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Arc 1 – Omegaverse: The Hunter and the Omega Prince
Day 6 – The Fever and the Wolf's Eyes
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Morning – The Heat in His Skin
Kyle woke to sunlight pooling gold across the wooden floorboards.
It should have been comforting, but the brightness made his head throb. His hair — a mess of silken ash-brown waves — clung to his damp forehead. His skin flushed pink over his high cheekbones, making the delicate lines of his face look even softer than usual.
He tried to push himself upright but the quilt, heavy with fur lining, seemed to pin him down. "...Aldric?" His voice was barely more than a croak.
Eira appeared first, carrying a basin of steaming water. Her pale hair, braided and pinned with tiny wooden clasps, swung against her back as she set it on the small side table. She glanced over him with practiced sharpness.
"Fever's higher. Stay down." She dipped a cloth into the water, wrung it out, and pressed it to his forehead. The shock of warmth made him flinch and pout at once.
"You're too bossy," he mumbled.
"I'd rather be bossy than bury you," she replied flatly.
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New Faces
The cabin door creaked open and two figures entered.
One was a tall, broad-shouldered man with ruddy skin and a leather harness bristling with knives — Torren, the village guard captain. The other, a slender youth with dark curls and bright, eager eyes, carried a basket that smelled faintly of bread and herbs — Leif, the baker's apprentice.
Torren's gaze swept the room, his eyes narrowing on Kyle. "He's the one the beast keeps circling for?"
Kyle blinked up at him. "Excuse me? Keeps circling?" His voice cracked with both disbelief and squeamish dread.
Leif, far less restrained, stepped closer, curiosity written all over his face. "You really do look like the story says. Pretty enough to make a wolf go mad."
Kyle flushed — not from the fever this time. "I'm not pretty. And wolves don't—" He stopped himself, realizing any denial would be pointless.
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The Wolf's POV – Between the Pines
The wolf lay in the shadowed snow beneath a stand of pine trees. Its coat was thick, silver shot through with dark streaks, but its mind wasn't on the cold.
Too fragile, it thought, replaying the image of Kyle's flushed cheeks, his trembling hands, the way his voice had wavered when he spoke. The wolf could smell the heat in his skin even from across the wall — a sickness that made him seem smaller, breakable.
It hated that.
In its mind, the human was not prey. Not a passing fancy. He was mine. That fragile warmth belonged inside the circle of its shadow, safe where no one could touch.
The wolf shifted, muscles tense. It could hear the others in the cabin, smell their scents clinging to him. One in particular — the one called Aldric — reeked of possessiveness. That was intolerable.
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Afternoon – The Fever Worsens
Kyle's condition worsened as the day passed. By mid-afternoon, his lashes stuck together from the heat in his skin, his lips pale and dry. He whimpered once in his sleep, shifting under the heavy quilt.
Ryn sat on the bed's edge, methodically braiding her dark hair back, but her amber eyes stayed on him. "If this keeps up, we'll need the healer from the valley."
Aldric stood by the window, gaze fixed on the tree line. "He won't make the trip in this state. The wolf's still out there."
Torren grunted. "Then we hunt it."
"No," Aldric's voice was iron. "If you go after it, it'll just run. And it'll come back angrier."
Kyle stirred, his voice small and faint. "…don't fight… you'll get hurt."
Everyone's eyes turned to him. His lids fluttered halfway open, revealing eyes clouded with fever but still carrying that soft, guileless shine. His fingers clutched the quilt like a child afraid of being left alone.
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The Watch
Night fell early under heavy clouds. The room filled with the orange glow of the hearth. Leif had gone back to the village, but Torren stayed, sharpening his blades in the corner. Ryn and Eira exchanged quiet words over the stew pot.
Aldric didn't sit once. He stayed near the door or window, every muscle coiled.
Outside, the snow muffled all sound — except the faint, deliberate crunch of heavy paws.
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Kyle's fevered mind picked it up first. His head turned weakly toward the window before anyone else reacted. The silhouette moved between the pines — not attacking, not hiding. Just watching.
He shrank instinctively into his blanket, his voice trembling. "It's here again…"
Aldric was at the window in two strides. The wolf's golden eyes glowed faintly in the dark, locked onto the small figure in bed.
This time, it didn't growl. Didn't move. Just looked. And in that gaze was something frightening in its steadiness — like it was memorizing every breath, every flicker of movement.
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