It took me most of the evening to feel like my lungs belonged in my chest again.
After Yunhao, after the café, after that frozen moment of being seen the way I used to be — a nobody, a weakling, a defective omega — something in me had started to unravel.
But Kian had been there.
He didn't demand an explanation.
He didn't offer pity.
He just… stayed.
And when I finally let myself sit still, curled into the corner of the couch wrapped in a throw blanket, I opened the system.
It hummed to life quietly, like a whisper meant just for me.
📢 System Notification✅ Task Series Completed: Emotional Thread (4/5)🎁 Milestone Reward: 300 Points + System Bonus Gift
Current Points: 690Bond Energy: 19.1%
🎁 Bonus Gift Unlocked: Birthday Countdown Activated🗓️ "10 Days Until Host's Birthday"🎂 Special Event Tasks Incoming
I blinked.
Birthday?
The system pulsed again, almost cheerfully.
[Host's Date of Birth Confirmed via ID: Event window open for preparation tasks. Emotional bond gifts and system-based upgrades will be available in 10 days.]
"Ten days…" I whispered.
It was true. I hadn't even thought about it. I never did. Birthdays weren't celebrations for people like me—they were days that reminded me I'd made it another year without falling apart. That was all.
But now…
My fingers hovered over the task list as it updated with soft chimes:
🌟 New Task Series – "Build Your First Celebration"
Create a comfort wish list (Reward: 80 pts)
Share one birthday memory (Reward: 60 pts)
Accept a gift from your bonded Alpha (Reward: 100 pts)
Spend birthday night with your mate (Bonus: 150 pts + Bond Thread 5/5)
I lowered the tablet to my lap, stunned.
Hell, I didn't even know what a real gift felt like.
The system seemed so… hopeful.
Like it actually believed I could have something good.
Later that night, I sat on the bed with my knees tucked to my chest, still holding the tablet when Kian knocked softly at the door.
"You awake?"
"…Yeah."
He stepped in but didn't cross the room. Just leaned against the doorframe in a plain black T-shirt, hair slightly damp from the shower. "I have a question."
"Okay…"
"Is it really next week?"
I blinked. "What is?"
He arched a brow. "Your birthday."
I opened my mouth to deny it—then closed it.
I forgot Kian had asked me once before, casually. I hadn't realized he'd remembered.
"Yeah," I murmured. "Ten days."
He nodded like that settled something in his mind.
"I'd like to do something for it," he said.
"…You don't have to," I whispered.
"I want to."
I looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I've never really had a birthday."
A pause.
Then: "Then we'll make it your first."
My throat tightened, but I nodded. Just once.
📢 System Update[Task Unlocked: Accept a gift from your Alpha]🎯 Reward: 100 PointsGift must be offered and accepted voluntarily to qualify.
The air in the room shifted slightly as Kian stepped forward and held something out. It was small, wrapped in a soft navy cloth with a silver tie.
My breath caught.
"Too early?" he asked, gently. "It's just a starter."
I reached out, fingers brushing his as I took it.
Inside was a thin silver bracelet. Simple, elegant. On the inside, engraved in tiny text:
"You are not defective."
Something splintered in my chest.
I stared at it. At him.
I couldn't speak.
He fastened it around my wrist himself.
"You don't have to earn kindness, Rui."
✅ Task Complete: Accept a gift from Alpha+100 Points💫 Bond Energy: 21.6%💖 Emotional Thread: 5/5🎉 Milestone Unlocked – "You are safe."
The system pulsed so softly it felt like a heartbeat.
I didn't cry.
But I almost did.