0:02

I spent 20 years pretending to be an alpha. Now my rival has got me pinned to a hotel bed, driving deep into my room over and over.

0:14

The gland on my nape is bitten raw. Oh fuck me like...

0:24

Please, don't finish inside... Damn it. I didn't want to get pregnant.

0:30

Today is Lily's naming ceremony. Half of New York's upper crust crams into the Hartwell estate.

0:37

I stand in the nursery, pulling a white dress over Lily's head.

0:43

She just woke up. Amber eyes. Half lidded. Staring up at me. I hold that gaze for three seconds.

0:51

Then I look away. Blackthorn amber. A genetic mark passed down through every alpha in their line.

1:01

I knew this before I ever got pregnant. It's the fact I've dreaded all year.

1:05

I pull her against my chest and press my forehead to hers. Her baby powder scent carries the faintest trace of cedar.

1:13

Felix's alpha pheromone residue soaked into her from the womb. No amount of suppressants can scrub it out.

1:21

Doesn't matter. Everyone will assume it rubbed off from my alpha scent.

1:27

An alpha father holding his baby, smelling like an alpha.

1:32

Nothing strange, nobody will think twice. I turn to the mirror for one final check.

1:42

The suppressant patch sits flush against my nape gland, shirt collar hiding its edges.

1:49

Synthetic alpha pheromone spray, cedar and cold iron, coats my skin in an even layer.

1:55

Burying the salted caramel underneath. This is my alpha scent. Twenty years of pretending.

2:04

Satisfied, I carry Lily downstairs. The guests warm.

2:13

Look at those eyes. The spitting image of a heart-willed alpha.

2:21

All the best heart-willed genes. Born with the heart field bearing, Arthur's got his heir.

2:33

Of course, my grandson made her. How could she not be perfect?

2:41

Arthur thumps his cane. His cloudy eyes brim with pride.

2:46

Unlike the Blackthorns, this generation, not a single heir.

2:53

Serves them right. My arms tighten around Lily.

2:57

Grandpa, you're talking about your great-granddaughter's other family.

3:03

I'll take this to my grave. Hartwell and Blackthorn are sworn enemies. My daughter is the sole Blackthorn heir of this generation.

3:11

The only one. I need to change the subject fast. Grandpa, babies have weak immune systems.

3:20

Let me take Lily back upstairs to rest. The longer we're out here, the higher the risk.

3:27

I have no idea what Arthur would do if he found out his alpha heir is an Omega. Of course my mouth has other plans.

3:34

Arthur says, fine. And a scream rips through the hall.

3:47

She's awake, my rotten luck. Every good wish backfires.

3:59

I fumble to soothe her. The harder I try, the louder Lily screams until half the party can hear her.

4:06

Total chaos. Then the crowd ripples. Wait, the baby has amber eyes.

4:17

Look at that. Maybe I'm seeing things, but those amber eyes look just like the blackthorn outfits.

4:25

Even Arthur frowns. He's never seen Lily with her eyes open.

4:31

I clap a hand over Lily's face. My brain misfires and I blurt out. Her mother is biracial.

4:39

Smooth, an alpha hooks up with a biracial omega, biracial genes, amber eyes. Makes perfect sense.

4:47

If anyone found out I'd had my sworn enemy's kid, my great-grandfather would claw out of his coffin.

4:53

Then across the room, a voice biting clenched.

5:00

Nice try, Zane. You really expect anyone to buy that?

5:05

When exactly did you find a biracial omega? How come I didn't know? My stomach drops.

5:12

I step back. Felix Blackthorn.

5:18

The crowd parts, not by choice. Alpha pheromone pressure shoves them aside. Baiters stumble.

5:25

Lower tier alphas turn their heads. Felix walks through, black custom suit.

5:30

Sleeves rolled up, forearms corded with veins. Dark brown hair. Not a strand out of place.

5:37

He looks like a drawn blade. Then he looks up amber eyes.

5:43

The same gold as the baby in my arms. Fixed on my daughter. His cedar scent hit my lungs.

5:50

My omega instinct flinched. I locked my knees.

5:58

My knees buckle for a split second. Just one. I bite the inside of my lip. Rust floods my tongue.

6:05

Pain keeps my legs under me. My gland burns. Felix's pheromones are a blowtorch against my defenses.

6:14

Cedar, cigar, rain-soaked earth. Every step closer, my omega instinct screams, Kneel.

6:24

No, I grip Lily's blanket until my knuckles go white. I am an alpha. Arthur steps between us.

6:31

Kane striking the floor. You weren't invited, Felix.

6:37

His pheromens clash with Felix's cedar. The two families' alpha scents repel each other on contact.

6:43

Everyone can smell it. These houses do not mix.

6:50

I take my chance and bolt for the stairs. Felix is faster.

6:57

He blocks my path. The crimson hasn't fully faded from his irises. The pressure of his scent makes my legs shake.

7:08

Zane, the baby's fa- Lily erupts again. Louder than before, shrieking.

7:16

I can't answer. I'm too busy trying to calm her. But nothing works. She writhes and kicks.

7:23

Then a voice above my head. Let me hold her.

7:32

I want to say no, but Lily is incontrollable. I can't control her.

7:37

I grit my teeth and hand her over. The moment Felix's arms close around Lily, the crying stops.

7:47

Lily blinks. Her amber eyes find his amber eyes. Same color, one big, one small.

