The moonlight wove through the dense forest, spilling across the earth like liquid silver. The wind carried the scents of pine, damp earth, and the lingering traces of the pack's presence. This was their land, their domain—undisputed.
And yet, something felt… wrong.
Nani's ears twitched as he moved through the undergrowth, his sleek black-furred wolf stepping soundlessly across the forest floor. The others ran alongside him, forming a natural formation.
Dew prowled ahead, his onyx-colored wolf practically blending into the shadows, silver eyes sharp, calculating, always watching.
Pond, the largest of them, a sturdy, earth-toned wolf, flanked Nani's left side. His movements were heavier, purposeful. A shield—always a shield.
Win, with his white-furred wolf, remained at the back, where his vision could stretch across them all. Silent, patient, ever-observant.
Nani was positioned in the center.
And he knew it wasn't by accident.
It wasn't that they didn't trust his strength. But as an Omega—especially one of his status—he was a target.
He exhaled through his nose, resisting the irritation curling in his chest.
He was not weak.
He had never needed their protection.
Yet, instincts weren't something to be argued with.
His paws pressed into the damp earth as they moved deeper into the forest, the patrol routine as familiar as breathing. But tonight, something was different.
The air felt heavier. Charged.
Something unseen slithered beneath the wind, carrying a presence that wasn't hostile, but intrusive.
Something was watching him.
Something Alpha.
Nani slowed slightly. His ears flicked, catching the faintest shift in the wind. His pulse remained steady, but something curled in his gut—a strange sensation, foreign yet familiar.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't even danger.
It was a pull.
Deep. Primal. Relentless.
He swallowed, hating the way his instincts reacted—an undeniable, subconscious part of him tuning into something bigger than logic.
"Something's off," Dew's voice flickered through their pack link, cool and precise.
"We're being watched."
"I know," Nani responded, equally steady.
"Blackridge?" Pond's low growl rumbled through their link, body tensing, ready to fight.
"Not sure," Dew said, scanning the trees.
"But I don't like it."
Nani's muscles coiled, his body ready to react, but his Omega instincts weren't screaming danger. They were screaming something else entirely.
Something deeper.
Something forbidden.
A presence so heavy, so consuming, that it was like standing beneath a storm before it broke.
And then—
A growl.
Low. Deep. Ancient.
It wasn't just a sound. It was a claim, whispered through the trees, resonating like a force of nature.
And it was directed at him.
The moment it reached his ears, something in his wolf soul tightened—like a string being pulled taut.
The weight of it stole his breath.
His vision flickered.
His heartbeat faltered.
Something was calling to him. Someone.
And he had no idea who it was.
---
The forest clearing was thick with tension as Nani and his friends emerged from the shadows, their wolves retreating into their human forms.
The shift was always fluid, muscle and bone folding into something elegant, natural—second nature.
But tonight, as Nani stood under the moonlight, his bare skin cooling against the night air, he felt… unsteady.
Not physically. Instinctually.
Something still lingered—a weight pressing against his senses, an Alpha presence that had vanished before he could pinpoint it.
It should have disappeared with the wind.
But it hadn't.
Pond cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he exhaled. "That was weird as hell."
Dew crossed his arms, expression unreadable, but his silver eyes were too sharp, too knowing. "You felt it too."
Win, still silent, studied Nani. Unlike the others, he hadn't spoken—but his gaze was intense, thoughtful.
Nani exhaled slowly, controlling his breathing. "Whatever it was, it's gone now."
Dew hummed. "Not entirely."
Nani met his stare. "You think they'll come back?"
A long pause.
Then Dew spoke—quiet, certain.
"They never left."
A shiver ran down Nani's spine.
He didn't know what was worse.
The fact that an Alpha had found him tonight.
Or the fact that his instincts had recognized it.
And worse—had responded.
-----
The estate of the Four Fang Alliance loomed before him, bathed in the glow of security lights. Not just a home, but a fortress—a symbol of power built over generations.
Nani moved past the gates, his posture steady, his breath even. But something inside him hadn't settled.
Behind him, Pond, Dew, and Win followed, their presence a silent wall of strength.
As soon as they entered, the shift in atmosphere was immediate.
