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Arc 1 – Omegaverse: The Hunter and the Omega Prince
Morning 4 – The Snow Outside
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By midday, the fever had left him, but the boredom had set in.
Kyle sat cross-legged on the bed, poking at the edge of the blanket like it had personally offended him. The fire was warm, the tea was warm, he was warm — but he wanted to see something that wasn't this room.
"I'm going out," he announced.
"No." Aldric didn't look up from restringing his bow.
"I'll die of cabin fever before I die of real fever," Kyle protested, sliding to the edge of the bed with the sort of dramatic sway that suggested he'd faint at any moment.
"You can barely walk straight."
"I can walk perfectly fine," Kyle insisted, standing and proving, instantly, that his definition of "perfectly fine" involved wobbling like a newborn deer. Still, he pulled on his fur-lined boots and shrugged into his thick grey cloak, the hood trimmed with silver fox fur. "See? Sturdy."
Aldric's jaw ticked, but he got up and pulled on his own coat. "Five minutes," he said. "And you stay in sight."
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Outside
The cold bit into Kyle's cheeks the moment they stepped out, turning his breath to mist. The snow stretched out in an endless white plain, the forest standing dark and sharp against the horizon.
Kyle's hair caught the light like spun gold against the pale sky. The hood had slipped back almost immediately, the fur brushing his jawline. He tilted his face up, letting the weak sun touch him, lashes fluttering.
"Better," he sighed. "Fresh air makes everything—"
Aldric's hand clamped on his shoulder, firm enough to halt him mid-step.
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The Wolf
There, at the treeline — a shape. Large. Still.
Its fur was the deep grey of a stormcloud, its eyes bright, unnatural gold. The kind of gold that didn't just see you — it marked you.
Kyle's throat went dry. The wolf didn't move, but its gaze didn't waver. It was the same look from his fever dreams, the same silent claim.
Aldric stepped in front of him without a word, his posture shifting — broader, grounded, all the warmth in him pulled into something sharp and dangerous. One hand reached back, palm briefly pressing against Kyle's side as if to make sure he was there.
The wolf's breath puffed white into the air. Slowly, it lowered its head — not in submission, but in that predatory coil that came before a pounce.
Aldric's voice was quiet, almost a growl. "Inside. Now."
Kyle wanted to argue. He wanted to say the wolf wouldn't hurt him — but his feet moved backward on their own, the crunch of snow under his boots muffled by the thud of his heartbeat.
Only when Aldric had him back through the door, bolting it shut, did Kyle realize his hands were trembling.
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