Jiggs' POV
I was now inside the heart of the massive basecamp, a sprawling fortress teeming with Verilios soldiers. My eyes darted left and right, scanning every hallway, every room I passed through. I was on a mission—find Melior.
Good thing I had managed to swipe one of those crimson-red Executioner Unit uniforms. Wearing it gave me the perfect cover. I walked freely, confidently, and most importantly, without getting tackled to the floor by any overly enthusiastic soldier with a death stick.
I wonder how the battle's going back on the stage? My stomach churned. I hope nothing bad happens. Please don't let anything go wrong...
I clutched my abdomen dramatically.
Why do I feel like I need to poop when I get nervous?!
If anything terrible did happen out there, I was sure of one thing—Champ wouldn't let it slide. No way. Not on his shift. Especially with his beloved Deux in the picture. That man would cause a civil war before he let Deux get a scratch.
Anyway, I pressed on, opening door after door. Every lab. Every office. Every tech room. Nada. No sign of Melior. Just a bunch of weird machines, creepy guards, and one guy brushing his teeth in a room full of weapons. What the heck was that about?
Finally, I stopped walking and sighed dramatically. This base was huge! How was I supposed to find one genius bestie in a sea of enemy muscleheads?
"Hey, you!"
I froze.
That voice didn't just carry authority—it carried danger. Slowly, I turned around and stood at attention, almost snapping my spine upright from panic.
"Sir! Yes!" I barked, giving a salute so rigid you'd think I was trying to impress a brick wall.
And there he was. Commander Hart. The leader of the Executioner Unit. The big boss. And guess what—he was glaring at me like I just insulted his cooking.
Well... Omega males love cooking right? I don't personally know him well, but he might love cooking as well right?
Wearing the red uniform suddenly didn't feel so cool anymore.
Oh no. I'm dead. This is how I die. Discovered. Exposed. And executed for impersonating a tomato.
He stepped closer, eyebrows knitted, mood clearly sour.
"What are you doing wandering around? I've been watching you for a while," he snapped.
My soul left my body.
"Uhh... I was just... looking for my..." I stalled, frantically scanning the area, searching for anything, anything to save my ass. Then, my eyes landed on a soldier holding a halberd, and an idea hit me like lightning.
"...my halberd, sir! Yes, sir! I lost it!"
His eyebrow twitched.
"You lost your halberd? That's part of your uniform! You're not supposed to lose that!"
He clicked his tongue in frustration. "Follow me. I'll issue you a new one. And while I'm at it, I'm assigning you a mission. There's someone you need to guard."
NOOOOO. Hart, you walking-talking plot twist! Not now!
But I had no choice. I followed him down a hallway, praying that whatever this mission was—it wouldn't be the end of me.
When we entered the next chamber, I choked on my breath.
There. Bound, unconscious, and upright against a post—was Melior.
"Melior..." I whispered in shock.
"You're going to guard him," Hart announced coldly. "He's being punished for betraying Omega King Nihilex."
I stumbled along behind Hart, heart thudding. "What kind of punishment...?"
Hart didn't skip a beat. "He's going to be marked and impregnated by a low-class Alpha male. Not just any Alpha, mind you. An unstable one. Aggressive. Dangerous. One we've kept contained for years."
My blood ran cold.
A bonding mark from a feral Alpha? That wasn't just punishment. That was mental obliteration. Once Melior was marked, their minds would link. Everything that Alpha felt—rage, confusion, madness—Melior would feel it too. Every twisted urge. Every violent outburst. He'd live with it inside his head.
And worse... he'd be impregnated against his will. A fate so cruel it made my stomach twist.
We reached a chamber lined with deadly-looking halberds. Hart handed me one.
"You're now in charge of watching Melior," he said with a grin that made me want to smack it off his face. "But don't get comfy. This won't be easy."
My hands gripped the halberd tighter. "W-what do you mean?"
Hart motioned for me to follow him toward the edge of the room. He pointed at a sealed metal door behind Melior.
"See that?" he said.
I peeked over. "Y-yeah..."
