Chapter Text
The scent of rainy-season jasmine always used to make Nunew feel safe.
It was the scent of his own scent-patches. A soft, comforting Omega fragrance that matched the quiet rhythm of his life.
Nunew was the kind of person who moved through the world with a gentle, deliberate grace.
He was twenty.
A third-year literature major at a prestigious Bangkok university. A student with a good grade every semester. A boy whose world was built on trust, worn paperback books and the steady presence of his boyfriend of two years, Peem.
"New, you’re daydreaming again," a voice cut through the humid afternoon air.
Yada slid into the wooden booth at the campus café, tossing her leather tote bag onto the table.
She adjusted her hair. Her eyes scanning the courtyard before settling on Nunew.
Yada was a Beta. Sharp-witted and ambitious, the kind of friend who always knew which professors graded the hardest and which clubs were worth attending.
For three years, they had been an inseparable trio.
Nunew, Yada and Peem.
The complete Alpha, Beta and Omega trio.
"I was just thinking about the final exam schedule. It quiet tight this semester," Nunew said, offering a small, soft smile that made his doe-like eyes curve into crescents. "And wondering where Peem is. He said he’d be here thirty minutes ago."
"You know how Peem is with time management," Yada said. Her tone smooth, though her fingers tapped a restless rhythm against her iced Americano. "His father’s driver usually drops him off, but today he said he had to run an errand for his marketing seminar first. Don't worry so much, New. He’s not going anywhere. He wouldn't just vanish."
Nunew nodded.
Completely missing the microscopic shift in Yada’s posture when Peem’s name was mentioned.
He trusted both of them implicitly.
Yada had been his sounding board since freshman year and Peem was his first boyfriend. An Alpha who, despite being a bit reckless and materialistic, always swore that he loved Nunew.
A few minutes later, the distinct roar of a luxury car engine echoed near the campus gate, which was driven by Peem’s family’s driver.
Peem strode into the café.
His Alpha presence drawing glances from nearby students.
He was handsome in a loud, careless way. Wearing an expensive watch that contrasted sharply with the standard university uniform, white shirt and black pants.
"Sorry I'm late, New," Peem said, sliding next to Nunew and immediately tossing an arm over the Omega's shoulders. He planted a quick, light kiss on Nunew’s side cheek. "The traffic near the Sukhumvit intersection was nightmare."
"It's fine," Nunew murmured, leaning into the warmth, unaware that the faint, exotic perfume lingering on the collar of Peem’s shirt didn't belong to any laundry detergent.
It belonged to the expensive department store brand Yada had started wearing three weeks ago.
"Did you finish your project?"
"Yeah, handled it," Peem said, flagging down the waiter.
"Listen, since we’re finally done with midterms, let's do something. My dad actually has a meeting near Siam Paragon later this afternoon. He offered to pick us up from the campus gate since his driver is off today. He said he can drop us at the mall for a movie."
Yada paused.
Her glass halfway to her mouth. "Your dad? The infamous Zee Pruk? He’s actually picking us up? By himself?"
"Yeah. He was in the area," Peem muttered, though his posture stiffened slightly.
Peem loved his father’s money, but he feared the man himself.
His father, Zee Pruk Panich was a towering figure, an Alpha who had built an empire from the ground up after being alienated by his own strict family at nineteen.
Zee was a man of absolute discipline. A striking contrast to his son’s coddled, man-child behavior.
Two hours later, the three of them stood by the university's main gate.
A sleek, midnight-black luxury sedan pulled up silently against the curb. The tinted window rolled down, revealing the sharp, aristocratic profile of Zee Pruk Panich.
His father is so young, Nunew thought. Fears that if he think the father of his boyfriend ‘good looking’ is wrong. ‘Young’ might be more appropriate.
At thirty-nine, Zee possessed a commanding, quiet authority.
His dark hair was brushed back. His tailored suit jacket draped over the passenger seat and his piercing dark eyes held a weight that made Peem instantly drop his shoulders.
"Get in," Zee said.
His voice a deep, resonant baritone that commanded respect without needing to raise its volume.
Peem opened the front door, but Zee checked him with a straight look. "Let your friends have the back, Peem. Sit in the front so you can tell me exactly where the drop-off point is."
As Nunew slid into the pristine leather interior behind the driver's seat, he felt a strange, grounding shift in the air.
Unlike Peem's loud, suffocating Alpha scent, Zee’s presence was entirely controlled, light, woodsy and laced with a faint hint of cedar and rain, yet entirely respectful.
