Archive of Our Own ^beta

Supposedly, one was to feel awestruck when they finally walk down the aisle. Their arm tucked securely inside their parents' arms for the last time until they get to be surrendered to the person they would spend the rest of their life with.

I should probably think again. Win thought to himself when his soon to be husband's face---the one he was also seeing for the first time---floored him with an icy glare.

It was a couple of centuries ago when werewolves openly co-existed with the humans. Their kind was the hybrid--man and wolf--and so it was a lot easier to adapt to the civilization and technologies of the world Win was naturally born in. After all, everyone was human too and looked nothing unlike it and the only difference was a whole new underworld of big wolves forming a systematic livelihood and a thriving pack for the future generations.

Then there goes his current situation. Expectedly, leaders of the pack should arise by now and they are the big Alphas who reigned from only two blood lines since the start of time: the Chivarees and Opas-iamkajorn clan. If it weren't for the Chivaree Alpha Senior to suddenly end up dead just a few months ago, Win wasn't suppose to marry their heir instantly. Well, nevertheless Win would be married to him either way a few years down the road but not now. Not now when he was just a fresh college graduate with his whole life to look forward to.

It was also then accepted long before their new generation that mates and couples knew no boundaries; regardless of their sexual orientation.

"Congratulations!"

Win's smile was strained and it hurt. It hurt that he can't genuinely enjoy this once in a lifetime event with real happiness as he clung strangely against his spouse. Not that his newly husband was bad to look at. It was the opposite and that actually hurt more.

Bright Vachirawit Chivaree was a man of few words. A man of only eyes as his language and the baddest enigma Win was to unravel.

Growing up, Bright was trained to lead not only his clan but his whole pack that he would eventually inherit from his family. Not only is the man standing beside Win managed to look like a steel of sixth feet something but he was also as handsome as the dark night that's void of any stars which people find unappealing. The tightness of his tailor suit that looks custom made which Win doubts isn't---looks too good that Win was so thankful that he cleaned up pretty neatly the day before. He also didn't regret having his Mother pick up his suit that showed all the best assets Win could force his figure to show. Although he was beginning to think there's nothing to see seeming that Bright barely glanced at him.

"You ready to go?" The first few words Bright uttered against Win's flushing earlobe just had to be that.

Even with the knowledge of ruling their pack together one day, Bright and Win weren't exactly formally introduced with one another except for the few mentions over the years. Win was not quite sure if it was Bright's first time seeing him but for for Win's part, Bright's eyes were the type of eyes he would remember if he happens to see them once in his life until now. But they remained foreign but the kind where it comforted Win to know he'll get to spend the rest of his life looking at them.

"Yeah," Win managed to let out before turning to face his family who remained at the reception's patio. "Let me just say my farewell."

Hugs and lots of it, Win managed to receive. Kisses from families and stranger friends had his head spinning but he couldn't help the smile. Might as well drown himself with this far affection because something tells him that Bright was about to drop a bomb that he would need to carry along with their marriage.

"Be well, okay darling? I know you're overwhelmed but I'm pretty confident that I raised a brave man who will lead his pack with love, patience and kindness." Win nodded through tears as his Mother was the last person to kiss his cheek.

The next person was his Father--the still appointed Alpha of the Opas clan but not for long. The gold band on Win's ring finger signifies his Father's stepping down much to the older man's utter dismay. It wasn't a surprise that he didn't like the fact that his reign was over in a quick snap...and to lose it to a son who barely acknowledged his Alpha bloodline because Win was too caught up trying to live a normal human life.

"I expect only the best of you. Don't disappoint me, our family and your husband and his family. Do you hear me?" After years of hearing it Win thought it'll stop hurting but it didn't. Let alone to have his Father reverberate it like a string of cuss words on his wedding day hit him pretty deep.

"He heard and he will." The unmistakeable rasp of Bright's voice answered for Win--the subtle growl wasn't hard to miss.

"I sure do hope so, Chivaree."

Those were the last words Win allowed himself to hear before a pair of strong arms whisked him away from the life Win wasn't exactly ready to leave.

The car ride was long, painful and tension filled. Win failed to read a lot on Mates because he was so sure that the guy beside him was nowhere near that category when he heard both of their names and the word marriage escape the mouth of their parents before. But then, the initials of the younger Alpha were carved intimately on Bright's strong neck proving Win wrong in many different languages.

"Um, so...what do you want to call each other?" The younger Alpha blurted with a nervous laugh.

Win thought he was probably starting to lose it but for a moment, he felt the car jolt to a stop just when Bright's head flashed over to him.

"What did you say?"

"I uh," Win's cheeks flamed more under Bright's gaze and the younger man tried to turn away from it before elaborating,"I asked if you want to somehow address each other differently now that we're kinda...married?"

Bright didn't answer. Win wanted the partition separating the driver to disappear so they could chuck him out of this damn suffocating car.

"Like do you want me to call you any endearments like...honey, darling, love? Or just Alpha?" The last word was hard to mention and Win prayed that Bright won't make him use that.

"Listen, I need to get this out once and for all before we expect too much from each other."

Here we go. Win told himself and tried not to get any depressing thoughts over the fact that this isn't a love marriage at all---and will never be.

"We're marrying each other because of duty. The same thing that was expected from us right from the start---mate or not. But unfortunately, a little over a year ago your initials appeared on my skin. I don't know where my initials are marked on yours but best believe we won't be mates enough to discover that."

The younger Alpha blinked. Once, twice, thrice and more. He knew he should expect this but at the same time he didn't. The three initials on the left side of Win's hipbone tingled furiously. That's when he felt his wolf starting to howl with need, intimacy and a twinge of pain from the words of rejection.

"You mean to tell me that this..." Win threw his hands between the two of them as he pointed back and forth."It's all just business?"

"Exactly. We're business and so there's no need for any nicknames like that."

Win's stiff was nod. Doubting Bright even cared if it got through him or not but the sudden need to cuss clouded the younger Alpha. The saddest thing out of all this is not the marriage itself. Partly yes, because as an Alpha son, Win was raised to want a family and be a man worth to lead one alongside his partner whom he'll cherish and stand with.

So when he was told that he'd be leading the pack with the Chivaree heir, he couldn't decide back then if it was a good thing or not. A part of him was filled with relief and pride knowing that his soon to be spouse wasn't just anyone but a leader in the making who was around his age. But the delusional part of Win---the one that co-existed with the real world wanted someone he can genuinely like and love even when all this duty came to rest behind closed doors. What he didn't expect was Bright's initials appearing on his hipbone the very next day the news broke to him.

For the past decades, cases of unmatched mates and mateless wolves were recorded. It was not a secret nor is it something that was being buried in the pack but it was still considered a pitiful case to be in. There are couples who are together but aren't mates and those are basically doomed from the start and is being discouraged solely for the fact that it wouldn't last either way. Sooner or later, the initials of their rightful mates are going to be carved on their skin and the mate bond would commence naturally, forcing whatever feelings they have for each other to dissipate. Some say that mate bonds are strong but when you love someone--mate or not--that should be stronger; but Win was in no place to answer when he's in a familiar predicament.

Bright was not only his husband but his rightful mate.

And Bright just told him that despite the mate bond between the two Alpha lines, they are to remain business like with each other.

But that was over a year ago.

Win managed to survive a year of being a dutiful husband; as he was the submissive wolf between them despite him and Bright coming from both Alpha bloodlines. He became an encouraging leader especially to the younger pack who dreams to have a life separate from their duties as wolves. Win empowers their dreams, encourage them to bigger things and that alone makes his heart busier to hurt these days.

Only Bright wasn't the only one to blame.

"Mr. Alpha Chivaree's on the phone for you." Giving one of the young maids a small smile, Win's hand cradled the phone against his ear.

"Let's go separately, I'm running late." His husband's voice welcomed Win's ears and the low purr of his wolf was getting a lot harder to tame.

"Any excuses I should be concerned to lie about?" The bitterness of Win's question wasn't hard to hide and the silence on Bright's side only fueled it.

On the first month of their marriage, Win expected it to be the darkest time of his life. It wasn't that hard to know Bright from a far. He was neat--almost too neat but in a way it made him appear more appealing. He keeps to himself, no surprise there really but just when Win thought that this man wasn't able to produce any human emotions except the authority and power he seems to be built with---he was in for a treat.

One late night, Bright stumbled home from a business meeting with their neighboring packs from Europe. The older Alpha was covered with a scent that was too intimate to be a colleague's, too sultry to be a man's and too strange to be Win's. It was hard for Win not to act like a husband even behind closed doors that time so he waited for Bright, couch and sleeping robe and all, and that was when Bright dropped the bomb that Win dreaded to hear since their wedding day.

"You're smart, I know you understand where our business marriage also comes in handy. We're just not meant to live happily ever after like that, we were only meant to lead together."

"So this is it? I get to spend the rest of my life waiting for you to come home, stand beside you like you're the best thing that's ever happened to me while you smell like her from head to toe?"

That was the first time Win let his emotions get the best of him. It was something when Bright demanded a strict platonic marriage but it was another thing when he revealed a secret lover he's going to protect till his very last breath.

Win cleared his throat before shaking the past away from his mind. It's been a whole 11 other months since then, he was braver and developed a thicker skin to stomach it but he would also be lying if it didn't hurt.

"I'll be waiting for you at the back exit, call me by then so we can go inside together."

"Alright," Bright's reply was instant almost like he was relieved Win didn't push the matter and that sliced something inside the younger man. But not before letting him go without another slice to the wound Bright had to add, "And please drive safely. Don't forget to bring your coat."

"Asshole," Win cursed the phone even when his wolf was howling with the once in a blue moon affection that Bright's words managed to send.

As he turned to get ready, Win's eyes failed to pass the calendar that continuously tortured what was left of this marriage. The red mark was intense against the glossy paper and the mellow pain that stormed his insides wasn't hard to feel.

If it were other mates, it was probably a paid trial of heaven.

But not for him and Bright.

The incoming full moon was only hell and heartbreak for the both of them.

The mating season. 

Squinting against the late afternoon sun, Bright forced his eyes open to alert himself with the time. The warm body snugged against him soothed his nerves as he reached out to check for any missed calls from his omegas and betas and especially from his spouse.

The same one who wasn't laying beside him.

The same one whose skin isn't the one he marked for hours and lips raw from his kisses.

"Babe?" The gentle purr of his secret lover disturbed him from an immense feeling that was starting to eat him prominently these days.

"Shhh, get more sleep I was just waiting for my alarm. I didn't want it to wake you." Bright hushed against her forehead, peppering small kisses to urge her back to sleep knowing she needed it. She needed all the sleep she could get as the full moon was approaching.

"I really don't get you. You set an alarm but you wake up before it."

The female laughed, warm honey eyes staring back at her and though her limbs ached to the core, she couldn't get enough of this male who wasn't even hers to touch.

"What a silly man you are, Mr. Chivaree." She joked, lazily running her hands through his locks before sitting up with a wince to peck his lips.

"Hmm," Bright savored the little pecks. Delivering them back with affection and just the same gentleness. "Only for you, babe. Only for you."

Bright cursed as he rushed out of his secluded penthouse that no one knew of. His alarm blared endlessly against the bed he left it on but even with his attempt to get ahead of time, his shower time escalated to another half hour of sweet moans and leisure activities he would cut a limb off to do for the rest of his life. The smell of her basked him from head to toe and he couldn't be bothered to spray a strong cologne to cover it up.

"Emilio, can we still drop by the house real quick? I left my suit there." Bright didn't even wait for the town car to stop before he strapped himself in.

"Alpha Chivaree," Emilio greeted his Alpha politely before gliding down the road swiftly.

"We can do that. 20 years behind the wheel and that seems like a piece of cake to me even with this traffic."

Bright managed to let himself laugh for these rare moments. Even Emilio was a stranger to his Alpha's smile and with his years working for the Chivarees, the old man could count by hand the amount of times he saw the young man smiled.

The city passed in a blur and all Bright did was review the deal he managed to close with the Europe pack. It was tough, he wasn't going to lie. Though the Chivaree clan was one of the ruling packs, him being the youngest Alpha to be appointed in their history was like a slap to the other older leaders.

Lio Decapo was one of those leaders. But also one of the trusted and third biggest pack that ruled along with his great grandfathers who fought hand and foot for their breed to continue thriving to this day. Bright's respect for the old man was impeccable. With his Father's fresh passing just over a year ago, Lio was a distant man who had his back in the strangest of ways.

"Take your time, we have another half hour to kill before the event starts." Tapping Emilio's shoulder for his gratitude, Bright dragged himself out of the car.

The familiar smell of something he's starting to get used to, embraced Bright as he stepped inside. No matter how much he rushed his steps, pulling open his closet for a fresh suit, the lingering smell was there. Too strong as if it was replacing the scent of anyone he was with just an hour ago. He decided on a quick shower, scrubbing his skin with hardness he didn't intend to possess but the red marks on his back and chest suddenly felt too wrong to his eyes.

Why was his chest hurting a lot these days? He heard his wolf growling when he traced the kisses covering his skin.

"10 minutes, not bad." Emilio smiled at his Alpha when Bright came down in lightning speed. Freshly shaven, not a strand of hair misplaced, suit fitting like it was made for him and only him and not a trace of his mistakes shadowing his aura.

