30.08.2049 Seoul, Mapo-gu, SHA Omega Dormitory

  “I thought alphas weren’t allowed in the omega dormitory.” Yoon Taeha glanced at the Sergeant walking beside him.

  “I’m only visiting. Helping you with your things,” Kim Jaeseong replied.

  “I have one bag…”

  “But you look so frail!” Kim Jaeseong insisted with puppy-dog eyes. “Besides, I can’t risk my reputation. Imagine the headlines, ‘S-class alpha hunter attacks an omega.’ I’d be in detention for the rest of my life.”

  “Ugh, S-class alphas are the worst.”

  The dorms were exclusive to hunters with omega secondary gender. After the Secondary Gender Protection Act, the SHA had made sure omegas had a safe environment, especially during heat periods; somewhere they didn’t have to fear an alpha forcing their pheromones on them. That used to be a real problem, even among hunters.

  The halls were buzzing with people, and although Kim Jaeseong was an alpha, his hunter rank allowed him inside the dorms. The omegas didn’t seem to mind his presence either; the man was very easy on the eyes. He kept waving at the omegas staring at him, practically flirting, while somehow still paying attention to Yoon Taeha. It was almost amusing how much he enjoyed the attention.

  Yoon Taeha’s dorm room was very simple. A single bed, a desk, and a bathroom with a shower. He hadn’t expected more, but Kim Jaeseong’s jaw dropped the moment he saw it.

  “You can’t be serious. Is this where you’re supposed to be staying?”

  “What’s wrong with it? It seems perfectly comfortable.” Yoon Taeha placed his bag on the bed. “Oh, there’s a chocolate on my pillow!”

  “I’ll talk to Chief Han. Maybe she’ll let you move in with me.” Kim Jaeseong suddenly hugged Yoon Taeha from behind. Moving in with an alpha after a pheromone shock was out of the question, and even if Yoon Taeha wanted it, the Association would never allow it.

  “Sergeant, let go of me.”

  “You’re so cold…” Kim Jaeseong said as he let go, mock-sobbing. “Hey, we’re a team now. We should be bonding, no? Let’s get this over with and go for a beer.”

  Drinking with his new team was the last thing on Yoon Taeha’s mind. After what had happened with the Second Lieutenant, he wanted nothing more than to curl up under his blanket and be left alone. He hadn’t heard from Kang Jeonhyun in over a week, which made avoiding each other surprisingly easy. Still, a persistent restlessness gnawed at him in the back of his mind.

  It was only a matter of time until they’d have to enter a dungeon together. They couldn’t avoid each other forever. Yoon Taeha wondered how it would be working with him now. It had been unexpectedly easy at first, but after what happened in the hospital, everything felt different. If their pheromones clashed again, Kang Jeonhyun could go on a rampage, and then what? Yoon Taeha would have to step in as a healer, and the whole world would learn about his reawakening. That was the last thing he wanted… though entering S-class gates wasn’t much better.

  Kang Jeonhyun knew his secret now, and he could use it against him if he wanted to. But he hadn’t reported anything to the Association yet. If he did, there was no way to cheat the hunter-class examination; his new level would show, and when it did, it would be game over. The thought made his stomach twist. Being stuck with Special Ops was bad enough, but being reassigned to the medical ward would be even worse.

  “Are you alright?” Kim Jaeseong’s voice pulled Yoon Taeha out of his thoughts.

  “Yeah, I was just wondering what I’ll do with my spare time,” he lied. “Things are… well, a bit different than I remember.”

  The world had changed a lot in ten years, and it was hard to get used to it. It didn’t take long for Yoon Taeha to realize how much he had missed while he was in a coma. Electronics were different, public transportation had changed routes and systems, food trends were practically the opposite of what they used to be, and somehow everybody and their mother had started running. Running as a hobby. In the Unified Republic? Unheard of.

  The only thing Taeha was genuinely thankful for was that all his favorite TV shows had already finished, meaning he could binge-watch them. If he could figure out how. He had no idea how to activate Webflix or whatever new streaming services existed now, if they even still existed. He glanced at the handsome golden retriever alpha walking beside him.

