A 'reservation at Epsilon.'

Aka, the code phrase for making arrangements with a vampire pilot to fly victims to a safer place, away from pro-Abaddon cities. Kieran and Teru were supposed to make that flight until the king's soldiers surrounded them in the alleyway and shot-

No, don't think about that again. Kieran is here with me. Abaddon is dead.

"Hmm," his alpha hummed, expression blank and not interested in knowing how Blaise was able to contact the elusive pilot. Teru thought his response was rude, considering they likely would not have made it this far without Blaise's car. He just revealed he literally had a whole well-thought-out plan with a time crunch for Teru's sake, and this was how Kieran acted?

Teru tickled Kieran's palm with his fingers to get his attention.

It worked. He looked at him. "Yes?"

Ah, this might be embarrassing for his inner pride to say out loud in front of Blaise and Lucas. Teru did a 'come here' motion, beckoning Kieran to lean down.

He cupped his hand around Kieran's ear and said in his most quiet voice, "You need to thank him." Despite this, Blaise's mouth twitched, wanting to cackle. Lucas raised an eyebrow, unable to understand what was being said.

Kieran stood up straight and continued to be a stubborn butthole. He glared at the way his sibling obviously thought this was entertaining.

Annoyance erupted inside Teru. The emotion was strong in an instant, coming out of nowhere. It took all he had not to scorn at his mate's arrogance. Usually, he'd give Kieran more time to think, but not today. Teru's patience was this thin, practically non-existent.

"Are we leaving then?" he snapped, staring at the complicated map.

Kieran was taken aback by the attitude shift. "Ye-"

"Okay." Teru left without letting him finish saying one word, climbed on the Jeep's hanging step, opened the backside passenger door, and slammed it.

Selfish vampire. Headstrong alpha. So dumb sometimes...Why the hell am I crying?

He wiped a teardrop away from the corner of his eye. Then, felt guilty for speaking to Kieran like that. Just moments ago, he was playfully teasing him about his pride. Now, that same sin had caused Teru to act like a kid having a tantrum.

Teru rested his forehead on the seat in front of him and groaned, utterly confused by the switch of emotions. His hand rested on his belly button. Was it going to be like this for the entire trip?

Heavens, he hoped not.

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

SLAM!

The loud sound of the shutting door echoed. Kieran sighed, knowing very well that pregnant mothers were prone to mood swings from their fluctuating hormones. Damn, he hated being ashamed, and it was becoming an everyday occurrence.

Because it's your fault. Be mindful of him, his alpha scolded.

Pride taunted back, Don't show weakness to others, or they'll take my omega. Thanking is a weak sign of an alpha.

But if you don't consider his feelings, the alpha retorted, his stress will prove to others you're not a competent mate.

Kieran pushed the bickering thoughts away, wondering if Teru's changing moods were affecting him, too.

"Where's my thanks, big brother?" Blaise joked, knowing that Kieran rarely, if ever, gave thanks even when it was deserved. It definitely warranted more than a simple thank you, which was why he didn't respond right then when hearing Teru's request; he hoped to return Blaise the favor in a much grander way than mere words.

"...Later."

"Ohhh? When you thank me later, I also want a hug. A genuine hug. Like you mean it."

"And while we are at it after I show my gratitude," Kieran growled, "we can discuss your virtue manifesting. Don't think I didn't feel Chastity getting his symbol, since you also felt it when Teru became Humility. Tell me exactly what you were doing to make it appear. You reek of lavender, brother," using the same term of endearment Blaise liked to use on him.

Blaise blushed, actually at a loss for words. Lucas coughed.

He was curious about another virtue existing, but Teru's mental instability was more important. He'd raincheck that conversation at a more appropriate date when those two alphas came down from the 'high' of becoming each other's blessing.

Or curse, depending on how they see it. Lust never desired to be tethered to one partner.

Kieran went around the car to get in from the other side. "Do those nine days include today?"

"Yep!"

He sat in the back, grabbing the door's handle. "Let's go."

SLAM!

It was silent inside the Jeep. He watched Teru fiddle with a stray string hanging from his coat's cuff, using it as a distraction to avoid Kieran. The tension was growing with every second.

I don't like this.

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small item he had kept safe while bathing Teru's sleeping body yesterday. The material burned him, smoke wisping to the ceiling. The sizzling sound and unpleasant smell of roasting skin got Teru's attention, sitting up instantly.

His eyes panicked. "What are you doing? Why are you burning?"

