The Blade’s Edge

Soren woke before the sun, determined not to repeat yesterday's icy wake-up call. He hurried outside, joining the omegas as they lined up in formation. Spotting Hilda, he stood beside her. She gave him a brief nod in greeting.

The morning routine began like before. A light jog to the training grounds served as their warm-up, followed by a series of gruelling drills. By now, Soren's muscles were sore, his legs threatening to give out. It was like they were the ones who would enter the battlefield, he thought.

But today was different. When they finished the drills, crates of weapons were brought out and placed in front of the group. Soren stiffened, his stomach twisting into knots.

"Real weapons?" his voice was shaky.

Riven suddenly appeared at his side, grinning. "Relax," he whispered. "No one's gonna die... hopefully."

Soren shot him a look, unsure whether Riven was joking or being serious. Before he could dwell on it, pairings were called out. Some were matched with betas, but Soren's stomach dropped when his name was paired with an alpha.

Again? he thought bitterly. Did I anger the gods somehow?

This alpha, however, was different from the one yesterday. He had a kind face and even smiled at Soren, his expression far from threatening.

"Don't worry," the alpha said as he picked up a knife. "It's just training. Light wounds are fine, though."

Light wounds? Soren gulped, his nerves spiking. His fingers hovered over the selection of weapons before he grabbed the smallest combat knife. It felt familiar in his hand. This was the only weapon Cassius had trained him with—the only one he'd ever managed to handle in real combat once. But that memory made Soren anxious.

The alpha smiled again, adjusting his stance. "Let's begin."

Soren nodded, his grip tightening around the hilt of the knife. His heart pounded as they circled each other. The alpha moved first, testing Soren's reaction with a quick feint. Soren stepped back, eyes locking on his opponent's every movement.

Every shift of his opponent's weight, every twitch of his hand...Soren tracked it all with an intensity that surprised even himself.

The alpha gave a playful smirk before lunging, and Soren felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He moved instinctively, sidestepping and spinning behind the alpha, swinging his knife in a calculated arc. The blade whistled through the air, but the alpha dodged with ease.

"That was close," the alpha remarked, laughing lightly. But his smile faltered when he noticed something unusual. Or rather something he has seen on the battlefield as soldiers lose their minds.

Soren's eyes were locked onto him with a chilling focus. His breathing had deepened, his body taut as if every fibre of his being was bracing for war. He no longer looked nervous, his face was blank.

The alpha frowned, hesitating for a split second. "Hey, kid, are you alright?"

Soren didn't respond. His mind had slipped into survival mode, his instincts taking over completely. He lunged again swiftly, the knife aimed at the alpha's side. The alpha barely managed to deflect the blow, stumbling back.

"Stop! It's training!" the alpha shouted, but Soren didn't hear him. His body moved on its own, driven by a primal need to defend, to attack, to survive.

The others turned to watch, the captain waited to see if he should intervene and decided to not intervene.

The alpha's eyes widened as Soren's blade slashed toward his arm, grazing him. Blood welled from the shallow cut. Soren's knife angled upward, poised to strike the alpha's chest.

"Enough!" the alpha roared. He slammed his palm against Soren's head, jolting him back a step. When that didn't work, he slapped him again, harder this time.

The second hit snapped Soren out of his trance. His breathing was ragged, his knife trembling in his grip. He blinked rapidly, the intensity in his gaze fading as confusion and shame rushed in to replace it.

The alpha exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Were you trying to kill me?"

Soren stared at the knife in his hand, his knuckles white from how tightly he was holding it. Slowly, he loosened his grip, letting the blade drop to the ground with a dull thud.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, his chest tightening with guilt.

The alpha's expression softened. He placed a hand on Soren's shoulder. "Good instincts. Out there, instincts like that will save your life. But here? They'll only get you punished, or worse, so whatever trauma response that was, it'll get you in trouble."

