Hidden beneath the Mercier Estate lay a laboratory of steel, glass, and cold white light.
Beyond the observation deck, walls of monitors tracked every heartbeat and chemical shift while the testing chamber waited below.
The Chairman stood behind the observation glass with his hands clasped behind his back.
Kael stood beside him, silent, his jaw set so tightly it hurt.
Sebastian remained a step behind them, his eyes fixed on the monitors as technicians made their final preparations below.
At the center of the chamber, Maximillian's right-hand man lay strapped to a hydraulic table. Despite being Onyx's strongest S-Class Alpha, his breathing had already turned ragged as the Sovereign serum spread through his veins.
Kael looked away for only a second.
The faces of every rare-tier Alpha and Omega consumed by the Sovereign Project flashed through his mind.
Harvested. Broken down into nothing but research materials… all to bring this moment to life.
His hands curled into fists.
Maximillian broke the silence.
"Inject."
The syringe hissed.
The effect was immediate.
The Alpha's body jerked violently against the restraints, muscles tightening until they trembled beneath his skin. A raw cry tore from his throat as his pheromones burst through the chamber, slamming against the reinforced glass. Every monitor spiked at once.
"Heart rate's climbing!"
"Neural activity's surging!"
"Hold on—"
"It's stabilizing."
One of the scientists looked up from his monitor.
"Injection complete. Subject remains viable."
The restraints released.
The Alpha dropped to one knee, breathing hard, sweat running down his face.
"Transfer him."
Two elite A-Class Alphas stepped forward, dragged him toward the reinforced testing chamber, and threw him inside. The blast door sealed behind them with a heavy metallic thud.
"Begin evaluation."
The two Alphas spread out without wasting a second. Their pheromones rolled through the chamber, pressing down with enough force to make most Alphas submit on instinct.
He moved.
Too fast for any of them to follow.
"Where did he go?" One scientist whispered.
The first Alpha's punch carved through empty air.
An elbow cracked into the second Alpha's temple before a kick launched the first across the chamber. His body slammed into the reinforced glass hard enough to rattle the entire wall.
Kael never looked away.
Maximillian remained calm.
"Speed alone isn't enough."
Another command was entered.
The blast door opened again.
A third A-Class Alpha stepped inside.
This time, they attacked together.
Then everything happened at once.
Punches, elbows, knees—none of them landed cleanly. The subject moved between them with impossible precision, slipping through every opening before driving one Alpha into the wall, another across the floor, and the third headfirst into reinforced steel.
Concrete cracked beneath the impacts.
The observation deck fell silent.
"Barely a minute," Sebastian muttered.
Maximillian's expression never changed.
"Send in the S-Class."
The door slid open once more.
An elite S-Class Alpha entered the chamber.
He didn't rush.
His pheromones spread first, filling every corner of the room until even the recovering A-Class Alphas instinctively straightened.
For the first time, the subject hesitated.
That instant was enough.
The S-Class closed the distance in a blur, driving a fist into the subject's jaw before locking both arms beneath his shoulders. The opening lasted barely a heartbeat before the three A-Class Alphas surged back in, each seizing a limb.
The subject exploded forward anyway.
He dragged all four Alphas several feet across the chamber before slamming backward, smashing the back of his head into the S-Class's face. Blood burst from the S-Class Alpha's nose.
The remaining Alphas forced the subject to the ground.
Concrete fractured beneath the impact.
Even pinned beneath four elite Alphas, he continued fighting.
Every muscle strained.
Every attempt to force him down was met with another violent surge.
Only after several agonizing seconds did his strength finally begin to give way.
He dropped to one knee.
His breathing came in harsh, uneven pulls, but his eyes never lowered.
"Containment successful," the lead scientist announced, exhaling for what felt like the first time.
Kael stared through the glass.
"It took three A-Class Alphas and one S-Class Alpha…" he said quietly.
"…just to bring one man to his knees."
His gaze shifted to the Chairman.
"You're not creating soldiers."
His voice was calm.
"You're creating something that should never exist."
Maximillian watched the kneeling Alpha below with quiet satisfaction.
His eyes never left the chamber.
A long silence settled over the laboratory.
"From today onward… these subjects will be designated E-Class."
Sebastian smiled.
"Enhanced Alpha."
Maximillian gave a slight nod.