7:54

Like looking in a mirror, she goes quiet. In her alpha father's arms, she settles.

8:03

Pheromone resonance. A child born of an alpha and an omega instinctively gravitates toward the alpha father's scent.

8:13

The most basic law of abo biology. Felix notices. His arms stiffen.

8:19

He looks down at his daughter's calm face, then at the amber eyes that match his own.

8:26

Slowly, he raises his head, crimson still ringing his pupils. He meets my eyes.

8:34

Zane, whose baby is this? I clap back without thinking.

8:39

I just told you, her mother is biracial. I had a brief thing with an Omega overseas.

8:47

She didn't want to be involved, I paid her off. But as he passes me, he stops. One second.

8:55

Volume only I can hear. Zane. I know it was you that night.

9:02

He walks out. I stand frozen. Cold sweat down my back.

9:06

His pheromone residue clings to my skin like a brand on my name. How does he know?

9:14

That night with Felix was an accident. Hartwell and Blackthorn are sworn enemies, but he and I grew up together.

9:23

Blame our grandfather's obsession with one-upping each other. Every time we met, it turned into a bragging match between the old men.

9:32

Felix's parents were fine, they didn't hate the Hartwells. It was Arthur and Richard who couldn't stand each other.

9:43

Then something went wrong between us. I pulled away first.

9:48

The accident happened at the Vanderbilt Annual Charity Gala. The biggest social event in NYC's upper crust.

9:56

Both families always attend, but they stick to their corners. An armed truce in black tie.

10:02

That night, Felix was there across the ballroom, half a room away and I could smell him.

10:08

His alpha pheromones cut through the crowd and drilled straight into my nose. Suppressants couldn't block it.

10:18

My omega instinct has never behaved around him.

10:22

Every time I catch Felix's scent, my body flips a switch.

10:28

Temperature rising, nape heating, knees wanting to...

10:36

I ducked into a bathroom stall. Pulled out the cover-up spray. Unloaded it.

10:44

Back in the ballroom, I grabbed a whiskey from the open bar. One sip, then I stopped.

10:53

Wrong taste. Not alcohol. Something bitter, chemical.

11:01

Nothing I'd ever tasted before. Pheromone trigger. Someone slipped a pheromone trigger into my drink. Who?

11:10

When? Why? Doesn't matter. My temperature is climbing. Nape first.

11:19

Then my ears. Then my whole face, flushing. Meat is coming. I have to get out.

11:27

Now. I set down the glass and stagger toward the side exit.

11:33

Through the crowd, Felix sent Groze thicker closer.

11:41

He knew something's wrong. His voice came behind me. Zing.

11:49

I turned. Felix stood at the other end of the corridor.

11:57

His amber eyes had darkened, nostrils flaring. He smelt my omega scent.

12:06

I watch his pupils shift. Gold darkening, red bleeding in.

12:14

Just him and me in the corridor. He took a step toward me. I took a step back.

12:21

My shoulder blades hit the wall. Nowhere left to go. I tried to run past him. Heat hit too fast.

12:28

My hand drifted to my nape. Rubbing on instinct. The patch ripped off.

12:34

The moment my gland hit open air. The fake alpha scent evaporated.

12:39

Synthetic cedar and cold iron was gone.

12:45

Real salted caramel and black tea flooded out like a dam breaking.

12:49

He stopped one meter away, chest heaving, nostrils flaring. He smelled it.

12:55

Then something dropped inside my lower belly. Like my organs were rearranging themselves, pulling down in waves.

13:02

Pain buckled me over. I remembered what my friend and Dr. Theo told me.

13:11

During heat, an Omega's womb descends from dormancy. The body prepares for conception.

13:17

His words turned into blades, cutting me from the inside out. I slid down the wall.

13:26

Felix's rut triggered on contact. Crimson pupils locked on me. Canines showing.

13:33

Veins climbing from forearms to neck. He was fighting it, but his body had already chosen.

13:47

Our pheromones crashed in that narrow corridor. My head spun. His hand locked around my wrist.

13:57

His burning fingers pressed against the pulse point on my inner wrist. My heartbeat pounded like a caged animal under his grip.

14:06

He pulled me into a guest room on the second floor, he pinned me to the door, his nose brushed mine, then drifted lower.

14:16

Like he was confirming something. His breath hit my cheek, then my jaw, then my neck, then my gland.

14:27

Snorching heat. My whole body trembled. Reason disintegrated.

14:36

Every inch of my skin was starving for an alpha's touch.

14:42

Wetness I'd never felt before cooled between my thighs.

14:51

My body was preparing itself, slipping the path for an alpha to enter.

15:00

Help me. The words slipped out. I didn't even know I was saying them. Felix froze.

15:09

His hand stopped Mida, hovering over my waist without touching. Zane.

15:18

Are you sure? Even in rut, he asked.

15:23

His voice was wrecked, barely human. I grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him down.

15:33

The fabric tore under my grip. Omega seducing Alpha.

15:39

I used to think that was textbook theory, but in heat, my body knew exactly what to do.

15:50

My brain was the one lagging behind. Suddenly, Felix's canines drove into my gland.

16:00

Pheromones flooded in like a tidal wave. Temporary mark.

16:06

Bite and pheromone injection only. No not lock, reversible.

16:13

fades in about two weeks.

16:24

Pain from the bite and the bonding heat collided. I couldn't hold back the sound.

