"Nope."

  "Not even a little?"

  I smirked. "Well... actually, I do feel something."

  Jiggs' eyes widened. "Wait, really?"

  "Yeah," I nodded.

  "What?!"

  I leaned in, lowering my voice dramatically.

  "I feel... annoyed."

  Jiggs groaned, facepalming. "You bastard."

  I burst out ughing. "Deux is so irritating, I swear. He drives me crazy every single day!"

  "But why don't you feel anything for him?" Jiggs asked, tilting his head.

  I gave him a look. "And why should I? I'm an Alpha, he's an Alpha. What, you think I should just randomly start catching feelings? Besides, has he ever done anything remotely likeable? No! He's just a walking disaster that makes my life harder!"

  Jiggs nodded. "I mean... fair point."

  "Exactly. Case closed."

  Jiggs was quiet for a moment. Then he smirked again.

  "But, is there any chance you could ever fall for Deux?"

  I scoffed. "Pfft. Depends on how he acts. But c'mon—Alpha and Alpha? Guy and guy? Nah! Not happening. Never."

  I crossed my arms, looking all high and mighty.

  Everything I said was the truth.

  I felt nothing for Deux.

  Not a single spark.

  Not a single moment of fluttering feelings.

  What had he ever done to make me like him?

  Nothing.

  The only thing he ever did was annoy me from the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep.

  "Anyway! Let's focus on the competition. We've talked about Deux enough."

  "One st thing," Jiggs said. "Why did you invite Deux to your party? Why did you cook for him? Why did you let him stay at your house?"

  I blinked.

  Oh. Right.

  "Hmm... well, first, because he saved me." I shrugged. "And second, I just... I wanted to be friends with him. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

  Jiggs raised an eyebrow. "Friends, huh?"

  "Yeah. Friends. Got a problem?"

  Jiggs smirked. "Nope. Just making sure."

  I narrowed my eyes. "You sure you don't have anything else to say?"

  "Nope," Jiggs said, grinning. "Not now, maybe ter."

  I rolled my eyes, shoving another bite of noodles into my mouth.

  "Good. Now shut up and wait for the Beta males to get here."

  Jiggs chuckled under his breath.

  But I ignored it.

  There was no way Deux liked me.

  And there was definitely no way I'd ever fall for him.

  ...

  Right?

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Deux's POV

  I was pissed.

  Why the hell was Champ ughing so happily with Jiggs?

  The way he threw his head back, eyes crinkling, lips curling into that easy, carefree smile—

  It was infuriating.

  And what's worse? He was so close to Jiggs. So damn close. If I didn't know better, I'd say that bastard wanted to kiss him!

  ARGH!

  Why was I feeling like this?

  Was this... jealousy?

  No. Impossible.

  I clenched my fists, forcing myself to turn away. I needed to get as far away from Champ as possible—far from his intoxicating scent, far from whatever spell he was unknowingly casting on me.

  The more distance, the better.

  Tch!

  But just as I was stomping away, trying to shove the growing irritation out of my chest, I caught snippets of a conversation—one that made every muscle in my body lock up.

  "He's different from the Alphas we know... that Champ."

  The mention of his name made my spine go rigid.

  "I noticed. He's not like us."

  "Exactly. Doesn't act dominant. Doesn't demand respect. Almost like he was born in the wrong body. Like an Omega."

  "He's weaker than us. And if I'm being honest... he's beautiful. Too beautiful for an Alpha. Almost... intoxicating."

  "And since he doesn't seem like he'd fight back, I think I'll make him mine."

  Blood drained from my face.

  "Once I cim him, he'll be obedient. He'll do everything I say. And I'll do whatever I want with him... with his body."

  "Lucky for him, if he was an Omega, I'd impregnate him everyday. Hehe!"

  I stopped walking.

  Everything went silent.

  A sharp, lethal silence.

  Then—

  Rage.

  A blinding, soul-consuming, bone-crushing rage exploded inside me.

  Before I could process it, I had already moved—had already acted.

  My hand shot out, gripping the colr of the Alpha who had dared to utter those words.

  His feet lifted off the ground.

  His breath hitched.

  His eyes widened in panic.

  I squeezed.

  "Say that again."

  My voice was deadly calm.

  The kind of calm that preceded absolute ruin.

  "P-Prince Deux! W-We were just talking—nothing serious—" he stammered, his face draining of color.

  "Just talking?" My fingers tightened around his throat. "You think this is funny? You think you can take him from me?"

  The Alpha gasped, his nails digging into my wrist as he struggled to breathe. His lips were turning blue.

  And yet, I didn't care.

  I couldn't.

  The only thing I could think about was the vile words he had spoken.

  The disgusting intentions he had voiced.

  And how I would erase them.

  Erase him.

  I leaned in, close enough that he could see the abyss of pure destruction in my eyes.

  Darkness...

  "Listen to me."

  My voice was a low, guttural growl. The kind that made even the Alphas submit.

  "If I ever hear you—or anyone—speak about him like that again..."

  I dug my nails into his throat.

  "I will rip you apart."

  The Alpha choked, nodding frantically, his body trembling under my grasp.

  But it wasn't enough.

  The rage inside me wasn't done.

  It wanted to burn.

  To consume.

  To eliminate the threat.

  My grip tightened.

  Harder.

  I was going to end him.

  I would've crushed the breath from his lungs.

  I can feel his pulse quickening, ready to explode any minute.

  But then—

  A voice.

  "Deux! What are you doing?!"

  Everything stopped.

  The world tilted.

  My breath hitched.

  My body—locked up.

  Slowly, stiffly—like a man stepping onto thin ice—

  I turned.

  And there he was.

