Morning sunlight crawled through the cracked window, cutting lines of gold across the dusty floorboards. Ashton sat quietly on the edge of the bed, watching Klein prepare herbs for the day. The boy's movements were soft, almost too careful, as if touching anything too roughly might break it.
Ashton hated that.
Power belonged in this room—his power.
Not weakness.
But the world didn't care what he wanted. Not yet.
He studied Klein more intently. His healer marks shimmered faintly beneath fresh bandages wrapped around his wrists. Even the faint glow was enough to tug at Ashton's senses, calling to him like a forgotten instinct.
A connection.
A link.
A thread that tugged at him with every breath Klein took.
Ashton didn't believe in fate, but this felt dangerously close.
"Your markings," Ashton murmured, breaking the stillness, "have grown brighter since yesterday."
Klein froze mid-stir. "Really? I didn't notice."
You wouldn't, Ashton thought.
Power rarely announces itself to the one who holds it—only to the one who needs it.
He stood slowly, ignoring the weakness in his body, and crossed the room. Klein flinched when Ashton reached for him, but he didn't step away—not fully. Ashton's fingers brushed the bandages lightly.
Klein inhaled sharply.
Not out of fear—but something else.
Ashton raised a brow. "Are you afraid of me?"
"I…" Klein swallowed. "You feel different. Like you're not the same Ashton I knew."
"Because I'm not."
Klein blinked. "Then who were you… before?"
Ashton stepped closer. Close enough that Klein had to tilt his chin up to meet his eyes.
"A dominant alpha," Ashton said softly. "An heir. A power this world bowed to."
Klein's eyes widened, breath catching. "An… alpha?"
Ashton nodded once. "I was killed by my stepmother. Reborn in this body. And now I'm trapped like this."
Klein's heart pounded loud enough Ashton could almost feel it. "That's… impossible."
"Yet here I stand." His voice was low, dangerous. "And I will not remain an omega."
Klein stared at him, conflicted, shaken. "If what you say is true… then you're not just asking me for help. You're asking me to put my life at risk."
Ashton's jaw tightened. "I won't let harm come to you."
"You can't promise that," Klein whispered. "People hurt omegas easily."
"So do alphas." Ashton's eyes darkened. "That's why I need to become one again."
Klein looked down at his hands, trembling slightly. "Ashton… I don't know if I can help you. My power— I barely understand it."
"But it responds to me," Ashton countered. "You felt it too."
Klein shivered. "I did. And that scares me."
It should, Ashton thought.
A bond like this—between two omegas—should not exist. Yet Klein's magic pulsed in sync with Ashton's heart, reacting to him alone.
Ashton gently cupped Klein's chin, guiding his gaze upward. "You're not weak, Klein. You've never been. Your power chose me."
Klein's breath shook. "Why?"
"Because destiny owes me a debt."
Klein's eyes softened—sympathy, fear, something tender he didn't yet understand. "Then… tell me what you need."
Ashton felt something warm twist inside his chest. He shoved it down.
"First," Ashton said, "I need you to remove your bandages."
Klein stiffened. "But the glow—"
"The glow is what I need." Ashton's voice deepened, almost instinctively alpha-like. "Let me see your marks without hiding."
Klein hesitated… then slowly unwound the cloth.
As the last bandage fell, the room dimmed—
and the golden healer symbols flared bright, like sunlight bleeding through skin.
Ashton inhaled sharply.
The power tugged at him, alive, hungry, waiting.
Klein looked at him nervously. "What now?"
Ashton slowly reached out, fingertips brushing the glowing lines.
The moment he touched them—
A pulse of energy exploded between them.
Klein gasped.
Ashton staggered forward, grabbing Klein's waist to stay upright.
Something hot and electric threaded into Ashton's bloodstream.
Klein's lips parted, eyes widening.
"A-Ashton… what is this?"
Ashton's voice came out low, strained, trembling with returning strength.
"A bond," he whispered. "The beginning of one."
Klein's cheeks flushed. "Between two omegas? That's… forbidden."
Ashton's eyes burned with determination.
"So is reincarnation."
His grip tightened on Klein's waist.
"And I don't care what's forbidden."
The power surged again—
hot, bright, intoxicating.
Klein's knees shook.
Ashton exhaled slowly, the ghost of a smirk curling at his lips.
"This is just the start," he murmured. "With your help… I will become alpha again."
And Klein—breathless, trembling, overwhelmed—whispered the first crack in his resistance:
"…Then tell me what I need to do."