Arik and Ashvin landed in Valoldour by afternoon. They took a cab and went straight to the university.
Maven decided to stay back in Sigor to look after his boyfriend Irwin and his little brother Hael in the absence of Arik.
Though no one dare to do anything to Irwin in Sigor, the only heir of powerful Lowell family, it was better to be on guard than to regret it later cause as the bidding of the project was nearing anything could happen.
Ashvin called Eugene informing him that he arrived in Valoldour and was on his way to his dorms. He didn't mention anything about Arik.
Eugene finally breathed a sigh of relief as he came to the garden behind his dorms and waited there on the bench for Ashvin's arrival.
All the time Ashvin was away he was frightened thinking that the Alpha might leave him and stay in his homeland for good.
His thoughts wandered very negatively as he was the one who forced their relationship on Ashvin. A year back if someone told him that he shall become a cunning Omega and trap an Alpha into making out with him he might have crossed it out as utter senseless talk.
But now...
At that time, Eugene had dreams to pursue. He was more carrier oriented than anyone could ever think of. He always tried to get better at his skills and reach his goals that he set up for himself.
Worked hard day and night, trying to improve even one percent more than what he was the previous day.
The Omega was a digital art major in the university. He had no idea about Ashvin, the biotechnology professor in the science department until six months back.
They both never crossed paths and there was absolute no reason to... until, something happened that shook Eugene's life.
He couldn't talk about it with anyone close to him not even with his close friends. He only cried in the dark all night holding the picture of his late mother, telling her how could fate be so unfair to him.
He almost gave up all his dreams and decided to end his life but then he stopped seeing Ashvin, the Alpha who pulled him from the bridge he was going to jump and called for help.
Eugene was the only one who remembered this. Ashvin had no idea that the boy he saved on his way to the university was him cause the Alpha never saw his face.
Ashvin only saw the lone back of a person who was about to jump off the bridge. He immediately informed the authorities about it and pulled the person down instantly.
The Alpha hugged him for a while speaking to him about how life was precious and all until the people from the emergency services arrived and took him away.
Eugene saw his face when he was being taken away. The few minutes he was in the big arms of the Alpha, he felt safe. The warmth he gave him and the gentle voice that filled his ears preaching him right and wrong... Everything made him look for Ashvin.
After finding out the Alpha was a professor in his university he hesitated a bit to approach him but he couldn't stop himself from not seeing him.
Soon he told his friends that he fell in love with the biotechnology professor of the science stream... though it wasn't the entire truth... He wasn't in love... he was merely attracted to the person who saved him.
His friends did an entire background check on Ashvin and they got to know the Alpha was a one in a million gentleman. That was when Eugene got the spark of an idea... to save himself and his about to be ruined life.
Eugene from then on started with his plan which led to the series of incidents and the situation he was at present.
Though he did everything he was still insecure, doubtful, and scared...
"Eugene," Ashvin's voice broke the train of his deep thoughts as he stood up with a smile and turned to see him.
But the smile immediately dropped seeing Arik Esmeray standing in front of him along with Ashvin.
Eugene's nose stung as tears started welling up in his eyes. He clutched onto the hems of his shirt on either side trying to control himself from breaking down.
It has been years...
"Br... Br-Brother... Arik," Words became incoherent as he stared at the blue-blooded Alpha who was once his favorite brother.
The person Eugene looked up to the most but then later...
Eugene clenched his jaw, "Why... are you here?" The emotions that welled up inside him just now burned as he remembered what happened to his mother in the Esmeray family. His voice was colder than the ice of the northern hemisphere.
"Little Orange..." Arik beamed as he ran and hugged the Omega tightly.
Hearing the nickname he longed for after a long time from the mouth of the person he liked the most... it felt like the walls around his heart crumbled.
His eyes wavered for a moment as Eugene was about to hug the elder Alpha back. However, the Omega shook his head and pushed Arik away with all his might.
"You... stay away from me and refrain from calling me with that name ever again!"
Eugene pointed his finger at Arik after harshly wiping down the tear that dared to slip out.
"Little Orange..." Arik was downhearted hearing him.
"STOP!" Eugene screamed, his face became serious and his eyes were filled with fear.
The Omega glanced at Ashvin, "So... this was the important matter that happened in your family? You couldn't get to talk with my uncle to free yourself from me that's why you went all the way to find my..."
Eugene stopped himself from saying brother and glared at Arik. Gritting his teeth, "... this betrayer? Do you think I will listen to him and leave you?"
"No, that's not why I brought him here Eugene. You're misunderstanding, I just want to-"
"You just want to screw me up, is that it? Why don't you straight away tell me, to my face that you don't want to take responsibility? Oh, because you fear that I will send the footage to the cathedral and you might get punished for sleeping with a minor?"
