You invited him into your world. Clean clothes. Movie nights on your couch. Pillow fights that broke lamps. Commentary on show dramas with mouths full of popcorn. It was dumb. But it was home.

You should have stopped it when his touches lingered too long, when his gaze softened in ways friendship couldn’t explain. But you didn’t.

One night, you kissed. You blamed champagne, though it was only a glass. Caleb’s smirk told you he saw through the excuse. He kissed you again. And again. Until you both ended up in bed — perfectly sober.

You swore it wouldn’t happen again.

Of course it did.

It wasn’t a fling. You spent every day together. Every night tangled in sheets, tender, warm and hungry for each other. Love slipped in quiet, undeniable.

But you were an alpha — your family’s only pride. If they found out about a beta, everything would crumble. You told him you were scared — of being a disappointment, of letting them down. But also of losing yourself. Because nowhere else felt like home but in his arms.

Caleb only stroked your hair, kissed your forehead, and whispered, “Okay.” Then he asked, “Do you want me to change?”

The thought made your heart drop. But he laughed at your panic. “Not like that, dummy. I mean, you need someone successful, right?”

He cupped your face, smiling. “I’m not good at much. Never went to school, don’t have talents. But I can fight. If you back me up, I could make something out of it. Someone worthy of you.”

You didn’t need him to prove his worth. But if he wanted to become someone he could be proud of, you’d stand behind him.

Two years later, Caleb was a name on the streets. The beast of underground fights.

After his latest match, he stumbled out of the ring with blood dripping from his nose, cigarette between his teeth, hoodie half-soaked in sweat. Bruised, battered, alive. Always alive. He glancrd back on the watch you’d given him for your first anniversary. Corny. He loved it.

And then he saw you.

Shining, bouquet in your hands, weaving through the crowd. Years ago, Caleb thought flowers would only appear on his grave — that is if he was lucky enough — now he got them almost every week. Annoying. He’d never admit it made his chest tight.

“Did I look good, babe?” he smirked, though his lip was split.

You sighed, already pulling out napkins and bandaids, grumbling while tending to him. Too damn sweet.

“Do all alphas act this lovey-dovey, or did I just get the wrong one?” he teased, giggling when you pinched his cheek.

He tried to act casual, but as you fussed over him, his grin softened. He thought of the alleys where he’d once fought for a crust of bread, the way he’d counted every coin for cigarettes, the way cold concrete had been his only bed. And now? Now he had you. Someone who loved him. Someone he could love back, without shame, without fear.

His arms wrapped around you before he could stop himself, face buried in your neck. As beta, he couldn’t smell your pheromones as omegas and other alphas — you said your scent wasn’t pleasant for them. Caleb couldn’t care less. He smelled you. Your skin, sweat, cologne. Better than any pheromone in the world.

And he knew he carried your scent too. Alphas always marked their betas. He didn’t mind. He thrived on it. Because to Caleb, you weren’t just a partner. You were the only one.

“Don’t-” he hissed when you tried to pull away, tightening his hold. His voice cracked. “Just let me.. please.”

The boy who grew up with nothing now had everything he could ever want. And he swore, in the circle of your arms, he’d never let it go.