"That door is where the Alpha male will come from. Once the marking and breeding are complete, you will use your halberd to knock the Alpha unconscious."
"HUH?" I yelped.
"You heard me. And if you fail..." His grin sharpened. "The Alpha will kill you. No pressure."
Then, before I could object, he turned on his heel, walked out the room, and slammed the door shut.
Click.
Locked.
I stared at the sealed door. Then at Melior.
And I nearly passed out.
"Oh no. Oh no. Ohnoohnoohno—WHY AM I ALWAYS THE UNLUCKY ONE?!"
Now it was just me.
Alone.
With an unconscious Melior.
Oh, great. I'm the last man standing and one of the smartest guy I know is slumped over like a discount mannequin.
I rushed over to him and slapped his cheek lightly. "Melior! Hey! Wake up! You better not die, we haven't even done a drinking party yet!"
He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Jiggs? Is that you? How—how are you here?"
"Long story! Short version: espionage, deception, fashion theft, and blind luck! I'm getting you out of here!"
"No—wait! My restraints, Jiggs—they're electronically locked. There's a breaker switch to your right. Shut it down and the locks will disengage."
"Easy! Just relax and leave it to your chaos-certified savior!"
But just as I got up—
Grrrrrk-kkkrrrrk!
The metal door behind Melior started rising.
"OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" I shrieked. "That's the Alpha male! The one Hart said was gonna—gonna impregnate you and brand you like expired meat!"
Forget "relax"—this was panic mode!
I lunged for the breaker box and flung open the panel. My heart dropped.
"Why are there SO MANY SWITCHES?!" I cried, scanning the endless rows of toggles like I was defusing a nuclear bomb with a blindfold on.
"If you're not sure, Jiggs, just shut them all down!" Melior called.
"Say less!" I shouted.
I began flipping every switch in a frenzy, one by one. But nothing stopped the door. It kept rising, slow and steady like the jaws of doom. And with each mechanical clunk, I could practically hear my dignity packing its bags.
Click.
BOOM.
The lights went out.
"Noooo!" I wailed into the darkness. "MELIOR, I CAN'T SEE! I THINK I FLIPPED THE UNIVERSE OFF!"
"You turned off the wrong switch!"
"You think?! I can't even find my own toes right now!"
Flailing in the dark, I flipped everything back until—flick—the lights returned.
Along with the entire metal door rising completely open.
I turned to Melior, my voice shaking. "Where is he?"
Melior didn't answer. His eyes just grew wide, staring behind.
Crash!
A beast of a man—a wild, feral Alpha—burst into the room like an unhinged lion let loose from hell. He snarled, fangs bared, eyes crazed.
I panicked.
I did the bravest thing I could think of...
...I screamed, "SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIIT!" and ran straight at him with my halberd like some budget superhero.
But of course, me being me, I tripped over my own foot.
The halberd flew.
I faceplanted.
10/10 on the humiliation scale.
The Alpha didn't even blink. He pounced straight toward Melior.
"WAIT! Melior! Don't panic!"
Pause.
"Wait—why am I telling you not to panic? You're about to be mounted by a feral Alpha!"
My brain short-circuited as I calculated plans B to Z, and maybe even a plan ñ. Then suddenly...
Ting!
"AHA!"
I had one last, ridiculous idea.
"This might be insane—but I'm desperate!"
I ripped off my red Executioner uniform right then and there, down to my undergarments, and dramatically sat on the floor with my legs spread like I was auditioning for a weird survival reality show.
"Mr. Alpha! LOOK OVER HERE!"
Melior gasped. "Jiggs, WHAT are you doing?!"
"This is my plan! Lure the beast away from you... using science!"
I leaned back, spread my legs widely, and yelled like a deranged salesman, "BEHOLD! THE MIRACLE OF MODERN GENETICS!"
The Alpha paused. He sniffed the air, confused... intrigued.
"I have no scent, but LOOK! Feast your eyes on this magnificent, juicy, and untouched birth canal! Not a single Alpha or Beta has trespassed these sacred paradise of pleasure!"
Melior screamed, "JIGGS! You've gone mad!"
