The lush of the forest was pierced through by a road made of baked bricks, fitted symmetrically with each other, their gaps filled with soil. On both sides of the road stood lamps that automatically lit up in the dark. These lamps were made of fragments of magic stones, which absorbed sunlight during the day and radiated a gentle glow at night.

Wild bushes and weeds thrived alongside wooden houses, some of which had small shops attached. A light breeze carried the scent of earth and leaves, while the sun, not too harsh on the skin, bathed everything in a warm glow. It stood to reason that everyone's mood should be bright and cheerful.

Yet, under such a bustling and joyful atmosphere, one peculiar beta didn't seem to think so—his hostile energy radiated from him.

"Hey! This ball is mine! No one gets it now—Ouch!" A small boy was abruptly tackled and fell onto his butt on the ground. He looked up, his eyes met with—

"Are you okay?" The teen looked down at him and asked in hoarse voice.

"Mamma! MAMMA! Monster! Monster come to eat me!"

The loud cry echoed through the market, startling everyone. Heads turned, and strange glances were thrown toward the teen who had seemingly bullied a child half his age.

"Rin! How many times have I told you not to run like that!" A delta rushed toward the boy, scooping him up and gently patting the dust off him. She then turned and bowed to the teen in apology, then also offered her apology to the onlookers for the disturbance.

Without another word, she turned on her heels with crying fussing child tucked in her arms and left toward her house.

"It's him, right?" Someone pointed toward the beta teen, voice hushed yet dripping with accusation.

"It's her child, right?"

"The one who ruined a perfectly good family? Then yes." Another nodded in agreement.

"But I heard she got better over the years."

"It must be guilt, right? She changed, but that boy... he's still a rowdy beta. I just heard he picked a fight with a sigma and broke a boy's front teeth."

"That's nothing. I heard he harasses omegas."

"What? For real?"

"Tch, what else do you expect from someone born from an affair? Even his birth was on a day marked by the death of a kind soul."

"People like them only dirty our society."

The beta heard it all. He always did.

Not because he didn't care—no, he did. The fire in his chest told him so. The weight in his fists told him so.

But there was no point.

They had already decided what he was.

So, he let them talk.

However, what did bother him was the way the delta from earlier had rushed off, clutching her child as if he were truly something to fear.

Something about that child's scream, the way he called him a monster, really irritated him more than usual.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue, shoving his hands into his pockets as he turned to leave.

That—that pissed him off.

His fists clenched, but before his anger could boil over, a familiar voice cut through the murmurs.

"Aaw~ causing trouble again, little beast?"

His jaw tightened. That voice.

Slowly, he turned.

Leaning lazily against a wooden stall was a tall figure, their sharp light brown  simmering with golden eyes glinting with amusement.

An alpha. And not just any alpha.

One of the few people who could get under his skin.

The beta clenched his fists, but he forced himself to stay still. He wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction of a reaction.

"What do you want, Czer?" 

Czer chuckled, pushing off the stall with an easy grace. "Oh, nothing much. Just enjoying the show." His gaze flickered to the onlookers who were still murmuring, their whispers filled with judgment and disgust. "You do have a way of keeping people entertained."

The beta scoffed. "If you're done running your mouth, get lost."

"But why would I?" Czer's smirk widened. "It's not every day I get to see you sulking like a kicked puppy."

"Say that again, and I'll break your damn nose."

"Ooh, scary," Czer teased, stepping closer. "But tell me, little beast, why so tense? Did those whispers finally get to you?" His voice lowered; eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Or was it the way that lady looked at you?"

The beta's breath hitched before he could stop himself.

Czer's smirk faltered. Just for a second.

Then it returned—only this time, it wasn't just amusement dancing in his light brown eyes. There was something else. Something that made the beta's throat dry.

"Ah~ so that's it," Czer murmured, but his voice had lost its usual teasing edge. "The delta, right? The way she clutched her child like you were some rabid animal. That bothered you, didn't it?"

The beta's jaw tightened. He hated that Czer could read him so easily. But what he hated more was the way Czer was still so close.

"You're pathetic," he spat, desperate to break the moment, to push away whatever the hell this feeling was.

