Azaki was resting peacefully, completely unaware of the life changing moment that would soon be upon him.

Before he’d fallen asleep, the words of the doctor had started to settle into his mind. He needed to accept his gender. Not that he really had a choice here, his options were literally to just deal with being an omega, or stop being alive. There was no other option. No surgery he could have or pill he could take would ever stop him from being an omega.

And an enigma, apparently.

While in his dream state, it was as if his mind was testing out the scenario. He dreamed vividly of projections of his potential future as an omega as if his mind was providing him premonitions. If he hid himself away from the world out of fear of presenting, was he even really alive? If he met his true mate and went into heats like a normal omega, would he actually be able to have a fulfilling life like everyone said he could?

Would he spend his heats with his bonded? Not likely, Azaki had never had even the slightest interest in romantic pursuits. Although this was likely a side effect of his dormant status, he couldn’t be sure since he’d never found someone attractive before. He'd never wondered what it was like to kiss someone. Nor had he ever searched for pornography to sate some kind of lustful feelings. Those thing just never interested him in the slightest.

And it wasn’t as if kissing was all that there was to mating. Azaki felt embarrassed thinking about it even in his dreams. He’d be expected to start a family if he found his true mate. But, realistically, how could he ever submit himself to the Alpha that would steal his future from him? He wanted to work and change the world. He couldn't do that with a family and the obligations that came with it.

That future was not going to work.

And yet, his mind seemed determined to show him snippets of sitcom levels of domestic bliss; fully equipped with a faceless alpha who seemed to support his dreams and career like an ideal mate. As if such a thing would happen. He knew what bonded Alphas were like, especially when they found their true mate.

Possessive didn’t even begin to cover it.

Even while thinking like this, Azaki didn’t try to change the images his mind was showing him, nor did he make an attempt to wake himself from the dream. Instead, he watched with an interest that he didn’t want to admit he had. His Alpha was reaching out toward him, sending a sense of calm through his whole body. 

It smelled so pleasant.

Azaki wondered if he’d ever felt so relaxed, if any place felt more like home in his life. He questioned if he’d ever been so attached to anyone as he was with this faceless blob in his dream. If he found his Alpha, would he feel this feeling in real life? Was this the warmth what people were talking about when they said ‘family?’

If so, life was more cruel than he’d ever imagined.

Had everyone on earth known this feeling of belonging and love at some point in their lives? Was this why most of society formed packs and huddled together in their own sections of the world? The thought made him want to cry. He would never feel anything like this for real, would he? He was dormant, so he’d never find his alpha, and he was a total liability so no pack would want him.

Why did it hurt so much?

He thought he’d gotten used to being alone by now.

Dream-Azaki was smiling brightly and hugging onto his mate while the real Azaki watched with growing sadness. That faint smell that had brought him out of his near drop again trickled into his nose more intensely, making him want to weep. The smell of home. Something he knew he’d never smell for real. But that was a good thing. He never wanted such a life in the first place.

Azaki felt a light touch on his cheek and beginning to wake felt as if he was being pulled away from his dream mate. As he slowly regained consciousness, Azaki found the action so painful he called out to the faceless blob in desperation. He didn’t want to lose this feeling of home right after discovering it for the first time. Being awake was too painful of an experience lately. Parts of him longed for this morning when his life was simple and made sense.

“Alpha~”

                                -~/##/~-

Maynard approached the door to Azakis’ room and placed his hand on the knob. Before he actually opened the door, the man turned back to his cousin and examined his face. Malakai give Maynard his trademark cocky Alpha smirk and tilted his head to the side as if to question what Maynard was doing. The doctor took an annoyed breath.

“Maybe you should wait outside for a moment.”

“I was in there earlier.” Malakai crossed his arms and frowned at the doctor. It was clear that the Alpha was now feeling some kind of ownership over this situation and it made Maynard frown.

“I don't want to startle him. Imagine him waking up and having a gigantic asshole like you standing over him.” The sarcasm was non-existent.

“I’ll have you know, people spend good money to be around this gigantic asshole.” Kai beamed and used his hands to motion toward himself as if he were on display and very proud of the goods.

“I highly doubt that.”

“You’re no fun.” The alpha pouted.

“Kai.” Maynard locked eyes with Malakai to accentuate the seriousness of the situation, sighed in defeat, and opened the door. 

Kai followed slowly, it wasn’t like he wanted to startle the dormant, it was just that from the moment he’d been given another opportunity to be near Azaki, he he found himself counting the seconds until they were next to each other again. Maynard continued while approaching the tiny ball of human on the bed. “Please just stay in the corner until I can prepare him.”

“Yeah.” Kai waved him off and looked around the room while keeping a safe distance. Laid on the hospital bed and tightly hugging his pillow was the little silver haired omega he’d seen earlier. He looked somehow even smaller laid among the pillows in that comfortable bed than he had on the stretcher. 

