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.

Elias wanted to speak—to push back, to throw some sharp retort that would wipe the smugness off the Alpha's face.

His throat was dry. His body was betraying him in ways he refused to acknowledge.

A slow chuckle rumbled from the Alpha's chest, deep and knowing, as his fingers barely skimmed along Elias's jaw—close enough to feel the heat radiating from his skin, yet cruel enough to never truly touch.

"You're burning up, little one," the Alpha murmured, his voice rich with amusement, with something darker curling beneath. "And yet, you're still trying to fight it?"

Elias forced himself to glare, to bite back the tremor in his breath. "Go to hell."

The Alpha hummed, tilting his head as if considering the words. "Perhaps," he mused. "But right now, I think I'd rather stay here… with you."

Watching as the drug worked its way through his system, as his body fought against the inevitable.

But when he tried, his limbs were sluggish, heavy, wrong.

A wave of heat rolled through him, stealing the breath from his lungs.

The Alpha watched it all, silent and waiting.

"Tell me, Elias," he murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper. "What exactly were you looking for tonight?"

Elias swallowed hard, his pulse pounding.

The documents. The ones that could prove what was really happening to the Omegas in this fortress. The ones that could show that—

His eyes flickered to the Alpha, searching, reading him, doubting him.

The Alpha's smirk didn't waver, but there was something sharper in his gaze now.

He had searched, he had dug, but—

No files, no records, no evidence that pointed to the Alpha ordering the deaths of the Omegas before him.

The truth unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

"Poor thing," the Alpha mused, almost mockingly, "So determined to hate me… and yet, you're not quite sure anymore, are you?"

Elias grit his teeth. "I don't trust you."*

"Good."* The Alpha's smirk deepened, his fingers brushing just barely against Elias's throat. "It's more fun that way."

Elias forced himself to breathe. To push through the haze.

The Alpha was trying to break him.

Trying to unravel him until there was nothing left but the desire he was fighting so hard to bury.

The Alpha chuckled, slow and rich.

But as he stood, as he turned toward the door, he threw one last glance over his shoulder—his gaze dark, knowing, hungry.

chapter 143: hunger