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The annual mating run was stupid.
Cale Henituse had decided that years ago.
The tradition was ancient, older than most noble families, and supposedly romantic in the eyes of society.
Omegas who had recently turned eighteen would enter the forest while alphas pursued them under the moonlight. If an alpha caught an omega and both accepted the bond, the marking ceremony would begin.
Most people treated it like a grand celebration.
Cale treated it like a waste of time.
Because, unlike everyone else here, he already knew the outcome.
The trash of Henituse County.
The useless omega who drank too much.
The disappointment of the nobles.
No alpha wanted him.
So while other omegas nervously hid their scents and fled deeper into the forest, Cale simply walked without urgency, a bottle of expensive red wine hanging loosely from his fingers.
The cool wind carried his scent easily tonight.
Wine.
Deep red wine poured into crystal glasses.
Warmth beside a fireplace.
Comfort soaked in velvet.
Usually, omegas carefully mask themselves during the mating run to avoid attracting too many alphas at once.
Cale didn’t bother. What was the point?
The riverbank eventually came into view, moonlight shimmering across dark waters. It was quieter here, farther from the loud laughter and chasing deeper in the woods.
Perfect.
Cale sat on a smooth riverside rock and took another slow sip from the bottle.
The wine on his tongue only strengthened the scent already clinging naturally to his body, sweetening the air around him until even he could smell it.
Not long after, footsteps approached.
Cale didn’t react.
Three alphas emerged from the trees, clearly drawn by the scent. One of them even looked slightly dazed before his gaze landed fully on Cale.
Then—
“Oh.”
Recognition.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The alpha, who had looked interested, awkwardly cleared his throat while another grimaced openly.
“It’s just Cale Henituse.”
“Tch. Thought it’d be someone worthwhile.”
“Let’s go. There are better omegas around.”
Their footsteps faded quickly.
Cale stared at the river.
Unsurprised.
This happened every time.
Some alphas came for the scent, only to leave once they realized who carried it.
Eventually, people stopped bothering to approach at all.
Which was why Cale had no reason to run.
No reason to fear being claimed.
He tilted the wine bottle again, expression lazy and detached despite the familiar sting in his chest.
“It’s quieter this way anyway,” he muttered.
Meanwhile—
Kim Roksoo was exhausted.
He hadn’t wanted to attend the mating run in the first place, but social obligations were annoying things.
As an alpha from a respected family, his presence was expected.
Unfortunately, so was participation.
Roksoo stuffed his hands into his pockets as he wandered through the forest with absolutely no motivation to chase anyone. Other alphas sprinted through the woods like hunting dogs while he contemplated climbing a tree and sleeping until sunrise.
Too much effort.
Then he smelled it.
Roksoo stopped instantly.
Wine.
Rich and smooth.
Warm enough to melt through exhaustion.
The scent curled around him like gentle hands pulling him toward safety, and suddenly every muscle in his body tightened.
Omega.
A powerful omega scent hidden beneath expensive red wine.
His instincts surged violently.
Mine.
The thought hit with enough force to make Roksoo scowl.
Troublesome.
He should ignore it.
Instead, he found himself already walking toward the scent.
The deeper he went into the woods, the stronger it became. It settled heavily in his lungs until he couldn’t think properly anymore.
Whoever this omega was—
No.
His omega.
Roksoo paused at that thought.
Possessive.
Instinctive.
Dangerous.
And yet he couldn’t bring himself to care.
The scent was unbearable now, intoxicating enough that filthy thoughts began slipping into his mind before he even saw the omega responsible.
Soft skin beneath his hands.
That wine scent soaked into the sheets.
An omega trembling underneath him while carrying his mark.
Roksoo exhaled sharply through his nose.
Seriously troublesome.
Then he reached the riverbank.
And froze.
Red hair glowed beneath silver moonlight.
Pale skin.
Half-lidded eyes dulled by boredom rather than fear.