"Emilio, please drop me near the back exit."

It didn't take long before the sight of his mate welcomed him. The early evening glow behind Win contrasted the color of his dark hair and the plaid dress shirt he wore accentuated the figure that Bright forced his eyes to never linger on. He felt his chest tighten again. His husband's gentle features looking delicate as ever and the worry for him waiting for a long time was the speed that motivated Bright to get out of the car before it even stopped.

Emilio smiled discreetly as he watched his Alpha trip over his own feet to open the door.

No other person could still compare after all. The old man's wolf laughed.

It was an unspoken rule between the two of them that touching like the rightful Alpha couple they both are expected to do, is only to be done in public. It was to appease their pack that their bond was stronger than ever and in this way, the building trust for their new leaders would grow even more. But no one anticipated how much painful it was for their wolves to act so intimately for a limited amount of time and the second the car doors slam, even a ruler length of space between the two of them was too much.

"Pleasant evening, Alphas."

Bending right before Win, he was met with a sight of a young teenage boy dressed neatly down to his shoes. The youthful pack members never failed to soften his heart and remind him why this marriage was worth the lifetime torture.

"Pleasant evening as well." Win smiled, feeling a sudden tug around his waist. Just like that, he had to look elsewhere when his wolf let out a whimper of appreciation from the firm contact of his mate.

"The Decapos are hosting a luncheon a week from now, what do you say?" Bright whispered against Win ever so delicately. The sting of his lips hitting the younger man's skin like the sweetest blade and all Win could supply was a nod.

"I think I'll be back from the conference by then. We can go."

He watched Bright gave a nod of his own. His arm brushing gently against Win's back then as quick as he wrapped them around the younger's waist, it was gone because so was the young lad who went by to greet. The tired sigh was hard to contain as Win tried to distract himself from smelling the distinct scent that his mate was covered in.

He smelled like her. Too greatly as if he drowned himself with her. Win's wolf howled in pain.

The event for the evening was a partnership with the pack from Europe that Bright spent a year, working for. Even if the underworld was greatly kept hidden from the real world by means of normal lifestyles that all the members of their pack were sporting, the need to secure can't be helped so building business empires became the pack's revolutionary defense to complete the facade of werewolves ruling a world of their own.

"I saw your siblings," Win was busy remembering important faces that he failed to react quickly when Bright dropped the bomb. "Get behind me."

"Are you for real?" All he could see was Bright's broad back and the need to prepare himself was never an option when he spotted the familiar faces that shares his genes.

"Win!" His sisters got to him first as they went around Bright to give him a tight hug. Win's laugh was scraping his throat as he tried to get into his defenses any minute now the second they let go to hold him at arm's length.

"Are we lucky this time? Please say yes, please." They taunted and from behind, Win can already see Bright's amused glare even when he masked a stoic look.

"How many times do I have to tell you, we're not trying for a baby until a few more years."

"But you're almost 22! You're not getting any younger and building a pack takes years, I say consider starting now."

Bright's ears perked up over the words that were said. His eyes couldn't help but stray over Win. The redness of the younger's cheeks was too much to hide and without even having the tiny bit of knowledge, Bright decided it was a look he liked to look at very much.

"Mintra," Win heard Bright's voice warn when the gorgeous brunette grasped your sides gently.

"I want to be a young auntie!" It was Mesa who backed her older sister.

Win felt his cheeks heat even more. He thought with time he'd find the perfect defense to get their minds off this matter that probably won't even happen. In every family gatherings and events like this one, his siblings would corner him and beg for their first niece or nephew.

"Oh, are those candies behind you Mick?" The youngest Opas child whipped his head so fast, barely giving his sisters time to open their mouths before he began leading the way to the promise land. His sisters were quick to follow behind knowing it was their Father's orders to keep an eye on their youngest sibling.

"Thank God," Win managed to whisper. Small beads of sweat even managed to gather against the back of his neck. "Thank you, too."

"We have to come up with a permanent reason to tell them soon. It'll only be a matter of time and I'm going to run out of distractions."

"Let's just tell them we're not having a kid." The words were out of Win's mouth before he could think of it. In his head, it was a light humor he wanted to deliver but judging the storm that took over Bright's face, it didn't came out like that.

"Take that back."

"I was just kiddi--"

"Take it back right now."

Win heard his wolf submitting a mewl of apology. Probably already bowing down for forgiveness for being insensitive like that.

"It was a joke, relax." Bright's face remained tensed. His jaw looked like it was about to split into two and your hands itched to soothe it. "I take it back, sorry."

But Bright didn't have a chance to retaliate his response when the Decapo couple appeared before the two of them. Lio and Williana Decapo remained one of the respected Alpha couples in the present generation. They were married far earlier than Bright and Win but their love and loyalty was the best armor that the couple could never deny anyone.

Win wanted that. Win wanted that a lot and he couldn't help the envious soft glare that he placed on their intertwined hands that were marred with age.

"Alphas," The young Alpha couple greeted before bowing each of your heads.

"Rise, children."

Not even a second longer, Bright's firm arm settled firmly against Win's sides. The younger's body tingled all the way down his toes and like it was the most normal thing to do, Win couldn't help but place a hand against Bright's warm chest.

As if he was laying a claim. The only time Bright was his to everyone's eyes: law, wolves, humans and God.

"The luncheon next week? Yes?" Williana Decapo flashed her pearly whites at Win while both of their man chatted about business.

"Yes, Alpha. I should be back from my conference so expect me there."

"I'm delighted," The older Alpha smiled and she did mean it in all ways. "And conference? Where is it now if I may ask?"

"It's for the children in Cuba." Win answered her with his own reserved pride.

Williana only offered a smile to the younger Alpha. Her delightful feeling for Win was only blossoming more. Never in her years have she met someone as young as you him who deviated from the traditional Alpha submissive half of just working behind the husband.

"Please make time for me on the luncheon okay, dear? I would like to hear stories from this conference of yours."

"Will do, Alpha Williana." Win smiled far too brightly. Failing to notice that Bright's arm never did once stray from around his waist. If possible, it only brought Win closer to his side the longer the both of them conversed with the older Alphas.

The night passed with a blur of talking with different leaders from their pack and overseas. Mostly group of other respected couples were swallowing Win for newlywed details especially words as they put it, "for bagging the hottest Chivaree heir" and damn did that flushed Win to the core.

He found himself wanting so much to spill but the sad reality of not actually having anything to spill smacked him like cold water.

Bright on the other hand adapted far more serious conversations with his fellow Alphas and other lower ranking wolves that composes their systemic faction. Lio had a firm arm around him, in a way taking him under his wing as his junior and showing the young Alpha off to his older friends.

Unbeknown to everyone, just along the vibrant laughter and classy champagne was a slice of their little world taken to greedy hands, ready to expose it to wicked humanity who would never in a trillion light years, accept their kind. 

The stress of the partnership with the Decapos and organizing the conference placed Bright and Win in a work driven week. Not that it made any difference inside the house they shared but for the next days, Win was sure that he'd only seen Bright twice.

And it was the most challenging minute of his life.

Because none of them remembered the full moon approaching. Far too buried in their own work that the dreaded season was only a day away now.

Their wolves were not having any of it.

The night the both of them went home after the party, the first wave of the pre-mating urges started. Especially as an Alpha, it was twice or even thrice stronger. The normal ruler space between the two diminished to a mere inch.

All Win remembered from that night was the constant heat his body was giving despite the cold air blowing inside the car. His skin was so sensitive that sliding against the leather picked at his insides and his wolf howled embarrassing moans when Bright seem to edge closer to him with every turn.

"When are you leaving for the conference?" The distinct authority in Brights's voice was prominent. But something about his tone that night was different. It was hard, almost as if he was holding back a growl.

"Not until Thursday evening." Win managed to let out before another bump rocked the car forcing the two of them to slam against each other's side.

"I'm sorry." Win's voice squeaked, meaning to get away from the touch of Bright's body that let out the same kind of heat.

"Don't you dare. Just stay where you are, don't move away." Bright all but growled before securing an arm around Win's hips to haul the younger Alpha against him.

That car ride was life changing. Something Win ended up thinking about every night since then. That was the first time Bright ever held him like that, for a whole half an hour due to the night traffic. But what keeps him up day and night at this point was the fact that no one was there to witness it. Not even Emilio himself because after snugging Win against his side, Bright was quick to activate the partition over the driver's side.

The younger's hands still shake as vivid memories from that night clogged his mind. He just finished packing his suitcase and decided to cook an early dinner before his flight later that evening. The young maids conversed softly with him, providing an easy company that allowed the house to feel a little smaller and happier.

"Tell Bright that there's still some cheesecake leftovers inside the fridge. He doesn't like to admit but he would cheat a workout for that." Win spilled a truth and the only fun truth he knew...or suspected.

"Yes, Alpha." The young maids giggled as they surrounded Win. Their own way of asking for more stories between him and their Alpha Bright but Win has nothing to offer.

"Maybe that's why," One of the ginger head maids started as she handed a bottle of vinegar before continuing, "That's why Alpha Bright doesn't stay here when you're gone. He probably misses you a lot when you're away."

Win's hand that was stirring the pot stilled. The smile he had wavered as he offered them a shy nod which made the girls gush lightly.

"Maybe he does or he's just buying more cheesecake to eat away from home." Win joked, his own way of pulling his delusional hope back down to earth.

"I don't. I just really miss you." A familiar voice interrupted.

The last thing Win heard was another hushed squeals before the maids excused themselves eagerly from the sudden presence inside the kitchen.

"No, I still need help." Win called out, facing the direction they went to only to find Bright leaning against the counter with eyes drilling bullets on his skin.

"Bright," If it was him or his wolf speaking it was a lost cause anyway because from the way the older Alpha was looking at him, he looked like he was seconds away from slamming Win against a nearby wall.

Win mentally cursed himself for not wearing more layers of clothes. The silk robe was the only thing hiding his upper body from Bright's eyes since he tried to squeeze a little workout prior to this. And just why did he not bother to wear any undergarments is beyond Win's logic of wanting to place all his clothes inside his suitcase all at once thus his commando get up.

"Shouldn't you be packing?"

"I'm done packing over an hour ago, I just decided to start dinner..." From the corner of Win's eye he caught the sight of the young maids gathered around the corner, faking to clean the pantry shelves.

The thing is, even around the house helpers they still decided to give them a show just to secure any gossip from coming out. That's why, the only real time the both of them could breathe and deviate away from being a normal married couple was behind the very closed door of the master's bedroom where a double king sized bed resides.

Enough to fit a whole family just so the chances of them ever touching while at sleep were slim to none.

"You didn't have to cook for me, love."

Win's eyes trembled with a burn so heavy before he forced to face the stove again. He almost believed the sentiment if only the maids were not around. The endearment that Bright called him still lingering like the sweetest lullaby and the familiar heat consumed Win again. The thin layer of clothing he had on was not helping when he heard the older's footsteps nearing.

"I just don't want you to starve, that's all."

"You're not here, of course I'll starve."

Win dropped the spatula.

The sound of it cluttering against the tiles and hushed giggles from a certain corner dominated the kitchen. But it won't compare to the beating inside the younger's chest and the one he was feeling directly behind his back.

"Don't finish the dinner, there's only so much I can do to control the urges. It's stronger than the past couple times." Bright breathed against Win's ear, making sure it was exclusive for him alone. The harshness of his breath against the younger's neck made Win's wolf whimper and he found his eyes closing.

"Then don't come near me until then." Win croaked out. Fingers turning off the stove where the unfinished food sat. But Bright never moved away, pressing his chest harder against Win's back.

"Bright, please..." Win's wolf was whimpering with need and the skin of his fists was probably bruised with nail marks from how hard he was trying to close it away.

"This is so cruel, you smell divine and mine. Do you know that?"

A small whimper escaped Win when it was all too much. There were no little giggles heard and Win was sure the maids thought that him and Bright were about to rip each other apart right here in the kitchen.

If only that were true.

"I'm--I'm going..." Win panted before ripping himself away from his equally heated mate.

The gasp he let out was shattering when he turned to face the older Alpha whose eyes resembled his wolf's. His fangs were also visible and the redness around his lips was something Win's eyes can not run away from.

This only meant that a pre-mating was starting but it made no sense. The only thing they did was press against each other's skin, not even a kiss or a touch of anything more intimate.

This brought a new intensified fear inside Win. If this is the way they both react to each other by the simple touch of their back and chest, then what more if they completed mating?

After drowning himself in a much needed ice cold bath, the remnants of Win's body heat was a lot harder to regulate. What was once a cool set of tub water now turned to an instant lukewarm just by sinking his body into it. Win also noticed how Bright's initials on his hipbone was glowing a red hue and it was tingling.

Making a last check for all his luggage, he made sure to give his last minute reminders to the helpers who were kind enough to see him off. Bright was nowhere to be seen, not that it was anything new but there was a stronger urge to see him just before they physically get separated again.

A small thirst of wanting to stare at his face, memorize his eyes and inhale his natural scent clouded Win. It was embarrassing at this point.

"Remember the foods I placed inside the containers, okay? I labeled them but just call me if one of you gets confused."

