I hadn’t realized, until this moment, that some naive part of me still believed Alphas only ever wanted one person once they mated. One beautiful, perfect Omega to fill their home with pups, love, and a sweet scent.
That fragile dream, somehow untouched even after all these years, splinters under the truth of Blaze’s conception. An Omega isn’t guaranteed a happily ever after just because she is mated to an Alpha.
“My mother wanted him to acknowledge me as his son so I could have an honorable place in society. My father didn’t agree.”
His tone is light, but his eyes are not. They hold something sharp, a glint of old hurt that makes my stomach knot.
He looks ahead, jaw flexing, and for a few beats the only sound is our boots on gravel. Then his mouth twists into something that might be a smile if it had any warmth at all.
“He taught me a lesson instead.” Blaze’s voice is almost casual, and it somehow makes it worse. “Fire is cleansing. In a single night, it erased everything I loved.”
My breath snags. “W… what? Fire?”
“I really liked our house.” His voice softens, almost fond. “It was sad to see it burn.”
“Heburnedyour house down?”
Blaze shrugs, licking his lips and kicking a stone farther down the path. “Mom didn’t make it.”
The air between us feels thinner. “Frack, Blaze, I’m so sorry. Surely he was caught. Someone had to know.”
He glances at me then, and the smile he gives is almost indulgent. “Sweet Sparkles, you know that isn’t how our world works.”
I sigh, and this time it's my turn to kick the stone in frustration. It skitters off the path and lands in the soft green grass.
He’s right. I know that’s not how our world works. Assholes in power always win.
"I was in hospital for a while, there were a lot of burns and they took a long time to heal."
My eyes flick to his torso, where I know mottled scarring covers his flesh. I've thought about what caused them before, but nothing could prepare me for the truth. His own father tried to burn him alive rather than acknowledge his bastard child.
"How old were you?"
"Seven."
No wonder the burn scars linger. They were carved into him before his Alpha healing was strong enough.
"So, they put you in an orphanage?"
The questions taste sour, and I feel sick to my stomach, but I cannot stop. I promised I would love every part of Blaze, and this feels like peeling back another layer to see the truth beneath. The reason he is the way he is.
“Yep. A few years there, then the military took custody.”
My chest tightens.
"Did you go to the Alpha Division like Viper and Knox?"
“Nah, I got special treatment. Think daddy-dearest pulled some strings to send me somewhere I wouldn’t be noticed. Twelve-year-olds make good spies. We can get in and out easier than adults.”
"Excuse me?" I splutter. "They made you achild spy?"
Blaze stops and squeezes my shoulder. "Ah, Sparkles. Don't look so sad for me, I loved it."
"You loved spying?"
"No, I loved killing," he says it so casually that it makes a chill run through me. "I was good at it and I’d never been good at anything."
"Blaze, you have to know how messed up that is…"