There’s barely any smell of Zee’s pheromones.
Nunew has always feel uncomfortable around Alphas because they tend to release their pheromones as they liked just to show their power.
Nunew immediately pressed his hands together in a polite wai, "Good afternoon, Uncle," Nunew said softly, using the formal honorific for Peem’s father. "Thank you for giving us a ride."
Yada quickly followed suit. Her voice was high. "Thank you, Uncle Zee!"
Zee glanced in the rearview mirror.
His eyes locked onto Nunew’s reflection for a brief, quiet second.
He noted the perfect posture, the neat uniform and the incredibly polite demeanor of the Omega boy his son had been dating.
Zee had never meddled in Peem’s personal life, but he wasn't blind. He knew his son was spoiled, easily swayed and superficial.
Seeing Nunew, who carried a polite, quiet maturity, Zee felt a flicker of approval.
"It’s no trouble," Zee replied. His eyes returning to the road as he smoothly pulled into the Bangkok traffic. "Peem mentioned you once before. You are studying literature, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Nunew answered, keeping his hands neatly folded over his lap. "I did."
"Great choice," Zee said. His tone measured and encouraging. "If you ever need resources or connections within the major publishing houses for your internship next year, let Peem know. I can have my secretary arrange it."
"What about me, Phor? I need an internship at the firm next year too," Peem cut in, laughing with a desperate sort of bravado.
Zee didn't turn his head. His hands remained steady on the steering wheel. "You will apply through the standard HR portal like every other applicant, Peem. If your grades do not meet the threshold, you will look elsewhere. Don’t you think that I didn’t know about you repeating papers every semester. I do not run a charity for my own child."
The temperature in the car seemed to drop.
Peem slouched in his seat, muttering a quiet "Yes, Phor," while Yada stared out the window, her jaw tight.
It just like she didn’t exist at all in the car. All Peem’s father’s attention going to Nunew.
But Nunew looked at the back of Zee's head with a quiet sense of respect.
In a world where wealthy Alphas constantly bypassed the rules for their children, Zee Pruk stood as a man of absolute principle and didn't spoil his own son freely.
When they arrived at the mall, Zee stopped the car at the VIP drop-off.
After Peem and Yada stepped out of the car, he handed a credit card over his shoulder, offering it directly to Nunew as the boy about to follow Yada's side. "Enjoy the movie. Ensure my son doesn't make a fool of himself in public."
Nunew gently pushed the card back with a respectful bow. "Thank you very much, Sir, but I have my own savings for the tickets. I appreciate the ride so much."
Zee’s eyebrows raised slightly.
A young Omega turning down a black card was an anomaly in his social circle.
He slowly pulled the card back. A rare, microscopic soften around his eyes. "Very well. Stay safe, three of you."
As the luxury car drove away, Nunew watched it disappear into the traffic, unaware that this brief, respectful interaction would be the only anchor keeping him from drowning in the horror to come.
The end of the semester passed like a beautiful dream that slowly curdled into a nightmare.
As the fourth year of university coming, something fundamental had shifted.
Nunew was working harder than ever.
Balancing his final year thesis with a part-time job at a small library to lessen the financial burden on his middle-class parents, who lived in the provinces.
He loved his parents deeply. He was their only son, their pride and joy.
Every week, he would call them, promising that his studies were going perfectly and that he would make them proud.
But Peem was changing.
The allowance that his father gave him was substantial for a student, but Peem’s appetite for high-stakes nightclubbing, underground sports gambling and luxury goods had grown insatiable.
Worse, the shadow of his father’s immense success weighed heavily on him.
Instead of study or working hard, Peem looked for shortcuts and playing around.
And he found them in the dark underbelly of Bangkok’s nightlife.
What Nunew didn't know was that for the past months, Peem had been using his trust fund and high-society connections to act as a primary distributor for a high-end synthetic drug ring targeting wealthy university students.
He kept the operation entirely separate from the Panich name, using burner phones and renting a secondary, low-profile apartment under a fake corporate alias to store the bulk shipments.
But the rot wasn't just financial. It was deeply personal.
In the dark corner of a VIP lounge at an upscale Thonglor club, while Nunew was pulled away at the library studying for a mid-term exam, Peem sat with Yada.
The air between them was thick, heavily scented with the unsuppressed pheromones of a cheating Alpha and a Beta who had betray her best friend’s life for years.