"Alpha, you'll be late." The older maids carefully noted who already fixed the car for him. Everything was set, it was just Win missing inside the car and he's good to go.

But still no Bright.

"Alright, I'm off." Win managed to produce a tight smile before placing his sunglasses before ducking inside the SUV.

Emilio greeted the young Alpha with a polite talk as the car door shut smoothly. He was just about to glide away with ease when a thundering knock against the car window startled everyone inside the car.

"What the?" Win's heart stammered the moment he turned his head to the commotion only to see a shirtless Bright banging away on the steel.

"What is his problem..." Win quietly mumbled but the beating of his heart was erratic too. "Emilio if you could spare me a few minutes, I'll be quick."

"Take your time, Alpha. I'm sure he has some last couple of reminders for you." Hiding the small smirk, the old man succeeded to watch the young unmatched couple settle their parting.

Bright drummed his fingertips against the car as he waited for Win. The fresh water that still glistened his skin from the shower was visible and the early night breeze was sending shivers around.

"You didn't call for me when you were leaving." He was quick to tell the younger Alpha the moment he stepped out.

Win was confused. Confused at the thundering glare that masked the older's face and the aggressiveness that his gestures are showing. A thin cardigan was the only layer of warmth Win had on and the low cut of his v neck shirt didn't do a very good job at hiding the bareness of his neck which Bright's gaze was set on.

"I couldn't find you anywhere and I assumed you had another group meeting. You were having a lot of those this week." Win reasoned, now noticing how closer Bright decided to stand in front of him.

"Call me when you land." Bright's voice was low but firm. Something about it resonating an Alpha order.

"You're acting weird." Win couldn't stop the words from getting out.

Bright didn't answer but his eyes did. Never did it stray from Win even when the blare of his phone sounded, an indication of an alarm he set for the flight.

"Well then I will... I'm going now or I'll never make it."

Win risked a final look at his husband standing right before him in all his glory. There was something so intimate about Bright's stance and the way he towered over him. As if this was a normal thing to do, where Brights sees him off for his trips before demanding a farewell kiss that he'll be happy to give him.

The kind of kiss where their mouths would communicate every pent up emotion the both of them are too scared to say. The kind where Bright envelops him in his arms, hands anchored against his hips while his own fingers were home between the older's hair. The kind Win would still taste for days, leaving his lips raw and all.

The kind he'll never get to have.

The harshness of the wind woke him up from the thought. With one last lingering stare, Win forced himself inside the car and drove off.

Bright stood alone inside his home office with a heavy mind and an even heavier heart. He was just off from a phone call from Lio, something about the impending investors that are suddenly growing by number each day the moment their partnership was announced. Wolf and human included, Bright couldn't decide if this was a bad thing or not.

But one thing he was certain that night.

He wouldn't be able to survive this mating season with Win there. He was glad for the natural play of events that brought the younger Alpha away but seeing Win leaving earlier, stirred something in him.

He didn't like watching him leave. Not knowing where he's off to. Leaving without saying goodbye.

Bright sighed before emptying his scotch and pressing down the contact he wasn't so sure if he really wanted to genuinely call. He told himself it was because of the pre-mating vitality and having Win's skin pressed against him made him so needy. But somewhere, his wolf was growling at him to keep to himself and save it for his mate.

"Hi honey," The familiar voice of his lover greeted. What used to be a sweet calling that got him through his days now produced a swell of guilt.

"Why the sudden call? Don't you have a meeting of some sort?" She continued to ask.

"Just want to hear your voice." Bright tried to recover but it stung his lips to say that. "What time does your shift end?"

"Hmm, in about 30 minutes." There was a small pause before the devil played her cards. "Do you want me to come wait for you?"

"Where?" Bright strained, feeling a wrong sense of lust overtake his body. He made sure to block his wolf and its howls of protest. Just focusing on the pleasure he can receive without having his heart on the line.

"Bed, naked for you."

After another round of calls to Lio and Bright's main omegas and betas, he was off to his secret penthouse. Emilio tried to hide his disappointment by slowing down every now and then; allowing Bright to see the light and reflect on his decisions before he commits it again to the wrong person.

"I'll phone the house tomorrow for my car and clothes. Have a good night,Emilio." Bright couldn't even look at the old man in his eyes. A new sense of shame was covering him as he sped walk inside the lavish building that he would stay awake all night in.

Unbeknown to the young Alpha, just when he greeted the usual crew in the front lobby of the penthouse building, the anonymous little greed who'll do anything for money was waiting.

The little device on their hands was just itching to be used.

"Excuse me, do you know where this is?" Bright abruptly stopped his tracks at the sudden voice who grasped his attention. It was just his nature when being acknowledged.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" The Alpha faced the disguised fellow who wore a baggy trench coat that smelled like the attic.

"This, is this area around here?" The unknown person demanded from the Alpha.

Bright was too busy figuring out the picture and offering his help that he failed to notice the sleek device bug being placed on the fabric of his shirt where it automatically moved to settle against his skin, without being felt.

"Alright, I think I got it. I owe you one." The stranger tipped his head and offered a smile. A far too wide one as they departed ways.

Bright wasted no more than a second before he ran inside the elevator. His thoughts drifting to a whole night of pleasure that he's medicating himself in during this unfortunate mating season. Although somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew his wolf would never respond to anyone completely other than their mate.

As promised, the tender skin of his lover's body was on display for him. There was no lace. Not a single piece of fabric covering her toned body as she sat dreamily on top of the king sized bed that buried the deepest secrets of their love affair.

A simple woman and human who did not know a single thing about the man she thinks she owns. In her heart and eyes, Bright was the respected, well-earned and one of the youngest businessman who flourished in the industry in just a couple of years. To this woman, he was single. He was untouchable to any others because she was the only other person who meant something to him.

And somehow it was true. To him, she was the only human who Bright can see himself with. Someone who he thinks would one day, wrap her head and heart around the fact that he was a hybrid creation who was a rabid beast when provoked.

Nobody really knew why we always end up loving someone so opposite from us. So out of our reach. Out of our range and in this case...kind.

"I could die right now..." Bright whispered as he peeled his designer clothes in a pace that meant no pause.

The false desire was thickening each second, the lust of just wanting to be pleasured ruled his body more than his heart. Bright could feel his wolf begging for control, his gum aching for his fangs but he needed to hold off.

The only way he knew.

"Turn around. Now." It was a growl. A dangerous hum. A purr of command.

The woman didn't waste another second. Not knowing it was a selfish order and not a bedroom foreplay.

"Babe--" And the sweet giggle she was just about to release was replaced by an outstanding moan that hit all four corners of the room.

There was nothing familiar with his pounds. It was all an Alpha's lust and urge to just take and take and take. Even when Bright would whisper soothing words to contradict his hunger, the way he thrusted his hips was pure animal.

"Too much...too good...Bright..." The woman panted in heaps of breath. She was flushed to the core. Muscles aching from hours of no stopping but little did she know, Bright wasn't anything close to finishing.

"Again, tell me you can go again." Bright breathed against her quivering skin. The clock read an hour around the early dawn.

He was taking her all night long until they see the sun.

She couldn't even open her eyes. Half her conscious mind wondering where could he get such stamina, such strength and sexual appetite to go full hours. They tried countless positions. Her limbs raw from his touch. Her skin covered with sweet and bruised pecks. Her sex was drenched to the brim. But Bright can't seem to stop.

Placing her aching legs on his shoulders, the position more erotic and painful than the last, Bright lined his length against her. He was far from being sated. The blindfold he placed on her was secured tightly for the reason that his beast was out and raging. Bright could feel the heat of his skin, his semi-fangs out and best believe his eyes were resembling his wolf.

"Hmm," was the only thing she could utter before he thrusted her back to oblivion.

After all it wasn't a normal human she was fucking. 

Win's whole body was aching when he woke up, still in his clothes the night before. Yesterday's conference and the brigade program the Alpha hosted went successful but drained him to the core. The smiles and laughter of the children and their families were on constant loop inside his head and he couldn't have it any other way. He also met up with the Cuba pack and settled for a short meeting just to check things around.

But also the past nights, Win couldn't sleep a wink. His wolf wouldn't let him not when the moon glowed like it was an arm's length away to touch. All night he tossed and turned, his temperature was far from normal that he had to sink himself in a tub full of ice or he feared that actual flames would start appearing on his skin.

It was a merciless torture of the mating season and Win doesn't know how it would be possible to even maintain himself around Bright.

"Morning,Emilio." Win greeted the man as he placed the luggage inside the town car. He was quick to ask the young Alpha about his trip and never failing to slip some side stories of what Bright has been up to.

"Did you want me to drop you off first at home so you could get ready?"

Glancing down to his watch, Win's stomach dropped when he noticed the time.

"I think not Emilio, let's drive straight to the Decapos." But then his eyes went wide when he realized his too casual outfit of comfy sweats. "I don't have spare clothes with me!"

"Detour then?" Emilio smiled at his Alpha's unusual panic manner.

"Please."

Not even a half hour later, which should be the average time to get there; Win was out of the car and inside the designer shop that he's been dressing from ever since. The familiar sight of the women who sized his clothes for him, came into view.

"Alpha Metawin."

"I can't really talk. Emergency for a luncheon?" That was the only thing he was able to breathe out before the young Alpha was passed around like a mannequin ball.

The suit was snug around his body. The thin material of the beige polo was skin tight and was open on the chest area, only closing with three buttons. Win couldn't decide if the bare skin was a good idea or not because the sensitivity of his skin was so active and the knowledge of Bright being there...probably eyeing him from time to time was enough to drive Win a little mad.

But he didn't have time to protest. Silently praying that the blazer he wore over was neutral enough to get Bright's mind off the mild boldness of the outfit. But when the Decapos mansion came into view, there was a thick lump inside Win's throat.

Bright was out front, already waiting and looking like he was asking to be locked up with the younger Alpha in a far away cabin. Freshly shaven, an undercut and in a crisp polo shirt and dark dress pants. Win's wolf howled and this time he couldn't even hide the small sound escaping his throat making Emilio let out a stifled laugh he covered with a cough.

"Best to get going now Alpha, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Win was too afraid to speak. In fear of his wolf prancing out and instead, a low growl would come out so he settled for a nod. But the moment he stepped out the car, Bright's senses was on full alert. His own eyes zeroing on his mate in an intensity that the younger Alpha never saw before.

Win's last sight was the town car's departure and the small amount of other guests coming out of their cars as well before Bright's body crashed against his. He can't even remember being dragged away; being locked inside what felt like a small compartment room that was too dark and cold but there was a big heat surrounding his body.

His mouth was locked open. Big hands collided everywhere against his body and it was the best damn thing ever.

"You have no idea...how hard it was..." Bright spoke in between the harsh kisses that he was giving his mate's neck. The moan you that Win was keeping for a whole year now rang in his ears like a sacred prayer and he pressed against him even closer and tighter.

"Bright," Win's whisper was like a command to him as he forced himself to pull away so their eyes could meet.

Win's hands were shaking too much as it grasped the older Alpha's broad shoulders. As if, Bright's kisses alone could be his undoing. The deprivation that the two of them have, had already reached its limit and there was no way it could be contained to mild touches.

"I-"

Then before a word could escape, frantic and heavy footsteps were heard just outside wherever room they were in. Voices of strangers drifting far too close and the sexual tension that suffocated them to bits kind of dissipated. 

"Fuck," Win heard Bright curse and the slight laugh wasn't easy to hide anymore.

"We're talking after this. I'm going to lose my mind if we didn't settle this situation." Bright spoke to his mate. His eyes sending a volume of pain that Win's wolf could feel too. Bright's warm fingers still lingered at the back of Win's neck, stroking an intense motion that made it too hard to talk back.

But there was also a slight distaste that the younger Alpha felt when he skimmed the older's skin a while ago.

His scent wasn't the only one there.

"Let's just go." Win forced out before he could think too much of the inevitable truth. Just when he was about to feel for the knob, Bright grasped his wrist and through the dim light, Win got his message clear.

"No, I'll go first. Wait for a couple of minutes before you follow me." His eyes never strayed away from Win's. A silent plea for his cooperation.

There was that same bitter and unwanted bile rising from the younger's throat. The pang of something so numbing centered his chest.

Bright didn't want to be seen with him getting out of whatever room this was.

Pushing away from him, Bright was quick to open the door and check both sides before stepping out. Only pushing the knife deeper inside whatever is left of that thing inside Win's chest.

Win counted to a hundred, another one and another one. When he was sure that his ankles were bleeding from standing in a careful stance, Win grasped for the same knob when the same kind of voice made him pause.

"It was all there. The device read it, right before my eyes. His temperature was rising from a boiling point and that was just the average. Even his heart rate was thrice faster, that can't be normal."

A frown was painted immediately upon the young Alpha's face. The gut feeling he had earlier was swallowing him whole and the context of what he just heard didn't help.

"Are you sure it's not Tachycardia?"

"Does a 500-600 bpm heart rate sound human to you?"

Win's breath hitched and time stopped.

No, this can't be. He felt his wolf starting to growl.

The need to shift and lash at the discovery of whoever it was behind that door was consuming you. But the rational human consciousness in you, tried to step back and wait for them to spill more.