  He might be of use after all.

  “You know what. Let’s go have that beer. I need your help with… stuff,” Yoon Taeha said in the end.

  “You made the right choice, my friend.”

  “Friend, my ass,” Yoon Taeha scoffed.

  30.08.2049 Seoul, Mapo-gu, Hondae, Guide Bar

  At least the drinking culture had not changed, not even a little bit. The rest of the Special Ops were already waiting at the little bar in Hondae when Kim Jaeseong and Yoon Taeha stepped in. Only one was missing. Yoon Taeha looked around to double check, but felt a sense of relief as his presence was missing.

  Although relieved, a strange hollowness followed. Even if the events with the man had been intimidating, scary even, there was a part of him that longed for his presence. It was something he would never admit, but those momentary feelings he’d had towards the man, desire, tension, whatever they had been, had not completely faded after all. Yoon Taeha didn’t know whether he still wanted the man, or if it was only the teasing and the friction he liked. He tried to brush off the thought, but his body didn’t cooperate, heat rising at the back of his neck as he remembered how just a week ago, he had been pinned down to the hospital bed by him.

  This was the first time Yoon Taeha had the chance to talk with the rest of the team. There were only six of them, and he needed to build some kind of relationship with them if they were going to work together. Still, Yoon Taeha needed to conceal his reawakening and healing skills, even his team could not know about it. There was no one he could trust with this information, and Kang Jeonhyun knowing made it even more dangerous.

  Though the men had stared at him in a strange manner at the Baekho-gate, they gave him a warm welcome with a pint of beer already waiting for him.

  “Can you drink?” one of the men asked.

  “I’m a bit of a lightweight, but I think so.” Yoon Taeha smiled nervously; his normal confidence drained for a moment.

  The men at the table exchanged curious glances, yet they were all smiling, as if they had been waiting for him. Yoon Taeha couldn’t help but wonder what these men already knew about him. But they showed no signs of malice, on the contrary, they seemed genuinely excited to have him there. One of the men reached his hand to him.

  “We haven’t been introduced yet. I’m Park Minjae.” His monitor popped open.

  Name: Park Minjae

  Rank: Corporal

  Birthday: 01.5.2025

  Sex: Male

  Secondary gender: Alpha, recessive

  Height: 170cm

  City of birth: Busan

  Hunter class: A

  Qualities: Hawk’s eye, long vision

  Park Minjae was short and cute, with features that belonged more to a poster boy than a battlefield, but every Special Ops hunter looked like they’d stepped out of an advertisement anyway. He seemed sweet at first glance, approachable even. In Yoon Taeha’s experience, the cute ones were always the fiercest hunters, but that would remain to be seen.

  “Oh, you’re A-class.” Yoon Taeha rubbed his chin.

  “Checking my file already,” Park Minjae laughed. “I’ve been mistaken as S-class many times, especially since I’m a part of the Special Ops. My quality is the reason I’m in this team. Our qualities strengthen each other, and that’s how we’ve been picked for this team. Although besides me and the Second Lieutenant, the rest are S-class.”

  “Well now we have a C-class with us too. Unheard of!” the next hunter laughed.

  It wasn’t an exaggeration. Yoon Taeha really was the first C-class hunter to ever rise to a higher military rank, and it was even stranger that he had been placed in Special Ops of all units. No one had said it out loud yet, but he could feel their curiosity under the polite smiles. He was just as confused as they were. Even if he was a good soldier, A- and S-class beasts were on a completely different level, and C-class hunters had no business standing in front of them. Not alive, at least.

  He forced a calm expression and waited for the man’s monitor to open, pretending he didn’t share the same questions everyone else was thinking. The man was huge, not taller than Kang Jeonhyun, but bulky enough to look like he could take down a bear with his bare hands.

