Sixteen-year-old Cael stood apart, hiding behind an oak tree, his heart heavy with longing as he watched the group of kids his age playing soccer. Laughter and shouts filled the air as they chased each other, their energy contagious and wild.

All he had ever wanted, ever since he was a child, was to join them. To belong, to play, to just be a kid. But that was never meant to be.

He had been raised with a singular focus: to be strong, to lead, to protect.

"Cael!" The voice of his father's beta, Rowan, sliced through the air like a blade, pulling him back to his reality. "It's time to train!"

"Can't I join them for a little while... I just finished studying!" He yelled back at him. 

"You have more important things to do and be than kicking a piece of rolled leather! Get your ass over here! Now!!"

Cael looked back at the field and saw that the teens had stopped playing and had noticed him where he was hiding. As he caught their eyes, they bowed to him. None of them smiled or even looked at him with familiarity. 

Sighing heavily, he pushed himself off the tree and made his way to the training area. "Well, the moment is gone now," he thought to himself. 

He disliked the way the pack members treated him, but it was a familiar feeling. This had been his life since he could walk. Training, then food and rest breaks, then homeschooling, and then more training. He was trained in weapons usage and almost all martial arts one could name. He also had a batch of top professors as his private tutors. He was 16, but his learning level was already that of a second-year university student. All he did was study and train, even though all he ever wanted was to play with the others, to be one of them, since he was a child.

Sighing, he looked up at Rowan as he got to him, bracing himself mentally for the lecture knew was coming.

"Why are you being so sentimental... so weak?! You can't afford to waste time watching them play or wanting to be a part of them. This is the same problem I have with your father. Alphas are above the pack members; stop seeing them as peers. You are going to take over from your father once you turn 20. You'll have to protect and lead them one day, and that requires discipline and logic, not feelings. You have so much to learn."

Cael's breath ceased for a second. "He is to take over when he is 20??, when had they made that decision?!" he thought in panic

"You are the future of the pack! stop being so weak or you'll be eating up; most of the members you want to mingle with so badly will even be the ones to take the first bite."

"The future of the pack..." The words felt heavy on his chest, pressing down on him, suffocating him. It was a life he never asked for. A life he wanted to escape desperately. 

Sometimes, Cael could swear he heard hate in the man's voice when he spoke about his father, he thought as he followed him to the training room.

The training area was a harsh and cold space, filled with practice dummies, gym equipment, and all kinds of weapons. As Cael practiced, tears pricked at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He swallowed hard, anger swirling inside him like a storm. Everyone was right; he had responsibilities. But what about his happiness?

As the hours dragged on, his coaches pushed him harder, demanding perfection until Cael could barely move. By the end of the session, he was drenched in sweat, his muscles screaming for rest.

Finally, the session was declared over, Cael trudged away, his heart heavy. He walked back past the field, catching sight of the teenagers again. They were still playing baseball this time around. More people had joined them, watching the match. He spotted his soon to be beta was one of the players now. He knew if he stopped to watch, they would feel uncomfortable, and it would ruin their fun.

Cael felt a sense of finality settle over him. He could never join them completely; he can never actually feel free here. He was trapped in a world of duty, isolation, and expectation. The only one who's ever treated him a little normal and tried to include him in activities was his future Beta, Jason, and he was sure he was doing it out of duty, not because he wanted to be his friend. 

That night, as he lay in bed, he made a silent vow to himself: "I'll leave." he promised himself that day. "The night I turn twenty, I'll leave. Find my mate. Live a little. Then I'll return, take over, and prove myself. But until then, I'll endure. My father is still strong enough to lead until I'm ready."

If only he had known that just a few years later he would never have the chance to leave.

The memory of those years filled him with bitterness now, as he sat in the bar drinking. That moment seemed so far away.

He had no idea that in a few moments he would meet Elisa, the omega whose presence would disrupt everything.