16:29

Too much, everything at once. Most of that night is a blur.

16:37

Only a few images stayed sharp.

16:47

Hands pinned above me. Ragged breathing. Currents of electricity every time his teeth reclamped on my gland.

16:55

Wave after wave surging up from below, flooding my belly, reaching my womb.

17:03

And after, his arms locked around me, like he was making sure I wouldn't disappear.

17:09

I don't know how many times. I don't know when I stopped fighting it.

17:14

I only know that by morning, the sheets smelled like cedar and salted caramel twisted together, and the bite on my nape was already starting to bruise.

17:21

His heart beat against my palm, fast. Woke up the next morning. Body sore.

17:30

I caught sight of Felix beside me. He lay still, eyes closed, hand resting on my waist.

17:37

Possessive even in sleep. My brain stalled for a few seconds. The bite mark on my neck throbbed.

17:44

His pheromone still lingered inside me. Now the biggest problem. Felix Blackthorn knew my deepest secret.

17:52

Zane Hartwell is not an alpha. Zane Hartwell is an omega. My blood ran cold.

17:58

I looked at his face. My hand drifted to his abs without thinking. Stayed for one second.

18:06

Impressive. But this wasn't the time. I couldn't give him chance to reveal my secret.

18:13

I had to leave. I scrubbed every trace, blocked Felix on everything

18:23

Went back to my apartment, stocked up on emergency suppressants and fresh alpha spray

18:29

No going back now I stared at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test

18:39

My hands trembled as I dropped it into the trash can, then fished it right back out

18:46

A heartwell alpha air pregnant was the same as telling the whole world I was an omega. That was a death sentence.

18:54

I had to end it. I drove to the clinic and lay down on the operating table.

18:59

Cold gels spread across my stomach. The ultrasound wand pressed into my skin.

19:06

A tiny egg pulsed on the monitor beside me. My hand lifted off the table and settled over my belly before I could stop it.

19:13

I sat up and swung my legs off the table. I can't do this.

19:23

The words came out broken. I walked out of the clinic and called Theo from the parking lot.

19:30

He showed up at my apartment two hours later with a duffel bag and two pharmacy bags.

19:35

He unloaded pregnancy safe suppressants and a forged due date onto my kitchen counter.

19:42

Who's the father? Theo, I'm not telling you.

19:49

He pulled out a chair and started cracking blister packs, sorting pills into daily piles.

19:59

Your suppressors need to change. These ones will harm the baby. I already got you the right ones.

20:04

Same hands that had been forging my alpha compliance report since college. I'm telling everyone I had a brief relationship with Omega Oversee.

20:12

they didn't want to be involved. I paid them off.

20:20

That's the story you're going with? It's the only one that keeps me alive.

20:28

He held my gaze for three seconds, then went back to the pills.

20:33

I packed a single suitcase and left NYC for over half a year.

20:38

I lay alone on a hospital bed in a foreign country, One hand gripping the bed rail and the other clutching my phone.

20:45

Felix's name glowed on my screen. Still blocked.

20:49

My thumb hovered over the unblock button until the screen went dark.

20:55

I dropped the phone on the pillow and bit down on my other hand as another contraction hit. How does he still remember?

21:02

How does he know it was me that night? I know it was you that night.

21:11

Felix's voice echoed in my head all night. The next morning, the internet exploded.

21:20

Hashtag Blackthorn Alphabstartan trended at number one, crushing every other headline.

21:26

The gossip hounds went feral. Guess all those years of sworn enemies had a different subtext.

21:34

My nemesis got pregnant. Now I'm stepping up as the baby stepdad. Stepdad?

21:42

That's the biological father. I knelt in front of Arthur, listening to him grind out the comments through clenched teeth. Zane!

21:56

I snapped to attention. Sir, tell me, who is Lily's biological mother?

22:08

Who else? Felix Blackthorn. But I'd rather swallow glass than say that out loud.

22:19

Grandpa, I told you. Lily's other parent is a bioracial omega. I wasn't technically lying.

22:28

Felix has one-eighth foreign ancestry. That counts as biracial.

22:34

I swear to you. I'm not lying about that.

22:41

Otherwise, may Lily's other parent. Before I could finish, a voice floated from the doorway.

22:52

Otherwise, what about the child's father? My head snapped up.

22:58

Felix and his grandfather Richard stood in the doorway, watching me with barely concealed amusement.

23:04

Great, I just swore an oath on the very man I was hiding.

23:09

I shut my mouth and lowered my head like a scolded child. Arthur glared at the doorway.

23:20

Blackthorn, what are you doing here? Ahem.

23:27

I'm here to offer congratulations, of course. Richard tugged his beard, eyes darting everywhere but at Arthur.

23:37

My stomach dropped. Richard never talked to Arthur like this, which meant one thing. He knew Lily was Felix's.

23:45

I'm dead. Arthur, my friend. Let me see your little princess.

23:54

Felix will be her stepdad soon enough anyway. Richard was practically bouncing.

24:01

Just a peek. Stepdad, Felix didn't tell Richard the truth. I stole a glance at Felix.

24:09

He was already looking at me. The second our eyes met, my breath caught. His gaze was unfiltered.

24:18

Predatory, and something else, something burning I couldn't name.

24:24

Wait, does he actually have a crush on me? I dropped my head and scrambled for evidence, but found nothing.

