Nan, Thailand — 1835.

One Year Later.

As time passed in the old cottage in the woods, Tee had grown to love Kai; his alpha. His protector and provider. His lover and his lifelong mate. Kai had kept his promise, too... For the most part at least. The wolf hadn't been a cruel alpha. He respected Tee, and he showered him in praise. He cooked for him — packed Tee's plates with spices from their garden, although he couldn't stomach the taste himself. He fucked Tee every night. Kai colored his body in red, and whispered sweet nothings — or somethings... You looked prettier in red, the wolf would say while his fingers curled on Tee's neck, suffocating him to sleep.

Tee enjoyed it quite plenty, too...

In his days in the wolf's company, he realized he had a fondness for pain. The wolf's achingly delicious touches turned him wet, hungry — begging. He enjoyed it whenever Kai bit into his flesh, or between his thighs. On his nipples or lips or neck. He enjoyed the thrill of knowing the wolf was capable enough to rip his throat out, or chase him down — keep him trapped. He enjoyed it frighteningly too much. And though he said nothing about this rather strange discovery. Deep in his core he knew, his wolf knew, too.

However, at times the beast — the murderous beast — in Kai often unleashed cruelty like no other... And although he never harmed Tee, never lay a finger on him except when they were underneath the sheets, Kai slaughtered countless others — alphas, betas, even omegas!

The wolf feasted on their flesh, and their hearts and eyes and down to their bones. He kept their blood in glass jars — stashed away in the backyard where he drank it in the evening hours before returning to Tee in bed. He thought Tee wouldn't know, or wouldn't find out since he'd always crept out at night to commit his heinous act. Tee knew, though. And it frightened him dearly. Now, he sometimes wondered if his alpha would ever turn on him next, and do the same.

____________________________________

"Kai, I think it's time I go through grandma's things, and..." Tee trailed off, barely above a whisper while he threaded his fingers through the wolf's overgrown hair.

They were sitting under an age-old frangipani tree during the cool season of December. Tee had his back pressed against the tree bark, and Kai lay between his spread legs, his head cushioned on top of Tee's thigh with his eyes closed, looking less deadly and more harmless. He wasn't harmless, though. He had just come back from a hunt. He had slaughtered a black panther in the forest, and his clothes still bore the creature's blood — all dried up, strained. Some got on Tee's red cloak, too. Blending into the fabric, and merging into one.

"... And?" Kai opened his eyes and looked up at Tee, his eyes shining big with concern. He had indeed grown to love Tee, as abnormal as their being together seemed to passers-by.

A pretty pout formed on Tee's face before he quickly wiped the corner of his eyes, getting rid of the unshed tears "To clear out her things," he said while swallowing down the crack in his voice. "I haven't even touched the cupboard since she... Since she passed away. You know... If there's one thing grandma loved, it was her cupboard. I don't know what's so special about it."

It had been a year since his grandmother had left him. If it wasn't for Kai, Tee believed he'd been long dead or forced to live with a cruel alpha. When he needed someone the most, Kai had come into his life — a blessing in disguise, Tee liked to remind himself. And whatever monster his alpha might be in the night, he loved him regardless. Unconditionally, too.

"You want me to help?" Kai offered. He would always offer to help. Such a caring man, or monster, Tee couldn't stop a smile from blooming while the afternoon sun blossomed on his face.

"Mmm, I'm going to clean it out tomorrow," Tee hummed, slowly slipping his fingers through the wolf's open jacket. Kai always wore his jacket open, exposing his chest. Thankfully, they were only for Tee's preying eyes.

"So?" Kai lifted a questionable eyebrow.

Tee clicked his tongue. "You have to go into the village tomorrow to get us some more rice and flour from Aunty Tie, remember? We hardly have any left," he whined before pinching his forgettable alpha on the nose.

"Oh... Right," the wolf nodded before removing one of Tee's hands from his hair and kissing his fingers. "I forgot."

"Kai?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I miss Grandma. You know, I think she would've loved you — being a wolf and all," Tee confessed. His grandma would definitely love Kai if... If she didn't know about his random killing spree.

Upon hearing Tee's words, immediately Kai's body tensed up. Did he not agree? Did he think Grandma would scorn him? Be afraid of him? Despise him? Tee wasn't sure so he rested his chin on top of Kai's head and wrapped his arms around him in hopes of easing his alpha's growing uneasiness.

It wasn't long after before Kai started going lax, melting back into Tee's embrace.

"I love you... My alpha." Tee whispered in Kai's ear — he'd been making it a habit to tell his alpha he loved him daily. Kai loved hearing it, too.

"Tee..." Kai said, taking Tee's hand for a second time and twirling the jewel on his finger — the same sapphire jewel he had gifted the omega on the night they bonded. "You know I love you too, don't you?"

"Of course," Tee chimed.

How could he not know?

Kai had been a perfect mate. He kept the roof from leaking whenever it rained, and he'd fetch buckets of water from the stream down to the cottage during the drought season. He showered Tee in kisses every night or massaged the ache out of his shoulders whenever he worked long hours in their garden. Kai slaughtered every unwanted alpha who crossed their cottage grounds, too. And he hunted some of the finest meat Tee had never been able — or capable to catch, being a bunny and all.

"... Tee?"

"Yes, Kai?"

Suddenly, Kai's jaw tightened and he stared straight ahead at the river stream several yards away — not an emotion in sight on his face. "Don't ever leave me, okay?" he said in a stern voice.

Tee sighed. "Kai —"

"Promise me you're never going to leave me."

Didn't Kai know he loved him too much to ever leave?

Slowly, Tee kissed his alpha on his forehead. "I promise I'll never leave you," he whispered in recurrence... Even though I know you're still a murderous monster — the evilest them of all... I'll never leave you. My alpha. My protector. My lover. My mate.