"I'm saving your ass with mine, Melior!"
And it worked!
The Alpha turned.
Locked eyes with me.
Then he came running like I was the last meal on earth.
"SUCCESS!" I cheered... until he lunged on top of me like a horny werewolf on steroids.
His hands pinned mine above my head, his drool dripping down like a broken faucet.
"EW! EW! GET OFF ME! Did no one teach you hygiene?! You smell like wet socks and death!"
Melior shouted, "Jiggs!"
"I know, I know! I've made horrible life choices! But it's better I get marked than you go insane from bonding with this psycho! His mark won't mean anything to me!"
The Alpha held my wrists in one hand and with the other—he started pulling down his pants.
Oh no! Don't tell me he is going to impregnate me right here right now!
I- I can already feel the tip of his manhood touching the outer part of my birth canal!
"Help! Someone! Please!" I shouted.
Thud.
While I am on the verge of being trespassed... the sound shattered through the room.
The door had exploded open.
Standing in the dust and debris—was someone with an aggressive stature.
Steam practically poured from his body. His chest heaved. His eyes glowed with primal fury.
"SILVER!" I screamed, half relieved, half still pinned.
The Alpha male froze when he sensed another dominant Alpha.
Silver raised his head, locking eyes with the creature on top of me.
And then... he saw everything.
His gaze slowly shifted from the Alpha...
To me.
Half-naked.
Pinned down.
Legs wide open.
"Jiggs," he said, voice low and dangerous. "What. The hell. Is happening. Why is that Alpha trying to impregnate you?"
"Wait!" I shouted, "I can explain! It's not what it looks like!"
Silver's jaw clenched. "You're lying under a rabid Alpha. Exposed. Moaning."
"I was NOT moaning!"
Silver stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Let me make one thing clear—"
Then, he pointed at the feral Alpha, his voice like thunder:
"No one touches that Beta... except me."
Without warning, Silver lunged.
And with a fist charged by rage and sheer Alpha dominance, he punched the feral Alpha male square in the face—so hard that the guy flew across the room like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall with a brutal crack.
Silver's chest heaved, breaths rapid, his whole body trembling with fury like a volcano ready to detonate.
Then he glared at me.
"You and I," he growled, his voice like a low thunder rumble, "are going to have a talk later."
"Wait! I wasn't flirting with him if that's what you're thinking! I wasn't offering myself for impregnation!" I panicked, waving my arms like an air traffic controller trying to stop a crash.
But Silver didn't wait. Before the Alpha could get back up, he dashed forward again—and this time, he unleashed hell. Punches rained down like meteors from the sky. Bam. Bam. BAM.
The Alpha couldn't even move. He was getting tenderized like a raw steak.
"Uhhh... I think he's already unconscious," I muttered. But Silver? Oh no. He wasn't done. He looked like he was auditioning for the Angriest Boxer Alive. He just kept punching—as if he was going to turn that Alpha into paste.
And then...
click-clack... click.
Footsteps.
Deux walked in.
Calm. Serene. Like a prince strolling through a flower garden.
The chaos? The blood? The half-naked Beta on the floor? He couldn't care less.
"Why are you naked?" he asked, blinking as his eyes locked on my very vulnerably displayed birth canal. "Put something on. You look disgusting."
I coughed. Covered myself. Tried to keep what little remained of my dignity.
"I can't believe it... you guys are really here," I whispered. "Wait—are the battles over? Where's Champ?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Deux replied coolly. "Where is Champ?"
"ACK! You mean you're not with him?!" I shrieked. "No—no, we'll think about Champ later. Right now, we need to free Melior! He's the Omega male still tied up like a sacrificial goat! The breaker switch is right there—"
"I don't need a breaker," Deux interrupted. His voice was so calm, it could freeze lava.
He walked over to Melior, who was still strapped in place, watching like he was seeing a legendary creature for the first time.
"You're... Melior?" Deux asked.
"Y-Yes," Melior stammered.
Smash!
With one clean, raw-handed swipe, Deux shattered the steel restraints like they were twigs. No tools. No sweat.
