A while ago
A pair of alphas had grabbed Ceres and dragged him out. He didn't struggle—he wanted to see what they would do.
They threw him toward the cliff.
"Beat him to death and throw him off!" the elder ordered, standing back as the alphas closed in.
As one alpha reached for him, Ceres grabbed the man's wrist and, with a hard, trained kick, sent him sprawling to the ground. The next second he twisted, forcing the alpha's neck to crack under his grip.
"I was a boxer," Ceres snarled, breath ragged. "Don't you dare look down on me. I'm stronger than you think, you bastards. And you—old fart—go die. I curse you. You're going to die very agonizingly."
The elder flinched at his words, but she didn't let the curse faze her. In her eyes he was dying anyway—so his threats were nothing more than desperate noise.
One by one, Ceres knocked out every alpha. At the end, he glared at the elder before sinking down, exhausted. The fever was gone, but fatigue weighed on him.
Back to the present—when Ogar arrived and saw Ceres surrounded by unconscious alphas, he didn't stop to question. He rushed forward, scooped Ceres into his arms, and held him close.
As he turned to leave, his gaze locked on the elder. The sharpness of his glare made her flinch—Ogar had never looked at her that way before.
"Prepare your explanation," he said coldly, before walking away with Ceres in his arms.
I've got two perfectly fine legs—I can walk on my own," Ceres protested.
Ogar chuckled at his words, amusement lighting his eyes. Without replying, he carried Ceres back to his chamber and gently set him down on the bed.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you. It's all my fault," Ogar said, his voice low and earnest.
"But don't worry. I won't let you out of my sight—not even for a moment."
Ceres stared at him, his expression a mix of confusion and curiosity, unsure how to react to Ogar's intensity.
Ceres realized something important: he couldn't fight his situation. He wasn't the main character—just a human who had somehow ended up in this novel.
But if he couldn't push Ogar, the male lead, away… why not try to win him over instead?
Ceres sat up, resting his back against the rock wall. He turned to Ogar, his gaze soft and warm, carrying an unspoken invitation.
"Ogar… your people don't seem to like me," he said gently. "It might be better if I just leave."
He already knew what Ogar was going to say—but he pulled this little trick anyway.
"Who cares about others? I am your mate, and you will be mine—that's enough."
Ogar said, sitting down on the bed beside Ceres. His right hand rose to gently cup Ceres's cheek, caressing it with care.
Ceres smiled, knowing he couldn't just leave in front of Ogar. He had already decided—he would win Ogar over. But before taking any bold steps, he wanted to try one last time to leave.
If he managed to get away and find a way back home, he would leave. But if he failed… he would stay here with Ogar.
Ogar's hand moved from Ceres's cheek to his forehead, checking his temperature. It was normal now.
"It's good that you're fine," he said, his voice soft. "But I was so worried when you suddenly collapsed into my arms… you looked so pale."
"Haha, I'm all good now, but I want to rest. Why don't you leave me alone?"
Ceres said, gently removing Ogar's hand from his cheek. But the moment he did, Ogar stared at his own hand as if something were wrong.
Ceres even lay down, hoping Ogar would finally leave—but Ogar just glanced at him and stayed seated.
It was like Ogar had gone completely psycho—sitting there silently, just staring at Ceres.
Ceres closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. After a while, Ogar finally got up and left.
Even before leaving, Ogar had stroked Ceres's hair.
Ceres snapped his eyes open and climbed down from the bed. He took slow, careful steps toward the entrance, and when he opened the door to the woods, he found two alphas standing there, guarding him.
"Future Luna! Do you need anything?"
Ceres was shocked to see the guards—but this was his chance to escape.
"Actually… I need to answer nature's call. You know what I mean—pee," he said.
One of the guards nodded and was about to lead him somewhere, but Ceres went his own way.
"Don't follow me. I'll be fine on my own," he insisted.
The guards assumed he would return soon, but Ceres had other plans. He ran—running through the tree's, desperate to find a way out.
In the chaos, he didn't even realize he had left the werewolf territory.
He had entered another beast's territory. As he ran, suddenly his foot struck something, and he stumbled, falling hard. Before he could recover, a large cage fell from the trees, trapping Ceres inside.
Ceres didn't realize what had happened until he glanced around and found himself trapped inside a cage. Suddenly, in swift motion, many people surrounded him.
"Who is this? I thought it was a wild animal," one muttered.
"He's so beautiful… an omega! I want to mate with him," another alpha said, talking among themselves.
"Hey! What the hell is this? Take me out of this cage right now! Gosh… I mean, I know you all are idiots, but have some shame!" Ceres shouted.
They heard him but still lifted the cage and carried him away.
This territory belonged to the tiger clan. In recent years, their omegas had been unable to give birth successfully—any cubs born would die.
As a result, the tiger population had been steadily declining. To save their lineage, the alphas had begun mating with omegas from other clans, which was successful.
When their own omegas failed, the alphas abandoned them and sought mates elsewhere.
Ceres was brought before the king, who sat on his throne. The ministers continued their important meeting, speaking urgently among themselves.
The king's eyes, normally blood-red with anger, narrowed at the interruption. But when his gaze fell on Ceres, the fury faded, replaced by awe at his beauty.
"Woah! Who is this beauty? Why haven't I seen him before?" the king murmured.
"My king, we found him today," one of the alphas said. "He ran from the werewolf clan, and he's covered in the pheromones of the werewolf king, Ogar."
Everyone present knew the significance: when an alpha covers someone with his pheromones, it meant that person was claimed—untouchable by anyone else. Yet, ignoring this, they had kidnapped Ceres to serve their king.
"I don't care. That Ogar is still just a child compared to me, and I deserve this kind of beauty. Bring him to my bedchamber—I want to taste him immediately," the king ordered.
Ceres remained silent in the cage, biting his nails as if nothing happening around him mattered.
"Hey, King! Take me out of this cage right now! And what do you mean by 'taste'? Do I look like food to you?"
"Wow, he's bold! What are you waiting for? Take him!" the king shouted.
As the guards were about to lift the cage again, a man came running.
"My king! Big problem—werewolf king Ogar is here, and he's furious. He's ready to kill everyone to get his omega mate back!"
The king's eyes narrowed, but he signaled his people to quickly move Ceres aside. The guards hid him behind the walls, leaving no time for proper escape, as Ogar's approach was imminent.
In just two minutes, Ogar stood before the king. He looked young compared to the middle-aged ruler.
"Where is my mate?" Ogar asked, his voice cold and sharp.
"Oh, Ogar, what are you doing here? And your mate? You have a mate? How come I didn't know this before?" the king replied.
His eyes studied Ogar, looking him up and down. Though Ogar had become king of his pack, he was still young and inexperienced compared to the seasoned ruler—a fact the king often reminded him of.
"I asked—where is my mate?" Ogar demanded again, his voice sharper this time, cold as ice.
"Mind your manners, Ogar," the king replied, his words dripping with threat. "This isn't your pack—it's my territory, and you came here alone. You know very well what I am capable of."
Because Ogar had come unaccompanied, the king's warning carried weight: if Ogar provoked him, death would not be out of the question.
"Sure, try me," Ogar said firmly. "I won't leave without my mate."
"Hey, Ogar! I'm here!" a voice echoed from behind the wall.
Ogar's gaze immediately went to the sound. Relief washed over him—Ceres was alive.
He took a step toward the wall, but suddenly felt a sharp pain. Glancing back, he saw a knight of the tiger clan plunging a dagger into his back.