Their large paws were eerily silent as they crept towards him. It was ominous seeing the kind people who had added him to their group, now wallowed in fear to retaliate against their Master. Teru saw Tae-soo's blood oozing from the whip lashes, saturating his beautiful fur. The silver element had made it difficult for the wounds to heal. It must be painful! They all were in pain, physically and mentally.

This was not how a pack should be run. Even Nolan did a better job than this! These beaten werewolves had forgotten what it was like to be truly free. Zander likely remembered, since he was recently kenneled ten years ago. But for Tae-soo, who had been here the longest since puphood? For almost a century? No, he wouldn't know the dynamics of a pack life. According to his story, it sounded like his life before in Korea had neglected his basic needs. Tae-soo could've been an amazing leader if he had been brought up correctly, but...

They needed a more suitable person to lead them.

That peculiar instinct returned within Teru; not the virtue, nor his new motherly intuition. For a moment, he forgot about the dangerous situation coming right at him.

The encouraging whisper beckoned him to the meadow in his mind, dotted with colorful wildflowers reaching up to his knees. The warm wind wisped across his naked body, while charcoal clouds above rolled in to suggest a summer shower. Teru saw the black wolf with a white spot on its nape stand up. It turned away to walk further into the open field. The wolf looked back at him, waiting for him to catch up.

Feeling an impulse to get a closer look at the beast, he ran after it. The plants tickled his legs. The scent grew stronger, reminding him of someone.

It smells...like me? Am I going crazy?

No, Teru wasn't crazy. Brown sugar laced with cinnamon became thicker with every step. Ahead, the wolf finally stopped in the center of a heavily flowered section of the endless meadow. The scene with the black animal peppered with a rainbow of petals on its fur would make an amazing painting.

Teru finally caught up with it, catching his breath. He was finally able to get a good look at the wolf that had been sleeping in the distance for weeks. It was big, taller than him by a few hand-spans. Oddly enough, Teru didn't hesitate, nor was he scared. It felt like an old friend that had always been with him. He went closer.

Teru moved slightly to adjust his stance, as did the wolf. Huh? He tilted his head in confusion. The large animal moved its head, too, simultaneously. The movements were the same as his, a carbon copy. They stared at each other. Its eyes were a soft brown, identical to his own. Then, he realized their pheromones were the same scent-brown sugar.

The realization of what this was almost made him cry.

This is me.

Seeing his recently discovered alternate form in the flesh was breathtaking. Everything about the wolf was magnificent: the scent, the pheromones, and sleek figure. Its beauty was unmatched, but don't let that fool you-it had a feisty nature. Treat him respectfully, and maybe he'll let you into his pure heart to form a lifetime bond that would never break. His loyalty to you would be stronger than titanium chains. Its gender and species didn't matter; anyone would be extremely lucky to have this wolf as a friend.

Teru finally understood what Kieran saw in him. For his entire life, Teru thought his secondary gender was a nuisance, something to be ashamed of and hide from others. He'd always think, Why do I have to be burdened with being the last human omega? There's nothing special about me. I'm just a dirty person, a problem for others to deal with when they smell my scent.

Teru took a step forward, prompting the wolf to do the same until they almost touched.

I was wrong about myself.

Kieran was right. Teru deserved to be happy, to stop punishing himself. His mate saw and experienced his worth when they marked. Surviving his past hardships was proof that he had been strong this entire time, and he wished he had realized it sooner.

Teru leaned his head. So did the wolf. Their foreheads gently touched, a gesture of loving intimacy between close friends and family members.

I am an omega.

In a flash of bright light, he was transported back to reality. The meadow was gone where the wolf had waited for him to accept and love his identity. Though the scenery disappeared, Teru knew the giant canine was with him, converging with his entirety. Coming to terms that he didn't exist to merely be a fucktoy for alphas lifted an immense weight from his shoulders.

They were one, him and his inner omega.

Wow, Teru wished he was with Kieran to explain this new revelation! The current situation was incredibly unfortunate, but why was he so happy? He wanted to scream to the world, 'I'm an omega!'

The werewolves surrounded Teru. They were obviously hesitating. Their aura was threatening, yet also worried they'd hurt him. Sometimes, they'd growl to warn him to do their bidding. Teru knew what they were trying to do. They wanted him to shift, make it easier to subdue him as an animal; teach him his lowly role at the bottom. Pack instincts were stronger as a werewolf.