Kieran scooched to the middle seat and carefully lifted Teru's left hand, sliding the silver ring over his pointer finger. The piece of jewelry was back with its rightful owner. It wasn't Abaddon's. It wasn't Sofia's nor Kieran's. It belonged to Teru. He stared at the crane engraving, vaguely remembering this design years and years ago when another omega wore it.

His memories of Ryoma were vague, mainly because Kieran didn't care about his stepfather's harem. He recalled second glancing at Ryoma when he arrived in New York after being shipped from Japan. His elegant features were enough for all the alphas to salivate at a chance to breed with him, but what had made Kieran look again wasn't his drop-dead gorgeous looks.

It was the confident aura.

The poised body language.

The strong vibes of a natural-born leader.

Almost like an alpha, but not.

Basically, all uncommon traits of an omega born in this vampire-run society, a gender bred and raised to be timid; understand their roles as possessions.

Kieran didn't see Ryoma again for a while, properly that is. A glimpse in the hallway here and there. The name being talked about by others sometimes. And when he saw him a few years later at Abaddon's perverted yearly event, that same omega had been ruined.

The prince observed from afar as Ryoma stood on the stage ahead, naked and chained by the neck. Besides the green dog muzzle strapped securely on his face, he only wore the crane ring on his left hand to showcase his familial lines.

Head lowered and hunched shoulders.

Lifeless face.

Arms crossed over his chest, cowering under the hungry gazes of the audience as they bid high prices to pair him with their alpha blood slaves.

Obedient.

Acting truly like an oppressed omega from this generation.

When Ryoma looked his way, their eyes met. His tired soul didn't have any fight left. Housebroken. Weakened. Muted.

What a shame, Kieran had thought. He was no longer that willful omega that could bully an alpha into submission. Abaddon turned a sparkling diamond in the rough into a common stone.

The memory was something Kieran had long forgotten about until now. It showed him, for a millisecond, the way that omega's dark brown eyes screamed, Help me.

But no. Pride would not help. Abaddon's actions as an alpha were despicable, yes, but 'rescuing' that omega wouldn't benefit him. He wasn't interested in anyone else, no matter their situation.

His last recollection of that scene was the auctioneer shouting out the winner's number. A guard escorted Ryoma off the stage and into the hands of a noble who owned five bound alphas. They were nude and yanking on their red leashes, feral in their rutting seasons, trying to get to Ryoma that was about to be served to them on a silver platter. Their pheromones clouded above them like rising fog, becoming more opaque as the scent of their first encounter with an ultra-rare omega drove them wilder: cocks throbbing for action, necks straining in their red collars, drooling, eyes glowing, canine teeth extending...

One of them barked for Ryoma's attention, attention that he would not give them. He waited next to Abaddon, showing no emotion despite his evening fate. The bark became five aggressive howls, all flexing their hips and stroking the lengths of their pre-cum-dripping shafts. Their ruts were worsening.

How unsightly! Kieran judged.

Abaddon shook hands with the high-class vampire, confirming the contract between them to produce a pup. Something was said about, 'trying to start his heat cycles again,' whatever the hell that meant.

Bored, he exited the ballroom, feeling Ryoma's gaze on him.

The next time he heard the name 'Ryoma' was the infamous escape that took the country by storm. Headlines in the news. The talk of every city. Some leaders of other countries contacted the king out of curiosity about the world's most beautiful omega going missing.

An exclusive omega vanished, along with a beta servant.

The favorite omega in the harem. A heavily pregnant one, at that.

Kieran had found the news amusing, returning to his work of signing a mountain of paperwork on his desk, forgetting about Ryoma...

...until Abaddon mentioned him on the television broadcast, announcing that Teru was his son. The guards shot him with silver bullets like cowards, rather than fighting honorably as vampires with fangs and claws-

Stop thinking about it. Teru isn't their hostage anymore. Abaddon is dead.

Still in the past, he skimmed a thumb over the bird, burning the animal shape on the pad of his finger like a branding. "What a shame..."

"What's a shame?"

He returned to the present, not meaning to say his old thought out loud. Upon seeing Teru's concerned face, he could see the similarities between mother and child: the hair, eyebrows, and ears. While Ryoma's jawline was sharper, Teru's was soft. Kieran assumed his nose, lighter eye color, and other minor differences were from the father or a grandparent. Either way, the inherited characteristics still attracted other alphas and betas, just like the way Ryoma's looks did.