24:35

Arthur looked bewildered. Have you lost your mind?

24:40

Richard said nothing Still skeptical, Arthur's gaze shifted to Felix

24:49

Since when do blackthorns beg to play daddy? Old blackthorn can't be that generous Then Arthur said something that nearly made me choke

25:01

Blackthone, is your boy shooting blanks?

25:08

Is that why he wants my grandson as cover? Arthur's voice hit a new pitch

25:14

That bombshell silenced all of us If Felix were infertile, where did my baby come from?

25:24

When Richard finally got Lily in his arms He looked at those amber eyes, matching felixes.

25:30

One big, one small. Identical gold, Arthur figured it out. He turned on me, teeth gritted.

25:43

You said Lily's other parent was biracial.

25:47

Those eyes are identical, and you're telling me bircials? I mumbled my defense.

25:57

Felix is biracial. I didn't lie. Arthur choked on his own rage and kept hammering his cane.

26:03

Your great-grandfather is going to claw out of his coffin because of you!

26:09

I didn't argue. If my great-grandfather's climbing out, so is Felix's.

26:16

Then who disciplines who is anyone's guess? After the truth came out, Arthur couldn't stand the sight of Richard.

26:31

Especially with Richard cradling Lily and grinning like an idiot. Oh, my precious great-granddaughter.

26:40

So adorable. Blackthorn, that's make my... her granddaughter.

26:47

Arthur wasn't backing down. She's mine too.

26:57

Like hell! Lily is his Hartwell blood! Blackthorn blood too! Hartwell'd!

27:06

Blackthorn! You old snake!

27:12

Your family line is dying out, so you're claiming my great-granddaughter? Dream on!

27:20

While the grandfathers tore into each other, Felix had already hauled me into the next room.

27:27

The door slammed. He pinned me against it. His eyes were hooded and pressing down.

27:32

Ferrumans bleeding out, cedar and cigar filling the narrow space. The patch on my neck started burning again. Zane.

27:44

Why did you block me? I've been looking for you.

27:49

After that night, I'd been terrified. Felix knew my secret and could expose me anytime,

27:55

so I blocked him and cut off everything but he'd

27:59

been looking for me I

28:03

looked away what do you want from me revenge

28:06

I slept with him once and got pregnant that's

28:10

not exactly grounds for a manhunt I'm looking for you so you can take responsibility Felix said the most absurd thing in the flattest tone Responsibility.

28:23

Me. How did you know it was me that night? I had every trace scrubbed.

28:29

How did he figure it out? Zane.

28:36

I was drunk. Not stupid.

28:45

And you came on to me first that night. Want me to refresh your memory? Felix's voice was steady.

28:51

His hand shot out and pressed mine flat against his shirt. Amber eyes turbulent and churning.

28:58

When your heart hit, I took you to a hotel. The moment the door closed, you did this.

29:04

He yanked my hand and fabric tore. Ripped my shirt apart.

29:13

My palm hit bare skin. Warm. And underneath a heartbeat. Fast. Wrong fast.

29:20

I tried to pull away, but he didn't let go. You tore through every shred of my control that night.

29:29

His voice dropped like it was dragged from deep in his chest. Then he said something that froze my blood solid.

29:40

You think I didn't know? That night, your alpha spray failed completely.

29:47

You're an omega, Zane. I smelled your real scent.

29:54

My face went white. He'd known since that night. My biggest secret. Twenty years of pretending.

30:01

He knew all of it. I always thought you were an alpha. Felix spoke slowly.

30:07

Like he was stating a fact he still hadn't fully processed.

30:13

I thought I liked an alpha. Then that night I found out you're an omega.

30:23

But that changed nothing. Before I knew you were an Omega, I already loved you.

30:33

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He released my hand and smoothly adjusted the shredded fabric across his chest.

30:42

Then his tone dropped again. Blocked me. Abandoned me.

30:53

Ran off with my child. You're an omega. Out there alone. No medication.

30:59

Heat could hit at any time. How did you survive?

31:12

I couldn't answer. My throat was sealed shut.

31:17

Rut and pheromone residue still burned in my veins But my mind kept circling one thing When did I start liking Felix?

31:25

Just us No grandfathers yelling The first time I met Felix I was five

31:33

Arthur brought me to a gala and ran into Richard and Felix The two old men immediately started trading insults right in front of us Stretching their necks out comparing which kid was better

31:47

I'd never seen Felix before, but Arthur said his name so often it was carved into my skull.

31:53

I peeked at him from behind Arthur's back. He was a few months older, standing quietly while the old men yelled, expression blank.

32:01

Then he noticed me hiding behind Arthur. We stared at each other for a long time.

32:08

Then while neither grandfather was looking, he grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

32:15

We went to a fountain in the ballroom. Once

32:23

he was sure no one followed, he exhaled and pulled me down to sit. Phew.

32:37

Finally escaped. Nuzan?

32:44

He put on his best tough kid face and tilted his head at me. Surprised he knew my name, I nodded.

32:53

Grandpa says your name every day. So that's what you look like.

32:59

He studied me, looking and looking like he was memorizing every detail of my face.

33:07

My grandpa says your name too. He says you're the best alpha heir of the Blackthorn generation.

33:14

He was really pretty though, pale and soft. Made me want to pinch his cheeks, but I didn't dare.

33:24

I also heard our families are sworn enemies. What's a sworn enemy?

