Sky moved toward him with the kind of quiet confidence that made the world shrink.
Each step deliberate. Measured. Unyielding.
The air shifted—thick with something unspoken, something undeniable.
Nani should have stepped back. Should have created space between them. But his feet refused to move. His body refused to listen.
Because he felt it.
The slow-building tension, coiling like an unseen force between them, pulling him in despite every rational thought screaming otherwise.
His breath stilled as Sky finally stopped.
Close.
Too close.
The scent of him hit first—a storm rolling in over fresh pine, clean yet untamed, laced with something exclusively Alpha. But unlike the others who had spent the night trying to impress him, Sky's presence wasn't overbearing.
It was consuming.
Deep. Commanding. An unspoken challenge wrapped in quiet assurance.
Nani swallowed hard, but his throat felt tight.
Sky didn't speak.
He simply lifted a hand—slow, deliberate, controlled.
Nani's breath caught as fingertips ghosted against his jaw.
Warm. Rough. Precise.
A barely-there touch, yet it burned.
His entire body tensed, a foreign sensation crackling through his veins—heat and static and something alarmingly real.
Nani's mind scrambled to understand it, to push it away, to deny it—
But then Sky moved.
He leaned in—closer, closer, until Nani could feel the warmth of his breath against his skin.
And then—
A kiss.
Not on his hand, like custom dictated.
Not on his wrist, like the Alphas before him had tried.
But on his cheek.
Soft. Unhurried. Intentional.
A whisper of warmth, but the impact was devastating.
Electricity shot down Nani's spine, coiling in his gut, spreading to his fingertips.
His breath hitched. His heart slammed against his ribs.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't instinct.
This was something else entirely.
The entire room faded.
For the first time, Nani felt the pull.
And Sky—
Sky felt it too.
Because when he finally pulled back, his eyes met Nani's—steady, knowing, completely unshaken.
And that was the moment Nani realized—
He was in trouble.
----
Silence.
Not tense. Not hostile. Just charged.
Nani's body still hadn't caught up. His skin tingled where Sky's lips had brushed his cheek, the warmth lingering too long.
His mind screamed at him to say something. Anything.
But he couldn't.
His breath was unsteady, his pulse too erratic, and the moment felt too fragile to break.
And his friends?
They noticed.
Dew didn't speak, but the sharpness in his gaze softened into something almost calculating. He saw it—the way Nani reacted, the way Sky carried himself, like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Win, ever watchful, didn't tense like he normally would when another Alpha got too close. Instead, he observed. Quietly. Curiously.
Even Pond, who would have normally bristled at any Alpha's advances, only exhaled slowly, glancing between Nani and Sky like he was seeing something fall into place.
Because this wasn't like before.
This wasn't William. Or Drake. Or any other Alpha trying to lay a claim.
This was different.
And they all felt it.
But none of them spoke.
Not yet.
Sky lingered in Nani's space, unbothered by the way the air had shifted around them. His lips curled into a faint smile—not smug, not teasing. Just soft.
Like he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Apologies," Sky murmured, voice smooth, rich with something undeniably warm.
His eyes never left Nani's, the ghost of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
"I didn't get a chance to greet you properly last time."
Nani still couldn't speak.
His throat had closed up, his breath uneven, his heart pounding too loudly in his ears.
It wasn't just the kiss.
It was the way Sky looked at him. Like he had been waiting for this.
Like the entire night had been leading up to this exact moment.
He was never speechless. Never.
Dew was the first to break the silence—not with sharpness, but with understanding.
His lips twitched, just slightly. "Properly?"
Pond huffed a quiet breath, shaking his head like he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Like he wasn't used to seeing Nani like this.
Win, standing beside them, tilted his head just slightly, reading the shift in the air.
None of them interrupted.
Because they weren't seeing a challenge.
They were seeing something unfold.
Something even Nani wasn't ready to admit.
Sky's gaze flickered briefly to them, acknowledging them—not as threats, not as rivals. Just as part of Nani's world.
Then, his focus returned.
"I don't believe we were formally introduced last time," he said, voice smooth. "So allow me to correct that."
His gaze locked onto Nani's again, unwavering.
"I'm Sky Wongravee."
And then—softer, like it was just for him:
"I think you already knew that, though."
Something about the way he said it—low, warm, undeniably certain—made Nani's stomach flip.
He hated how easily Sky's voice got under his skin.
He hated how his own body reacted before he could stop it.
He hated how he still couldn't find words to respond.
And judging by the way Dew exchanged a glance with Win, the way Pond exhaled as if he already knew where this was going—
They saw it too.
----
Sky's eyes lingered on Nani for a moment longer—like he was waiting for something.
But when Nani still hadn't found his voice, Sky let it go. For now.
Instead, he turned slightly, gesturing behind him.
"These are my closest," he said smoothly, voice carrying just enough weight to demand attention.
"Bright."
The golden-eyed shapeshifter stepped forward, a lazy grin curling his lips as he immediately honed in on Win.
"I've heard about you," Bright said, tilting his head slightly, studying him. "Win Metawin, right?"
Win remained unreadable. Calm. Silent.
Bright's grin widened. "Ah. The quiet type."
Still, no reaction.
Bright leaned in just slightly, smirking. "I like a challenge."
Win exhaled softly. Unfazed.
But Dew? He smirked.
Pond? He barked out a laugh.
"I'd love to see you try," Pond muttered, shaking his head.
Bright only looked more entertained.
Sky, standing beside him, didn't react—like he'd expected this. Instead, he gestured toward Phuwin.
"And this is Phuwin."
Phuwin's sharp gaze immediately snapped toward Pond, already bracing himself.
"Great." He sighed. "I was hoping to have a peaceful night, but I suppose that's ruined now."
Pond crossed his arms, smirking. "You wound me."
"Oh, don't start," Phuwin muttered. "I still haven't forgiven you for last time."
"You mean the time you lost?"
Phuwin scoffed. "You cheated."
Pond grinned. "No, I was just better."
Nani barely suppressed a sigh. They always did this.
Sky didn't seem surprised. If anything, his lips twitched slightly, amused.
"And finally," Sky said, his voice returning to its composed steadiness, "this is Fort."
At the mention of his name, Fort stepped forward. He didn't smile, didn't engage in banter like the others.
His presence was different.
Not cold. Just measured.
A Beta with an aura that most Alphas couldn't match.
And Nani knew exactly why.
His father and the other heads of the Four Fang Alliance finally stepped forward, their attention shifting fully to Sky.
His father's gaze was unreadable, but there was recognition. A sense of acknowledgment that wasn't there before.
"Wongravee," he greeted, his voice even. Formal, but not distant.
The other heads followed, offering nods of greeting—not just out of courtesy, but respect.
They understood now.
This wasn't just any Alpha.
This was him.
Sky nodded in return. Steady. Unshaken.
There was no power struggle here. Just two forces acknowledging each other.
And then—finally—Nani found his voice.
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to push past whatever had rendered him mute all this time.
"…You took your time introducing yourself," he muttered, his voice just a little sharper than intended.
Sky turned back to him. Amused.
And then—softer, only for Nani:
"I was waiting for you to catch your breath first."
The butterflies in Nani's stomach?
Annoyingly persistent.