"The first generation of Alphas above all Alphas."
Below them, the Alpha slowly lifted his head.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Four elite Alphas still held him in place, yet there wasn't a trace of surrender in his eyes.
Kael looked at his father.
For the first time in years, the anger inside him disappeared.
What remained was colder.
He looked at Maximillian Mercier…
and saw nothing worth saving.
——
A soft knock broke the afternoon silence in Kael's office.
His secretary stepped inside carrying a secured tablet. She stopped beside his desk and carefully placed it over the stack of reports awaiting his signature.
"Sir," she said. "The Cycle Management Batch Nine has been finalized."
Kael looked up.
Anything tied to the Sovereign Project came directly to his office under strict confidentiality. To everyone else, it was nothing more than another classified biomedical initiative.
"Thank you."
His secretary inclined her head before quietly leaving the office, the door clicking shut behind her.
Only then did Kael unlock the tablet.
Names scrolled across the screen, each accompanied by a photograph, biological profile, transport schedule, and harvesting timetable.
To everyone involved, they were simply rare-tier individuals enrolled in Onyx's exclusive cycle management program.
Kael knew what the list really was.
His thumb moved steadily down the screen until it stopped.
Elio Arden.
"…Shit."
Months ago, at Vyn's request, he had personally deleted Elio's assessment from the database. No one should have been able to restore it.
Yet here it was.
Someone had restored it.
Elio had already been scheduled for the first phase of gland harvesting.
For a brief moment, another face surfaced in his mind.
Lucian.
Six years had passed, but the archived recordings still haunted him. He had watched the same process strip Lucian away piece by piece until there was nothing left to save.
He wasn't about to let Vyn lose Elio the same way.
Kael grabbed his phone and dialed Vyn without another thought.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Vyn."
"Bro, what's up?" Heavy bass pulsed through the line.
"Where are you?"
"Studio. We're rehearsing—"
"Elio's at the Onyx lab."
The music on the other end suddenly stopped.
"…No fucking way."
"They're preparing the first phase of harvesting." Kael pulled up the laboratory blueprint as he spoke.
"I'm sending you the internal map. Meet me outside. I'll get you the access code."
"I'll be there."
Kael ended the call, but before the line disconnected completely, he heard the unmistakable sound of a phone hitting the floor, followed by hurried footsteps breaking into a run.
——
When the specialists escorted Elio to Pod 03, he offered no resistance.
He stood still while they secured the sensors against his skin, his gaze drifting past them to the laboratory beyond the glass.
Five extraction pods.
Two access doors.
One observation deck.
That was all he needed.
He stepped inside the pod and extended his arm.
The chemical blocker burned as it entered his bloodstream. It was meant to force his heat to its peak, trapping the pressure inside his gland until harvesting became possible.
But Aris had planned ahead.
Aris's counteragent was already in his system, blunting the chemical blocker before it could fully take hold. The surge never came. His gland stayed quiet—just enough to avoid suspicion.
The pod sealed shut.
"Lie back and relax," the specialist said over the intercom. "Count backward from ten."
The sedative slipped into Elio's veins.
He let his eyelids grow heavy without resisting.
By the time the countdown reached one, his breathing had settled into the slow rhythm of someone fast asleep.
Only Elio knew he had stayed conscious until the darkness finally claimed him.
Outside the harvesting chamber, two high-tier Alpha security officers remained stationed at the reinforced access doors.
Upstairs, Kael stood before a restricted emergency terminal.
A few commands were enough.
Moments later, the system detected a catastrophic failure inside the cryogenic storage wing.
Sirens erupted throughout the facility.
Before the diagnostics completed, Kael quietly diverted the harvesting corridor onto its disaster-recovery archive, leaving the live surveillance blind for several crucial minutes.
Inside the Central Systems Control Room, Pete's head snapped toward the wall of screens as emergency alerts cascaded across the system.
"What the hell…"
"Babe?" Ada looked up the instant she saw the harvesting laboratory highlighted in red.
"What's happening?"
Pete was already digging through diagnostics.
"I don't know yet."
Ada stayed silent, her hands clenched beneath the console.
Whatever was happening, Elio was still inside the harvesting lab.
The laboratory dissolved into chaos.
Sirens echoed through every corridor as scientists abandoned their stations and Alpha security teams rushed toward the cryogenic storage wing.