33:31

I didn't understand, Felix explained. It means we're on opposite sides. My eyes went wide.

33:41

So you're my sworn enemy? Five-year-old Felix seemed confused, shook his head, then nodded.

33:54

Our grandpads are sworn enemies. We're not. He sat there for a long time before he came up with that.

34:04

Then you're my friend! I was so excited I kissed him on the cheek.

34:11

Teacher said you kiss people you like. Five-year-old Felix turned bright red.

34:18

Stammered that you can't just kiss people. I was confused.

34:25

Don't you kiss people you like? After that, even though our grandfathers were still at war, we became good friends in secret.

34:35

He told me very seriously that friends don't kiss. That lasted all the way to high school.

34:42

Until I overheard Felix talking to his friend. Felix's friend knew about our family's feud and had no filter when he talked.

34:55

Felix, how long are you going to keep competing with the Hartwheel Air?

35:02

Elementary school, middle school, now high school. You're not going to do this forever, are you?

35:10

We were private friends, but also public competitors.

35:16

All these years, aren't you tired of it? Made sense. Constant competition would wear anyone down. Tired.

35:25

But Felix's one word answer dragged me into the abyss. He was tired, of course he was.

35:31

Public rivals, private friends years of that. Anyone would burn out. He probably didn't like me.

35:39

Maybe I'd been fooling myself all along. Our families were sworn enemies.

35:43

No matter how hard I tried, that fact wouldn't change. Better to kill the feeling before it grew any deeper.

35:51

But that wasn't the only thing. But another time, at a social event, an Omega stranger's pheromone spiraled out of control.

35:58

Felix released calming pheromones. I smelled them. Fireplace smoke and hot cocoa.

36:05

A scent he'd never released for me. He was so gentle with that Omega, but he'd never been like that with me.

36:11

I wasn't special. Another time, at a joint business event, a reporter asked about our relationship.

36:21

Felix's face was ice. The heart-willed air and I are rivals. Nothing more.

36:29

I stood in the crowd and my heart felt like a fist had closed around it. One more time, we passed each other in a hallway.

36:38

Felix's pheromones leaked and my knees buckled. Omega instinct nearly drove me to the floor.

36:46

I caught myself barely, but Felix saw. His eyes darkened. Then he looked away and walked off.

36:54

He saw me submit and walked away like it disgusted him. I put it all together.

36:59

Felix had no special feelings for me. He might even hate Omegas. From that day on, I pulled away from Felix.

37:08

Even though I knew it wasn't his fault, I couldn't keep going.

37:13

But back in the present, I couldn't stop thinking about what he said.

37:22

Before I knew you were an Omega, I already loved you. Could that be true? All those years I thought he was tired of me.

37:29

What if he was tired of pretending? The question wouldn't leave me alone.

37:38

But, but he never acted on it. Not in high school, not in college, not after we started working.

37:47

Not until that night when he discovered I was an Omega then he came after me.

37:51

If he hadn't smelled my Omega pheromones, would he have come at all?

37:56

Does he love me, or does he love my Omega scent? This thought was a splinter.

38:03

Once it went in, I couldn't dig it out. Felix learned to take care of Lily fast.

38:11

I'd walk into the nursery at midnight and find him already there. One hand cradled her head.

38:16

The other held the bottle at the right angle. He'd peeled off his suit jacket and laid it beside her.

38:21

Cedar and cigar seeped into the crib mattress. Lily's tiny fists grabbed at the fabric.

38:27

She was calmed by her alpha father's scent. I stood in the doorway and watched that jacket drenched in his pheromones.

38:34

My chest tightened and I couldn't name the feeling. One evening, Felix was feeding Lily on the couch.

38:40

I sat across from him. His alpha pheromones bled out without warning.

38:47

He released them for me more and more often now. My body leaned toward him before I could stop it.

38:55

My breath deepened. Heat crept up my nape under the patch.

39:00

I snapped upright and gripped the armrest hard enough to hurt my fingers. I hated this.

39:05

20 years of suppressing my omega instincts. And in front of him they were tissue paper thin.

39:15

You're just controlled by pheromones I heard myself say it Colder than I expected You don't actually love me

39:25

Felix's hand froze midder and the bottle nearly slipped What?

39:31

You started chasing me after you found out I was an omega My voice shook But I couldn't stop

39:37

Before that Nothing The pheromones told you,

39:43

this isn't an omega, go after it. That's not love. That's instinct. Zane!

39:52

How do I know that if I were still the alpha you thought I was, you'd ever come for me?

39:58

The moment those words left my mouth, my pheromones flipped.

40:03

Salted caramel turned bitter, like absinthe poured into caramel. Sweet became dark coffee, Sour and harsh.

40:11

Flooding the room. Felix smelled it and his face went white. Not angry white but stabbed white.

40:17

He stood up. Lips moved. Nothing came out. Then he turned and walked away. I sat on the couch.

40:25

Listening to his footsteps fade. Lily whimpered in my arms. Spooked by the pheromone shift.

40:30

I held her tight and bit my lips so I wouldn't cry. My scent had soured.

40:37

When an Omega's hope shatters, the sweet turns bitter. I'd read that in a textbook.

40:43

Never thought it would happen to me. Felix didn't explain and didn't argue.

40:51

He did things I couldn't ignore. He laid his suit jacket outside my bedroom door.