Just Deux things.
Oh, right. I forgot he has terrifying strength. Like... stronger-than-most-Alpha-males strength.
"T-Thank you, Deux," Melior murmured, blinking in disbelief.
Deux simply glanced at him with his usual expressionless stare.
Melior immediately looked away, blushing furiously.
"Don't you dare fall in love with him just because he saved you!" I warned, wagging a finger. "Deux is taken! He's Champ's boyfriend! No love triangles allowed!"
"I'm not in love! I'm just... embarrassed. An Alpha male saving me feels so humiliating. He looks like he thinks he's royalty."
"That's because he is royalty!" I declared proudly. "Alpha prince, baby! Heir to the throne!"
Melior nodded slowly, clearly still overwhelmed.
Meanwhile... guess who forgot to stop beating the Alpha male?
Yep.
Silver.
He was still going.
Still punching. Still snarling. Still foaming.
I scrambled into my uniform and ran to him. "Okay, okay! ENOUGH!" I grabbed his shirt and pulled with all my Beta strength—which was basically like a puppy trying to stop a freight train.
Silver didn't even look at me.
"This is who you wanted to father your children?!" he roared, throwing another punch. "I disappear for five minutes, and you're already auditioning new baby daddies?! You're out of control now that you can get pregnant!"
"You're so wrong! It's more than five minutes!" I cried. "I was diverting him from Melior! I seduced him so he wouldn't mark and impregnate your science bestie!"
"And what if I hadn't shown up, huh? You'd be lying here knocked up!"
"Stop it!" Melior stepped in, his voice calm but sharp. "Jiggs didn't want this. He sacrificed himself to protect me. I owe him my life."
Silver froze.
He inhaled slowly. Then—
CRACK!
One last punch.
Right to the Alpha's face.
His jaw dislocated with the sound of a coconut getting split.
Yikes.
Then Silver stood tall, towering over everyone, and glared at me like I was next on the chopping block.
His voice dropped to a dark whisper. "You know what happens now to any man who lays a finger on you, Jiggs."
I gulped and glanced at the mangled, bloody Alpha male crumpled on the floor like overcooked spaghetti.
"Y-Yes, Master Silver," I muttered.
But curiosity got the better of me. "Uhm... wait. How did you guys get here?"
Sniff!
"Ask later," Silver said. Then—without warning—he hoisted me onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"I can run on my own, you know!" I shouted, flailing.
SLAP!
He spanked me right on my butt cheeks. He. Actually. Spanked. Me.
"Be quiet," he ordered.
"I feel so violated..."
"I know a way out," Melior said suddenly.
But before we could move—
BOOM!
Executioner Soldiers poured into the room, surrounding us from every direction, suits tight, halberds raised.
"Shit!" I yelled. "Melior, don't you have, like, authority or a voice command system or— I don't know, Omega powers?!"
Melior sighed. "Unfortunately... my authority doesn't exactly override this many Beta soldiers. I can only do three at the same time."
I stared around.
We were outnumbered.
Cornered.
And I was still slung over Silver's shoulder like a discount handbag.
"Well," I muttered, "this is gonna be fun."
Within seconds, Deux stepped forward, eyes cold and silent, and reached down to grab the halberd I had clumsily dropped earlier on the floor.
And then, like it was nothing more than a glorified toothpick, he hurled it—like a spear—straight across the room.
THWACK!
The halberd skewered one of the Beta soldiers clean through the stomach, impaling him into the wall with a sickening crunch. He hung there, twitching, wide-eyed in shock, like a pinned butterfly in a war museum.
The other soldiers froze, their heads turning toward their unfortunate comrade, now dangling like macabre décor.
Deux stood still, cracking his neck.
He hadn't even said a word yet.
And that's when it started—one by one, the other soldiers began to collapse to their knees, gasping in confusion.
"W-What's happening to us?!" one Beta soldier croaked.
Melior, Silver, and I shared a look—and then I noticed something.
"Uh, Melior... your nose... it's bleeding."
He reached up and wiped it, puzzled. "Why is it bleeding?"