  Name: Choi Yoonsun

  Rank: Private First Class

  Birthday: 24.12.2020

  Sex: Male

  Secondary gender: Alpha, recessive

  Height: 188cm

  City of birth: Seoul

  Hunter class: S

  Quality: Titan Surge

  “This guy is the muscles of the team!” Park Minjae said enthusiastically.

  “Yeah… somehow I can tell.” Yoon Taeha chuckled. Even with a scar cutting his mouth, Choi Yoonsun was handsome.

  “I’m also the oldest of the team. Well, after you.”

  “My mind is that of a 22-year-old,” Yoon Taeha admitted, and he wasn’t wrong. Being in a coma for ten years had only made him older in appearance. His brain was exactly the same as it had been when he fell into coma.

  Yoon Taeha glanced at Choi Yoonsun’s monitor again.

  “What exactly does ‘Titan Surge’ mean?”

  Choi Yoonsun barked a laugh.

  “You’ll see soon enough. Just don’t stand too close when I use it." He proceeded to point at the next hunter. "The quiet guy next to me is Lee Hyunwoo.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Yoon Taeha reached to shake his hand, but he wouldn’t move. For a split second he wondered if he had said something wrong, or if the man simply disliked him. The blank, unreadable expression made it hard to tell.

  “He’s deaf and mute,” Choi Yoonsun began. “Apparently he lost both abilities when he manifested as a hunter. It’s unfair if you ask me, but he is very powerful. The irony is that his quality is sound waves.”

  Name: Lee Hyunwoo

  Rank: Specialist

  Birthday: 01.08.2025

  Sex: Male

  Secondary gender: Alpha, recessive

  Height: 179cm

  City of birth: Daegu

  Hunter class: S

  Quality: Sound Waves

  The man’s height was average, but he was well built; not bulky like Choi Yoonsun or thin like Kim Jaeseong, but the kind of build that showed consistent training and discipline. His jawline was sharp, and his eyes were phoenix-like, although his glasses hid the intensity that peeked through. He was handsome in a quiet, refined way, almost scholarly, which only made his presence more striking.

  “Do you use sign language?” Yoon Taeha asked.

  “No, we can’t be bothered to learn. He reads our lips, but only when he thinks the topic is worth knowing about,” Kim Jaeseong laughed, with the rest joining him.

  “Okay, enough jokes. Lastly, we have the twins.”

  “Ryu Seojin, at your service.”

  “Ryu Seoyeon, likewise.”

  Yoon Taeha had never seen a monitor with information for two hunters displayed at once. It was as if the twins were registered as one person.

  Name: Ryu Seojin, Ryu Seoyeon

  Rank: Staff Sergeant(s)

  Birthday: 19.9.2025

  Sex: Male

  Secondary gender: Beta

  Height: 181cm

  City of birth: Daegu

  Hunter class: S

  Quality: Sprint Burst, Hyper Reflex

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The two sat there side by side, tall, young, and unfairly handsome. Their faces mirrored each other perfectly, sharp and youthful. They moved in sync, as if sharing the same breath, and even their expressions identical.

  “Wow, even your qualities are the same,” Yoon Taeha remained surprised.

  “They’re monkeys,” Choi Yoonsun said, looking at the twins sharply. They just brushed their shoulders as if they were used to being called that.

  It was as if the team had been chosen by looks rather than qualities. Yes, according to their files they were strong hunters, supposedly the best the association had, but they were all ridiculously handsome. Two of them could even be called divine. Especially one that Yoon Taeha didn’t want to admit.

  “It’s nice to meet the people I’ll be working with. Although I don’t know how much help I’ll be as a C-class hunter.”

  “Maybe you’ll be of help as a soldier,” Park Minjae said, leaning a little closer. “You’re also the first omega in our team. This is going to be exciting. We’re required to take suppressant shots monthly, so you should be safe with us.”

  Safe. The word snagged in Yoon Taeha’s mind. He was confused, because if Kang Jeonhyun had taken his suppressant shots for rut, then how had he entered it so easily? The memory flickered sharp behind, and a faint, involuntary shiver crawled up his spine. He remained silent for a moment longer than he meant to, leaving the others staring at him awkwardly as he tried to settle his expression back into something neutral.

