"Even in the quietest moments, the threads of fate tighten—and no matter how timid the heart, some bonds cannot be denied."
. . .
Elias's POV
Elias Han awoke with a start, his senses overwhelmed by the unfamiliar surroundings. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air, and the soft beeping of machines created a rhythmic backdrop. He tried to move but found his body unresponsive, as if it were not his own.
"He's awake," a voice murmured nearby.
A figure appeared beside him, a woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile. "You're safe now," she said softly. "You've been through a lot."
Elias blinked, trying to process her words. "Who... who am I?"
The woman hesitated, her expression flickering with uncertainty. "You're Elias Han," she replied carefully. "You were in an accident. You've been in a coma for several years."
Elias's mind raced. An accident? A coma? None of it made sense. But as he looked into the woman's eyes, a sense of familiarity washed over him. He nodded slowly, accepting her words for now.
His gaze drifted around the room, taking in the white walls, the soft hum of ventilators, and the faint glow of the fluorescent lights above. Everything felt sterile, almost unreal. His limbs twitched slightly as if they were waking from a long, unnatural sleep. Panic surged—he couldn't remember the last thing he had been doing before this void swallowed him.
"Your body's weak," the woman said, placing a steady hand on his arm. "It's going to take time to regain strength." Her voice was calm, but Elias felt an undercurrent of urgency in it, like she knew he wasn't meant to just wake up—he was meant to return.
"Return?" he whispered, his throat dry. He tried to sit up, but the effort left him dizzy, and sweat pricked at his temples. "I… I don't understand…"
The woman knelt beside the bed, her eyes locking on his with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. "You're not just waking from a coma," she said softly. "You've… been given another chance."
Elias froze. Another chance? The words sounded strange, almost impossibly so, but something in them resonated. The memories that had been dormant—fragments of another life—stirred within him. Faces, names, events… battles he had never fought in this body, yet somehow felt burned into his mind.
"I… I remember things," he admitted, his voice trembling. "Things that… shouldn't be mine."
The woman nodded slowly, a faint, knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Yes. You've returned with your memories intact. That's why your body is weak—it is adjusting to the sudden awakening of not just life, but… knowledge."
Elias closed his eyes, trying to grasp the storm inside his mind. Flashes of his old life—the quiet suburb, his timid nature, the monotonous comfort of routine—collided violently with visions of a world he had never physically lived in: a world of power, politics, and primal instincts. Alphas and Omegas, bonds and ruts, territory and dominance. He could feel it coursing in him, not just as a concept, but as a premonition—something his body recognized.
"What… what am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice barely audible. "I don't… I don't belong here."
"You do," the woman insisted, pressing her hand over his heart briefly. "You belong because you were chosen. And soon… very soon, your first step will come."
Elias shivered. A cold, thrilling fear gr gripped him, unlike anything he had felt in either life. The air in the room seemed heavier now, electric with tension, as if it carried invisible threads pulling him toward a destiny he had not yet dared to imagine.
"Will it hurt?" he whispered, more to himself than to her.
The woman's gaze softened, but there was a gravity behind it that made Elias's stomach twist. "It might," she admitted. "But you must endure. You must survive. And you must learn to use what you have been given… before the others find you."
"The others?" His pulse quickened. The word carried weight. He sensed the presence of powers, of beings, just beyond his comprehension. The mention of others hinted at Alphas, rivals, perhaps mates. He swallowed hard, gripping the thin sheet beneath him, trying to anchor himself.
A soft chime echoed from a device near his bed, and the woman glanced toward it. "Time is shorter than we think," she said urgently. "You've awakened… but the world outside doesn't wait. The bond—your bond—is already forming. You must be ready."
Elias felt an ache in his chest, a pull that was both terrifying and intoxicating. He didn't understand what this bond was yet, but a deep, instinctual knowing told him that his life, his choices, and his very soul were now intertwined with forces far beyond what he had known before.
