WARNING : Sensitive content ahead (non-gory).

Another nightmare.

Another feeling of the pain, sharp and suffocating, as if she were still there.

She had woken up from the nightmare she couldn't seem to escape, her eyes dark, too dark. They were the kind of eyes that swallowed light instead of showing it.

She hadn't cried in years, her expression still and perfectly composed. There were no emotions, nothing. No gasping, no trembling, only the rise and fall of her chest.

Morvienne simply stared at the night sky, empty, awake and detached, her long, dark chestnut-brown hair spilled across the blanket beneath her.

She looked ethereal with her pale skin, calm, too calm for someone who had just relieved hell.

Slowly, she sat up and inhaled, welcoming the smell of the forest and enjoying the cool breeze that comforted her.

It had been ten years, ten years since that night. Ten years since she ran from the ruins of her home, barefoot, trembling, and covered in the blood of her parents.

But still as she fled, she didn't look back. Not once.

Even at eleven, she knew that hesitation meant death. Her mind was sharp, calculating, and even then it screamed one thing to her : Survive.

The forest became her new home, her teacher. She learned to move quietly, learned to observe, learned to listen, really listen to every creak of branches, every flutter of wings, and even to the silent sound of the wind.

Hunger had driven her to set traps, to study the movement of animals, to hunt. The first time she had killed with her little hands, her hands had shaken, but by the fifth time, they didn't.

There were nights she thought she would die from cold, from hunger, from the pain of being alone, but she didn't. She refused to die just like that.

Her parents had taught her many things, how to sense a presence in the dark, how to mask her scent if enemies were near, and she had thought those were just lessons for play, but now, looking back and remembering everything she had been taught, she lived by them. Every small lesson became a weapon.

As she grew, so did her strength.

And something else.

It began with small things, strange warmth in her palms when she was angry, some strange energy when she concentrated too long, how the wind would shift with her moods, how flames would die down at her will. So many things, including her scent. She could change it when she wanted to. Sometimes sharp and dominant, other times soft and submissive or a mix.

She learned to control it, to suppress the Alpha in her when it drew attention, and that was when she realized what her parents had always known. They had told her she was not just one thing.

She was an Almega. A rare blend of Alpha and Omega. Her power was different, unpredictable, and she was even more enhanced than any werewolf.

If anyone ever found her they would want to use it or destroy her for it but right now, they couldn't even try even if they wanted to. But for her plan to work, she would need to hide who she really is.

And so...

She hid.

She trained.

And she became her own teacher, her own weapon.

She would sneak in and out of packs, studying their fighting techniques until she mastered them.

As an heir to the Seran Pack before they were wiped out, she had already been taught the basics, although she still needed more training.

Morvienne had no one to train her, but she had the pain and a mind that learned too quickly.

Years passed and her small hands grew strong.

The child who was once scared and trembling, no longer flinched at unexpected sounds.

She no longer feared the dark, but instead, the dark feared her, and now...

She was ready.

Ten years.

Ten long years.

Now, she will make them pay.

Slowly, she sat up and brushed a strand of hair from her face, her expression unreadable and calm.

She looked down at herself and brushed her fingers slowly across her worn dress, her thoughts running wild.

Then, she tore the dress.

She moved on to splitting it at the shoulder and side seams, destroying it just enough to look desperate and weak.

After that, she dragged the edges against the ground to smear them with dirt and dead leaves, making it look as though she had been dragged and beaten.

The dress was already quite messy, something she had planned beforehand. All she had to do now was spice things up a little bit to make it more...

Believable.

Satisfied with the outcome, she picked up a blade she had kept beside her and drew it across her upper arm, not too deep, but just enough for blood to bead and run.

Next, she cut along her shoulder where the fabric hung loose and hissed quietly at the pain, although that didn't stop her as she proceeded to make another cut down her side, careful to angle it so it looked like claw marks.

She knew she could endure the pain and wanted to make the most out of it.

When she was done, she reached behind her for the finishing touch, turned the blade and nicked the skin along her back, making it long enough to sting and bleed. She wanted it to look like she had been attacked from behind and forced to run.

Blood trickled slowly from each cut she made on her body, her expression still blank.

She watched for a moment to make sure it looked right, then pressed her hand against each cut to spread the blood unevenly. It had to look messy. It had to look real.

And when she was finally finished, she exhaled softly and she sat there, her dress ruined and bloody as she set the knife aside and let herself bleed.

She had studied enough wounds to know how pain should look. How trembling hands should move, and how fear should breathe.

After a few seconds, she lifted her head and stood up.

