Elias had always been a man of routines. It was a quiet afternoon, and as usual, he had arrived at his favorite café. Almost a decade had passed since his former husband, an alpha with whom he had shared years of closeness and love—who had left a lasting mark on him—had abandoned him for someone younger.

Since then, the omega had been unwilling to trust anyone again. He even believed that his instincts had dulled, that his capacity to feel attraction toward an alpha had vanished.

Years had gone by without a single scent stirring even the slightest hint of desire or curiosity in him.

The warm light of the café filtered through the windows, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee gave him a sense of calm he found nowhere else. He sat at his usual table by the window, pulling out a book and immersing himself in its pages.

Then he noticed something. At first, he thought it was his imagination. But it wasn’t. It was real. Something he hadn’t felt in years: the scent of an alpha. It penetrated him gently, straight to the instinct he thought had been asleep.

When he looked up, he saw him: a young alpha, seemingly new to the place, moving carefully with a smile that made Elias tense in his seat. The scent enveloped him, making his heart beat faster than expected.

Elias slowly closed the book and rested his chin on his hand, watching as the young alpha approached.