Teru wasn't ready to give in. No matter what form, he had to have courage. He held his head high, feeling a rush of aggressive adrenaline coursing through his veins. Confidence and purpose filled him.

He marched over to Tae-soo, whose size was smaller than his own wolf. For him, right now, Teru didn't see Tae-soo, the person who had just protected him from being whipped by silver barbs. This was the pack alpha he was confronting, not an acquaintance.

Teru stared intensely into the grey wolf's eyes, unblinking. Their shoulders tensed, trying to make themselves look bigger and more prominent than the other. It was an intimidation tactic. They barred their teeth.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Abaddon seethed at Tae-soo, gripping tight on the whip. No one noticed him, much to his childish anger. The other werewolves were solely focused on Teru's invitation for a challenge. They had not expected this.

Teru released his pheromones, potent with dominancy now that he had come to terms with himself. His gums ached where his teeth wanted to extend, a sign that he was on the brink of shifting. Stop. Not yet. This had to be done as a human.

They talked in purr language.

Stand down, the wolf growled.

No.

More clashing pheromones. A storm of the two scents fought around them, making everyone but Abaddon uneasy. Since Tae-soo was an average alpha, Teru's dominant scent overpowered the leather pheromones. The alpha stepped back. His paw's nails clicked on the floor.

Don't show weakness. Push harder.

Teru swore he felt his black wolf's spirit peering over him, also glaring at the opposing werewolf who had loved his mother.

Growl some more. Show the desire for the position in my eyes. Be on the offense.

The most important thing was to never look away. Teru knew his brown eyes twinkled with feral chaos to win this. A quickened purr vibrated his upper half, practically jittering his arms. He unfurled his fingers, ready to use his dull nails if he had to.

This was how to challenge an alpha.

Tae-soo blinked and turned his head to the side, overwhelmed by the dominant omega's pressure. Oh, he broke eye contact first! That's a good thing! He looked at Teru again, body slightly cowering. Eventually, the alpha tucked his tail between his legs and laid his ears flat. The leather pheromones dissipated.

Tae-soo retreated to stand beside Jacky. The challenge's outcome was clear. The werewolves gave Teru their undivided attention, waiting for their next order.

A dominant omega was the pack leader.

Teru purred in a high tone to assure them, to trust him. This new role was his destiny, to continue what he was born to do, to be like his mother before him. He was finished being the damsel in distress. It felt natural and right.

His gender told him, Save the pack. Get them to safety. Free them.

Help him, the other one interjected, referring to Kieran.

There were too many voices! Save the pack? Help Kieran? How could he do both?! Either way, he couldn't do either of those in this secret place. He eyed the door, where Teru knew an elevator was located somewhere out there. Plus, who knew where they were if they got out?

Please let us still be in the city. Please!

SNAP.

A piercing, sharp pain stung Teru's cheek. He hobbled back and yelped, holding the place where Abaddon had just landed a slash from the whip. The silver barbs left deep scratches etched into the left side of his face, almost ripping clear through to the inside of his mouth. When he took his hand off, wide-eyed Teru stared at the pool of crimson liquid in his palm. Blood gushed from the wound over his jawline and shirt.

Seeing the blood...

Seeing the pack growl when seeing him injured...

Seeing the door to freedom...

Something awoke within Teru.

Not scared...

Not terrified...

Not wanting to show his belly in submission...

Just utterly and royally pissed off. Every damned thing that had done him wrong since the day he was born would end now.

Abaddon's pheromones attempted to subdue him at full force, switching from beta to dominant alpha. It didn't work on Teru. Fucking weak. Not worthy of being any gender, to be honest. He remembered the vampire omegas, Liam and Ravi, and how they were forced to conceive like breeding dogs. Liam's mate was murdered when he was human. Ravi didn't even want to look at his newborn pup, which was unheard of for an omega to go against their motherly instincts. They were like that because of his cruel man. The entire harem was suffering and assaulted daily, simply for curing Abaddon's fixation on the genders. NO MORE!

Teru threw the handful of his blood to the floor, splattering over the tiles and white muzzle. He held out his arm, using it as a visual for his pheromones to follow his command. His scent gland prickled, but not in a bad way; it would take time to get used to releasing a new hormone it had only utilized a few times. Since this ability was new to him, Teru needed a cheat code to help, hence the cheesy gesture.

