O1uwapelumi

Synopsis:
In a world where Alphas rule with absolute power, Alpha Caidren Thorne stands above them all—a warlord feared for his cruelty, a ruler whose hands are stained with the blood of both enemies and kin. His lands are harsh, his rule even harsher, and his name alone is enough to strike terror into the hearts of those who hear it.

But there is a darker truth hidden beneath his legend.

Every Omega sent to him has perished.

No one knows why. No one dares to ask. Some whisper that his presence alone is enough to snuff out their fragile lives, that no Omega can withstand his brutality. Others say that he is cursed, doomed to be alone forever. But Caidren does not care. He has never let anyone close—not a mate, not a lover, not even his own people. His heart is stone, and his hands are weapons.

When the noble House Velmire is forced to offer him an Omega, they do not send their treasured daughter. Instead, they send Elias—an adopted outcast, a boy without a place in their world. Elias has spent his life alone, unwanted, and now, he is being sent to a fate worse than death.

And when he arrives at the Bloodfang Stronghold, he is welcomed by a scene of horror.

A man clothed in black can be seen writhing in agony. Blood soaking the ground. And standing above it all, delivering judgment with cold precision, is Alpha Caidren.

Elias’ fear takes root instantly. This man is no savior. He is death itself.

Caidren barely acknowledges him, dismissing him with a single glance. Another Omega. Another life that will soon disappear.

But Elias does not die.

Days pass. Then weeks. And for the first time, an Omega survives.

Elias is not weak. He is not fragile. He is not like the others. And against every instinct, every warning, Caidren begins to take notice.

What starts as indifference turns to fascination. What was once just another burden soon becomes something the Alpha refuses to let go of.

For the first time in his life, Caidren is afraid—not of war, not of death, but of the one thing he never thought he could have.

And when enemies rise and threaten to take Elias away, Caidren will burn the world to keep his Omega safe.

scarred by the Alpher, claimed by his touch.

The Alpha sat in his tent long after the camp had fallen into silence, his fingers tapping against the wooden table as he stared at the map before him.

It was not the battle strategies that occupied his mind.

It was the things that didn't make sense.

The feeling of something unseen lurking in the shadows.

The strange disturbances just beyond the perimeter—too subtle for anyone else to notice, but undeniable to him.

The way Elias had changed, as if he, too, had sensed it.

And yet, despite all his power, all his influence, the Alpha had no answer.

That was what unsettled him the most.

He had fought wars. He had faced assassins, betrayals, uprisings.

But he had never fought an enemy he could not see.

A quiet knock sounded at the entrance of his tent.

The Alpha straightened, masking his thoughts behind a cold expression. "Enter."

One of his captains stepped inside, saluting before speaking.

"The night patrol found nothing unusual," the man reported. "No tracks beyond the camp, no sign of an intruder."

The Alpha exhaled through his nose. Of course they didn't.

Whoever had been watching them was skilled enough to avoid ordinary detection.

That meant they weren't common spies or hired assassins.

"What about the Omega?" the Alpha asked, keeping his tone indifferent.

The captain hesitated, clearly unsure why Elias was relevant. "He retired to his quarters without issue."

The Alpha already knew that Elias wouldn't do anything obvious.

Whatever the Omega was searching for, he was doing it quietly, carefully.

But that didn't mean he was unaware of the danger.

No, the way he carried himself, the way his posture had changed—

Elias was searching for something just as much as the Alpha was.

The only question was whether he had found any answers.

When the captain left, the Alpha leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him.

Not just the lack of information—he was used to playing long games, to waiting for pieces to fall into place.

No, what truly irritated him was the worry that sat uncomfortably in his chest.

The Omega had always been fragile—at least, that was how he presented himself. But there had been something in his expression lately, something almost unreadable.

A quiet, careful kind of tension, like a man who had already prepared for something unseen.

The Alpha should have confronted him by now. Should have demanded answers, forced the truth out of him.

Because as much as he wanted to know what Elias was thinking—

He also didn't want to give away the fact that he was unsettled too.

If the Omega was pretending not to notice the threat in the shadows, then the Alpha would do the same.

Because this was no longer just a matter of curiosity.

If an enemy was truly moving within the darkness—

Then sooner or later, Elias would become their target again.

And whether the Omega liked it or not—

The Alpha wasn't going to let that happen.

chapter 69: not fear but awareness