Kai smiled despite it not reaching his eyes. "Good."

____________________________________

On the next day, early in the morning after the sun rose, Tee lay down another piping hot bowl of porridge on the kitchen table, awaiting his alpha's return. Kai had left for the village since midnight, and he should be back home anytime. Tee knew he'd be hungry the minute he barged through the front door, and although porridge wasn't ever one of Kai's choices, he still ate anything Tee offered him without a complaint or a snarl. He did roll his eyes whenever he didn't get his way, though... Quite a lot.

When Tee had gobbled down his fill, with a heavy heart, he opened his grandmother's cupboard — the same one he'd been opening every day for years to dish out herbs for her morning tea, or spices for their meals.

It took too long to fetch out each container, covered in dust or fumed with age-old spices and herbs. The smell choked the omega until his lungs burned, and his eyes watered — it made him turn emotional, too. And although he shed a couple of tears, he knew his grandmother was an old woman. She'd want him to move on and live his life — don't mourn about little old me, sweetheart, was what she'd say. Tee mourned, though.

By the time the cupboard was empty, Tee's face was covered in tear stains. He promised himself he wouldn't get overwhelmed, but each scent from each container he took a quick sniff from brought back pleasant memories.

When he had finished, he'd been meaning to dump everything away — he couldn't bear to relive such an ache. However, upon realizing he'd missed one; a weaved-basket-type of container his grandmother kept her morning tea in, Tee smiled to himself before prying the lid open.

He had expected to catch the scent of ginger, and a bit of lemongrass. Instead, an odor — a leafy green scent consumed what should've been only pleasant herbs. It burned Tee's nose and caused his heart to race the longer he stared — eyes doubled and piercing into the container.

For a moment, he couldn't believe what he had seen...

Nerium oleander. It was poison. Tee gasped. Immediately he knew someone had poisoned his grandma. Why else would there be poison in her tea? He couldn't say she might've picked it herself... The poison flower didn't grow nearby! She didn't die of old age — she had years left in her. Someone had snuck into their home and poisoned her tea when he wasn't around. What monster could've done such a thing? What monster would harm an old lady? For what?... To get to him? OF COURSE! An omega living alone — it must've been one of those creeping alphas who waited in the forest for days or weeks, watching his every move... Kai had warned him about them.

Tee didn't realize he'd been crying until the door creaked open, and Kai scampered in. "Tee?" his alpha called out to him with a look of concern on his face as sweat poured down his forehead, seeping out of his clothes. "Are you alright?"

Kai's voice fell on deaf ears, though. Tee's heart hammered with maddening force, reaching into his ears. The noise around him went numb — he went numb. Someone had poisoned his grandma. SOME MONSTER...

Like a flash of lightning, Kai appeared in front of his omega and held Tee's face in his hands, searching his watery eyes for something — anything, really. "Tee?" he frowned. "What's the matter — what happened, baby?"

It was the first time Tee had seen genuine concern in the wolf's eyes. It was because of him, too. Kai had always seemed emotionless. Even whenever he smiled or chuckled.

Tee sucked in a deep breath before pressing his forehead against the wolf's own. "Kai," he whispered, readying himself to tell his alpha about what he had discovered.

Kai needed to know the truth about what had happened. The omega only hoped his alpha wouldn't go feral and decided to search the whole forest for whoever had done this to his poor grandmother. Because deep in his heart, Tee knew, Kai — his alpha — wouldn't spare them. He'd probably rip their intestines out before feeding it to them. Tee sighed contentedly against Kai's touch at the thought.

However, although it would satisfy him greatly to watch his grandmother's murderer die a slow, painful death, he couldn't fantom it coming from his mate's hands.

Kai still needed to know, though.

Tee sniffled at his nose while tears spilled from his eyes, soiling his face, and turning him into a pretty shade of pink. "I found something," he said, staring into Kai's eyes. After a couple of seconds of silence, he opened the weaved container.

Kai watched him through it... The second Tee removed the lid, and the nerium oleander fumes seeped out, almost suffocating the room, Kai took a step back while his hands dropped from Tee's face before tightening into fists.

"It's the flower is called nerium oleander," Tee declared, staring at the container, oblivious to the wolf's change in eye color, turning pitch black before changing back to its original brown.

"I don't understand," Kai said after a moment of silence, his voice cautious and calm.

"Someone poisoned my Grandma," Tee said. "Before I met you. I think someone had been sneaking into the cottage. They had been poisoning her ever since. I know who did it."

Kai furrowed his eyebrows, visibly stiffening. "Tee —"

"It's one of those alphas who you warned me about," Tee cried while big fat drops of tears leaked from his eyes. "It has to be. They're monsters."

Tee wasn't sure — but it was painfully obvious of the creeping smile lingering in the corner of Kai's face. He didn't think too much of it, though.

After another moment of silence, Kai gestured for his omega to come between his open arms. "It's alright baby," he cooed in the softest of voice any monster could fantom. And like an obedient pet, Tee quickly plastered himself into his alpha's arms, allowing Kai's warm embrace to coax him. "I'll find whoever did this and I'll make them suffer," Kai promised, kissing him lightly on top of his hair over and over, and over again while whispering words Tee couldn't make out — they were loving words, though — words of understanding while he cried in ugly sobs. "I love you," Kai murmured into his ear. "I love you."

Tee didn't know what he'd do without Kai by his side.

Kai was such a caring, monstrous, murderous alpha who had eyes — as dangerous as they might've been. They gleamed with starlight, and they were only for Tee. Tee had hands that took countless lives, yet they caressed him in such fondness while he shuddered in tears.

Kai cared for him. Kai loved him. Kai would die for him — he would kill for him.

Either way, what bliss.

Tee would be forever grateful for Kai.