And then, I felt it too. Even through my helmet, a tickling sensation at my nose... drip.
Blood.
Silver's nose was bleeding too.
"Alpha dominance," I muttered, stunned. "It's a raw, primal ability only the highest-class Alphas possess... and Deux—he's using it now."
"Wait... that's real?!" Melior gasped, wobbling. "It's affecting all of us!"
Suddenly, a voice barked from the hallway.
"What the hell is going on in here?!"
Commander Hart had arrived.
And within seconds—he, too, dropped to one knee.
Blood poured from his nostrils as he groaned, trembling. "What... what is this pressure?!"
Even Hart couldn't resist Deux's power.
Melior stared, stunned. "So this... this is the true strength of an Alpha from Aurivelle?"
"No," Silver corrected with a dark voice, "this is the strength of one of the strongest Alpha... in the world."
I gulped. Even I wanted to kneel—and not in the fun, flirty way.
Deux stepped forward.
And with every stride he took, the Executioner Soldiers grew weaker—knees shaking, breaths shortening.
"This... this force!" Hart shouted, eyes wide. "It's like something is crushing my entire soul!"
Deux didn't reply.
He simply walked up to Hart...
...and grabbed him by the throat.
Effortlessly, he lifted him into the air like a sack of rotten potatoes.
Melior gasped beside me. "This... this is unreal. He lifted Hart like he was nothing."
Hart struggled, kicking and clawing. But compared to Deux, he looked tiny. Helpless.
"Where is Champ?" Deux growled.
"I-I don't know who that is!" Hart wheezed, writhing like a caught animal.
Deux's hand trembled—his fingers tightening around Hart's neck.
"I'll ask one more time," he said, voice low, dangerous. "Where. Is. Champ?"
"I told you—I don't know!"
Hart was turning pale. His lips were turning blue.
And then...
CRACK.
A sickening silence fell.
Hart went limp.
Melior and I stared, wide-eyed and frozen.
Deux dropped Hart's lifeless body to the ground with a soft thud. The man's eyes were still open—but he wasn't breathing.
Melior gasped. "He killed Hart. Just like that. No effort. No hesitation."
Silver smirked. "Well, that's Deux for you when it comes to Champ."
The Executioner Soldiers? Gone. Fled. They scattered like roaches, terrified beyond comprehension. Who wouldn't be, after watching their all-powerful commander die like a fly in a spider's web?
"Coast is clear," Silver said. "Let's move."
Melior closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again.
"You okay?" I asked gently. "I know... Hart was your ally. That's gotta mess you up inside."
Melior looked at me—steady and cold.
"No. I never saw Hart as a friend," he said. "You did more for me in one chaotic moment than he ever did in a lifetime."
That stunned me into silence.
"You're different, Jiggs," he said. "You protected me. Hart... left me to die."
I nodded slowly, surprisingly touched.
"Come on," Melior said. "I know the way out."
And with that, he darted off down the hallway.
Silver and I followed immediately—well, I was still being carried by Silver. However, he strolled like it was a weekend hike. And Deux? He trailed behind us like a ghost king—calm, composed, and terrifying.
As we ran, I had to ask AGAIN, "Wait—what happened with the quality match? How did you even escape?! Where's Champ?!"
"One question at a time!" Silver snapped.
"Sorry! I'm just panicking out loud!"
Silver sighed. "Deux and I won the match. But afterward... they put controlling collars on us. They were going to alter our forms."
"Alter both of you? I thought he wanted one to be feminized and the other will impregnate." I squeaked.
"Yeah. Feminize both of us. Nihilex was going to impregnate me. And have Champ... impregnate Deux."
I tripped. "WHAAAT?! Oh, hell no—Champ would never agree to that!"
Silver nodded grimly. "Well, now Nihilex has him. They left us near the exit of the basecamp, thinking the collars would keep us docile. But they didn't know..." He gave me a sly smirk. "...I'm a Sigma male. Controlling collars don't work on me. As soon as it malfunctioned, I broke Deux's too—and we gave them a preview of Alpha strength."
