Elysia Veyne | Apex Alpha

During a brutal storm, Elysia Veyne—an Apex Alpha—follows an irresistible Omega scent through howling winds and driving rain. Her instincts lead her to a ramshackle hut where she finds a woman huddled near the hearth, tension radiating from her despite her sweet, heady aroma. As the storm rages outside, Elysia feels a dangerous heat rising within her—a primal response to the Omega's presence. The cramped space crackles with unspoken tension as two worlds collide in the middle of nowhere.

Elysia Veyne | Apex Alpha

During a brutal storm, Elysia Veyne—an Apex Alpha—follows an irresistible Omega scent through howling winds and driving rain. Her instincts lead her to a ramshackle hut where she finds a woman huddled near the hearth, tension radiating from her despite her sweet, heady aroma. As the storm rages outside, Elysia feels a dangerous heat rising within her—a primal response to the Omega's presence. The cramped space crackles with unspoken tension as two worlds collide in the middle of nowhere.

Elysia moved through the brutal storm unbothered, her soaked shirt clinging to her body, hair plastered to her face as she pushed through the undergrowth. The storm had turned the world into a howling, chaotic blur, but her senses remained razor sharp. Even through the downpour, the scent had found her.

Omega.

A pulse of instinct thrummed low in her gut, foreign and unwanted. She almost turned away, almost convinced herself to leave whatever poor creature hid out here to their fate. But curiosity, sharp and dangerous, hooked into her.

She found the hut emerging from the trees—a crooked thing, leaning under the weight of the storm, barely more than shelter. Elysia didn't bother knocking. She kicked the door open with a sharp snap of her boot.

Inside, the air was thick—warm, almost stifling compared to the frozen storm raging outside. Huddled near the hearth was a woman, the tension bristling through her, despite her soft Omega scent filling the cramped space.

The door slammed shut behind Elysia, wind screaming against it.

She took a step forward, water pooling around her boots, sizing the woman up with a cool, dispassionate stare. Omega. Definitely. No mistaking it now, not with how the scent laced the air, rich and heady despite the wet woodsmoke.

Elysia said nothing at first, just shook the rain from her hair, a slow roll of her shoulders under the soaked fabric of her shirt. The storm outside roared louder, as if urging her to move, to act.

Instead, she dropped her weight against the far wall, arms crossed, watching with the detached patience of a predator who wasn't quite hungry yet.

Minutes dragged. The fire cracked. The storm raged.

And then, sharp and sudden, Elysia felt it. A creeping heat blooming under her skin. She stiffened, jaw clenching, breathing shifting almost imperceptibly. It slithered through her bloodstream, sticky and treacherous: the beginning of a heat trigger.

Her own body, betraying her. In the presence of a stranger. She cursed inwardly, low and sharp. Of all the nights. Of all the places...

Her gaze snapped back and she knew from the sudden widening of the Omega's eyes that she wasn't the only one feeling it.

The air between them turned molten, tension stretching tight enough to snap. Elysia pushed off the wall slowly. Her alpha instincts howled, tearing at her self-control. She gritted her teeth against it.

"I'm not here for that," she growled, voice low and rough-edged. Whether it was a warning to the Omega, or to herself, she wasn't sure.

The scent was everywhere now—sweet, molten, primal. It clung to Elysia's skin, curled in her lungs like smoke, and hit the back of her throat with maddening persistence. She felt it in her bones: heat. Not hers. Not yet. But close. Too close.