40:58

Cedar and cigar seeped in through the gap, like a hand stroking my nape through the door.

41:03

Midnight, I smelled cedar in the hallway. He hadn't left.

41:07

He was sitting outside my door, keeping watch all night.

41:11

The third day, I found a cup of hot cocoa by Lily's crib. Perfect temperature.

41:17

His soothing pheromones infused into the ceramic.

41:21

When Theo came to drop off my suppressants, he glanced at the jacket by the door,

41:26

then at Felix's shut guest room at the end of the hall. Sighed.

41:31

He sits outside your door every night. Theo I

41:38

didn't ask him to I know but his rut hit last night

41:50

locked himself in the guest room punched

41:55

the wall until his knuckles bled I heard it

42:03

I stayed silent for a long time. Theo. He doesn't have to do this.

42:17

He's not doing anything. Theo set the suppressants on the table.

42:25

He's just surviving. Without your permission, he won't come near. But he can't leave either.

42:32

That night, I lay in bed. The gland under my patch throbbed.

42:37

The cedar leaking under my door made me feel safe and broke my heart at the same time.

42:43

During the day, when Felix handed Lily back to me, his thumb brushed my nape. One second.

42:50

Blackwood pheromones seeped from his fingertip into my gland like a thin film settling on my skin. Sent marking.

42:56

An alpha coats an anxious mate with their pheromones to soothe and claim them. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it.

43:03

But I felt it. That pheromone film was like a hand pressing on my nape. His hand. No force. Only warmth.

43:11

I closed my eyes and told myself this isn't love. This is a pheromone trap.

43:16

But if it's really a trap, why was he the one hurting most when my scent soured?

43:23

The suppressant started failing. Not the drug's fault. It was me. Constant stress.

43:30

Pheromone whiplash. Sleeping surrounded by Felix's alpha scent every night but never touching.

43:38

My body was cracking. Heat broke at midnight. I jolted upright in bed.

43:45

Skin on fire. The patch was already gone. My gland hit open air and salted caramel flooded out.

43:52

I curled up on the bed. Grabbed Felix's suit jacket from the door. And buried my face in it. All his scent.

44:03

I started nesting. Omegas nest before heat or when they feel utterly unsafe.

44:09

They gather alpha scented items, build a circle on the bed, curl up inside. I knew what this was.

44:17

I'd never nested before. 20 years of suppressants had nearly killed my omega instincts.

44:24

But my body was more honest than my mind. I crawled off the bed and dragged his jacket from the door.

44:31

I stumbled to the living room and grabbed his scarf. The cushion he sat on.

44:37

I hauled everything back and piled it in a circle on the mattress. His scent was everywhere now.

44:44

Cedar and cigar closing in around me. I crawled into the center and curled up with my knees to my chest.

44:51

My skin was burning. Sweat rolled down my temples. The room blurred and sharpened in waves.

44:59

Outside the door, footsteps stopped. Felix had smelled it.

45:05

I heard his bag hit the door as he sat down. The wood creaked under his weight.

45:11

He didn't push it open. Then, his voice was raw like he was crushing something inside.

45:24

Do you want me to come in? I pressed my forehead against the floor.

45:30

I didn't want to admit I needed an alpha. 20 years of hiding wasn't so an alpha could rescue me.

45:36

But my throat vibrated on its own. A low, rumbling sound I'd never made before came out of me.

45:43

Purring, like a cat. Purring, I'd never made that sound.

45:48

It's a throat vibration omegas produce in deep contentment when an alpha soothes them. I clamped my hand over my mouth.

45:54

I hated myself. But heat didn't burn me to ash entirely. A sliver of clarity remained at the very bottom.

46:03

I knew what I was doing. I knew what the alpha outside that door would do. I chose.

46:12

Come in. Felix pushed the door open and stopped in the doorway.

46:18

I was curled in his jacket. Gland flushed red. Salted caramel so thick the air turned sweet.

46:26

His pupils dilated, crimson flooded in from the edges. His jaw tightened.

46:33

But his hands, when he reached for me, were gentle. I'll be gentle. I promise.

46:41

When Felix's canines broke my gland, I gasped. Pheromones flooded in like a river.

46:48

Cedar and cigar collided with salted caramel. Sweet and fierce tore through my bloodstream.

46:55

Heat incinerated every last defense. My hands grabbed his shirt on their own.

47:00

My legs wrapped around him without thinking.

47:03

Everything I'd suppressed for 20 years collapsed in one night.

47:14

His hands gripped my waist as he entered slowly. Every thrust, my omega instinct cheered, but my brain screamed.

47:22

This will be permanent and irreversible mark. Felix's forehead pressed to mine. His breath was scorching against my lips.

47:31

Zane, can I mark you? I couldn't answer.

47:37

I could barely remember my own name. I just pulled his nape and dragged him toward me.

47:49

Until he reached that place, the womb, my whole body seized. I grabbed his arm. Don't.

48:00

Don't. Don't go in. Felix stopped for one second only. Zane.

48:05

I can't let you go again.

48:14

He pushed in, slow and relentless. Pain ripped through me like my body was being split open.

48:25

I fit down on his shoulder and tears spilled down my temples. Easy.

48:35

Just breathe through it. He held still inside my deepest point and waited.

48:40

His lips brushed my eyelids, my nose, my mouth.

48:48

Fireplace smoke and hot cocoa poured from his skin.

