Chapter 6: The Alpha Who Bleeds First

“Don’t move.”

Kael’s hands were steady as he drew symbols on the stone floor. Blood mingled with ash. The ancient ritual chamber smelled of death and old magic.

Eiren sat in the center of the circle, his body too weak to run even if he wanted to. Candles surrounded him, their flames casting shadows that danced across the walls.

“This is wrong,” Eiren’s voice cracked. “Please, stop.”

“It’s already started,” Kael said as he finished the last symbol. He picked up the ceremonial blade, its metal gleaming in the candlelight. “Once the circle is complete, there’s no going back.”

“Then don’t complete it.” Eiren tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t support him. “Kael, please. I’m not worth this.”

“We’ve had this argument,” Kael said as he knelt across from him. “You lost.”

“You can’t just decide to die for me.”

“Watch me.” Kael pressed the blade against his palm. “The ritual requires alpha blood,freely given, willingly sacrificed."

“No.” Eiren lunged forward, his hand closing around Kael’s wrist. “Don’t. Don’t do this.”

Their eyes met. Kael’s burned gold, but beneath that, Eiren saw something else: fear, determination, love.

“Let go,” Kael said gently. “I need to do this.”

“Why?” Eiren’s grip tightened. “Why does it have to be you?”

“Because you’re mine to protect.” Kael’s free hand cupped Eiren’s face. “And I failed you. This bond is killing you because I wasn’t strong enough to make it right.”

not your fault.

“Isn’t it?” Kael’s thumb brushed across Eiren’s cheek. “I claimed you without asking, sealed a bond when your body was already broken. I did this to you.”

“And I’d rather die than watch you fix it this way.” Tears streamed down Eiren’s face. “Please, just let me go. Let the bond break. Let me”

“Die?” Kael’s voice hardened. “Never.”

He pulled his wrist free, and the blade sliced across his palm in one smooth motion.

Blood welled up, dark and thick. It dripped onto the symbols below, causing them to glow.

“No.” Eiren tried to grab him again, but Kael caught his hands.

“Stay in the circle.” Kael positioned Eiren’s hands palm-up. “Whatever happens next, don’t break the formation.”

“Kael”

“Trust me,” Kael said, pressing his bleeding palm against Eiren’s. “Just this once. Trust me.”

The bond between them ignited.

Pain shot through Eiren’s chest. He gasped, doubling over, but Kael held his hands firmly, maintaining the connection.

“The bond is consuming you because it has nowhere to go,” Kael’s voice strained. “Your body can’t handle it. So I’m going to take it back,all of it: the burden, the pain, everything.”

“That will kill you.”

“Probably,” Kael said, his grip tightening. “But it’ll save you, and that’s all that matters.”

The symbols flared brighter, radiating heat that was suffocating and intense. Eiren felt the bond shift,twisting and changing direction.

It was pulling away from him, flowing back into Kael.

“Stop.” Eiren tried to pull his hands away, but Kael wouldn’t let go. “You’re killing yourself.”

“I know.” Blood dripped from Kael’s nose. His body trembled. “But you’ll live. That’s enough.”

“It’s not enough,” Eiren’s voice rose. “Do you think I want to survive knowing you died for me? Do you think I can live with that?”

“You’ll have to.” Kael’s eyes began to bleed, the gold turning crimson. “Because I’m not giving you a choice.”

The bond pulled harder. Eiren felt it tearing away from his core, ripping through his chest. But instead of relief, he felt emptiness—loss.

He was losing Kael,not just their bond, but all of him.

“Please,” Eiren begged. “Please stop. I can’t do this without you.”

“Yes, you can,” Kael’s voice grew weaker. “You’re stronger than you know.”

tears fell onto their joined hands. nothing without you.

“You’re everything,” Kael smiled, blood staining his teeth. “You just haven’t figured that out yet.”

The bond snapped.

Eiren screamed. The pain was worse than before,worse than rejection, worse than dying.

Because this time, he wasn’t losing a bond he never wanted; he was losing the one thing that made him feel alive.

Kael collapsed forward, but Eiren caught him, their hands still locked together.

“No, no, no.” Eiren cradled Kael’s head. “Stay with me, please. Don’t leave me.”

“Not leaving,” Kael whispered softly. “Just resting.”

“You’re dying.” Eiren looked down at their joined hands. Kael’s blood was everywhere,too much blood. “Oh God, what did you do?”

“Saved you,” Kael said, his eyes struggling to focus. “Worth it.”

“It’s not worth it if you’re dead.” Eiren pressed his forehead against Kael’s. “Come back. Please, come back to me.”

But Kael’s eyes were closing, and his breathing slowed.

The bond between them pulsed once, twice, and then stopped.

“No.” Eiren shook him. “Kael, wake up. You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to save me and then leave.”

Nothing.

Eiren’s chest felt hollow and empty, as if something vital had been carved out and taken away.

He had spent his entire life wishing he were dead. And now, when someone had finally given him a reason to live, that person was dying instead.

Eiren whispered against Kael's still face. so sorry I wasn't strong enough to save us both.

Something stirred in his chest,not the bond, but something else, something deeper.

Power.

It started small,a flicker, a whisper. Then it grew.

Heat spread through Eiren’s veins. His body straightened. The weakness that had plagued him for days,indeed, his entire life,began to fade.

The door slammed open.

“Seize him!” the head elder’s voice rang through the chamber. “Kael Vorthran has performed forbidden magic. He is to be”

The elder stopped, his eyes widening.

Eiren looked up, sensing a change within himself,his body, his scent, his very essence were shifting.

“The omega,” another council member stepped forward. “His scent—it’s—”

“Impossible.” The elder’s face went pale. “He’s defective. He can’t”

“Can’t what?” Eiren’s voice changed,stronger, more commanding. “Be more than you decided I was?”

He stood. His legs held him steady, without trembling. His body felt solid—real—for the first time in his life.

The power in his chest grew stronger, pulsing outward and filling the room.

The guards moved toward him. “The council orders your”

“I don’t take orders anymore.” Eiren’s eyes swept over them. His scent filled the chamber,heavy, undeniable. “Not from you. Not from anyone.”

One of the guards stumbled backward. “That scent,it’s not omega.”

“No,” the head elder’s voice shook. “It can’t be.”

But it was.

Eiren could feel it,the force that had been dormant inside him his entire life: hidden, suppressed, and waiting.

He was not defective.

He was truly something else.

“What are you?” the elder demanded.

Eiren looked at Kael’s unconscious form and the blood pooling beneath him,the alpha who had given everything to save him.

“I’m done being afraid,” Eiren’s voice echoed through the chamber. “I’m done being weak. I’m done letting you decide my worth.”

“Guards,” the elder’s voice rose. “Restrain him. Now.”

The guards advanced, chains clinking in their hands.

Eiren lifted his head, and his eyes met theirs. For the first time in his life, he did not look away.

The command hit the room like a physical force,absolute and undeniable.

The guards' knees buckled, and they hit the ground hard, unable to resist.

Even the elder swayed, his face contorted with shock and fear.

“What” he struggled against the invisible pressure. “What are you?”

Eiren didn’t answer. He knelt beside Kael, drawing him close. The power thrummed through his veins,foreign, yet somehow right.

A council member who had remained standing took a step forward,an alpha: strong and defiant.

“This is impossible,” the alpha’s voice shook. “No omega has this kind of power.”

Eiren looked up at him, and their eyes met.

“Kneel,” Eiren commanded again.

The alpha’s body resisted. His face flushed with effort, and his muscles tensed.

But slowly and inevitably, his knees bent.

He fell.

And the chamber fell silent.