Kieran flinched when the scalding hot water cleaned out the grime and dried blood from his wounds. He had no one to blame but himself because he made rookie mistakes in the fight. Long ago, Tristan would've had difficulties getting in just one scratch, let alone multiple inflictions. Then again, it's been so long since participating in a real alpha challenge with someone of the same caliber as him, so such stupid blunders were to be expected.

Still, Kieran should've done worse to Tristan. He was this close to ripping his heart out, but resorted to biting his tart scent gland instead. The other sins would've interfered if they thought he literally intended to kill Envy. No one knew what would happen if a deadly sin died; it never occurred before and their mother, Lilith, didn't seem to be interested in bearing more children.

The gashes began to heal. He felt the scabs followed by new skin forming over his injuries. The recovery time took longer since this was the longest he's gone without seeing a donor. When Teru offered his arm to him moments prior, he almost gave in, wanting to suck every drop. But Kieran couldn't, not confident he could control Pride. It was already at its limit after facing Envy. Then, seeing Charles behind Teru, inhaling his scent to see if the omega needed to be eliminated if he detected wrath on him, almost did Kieran in, too.

He scratched viciously at his scarred nape, almost making it bleed. Lately, it's been bothering Kieran to the point where he couldn't sleep. Today was especially bothersome with Teru getting closer to his heat. It was like the more vampires were interested in him, smelling him, and even merely seeing him, the worse the itch became. Damn, what was he going to do about that blasted equinox party? Blood slaves were required to dress provacatively-

What felt like bombs going off around his army brigade during the World Wars detonated within him. Rounds of bullet shells flew through his veins, making Kieran unable to breathe. What the hell?!

White stars blinded his vision, playing scenes of memories he had not experienced yet.

The nervousness in Kieran's chest dissipated into pure bliss when Teru accepted the white gold ring. A tiny opal set in the band glistened colorfully under the moonlight as Teru inspected it with a smile. Due to the omega's condition, he couldn't wear jewelry on his fingers, so Teru placed it on the necklace with the crane ring.

Sleep never came to Kieran. It was one of those nights. He got up to make coffee at four in the morning. Might as well begin the day, right? As he sipped on his favorite beverage, besides Teru's blood obviously, he leaned against the doorframe of their bedroom. He watched his partner in deep sleep, curled into a ball with his knees almost touching his face. Christ, he was flexible even when in slumber. Next to him on the bed, something small wiggled in its blanket, cuddling closer to Teru. His heart was full.

He was wrapped in several layers of blankets in front of the fire. Though he was a vampire, Kieran thought it was bitterly freezing up here in the high mountains. When Teru returned from his run through the forest, the omega crawled up under the fleece blanket, settling against Kieran's body. Teru's head peeked out from the top of the blanket he had swaddled them with. They watched the fire sizzle and crack. Wolves howled in the distance. He hungrily eyed Teru's nape.

"I want to have more," Kieran said, seductively nipping on the skin with his fangs.

The snippets ended. These were-

An unseen force roughly tugged on his consciousness, causing him to lose his footing. The shower floor was slippery, so Kieran couldn't get traction to stop the fall. He reached out to grab anything. There was the door, but he tore it off its hinges. The frosted glass shattered into pieces. His other hand caught the porcelain shelf, knocking over the bottles and soaps.

Kieran stood up on wobbly legs and growled when he felt his core cool into a rut. Damn, he wanted to knot! This was confusing the prince, spiraling him into shock. Facing another brutal battle wouldn't be enough to shake him like this! The random season stopped.

Desperation gnawed within him. Desperate to apologize. Desperate to be comforted. Desperate for their destined partner. Kieran didn't believe these emotions were his.

Destined partner...

His inner alpha could barely hold the heavy realization that Teru was his fated mate. Kieran's, a deadly sin that didn't deserve such a miracle, had someone meant for him. He forgot to turn off the water as he hurried away with a towel, needing to see the most beautiful person in existence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teru held Kieran's face in his hands, wanting to look deeper into his dark red eyes. For him to see every bit of this immortal alpha's soul, they had to complete the process-the process to form a bond that would tie them together 'til death do them part.