But there was none. Just a couple of hushed motion of tapping and beeping of what sounded like devices. He felt for their steps, his wolf senses was sensitive enough to calibrate the distance somehow and just before it leaves his range, Win grasped the door and jumped out of the room.

But it was a little too late to get the full body. All his eyes picked on was a neat back of white fabric that looked identical to almost everyone in here.

But they left a distinct scent. A scent that he could somehow trace but the possibility to identify to whom it belonged was still slim.

Pure human; and a filthy one at that.

Win's eyes couldn't seem to stay in one place. The need to constantly look at anyone within his radius that smelled a little different made his senses hypersensitive that anyone who tries to talk to him misreads the memo that he might have taken too much caffeine.

"Dear, are you sure you're alright? You've been so jumpy." Asked one of the Alpha wives from the Europe pack.

"What? Yeah, Maybe just jet lagged." Dismissing the woman around with a slight laugh. On the other side of the room, Win could see Bright's back among the older leaders.

He couldn't help the pride washing over him for a short moment.

"Are you sure it's not an early sign? I mean the mating season just started..." As much as he wanted to laugh with them, the sadness and uneasiness he was feeling was preventing him to do so.

Win could only offer one of his familiar eye smiles that made the woman around him admire the young Alpha's effortless charisma.

Soon, the luncheon was on full swing. The afternoon gloom made the ambiance a little too gentle that most of the guests were either sparkling with too much wine or grouped in hushed talks that could easily fall into naps.

Bright was still too busy talking with Lio's comrades and the older leaders that he was trying to acquaint himself with; thus failing to notice his mate's fidgeting until he was able to get a hold of him.

"Alpha Metawin," The men greeted the younger Alpha as he suddenly appeared beside Bright who instantly felt the unusual heat sipping through him when their arms touched for a second.

"Afternoon, Alphas." Win greeted politely, not quite sure how to distance himself around Bright. The prickling of his skin was starting to get to him and he knew that his neck looked too red for a normal hue.

"We heard about your trip in Cuba, were you able to meet some packs there?"

"I certainly did, but I couldn't really secure a whole day with them as I prioritized the children." Win supplied as he continued to narrate parts of his trip that Bright wouldn't know of if it wasn't for this conversation.

A strange wave of fondness had enveloped the older Alpha the longer he stared at his mate. Win's passion for the topic he was talking about, the solemn look on his face and just the gentle features that he had. It made Bright feel...warm.

There was this sudden urge to pull the younger to him. To feel his weight against him, to have his hips settle against the older's palm and the hardness of their bodies to actually cancel each other.

Bright fisted his hands to further quench this desire.

The nagging sense of guilt bothered him especially when he could still feel his sore skin that was covered in somebody else's lips. Even with the coldness of Bright's facade, he knew he couldn't stomach luring Win to something he wasn't able to give.

Love and intimacy.

"Excuse me for a moment." Bright heard his mate dismiss himself shortly and surprising the both of them when the younger Alpha reached a hand to smoothen Bright's chest for a brief motion that he felt it through his bones.

"I'll be back." Win whispered and before Bright could cast another look at him, his retrieving back was the only thing Bright could watch.

While his whole body felt the most alive with that single touch that Win offered.

The younger Alpha didn't waste another second before following the voices that he heard. Everything was too sensitive for him and he actually felt his ears ringing the moment he joined Bright and the older leaders. He remembered being too deep in his space as he tells them about his trip but Win could've sworn he sensed someone unpleasant passing around him.

So he followed right with it; turns out he wasn't wrong.

There, a couple of steps away from where he stood and away from everyone else, two persons were conversing heavily. At first glance, Win wanted to dismiss his suspicions because he knew that the Decapos also had human acquaintances but with the way things are going since the conversation he heard earlier, Win didn't want to risk it.

But his fear was justified the moment his hearing picked up their words.

"We need to get some action of some sort but I doubt something would happen today."

"This is a formal luncheon, you think they would openly transform and howl here? You're such an idiot sometimes."

Win could already feel his wolf growling.

The harm of their empty words seethed right through his skin but even then, he wouldn't lie if there wasn't a cold fear that broke when their words registered.

They knew of their kind. They wanted to know more of their kind.

"Alpha," Just when he was about to reign some necks, a soft voice called out behind the young Alpha that brought him back to his senses.

Whipping his head he faced Alpha Williana who was looking at him with gentle eyes. Right, he promised to tell her about his trip.

"Alpha Williana," The younger bowed his head. "I've been meaning to steal you away to tell you about my trip but I guess we got caught with our own groups."

The old woman laughed at the young Alpha before she whisked Win away for a proper conversation.

"I know, good thing I managed to escape. My ears were starting to ring." She humored making the two of them share a short laugh.

Win tried his best to go along with the small talk, but his stomach churned unpleasantly when he looked back to only see that the two person conversing earlier, was nowhere to be found.

Dressed to appear like they belonged to the world they wanted an in to, the two menacing individuals who had every ear and eyes glued on everyone who looked too good to be human, started their little games.

They were fortunate enough to have connections thus securing an exclusive invite in this luncheon. But they didn't anticipate just how their jobs would be easier now that they're learning the fact that the two reigning Alphas were in attendance too.

"That's the older one." The other pointed to his partner with a stiff nod.

Behind them, Bright stayed conversing within his Alpha group. Never once sensing the incoming threat to their pack because his head was too disoriented from everything he was feeling.

"This is mad interesting. Who knew that the newly appointed CEO of the Chivaree group was a rabid beast? He could've fooled the world with that youthful charm. This is insane." The sick fascination never died from their mouths. Especially now that hey had a lead, a growing data of a fictional truth that no other humans could have thought was true.

"What are you planning, professor?" The old man's eyes strayed to the entrance of the big hall. The exact place where Win stood looking distressed as his eyes moved around him in frantic sweeps.

"We lure the youngest to us." The professor chuckled before baiting himself in front of Win; making sure their eyes met before he walked away knowing the younger Alpha was hot on his tail.

He didn't even remember what the Decapos' mansion looked like. How the halls were pristine or the ivory railings were his favorite feature of the infrastructure.

Win only saw red.

The ticking of his jaw went on as well as the rage of his wolf that was a lot harder to contain. It all happened so fast. Just a few minutes ago he was clueless but his senses were wild enough to point him to the place where hell would break loose because one look at that man, he knew.

He knew that malicious stare even from a few feet away.

"Where the fuck did they go?" He hissed when he came to the end of the terrace. The balcony was open, allowing him a clear view of the tamed garden which circled the marble fountain.

He lost them.

"Mr. Metawin,"

Or so he thought.

Win could feel his fangs threatening to come out but he tried to compose himself before he fully turned around.

"Or should I say, Alpha Metawin is it?" The old rasp of a smoker's voice invaded his ear.

"Keep my name out of your mouth." The young Alpha announced before he faced the stranger who turned his whole world around with a few words.

"Why? Scared you'll unleash your inner beast?" There was a grin sitting permanently on the old man's mouth before he circled the panting Alpha.

Win let out a growl. The purr of his untamed wolf that no one heard until now.

The old man stalled and for a moment, he was reminded that his life could be on the line as he was dealing with someone who isn't purely human.

"Say that shit again. I dare you."

Win knew his temper wasn't getting him the upper hand but he couldn't control it. The mere thought of someone potentially hurting his pack just did it for him.

"The what exactly, Alpha? Unleash or the beast?"

In a quick motion, the old man was pinned against the brick wall behind him. Win's undeniably bigger hands went around the man's neck with ease. The delicate skin was instantly raw from just a mere touch.

"You're testing me." Win's eyes already resembled his eyes and his semi-fangs were already out.

But the old man was still smiling.

"That's exactly what I want to do, Alpha." Clearly struggling with his position, the old man still continued despite his throbbing throat. "I want to test your kind."

The words didn't quite reach Win. He was far too deep with his wolf that his rational thinking wasn't too sharp at the moment. All he could focus on was the threat, danger and impending harm that would come to his pack if he didn't deal snap this man to pieces.

"I-I'm a..." The old man managed to wheeze out as Win tenderly squeezed his neck from time to time. "D-Doctor... working on th--is study..."

Win's wolf growled.

"N-Need you to...hear me out." He continued to pant out.

The old man's eyes started to roll at the back of his head and his hands desperately clawed at the Alpha's hands around his neck.

A sudden snap of consciousness grounded Win. He needed answers. He can't let his emotions get the best of him knowing whoever this piece of scum is, probably already holds the ball in their court.

"I'm giving you a minute to spat whatever shit it is that you need to say. Answer to me completely and don't ever fail to mention your intentions, you dirty old hag." Win almost barked as he released the wheezing stranger with a slam against the brick wall.

The old man tried to catch his breath. He wasn't lying if he nearly felt his soul break away from the premises of his body not only a second ago.

"Speak," The young Alpha demanded with another slam beside the throbbing head of the elderly.

"You're too young to order me around."

"I'm not human enough to be affected by that sentiment."

The old man gulped before taking a much needed breather.

"I'm... I'm Professor Nguyen. I'm the CSO for the aborted experimental mission for the clinical lycanthropy study back when I was just a fresh graduate. We teamed up with the World Health Organization but some situations ended up happening thus the termination of the study."

Win frowned, not liking how his words were leaning on experiments. It meant study and study meant needing evidences and live subjects to do so.

"You were the chief scientific officer by then when you were just a fresh graduate? Stop with the bullshit."

"It's not about the age or how long you've been in the industry; it's about your capability, young man." Professor Nguyen knew he was holding the leverage somehow when recognition dawned on the Alpha's face.

Win could somehow read his words differently. His mind flashing to his current position and how he's leading his own pack at a young age. Bright and him were the youngest Alphas to ever lead a current pack and that's one of the reasons why a lot of people wanted them to fail.

Wanted them gone.

"Listen, if you're teaming up with someone from our pack to sabotage the current leadership then I suggest you tell whoever that delusional fucker is to regroup his thoughts before we handle this situation personally."

Professor Nguyen despite his raw throat grumbled a tenacious laugh that made Win seethe.

"Alpha, I'm my own team. Always have been especially when they aborted the mission and I was left to find crumbs for myself to continue the study either way."

Pinching the old man's neck between his thick fingers, Win made sure to hit a vein. "I'm not your Alpha."

"Damn right you're not because you're the one taking orders from me if you want all these," The professor stirred his hands around the vicinity. "To remain hidden to the real world, then I suggest you help me secure a subject for my study."

But the young Alpha didn't need to answer nor the professor to elaborate his words. Once their eyes met, Win knew who that subject would be.

"Emilio, did he contact you earlier?" Bright asked once the town car stopped in front of him.

The luncheon dragged on for almost the whole afternoon. It was four in the afternoon now and Bright could feel his eyes drooping with sleep.

But his mate was nowhere to be found. He didn't even return when Bright clearly remembered the young Alpha's whisper that made his blood warmer.

"I'll be back."

"Just where is he..." Bright mumbled as he scrolled through his contacts. He was just about to press call when the other door opened and in came a Win who looked way too stiff for his own good.

But at the same time he looked really calm. The type where Bright was able to really notice his mate's fair features and the natural tint of his cheeks.

As if sensing the older's eyes on him, Win casted a side glance at his husband before leaning against the cold leather seat. "I was with Alpha Williana and the others."

"Then you shouldn't have told me that you'll be back only for you not to return." Bright didn't know where his annoyance was stemming from but there was this certain irritation he couldn't point out.

For once he was blaming his wolf's instinct. Maybe he was just so deprived of his mate's intimacy that Win's gestures earlier left him aching with this need and to have the younger promise him such words, his wolf clearly held on to that.

The older Alpha must have caught on Win's confused glance at what he just said. There was a small frown etched on the younger's face and when Bright let himself notice it, the car was already moving which made the afternoon rays of the sun to hit Win directly from behind.

He was glowing.

Bright gulped before starting a brittle flame, "You told me earlier when we were talking with the elders that you'll come back but you never did."

No one said a word for the rest of the ride.

For some reason, traffic that evening was really bad. They were stuck on the same lane for almost an hour now but with the divider on, Win couldn't make a small chat with Emilio.

And something or better yet someone was clearly weighing him down to lift the partition as well.

Somehow Bright found his way to cope up with the traffic. Not that Win was naive but throughout the luncheon, he felt his mate's weakening energy.

And he wasn't wrong at all, not when the older Alpha was now passed out as he slept soundly on Win's lap. The moment when Win felt the warmest gesture as he looked out of the window, still reeling from Bright's words that left him speechless, he swore that he felt his heart jump a few feet up.

The younger was alarmed when he looked down only to notice that Bright somehow crawled his body towards him when he decided to sprawl down on the space between them. The most intense heat enveloped Win and he could only watch Bright settle himself comfortably on his lap.

Unconsciously seeking the warmth that he's been craving for since the day they got married.

Win tried to calm himself. Intensely eyeing the passing city outside the window but he felt every breath that escaped his mate's mouth against his clothed thighs. He felt every hold when he'd move an inch and Bright's heavy arms would secure him down.

But the longer they stayed motionless even with the distant blaring of the car horns as the background noise, Win felt the most peace he's been. He didn't want to figure out the reason that made him lift his hands to sweep the thin curtain of hair that fell on Bright's forehead.