  Champ.

  Standing a few meters away.

  Expression unreadable.

  Eyes—cold.

  I felt my grip loosen.

  The Alpha in my grasp colpsed, coughing violently, but I wasn't looking at him anymore.

  I was looking at Champ.

  At the way his gaze flickered—not with shock.

  Not even with anger.

  But with something worse.

  Something cold.

  Something calcuting.

  Something so distant, so unfamiliar—

  Like he wasn't looking at me at all.

  Like he was looking at a stranger.

  Or worse—

  Like he was looking at a monster.

  My chest tightened.

  My fingers curled at my sides.

  I tried to speak.

  Tried to say something—anything—

  But nothing came out.

  Because for the first time in my life—

  For the first time since I started falling for him—

  Champ was looking at me like I was nothing but a threat.

  Something dangerous.

  Something he should stay away from.

  And something inside me—

  Something vital.

  Something fragile.

  Something I didn't even realize I had—

  Broke.

  I felt something worse than rejection.

  I felt like I had lost something before I ever even had it.

  His trust.

  His warmth.

  His love.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Champ's POV

  "But hey, Champ!" Jiggs leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Does Deux have a chance? You know, if—and I mean if—you were an Omega?"

  I let out a chuckle, but I could already feel the sweat forming on the back of my neck. "If I were an Omega? But I'm not."

  "Yeah, yeah, I know! We all know you're a strong, proud Alpha!" Jiggs grinned.

  I sighed, pying along. "Alright, let's say hypothetically I were an Omega. If Deux truly had feelings for me, then he'd have to prove it. He'd have to be honest about his emotions, responsible for them. He'd need to show me he's serious—that he's willing to protect me, care for me, never hurt me. I wouldn't feel fear when I'm with him. Instead, I'd feel... loved."

  Jiggs nodded, absorbing my words.

  "Ahh, so that's how it is."

  "There. Satisfied?" I leaned back. "That was from an Omega's perspective, okay? I'm still an Alpha!"

  "Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Jiggs ughed.

  Before we could continue, four Beta Males ran up to us, breathless and wide-eyed, like they had just witnessed something terrifying.

  My brows furrowed. "What's wrong? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? You didn't have to run! I wasn't gonna get mad just because you were te." I ughed, handing them bottles of water.

  But they didn't take them.

  Instead, Marsh—who was still panting—tried to speak between gasps.

  "Master Champ... It's... It's Master Deux..."

  I tensed.

  "What about Deux? Did he threaten you?"

  "No..." Daryl shook his head. "We saw him."

  "And the situation is bad, Master Champ," Martin added, his voice urgent. "You need to get there now before things spiral out of control!"

  My stomach dropped.

  "What the hell is happening?"

  "No time to expin! Just follow us! If we don't hurry, someone's going to—"

  Gem didn't finish.

  I was already moving.

  I tried to track Deux's potent vanil scent as I can smell it from a far.

  What's happening?

  Something's not right.

  It's too strong... different from what I have always known.

  And just as soon as I got to where he is...

  I felt it before I saw it.

  That aura.

  It was suffocating, pressing down on me like the air itself had turned against me.

  Dark.

  Heavy.

  Like something ancient and primal had been awakened.

  And when I finally saw it—

  I froze.

  There, standing in the middle of the chaos, was Deux.

  His back was rigid, every muscle in his body coiled like a predator ready to kill.

  At his feet, an Alpha gasped desperately for air, his face contorted in raw terror—his body limp and weak in Deux's grip. He was begging for his life.

  The others around them—frozen.

  Not moving.

  Not breathing.

  Because they were terrified.

  Because I was terrified.

  My breath hitched, my lungs tightening.

  And Deux—

  Deux wasn't standing like a man.

  He stood like something inhuman.

  Like a beast let out of its cage.

  And for the first time since I met him—

  I realized...

  I wasn't looking at Deux.

  I wasn't looking at the arrogant, teasing, insufferable Alpha I had always known.

  I was looking at the real Deux.

  The Alpha that had always been inside him.

  The Alpha he kept caged beneath yers of control, arrogance, and indifference.

  The real Deux wasn't just strong.

  He was terrifying.

  Unstoppable.

  A force of nature—one that wasn't meant to be contained.

  This wasn't some tantrum. This wasn't just rage.

  This was instinct.

  Primal.

  Unforgiving.

  A side of Deux that was so raw, so dangerous, that even the air around him felt wrong.

  And worst of all—

  I understood something in that moment.

  Something that made my blood run cold.

  He had been holding back this entire time.

  From me.

  From everyone.

  I had never seen the real Deux until now.

  And now that I had—

  I wished I never did.

  I forced my feet to move, stepping forward even as every cell in my body screamed at me to run.

  "Deux, what are you doing?"

  The moment the words left my lips, he stiffened.

  For a second, the entire world held its breath.

  And then—

  Slowly—

  Painfully—

  He turned to face me.

  And when our eyes met—

  I saw it.

  Fear.

  Not fear of me.

  Not fear of the people around him.

  But fear of himself.

  Of what he had just done.

  Of what I had just seen.

  And for the first time—

  I realized something that made my stomach twist.

  I had always challenged him. Teased him. Never took him seriously.

  But now—

  Now, I understood.

  I was scared of Deux.

  Scared in a way I never thought I could be.

  Because I had finally seen what he really was.

  Not the arrogant prince.

  Not the insufferable Alpha I could banter with.

  But something far worse.

  Something that should have never been unleashed.

  And worse than that—

  All I knew, in that moment—

  Was that I needed to get far away from him.

  As far as possible.

  Before it was too te.

  I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him the same way again.

  End of Chapter 16