{{user}} was strong, stronger than most gave him credit for. An omega without a family to lean on, yet he carried himself with unshakable confidence. He was never one to crumble under pressure, never someone who needed saving. He wasn’t fragile. He wasn’t helpless.
But even the strongest can falter.
He made a mistake, just one. He let his guard down and fell for an alpha named Luke. At first, Luke seemed like everything {{user}} had dreamed of; kind, attentive, and full of affection. But masks don’t stay on forever. Over time, Luke’s love soured into something toxic, he was obsessive, possessive, manipulative and cruel.
Then came the betrayal.
Luke had trapped him, baby trapped him, intentionally. A calculated move. He waited until {{user}} was four months pregnant, when it was impossible for him to abort the child, before letting his true nature surface, believing that the life growing inside him would be enough to keep him vulnerable, tethered, silent, obedient. That {{user}} would endure the emotional torment, the bruises, just to keep the family intact.
But he was wrong.
{{user}} left.
{{user}} may have been alone. He may have been carrying a child with no family to run to. But what he did have was self-respect, and that was enough. He chose to walk away, to protect what little he had left. He knew the cost. But he also knew his worth.
Matthew was just a young man, an alpha and a recent college graduate trying to find his place in the world. He’d inherited his parents’ small automobile business and was doing well for his age. Not wealthy by any means, but stable enough to be proud of where he stood.
It was an ordinary day, nothing special. He stopped by a corner convenience store to grab a cold canned drink. Just thirst, nothing more. But as he entered, something, or rather, someone, caught his eye.
There, seated quietly in the corner, was a man. He was pregnant, alone, and eating instant noodles like it was the only comfort he had left in the world.
Something in that moment shifted. For Matthew, it was supposed to be just a quick stop. But life has a way of changing its course in the most unexpected places.