He didn't want to think too much of how much his chest was pounding when he traced a shaking finger upon his mate's sleeping figure. The features he wasn't able to properly stare at because he never had the chance to.

They never had the chance to be a normal couple anyway. They don't start their days by waking up to each other's smile or end their days inside each other's embrace but somehow in this exact time when Win replayed everything that happened this day especially with that man; all he wanted was to wish that he was a living a dream right now.

That in some way in his dream, this was happening too. He had Bright on his lap, their pack to lead and a life they would live together. A dream where he could freely seek more of this warmth and pull Bright a little more closer just because.

A dream that he dreams of in questionable nights.

"I suggest you help me secure a subject for my study." The professor's words played again inside his head.

There was a sudden heaviness that he felt so the younger Alpha looked down on his mate. Bright's relaxed expression, the swell of his cheeks and his pout made Win felt a rare source of comfort.

In this way, Bright didn't look he was a trained machine from when he was still a kid. He didn't look like he treats people at arms length most of the time and looks at everyone with emptiness. He didn't look like he wasn't faithful to his marriage.

He just looked younger, carefree and mine. Win thought.

Win's finger risked a soft poke on Bright's cheek that made the older Alpha stir a bit. His grip on Win's lower half tightening which made Win move a lot more closer against him.

The green light reflected against the window beside the younger Alpha as the car drove forward; and so did his heart.

"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." He whispered before tracing Bright's lips for the quickest second.

And for once, their wolves were at peace and everything felt like it was going to be alright.

Maybe he lied. Everything wasn't going to be alright.

Looking around the unfamiliar clinic that could easily pass as an abandoned warehouse from outside, Win couldn't seem to comprehend the trust he willingly placed on his own enemy.

To come all the way here without any plans of some sort.

"Mr. Metawin?" A young lady probably one of the professor's assistant had uttered. She was quick to lead the young Alpha inside the room that he was dreading to discover.

Professor Nguyen: CASE OPEN

A week flew by since the luncheon. Since the world that Win knew, no longer looked endearing or safe---not that it was in the first place.

A week since everything started to crumble inevitably right before his eyes.

"Good morning, Alpha." Professor Nguyen didn't need to look up from his desk when the door opened. The strong smell of disinfectants clogged Win's nose and he tried not to gag when he noticed how squeaky clean everything was.

"For an educated man like you, you sure can't seem to preserve knowledge can you?." Win tried to let his wolf's rage talk just so the small fear he was feeling would somehow fade. "I'm not your Alpha, professor."

Professor only let out a small smile, only further infuriating the Alpha.

When Win suddenly received an unknown text that same week, he knew just where it came from. The subtle threat with the text's content wasn't hard to miss thus explaining his presence today.

"Shall we start then?"

There was an operating table right in the middle. Ranging from 10 to 15 monitors surrounded the area where certain tubes were connected. There were even PVC pipes, fluids for dextrose, oxygen tanks and thick straps that were built with the table.

Win gulped before raising his eyes away from the scene of weakness.

"I'm not letting you touch me until you tell me everything there is to know." The Alpha demanded before sitting himself messily on top of the professor's desk; quaking the various documents that were once neatly arranged.

Noticing this, the professor forced his mind off it before laying out his cards.

"Like I've mentioned before, I was the appointed CSO for the clinical lycanthropy study that one of my professors actually started. It was a partnership with WHO since we needed a big medical institution to support us. At that time, there were rising cases of this rare condition that my colleagues suspected to be Hypertrichosis." Noticing the frown on the Alpha's face, the professor sidetracked to let Win shoot his insults.

"I suggest you narrate in Layman's term. I'm a morbid beast if you're forgetting." The Alpha fisted the papers beside him, not missing the slight narrowing of the professor's eyes.

"Hypertrichosis is what your kind looks like in your natural form; only this one has some medical explanation to it. This condition manifests an excessive hairy appearance on anyone who is affected by it as a result of an extra gene chunk on the X chromosome. With time it was referred to as the werewolf syndrome if that even rings a bell." Professor Nguyen powered his laptop to show the evidences he managed to compile.

Win's eyes widened as the pictures registered to him among the other ones. There were two sets of it. The first one was a couple who he knew only manifested those traits with possible defects on their chromosomes but the second one was someone he recognized.

"Isn't she...?" The young Alpha trailed off as he squinted near the picture to get a better look at it.

"I'm sure she's familiar given that she made quite a record for being the most hairiest child. You read it on the news I suspect? She's also Thai after all."

Within an instant, the peaceful pendulum set was once placed on the professor's desk went flying from across the room. Grabbing the old man by his coat, Win stood on his full height.

"Just how much do you know?" Win growled.

"Just enough to threaten you with it." Professor Nguyen didn't have the chance to let out one of his taunting laugh when Win slammed the old man on the same operating table that was clearly meant for him.

The force of the impact created a visible dent on the metal, nearly knocking the professor's lungs and wind pipe. Win was starting to feel his fangs come out, his skin itching and his eyes dilating.

But he knew he didn't have the upper hand.

"S-See, it's effortless... t-the more y-you let your wolf take over," Professor Nguyen wheezed through his burning throat but he knew he was winning this. "The more worked up you get...and my device is recording your vitals..."

"You fucker." Win slammed him again only this time his eyes travelled along the main screen that was directly above him.

True to his words, there was a chart that was categorized in different bars. It was blinking rapidly along with his movements. But that was not the disturbing part.

On the upper corner of the monitor's screen was a name displayed in red font that he only used to see in movies.

SUBJECT 0001 FOR CL-HYPERTRICHOSIS STUDY : Metawin Opas-iamkajorn

Since the stepping down of the previous Alphas from the Chivaree and Opas clan, the small congregation that made up the main pack leaders also changed. The old leaders were replaced by the younger generations, mostly their own children too.

Gulf Kanawut, Bright's reporting omega was quick to inform his Alpha about a sudden disturbance within the packs.

"I think it started in our Mexico pack just before the deal with the Decapos was sealed." Gulf explained his two cents on the starting issue.

"What are you trying to say?" Bright tried not to let the throbbing of his head get to him as he processed his omega's words. "Some packs were not supportive of my deal with the Decapos?"

Gulf tried to put it in the best way he can but now that Bright ended up saying that, who was he to sugarcoat it?

"I think they don't trust the partnership and what it means for the whole pack. It's not entirely the Decapos but the other people involved in it."

"Lio and I are the main men. All decisions stems from us and all our other partners are merely investors and old friends we need for sponsorships too." Bright tried to fight the doubt that Gulf was putting.

Looking at his old friend, Gulf noticed the uneasiness that the older Alpha had today. He was extra jumpy, a little pale than usual and grumpy too. Though the last one was basically permanent.

"It's because most of them are humans, Bright." After all, before they shared an Alpha-Omega relationship, they were friends first. "You're letting them a little too close in our world, even I feel threatened."

But the older Alpha didn't get it. Sure there's always this fear of trusting too much even if it was for business and to let humans inside their territory ticked him off too; but it's been years and not a single case of their kind was able to reported.

Bright was confident that they were safe. He was far too prominent in the business industry to have people doubt him and even believe that such mythical hybrids exist.

"Tell them to stop overthinking those possibilities. We're far too deep with the normal people that we even dominate their world with all these business tycoons. I think it's the other way around." Bright dismissed the issue, leaving Gulf to silently worry in behalf of his Alpha's words.

When Gulf dismissed himself, Bright couldn't get his mind off the fact that something just didn't felt right. Maybe it was because he missed another mating season? That also meant he wasn't able to fully shift these past few months because of the incomplete mating with his mate.

"My head is killing me," He groaned out as he tried to finish all the emails he needed to reply to. But it was really no use because every single time he'd try to force his eyes to remain open, the more his head throbbed.

Same with his body too. He felt like he was being repeatedly pinched and needles were constantly poking his skin.

Just then his phone rang, distracting the Alpha from the pain.

"Yeah, hello?" Bright rasped once he acknowledged the caller. "Have you eaten?"

"Hi babe, I'm covering a political debate today so I think I won't be able to make it later." Her familiar voice replied that used to soothe Bright but now, the Alpha only found his temple pounding a lot more.

He distanced the phone to put it on speaker before replying, "I thought you were assigned to the Feature page? You're still covering interviews?"

"I am but I had to fill in for one of my seniors. He was asked to write an article about your partnership sealing with Lio Decapo actually." Bright should feel warm and touched when he heard the pride in her voice but somehow he didn't. There was this constant stabbing in his gut the longer their call went on.

"Well, that's good. Send me a copy of that article when he's done." Bright tried to humor but even forcing a laugh felt wrong. "Next time then? Just the two of us in the penthouse?"

"Okay babe, I like that more. I'm going now, I still have to write my questions. I'll try to call you later after this." And Bright didn't know why his thumb ended the call so fast like his life depended on it.

Then the older Alpha continued to sit there in an indescribable pain he couldn't understand where it was coming from.

But he could feel his wolf hurting. A lot.

The monitor beeped rapidly almost as if it was on the verge of exploding.

"Hand me the anesthesia, please." Professor Nguyen didn't take his eyes off the monitor as he waited for the syringe.

"I don't need it." Win snapped before fisting the thick straps from the sharp pain that shoot through his vains.

"You're barely hanging on as it is, your vitals are dropping." The professor noted with a frown, further securing a spot to place the anesthesia. "I can't have you shutting down on me now, I barely got started."

"F-Fuck, this hurts..." The young Alpha tried to close his eyes with another groan. He was strapped far too tight and he felt like his whole body was on fire. "You told me it was just a temperature check, why do I feel like I'm falling apart?"

Professor Nguyen pressed on Win's skin making the Alpha let out a panting growl. It was too much, even a mere inch of his skin being touched made his knees weak.

"It's because your body temperature is far too intense than a normal human. But it's odd..." Writing little notes on his clipboard, the old man tried to figure out the flaw. "Because you haven't reached your peak yet. Your body is too hot yet too cold at times, it's not balanced."

Another wave of pain trembled Win's body making him howl. The thick needles that sunk on his skin felt like big metal poles repeatedly stabbing him.

"I'm the Alpha," Win panted as he broke out in cold sweat only further confirming the professor's thoughts.

"Exactly and so is Bright." At this, their eyes met for a short while but Win forced his eyes shut when he realized where this conversation was going.

"You haven't mated have you?" Professor Nguyen noted before easing the voltage of the machine making Win let out a healing moan.

"Don't fucking think about it. When you strapped me in this damn bed, I told you to use me and only me, you are not to touch my pack, any members of it and my mate." Win held his ground, making sure the professor understood him even when his consciousness was slipping away because of treatment's aftermath.

When Win was completely out like a light after the first round of test, the professor stayed peering as he tried to assess the situation.

"Come in," He called for one of the interns who was working for him.

"I've read his results," The intern handed a copy of the medical record before initiating the catch. "And I don't think he fits to be the subject for this study."

The old man didn't have to agree. It was enough to witness how Win's body handled the first stage.

"I only used 1 Sv of radiation to somehow mutate his DNA but he was already close to convulsing." The professor noted before checking Win's IV again to regulate his liquids.

"But isn't he the Alpha already? If he can't handle this intensity, what more for a normal werewolf?" But professor Nguyen dismissed the intern's concern by gesturing for his opened laptop.

"He isn't the only one." With a click of the older Alpha's name on the server, hundreds of articles about him was seen; ranging from his university years and his prominent game in the business industry.

But a passing headline caught the professor's eyes just as he scrolled through the web results.

Another Bachelor purchase: Bright Chivaree off the market? The Chivaree heir was seen with rumored journalist flame after an auction event earlier this year

"We lure the oldest to us this time." 

"Gigie, did you get the fact sheet?"

Finishing the last part of the article, the petite brunette looked up from her stall to notice her column senior.

"Ma'am, yes I just did. The local news team handed it to me after they went on air." She replied before discreetly turning her laptop on her senior's direction so her on going work could be noticed.

Might as well let her know I have better titles. Gigie thought as she forced a smile.

"That's good then, I expect the article in my emails tonight. Try to make it as a feature-editorial mix, okay?"

"You got it, ma'am." She smiled again and waited a few seconds before closing her laptop shut with a groan.

"They always give me the crappiest subjects to write about when I could clearly handle writing about bigger topics." She continued to complain on the way out of her media company building never once noticing the person beside her.

"Rough day?" The stranger supplied with an easy laugh.

"More like rough career." Gigie chuckled with dry humor as she turned to look at the person beside her."Oh my goodness, I know you! You're the youngest scientist to lead a project with WHO before, right?"

The old man chuckled through his tainted hands before dying the compliment with a shake of his head.

"Oh dear, you still remember that? I doubt the younger generation even knows me now."

"Trust me, I've been living with the news since I was a kid. I know every news station by heart hence my journalism profession that I'm starting to dislike." Gigie confessed while her excitement got the best of her.

"Say what, have you eaten? Care to accompany me for a late dinner where I could supply an exclusive interview?" The professor tried to tone down his smile as he watched how the female's eyes melted from his offer. He didn't need to pat himself because he knew he already won.

