had hesitated to sleep with him before consulting a doctor had been the risk of pheromone shock. If Asahin's glands were as damaged as the reports suggested, strong exposure to Kaylen's alpha pheromones could have triggered a severe reaction. Although, Asahin had been exposed to his pheromones on various ocassions without exhibiting rejection, Kaylen had been prepared to pull away at the first sign of distress. 

But none of that had happened. In fact, the opposite seemed to be true. If anything, the more Kaylen fed him his pheromones, the better Asahin seemed to become. His color improved. His strength returned. Even his mind seemed clearer, sharper.

And Kaylen had given him plenty since pheromones flowed not just in the bloodstream but also in all the bodily fluids.

Heat curled low in Kaylen's stomach as vivid flashes from the previous night resurfaced, each memory more intoxicating than the last. The way Asahin had whispered, breathless and trembling, "You can do whatever you want," had nearly shattered his control. An alpha's instinct to claim, to devour, had shot through him so violently that his hands had trembled where they gripped Asahin's hips. He had wanted to teach him a lesson—to push Asahin past the point of reason and make him understand what it meant to tempt an alpha. To show him that he might have been inexperienced, but he was not ignorant or clueless.

Holding Asahin's delicate frame,flushed and vulnerable, had unraveled that sharp edge though. Kaylen had seen the way Asahin's pale skin had flushed with embarrassment each time Kaylen touched him—how his breath had faltered, his violet eyes dark with need. That fragile combination of confidence and hesitation had stirred something deeper in Kaylen, something more than raw desire. His first impulse had been to dominate, to make Asahin submit—but that need had faded beneath something warmer, something softer.

Kaylen had realized then that he didn't want to control Asahin—he only wanted him to feel safe. To drown in pleasure, to unravel beneath Kaylen's touch without fear or hesitation. The more pleasure Asahin felt, the deeper it resonated within Kaylen, a perfect echo of connection and trust. His alpha instincts told him to dominate, to bend Asahin until he was begging—but Kaylen hated the idea of reducing Asahin to something submissive or powerless. Asahin wasn't a prize to be claimed; he was someone to be cherished.

His father had once told him he seemed in love, and Kaylen hadn't denied it. How could he, when every glance from Asahin set his pulse racing, when every breathless sound from his lips left Kaylen on the edge of ruin? Was it possible to fall this hard, this fast? His parents had. His alpha father had loved his beta mother so deeply that their bond had transcended the natural laws of secondary genders. His mother had imprinted on his father despite it being almost biologically impossible—because love had outweighed instinct.

Kaylen wondered if Asahin was in love too. From the way Asahin had touched him the night before—with more than just need, more than just heat—it was clear his feelings ran deeper than mere physical connection. His kisses had been laced with emotion, his trembling hands pressed against Kaylen's skin not just for balance but for closeness. Asahin had wanted him—not just his body, but him.

Kaylen's hand drifted over Asahin's sleeping form, fingers tracing the delicate line of his jaw. Asahin stirred slightly, his soft hair falling over his cheek. Kaylen brushed it back, letting his thumb linger against the smooth warmth of his skin. He stroked Asahin's hair one last time before quietly rising from the bed. His steps were silent as he crossed the room, though his heart felt far heavier than his footsteps.

Even as he left the room, he could still feel the ghost of Asahin's warmth clinging to his skin. And Kaylen knew—there was no going back.