Kieran had a good reason for accepting this challenge. He knew they were all astonished by it, probably thinking it had something to do with pride. Pride wasn't the reason. Well, maybe a little, but not the main one.

A small hand grabbed his. Teru looked at him with puppy eyes glistening with tears. "You what?"

I'm doing this for you. He didn't want to say that out loud. It would be better for the others to think this was for his pride only.

"I accept your challenge," Kieran confirmed. He copied Tristan by taking off his vest and shirt, being careful not to drop the pocket watch. His scarred nape was visible to all now. There were no hiding his flaws today. The aggressive atmosphere and the slight hint of Teru's pre-heat pheromones had him wildly excited, making him accidentally reveal a sliver of Pride. Though the rank was at stake, this was clearly a fight between alphas over an omega.

Tristan's Envy showed itself more. His face contorted. They glared at each other, letting years' worth of extreme dislike for the other be known.

"No sins," Abaddon disrupted their tense eye contact. "Only testosterone. The omega would like that, yes? He gets to witness two of the strongest alphas in the world clash over him."

Kieran's thumb rubbed Teru's palm. "No, he can't, because he won't be here to watch."

"What do you mean? Where am I going?" Teru's upset voice hurt him more than the wounds Tristan would soon inflict on him.

"Charles," he said, getting his other brother's attention. Charles was the only one he could trust right now. Blaise would be too stimulated by Teru's pheromones, which had a lot going on right now: heat build-up, the mint scent from their kiss, and yesterday's sex. In fact, Lust could likely smell Kieran's seed lingering around Teru's hole. With those scents alone, Lust could put together the whole scene of what occurred and describe it perfectly.

"I need you to watch him. Take him to your office. I'll be there soon after my win."

Tristan growled at the prediction that Kieran would be victorious. Abaddon sighed in disappointment. Without saying a word, Charles tried to escort Teru away. Teru refused.

"Why do you have to do this? Let's go back."

Kieran had the urge to listen to his suggestion and leave; put the Pride down and walk away. He wanted to carry this human back to the penthouse and continue that kiss. It was so, so tempting.

He shook off his desires. This needed to happen or Tristan wouldn't stop. "Do you trust me?"

"Trust you?"

"Don't you think I'll win? I won't lose."

"Yeah, but...your eyes are red. You need blood to be stronger, right?"

Kieran grazed his thumb over Teru's cheek. Both forgot they had an audience watching them. "Are you offering?"

"I-" Teru paused, coughing from a sudden fever. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple. A spicy scent caressed Kieran's nose, beckoning him to fuck the daylights out of him. Fill that perfect body with his cock. The delectable aroma wasn't anywhere near as strong as a heat when it was in full swing, but still mesmerizing.

Just like that, the cinnamon spice was gone. It was a warning for Teru and his partner that it would come soon, leading to Kieran to feel very protective over him. Teru glanced at their surroundings nervously because he had a pre-heat wave in front of several dominant alphas.

I don't need to do this. Not right now. I...think I made a mistake? Wow, he just admitted he was in the wrong. What was this weird feeling he felt right now? Was this regret? Remorse? These emotions were alien.

They were distracted enough to forget about Tristan. That was foolishly wrong to do. In a blink of an eye, Tristan had Teru in his arms, sprinting away from the center and over the koi fish pond. After becoming entranced by the minor heat pheromones, Tristan was going to cheat by stealing him away! Kieran snarled and went after them as his brother pulled hard on the collar, trying to rip off the indestructible material. The omega yelped and struggled.

When they reached the doors, the guards blocked them from leaving. Tristan growled like a wild animal caught in a trap and gnawed at the collar more with his fangs. The king would not let anyone go until there was a clear winner. The deadly sins watched without interference.

Kieran finally caught up to Tristan, furious. He raised his claws to swipe down on the bastard's backside, but stopped because he didn't want Teru to get injured. Tristan had his fangs aimed under Teru's delicate jawline. The spot wasn't the best access to the jugular because a vampire would have to dig deeper, but it was still there, nonetheless. The collar wasn't thick enough to protect that area.

"I'll fucking do it!" Envy yelled. "I don't care if he dies, as long as it's by my hand."

"Hmm," Abaddon hummed, slightly surprised by this development. Alphas did not want the omega harmed during a challenge, not on purpose. The whole point was to win them and fertilize their wombs, not kill them.

Teru held a hand out to Kieran. He could sense the poor human's terrified state and the way he was on the brink of dropping to protect himself against the predator. His breathing was short and labored.

"Let go, let go," Teru tried to command Tristan with his dominant pheromones, something only the two of them knew about. He couldn't concentrate on using them thanks to being so scared.