Soren nodded, his throat too tight to speak. The alpha gave him a small, reassuring smile before stepping back, signalling the end of their sparring session.

"Soren, off the field. Run 3 laps around the camp's trail. Clear your head!" The captain commanded.

"Yes sir." Soren muttered

As he walked off the field, he felt eyes on him and heard a few murmurs, his legs felt like they might give out at any moment. His mind was still reeling, replaying the moment over and over. What is wrong with me? he thought, his hands shaking as he wiped them on his pants.

From a distance, Kieran watched. His jaw tightened as he saw the omega retreating, his frame trembling with what had just happened.

"Can't fight, but good with a knife?" Kieran's eyebrows pinched together and he wondered what Soren was doing where he came from or if his grandmother had unknowingly brought a spy onto the camp. The thought unsettled him.

He would now keep an eye on Soren. A very close eye... For... investigative purposes of course.

Soren trudged through his first lap, his lungs burning as the enormous camp stretched endlessly before him. His legs felt like lead, and the halfway mark seemed miles away. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest. 

By the time he hit the midway point, a strange warmth began to creep through him, more intense than the exhaustion from running. His breath hitched as the heat spread, starting deep in his abdomen and unfurling through his body in a way that made his steps falter.

"What the hell?" he wiped sweat from his brow.

It started as a faint tingle, an unusual sensitivity in his lower body. Then, like a dam breaking, the sensation surged into a powerful wave that left him gasping. His scent changed, becoming noticeably sweeter, heavier, and far too potent.

The realization struck him hard.

"No... Not now please," Soren hissed, stumbling to the side of the trail. He leaned against a tree, his fingers digging into the rough bark as he tried to steady himself.

His heat. Of all the times, it had to be now.

His heart raced as he fought the growing haze in his mind. He'd completely forgotten to track his cycles which came monthly, a fact of life he'd long grown used to, but with everything happening, being sold, the camp, the overwhelming presence of alphas, he had forgotten about the signs that had occurred a few days ago.

The dull ache in his abdomen grew sharper, twisting into something unbearable. 

Soren's legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, gasping. His entire body felt like it was on fire, slick gathering between his thighs as his glands pulsed with a humiliating need. His mind was a foggy mess, instincts screaming for something...someone...that could ease the unbearable ache coursing through him.

"How could I forget?" he muttered.

He pressed his forehead to the ground, desperate to cool himself, but it was useless. The world felt distant and unreal, every sound muffled except the pounding of his own heartbeat.

Then, a scent.

It was faint at first. Deep and rich, it grounded him for a moment, his instincts latching onto it with desperate ferocity.

Soren's head snapped up, and through the distorted fog of his heat, he saw a shadowy figure approaching. Tall, broad, and unmistakably alpha. 

His heart stuttered. "Kieran."

Kieran's eyes locked onto him. His steps were slow as he approached. The scent of dominance and strength overwhelmed Soren, making his omega instincts flare painfully.

Soren dug his nails into the dirt, trembling. "No… not him... he's an asshole."

But his body betrayed him, drawn to the source of the scent like a moth to a flame. His gaze stayed fixed on Kieran as the alpha moved closer, the gap between them shrinking with every heavy step.

"Soren," Kieran's voice was deep and maddening when it reached Soren.

Soren's lips parted, but no words came. His breaths hitched, and the world around him seemed to fade, leaving only Kieran's scent, Kieran's presence, and the overwhelming need to be touched by the Alpha.

Kieran crouched in front of him, the intensity of his gaze pulling Soren further under. 

Soren tried to pull back, but his body wouldn't obey. His trembling hand lifted on its own, reaching out toward Kieran.

And then, everything stopped.

The moment stretched endlessly, the heat, the haze, and Kieran's scent binding Soren in place. His vision wavered, and as the darkness crept in around the edges, he swore he saw Kieran's hand moving toward him.

But before he could understand what was happening, the world went dark.