The omega sat casually on a rock with a wine bottle in hand as though this entire event didn’t concern him at all.
Beautiful.
The word arrived before Roksoo could stop it.
The omega looked over lazily.
“…You’re staring.”
Roksoo didn’t answer immediately.
Because the scent up close was devastating.
Warm wine after a terrible day.
Comfort after surviving.
Home.
Every alpha instinct in his body practically purred.
The omega frowned slightly under the intense silence. “Well? If you’re here to claim someone, there are other omegas around.”
Roksoo blinked slowly.
“Why?”
The omega shrugged. “Because it’s me.”
Recognition hit then.
Cale Henituse.
Ah.
The infamous trash omega.
Roksoo glanced briefly toward lingering scents nearby—other alphas who had clearly approached earlier before leaving again.
Something unpleasant twisted in his chest.
“They left,” Roksoo observed flatly.
Cale snorted softly. “Obviously.”
The casual bitterness in his voice irritated Roksoo immediately.
As if Cale expected rejection.
As if he was used to it.
His alpha instincts hated that.
Cale tilted the wine bottle toward him mockingly.
“You’ll probably leave too.”
Instead, Roksoo walked closer.
Cale’s expression shifted slightly.
Then again.
And again.
Until Roksoo stood directly in front of him.
The omega finally looked confused.
“You’re still here.”
“You smell good,” Roksoo answered honestly.
Cale blinked.
“…What?”
“You smell amazing.”
The omega stared as he’d misheard.
Roksoo could practically watch disbelief spread across his face.
“That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
Cale’s fingers tightened around the wine bottle.
“You don’t have to pity me.”
That irritated Roksoo even more.
Who taught his omega to speak about himself like that?
He stepped closer until Cale instinctively leaned back slightly on the rock.
The movement exposed the pale line of his throat.
Roksoo’s gaze locked onto it immediately.
Markable.
His instincts surged hard enough to make his jaw ache.
Cale noticed.
The omega’s breath hitched faintly.
Still, he forced out a dry laugh. “You really should go find another omega before your instincts confuse you.”
“They’re not confused.”
The lowness in Roksoo’s voice finally made Cale still completely.
The air between them thickened.
Roksoo reached forward slowly, giving the omega time to pull away.
Cale didn’t.
His fingers brushed against Cale’s wrist first.
Warm.
Soft.
The wine bottle nearly slipped from Cale’s hand when a shiver ran through him.
Interesting.
Roksoo’s eyes darkened slightly.
“You’re sensitive.”
Cale immediately glared. “Shut up.”
But his scent deepened—wine growing warmer, sweeter.
Embarrassed.
Roksoo almost smiled.
Cute.
The thought startled him.
He wasn’t usually possessive. Wasn’t usually interested.
But this omega—
This omega made something dangerously protective bloom inside his chest.
Especially when Cale muttered quietly, “I don’t get why you’re still here.”
Roksoo frowned.
“I already told you.”
“No, you said I smell good.” Cale looked away toward the river. “That’s different from actually wanting me.”
There it was again.
That self-deprecating tone.
Roksoo hated it immediately.
He moved before thinking, stepping between Cale and the river until the omega had no choice but to look at him.
Cale frowned slightly as the alpha stepped even closer instead of leaving.
Moonlight caught against dark clothes trimmed with silver embroidery now visible beneath the open cloak—expensive, noble, unmistakably northern.
Cale’s eyes narrowed.
“…Wait.”
The alpha looked at him lazily.
Recognition struck a second later.
Kim Roksoo.
The Duke of the North.
One of the strongest alphas in the kingdom.
Cale stared in complete disbelief.
“You’re Kim Roksoo?”
“The one and only,” Roksoo answered dryly.
Cale looked genuinely horrified now.
“That makes even less sense.”
Roksoo raised a brow. “What does?”
“You being here.”
The duke snorted softly. “I was forced here.”