My eyes widened. "How'd you even find us?"
"Simple," he shrugged. "I heard your voice. You scream loud enough to wake the dead."
"T-thanks, I guess?"
"Anyway," Silver said, his voice suddenly hard again, "only one person we need to find now."
"Champ..." I murmured.
"There's only one place Nihilex would take him if he wants him to... you know," Melior said.
I turned to him. "Where?"
"If he's planning to transform Champ into a breeder Omega male..." Melior's eyes narrowed. "Then there's only one place they could do that."
I gasped. "The Alpha Breeding Laboratory."
"In that case," Silver said, eyes glowing with fury, "we're heading straight there. Before it's too late."
...
...
...
Alaric's POV
"Alaric, where are we?" Voder asked as I led him through the moss-covered archway of an ancient temple buried deep within the forgotten wilderness.
"This is a temple long lost to time," I said quietly, running my fingers across the worn stone walls. "Very few in Verilios even know of its existence. In fact, only two beings remain who remember it... Nihilex and me."
Voder glanced around, uneasy. "But why are we here?"
I turned to face him. The wind whispered through the cracks of the ruin, like it too was waiting for me to speak. "Because it's time you learned the truth—about me. About my origin. Something I've never told you, not even after all the years we've shared together."
He took a deep breath, and despite the tension in the air, offered a small smile. "No matter where you came from, Alaric... I still love you. You, and Champ."
A rare warmth filled my chest. I returned the smile, taking his hand into mine.
"But this isn't just about love. This place holds more than personal history. It holds our history—the lost legacy of the Omega males."
As we stepped deeper into the dark, vine-entwined sanctuary, Voder's eyes swept across the intricate murals and colossal statues. Dust hung in the air like ancient breath. In the center stood a towering stone effigy of a powerful figure, arms raised in triumph.
"Omega King Helix," Voder read aloud, studying the engraved plate beneath the statue. "He was the first Omega King?"
"Yes," I nodded. "The first, Omega male to ever rule the entire world."
Voder tilted his head, puzzled. "But... he doesn't look like an Omega male. His build—he looks more like an Alpha."
We stood in silence, admiring the statue. Helix was broad-shouldered, muscled, regal. Even the nearby murals showed him standing tall, surrounded by kneeling Omega males in reverence.
"That's because the ancient Omega males didn't look like the ones today," I explained. "They were strong. Commanding, yet with a heart and emotional intelligence. Physically equal—if not superior—to the Alpha males of their time. Helix was what we call a pure and ancient Omega male."
"A pure Omega?" Voder echoed.
"Yes," I nodded. "He embodied what it truly meant to be an Omega: power, empathy, and dominion. But his reign ended in rebellion. The Alpha males, threatened by his rule, rose against him. When the war was over, the surviving Omega males were banished here to Verilios—along with the lowest-class Alphas who remained loyal to him."
"And what happened to the Omegas after that?" Voder asked, still captivated.
"They couldn't reproduce using the low-grade Alphas," I explained. "Only Omega females could carry the next generation. With their numbers dwindling, the Omegas turned to science—to desperate experiments to survive. They succeeded... but they could never replicate the ancient DNA of a pure-blooded Omega. Their form changed. Became smaller. More delicate. Less... divine."
Voder's gaze dropped. "So that's why modern Omega males are so different."
"Yes," I said, stepping beside him. "And that's why Nihilex is obsessed with bringing back the ancient form. To create a new generation of Omega males who are strong, powerful, revered like King Helix. But not just that... he wants to feminize Alpha males, to prevent any future rebellion from ever rising again."
Voder frowned. "Wait... what happened to King Helix? Was he also exiled here?"
"No," I answered solemnly. "He was killed—by the Alphas who betrayed him. But... he had a child. A child who survived the purge and was hidden away in Verilios. We are his descendants."
Voder's eyes widened. "You mean... your bloodline—Champ's bloodline—is tied to the original Omega King?"
"Exactly."
I looked into Voder's eyes and gently held his hand tighter.
"And there's more."
He stiffened slightly. "What is it?"