"Kneel."

His hand made a fist, telling the sugary pheromones to attack. The invisible control forced Abaddon to his knees. "You little shi-"

"Shut up. Drop the weapon."

He let it go. THUD.

Teru approached him, putting his arm back to his side. When he stood over Abaddon, Teru wasn't sure what to do next. The werewolves circled around them like hyenas, occasionally growling or snarling. Zander nipped at their heels to distract himself from his rut.

Abaddon was red with rage. The squirming between his shoulder blades under his blazer was unsettling. Teru's instincts shouted, Danger, danger, danger! Run, run, run!

"I guess you're actually an alpha since you listened to me," Teru commented. Since Abaddon couldn't speak, he could only scrunch his nose, wishing he could slander the omega. "But I have a question for you. How did you know about the cinnamon since you can't smell pheromones?"

The king bit his bottom lip, drawing blood. Teru wondered if it was the same, excruciating pain to deny the authority of a dominant omega.

"Tell. Me," he snapped.

Sweat beaded Abaddon's forehead. His muscles twitched. "...The doctor," he mumbled, trying hard not to answer.

"The same one who planned to pair me with several alphas? How did he know?"

"..."

Teru emitted another wave.

"Yes. He said he overheard Wrath and assumed it was cinnamon."

"The doctor was wrong, though. Cinnamon isn't my main scent. That's my heat."

Abaddon furrowed his eyebrows, not happy he had been given the wrong information. How embarrassing.

Teru faltered when he detected a disgusting, putrid smell. Rotting flesh. Carcasses. In their connected path, a festering disease spread over Kieran's star. Abaddon and the wolves didn't notice the decaying odor that made him want to vomit.

He was sensing his destined mate's turmoil: prideful, scared, angry, and mostly lost. Kieran begged for the heavens to give him mercy. Just end him. Then, the sentiments changed into a killing fury. Get rid of the rotten flesh scent. Eliminate his sin from Earth.

The voice hurried, Help him. Help him. Help him.

Teru looked at Abaddon. Abaddon looked back at him. Things could end at this moment. He could take the silver-spiked barbs on the whip and dig them into the cursed alpha's jugular to empty his body of-

Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him.

Shouldn't I kill him first? Teru argued with it. He hurt me. He hurt my mother. He hurt Kieran.

No, it denied. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him. Help him.

He stared a little longer at Abaddon. Though in a degrading position, the man still had pride and no humility. The mysterious whisper knew eliminating Abaddon wasn't his job. It didn't want him, a virtue, to stain his pureness with murder. Despite wanting to take his life where he kneeled, there were countless others who were hurt more by him. They deserved the honor of slitting Abaddon's throat and ripping out his heart.

Teru had more questions, but he had a mate to go find. His mouth couldn't hold in the long, deadly canines any longer. The black wolf was ready.

Before he let his wild instincts take the reins, Teru commanded Abaddon, "Don't move from that spot. Don't ever move, you sadistic bastard." Of course, he'd break free from the controlling pheromones when Teru was far enough, but it'd give them time to get out of wherever they were.

Abaddon snarled loudly, spit flying like rabies. The moving worms on his backside seemed like it would burst, and Teru didn't want to be around to witness the strange phenomenon.

Go. Must go, Teru purred to the four wolves. Find the new alpha of our pack. My mate.

New alpha, they rumbled, Our second leader. New alpha.

As they sprinted into the hallway where none had visited before, he stripped his clothes. Thankfully, the narrow corridor was a straight shot to the elevator.

But he wouldn't make it.

His bones broke and snapped.

His muscles contorted.

His teeth grew bigger than his jaw could hold.

His skin became furry.

I can't hold it in.

And in their aggravated state with the full moon tonight, they'd be more animalistic than normal. A wild werewolf under moon madness couldn't press elevator buttons. Had this all been for nothing? What would happen to them when Abaddon escaped the pheromones? He didn't want to imagine the repercussions.

The last thing Teru remembered before falling into the depths of beastly tendencies was the button on the wall with a down arrow symbol. It illuminated yellow. That meant someone had clicked the other button. The door would open soon. Freedom was in their grasp. Once freedom was achieved...

I'm coming for you, the omega told his alpha just before losing his senses, growling and foaming at whatever threat was about to arrive via the elevator.

In the other room, the white muzzle dripped red with Teru's blood.