Mated at midnight

I tore down the street, lungs burning like they were laced with acid, legs jelly-soft but somehow still moving. Fast. Faster. But not fast enough.They were behind me again.I could hear them—heavy boots pounding against wet pavement, splashing through puddles, voices sharp and brutal cutting through the night air.“There! He went left!”“Don’t let him get away!”Three of them this time. I recognized the one with the buzz cut in a black leather jacket. He always seemed to be there. He looked like he belonged on the cover of some edgy fashion magazine, all chiseled jaw and too much cologne. But hot or not, he was still trying to ruin my life.Why me? Why always me?My name is Jayden Hart. I’m twenty-two years old. No parents. No family. No idea who I even really am. I’ve lived in Nocturne City since I was born—or at least, that’s what I assume. I don’t have any memories before I was five. That’s where everything starts for me. A blank slate before that. No birthdays, no bedtime stories

I don’t sleep. I haven’t in years. The insomniac Alpha. I’ve been called worse, but none of the labels really bother me anymore. They’re all meaningless. My name is Zane Ryker, and the night—my night—belongs to me. When you live as long as I have, you learn that sleep is just a weakness, a necessity of the young, the mortal. I’m neither. I’m an Alpha—three hundred years old, and I’ve conquered everything I’ve ever set my eyes on. But sleep, sleep eludes me, just as the last fragments of my humanity do.The city below me is nothing but a sea of lights, shadows, and meaningless noise. The low hum of Lunaris, my kingdom in the heart of Nocturne City, reverberates through my bones as I sit in my office, overlooking it all. The music, the laughter, the subtle thrill of desperation and pleasure—it’s all in my control. I own the night. I own this city. No one dares to challenge me, and those who try? Well, they learn the hard way why I’ve remained untouchable for centuries.I stand by the wi

I spent the rest of the night parked on the couch in Zane’s office, with nothing to do except watch him reject and accept new hires that Lucien brought in. Each decision came with a casual: “weak”, “soft”, "pale", “okay”, “not bad”. He barely looked up, just scrolled through his tablet, answering calls in that emotionless tone of his and every now and then, I’d catch him glancing at me.Bored out of my mind, I pulled out my phone and started playing COD. It had been so long since I had absolutely nothing to do and was not worried about my chasers. I lost track of time until my phone buzzed with a low battery warning.“Excuse me,” I said, glancing up at him. “Can I use your charger? My phone is low.” Without a word, he passed the charger and went right back to his screen. What was he even looking at on that thing?Once my phone was charging, I was now completely out of distractions. And so, I turned to my new boss who is yet to assign any job to me other than telling me to “stay put”

I didn’t see Zane for the rest of the day. Not a whisper. Not a shadow. Not even a passing scent of that cedar-frost Alpha aura. He just stayed in his room all day. Instead, Lucien showed up early in the afternoon with a tray of food. “Eat,” he said, setting the tray on the desk in my room with a dramatic flourish. “And while you’re eating, let’s cover basic survival etiquette for living at Silverspire.” He didn’t wait for me to argue. “One,” Lucien held up a finger. “Don’t go into Zane’s room. Ever. That includes standing too close to the door and thinking about going in. The house can tell.” I raised an eyebrow. “It can… tell?” “This place is wired with ancient magic and it responds to the Alpha. Two—don’t touch anything glowing, floating, or whispering. Unless you want to get launched into the astral plane, or worse—another dimension where taxes still exist.” I opened my mouth. “Yes, that actually happened to someone,” he added before I could ask. He paused dramati

“Zane. Zane.”The voice echoed faintly, like it was calling through water.“Wake him up! Undo whatever the hell you did to him—now!”Who’s yelling?“I didn’t do anything!”My brain felt like sludge. Someone was shaking me.“Zane, wake up. Mr. Alpha. Alpha Zane? Fuck! Why aren’t you waking up?!”A sharp sting landed on my shoulder, snapping the darkness like glass.My eyes flew open just as Jayden raised his hand again.“You’re awake,” he breathed, stepping back in relief.Before I could respond, Lucien shoved past him and crouched beside me.“Zane—are you okay? What the hell happened?”I pushed myself upright. My limbs were heavy. Everything felt... slow.“What happened?” I asked, scanning the room. It was dim—the sun already gone.“You slept. The entire day,” he said, eyes filled with concern.“I did what?” I shot wide awake, heart thudding. My mind raced to recall the last thing. Jayden—he was having a panic attack. I told him to come to my room. He laid down on the bed. And then… n