This feeling

Evan didn’t remember how he got back to his car.

He only remembered the pressure in his chest…

and the scent that wouldn’t leave him.

Lucas Reed.

Even with the windows down, the air felt thick. Evan gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, forcing his breathing to steady.

Calm down. You’re fine.

But his body didn’t listen.

A faint warmth curled low in his stomach, unfamiliar and terrifying. His suppressants hummed beneath his skin—working, but strained.

Too strained.

“No,” Evan whispered, swallowing hard.

It was too early.

He had tracked his cycle perfectly. This wasn’t possible.

And yet—

His omega stirred, restless and aching, reacting to a presence it shouldn’t even acknowledge.

An alpha…

Evan slammed the brakes at a red light, chest rising sharply.

“Get it together,” he muttered. “He’s the enemy.”

Rival family. Rival company. Rival everything.

And still…

That calm voice echoed in his mind.

That steady gaze.

That scent—clean, controlled, dangerous.

Evan hated it.

Because a part of him didn’t feel threatened.

It felt… seen.

Lucas Reed stood alone in the empty conference room long after everyone else had left.

He hadn’t planned to stay.

But his instincts refused to settle.

Something about Evan Hale was wrong—and Lucas had learned long ago to trust that feeling.

Too sharp.

Too controlled.

Too tightly wound.

Like someone constantly holding their breath.

Lucas closed his eyes, inhaling slowly.

There it was again.

Faint. Almost hidden.

Sweet. Warm.

Omega.

His eyes snapped open.

“…Impossible,” he murmured.

Evan Hale was known across the city as a dominant alpha. Powerful. Ruthless. Untouchable.

And yet—

Lucas’s alpha stirred, low and alert, reacting not with aggression but awareness.

Protect.

The instinct surprised him.

Lucas frowned slightly, fingers curling at his side.

Since when did another man’s presence linger like this?

That night, Evan stood under a scalding shower, water pounding against his skin.

It didn’t help.

His body was too warm. His thoughts too loud.

He leaned his forehead against the tiled wall, breathing shallowly.

Not now. Please… not now.

A sharp ache bloomed in his chest—fear, anger, frustration twisting together.

He had spent his whole life avoiding alphas.

And now his body was betraying him over one calm, infuriating stranger.

His phone buzzed on the counter outside.

A message from Mia.

Your pheromones spiked today. Don’t deny it. If you feel anything unusual—tell me.

Evan clenched his jaw.

Unusual didn’t even begin to describe it.

Across the city, Lucas lay awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling.

He rarely dreamed.

Yet Evan’s face surfaced uninvited—cool eyes, sharp smile, tension coiled beneath elegance.

If he really is an alpha…

Lucas exhaled slowly.

Why did his instincts refuse to believe it?

Why did the thought of Evan being anything else make his chest tighten?

“…Trouble,” Lucas admitted quietly.

Enemies were one thing.

But fate had a cruel sense of timing.

And somewhere between rivalry and instinct—

Something dangerous had already begun.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***