"You mongrel mutt," Kieran seethed, spitting out foam when he said the slur towards Envy's symbol. He hated smelling Teru's fear pheromones, he hated seeing another alpha touching him, and he hated himself for letting this happen. In his current condition, he wasn't as strong as he could be, and that had to change.

I guess you become stupid when you meet your mate, his inner alpha commented.

My mate...

A mate that was made for me...

His most potent dominant scent pooled around them. It would take weeks to get rid of the saturating smell, permeating into every orifice, corner, clothing, and wooden beam. The lemon was gone.

Tristan scratched Teru's jaw with his mouth, drawing a thin line of blood. "Why," he questioned," do you deserve the last human omega? You? A former husk of Pride? A vampire who can't drink blood? It wasn't even you who was supposed to go to that auction house with Lust that night. He invited me originally, but I had other prior plans. This little whore should've been mine!"

Everyone thought the same thing as Tristan spewed out his rant-he was bat shit crazy with jealousy. If this continued, the alpha challenge would turn into a deadly sin intervention!

They heard a tiny creak from the side door meant for servants. The other vampire doctor specializing in humans came in quietly to deliver a brown folder for the king. He gave it to him and whispered something in Abaddon's ear. Whatever the news was must've been very important, more so than this altercation between his stepchildren. The devilish man got up from his chair immediately and left the room with the doctor close behind him.

"S-see!" Tristan sputtered from seeing him leave without a care. "No one takes me seriously in this damned place! I'm the strongest! I'm the best! Why do you all prefer this weak bastard who failed to mark this thing!" He shook Teru up in the air. Teru snarled and tried to kick his assaulter in the face.

"Stop that, omega whore! Does no one care that I'm going crazier by the day? Ya'll have no fucking clue about the pain I'm in every single second!" Envy suddenly scratched at his nape with aggression, like an animal with a bad case of fleas, until he made himself bleed. The siblings raised their eyebrows in question. "It never stops itching there! Why won't it stop itching? And what are you looking at, hmm? Care to fucking share what you're writing?"

Tristan directed the questions at Charles, who was studying him closely from afar. He wildly jotted down notes on a small notepad. You could see the smoke from how fast he was writing.

"Interesting. Very interesting. I just diagnosed you, brother, and I'd like to know the story behind your circumstances. Stop by tomorrow so we can discuss it and how to treat you." Charles put the pad away in his pocket.

"I don't fucking give a shit! This omega is going to replace the one I-"

Kieran used this random distraction to sneak in an attack. He almost broke Tristan's neck by twisting it to get better access to his throat. A deranged alpha should be bitten into submission. His other arm yanked Teru away and shoved him at Charles. The doctor ushered him and the other pregnant omega out through the main doors. Since they were not the challengers, the guards let them go.

"Kieran!" Teru called loudly before the doors slammed shut. Good. Now he can finally stop holding back from destroying this sack of shit.

Tristan growled, not able to stop scratching his nape. "You don't understand! I need that omega's blood to help-"

Pride came at Envy with all he had, fangs and claws ready to win this challenge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abaddon was finally going to confirm his suspicions. They exited the royal hall.

"Have you seen the results?"

"I have not, Your Majesty."

He barred his teeth at the physician. "Don't follow me."

The king sped away with the folder, eager to read the papers. Once alone in a vacant hallway, he moved a giant, framed painting of running wolves in the snow to the side. He pressed a button on the wall that was hidden underneath. An elevator door opened to take him to a place no one knew of, not even his wife. It wasn't available to access by the main building elevators-this was the only way there. When the carpenters finished constructing the space, he killed them all so they wouldn't leak its location.

Not able to take it any longer, he took out the papers, needing to know the results of the paternity test. It was the one he ordered to compare with another DNA sample. It was too much of a coincidence after seeing that familiar family crest ring around that minx's neck.

There were a lot of numbers that weren't important to him. The only one that mattered was at the bottom.

Abaddon was astonished, and that was saying a lot. A laugh escaped him. He couldn't stop cackling like a madman even when the elevator arrived on his secret floor. His laughs reverberated through the small penthouse filled with many secrets. After Abaddon dropped the papers on the floor with glee, he skimmed through the devices hanging inside a tall wardrobe. He chose a custom, white muzzle harness meant for a beast much larger than a dog. It was handcrafted and adorned with black diamonds that had cost a few lives in the Brazilian deposits to fetch them. Other toys came with the harness as a matching set, including a leash and whip.

Abaddon stroked the muzzle, brushing over a tuft of black fur that was still stuck in the lock. It's been a long time to hold this particular one. "How ironic. He would hate to see his son wear the same one he wore. What do you think, Ryoma? It'll look pretty on him." His question was for the dead.

Teru rightfully belonged to him.

His cock hardened while thinking about his white-collared alphas all rutting with the omega. His collection would finally be together again. "It's my turn to play God."