"And you're predictable," Czer shot back. Then, with a lazy shrug, he turned to leave. "Just thought I'd drop by and enjoy the show. Don't disappoint me next time, yeah?"

The beta didn't respond, his nails digging into his palms.

As Czer disappeared into the crowd, the whispers still surrounded him, suffocating, clinging to his skin like filth.

Monster. Mistake. A stain on society.

He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to move. To leave.

But his legs stood there frozen, his fists still clenched, his heartbeat just a fraction too fast.

Not from anger.

Not from the whispers.

But from him.

Czer.

That infuriating, sharp-tongued alpha who always seemed to know exactly where to press, exactly how to tear him open and expose the raw, ugly parts of himself. The one who never looked at him with fear, never shrank away, never whispered behind his back.

Instead, Czer laughed. Mocked him. Challenged him.

And he—he hated it.

He hated the way his stomach twisted at the teasing lilt of Czer's voice. The way his pulse stuttered when those light brown glowing golden in sun eyes locked onto him, like he was something worth paying attention to. The way, even now, with his anger still smoldering, a traitorous part of him wanted to chase after that stupid smirk.

But he didn't.

He never did.

Because this—whatever this was—was impossible.

People like him—mistakes, monsters, born of scandal and whispered curses—didn't get to love.

And even if they did, someone like Czer would never love someone like him.

So, he swallowed it down, like he always did, and walked away.

Because if he stayed any longer, he wasn't sure he could stop himself from proving them right.

Pebble opened the door, totally surprised by the order she'd received after sending Velor and Blair to bury the vampire corpse.

She had no idea that not only had Augustus already found his mate, but he had also decided to reject him!! It was too much for her small brain to handle, and she froze for a few minutes, her mind shutting down in disbelief.

I mean, just imagine you wake up one day to find out that your boss divorced his partner the very day of their wedding, and you're the one who has to deliver this ass-kicking news.

Although Pebble knew omegas had soft natures, she still put on her best running shoes—just in case of violence.

After praying to the Moon Goddess for the nth time, she slowly opened the dusty door with the key, cursing Augustus again. Not only was he trying to reject an omega, but he'd also locked him away!!

"Please, Moon Goddess, don't let me die today. I'm too young for this."

Her dramatic prayer was interrupted when she opened the door. She gasped.

On the edge of a white bed, a beautiful young boy sat bathed in the orange rays of the afternoon sun, staring at her. His sky-blue eyes shone like a bright, sunny day, while his messy silver hair sparkled with golden highlights. His oversized clothes made him look utterly fragile and pitiful.

So, this was the omega Augustus was going to reject.

Pebble had to say...

Her leader was fucking blind!!!

She looked at the boy again, who seemed to be poking every cute point in her heart. She could feel her motherly instincts bursting out of her.

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to pinch his cheeks. After all, she couldn't scare him off!!

She squeezed out the gentlest smile she could muster and asked,

"Are you feeling, okay?"

Ivor looked up. He hadn't expected to be greeted by someone so young, at least quite younger than from what he remembered from his first life. This girl was practically bouncing with energy in her red oversized shirt and skorts. She looked like one of those girls who plays football in the street with a bunch of boys, then leaves them in the dust while doing cartwheels.

Her big, sparkling almond eyes and those adorable freckles screamed "cute little sister" vibes.

"Are you feeling, okay?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him.

Ivor blinked. For a moment, he couldn't even form a proper answer. His hoarse voice finally made its way out, a little rough and scratchy, like it had been a while since he'd had a real conversation.

"I'm fine."

When Pebble heard his hoarse voice, she couldn't help but feel her heart bleed. Even his polite smile seemed bittersweet, like he'd been poked at one of his raw spots.

He must have been crying a lot.

Thinking this, her voice softened without her even realizing it.

"You know why I'm here, right?"

Seeing the teenager nod, she couldn't help but curse Augustus for the nth time.

What the hell was he thinking? Rejecting such an obedient and well-behaved boy??!!!

But her expression stayed gentle as she stepped closer to him.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes."

She couldn't resist patting his head. When the boy froze, she chuckled.

"Let's go."

1699 words

Those who guess who this beta is will get 0 dollars from my side instead will get my flying kiss reaching through the satellites and internet cable ;)

Take care sweets!!