"He's too boring, Peem," Yada whispered, her fingers trailing up Peem’s arm as she took a sip of champagne paid for by his illicit earnings. "Nunew is always studying. Always talking about study and all… and saving money. He doesn't understand the kind of life you're built for. He’s a weight around your neck."
Peem pulled her into his lap.
His eyes bloodshot. A dangerous mix of alcohol and synthetic stimulants running through his veins.
"He doesn't get it. Remember my dad looks at him like he’s a saint and looks at me like I'm a disappointment. But with you... I feel like I'm actually in control."
"Then stop letting him hold you down," Yada purred, kissing his jaw. "We have the money from the new batch coming in next week. We can take that trip to Japan. Just tell him you're on a seminar."
"Yeah," Peem muttered. His grip tightening on her waist. "He trusts me anyway. He’ll believe whatever I say."
For months, Nunew lived in a house of cards.
He noticed Peem’s sudden mood swings, the erratic behavior and the way Yada would suddenly fall silent whenever he walked into a room.
When he asked Peem if something was wrong, Peem would snap, calling him paranoid, only to buy him an expensive gifts such as pair of shoes or shirts the next day to smooth it over.
Nunew, bound by a deep, naive loyalty, blamed himself for being too busy with his studies to understand his boyfriend better.
Then came the night the sky fell.
It was a rainy Tuesday night.
Nunew was in his modest off-campus apartment, proofreading his thesis translation, when his phone rang frantically.
It was Peem.
"New, please, you have to help me," Peem’s voice was ragged, laced with a raw, ugly terror that sent a chill straight down Nunew’s spine.
"I’m at the secondary apartment, the one we use for my study group near the Rama IX intersection. My car broke down and there's... there's a leak in the ceiling. The landlord is coming and I have some confidential marketing data and high-end equipment here that can’t get wet. Please, I need you to come help me pack it up. Yada is on her way too. I’ll text you the floor and room number again."
"Peem, breathe. Slow down," Nunew said, immediately closing his laptop. Hearing his boyfriend in such a state triggered every worry instinct he had. "I’ll catch a taxi right now. Just text me the exact unit number."
When Nunew arrived at the sketchy, high-rise condominium, the air felt suffocating.
He took the elevator to the 14th floor and knocked on the door of Unit 1402.
The door swung open instantly.
Peem pulled him inside. His face pale and sweating. Yada was already there, throwing things into large black duffel bags.
"Peem, what is going on here?" Nunew asked, looking around the room.
The apartment didn't look like a study space.
The windows were heavily blacked out with dark curtains and the center table was covered in small, heat-sealed plastic baggies containing crystalline powder and brightly colored pills.
Nunew froze.
His breath hitched in his throat. As a literature student, he wasn't worldly, but he wasn't stupid.
He knew exactly what those things were.
"Peem..." Nunew’s voice trembled. His doe eyes widening in absolute horror as he backed away toward the door. "What is this? What have you done?"
"New, listen to me, it's not what it looks like!" Peem shouted, grabbing Nunew’s wrists. His grip was bruising, his furious Alpha pheromones flaring in a desperate, suffocating wave that made Nunew’s knees weaken.
“I got caught up in something bad. Some guys from the underground club... They… they forced me to hold onto it. If my dad finds out, he’ll disown me! He’ll strip my trust fund, he’ll throw me on the street! I’m his only son, New, you have to help me!"
"We have to call the police, Peem," Nunew cried, sweats streaming down his face as he tried to wrench his wrists free. "If you confess, if you tell them you were threatened—"
"Are you insane?!" Yada shrieked, slamming a duffel bag shut. Her eyes were manic, devoid of any friendship. "If the police get involved, Peem's life is over! Our lives are over!"
Before Nunew could comprehend the word ‘our’, a deafening crash echoed through the quiet corridor.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"POLICE! OPEN THE DOOR! WE HAVE A WARRANT FOR UNIT 1402!"
The shouting from outside was accompanied by the heavy thud of a tactical battering ram striking the reinforced door.
“Shit.” Peem panicked.
He let go of Nunew, stumbling backward into the kitchen table, knocking over dozens of plastic bags, scattering the drugs across the floor.
"Yada! The back balcony! The fire escape!" Peem screamed.
"What about Nunew?!" Yada gasped, though her hands were already gripping the handle of the balcony door.
Peem looked at Nunew.
In that split second, the pathetic, cowardly core of Peem’s character took complete control.
He didn't see the Omega who had loved him for years.
