Eren let out a bitter, shaky laugh. "Who are you trying to fool? You even had Roen lie for you. Do you know how much I wanted to show you my design for the second phase? I waited, and when I woke up… you were gone. Not even a word. Not even—" He bit his lip hard, swallowing the sob that threatened to spill free.
His scent—usually soft, warm, tinged with the faint sweetness of home—was faint now, fragile, diluted by exhaustion and hunger. The weakness of it scraped across Adriel's instincts like claws. Every nerve in his body screamed to cover Eren with his own scent, to overwrite that fragility with the deep, grounding weight of Alpha protection.
Eren's eyes searched his face, desperate. "Did I do something wrong? Tell me, Adriel… what did I do?"
Adriel's throat worked as he stared at him—his mate, pale and trembling, Omega body strained by the child he carried. The truth trembled on his tongue. You reminded me of him. You made me believe I'll never have all of you.
But the words stuck. Instead, his fists curled at his sides, knuckles white, pheromones leaking sharp and bitter into the room. The air grew heavy, thick with his unspoken turmoil, and Eren's lashes fluttered as if instinct told him to flinch—yet he didn't move away.
Eren frowned when Adriel let go of his hand. The loss of touch stabbed at him, leaving his chest aching. His Omega instincts recoiled at the rejection, craving his Alpha's warmth, his claim, the reassurance that he wasn't alone.
"Actually," Adriel forced out, his voice low and uneven, "it's my fault."
Eren's eyes widened, confusion flickering through the exhaustion clouding them.
"I was jealous," Adriel admitted, finally raising his gaze to meet his mate's. His pheromones surged again, hot and suffocating, an unconscious spill of Alpha possession. "I saw your sketch for the second phase of the competition. And it drove me mad. Because in that design, all I could see was him—the one before me. Your first love. The man I'll never stop competing with. And when you told me you'd fallen for me…" His jaw locked, voice shaking with anger and fear. "I hated the thought that—"
He stopped when he saw it—the faint, almost mischievous smile tugging at Eren's lips.
"You're smiling?" he snapped, frustration sparking. His pheromones lashed out like a storm, rich and heady, coating the air between them until Eren's own scent wavered beneath it. "Really?"
Eren let out a breathy laugh. "I can't help it. I never thought the great Adriel—the Alpha everyone fears—could be so… childish."
Adriel's brows furrowed, his chest heaving. "Childish? You think I'm not—"
"You saw my design," Eren interrupted softly, "and you jumped to the conclusion that I still have feelings for him?"
"That's what it meant," Adriel growled, though his voice cracked under the weight of something rawer. His pheromones pressed closer, circling, as if trying to force Eren to submit to his claim. But Eren only held his gaze, steady, Omega calm meeting Alpha storm, as if daring him to believe otherwise.
Eren held his gaze steadily. "Yes, my first love is something I can never forget."
Adriel's expression hardened instantly, as if the words confirmed every fear clawing at his chest. "There—you've admitted it—"
But Eren shook his head, his voice soft yet firm. "I'm not finished." His tone carried both sorrow and quiet strength. "My first love ended in heartbreak, Adriel. It shaped me. It left scars. But it also taught me who I am. And because of it… I found you." His scent wavered, a bittersweet note of vulnerability and truth lacing the air. "That memory will always be a part of me. But not as a ghost I'm chasing. As the reason I could finally recognize real love when it came to me."
Adriel's breath caught. His Alpha instincts surged at the words—his chest tightening, pheromones flooding the room with a storm of heat and need. He couldn't bear the ache any longer. Without another thought, he pushed to his feet and closed the space between them. His hands cradled Eren's face with desperate urgency, and he crushed their lips together.
The kiss was rough at first—hungry, aching, almost punishing in its intensity. Eren gasped, startled, his eyes wide, but his body betrayed him; his Omega instincts bloomed, scent spiking sweet and sharp as he melted against Adriel. His hands clutched at Adriel's arm, kissing him back with equal urgency, giving himself over to the bond he had denied for too long.
When at last they broke apart, Adriel didn't release him. He kept his forehead pressed to Eren's, his breath ragged, his pheromones still thick in the air. His thumb brushed across the Omega's flushed cheek as his voice cracked with shame.
"Oh, Eren… I was such a fool. I'm sorry."
The weight of his jealousy pressed bitterly into his chest. Because of it, he had nearly driven Eren to collapse, risking both him and their child.
Eren arched a brow despite the tears still clinging to his lashes, his tone softer but edged with dry humor. "Yeah. You were. Do you know how hard it was, surviving on almost nothing but milk? I was terrified something might happen to the baby." His scent faltered—sorrow and exhaustion underlying his words.
Adriel's throat constricted. His Alpha instincts screamed to comfort, to hold, to mark. He gripped Eren's hand tighter, grounding himself. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I won't doubt us again. And I'll never let you or our child suffer because of me." His pheromones shifted, steady and protective, wrapping Eren in their warmth.
"I know that," Eren whispered, his expression softening. Then, with a spark of mischief that lightened the heavy air, he nudged Adriel gently away.
Adriel blinked at him, his instincts bristling at the sudden distance. "What?"
Eren tilted his head, a sly glimmer in his eyes despite the pallor still clinging to his cheeks. "Our contract," he murmured. "The one that says I can't fall in love with you. Is that still valid?"
Adriel's lips curved into a rare, unguarded smile as he drew the Omega against him. His pheromones spilled warm and steady into the air, wrapping Eren in a cocoon of belonging. "That contract needs to be burned. Fall in love with me—and only me. Got it?"
Eren's chest tightened at the surge of Alpha scent that pressed possessive and protective all at once. His own pheromones responded, sweet and low, twining with Adriel's until the room felt saturated with them. He looked up at him with eyes that shone, voice trembling but sure.
"I already am. I love you. Only you."
Adriel inhaled sharply, the truth of those words sinking into his bones. For an instant, the urge to mark Eren right there—claim him fully, erase every ghost of doubt—throbbed hot in his blood. But instead, he bent his head, pressing his nose to the curve of Eren's neck, breathing him in with a low growl of satisfaction.