"I'm damn honored, Professor Nguyen."

The dinner sailed with the professor's wind. They talked with light subjects, clearly giving off a more business dinner agenda but he didn't need to dwell on that.

She was already in too deep.

"I partly grew up in Vietnam too but I haven't really stayed there to study." They were already sitting out after a nice meal. Any second now, professor Nguyen was preparing to drop the bomb.

"Let me guess, moved to the states for a better exposure to the journalism world?" The professor offered.

"Right on point," Gigie nodded with a solemn look. "Don't get me wrong, I'm where I want to be but I haven't gotten a huge break yet and I've been in this media industry for almost a decade now."

The night breezed before them in a dark whim. Reflecting just the same thunder that the each of them was feeling. One was a desperation at another shot for a failed dream and the other was a shot for a dream she was already living.

"I have a proposition for you, Ms. Gigie." Professor Nguyen said before pulling out the object of his advantage.

The lights were already off the main floor and only the kitchen was illuminated from the small glass window. It was half past midnight yet no sign of Win could be traced.

"Alpha, maybe we should call the police and issue a search warrant?" One of the ginger head maids risked to suggest as she watched Bright take another calculated sip from his scotch.

"He's a grown man, I don't think he's too irresponsible to venture out late without a reasonable excuse." Bright didn't know if it was the maid he was trying to soothe or himself but either way, he couldn't get himself to sleep peacefully knowing that wherever Win was, he still wasn't home.

This never happened before.

Given their situation, no matter how odd it was to be married with a strictly platonic intimacy, they never failed to inform each other with their whereabouts. It was just the unspoken rule for them as it also secures their pack's safety.

Downing another glass of scotch, Bright felt his heart pound when the sound of the front door slammed shut. It was too soft like the intruder didn't want to be heard but he did. He knew who it was.

"Where the hell have you been?" He couldn't help but snap as he walked out of the kitchen in three big steps.

But Bright wasn't ready for the sight that welcomed him. He wasn't ready for the ache he felt once their eyes met and the innocence of Win's eyes was like a sucker punch to his gut.

If it was his wolf instincts, Bright no longer knew but in the blink of his eye he found himself cradling Win's warm face in his hands.

The two of them closed their eyes for a moment. The rare intimacy of their subtle touch with one another was too much for them to ignore. From the very tip of Bright's fingers all the way to his toes, he felt a strong tingle that he wasn't able to feel before.

Win was no better. Just the coldness of Bright's palm against his cheeks was enough to lure him to a sleep he never wanted to wake up from. The same sleep that he wished would make him forget about this day, what he saw, what he heard and the pain he was feeling.

Risking a small finger caress against his mate's cheek, Bright leaned down to whisper. "What happened?"

But the younger Alpha didn't have enough strength to answer; but he knew he couldn't drop his act. No one can know about what he went through today.

With the last bit of courage he was sporting, Win raised his hands to cover Bright's hands that cupped his face. No words were exchanged as their eyes did the talking. There was a distinct emotion that Bright found in his mate's eyes that made his heart churn unpleasantly.

But just when he was about to ask him, the younger pulled their joined hands down in a gentle manner before pulling away.

"I was out training the new recruits with Gulf today." Win was halfway up the stairs and he had to fight off the wince that his face was dying to form with every step.

"Nice try, Gulf was with me at the office." But Win didn't even spare him another glance leaving Bright to watch the younger Alpha walk with trembling steps.

The night was undeniably colder but something about this time made it a little more bearable for the two. Due to their unmated bodies, they have the tendency to be in extreme body temperaments from time to time. It was either too hot or too cold for them and no in between because once mating is completed, that's the only time where both their human bodies and their wolves would be able to communicate completely.

Those same thoughts ran inside their heavy lidded minds as they lay side by side on their respective ends. When Bright finished his fourth glass and decided to call it a night, Win was already fast asleep.

Or so he thought.

Biting his lip to suppress the pain, Win forced his body to face Bright's sleeping figure. At this point, he didn't even care if he was really sleeping or not because then he figured with the way his body was slowly giving up, he had no time to waste.

Win watched the rise and fall of his mate's chest. The peaceful look that Bright had on his face, oblivious to the harm that was about to come their way. Slowly, the events of today caught up with Win and he couldn't stop the burn of his tears from completely filling both his eyes.

Just the thought of waking up the next day and it could be his last scared Win but if he let himself remember that he was doing it for everyone, it made him braver than he's ever been.

He wanted to reach out even just this time of his weakness. Just one little touch to feel their skin against one another because the brief contact they made a while ago was enough to give him a boost of energy that Win never felt before. Almost as if it was an instant power boost that allowed him to walk up the stairs with better knees.

Then Win couldn't help but wonder if they could fall asleep in each other's arms just for this night, maybe then his body can be stronger to handle the tests he was set to undergo in order to protect his pack.

Casting one last look at Bright, Win pulled back his outstretched hand that was tingling from when they touched earlier before he wiped the small tears of fear.

"Just this one time." He whispered before silently crossing the distance of pillows until he faced Bright's naked back.

Win watched his initials on Bright's neck spark under the gleam of the moon. Breathing deeply, he slowly snaked his trembling hands to feel the older's skin. Little by little he traced every curve of solid muscle and the short phrase of tattoo that Win never had the chance to read just until he was brave enough to wrap his arms around Bright where they met on the middle of his stomach.

Win felt Bright stiffen in an instance but the burn that they both felt the moment their bodies touched was something they won't be able to explain in any form of words.

It was numbing, toe curling and just the right touch to calm their raging heartbeats.

The younger Alpha locked his hands around Bright's middle as he tightly closed his eyes. He didn't want to feel rejected or have Bright pull away even if that was the ending he knew he would get. He wanted to say in whatever words his mouth would let him if they could stay like this even for a few more minutes.

"Go to sleep, I know you're tired." To Win's utter surprise, he heard Bright whisper that before a set of warm hands covered his own ones that were resting on top of Bright's stomach which made another set of fresh tears escape his tired eyes.

The next morning came too fast that Win wished didn't even have to happen. Because that also meant whatever it was that went down the previous hours, it was to be forgotten and locked away somewhere down their memory lane like a cursed spell.

Just like the best night he had since they got married.

"I'll be at the office the whole day since there's been some doubts circling about the partnership, Lio and I decided to address it this early so I probably won't be back." Bright insisted on driving today which was also making Win feel a little different.

"So in other words you'll stay at the penthouse, tonight?"

Bright didn't want to answer but it was the truth. Noticing this, Win took his mate out of his misery before dropping the question to focus on his phone.

Today he was set for the second stage of treatments but his body was still overly too weak from the first. Even if he woke up in the best way possible, Win knew his limitations and the sensitivity of his skin due to another delayed shifting of his wolf that was actually starting to take its toll on him.

"I'm meeting with Gulf and the others today." He revealed his cover up knowing he almost slipped last night.

"Lying or not, I just want to inform you that whatever business you have that you don't want to share with me is yours to keep and protect. I just wish you would inform me about your whereabouts because that's the only thing that secures us about the other." Bright noted as they neared the building that Win asked to be dropped off.

"I didn't think you cared." It was a low murmur but the older Alpha heard it anyway.

"Win, you're my mate regardless of our arrangement, worrying about you is a part of me I can't undo even if I want to."

"Thanks for the reality check then, have a nice day." Win couldn't help but snap before stepping out of the car before it could even come to a full stop.

"What is he even on we were doing so good waking up in each other's arms." Win continued to rant as he tried not to limp his way inside the building; not having a single clue that Bright's heart and mind was in the middle of a tidal wave since he reached out to hug the younger Alpha last night. Because that was the only thing playing inside Bright's head. How he woke up with Win in his arms, how it felt to hold him and just how complete it made him feel to watch the sunrise while their bodies were pressed so sweetly.

He wanted that for the rest of his life.

Only he didn't know where he should stand the moment he opened his office door to see the familiar female who used to make him want those things before.

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't that a little too cold, babe?" Gigie let out a small laugh before rising up from the office chair. Bright felt his chest tighten when he noticed the wardrobe she had on was not meant for her work.

Dressed in an all too revealing jumpsuit with a think blazer on, she crossed the spacious private office in sultry steps that Bright used to appreciate. However, at this very moment as he tried to take in everything that was happening and what was about to happen, there was this heavy feeling that ticked the Alpha off; only he couldn't understand why.

"And isn't that a little too cold for you to wear today?" Bright recovered with an easy comeback before meeting her halfway until he could wrap an arm around her petite waist.

Letting out an amused smile, Gigie leaned in to leave small kisses on Bright's neck as they start to walk backwards towards the desk; never once pulling away she mumbled on his skin, "I missed you."

"Mhm," Bright hummed even when his mind drifted to earlier this morning when he woke up and the first thing he saw was Win's face. "Me too, I'm sorry for the busy schedule."

"Then make it up to me?" She pulled away for a brief moment only to start unbuttoning Bright's suit.

It all happened too fast and Bright couldn't understand why his heart felt like it was caught up in the baddest storm. One second they were braced intimately on his desk and the next one, clothes were sprawled on his floor and his tie was dangling on her fingers while she sat on his lap.

"I'm going to try a little something, babe." Gigie smiled before giving him a small peck, his tie in her hands as she placed her arms over his neck. When Bright realized what she was trying to do once her fingers started a loose knot at the back of his head, he was quick to snap his hands against her hips to haul her away.

"What the--"

"Try anything but that. I don't like being blindfolded and shit like that." There was an unmistakeable growl that accompanied Bright's voice. His Alpha senses were on full alert even as he tried to regulate his temper.

Gigie's heart started to drum against her chest as she was clearly taken back from the actions being done. But noticing how Bright still looked flustered, she went on with her ministrations by trailing a hand down the zipper of Bright's slacks.

Their eyes met for a short second and the usual tingle of excitement that crossed Bright was nowhere to be found even if he felt her palming him through the thick fabric of his pants. But before she could even touch him bare, a peeping sound broke out making the both of them spring apart in surprise.

"What the..." Left on his desk was his opened laptop, only this time it was blacked out with a blinking red message box illuminating the whole screen.

Information access from a hacking device: DENIED, the message read in thick font and now that his attention was fully driven by the blaring sound, Bright was quick to notice the familiar flash drive that was attached on his USB port.

"Babe," Gigie started as she palmed his face with a slight tremble.

In a calm manner, Bright stood up from underneath her with a little too straight face. He proceeded to zip his pants back up and put on his wife beater that was thrown from across them; never once sparing a glance at the nervous female who didn't know where to start explaining.

"I-I can explain, baby. It's not what it seems like." Gigie was quick to put back her clothes while she desperately rushed to soothe Bright.

Only he was quick to stop her with a hand up before asking with a chilly demeanor, "I'm giving you a minute to tell me why your flash drive was connected to my computer."

"W-Well, I was just... I-I the files..." She stuttered out as frustration twisted her tongue the more she tried to save herself. But with each stutter, Bright could only feel the anger and betrayal that he never expected to feel from her. What used to be the only feelings that separated him from being the way he is was the same reason that reminded him why he couldn't ever trust anyone except his kind.

It only reminded him why humans and their kind could never co-exist with each other.

Why Gulf's words were relevant and the worry of their other pack members were validated.

"Stop lying!" Bright roared as he smacked a hand against his desk, sending whatever documents that were neatly stacked to fly up in cascading paper rains.

"I didn't have a choice!" Gigie sobbed through her words. "It was either my career or yours! He... he told me that he would leak something that could ruin me before I even started if I didn't give him a something from you that would really be beneficial for him."

"Who the fuck are you talking about?" Bright insisted with a deep frown before smacking the flash drive away from his laptop.

"That professor... his name is professor Nguyen and he wanted something from you and I figured it couldn't be that bad so I agreed. I thought it might just be some mild rumors he wanted to start against you and knowing your company..." Gigie tried to walk towards Bright again but the sharp look that he gave her made her stay rooted from where she was on.

"That was selfish of you." He didn't have to filter his words now that it was clear where her intentions are.

"I know but...you know I can't lose this job. I can't have the world label me as a high profile mistress so if it meant doing a little damage on your part--"

"Get the fuck out." Bright snapped with a sharp finger pointing outside his office.

"Babe, I'm sorry ple--"

"Don't test me." If there was a finality in his words, that was what made her run except his eyes were to blame as it shifted to his wolf's.

When the door slammed close with the last scent of human that Bright swore that would be the last one that he'd ever let near himself, he was quick to grasp his phone where he dialed Gulf's number in hopes that he was still with Win.

After the third ring a groggy Gulf answered the phone which made Bright felt a little too uneasy.

"Why do you sound like you just woke up?" Bright demanded while he continued to button his suit back up.

"Because I just did." Gulf tried not to complain on the other end. "Why would you call me this early in the morning anyway?"

Bright's heart pounded at an alarming pace as he confirmed, "You're not with Win today? He told me you would train the recruits with him."

"I was with you yesterday aren't I? Besides, I wasn't even in contact with Win for weeks now."

Sudden words of his conversation with Gigie flashed before Bright.

"Give him a something from you that would really be beneficial for him..."

"That professor... his name is professor Nguyen and he wanted something from you and I figured it couldn't be that bad so I agreed..."