Her hair was clung to her skin, streaked with dirt and blood, and blood ran down her arm, dripping from her elbow, but she didn't care or look at it. Instead, her hand rose to her neck, fingers brushing lightly against her scent gland.

She tilted her head to one side, pressing her fingers on her scent gland as she breathed in slowly and closed her eyes. Then, she started to change it.

Her scent.

The energy around shifted as she focused, a small cold smile playing on her lips.

She had the mix of Black Orchid and Vanilla scent, which complimented her Almega nature. But now, she pushed the Black Orchid scent deep down, letting her sweet Vanilla scent hide it, just like how she had hidden that night.

As she felt it change, light, sweet, and harmless, she tilted her head again, rolling her neck slightly as if checking how it felt.

"Mmm..." She finally let out as she opened her eyes, her dark eyes glowing golden before going back to normal as the sweetness of vanilla, clung to the air, soft and inviting.

Straightening, Morvienne rolled her shoulders back and stood in silence for a moment, listening to the wind and the quietness of the river nearby. Then... she moved.

Her bare feet brushed over leaves and roots as she looked every bit the broken, lost omega she wanted to be, fragile and pitiful.

She could already scent them from where she was. The Varyn borders. Wolves. Patrols. Guards stationed close enough to hear.

It was perfect.

As she drew closer to the border, her heart rate slowed and then quickened. She let out a shaky breath and slumped her shoulders, her lips trembling as she rubbed some of the dried blood across her cheek, making herself look even more pitiful.

"Help...!" she tried once, soft, breathless and desperate like the sound of someone who was barely holding on.

Then louder, she screamed, raw and breaking.

"HELP!! PLEASE!"

She stumbled forward, her feet dragging across the dirt as she neared the border. Her hair was messy, tangled, and covered some parts of her face. She swayed on her feet, one arm pressed against her side as if she were trying to stop herself from falling.

"H-help..." her voice came out weak, cracking halfway through. "Help me..." She tried again, louder this time. "Please... Anyone?"

She sounded and looked so scared, her lips quivering as she tried to breathe. Her eyes were already watery, her legs shaky as she tried not to collapse.

"Someone... Please. Help me," she called out again. "Please."

Then she heard it. The sound of footsteps rushing toward her, heavy and alert.

"Who's there?!" The man's voice came, echoing through the land.

Morvienne stumbled again, pretending like she barely had the strength to stand.

When the man finally showed himself to her, his eyes sharp and cautious, she froze, her body trembling more than before.

"Who are you?" the guard barked, lowering his weapon slightly but still on alert. "What do you want?"

"P-please..." Her lips quivered faintly as she tried to speak. "Please...he-hel-" her voice cracked completely and before she could finish, her knees buckled and her body hit the ground with a soft thud.

Instantly, the guard's eyes widened as she fell and instinct kicked in.

Before any thought, he rushed to her side, his hand gripping the hilt of his dagger just in case.

When he reached her, he dropped to a crouch, scanning her quickly. She was covered in dirt, bloody and her dress was torn. She looked barely conscious. Then, he proceeded to lean closer and caught her scent.

"An omega," he muttered as he froze, his guard easing slightly.

"Hey," he said cautiously, his voice firm but not unkind. "Can you hear me?"

"H-help," Morvienne whispered brokenly as she flinched, her teary eyes opened halfway.

The moment he reached toward her, she jerked back with a whimper, trying to push herself away from him weakly.

"It's okay," the guard said quickly, holding up his hands to show that he meant no harm. "I won't hurt you, alright? You are safe now. You are near the Varyn borders. You're safe."

"N-no," Morvienne shook her head quickly, her voice cracking as her heart raced.

"P-please don't... don't hurt me, please," she pleaded, hugging herself and curling in slightly, her shoulders shaking. "I have d-done nothing wrong. Nothing, nothing. I didn't do anything."

"I'm not going to hurt you," the guard said again, gentler this time as he tried to reassure her, his tone softening. "You are bleeding. You need help."

Morvienne quickly shook her head, her lower lip trembling as she went on to chew on them. "No... please... no.... It hurts..."

Hearing and witnessing all these, the guard hesitated, unsure of what to do next. She looked so terrified like an abused omega who had run for her life, and he knew how sensitive Omegas were.

"I need to find another way," he thought as he took a slow breath and stood up, glancing back at where he came out from.

"Alright," he said quietly as he looked back at her, keeping his distance in order not to scare her further.

"I'll be right back, okay?" He said to her, "Don't move. I'll bring someone who can help you. Just... stay here."

Morvienne didn't respond, her gaze simply fixed on the ground as her body trembled faintly.

After waiting for a moment longer, the guard then turned and ran back toward the pack territory.