Kieran moved closer to Teru's throat, nipping at the side of his jugular. The average-sized teeth were unable to drink his blood. "Your purring is so loud. I can feel it vibrating the sofa."

It couldn't be helped. Teru was in heaven with the situation-the collar was gone, his alpha was here, and everything in this dismal world felt right. He wanted to enjoy this happiness while it lasted before reality returned.

"You can enjoy it every day with me," Kieran said before licking the bruises away left by the collar. Teru could sense the extreme dislike he had toward the offending marks. As he erased the purple spots, Teru watched the big snowflakes continue to pile up outside, trapping them in a sparkly tomb. If only the snow could cover the hallway door, too, so no one would bother them forever.

Suddenly, Teru whimpered and threw his head back, digging his half-moon-shaped nails into Kieran's back. Another ripple of pre-heat flared through his body. Sweat immediately glistened on his temple and backside. Although he wasn't standing, he knew he'd topple to the ground if he was. Every limb had lost its strength. Inside of him, he could feel the gland that produced male omega-exclusive lubricant begin to ooze slick. Cinnamon peppered the air, letting the alpha know that he'd soon be ripe enough to be bred.

The tightening in his pelvic area eased and the spicy scent returned to its sweetened state. The real deal would come soon, very soon. Teru leaned his forehead against Kieran's, using his red hair as a towel to absorb the beads of salty sweat. When he opened his eyes, his breathing hitched when saw Kieran's expression.

A thin ring of crimson irises circled his glassy, dilated pupils. They were analyzing all the ways he was going to work the omega's body to satisfy his own rut. Teru trembled when he felt Kieran's feral desire to stick his bulging cock in his mouth, needing his tongue to milk him until Teru's belly was full of white seed. Seeing his seasoned aggression made Teru clench his opening automatically. Slick leaked out, preparing the area to accommodate an alpha's dick that would soon spill frothy sperm in his hole.

He could feel it, the cramping in his lower half. His uterus was beginning to open. The pocket was shifting in response to the incoming cycle. Teru turned his head to look away from being flustered, but Kieran tangled his fingers through his black hair above his nape. The vamp forced him to look into his eyes.

Don't look away from me, Kieran's masculine rumbling commanded. Feeling his hair being pulled felt oddly satisfying, like a beast that wanted to be fucked into submission but wouldn't give in easily. It awoke his inner dominant omega, piqued about this interesting dilemma. Still, gazing at Kieran as his groin pinched to open wide for semen was far too intimate.

In an hour, minutes, or even seconds, his mind would become hazed with lucidity. Tears welled up in Teru's brown eyes again at the thought. Thinking he had accidentally hurt him, Kieran let go of his hair and hugged him close.

"No," Teru shook his head to deny this, "you didn't hurt me."

"Then why are you upset?"

"I don't want to be on my heat when I'm marked," he cried. "I want to remember..." It was difficult to finish what he had to say without breaking out into a bawling mess. Teru wanted to recall this memory with fondness, to look back and relive the entire moment again in his dreams. Begging for this man's cock to plunge into his sodden pussy would probably prevent him from remembering the finer details. Probably.

The vampire shushed him to stop crying, that it was going to be okay.

"Turn around," Kieran whispered in his ear. Teru sniffled. So...it was happening? Now? Slowly, he shifted a 180° with Kieran's help, holding his slim waist so he wouldn't fall off his lap.

Shit, this new position was even more intimate than before! Teru's spine pressed against the broad chest. Kieran's stiff cock slipped between his thighs, rubbing the underside of Teru's own penis. The head swelled up at him, signaling that it was locked and loaded, ready to knot his opening uterus. His toes curled when the unfolding pocket cramped painfully.

But that wasn't what made the reverse straddling so exposing. It was his nape. The swirling, white birthmark acted like a bullseye target for the dominant alpha, in full view for him to see every hair, freckle, or flaw that tainted the spot.

