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.

He refused to call it a dream—refused to acknowledge the flashes of heat, the press of phantom hands, the sound of a voice that shouldn't have followed him into unconsciousness.

But when his eyes shot open in the early hours of the morning, his body told a different story.

His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths.

This—this shouldn't be happening.

Elias kicked off the blankets like they were the cause of his torment and sat up abruptly. His hands clenched in his lap as he stared at the floor, his breath coming harder, faster, frustration curling inside him like an unforgiving grip.

For the first time in years—years—he had lost control.

His fingers dug into his thighs as he fought for composure.

A trick of the mind, a meaningless reaction, a result of stress, exhaustion—

No matter how much he lied to himself, the truth wouldn't change.

That man had crawled beneath his skin—had settled there like an illness, whispering through his veins, burning through his carefully built walls with nothing more than a touch.

He dragged a hand through his hair, pushing himself to his feet, pacing across the room.

Still responding to something he refused to acknowledge.

He gritted his teeth, pressing his fingers to his temples as if that could somehow wipe the memory away—wipe him away.

Elias forced his breathing to slow, willed his body to obey him.

Had trained to suppress every instinct, every reaction, every weakness.

It's nothing, he told himself. It means nothing.

When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the ghost of a touch tracing his skin.

Still hear the deep, taunting voice curling around his name.

Still remember the way his own body had responded.

He wouldn't let that man get under his skin.

Wanted to pull him into whatever twisted game he was playing.

Straightening, he forced himself to move, to ignore the lingering heat in his veins, to act as if nothing had happened at all.

Elias exhaled sharply, schooling his expression into cold indifference as he stepped toward the door.

And as he left his room, walking through the halls with steady, measured steps—

He told himself that if he ran into the Alpha today, he wouldn't react.

But deep inside, beneath layers of denial, beneath the cold mask he had perfected—

A single, forbidden thought whispered through his mind.

chapter 120: perfected mask