And somewhere, deep in the shadows of his reborn awareness, he could feel it: a presence. A scent. A pull he didn't fully understand, a heat in his chest that whispered promises of connection… and peril.
For the first time, Elias allowed himself to truly breathe—and with that breath came the unshakable awareness that his life, in this second chance, was no longer his own.
It belonged to the Omega Ascension System now, and the world that would test him… to his very limits.
Ronan's POV
Ronan Vale strode through the grand hallway of the Vale estate, every step precise, every movement commanding attention. Even in the relative quiet of the servants' wing, his presence seemed to bend the space around him. His dark eyes scanned the corridors, sharp and calculating, but beneath the usual arrogance, a flicker of unease gnawed at him.
He had been informed that the boy—the Omega—had awakened. That timid, soft-spoken servant who had been a nuisance since childhood. A boy who had never commanded respect, never stirred more than irritation in Ronan's noble heart. And yet… there was something different about this awakening.
As Ronan approached the infirmary door, his instincts, honed by years of Alpha dominance, flared. The air shifted, carrying a scent he had never noticed before. Subtle, tentative… delicate, yet impossibly intoxicating. Elias.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes locked on the figure in the bed. Elias Han—or rather, the boy who had haunted his disdainful observations for nearly two decades—was awake. Pale, fragile, and yet there was a spark in his gaze that Ronan had never seen before.
The boy's eyes met his, wide with confusion, fear, and… recognition. For a moment, Ronan's carefully maintained composure faltered. The Omega's scent, the invisible thread tugging at his instincts, flared violently—unlike anything Ronan had felt. It was as if the air itself had shifted, bending toward Elias, carrying with it the weight of something primordial.
No. This cannot be. Ronan's mind raced. He is… my mate.
The realization hit with brutal clarity, and with it came a visceral reaction he could neither control nor deny. His chest tightened, his heart hammered, and a heat—not entirely his own—spread through his body. Yet, anger flared first, bitter and sharp.
He would not yield. Not yet. Not to a boy who had been meek, timid, and so utterly unworthy in every sense—by the laws of noble lineage, by the dictates of dominance, by his own judgment.
"Step back," Ronan commanded, his voice low and dangerous. Even as he spoke, he kept his distance, ignoring the pull, the burning need to close the gap. He could feel Elias's pulse, the trembling rhythm that betrayed both fear and… something else. Something intoxicating.
Elias flinched, recoiling slightly at the edge in Ronan's tone, unaware of the storm he had just ignited. His pale fingers twitched nervously, gripping the thin blanket, and Ronan's sharp gaze softened, just enough to see the faint, desperate longing that hid beneath layers of fear.
Ronan clenched his fists. I will not be bound—not yet. But the scent, the pull, the raw surge of pheromones clawing at his senses… it was relentless. His Alpha dominance roared, demanding, craving… and Ronan forced it back. Not now. Not here.
The boy's voice came weakly, "Who… are you?"
Ronan's eyes narrowed. "I am Prince Ronan Vale," he said, every word deliberate, every syllable a declaration of authority. "And you… are mine."
The words escaped before he could stop them. The declaration, half instinct, half resistance, hung in the air like fire. Elias froze, confusion and awe flickering across his face.
Ronan tore his gaze away, struggling against the surge in his chest. No. I will not claim him. Not while he is vulnerable. Not while… His thoughts twisted, unable to reconcile the feral pull of Alpha instinct with the calculated pride of noble blood.
Even as he left the room, retreating to collect himself, the invisible thread between them had been sealed. Ronan felt it tugging relentlessly, impossible to ignore. And though he vowed to resist, though he swore the Omega would not bind him today… the truth was undeniable: Elias Han had awakened something in him that could never be un-awakened.
And deep down, a whisper of anticipation stirred alongside the rage—a warning, a promise, and a challenge all at once.
The bond is here, he thought grimly, fists still clenched. And I will not let it claim me…
Not like this.
Not yet.
I will fight,
To see if this boy is worthy to be a Noble and Alpha Prince's mate.