Grave, obscura umbra

Obsessio's blood ran cold. Seeing Amor bound and trembling, Nana restrained beside him – it ignited a primal fury in his Alpha core. His fingers, usually so steady, fumbled slightly as he tore at the coarse ropes binding Amor.

"Who did this?" The question ripped from his throat, low and dangerous, laced with a growl he couldn't suppress. His eyes scanned Amor's pale, shivering form, then Nana's weary face, a storm of protectiveness and rage brewing within him.

"What happened?!"

Amor couldn't speak. He just trembled violently, eyes wide with residual terror, his Omega scent spiking with distress – sour fear cutting through the air. Instinctively, Obsessio pulled him close, wrapping strong arms around the shaking Omega. He buried his face briefly in Amor's hair, breathing deep, trying to project calm through his own scent – rain and earth, steady and safe.

"Shhh... I've got you. You're safe now," he murmured against Amor's temple, feeling the tremors slowly lessen against his chest.

Nana pushed herself up stiffly, rubbing her wrists. Her voice, though strained, held its usual pragmatic strength.

"We found someone," she began, her gaze flicking towards the dense woods in a specific direction – Grave. "a young one, cornered. Tried to intervene... but it was a whole pack of Alphas." Her jaw tightened.

"Outnumbered. Outmuscled. They trussed us up like game, dumped us here. Said... said they were taking him to the Pit." Her voice dropped on the last word, heavy with grim implication.

Obsessio understood. Grave. The Pit. Places whispered about with dread, where Alphas too feral or too desperate congregated. Places where an cruel incident happened... He tightened his hold on Amor, a fresh wave of protective rage washing over him. His Alpha instincts screamed for action, for retribution.

"We're getting him back," he declared, his voice rough with conviction. He gently disentangled himself from Amor, placing him carefully beside Nana. "Tomorrow. At first light. I'll tear that place apart—"

"NO!" Nana's voice cracked like a whip, sharp and final. She stood, her frail frame radiating unexpected authority. "You will not go to Grave, Obsessio! Have you forgotten every warning? Every story?" Her eyes, usually so warm, were flinty.

"I forbade it years ago, and I forbid it now. That place is death for anyone not born in its shadows, especially a hotheaded young Alpha like you walking in blind!" Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at Amor, still huddled and shell-shocked. "We barely escaped being bait today. I won't lose you to that cursed place."

Nana firmly shook her head. "don't go to the Grave," she stated, her voice leaving no room for argument. Her posture was rigid, eyes avoiding both boys.

Meanwhile, Amor, still visibly shaken from the encounter with the captured Omega, finally released his tight grip on Obsessio's arm. He took a small step back, discomfort radiating from him.

"I'm... I'm okay," he whispered, answering Obsessio's concerned look before it could fully form into words. His gaze drifted back towards where the Alphas had disappeared with the struggling figure. "But him... I'm scared for him. Those Alphas were so rough..." His voice hitched. "I wanted to help, and instead..." He gestured helplessly at himself, at the fear still clinging to him.

Obsessio's gaze sharpened, following Amor's look into the gathering gloom. "Was he... an Omega?" he asked, the implication heavy in the air – an Omega captured by a pack of strange Alphas rarely meant anything good.

"I... I think so..." Amor murmured, the confirmation sending a fresh wave of dread through him.

Nana clapped her hands sharply, the sound cutting through the tense atmosphere. "Enough! Look – sun has fallen. Night is here. We leave, Now." Her tone brooked no dissent, sharp with an urgency that felt deeper than just the encroaching dark. "This forest holds dangers best avoided after sunset. Home."

Reluctantly, they obeyed. "Alright, Nana," Obsessio agreed, though his eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her turn and stride purposefully back towards the path, her movements unusually brisk, almost agitated.

The walk home was shrouded in a heavy silence, broken only by the sounds of the forest settling into night and Amor's occasional shaky breath. Obsessio walked slightly behind Nana, his Alpha senses on high alert, but not just for external threats. Something about Nana felt... off. Her usual steady calm was replaced by a subtle tension, a guardedness he couldn't pinpoint.

(Obsessio's thoughts) Nana's hiding something. I can feel it in the air around her. But what? What happened back there that spooked her more than just the dark?

A gnawing curiosity took root. Whatever secret Nana was clutching close, he intended to find out. Later. When they were safely home, and Amor wasn't trembling beside him. The questions could wait, but the resolve to pry further solidified with every step Nana took ahead of them, her back unnaturally straight against the deepening shadows.

Back at the cottage, Obsessio's mind churned. That cryptic word—Grave—haunted him. Was the mansion truly a den of monsters? Or something worse? The curiosity ate at him like poison.

After dinner, exhaustion claimed Amor and Nana. They'd hauled supplies all day, collapsing into dreamless sleep. But Obsessio? Wide awake. His afternoon nap now felt like a curse.

Screw this. Time for answers.

He slipped from the room, silent as shadow. Nana's door creaked open a sound that'd never rouse her. She slept like stone, a trait he'd tested too many times.

Moonlight bled through the window, painting her room in ghostly silver. Obsessio moved with hunter's precision,

Flipped through yellowed letters, stacked beside her knitting basket —grocery lists, herb recipes, nothing.

Rifled her oak wardrobe —only mothball-scented shawls and worn boots.

Checked drawers, under the bed —dust bunnies and a lone button.

Nothing. Damn it.

He'd lived with his grandma for years, yet her past was a locked vault. No tales of family. No photos. Just quiet strength and that lingering grief in her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking. Buried secrets. All of it.

Defeated, he turned to leave.

Rustle—

A slip of paper fluttered from the doorframe, landing at his feet like a fallen leaf.....