The morning sunlight seeped softly through the blinds as Kael blinked his eyes open. He instinctively turned to glance at the living room—but Zayden was gone.
The house was unusually quiet.
Only the smell of warm toast lingered.
On the dining table, a plate sat with a neatly cut sandwich and a small note scribbled in familiar bold handwriting:
"Eat this. Don't skip meals. – Z"
Kael stared at it for a second, lips twitching into a faint smile despite himself.
He ate in silence and headed to his university, bundling himself up in a long coat to shield from the cold outside.
---
Later that afternoon, Kael sat in a warm café, tucked into a corner booth across from Adrian, his only confidant in Z City.
Adrian, a tall dominant alpha with sharp green eyes and messy brown hair, sipped on his iced Americano, listening as Kael quietly spilled everything that had happened since yesterday.
About Zayden appearing suddenly.
About his suppressed heat.
About the long, complicated history neither of them ever dared to speak of.
"So yeah… he's my first love," Kael admitted, his voice barely audible. "And I guess… I never really got over it."
Adrian leaned back, arms folded, frowning slightly.
"Zayden's a dominant alpha, right? How the hell did he not notice you were an omega after all that?"
Kael stared down at his coffee.
"Maybe… he didn't notice."
"Or maybe I've always just been a beta in his eyes."
Adrian gave him a flat look before chuckling dryly.
He leaned over and slung an arm around Kael's neck, teasing.
"Idiot. Only you would say something that dumb. Do you even know how many alphas would go feral just to get a smile from you?"
Kael sighed, pushing Adrian's arm away, cheeks tinged pink.
"I don't care about them. They're not Zayden."
Adrian didn't say anything for a moment. His teasing faded into silence as he watched Kael's distant expression.
"Just… don't get hurt again, alright?" Adrian said quietly.
"You've only got one heart."
Kael nodded.
---
On the way home, Kael sent a request for a private appointment with his doctor.
I need answers, he thought. My cycle has never done this before.
---
When Kael returned, the apartment was warm, faintly scented, and dim.
He heard water running from the bathroom—Zayden was in the shower.
Kael headed to his room, freshened up, and stepped back into the living room… only to freeze in his tracks.
There, on the sofa, sat Zayden—a bowl of bright red cherries in his lap, devouring them like a man starved.
Juice stained his lips, glistening crimson.
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
The sight was so absurd—so sensual—it left him speechless. His eyes unwillingly trailed over the curve of Zayden's mouth, the lazy tilt of his gaze.
Zayden's eyes met his. Dark. Sharp. Unreadable.
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
Zayden plucked another cherry and popped it into his mouth, his tongue flicking over the juice slowly.
"Come and eat," he said, voice low. "It's delicious."
Kael blinked, panicked.
"N-No… You eat," he stammered.
A pause.
"But… why cherries?" Kael asked, finally mustering the courage to speak.
Zayden leaned back, the bowl cradled in one hand as he looked at Kael—
Exactly the way he'd looked at that cherry not long ago.
Hunger. Focused. Almost possessive.
"I'm craving it," Zayden said simply.
Kael's breath hitched.
The cherry scent in the apartment. Zayden's agitation.
And now this…
He doesn't know… does he?