Part I
Chapter 1
A grey prison uniform slammed into Ehlian Wardel’s face.
“Undress.” The guard’s command cut through the metallic air.
Ehlian’s fingers tightened around the uniform, fighting the urge to shove it down the guard’s throat. In the end, he obeyed. He didn’t need a few extra years added to his sentence.
The tag on the uniform had no name, just a number: 465.
His existence reduced to three digits. Great. It had only taken him twenty-four years to achieve that.
The guard, an alpha, didn’t bother turning away while Ehlian stripped. In fact, he stared openly, without a shred of shame. Ehlian’s stomach clenched with disgust. He’d heard the rumours about what happened to pretty omegas like him in prison. Normally, he would have used his green eyes and soft, alluring beauty to draw alphas in, but here he wanted nothing more than to remain unnoticed.
The uniform was rough and heavy against his skin, its dull shade making him look even paler, his silvery-blonde hair almost blending in.
“Move,” the guard shoved him forward.
The metal plates of the narrow hallway clanged loudly under his boots. The tall windows along the right side let in no light. Space was an ugly, oppressive canvas of darkness and cold, a vacuum meant to suck the life out of anyone sent here.
And of all the godforsaken places in the universe, Ehlian ended up in a floating prison orbiting Arox, his home planet.
He couldn’t even blame anyone else. Petty theft alone wouldn’t have landed him here, but exploiting his telepathic power to force that miserable bastard of an uncle to his knees? Shattering his mental shield and digging through his memories? Yeah. That did the trick.
Not that the bastard didn’t deserve it. He’d been skimming money off Ehlian for years. Ehlian had only wanted to take back what was rightfully his.
A year. That was all he needed to endure. A year of lying low, staying out of trouble, and most importantly, never looking an alpha in the eye.
He kept his gaze rigidly on the floor, taking one step at a time as the guard pushed him up flights of stairs. The artificial gravity tugged at his joints, leaving him slightly nauseous. He never dared look up, not even when a door slid open and he caught the faint movements of other inmates from the corner of his eye.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached the top floor.
“Stop right there.” The guard opened the cell to Ehlian’s left and barked, “Get in.”
Ehlian obeyed and stepped inside.
Then he stopped dead in his tracks.
This was a fucking joke.
It had to be.
The cell was spacious. Floor-to-ceiling windows were draped in deep red velvet curtains, exuding an air of luxury. A small bar occupied one corner, a wardrobe another, and anarmchair sat in the middle of the carpeted floor. There was even a door, likely leading to a private toilet.
It was a fucking en suite room.
Huh.
And then there was the king-size bed.
An alpha lay stretched out on it, his legs crossed, a book open in his hands. He didn’t even glance up at Ehlian, his indifference so blatant it almost bordered on offensive.
It wasn’t only the alpha’s casual air of disregard, but also the way he dressed. His dark uniform looked like it had been cut by a personal tailor, as though prison came with a luxury wardrobe service just for him. The jacket hung open around his chest, the crisp white shirt underneath highlighting the curve of well-toned muscles.
The alpha looked as if he belonged here, radiating a casual elegance that matched the opulence of the room. The sheer absurdity of it all left Ehlian wondering if he’d somehow hit his head on the way up here and his mind was now making up some stupid shit.
No, he wasn’t imagining it. The man was real and definitely an alpha.
