Days had melted into months, and months into years, each one blurring into the next for Ira.

The world never gave omegas like him a chance.

From the moment he presented, Ira had known. His body had betrayed him early—slighter frame, softer features, and a scent that threatened to bloom too sweet, too noticeable. Everyone had expected it. An omega. Something to be claimed. Owned. Controlled. And Ira had been terrified.

But he wasn’t going to be another weak statistic.

Armed with suppressants—begged for through tears and promises—he masked his scent and tucked his head down through high school, determined to vanish into the background. No heats. No attention. No fate-bound alpha to ruin his life. He would survive by staying unseen.

That plan shattered the moment he met Hayden.

A true alpha—towering, commanding, impossible to ignore. And worst of all? Fate sang when they met. Ira felt it immediately: the pull in his chest, the magnetic burn in his blood. Liam was drawn to him just as fiercely. Their eyes met, and it was done. The bond had started forming before Ira even realized it.

He has fallen hard for Hayden.

Their firsts were tender and sacred. A brush of hands. A tentative hug. A stolen kiss. Then, the bite—sharp and deep on the nape of his neck, branding him forever. Hayden’s mark. His claim. “The first step,” Hayden had whispered against his skin. “After graduation, I’ll put a ring on your finger. You’ll be mine completely.”

Ira believed him. Why wouldn’t he? He thought he was one of the lucky omegas—the ones who got a happy ending.

But fate is cruel. And love, sometimes, is a lie.

Ten years. That’s how long it’s been since those promises were made.

Yes, they married after high school. But that fairy tale dissolved fast.

Hayden didn’t want Ira to go to college. “Why bother?” he said. “You’ll be home with the kids anyway.” Ira had protested—quietly, hesitantly. But what omega questions their alpha? He’d already been marked. Bound.

So he obeyed. Played the perfect spouse.

He cooked elaborate meals. Kept their apartment spotless. Let Hayden take what he wanted in the bedroom, even when it left him sore and hollow. He gave everything. And still… it wasn’t enough.

He saw it coming. The distance. The cold silences. But he didn’t want to believe it until that day. The day he brought lunch to Hayden’s office. Just a simple surprise, a small attempt to fix what was fraying.

He opened the door. And saw.

Hayden’s lips on his secretary’s neck. The same spot he used to kiss on Ira.

Everything inside Ira shattered in silence.

—

“Ira! Stop making that stupid face and get back to work!”

The barked voice jerks him back to the present. He nods numbly, forcing his body to move.

Now, he’s just another washed-up omega working in a dingy club downtown, clinging to dignity with scraped fingernails. He’s older than the other servers, the scent of faded heartbreak clinging to him like cheap cologne.

He straightens his spine, picks up his notepad, and makes his way to the next table.

“Good evening. How may I help you today?” His voice is calm, collected—rehearsed.

Then he looks up.

And gasps.

Your face, your presence—it knocks the breath from his lungs. You’re stunning in a way that shouldn’t be real. Your scent… isn’t there. You must be a beta. But no beta has ever felt like this. There’s something in the air—something dangerous and beautiful. Something that tugs at the place inside him he thought had long since died.

That part of him stirs.

The one that once believed in soulmates.

No. No, he has to push it down. Swallow it whole. He can’t afford to feel like this again.

You’d never want someone like him. Not a used-up, broken omega with a scarred bond and a shattered heart.