I was given a room in one of the bamboo houses nestled against the cliffs. From the outside, the dwelling looked like something from a dream a tangle of wood and vine and carved stone perched on a ledge overlooking the sea. Primitive, maybe. But breathtakingly beautiful.
Inside, it was even more surprising.
The floor was smooth clay, warm underfoot, and the walls curved gently around me like the inside of a seashell. A single window more a hole framed by hanging reeds let in the golden light of the setting sun. Near one side of the room, a raised platform built from driftwood and smoothed bamboo formed a bed. Laid atop it was a mattress that looked crude but felt like clouds. It was stuffed with dried grass and lined with some kind of soft, downy fur probably bird feathers or sea beasts I didn't even know existed. There was no furniture, just the bare necessities. And yet, it felt whole. Complete. A sanctuary untouched by the world I came from.
I sat on the bed, ran my fingers over the textured weave of the blanket, and exhaled. For the first time in days, maybe weeks, I felt... safe.
"You look like you're settling in," came Delmar's voice from the doorway.
I turned to see him leaning against the frame, a half-smile on his lips, golden skin glinting in the fading light.
"Heck yeah," I said, unable to hide my grin. "This is like a dream. I had no idea your people were this—" I paused, trying to find the right word. "—creative. Ingenious, actually."
Delmar stepped inside, his gaze sweeping the room. "Faringues are resourceful. This village might look primitive to some, but it's built with centuries of care and tradition."
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling beams overhead. "Did you ever think you'd come back?"
He sat beside me, the bed shifting slightly under his weight. "No," he said after a pause. "When my queen was killed and my nest destroyed... I walked away. From all of it. From this. I thought I could take revenge. Then I found your father. And... your picture."
My breath caught.
"My body changed," he continued. "My instincts shifted. I went from beta to alpha the moment I realized you were mine."
I sat up slowly, heart pounding. "So... those men taking care of K'liira... those betas... they could change too, if they find someone?"
He nodded. "They could. Alpha and omega pairings are rare. This village only has one bonded pair, as far as I know. That's likely why they gave us one of the finest rooms."
My lips parted. "They know about us?"
"They can sense it," Delmar said, voice lower now. "The bond. Your scent. It's obvious to them."
Delmar stepped into the room and closed the door behind him and locked the simple bamboo mechanism. The silence that followed was soft, intimate, the kind that wraps around your chest and doesn't let go.
He walked over and sat beside me on the bed, the weight of his presence shifting the mattress slightly. I could feel the warmth radiating off his skin, the faint scent of his musk and wild ocean clinging to him. His thigh brushed mine, barely and yet my breath caught.
"I know this has been a lot for you," he said, voice low. "Your world's flipped upside down. You're not who you thought you were. That's not easy to live with."
I nodded, but truthfully? I wasn't fully listening. My eyes were drawn to his mouth those soft, full lips, the way they moved when he spoke. There was a magnetic pull between us. The air hummed with it, heavy and charged. It wasn't fear I felt. It was... awareness. Of him. Of me. Of what we might become.
I interrupted, my voice a little hoarse. "This thing between us this pull I feel do you think it's just biology? Just some... mating instinct?"
Delmar paused, blinked then slowly looked at me. His eyes searched mine, unflinching.
"I don't think so," he said. "It's never felt like just attraction to me. From the moment I saw your photo, even before I understood what it meant, it felt... right. Like I'd been waiting lifetimes just to breathe the same air as you."
I looked down, overwhelmed, but he wasn't done.
"I won't pretend to understand every part of this bond," he continued, softer now. "But I know what it feels like. And I don't care if it's biology, destiny, or some ancient Faringue magic. What matters is this—" he reached out, gently touching his chest, "—you're in here now. And I'm not letting go."
His voice dropped into a hush. "Faringues don't fall halfway. When we love, we imprint. There's no exit plan. No backup. We just... are. You're mine. I'm yours. That's not a promise...it's a fact."
It felt like a confession. A vow. Maybe even a proposal without the ring.
I swallowed hard, my throat thick. There were so many things I didn't know yet about myself, about this strange new life I'd fallen into but one thing was certain: him. This moment. This feeling that made my heart race and my hands shake.
"I want to know what it feels like," I said quietly. "To be with you. Not because of fate or instincts or mating instincts or whatever else. But because I want to. On my terms. Now."
Delmar's breath hitched. His eyes flicked to my lips, and for a second, he didn't move. Like he was making sure I meant it. Like he didn't want to risk breaking whatever spell had wrapped around us.
Then he exhaled, slow and reverent, and lifted his hand to my face.
His fingers grazed my cheekbone with a tenderness that undid me completely.
"I'll show you," he whispered. "Everything. Gently. Completely. The way only an Alpha can love his omega."
His lips hovered near mine, trembling with restraint, waiting for my yes not in words, but in the way I leaned in.
And I did.
When our mouths met, it was like explosive. Sensations, need so deep I didn't know I could explain it in words. I wants to melt into him. I wanted him to touch me, take me, do whatever the fuck he wanted with me.
Outside, the waves roared against the cliffs in wild rhythm. But here in this room in this was a different kind of storm...one that dulled everything else. And I knew whatever was going to happen next would change me forever.
***
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