He saw a shield.
He saw a way to save his own skin.
With a strength fueled by pure, feral cowardice, Peem lunged forward.
He snatched a large backpack filled with the highest concentration of the narcotics and thrust it violently into Nunew’s arms, forcing the straps over the Omega’s shoulders.
"Peem, no! What are you doing?!" Nunew sobbed, trying to tear the bag off, but Peem shoved him hard against the sofa.
"I’m sorry, New. I’m sorry! But my dad can fix this if it’s you! If it’s me, he’ll let me rot!" Peem lied.
Without looking back, Peem bolted through the balcony door, following Yada down the dark, rain-slicked iron fire escape into the alleyway below where several men were there, ready to help them.
The front door splintered open with a horrific roar.
"FREEZE! POLICE! GET ON THE GROUND! DON'T MOVE!"
Flashlights cut through the dark apartment, blind-siding Nunew. Heavy hands slammed into his shoulders, forcing him violently onto the cold, hard floor.
“Ah!” Nunew hissed at the aggressiveness.
His chin struck the tiles. The copper taste of blood filling his mouth as the heavy tactical boots of the Narcotics Control Board pressed against his back.
"Target secured! One male Omega. We have recovered the primary cache!"
Nunew lay there, pinned to the ground. The rain howling through the open balcony door. His teary eyes stared blankly at the scattered pills on the floor.
His heart didn't just break.
It withered into dust.
The betrayal was so sudden, so hard, that he couldn't even find the breath to scream.
The legal system in the country moves with a terrifying, bureaucratic coldness when a high-profile drug bust is involved.
Because Peem had used cash and layered corporate aliases to lease the apartment, his name was completely absent from the initial property records.
The case also running quietly, without the media and all.
In the days following the arrest, Peem used a massive sum of money pulled from his hidden gambling accounts to hire a ruthless, underground defense attorney, not for Nunew, but to orchestrate a narrative that would permanently cement Nunew as the sole perpetrator and to keep the case confidential.
The trial took place few months later in a stifling, wood-paneled courtroom at the court.
Nunew sat at the defense table, wearing a dull, oversized brown prison uniform.
His ankles were shackled. The heavy iron chains clinking with every slight movement.
In six months, the bright, soft-spoken boy had vanished.
His skin was pale from the lack of sunlight. His beautiful doe eyes were hollow, staring fixedly at the scratches on the wooden table.
He was done begging and saying he was framed, just like talking to the wall.
He had forbidden his lawyer from contacting his parents.
He would rather die in prison than let his honest, hardworking mother and father see him in chains.
The prosecution’s presentation was devastatingly thorough.
"Your Honor," the prosecutor announced, adjusting his glasses as he projected dynamic infographics onto the courtroom screens. "The defendant, Nunew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong, was apprehended inside Unit 1402 with over two kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine and thousands of synthetic ecstasy tablets. The street value exceeds several million baht. Furthermore, we have a key witness who can testify to the defendant's ongoing illicit operations."
Nunew didn't lift his head until he heard the click of heels approaching the witness stand.
Yada stepped up to the box.
She wore a modest, conservative black dress.
Her face a mask of manufactured grief. She held a handkerchief to her eyes, looking every bit the tragic, betrayed friend.
"Please state your relationship to the defendant," the judge commanded.
"I... I was his classmate, Your Honor," Yada sobbed. Her voice echoing clearly through the heavy microphone. "For three years, Nunew was my closest friend. But over the last year, his behavior changed completely. He became obsessed with money. He... he forced me and his boyfriend, Peem, to keep quiet. He told us that if we ever told anyone about his 'side business’, he would use his drug-ring connections to harm our families. We were terrified."
A murmur ran through the gallery.
Nunew’s lawyer, a low-cost public defender who had barely spent two hours reviewing the case file, stood up half-heartedly. "Objection, Your Honor. Speculation."
"Overruled," the judge stated coldly. "The witness may proceed."
Yada wiped a fake tear. Her eyes catching Nunew’s for a fraction of a second, holding a cold, triumphant gleam.
"The night of the raid, Peem and I went to that apartment to beg him to stop. We told him we were going to report him. But Nunew went crazy. He threatened us with a knife. We ran out through the balcony fire escape to save our lives just as the police arrived. Peem has been... he’s been a psychological wreck ever since. He loved Nunew so much and Nunew used him as a financial shield."
Nunew’s hands clenched into tight fists under the table. The sharp edges of his fingernails digging into his palms until they nearly bled.
