Chapter 1: The Omega in the Alley

Rain bled from the sky in a cold drizzle that soaked through the back alleys of Sector 12. The city glowed in muted neons, colors smeared by mist and grime. Trash clung to the walls like wet paper skin, and puddles reflected broken signage and tired stars. Somewhere far off, sirens groaned like wounded animals. The underbelly of Helios City never slept—it merely curled tighter into itself.

Alek Renwick stepped from his sleek transport, the door sliding shut behind him with a hiss. The heels of his boots echoed as he crossed the alley, a shortcut he rarely used unless necessity drove him. He wasn't dressed for rain, but he never was. The wetness didn't bother him. Nothing really did anymore.

He was a man forged from discipline. Groomed for control. His presence carried weight—the kind that pressed down on a room before he even spoke. Tall, broad-shouldered, eyes like ice—he wore power like a second skin, but tonight something cracked beneath it.

His coat billowed as he turned a corner—and stopped.

Something was wrong with the air.

It wasn't the scent of rot or spilled synth-alcohol. It wasn't the stench of piss, diesel, or the sweet decay of addiction. It was instinctual. Animal. Pheromonal.

Omega.

He inhaled sharply, every muscle in his spine locking tight. The hairs on his arms rose before the logic could reach him.

There, crumpled against a brick wall, was a body. Small. Barely clothed. Shaking.

Alek's breath turned sharp, nostrils flaring. The scent hit him harder the closer he moved. Heat. Not fresh—but not finished. Faint tremors still shook the fragile frame, and Alek realized the Omega was either unconscious or close to it. Vulnerable in a way that made Alek's instincts claw at his throat.

He approached, his mind battling with his biology.

"Hey," he said, his voice low, non-threatening. He crouched beside the body, his eyes scanning for signs of trauma. "Are you—"

A whimper.

The Omega stirred. His lips were split. Blood crusted beneath one nostril. His left eye was swollen nearly shut. Still, when he moved, it was with a flicker of awareness, a ghost of resistance. His body jerked back against the wall.

"Don’t—"

The word was a broken rasp.

Alek held up his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're in heat. You're not safe out here."

That earned him a snarl. The boy—because he was young, far too young to be left like this—bared his teeth like a cornered animal.

"Don’t touch me."

Alek respected the command. He stayed where he was, crouched, watching.

He didn’t know why he hadn’t already called for medtech. Or left. This wasn’t his problem. He had meetings to prepare for. Shareholder vultures to placate. His entire life was built on efficiency, not entanglement. And yet here he was, rain soaking through his thousand-cred coat, crouched in filth beside a broken Omega with bite marks on his throat and bruises on his arms.

Not fresh. Old. Patterned.

This wasn't a heat gone wrong. This was a life lived on the edge of violence.

He could see faint scars on the Omega’s collarbone, lines too deliberate to be accidental. Brands, maybe. Ownership. Alek’s stomach twisted.

The Omega swayed, and without thinking, Alek reached out to steady him.

"Don’t—"

He flinched, but this time he didn’t pull away. Maybe because he was too tired. Maybe because some part of him recognized Alek wasn’t a threat. Not yet.

Their eyes met for the first time.

Grey. Stormy. Eyes that had seen too much. That still burned despite it.

Alek’s chest tightened.

Something about that gaze rattled him. It wasn’t fear that lingered in the boy’s eyes. It was something darker. Resignation. Like he’d already given up, but his body hadn’t caught up yet.

He exhaled, slow. "What's your name?"

The Omega didn’t answer.

Alek tried again, softer. "You need help."

Still silence.

"I can get you somewhere warm. No touching. No binding. Just a bed. And suppressants, if you want them."

The Omega blinked slowly. His voice cracked when he finally spoke.

"Liar."

Alek felt that cut deeper than he expected. His jaw clenched.

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm just giving you a choice."

Rain poured harder now. Thunder rolled over the city, distant but coming closer.

The Omega closed his eyes, and for a second Alek thought he’d passed out.

Then he whispered: "Kai."

Alek leaned closer. "What?"

"My name. It’s Kai."

He stood slowly and offered a hand.

Kai stared at it for a long time. His fingers twitched, hesitant, as if touching might shatter him.

Then, finally, he took it.

Alek pulled him gently to his feet. Kai wobbled but didn’t fall. The contact sent a ripple through Alek’s nerves. Nothing carnal—just the overwhelming sense that he was holding something breakable. Something sacred.

"You live nearby?" Kai asked, voice hoarse.

"No. But I have a place."

"Then take me before I change my mind."

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