Adriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice was low, steady, but carried a weight Eren hadn't heard before.
"Because I've been where you are. Betrayed. Humiliated. Left to pick up the pieces while everyone else watched. I know what it's like to be discarded by someone who promised to love you."
Eren's breath caught. "You?"
Adriel nodded once. "Years ago, I was engaged. She left me for someone with more power. More money. For a long time, I thought I'd never trust again. I kept replaying it—what I did wrong, what I lacked. But eventually I realized… it wasn't about her. It was about me. About how I let her decide my worth."
Eren looked down at his hands, the diamond ring flashing faintly in the lamplight. "That's how I felt today. Like I was only worth whatever James said I was."
Adriel's gaze sharpened. "He was wrong. Completely. You're not just worth something—you're priceless."
Eren looked up, startled by the conviction in his tone. "You say that like you mean it."
"I do," Adriel said firmly. "And I don't say things I don't mean."
Silence stretched between them—not awkward, but thick with things neither of them had yet dared to voice. Finally, Eren pushed himself to his feet and crossed to the window. The night sea was endless, black and silver, the ship's wake trailing like spilled ink.
"Do you think it's possible," he asked softly, "to start over completely? Not just survive something like this, but… become someone new?"
Adriel joined him at the glass, his reflection steady beside Eren's. "I don't think you need to become someone new. I think you need to stop hiding who you already are."
Eren turned his head. The cabin light caught his hair—dark red waves tumbling loose now, burning like flame against the night.
"And if I don't know who that is yet?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
Adriel held his gaze. "Then we'll find out. Together." He extended his hand.
This time, Eren didn't hesitate.
When Eren placed his hand in Adriel's, the Alpha tugged him forward with sudden force. Eren stumbled, colliding with Adriel's chest, and the rush of heat that followed left his breath tangled in his throat.
Adriel's gaze burned into him, close enough that Eren could feel the faint brush of his breath. His chest tightened as the Alpha's scent washed over him—dark spice and cedar, sharp enough to stir instincts he'd fought to bury. His own pheromones betrayed him, sweetening the air between them, curling out like a confession.
"I should warn you," Adriel murmured, voice low, threaded with command. "I'm about to kiss you."
Eren's lips parted. "I—I might be terrible at it."
He didn't finish. Adriel's mouth claimed his, silencing everything but the raw press of lips and the flood of pheromones that surged between them. The kiss was fierce, consuming, a pull that felt less like choice and more like gravity. Eren gasped against him, his body betraying him with how quickly it melted into the Alpha's.
Adriel deepened the kiss, drawing Eren tighter until there was no space left between them. The taste of him was intoxicating—sweet, sharp, addictive—and Adriel's instincts roared, demanding more. He shifted, easing Eren back onto the bed with a careful but unrelenting grip, never once breaking the kiss.
Eren's world spun. Every touch sparked fire beneath his skin, every brush of Adriel's hand against his side sent another wave of heat through his body. His own scent filled the room, sweet and desperate, mixing with Adriel's until the air was thick with it.
Adriel pulled back just long enough to drag in a breath, his lips swollen, his eyes dark with hunger. "You have no idea what you're doing to me," he growled, before kissing him again, slower this time, almost reverent.
Eren's hands, trembling, found the line of Adriel's jaw. He had never felt like this—alive, alight, undone. The Omega in him keened at the closeness, but beneath the instinct there was something else, something terrifying and real: trust.
For the first time, he didn't fight the pull. He let himself fall.
Overwhelmed, Eren could hardly separate his own senses from the way Adriel's touch lingered on him. Heat, scent, and emotion swirled together until surrender felt inevitable. The night blurred—tenderness braided with intensity—leaving his chest tight, his body aching for something he had never allowed himself to want.
But suddenly, Adriel broke away.
"Stop," he said, voice rough, as though forcing the word through clenched teeth.
He braced a hand on the pillow beside Eren's head, chest rising and falling. His scent spiked—sharp cedar tangled with restrained want—but he kept himself still. His gaze dropped to Eren's face, flushed and open beneath him, and a flicker of guilt shot through him.