Then he remembered how Win went home that night. How his steps were faltering, how his body was slumped like it was too weak to be moving, how he lied about training with Gulf and that unexpected hug he gave him like it was the last.

"Fuck," He cursed before rushing to get his keys and taking powerful strides out of his office.

"Why? What's happening?" Gulf was now alarmed as he read his Alpha's tone.

"Listen Gulf, I want you to look something for me but stay on the phone while doing so." Bright instructed as he breezed around the private parking lot and thanking his mind for using the Lambo today.

"I need you to look up professor Nguyen for me. Any tabs on that name give it to me." When he closed his eyes briefly to settle inside the car, Bright momentarily remembered the dried tears he caught on Win's face when they woke up this morning. "And Gulf? Hurry please." 

The leaves stayed put even when the wind knocked every branch against each other, creating a swinging madness.

But Win couldn't get his eyes off it.

"We'll be waiting by the..." Gulf paused when he realized the next word he was about to say. "Just...take your time, Alpha."

If he could hear what Gulf just said, it didn't even felt like it. The only sound he wanted to keep hearing was the silent wind, the occasional chirping of birds and if he closed his eyes, he could hear him from a distance.

Just when he was about to open the covered letter he would be reading, droplets of rain started to travel briskly across his skin until he saw the whole sky darkened.

And Win let himself remember the last time he was surrounded by the same darkness where everything ended right before his eyes.

It was dark when he finally opened his eyes that day. Everything hurts from his back, his limbs felt raw and the coldness of the room was slicing his pores open.

Disoriented to even breathe properly, all the Alpha could recall was waiting for the car that professor Nguyen sent for him just after Bright dropped him off that morning. He remembered waiting quietly while he felt a little better than the previous day then all of a sudden, a cloth was pressed against his mouth and nose while two bodies hauled him in a corner.

And that's where he felt a needle being sunk on his neck as his eyes dropped followed by his whole body.

"Awake, Alpha?" The familiar sickening voice asked before a light was turned on forcing Win's eyes to squint hard.

"You're going to hell wherever you are." Win hissed as he tried to get up from the thick straps that was pinning him down.

Now that he could see his surroundings, he noticed he was in a new room with a similar operating table like the one he was in before. Only this time, it wasn't the professor's office where monitors and shelves of books dominated their surroundings; this room was filled with whips, chains and sharp equipments that looked like they belonged to a slaughter house.

"Think I don't know that when I decided to pursue this case again?" Professor Nguyen appeared in front of him with his neat lab coat and glasses. Win was disgusted with the fact that he looked too wise to be pulling a sickening stunt like this.

"I told you since day one that you have me, what's not clicking?" Win spat through the heavy trembles of his chest. His wolf was stirring too wildly and he could already feel his fangs coming out.

"What's not clicking is your body, Alpha." Placing his gloves on, the old man raised a digital chart which had Win's record from yesterday. "You see this? Your body could barely stand a 100 degrees Fahrenheit temperature whereas a normal human could actually surpass it just until they convulse and die."

"You fucking promised you'd use me and that's it!" The metal poles of the bed was starting to bend from Win's struggle but the professor remained unbothered.

"I only promised if it worked and it didn't. I need my subject to meet all my expectations for this experimental study and maybe someone other than you could do that to me."

"There's no one else and even if there was, over my dead body will you get your filthy hands on them and have you dissect our bodies like all your other useless test subjects." Win cut him off with a powerful spit that landed right between the professor's glasses.

Wiping the spit off with a calm smile, the professor retrieved a small remote to activate the small monitor that was in front of them. There on the screen was a tracking map of someone's car that was running at an illegal speed but when the pointer was placed on the vehicle, the screen switched to a view of a familiar car where a frantic male was on his phone barking orders.

It was Bright. The footage was inside Bright's car from a hidden camera.

Win's breath hitched inaudibly just as the old man leaned down to whisper, "I think I just found your replacement and by the looks of it he's not too far either."

In that moment, red was the only color that Win saw. Without realizing his disadvantage, the professor stayed to where he was leaning down in front of Win so he could mock the desperation that the younger felt and without another passing second, Win leaned back and forced his head to slam against the old man.

The force knocking his whole body back until he slammed against the opposite wall.

"You're not touching anyone from my pack." The young Alpha growled as he felt his fangs elongating and the pounding of his veins were buzzing against his skin.

His wolf was taking control.

"E-Emergency...!" The professor tried to squeeze out of his burning throat when he saw how Win was effortlessly getting out of the strapped bed. He was in his wolf's pre-shifting form where only his eyes, fangs and nails were changing.

"S-Subject 0001, escaping. I repeat--subject 0001..." The faint blares of the emergency button that professor Nguyen pressed continued to remain mute without any signs of response.

"I repeat, report to me in an instance!" He watched Win flick the last piece of strap from his body. "Fucking send the backup team!" He hollered once again just as Win turned to face him.

He's going to hurt our mate. His wolf reverberated in the midst of his rage.

In one smooth leap, Win was in front of the trembling professor where the old man stood with twitching knees. The young Alpha was barely holding on to his human senses and the only thing he was looking at was the man's neck to snap between his canines.

"I-I'm commanding you to back down... I'll make sure the world knows of your kind if you so much growled an inch near me." Professor Nguyen tried to threaten even when his pants started to leak from his own piss.

Whatever words came out of him just made the young Alpha angrier as he raised a hand to claw at the man's neck; instantly sinking his elongated nails against the tender skin.

The old man howled in pain as blood started to instantly trickle down from Win's arms and down his body. "Y-You--get off me!" He struggled against the raging Alpha but Win only answered with a tighter leash on his neck.

His veins were swollen and probably peeled and his eyes were starting to roll at the back of his neck if it wasn't for the door opening and his backup team rushing to collect the raging beast. In one swift lock of double cuffed chains instantly locking Win down and a hard shot of a heavy tranquilizer, the young Alpha was out again.

"What do you mean a study experiment?" Bright demanded Gulf to expand his explanation as he switched lanes for the nth time.

"He was one of the attending scientists for that project about a certain mental condition concerning werewolves that WHO funded a couple of years back. It says here..." Gulf struggled to continue because of Bright's consistent cursing every time it would take him even a second later to continue.

"Let me fucking breathe!" Gulf complained just as Bright cursed him from inhaling too much. "I swear you dig your own grave and expect me to pull you out if it when I'm half alive myself."

"Gulf, cuss me out all you want the next time you see me but just get on with a lead on him. Anything at this point, I'm near the exit route of the highway and I need to have a single lead on him." There was desperation in Bright's voice that Gulf never heard before and now that the Omega was realizing, only Bright reacted this way if Win was concerned.

"I'm sorry, hold on let me track his plate number." After a few murmurs and another lane switching, Gulf was able to extract a path for the Alpha. "Shit, I got it. You know the abandoned water dam that your Father funded with the government before? Apparently he bought the property and made it as his underground practice."

"The abandoned water dam? But that's an hour away."

"Then fucking speed it up because I'm starting to feel bad about this, Bright." Gulf admitted when he clicked on a recent article about the professor that entails a possibility of re-opening the experimental study that he failed with WHO a few years back.

"Gulf?" Bright just got out of the highway and was pulling over by the side of the road that was surrounded by trees.

"I'm here." His omega confirmed as if sensing his next words.

"Gather Lio and the others preferably the older pack members. I'm shifting to reach the abandoned dam in record time; follow me as quickly as you can." After ending the call, Bright wasted no time before he took off his clothes and hastily threw it inside his car.

Looking around the empty road, he made sure there were no lingering eyes before he took off in full speed as he transformed to his midnight black wolf; all the while thinking of Win's smile from earlier this morning and how he would kill anyone if he never sees it again.

It didn't even take Bright more than half an hour to reach the location. It was scarce of any existing civilization except for the wild meadow that surrounded the dead property. Even then, he couldn't openly circle the area in broad daylight especially in his form.

"Where are you?" He communicated with his omega through their mind link as he tried to inch closer around the gated property.

"We're right up close but I had the others drive the SUV for later." Gulf answered him after some time.

"I need spare clothes." Bright announced making a small howl of laughter escape Gulf as the omega led their pack at the said location.

Lio Decapo was right beside Gulf, hearing the same conversation through their mind link and the older leader couldn't help the small amusement even with their given situation.

"I'm carrying extra clothes for everyone." Lio intervened their conversation as they continued to race in faster leaps.

Bright didn't waste his time waiting around the area doing nothing. He figured maybe if he studied the parameter then he'd be able to plan out an exit route for them later but now that he was looking inside, the older Alpha couldn't help but list down the potential downfall of this unplanned mission they are about to do.

Because in the first place, no one saw it coming that someone as sick as this professor would even want to harm their kind just for a selfish study. He knew his partnership with the Decapos brought a lot of unwanted attention on them but he didn't expect it to this extent.

To the point of putting their whole pack's existence on the line and what he hated the most is the fact that he was oblivious to this threat; and Win had to do deal with it silently behind everyone's back to protect them.

"Win, can you hear me?" Bright tested out their mind link even if their wolves never used it before.

"Maybe you can't but I'm praying you somehow do," Bright continued, nuzzling his nose against the heavy metal gates which looked a little brittle to him.

"I'm outside, Win. We're coming to get you." Bright promised just as he heard distant howls only to see his pack arriving behind him.

Lio and Gulf were the first ones to reach him where a bag was thrown at Bright which contained clothes for them to change in. Bright let out a small growl to warn the other to disperse around the area and not stay in one place considering their wolves were not dainty to pass as normal dogs.

"I need everyone to surround the area discreetly. We can't huddle in groups since I know for a fact there are hidden cameras around." The Alpha announced before he shifted back to his human form.

Gulf's wolf was quick to order the others away with a commanding howl before blocking his Alpha so Bright could change.

"Let us stay with you." Lio added before him and Gulf followed the Alpha upon shifting.

No further words were exchanged when the three of them huddled in a corner, away from the main gate where they noticed a small delivery truck from a distance.

"Gulf, were you able to look into the file I sent you?" Lio asked before pushing the younger men down when the gate started to open.

"Which one, Alpha Lio? The one that had the QR code in it?"

"Yes, that one. It has the scanned fingerprint of the professor that would be our access inside along with the map of the whole area."

The truck was nearing the gate and they had to execute how they should get in before the guards inspect the vehicle. Noticing this, Bright was quick to spot one of their pack members near the incoming vehicle.

"I have a plan." Gulf was quick to stop fiddling with his phone while he tried to access what Lio told him to. But before the omega could even ask about Bright's plan, the Alpha was already bolting away in the direction of the truck.

"Son, continue what you're doing I think I got what Bright is trying to do." Lio then signaled the pack member who was near the incoming vehicle to listen to him. The medium sized wolf was quick to pick on as he stared intently at the old man from across the road.

"Are you going to attack the truck?" Gulf whispered as he watched in anticipation while his fingers continued typing.

"We're just going to..." Then the old man counted to three, making sure the wolf being commanded understood his instructions before he closed his fist then made a go signal. "Scare them a little bit."

Then the two of them watched the truck stop just in front of a running Bright while the wolf that Lio commanded was quick to intervene and rattle the truck from the side. Moments later, Bright was able to drag out an unconscious driver out of it.

"Maybe Bright did take some qualities from me." The old man boasted before they took off to where Bright was, now with the truck under their operation.

"Chain him up, make sure he doesn't escape a limb without having to cut it off." The professor wheezed out as he tried to save his neck or what was left of the abused skin.

He was back in his lab office where they chained Win against the open wall that was also electrocuted. So, if the Alpha tries to even move a single inch against it, his body would be charged to 200 milliamps.

"We lost track of the other Alpha, professor." His assistant rushed in with the portable monitor. "It has stayed on the same spot for an hour now and the cameras were also disabled."

Grunting from where he stood in front of the mirror, professor Nguyen snatched the monitor to see for himself before muttering a string of words.

"Track the device down, I placed one on his clothes."

"It seems like his clothes stayed inside his car or he changed out of them too."

"Fuck!" The old man yelled in fury before requesting for an emergency meeting.

He was still reeling from anger which made him charge the electric blade to an unreasonable current before plunging it hard against Win's body.

"AHHH!" Win was quick to react as his eyes snapped open from the shock. His whole body was convulsing and he felt like someone was burning him from within.

"I'm not failing again! I refuse to fucking fail again!" Professor Nguyen said before repeating the process which further forced the Alpha to regain an unstable consciousness out of pain.

"S-Stop...it." Win managed to let out after the third charge. The pain was thrice now that he was conscious to everything especially when his back would make contact against the charged wall behind him too.

"If you just participated peacefully then it didn't have to come to this, Alpha." Standing in front of a panting Win, professor Nguyen made sure that he would hear all he has to say before he ends him.

"P-People like you who have all these selfish desires deserve nothing but failure." Win breathed out with a bloody smile. For a second, the rage behind the old man's eyes gave him a surge of braveness and even hope that if he was about to die, at least someone would never forget him.

That someone would think of him in his last hours.

"You're done for." Another current rocked Win's body making him howl in pain.

He was just about to say his last words when the younger Alpha noticed the heated blade that the professor held in his other hand when the laboratory windows busted open and he saw familiar faces behind the broken glass.