His delicate milky features and small frame seemed even more prominent than they had been before. ‘This boy is twenty six?’ the thought echoed through his head for a moment before he was, again, examining the sleeping form. How could someone so small protect themselves in this world?

Maybe it was because he wasn’t paying attention earlier? He had to admit he had barely spared Azaki a glance the first time he'd come in this room. He’d written the kid off as another of Maynard's hopeless cases; Another conditional beta in the making to live a mediocre and average life far away from himself. But now...

Malakai continued to stare at the boy who should have been just another favor that the Doctor would owe him later. The truth was though, that meeting this particular dormant might be everything he needed for his pack. This was how they could pull ahead of the other packs and grasp true power.

That's right, this omega was going to be a part of his pack soon. Working hard to expand their influence in this ever changing battlefield. The thought made him smile to himself and he wasn't sure why.

This tiny sleeping omega was one of the best hackers in the world. The idea was madness, and he wouldn't have believed it for a second if Maynard hadn't told him himself. Malakai grinned, impressed with the sleeping form before him and then chose to settle himself into a chair in the corner of the room and wait for the Doctor to lull Azaki into consciousness.

Maynard leaned over the omega and gently stroked his cheek, causing the boy to move a bit. Azaki then turned from his side onto his back and sniffed the air searchingly. Malakai watched as the dormant turned his body, still asleep, onto his other side and pointed his face and nose right in Malakai's direction. Was this unconscious boy smelling him? Reaching out to the pheromones that woke him last time?

That wasn’t possible right? Maynard had told him that the boy couldn’t sense pheromones. Malakai decided to assume that whatever was happening right now was a coincidence. That the omega- no dormant - just turned over from the Doctors attempts at waking him up. It had to be something like that, he was sure. Malakai didn’t notice that he’d diverted his gaze to the ground to avoid the omegas’ eyes should they open.

Had he ever hidden from someones’ gaze before? Was he intimidated by what sort of stare would come from this tiny body? This dormant was already too much trouble. Maybe he should give up on this whole idea? Something was making him anxious, itching at the back of his mind and causing his Alpha to stand at attention. It was mildly unnerving.

His pack had a good IT team and even if it seemed like the next stage of warfare for the big five packs was going to be technological warfare, it didn't mean that he needed this particular hacker. Right?

Yeah, he didn’t need Azaki. This troublesome omega, no, dormant would cause his pack all kinds of problems. And what if the kid ended up bonding with one of his pack mates? Talk about annoying. He didn’t need those power hungry animals any more focused and determined to succeed than they already were. He’d end up losing his spot as pack leader for sure.

Everyone knew a Prime with an omega at his side was more deadly, efficient, and calm than one without.

And that’s nothing compared to if that omega was a true mate. And a powerful and talented omega like Azaki? Whatever alpha mated with him would go places for sure, maybe even become a candidate to change the world if he was a Prime. 

A low rumble started in his gut which shocked Malakai out of his own thoughts. Was he about to start growling? He needed to get the hell away from this om-

“Alpha~” The omega whined in his sleep while reaching out his hand weakly in Kai's direction. The doctor quickly stalled his attempts to wake Azaki and turned toward Kai who was staring wide eyed at him. Both of them were too shocked to react properly.

Kai could only hear his own heart pounding in his chest. It was so loud that it was drowning out everything else in the room. Suddenly, the Alpha's eyes hyper-focused and he could only see that the Doctor was gently holding the omegas hand. 

The physical contact was making him furious. He could barely think, but he knew that needed to get out of this room right now. It was almost like he was going into a rut.

His emotions and pheromones were out of control.

Malakai tried to summon his inner strength and lift himself out of his chair, to no avail. He needed to get out of this room right now. He had find a way to alert his guards in the hallway and have them come and physically remove him. 

He needed to do anything other than stare at this omega that was reaching out toward him sleepily. His anxiety was rising. He needed to look away from his beautiful face right now. This fucking omega was supposed to be fucking dormant.

Why couldn’t he look away?

What was this exquisite smell coming off of him?

Kai’s thoughts started to haze over and he strained to continue to smell the faint yet pleasant waves coming off Azaki. Wait, no, he just had to look away. He just needed to move his eyes to look literally anywhere but at Azakis’ closed eyelids.

'Look anywhere else.'

'Right now.'

'Just look away.'

Malakai didn't move at all. He was frozen on the spot and staring into the omegas’ waking face, literally watching as awareness returned to the tiny body. In an instant, bright lilac eyes shot open and directly into his golden ones.

In that moment a bubbling heat rose through Kai's body.

Then, all hell broke loose.

A powerful wave of omegan pheromones exploded from Azaki like a hydrogen bomb that coated the entire hospital with confusion, lust, and the unmistakable smell of a freshly formed bond. 

It was quickly followed by the intense Prime Alpha's marking pheromones, even more confusion, lust, and deep affection.

Malakai blacked out from the overwhelming pleasure.

Azaki let out a stifled wail of both sadness and resignation.