  “Your accent is very funny,” one of the twins said. Yoon Taeha still couldn’t tell them apart.

  “It’s difficult to get rid of, but I’ll do my best. I guess I’m too slow with picking up the Seoul accent.”

  “Why should you apologize? I’m never giving up my Busan accent!” Park Minjae said, seriously, and almost yelling.

  Yoon Taeha glanced at him again; he was too cute to ignore. The North Korean accent was very different from the southern one, and even though it had softened over the years, it had never fully shifted. It was easy for anyone to recognize where Yoon Taeha was from.

  “Nobody cares about accents here,” Kim Jaeseong began, “as long as you’re a team player, nothing else really matters.”

  “Like he’ll ever be.” A deep voice sounded behind them.

  The heat on the back of Yoon Taeha’s neck, which had finally subsided, flared up again. He turned around slowly, a sudden fear striking him, sharp and instinctive, but tangled with something else. A thrill. Excitement. His pulse jumped before he could stop it. His instincts had been off. As a telepath, he should have sensed someone approaching, should have picked up even the faintest ripple of intent, but there had been nothing. No warning.

  Kang Jeonhyun made his way to the table.

  “I thought you weren’t coming.” Kim Jaeseong said, looking disappointed.

  “Am I not allowed to be here?”

  “I can’t flirt freely with Taeha hyung if you’re here.” Kim Jaeseong winked at Yoon Taeha, who immediately blushed. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had called him hyung. The word felt strangely warm.

  “Why are you bullying the new guy?” Choi Yoonsun barked. “He’s not going to come to our gatherings if you behave like that.”

  It took Yoon Taeha by surprise how casually the others talked to Kang Jeonhyun. He had imagined the man to be someone people avoided, someone feared, but these hunters showed no such feelings toward him.

  Kang Jeonhyun made Park Minjae scoot over and sat directly across from Yoon Taeha, as if deliberately choosing the seat that would make him the most uncomfortable. Of all the empty chairs in the bar, he chose the one with the clearest view of him. Even with the thrill running under his skin, Yoon Taeha’s knuckles whitened around his glass. He wasn’t sure what the Second Lieutenant would do next, but the way those eyes were fixed on him made his body brace for it.

  Kim Jaeseong noticed the way Kang Jeonhyun’s presence shifted with Yoon Taeha sitting right in front of him and decided to make the best of the situation. He made sure Yoon Taeha’s cup was always full, and whenever he had the chance, he’d find an excuse to touch him, a brush of fingers on his shoulder, an eyelash flicked from his cheek, anything he could get away with, accompanied with the occasional playful glance at the Second Lieutenant.

  Every time Kim Jaeseong got a little too close, Kang Jeonhyun’s stare darkened. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable to anyone else, but the team knew him too well. Yoon Taeha, however, mistook it for the same hostility he’d felt from him countless times before. The weight of that gaze pressed on him; it was suffocating. It felt like being held against the wall again, except this time there was no excuse to fight back.

  Still, despite the constant display of affection, Yoon Taeha felt surprisingly comfortable with Kim Jaeseong. He made the best of the situation and asked for help with the apps on his phone and setting up accounts on different streaming services. It was easier to focus on something practical than to pretend he didn’t feel Kang Jeonhyun’s eyes burning into him from across the table.

  “Do you still use Coffeetalk?” Yoon Taeha tried to find the application.

  “My mom does.” Kim Jaeseong laughed, while Yoon Taeha rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’ll set you up with everything. I’ll even download you a dating app while we’re at it.”

  “Sergeant.” Kang Jeonhyun snapped.

  “Oh, true,” Kim Jaeseong leaned closer to Yoon Taeha, completely unbothered, “maybe you should just date me.” Kang Jeonhyun looked furious, which was honestly amusing. Yoon Taeha had missed teasing him.