Nani's footsteps slowed.
His friends sensed it too.
"Well," Pond muttered, stretching his arms lazily. "We're not getting dragged into another 'heir responsibility' talk."
Dew smirked. "Smartest thing you've said all day."
Win didn't say much—he rarely did—but his watchful gaze met Nani's for a brief moment before he inclined his head. A silent 'good luck.'
Nani scoffed. "Cowards."
"Survivors," Dew corrected smoothly, already stepping back.
In a blink, they were gone.
Leaving Nani to face the true weight of his lineage.
---
A FAMILY OF POWER
The private sitting room was dimly lit, the air rich with the faint scent of aged wood and expensive tea.
Seated like royalty, his parents commanded the space effortlessly.
Lord Hirunkit. Stern. Unyielding. A leader whose presence alone demanded submission.
Lady Hirunkit. Poised. Elegant. The silent strategist who wielded influence as easily as she breathed.
He did not submit.
But he did pause—long enough to acknowledge the weight of their gaze.
"You're late," his father said.
Nani met his stare without hesitation. "The patrol took longer than expected."
His mother set down her teacup. "And?"
One word. Loaded with expectation.
A muscle in his jaw tensed.
"Something was out there tonight."
His father leaned back, expression unreadable. "Explain."
He forced himself to remain calm.
To not let his instincts betray him.
But the memory of it—the way his senses had reacted before his mind could—still lingered.
A presence. An Alpha.
One powerful enough to disrupt his senses.
And for the first time in his life, his wolf had responded instinctively.
Not with fear.
Not with aggression.
But with something worse.
Recognition.
His mother studied him closely. "You knew them."
His voice remained measured. "I don't know them. But I knew what they were."
Silence.
His father exhaled slowly, gaze sharp. "An Alpha strong enough to unsettle you?"
Unsettle.
That wasn't the right word.
And yet, he couldn't deny the truth.
His mother's lips barely curved, a faint knowing glimmer in her eyes. "It has begun, then."
Nani stiffened. "What has?"
His father turned, staring out the large windows overlooking the estate.
"The pull."
His breath caught.
No.
It wasn't that. It couldn't be.
The idea was ridiculous.
The mate pull was a myth. A fairy tale told to justify bonds Alphas and Omegas already wanted.
He had never believed in it.
And he wasn't about to start now.
His hands curled into fists. "This is nothing. Just an Alpha passing through our territory."
His father didn't turn. "Is that what you truly believe?"
Nani didn't answer.
Because he wasn't sure anymore.
And he hated that.
His mother's voice was softer now, yet no less firm. "You are the heir to this alliance. Omegas in this pack are already rare—an heir Omega is unheard of."
He knew this speech. He had heard it his entire life.
His father finally turned, gaze steady.
"And that makes you a target."
The words landed like a blow, pressing against the part of him that refused to be controlled.
Nani knew his status made him vulnerable.
He just never thought—never wanted to believe—that it would be his own instincts betraying him.
He wasn't weak.
He wasn't in danger.
And he would not be claimed.
But his mother's faint smile told him she already saw the truth he refused to accept.
And somehow, that unsettled him more than anything.
---
Long after the conversation ended, Nani still couldn't shake it.
He sat in his private quarters, a glass of water untouched on the nightstand, staring at his own reflection in the floor-length mirror.
His breathing was steady. His expression unreadable.
But inside—inside, something wasn't settling.
That presence. That Alpha.
It hadn't been a normal encounter.
His wolf had reacted before his mind could.
His fingers curled into the silk of his bedsheets.
It wasn't fear that lingered.
Nor was it discomfort.
It was something worse....
Like a whisper beneath his skin, an awareness he shouldn't have.
Somewhere out there, an Alpha had crossed his path.
And for the first time in his life, his instincts had reached back.
His mother's voice echoed in his mind.
"It has begun, then."
No.
No, it hasn't.
Because he refused to let it.
He exhaled slowly, leaning back against his pillow.
The weight of his position.
The expectations of his lineage.
The sheer absurdity of fate deciding for him.
He would not be claimed.
No matter who—or what—was waiting for him in the dark.