CHAPTER ONE: The Heat Begins
I wasn’t supposed to feel this.
Not here.
Not now.
Not ever.
My fingers dug into the edge of the sink as a violent wave crashed through my body. Heat—raw, burning, uncontrollable—spread beneath my skin like wildfire.
My breath hitched.
“No… no, not here,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
The mirror in front of me reflected a stranger.
Flushed cheeks. Trembling lips. Eyes glowing faintly gold.
That glow—
It wasn’t normal.
Because this wasn’t just heat.
This was Omega heat.
And Omegas like me weren’t supposed to exist.
A sharp knock slammed against the bathroom door.
“Hey! Are you coming out or what?”
I froze.
“I—I’m fine!” I called out quickly, forcing steadiness into my voice.
Liar.
I wasn’t fine.
If anyone found out what I was… I wouldn’t just be exposed.
I’d be hunted.
Another wave hit—stronger.
My knees nearly buckled as I clutched the sink harder, biting down on my lip to keep from making a sound.
Control it.
Hide it.
Survive.
That had always been the rule.
But something was wrong.
This heat wasn’t normal.
It was too early.
Too intense.
Too… visible.
I forced myself to move, pushing the door open and stepping back into the crowded hallway.
Noise exploded around me—laughter, voices, music—but it all felt distant, muffled by the roaring in my ears.
Every scent was stronger.
Every sound sharper.
Every step harder.
I kept my head down, walking fast.
Just get out.
Just—
I stopped.
Because suddenly…
Everything went silent.
A scent hit me.
Dark. Dangerous. Addictive.
It wrapped around me, pulling me in, sinking into my lungs until I couldn’t breathe.
My heart stuttered.
No…
No, no, no.
That scent—
That wasn’t just any Alpha.
Slowly… against every instinct screaming inside me…
I looked up.
And then I saw him.
He stood at the end of the hallway like he owned it.
Tall. Broad. Untouchable.
Power radiated from him in suffocating waves, pressing down on everything around him. Conversations faded. People moved out of his path without even realizing why.
But his attention—
It wasn’t on them.
It was on me.
His dark eyes locked onto mine.
Sharp.
Cold.
Predatory.
Like he had just found something he’d been waiting for.
My chest tightened painfully.
Run.
That was the only thought left in my head.
Run before he realizes.
Run before he gets closer.
Run before—
His gaze darkened.
And I felt it.
That shift.
That knowing.
Too late.
A soft, broken gasp escaped my lips as another wave of heat surged through me.
Stronger.
Worse.
Impossible to hide.
His head tilted slightly.
His nostrils flared.
And then—
A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips.
“Omega…” he murmured.
The word wasn’t loud.
But it hit me like a death sentence.
Fear crashed through me, sharp and suffocating.
No one was supposed to know.
No one was supposed to find out.
And yet…
The most dangerous Alpha I had ever seen was now looking at me like I belonged to him.
I took a step back.
Then another.
My heart pounded violently as I turned—
And ran.
But I could feel it.
Even without looking back.
I could feel his presence behind me.
Unhurried.
Certain.
Like a predator who already knew—
His prey had nowhere left to go.