Jay jolted awake with his breath caught in his throat. His body felt heavy, his head throbbing like something was hammering from the inside. He tried moving his hands, but his wrists were strapped tightly to a metal chair. The smell in the room hit him next—thick. Too thick. Alpha scent. Beta scent. All mixed until his stomach twisted.
"Shit…" Jay muttered through his teeth. "Not now…"
Heavy footsteps entered. Boots clacking against concrete. Three men. Two alphas, one beta. All of them staring at him like he was property.
The first alpha leaned in, grabbed Jay's jaw and forced his head up.
"Huh… so this is the omega spy."
His tone was mocking. His breath hit Jay's skin, and the alpha pheromones pushed against him so hard it made Jay want to throw up.
Jay frowned. "Hands off me, asshole."
The alpha smiled, amused by the fight in him. "Feisty. What kind of omega talks like that?"
The second alpha came around behind him. Fingers slid down the back of Jay's neck along his spine. Jay shivered instantly.
"Don't touch me, for fuck's sake. I swear I'll bite your hand off."
The beta chuckled. "Cute. An omega who sounds like he wants to start a fight."
The first alpha tapped Jay's cheek with two fingers. "Tell me. How does an omega like you end up as a spy?"
Jay pushed his hand away with his shoulder, annoyed. "Because I'm better than all of you."
The second alpha leaned in beside his ear and inhaled Jay's scent on purpose. "Never seen an omega act this rough. Usually they go limp when surrounded by alphas."
Jay clenched his jaw. "Try me, dumbass."
Then the first alpha gripped his jaw again, harder this time. "Bold, huh? You forget you're tied up?"
Jay met his eyes, refusing to break. "I didn't forget. I'm just busy trying not to puke from your stench. Too damn rotten."
The alpha laughed, but there was a spark of irritation under it. He pressed his forehead to Jay's, forcing eye contact.
"Tell me, omega. You think you're getting out of here alive?"
Jay turned his face away, but the alpha followed.
"Fuck off."
His voice shook—not from fear, but from how overwhelming the pheromones were getting. His head spun. His pulse raced. The restraints bit into his wrists as he struggled.
The smell got worse. Too strong.
Jay took a deep breath by mistake, and the alpha scent rushed deeper.
His vision blurred.
Damn it.
"Damn it… stop… the scent…" He curled his fingers tightly, trying to steady himself.
The beta watched with interest. "He's dizzy. New omega, right? Not used to alpha pressure."
How the hell did they know he was newly changed?
The second alpha leaned close to Jay's ear. "Relax, cutie. We haven't even started."
Jay bit down hard on his lip. "Don't… touch me. You're disgusting."
The first alpha grabbed his chin again and forced his head back at a painful angle. "If you're such a strong spy, show me. Stop acting weak."
Jay tried to lift his head and bite the man's fingers, but a quick slap landed against his cheek. Not hard, but insulting enough to piss him off.
"Try that again," Jay whispered, his voice cold. "I'll break your fucking face."
All three of them went quiet.
They looked at him. A tied-up, half-dizzy omega… still baring his teeth.
The first alpha smirked. "Interesting."
Their pheromones thickened. Jay couldn't handle it—his head dropped forward, breaths coming short and uneven.
"What the hell… what are you doing…" Jay muttered, trying not to vomit.
"Just testing you," the second alpha said. "Seeing how long you last."
Jay shook his head, voice rough. "I'm not—"
He stopped.
Something moved behind the far wall. Metal scraping. A click from a different lock system. The three men went silent instantly. Their bodies stiffened—as if someone they didn't expect had just arrived.
The heavy steel door slowly swung open.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The steps weren't fast, but steady. Confident. The walk of someone who knew he was above everyone in the room.
A man appeared in the doorway.
Tall.
Alpha.
Wearing a black mask.
His aura crushed the entire room. Stronger than all three men combined. Their scents dimmed instantly under his presence.
Jay lifted his head slowly, vision still fogged. The pressure from this new alpha was even stronger… but something was strange. The scent didn't slam into him. It pulled back every time it got close. Held in control.
The newcomer stopped three steps away from Jay. His eyes settled on him first. Quiet. Observing.
Then he turned to the three men.
"Who told you to touch him?"
His voice was low, quiet, and enough to silence the whole room.
The first alpha swallowed hard. "Boss, we were just—"
"Just what?" The man stepped forward. His tone didn't rise, but the threat in it was sharp. "Just ignoring my orders? Just touching the omega I told you not to touch?"
All three of them bowed their heads.
Jay squinted. "Boss…?" He looked between them, confused. "Who the hell is that…"
The man crouched slightly so he was eye-level with Jay. He didn't touch him, didn't crowd him, but the way he looked at Jay made his heartbeat jump.
"He's dizzy," the alpha said quietly, not to Jay but to the others. "You flooded the room with alpha scent."
The second alpha swallowed. "We were only testing him, boss."
"Testing?"
A small, sharp smile tugged at the man's lip. "If I wanted him tested, you'd be dead already."
They froze.
"Get out."
No hesitation. The three of them left like their lives depended on it. The door slammed behind them.
Silence.
Jay was still tied up. Still breathing unevenly. But the alpha's pressure eased more and more, like he was reeling it back on purpose.
Jay closed his eyes briefly, trying to steady his spinning head.
"Who are you…" Jay's voice came out hoarse.
The man crouched in front of him again. His eyes dark, not like a lustful alpha—more like someone calculated, dangerous.
"Secret agent from Italy. Codename…"
"DALL.E."
Jay blinked. He'd heard that codename before. "You're… a secret agent?"
The man reached up and pulled down his mask, leaning close to Jay's ear.
"My name is…"
He let his breath brush Jay's skin, voice low enough to make Jay shiver.
"…Levant."