Tia's POV
"Dress me up."
The words fell from his lips so suddenly, so casually, yet they hit me like a thunderclap.
I froze, my eyes glued to the floor, unsure if I had heard him right.
The infamous, ruthless, and untouchable Alpha Nux had just asked me to dress him?
My fingers trembled as I reached for the robe laid out on the chair beside him.
My heart thudded violently against my ribcage, loud enough that I feared he might hear it.
My breathing became shallow as I stepped forward and began helping him into his shirt, making sure not to let my fingers linger too long on his skin.
I didn't dare raise my head.
In the year and a half that I had served him, cleaning his chambers, discarding his mistresses' leftover perfume, his stained garments, scrubbing blood from his boots, sending off his one night stands, I had never touched his clothes, let alone him.
That duty was always reserved for the elite maidens of the pack, the chosen ones who flaunted beauty and status.
I was neither.
I was a lowly omega who had learned to move through the hallways like a ghost, unseen, unheard, and easily forgotten.
So why me? Why now?
"Raise your head," he said, voice low and softer than I expected. But it held no less command.
I obeyed.
And when our eyes met, my breath caught in my throat.
His gaze was intense, black as obsidian and sharp like a blade.
I couldn't decipher the expression behind those eyes.
Was it curiosity? Contemplation? Or Disgust?
No.
It was something deeper. Something I couldn't decipher.
I quickly averted my gaze.
"What is your name?" he asked, just as I bent to help him with his shoe.
I paused.
He doesn't even know my name.
Of course he didn't.
Why would he?
I was invisible to him.
Disposable.
I had tended to him like a shadow, always present but never acknowledged.
"Tiara," I replied softly, stepping away from him once the final buckle was fastened.
He was quiet for a moment, then murmured, "I see."
He walked toward the long oak table where his dinner had been set and waved his hand. "You may leave."
Dismissed.
Like always.
I didn't argue. I dipped into a low bow and scurried out of the room, my hands shaking as I shut the door behind me.
Only when I was alone in the hallway did I finally allow myself to breathe.
What just happened?
I leaned against the cold wall, placing a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart. I didn't know if I should be terrified or flattered.
The infamous Alpha Nux had not only spoken to me, he had let me touch him.
I had served in the Silver Fang Pack for a decade, and in that time, I had never been within breathing distance of the Alpha.
Not like that.
I had only seen glimpses of him from afar, broad-shouldered and brooding, surrounded by the elite of the pack.
Rumors said he was cruel, merciless, a monster wrapped in silk. But up close…
He was beautiful.
His features were chiseled, his jaw sharp enough to slice through glass, and his eyes— those dark, haunting eyes—were something out of a dream.
I smiled to myself like a fool, heart fluttering from the encounter.
Maybe Alpha Nux wasn't as cold as the stories claimed.
Maybe no one had ever bothered to see him beyond the title.
Maybe…
He could be something more.
I shook the thoughts away and finished the remainder of my duties before returning to Omega Square.
The arena for us omegas.
The room was quiet, the lamps dimmed to a soft glow.
My bed was cold, but I didn't mind. I lay there with the faintest grin on my face.
Tomorrow was my birthday.
Not that anyone cared. Omegas didn't celebrate. But I still held onto it—a quiet secret of mine.
Another year older, another year closer to… nothing.
Just as I closed my eyes, footsteps echoed outside the dormitory.
Someone knocked once. Then twice. Then silence.
I sat up.
The door creaked open and a guard entered, his face blank as usual. "The Alpha has summoned you."
My stomach dropped.
"Me?" I blinked. "Are you sure?"
He didn't answer. He didn't need to.
I quickly slipped into a clean robe, washed my face, and tied my hair back. My mind raced with questions.
Why would he call me again—this late?
I had already prepared his bath, laid out his robe, even helped him wear it. And I set his dinner. There was nothing left.
Still, I obeyed.
I knocked on the chamber door. My hand trembled.
"Come in," came the voice from within—calm, but commanding.
I stepped inside.
The room was dark.
No candles. No fire. No moonlight. Just darkness.
My hand moved instinctively toward the switch, but before I could reach it, a hand shot out of the shadows and yanked me in.
I stumbled forward, colliding against something warm and solid—his chest.
"Alpha—" I gasped, but the rest of my words were swallowed by his lips.
He kissed me.
Firm and sudden.
His arms wrapped around me with a strength that made it impossible to break free.
One arm circled my waist, pulling me closer, while the other cradled the back of my head. His lips moved against mine with a strange kind of desperation like he had been waiting, and craving.
I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.
He deepened the kiss, his mouth parting mine as if he already knew how I tasted.
"Alpha Nux—" I managed to whisper between gasps. "It's me. Tiara."
He didn't stop.
His hands roamed with purpose up my sides, down my back, until they found the hem of my dress. He raised it without hesitation, warm fingers skimming across my thighs.
"You can't do this," I breathed, panic setting in. "Alpha, please—"
I summoned every ounce of strength I had and pushed.
Surprisingly, he let me go.
I staggered back, chest heaving, dress wrinkled, pride in tatters.
But just as I turned to run, his voice stopped me.
"I need you," he whispered hoarsely. "Please… help me."
I froze.
My head turned, and for the first time in my life, I saw Alpha Nux not as a terrifying ruler—but as a man.
Weak and Vulnerable.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. Sweat clung to his temples. His eyes were no longer sharp.
They looked wild and dazed.
"Please… don't leave me," he said again, and this time his voice broke.
I felt something twist inside me.
He—Alpha Nux, the fearsome leader of the Silver Fang Pack—was pleading with me.
Me. A maid.
My resolve wavered.
I had always told myself that I would wait for my mate, that my first time would be sacred. But maybe that was naïve.
I was an omega.
My mate, if I ever found him, would be no one important.
But Nux… he was an Alpha. The Alpha.
If I gave myself to him, it would mean something.
Wouldn't it?
I walked toward him slowly, heart pounding in my ears. I reached out, wrapping my arms gently around his waist.
"It's okay," I murmured, feeling the tremble in his frame. "I'm here."
He held onto me like I was the only lifeline he had.
And maybe… just maybe… I was.
He pressed his forehead against mine, breathing heavily. "Don't leave me, please."
As I watched the strong and invincible Alpha Nux plead that I stayed with him, a storm of questions brewed inside me.
What was happening to him? Why did he seem so fragile? And why me?
However, I knew I just couldn't leave him in that state.
"I won't leave."