  “Don’t do it, you’ll catch his stupidity,” Choi Yoonsun said, slapping Yoon Taeha’s back. “We’ll find you a good alpha. There are a bunch at the association. These losers are beneath you.”

  “I’m not really interested in dating, hmmm…” Yoon Taeha rubbed his chin. “But I guess I won’t say no if a nice alpha catches my eye.”

  “So, I still stand a chance,” Kim Jaeseong said, putting his arm around him. “I’m a nice alpha.” He whispered it intentionally loud enough for the man across from them to hear. Yoon Taeha chuckled, raising his hand to his mouth playfully, and on purpose.

  Kang Jeonhyun’s eyes landed on him immediately, and Yoon Taeha couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his lips. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, even with the risks involved. It was as if he had learned nothing from his earlier provocations.

  For him, there was a very thin line between fear and desire when it came to Kang Jeonhyun. He had thought, for a moment, that there might be something more to the man, but he had proven himself to be just like all dominant alphas: arrogant and selfish. Every movement Yoon Taeha made, Kang Jeonhyun followed, gaze fixed on him as if surveilling his every breath.

  After what had happened between them, Kang Jeonhyun had been ordered to keep his distance from Yoon Taeha unless it was for missions. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t. The moment he heard that Yoon Taeha was joining the team for drinks, he had rushed over as well. He told himself it was only to keep an eye on him, to maintain control of the situation, but there was something else beneath that. Something he refused to acknowledge, masking it with hate. Yoon Taeha, however, felt that it wasn’t just surveillance.

  Their eyes locked, a little too long for it to be accidental, and neither of them looked away. Yoon Taeha’s mouth twitched, while Kang Jeonhyun remained expressionless, as if he could hide everything behind that rigid facade. As if no one would notice what he felt.

  Following the fight at the hospital, Kang Jeonhyun had been transferred to a different room, and Yoon Taeha’s room was left guarded. Although their argument had been mutual, both sides equally guilty, seeing an alpha holding an omega down by force was immediately viewed as an act of violation.

  After the unification, the government had passed the Secondary Gender Protection Act, a law forged through public pressure and countless documented abuses. Before the Act, omegas had been easy prey, even those who were trained hunters. Alphas with strong pheromones could overwhelm an omega’s senses, cloud their judgment, or force compliance, and far too many had exploited that imbalance.

  The new law made pheromone coercion one of the most serious criminal offenses in the Unified Republic. Any alpha who deliberately directed their pheromones at an omega without consent faced immediate detainment, loss of rank, and trial under military court. The message was clear: an omega’s body and instincts were not territory to be claimed.

  If it hadn’t been for Chief Han’s involvement, Kang Jeonhyun’s actions could have been a direct ticket to military court and detention. Yoon Taeha, however, had no desire to raise a lawsuit against him. After all, Kang Jeonhyun held something over him, something he didn’t fully understand yet, but enough to keep him silent.

  Choi Yoonsun’s watch flashed blue with an alert. A Cheongyong-gate.

  “Looks like this is my cue,” he said as he got up, downing the last of his pint in one go. “I have to go supervise the newbies. It was nice meeting you, Taeha, I’m looking forward to working with you!”

  He slapped Kim Jaeseong’s arm off Yoon Taeha’s shoulders just so he could pat him himself. He bowed politely.

  “Supervise newbies?” Yoon Taeha repeated, confused. “What do you mean? Why does he have to do that?”

  “As Special Ops, our missions aren’t that frequent. To keep us active, the association sends us with lower-ranking hunters to C–E class gates, just to supervise and sometimes instruct if needed,” Park Minjae explained. “Basically, for us it’s like training them. Looks like Yoonsun got stuck with the new recruits today. He’s going to have so much fun.” He laughed.

  “So all of you do this?” Yoon Taeha asked. “I wonder if I’ll have to as well.”

  “Needless to say, the Second Lieutenant doesn’t,” Park Minjae answered. “He already has enough desk work between missions. But the rest of us do.”