"I didn't just come to Aurivelle to be a spy."
Voder stared at me, lips parted, expression unreadable.
"Nihilex wanted something specific," I confessed. "A child. An Omega male born from the blood of King Helix's line... and from the genes of a high-quality Alpha male. But Nihilex couldn't leave Verilios to make that happen. So he sent me."
Voder inhaled sharply, his fingers trembling.
"And then... I met you. The Alpha Prince. The strongest, most genetically perfect Alpha in Aurivelle. Together... we created what Nihilex had dreamed of."
"Champ..." Voder whispered.
I nodded. "Yes. Champ is the embodiment of that design. The first step in reviving the true, ancient Omega form. With science and control, Nihilex believes he can use Champ to reshape all of Verilios. All of history."
Voder looked away, horror creeping into his face. "But... isn't that good? For Champ? To become something like King Helix?"
I shook my head. "On the surface, yes. But if Nihilex succeeds—Champ won't remember us. He'll lose his empathy, his ability to love, to feel. He'll be Nihilex's weapon. A perfect, obedient creation without a soul."
I lowered my voice. "And if that happens... not even we will be able to stop him. Champ might kill us... with his own hands."
Silence swallowed the chamber.
Voder's voice broke the stillness. "If that future comes... is there still a way to bring Champ back?"
I turned to him—eyes locked with his, my heart heavy.
"I'm not sure..."
...
...
...
Jiggs' POV
We had arrived.
Deux, Silver, Melior, and I stood before the gates of the Alpha Breeding Laboratory, but our path was immediately blocked by a line of technological soldiers, halberds in hand—machines bred for obedience and destruction.
But then...
Deux stepped forward.
He didn't growl. He didn't shout.
He simply exhaled.
And with that one breath, the air changed.
The soldiers staggered, knees buckling beneath the weight of his Alpha dominance—their steel grips loosening, their helmets trembling from the pressure alone.
(Sniff!)
"I can't smell Champ," Deux muttered, voice low and laced with concern. "Are you certain he's here?"
"I'm sure," Melior replied. "He has to be. Follow me."
We advanced, slowly, cautiously. The soldiers couldn't attack—not while drowning in Deux's dominance. They backed away, clinging to the walls like shadows trying to escape their own forms.
Then we reached it.
A tall obsidian door, pulsing faintly with golden veins of embedded circuitry.
"I smell strawberries..." Deux said quietly, his tone shifting.
"No doubt. Nihilex is behind that door." Melior nodded grimly. "Get ready."
But just then—reinforcements arrived.
These weren't like the others. These new soldiers held rifles that gleamed with dangerous energy.
"Those guns... they have the same paralysis tech as halberds," Melior warned. "A single touch—or graze—and we're down."
"Great. Nothing like a little existential panic to spice up the day," I muttered, heart racing.
Deux didn't wait. He rushed forward, disarming one of the halberd-wielding soldiers and snapping the weapon into his grip. The gunfire began—tiny luminous pellets whizzing through the air like guided stingers.
But Deux didn't retreat.
He deflected the bullets with the halberd like a knight from myth, turning what should have been certain death into a dance of divine brutality.
Silver joined the chaos, matching Deux's defiance. The two of them were poetry in destruction, moving in a storm of limbs and steel.
Melior and I?
Hiding behind a crate like the professional damsels-in-distress we were.
"Silver! Behind you! One's about to stab you!" I screamed.
He turned just in time, ducked the strike, and countered with a brutal backfist. The soldier dropped like a sack of metal.
Still, the waves kept coming.
And yet, Deux and Silver never stopped.
Even with enemy fire raining down, they never fell.
Then—
The door groaned open with a mechanical hiss, cold steam spilling out like breath from the lungs of a sleeping beast. A pulse of air surged past us—thick, heavy, charged.
"I can smell another scent. But it wasn't the same as before. No longer innocent. Now, it was richer, heavier... infused with something ancient and venomous. It slithered into our lungs like velvet smoke, coating our throats with a taste that was both intoxicating and wrong." Melior said.
