Champ's POV

  (Water dripping... slow and steady.)

  "Champ? Are you okay? I'm right outside, waiting!" Jiggs' voice echoed from the other side of the locked bathroom door.

  I didn't respond.

  I just stood there, in front of the mirror, staring bnkly at my reflection. My face was damp, the cold water barely doing anything to ground me. My breaths came out uneven, still shaken from what had happened earlier.

  My gaze flickered downward—toward my neck.

  Slowly, my fingers reached for the spot. The right side of my neck.

  The pce where he had nearly marked me.

  A violent shudder ran through me as the memory resurfaced.

  His breath against my skin.

  His voice, low and knowing.

  His scent, surrounding me like an inescapable force.

  A second more. A single second ter, and he would've cimed me.

  Owned me.

  And if that had happened—

  Everything would have been over.

  My pns. My freedom. Everything.

  I clenched my fists.

  But Deux... he had arrived in time.

  Again.

  For the second time, he had saved me.

  I inhaled sharply, trying to calm the erratic beating of my heart.

  I hated Deux's presence. He was too much, always watching, always interfering. But if I had to choose—between him and Silver—

  I would rather have Deux by my side.

  Because Silver... he was dangerous. Truly dangerous.

  A real Alpha of the highest tier.

  Just being in his presence had been enough to make my instincts go haywire. He just existed, and it was enough to command fear.

  But I couldn't let him know that.

  I wouldn't let anyone know that.

  The next time we meet, I would make sure he understood—

  I was not someone he could py with.

  I wouldn't be afraid.

  I wouldn't let him touch me again.

  I exhaled, reaching for more water. My hands cupped beneath the faucet, ready to spsh my face—

  Then—

  Pain.

  Sharp. Unforgiving. Burning.

  It hit me so suddenly that I gasped, my hands flying to my stomach.

  No.

  No, no, no—

  A searing heat erupted from deep within me, twisting violently in my core.

  "Ngh—!" My knees buckled, and I barely managed to catch myself against the sink before I colpsed completely.

  The pain coiled, unbearable.

  I knew what this was.

  "I-It can't be—!" My voice was tight, strained with panic.

  But the moment another wave of heat smmed into me, I knew.

  My heat stage was starting.

  No. Not now. Not here.

  A feverish sensation spread through my limbs, unstoppable.

  It felt like I was on fire.

  I couldn't breathe.

  I couldn't think.

  "Agh—!" My body curled inward as an unbearable ache settled low in my abdomen, hot and pulsing.

  I need my suppressant!

  Now!

  My head jerked up, scanning the room wildly.

  My bag.

  Where was my bag?

  I need it.

  But—it wasn't here.

  No.

  A horrifying realization crashed down on me.

  I had left my bag in the open field.

  Where we trained.

  "Damn it—!"

  I could already feel my body spiraling further into heat, the sensations overwhelming and uncontrolble. If I don't take my suppressant soon—

  No.

  No, I refuse.

  "J-Jiggs!" I choked out, struggling to keep my voice steady. "My bag! It's in the open field! Go—go get it, now!"

  "O-okay! I'll be quick!"

  The sound of his hurried footsteps faded as he sprinted away.

  I needed to st until he gets back.

  But as another sharp, intensifying wave of heat coursed through my veins—stronger than before—

  I knew this was going to be hell.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Deux's POV

  "We'll take them to the clinic now, Master Deux."

  I barely acknowledged the Beta's words, nodding absentmindedly. My focus had already shifted elsewhere.

  Just as I turned to leave, my eyes nded on something.

  A bag.

  Left abandoned in the open field.

  I frowned and walked toward it, picking it up. The moment my fingers brushed against the fabric, a familiar scent clung to my skin.

  Lavender.

  Champ.

  This was his.

  A strange sense of relief washed over me.

  I exhaled, adjusting my grip. I needed to return this to him.

  I took a step—

  And then—

  Everything. Stopped.

  Something hit me.

  Hard.

  A scent.

  A scent so thick, so intoxicating, so unbearably strong that my entire body locked up on instinct.

  What—

  My breath hitched.

  My fingers twitched.

  My pupils dited as my mind short-circuited.

  This scent—

  It wasn't just any scent.

  It was raw. Overpowering. Inescapable.

  It is an Omega in heat.

  And not just a faint trace—it was close.

  Too close.

  Something inside me snapped.

  A hunger. A craving so deep and violent it seized my entire being.

  My body felt like it was burning from the inside out, my muscles tightening as my instincts kicked into overdrive.

  Find. That. Omega.

  My grip on the bag faltered. My vision blurred at the edges.

  My thoughts colpsed.

  Everything else—everything that wasn't this scent—ceased to exist.

  The bag slipped from my fingers.

  It nded on the ground with a soft thud.

  But I didn't even notice.

  Because I was already moving.

  I was hunting.

  The scent beckoned.

  It wrapped around me, filled my lungs, dragged me deeper into madness.

  I didn't know who it belonged to.

  I didn't know where I was going.

  But I knew—I needed to find it.

  My body moved on its own, my mind slipping, control shattering piece by piece.

  A dangerous, desperate hunger cwed at my chest, consuming me whole.

  Who... is it?

  Who is calling to me like this?

  And then—

  A faint, choked-out sound in the distance.

  I can hear it.

  A whimper.

  Weak. Pained.

  My heart smmed against my ribs.

  The scent spiked—sharper, heavier, more unbearable.

  I lost it.

  I ran.

  Faster. Faster. Faster.

  The world blurred around me.

  Everything snapped.

  The predator in me awoke.

  And this time—

  I wasn't sure if I could stop myself.

  All I know is to find this Omega!

  End of Chapter 11