  “You being C-class, I doubt you’ll have to,” Kim Jaeseong added, leaning his cheek against his hand, elbow resting on the table. “But you might get placed as an instructor at the training center instead.”

  “If Taeha hyung becomes an instructor, I want to attend his class!” Ryu Seojin said excitedly. Yoon Taeha laughed.

  “Why would a Staff Sergeant attend my class?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? We’re trained hunters, not real soldiers. I don’t see why we shouldn’t learn basic military skills,” Ryu Seojin said proudly.

  “What do you mean? Back in my days we did everything…” Yoon Taeha frowned.

  “That changed, after the—” Park Minjae began, only to be stopped by Kang Jeonhyun’s sharp gaze. He snapped his mouth shut immediately. “Well, anyway, we don’t do that anymore. They train non-hunters for military skills. We only do theory and hunter training now.”

  “Personally, I don’t like it. It sets us apart from the non-hunters, considering there’s already inequality there,” Ryu Seojin said.

  “How does that affect you? You have the winning cards,” Ryu Seoyeon asked his brother.

  “I just don’t like us being separated from others. It’s not like we’re any more important than them,” Ryu Seojin argued. Kang Jeonhyun scoffed at the comment.

  “Looks like we have someone who disagrees,” Yoon Taeha whispered under his breath. He was sure he had said it quietly enough, but Kang Jeonhyun’s gaze shifted to him immediately. Yoon Taeha wondered whether Kang Jeonhyun ever realized how arrogant his behavior was. Then again, seeing how the team treated him just like anyone else, maybe he wasn’t like that with them. Maybe this behavior was reserved only for Yoon Taeha.

  30.08.2049 Somewhere in Seoul, Mapo-gu

  “I swear they were right there, just a second ago. Where the hell did they go?” Yoon Taeha was running around aimlessly. Seoul had changed so much during the past ten years that he had no idea where he was. He didn’t know how to get back to the dormitory without help. He didn’t even remember which part of town it was located in.

  “Where the hell am I?”

  It was unbelievable how the others had run off so easily, while Yoon Taeha was struggling to move forward at all after getting tipsy from one beer. He might have become durable as an S-class hunter when it came to healing, but apparently that skill didn’t flush alcohol out as fast as it fixed everything else. His tolerance for alcohol was still firmly C-class.

  Yoon Taeha finally stopped running and stepped away from the main street, slipping into a narrow alleyway. He leaned against the wall, trying to figure out his new phone and how to call Kim Jaeseong, who was the only contact he had listed. It was embarrassing how difficult everything had become for him, and it made adjusting to the current world that much harder. He had woken into a life he wasn’t prepared for, and nothing was the same.

  The crowded streets had been too much for a telepath, too many intentions, too loud, too overwhelming. Seoul had always been noisy, but now it felt like it was shouting directly into his skull. Still, beneath the chaos, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Suddenly someone grabbed his neck from behind, yanking him closer.

  “What is an omega like you doing alone in a place like this?” The man leaned in and sniffed his neck, raising every hair on Yoon Taeha’s body in disgust.

  “He smells like a recessive one, but that won’t make him any less delicious,” another voice called from farther down the alley. Yoon Taeha’s stomach churned at the man’s words with repulsion and anger.

  Quick on his reflexes, he drove his heel backward in a sharp, donkey-kick, striking the man in the abdomen. The force sent him flying several meters back, skidding across the ground. But before Yoon Taeha could catch his breath, more men stepped into the dim light, standing exactly where the first man had landed.

  “We could get some good cash for this one. A C-class hunter and an omega, why not?” someone laughed.

  It was no use trying to run. He wouldn’t make it far, and with their numbers, outrunning them was impossible. He’d have to fight. Taking down even a dozen men wouldn’t have been a problem for him normally, but then a dozen monitors flickered open around him, lighting up the alley in blue.

  “For fuck’s sake,” Yoon Taeha scoffed. “Of course they’re hunters. Unregistered at that.” Every single screen showed N/A across all fields: name, rank, origin, everything.