It hit us like a thunderclap to the chest—familiar yet foreign. A memory wrapped in menace.
We froze. Every muscle locked.
Then—without warning—our bodies began to move.
Not by choice. Not by thought.
Like puppets on strings pulled by unseen fingers, our knees buckled. Our spines curled forward. We dropped—helplessly—onto the cold, metallic floor.
Each and every one of us.
No words were spoken. No commands given.
And yet, we knew.
There was something behind that door.
Something wrong.
Something unnatural.
The pressure in the room thickened until even our breaths felt weighted. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.
Each one echoed through the chamber like the countdown to execution—each one stripping us of breath, of hope, of whatever false safety we still clung to.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was... it wasn't human anymore.
Each step echoed like a judge's gavel sealing our fate.
My soul felt like it was peeling away from my body, trembling in anticipation, in terror.
Then he appeared.
Framed by technological soldiers with guns raised, he stepped into view.
Nihilex.
Calm. Regal. Frightening.
His expression was soft, unbothered. That made it worse. His serenity was suffocating. Every molecule in the air bowed to his presence.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Melior," Nihilex said with a smile. "And the two Alpha males who triumphed in the quality match. I must say... your escape was impressive."
Me? He wasn't going to mention me?
What am I, background noise?!
But then—
My hands moved. Not by my command.
My helmet slipped from my head and clattered to the floor.
"And you..." Nihilex said, eyes finally locking on mine. "You're the Beta who convinced Melior to betray me. Jiggs."
He... he knew my name?
WHY DOES HE KNOW MY NAME?!
This isn't an honor! This is DOOM!
"You're here to stop me, aren't you?" he asked with a disturbingly sweet smile. "Unfortunately... you're too late."
Then his smile widened, ever so gently.
"I have someone I'd like you to meet."
My skin went cold.
He turned, stepping aside.
"I believe... this will be quite the performance. You see, the being I've brought forth cannot be killed by your hands. And he will be the one to kill you. The perfect weapon to stop all of you from ruining my plans."
(Sniff...)
"Amber..." Melior whispered. "A scent of painful rebirth and timeless seduction. Beauty... cloaked in danger."
Then—
From the shadows of the now-open door, something moved.
Footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate. Measured—each one landing with the weight of destiny, each one striking the floor like the final toll of a war drum.
The darkness behind the doorway seemed to bend around the figure approaching, as if the very shadows bowed to his presence.
And then... he stepped into the light.
One figure.
Naked. Bare. Radiating power like it was stitched into his flesh.
We stared—every breath caught in our throats.
He wasn't just familiar.
He wasn't just someone we knew.
He was impossible.
A ghost of what once was. A god carved from someone we once loved.
No... this was something reborn. Something rewritten.
"Behold," Nihilex said softly. "The being reborn before your eyes."
We all looked up.
Our eyes widened.
Our voices stilled.
"No..." I gasped, throat tight. "It can't be..."
"Champ," Deux breathed.
But the being standing before us wasn't the Champ we knew.
His naked form shimmered like a god carved from raw starlight. His once-lean body was now a perfect fusion of elegance and brute power. Shoulders wide, posture commanding, muscles sculpted with terrifying precision—he was not Alpha, nor Omega.
He was something else.
His pale and smooth skin glowed faintly with a golden hue, as though kissed by a divine forge. Along his collarbones and chest, glowing sigils etched themselves in real time, like celestial runes awakening from centuries of sleep.
His aura—
Gods.
His presence was suffocating. Calm... but unnatural. He didn't have to speak to terrify. He was the silence before a storm, the breath before a blade strikes.
And then he took a step forward.
Bare feet. Cold steel floor.
The weight of it echoed across the chamber—and history bent beneath it.
"He is the beginning of a forgotten legacy," Nihilex declared. "The first of the last. The primal and ancient. The true, pure Omega male... has been reborn."
And we said nothing.
Because there was nothing left to say.
Only the thunder of our racing hearts.
Only the ghost of who Champ used to be.
And the terrifying truth of what he'd become.
Is he still the same Champ that I once knew?
End of Chapter 49