Eren blinked up, breathless. Was he… being rejected? Shame prickled under his skin. He had given in so easily, instinct guiding him more than reason. If Adriel left him now, after Eren had bared himself so recklessly, would it all collapse into humiliation?
Adriel shifted as if to stand, but a hand caught his arm. Eren's grip was firm despite the tremor in his fingers. The Alpha froze, surprised. Eren's eyes were wet, glinting in the dim cabin light.
"What's wrong?" Adriel asked, voice low.
"Stay," Eren whispered. "Just… stay with me tonight."
The words hung between them, heavy. Adriel stilled, unsure if this was heartbreak speaking or something else. Was Eren asking for comfort? For closeness? Or was it temptation born of desperation? Memories of past encounters clawed at him—smiles that had hidden venom, touches that had been nothing but masks. He had sworn never to be fooled again.
His jaw tightened. "Do you even know what you're asking me, Eren?" His voice came out harsher than he meant. "Because I won't be used. I won't let myself be another mistake."
Eren's eyes widened, stung. "Is that what you think I am? Some mistake? Do you look down on me just because your nephew threw me aside?" His voice cracked, more from hurt than anger. "I thought you were different."
Adriel exhaled slowly, guilt pressing at his ribs. He reached out before he could stop himself, his arm wrapping around the Omega's shoulders, pulling him back when he tried to turn away. The moment their bodies touched again, their scents flared—Eren's sweet, raw with emotion, Adriel's steady but tinged with longing.
"That's not what I meant," Adriel murmured. His thumb brushed absently along Eren's shoulder, grounding him. "You've been through too much today. You're raw, vulnerable… I can't take advantage of that. Not with you."
Eren stared at him, chest tight, the mix of cedar and warmth surrounding him like a cocoon. He wanted to believe those words. He wanted to believe that Adriel's restraint wasn't rejection but care.
For the first time, he wondered if this Alpha wasn't here to claim him, but to protect him—even from himself.
Adriel's lips brushed Eren's, the taste of him still lingering on his tongue.
"But honestly," he rasped, "your lips are the sweetest I've ever tasted. If I weren't holding myself back, I might have—"
He broke off when Eren surged forward, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. Adriel caught his wrist, pinning him to the bed. Their mouths hovered a breath apart, the air between them saturated with clashing pheromones—sharp cedar smoke tangled with honey-sweet Omega heat.
"Eren," Adriel growled, voice low, barely holding on. "Do you realize what you're doing?"
The Omega's pupils were blown wide, his breath shaky but defiant. "Yes."
Adriel's instincts roared. He leaned closer, his baritone voice a dangerous rasp.
"I'll ask you again. Are you fully aware of what's about to happen? Because once I lose control… I won't be able to stop myself."
Eren swallowed hard, but there was no hesitation in his voice. "I'm not fragile. I don't want your pity. I want you."
That broke him. Adriel crushed their mouths together, the kiss searing, teeth clashing as his hand slid into Eren's hair. Eren gasped against him, and the Alpha groaned, deepening the kiss until their tongues tangled in a fevered clash of taste and need.
Their scents flared violently, filling the cabin with an intoxicating haze. Eren's body trembled, heat coursing through him, his pheromones spilling uncontrollably—sweet, pleading, raw. Adriel's own scent thickened, heavy and commanding, pinning him down more effectively than his weight ever could.
"You're driving me insane," Adriel growled against his mouth, his lips dragging lower, down Eren's jaw, teeth scraping the sensitive skin of his throat. He lingered over the scent gland, fangs grazing but not breaking. The Omega arched instinctively, baring his neck in a silent plea, his body betraying him completely.
A guttural sound tore from Adriel's chest. His hand clenched the sheets beside Eren's head, muscles shaking with restraint. "Do you feel that? That's rut clawing at me. One wrong move and I'll claim you, right here, right now."
Eren's breath hitched, his voice breaking as he whispered, "Then let it."
Adriel froze, teeth pressing harder against the gland, every instinct screaming to sink in. The room spun with the haze of their scents, cedar and honey thick enough to choke. His body trembled from the effort of holding back.
And in that moment—at the knife's edge between restraint and surrender—everything broke wide open.