"If we lose those specimens, we lose years of research!"
Within moments, the harvesting chamber stood empty, leaving only the low hum of the extraction pods beneath the flashing emergency lights.
The door slid open.
A harvesting specialist stepped inside.
At least, that was what the cameras would have seen.
Vyn kept his head lowered beneath a surgical cap. A white lab coat concealed his clothes, a medical mask hid most of his face, and an Onyx ID badge rested against his chest. A secured tablet rested beneath one arm.
As soon as the door sealed behind him, he released Suppression Lock.
The pressure beneath his skin vanished, erasing every trace of his Alpha presence.
He crossed the room without hesitation and stopped in front of Pod 03.
A few quick taps unlocked the pod. The glass slid open with a soft hiss.
Just as Kael instructed, he unlocked the remaining extraction pods before returning to Elio. If investigators found every chamber compromised, it would look like another system failure triggered by the emergency instead of a planned extraction.
Elio lay motionless, the oxygen mask fogging faintly with each shallow breath.
Vyn removed the IV and peeled away the sensors one by one before opening the nearby supply cabinet. He pulled out a clean hospital gown and dressed Elio as quickly as he could, fastening the ties before wrapping a thermal blanket around his shoulders.
Only then did he lift him into his arms.
Heat radiated from Elio the moment Vyn lifted him.
"Jesus…"
He tightened the blanket around Elio before continuing down the corridor.
He had barely stepped into the corridor when footsteps rounded the corner.
A scientist nearly collided with him.
"You!"
Vyn stopped. He lowered his head instinctively, shifting Elio's weight in his arms as though his attention was fixed entirely on the unconscious patient.
The scientist's gaze dropped to Elio first, then to the Onyx ID clipped to Vyn's coat.
"Pod Three?"
Vyn answered with a single nod.
"Vitals crashed during extraction," he said evenly. "Medical ordered an immediate transfer."
The scientist frowned.
His eyes lingered on Vyn for a second too long before dropping to the tablet in his own hands.
"…That's strange."
He tapped the screen once.
"I wasn't informed about any transfer."
Vyn said nothing.
The silence stretched.
The scientist took a slow step closer, tilting his head as though trying to catch a better look beneath the surgical cap and mask.
"Hold on…"
His gaze narrowed.
"Look at me."
Vyn's grip tightened around Elio beneath the blanket.
Before Vyn could react, another alarm ripped through the corridor.
A voice thundered overhead.
"Everyone to Vault Four! Now!"
The scientist's attention snapped toward the flashing emergency lights. He cursed under his breath, hesitated, then stepped aside.
"Go."
Vyn didn't waste another second. He walked past without changing pace, resisting the urge to look back until he disappeared into the maintenance corridor.
Only then did he let out the breath he'd been holding.
The service passage was deserted.
Following the route Kael had sent him, he slipped through the maintenance corridors and reached the executive parking level without another encounter.
His car was already waiting.
He eased Elio into the passenger seat and fastened the seat belt before walking around to the driver's side.
Outside, emergency vehicles continued pouring through the gates.
Vyn merged quietly between two responding units as the security barriers cycled open.
No one stopped him.
No one looked twice.
Minutes later, the sirens faded behind them.
Onyx Biomedical disappeared into the darkness.
——
Forty minutes later, silence had completely claimed the penthouse.
Vyn laid Elio on the master bed and pulled the duvet over him.
The room was dark, save for the distant, rhythmic pulse of the city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Elio's breathing remained shallow and heavy under the sedative. He wouldn't stir for at least another thirty minutes.
Vyn stood by the window for a long moment, waiting for his own pulse to settle as the adrenaline slowly ebbed away.
His gaze drifted back to the bed.
He crossed the room and sat carefully beside Elio.
For a long moment, he simply watched him.
Even asleep, Elio looked exhausted. His brow remained faintly furrowed, the strain of the cycle refusing to loosen its grip even under the sedative.
Vyn reached out, gently smoothing the crease between Elio's brows before brushing the loose strands of black hair away from his forehead.
His hand lingered as his fingertips traced the line of Elio's face—from his temple, along the curve of his cheek, down the bridge of his nose, before brushing lightly over his lips as though committing every feature to memory.
His eyes stayed there.
Unable to resist any longer, Vyn leaned forward.
