Rin's words slammed into Ethan like a bullet.
"…What?"
"Today," Rin repeated casually, like he wasn't dropping a nuke on Ethan's fragile sanity. "He just landed. Should be here any—"
The door clicked open.
Ethan froze. His heart launched into his throat.
Oh no. No, no, no.
It was too soon! He wasn't ready for this! Hell, he hadn't even processed being dead, transmigrated, and downgraded into an Omega with a reputation dirtier than a bathroom floor!
And now the male lead—the walking apocalypse of this world—was HERE?!
Slow, measured footsteps echoed against the polished floor. Each step carried the weight of authority, of a man who owned the ground he walked on.
Ethan didn't even need to look. The air changed—sharp, cold, suffocating, like oxygen had been laced with dominance. His instincts screamed Alpha. A high-ranking one.
When he finally looked up, he understood why the old Cass had thrown his life and dignity away for this man.
Damien Hale wasn't just handsome. He was lethal. Broad shoulders filled out a tailored black uniform jacket, the silver crest of St. Raven Academy gleaming on his chest. His midnight hair fell neatly across his forehead, framing sharp, aristocratic features.
And his eyes—God, those eyes—dark as obsidian, rimmed with power, scanning the room with the calmness of someone who could kill without blinking.
His gaze landed on Ethan.
And stopped.
Ethan's lungs forgot how to breathe.
For a second, Damien didn't speak. He just looked. Looked like he could peel Ethan's soul apart and rearrange it into something he owned.
Then—slowly—Damien moved forward, his boots clicking softly against the floor until he stood right beside the bed.
Rin jumped up instantly, bowing like a trained servant. "Alpha Damien! You're—"
"Leave."
That voice. Low. Smooth. Dangerous. A voice that didn't need to shout to command the world.
"But—" Rin started.
Damien didn't look at him. Didn't blink. Just repeated, softer this time—like a warning. "Leave."
Rin swallowed hard, shot Ethan a look that screamed You're dead, and bolted out the door.
Silence crashed into the room like a tidal wave.
Ethan's heartbeat was so loud it could've triggered a fire alarm. He swallowed, forcing a shaky laugh.
"H-Hi… Alpha Damien."
Damien didn't answer.
He just leaned down—so close Ethan could see his reflection in those obsidian eyes—and spoke in a voice that curled like smoke around his senses.
"…You smell different."
Ethan froze.
Smell? SMELL?!
Oh right. Omegaverse. Alphas had superhuman senses. And Omegas… Omegas emitted scents.
Shit. Did he smell weird? Did he smell wrong?! Was he about to die because his soap wasn't expensive enough?!
Damien's gaze flicked down, tracing every inch of Ethan like he was memorizing him. Slowly, his hand rose—and brushed against Ethan's jaw. A touch so soft, so deliberate, it sent alarms blaring in Ethan's brain.
"You're awake," Damien murmured.
Ethan forced a smile so fake it deserved an Oscar. "Y-Yeah! Surprise! Haha… fully alive and kicking!"
Damien's fingers tilted his chin up. Those cold eyes narrowed, like he was dissecting every twitch of Ethan's soul.
"…You tried to hide from me."
What.
WHAT?!
"I—I what?!" Ethan squeaked.
"You disappeared for two weeks," Damien said flatly, his voice as calm as a predator before the kill. "No calls. No messages. And then I return… and find you like this."
Oh, holy mother of plot twists. The old Cass had really screwed him. He had to fix this fast.
"Oh, that! Haha, misunderstanding! Totally not hiding! I was just… uhh… busy. Self-care! Mental health break! You know… meditation and stuff…"
Damien didn't blink. Didn't move. Didn't look convinced.
Instead, he leaned closer, his lips brushing Ethan's ear as his voice dropped to a whisper that felt like velvet wrapped around a blade.
"Busy spreading your legs for someone else?"
Ethan's soul LEFT his body.
"N-NO!" he yelped, flailing like a guilty criminal—which, okay, technically Cass was, but Ethan wasn't! "Who even said that?! Fake news! I'm—innocent!"
Damien's hand slid from his chin to his throat. Not squeezing. Just resting there. Warm. Heavy. Possessive.
"Good," Damien murmured. "Because if you were…" His grip tightened just enough to make Ethan's breath hitch. "…you'd regret it."
Ethan's brain short-circuited. His survival plan? Officially in flames.
Because the Alpha he was supposed to avoid like death itself—
Was staring at him like prey.