“No, I mean—” Cale cut himself off before muttering bitterly, “Someone like you shouldn’t want someone like me.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Roksoo’s expression flattened.
That self-deprecating tone again.
He hated it.
“You think too little of yourself.”
Cale laughed bitterly. “Easy for an alpha to say.”
“No.” Roksoo leaned down slightly, voice quieter now. “Easy for me to say because you’re mine.”
Silence.
Cale froze.
The wine bottle slipped from numb fingers and landed softly in the grass.
“…What?”
Mine.
The instinct roared louder this time.
Roksoo’s control thinned dangerously as Cale’s scent spiked—surprise, nervousness, something sweeter underneath.
Desire.
The realization nearly snapped the last thread of restraint.
Roksoo braced one hand beside Cale on the rock, trapping him carefully without crushing him.
“You should stop talking like nobody would want you.”
Cale’s breathing turned uneven.
“You barely know me.”
“Don’t care.”
Roksoo lowered his head slightly.
The omega scent wrapping around him was becoming unbearable now.
His.
His omega.
The pulse in Cale’s throat fluttered visibly.
Roksoo stared at it with darkening eyes.
“Do you know,” he murmured, voice rougher now, “how hard it is not to bite you right now?”
Cale visibly shivered.
The reaction alone nearly destroyed Roksoo’s self-control.
Instead of fear, the omega looked dazed.
Wanted.
Nobody had ever looked at him like this before.
Like he was precious.
Desired.
Worth claiming.
Roksoo brushed his nose lightly against the side of Cale’s neck, inhaling deeply.
The wine scent exploded around him.
Fuck.
His alpha instincts practically purred with satisfaction.
Cale made the softest sound in his throat.
Roksoo nearly lost his mind hearing it.
“You like that?” he asked quietly.
Cale’s cheeks flushed immediately. “N-No.”
Liar.
The omega’s scent turned even sweeter.
Roksoo’s grip on the rock tightened.
Dangerous thoughts flooded his head again.
Spreading Cale out beneath him.
Marking every inch of pale skin.
Keeping him full of the alpha scent he clearly craved.
Mine
Mine
Mine
“Roksoo,” Cale whispered suddenly, voice shaky.
The sound of his name from that soft mouth almost ended him.
“Yes?”
Cale hesitated before speaking so quietly that Roksoo almost missed it.
“…You really want me?”
That did it.
Not the scent.
Not the omega instincts.
That.
The genuine disbelief.
Roksoo’s chest tightened painfully before something possessive and protective settled deep inside him.
Carefully, he cupped Cale’s face.
“Look at me.”
Cale obeyed slowly.
“You’re the only omega I want.”
The redhead’s eyes widened slightly.
Then his scent bloomed so warmly that Roksoo’s restraint finally snapped.
He kissed the corner of Cale’s jaw first.
Gentle.
Then lower.
Then lower.
Until his lips brushed directly over the sensitive mating gland on Cale’s neck.
The omega gasped softly and grabbed Roksoo’s shoulders instantly.
“Roksoo—”
“Tell me to stop.”
Cale trembled beneath him.
But instead of pushing him away, the omega tilted his head slightly to the side in silent permission.
That was all Roksoo needed.
His teeth sank carefully into Cale’s neck.
The omega cried out sharply, fingers clutching his clothes as the bond settled between them.
Wine flooded Roksoo’s senses completely now.
Warm.
Sweet.
His.
Roksoo held Cale tightly while the omega shook against him, overwhelmed by the claiming bite.
“There,” Roksoo murmured against marked skin. “Now nobody else gets to leave you behind again.”
Cale’s eyes looked watery when Roksoo pulled back.
But happy.
Really happy.
It did something dangerous to Roksoo’s heart.
Then Cale whispered breathlessly, “Alpha…”
Roksoo stared at him for one long second before laughing quietly.
Yeah.
They definitely weren’t leaving this riverbank anytime soon.