He pressed a gentle kiss against Elio's forehead.
Another followed against his cheek.
His fingers brushed lightly against Elio's jaw before he closed the remaining distance, letting his lips brush softly against Elio's in the faintest, most careful kiss.
He stayed there for only a heartbeat before slowly pulling away.
He gathered Elio's hand between both of his and lifted it to his lips, pressing a tender kiss across his knuckles before resting their joined hands briefly against his forehead.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Reluctantly, he released Elio's hand. His gaze drifted to the inflamed mark beneath his collar. His fingertips brushed lightly over it.
The heat against his skin made him pull back almost at once.
Elio was deep in a brutal cycle, yet the air wasn't thick with the heavy, cloying scent that usually came with an Omega's heat.
Vyn frowned and leaned closer.
Nothing.
There was only the faintest trace of frozen mint and white lilies lingering in the air—far too clean for someone burning with that much fever.
It didn't add up.
He remained beside the bed, watching the slow rise and fall of Elio's chest. More than once, he leaned in again, expecting the room to be saturated with pheromones.
It never happened.
After one last glance at Elio, Vyn finally rose and headed for the bathroom, convinced he wouldn't be waking anytime soon.
Nearly an hour had passed since they arrived at the penthouse when Elio finally stirred.
His eyelids fluttered before slowly opening.
He blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, then turned his head.
"…Vyn's bedroom?"
It had been a week since he last saw Vyn in the rooftop garden.
He hadn't expected their next meeting to be here.
He let himself think about it for only a heartbeat before forcing it away.
None of that mattered now.
A sharp pressure bloomed beneath his skin, dragging his attention back to the heat building inside him.
The counteragent Aris had given him before entering Onyx was still in his system, but its hold was slipping.
With every passing minute, the surge pressed harder against the restraint, threatening to break free.
Inside the bathroom, Vyn suddenly went still.
Something felt wrong.
A strange pressure settled deep in his chest, subtle at first, then impossible to ignore. He couldn't explain it. All he knew was that it grew heavier with every passing second, tugging at instincts he couldn't name.
The bathroom door swung open.
Vyn stepped out, the towel forgotten in his hand. His eyes found Elio immediately, and he crossed the room without hesitation.
"You're burning up…"
The heat was blistering. Vyn pulled back as if he'd been scorched.
This wasn't an Omega's heat.
It was something ancient and demanding, something that stirred primal, deep-down instincts in the back of Vyn's mind.
Elio sat up. His movements were smooth, almost unnaturally controlled despite the fever burning through him.
When he looked at Vyn, his eyes were colder than before.
"…Why am I here?"
"I got you out of Onyx."
Vyn searched his expression.
"What were you doing there? Kael deleted your records a few months ago. Who put your data back on that fucking list?"
Elio didn't answer.
So it had been them.
Vyn…
And his brother.
They were the ones who had erased his records from Onyx.
But why?
His fingers tightened around the edge of the mattress as a sharp pain pierced behind his left eye. The contact lens suddenly felt like molten glass against his iris.
"And your scent…" The words escaped Vyn.
He stared at Elio as everything began falling into place.
The overwhelming presence during the sasaeng incident.
The strange pressure at the ELYS fan sign.
The terrifying aura at the charity gala.
Every time, he'd assumed it belonged to some other S-Class Alpha.
He'd been wrong.
It had always been Elio.
His eyes widened.
"It was you."
A single tear slipped from Elio's left eye as the burning became impossible to endure.
"Move."
He was already on his feet before Vyn could respond, one hand clamped over his left eye as he stumbled toward the bathroom.
Vyn followed, stopping at the bathroom doorway.
Elio braced both hands against the marble sink. After a shaky breath, he lifted one hand to his eye, hooked a finger beneath the contact lens and pulled it free. The thin piece of plastic landed in the sink with a soft click.
He stayed there for a moment, gripping the edge of the counter as he fought to steady his breathing.
Then Elio slowly lifted his head.
He didn't turn around.
He simply looked at Vyn through the mirror.
Vyn's gaze locked onto the reflection.
The familiar dark iris was gone. In its place gleamed an icy blue, cold as winter light, carrying something ancient that made his chest tighten.
His breath caught.
"It wasn't a dream," he whispered, his voice barely steady.
"That night… those eyes… I wasn't imagining them."
******