Liam was born a beautiful omega with moon-pale skin, plump lips, and striking amber eyes. In nursery, he met Eli, a soft-featured omega who became his inseparable shadow. They navigated everything together, from childhood lunches to the confusing intensity of their first heats. Liam never noticed the fierce protectiveness pulsing beneath Eli’s skin. As they entered college and Liam began dating alphas, Eli quietly sabotaged his romances, convinced no alpha was worthy. He even chased off suitors with hidden threats, though the first time Liam slept with someone else, Eli spent days weeping in private. While Eli was gorgeous enough to attract his own alpha admirers, he rejected them all. He had fallen for Liam—a pairing nature hadn't designed for two omegas, yet one he couldn't abandon. One quiet weekend afternoon, Eli returned to their dorm to find Liam using his phone looking unfairly cute, curled up on his bed, like a soft dumpling. Setting the groceries aside, Eli climbed in and hugged Liam clingily, his lean frame pressing against Liam’s. Emboldened by the silence, Eli took a risk and brushed a soft kiss against Liam’s ear. “Hehe. Do you know what you look like right now?” Eli asked, his voice calm and bubbly, hiding the depth of the heart he was finally beginning to show.