48:53

His soothing pheromones wrapped around me and pressed down every fear.

48:58

Then he moved again, slow, one thrust at a time inside the womb.

49:06

Pain bled into something else as his pheromones hit from both directions, gland and womb.

49:12

His pheromones numbed my nerves until pain became pleasure. Pleasure like a tidal wave. His pace quickened.

49:22

My fingers clawed at his back. My consciousness flickered between white light and dark.

49:35

I couldn't hold on to anything except him. His arms locked around me, his shoulders under my grip.

49:43

His nape under my palm. Then his body swelled inside me.

49:53

The knot. Locked inside the womb. Impossible to pull out.

50:05

Pulse after pulse of semen flooded in. Pheromones filled me completely.

50:12

Permanent mark complete. Bite. Not. Pheromone fusion. All three.

50:18

Irreversible once done. Something shifted in my body at that moment.

50:24

My limbs went heavy. My vision whited out.

50:31

I was floating in a void where only Felix existed.

50:35

For the rest of my life, I could only have him.

50:46

The air between us was ice. The next morning, I woke up and touched the bite mark on my nape.

50:54

The ache between my legs hadn't faded. Permanent marks are irreversible.

51:02

I looked at Felix sleeping beside me and my brain went white.

51:13

You marked me during my heat! I shoved him awake. Felix opened his eyes.

51:19

Crimson still rimming his pupils met my grey-blue. He didn't look away.

51:26

Permanent marks are irreversible. I demanded Felix break the mark.

51:33

Permanent marks are irreversible. Irreversible. He repeated it with a calm voice but red-rimmed eyes. A standoff.

51:40

My pheromones soured again. Bitter black coffee filling the room.

51:44

Felix smelled it and his fists clenched until his knuckles went white. He didn't say a word.

51:50

Turned and walked out. For days we barely spoke.

51:56

He stayed in the guest room, I stayed in the master bedroom, and Lily was the only bridge between us.

52:02

Only when handing her over did we have to be near each other. Then Marcus Holley entered the picture

52:13

And everything I'd carefully built came crashing down around me No more pretending

52:20

The Holley family were Blackthorn business partners Richard had once considered a marriage alliance between Felix and a Holley

52:28

Omega, Marcus wanted Felix's alpha power and the Blackthorn resources

52:33

After Felix publicly announced he was pursuing me, Marcus started circling the Hartwells.

52:41

I don't know how he figured it out, maybe the blended pheromones from the naming ceremony, maybe the permanent mark bite on my nape that I couldn't hide anymore.

52:50

Whatever it was, at a social event, I watched Marcus lean in close to Arthur.

52:55

His lips barely moved. Two words, just loud enough for two. Mr.

53:02

Arthur, your grandson's pheromones carry a blackthorn alpha's mark.

53:12

Arthur's hand tightened around his cane. The knuckles went white. His face didn't show shock.

53:19

It showed the fury of having a wound ripped open by a stranger. He'd always known I was an Omega,

53:25

since I was five and the designation test came back. He'd protected that secret for 21 years.

53:31

But now an outsider knew. A blackthorn marked Omega meant the Hartwell name was ruined.

53:38

When Arthur returned to the estate, his pheromones hit like a storm.

53:43

Old leather and cold iron so dense the bodyguards backed up three steps. The front door shook under the pressure.

53:51

He marched straight into my room and grabbed the back of my collar.

53:59

He ripped the patch off my nape with his own hands. The adhesive tore at my skin.

54:04

He swept every suppressant bottle and alpha spray off my dresser into a bag.

54:10

He wasn't discovering the truth. He was punishing me.

54:17

He stood in the center of the living room. His cane struck the floor once.

54:25

Arthur's voice changed. A tone I'd never heard before. It wasn't his voice anymore.

54:31

It was an alpha's command frequency, boring through my eardrum straight into my spine. My knees buckled.

54:39

I grabbed the stair railing to stay upright. My lungs wanted to inhale on his rhythm. My body screamed submit.

54:48

I bit my lip until I tasted blood. The rust flavor pain anchored me. I stayed standing.

54:55

Word by word. You were marked by a blackthorn alpha. Not a question.

55:05

I kept your secret for 21 years.

55:11

You couldn't hold it from hold it for one month.

55:18

Either cut ties with the black thorns and remain the hard will alpha hair. I'll pretend today never happened.

55:29

Or his cane cracked against the floor. I'll find you another suitable alpha.

55:42

File a compulsory matching order. Your

55:46

shares, your inheritance, your CEO position, all transferred to him.

55:56

That's my legal right. Lose everything the heart words gave you.

56:07

I was locked in my room with no suppressants and no spray.

56:13

My omega pheromones poured out unchecked. I curled on the bed with my arms around myself.

56:19

Salted caramel and black tea filled every corner. Midnight, I heard sounds outside.

56:26

The whole house shook with alpha pheromone pressure at full force.

56:35

Cedar, cigar, rain-soaked earth hit the Hartwell front door like a wall. Every bodyguard dropped to their knees in the hallway.

56:42

Felix stood outside the Hartwell estate all night.

56:53

The next morning, Arthur opened the door himself. Two alphas facing off.

57:01

Richard stood behind Felix, silent and watching.

57:06

Felix walked through Arthur's pheromone blockade, step by step up the stairs.

57:11

He was carrying the box Arthur had taken from my room.

