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 studied Elias for a long moment before finally exhaling, the weight of his scrutiny lifting—just slightly.

Elias gave a shallow nod, stepping back smoothly, controlled. He turned without hesitation, moving toward the door as if this were nothing more than a routine meeting.

As if he wasn't calculating every breath, every step.

As if he didn't feel the Alpha's gaze pressing against his back, following him even as he disappeared beyond the threshold.

The door closed with a quiet thud.

Silence settled in the room, thick and unmoving.

The Alpha did not return his focus to the map.

Instead, he remained where he stood, staring at the space Elias had occupied just moments ago.

Not in the way he had expected. Not in the way that made sense.

His jaw tightened, fingers curling slightly as a foreign heat settled beneath his skin, unwanted yet undeniable.

It was subtle. Barely there. But he felt it.

A stirring in his body—one that had never existed before.

He glanced down at himself, expression unreadable, but there was no mistaking it.

A tension low in his core. A tightening of muscle. A pull toward something he did not understand.

His breath came slower now, heavier.

His body had never reacted before—not to touch, not to presence, not to anything.

And yet, when he had moved closer to Elias, when the Omega's voice had met his ears in that careful, composed way—

Not desire in the way most men understood it.

A raw, unexplainable need to reach out. To strip away whatever mask Elias was wearing and uncover what lay beneath.

His fingers twitched at his sides.

The Alpha turned sharply, shoving the thought away, refusing to let it linger.

And mysteries were threats until proven otherwise.

Whatever this reaction was, it meant nothing.

He would decide whether Elias was something to be protected.

But even as he returned his gaze to the map, as he forced his mind back to war, to strategy, to logic—

And for the first time since his existence, a crack formed in the armor he had never thought could break.

chapter 74: first time