He walked straight to the mansion in the pack, the one that belonged to the Alpha of the pack.

"Open up!" he called to the guards stationed at the entrance, barely slowing his pace.

Recognizing him, the guards opened the big doors immediately without question, and he walked in, stepping into the wide hall.

Inside, the mansion was quiet except for the faint sounds of footsteps and soft clinking of silver from the dining area.

A few maids were moving about, dusting and cleaning the place when one of them saw him.

"I need to see the Alpha," he said, straightening slightly. "It's urgent."

Startled, the maid quickly nodded. "Okay. Wait here," she said and set down her tray before hurrying toward the grand staircase.

The guard gave her a curt nod and stood still, shifting his weight as he waited. He was quite worried about the omega out there and wondered if it was a good idea to leave her all alone. "But she wouldn't let me touch or help her," he thought, frowning slightly as he continued waiting.

Upstairs, the maid had reached the Alpha's room and knocked twice.

"Alpha Kael?"

"What is it?" A deep voice answered from inside.

"One of the guards came to report something urgent."

There was a short silence after the maid had delivered the message before the door then opened and Kael stepped out.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up and his hair was slightly tousled, eyes already assessing.

"Where?" he asked curtly, his tone calm.

"At the entrance, Alpha," the maid replied quickly and bowed.

Kael nodded once and descended the stairs, the guard straightening as soon as he saw him coming.

"Report," he ordered, stepping closer to the guard but keeping a distance at the same time.

"Alpha," The guard bowed his head slightly before he started reporting.

"There is an omega near the border, just outside. She is injured badly. Her clothes are torn, and she looks like she has been attacked. I tried to help her, but she panicked. She is terrified and won't let me help her."

Kael's eyes narrowed slightly, but his face remained unreadable. "Did you sense anyone else around?"

"No, Alpha. Just her."

For a brief moment, Kael said nothing as he thought. Then slightly, he turned and finally spoke.

"Let's go."

The guard nodded immediately, following him out of the house.

They passed through the familiar grounds of their pack and when they neared the edge of the border, Kael's gaze sharpened.

He stopped a few paces away, his senses tingling as he scanned the area without the need to look around, before looking back at the omega who was still curled up. Although, there was something about her that he couldn't pinpoint. Something that pulled him. But just as the thought and feeling came, he pushed it away and stepped forward, kneeling down beside her.

She was shaking, face pale, and eyes tightly shut. The fear was obvious in her body language and the way her body tensed at every movement around her, convinced Kael that she was not a threat.

"It's okay," he said gently, his voice soft and low. "I know you are scared, but you don't need to be. I won't hurt you. No one here will."

Morvienne flinched at his words, her body curling in on itself even more, as if she were trying to disappear. Her eyes stayed closed, but Kael could hear and feel the fear in her breathing.

He reached out cautiously, his hands moving toward her slowly. "Shhh... It's okay," he continued, his tone coaxing as he tried to calm her down. "See? I won't hurt you. I promise."

For the first time, Morvienne's eyes snapped open and met his pale gray ones. There was still fear in hers, but there was also a flicker of something else. His eyes scanned her trembling form, and as he brushed his hand across her hair, pushing it gently out of her face, he finally got a clear view of her features.

Her face was pale, cheeks stained with the traces of blood and tears, but her eyes... those dark, innocent eyes were filled with fear as they stared up at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, his fingers brushing through her hair one more time. "I am here now. You do not have to worry about anything."

Morvienne nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his as she proceeded to speak, her voice soft and shaky. "I... I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I am very scared."

"You don't need to be afraid," he uttered, his expression softening despite himself. "I will help you, alright? You are safe now. You just need to trust me and let me help you."

"Are you sure?" She asked, the fear still evident in her eyes.

"I promise," Kael responded, making her relax just a little.

She gave him a barely noticeable nod, her breath hitching as he gently wrapped one arm under her knees and another around her back, then lifted her with ease, cradling her against his chest.

Morvienne's small, trembling frame felt so fragile in his arms and for a moment, his chest tightened. That scent of hers, that sweet vanilla scent he had picked up, seemed to do things to him, but he cleared his throat silently and brushed it away, focusing on what he had to do.

Meanwhile, her face was nestled against his neck as she rested in his arms, her fingers gripping his shirt, just barely.

Kael could feel her heart racing, the fear still not fully gone. "But soon, it will fade," he told himself.

Once she was back inside the pack's wall, hopefully she would feel safe. But, unknown to him, Morvienne inhaled his scent quietly, her face still buried in his neck as he carried her into his pack.

"Grape red wine scent," the thought echoed in her mind as she inhaled again, savoring it. "Interesting."