Chapter 12: New Instinct Start

The morning started like any other — cold mist blanketing the training grounds, the distant calls of birds just waking with the sun.

Aiden stood near the sparring circle, arms crossed, heart thrumming too fast in his chest. The stares had been getting worse again. Low murmurs behind his back. The betas didn't forget easily, and they certainly didn't forgive what they didn't understand.

He ignored them — or tried to.

But then Caleb stepped forward.

Caleb. Broad-shouldered. Smug. The son of the former beta commander. He always had something to prove. And for some reason, today, that something was Aiden.

"I heard you ran off again last night," Caleb said loudly, voice laced with challenge. "You always run when things get hard, don't you?"

Aiden's spine stiffened. Several heads turned. He didn't answer.

"You think you're special now that the Alpha King's protecting you? Maybe the rumors are true. Maybe he keeps you in his den for a reason."

Aiden's blood turned cold.

He stepped into the ring.

The crowd gasped softly, but he didn't care. "Say that again," he said, voice like ice.Caleb smirked. "Oh? Did I touch a nerve?"

The beta lunged before Aiden could prepare fully, and they collided hard — fists, claws, snarls. They rolled once, and Aiden twisted out of his grip, landing a sharp kick to Caleb's ribs. The fight should have been even. Aiden was fast. Skilled. A solid beta fighter.

But something was wrong.

His breath caught in his throat. His limbs shook—not from exhaustion, but something deeper. Deeper than instinct. A burn beneath his skin. His senses sharpened too fast, his skin too sensitive. Caleb's growl wasn't just loud—it rang in his ears like a threat to his soul.

Aiden stumbled.

His knees hit the dirt hard.

"No," he whispered, panicked. "What...?"

Caleb moved in fast, sensing the shift — but he stopped. Froze mid-step.

Because the scent changed. All of them smelled it. A rich, potent scent filled the training grounds. Warm and sharp like rain on hot stone. Foreign. Omega.

"No," Aiden choked again, grabbing his head. His body trembled violently, heat rolling through him in waves. The air pressed in like hands on his throat.

Shouts erupted.

Caleb backed up like he'd touched fire. "That's—what the hell—"

Aiden's stomach twisted. His vision blurred. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

"Omega," someone said with disbelief. "He's not a beta—he's—" 

"Get back!" a sharp voice cut through the chaos.

Theron.

The Alpha King surged into the ring, white hair catching the wind, eyes glowing with fury. His presence slammed into the gathered wolves like a thunderclap.

Aiden whimpered involuntarily. His legs refused to hold him. His wolf howled in confusion inside him, trying to make sense of the instincts screaming through his blood.

Theron dropped to his knees in front of him, not touching him — not yet — but close enough that Aiden could scent his calm power.

"You're okay," Theron murmured, voice steady and low. "I've got you."

"I—I don't—" Aiden gasped, tears stinging his eyes. "I'm not an omega. I'm not—this isn't—"Theron met his gaze. "It is."

Aiden felt everything shatter in that moment. His identity. His place in the pack. His future.

He curled in on himself, humiliated, afraid, and too overwhelmed to push Theron away when the Alpha King finally reached out and pulled him gently into his arms — shielding him from the stares, the gasps, the judgment.

"I won't let them touch you," Theron whispered into his hair. "No matter what you are. You are mine to protect."

And for once, Aiden didn't fight it. He just let himself breathe.

Aiden trembled against Theron's chest, heart pounding so loud he could barely hear anything else. His whole body felt like it was burning from the inside out—too hot, too sensitive, too aware. Every noise in the training ground, every stare, every sharp breath felt like a blade against his skin.

"I'm not..." he whispered again, the words dry and broken. "I can't be."

But the scent didn't lie.

And neither did the way his body was responding—curling inward, submissive and overwhelmed, every instinct screaming to be protected.

Theron's grip tightened protectively around him, one hand cradling the back of Aiden's head as if to shield him from the rest of the world.

"You were never a beta, Aiden," Theron murmured. "Your nature was just... buried. Forced down. But your body remembers. It always does."

Aiden wanted to argue. To scream. But all he could do was shake his head against Theron's shoulder, humiliated and terrified.

The crowd hadn't moved. Most stared in stunned silence. A few whispered. One beta snorted."So this is the truth. He was always just weak."

The comment cracked something.

Theron's head snapped toward the voice, and a deep, guttural growl rumbled from his chest—so low, so primal, the crowd instantly backed up.

"Leave," Theron said, not shouting—commanding. "Now."

No one argued. Betas dispersed like leaves in a storm, eyes downcast, feet hurried. Even Caleb turned and fled, pale and wide-eyed.

Only the two of them remained in the sparring ring now.

Aiden clenched his fists against Theron's chest, trembling. "Why didn't I know?" he choked. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Theron exhaled slowly, forehead resting briefly against Aiden's. "Because someone didn't want you to know. There are suppressants that can delay second gender awakenings... someone gave them to you. Long enough to convince even you that you were a beta."

Aiden's stomach twisted. His mind jumped to Evelyn. His old pack. His parents.

Was this why Evelyn had broken up with him? Did she know?

"Who..." he whispered, but the words faded. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

Theron must've sensed it. "Enough," he said softly. "You're done here."

He scooped Aiden up in one smooth motion—ignoring the startled noise that escaped Aiden's throat—and carried him away from the training ground.

"I can walk—" Aiden started, trying to wriggle out of his arms.

"You're shaking," Theron said calmly. "You shouldn't be alone right now. Don't fight me."And strangely, Aiden didn't.

He let himself be carried—past the training field, through the quiet trees, and back toward the Alpha King's den.

His heart still thudded painfully in his chest, and his mind reeled with everything that had just happened... but inside, buried beneath the fear and shame, something else stirred. Something small and quiet.

A feeling he hadn't had in a long, long time.

Safety.

He leaned his head against Theron's shoulder, eyes closing, just for a moment. And this time, he didn't try to hide his scent.