  Unregistered hunters were the lowest caste. They had run from responsibility, now roaming without supervision or regulation, making them unpredictable and dangerous. Registered hunters had monitors that displayed every detail the Association had recorded, but unregistered ones carried nothing but empty files. Their ranks, qualities, and limits were all unknown, including the enemies standing in front of them.

  Suddenly Yoon Taeha wasn’t sure if he could take them down after all. They charged at him full speed, one twisting his body with unnatural flexibility, others moving with brute strength that looked strong enough to crack bone. Before he could brace himself, a heavy kick struck him in the ribs, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the cement wall.

  The pain would have been unbearable for most men, but Yoon Taeha was too used to pain, far more than anyone should be. His insides were already stitching themselves back together as he pushed off the wall and forced himself to stand again. Before anyone could attack, he calmly adjusted his outfit and brushed dust off his shoulder, as if mocking his enemies on purpose.

  With his intention detection he was more or less able to tell their moves, but there were too many attacking him at once. Even knowing their next move didn’t give him enough time to dodge. And then something disrupted the mental signals entirely, flooding his senses with static.

  The next attacker lunged, and Yoon Taeha moved on instinct. He drove his elbow sharply into the man’s throat, then snapped a kick upward from the ground, his heel connecting with another man’s jaw. A third came from the side, and Yoon Taeha dropped low, sweeping his leg in a clean arc that knocked the man off his feet. But he couldn’t keep up. A blow slammed into the side of his head, ringing in his skull, and another struck hard against his shoulder, forcing him backward.

  Two men grabbed him before he could reset his stance, locking onto his arms and hauling him back. He twisted, trying to break free, slamming his heel into one man’s shin, jerking his weight to the side, but it was in vain. Their grip didn’t loosen. One of the men stepped forward and pulled a knife from his monitor.

  Still, Yoon Taeha knew he’d survive whatever came to him. Even if they stabbed him a hundred times, he would live, though the aftermath would be unpleasant. At this point he knew it was pointless to keep struggling; he wasn’t getting out of this unharmed, for now. Yoon Taeha exhaled through his nose.

  The alpha pheromones surrounding him were suffocating, not like Kang Jeonhyun’s had been. These were predatory, animalistic, meant to weaken their prey. There was nothing of the strange intimacy he had felt before. Kang Jeonhyun’s pheromones had been intense, overwhelming, but there had been a sweetness to them, a warmth that pulled instead of repulsed. But these, that were forced on him, made his stomach twist with nausea.

  He tried to suppress his omega pheromones, not wanting to provoke the men any further, but fear and frustration leaked through him despite his attempts. It was as if his own body was betraying him, responding on instinct rather than reason, leaving him exposed and vulnerable in the worst possible moment.

  “Don’t you have anything better to do? You low lives should go back to licking your toes. Fucking cowards, afraid of enlisting.” Yoon Taeha’s barking earned him a violent punch across the face, snapping his head to the side. He knew very well what would happen next. He’d be violated and dumped in the alley. And if he wasn’t dumped, then he’d be sold on the black market, an omega hunter was profitable cargo.

  “Northern bastard,” one of the men spat on him.

  Suddenly the man in front of him began clawing at his own throat, choking on nothing. Then the ones holding Yoon Taeha did the same, their hands flying away from him as they fought invisible restraints. Panic flashed in their eyes as they staggered backward, gasping for air.

  There was nothing around their necks. But Yoon Taeha smelled something, faint at first, then overwhelmingly familiar. A sweet, warm, dominant scent. It washed away the foul stench he’d been drenched in moments before. His heart felt heavy, but he didn’t know why.

  A violent burst of wind tore down the alley, throwing the remaining men off their feet and against the walls. The force rattled the ground beneath him. Behind the man with the knife now stood a tall figure, his outline barely visible in the dark, but his golden eyes burned through the shadows, glowing with fury so intense it was almost inhuman.

