White…
That was the first thing Benjamin registered in his hazy consciousness. It was a white so bright it stung his eyes, a white so absolute it was suffocating.
Light from a colossal, teardrop crystal chandelier poured down, striking the pristine white suit he wore. He caught his own reflection in a large mirror not far away. In it was a young man with a face as beautiful as a painting, but his large, round eyes were empty and adrift.
The cool, fragrant scent of white lilies, arranged lavishly in every corner of the vast hall, hung in the air. It should have been a scent of freshness and purity, but to him, right now… it was no different from the smell of funeral flowers burning at a pyre… his own funeral pyre.
This was the Lancaster Mansion, the opulent empire of the country's most influential family.
And today was his wedding day…
The day he was sent into this gilded cage to serve in the role of 'wife' to a disabled Alpha, a man known to all as a villain.
Benjamin raised a hand to clutch his head, which throbbed as if it were about to explode. A violent wave of confusion and detachment from his own body crashed over him.
And in that very second… Memories from a life that wasn't this one flooded his mind like a broken dam.
Scene after scene… They played out as clearly as a film he was watching.
An image of himself in a high school uniform, secretly gazing at 'William Thorne,' a handsome and gentle Alpha who was like the morning sun. His foolish heart back then had pounded with a love that was pure and blind. He had believed with all his soul that William was his prince, his everything.
The scene cut to himself in this very same white suit… He was screaming, weeping pathetically in front of the master bedroom door, his mouth spewing curses at 'Richard Lancaster,' the disabled Alpha who was legally his husband. The words were the most vulgar and painful that an Omega could conjure. He was disgusted… disgusted by the electric wheelchair, disgusted by the cold eyes, and disgusted by every single thing that belonged to that man.
An image of him secretly handing over important company documents to William with a proud smile. He thought he was doing it for love, helping his prince reclaim the throne that should have been his. He never knew he was just a foolish pawn on a pre-arranged chessboard.
And then… The final, most painful and cruel image of all came into focus.
A damp, abandoned warehouse reeking of rust… His bruised and blood-soaked body lay crumpled on the cold concrete floor. He saw William… the Alpha he had worshipped his entire life, standing over him with empty, cold eyes. The once-warm smile was now twisted with pity and contempt.
"You've served your purpose. Just a piece of trash now." The once-gentle voice now cut deep into his heart. "Finish it. Don't let him survive to become a thorn in our side."
Death crept in slowly… but before everything faded to black!
BANG!
The warehouse door was violently smashed open, and with it, the figure of someone in an automatic electric wheelchair…
'Richard.'
The disabled husband he had always hated and betrayed appeared, looking no better than him. His shirt was stained with dust and blood. His handsome face, once perpetually cold, was now covered in cuts and bruises. But those sharp, onyx eyes blazed with a fury that could incinerate everything. He ordered his men to fight, to protect the 'wife' who had never been worthy of a shred of protection.
The last thing Benjamin remembered was Richard's broad back, trying to use that wheelchair as a shield to cover his own weakened body…
Before a single gunshot echoed… And his entire world went dark.
"Gasp!!!"
Benjamin jolted as if his soul had been violently shoved back into his body. He gasped for air like a drowning man, a cold sweat drenching his expensive silk shirt. This wasn't a dream! It was real! It was a memory from his 'past life'!
He was back… Back at the very beginning of the whole tragedy… back on his wedding day.
And in the moment that truth dawned on him, the deepest, most dormant instinct in his body was brutally awakened…
The instinct of an 'Omega,' screaming in agony… Not from physical pain, but from the spiritual torment of having committed a monumental sin against his own 'Fated Mate.'
In this world, instinct was an Omega's most powerful guide. It was the whisper that told them which Alpha was born for them. In his past life, Benjamin had chosen to plug his ears and ignore that warning cry. He had let his infatuation with William's false image blind him to everything. But now… now that he was fully 'awakened,' that instinct was clearer and more intense than ever before.
Richard… that pitiful, disabled Alpha… was his true mate.
Overwhelming guilt assaulted Benjamin's heart, making it hard to stand. He collapsed onto a leather sofa, utterly drained. The tears that had never fallen for Richard in his past life now streamed down his face, unstoppable. He wept… wept for his own foolishness, wept for the tragic fate of that lonely Alpha, and wept for this unexpected second chance he had been given.
He wouldn't let it end the same way again!
Benjamin took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to gather his scattered senses. He roughly wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. His eyes, once confused and fearful, now held a steely determination he'd never known.
Since the heavens had given him a chance to fix his mistakes, he would use it to the fullest. He would atone for everything he had done. He would protect Richard from William's wicked schemes. And most importantly… he would heal the physical and emotional wounds of the Alpha who was his true mate.
"Sir, it is time."
The voice of a middle-aged butler at the door broke his reverie.
Benjamin rose to his full height again. He smoothed out the slightly wrinkled white suit and took a deep breath to summon his courage. He glanced one last time at his reflection. The young man in the mirror was still beautiful, but his eyes had changed… They were no longer the eyes of a foolish Omega, but the eyes of someone who had been through death and understood the profound value of life.
He followed the butler to a small, prepared ceremony room. The atmosphere was quiet and cold, befitting a political marriage. The only guests were a few senior relatives from both families, seated as witnesses with faces devoid of smiles or joy.
And at the end of the aisle… he saw him.
'Richard' sat in his automatic electric wheelchair, dressed in an impeccably tailored, pitch-black suit. Even while seated, the formidable aura of a dominant Alpha was not the least bit diminished. His sharp, handsome features were impassive and cold. His eyes, sharp as obsidian blades, were fixed on him, as if appraising his every step.
This was a lion… a wounded lion that the whole world had turned its back on.
Benjamin's heart skipped a beat. A storm of emotions swirled within him—guilt, pity, empathy, and a strange yearning as his Omega instinct cried out for its mate.
He walked until he stood before Richard. He bowed his head slightly as was polite, then lifted his face to meet his Alpha's gaze directly. Gone was the disgust from his past life. There was only sincerity and resolve that he conveyed through his eyes.
The ceremony proceeded with the brisk, dry air of a business transaction. When it was over, the butler came to push Richard's chair, leading the way to the bridal chamber on the second floor.
Benjamin followed that broad back in silence, his heart pounding with a mixture of nervousness and determination. He knew tonight was the most crucial starting point. If he wanted to rewrite this love story… he had to begin now.
Once inside the spacious, prepared bedroom, the butler excused himself, leaving the newlywed Alpha and Omega alone.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Benjamin knew that according to the old "script," he should be starting his screaming fit by now. But instead, he did the exact opposite. He looked at Richard, who remained still and silent in his wheelchair, his expression unreadable. Benjamin gathered all the courage he had and took a step forward.
Not to hurt… but to heal.
He clenched his fists, took one final deep breath, and made a silent vow in his heart…
'This time… I will protect you, Richard.'