"And so are you." Win replied before banging his throbbing head against the professor's.

The following was a whirl of madness. The same scene that everyone expected to see straight out of an action sci-fi film; only it wasn't. It was really a battle against two creatures that no one would have expected to co-exist in this world.

"Gulf, take Win out of here!" Lio demanded after knocking one of the armed civilian with his raw fist.

"I'm trying, he's chained too well!" Gulf was forced to use his claws to punch the chains loose but he was worried that the force would electrocute Win against the wall.

"Win, can you hear me? Alpha?" Gulf patted his cheeks when he was able to clear both his legs off the chain.

"B-Bright...where is he?" Win's words slurred but his heavy eyes fought to get answers once he recognized the omega in front of him.

The sound of bones cracking and the human whimpers filled the room until they were able to hear howls between the occasional grunting sounds.

"Shhh, I need to get you out of here first, okay? Can you lean on me while I unchain your arms, Alpha?" Gulf rested an arm against Win's bloody figure to lean him away from the wall as he repeatedly punched the chain from both of Win's arms.

"Gulf, hurry up!" Lio demanded for the second time and the omega briefly looked back to check on the scene.

Good thing he did because he was welcomed with a metal pole hitting him right against his ribs. One of the armed men was just waiting for his opportunity before going in for another hit but this time, Gulf was prepared to meet the force halfway. Clutching the bent metal pole in his bare hands, Gulf twisted it along with the man's arm before pushing him back.

"That's for messing up my ribs you metal fucker." But he wasn't too fast for the other one who was coming for Win. The Alpha was too weak to raise his body or getaway from the force. He could only watch the armed man inch closer with a sharp knife that was aimed at his chest while he listened to Gulf's scream.

Win closed his eyes for the third time today.

He let his mind drift off to simpler times, his childhood adventures with his siblings, his university life, the day of his marriage and the first morning he woke up in Bright's arms.

Win though he was going to die alone. He was bracing himself for it but now the thought of dying with his trusted pack with him didn't sound too bad either. If he could only move an arm to protect himself and everyone, he would. He fucking would.

But he could only close his eyes tightly as he braced himself for the impact that never came.

In return, he was only rewarded with a grunt and the sound of a hard thump followed by a blade, slamming down.

Then warm familiar hands cradled his face. The same touch he woke up to this morning.

Holding in a sob, Win opened his eyes to greet the owner. His eyes burned but he couldn't get himself to look away. With the last ounce of energy, he forced his lips to say the words he never thought he would still be alive to utter. "You came."

"I'm here," Bright said before snapping the chains on both his arms with one punch where Win instantly fell straight to his mate's arms.

"I'm so sorry, Win...so sorry." Bright mumbled as he cradled Win's body against him. Win could only supply a small whimper both from the ache of his entire body and the feeling of being home in the middle of the battlefield.

Bright quickly moved to get them out when he noticed that more of his pack members were struggling to fight them off given the weapon advantage. He ordered the shifted wolves to guard the area outside just in case someone tries to escape or call for backup. He casted a conforming nod to Lio first before leaving which the old man responded to by knocking two men at a time.

"I'll be back!" Bright swore before taking off with with Win in his arms.

For the short time he was given to roam the building inside, Bright was quick to remember the hallways and possible routes they could take. He took note of the main entrances and opted for the fire exits knowing that by then, the main doors were all probably sealed.

"Hold on to me." Bright whispered against Win's neck when he started to climb down the stairs with careful steps.

"I-I am but I don't want you to suffocate." Win coughed out as he tried to seal his lips from emitting a painful whimper every time Bright would hop on a step and his body would feel the force.

There was a soft flutter that Bright felt when Win said that. The brief amusement of his words got to the older Alpha making him let out a small smile even when his heart was heavy for reasons he didn't want to know.

"You're not, trust me that's the last thing you'd do to me." The older Alpha paused from getting down the stairs so he could look down at Win.

When their eyes met, a hundred words were communicated between them and their hearts both prayed that somehow when this day ends, they would be given the chance to say it. Win was the first one to break the intimate stare as he wrapped both his aching arms around Bright's neck.

When they were able to go out of the building, their pack members who were driving the SUV were the first one to greet them in Bright's relief. He knew they were running out of time and the others needed him but the pain of handing over his mate to someone else's arms left a great distaste with him.

"Be careful," Bright couldn't help but hiss as he transferred Win's body to one of their men. The younger Alpha barely stirred, far too evident that whatever sick beating they did clearly affected him.

And Bright knew he wasn't making it any easier for the both of them when he saw Win opened his eyes for a brief moment to catch one last look at his mate. Bright stopped thinking altogether as he only listened to the pounding of his heart before he leaned down to press a hard kiss against Win's mouth. Capturing the soft lips he dreamt off at night. Their lips touching for the briefest but sweetest lock that made both their toes curl as Bright gently pecked the younger's lips repeatedly.

A kiss that he hoped could make up for all his wrongs. A kiss that could heal and one that Win would remember for the rest of his days.

With or without him.

"Get some rest, I'll come back for you." Bright softly whispered, a burning set of tears threatened to escape from his own eyes.

The last thing that Bright allowed himself to see was Win's faint smile and how he would kill to see it again before he took off to go back inside.

When Bright came back, all the armed men were laid out in the middle. Some were out cold, others were groaning in pain while some bathed in their own blood.

"That's all of them but we have a problem." Gulf was the first one to acknowledge Bright as everyone was too busy securing the area.

"The other personnel handing this study alongside professor Nguyen locked themselves inside the secret rooms. We won't be able to have access from them but I was able to tract all the exists and have our men guard them from outside so no one escapes. But we'll run out of time if we search this whole building for it." Gulf explained to his Alpha.

Bright momentarily looked at the said professor who was knocked to his gut with wounds that clearly reflected the existence of the creatures he wanted to study about.

"Get everyone out of here and gather with the others by the car. I'll lock the whole thing down."

Gulf felt his heart drop once those words left Bright's mouth. The omega was quick to haul his friend out of the room to inspect if what he heard was true.

"Do you hear what you just said? We're not leaving you here." Gulf pointed out even if he knew that nothing could change Bright's mind.

"I'm commanding you as an Alpha, Gulf. Don't make me repeat my orders and get everyone out of this damn building and away from the area as I lock everything down."

"And I'm commanding you as your friend to listen and let us think of another way to execute this!"

In a quick second, Gulf was slammed on a nearby wall with a hand against his shirt. The two friends stared each other down with a painful realization on both their parts.

"There is no other way. Everyone from this assembled team knows of our kind, the other rooms have samples of our DNA and compilation of our existence that they've collected through the years. We need this whole thing wiped out, do you understand me?" Bright drilled on his friend with begging eyes but he couldn't stop the tears that spilled when the weight of his own words finally settled.

"You know I was uprooted since I was young to give it my all for when I rule my pack one day. But loyalty wasn't my greatest side especially with my marriage but I want you all to know that when it comes to my whole pack, my loyalty would always die there. No questions asked." Bright turned to look at his men inside and to Lio who had his eyes on the young Alpha. A small acknowledgment of what was about to happen crossed the old man and he gave Bright a nod of encouragement despite the heaviness of his own heart.

"If there's one person who knew me and how messed up I viewed the world we were born in while I grew up it was you. I know I hardly trust anyone but I trust you to follow me, just this one last time." But Gulf didn't have the chance to disagree with his friend before Bright swung his fist to knock Gulf out. With one last look at his pack's retrieving back who now hauled an unconscious Gulf away, Bright eyed the transparent button that now held the future for both of their kinds.

He held on the phone that Lio handed him before they left. He was watching how they safely made it out of the building and were now settling inside the car. He made sure all their other members who were guarding the perimeter have evacuated and no one was left inside except for people who only had their own greed to live with.

Then he pressed the self destruct button counting from a minute.

60, 59, 58, 57

The SUV swiftly pulled out of the gate where the guards were scattered around in cold bodies.

56, 55, 54, 53

Bright watched them zoom out of the deserted road until the area looked void of life. He was able to hear the distant yells from other rooms as the bell blared with flashing red lights.

40, 39, 38, 37

He raised the phone to his ear on the fourth ring.

"Are you clear?" He asked before walking to face the tainted window that overlooked the setting sun.

"Yeah, we're nearing the highway." It was Lio. The old man could barely keep his tone from cracking now that he met Win's eyes from across the car.

"Is that him? Is that Bright?" Bright could hear his mate ask from the other end. The familiar ache of what he felt the night Win walked through the door with a slumped body came back to him.

"Let me talk to him, please. Why isn't he here inside the car with us?" Win demanded even when he felt every fiber of his body giving out. Lio had no other option but to surrender the phone.

No matter how hard Bright reminded him not to, the old man couldn't stomach the fact that if this was it, they could at least hear each other's voice for the last time.

"Bright? Where the fuck are you? Why aren't you here?" Win's voice cracked as he cradled the phone against his ear.

25, 24, 23, 22

"I'm still here inside." Bright replied with a breathy sigh. "I need to make sure everyone's out before I deal with these people myself then I'll follow right behind."

"You're lying." Win was quick to counter when the younger Alpha heard the faint blare of the countdown bell.

"Didn't I tell you..." Bright couldn't get his words out when the first set of tears streamed down his cheeks. "I told you to get some rest then I'll come back for you. You're not resting right now."

"Damn it, Bright! Stop the car!" He heard Win yell as faint murmurs of everyone telling him to calm down filled the speakers.

17, 16, 15, 14

"Win, listen to me." Bright demanded when he heard the chaos subsided for quite a bit. "Get back on the phone I need to tell you something."

"You fucking swore you'd come back. You...you kissed me and told me you'd come back. Get out of there." Win pleaded just as Bright's words registered on him.

Flashes of Win's smile the first time Bright saw him walk down the aisle when they got married clogged Bright's mind.

He was suddenly hearing Win's laugh around the house that he would secretly listen to from his home office.

The nights where he'd turn on their bed and Win's sleeping face would face him.

When he woke up that morning for the first time as he held Win's body against his own, their bodies intertwined along with their hands.

He remembered the first question that Win asked him when they were inside the car on the way to their new house when they got married.

"Um, so...what do you want to call each other?" The younger Alpha blurted out with a nervous laugh.

"Can you say my name then?" Bright demanded after a short moment. Win was lost as his heart stammered against his aching chest the more he watched them drive farther away.

Win wanted to complain and lash out but the longer he sat there as he stared at everyone who barely managed to make it out alive, he started to understand the situation.

But that didn't mean it didn't kill him to accept it.

"Just get out of there..." Win weakly demanded for the last time as he heard the bell announce a 10 second countdown.

"You asked me on our wedding day inside the car what we wanted to call each other, do you remember?"

8, 7, 6, 

"Of course I remember." Win let out a silent sob before admitting.

"Then call me Bright for the last time but pretend that we're existing in another lifetime where we're happily married."

"Bright---"

The older Alpha watched the sun dive under the orange hues of the sky the same time his whole surroundings turned red.

3, 2, 1

"I promise to love you there, Win. I promise to love you right in our next life."

Then the call dropped followed by the loudest explosion that quaked the vicinity of the road they were driving on as it continued to shoot up the sky in parting blows.

Wiping the tears he tried to keep at bay, Win was brought back in present time when the air weeped coldly against his shivering body. He remembered all those winters where he'd feel the same coldness and he'd often wonder how warm it must be to feel his mate's embrace if he wanted to.

And the answer baffled him because he knew if things didn't happen the way they did, he could have an answer for that. Only now, he could only wreck his memory to remember what it felt like to have his mate's arms around him.

But even in their last hours, Win remembered being in Bright's arms that day.

With shaking fingers, the young Alpha threaded his fingers to open the letter he wrote. The ink was messy just like his font because his tears wouldn't subside when he wrote it.

"You asked me during that phone call if I remembered the first question I asked you during our wedding day," Win stuttered out a silent laugh when the memories hit him like a broken record.

"Then I said yes because there was no way I could forget. But then I never had the chance to answer you when you told me to call you Bright and pretend that we were happily married in another lifetime because...because..." The young Alpha failed to continue as he felt his heart contract every time the scene played right before his eyes.

The phone against his ear. His eyes trained on the distant road they were evacuating. Bright's voice on the other end of the phone. The countdown of the ticking bomb.

"Because we ran out of time but if we had another second to stay on that call, I would of told you the same thing. I know we never had the chance to sort out our relationship and what was left of it but I knew your heart didn't try to force the care you had for me. For some reason, I knew you cared even if we didn't treat each other like it. Because somehow, I knew you loved me in ways that didn't make any sense. But in this life, we needed to sacrifice our love for our whole pack to live."

As if the sky matched Win's heart, the rain came pouring down in harsh droplets that soaked him to his toes. He knew he needed to go soon. After all he was the only one left to lead the whole pack that Bright sacrificed himself for.

"I just want you to know that five years later, I still remember the last kiss you gave me," Win paused with a touch to his lips before continuing the line he never got to say, "And in another lifetime if we were happily married, all I want is for you to come home to me. No matter how long it takes, Bright."

Win closed the letter before taping it against the burnt pavement of what was once the professors's underground practice where he lost the love he never thought he'd have.