The sheer audacity of the lie, the intricate cruelty of the people he had considered his world, felt like a physical weight crushing his chest.
Then came the final blow. Peem didn't take the stand, but a signed, notarized deposition from him was read aloud by the court clerk.
In it, Peem tearfully detailed how ‘heartbroken’ he was to discover his lover's secret life, claiming he had unknowingly funded Nunew's lifestyle believing the money was for university tuition and family emergencies.
The betrayal was seamless.
It was evil, yet pathetic in how thoroughly Peem hid behind his own tears.
Because the Panich name was never invoked in the press and because the bribes paid to local handlers kept the investigation tightly sealed around the unit itself.
Peem’s father, the powerful Alpha in the city, remained entirely clueless in his high-rise corporate office, believing his son was simply busy with his final year of university.
The judge slammed the gavel down.
"In light of the overwhelming physical evidence and corroborating witness testimony, the court finds the defendant, Nunew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong, guilty of possession and intent to distribute Category 1 narcotics in a high-volume capacity. Due to the defendant's clean prior record, the court waives the maximum life sentence. The defendant is hereby sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment at the Klong Prem Central Prison and a fine of one million baht."
As the guards stepped forward to pull Nunew up, the heavy chains dragging across the floor, Nunew finally raised his head.
He looked toward the back of the gallery.
Yada was sitting next to Peem’s paid attorney, a small, satisfied smirk playing on her lips.
Nunew didn't cry. The tears had dried up months ago in the holding cell.
As he was led through the heavy iron doors of the courtroom back to the transport van, the sweet, soft-spoken Omega died completely.
In his place stood a hollowed-out soul, harboring a quiet, freezing rage that would wait four long years in the dark.
Three years later, the corporate headquarters of ZP Corporation sat high above the Bangkok skyline, a monolith of glass and steel.
In the grand executive office on the 30th floor, Zee sat behind a massive mahogany desk.
At forty-three, he looked identical to the man from four years ago, though perhaps a bit more stern.
His presence even more commanding.
Zee had kept a strict boundary between his life and his son’s.
He had allowed Peem to enter the company as a Sales Manager after graduation, wanting to see if the boy would finally grow up.
A sharp knock disturbed the silence.
Peem walked in, wearing an impeccably tailored suit, looking confident and smug.
He was followed by Yada, who wore a sophisticated corporate dress.
She had joined the company a year prior as a junior sales executive under Peem.
"Phor, do you have a minute?" Peem asked, walking in without waiting for an invitation.
Zee closed the financial ledger he was reviewing.
His dark eyes fixing on his son. "I have exactly five minutes before my board meeting, Peem. Make it efficient."
Peem cleared his throat, pulling Yada close by her wrist. "We wanted to share some big news with you first. Yada and I... we're getting married. We’ve already booked the ballroom at the Grand Hyatt for next month. And there’s more. Yada is two months pregnant. You're going to be a grandfather, Phor."
Yada offered a modest, elegant bow. "I hope we can receive your blessing, Uncle Zee... ah, Khun Phor."
Zee sat perfectly still.
His expression didn't change, but the air in the room instantly grew heavy. An oppressive Alpha aura settling over the space that made Peem’s smile falter.
Zee leaned back, interlocking his fingers. "A wedding," he repeated, his voice dangerously calm. "And you have been together for how long?"
"About three and a half years now, Phor," Peem said quickly. "Ever since graduation."
Zee’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Three and half. That is interesting. Because if my memory serves me correctly, during your third year of university, you were dating a an Omega named Nunew. The boy who had the decency and manners you entirely lack."
Peem’s posture stiffened instantly. A bead of sweat broke out near his temple.
Yada’s breath hitched. Her fingers tightening against her dress.
"Oh... Nunew?" Peem forced a careless, dismissive laugh, though his voice pitched higher. "Phor, we broke up ages ago. Right after that day, honestly. He... he turned out to be really unstable. He dropped out of university, got mixed up with some bad crowd and just vanished. I haven't heard from him in years. Yada was the one who helped me get through the heartbreak."
"Is that so?" Zee asked, his voice flat.
He didn't blink.
He had spent twenty-four years dealing with corporate sharks and deceitful individuals. He could smell a lie before it was even fully formed.
The utter panic radiating off his son’s scent. Despite the heavy suppressants, was a flashing red light.
"Yes, Khun Phor," Yada chimed in. Her voice trembling slightly under Zee’s intense gaze. "It was very tragic, but Peem moved on."