57:15

Suppressants, spray, patches He'd grab them when he broke in

57:20

He stopped in front of me and set the box at my feet Then he dropped to one knee Not to Arthur, to me

57:31

I offer you my nape Mark me Reject me

57:38

Drive me away Your choice but

57:47

from five years old until now i have chosen you every single day whether i thought you were an alpha or knew you were an omega crimson pupils fixed on the floor

57:59

nape exposed to my gaze gland pulsing cedar and cigar trembling this is the highest submission an alpha can offer.

58:07

I looked at Felix kneeling in front of me. He waited on his knees on cold marble with his nape bare.

58:13

He was afraid. I reached out. I didn't mark his nape. I covered his face.

58:21

I don't need your submission. I need you to stand beside me. Then I turned to face Arthur.

58:32

I picked up the alpha spray bottle from the box Felix had brought. I gripped it and crushed it. I gripped it.

58:39

Plastic shards and synthetic pheromones rained from my fingers as cedar and cold iron dissipated. That wasn't me and never was.

58:46

Omega pheromones. Fully released. 20 years of hiding. Gone in one breath.

58:54

Salted caramel. Black tea. and Felix's cedar from the permanent mark residue, three cents braided together, mine and his, no more pretending.

59:05

I am an Omega. My voice echoed in the silent corridor. The heart welled air.

59:11

I knew that title would face legal challenge, but I said it. Lily's father, Felix's Omega.

59:19

You can strip my inheritance, but you can't strip who I am.

59:25

Arthur stayed silent for a long time. His cane grip turned his knuckles white, not from anger trembling but from faith collapsing trembling.

59:35

21 years of secrecy crumbling in front of his eyes.

59:40

Finally, he turned and walked inside, closed the door, but he didn't call the guards.

59:49

The next morning, Arthur came to my room himself. He stood at the door holding a box of my Alpha compliance reports.

59:57

Every quarterly report I'd submitted for 20 years. When you were five, his voice shook.

1:00:07

I took you for designation testing. The result came back Omega. I made the call.

1:00:16

You would pretend to be an alpha from that day on.

1:00:20

My first thought was, how do I explain this to the heartwills?

1:00:26

He closed his eyes. Not what about my grandson.

1:00:33

It was what about the heart-filled name. His cane tapped the doorframe. Not an angry tap, but a tired one.

1:00:42

I was wrong, Zane. I opened my mouth. 26 years. How long had I waited for those words?

1:00:50

Grandfather. My voice was barely there. Arthur lifted his head with red eyes.

1:00:57

That alpha of yours. He knelt in front of you and offered his nace. His voice was rough.

1:01:05

No Hartfield alpha has ever done that. I won't forgive the Blackthor, old man.

1:01:11

But the one you chose, I accept.

1:01:19

Felix moved into the Hartwell estate. Guest room. A hallway between us.

1:01:26

He didn't push. Hot cocoa at my door every morning. Alpha pheromone seeping under my door every night.

1:01:33

He waited for my permission. Two months passed. One night. Lily wouldn't stop crying.

1:01:39

She kept turning her head toward the door. Reaching for her alpha father outside. I opened the door.

1:01:46

Felix sat on the hallway floor with his back against the wall and an unturned book on his knee. She wants you?

1:01:54

Felix came in and scooped up Lily. She stopped crying instantly, tiny fist gripping his lapel, nestled in his arms with a satisfied hum.

1:02:05

Zane, he looked up with a soft voice. Do you still need me in the guest room?

1:02:11

I walked over and knelt down. Felix. He looked at me with amber eyes. No crimson.

1:02:19

No pressure. Just patient. You said...

1:02:25

You from five until now... You've chosen me every single day. Yes.

1:02:35

Same here. I reached out and pressed my palm against his nape. Not a bite. Not a mark.

1:02:42

Just my hand flat against his pulsing gland. Cedar and cigar, and salted caramel, my residue inside him.

1:02:53

I won't run again. Felix's eyes went red.

1:02:58

He dropped his head and pressed his forehead to my shoulder. I waited 20 years. His voice muffled against my shoulder.

1:03:06

My eyes burned. I pressed my forehead against his hair and breathed in cedar tangled with my own salted caramel. Not anymore.

1:03:26

He spent 20 years... I spent 20 years pretending to be an alpha.

1:03:33

He spent 20 years pretending he didn't love me. We were both prisoners of our own secrets.

1:03:39

The wedding was three months later. At the ceremony, Felix pressed a kiss to the permanent mark on my nape.

1:03:47

Not a new mark, just a kiss. His lips were warm against the scar he'd left.

1:03:52

Then I lowered my head and bit his nape. An omega marking an alpha, almost no precedent.

1:03:59

I didn't care. Not submission but equality. I chose this and I chose him.

1:04:07

My canines pierced his gland and salted caramel flooded into his body, mingling with cedar and cigar.

1:04:14

His breath hitched and his arms locked around me like I might vanish. Felix Blackthorne. Hmm?

1:04:21

I love you. Since I was five.

1:04:31

I know. Lily giggled in Richard's arms, tiny hands reaching for both her fathers.

1:04:39

Arthur stood in the crowd, old leather pheromones no longer pressing. He watched me in silence, in those cloudy eyes.

1:04:48

A light I'd never seen before. Not pride. Relief.

(Ai BL) Pregnant By My Heated Rival | Full Episode | [English Sub.]