Rin stood in a pool of blood, the liquid thick and dark, spreading out beneath his feet. Warmth seeped between his bare toes, sticky and suffocating. His face and hands were drenched in crimson, streaks dripping down his jaw and wrists like paint he couldn't wash off. Around him, the floor was littered with bodies—broken, lifeless, their eyes wide open in frozen terror. The silence pressed in, heavy and absolute.
Then, suddenly, a corpse at his feet twitched. Its hand shot up, cold and slick, wrapping tightly around his ankle. The grip was unyielding, pulling, dragging him into the sea of blood. Rin struggled, his breath hitching, panic clawing at his chest as the room tilted, the red rising higher and higher, threatening to swallow him whole.
His eyes snapped open. He sat up in bed, chest heaving, his skin damp with sweat. For a moment, the phantom sensation of blood still clung to him—its iron scent, its suffocating weight. Rin pressed a trembling hand to his face, realizing only then that it was clean. Just a dream. But the dread lingered, sinking deep into his bones.
He ran a hand through his damp hair, exhaling slowly. The nightmare had felt too real.
Rin didn't go back to sleep.
The clock on his nightstand glowed 2:07 a.m., its soft light mocking him. He lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, but his eyes refused to close again. The memory of the dream—of hands dragging him into blood—still clung too tightly. Sleep wouldn't come.
With a sharp breath, Rin threw back the covers and rose. The cold floor grounded him as he made his way to the bathroom. He splashed water over his face, watching the rivulets run down pale skin in the mirror. His reflection stared back at him—calm, collected, and yet hollow around the edges.
Unable to waste the hours, Rin moved to the study. The lamp's warm glow spilled across stacks of documents and files. He sat down, flipping open a folder, pen in hand. Work was the only thing that steadied him now.
It had been a week since the mafia summit. A week since Ash Fang made their move. Yet no matter how many leads they followed, nothing solid had surfaced. Ash Fang had vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only fear and silence.
Rin worked until the edges of the night began to pale. He didn't notice the time until his phone buzzed. Lucas's voice came through the line:
"Rin, breakfast's ready."
Only then did Rin glance at the window—the sky already streaked with morning light. With a quiet sigh, he pushed away from the desk and returned to his room.
A hot shower washed away the stiffness in his body. Afterward, he carefully applied a fresh patch against his skin, covering the subtle trace of his Omega scent. Lately, though, it hadn't been enough. His head felt heavy, his body restless. The dizziness, the heat coiling low inside him—signs he couldn't ignore.
His next heat was approaching soon.
The dining room was already warm with the scent of food when Rin stepped in. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, spilling across the long table where the others were gathered.
Lucas looked up immediately, his expression softening as he pulled out a chair for Rin. "Nightmares again?" he asked quietly, his tone careful, as if he didn't want the others to overhear.
Rin sat down with composed ease, though his eyes carried the faint shadows of the sleepless night. "Just the usual," he said simply.
Lucas didn't press further. He was one of the few who knew the truth—that Rin's nights were often restless, haunted by memories and visions he rarely spoke about. Lucas had been there long before the Crimson Vultures rose to power, long before Rin carved his name into the underworld. He had stood at Rin's side in silence, bearing witness to every sleepless dawn.
Others also look at Rin with concern, but they didn't say anything because they knew Rin didn't like it when they worried about these kinds of things. So, they always try to do their work efficiently, not to let Rin worry about work-related matters. That didn't include Ari.
As Rin reached for his glass, Ari's playful voice cut through the calm. "You didn't sleep well? Don't tell me you stayed up playing games."
Rin shook his head, a faint huff of amusement slipping past his lips, though he didn't answer further.
The table fell into its usual rhythm—dishes being passed, murmured conversations weaving together, the faint clink of silverware filling the silence Rin didn't care to break. It was a simple breakfast, but one that anchored them all, even when shadows pressed too close.
After breakfast, they all gather in the meeting room.
Tobi was the first one to speak. "We've uncovered something. Something big."
Rin's gaze sharpened. "Let's hear it."
Tobi pulled up a screen, showing coded messages and photos.
"We traced several shipments Ash Fang was moving quietly through the southern docks. At first, we thought it was just weapons or suppressants... but we were wrong."
He flipped to the next slide—a grainy image of crates being loaded into an armored truck. Another showed a dimly lit warehouse, men in masks, and what looked like cages in the corner.
"They're hosting a black market auction in a few days," Tobi continued. "They'll be selling high-potency heat-inducing drugs... and Omegas."
The room went quiet.
Rin's fingers curled slightly around the handle of his chair.
"They're auctioning Omegas?" Kanji asked, jaw tight.
Tobi nodded. "It's not the first time. But this… this is different. They've developed a new formula—one that forces suppressed heats to spike almost instantly. Makes the targets vulnerable. Easier to sell. Or control."
"How soon is the auction?" Rin asked.
"Three nights from now," Tobi said. "Location's not confirmed yet, but we'll have it soon."
Rin stood, head spinning a little from the sudden motion, but he didn't show it.
"Find the location. I'll let Kael know his members will be of help."
In the meeting room of the Wolf Mark headquarters, Kael stood before a digital display, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
Talon was mid-report.
"Ash Fang's operatives have been seen frequenting District 7's Phoenix Bar. Three nights in a row. No violence yet, but we have seen three of its core members visit it. There must be something there, but I let my man look into it, but we didn't find anything suspicious."
Kael was about to respond when his phone buzzed on the table.
Caller ID: Rin Asano.
His brows lifted ever so slightly.
Others also saw who was calling, so they all quieted down.
Kael picked up the phone.
"Kael."The first thing he heard when he answered the phone was his name rolling off Rin's tongue in a low, cool voice—smooth, almost intoxicating. The sound struck something sharp inside him, and Kael froze for a second, caught off guard by how good it felt to hear his name in Rin's voice.
Rin's voice was calm, but something about it carried a tension underneath.
"We've uncovered something. It's about Ash Fang. I need you and your team to come to the HQ now. I'll explain everything then."
The line went dead before he could say anything.
Kael stared at the screen for a moment.
Rowan asked. "Everything's alright?"
Kael nodded once. "Change of plans. We're heading to Crimson Vultures HQ now. They have information on Ash Fang."