"I see," Zee said. Shifting his gaze to the clock on his desk. "My meeting is starting. Leave the proposal for your wedding budget with my assistant. I will review it.”
"Thanks, Phor! I knew you'd understand!" Peem said. Visibly relieved as he quickly escorted Yada out of the room. Practically sprinting away from his father’s suffocating presence.
The moment the heavy double doors clicked shut, Zee’s expression turned to stone. He picked up his secure desk phone and dialed a direct extension.
"Poppy," Zee commanded, addressing his private security, a retired military intelligence officer who handled the family's sensitive matters. "Come to my office immediately. Bring a secure terminal."
Five minutes later, the security chief stood before the desk.
"I want a complete, unrestricted background check on an individual named Nunew that I believe Chawarin was his government name." Zee said, his voice cutting like a scalpel.
"Find out exactly when Nunew left my son’s life, where he went and his current update. Cross-reference every details starting four or five years ago. Look for anything’s hidden related to both him and Nunew’s name. Everything. I want it on my desk by tonight."
"Understood, Boss," the man said, bowing before exiting.
Zee stood up. Walking over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, looking down at the sprawling city below.
His son's words echoed in his mind. Sensing something ugly were hidden. Feeling entirely wrong, entirely rotten.
Zee had never meddled in Peem's life because he wanted the boy to learn from his own mistakes. But if Peem had brought filth into the Panich household, Zee would personally scrub it clean.
It was nearly midnight when Poppy returned to the mansion.
The lights of the city flickered through the glass, casting long, dramatic shadows across the room. The man placed a thick, leather-bound folder on Zee’s desk, alongside an encrypted tablet.
"Boss," Poppy said, his voice uncharacteristically solemn. "The information we recovered... it is highly severe. It took some time because the records were intentionally suppressed through a third-party legal firm using cash transactions to avoid corporate oversight."
Zee opened the folder.
The first page was a mugshot.
Zee’s heart dealt a heavy, painful thud against his ribs.
The boy in the photograph was barely recognizable.
The bright, soft-spoken literature student with the gentle doe eyes was gone. In his place was a pale, gaunt twenty-year-old boy holding a prison years ago. His eyes entirely dead to the world.
"Nunew Chawarin was arrested four years ago at a condominium unit near Rama IX," Poppy reported. His voice steady but heavy. "He was charged with high-volume possession and trafficking of Category 1 narcotics. He was sentenced to four years at Klong Prem Central Prison."
Zee’s hands gripped the edge of the folder so tightly the cardboard creaked. "And the apartment? Who leased it?"
"The apartment was leased under a private individual, which we traced back to a secret trust fund managed by your son, Peem," Poppy said, dropping the second bomb. "Furthermore, the star witness who testified against Nunew, claiming he was the mastermind who threatened her life, was your son’s current partner, Yada Assara."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Zee closed his eyes. His jaws moves alongside his heavy sigh.
The sheer, shock and disgusting weight of his son's cowardice crashed over him like an avalanche.
Peem hadn't just made a mistake.
He had systematically destroyed an innocent, brilliant young Omega's life to protect his own name and comfort.
He had used money to bury a boy who had no one to fight for him, while he and his accomplice graduated, joined the corporate ranks and prepared to build a family on a foundation of pure blood and stolen youth.
Zee opened his eyes and for the first time in over a decade, his Alpha pheromones flared completely uncontrolled, heavy, suffocating and terrifyingly cold.
Poppy clears up his throat. Smelling and sensing his employer’s rage trough the heavy pheromones.
The woodsy scent of cedar turned into the sharp, burning scent of a forest fire.
"When is his release date?" Zee asked. His voice dangerously quiet.
"According to the Department of Corrections, with good behavior modifications, his official release is scheduled for eighteenth next month, Boss," Poppy replied.
Zee closed the folder. His face a mask of absolute, unyielding decision.
He didn't call Peem. He didn't confront Yada. To confront them now would be giving them a chance to prepare, a chance to play the victim again.
No.
They didn't deserve a simple corporate reprimand.
They had ruined a life.
They deserved to watch their own tower crumble brick by brick.
Zee called his Secretary in that exact moment, "Lee. Postpones all my appointments for this week. List up the important ones for me to negotiate with them tomorrow." Zee Pruk commanded. His eyes reflecting the dark, cold sky outside. "Prepare the car the day after tomorrow. I have a very important matter to handle."