"It's absolutely perfect," Kieran huffed into Teru's neck, sounding like he was out of breath despite barely moving. Kieran's lips brushed lightly on the swirl, sending another torrent of electric bolts through him. Goosebumps speckled his skin.

"Can I bite you?" Kieran repeated the same question he asked days prior.

This time, his inner gender was silent, waiting to see what Teru would say. This was the moment it has been waiting for since Kieran placed the winning bid on him at the auction house. Even back then, when he was concussed and swaying on the stage, he could smell this man through the windows.

I think I knew it, too.

"Bite me. I want to be your omega."

Kieran opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into his virgin nape. The canines indented deeper, puncturing well so they could permanently leave behind a trace of mint pheromones. If another alpha tried to court Teru, they'd realize he was already taken after detecting another's scent in his nape.

"HNGN," Teru seethed by the stinging pain but sighed in relief when the intolerable symptoms disappeared.

The city sounds faded. It was silent. This was the opposite of their violent pre-symptoms. It was the calm ocean after a months-long hurricane. They heard the symphony of their inhales and exhales. Every blood cell rushing in their veins was louder than any car horn. Their pounding heartbeats had eased into a steady rhythm. The two still felt the other's emotions, fears, and uncertainties, but in a collected manner.

Teru understood everything. Kieran liked being Pride at first, loving the thralls of killing individuals who smelled of rotten flesh, the scent of his sin. Like every immortal over time, it became boring to hear the same ol' screams and pleas to live. What was the point since the heavens never sent him, or any of the deadly sins, a sign that they were doing a good job? Then, being captured by the hunters was a nail to the coffin regarding his feelings towards his duties.

There really wasn't a point to life anymore. Who cared if Abaddon took over humanity? Who cared if that ex-angel trafficked and enslaved innocent humans that didn't smell of Pride? Kieran didn't. His old self would've; not the current him. He was just a harsh-spirited vampire who hated saying sorry, thought he was superior to the other plebeians, and didn't give a shit that he had a part in the blood slave culture by not lifting a finger.

Until he found him. The omega, something new, something Pride can learn from. Would it be okay to admit his wrongdoings and weaknesses?

Teru knew Kieran was experiencing the same as he was. He learned why Teru was shaped the way he was through gender discrimination and societal pressures, yet humble from the love given to him by his family and Lucas.

Until Teru found him. The alpha, something new, something the human can learn from. Would it be okay to be himself without judgment?

Ultimately, they were each other's hope, the hope there was more to life than just surviving or getting by. Every tragedy, everyone that wronged them, was all in the past. This person right here will help you move on. They'll forever leave a light on for you at home when you're lost or simply tired after a long day.

Kieran released the bite. It was a while before either of them moved. They were frozen after undergoing the transformation to becoming bonded mates, which was more intense because of their destined status. The evening hustle and bustle of city night commotion returned to their ears.

What should he say?

Help him. Help him. Help him, that voice whispered again persistently. Teru pushed it away mentally, wanting to deal with it later.

"Earlier, I saw visions of us together." He looked at Kieran from over his shoulder. "What were they-"

He stopped mid-sentence. Kieran stared at Teru's nape without blinking, stunned with wide eyes that held a mixture of alarm, disbelief, and fascination. It scared Teru. "Is there something wrong with my nape?"

Kieran finally blinked. He cradled Teru in his arms and hurried upstairs to the master bedroom while muttering to himself, "I-we-I thought it was a myth. Everyone thought it was a myth. That is definitely real."

He set him on the bed, scrambling around the bathroom until he returned with two handheld mirrors. The vampire handed one to Teru and moved behind him.

"Kieran?" Seriously, what was wrong? Did the bite not go right? Was he disfigured and ugly?

"Don't," Kieran said. "Don't feel such things. You're not ugly or disfigured. The bite is fine, but your birthmark..."

"My birthmark?"

The alpha held up his mirror, prompting Teru to do the same with the one he had. If angled right, he could see the reflection in Kieran's mirror, tilted to show the back of his freshly bitten neck.

Teru saw it.

"What is that?"