The Unwritten Chapter

Cael woke with a start, his body damp with sweat and his heart pounding in his chest. The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains of his room, casting long shadows on the walls. He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

A strange ache spread through his body, starting at his core and branching out like a wildfire. It wasn't like the exhaustion he had known in his past life as El Johansen, the kind that came from sleepless nights or back-to-back shifts. This was something entirely different, primal and unfamiliar.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his breathing shallow as he tried to make sense of what was happening. His soft, delicate frame felt too warm, his skin hypersensitive to the fabric of his shirt. It clung to him uncomfortably, and he tugged it off in frustration, letting it drop to the floor.

"What… what is this?" he whispered to himself, his voice trembling.

His mind raced as the pieces began to fall into place. He had read about this in passing—a dominant omega's first heat. The novel he now lived in had mentioned it briefly, describing it as an overwhelming and almost unbearable experience. But reading about it and living through it were entirely different things.

A wave of heat surged through him, leaving him breathless. He clutched at the edge of the bed, his fingers digging into the mattress as he tried to steady himself. His body felt foreign, no longer his own, and the sensations were too much to bear.

"I can't… I can't do this," he murmured, tears welling in his eyes.

The memories of his past life felt distant now, like they belonged to someone else. El Johansen had been in control, grounded, and methodical. But Cael—the Cael he had become—was vulnerable in a way he had never experienced before.

His chest tightened as he thought about the Chang family. How would they react if they saw him like this? Would they understand, or would they see him as weak? A burden? The thought of their pity was unbearable.

Desperate for air, Cael stumbled to the window and pushed it open, letting the cool night breeze wash over him. It helped, but only just. His body still burned, his thoughts still spiraled, and the ache within him only grew stronger.

"I can't stay here," he thought.

Grabbing a jacket, he slipped out of his room and down the hallway, careful not to wake anyone. The house was silent, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. He stepped out into the night, the cold air biting at his skin but doing little to cool the heat that raged inside him.

The neighborhood were quiet, deserted except for the occasional flicker of a streetlamp. Cael walked aimlessly, his arms wrapped around himself as if to hold his body together. He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed to move, to escape the suffocating heat that consumed him.

But as he look to the corner into a dark alley, he felt it—a presence. It was subtle at first, like a faint prickle at the back of his neck. Then, it became undeniable, a force that seemed to press down on him like a heavy weight.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The voice was deep and smooth, laced with a confidence that sent a chill down Cael's spine. He froze, his heart hammering in his chest as he turned to face the source of the voice.

A figure stepped out of the shadows, his tall frame illuminated by the dim light of a flickering streetlamp. His sharp features were striking, his eyes piercing as they locked onto Cael. There was something dangerous about him, something predatory that made Cael's instincts scream at him to run.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the man said, a smirk playing on his lips as he took a step closer.

Cael took a shaky step back, his body trembling—not just from the heat, but from the overwhelming presence of the stranger. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening, but the heat clouded his thoughts, leaving him vulnerable and exposed.

"Stay away," he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

The man chuckled, the sound low and ominous. "Oh, I don't think so," he said, his smirk widening. "You smell… interesting."

Cael's breath caught in his throat as the realization hit him. This man wasn't just anyone. He was an alpha—and not just any alpha. This was Julls Hellen, the hyper-dominant alpha who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

The villain of the story had made his appearance.

And Cael was his target.