He said a silent thanks to Teru's adoptive family, who protected him well. It was a miracle that some mutt alpha hadn't marked him already before being captured.

Kieran pulled him closer so they sat side by side, legs touching. He let go of the ring and kissed his temple, prompting Teru to purr and release his pheromones out of contentment.

His scent is sweeter than yesterday.

It made his inner alpha buzz, sending it into another fit of pre-guarding when there weren't any threats around.

Yet.

"Just seeing your ring. It has a lot of history. Do you remember?"

Teru inspected the jewelry. It glistened in the sunlight. "A little. Everything from that event to leaving New York was...hectic. It was Ryoma's, right? This crest symbolizes his family."

"Your family," Kieran corrected. "It symbolizes your family."

"My family...," he trailed off in awe. "A last name. This means I have a last name."

When his omega smiled widely, Kieran's heart wanted to burst at sensing his pure joy. Something as simple as a last name was taken for granted by most, except for those who didn't have one. No identity. No heritage to trace.

Today was a new beginning for him. "Teru Kurokawa," Kieran mumbled in his ear. This pleased his little one, purring so loudly that Blaise could hear it as he and Lucas finished packing the trunk.

"This bird on the top is a red-crowned crane and is native to Japan. It could be extinct. I don't know much about your roots, unfortunately. What I do know is that Kurokawa means, 'black river.' And not just anyone can get this ring within an influential clan like them. As Abaddon said, 'It was only crafted for deserving individuals.' Ryoma must've been important enough to receive one before he was given as a gift to Ab-"

"No, that's not right," Teru interrupted.

"It's not?"

"Nu-uh. I learned that my mother's, I mean, my family, is famous for omegas. They are purebloods and secretly werewolves. Abaddon wanted the pack leader's successor, or he'd start a war with Japan if they didn't hand him over. Saying Ryoma was a gift probably sounded better to the public. Since the Kurokawas were basically gods there, the government protected the family and wanted to decline, I think. But, Ryoma wouldn't allow the risks of innocents dying because of one person, so he volunteered."

Out of all of that, Kieran was particularly interested in learning about Ryoma's role in Japan. An omega leader? That was extremely rare and old school. It wasn't unheard of when Kieran was a child. Back then, it was not strange to come across a town or settlement with an omega in charge. Eventually, over the centuries, this hierarchy structure dwindled. It was a forgotten myth, which was why it surprised him, since Ryoma's position in the pack was as recent as a few decades ago.

"Do you want to go?"

Teru was curious. "Go where?"

"Japan."

"We can actually go there?!" He sat up straight, eyes twinkling with excitement. "When?"

"In the future. Perhaps when they are older." 'They,' meaning the pups.

"I can meet my other family, too!"

The vampire paused and said, "Sure." Kieran wouldn't dare ruin Teru's current hopes by telling him that the chances of the Kurokawa's still living were dim. They were endangered at the time when Ryoma was sent to Avania. Like the red-crowned cranes, their population was critically low. What about today, twenty-ish years later? Highly unlikely, making Teru the sole surviving member of a once-flourishing clan.

"I wonder where my real parents are now," Teru wondered in a daze, daydreaming. "How did I end up in Kentucky? Why leave me with only this ring? Mom and Dad never mentioned Ryoma."

Kieran placed his hand over Teru's. "I vow to help you find the answers. But, little one, would you want to know even if it's not the outcome you want?"

Teru lowered his eyes, knowing that Kieran implied that the answers could end in a fairytale ending...

...or a tragedy.

"Yes. Whether good or bad, I have to know."

They were interrupted when the front doors opened. Lucas tensed, uncomfortable. Blaise gagged, "What is up with this density of pheromones pouring out of my car?! I feel like I'm drowning in liquid sugar and mint leaves. I will not willingly suffocate with the windows shut."

Overdramatic bastard.

The two got in with their hands covering their noses, windows rolling down. Blaise quickly started the engine and drove further into the forest on the narrow road. The gaudy, magenta dice swung precariously from the rearview mirror.

The wind aired out the thick pheromones, bringing in gusts of fresh air. Smelling the breeze, his alpha intuition flared. There was an energy outside. Kieran peered between the trees, wary and alert. His eyesight zoned in and out. He couldn't see the source. Friend? Foe? He didn't know. Whatever it was, the thing he picked up on was far from them. Very far, but to detect its presence from such a distance?

I will not hesitate to kill if I must.

I had just found the person I never want to lose.

I could not help you, Ryoma, but I will protect your son.

My mate.