  The invisible choke around the attacker’s throat suddenly manifested into a physical one as Kang Jeonhyun’s hand wrapped around his neck. He lifted the man effortlessly against the wall, pinning him there as if he weighed nothing. For a moment, Yoon Taeha forgot to breathe.

  Kang Jeonhyun’s expression wasn’t just anger, it was something much deeper. His pheromones surged through the alley in a thick wave, nothing like the sweetness Yoon Taeha remembered.

  “Trash like you should stay in the gutter.” His voice was low and furious. He threw the man down like discarded meat and drove a rib-shattering kick into his side, sending him skidding across the pavement. The sound of bones cracking startled Yoon Taeha.

  The rest of the men suffered the same fate. Kang Jeonhyun moved with lethal precision, no hesitation, no mercy. Cracking sounds, screams, bodies hitting concrete. One man fled but was snatched back by a gust of wind. Kang Jeonhyun didn’t stop until every single one of them was on the ground, groaning, unconscious, or too broken to crawl away.

  It took less than a minute, and the alley fell silent. Kang Jeonhyun stood in the center of the chaos, chest rising and falling with the effort to contain the fury inside him. His hands shook from holding back. It was as if he was terrified, though he would never admit it. He couldn’t look at Yoon Taeha, not knowing what he might do if he saw his face. Instead, he pulled out his phone with stiff movements.

  “We have a dozen unregistered hunters detained. I’ll send you the coordinates.”

  Yoon Taeha could still feel Kang Jeonhyun’s pheromones wrapped around him, protective, possessive, instinctive. His knees weakened as shock crept in. Only now did he realize how close he had been to being violated, sold, discarded. And how violently the man in front of him had reacted to that possibility. He wanted to laugh, to tease him, but instead he was breaking down, his breath hitching. He didn’t know why Kang Jeonhyun was there, but something in the man’s rage told him the answer would be far more dangerous than the attack he had just survived.

  He had never in his life felt so weak, how could he even call himself a soldier? It was as if the air refused to stay in his lungs, he gasped, and his legs trembled. He couldn’t even look at Kang Jeonhyun. His eyes stayed locked on the twelve men scattered across the ground, broken, groaning, unconscious. His entire body shook, cold sweat dripping down his temples. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground.

  His wounds flickered green as they healed one by one, but nothing was healing the anxiety clawing through him. The omega pheromones he was emitting tried to protect him, but it was as if he couldn’t let them, his fear overriding instinct.

  With a few slow, careful steps, Kang Jeonhyun moved toward him. He didn’t speak; he gave no orders. Instead, he knelt in front of him. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a clean handkerchief, and gently wiped the sweat from Yoon Taeha’s forehead. His touch was surprisingly steady despite the fury he’d unleashed moments earlier.

  Only then did Yoon Taeha lift his gaze. The golden glow was gone from Kang Jeonhyun’s eyes. There was no hostility left in them at all. Only two perfectly shaped hazel eyes staring back at him, calm, soft even. It felt almost as if there was genuine worry behind the mask the man wore, but Yoon Taeha couldn’t be sure. He didn’t trust his judgment when the world was spinning like this.

  He reached for the man’s collar without thinking, fingers trembling, and pulled himself forward until his forehead rested against Kang Jeonhyun’s chest. For a moment, the man didn’t react. He froze, as if unsure whether he was allowed to touch him, whether he allowed himself, whether touching him would make everything worse. But then, without warning, without hesitation, as if every line of logic had left him, he wrapped his arms around Yoon Taeha. Firmly, protectively, like he was afraid he might disappear.

  Yoon Taeha felt Kang Jeonhyun’s heartbeat through his chest, grounding him in a way he couldn’t explain. His own breath trembled, breaking apart despite his attempts to hold it together. But for those few still seconds, it was only the two of them. Yoon Taeha shaking, Kang Jeonhyun holding him, one hand unconsciously caressing his red hair. Neither saying a word. And neither fully understanding the other.

  They stayed like that, pressed close, until the Association forces came rushing down the alleyway. The world around them grew loud again.