The incident of the attempted robbery steadfastly refused to be a passing memory in Erika's mind. It had embedded itself, like an invisible but sharp splinter, just beneath the surface of her consciousness, refusing to leave no matter what.
The image of the thief collapsing in blind terror, the undeniable feeling of an invisible force at work, and the unwavering gaze of that alpha through the glass all blended into a dissonant symphony of confusion, fear, and a strange, almost magnetic fascination.
The familiarity she had felt when she locked eyes with him, that feeling of security as profound as it was disturbing, followed her everywhere.
That night, while she slept, the dark-haired man appeared in her dreams.
The omega's nights had regularly been plagued by nightmares lately; the humiliation of her heat, the vulnerability exposed at the club, the constant and exhausting fight for her family's survival—all of these tended to populate her nights with disturbing shadows. But this time, it was different, much more vivid, more tangible, almost tactile. A whirlwind of emotions swept her adrift; the fear of being hunted, the overwhelming helplessness in the face of forces she didn't understand, but also a shadowy figure, tall and imposing, emerging from the fog of her subconscious. He didn't have a defined face, just a broad-shouldered outline and a presence that radiated power, but his aura was a comforting balm amid the chaos, a promise of unconditional protection that called to her.
And with that figure came a scent… a comforting scent accompanied by something metallic, of ancient power and damp earth after a heavy rain, enveloping her with a strange, seductive warmth. It was the same one she had smelled the night of her heat, the one she had perceived as a mark.
Now, that scent invaded her again, not as an intrusion, but in a context of protection, of refuge, of an almost suffocating security that made Belion...
.
.
.
Erika woke up bathed in sweat, her heart racing, and her face flushed. She sat up in bed, surrounded by darkness broken only by the moonlight filtering through the window.
The omega found herself wondering if she was losing her mind if the tension of the last month was pushing her to the brink of sanity.
Was it the accumulated stress? Or was it something else, something her Omega instinct, beyond reason, was desperately trying to communicate to her?
.
.
.
While Erika struggled with her internal storm, Melina, with her innate Alpha senses still developing but sharp, sensed an abnormality in her sister's behavior.
The proximity of danger, the resurgence of Democles, was also unknowingly affecting her, causing her wolf to become abnormally active due to what she sensed in the air.
And not only that, her instinct detected the change in Erika's pheromones; a mix of the usual stress with a new nuance of complacency or submission that deeply alarmed her. It was a scent of surrender mixed with a latent desire to fight that the developing alpha couldn't decipher, but that put her on high alert.
One afternoon, the youngest found Erika at the kitchen window, staring into the maze of city lights, with an absent air that worried her.
"Eri, what's wrong?" Melina asked, her voice strained, a low growl vibrating in her throat, an almost imperceptible sound that was the pure manifestation of her protective instinct. "I feel you different, there's something else. It's not just fear. You're... different. Is it because of that Alpha?"
Erika hesitated, her eyes drifting toward the city, where she knew, with an inexplicable certainty, that William was somehow nearby. She couldn't confess to Melina anything about what she'd experienced, not her dreams, or the voice, or the strange certainty she felt. How would she explain it? It would sound crazy.
"I don't know, Mel," she said her voice barely a whisper, eluding the truth. "It's... strange... it's rare that even though he's not by my side, I feel safe. Now, I feel like I can always relax and let my guard down a little without having to... I don't know... it's... a strange but comforting thing that I like." The omega didn't say a word about the feeling of protection or the familiarity that attracted her, keeping that aspect to herself, embarrassed and confused. She only expressed the seriously diminished stalking part that was easiest to admit.
Erika's half-hearted confession tensed Melina's muscles to rigidity. The inability of her senses to track this suitor, to identify his scent with the clarity her instinct demanded, drove her crazy.
It was a direct affront to her nature, a mockery of her protective instinct.
If this Alpha was powerful enough to project that sense of vigilance from a distance, it meant he was of an equal or superior category, a predator that moved in the shadows of perception, one that her capabilities, still nascent and without her full control, could neither reach nor fully understand.
"Sure?" Melina repeated, her voice now a whisper laced with venom, skepticism tinging every syllable at Erika's incomplete response. She didn't understand how the omega could be so unaffected by someone whose presence was a mystery to her. "Alphas don't nurture without claiming, especially those who don't hide their intentions like that. It's a trap, sister. A very dangerous one. And I feel... I feel it's closer than we think. Its influence... is like a subtle poison that lulls you to sleep, an invisible cage that's closing around you."
Her frustration at not being able to see the person who wanted to connect with her family, at not being able to protect her sister the way her instincts screamed at her, made her more possessive, more tense.
Melina bit her lip so hard it almost bled, her eyes flashing with a mixture of fury, helplessness, and a primal fear she rarely let on. She had been doing her best to suppress her impulses, her pheromones, so as not to overwhelm Erika or Rose with her protective and sometimes intimidating aura.
This constant effort was exhausting her, leaving her physically and mentally drained. She felt as if she were waging a constant internal battle, a tug-of-war between her animal instinct screaming at her to attack the invisible threat, and her rationality imploring her to be cautious for the sake of her family. Alison and Emma, noticed her exhaustion, but Melina avoided them, feeling she couldn't reveal the true nature of her restlessness.
Erika watched Melina, a new layer of worry adding to her already overwhelming confusion. If her sister, so strong, so perceptive, felt threatened by this invisible Alpha, what did that mean for her, an Omega only now beginning to perceive these hidden currents?
The dream, the lingering scent, the voice in the darkness of her mind, the sense of inescapable familiarity… everything pointed to a connection she hadn't sought, but that now felt inescapable, an undercurrent that pulled her along without resistance.