Eugene was overwhelmed by his emotions. He thought he was furious but the tears that were flowing down his cheeks which he wasn't aware of made him look pitiful.
Ashvin stepped forward sensing that Eugene was becoming emotionally unstable again.
"Stop there! Don't come to me..." Eugene warned stepping back mumbling, "...why is everything like this... I should have never trusted that this Alpha would be any different from them... is there no other way? Is my death the only solution?"
Arik and Ashvin heard everything that Eugene was muttering to himself as he was crying and backing away.
They both looked at each other with widened eyes. Right after, they nodded heads and in seconds they caught Eugene in their arms tightly.
"LEAVE ME! LET GO OF ME! I MUST DIE!" Eugene yelled at the top of his lungs as his body quivered badly and his tears poured down non-stop, he went into a very bad panicked state.
Both the Alphas knew it was the feral stage of the Omega. Right, 'Feral'. Werewolves go feral when their emotions become a tangled mess if they suppress them for longer periods without any outlets.
Nevertheless, the three subgenders—Alpha, Beta, and Omega react differently in a feral state.
In the case of the Alphas, they lose their reasoning and go into a berserk state at that time no one could stop them. Feral Alphas were the most dangerous cause they'd rip apart everyone and anyone in front of them as all they could see was red until all the nerves in their system broke down and they died.
When it came to Betas, the feral state doesn't affect them much but in critical cases, they might fall into a long sleep, which may lead to coma and eventually death.
While Omegas in feral condition would fall into severe depression and anxiety which may lead them to take their own life.
Most of the unmarked, unmated werewolves were the ones who ended up going feral.
The werewolves who were marked and have mates won't be impacted as by scenting their mates they could return back to normal.
However, a werewolf going feral was uncommon as for them to go into such a state they must have experienced a heavily stressed environment for a prolonged time and held everything inside them, enduring something so emotionally hurting all alone.
Nowadays, after the werewolf's civilization happened and grew boundlessly resulting in not living in packs anymore which used to be the triggering factor, the cases of ferals became rare and almost non-existent.
But to think Eugene was in such a state right now only meant one thing, he was suffering all this time to such an extent that he was demented.
Arik gave a sharp glance at Ashvin while holding Eugene tightly in his arms, "You must give him a temporary mark to make him stable again."
Ashvin nodded determinedly as he bore his fangs and sank them into the scent glands of the Omega who yelped in pain.
The temporary mark was formed. Ashvin licked the bite sealing the wound. After a few moments, Eugene didn't struggle anymore. His senses became clear.
The Omega panted heavily and lost consciousness as all his mental strength was depleted.
"What did you go through for you to be..." Ashvin brushed the Omega's hair on his forehead gently, hugged him and carried him in arms.
Arik was going insane seeing his little brother who used to be so cheerful like a bright sun going feral. He couldn't even fathom what Eugene underwent all these years.
>>>What was that uncle of his doing when Eugene was hurting like this?
>>>Something is not right. The way Eugene trapped Ashvin and wanted him to be his mate and now like this going feral...
...
Meanwhile, the peaceful city, Sigor was turned upside down by the arrival of the 'Dead Ringers' who upon seeing werewolves after a long time attacked whoever came into their sight.
But they did it in hiding. Many complaints of missing persons were sent to the Cathedral all of a sudden and people flocked in front to know the whereabout of their missing family members.
The Bishop was also flustered by such a sudden situation. He sent the order of holy knights along with some deacons to investigate.
Irwin was alerted by his men about the incidents happening in the city. He needed to go to the headquarters to discuss and take preventive measures to stop the disappearance of more people.
But he didn't want to leave Hael alone in the home too. Maven who went out to bring them some snacks from the convenience store that the Omega craved for didn't return till now.
He was getting anxious thinking Maven was also one of the people who went missing.
When Irwin was torn between whether to leave and search for his boyfriend or to stay and protect Hael who was pregnant and defenseless.
"Brother Irwin, you can go. I will lock the door and stay put inside. I know you are worried about Mr. Maven..." Hael voiced out seeing the Beta pacing around nervously.
Irwin bit his lips and shook his head, "I can't leave you alone. Maven is an Alpha, he can protect himself somehow but you... No. I will stay and protect you. My men can find Maven."
"Then how about I go along with you to the base? That way you can talk with your men and I will be still under protection," Hael suggested.
"No! I can't take you to such a dangerous place. We don't know who is doing all this. What if there is a mole among my people and they try to harm you? I can't take any chances, Hael." Irwin rejected the Omega's idea.
Both Irwin and Hael fell silent thinking what they should do when they heard loud bangs on their door.
Irwin became cautious, he signed Hael to keep quiet and slowly walked toward the door taking out a gun from his back and pointing it at the door.
*****