The fox is a cunning animal; therefore, a fox spirit—an ancestral Kitsune—possesses cunning multiplied by a thousand.
In the world of alphas, betas, and omegas, that cunning became a lethal weapon. Kitsune were known not only for their supernatural beauty but also for their ability to manipulate, seduce, and deceive without leaving a trace. To get what it desired, a fox spirit would do anything, even sell its sincerity and sadness like cheap coins tossed into a dry well.
After that, it wouldn't care about anything or anyone; it would only think of itself. Because in its world, compassion was a weakness, and survival was everything.
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—Are you okay? —Theo asked, his voice unusually soft, vibrating with an ancient warmth, as if it didn't fully belong to this plane. But instead of answering, Noah backed away clumsily on both hands, dragging himself across the damp ground. His pupils were dilated with fear, and his sweet scent—typical of a panicked omega—began to spread through the air.
His heart pounded from fear. A fear that didn't arise from direct threat, but from the most primitive instinct of his being.
How was it possible that this spirit spoke so clearly? Its voice wasn't human, but it wasn't entirely beastly either.
How could a nine-tailed fox be standing right in front of him, in human form, with a beauty so lethal it hurt to look at?
His silhouette looked carved by capricious gods: short, messy silver hair crowned by a pair of feline ears, upright and alert. His golden eyes, intense like restrained fire, watched him intently. He wore simple clothing, but tight enough to highlight every muscle of his torso and arms as if sculpted from living marble. Behind him, his nine tails spread in a majestic formation, like a living extension of his will: elegant, hypnotic, and lethal, marking with their mere presence that he was no ordinary being.
But Noah didn't see Theo's allure the way an omega sees a dominant alpha; his eyes were fixed only on those nine tails moving with a hypnotic, elegant, and deadly rhythm, as if they had a life of their own. The sway of those tails made him tremble even more. They were like blades of light, defiant, sacred, and forbidden.
With a single step from Theo toward him, Noah fainted. The beautiful blue-eyed boy lost consciousness as if his mind couldn't bear the weight of that spiritual presence.
Theo smiled slightly, with a mix of resignation and tenderness. Without thinking too much, he placed his claw over the omega's chest and transferred the sacred gem from his own heart to Noah's. A sphere of light detached from his body with a flash that lit up the entire forest.
Shat!
Immediately, the birds flew across the sky, fleeing in flocks upon sensing the disruption of the spiritual balance.
Rafael, who was hunting at the forest's edge, paused. The alpha fox lifted his face, sniffing intensely. That gust of wind told him something unusual had happened. It was an ancient, dangerous vibration… and very familiar.
He inhaled deeply but didn't perceive anything beyond the faint scent of leaves and dew. However, his instinct told him Theo was involved.
—What's really going on? —Rafael murmured, raising his gaze to the moon beginning to hide behind dark clouds, as if it, too, feared what had just occurred.
—Where is Theo?
Rafael and Theo were descendants of the same lineage. Both were spiritual alphas, bound by powerful and cursed blood. But while Rafael followed the rules, Theo broke them all… or so it seemed.
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After transferring the sacred gem into Noah's body, Theo felt as if part of his life energy vanished into the void. His breath turned unstable, and the cold enveloped him like an invisible gag. He nearly collapsed over Noah, but managed to hold himself up with trembling hands, digging his nails into the earth.
—Hah… hah… hah… —his breathing was labored, almost painful. He hadn't expected the separation from the sacred gem to be so unbearable. It was like being stripped of his soul.
The gem had to remain inside Noah's heart for one hundred days, and during that time, Noah had to behave well, help others, and not eat any meat at all. Only then would Theo become a true human. His only chance.
If Noah broke the rules, even just once, the gem would turn dark—and that would mean death for Theo. His light would extinguish immediately, and not even a god could save him.
A fox spirit could never fulfill all those conditions on its own. That's why they needed pure blood as a replacement: an unmarked omega, a virgin, with a clean heart and special blood.
And Noah, upon receiving the sacred gem, woke up abruptly. His body felt renewed, as if injected with energy directly into his soul. His senses were sharpened, his heartbeat steady but strong.
—Ahhhk! —he screamed upon opening his eyes and seeing the fox spirit above him, his face visibly strained with pain, panting as if he had run for hours.
—You're awake… I'm glad —Theo whispered with a hoarse voice, broken by spiritual fatigue.
Brug!
At that moment, Theo collapsed right on top of Noah, who still didn't fully understand what was happening. His body fell gently, but with the weight of a life fading away.
The boy screamed, but his voice only provoked an annoying echo. The forest didn't respond; the night was dense, thick, as if time had stopped. After calming down a bit, he realized the fox spirit was unconscious.
In that state, Noah was able to clearly observe Theo's attractive face. Although the night was dark in every corner, the moonlight shone above them, directly, almost protectively. It was as if the sky itself watched over that encounter.
For a moment, Noah froze, stunned by that beauty. Defined cheekbones, pale lips, long lashes. But then he felt pity upon seeing how the spirit's face began to pale, and his breath became almost imperceptible.
Noah moved carefully, pushing Theo's body until it rolled to the side. Little by little, the nine tails began to disappear, dissolving into silver particles.
—Is he going to die? —Noah whispered, with a knot in his stomach, trying to remember something Caleb might have told him about fox spirits, but nothing came to mind.
—What do I do? Ugh! Why does my chest suddenly hurt? —The pain was sharp, right in the center of his heart, as if something was beating strongly that didn't belong to him.
As he coughed, his hands accidentally touched Theo's body, and in that moment, the nine tails reappeared. They rose as if awakening from a dream, waving with power.
Noah's eyes widened, quickly backing away in fright, his breath uneven.
His heart raced.
—Don't be afraid… my sacred gem is inside you —Theo whispered, opening his eyes with difficulty, still lying on the ground, his gaze glassy but warm.
—W-what do you mean?
—My sacred gem saved you from death… but now I've lost all my strength.
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